If I listened to the media, I would think that Josh Hamilton is some poor junkie that they picked up off the streets and hand-tossed into the MLB, because hey! America loves a feel-good story. Only it’s not true, and it kind of does a disservice to the fans, to baseball, and to Hamilton himself to keep reporting on his past.

Like everyone else who watched the Derby Not for Horses last night, I was very impressed and had the feeling that only happens when witnessing sports history. Ah, but Announcer Who Wasn’t Berman had to go and screw that up for me. Josh Hamilton’s struggles! Josh Hamilton’s demons! Isn’t it just amazing how Josh Hamilton overcame such adversity? Are they trying to inflate this guy’s head with a pump? This has been going on all season; when does the novelty of the former junkie turned heroic ballplayer who has actual talent wear off?

Please don’t get me wrong, he is a fantastic player who has gotten people interested in the game. That is commendable. But running a disease as serious as addiction into the ground by turning it into a drinking game for college kids (“hey, every time they mention Hamilton’s problems, take a shot!”) is not the way to go about doing it. Focus on the talent that he’s got in the here and now, and let his problems, demons, and whatever other cutesy words you have for it be a background, not a foreground, for a pretty amazing baseball story.