Hamilton's slip could cost him millions

"I feel like I've got a handle on it. But every time I feel like I've beaten it, I take control back of the situation, and I end up falling on my face again." Josh Hamilton, interview in Arizona, February 2011 Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton drank alcohol in a bar Monday night. This would not be news for a Major League Baseball player, except Hamilton is the most well-known recovering drug and alcohol addict in the sport today. The Rangers said in a statement that they are "aware of a situation" but had no further comment. Hamilton held a press conference Friday at 1 p.m. CT to address the matter. Hamilton and a teammate two-time All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler were out together at a local pub, Hamilton said. Hamilton said he had "three or four" drinks before Kinsler joined him and that Kinsler did not see him drink. The two were seen at Sherlock's, a local pub, a source confirmed to FOXSportsSouthwest.com. At this point, there are many more questions than answers about the incident, which was first reported by the Dallas Morning News. Such as: How intoxicated was Hamilton? Why was he drinking in public in Dallas, no less at an establishment where he would likely be recognized? Since one thing can lead to another in a relapse, is Hamilton in jeopardy of failing a drug test? (He's tested three times each week, a requirement of his reinstatement to baseball and said he had been tested since the incident.) This is sad for baseball, for the Rangers, and for Hamilton's many fans. Mostly, though, this is sad for Hamilton and his family. The episode surely will impact negotiations about a long-term contract between the Rangers and Hamilton's agent, Michael Moye. It's believed the sides talked as recently as this week. The timing of this could cost him millions. With ongoing contract talks, the mere act of walking into a bar was incredibly self-destructive. Hamilton said Friday that the negotiations will be put on the back burner now. So brutal is the vise of addiction that perhaps Hamilton couldn't stop himself from doing it. The only explanation for his behavior is both simple and complex: He's an alcoholic. Now his home run in Game 6 of the World Series the one that should have clinched the title is a distant memory. The familiar and uncomfortable questions are back. Is he reliable? Will he remain healthy? Can he stay sober? Hamilton apparently let down his guard in his struggle against vice. As we look for reasons why, consider that he's facing two circumstances for the first time in his big-league career: He's about to begin his first season without the in-person guidance of Johnny Narron, his longtime confidante; and he's entering his first contract year. Narron, who had been Hamilton's sober companion with the Rangers, left the organization after last season to become the Milwaukee hitting coach. Michael Dean Chadwick, Hamilton's father-in-law, was set to replace Narron but changed his mind last month. After that, Hamilton told FOXSportsSouthwest.com, "When Johnny left, I didn't feel like I needed anybody." Apparently he does this year, more than ever. Contract negotiations, particularly those involving tens of millions of dollars, can torment any player's mind. It takes remarkable resolve to turn down guaranteed money and count on the 162-game dice roll. If Hamilton says no to the Rangers' ultimate offer, he may place added pressure on himself increasing the risk for the sort of relapse he had this week. Objectively speaking, Hamilton should remain with the Rangers. He's found an organization that supports and accepts him, with an open-minded front office and welcoming clubhouse. But for two well-publicized relapses in early 2009 and again this week Hamilton has been able to manage his addictions, even if it's impossible to defeat them entirely. "I've (been) fortunate with my teammates," Hamilton said in an interview last year. "Nobody in here has ever tried to force anything on me. They've always respected where I've been, the struggles I've had." But it's easy to see why Hamilton would feel jilted. The Rangers just committed more than 100 million (in posting fee and salary) to Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish, who has yet to throw a pitch in the major leagues. They were willing to give free agent Prince Fielder about that much, too, before he signed with the Detroit Tigers. Adrian Beltre signed for 80 million last year. At this time last year, Hamilton was the reigning American League MVP. Now, the absence of a "lifetime contract" could give rise to feelings of insecurity even if he's earning a handsome salary of 13.75 million this year. There's a chance that the upcoming season, even with its stresses, will be therapeutic for Hamilton. It's when he doesn't have ballgames to occupy his time that he's encountered trouble with substance abuse. His initial temptation with hard drugs came while he was rehabilitating an injury as a minor leaguer with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The 2009 relapse came while he was training in Arizona during the offseason. "That broke me, more than anything," Hamilton said of the '09 incident, during an interview last February. "I took control back and fell again. I was in tears, a broken man. I felt like I could have one drink. It ended up being however many it was. I don't remember half of what I did. "When I got back to my apartment, God cleared my head and opened my heart and made me realize how I got to that position again. So that's when I lost it. I called my wife, the Rangers, Major League Baseball everybody I needed to call. "Alcohol is alcohol. Alcohol doesn't work well for me. It's not illegal. I just knew where it could have led. That's why it was so emotional for me. It was literally a sobering experience." Three years later, the parallels are chilling. And for Hamilton and the Rangers, a team desperate to get the last strike that eluded them in St. Louis, the stakes could hardly be higher.