Player Interview: Evan Gattis, C, Rome Braves (Class A, South Atlantic League)

FEB 23rd, 2012-As a follow-up to my previous article on Evan Gattis, I asked him for some personal insight into the long, arduous path he traveled from his time as a troubled teen to All-Star catcher in the pro ranks. He was kind enough to oblige.

When you left baseball initially, what would you say was the greatest reason?

I felt like there was something more important I had to "figure out".

Did you feel that baseball had, more or less, become your whole life, and that it had somehow made you forget who you were as a person, apart from the game? That you had to remember who you were, in a sense?

Not so much the baseball part of it. I felt like there was something missing no matter how good I was at ball.

But I like that you (mention) "remember", because when people feel like themselves, it's an overwhelmingly familiar sense.

That's a very good answer. When you first hit the road, did you have an idea as to what you wanted to accomplish, or was it just a matter of getting away from the world you knew and learning a bit about life in general?

Well, I finished a semester of junior college when I was enrolled at Seminole State College (Oklahoma) and I was actually giving up the "spiritual search" initially, but later on I wanted to surround myself with people of common interest.

So you were driven to learn about yourself, as well as what life was really about?

Yeah, whatever the motivation the story for everyone is the same; for me it was for relief of depression. Some people lose a child, some people do outrageously courageous things and they don't know how they did it, some people go their whole life with a sense of lack and they know their death is approaching. It happens differently for everyone but it's the same dynamic. It's a search, it wasn't like a hobby. I wanted help.

I can certainly relate to that. I understand the impact that depression can have on both the life of the person suffering and the friends and family who care for that person. I've seen it both as a health care provider and as someone who's suffered from it, personally.

Right, it's hard on everyone. And who wants to be around a depressed person? And who wants to be depressed?

It's hard for a lot of people to understand, so I think they shy away from the subject. At what point did you feel like you had reached an understanding about what you were going through? Was there a moment of epiphany for you?

Many, in fact. It seemed to be a process. The endgame was in Santa Cruz. I knew I had nothing to look for, and it's funny; when you don't look you find (it). Not that you find anything, just that you don't have to look, because the search is exhausting.

Would you say your experiences on the road strengthened your desire to play baseball, or perhaps allowed you to enjoy the game more?

I appreciate it more. I can enjoy it full on, without wondering if there is something more important to be doing.

So your time away from the game was sort of a liberating experience for you, in many ways?

Yes, that was the whole point: liberation!

Now I'd like to ask you about your experiences with rehab, if you're comfortable with talking about that.

Yeah. I was 17 and terrified of failing a drug test for pot, and I didn't want to be a "mess up".

So it was an easy decision for you?

It kind of happened fast and I was depressed. Seemed like a good decision.

Certainly seems like it worked out for you. Last question: was rehab particularly tough for you, or did you get through it without much much difficulty?

It wasn't tough and kind of refreshing. It wasn't the happiest of places, but it was good to talk to people.

NEWS FLASH: Josh Hamilton Is Human, After All

"I think he's got that tiger by the tail. If him and I could be together, it would be awesome because we get along so well. And if I thought that was the case that he would be in some sort of danger, I'd really reconsider."-Michael Dean Chadwick, Josh Hamilton's father-in-law, after declining the position of accountability partner for Hamilton. 

FEB 3rd, 2012-Addiction is a curious issue. 

Among all conditions which are classified as diseases or disorders, addiction is arguably the most controversial. Some folks don't consider it a disease at all, but a choice. Others would disagree, citing genetic markers as proof. 

Regardless of what you may think, the prevailing evidence suggests that it's a mix of both. There may be tendencies in the addict to drink or use drugs, but the decision to do so still lies with the individual. Some tendencies may be stronger than others. And many addicts manage to hide their addiction from friends and family; some even lead relatively normal lives in spite of drugs or alcohol. Most can, at the very least, keep their names and faces off of the front page, even if they're caught. 

Rangers CF Josh Hamilton, however, is not quite so lucky. 

According to Foul Territory, a sports blog written for the Dallas Star-Telegram:

"KTVT/Channel 11 reported Thursday that second baseman Ian Kinsler was seen with Hamilton at Sherlock’s Pub in North Dallas. A source, though, said that Kinsler went there only after receiving a call from Hamilton."

Also, from Drew Silva of NBC Sports' Hardball Talk:

UPDATE, 11:27 PM: Fraley has more details: The incident happened at Sherlock’s Pub & Grill in Dallas and Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler showed up at one point in an attempt to drag Hamilton home. Yikes.

UPDATE, 11:38 PM: From beat writer Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Sources say Ian Kinsler received a call from Josh Hamilton and went to bar out of concern.” Double yikes.

It would be hard for me to add anything to the hundreds of news articles and blog entries that have already sprung up on the Net about this incident, but I would like to mention one particular issue: Josh Hamilton is forever linked to the accidental, tragic death of a fan, Shannon Stone. 

Everyone knows the story: Hamilton throws a ball to Stone, a Brownwood area firefighter. Stone reaches for the ball and falls over a railing, twenty feet, to the concrete below. While he was conscious and responsive when EMS arrived, according to Oakland pitcher Brad Ziegler, who stated that he heard Stone say "please check on my son up there", he went into cardiac arrest and died in transit. 

This incident occurred less than a year after another fan (Tyler Morris; coincidentally, also a firefighter) fell 35 feet over a railing, suffering skull, foot and ankle fractures but ultimately surviving the fall. While Hamilton wasn't connected in any way with that accident, he was most certainly connected with Stone's fall, and I'm guessing he carries that with him every single day of his life. 

There's no question in my mind that Hamilton bears no responsibility in Stone's death, but do you really think that makes it any easier for him to cope with the memory of watching a man fall over a railing, one which was supposedly part of team president Nolan Ryan's "safety review" after the Morris incident, and ultimately die as a result of his injuries? Would it be any easier for you? For my own part, I can say that I'd NEVER be able to put that sort of memory out of my mind. I'm not even a drinker, and I'm guessing that a nightmare like that would drive me to it. 

Hamilton, on the other hand, is a recovering addict. There's a reason that the word "recovering" is consistently used in relation to the label "addict": it's because recovery is a day-by-day process, and it must be approached that way. It's a human disease, suffered by flawed human beings, and some days are easier than others. Most addicts don't have the pressure of potentially reliving standing by while another man suffers a mortal wound right in front of them, performing in front of tens of thousands of people 162 times a year (not counting the millions watching on TV or listening on radio), and having their every move scrutinized, criticized or condemned. Oh, and wondering if, while enduring this hurricane of emotion and the constant pressure that comes with it, they just might injure themselves in a way that could bring their career to a screeching halt. That, my friend, is quite a load to bear. 

Oh, and by the way...then he gets to pick that emotional scab by catching the first pitch of Game 1 of the ALCS, thrown by none other than Cooper Stone, son of the deceased. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Josh carries that burden, and for the most part, carries it well. He's an imperfect man, and like many Christians he's doing his best to reach perfection, something he knows he'll never come close to accomplishing. Sometimes, he's going to fail horribly. Monday night was one of those times. That shouldn't change how we look at him any more than how we look at our friends or family when they let us down. Regardless of how or why he was in that bar, he made a mistake: he relapsed. And it sure didn't take long for some writers to condemn him for what, as far as we know, is only the second time since his return to professional baseball that he's had anything to do with drugs or alcohol. Sadly, it is all but completely certain that this will affect the way many fans, as well as Rangers management, look at their star center fielder. But it shouldn't. It's a fact of life: some people would rather curse the darkness than light a candle. 

In the grand scheme of things, and when taken in comparison with what he's overcome in his journey through life, this is only one night, one failure. And that's all it should be. 

But when it comes down to it, I'm guessing that there will still be a large contingent of doubters out there who will be waiting on pins and needles for Josh Hamilton to show us once more just how human he is. From the looks of it, there's plenty to find regarding his previously (highly-publicized) relapse, and lots of people with a lot of time on their hands and a lot of venom on their keyboard. That's just sad. And frankly, pathetic. 

When it's all said and done, when the whole story finally comes to light, the end result could be costly. Not that he made such an egregious error in judgment, but that this one error could cost him more than just zeroes in his next contract. It could cost him the faith and understanding of thousands of fans, fans who may be too quick to take into account his flaws and his weaknesses because they're either unable or unwilling to see past his baseball ability. 

And that's the real shame of it. 

Read more here: http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/foul_territory/2012/02/sources-josh-hamilton-relapsed-with-alcohol.html#storylink=cpy