What if Josh Hamilton's Disease Was Obesity?

Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton was not suspended from baseball for drug use because he admitted to using prior to any drug test.

The national media has pointed out that Josh suffers from a disease, addiction. They have gotten on their high horses and trampled any source from Anaheim that brings up accountability as a necessary part of any treatment for addiction.

This is the same media that makes sure to post photos of Pablo Sandoval in unflattering, belly-enhanced profile pics and mocks his athleticism for being obese. This is the same media that mocked Bengie Molina for being slow on the bases and bringing up the subject of his weight. Don't even mention Bartolo Colon if you don't want snickers of fat jokes.

The disease of obesity kills more people than the disease of drug addiction. But the scolds in the media so bent on scorning Anaheim fans and front office people who are aghast at paying $23 Million to HamBone after his (guess the number) relapse, oh those scolds are court jesters urging us to laugh at Fatty O'Lardass jiggling on the diamond.

What if Josh Hamilton had put on a hundred pounds this offseason and was having a hard time actually moving in the field? What if a run around the bases required an oxygen tank. What if he got emotional when his weight issue was brought up and lashed out? Would there be many calls from the gag-loving media to be considerate? Has ESPN ever had a television show host at the broadcast desk who was 180 pounds overweight?

What if the Angels were trying to get out of their contract with Obese Hamilton for violating the clauses of keeping himself in playing shape? Would the media lament the big bad insensitive team?

No. They would guffaw with their fat-shaming without any understanding or sensitivity about the disease of overeating. And their junk food and beer sponsors would keep shoving their messages down the throats of every viewer.

We would be screaming in harmony with ESPN and the natioanl baseball scribes at Obese Josh to put down the Twinkie but we are shamed for raging that he should not have done that line of coke.

What if Josh was diabetic and wasn't using his insulin?

What if Josh was schizophrenic and wasn't taking his meds?

What if Josh had a precancerous lung growth and asked you for a smoke?

We jail wife-beaters and drunk drivers to deter their behavior but prisons are too overcrowded for relapsing self-destructive drug users and shame on you for thinking treatment isn't a fairytale land of magic wonder.

There is a point between sympathy and rage. The media jumps around this scale on a whim and sneers out a guilt trip for anyone who cannot follow their pogo stick version of progress.