You may remember two days ago I mentioned how former ESPNer Bomani Jones asked on his radio show if Josh Hamilton was getting more praise for his recovery from drug addiction - and subsequent stellar play - because he was white. I agreed with Jones and said I did think race had something to do with it, and I got completely hammered in the comments. I'm not bringing this up again to rile anyone up. Actually the exact opposite. Shortly after Jones did his radio piece, the boys at NOIS decided to send Bomani an email to get him to clarify his position on the issue.
And he did, in detail. And he doesn't pull any punches.
Here are a few of his comments:
So people are going to try to tell me that Josh Hamilton, a middle-class white guy, isn't getting different treatment than a black person would? Anyone that says that white drug addicts are not treated with a different level of sympathy than black ones is either stupid, or must think I am, if I'm expected to believe that. If you don't question whether race had something to do with how a story of a white drug addict is reported vis-a-vis a black one, it's only because you don't want to.You can read the whole thing here. This time I'm not going to say at all whether I agree or disagree with Bomani. I'll just say that if I were you, I would read this piece. It's well worth your time.
......
I know this, though -- a storyline of training camp and beyond with Pacman will be whether he falls back into his bad behavior. It will come up early, and it will probably come up often. Hell, he isn't even really reinstated yet, as they make sure he can get through training camp without sneaking strippers in or something. Can't blame anyone for that, either. It's hard to stop being a knucklehead, even if we're dealing with a knucklehead young enough to grow out of a lot of his problems (like Josh Hamilton did).
If Pacman has four interceptions and a return touchdown in his first five games -- which, ballparking here, is an equivalent start to Hamilton's torrid pace -- you will not see "The Redemption of Pacman Jones" on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Of that, I can guarantee you. But, how much of that will be because Pacman won't be talking? Or because he's not as magnetic as Hamilton? Good questions.
Josh Hamilton: Caucasian Love? [NOIS]
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