Rangers' Hamilton admits to another relapse

Baseball Betting Lines

02/03/2012 - Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton confirmed reports Friday that he had a relapse with his alcohol abuse earlier this week.

The incident, which was first reported by the Dallas Morning News, took place at Sherlock's -- a Dallas-area bar -- on Monday. Hamilton's teammate, second baseman Ian Kinsler, was present as well.

"I had a weak moment on Monday night in Dallas," said Hamilton, stating the situation was brought on because of personal reasons with a family member. "I walked to a restaurant to have some dinner and...ended up ordering a drink. I had three or four drinks."

According to Hamilton, Kinsler, who arrived later, was unaware that Hamilton had been drinking. When the restaurant closed, the pair went across the street to another establishment and talked for "25 to 30 minutes" before Kinsler dropped Hamilton off, asking "You're not gonna go back out or anything are you?"

Hamilton said he did go back out and "had some more drinks" at the establishment he and Kinsler had just left.

"No drugs were used at all. I never though about it. I've had two drug tests since Monday so I have no concerns there at all," continued Hamilton, who is drug tested three times a week due to prior substance abuse issues.

This is the second public relapse for Hamilton, who has suffered from alcoholism and drug abuse in the past and had been suspended for over three years early in his career. In 2009, the website Deadspin.com published photos of the then-27-year-old All-Star drinking and taking shots with several women at a bar in Tempe, Arizona.

"There were no pictures taken of me having a beer with somebody or anything like that," he said of Monday's incident.

Hamilton, who did not take questions from the media, failed to speculate on whether the episode would affect his contract situation. The 2010 American League MVP is in the final year of his contract and is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

"As far as baseball and the Rangers, they've shown nothing but support to me and tell me they will continue to support me," he said, adding "I'm sorry (the press conference) had to be this way. It would've been nice if it was talking about a contract. We'll put that on the back burner for awhile."

The reserved Hamilton also offered his amends, saying "For everybody that I've hurt, for everybody, fans, kids, people who have addictions, I apologize. When you're doing this you don't mean to hurt anybody. You only think you're hurting yourself, but as I know, it hurts a lot of people."

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.

"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

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