Josh Hamilton, the hero...

I thought about this alot today and it seems a bit funny to me that a guy who made a choice to put drugs into his body is being considered a "hero." Yeah the Rangers' Josh Hamilton can hit a baseball a mile, or if you watched the Home Run Derby 2.5 miles, but does this make him someone you want your kids idolizing? Isn't that what a hero is? I can honestly say, "I don't get it." Hamilton did not recover from cancer or overcome the death of his mentor, he intentionally ingested drugs and then he decided to stop intentionally ingesting drugs. Is his story a good one? You bet it is and you can read part of it here. He has been suspended for drugs, he basically stole 4 million dollars from the Tampa Bay Rays and abandoned his team numerous times.

I said on my show today he reminds me of Dwight Gooden and Daryl Strawberry, who after a lot of talk of redemption they relapsed and became jokes.

Is this someone you think is a hero? Is he REALLY worthy of national praise?
And if you say, "yes" let me ask you this, can this man be redeemed the same way?
And before you tell me the offenses are not comparable (drugs vs. fighting dogs), the question is about turning one's life around and being redeemed in the public eye.