Josh Hamilton dissed the Texas Rangers' fanbase after breaking most of their hearts over the offseason. The $125 million making outfielder will play for the Los Angeles Angels in 2013 after signing a five-year deal and he had something to say about the fans of the city of Dallas.
Fans will probably let him hear it when Hamilton goes to Arlington early on in the season. The Rangers and Angels meet in an A.L. West showdown on April 5. So look for memes to be published and for fans to get creative with their signs.
For Hamilton, he believes that fans of Dallas are spoiled and considers them more of a football city. "Texas, especially Dallas, has always been a football town," he said in an interview with Gina Miller of CBS 11 Dallas. "They're supportive, but they also got a little spoiled at the same time, pretty quickly. There's true baseball fans in Texas but it's not a true baseball town."
With his heart on his sleeve, Hamilton repeated and elaborated on exactly what he meant for those who didn;t understand what he said clearly.
"I said there's true baseball fans and then there are others that are not. I said the ones that are true baseball fans won't boo when I come back, and the ones that are not, will. It's just like last year, when I got booed after going 2-for-4 in a game, driving in a couple runs, and I struck out the other two times. You understand the Yankees, Boston, Cubs, Phillies -- baseball towns. If they were doing that, that's one thing."
Hamilton had many highlights in 2012, especially his four-homer game againt the Baltimore Orioles in Camden Yards back in May, but when it mattered most, Hamilton committed a huge error against the Oakland Athletics at the end of the season as the Rangers completed a meltdown to lose the A.L. West two games up and three games to play.
Both teams are expected to compete in 2013. The Rangers have lost a couple of players, but added catcher A.J. Pierzynski and Lance Berkman. As for the Angels, the added Hamilton and a couple of pitchers in Tommy Hanson, Joe Blanton and Ryan Madson.
