Cardboard appreciation: 2007 Topps Josh Hamilton

(The saying, "you don't know what you've got until it's gone," is simply about appreciation isn't it? Sometimes you don't appreciate something or someone until it is taken away from you. And with that Night Owl is going to get on his high horse, guide that horse onto his soap box, and start another edition of Cardboard Appreciation. This is the 17th in a series):

This isn't your typical Cardboard Appreciation card. It's a pretty static, boring shot. But this card isn't here for the quality of the photo. It's here because of who is in the photo. Doesn't Josh Hamilton seem to be saying, "Hey, look! I made it. Finally."

The reason I bring up this card is because of what we heard over the weekend. Another player with almost other-wordly talent tested positive for steroids.

The news didn't surprise me. I never liked Alex Rodriguez. He always seems to be concerned about how others perceive him more than anything else. His enormous contract appalled me. His extramarital cavorting with Madonna disgusted me. His whining about batting eighth in the postseason in 2006 annoyed me. Rodriguez is a player with enormous talent who doesn't seem to appreciate for a moment what he has. So, hell yeah, I can see him taking steroids.

It's staggering actually. You have all that talent and you're still not satisfied? You have to take steroids? What is wrong with your head, man?

What players like Rodriguez and Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens could have used early in their careers is something like Hamilton went through. Hamilton was blessed with more baseball talent than almost anyone, but he nearly pissed it all away with a life of drugs and alcohol. And forget about losing his baseball career. He was extremely fortunate that he didn't lose his life.

But what the whole messy experience seems to have taught him is to be appreciative of his talent and his life and the people around him. Do you think he would have been that way had he not taken a detour through hell? I don't know. I'm willing to bet he wouldn't.

Players like Rodriguez have spent their entire lives being able to do whatever they want on a ballfield and getting whatever they want because of what they do on a ballfield. Everyone needs to be taken down a couple of notches, especially someone who makes approximately my yearly salary in a single at-bat.

It's too late for Bonds and Clemens. Their careers are over. But Rodriguez is still young. If he handles this right, he could use this experience to become a better person. A more appreciative person. But I'm not holding my breath. (EDIT: An admission is a step in the right direction, Alex).

For now, I'm just going to appreciate what Hamilton learned and the person he is today. And I'm going to appreciate his 2007 Topps card, because the guy just plain gets it. He knows the world does not revolve around him. Now.

(*gets off soap box, gets off high horse. Goes to bed*)