July 23, 2008 - Hmiel Deserves A Chance 

I had a feeling last week's piece on Shane Hmiel would cause some feedback. I've already heard from some people who feel Shane isn't worthy of any more chances.

How sad that is. I always though in this country, we gave people a break. Yes, Shane had more than once chance and he blew it. Some people ride their horses awfully high.

This comes in a year when one of the biggest stories in sports is the remarkable comeback staged by Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Several years ago, Hamilton, as a young player with suddenly extra money in his pockets, went the wrong way. He became a serious drug addict. The tattoos on his body which he got during those days are a sad reminder. He doesn't remember getting them.

He was an addict for three years. He was out of baseball. Only his grandmother would take him in. He made his way back into baseball and now is one of its big stars. He dazzled the home run derby at the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, hitting an amazing 28 home runs.

He leads the American League in RBI's with 97, 21 more than his closest competitor. He openly talks about his problem. He counsels young people on the reality of drugs. Hamilton only carries a few dollars with him. He doesn't want to be tempted again. It's a daily fight for him.

And so it is for Shane Hmiel. He is putting up a good fight to stay clean. He is barred for life from NASCAR. Some people think he doesn't have the right to race again.

The best thing possible for Shane Hmiel is to race. He has an obvious talent. He is much better off at a racetrack then hanging around with nothing to do with trouble staring over his shoulder.

I hope Shane Hmiel is strong enough and has the will to escape his demons and have a great career in racing.

I don't understand why anybody wouldn't want that for him. I guess living a perfect life doesn't allow for compassion.

This reminds me when people turned their back on Tim Richmond. He had very few friends when he died.

Not everybody leads a perfect life but there should be room for those who don't