Hamilton Quitting Way Out of June Slump

Josh Hamilton will not be getting an endorsement from "big tobacco" anytime soon.  In the midst of an atrocious hitting slump, Texas Rangers All-Star outfielder, Josh Hamilton is attempting to quit the dip.

According to a report from ESPN Dallas’, Richard Durrett, Hamilton has begun the process of trying to quit the art of dipping cold turkey…. well kind of.  Hamilton has resorted to using tea tree oil and menthol laced toothpicks as a means to help weaken his cravings.

Via ESPNDallas.com, “It was time to do it," Hamilton said. "It's a habit and I don't really enjoy it like I used to."

This is indeed a wise decision for Hamilton; but why now?  The Texas Rangers have been cruising through the regular season thus far.  They currently lead the American League West with a record of 45-29 (4 1/2 games ahead of the LA Angels) and lead the entire American League in runs scored with 388.  The Rangers are having a fantastic season and appear to be well on their way to their third consecutive playoff birth.

However, June has not been kind to Hamilton.  His season batting average is still an impressive .319, but he’s only hitting .194 this month.  He had two monster months prior in April (.395) and May (.344), so it’s safe to say that June is an insignificant bump in the road for Hamilton. 

Why quit dipping now though?  One would assume that in the middle of a long hot major league season, that quitting could wait until the offseason. Probably the case, but Hamilton has his motives and it looks like everything will continue to work out for him going forward.

His hitting issues will be resolved in the cage, but mentally quitting could help.  Maybe just maybe, thinking about quitting dipping, could serve as a mental distraction away from his swing that gets him back in the groove of dominating at the plate.      

No doubt this slump will pass and if dip is the only thing left behind along the way, then so be it.