Bisher Unleashed: Mike Hampton: Biting the Hand that Fed Him

Holy octogilds!...I wonder if Bisher was this rough on Shoeless Joe!

Not that Mike Hampton would ever have been considered a mental giant, but surely he must have learned how to read a road map in his mutilated pitching career. Surely somewhere along the way he must have learned that there is something of honor in gratitude, but then we are dealing with the world of professional athletes, in which ingratitude is a prevailing trait.

Thus, it should not have been a surprise when the news arrived Monday that Hampton had told the Atlanta Braves that he would not be pitching for them next season. He has decided to jump to the Houston Astros, for whom he had pitched earlier in his career. Hampton explained that he wanted to be nearer his children. Poor dummox, he only has to check a map to learn that Houston is 1,188 from Paradise Valley, closer than Atlanta, but hardly close. He and his two sons had been about that distance apart the last three seasons, most of which Hampton spent on the Braves roster, drawing a fat salary and enjoying all the privileges of a productive player at team expense.

...So, living on the fat of the land, contributing nothing, what more could be expected of this All-American casualty?! They say he is currently involved in divorce proceedings. Too bad the Braves weren’t able to file suit themselves, citing non-support.