The Josh Hamilton Press Conference, And Jon Daniels Speaks

Josh Hamilton spoke earlier this afternoon to the media at some length about what transpired at Sherlock's on Monday night, and ESPN Dallas has the full transcript. The most interesting excerpt, which seems to explain the circumstances behind Ian Kinsler joining Hamilton:

For personal reasons I was with a family member. I walked to a restaurant to have some dinner, and did just that, had dinner and ended up ordering a drink. And probably had three or four drinks [at dinner]. I ended up calling Ian [Kinsler] just to come hang out with me. Ian did not know I had been drinking. Once I do drink, I can be very deceptive, very sneaky in a lot of ways, so while he was there I did not drink in front of him.

"[After the restaurant closed], we go across the street to another place that stayed open. We're talking baseball, talking life, how are families were, all these things, stay 25-30 minutes. He [Kinsler] has to go home, and drives me back where I need to be, quarter-mile away. His words were, 'I’ll see you later. You're not going to go back out, are you?' I said, 'No, I am in. I am good.' I did exactly what I told him I wouldn’t do. I went back to the place we had just left and had some more drinks. Nobody saw me actually with a beer in my hand or drink in my hand. I can find ways where people can’t see that. That doesn’t excuse the fact I was doing something knowing it does not work for me.

Jon Daniels also held a conference call this afternoon, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has some excerpts from that, with Daniels refusing to speculate on any possible punishment that might be handed down to Hamilton following this latest incident. More later.