Update: Hamilton ultimately said winning the World Series would be good, but it wouldn’t top standing in front of his Savior one day, and his relationship with Christ keeps him on the right path.

The ubiquitous nature of alcohol in the fighter pilot culture (see discussions on “alcohol and the bar” in Fighter Pilot Traditions) sometimes makes it challenging for those who choose not to drink.  Some make that choice for religious reasons, others for reasons of family history, others for ‘personal’ reasons.  Alcohol and its abuse has sometimes become a sensitive subject in the military; in general, when fighter pilots decline to drink, their decision is honored (though there may still be some ribbing from some in the crowd).

Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton experienced a bit of that life himself recently.  According to press reports, he is recovering from “years of drug and alcohol abuse.”  When his team recently celebrated their victory in the American League West, they doused each other with champagne — and Hamilton stayed “dry and sober” in another room.

Not wanting to leave the MVP candidate out this time, the Rangers celebrated a little differently when they beat the Tampa Bay Rays last Tuesday:

Left out of the party when the club clinched the American League West title in late September, Hamilton on Tuesday night dashed into the visitors’ clubhouse and into a torrent of ginger ale after the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL division series…

His teammates brought him along this time, laying in wait, armed with Canada Dry bottles, and together they carried on for 10 minutes after their 5-1 victory at Tropicana Field.

“It meant a lot,” he said. “It just says a lot about my teammates, them understanding the sensitivity of my situation.”

It’s interesting to note Hamilton didn’t demand they change or end their tradition, though he declined to participate.  Regardless, he has apparently shined professionally, winning the AL batting title and becoming a “leading MVP candidate.”  His teammates took notice, but they didn’t cajole him into participating.  Instead, they changed for him.

The peer pressure to conform to the crowd — and the pressure for a crowd to try to bring in ‘one of its own’ — can be immense, even in the “grown up” worlds of baseball players and fighter pilots.  The military values strength of character, however, and benefits from the presence of those who stand up for what they believe to be right, rather than “giving in” to the easier wrong.

Unwavering principles, strength of character, self-discipline, and respect.

Whether in baseball or flying fighters, they’re not terribly difficult concepts to understand; that doesn’t mean they’re not sometimes challenging to live.