Sudden Sam Speaks

To Joba Chamberlain, that is:

First of all, you start with the basics: simply because an individual has been arrested doesn’t mean he has a problem with alcohol, But when someone is caught in a situation like this, the odds are he had been driving under the influence seven times — that’s the national average. He needs to be told, "You’re lucky you didn’t kill or hurt anyone,” And it would be good for the boy to get himself into some program right away, voluntarily. He’s got time on his hands. He would have that to show when he goes in front of the judge and he just might find out something about himself that he didn’t know.

And Sam McDowell knows, because for as fast as he could throw that speedball by you, he lost everything he ever had to alcoholism. As Sam says, that doesn't mean Joba has a problem -- people can have bad days -- but if I were a young buck like Joba Chamberlain, I'd do everything I could to protect the precious gift of talent that I was given