Miguel Cabrera and the Big Mistake

Sometimes I hate this job. Today is one of those days. Today should be about the dramatic one game playoff set to take place tomorrow between the Tigers and Twins that will decide the AL Central title and the final spot in the playoffs. It should be about breaking down pitching matchups and dissecting lineups. I should be delving deep in statistics and strategy in advance of the biggest Tigers game of the year. Instead I’m writing about Miguel Cabrera getting drunk and being picked up by the cops the morning of a critical game, a game the Tigers lost, a game in which Cabrera went 0-4 with a strikeout. Sometimes I hate this job.

According to multiple reports The Birmingham Police were called to the home of the Tigers first baseman around 6 O’Clock Saturday morning in response to a call from his wife. Again according to reports, Cabrera allegedly came home Saturday morning after spending the night drinking with friends from the visiting White Sox at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. Upon his arrival he argued with his wife and suffered various scratches and facial injuries. The Birmingham Police detained him temporarily, as he was “very uncooperative, incoherent and there was a language barrier“, according to Police Chief Richard Patterson.

During his visit to the clink Miggy was given a breathalyzer and registered a .26, more than three times the legal limit in the State of Michigan. He was picked up from the station by Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski between 7:30 and 8 AM Saturday morning, less than 12 hours before the Tigers were to play the White Sox in a critical game. I can only imagine what that conversation was like. I have not yet seen any information as to whether Cabrera drove himself home that morning or was otherwise transported. I sincerely hope it was the latter.

To be clear and fair, Miguel has not been charged with a crime. He is not accused of breaking the law. He is not in the criminal justice system over this incident, he is only smack dab in the middle of the court of public opinion, which can be a scary, scary place to be.

I started to hear rumblings something wasn’t kosher Saturday night, when the telecast of the game showed what appeared to be bruises and scratches on his face. After the game various reporters questioned Cabrera about these marks, to which he told them his dog was responsible. Then during Sundays game members of the media began tweeting that something more sinister was in fact afoot. Bob Nightengale of USA Today posted this on his Twitter page just after 3 PM:

The Tigers are livid with Miguel Cabrera. They have been informed of the details on why he showed up Sat with cuts and scratches on his face

Around the same time Terry Foster of print and radio fame posted this:

Hey gang. I am hearing from my bar sources about a fight involving tigers

I was angry when I read both tweets. Initially I was angry that stuff like this was being reported during the 7th inning of the most important game of the year, angry that unnamed sources were making accusations. Now, well I’m just angry in general. I have not heard anything more from Foster as of writing this post, nothing about Tigers, plural, being involved in a fight, nothing about a bar fight, nothing from bar sources. As a rule I only give credence to reports from sources that have names,and even then things can be sketchy at best.

So as Curtis Granderson dove to snag a blooper, one that likely would have tied the game in the eighth inning had he missed it, my mind was halfway there and halfway into anger and disappointment. Anger and disappointment over a distraction this Tigers team needs right now like it needs another poor hitting performance.

Miguel has yet to address the media himself, or the fans. It seems he has spoken with Dombrowski, no definitive word on what his teammates knew Saturday, know now or will know going forward.

I won’t get on my soapbox and judge what happened between Miguel and his wife. I agree with Kurt from Mack Avenue Tigers wholeheartedly that stuff like that is none of my damn business. He and his wife will have to sort that out, and deal with the public scrutiny that comes with an episode like this. Before I judge Miguel at all I will say that I honestly feel sorry for him in this aspect – if I was out getting shitfaced into Saturday morning with friends and came home to an angry wife, it wouldn’t be front page news put on display for the whole world. I wouldn’t have to deal with the very public shame and ridicule. There is something very sleazy about the way things like this are reported, the way they are sensationalized and pushed into our consciousness as if it were our business.

With that said, Miguel Cabrera is a grown man, and should have known that acting this way could have consequences. It’s the way it works, right or wrong, and he should have been well aware of that Friday night. His team needed him in peak physical condition, free of distraction and ready to hit. I’m not his doctor, I’m not his wife, I’m not even an acquaintance, but it sure as hell didn’t look to me like he was ready to hit. That, is inexcusable.

No word yet on any other players, Tigers or White Sox, that were involved in the Friday night socializing, or any events afterwards that may have affected Saturdays game. I’m sure the details will come pouring out, they always do.

I wonder how this story would be met had Miggy gone 3-4 with a game winning home run Saturday? We’ll never know, sadly. Instead sports fans will read today about a big mistake made by a big time player in the context of an 0-11 slump during a three game stretch more important than any other this season.

It was a big mistake. Miguel Cabrera is human, he is young, he is entitled to make mistakes. We all make them. He is not the first high profile athlete to be caught in this trap, nor will he be the last. He will now suffer the consequences as so many before him have, and that’s a shame in so many ways. But it’s a shame he brought on himself, clearly, and a horrible example to set. I won’t dehumanize him, paint him as a villain or pin any potential failures during tomorrows game on his behavior Friday night. But some of you will, and that’s just how it works, right or wrong.

I would venture to guess that Miguel would like nothing more right now than an opportunity to go back in time and do it all over again. Sadly, he can’t. He can only go forward, and how he does so will go a long way towards establishing how the fans in this town will perceive him. He has an opportunity to apologize, to make amends and to play Tuesday afternoon in the game that will decide the Tigers season. Here’s hoping he does that, for himself, for his team, and for the fans.

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Tags: Detroit Tigers, Miguel Cabrera, Miguel Cabrera drunk, Miguel Cabrera scratches