You think you had a worse weekend? Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera's involved excessive drinking, a physical altercation with his wife, and not a single base hit against the White Sox.
Even Monday, a day off on the baseball calendar, wasn't a reprieve for him as he had to apologize for the run-in with the law, for the Tigers' collapse, the subprime mortgage crisis, and for bringing AIDS into the New World. (And for making fun of an overweight teenager. Really, dude?)
"There was an incident that took place on Saturday and it is a personal matter," Cabrera said in a statement. "I am sorry this has become a distraction, and I apologize to the Tigers, my teammates, and all of the fans. I would appreciate it if you would respect my family's privacy as I prepare for our next game."
The timing couldn't be worse. Reports even said he was out drinking with a member of the White Sox, the very team they had to beat into the ground to reach the playoffs. And this is why sportswriters, our nation's last bastion of morality, and columnists like Michael Rosenberg have been condemning his actions.
I'm not such a huge fan of what he did, and when he did it. And it's entirely possible that, when he went 0-for-4 and left six runners on base in Saturday's 5-1 loss, he was a little hung over. And any undue difficulty one puts on himself during a baseball game is inexcusable.
But when it comes to the Tigers' stretch run that went from a seven-game lead on September 6 to a tiebreaker in Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon, that isn't Cabrera's fault. That's the team's fault. And to witness a Metsian collapse, there hasn't been a singular person to blame. It's been a collective dump, really, from the lack of hitting with runners on base to the crumbling rotation that saw the team depend on Alfredo freaking Figaro to clinch a playoff game. Now we have Cabrera, the team's best hitter, mired in a weekend slump, and he has become the face behind the collapse.
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Article comments
1 - Tony
I don't think he should be suspended or anything like that but saying that maybe he was a little hung over is a joke. The dude blew a .26. You're not a little hungover the night after you blow a .26, you're still drunk. Mickey Mantle could walk into a game drunk and hit 3 home runs. Cabrera cannot obviously.
You can't blame the collapse on him but a few points;
- If he blew a .26 he's obviously a pretty heavy drinker. No one goes out (especially the night before the most important game of the season) and drinks more than they ever have in their life. If this guy blew a .26 and knew he had a game the next day, this is not the first time he's done something like that, it just hasn't ended up the police blotter.
- He was drinking with the White Sox which is a big time baseball foul. You do not go get wasted with the opposing team before you play them. That's what the offseason is for.
- I don't think most people blame him for the collapse but to do something like this while the collapse is happening is unbelievable.
- If this were the NFL he would be suspended. The MLB doesn't do this "personal conduct stuff" but there is definately two very different policies here and I think people who believe in the way the NFL does thing are the ones who feel like he should be suspended.
2 - zingzing
HAHA! TWINS! that was an amazing game though. so tense. i have to pee so bad.