By JERRY RILES
Hey, Miguel Cabrera you can try to blame it on the alcohol as Jamie Foxx would say. Unfortunately, I don't think you'll get off that easy.
I don’t mind if you have a nice cold one or two after work with co-workers and/or friends, but to hang out with the team who’s chasing you in the division and attempting to help eliminate the Detroit Tigers from the playoffs, man that’s cold.
To make matters worse, you get to the house at about 5am in the morning and began to get into it with your wife. If she’s upset with you for staying out all night long and then coming home intoxicated, the only thing you needed to do was man up.
“I said I was sorry for what I did,” said Cabrera, who sat in front of his locker with a contrite look.
That’s it? All this commotion as the team makes a playoff run and you can just say to them I’m sorry? I don’t think skipper Jim Leyland is going to accept that kind of apology sitting down. You guys have to play 163 games this season to get into the playoffs. Talk about selfish. Despite a 2-run blast off the end of your bat, the Tigers are going home and the Twins will face the New York Yankees in the first round of the ALDS. Talk about timing. You got caught with the three Ds. Drunk, Domestic, Defeat. What a tough week.
I must commend your wife Rosangel. She did not put up with your crap. How dare you begin yelling and fighting with her after staying out all night with a White Sox player in a Birmingham (Detroit suburb) hotel? She had every right to scold and kick you out of the house.
Now, you were the only two in the house, so I don’t know if she hit and attacked you or not, but police felt they had to remove you from the residence to prevent any further confrontation.
I don’t condone hitting women. Just be a man and step away. I know in your state it must have been somewhat difficult.
It was reported that Cabrera’s blood alcohol level registered a .26 later after being taken to the police station. Wow! Must have been pounding those tequila shots pretty heavily. And just think you had a game just a few hours later.
The question remains, should Cabrera have been out at all, let alone until 5am on a game day? Should he have gotten into a verbal (and possibly physical) confrontation with his wife waking his 4-year old daughter? Should manager Jim Leyland have punished the superstar by benching him down the stretch and into the tie-breaking clash against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night?
I guess when you’re the man and can play the game of baseball better than most players in the league you can get away with almost anything. Including getting filthy drunk and fighting with your wife instead of just going home at a decent hour and sleeping it off.
Cabrera told his teammates and the media that it wouldn’t happen again. I hope for his sake that's remembered the next time he slams a few cold ones down.
Thank goodness it wasn’t his wife who got slammed. Then again, I think maybe she was the one doing the slamming that early Saturday morning.
You go girl!
(Jerry Riles is a weekly 5on5 contributor featured every Tuesday in the RedEye)
