Miguel Cabrera had a different response when asked what he had been up to this offseason.
Under normal circumstances, a Major League baseball player's offseason may consist of fishing, playing golf, taking a luxurious trip, or perhaps just laying low with the family. However, Cabrera's circumstances were far from normal.
The Detroit Tigers slugger spent his offseason getting sober. Cabrera spent three months in an outpatient treatment program, and that treatment will continue into spring training and the 2010 season. Cabrera's drinking spun out of control on Oct. 3 of last year when he was taken into custody after his wife filed a domestic abuse complaint against him. According to police, Cabrera arrived at his suburban Detroit home at 5 a.m. and got into a fight with his wife.When police arrived, Cabrera had a bruise and cut on his left cheek and a 0.26 blood-alcohol reading, which is three times above Michigan's legal limit for driving.
GM Dave Dombrowski received a phone call at 7:30 a.m. informing him of the incident and shortly after showed up at the police station to pick Cabrera up.
If the date of Oct. 3 sounds familiar, it's because the Tigers had a very important game to play just hours after Cabrera was released. Cabrera would later play in that game and proceed to go 0-for-4 and strand six runners in a 5-1 loss to the White Sox.The game was played about 12 hours after Cabrera had left the police station.
"That night, I was trying to hit a five-run homer every time I came up, because I knew I had made a horrible mistake and I wanted to fix it," Cabrera said. "I was just putting too much pressure on myself."
Three days after the incident, the Tigers were eliminated from the playoff picture, as they lost a one-game playoff to the Minnesota Twins. Cabrera apologized to his teammates for the distractions before the game and has since said he feels like he let his teammates down.Cabrera has said he plans on making up for his mistakes this season and has acknowledged there have been games in the past when his performance was affected by drinking.
"I never played drunk, but there were times where I was very tired or my body just felt lazy," said Cabrera, who went to a treatment program in Miami this offseason. "I don't feel that way anymore."
"My drinking was a problem, and I feel good without it. I feel like a new man," he said Thursday.
Cabrera also made a reference to how hard his family has worked with him to kick his drinking habit. "I've worked very hard with my doctors and my family this winter, and I'm going to keep working," Cabrera said.
Dave Dombrowski felt a need to assure the public that Cabrera was not forced into treatment.
"This was not a battle at all," the GM said. "Miguel recognized the issue and understood that something needed to be done. I met with him and his representative the day after the season, and we put together a plan. Miguel followed that plan and continues to follow it."
Manager Jim Leyland was thrilled to hear Cabrera address the issue Thursday.
"I think it is great. I'm a firm believer that the best policy in a situation like this is to tell the truth and get it over with," Leyland said. "Now it is out there, and he won't have to worry about the media hunting around to try to find out what really happened."
Leyland also went on to assure everyone that Cabrera wouldn't be a distraction in the clubhouse his year. "This is a wonderful kid, and we all know that," Leyland said. "He's been forgiven by every teammate and by every coach."
Justin Verlander reinforced Leyland's statement when he said, "I haven't spoken to Miguel yet, so I don't want to say too much, but I can't imagine there would be any lingering issues. He's a great guy that is dealing with a problem, and we'll support him."
Nonetheless it is good to see the Tigers supporting Cabrera and even better to see Cabrera taking this issue seriously.
Cabrera is filled with talent and seems poised to have a big season. Cabrera will be a man on a mission this year and will be out to prove his problems are officially behind him.
