Manic Miguel Cabrera Monday

Oh….maybe not the best choice of words.

It was nice to be able to debate this in a mature and respectable manner, though I wish the subject matter was a little more pleasant. And hopefully, this is the end of it and Miguel will be a model citizen from now on and we will not have to debate this again.

why can’t I get that Kohls add to go away?

I’m inclined to agree with John Parent. I think the best apology Cabrera can make is to play his heart out tomorrow and win us a division.

My first response to his situation is sympathy. In fact, I was mostly just sad to hear that he was having marital troubles, though they appear to be mostly self-inflicted.

While it’s undeniable that he acted selfishly, stupidly, and irresponsibly, I think the level of criticism he is taking for this is unfair. Many have suggested that he allowed it to affect his performance. However, this simply isn’t verifiable. Sure, he went 0-for-7, but he’s had stretches worse than this before. In other words, he could have sucked for those two games anyway. It would be a huge stretch to suggest that he would have gone 7-for-7 if not for this incident. And ultimately, it probably didn’t affect the outcomes of the games.

Also, I think he’s suffering enough right now without all the fans demonizing him. Between the serious fight with his wife, a trip to the clink, and DD’s disappointment (I bet DD can guilt-trip with the best of them), he’s probably ashamed enough as it is.

Were his actions stupid and irresponsible? Absolutely. Is he deserving of the fury directed at him by the Tigers fanbase and mainstream media? I’m inclined to think he’s not. He’s still the Tigers 2009 MVP, and there’s no one I would rather have playing 1B for us tomorrow.

But it would go a long long long way if Miguel didn’t issue a prepared statement, but got up to the mic and spoke from his heart and really displayed how sorry he is to the fans for letting us down. And if he really feels like he didn’t let the team down because he drinks until 6 AM all the time and still puts up the numbers he’s been putting up, then fine. Tell us that and then go get some alcohol help after the season.

So what? He had an old friend in town and whopped it up. Maybe he didn’t play well that day? So what. He has had a great year per statistics. OK, he had a fight with the wife. Doesn’t everybody when they’re drunk and the other party is mad at you? I am not mad, or disappointed in him for any of this. What upsets me is the LIES. The DOG??? Come on. We’re not stupid!!!! He should have just said it straight up. I got drunk, fucked up, had a fight with the Mrs. end of story. Then no one would have been digging for the truth.

I had forgot about this, but in ’07 one of my friends was at a bar in GP at the same time as Nate Robertson and Sean Casey. They were lit up and actually ended coming back to his house along with a bunch of other college-aged kids and played beer pong until 5 in the morning. Aside from a ton of people corroborating the story I completely believe it considering it was Robertson and Casey.

Whether they bench him or play him, they’re going to upset people, which is why I think they have to play him and let his game speak for itself.

Seems ol’ Jon seems most annoyed with the fact that he was lied to by Miggy. It’s not about you, Jon. His work is usually much better. He also deserves a one-way trip to an insane asylum for suggesting that Carlos Guillen can play first base.

My opinion all day is that he has to play, lest his teammates be punished for his selfish act. This is not college ball. Cabrera is a grown man who has not been charged with any crime.

Not to say I’m not disgusted with his behavior. I am. I am especially depressed to hear about the incident where he taunted a teenager about his weight. Such insults, especially directed at a kid, for me, are only slightly above kicking someone’s dog. Miggy has had his issues with weight himself, and should know better. This makes him sound just plain cruel, rather than the big, slightly aloof, goofy kid he has been portrayed to be.

Miggy should be out there, battling for his teammates and the city and fans he disrespected. He can’t help anyone by sitting on the bench.

I’m curious as to how that altercation went with the teenager and his weight. Miggy must have had a few too many Cuervo shots if he thought he was in the position to criticize someone over weight issues. Especially a teenager.

Here’s hoping our bats can do this tomorrow

True to form, I’m panicked, with a strange feeling of calm creeping in.

but I still can’t sleep :(

I missed the entire weekend from Thursday to Sunday; I’m not missing this one.

Is because the regulars here feel as though they know each other as more than just a screen name. With this happening late in the season, it doesn’t feel as though any disagreement is with an anonymous typer, but someoen you know a little bit personally, and if you are having a discussion with a friend you are more likely to try to be polite and use more words to explain yourself instead of resorting first to childish “you’re wrong! You’re stupid!” taunts that add nothing to the conversation.

And all season, even when things did sometimes get a little personal and negative, it was never that bitter and at least nine times out of ten, once people cooled off they apologized for what was said in the heat of the moment. It’s an issue if someone is persistently so negative and ornery that they can’t participate in any kind of constructive discussion, but I think that’s a good sign that people can lose their tempers from time to time and then realize they overstepped boundaries, apologize, have their apology accepted, and rejoin civil conversation. It’s pretty impressive and a sign of maturity.

Another interesting thing about the conversation was that you could actually see people’s ideas shifting during the thread as they engaged in conversation with others and got more information, and as their own thought processes shifted from the initial upset to more rational evaluation of what would be the fairest thing for everyone concerned. It was like an internal dialogue being caught in amber and fossilized. :)

If he has a problem with alcohol, I hope he gets whatever help he needs. I’ve seen excessive drinking tear apart too many lives and families to ever want that to happen to anyone. I hope that he and his wife can find a way to get past the troubles in their marriage, as it must be stressful to have a partnership where one of the partners is away on business trips so much. And I hope that Cabrera has an excellent game on Tuesday night to make amends to his teammates and help them close down that hellhole of a baseball funhouse called the Metrodome in style – with a division championship awarded (to the visiting team) and the biggest win yet in a talented rookie’s Tiger career. :)

On the one hand, it’s playoff baseball. On the other hand, it’s in the Metrodome and that place is scary.
On the one hand, it’s Rick Porcello. On the other hand, it’s the Tigers offense.
On the one hand, it could be a tremendous win. On the other hand, it could be a really painful loss.
On the one hand, it is the last game of the season. On the other hand, it could really finally finish me off.

Who am I kidding. I’ll be here in the asylum with the support group trying not to have a heart attack because I’ve watched so much of this season I should be here for the finale. :)

It’sa story really disappoints me. I know athletes aren’t perfect, and I don’t put him on a pedestal, but coming home at 5 AM with a BAC of .26 is irresponsible no matter what you do, let alone if you’re being paid millions of dollars to perform as an athlete. Even worse at this time of year when a lot of people are counting on you, even if its only a game. There are a lot of facets to this story to be upset about but generally I’m going to set it aside. I know I’ve done some asinine things because of alcohol. My biggest concern is whether this is a pattern of behavior, which is no good for anyone.

Anyway, go Tigers today!

Is it a good thing or a bad thing that everyone is talking about someone who was stupid and got drunk instead of a rookie pitcher who has pitched so well that his team is not only putting him in to start such a huge game, but they have all the confidence in the world in him to pitch well and worry more about the pathetic offense managing to back him up?

And I’m with ThaWalrus9 on this one – off hours, I don’t care what athletes do – extramarital affairs with teenage groupies, father children all over the place, frequent strip joints, drink yourself into a coma, whatever (legal) you want – just be ready to perform at the start of the game. As a fan, that’s all I expect from an athlete. Don’t do anything that impairs your in-game performance. I don’t think that is asking too much of anyone, star or no.

gah! SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!! Have a good day, peeps.

Detroit. Not just the Tigers, but for all of us fans too. I LOVE THESE GUYS!!!!! Bless You Boys. We will keep the home fires burnning

Case in point: I woke up at 6 am to go to work early, so I could leave early. Chris and 6 am don’t mix too well. So, yeah, Tigers – make it worthwhile please.

Is the sense that maybe the players don’t care about these games as much, or in the same way, as we do. We know WE wouldn’t drink the night before a playoff-deciding game (if we were playing. as fans, we were all hitting the sauce by the 3rd inning). Why doesn’t Miggy realize that with great power (and solid defense) comes millions of fans dying of anxiety and hope?

Since the following is so enormous here and devoted, and the conversations can ramble all over the place since it seems like some of us spand far too many waking hours handing out here – you could always steal an idea from the Toronto Maple Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets. When off-topic stuff started to invade purely hockey-related postes, they just started tossing up an open post (I think it was a FanPost, but I’m not sure) each day they entitled “Chatty Cathy” for purely off-topic conversations among the posters.

Might be something to consider if you decide that there needs to be more of a separation between non-baseball conversation and posts on baseball topics other than the game threads. :)

Detroitchik—I didn’t mean to say that none of the players cared—anyone willing to take on an enraged Kevin Youkilis, for example, obviously cares a lot. I also didn’t mean to condemn Miguel as a human being—I understand that alcoholism is a disease and what goes on his home is none of my business. I am no less a Tiger fan today than I was yesterday. I was just trying to identify the source of my disappointment—why did it bother me DESPITE the fact that I know alcoholism is a disease and the domestic dispute is nomb.

meh

I am officially freaking out.

apparently they will be broadcasting from bp in 45 minutes (2:45 EST).