Miguel Cabrera says he was not an alcoholic

Miguel Cabrera spoke to the media Monday about his alcohol problem, but first he wanted to comment a bit on how it has been covered (as quoted by Steve Kornacki, MLive):

‘You guys write in the paper alcoholic, that's not right," Cabrera said. "I don't know how to explain, but it's not an alcohol problem. It's what you guys call it; it's what you guys say." 

Cabrera, you surely remember, had a .26 blood alcohol content the morning of Game 161 against the White Sox after a night out drinking. By all information we've received, Cabrera has done the right things since that morning. He has since apologized multiple times to his teammates and to the Tigers fans. He has also sought out treatment and has not had any alcohol.

"I know it was wrong what I did," he said. "But I can't hide that, you know? It's there, so I have to be a man and say the truth, and say I made a mistake and I'll work in the season to be better. It's part of life to be a man and don't try to hide something if it's broken. I have to prove how good I can be, inside and outside."

Good enough for me. Time will tell how the rest turns out.

Other stories about Cabrera from Lynn Henning, John Lowe.

Keep reading for one person's take on the Red Sox adding Casey Fien via waivers.

Casey Fien was taken by the Boston Red Sox on waivers Monday. Should you be concerned?

Matt Wallace of Take 75 North isn't.

Now, it might make you a little nervous to know a very smart and well run club like the Red Sox were the team to take Fien. I say, "Meh". He's a right-handed reliever with good control and command. Perhaps they think his skill set is well suited to Fenway Park and an outfield that should be able to run down a lot of fly balls now that they've added Mike Cameron.

And you know what? I agree with Wallace's take, really. There's a lot of names on the 40-man roster I wouldn't want to see removed either. Of course, everyone can point to Dontrelle Willis as being disposable. But the Tigers have proven again and again they have a reason for keeping him, and they don't feel the need to explain to fans what that reason is. Whether it's hope he can yet turn it around or insurance, they're not talking.

So I'm fine with the decision.

A few more stories to check out:

• SB Nation's 2010 MLB Previews: Cleveland Indians, Least Likely To Win World Series
• The MLB has decided to ban some maple bats in the minor leagues. The maple bats seem to explode a lot easier than other woods, so this is a first step. Another interesting step: any major leaguer whose bats broke more than 10 times has to consult with a panel of experts to see if there's a reason why. 
• Our own Mike Rogers was in the media at KMOV MizzouSpot blog for his work on translating college statistics.
• Freep: Don Kelly discusses being a super-sub. Kelly brought eight gloves to camp. He's happy to play the role of jack-of-all-trades, he says.
• Beck: Austin Jackson is happy for the chance to prove himself. Jackson also discussed a lot of the changes he's made to fix the problems in his swing and (hopefully) cut down on strikeouts. 
• Can the Tigers change who they are? Leyland hopes so. His new slogan, according to Beck? Protect the plate.

And finally:

The first game thread of the season will open around noon. You can't exactly follow this game pitch-by-pitch. But it's the first game, so there's a game thread. Depending on how it goes, I might do one for every game, or maybe just the televised ones. We'll see. Enjoy!