No, Miguel Cabrera should not have been driving under the influence late Wednesday night.
That was dumb.
When you have reached the point in the night where you’re drinking scotch straight from the bottle, it’s time to call the limo. The DUI was entirely justified.
Up until that point of the evening it appeared to this common sports fan—who knows nothing about him or his life except that he’s a (probable) top-three fantasy selection—that he was having a good time. Look at his mugshot—he’s got a bigger smile on his face than I did on my wedding day.
The result of Cabrera’s second brush with the law is that everybody is so quick to condemn him, label him an alcoholic and demand he enter rehab. If he does actually have a drinking problem, then please, get help.
But maybe he was just blowing off some steam. It is spring training. And he did hit .328 last year with 38 homers and 126 RBI.
I wish I had that problem.
Cabrera has stated in the past that he does not have a drinking problem. Is it impossible to believe what an athlete says these days? Probably. But for once, let’s give the athlete the benefit of the doubt.
In his defense, I present to you three Hall of Famers, a perfect-game pitcher and an All-Star center fielder who all somehow managed to have successful MLB careers despite enjoying the occasional adult beverage.