Jeff Riger: You Will Still Cheer For Miggy
There are a lot of bad ways to start the day, and finding out that arguably the best hitter in the American League just got busted for a DUI is definitely one of them.
I'm sure by now you have heard that Miguel Cabrera is in trouble once again after getting popped for drinking too much and then resisting arrest in Florida. Now odds are that nothing will happen to Miggy. He will still play, he probably won't miss any time and when he comes to the plate at Comerica Park you will still cheer!
Yes that's right you will still applaud for him even though he has let you down once again. I get it, when something like this happen the obvious reaction is to be pissed. I mean c'mon, this is a guy that makes $20-plus million a year and he didn't use any of that money to make sure he gets home safely after a night of boozing, which by the way he claimed he doesn't do anymore. Add that to letting down the Tigers in 2009 when he went out drinking with some White Sox buddies then getting into an altercation with his wife and ending up at the cop shop only to go hitless in the biggest game of the season, and yes you should be mad!
But let's be honest with ourselves, shall we? Every time something like this happens, the immediate question is, will you still cheer for him? The answer is yes! The answer is always yes because at the end of the day, if a guy can help your team, no matter how much he screws up off the field, you will stand, cheer and forget about everything that he has done wrong in his life. You might not admit it, you might not like it, you might even want to fight me for saying it but you know that it's true!
Take any example out there; they all have the same result. Everybody hated Todd Bertuzzi for what he did to Steve Moore, but now look at him, he is playing great hockey for the Wings and the #44 jerseys at the Joe are selling like hot cakes. A-Rod took steroids but then helped the Yankees win a championship, you think any Yankee fan a couple years ago cheered the Pin stripers but booed Rodriguez? Of course not! Even Albert Pujols right now with his ridiculous contract negotiations, people claim that he is alienating the fans but when he digs in the batter's box in a critical moment in a game in St. Louis he will be greeted with fifty thousand fans cheering his name.
The same goes for Miggy, no matter how much it makes you sick for what happened on Wednesday night, what was the first thing that went through your mind? It's not "was he ok?" It's not "was there anybody hurt?" It's "will he be available on opening day when the games really start to matter?"
We all know how good this guy is and we all know how badly we want to go back to the postseason. You don't have to be embarrassed for feeling this way, because it's how every fan feels. How many times have we debated bringing in so called "bad guys" to Detroit because they can help our teams win? Pacman Jones, Ron Artest and even Shaun Rogers are examples of that. It's a sports radio staple… "This guy has screwed up so many times but he can still play -- do you want him?"
So you tell me! After reading what I just wrote, can you really disagree? If you say yes, then do me a favor: Picture a beautiful fall day in Detroit at Comerica Park. It's the 8th inning and the Tigers trail the Twins by 2 with bases loaded. Detroit wins and they go to the postseason, they lose and they go home. There are 2 outs and Miguel Cabrera steps to the plate. The crowd is going bonkers knowing that this is the best chance to come back and win this game. Strike one, ball one, strike 2… Tell me, what are you doing? Are you standing there with your arms crossed, frown on your face hoping Miggy K's so he gets what he has coming to him for screwing up in Spring Training? Yeah… didn't think so! You, like every other Tiger fan, are getting ready to celebrate.
I'm not condoning what Cabrera did, nor am I saying that he doesn't need help. And, I certainly hate the fact that he lied to all Tiger fans saying he was done drinking. But my only point here is that we want to win more than anything, and that does not make us bad people, just huge sports fans!
What do you think?
