Athletes and Chances

For better or for worse, if you have an athletic skill above the norm, you're going to get chances a mere mortal won't.

The chatter over the new video of Miguel Cabrera was on my mind a little today when a bit of a local controversy hit here in Iowa. The University of Iowa is close to recruiting a major JUCO transfer for next year's basketball team. The guy is 25-yrs old and averaged 22 pts and 12 boards this year. Why is he a JUCO guy at the age of 25? Well...37 months in the penitentiary for armed robbery where shots were fired will set your hoops career on hold for a while. Some folks are up in arms that a guy with this record will get an Iowa scholarship and wear the Hawkeye colors. But the bigger facts are that Iowa has a new coach, they've been losing at basketball for a while, and did I mention he can score 20 and collect 10+ rebounds? They probably wouldn't be recruiting him to be the backup small forward....but he might be the new starting power forward. They say he's turned his life around...but a few years ago he was very capable of putting people's life in danger. If he says "yes" he'll be eating at the training table in Iowa City next Fall.

There are lots of stories like this. Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers is more proof that even if you have a good program surrounding a guy there is no guarantee he won't stray to drugs/alcohol some evening when you least expect it.

Cabrera has a disease. He has to face it. For himself, his family, his team, for the safety of the community....and he might be be facing his alcoholism (yes....I assume he's an alcoholic. Dave Dombrowski used the word even if Cabrera cannot seem to bring himself to say it in public..hopefully in private he does). We aren't there. I assume the Tigers will be working their tails off to help him. They better.

But in the end....he's here to hit. He's the offense. There is no club in baseball that has a bigger drop off from their best offensive player to their second best offensive player. (read that point today by Matt Klaassen at FanGraphs, I have to agree) The Tigers are committed to him and his deal. He's going to get every chance. He'll get another chance if he messes up again (assuming no one is hurt or worse and no jail time is involved).

We'll hope for the best.