Ugly Details About Night Of Miguel Cabrera's Arrest Released In Police Report

Miguel Cabrera is undergoing treatment for his alcohol problems, and the Detroit Tigers are doing their best to take care of him and otherwise move on. But late Wednesday, a troubling police report came out that puts Cabrera as having been in a very dark place on the night of his arrest.

The report says that, prior to his DUI, Cabrera stopped into a bar after last call and was asked to leave. However, he didn't leave, and instead went over to talk to a table full of strangers. When the manager approached and again asked Cabrera to leave, he said:

"You don't know me," Cabrera told him. "I will kill you. I know all of you, and I will kill all of you and blow this place up."

One of the customers at the table said that Cabrera had threatened him and the manager. Cabrera apparently claimed to have a gun, although no gun has been reported to have been in Cabrera's possession.

Later, according to another document, when Cabrera was pulled over, he told the police "shoot me, kill me." He continued to act belligerently until he was forced into the back of the police car. We knew about the second part; we did not know about the first.

If there's any consolation here, it's that these events took place in the past, on a night when we already knew that Cabrera got himself in trouble. He has apologized and committed himself to the recommended treatment plan, and since then there hasn't been any drama. According to Jon Morosi, former big leaguer Raul Gonzalez has been assigned as Cabrera's companion for the treatment program. Gonzalez was recommended by Cabrera's agents, and will remain with Cabrera for the entire season.

Miguel Cabrera spoke at a news conference at Tigers camp Thursday afternoon, making his first public statements since his DUI arrest last week. He began by apologizing to everybody - from his teammates to his family - and expressed his commitment to the recovery process.

What recovery process? Just before Cabrera's conference, MLB's executive VP of labor relations sent out a press release touching on Cabrera's recent evaluation by a team of doctors and specialists. That team recommended for Cabrera a "multifaceted, professionally-administered program" that Cabrera is prepared to begin. Details of the program are confidential, but Cabrera will remain with the Tigers while he participates. It's expected to be similar to the outpatient program Cabrera entered following his incident in 2009.

Cabrera's been warned that further incidents could, and likely would, lead to more severe consequences. He's also still scheduled for a mid-March arraignment. But on a brighter note, he's due to participate in his first Tigers team workout on Friday after having missed about a week of activity.

The entire Tigers organization was caught off guard when Miguel Cabrera was arrested for DUI late Wednesday night. The team had its first full-squad workout on Saturday, but Cabrera was a no-show, and according to general manager Dave Dombrowski, it could still be several days before Cabrera reports.

Cabrera will first be examined by a doctor appointed by the MLBPA and commissioner's office, and the doctor will recommend a course of treatment. The Tigers will then come up with a plan of action that may not be finalized until the middle of next week. It's expected that Cabrera will report to camp in a handful of days, but there is some possibility that he'll instead opt to enter a rehabilitation program.

Cabrera's status for Opening Day doesn't appear to be in jeopardy, as position players generally don't need as much in the way of preparation as pitchers and it's still only February, but it's not a guarantee.

Ken Rosenthal writes that Cabrera will not be disciplined by MLB, as his DUI is considered an "off-duty misconduct," but this isn't an issue of discipline - this is an issue of treatment, and getting Cabrera all the help that he needs. Dombrowski says that Cabrera feels "down" and understands the severity of the situation, but while he's been through treatment before, baseball is a difficult environment in which to get and stay sober. For Cabrera and the Tigers, this is going to take absolute commitment.

Miguel Cabrera has battled with alcohol problems before, famously getting into a drunken fight with his wife during a critical season-ending series in 2009. He spent much of the offseason in outpatient counseling and swore that he'd turned things around last spring, saying:

The 26-year-old Cabrera spent much of the winter undergoing counseling. He said he has quit drinking and doesn't miss it.

"When you want something and you know what you're doing is bad, you say this thing is not right, this thing is not going to help me in my work," he said. "So first you've got to think about yourself. First you help yourself and then you can help everybody."
...
"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."

Cabrera went on to have an excellent year in 2010, leading the league in OBP and posting a career-best 1.042 OPS while finishing second to Josh Hamilton for the AL MVP. He seemed to be an excellent turnaround success story, and everything appeared all peaches until the events of last night. Now, the Tigers again face an off-field distraction from their big money slugger.

Their response? The team has yet to give an official statement, but according to Jon Heyman, they'll look to get Cabrera more counseling and a doctor. There are problems here - deep problems - that cannot be resolved with ease or haste.