Don Shane: Next steps for Cabrera

(WXYZ) - It was a little after seven o'clock this morning when Miguel Cabrera showed up at Joker Marchant stadium. He was the first player to arrive, back in his element and comfort zone, and obviously eager to get on with his baseball life.

Probably somewhat relieved that yesterday's "Meet the Press" is over, even though virtually everything he said is being analyzed and maybe over-analyzed. 

It’s now all up to Miguel.

Will he fully embrace and adhere to the treatment program? Can he resist the temptation to drink again? Has he learned his lesson and can he be true to his apology? Will he hire a person to be with him at all times to make sure he stays sober? If you can sound sincere through an interpreter than he accomplished his mission in answering those questions.

Two years ago, when he had the incident with liquor and his wife, he objected to the media using the term “alcoholic”.  Yesterday he refused to call himself an alcoholic. Yet, through the program he has entered, baseball and the Tigers are treating him as one.

I don’t drink. I’m not in recovery. But many of you out there are bravely fighting that fight every day. I have great respect for all of you, and I ask you; Can you drink, get a DUI and not be an alcoholic?  

I guess it’s possible, and it sounds as if that’s the way Miguel wants to be portrayed.

I don’t think all of this will in any way be a distraction or change the way he plays or how good he is as a player. If he makes another mistake, drinks and gets in trouble again, he won’t have to worry about living up to his multi-million dollar a year deal. He won’t have to worry about fans forgetting and accepting him.

Baseball will punish him severely, and so might the law. All that should act as a huge deterrent. Hopefully he won’t injure anyone. The one person he would be hurting is himself.