Badmouthing my favorite player...

[Mik 0]

MIAMI GARDENS — Miguel Cabrera's boyish grin is nowhere to be found.

 

He is speaking barely above a whisper in the Marlins' clubhouse, making eye contact only occasionally. A day after he was benched for arriving late to a game, Cabrera — usually playful and joking — is defensive and defiant about the punishment.

 

"I don't make the lineup," he said Tuesday while absently shuffling items in his locker, which portrays two pictures of his 27-day-old daughter. "If they want to put me to play, they'll put me to play."

 

He was back in the lineup Tuesday and said he is not worried about the episode. But teammates and club officials are openly concerned about Cabrera's attitude and work ethic, even as he becomes one of the game's most productive players.

 

"Sometimes fame comes too quickly," said Hall of Famer Tony Perez, a special assistant for the Marlins.

 

Cabrera has had two incidents in the past week alone. He was not in the lineup Thursday in New York because he failed to report on time for medical treatment a day after fouling a ball off his knee. Sunday in Atlanta, he missed the team bus to the stadium and showed up within an hour of the first pitch.

 

Some teammates were critical when Cabrera stopped shagging fly balls in July and August, and instead sat in the dugout with friends visiting from his homeland of Venezuela. He resumed the pre-game drills only after Perez had a one-on-one conversation with him.

 

"He has the ability; everybody knows that," Perez said. "He's got a great future ahead of him, but that's up to him.

 

"If he has no ambition and just wants to be in the big leagues and play . . . " Perez said, his voice trailing off. "You have to have a goal and follow it."

 

Still, Cabrera, 22, remains a rising star. In his second full season, he already has been named to the All-Star team twice. This year he became the youngest player in major-league history to hit at least 30 home runs in back-to-back seasons. He was hitting .322, fifth in the league, entering Tuesday's games.

 

But some teammates said privately that his lack of maturity and poor work ethic have cost him respect in the clubhouse. Other players offered carefully phrased criticism.

 

"When I was first coming up, you were never late, never said anything. It's a rule," said 13-year veteran Jeff Conine. "You show up on time and work hard, nobody will say anything to you."

 

Baseball players police their own, and Conine said it is time for a veteran to have a heart-to-heart with Cabrera.

 

"Something probably should be said at some point by someone," Conine said. "You hope that's all it has to be said, is once."

 

Cabrera bristled at the prospect of a lecture.

 

"(Forget) the veterans," he said, momentarily breaking into English to deliver an expletive. "They haven't told me anything and they better not come tell me anything, either.

 

"I don't want to hear anything else. I want to play baseball, give what I have to give on the field of play, and win. That's all I want. . . .

 

"Everyone here is a grown man," he continued. "Everyone knows what he's doing. And I'm not going to go crazy worrying about these things."

 

Cabrera stopped, his indignation ebbing.

 

"Look, I just don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm sorry," he said. "Just leave that alone."

 

Veteran outfielder Juan Encarnacion said the team's Latino players stick together and probably will drop hints to Cabrera to help prevent further problems. But Encarnacion said a confrontation isn't necessary.

 

"Guys talk to him, but we try to tell him in different ways," Encarnacion said. "In the end, everybody has to make their own decisions. Everybody's grown up here and knows what he has to do."

 

Manager Jack McKeon brushed off Cabrera's comments.

 

"He's only saying that because of being benched. He'll be fine," McKeon said. "He'll get over that. He's a great kid.

 

"I've had no complaints of him since he's been here with me."

 

Cabrera is a year away from being eligible for a big payday through arbitration and won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2009 season. That's one reason, if nothing else, for Cabrera to continue improving, Perez said.

 

"I think he's just going through a phase," said Perez, who believes that Cabrera has Hall of Fame potential. "I think he sees that baseball is what he wants to do, what he loves. He has all my support, but he has to be willing to listen. What you say can't go in one ear and out the other."

 

I know I'm his cabana boy and all, but this article pisses me off in a way. Especially the part I bolded.

 

I hope he doesn't end up pissing it all away.

[Precious Roy 0]

this team really self destructed, huh?

[The Czech Republic 0]

this team really self destructed, huh?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah but they've got nothin' on the 2004 Cubs. Lincoln Park Zoo, baby

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I think their lack of depth caught up to them. They had just two starters pitching effectively down the stretch.

 

As for Cabrera, he's fine as long as he has a work ethic. Yes, it is a stupid comment, but he's 22 years old. I'd be hard-pressed to find a 22 year old who DOESN'T make stupid comments.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I think he looks like Webster.

[Guest TheDon]

He is more than welcome to come to the Bronx to play.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

The Marlins has a game with Yankees?

[Mik 0]

He will next year for Interleague. Other than that, he's not going anywhere until late 2009, if that.

[Guest I miss Test.]

He should listen to the vets. They can tell him the good supplements to take.