Miguel Cabrera

Okay, so earlier today I wrote here that I was not rooting for Miguel Cabrera to win the triple crown because I wanted Yaz to still be the last player to win it.

I have changed my mind.

The Tigers have two games left.  Neither game has any bearing on anything else.  They have already clinched the AL Central and the Royals have been out of it forever.

Cabrera leads the home run race by one.  He leads the RBI race by 10.  He leads the batting average race by .004.  If the season ended right now he would be your triple crown winner.  Many people expected him to announce that he would sit out the last two games and rest up for the playoffs.  Earlier today, however, his manager announced that he would play both of the remaining games.  He's going to risk blowing the batting title, and he is going to try and pad the other two stats.

He could take the easy way out and let Hamilton and Trout try to knock him off, but instead he's going to play and force them to beat him.

This sort of reminds all Boston fans of that magical day in 1941 when Ted Williams woke up with a .400 batting average and was given the option of sitting out the final day's double header to insure that he would finish the season over .400.  He said no and played both games and went six for eight to finish the season at .406.  

Baseball is not a sport that at the professional level is thought to require what we call balls.

Ted Williams showed some serious balls on the last day of the season in 1941, and Miguel Cabrera is doing the same over the final two days of 2012.  

I am now rooting for him.  Go out there, Miguel and win that triple crown.  Be the first player to do so since my hero, Captain Carl did it during the impossible dream season of 1967.  Go out there tonight and tomorrow and take what you deserve.

Damn, I love baseball.  The friggin' Red Sox have made me forget that over the last 13 months.  I freakin' love baseball!