LAKELAND, Fla. – Coming off a bad incident that occurred during the Detroit Tigers’ late season run for a playoff spot last year, power hitter Miguel Cabrera has been campaigning with the media to clear the air.The All-Star first baseman while playing in the midst of a giant $152.3 million contract was arrested after blowing a 0.26 blood-alcohol reading which is approximately 3 times more than the Michigan legal limit for driving. He also had bruises that were speculated to be from a domestic dispute he was involved in.

After Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski picked Cabrera up from the slammer, Cabrera apologized to his teammates for the incident.

The timing of the event couldn’t have been any worse. The Tigers were battling the Minnesota Twins for a playoff spot when it occurred then went on to lose the AL Central after losing the tiebreaker game against Minnesota.

Cabrera spent the off season undergoing counseling and says he gave up drinking.

“You guys write in the paper ‘alcoholic,’ that’s not right,” said Cabrera. “I don’t know how to explain, but it’s not an alcohol problem.”

“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.”

Referring to earlier interviews with the Detroit media, Cabrera said, “I was comfortable talking about everything because I think you can’t hide it. I can’t hide what I’m doing; I can’t lie to people when they see something. If I worry about what everybody is saying, there is going to be a lot on my mind. I don’t want that. I want to do everything I can to play baseball.”

The 26-year-old Cabrera started his career at the age of 20 when he played in 87 games for the Florida Marlins in 2003 and is now recognized as one of MLB’s most fearsome hitters.

Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland agrees with Cabrera’s decision to confront his personal matter head-on with the media. “He took on a challenge that he needed to take on. That’s a sign of maturity,” said Leyland.

“I know it was wrong what I did. but I can’t hide that, you know?” Cabrera said. “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.”

Are you listening Tiger Woods and Ari Fleischer?