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The Oakland Athletics are being criticized over the gift they presented to soon-to-be retired Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera on Thursday before the series opener between the teams.
They gave the 21-year veteran a bottle of wine, which could be considered a lovely way to honor a player who is a member of the 3,000-hit and 500-home run clubs, a two-time American League MVP, a four-time AL batting champion and the only triple crown winner in Major League Baseball since 1967.
Except for the fact that Cabrera spent three months in an alcohol abuse treatment center in 2010 and faced legal issues involving alcohol in 2009 and 2011. Still, none of that stopped the Athletics — or the Houston Astros or the Chicago White Sox or the Miami Marlins, the team with which Cabrera spent his first five seasons — from presenting him with alcohol to commemorate his career.
Oakland, the only major league city on the West Coast with a large Black community, is about to lose the A’s and that doesn’t sit well with former players.
The A’s also are taking heat for being cheap (although no real surprise there from the team with the lowest payroll in baseball), after presenting Cabrera a bottle of wine that is said to retail for less than $100. Sure, it was signed by Oakland’s players. That’s a nice, personal touch. But the whole thing just sounds like Last Minute Gift Ideas 101.
Still, Cabrera has received many thoughtful and creative gifts during his farewell tour, with some teams commemorating historic moments he achieved against them and others presenting him with items that reflect his hobbies or celebrate specific aspects of their home cities.
Here’s a look at the future Hall of Famer’s haul (hopefully he’s got plenty of wall space and lots of extra room for storage — he’s going to need it):
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A video of East Bay native Tom Hanks being asked to buy the Oakland A’s and prevent their move to Las Vegas is circulating. The actor opposes the team’s move.
A report details Alex Rodriguez’s connection to the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal from 2013, including his ratting out Manny Ramirez and Ryan Braun.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.