LAKELAND, Fla. _ The kid from Maracay is older now, nearly 36 years old, much more round than thin, with curly dark hair and a goatee that is trying to grow into a beard, but when he walks into his domain on this March morning, what you notice most is the smile.
It is the final week of his 16th spring training, and Miguel Cabrera is healthy. He is hitting _ and even smashing home runs _ and when Cabrera is healthy and hitting, he is happy.
He is happier than most days, flanked by his son, Christopher, who hustles to the food room for a fruit bowl, and his cousin, Frank, who has become a mainstay in the Detroit Tigers' clubhouse.
Hours later, the Cabrera family will arrive in earnest: his wife, Rosangel; mother, Gregoria; and daughters, Isabella and Brisel.
For now, he fools around with his baseball family, pointing at Tigers newcomer Matt Moore across the room, and giving a low-five to Mikie Mahtook, a high-five to Nicholas Castellanos and big eyes and loud laughter at barely funny jokes.
"Through everything," one teammate says, "he's always been the same person, just a happy-go-lucky dude."
Cabrera, the greatest hitter of this generation, has been challenged. His legacy has been threatened by injury, his star faded by age, his worth questioned by pundits who point to the five years and $154 million remaining on his deal in Detroit.
Here, sitting in front of his locker, chatting with former Tigers pitcher Frank Tanana before Sunday chapel, Cabrera's passions converge: When Christopher returns, he uses a glove mallet to show him the correct bat path. Satisfied with Christopher's swing _ he's a Cabrera, after all _ he pulls him in for a hug, a kiss on the cheek and a quick massage, kneading the youngster's back with his chin.
Cabrera is many things, but he is not misunderstood. To those who know him best, his life revolves around three things: God, family and baseball. Four, if you include chilling. He is relaxed, many people say, despite spending his adult life under a spotlight that can suck the fun out of this game, and he's just a big kid. And now, that big kid has a chip on his shoulder.
