Upsetting look from Cecil Fielder helped Tigers’ Prince Fielder forge his iron man approach

On Sunday afternoon, Tigers manager Jim Leyland offered Fielder his version of a respite: a day as designated hitter. Fielder bounded around the clubhouse, giving Justin Verlander grief for his salmon-colored suit, cutting up with Cabrera and outfielder Torii Hunter and wondering whether coffee’s ability to wake up ballplayers is more placebo effect than anything. He poured himself a cup of hazelnut – the carafe of regular was empty – and sipped it on the way to the batting cage, where he spent more than a half hour honing the swing that has whacked 276 career home runs.

While Fielder worked, a number of Tigers relaxed on the couches in their clubhouse with closed eyes. It’s July. These are the dog days. Day games after night games aren’t fun for anyone. One player shouted at no one in particular, “Why did baseball have to ban greenies?” – the little amphetamine pills that helped get players through the drudgery of a long road trip or a longer night out.

That may be the great miracle of Fielder following a 326-game streak with one that’s 440 and counting: it harkens back to Lou Gehrig playing 2,130 straight games without pharmacological assistance. Granted, uppers are everywhere around clubhouses. Last year alone baseball offered therapeutic-use exemptions to 116 players, leaving them free to take Adderall without repercussions. Nearly 10 percent of the players on 40-man rosters were medicated. Ten more, on the other hand, tested positive for amphetamines last year, including Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, suspended 25 games for two positives.

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