I can’t sum it up better than Craig Calcattera, so let’s start here:
Trevor Bauer had his Zoom presentation / meeting press conference yesterday with the Dodgers and baseball media gathered. And we have to give them a small amount of credit (the exact amount, to quote Alan Arkin from the movie Argo, would be buffalo shit with a nickel) who even bothered to ask Bauer about his past behavior on social media. To review, Bauer has been a misogyny, transphobic, harassment pig in the past. But previously, people like Bauer hadn’t even been asked the question. Take Tom Brady and Antonio Brown this past Super Bowl, for example.
So Bauer headed there. Just. And not even really. It was the most superficial blow imaginable.
“All the conversations I’ve had with people from all walks of life over the last two years and all the things I’ve learned: I can say I’ve learned from them,” Bauer said after introducing him to No. 27 shirts during a virtual press conference from Dodger Stadium. “I have spent a lot of time talking to other people to try to understand other perspectives and I am doing my best to be better, as I do in all areas of my life. I don’t think it makes any sense to dive into specific issues in this forum, but I’m committed to being better on social media, being better on the field, being better at the clubhouse, being better at life in general. “
And this response to the boiler, without saying anything, generated no follow-up questions, a note of caution, criticism and nothing. What did Bauer learn? Who did he talk to? What perspectives? It makes absolutely sense to dive into details, but chances are you haven’t. Why would he do that? This year he just signed for $ 40 million. Where are the consequences? You can be sure she’ll get back to her shit the next time some woman sneezes on Twitter. And this check will remain in cash.
And yet he succeeds headlines like this on ESPN, as if it had turned a new leaf. Or this on MLB.com, as if that were enough. At least that piece made mention of his past actions, while at the same time including his lack of apology. Here it is the executioner ready Jon Heyman to defend attendees at the press conference, although again Bauer said nothing, there were no follow-up questions, Bauer took no responsibility and the article Heyman is retweeting says so much. It seems like the slightest effort to question someone about this kind of behavior is treated as if William Wallace won the English, simply so that the baseball press doesn’t have to do it again.
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And GM Andrew Friedman was no better.
“The most important thing is that every teammate we talk to, all the feedback we get from every organization we were with, was not only incredibly positive about the type of teammate he is, but also about the impact each organization has, “Friedman said when asked if he thought he could have alienated some of the team’s supporters by signing Bauer.” I think the talent is pretty obvious. But I also think that from the point of view of cultural view, of continuing to strive to improve in everything we do, I actually think it will be a great asset in this.It is not up to me to talk about Trevor, but in our conversations he has alluded to past mistakes he has made And you know what, we will all make mistakes.The important thing for me is how people, including myself, when I make mistakes, is how we internalize it and what thoughts we have about it.From our point of view, it was important keep that conversation in. And we came out feeling good. Now, obviously, time will tell. But I think it will be a great complement, not only to the field, but to the club, to the community, and it is clear that that is why we are sitting here. “
Friedman, like Bauer, says nothing here. Did he talk to the women Bauer has harassed? Damn no, he didn’t. Did he talk to any women about Bauer? No. But did he talk to Bauer’s former teammates? What will they tell you? Are they the ones who made life in hell?
As for future thoughts, to repeat myself to the nauseum, Bauer said nothing about what he will do next that is not “being better.” Devils, thaIt’s a timid step from Melania’s “Be Best” campaign against cyberbullying, when her husband was the son of the poster. “Being better” could mean anything. And that’s why it means nothing.
But hey, he actually had to fix it with a burger for nothing, so everyone got involved. the baseball media suddenly thinks they are the Woodward and Bernstein of sexism.