These are the kinds of stories that make me wish that the off-season wasn’t as long as it is, because it’s full-on stupid.
Trevor Bauer is a lightning rod for controversy. And he’s at the stage of his career and life in where it is time to accept him for who and what he is. There is the long-running feud between him and his former UCLA teammate and current Astro, Gerrit Cole. The Diamondbacks quickly grew tired of his eccentricity after drafting him, of course, and shipped him to the Indians. His drone fascination could’ve derailed a playoff push for the Tribe. He is staunchly Republican and will take up many battles of perceived anti-Trump bias. And he is by far the most visible and vocal member of the Indians’ organization on Twitter, which, can be both a blessing and a curse in how a person chooses to use the medium.
So, with Trevor being Trevor, sometimes he just isn’t able to let things lie. And it may cost him if he isn’t careful.
The Astros and Indians, and the respective fanbases by extension, don’t like each other very much. Bauer’s mid-season assertion that the Astros pitchers were doctoring to their benefit lit the fuse. The potential sign-stealing situation that helped the Astros sweep the Indians last October, cemented the rivalry. It’s on now.
So, of course, Bauer is a bear prodded with sticks by Astro players and fans alike. And that boiled over during the past few days.
So, a 16 year-old Astro fan decided to get some kicks in by announcing and tagging Bauer by his handle so he clearly gets the gist that this girl, likely bored with nothing to do on Christmas break, really does not like him.
Trevor, unable to let things lie, came with his retorts of pettiness and…sigh. You can look it up if you want. I’m sure Deadspin is all over it.
It’s all very childish on both ends. On one end, there is a young lady, who was looking for her moment in the internet sun, who ended up getting more than she could deal with after she started the whole damn thing. On the other end, there’s Trevor, who needs to learn to pick his battles and against whom he fights against. The common perception of his personality is already writ and cemented; very little will ever change in how anyone other than Tribe fans view him as.
Regardless of who you side with, no one looks in the right here. But it’s Trevor who will always lose more than his detractors. It’s a battle he’ll never truly win. And with Trevor still supposedly on the trade block, could this be the final push that has the Indians, like the Diamondbacks before them, tired of his act? Would another team even want the attitude and headache that comes with a 2019 Cy Young contender?
(The answer is yes, but it could cost the Indians in what they receive in return.)
The online world is a vast place full of pitfalls that can ensnare even the best of us. There is power wielded to hurt, damage or worse being used everyday. Trevor is often an entertaining follow, but in his effort to stand his ground, he has yet lost more shine on an public image that is getting harder and harder to repair.