Astros Staffer's Outburst at Female Reporters Illustrates MLB's Forgive-and-Forget Attitude Toward D

I think.... two different stories are being conflated?... The initial SI article was about MLB +DV, right?.... I think *that's* the story the Astros were asked to give comment and refused? If I'm right about that then Taubman's taunt - directed at the SI reporter - makes more sense. It's still very bad - but a different bad - he was just being a bully. I would imagine the Astros - especially in *that* moment - probably didn't have a ton of patience answering questions about DV, which... I would understand. They just clinched the pennant; maybe that's not the time or place..... And then it seems like Taubman was being an enormous dick to the reporter in reaction to them writing the story.

Again, it's not better - but it certainly makes more sense.

 

Darsh helped us win a World Series. He will be forever loved by Houston.

 

This culture of refusing to apologize for anything is mind numbing. Accept what you did like an adult, apologize, and move on. Took them them way to long to figure that out

 

It's innocent until proven guilty not the other way around, the Astros do not need to provide context if the journalist's article lacks merit - which it does because taking quotations without context means nothing. People and media just love to overreact.

I mean, even getting clarification on what why the Astros staff member said sorry would have been very telling - and they didn't even do that. Multiple sources who were all in the same vicinity of each other, particularly when 1 of them is very sensitive about the subject matter itself - does not make this a story since there can clearly be mob mentality and/or extreme bias - given Osuna's background.

The smart thing to do would have been to do as you said from a PR standpoint, but in terms of ACTION that has to be taken, it's up to the accuser and/or the reporting journalist to find the facts and be thorough, not the Astros.

 

Honestly, whatever is being said between either side- its all going to be fake and apologetic PR crap anyway - lets just get back to Game 1 today

This story will blow over as people have said.

 

Apology just issued.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/10/22/brandon-taubman-statement-astros

 

This Taubman dude sounds Alpha af. Respect!

 

If you read the SI article and Taubman's new statement carefully, you'll notice that he doesn't materially dispute the events reported in the article. He just tries to shift blame to the reporters for somehow misinterpreting his words. Which is BS, because the meaning of his words, in that context, was pretty clear:

https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/10/22/houston-astros-roberto-osuna-suspension
"Taubman turned to a group of three female reporters, including one wearing a purple domestic-violence awareness bracelet, and yelled, half a dozen times, 'Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f------ glad we got Osuna!' The outburst was offensive and frightening enough that another Houston staffer apologized. ... Osuna had allowed a two-run home run to tie the game in the top of the ninth. He had been, by Baseball Reference’s calculations and any intelligent observer’s assessment, the least valuable Astro that night. So why would Taubman choose that moment, to taunt that demographic? ... None of those women were talking to him [Taubman]. They weren’t even talking about Osuna. Taubman brought him up."

None of the innocent explanations for Taubman's words make sense, given the context. And several other reporters have corroborated the SI account.

The Astros' first statement was BS, and this new statement is an attempt to repackage Taubman's moral offense as a matter of misinterpretation or inappropriate "language."

As an Astros fan, I'm embarrassed.

 

One thing the Astros and Rockets have in common...they both have shitty PR departments. I have serious gripes with the quality of journalism these days, but the entity that looks really bad here is the Astros. They handled the Verlander/Detroit Free Press situation poorly, and they handled this GM/Osuna situation poorly. They reacted in an unprofessional manner. Yes, we don't have the full context of the situation here...but that just means that it's even MORE important for the Astros not to rush to challenge SI's story.

I think the assistant GM simply had too much to drink and, in the heat of the moment, blurted out a very insensitive and inappropriate comment about Osuna in the vicinity of those reporters and others sensitive to the DV situation. Assuming that he has no prior history of this kind of behavior, that is not an offense worthy of employment termination, in my opinion. The apology he made in the statement Diehard Rocket posted above, plus a possible reprimand (maybe a fine), is sufficient. I also think that assistant GMs and other front office personnel shouldn't be consuming alcohol in the locker room in the presence of media after the team wins a division, pennant, championship, etc.

Hopefully this mess doesn't hurt Osuna's focus and effectiveness in the World Series.

 

I wasn't there and don't know what happened but it interesting this was published on Monday. Might have gotten lost in the shuffle on Sunday, I guess.

 

Spoiler

Pwease apowogize for hurting their wittle feelings for saying "I love Roberto Osuna! Thank God we got Roberto Osuna!"

Verlander, please apologize for saying you literally love Altuve. Some may take that the wrong way & be offended.

And next time keep these b**** ass women out the locker room, who might get their little feelings hurt. (with the exception of Julia Morales, who you know, actually covers & is around the team daily.)

"Your misogyny is showing."

Good!
And if it was 3 male reporters, none of them would be "shaken" and this wouldn't be a story. And the media can go shove their DV bracelet up their ass. Yeah, because I'm sure BT got a close up view of it and knew the lady was wearing it.

Don't owe **** to Ken Rosenthal, Evan Drellich, Chandler Rome, Jake Kaplan, Hunter Atkins, Stephanie whatever this b****'s name is, Anthony Fenech or any fake news media member. In fact, I hope the entire team pulls a Russell Westbrook and "NEXT QUESTION"'s all of their asses. Put that in your reporter notebook and smoke it!

 

Who was this? Steve Sparks?

 

Found the Trump voter

 

SI also just laid off half the staff like a week ago. They needed this. Make of that what you will, but there's motivation for sensationalism and she just secured her future.

As for the apology. It's good enough, but he said "if" anyone was offended. But they were. Just say it. That's the point of the apology even if they were not justified in coming to their conclusions, and even if they were motivated by additional agendas. He should also state a corrective action in his apology even if he has no intention of following through. The Astros should hire an apology consultant if the PR person can't advise.

 

ME!

And one more thing, (per Chron): "There were no players in the area and no interviews were being conducted at the time."

Then what the **** were these woman reporters in there for at that time?
Yes, it contradicts what the Astros said: “an Astros player was being asked questions about a difficult outing.”

STFU already about Osuna. He served his (baseball) time.
Go knock on the Yankees door (Chapman, Domingo German), the Mets door(Familia), the Cubs door(Russell), the Phillies door (Odubel Herrera), & the Dodgers door (Urias).

 

It’s not. The Astros jumped and said the SI story was misleading. That needs addressed as well. Bad move by the team imo.

Sucks that it’s happening when we should be talking baseball.

 

Got to be 100% honest here. I still have no clue how what he said makes any kind of sense in any scenario???

He's happy they got Osuna?? Because he below the game?? Personally I was pissed.

Regardless, clearly an idiot. Not clearly a misogynist. But clearly an idiot.

 

A reporter that doesn't want a story? What in the world... can already tell she's full of crap.

She's the one that got offended by an admittedly strange celebration and decided to remind us of the past by publishing. What Osuna did was reprehensible and many fans have already made their anger and disapproval of the move known. Do we really need to bring that anger back now? We can forget about it all season but now that we beat the Yankees and we're in the Series it's a problem again?

I call bullshit. The timing is just too convenient. Likely ulterior motives. To me this is a non-story and the Astros are avoiding it because they're focused on the World Series, as they should be.

If the context of the way Taubman was shouting is true, he'll receive his suspension after the series, as he should.

And as with all media backlash, everyone will forget in time. At least until another reporter decides to be offended again.