The Astros, Trump, and the Media

Many readers around the country are looking at this blog title, gleefully rubbing their hands together, and thinking ” ahhhh, he’s finally going to tell it like it is.” Well, I am, but I’m afraid it won’t be what you hand-wringers want to hear.

So let’s cut to the chase with today’s pontification. Certain players and a bench coach did some stupid things in 2017. They used a home field technological edge and communicated forthcoming pitches via a most primitive means; a trash can. The manager expressed his displeasure, but did not flat-out stop the chicanery. I have no doubt that the manager rues his having looked the other way and not having taken a stronger position.

But folks, the hue and cry from the latter day saints of the media is outrageous and overblown. And therein lies the connection to President Trump. The sports media is fueling a feeding frenzy comparable to MSNBC’s daily treatment of President Trump. To be clear, that isn’t what an objective reporter would want said about his or her work!

Let’s put a few completely unfounded rumors to rest:

–MLB commissioned a detailed, exhaustive review of the alleged “cheating” perpetrated by the Astros. The unequivocal conclusion was that the Astros did indeed use technology to steal signs during various home games during the 2017 season. There is no evidence that this behavior continued beyond the 2017 season. The ongoing media swarm around the rumor hive buzzing about body beepers in 2019 is irresponsible, uncorroborated, and downright lazy journalism. 

–The hue and cry to strip the Astros of their title is growing. (That will not happen, nor should it.) The Astros won 53 games on the road, and 48 at home. The Astros were the best team in baseball. Full stop. Yankees and Red Sox players and fans, get over it. The Astros were the better team. There is not a scintilla of evidence that all the garbage can banging in the world would have changed the outcome of the 2017 baseball season.

–The nattering nabobs have gone as far as to suggest that the 2017 American League MVP should have his crown stripped. Jose Altuve batted .381 on the road, and .311 at home. Jose Altuve has taken the high road and not discussed his role in the 2017 debacle. I say “high road” because it has become abundantly clear that Jose Altuve wanted no part of the can banging scheme, and he made his feelings perfectly clear to his teammates. Ditto for Josh Reddick and (then) rookie Tony Kemp. 

The Astros have paid the price, and are well aware that they will be soundly booed in every stadium they visit this season. It will be a long, painful slog. 

Then there is President Trump. Whereas I very much like my Astros, I continue to find almost nothing to like about President Trump. But my position has not changed. This man and his administration are doing good things for our country. 

The democrats proved nothing during the farce of an impeachment trial. They confirmed what every rational American knows. The President is more than flummoxed by the lack of attention given to the Clinton campaign’s funding of the Steele dossier, and by alleged misdeeds by the Bidens in the Ukraine. The President is mystified by the media’s double standards. He sees a world in which the democrats get a free pass, and he is investigated for breathing. In this context, did he cross a line asking a newly elected Ukraine president to investigate the Bidens? Well, to the extent that former Veep Joe Biden is a competitor in the 2020 election, one can definitely make the case that a line was crossed. But there is not one iota of evidence that the President ever told the Ukraine aid would be withheld until an investigation was conducted. The entire democrat case was a shambles; nothing more than rhetorical poppycock. A line was crossed, but that line came nowhere close to a high crime or misdemeanor necessary for removing a President from office. 

If one only relied on the mainstream media for access to the news, one would likely have drawn a different conclusion. I can see where an American relying on the main stream media to report the news could conclude that President Trump broke laws, is a tyrant, and the GOP hit rock bottom by refusing to convict him. Further, through his deregulation, he is apparently raping American lands, feathering the pockets of big business, enriching himself, and crushing the “little guy”. Sounds horrible, right? Alas, it just isn’t happening. The facts speak for themselves, and the facts drive the democrats crazy. Unemployment is at an all time low. The average middle class family now makes $5,000 more than it did at the end of the Obama reign. Minority joblessness is down more than 25%. There is once again a sense of hope.

So let’s tie it all together, shall we? Some members of the 2017 Astros squad made stupid mistakes in 2017. They have (and will continue to) paid the price. President Trump probably crossed a line in his call with the Ukraine. Lord knows, he has paid a price! But in both cases, the media will not let go. Worse, the media reports innuendo as fact. Objectivity is non-existent. 

Nothing will drive the the media to the brink more than if the Astros win it all in 2020. And nothing will push them over the edge more than a Trump win in November. Ergo, my title! The media has entered its own Brave New World. Lets hope for the sake of good baseball and our country that they will be tested on both fronts later this year!

More to follow-