The Price Of Victory | Mookie Betts Has Probably Spoken To Trevor Bauer For The Last Time

The Price Of Victory | Mookie Betts Has Probably Spoken To Trevor Bauer For The Last Time

by | Jul 29, 2021 | 5TH SLOT

Mookie Betts and many baseball fans around the country have one major thing in common: they have a ton of respect for Trevor Bauer’s accolades.

Forget the controversial social media posts regarding touchy subjects such as racism and political conspiracies.

Forget about the allegations of him using social media to harass women. Bauer is a Cy Young Award winner, and for some, that was all that mattered. 

Last February, as talk buzzed about the Dodgers signing Bauer, Betts said in an interview that getting a Cy Young Award winner “would be exciting.”

When asked about Bauer’s controversial past actions, Betts gave the human answer.

Bauer’s past didn’t worry him. At the time, he said he felt the Dodgers knew what they were signing up for. 

Bauer had the talent and the accolades to make so many willingly turn a blind eye to his poor character. Betts could have used that interview to acknowledge that Bauer was wrong, without necessarily chastising Bauer before the season even began.

However, Betts chose to simply state what was so painfully obvious already. 

The Dodgers wanted to win, and anyone who could help them win was a justified addition to the team.

 

 

No questions asked. Internet trolling was nothing more than that.

Controversial tweets posted in a shameless manner couldn’t possibly be a small reflection of someone’s character. It’s almost as if there was no reason for Betts, or anyone else on the team, to embrace Bauer as a new teammate while still acknowledging right from wrong. 

 

Fast forward to 2021, and the actions of Bauer have every member of the Dodgers organization tongue tied.

The star pitcher is currently under criminal investigation for sexually assaulting a woman, and the allegations are backed up by significant evidence. The Pasadena Police Department even admitted that this investigation is a lot bigger than what anyone initially thought. The highly decorated pitcher is now on leave, which was administered by Major League Baseball.

 

 

No active Dodgers player has spoken publicly about the new allegations or criminal investigation surrounding Bauer. There is no telling how Betts, or any other player in that locker room now feels about having Bauer as a member of the team.

 

 

Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times :

Bauer’s career is in jeopardy, and his stay with the Dodgers could be over, the sexual-assault allegations having turned a pitcher in his prime into a pariah in his own clubhouse, where no teammate has spoken publicly about him or come to his defense. Two people with knowledge of Dodgers clubhouse dynamics, who are unauthorized to speak publicly about the situation, said that a majority of players do not want Bauer back under any circumstances.

 

Many members of the team, including Betts, have unfollowed Bauer on social media. Nevertheless, social media follows are all up for interpretation; either you read into them or you don’t. 

We might never get another quote from Betts about anything Trevor Bauer related. If not, there is no reason to hold Bett’s past comments over his head forever.

However, the words by Betts, along with the actions from the Dodgers organization in itself, highlight a common issue: so many people are too eager to let accolades be the justifying factor in giving an athlete the benefit of the doubt as it regards to their character.

No one would have guessed that the Dodgers would be in this situation after signing Bauer. It doesn’t change the fact that the point still stands. It is easier to get your past actions forgiven, or in Bauer’s case, completely ignored if you are an accomplished athlete. 

At the same time, the wheels of justice move slowly but they do move and eventually we will know the fate of Trevor Bauer.

 

Mookie Betts Goes To Bat For COVID-19 Vaccine In Los Angeles

Mookie Betts Goes To Bat For COVID-19 Vaccine In Los Angeles

by | Jul 6, 2021 | THE THREE SPOT

If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing Mookie Betts play in person, find comfort in knowing that there is a chance you might at least see the two-time World Series Champion in a grocery store near you. 

Last week, the Dodgers star spent time at a Ralph’s grocery store in downtown Los Angeles, where he urged people in the community to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

In addition to voicing his support for vaccination efforts in Southern California, Betts also took the time to thank front-line workers.

In an interview with CBS Los Angeles, Betts stated his motivation for urging people to get vaccines is that he simply wants the world to get back to normal.

 

 

For Betts to publicly advocate for vaccine efforts might come as a surprise to some people. Back in March, when vaccines were starting to become available, he originally stated that he wouldn’t comment on whether or not he had been vaccinated. For some, this raised questions on Betts’ stance on the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

 

Regardless of whether or not Betts himself has or has been vaccinated, no one can debate that disclosing his decision is indeed a personal choice. Nevertheless, Betts’ tune these days, at least for the general public, is that vaccines can be the next step towards the life we knew before the pandemic began in 2020. 

So far, as it stands now, 51.1 percent of Los Angeles County residents are fully vaccinated. Of all 50 states, California is currently sitting at number 20 on the list of highest vaccination rates. With such high vaccination rates, Californians have been able to reap the benefits of life with less restrictions. For Dodgers fans, they’ve been able to sit in Dodger Stadium at full capacity since June 15, 2021. 

While Betts has openly advocated for people to get vaccinated, he isn’t the first MLBbro to voice his opinion on the COVID-19 vaccine. Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward openly expressed his desire to not get the vaccine due to personal reasons. 

 

 

Despite Heyward’s stance on getting the vaccine for himself, he cracked down on his opinion that more focus should be put on the safety protocols for the fans. While more MLB teams are allowing full capacity, Heyward noted that fans, unlike players, don’t get tested before coming to games. 

Heyward could very well have a point. When tens of thousands of people are packed in a stadium with no restrictions, that could be detrimental to the spread of COVID-19. However, one could say that the words of Heyward are exactly why Betts’ efforts are so impactful. In a world where we are now seeing restrictions lessened, Betts is ensuring that adequate attention is given to the health and safety of fans and other members of his community. 

President Biden “Betts” On Mookie As Dodgers Visit White House

President Biden “Betts” On Mookie As Dodgers Visit White House

by | Jul 3, 2021 | THE LEAD OFF

By Jaelen Ogadhoh | MLBbro.com Intern

Championships make MLBbro Mookie Betts smile. Puns? Not so much. 

During a ceremony honoring the 2020 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at the White House on Friday, President Joe Biden delivered a speech congratulating the team — and Betts — on the victory.

“I’ve often said that it’s never a good idea to bet against the American people,” Biden said. “Well, now we know it’s never a good idea to ‘Bett’ against Mookie.”

Intentional or not, the pun received a few light chuckles from team members as Betts stood there looking as stoic as he does on the field. Maybe he’d heard that one before.

Biden continued, jokingly explaining that his chief strategist Mike Donilon, who is a die hard Red Sox fan, “didn’t want to talk to Mookie anymore” after he was traded away from the Red Sox last February.

 

 

This elicited somewhat of a smile from Betts, albeit a sheepish one that faded away quickly. After all, Betts never asked to leave Boston, he was shipped out for “financial reasons.” 

When he wasn’t cracking jokes directed at the Dodgers’ star right fielder, the President spent most of the speech praising the reigning champs.

“The Dodgers are a lot more than a baseball club…they’re a pillar of American culture, and American progress,” Biden said, listing off some of the franchise’s biggest cultural icons including MLBbro pioneer Jackie Robinson.

Acknowledging the unique circumstances of last year’s season, Biden spoke to the role sports played in lifting people’s spirits during a difficult time.

“I think what we discovered is that we need sports more than we ever realized,” Biden said. “When we go through a crisis, very often sports bring us together to heal, to help us feel like things are going to be okay, they’re going to get better.”

The President continued to highlight the social impact sports can have, calling baseball “one of the great equalizers” before emphasizing his own commitment to leveling the playing field in America.

“What the Vice President [Kamala Harris] and I spent a lot of time working on making sure we do is deal with the equity in the United States, making sure that we change the dynamic in a fundamental way,” Biden said.

“Look what baseball has done,” he added. “Look at the makeup of this ballclub, the makeup of ball clubs all across the league…look at who’s managing this club,” Biden said, likely alluding to Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager and retired MLBbro. 

The President even slipped in a reference to MLBbro royalty Satchel Paige, who never wore a Dodgers uniform but certainly embodies social impact.

 

 

“It really means a lot to us that you’re here,” Biden said to the team, in closing. “It means a lot the kind of hope you give the American people. Don’t underestimate it guys.”

Biden and Harris posed in front of the team, holding their newly-gifted honorary Dodgers jerseys as photos were taken. 

And yes — Betts did flash a smile for the cameras.