Big swing and a miss for Brandon Taubman

The Washington Nationals are up two games to zip in the World Series. As it should be.

Their opponents, the Houston Astros, played a useful role in dispatching the New York Yankees to become the American League Champions. But I’m all in for the National League Nationals to win it all.

So far, so good.

The Nationals narrowly defeated the Astros in Game 1 (5-4), but completely cold-cocked Houston – 12-3 – in Game 2. Both games were played in Houston, so for the home team, it’s not a good look.

But anything can happen, and the Astros can certainly bounce back. But here’s hoping…NOT.

For the most part, I will root for the American League team, but this is the Nationals’ first time in the World Series in their particular franchise history. And the last time a baseball team in DC won it all was 1924, when Walter “Big Train” Johnson came in from the bullpen to save the day.

As a Red Sox lifer, I know precisely what it means to long for a long, long time for a World Series win. So I’m all in for the Nationals to be crowned World Series Champeens for 2019.

While I have pro-Nationals reasons to root for the Nationals, I also harbor a bit of animus towards the Astros. The team has a reputation for arrogance, for going out of their way to tick folks off, for being cheater-panters. (Sounds like the NE Patriots? Well, yeah, and I don’t like them all that much either.)

But the latest reason to dislike the Astros is the behavior of one Brandon Taubman, the team’s assistant general manager. Make that former assistant GM.

During the postgame clubhouse celebration after the Astros had won the American League pennant:

Three female reporters heard Taubman shouting “Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f------ glad we got Osuna!” after reliever Roberto Osuna’s rocky appearance in that game. SI reported that Taubman turned to the reporters when he yelled his comments. (Source: Washington Post)

In fact, it was more than “overheard.” Most who witnessed the outburst saw it as directed at those women. (It almost goes without saying that Taubman smoking a cigar at the time…) The Sports Illustrated writer – who was one of the reporters Taubman’s remarks were directed at -  described the scene as “offensive and frightening”

It wasn’t the f-bomb that was “offensive and frightening”. Anyone hanging around a locker room has heard worse. It’s that Osuna – the player Taubman was voicing such full-throated support for - is a controversial player who was controversially picked up by the Astros while under a 75 game suspension by Major League Baseball for domestic violence. (Again, shades of the NE Patriots and their recent catch and release with Antonio Brown.) Plus one of those three female sportswriters is a supporter of anti-abuse programs and was opposed to the Astros bringing Osuna on. She was, at the time of Taubman’s verbal assault, wearing a purple bracelet indicating support for victims of domestic violence.

One of the men standing with Taubman when he screamed – because over the course of a few days what some were characterizing as shouting was anted-upped to screaming -  at the women came over to apologize to them. Just not Taubman.

When the article on Taubman’s flamery came out in SI, the Astros went into arrogant deny, deny, deny mode, accusing SI of making the whole thing up. (Fake news! Fake news!)

Then Taubman issued his own mealy-mouthed self-defense.

He said something “inappropriate.” (Actually, he reportedly screamed the inappropriate a half-dozen times, from 8 feet away.) He was only supporting one of his players. He’s a husband and a father. He’s a “progressive and charitable member of the community” (Hoo boy!)

Amazingly, he didn’t throw in that he’s an Ivy Leaguer. (Cornell ‘07. Thanks, Linkedin!)

Then Taubman issued the by-now-familiar “if I offended anyone…” poor-me faux apology.

The Astros continued to (mostly) back Taubman, their GM (Taubman’s boss) saying there were “different perspectives” on the situation.

Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow said “we may never know” the intent behind Taubman’s outburst.

One of life’s little mysteries. Hmmmmm.

Luhnow also admitted “I think, from my perspective, clearly something happened that [Taubman] regrets.”

I always love that “something happened” thing-y. No one actually caused that something. No one was the agent. That something just kinda-sorta came about.

The one Astro person who came out strongly on the situation, their manager A.J. Hinch, termed the incident “unfortunate” and “uncalled for,” and said:

“For me, as a leader in this organization down here in the clubhouse, on the field, I take everything that happens in the clubhouse to heart,” Hinch said. “No one, it doesn’t matter if it’s a player, a coach, a manager, any of you members of the media, should ever feel like when you come into our clubhouse that you’re going to be uncomfortable or disrespected.”

But the hue and the outcry continued, and “something happened” that neither the Astros nor Taubman wanted. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred got involved, saying he was “really concerned” about the incident. And was awaiting results of the initial investigation before deciding whether to bring a Louisville Slugger down on Taubman and/or the Astros.

“We pride ourselves on providing an inclusive, harassment-free environment in all of the various aspects of our business,” Manfred said. “It’s a core value for baseball, and I think that we have to be tremendously concerned whenever we have an incident that attracts this much attention.”

None of this was exactly a career-enhancing development for Taubman, for sure.

He had been rumored as a possible GM for the Red Sox.  (They’re looking.) But I’m pretty sure that he’s been scratched from that consideration. There was rampant speculation that Taubman would be fired, and many calls for his suspension or dismissal.

Well, dismissal is what happened.

Yesterday, the Astros canned Taubman.

And the Astros put out a new apology, stating that the now realize that Taubman wasn’t being “overexuberant” in support of a player, but was, rather, vilely directing his comments at the women reporters.

Taubmann is 34. He had what I’m guessing would be to maybe a million baseball junkies the ultimate dream job. And now he’s in a nightmare of his own making.

I believe in second chances, but I’m guessing it’ll be a while before Brandon Taubman gets a second chance from anyone in the wonderful world of baseball. Who wants to be saddled with this jerk?

Big swing and a miss, bro.