Osuna was serving a domestic violence suspension when he was traded to the Astros in '18 GETTY IMAGES
MLB has begun an investigation into the incident involving Astros Assistant GM/Player Evaluation Brandon Taubman's "expletive-filled tirade toward a group of female reporters" after the team won the ALCS on Saturday, according to a front-page piece by Chandler Rome of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Taubman reportedly was defending the team's '18 trade for P Roberto Osuna while he was serving a suspension for violating MLB's domestic violence policy. The Astros yesterday issued statements from both Taubman and Owner Jim Crane in which Taubman "apologized to 'anyone that was offended by my actions,' and Crane emphasized the team's commitment to creating 'awareness and support on the issue of domestic violence.'" That came after the team's statement on Monday called SI's initial report of the incident "misleading and completely irresponsible." The Astros yesterday "didn't deny that Taubman used offensive language," while eyewitnesses noted "no players were in the area of the female reporters who were yelled at, disputing the Astros' assertion on Monday that Taubman's rant was about 'an Astros player.'" Taubman, Crane and Astros GM Jeff Luhnow all declined comment prior to World Series Game 1 last night, leaving manager A.J. Hinch as the "only member of the Astros organization to speak about the incident in person." He said, "It's unfortunate, it's uncalled for. 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" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/23). Taubman reportedly "was not seen at Minute Maid Park for Game 1" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/23).
DEMANDING AN APOLOGY: ESPN.com's Bradford Doolittle noted the Baseball Writers Association of America "denounced the incident and the team's handling of it" and called for "multiple members of the Astros front office to issue a public apology to the media outlets involved in the story." The Association for Women in Sports Media also called on the Astros to "retract the statement that the story was fabricated" (ESPN.com, 10/22). ESPN's Tim Kurkjian said of the Astros, "They inflamed this, they attacked the credibility of a reporter, and they still have not apologized" ("PTI," ESPN, 10/22). MLB Network's Chris Russo said the Astros should have called this a "serious matter and we will investigate" instead of "coming down heavy and knocking SI." Russo: "This is Sports Illustrated now. This is a huge magazine" ("High Heat," MLB Network, 10/22). In DC, Barry Svrluga notes SI had originally "asked the Astros to comment on Taubman's rant" and, initially, the club "declined." When the story was published, the team "lashed out, essentially calling it Fake News while simultaneously corroborating what Taubman said." If Taubman "believes his words were misconstrued, he should have said so when offered the chance." He "declined, or the Astros declined for him -- and then went into attack mode." That seems "inconceivable, until you remember this is the club that pursued Osuna in the first place" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/23). MLB Network's Joel Sherman: "This is shooting yourself in the foot in Public Relations 101" ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 10/22).
TARGETED ATTACK? NPR's David Folkenflik cited sources as saying that Taubman during the incident "appeared to be responding to the presence of a female reporter who was wearing a purple rubber bracelet to heighten awareness about domestic violence." That reporter has "tweeted repeatedly about the issue over the years." Taubman "complained last year that some of the reporter's informational tweets -- promoting domestic violence hotline telephone numbers, for example -- appeared moments after Osuna entered several Astros games in relief" (NPR.org, 10/22). In N.Y., Jane McManus wrote the "problem with Taubman's taunting wasn't the profanity." It was that he could "finally revel in bringing in a damaged player on the cheap and winning the pennant." He could do so "in front of three women who likely served as stand-ins for the critics everywhere" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/22).
SHOCK & AWE: SI's Stephanie Apstein, who first reported the incident, said it was "startling" to hear Taubman yelling about Osuna in the clubhouse on Saturday. She said, "None of us were talking to this person, none of us were talking about this person." Apstein: "At first we were kind of surprised, 'Why is this guy yelling at us?' Then once we started listening to what he was saying and seeing the look on his face, we realized, 'This is an unusual moment.' And then it became a little bit scary ... and certainly unsettling." ESPN's Jeremy Schaap noted the Astros "took a lot of criticism last year in some quarters for acquiring Osuna in the first place." He said, "To kind of throw it back in the faces of three female reporters, including one who was wearing ... a bracelet to raise awareness about domestic violence, what does that say about the state of mind in this organization and this particular executive?" Apstein: "That's the point that I tried to make in the column. I wrote about the subject that the Astros in particular, but honestly this is an attitude that I see across a lot of baseball and sports in general" ("OTL," ESPN, 10/22).
DARK CLOUD OVER WORLD SERIES: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jared Diamond writes Taubman's outburst "reignited the Astros' already controversial and much-maligned decision to employ Osuna, embarrassing the organization." Rather than "celebrating the beginning of an exciting matchup" against the Nationals in the World Series, the conversation yesterday "revolved around the Astros' seeming indifference to the continued criticisms of Osuna's presence on their roster" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/23). In Chicago, Paul Sullivan writes, "No one wants to start a World Series with a controversy like this." MLB needs to "address this issue now instead of waiting for the World Series to end, when it can release some corporate statement admonishing the Astros during a dead period in the offseason" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/23). On Long Island, Erik Boland writes MLB must be "very much irritated behind the scenes to have to address a story that diverted attention from its premier event" (NEWSDAY, 10/23).
LARGER PROBLEM FOR ASTROS? In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy writes under the header, "Tone-Deaf Astros Don't Deserve Our Support." The organization has "framed itself as arrogant, shifty, tone-deaf, stubborn, and completely unaccountable" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/23). The TRIBUNE's Sullivan writes MLB, by "ignoring the Astros' blatant rule violation" earlier this season when the team banned a reporter from P Justin Verlander's press conference, enabled all Astros employees "to do or say as they see fit." It is "that kind of arrogance that gave Taubman the green light to act like he allegedly did Saturday night" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/23). USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes the "larger problem right now is that the Astros are operating under their own rules, and they don't much care what anyone thinks of that" (USA TODAY, 10/23). In DC, Brian McNally wrote the actions of the Astros are "all so very arrogant" (NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com, 10/22). In Austin, Kirk Bohls writes the Astros "struck out" in this situation and the organization "should do better" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/23).
DRASTIC CHANGE NEEDED: In Houston, Jenny Dial Creech writes under the header, "Astros Just Don't Get It." Taubman's apology "simply will not cut it." As long as the organization "continues to mismanage this situation by lacking transparency, treating reporters like enemies and supporting a man who clearly is helping foster a negative culture, the Astros are not going to be the organization they want to be" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/23). ESPN.com's Jeff Passan wrote the Astros' first response to the SI report "wasn't just tone deaf," it was "stupid." It was "insulting" and "demeaning" (ESPN.com, 10/22).
