Does this actually need to be written? And is this really the point?

[Alma]

In a sea of Astros criticism, some lines should never be crossed

People are rotten to celebrities on social media, part 90 million. This is not new. It wasn't new even before social media.

And here's the thing: It's pretty inarguable that social media has been a financial boon for more celebrities. I'm not sure it's improved anyone's quality of life much - professional athletes are generally self-absorbed by nature, and social media only exacerbates that - but it's certainly made money for lots of people. And although people shouldn't be nasty, it's a broken, sinful world, people are nasty, and morally scolding anonymous crowds "at the risk of sounding obvious" seems, well, unnecessary to pretty much any purpose beyond the writer reminding everyone he's a good person.

Point is, I see these pieces every now and then. And what's interesting about this one is there were actually MLB players who spoke pretty pointedly about what Astros players deserved. Nick Markakis said the players deserved a beating.

The writer didn't write about that guy. That guy has a name and an agent who's probably a good source.

So - shoot fish in a barrel.

 

[cake in the rain]

If any members of the Astros are receiving credible threats, they should be reported immediately to the FBI, not baseball writers.

Otherwise, if it's just people being nasty, welcome to our mean world, like you said. In the old days, you could get an assistant to read your mail to avoid such interactions. Today, you can just have your assistant handle Twitter, put down your phone and read a book or something. There, problem solved.

 

[playthrough]

Unnecessary and silly piece. ESPN, among many other outlets, has lined its pockets just fine off this whole scandal and now one of theirs files the "whoa Nellie with the hate!" piece. I'm not moved. And that's not to downplay death threats, but whoever made them was likely hoping for exactly this kind of reaction.

 

[Rhody31]

And if you're going to take such an obvious stance, at least have the players provide a screenshot or two of these things to prove the occurred.