At 9:41pm on the 30th September, the Astros published this tweet.
Let’s hear about those busted brackets. #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/hJ4nRdY4BD
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 30, 2020
People on Twitter got mad. I know, I was shocked too.
People wanted the Astros to stay humble, people wanted them to stay silent, people wanted to just tweet references to bins (trash cans) and shout.
What probably didn’t help, was this quote from Carlos Correa.
Stay mad, we’ll stay winning. #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/YRgLjKLNVY
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 30, 2020
I, like some of the baseball world were initially pissed off by Correa’s quote. I was mad, I was annoyed, I demanded (In my mind) that he be more humble.
Brandon McCarthy replied with a similar response to most.
The same things? https://t.co/cPCSADYzok
— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) September 30, 2020
MLB didn’t help the common rage, when they published this tweet with it’s lovely double meaning.
First team to advance? The @astros. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/eu6pz7c0dU
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2020
“Moving on” from the banging scheme or advancing to the ALDS? Turns out they did a similar graphic for all those who advanced, but it was just unfortunately timed that the Astros were the first to do so.
Should we continue to be mad, continue to demand the Astros be humble, try to fight back against the atAstros account? If so, how long for?
Seriously, give me a time, I want to know when we can stop blasting the twitter account, the players, the staff, the writers.
Do we have to wait for everyone involved in the 2017 season to leave? 10 years? 20 years? Do the team have to make weekly, monthly, yearly statements regretting their actions, demanding forgiveness? Can the players never comment on how proud they are with their achievements this season? Surely, without a scheme in place, they should be proud and vocal about how well they are progressing and how they have battled against a very strong A’s team and the powerhouses of the NL West (Yes, that’s a Padres reference in an Astros post). They may have limped into the postseason, but they are there and now they have beaten a very good Twins team.
Please tell me though, I want to know. When will people stop blasting them?
I kept doing it yesterday, while in London with friends, I kept saying how much I want them to lose and ultimately get eliminated from the postseason. I’ll be honest, I don’t like the team, I don’t like what they have done and I don’t like the victim attitude they have been known to throw around. Not all of this dislike has stemmed from the banging scheme, it was the natural curve of disliking a successful team who are just having fun, throwing out quotes about being the best etc. I’m not proud of myself for admitting that, but that’s my nature. I have to be better.
However, I absolutely understand why they are being as bold as they are.
They have to stick together, they have to have a common “enemy”, they have to hype everyone up against them so much, live in their opponents heads rent free, get the opposition and their fans losing their mind about them not being humble. The stadiums are empty, it’s not like they have to worry about the backlash in person. So some folk in LA lined the streets and called them cheaters. I’m sure the players noticed, but I can’t imagine it phased them.
Just think of the engagement, their name is everywhere. Folk are desperate to see the Astros fail so they can pile on them, but in the meantime the brand, the name, the jerseys, they players, they are all front and centre and grabbing all the spotlights.
They are playing it so right, it’s making folk crazy.
Despite the calls for them to stay humble, they aren’t doing it and I don’t blame them.