Hernández: Trevor Bauer makes a clumsy fetch at the playoff spotlight. The Dodgers are seemingly to be now not amused
They paid him hundreds and hundreds to now not pitch. They paid hundreds and hundreds extra in procuring and selling for his change. They didn’t enable him to interfere with their protection of their World Series championship.
And, peaceable, the Dodgers can’t free themselves of Trevor Bauer.
He gained’t let them.
The banished pitcher returned to the public sphere Tuesday afternoon in a backward cap and shoulder-length hair.
In a 36-second video that he uploaded to his as soon as-ubiquitous social media accounts, Bauer casually addressed the sexual assault allegations that led to a paid administrative streak away now entering its fourth month. He vaguely promised to give “baseball grunt” in the upcoming weeks.
Perfect as he used to be receding from public consciousness. Perfect because the Dodgers had been about to launch up their postseason.
Which used to be nearly and not using a doubt the point.
The honor-deprived consideration seeker used to be annoying consideration.
How narcissistic. How selfish. How Trevor Bauer.
The hypocrisy used to be fabulous.
When Bauer agreed final month to extend his paid administrative streak away thru the playoffs, his brokers launched a press launch all over which they mentioned he did so “in a measure of correct faith and so that you can in the reduction of any distraction to the Dodgers organization and his teammates.” But, here he used to be making a sideshow because the group used to be taking the discipline for its final insist sooner than Wednesday’s winner-spend-all wild-card recreation against the St. Louis Cardinals.
All proper away, the Dodgers weren’t the winners of 106 games. They weren’t the defending World Series champions.
They had been the fools who signed a known free cannon, against whom the Los Angeles County district authorized skilled’s place of work is peaceable focused on legal bills.
The Dodgers bear skillfully shunned discussing Bauer since his early-summer season banishment, but seething uniformed and nonuniformed personnel alike unleashed waves of expletives Tuesday afternoon when asked about Bauer’s video.
“Are you [kidding] me?” one Dodgers person asked.
That particular person person hadn’t yet watched the video. Imagine if that person had viewed the footage, which showed Bauer taking a gradual ride down a boulevard.
“Hey, guys,” Bauer mentioned. “I do know you haven’t heard from me presently. I leer forward to speaking about the pretend and deceptive allegations sooner or later. Nonetheless for now, here’s what I’m ready to fragment with you: One real topic has been resolved. The deal with’s detailed determination is accessible and it speaks for itself.”
On Aug. 19, a deal with dissolved a restraining show against Bauer that used to be requested by a girl accusing him of sexual assault.
The girl’s allegations had been investigated by the Pasadena Police Department, which turned into over its file to the Los Angeles County district authorized skilled’s place of work on Aug. 27. Bauer furthermore remains under investigation by Major League Baseball, which is empowered under a collectively bargained domestic violence protection to levy an unpaid suspension even though legal bills aren’t filed.
“There would possibly be a pending topic, which I’m now not ready to talk about about at the present,” Bauer mentioned in his video. “With that being mentioned, I’m going to be rolling out some baseball grunt here for the duration of the postseason.”
In various phrases, this gained’t be Bauer’s final strive to shift the public’s focus from the Dodgers to himself.
Once again, the hypocrisy used to be striking, as Bauer went on to claim: “Here’s a channel that targets to rejoice baseball culture and entertain. And I esteem bringing you guys along for that hotfoot with me. So, I’ll look you all in a video here soon.”
Celebrate? By reminding followers that opinion to be one of many sport’s signature franchises employs someone accused of engaging in sexual habits so violent it sent a girl to the sanatorium?
Bauer used to be extensively viewed as tone-deaf even sooner than the allegations surfaced. What he’s lacking here is that the court docket of public opinion doesn’t operate by the similar rules because the court docket design.
Warding off prosecution gained’t basically fetch over the public. He’ll furthermore bear to create a convincing case the alleged violence didn’t occur, that he doesn’t revel in punching and choking girls.
Alternate-deadline acquisition Max Scherzer, who will launch up against the Cardinals, used to be extra than a Cy Younger Award-level staff ace for the Dodgers over the final two months. He provided quilt, the very supreme Band-Attend for the error the front place of work made in signing Bauer. Scherzer’s domination overshadowed why it used to be fundamental to alternate for him in the major voice.
What the Dodgers realized on the eve of their postseason opener is that Bauer is a mistake that can’t be covered up. Every round they advance in the postseason, Bauer looms as a capacity interloper, offering unsolicited commentary and making it more difficult for his nominal teammates to disassociate themselves from him.
This epic originally regarded in Los Angeles Instances.