For one fleeting moment, those liberal elites waxing their surfboards out in Los Angeles and President Donald Trump actually found a rare bit of common ground: What in the name of Vin Scully was Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinking?
With a four-run lead and starter Rich Hill in complete cruise-control Saturday, the underdog Dodgers appeared destined to tie up the World Series at two games apiece. Then, in a real head-scratcher, Roberts turned to his relievers and it all unraveled in a 9-6 loss that put the men in blue on the brink of elimination.
Let the armchair managing begin... with the president:
Watching the Dodgers/Red Sox final innings. It is amazing how a manager takes out a pitcher who is loose & dominating through almost 7 innings, Rich Hill of Dodgers, and brings in nervous reliever(s) who get shellacked. 4 run lead gone. Managers do it all the time, big mistake!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 28, 2018
As icky as it must have felt for this decidedly blue corner of the country, Dodgers fans had to admit, Trump wasn’t wrong. The internet had already been blowing up with cries of overmanagement. The game was theirs, and — poof! — with one quick gesture to the bullpen, hope was all but lost.
Here’s Roberts reacting to the news of Trump’s tweet:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addresses President Trump’s tweet about him https://t.co/LO6jjvYNn0 pic.twitter.com/1Mn3t7RmQZ
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) October 28, 2018
Separately, Ryan Madson, the Dodgers pitcher who served up a devastating three-run homer, reportedly got a kick out of the president’s tweet.
“That’s amazing,” he said, smiling. “Everybody has their opinion. They don’t know what it feels like. But it’s O.K. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. It’s fine. I’m sure there’s a lot of fans that said the same thing.”
He got that right. The slams echoing Trump’s take just kept piling up.
After all, Hill had thrown only 91 pitches, and he was hurling a one-hitter against the ferocious Red Sox lineup. Roberts explained later that his lefty starter had told him to “keep an eye on me,” which raised a yellow flag to the manager and led to the questionable call.
But that wasn’t good enough.
Ultimately, however, the united state of second-guessing Roberts soon gave way to the inevitable critique of the president’s questionable timing.
Is tonight when @realDonaldTrump became our President?
--Or was it when he said "there are some very fine people on both sides" at the white nationalist mob event in Charlottesville?
--Or when he tweeted CNN getting body slammed?
--Or when he sabotaged healthcare? https://t.co/YCcnBk1N97
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 28, 2018
There was a shooting at a synagogue today. 11 people were killed. Earlier this week, there was mass assassination attempt by a proud MAGA supporter. Also, a man shot and killed two black people in Kentucky and said, "whites don't shoot whites." What is wrong with you? https://t.co/kOJOMNiBWj
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) October 28, 2018
Others, however, acknowledged the Machiavellian nature of the tweet:
Donald Trump getting Dodger fans to agree with him is like one of the greatest political moves ever. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
— DodgersWORLDSERIESMemeTeam (@DodgersReddit) October 28, 2018
Roberts and the Dodgers will get a chance at redemption in a must-win Game 5 Sunday. We’ll see if they take the WWTD (What Would Trump Do?) approach.
