Oakland Athletics: Mike Fiers subject of threatening promotion

Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers was the subject of a threatening promotion by a Houston area restaurant, with the glass tweeted out by a former teammate.

When Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers decided to blow the whistle on the Houston Astros sign stealing scheme, he certainly did not make himself any friends on his former team. Players had come out in force against Fiers, saying he violated clubhouse code by airing the Astros’ dirty laundry. Others, notably not Astros fans, appreciated the bravery shown by Fiers in exposing those secrets, and his efforts to create an equal playing field in the game.

As admirable as his efforts may have been, neither Houston nor his former teammates appear to have forgiven Fiers. Former Astros teammate Evan Gattis tweeted out a glass he picked up at a Houston area restaurant, The Flying Saucer, which appears to contain a threat to the A’s pitcher.

The implication here is clear. The belief that those who rat out their friends and former teammates deserve to be beaten has to be considered a threat, especially when Major League Baseball had already been looking into providing extra security for Fiers on the road.

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It is easy to write this off as a tasteless promotion from a bar. The glasses, which had cost $22 each, sold out quickly, as this could be considered a marketing success. But all it takes is one crazed Astros fan to feel that it is their mission to make Fiers pay for ratting out the club and tarnishing the World Series.

It is also disheartening to see a player like Gattis tweet out this glass, proud of the fact that he received the last one. He had been considered one of the classiest players in the game, a wonderful story of perseverance and overcoming chronic depression to become a solid major league catcher.

That reputation had been tarnished in recent months. Gattis was a part of the sign stealing, but even with that advantage, he struggled against breaking balls in 2017. Now effectively retired, he won’t have to deal with any possible repercussions from his tweet, or souvenir glass.

But Mike Fiers might. When the season begins, all it would take is one crazed fan to put the Oakland Athletics pitcher’s life in jeopardy.