You would think that all professional athletes would know by now not to take to the Internet -- especially not Twitter --when they are upset about job-related things like playing time or their overall role within an organization. Time and again, however, we are presented with evidence that suggests this isn't the case.
On Monday, it was Cubs infielder Ian Stewart who went to Twitter to vent about his status within the Chicago Cubs' organization. As these things seem wont to do, the tweets began somewhat innocuously but got out of hand as more and more of Twitterverse chimed in:
Probably neverRT @wesjameson11: @ian_stewart_2sc good game tonight bro!! Any word when your heading back to Chicago?
— BeefStew2 (@IAN_STEWART_2sc) June 11, 2013
As more fans tweeted Stewart -- who has spent all season with the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate -- the infielder elaborated on his feelings towards the organization. After mentioning that he has no plans to quit while being paid an MLB salary, Stewart added that he thought the Cubs were letting him "rot" in Triple-A, that manager Dale Sveum just doesn't like him, and that Chicago "might as well release" him.
General manager Jed Hoyer responded to the series of tweets Tuesday morning, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, stating:
"We spent the entire morning dealing with an issue that doesn’t help us get better as an organization," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. "That’s not how we want to spend our time. What he did was really unprofessional and there are going to be consequences."
Stewart likely faces a fine and possibly a suspension for his actions, but is unlikely to be given the release that he seems to really want. The third baseman is currently hitting a paltry .164/.279/.349 with four home runs in 39 games at Triple-A, which seems a pretty good reason for the Cubs not to call him up.
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