Buster Posey ruthlessly mocked by all sides of Pride Night debate after PR disaster

Buster Posey tried to move on from the Giants’ Pride Night controversy.Instead, his response seemed to frustrate just about everyone.The Giants president of baseball operations met with reporters Tuesday at Oracle Park and opened with a brief statement acknowledging that fans had “strong feelings” about the issue.

But when follow-up questions came, Posey repeatedly shut them down.“I’ll answer baseball questions,” Posey said.That did not go over well.The controversy began on June 12, when Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, J.T.Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verse references on their Pride Night caps.

A fourth pitcher, Sam Hentges, reportedly chose to wear the team’s standard cap instead.MLB later issued a warning for a uniform policy violation, though commissioner Rob Manfred clarified the players were not fined, disciplined or facing future punishment.Posey said the organization had already addressed the matter and did not want to revisit it.The problem was that almost no one was satisfied with that response.On social media, many Giants fans blasted Posey for appearing uncomfortable and unwilling to address the controversy.

Some of the reactions were especially harsh.Perhaps the harshest invoked Posey’s catastrophic injury suffered while defending the Giants home plate in 2011, writing “The face of the franchise is a coward.

Scott Cousins wrecked that b*tch”Another called for his job, “Why is he still around? You can’t blame others/rationalize forever…”A third added, “It’s embarrassing as a lifelong Giants fan and a huge fan of Posey.They can and need to do better in their communication.

His press conference reminded me of Mark McGwire not answering questions about steroids in front of Congress.”Others questioned his leadership.One commenter said Posey’s performance represented a “concerning lack of leadership,” while another concluded simply, “Buster struck out, not a leader.”Conservative commentators weighed in as...