Week 18: Sean Doolittle

Sean Doolittle and his wife, the fantastic
Eireann Dolan, attend the 2018 MLB All-Star Game.

Thank goodness I have scouts working for me to find MLBoyfriends. I had no idea who I was going to choose today until my nephew Dan sent me this message:

Yes, that's right. It was 6:43 pm before I knew that Sean Doolittle was my MLBoyfriend of the week. I've said it before, in fact in the very first MLBoyfriend post of 2018, what baseball players do off the field can be more important than what they do on it. Today, Doolittle took to Twitter to speak out about the controversial messages other players have sent out over social media in the past. Ironically, Doolittle played absolutely no baseball last week. He has been on the DL since July 10th with a toe injury. However, to be fair, he has had a pretty good season so far with twenty-two saves. Even with missing the last twenty days, the ESPN fantasy baseball "Player Rater" ranks him as the tenth most valuable relief pitcher in MLB.

Here's Sean Doolittle's excellent tweets from today alternating with picture of him.*

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for baseball on twitter. It sucks to see racist and homophobic language coming from inside our league - a league I’m so proud to be a part of that I’ve worked really hard to make a more accepting and inclusive place for all our fans to enjoy.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

Sean Doolittle on the mound for the Washington Nationals.

We have to start caring as much about the content of the posts as we do about when they were made and how they came to light.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

I'm kind of over the whole beards on pitchers thing, but I actually like Doolittle's.

The answer isn’t for athletes to leave social media. Social media can be great for an athlete. I met my wife on twitter (long story). It helps athletes share their stories and personalities and connect with their community. Besides, it’s not like you can accidentally post a slur.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

Doolittle is working the full-on hipster look, and I'm there for it.

A lot of the tweets that have surfaced are from several years ago - from a time in their lives when they may not have realized the impact those words have. But as you learn from and grow out of that youthful indescretion, delete those posts to reflect that growth.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

I'm also there for his knickers. I believer all MLB players should be required
to wear them instead of long pants. This is baseball, not golf.

Between all the people you meet and the places you go, there is a lot of opportunity for personal growth in baseball. It’s entirely possible that those old posts no longer reflect that person’s views. But actions will speak louder than words.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

Doolittle with Spencer Kieboom. I have a soft spot for pictures of
pitchers and catchers together.

It’s a reminder that words matter, and that the impact the of words matter more than the intent. Rather than feeling like this platform makes us targets and we have to censor ourselves, find a way to use the platform to lift others up and make a positive impact.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

Here's one of Doolittle with Matt Wieters.

It can be tough for athletes to understand why these words are so hurtful. Most of us have been at the top of the food chain since HS, immune to insults. When all you’ve known is success and triumph it can be difficult to empathize with feeling vulnerable or marginalized.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

Doolittle doing his best Stretch Armstrong impression.

Homophobic slurs are still used to make people feel soft or weak or otherwise inferior - which is bullshit. Some of the strongest people I know are from the LGBTQIA community. It takes courage to be your true self when your identity has been used as an insult or a pejorative.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

Seriously, the control MLB pitchers have over their bodies is amazing.

It’s a privilege to play in the major leagues and we have an obligation to leave the game better than we found it. There’s no place for racism, insensitive language or even casual homophobia. I hope we can learn from this and make the MLB a place where all our fans feel welcome.

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) July 30, 2018

Also... GINGER.

This isn't the first time that Doolittle has gone to bat for social issues. In 2015, while he was playing for the Oakland, Doolittle and Eireann Dolan (his then girlfriend, now wife) contributed their own money and rasied funds to buy tickets to the A's Pride Night for LGBGTQIA Youth to attend the game. Last year, Doolittle had this to say about the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville:

"It’s just white fear. It’s the worst kind of hatred. It’s disgusting."

This also isn't the first time Doolittle was pretty fantastic on Twitter.

yo this Chewbacca costume is really itchy. wookie mistake. #TheForceAwakens pic.twitter.com/cNjl5bVyl1

— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) December 18, 2015

Congratulations, Sean Doolittle! You are my MLBoyfriend of the week. Thanks for all your good work.

* Remember how I made this pick at 6:43? I didn't have much time or energy to write a post myself. Thankfully, Sean Doolittle did most of the writing for me.