One of the biggest Twitter trolls of the Houston Astros has been unmasked. The account titled “2020 Astros Shame Tour” popped up almost overnight and its intent was clear from the very beginning. When it was first created, it wasn’t clear who was behind the posting but whoever it was wanted to make sure the Astros were taunted and punished in the only way he could, for their sign-stealing fiasco in 2017.
The Los Angeles Times ‘ Chuck Schilken recently talked to the man behind the Twitter account that has grown to have more than 100,000 followers, almost all new additions since the start of Spring Training. While there have been guesses about who the person is, the true story isn’t some massive surprise reveal. Brendan Donley isn’t an alternate personality for Trevor Bauer as the account once joked.
He’s also not an Astros fan who has soured on his team, despite the fact that Donley is most certainly following Houston quite closely these days. It turns out, he’s a Chicago Cubs fan devoted enough to that team that he attended Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. Now, he told Schilken he’s a baseball fan who feels “helpless anger” over what the Houston Astros did. He was even angrier when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred went easy on the team, in Donley’s mind.
The feeling he had after reading about what the Astros had done in 2017, and what people suspect they did in 2018 and 2019, was similar to his feelings about the steroid era he grew up in. He decided he needed to put his “two cents” in if the team wasn’t going to get punished more.
If anyone is wondering about who I am, this is me during the first inning of Game 7, 2016. No, not kidding. pic.twitter.com/Nn1QJbmI11
— The Baseball Newsletter (@bbletter) February 27, 2020
Donley created the “Shame Tour” account on February 15, just as the Houston Astros and the rest of baseball were reporting to Spring Training camps. He thought if it managed to take off, he might get a max of 10,000 followers. He’s gotten 10 times that.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1233093651686940672
Donley admitted he’s been busier than he expected when he first set up the account. He’s also been working on a book and wants to start up a baseball website he used to run. He’s talked most recently about the fact that he knows he might have to let go of a few projects if he’s going to keep the account dedicated to trashing the Astros going.
He’s said he wants to keep the “Shame Tour” going as long as its followers find it relevant and fun. Donley said he even wants to go to a couple of Astros road games in order to hobnob with other Houston haters. Donley told Schilken his project took off more than he thought it would, adding he’s “in too deep” now.