Washington football writer gets owned by Detroit Tigers Twitter

Late on Wednesday evening, shortly after the Detroit Tigers had taken a 5-0 lead over the Baltimore Orioles, NBC Sports Washington writer Pete Hailey decided to send a very dumb Tweet:

We’ll take Pete at his word that he hasn’t thought much about the Detroit Tigers in his life. His Twitter bio says he was born in 1994, and presumably growing up in the Mid-Atlantic meant most of his focus was on powerhouse athletic programs in the region, like Gettysburg College, and the University of Maryland.

But people don’t like it when you call their favorite team boring, and Detroit Tigers fans can be a feisty bunch. So they went after him.

It quickly became apparent young Pete was just trolling, as he retweeted and responded to many angry commenters. But then the official Detroit Tigers Twitter account checked in:

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with Twitter, or the concept of a “ratio.” First of all, good for you. You’ve managed to stay away from one of the worst places on Earth.

But, if you’re curious, a ratio is when someone makes a bad Tweet and garners a much higher number of comments than retweets or likes. Basically, the Tweet is so bad everyone feels compelled to tell its author.

So, well done Detroit Tigers Twitter account. That’s a solid own of someone who was clearly trolling for attention.

But there are still a few things about Pete’s Tweet that strike us as a bit odd.

First, it came roughly one hour after Miguel Cabrera hit his 499th career home run. You know, Miguel Cabrera, the four-time batting champ and two-time MVP who in 2012 became the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years? That seems like something a sports writer should know.

Then there’s the whole thing about Pete Hailey being a football writer. Many Tigers fans wanted to troll Pete for covering the Washington Football Team, but honestly, they don’t have a leg to stand on here.

But that’s kind of the point. If Pete was looking to stir up trouble, the Detroit Lions WERE RIGHT THERE. Maybe it’s just too much of a layup to make fun of the worst organization in professional sports? Sorry SideLion Report.

And finally, there’s the simple fact Pete composed his Tweet while watching a game between the Tigers and Orioles, and decided to make his little observation about the TIGERS.

We aren’t Pete. We don’t want to disparage the Baltimore Orioles, a storied MLB franchise with a rich history, and some truly great players. BUT, let’s just compare these two franchises since 1994:

Welp, better luck next time, Pete.