Kirk Herbstreit is generally known for his avuncular demeanor as a host on ESPN’s popular College GameDay football show. If you want to avoid his more angry side, though, just watch what you say about his beloved Reds.
Herbstreit got into a war of words this week with Cincinnati beat writer C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, and after an initial back-and-forth, the Twitter beef refused to go away.
The issue appears to center around Reds minor league infielder Elly De La Cruz, one of the top prospects in baseball whose imminent arrival to the majors complicates the situation of second baseman Jonathan India. Rosecrans wrote earlier this week that India, a fan favorite and the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, could be forced to move positions when De La Cruz gets called up despite his status as one of the team’s leaders.
That, apparently, didn’t sit well with Herbstreit.
Herbstreit voiced his frustrations on Rosecrans’s piece while speaking as a guest on the Foul Territory show, saying the article “kind of infuriated” him. When Rosecrans replied to the video of Herbstreit’s comments, the football analyst shot back with a strongly-worded response calling Rosecrans a “troll looking for attention.”
Never told you how to do your job-i don’t even know who you are.
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) June 1, 2023
I’m a fan who loves his team you’re a troll looking for attention.
Hustle back to creating clicks and causing trouble! https://t.co/5GYeZKY3Lh
It was all very strange coming from such a public figure, particularly when the impassioned pleas center on a Reds team that entered Thursday in third place in the NL Central with a meager 26–29 record. It’s possible this is just a sign that Herbstreit, like the rest of us, is simply antsy for football to return.
