Mookie Betts becomes latest Dodgers player to skip White House visit, insists it's 'not political'

Mookie Betts just had a baby. That's it. That's the story he's telling, and unlike half the guys who've skipped these visits over the years and then can't help themselves in the next breath about Trump, Betts hasn't given anyone a reason to call him a liar. He's not tweeting about it. He's not doing a press tour explaining his moral clarity. He said he wants to be home with his kid, and then he stopped talking.

Compare that to the pattern we've watched build for a decade now, where "scheduling conflict" has become a wink-wink euphemism for "I don't want to stand near this president." Fans have gotten conditioned to assume the worst, and honestly, sports media has trained them to. Every roster absence gets treated like a referendum. So when a guy actually has a newborn and a legitimate reason, he still gets dragged into the same tired storyline because enough other players poisoned the well first.

We're not going to pretend we don't notice the timing, or that we love watching championship teams treat a visit to the White House like an optional yoga class. It's become a trend, and trends aren't accidents. But fairness cuts both ways. If Betts says this one's personal, take him at his word until he gives you a reason not to. Save the outrage for the players who actually deserve it.