Bruce Levine, a longtime Chicago Cubs reporter and analyst, had a social media mishap that turned into one of the most talked-about moments of the All-Star break. He posted a message on X that was clearly meant as a private note to a coach, not for his thousands of followers. And then he had to delete it.
The Cubs are sitting at 54-42, five games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. A lineup that was supposed to mash has been inconsistent. The pitching staff has been hammered by injuries. So yeah, there’s frustration floating around the clubhouse and the press box. But Levine’s post took that tension and put it right out in the open.
The since-deleted tweet read: “You and the other coaches have been the stars of the team being 12 games over 500. Let’s Hope twinkle dee and twinkle dum don’t see you guys out like the 2025. Enjoy the family time pal.”
It’s not entirely clear who “twinkle dee and twinkle dum” refers to, but most people read that as a shot at the front office. General manager Jed Hoyer and his staff would be the obvious targets. And the message itself suggests Levine has a direct line to one of the Cubs’ coaches, someone he trusts enough to vent to privately.
The intended recipient remains unknown. It could be manager Craig Counsell or someone on his staff. The team has not commented, and Levine has not explained the post beyond deleting it. But screenshots live forever, and the internet did what the internet does.
This isn’t Levine’s first run-in with social media controversy. In August 2020, he went quiet for a while after posting a photoshopped image of Donald Trump along with a crude comment about Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. When he came back, Levine apologized, saying, “Apologies for a picture that was sent. I have zero political agenda.”
The Cubs are off until Friday when they host the Twins at Wrigley Field. Whether this tweet becomes a bigger story depends on whether it sparks real tension between the coaching staff and the front office. Or maybe it just fades as another weird moment in a long season.
Either way, Levine will probably double-check his DMs next time.
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