Cubs outfielder swears he didn't flip off President Trump

The Chicago Cubs’ decision to visit the White House a second time since their World Series championship was met with plenty of criticism Tuesday. On Wednesday, that criticism nearly turned to outrage.

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A picture from the event emerged that appeared to show outfielder Albert Almora (in the plaid shirt next to Kris Bryant) discreetly giving the middle finger while meeting with President Donald Trump. For a few seconds, the internet lost its mind.

OK. That does look pretty suspicious. Almora’s middle finger is extended. You can’t really argue with that.

But before you get outraged, listen to Almora’s explanation of his finger placement.

Ah, so Almora claims there were two fingers. This is starting to rival even the best John F. Kennedy conspiracies.

The Cubs visit to the White House nearly ended in outrage. (AP Photo)
The Cubs visit to the White House nearly ended in outrage. (AP Photo)

Thankfully, we have a pretty clear shot here. With the magic of zoom in technology, we can see whether Almora is telling the truth.

Enhance!

Albert Almora's finger is causing some controversy. (@GDubCub Screenshot)
Albert Almora’s finger is causing some controversy. (@GDubCub Screen shot)

That’s about as far as we can go without Almora’s hand looking like a terrible, pixelated mess. Even that shot is far from perfect.

With that said, it does appear to show his pointer finger is also extended. Maybe not all the way, but enough for us to rule that he was not giving the bird. Both his pointer and middle finger are extended down near his pocket.

Sorry, conspiracy theorists. Albert Almora did not flip off the President of the United States. Now that we’ve put that mystery behind us, we can get back to focusing on more important Cubs urban legends. We’re still determined to figure out who smashed Sammy Sosa’s boombox!

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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