Dousing Shane Victorino in beer?

Despicable.
Ducking out of the stadium as someone else got carted off for your crime?
Cowardly.
Publicly apologizing for your actions the next day?
“Pretty effective,” said an expert in crisis management.
Gary Dunlap, senior vice president and head of the crisis and issues management group at Edelman Inc., said he was surprised by the poise 21-year-old Cubs’ pariah Johnny Macchione showed as he spoke briefly to a swarm of cameras Thursday night.
“He seemed sincere, which made him very credible in terms of the message he was trying to get across,” Dunlap said.
And that message — apologizing to the Cubs and Victorino while taking full responsibility for his “big mistake” — was on point.
“He showed some remorse and reiterated his love for the Cubs,” Dunlap said.
Dunlap’s group specializes in helping corporate clients save face after public-relations meltdowns. Were Macchione a client, Dunlap said he would have had the young man change only one thing: timing.
“The longer you delay an apology, the less credible it becomes,” he said. “Sometimes a day later is too late. Sometimes you’ve got minutes or hours.”
It’s unclear if Macchione had professional coaching — he didn’t respond to an interview request.
“It may be that he’s just an incredibly articulate young man,” Dunlap said.
But all the well-chosen words won’t necessarily help him in court, Dunlap said, especially in the face of his famously boorish toss.