Bieber referred to as ‘Justin’ was inevitable

Because Shane Bieber has a sense of humor and is a good sport, a mistake went over pretty smoothly.

Working in the newspaper business for more than a quarter-century makes getting up the next morning interesting following a night of “putting the paper to bed,” as the saying goes.

That’s because we’re human. We make mistakes, and we do the best to make sure the next morning doesn’t include answering an email or phone message about a mistake made in print editions.

That’s because when it’s made, there’s no going back. The ink remains. It’s never intentional, but owning up to mistakes is never easy.

In this case, though, it went over pretty smoothly. That’s because Shane Bieber has a sense of humor and is a good sport.

Ever since the Indians starting pitcher became a majorleaguer, it’s human nature for folks to make the mistake of calling him “Justin” Bieber, the famous pop singer.

I’ve done it, and several times caught myself writing “Justin” instead of “Shane.”

Topps — for decades the leader in baseball trading cards — made a goof with Bieber. On a Topps Stadium Club card, the company mistakenly confused Shane with Justin in a summary listed on the back of the card. The good news is that it wasn’t “Justin” on the front of Shane’s baseball card.

The Indians pitcher responded on Twitter (@ ShaneBeiber19) with the response, “Nice @Topps” with a smiley face emoji included.

Topps apologized for the mistake by quoting a famous Justin Bieber lyric, “Is it too late now to say sorry?”

Kudos to both sides for taking the mistake in stride. In Shane’s case, who knows where this leads. The Topps card itself will probably be a hit across the country at future card conventions. As of Aug. 4, there were about 20 “new listing” Bieber error cards listed on Ebay. com ranging in price from about $50 to $125.

This recent bit of news might help Shane reach pop status with non-baseball fans. Currently, his popularity couldn’t be greater in baseball circles, and this latest headline — which coincided with a solid start in the Indians’ 6-2 win over the Angels Aug. 4 — adds to it. He pitched a complete game and struck out eight.

Last month at Progressive Field, the talented righthander was named All-Star Game MVP when he struck out the side in his only inning of work. It was a huge moment for the Indians’ 2016 fourth-round draft pick. He was a late addition to the American League’s side, and didn’t disappoint when he got the opportunity.

The Aug. 4 win put Shane’s record at 11-4. For the season, he has 182 strikeouts and a 3.36 ERA. He might be from California — Orange, to be exact, which is near Anaheim — but he’s never won a Grammy, but might win a Cy Young Award one day.

His next turn in the rotation is set for Aug. 9 in Minnesota, and don’t worry. There’s no scheduling conflict with a concert or red-carpet event.

That’s because he’s just Shane Bieber. Give it time though. It’s very likely Shane will get the “Justin” treatment again.