Tuesday, January 14, 2020

So why aren't players punished in the Astros/Redsocks cheating scandal?

As we wait for MLB's well-oiled shoe to drop on Redsock manager Alex Cora, one question bubbles up amid all the juicy cheating scandal details: 

Why not the players? 

After all, somebody had to decode those whistles. Somebody had to dig in and swing the bat. It's not enough to simply steal the blueprints. Somebody must enter the bank and drive the getaway car. A heist doesn't just happen in a cubicle. You need cheaters on the field.

As a result, for all its sound and fury, yesterday's round of punishments from MLB still seem to lack a decent bite. I get it that management should know better about electronic surveillance. It knew the rules and flat-out broke them. But as they stood in the batter's box, awaiting pitches they knew were coming, did no Astro or Redsock players ask whether it was ethical to steal signs? Did anybody say, "Hey, coach, is this illegal?" Apparently no. They simply dug in and swung away. And it worked!

This isn't about Bill Belichick taping a practice of the Buffalo Bills. This is two world series outcomes, back to back, engineered by hackers. Forget the fans - (I mean, why start thinking of them now?) - and we're still talking about hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. We're talking about cities. We're talking about stars. We're talking about careers.

In 2017, Jose Altuve hit .346 with 24 HRs, an MVP season for sure. But how many of those hits came when he knew what was coming? Ten? Twenty. If you delete - say - 20 hits from his season, Altuve bats .312, finishes fourth in the MVP ballot, and he's no longer doing commercials for 24-hour energy pills. Nothing against Altuve - star of "Big Deams: The Jose Altuve Story," put out in 2015 by MLB - but how much of his success came from the CF camera? 

How about Mookie Betts, the following year's MVP. Remove 20 hits that year, and his .346 average tumbles to .308. Should Mookie's MVP trophy have an asterisk? 

And, of course, there is Carlos Beltran, the new Mets manager. For years, we heard about what a great "clubhouse presence" Beltran was, how he took young players under his wing, and what a fine manager he'd make. Before the Yankees hired Aaron Boone, we here at IIHIIFIIc campaigned for Beltran. And I'm sure he's a prince among players, great handshake, always flushes, remembers your mom's name... but, now, what? 

Listen: Something smells here. MLB just caught two championship organizations in boldface lies, and so it's throwing the book at... two suits. Two off-field hamburgers. It's rolling up a newspaper, slapping Houston's snout, and yelling, "BAD DOG," while the actual culprits - the stars - go free. You almost think the Commissioner simply wants this thing to be forgotten. (After all, it was only because a news investigation - hey, three cheers for the Gammonites! - broke the story and forced MLB to take a look.) Now, Houston will lose four draft picks over two years, and Boston - well, we'll wait to watch them skate. 

Two consecutive world champions have been tainted. Everything comes with question marks. 


What did the players know, and when did they know it? 

A.J. Hinch didn't hit any home runs. 

Houston lied then, so should we believe them now? Boston's great 2018 now carries a taint. Apparently, the shit's about to fall on Alex Cora. But then, will it simply go away? Both cities have world championship flags flying in their stadiums. Nobody is going to take them down.

22 comments:

JM said...

Yes, the players should be at least publicly shamed. Yes, the flags should come down. Yes, there should be asterisks next to the team and player records involved.

But...the players were granted immunity for their testimony. Isn't that cozy? MLB says the whole conspiracy was "player-driven," yet the guys who drove the bus get off clean. It's like the bus hits a tanker, there's a big explosion, but the driver walks because he squeals and the bus company execs get punished. (By the way, word is that after a year or so, Hinch will be hireable once again.)

This is a massive miscarriage of justice. But MLB is a monopoly. They're self-governing. There's nobody to hold them to account except the fans, and we're not walking away--not a lot of us, anyway--and the Sucks and Asstros fans still have their precious memories of great championship seasons.

It's puke-worthy. Turns out baseball isn't a refuge from all the crap going on in the wider world. It's just like the wider world.

Anonymous said...

It's a total joke, I agree with everyone. And the stupid press saying that it's a harsh penalty - what the hell? Press needs to stop making judgments and opinions and instead just report the news. The penalty for Domingo German was severe and harsh. I'm sure this stupid suspension b/s will actually encourage more cheating by players. What the hell does the GM have to do with this? Mario Lemieux once said the NHL was a "Mickey Mouse league". I say MLB is "The Emperor of the Mickey Mouse Leagues".

The Hammer of God

TheWinWarblist said...

Puke worthy, yes, JM. But never underestimate the value of the moral high ground, especially as a member of the commentariat of the 83rd most influential sports blog in the world.

I do love the smell of moral superiority in the morning! It smells like breakfast sausage!

Anonymous said...

SO RIGHT MR. DUQUE...

IF THE MANAGER AND THE GM WERE THE "MAFIA", THEN THE PLAYERS WERE THE "HIT MEN"...

TheWinWarblist said...

Hit men. Cute.

ranger_lp said...

Players are protected by the Players Association...it would have been too messy for Manfred to go after the players...but I get everyone's point here.

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

Is cheating cheating? In other words are there various forms of cheating that are more acceptable, a lighter sentence? If Pete Rose was banned from baseball for betting on A game then cheating for a season or two should result in the same no? What am I missing here? (I am serious I wish to know)
I get the players are protected by the union but this was not a harsh punishment, this was a slap on the hands. The GM and Manager fired will work again after 2020 you wait and see. And the above numbnut who thinks doing the right thing is the moral high ground, you are correct. That says more about him than the persons he is picking on. God forbid if the evil empire did this they would be flogged in times square and burned at the stake.

Anonymous said...

I agree. The players should have been punished as well. I guess the only way to get them is the old fashioned way. Every time they get up in what ever stadium they are in they should hear the sound

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeters. Cheeeeeeeeeeeters. Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeters until they can't bring their kids to the ball park.

Also other GM's will look at the adjusted numbers that Duque offers and lower their offers on free agents. Betts is no longer Betts.

They should take their titles away.

It's interesting that this comes 100 years after the Black Sox. Where is Kennisaw Mountain Landis when you need him? He'd throw the bums out. (Actually based on what I've heard of him it would just be the players "of color" so maybe he should stay dead.)

I guess we will have to be satisfied with the above remedies and a couple of dozen phone calls and emails to our Red Sox Nation friends who have been obnoxious buttholes these last few years. (Actually, their whole Boston loving lives.)

Doug K.


ranger_lp said...

Everyone should mark 9/21-9/24 on your calendars...Astros play in New York on those days...you can imaging the "ASTROS CHEAT" "ASTROS SUCK" chants when they visit us...that's going to be ugly...

Alphonso said...

There is no morality in baseball. There is no more truth.

Everyone is in it for themselves. And these attitudes come from the top down. Welcome to America.

Houston and Boston should be deprived of those championships. And they should not have any draft picks for 5 years. In addition, anyone who had a good series at the plate , should be suspended for three seasons.

Then, we should tar and feather them.

Starting with their facial hair.

Anonymous said...

I find it highly unlikely that the Yankees are clean here too honestly. We should be careful what we wish for.

TheWinWarblist said...

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too), you are really getting the swing of things around here. Brava! From one numbnuts: Watch out now, soon enough you'll be one of us!



To be 100% honest, there's a very old saying in sports, all sports, that goes something like this:

"If you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough."

Now, you may rightly call out the immorality and nastiness of cheaters, but they are trying to WIN. For real trying. At all costs. As hard and despicably as they are able. There's something to that.

But yeah, fuck the Red Sox; fuck the Astors.



Fuck you too Hal, you scaly nutsack.

ranger_lp said...

@Winnie....that quote was in this article...it should not come as a surprise that sign stealing has been going on forever...

https://www.vintagedetroit.com/blog/2019/11/20/george-kell-comiskey-park-sign-stealing/

Joe Formerlyof Brooklyn said...


I RESENT THE INSULT TO MR. M. MOUSE. Please dump on Dick Cheney, or Kissinger, or Greta. Let's restrict the insults to real people.

Platoni said...

Cora is out, too. Mutual parting of ways. A very unsatisfying departure, that. Kinda like Hitler offing himself in the bunker before Sergey had a chance to shove a bayonet up his ass.

ranger_lp said...

Cora is an arrogant prick...glad to see him go...this means that "RED SOX CHEAT...RED SOX CHEAT"...9 games the BoSox play here this season...more ugliness in store...

Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside said...

A few thoughts...

This debacle is missing a good name. It was 100 years ago and we all remember “Black Sox”. I’m not creative enough, so help me out here. This needs a proper name, not a play on a previous name like Astrosgate or Blackstros or whatever lazy names we might have up to this point.

If MLB isn’t going to punish the Houston players, we all just need to punish Houston. By stealing signs. Stop signs, bathroom signs, maybe there’s a R X-I got sign we can steal in Minutemaid.

Finally, Altuve, who was once the scrappy lovable over the odds guy is just another corrupt midget. Short in stature, short on character.

Anonymous said...

Beau,

Funny.

Doug K.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Okay, here are some suggestions:

Sign Out.

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign.

Sign-us Infection.

Signusitis.

Sign From Above

Disastros

I Spy

Houston We Have A Problem

All right, all right, I'll work on it...

Anonymous said...

Can we get some company like Rubbermaid to sponsor a giveaway at every Astros away series this year? I'm thinking all fans can get a mini garbage can and a mini bat that they can bang every time the Astros come to bat.

Platoni said...

We could bring our own, then inflate at the park. An inflatable bat to go with it. A Houston Astros printout pasted over the wrestling logo. Man, that'd be sweet.

Would the stadium allow this?

http://g-minds.net/Wrestling%20thrash_can_and_lid.htm

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