What the Astros have done is ridiculous. They have cheated and hurt the careers of many Major League players and cost them millions! How the Players Union can stand by the cheaters and not those cheated is disgusting.
i was an avid ny yankees fan throughout the sixties/seventies/early eighties, went to many games & suffered through that dark period having to go to shea stadium to watch them... i stopped watching/following baseball the day they banned pete for betting that his team would win... no conflict there imo...
Can't strip the WS in 2017 unless MLB is willing to vacate it and leave it as no winner. Dodgers lost the WS in Game 7, in LA where no cameras were being used to cheat. Can't say they deserve the WS. It a crappy situation for MLB cause by the Astros (my team) but no way to rectify it now. Season starts in less than a month. Time to move on at this point. The damage is done.
to stick with precedent, they should ban all parties involved & totally disavow their entire careers... then place an 'asterisk' on the ws explaining what happened... or bring back the sports greatest player & give him his due credit for his accomplishments to the sport... acknowledge pete rose fer chrissakes, he was real & did exist!!!
Im fine with Pete getting in the HOF. Always have been. Astros players suck for doing it but they should not be banned. That’s not getting by the Players Union anyways.
I stopped watching in the 90s when the players went on strike for the World Series. (I also stopped watching football 3 years ago when they started that kneeling BS) Anyway, I don't think the Astros should be stripped of their title because stealing signs has been part of the game forever. When I played baseball, our coaches told us to watch the opposing team's third base coach and see if we can figure out the signal scheme. When I played football (cornerback) we were told to be quiet on the field and try to listen to the opposing QB while he's in the huddle and see if we can hear the snap count. In pro ball, catchers frequently look up at the batter to see if he's looking at the sign, and if there's a guy on second the signs are made in a sequenced code. In football and baseball everyone is looking to see if they can pick up what the other team is going to do and sign stealing in baseball has been going on for ages. If the the opposing team suspected the Astros were stealing signs, then why didn't they mix them up like like they do when there's a man on second? Sign stealing is a part of the game, but in this case some people don't like how it was done. There are countless ways to use hand signs to call a pitch, it can be based on the strike count, ball count, out count, inning count, etc. But if the Astros were stealing signs then they could only do so because the opposing team made it possible.
Astros are my team. They took it way too far IMO, using technology like they did. Red Sox verdict still due. NYY fined in 2017 for using Apple Watches in the dugout. It’s not a single team issue.
Exactly. The MLB will never "strip" (or vacate) the 2017 Title. That ship sailed months ago. If some MLB Fans want to judge the 2017 WS with an "imaginary asterisk", that is their prerogative. But, as far as altering the record books? That won't happen.
all i'm saying is that they should be consistent with rulings... they are far from it, not just baseball but all sports... more & more athletes drugging/drinkin, raping/killing, on their spouses, etc etc... most of those still have their records in the books, but gamble that your team will win gets you disavowed, wiped off the planet... there's not one sanctioning body in any sport that has integrity... the wwe has more credibility than most pro sports these days!!!
Personally, when I played baseball even though I KNEW a fastball pitcher was going to throw me a fastball, it never helped me to hit the pitch???
At the end of the day they are all business. They will protect their brands over everything. That’s why they tried to put this Astros thing to bed, to keep it from growing.
Pete Rose got banned for life for betting on other teams. How this isn't a lifetime ban, and the Series stripped from the organization is beyond me.
I do admit that it will be funny if all of the Astros Hitters suddenly start batting .200. Knowing what's coming can be a big help.
Who would be banned? Players Union would not allow it regardless as it sets too harsh a precedent. For example this would be a lifetime ban but spousal abuse by a player would not be? Bad image for MLB. Can’t strip the WS because it can’t be determined how the series was impacted. It’s tainted for ever though.
They won’t. Check their road batting average in 2017 vs home batting average over the season. It did not effect batting average much. Same team that went to Game 7 in the WS last year. They can hit.
Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch. Executives and Managers are part of the team. Cheating the game takes away everything FROM the game. Ask Shoeless Joe.
I can see a lifetime ban for them. I wonder if they did not in effect get one. I’m not sure either will see MLB again. Hinch as a broadcaster I can see. The players, I don’t think you can. Regardless of the immunity deal which of course prevents it. The union would never allow it as it would sent too high a expectation going forward. Not to mention who would they ban? Which players? What would be the litmus year to determine that? When the Red Sox case is finalized this could blow up again for MLB. They are a much bigger name than the Astros. MLB is protecting the brand. I can’t blame them but it does take away from the game overall IMO.
It's baffling that the Commissioner and the Players' Union both supported the cheaters over the players/fans that got cheated. The acts of those in charge are making a really bad situation far worse.
I feel bad saying this, but I hope the Astros set a record this year for the most beaned players with Altuve setting the MLB record for all time as the single most beaned player.
Which players should be punished? All equally? If not then how do you determine guilt and punishment levels from 2 years ago? That’s the problem. You can’t punish every player, certainly not equally. To do that you would have to punish The pitcher who brought the whole thing out even. That is certainly not fair. It’s a nasty mess but there is no realistic way to resolve it to everyone’s satisfaction.
That’s ridiculous. Your talking about serious injuries. And why Altuve, from the research done to bring this out he was one of the few players on the team not using this system.
they could start selling 'beaner schnitzel' at the games, have 'spy cam day' pass out lil spy cams for the fans...
And drums...little drums... Those guys will take verbal abuse all year, and they should. But no need for physical abuse. And even verbal should have a limit. Last week Josh Reddick (outfielder) posted a video of his newborns rolling over for the first time on social media. “I hope your kids get cancer” It’s a game. I love it, but it’s a game. That’s insanity.
