Not sure how many baseball fans that we have around here but just wanted to know if any of you have any takes about the Astros and their cheating ways (using technology to steal the signs from the catcher so they can notify their batter which pitches to expect), and how it affects the way we look at them moving forward. I would especially love to hear from a Houston fan!
My opinion is obviously it was wrong and that they didn’t deserve to win the World Series, however I am not totally disgusted with the players who went along with this since most of them are trained through their careers to take orders from trainers, coaches, and managers. There must be a few people who really orchestrated this cheating system, and I believe that they are the ones to really blame, but not so much the players who went with the flow and were participating in a form of cheating that never really was heavily looked down upon until now. It’s too bad that the management could not have put an end to it sooner but maybe they didn’t realize how wrong it was while they were in it. I tend to like to give people the benefit of the doubt haha.
Also, I found this quote of referring to the World Series trophy as a “piece of metal” from the commissioner, Rob Manfred, quite brutal:
Greetings,
A baseball fan from way back in the late '70s. I don’t know what to say about the Astros other than I am disappointed and bewildered with their actions. I can understand the league-wide anger toward the team. The commissioner needs to resign since his handling of this debacle has been rather poor. At the very list the world series title should be taken from the team, at the very least. I am afraid that the rest of the league will participate in a little frontier justice and play harder against the Astros and possible plunking a batter or two before Manfred and his team dish out stricter fines than they did against the Astros. Yes, my friend’s hypocrisy looms large in the league office. It is a sad time in baseball. Not to mention I am an Oriole fan and we are still in the throes of a rebuild.
I am not really a baseball fan (I just watch hockey). But when this first came out and I read about it … I read that sign stealing has been going on for years, and is not necessaily against the rules. But to use electronics, and do it the way the Astros did was apparently the problem.
Players knew it was wrong. That is why Altuve changed in the tunnel and didn’t want his shirt ripped off. They are just as guilty as the managers and should have been punished. If a trainer gives a player a shot and they test positive for a PED the player is at fault (along with the trainer) so why is a player not responsible here? I am a Braves fane and I loved Brian McCann. I have now lost a lot of respect for him because he was on that team and didn’t speak up.
Also, Manfred needs to be fired. He truly hates baseball and is going to end up ruining the sport.
Yea exactly, when signs are stolen by players with their own eyes who are standing on second base, it can be quite impressive! Then the catcher and pitcher have to switch their signs, and I find this to be a really cool part of baseball. The sneaky technology part of stealing signs is certainly a terrible thing, and I hope the league will develop ways to actually catch any future instances of it happening (assuming a team will be bold enough to try after all that has happened).
Side note, @Mistershipwreck I’m jealous that your hockey team is heavily in the fight for a playoff spot! I’m a Montreal Canadiens fan and we are so low in the standings that it’s becoming more difficult to watch as each game goes by
I don’t know much about Baseball, other than having watched “A League of their own” and a couple of other baseball films and US TV series with (children’s) baseball popping up every now and then.
But a major part of most scenes concerning Baseball is “look for the tells”. Or scenes of a growing child, “think back to baseball, look for the tells.” (Same for playing cards and American Handegg.)
I always thought that a part of baseball was for one team to come up with their own signals and plays and the opponents have to try and decipher what they are signalling to take advantage of it.
I guess using electronics is stepping over the line, on the other hand, we are in the 21st Century, so our lives are controlled by electronics. Tried searching for more on the story and ended up with Red Sox using Apple Watches and the Yankees using YES camera. From what I gather, the Astros had a camera man filming the opponent’s dugout and sending texts back to the team?
It sounds like this sort of thing is rife and is endemic to the sport. The organisers really need to set out a bunch of clear rules on what is and isn’t allowed - if they haven’t already, the reporting I found so far is unclear.
I’ll be watching the Astros play the Red Sox during Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida on March 5th. I’m really curious if there will be any reaction from Sox fans…like things shouted about it or whatever.
Usually Sox fans only get angry at the Yankees (because they suck). Every other team gets treated about the same…although when the Sox played the Cubs at Fenway back in 2008 or so (for the first time in about 100 years), there seemed to be a general feeling of commiseration…as if to say, “Yeah, we know exactly what it’s like to not have won the World Series in multiple generations. We get it. Don’t worry, you’ll win again someday and it will be amazing. Thanks for coming!”
Oh I’m sure the Astros players will be punished by the booing fans in all their away games this season including in Spring Training (but maybe not as loudly there haha). Even seems that most of the players outside of the Astros organization are speaking out against them, and some have commented about how their championship is undeserved. Even though the players aren’t being punished by the actual league, they’ll face their consequences and regrets in other ways.
I think all pro sports will try and push the legal limits of stealing other’s strategy plans and push the legalities to their limits…and a bit beyond if they feel they can get away with it! It’s human nature and at the pro level, every little bit helps. It just that with all the tech involved these days, it’s tempting and often a gray area as to when it’s just part of the game and when it crosses the line…lines that aren’t often defined.
Stealing call signs in baseball is as old as baseball itself. Snooping on other teams practice is as old as the sport as well. Often, when it becomes illegal is tricky to define and enforce!
