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The Houston Astros have been amazing team for the last few seasons. They have built a strong group of players, who perform at a high level. But all of that seems secondary given the scandal they have created. Cheating in sports is not new. But seldom does baseball come down so hard on its participants. Here is what has come of it so far, as a result of Houston's sign stealing program:
-Manager A.J. Hinch suspended for one year. Hinch was then fired by the Astros.
-GM Jeff Luhnow suspended for one year. Luhnow was then fired by the Astros.
-Former assistant GM Brandon Taubman suspended one year.
-Astros forfeit their first- and second- round draft picks the next two years.
-Astros fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under MLB's constitution.
-Alex Cora, Houston's bench coach in 2017 and the Red Sox's manager since 2018, was fired by Boston. Boston is also being investigated for sign stealing, in their championship 2018 season.
-Carlos Beltran, the only player named in MLB's investigation of the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, is out as manager of the New York Mets before beginning his first season with the team
Other than Beltran, no other player has been implicated (so far). But it makes you scratch your head a little, given their knowledge and involvement.
Like most sports, cheating is not exactly a lost art. Most of us were taught, no matter the sport, to play within the rules, but bend them and stretch them as much as we could. But if you go too far, don't get caught. Competitive advantage is crucial, the more competitive sports become, We are talking tiny amounts of separation, and if you can gain the slightest advantage, it is not "if" you are going to consider, but how and when, unless penalties would become a factor. I get it. I was not fast enough to cover some WRs, but I did know how to keep them close to me, and it was subtle, but it was borderline holding. And though this example was not cheating, I remember how the national dragon boat coach explained to our team how they were teaching a new method of extending oneself while paddling, because many of those races came down to a mere fraction of a second. So the story goes.....find that advantage, and for some, it means cheating. For some, it's just honest innovation.
Baseball and scandals are not too common, but I think we've all heard of Shoeless Joe Jackson, He is remembered for his performance on the field and for his association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. As a result of Jackson's association with the scandal, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball's first commissioner, banned Jackson from playing after the 1920 season despite exceptional play in the 1919 World Series. Hey, he even made it to Field of Dreams, he was that well known!
On the other hand, I think baseball messed up the Performance Enhancement era (is it even over in this and many other sports??), when it was clear that players became bigger and stronger and faster and who knows what else, thanks to drugs. The only good news, some will not likely be Hall of Famers as a result.
A certain amount of cheating has been allowed for decades....including minor forms of sign stealing, doctored baseballs, corked bats, and so on. I suppose the actions were not large enough to be disciplined similarly, though there are plenty of examples of individuals being challenged for their behaviour. George Brett's bat was one for the ages. Plenty of pitchers who put sticky stuff on the baseballs, or wet stuff.
But no matter what happens, Houston's World Series championship, and their return to The World Series, only to lose to Washington, is tainted for me. In fact I was pulling for Houston to beat The Nationals last season, but now I am glad they did not win.
Further, I would be surprised if they are alone in this or a similar form of cheating.
-Manager A.J. Hinch suspended for one year. Hinch was then fired by the Astros.
-GM Jeff Luhnow suspended for one year. Luhnow was then fired by the Astros.
-Former assistant GM Brandon Taubman suspended one year.
-Astros forfeit their first- and second- round draft picks the next two years.
-Astros fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under MLB's constitution.
-Alex Cora, Houston's bench coach in 2017 and the Red Sox's manager since 2018, was fired by Boston. Boston is also being investigated for sign stealing, in their championship 2018 season.
-Carlos Beltran, the only player named in MLB's investigation of the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, is out as manager of the New York Mets before beginning his first season with the team
Other than Beltran, no other player has been implicated (so far). But it makes you scratch your head a little, given their knowledge and involvement.
Like most sports, cheating is not exactly a lost art. Most of us were taught, no matter the sport, to play within the rules, but bend them and stretch them as much as we could. But if you go too far, don't get caught. Competitive advantage is crucial, the more competitive sports become, We are talking tiny amounts of separation, and if you can gain the slightest advantage, it is not "if" you are going to consider, but how and when, unless penalties would become a factor. I get it. I was not fast enough to cover some WRs, but I did know how to keep them close to me, and it was subtle, but it was borderline holding. And though this example was not cheating, I remember how the national dragon boat coach explained to our team how they were teaching a new method of extending oneself while paddling, because many of those races came down to a mere fraction of a second. So the story goes.....find that advantage, and for some, it means cheating. For some, it's just honest innovation.
Baseball and scandals are not too common, but I think we've all heard of Shoeless Joe Jackson, He is remembered for his performance on the field and for his association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. As a result of Jackson's association with the scandal, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball's first commissioner, banned Jackson from playing after the 1920 season despite exceptional play in the 1919 World Series. Hey, he even made it to Field of Dreams, he was that well known!
On the other hand, I think baseball messed up the Performance Enhancement era (is it even over in this and many other sports??), when it was clear that players became bigger and stronger and faster and who knows what else, thanks to drugs. The only good news, some will not likely be Hall of Famers as a result.
A certain amount of cheating has been allowed for decades....including minor forms of sign stealing, doctored baseballs, corked bats, and so on. I suppose the actions were not large enough to be disciplined similarly, though there are plenty of examples of individuals being challenged for their behaviour. George Brett's bat was one for the ages. Plenty of pitchers who put sticky stuff on the baseballs, or wet stuff.
But no matter what happens, Houston's World Series championship, and their return to The World Series, only to lose to Washington, is tainted for me. In fact I was pulling for Houston to beat The Nationals last season, but now I am glad they did not win.
Further, I would be surprised if they are alone in this or a similar form of cheating.
)…..unless you are innocent. The baseball world is listening, and the case is hardly over with.
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