2020 Official Astros - Off Season thread

[Dale Moser]

I hope they reign down on Boston too, but as mentioned...I don't think they'll get the evidence they need. JD Martinez sure sounded guilty as hell though, if you havn't heard his line of ****, it will **** you off.

[Preacher Man]

I don't think Manfred wanted to investigate at all. I say that because he waited until after the 2019 season to go back and investigate a 2017 team. If he'd have wanted to investigate, he'd already done it. I think he got stuck with an investigation when Mike Fiers came out on the record. Then he had no choice once the public got wind of it.

I think it hurt him even worse because all of the big market teams were affected, Dodgers, Yankees and Red Sox. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

MLB has always been reactionary. Not proactive.

I consider it to be a lack of good leadership at the top of MLB to keep the game clean. And I think the players in the steroid era and the digital sign stealing era know that. It just seems like the whole environment is set up for the high potential for cheating.

[Dale Moser]

I don't think Manfred wanted to investigate at all. I say that because he waited until after the 2019 season to go back and investigate a 2017 team. If he'd have wanted to investigate, he'd already done it. I think he got stuck with an investigation when Mike Fiers came out on the record. Then he had no choice once the public got wind of it.

I think it hurt him even worse because all of the big market teams were affected, Dodgers, Yankees and Red Sox. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

MLB has always been reactionary. Not proactive.

I consider it to be a lack of good leadership at the top of MLB to keep the game clean. And I think the players in the steroid era and the digital sign stealing era know that. It just seems like the whole environment is set up for the high potential for cheating.

Yes sir, spot on.

Also important to remember that Manfred is nothing more than a pawn for the owners. He's not making any of these decisions on his own, and they aren't going to make any that cost them to much money....like banning these teams from the post season, which is exactly what they SHOULD do.

[JLivi1224]

Yes sir, spot on.

Also important to remember that Manfred is nothing more than a pawn for the owners. He's not making any of these decisions on his own, and they aren't going to make any that cost them to much money....like banning these teams from the post season, which is exactly what they SHOULD do.

Banned from playoffs for how long, in your opinion...?

[ca1219]

It is funny to see Astros fans bash the Rangers. Funny how short term memory only comes into play for that. Outside of 17 to current the Astros were the Rangers whipping post for the decade prior.

[Dale Moser]

Banned from playoffs for how long, in your opinion...?

I think 2 years would be enough for everyone to take it seriously, but not enough to cripple a franchise.

I think had he done that at the beginning of all of this, the fans/players would have felt that the actual guilty parties we're actually being punished, and the rest of the sport wouldn't feel such a need to take shots individually. It could have been a REAL presser with actual contrition, from the whole team, and everyone could just say "They cheated, they ****ed up, they got punished", and its on to spring training. What keeps perpetuating the story is all the shots taken by other players, then the stros firing back....it just can't die.

[Tshelly]

The Astros are getting all the heat because they jumped on those immunity deals and sang like guilty *** birds. Now they’re all mad trying to act like victims.


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Mis informed again. They received immunity because the memo sent in 2017 in August after the yankees and red Sox’s were fined undisclosed amounts for “cheating”/sign stealing was never dispersed to to AjHinch or the players. The players union would have immediately filed a grievance upon Major League Baseball if any player received any type of punishment.

As well the case was still very weak without the players confessing. Granting immunity was the only way they could get to the bottom of it all.

If anything judging from your comments on this whole thing you act more like the victim. Oh poor me, id fine my team 10 first round draft picks and a 100 million plus vacate all wins. Gtfoh!!! Sign stealing has been part of the game for 75 years

At least the Red Sox, yankees and dodgers fans have a a leg to stand on when being upset. The Rangers... no lolololololol

You already said they were good enough to probably win it without.. and they proved that in 2018 and 19


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[ca1219]

I think 2 years would be enough for everyone to take it seriously, but not enough to cripple a franchise.

I think had he done that at the beginning of all of this, the fans/players would have felt that the actual guilty parties we're actually being punished, and the rest of the sport wouldn't feel such a need to take shots individually. It could have been a REAL presser with actual contrition, from the whole team, and everyone could just say "They cheated, they ****ed up, they got punished", and its on to spring training. What keeps perpetuating the story is all the shots taken by other players, then the stros firing back....it just can't die.

The only problem with banning the franchise from playoffs, players who have moved on from the organization don't feel the effects.

[Dale Moser]

Mis informed again. They received immunity because the memo sent in 2017 in August after the yankees and red Sox’s were fined undisclosed amounts for “cheating”/sign stealing was never dispersed to to AjHinch or the players. The players union would have immediately filed a grievance upon Major League Baseball if any player received any type of punishment.

As well the case was still very weak without the players confessing. Granting immunity was the only way they could get to the bottom of it all.

If anything judging from your comments on this whole thing you act more like the victim. Oh poor me, id fine my team 10 first round draft picks and a 100 million plus vacate all wins. Gtfoh!!! Sign stealing has been part of the game for 75 years

At least the Red Sox, yankees and dodgers fans have a a leg to stand on when being upset. The Rangers... no lolololololol

You already said they were good enough to probably win it without.. and they proved that in 2018 and 19


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That's hilarious. They needed a memo to know they were cheating? At least attempt to be objective. GTFOH...

They may have been good enough....we'll never know. Just frauds now. ***

[Dale Moser]

The only problem with banning the franchise from playoffs, players who have moved on from the organization don't feel the effects.

True...there's no easy solution, so MLB does almost nothing...that's their MO.

[rtp]

The only problem with banning the franchise from playoffs, players who have moved on from the organization don't feel the effects.

Not only that but if they were banned from the playoffs for multiple years, the ownership would trade all the important parts of the team for draft pics and prospects and start over like they did before. Then the players aren't punished in that scenario either because they are with a new team competing for the playoffs.


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[JLivi1224]

Bring out your tinfoil batting helmets....

They're investigating Boston now.

I didn't say anyone was trashing them for it, I said that's why MLB came down on them. That's called "proof", that's what they seem to be lacking with Bos and NY. They have tons of proof on houston because houston handed it to them because they were caught.


And quit with your bull**** narrative about Ranger fans or any other fans, this doesn't have anything to do with what team you root for. I happen to be a Rangers fan, and if they're guilty too, then I'll be the first one screaming "HANG'EM HIGH"! It doesn't matter who you root for, if you're a fan of the game, this affects you...it affects the entire game. I was following the stros through the worst years of the rebuild, when they didn't even have a local TV deal, watching how they went about rebuilding the team, saving money, and aquiring talent....when most of houston had quit on them. I remember MANY times telling mad stros fans on this very website to "be patient, and just wait until these kids hit the big leagues"....MANY times! So save your holier than thou bull**** for someone else.

Ok Dale. Whatever you say. I’m sure the fact that you’re a rangers fan has nothing to do with your opinion. Carry on.

[Jaybo31]

2020 Official Astros - Off Season thread

The Will Clark interview was pretty good where he laughed and said they just got caught ....we didn’t get caught

And Big Papi calling Fiers a snitch is pretty good too. Said if he’s that worried about it why wasn’t he crying while he was on the team?

LaRussa had a similar scheme in the 80’s with the White Sox. Signs were relayed with a light on a sign from a guy watching a tv.

Is what they did right? Meh, no.

But everyone acting like they have set the baseball world on fire and done something no one else has done is becoming laughable.

They got snitched on and have become the whipping boy to set an example.

And if as many teams knew about it as they are saying they did....well they sucked at changing their sequences.




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[Smart]

2020 Official Astros - Off Season thread

Will Clark: Yeah I know it was on a different level...[emoji23][emoji44][emoji23]

Big Poppy trying to divert attention away from his RedSox and possibly him drawing attention back to Fiers![emoji23][emoji23]

[TildenHunter]

Will Clark: Yeah I know it was on a different level...[emoji23][emoji44][emoji23]

Big Poppy trying to divert attention away from his RedSox and possibly him drawing attention back to Fiers![emoji23][emoji23]

And then he said "Use some common sense". If everyone suspected the Astros of cheating, which many players have come out and said after the fact, why did they not change up their signs? It just doesn't make much sense.

I hate the Astros are the only one's being cast in this light but time to take their medicine and Win.

It reminds me of college football and recruiting. Do I think all top tier teams are cheating to some degree, yes! Does it suck when your team gets caught, Yep.

I would bet this is much more common then being reported. Is what it is. Time to move on .