BASE-BALL

[amroad17]

In more Frontier League notes...

The Florence Freedom were sold to a group of local investors this past summer.  In October, the new owners decided to re-brand the team and dropped the Freedom name immediately.  So, right now, they are the Florence team until a decision is made.

BTW, the baseball played in the Frontier League isn't bad.  UC Health Stadium is modern and the playing surface is field turf (including the "dirt").

[ilpt4u]

I have not been to a Marion/Southern Illinois Miners game, who are also in the Frontier League

I know tickets and beer are reasonably priced, and Rent One Park is a decent ballpark for a smaller league

[Henry]

I knew it was going to happen eventually...

The Astros have fired their manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow in their ongoing sign-stealing scandal, plus they've lost four draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and been hit with a hefty fine from MLB:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28476780/astros-jeff-luhnow-aj-hinch-fired-sign-stealing

[Max Rockatansky]

I knew it was going to happen eventually...

The Astros have fired their manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow in their ongoing sign-stealing scandal, plus they've lost four draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and been hit with a hefty fine from MLB:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28476780/astros-jeff-luhnow-aj-hinch-fired-sign-stealing

But still have a World Series title at the end of the day making all that happened still worth it.

[Alps]

I knew it was going to happen eventually...

The Astros have fired their manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow in their ongoing sign-stealing scandal, plus they've lost four draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and been hit with a hefty fine from MLB:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28476780/astros-jeff-luhnow-aj-hinch-fired-sign-stealing

But still have a World Series title at the end of the day making all that happened still worth it.

Which should be revoked.

[Max Rockatansky]

I knew it was going to happen eventually...

The Astros have fired their manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow in their ongoing sign-stealing scandal, plus they've lost four draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and been hit with a hefty fine from MLB:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28476780/astros-jeff-luhnow-aj-hinch-fired-sign-stealing

But still have a World Series title at the end of the day making all that happened still worth it.

Which should be revoked.

Perhaps, but no professional league has the guts to alter an already existing result. 

[jp the roadgeek]

And the fallout continues.  The Red Sox have mutually parted ways with manager Alex Cora, who, as the ringleader, faces even stronger discipline than Hinch and Luhnow.

[NWI_Irish96]

Since the Astros were benefitting at the plate by knowing what pitch was coming, I thought this would be a fitting part of the punishment:

For every inning of every game for the upcoming season, the first Astros batter starts with a 0-1 count.

[Beltway]

Since the Astros were benefitting at the plate by knowing what pitch was coming, I thought this would be a fitting part of the punishment:
For every inning of every game for the upcoming season, the first Astros batter starts with a 0-1 count.

"Stealing signs by eyeball" has always been part of the game.

Using electronic means such as videotaping (hello NE Cheatriots!) is, well, major and high-level cheating!

If the signs are discerned by people on the field using the tools they have, then it is fair play.  Those people are on the rosters or are recognized as coaches in an official capacity.  If they get the signs it is a gift, not theft.

When the signs are discerned by someone off the field and not in the game using equipment that is not part of the game, that is stealing and should be punished.

MLB made it clear that using electronics to steal signs was out of bounds.  Doing it inside the confines of the field was still allowed but breaching the field is a violation.  A visiting team cannot have the same access to technology wired inside the stadium to steal signs as the home team.

[Stephane Dumas]

I guess the Astros will be now jinxed/cursed just like the White Sox and the Red Sox was in the past.

[Henry]

I guess the Astros will be now jinxed/cursed just like the White Sox and the Red Sox was in the past.

And the Cubs too, who went 108 years without winning another World Series!

[ET21]

Astros are cursed by themselves now

[Max Rockatansky]

Astros are cursed by themselves now

What about the Cleveland Indians?  Funny they never gets brought up as a curse. 

[roadman]

I knew it was going to happen eventually...

The Astros have fired their manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow in their ongoing sign-stealing scandal, plus they've lost four draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and been hit with a hefty fine from MLB:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28476780/astros-jeff-luhnow-aj-hinch-fired-sign-stealing

But still have a World Series title at the end of the day making all that happened still worth it.

Which should be revoked.

Only if you can conclusively prove that the sign stealing gave the Astros enough of an advantage that it was virtually impossible for LA to win the games.  Given that the batting averages of the hitters during the Series weren't at least .900 during the Series, it's pretty obvious that "advantage" played an insignificant role in their wins.

And it's a sad commentary on both society and the media that this has been blown up so out of proportion to the actual significance of the violation.

[nexus73]

Astros are cursed by themselves now

What about the Cleveland Indians?  Funny they never gets brought up as a curse. 

"Ha!  Ha!".  Maybe the curse will be gone from that team since Chief Wahoo is getting retired as a team symbol according to a recent article I read. 

Seattle.  Now there's a curse.  Get the record for most wins in the regular season and they still have yet to play for an AL pennant let alone in a World Series.  In the meantime, the original MLB Seattle franchise, the Pilots, moves to Milwaukie and that city gets a championship. 

Rick

[Big John]

Astros are cursed by themselves now

What about the Cleveland Indians?  Funny they never gets brought up as a curse. 

"Ha!  Ha!".  Maybe the curse will be gone from that team since Chief Wahoo is getting retired as a team symbol according to a recent article I read. 

Seattle.  Now there's a curse.  Get the record for most wins in the regular season and they still have yet to play for an AL pennant let alone in a World Series.  In the meantime, the original MLB Seattle franchise, the Pilots, moves to Milwaukie and that city gets a championship. 

Rick

The Brewers never won a world series. Though the Bucks won a NBA championship at that time.

[nexus73]

Astros are cursed by themselves now

What about the Cleveland Indians?  Funny they never gets brought up as a curse. 

"Ha!  Ha!".  Maybe the curse will be gone from that team since Chief Wahoo is getting retired as a team symbol according to a recent article I read. 

Seattle.  Now there's a curse.  Get the record for most wins in the regular season and they still have yet to play for an AL pennant let alone in a World Series.  In the meantime, the original MLB Seattle franchise, the Pilots, moves to Milwaukie and that city gets a championship. 

Rick

The Brewers never won a world series. Though the Bucks won a NBA championship at that time.

Boy, I thought they had won one but you are right!  At least they made it to a World Series.

Rick

[Alps]

I knew it was going to happen eventually...

The Astros have fired their manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow in their ongoing sign-stealing scandal, plus they've lost four draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and been hit with a hefty fine from MLB:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28476780/astros-jeff-luhnow-aj-hinch-fired-sign-stealing

But still have a World Series title at the end of the day making all that happened still worth it.

Which should be revoked.

Only if you can conclusively prove that the sign stealing gave the Astros enough of an advantage that it was virtually impossible for LA to win the games.  Given that the batting averages of the hitters during the Series weren't at least .900 during the Series, it's pretty obvious that "advantage" played an insignificant role in their wins.

And it's a sad commentary on both society and the media that this has been blown up so out of proportion to the actual significance of the violation.

The Yankees would have been in the 2019 series.

[SSOWorld]

I knew it was going to happen eventually...

The Astros have fired their manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow in their ongoing sign-stealing scandal, plus they've lost four draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and been hit with a hefty fine from MLB:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28476780/astros-jeff-luhnow-aj-hinch-fired-sign-stealing

But still have a World Series title at the end of the day making all that happened still worth it.

Which should be revoked.

Only if you can conclusively prove that the sign stealing gave the Astros enough of an advantage that it was virtually impossible for LA to win the games.  Given that the batting averages of the hitters during the Series weren't at least .900 during the Series, it's pretty obvious that "advantage" played an insignificant role in their wins.

And it's a sad commentary on both society and the media that this has been blown up so out of proportion to the actual significance of the violation.

The Yankees would have been in the 2019 series.

You'll find that many of the claims we cling to depend greatly on our point of view.

[amroad17]

Another casualty of the sign stealing fiasco: Carlos Beltran (a former player for the Astros) has agreed to part ways with the Mets--before he has even managed a game for them!

Who else and what other teams are going to be affected by this?

[Stephane Dumas]

Boy, I thought they had won one but you are right!  At least they made it to a World Series.

Rick

Too bad then Montreal never made it to a World Series thanks to Donald Fehr who decided to do a strike that year, that son of a smurf*.

(*I used the word smurf as a subsititute to a certain b-word)

[Alps]

Another casualty of the sign stealing fiasco: Carlos Beltran (a former player for the Astros) has agreed to part ways with the Mets--before he has even managed a game for them!

Who else and what other teams are going to be affected by this?

I'm curious a) how 3 teams are going to fill their managerial positions, and b) what happens to the players involved. Will there be headhunting?

[triplemultiplex]

See, NFL? This is how you deal with cheaters.  You don't give 'em a slap on the wrist and let them cheat their way to more super bowls.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Astros are cursed by themselves now

What about the Cleveland Indians?  Funny they never gets brought up as a curse. 

Since you asked...

https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Rocky-Colavito-Loving-Thirty-Year/dp/1598510355

[bing101]

https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-a-s-cast-on-tunein-is-now-the-exclusive-home-of-all-oakland-a-s-au

https://www.thereporter.com/2020/02/18/oakland-as-fans-vent-about-team-trading-radio-broadcast-for-streaming/

The Oakland A's has announced that their radio broadcasts will be on Tunein for the 2020 season.