Astros punishments: Hinch and Luhnow suspended and fired, team loses 1st and 2nd picks in 2020, 2021

punk_o_holic

Registered User
Mar 1, 2002
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N. Vancouver, B.C.
I don't think anything big came out of it. Based on people in Houston who watched it

-claimed he's innocent and didn't know about it. He would have said no if they asked him for permission. Figured because he was the GM, he would be the one punished. Didn't think it was going to be a year suspension. Didn't think he was going to get fired. Again claimed his innocence. Said him getting blamed wasn't right.

-clear since the beginning that the players and Crane wouldn't get punished. Asked to take a lie detector test. Asked for a meeting because he had facts, documents, testimony. Extended the investigation by 2 weeks to find more evidence against him. He was the target.

-teams, especially the Dodgers wanted a big punishment. Wanted the GM and manager to go down and they got it.

-disappointed in the Taubmann incident. He doesn't write press releases. Only reads them if it has something to do with baseball. Even the quotes that said it was from him wasn't from him. This was all written from their legal team. Two days later he fired Taubmann. Asked to speak to the media. He agreed because no one else would. Twenty seconds before he would go out. Was asked by one of the people who wrote the response to not say who wrote it but say it was the Astros response. Went out to the media. Got attacked by everyone for 20 minutes. Didn't want to lie so he said he read the response before it was sent out to the media. No one was willing to face the music so he took the hit. Was thanked by one of the people who wrote it for not saying who wrote it and thanked for taking one for the team. Regrets it because it wasn't his response. It was a horrible response and was busy preparing for the World Series. The legal team and others botched that incident big time.

-someone from the MLB whispered it to him that something might be going down but didn't believe to be credible so didn't look into it.

-biggest regret, 2017 and 2018 is stained. Whether it was the players or video staffers, they didn't ask him for permission. Did it on there own. Would have said no.
Other regret, took a horrible team to being a dominant team. Wanted the challenge to keep the team dominant for years to come. Feels Click will be fine and feels Astros will be good for a couple more years.

-still roots for the Astros and players. Keeps in contact with Hinch and some players. You do form friendship. Been supportive of him. You quickly find out who actually cared for you and who was just there because he was the GM.

-Last 9 months, doesn't wish this on anyone.
In some way the worst times. Working since he was 16. Never got fired. To get fired at that age was stunning. Neve to vacation time. It was nice to be at home.
 

punk_o_holic

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Mar 1, 2002
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N. Vancouver, B.C.

Epictetus

YNWA
Jan 2, 2010
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When you are in a position of authority, you either know or ought to have known.

He's a smart guy and teams value winning, so he'll get another job. But nobody should be buying the innocent victim card.
 
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FiveTacos

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Oct 2, 2017
554
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The Twilight Zone
When you are in a position of authority, you either know or ought to have known.

He's a smart guy and teams value winning, so he'll get another job. But nobody should be buying the innocent victim card.

The lack of transparency from the Astros and the investigation means we'll probably never know how much he knew or did not know. It is entirely possible he was not aware. Not that it makes him an innocent victim, because he sure as hell benefited from it ... the fact that he could get another job is at least in part due to the team's success. Although I wonder if there's enough PO'd owners who'd never hire him regardless.

As for Hinch, we already know that he was fully aware. And that in spite of it, he publicly tried to play the outraged innocent victim card. So if he never gets another gig in baseball at any level I won't shed a tear.
 
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Terry Yake

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Aug 5, 2013
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The lack of transparency from the Astros and the investigation means we'll probably never know how much he knew or did not know. It is entirely possible he was not aware. Not that it makes him an innocent victim, because he sure as hell benefited from it ... the fact that he could get another job is at least in part due to the team's success. Although I wonder if there's enough PO'd owners who'd never hire him regardless.

As for Hinch, we already know that he was fully aware. And that in spite of it, he publicly tried to play the outraged innocent victim card. So if he never gets another gig in baseball at any level I won't shed a tear.
hinch will be managing in 2021

what i really can't get over is how the f*ck MLB didn't ban cora for life. guy was associated with both the sox and asstros and gets off with a bullshit year suspension. he'll also be managing again next season

oh well, their '17 title is forever tainted and no amount of crying innocence will ever change that
 

FiveTacos

Registered User
Oct 2, 2017
554
926
The Twilight Zone
hinch will be managing in 2021

Maybe. It's hard to picture him ever commanding much respect in the locker room ever again. Even if you buy his defense that he tried to stop it, all it shows is that he had no control over his own players or staff. And from seeing how many truly pissed off players there were all over the league, are most locker rooms really going to accept Hinch coming in as their boss? Would a GM want to put his players in that position?

It's not as if he's the only good manager in the world to choose from. If he doesn't get a gig quickly, he probably never will as new candidates emerge from the ranks.
 

Halladay

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Feb 27, 2009
65,105
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H Town
Wouldn't mind the Angels making Luhnow our GM tbh...
I would take him on the Phillies too, but he made a point where he said he is looking at potential other sports as the NFL, NBA, and European soccer. I think he would be successful at any job.
 

Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
40,373
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hinch will be managing in 2021

what i really can't get over is how the f*ck MLB didn't ban cora for life. guy was associated with both the sox and asstros and gets off with a bullshit year suspension. he'll also be managing again next season

oh well, their '17 title is forever tainted and no amount of crying innocence will ever change that

Precisely because he was the Red Sox manager. Mancrap wasn't going to screw him or the Red Sox that hard. Surely wanted to leave the door open for his pal John Henry to rehire Cora when everything dies down.

When you are in a position of authority, you either know or ought to have known.

He's a smart guy and teams value winning, so he'll get another job. But nobody should be buying the innocent victim card.

Yes, Its like when crime bosses try to say they didn't know. The guy at the top always knows.
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
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I thought it was the other way around? The Cardinals hacked the Astros.

it was, but there were allegations that ex-cardinals employees who joined houston stole intellectual property from STL in the first place. never proven or really pursued though.
 

SSF

Registered User
Oct 5, 2017
1,278
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Yea, i dont feel bad for Chris Correa in the least, but comparatively, he got hosed.
 

darko

Registered User
Feb 16, 2009
70,265
7,786
It was, and buddy was punished big time. Somehow worse than guys who cheated and won a title as a result. (Part of me thinks this is why Manfred went super easy on them, but who knows)

St Louis Cardinals docked two draft picks and fined $2m for hacking Astros

Manfred went easy on Houston because he didn't have enough to nail them therefore he offered players the immunity in order to come clean. Then punished the club. IMO still not severe enough. Stripping them off titles was never an option, players would've been adamant on keeping it as part of the immunity.
 

darko

Registered User
Feb 16, 2009
70,265
7,786
hinch will be managing in 2021

what i really can't get over is how the f*ck MLB didn't ban cora for life. guy was associated with both the sox and asstros and gets off with a bullshit year suspension. he'll also be managing again next season

oh well, their '17 title is forever tainted and no amount of crying innocence will ever change that

Not so sure about Cora managing any time soon.
 

Cas

Conversational Black Hole
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Jun 23, 2020
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It'll get settled. There's no way MLB or the Astros want their dirty laundry aired in a court of law that can force them to display it. They'll pay Luhnow whatever it takes to make him go away and we'll never find out how much his silence was worth.
 

Quid Pro Clowe

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Dec 28, 2008
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Good. He's the only one who really got punished from this, and by all acvounts he was involved much less than others.
 

Cas

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Jun 23, 2020
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I actually think I'm starting to understand people who quit following baseball after the strike.

Between the unwatchable product on the field and the rampant corruption and incompetence in the league and team offices (which I've never been under any illusion about, mind), I'm finding it harder and harder to care about baseball - at least the sport today, as opposed to yesterday.
 

SomeDude

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Mar 6, 2006
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I actually think I'm starting to understand people who quit following baseball after the strike.

Between the unwatchable product on the field and the rampant corruption and incompetence in the league and team offices (which I've never been under any illusion about, mind), I'm finding it harder and harder to care about baseball - at least the sport today, as opposed to yesterday.

As someone who grew up loving the game, I have not watched an MLB game in 2 years and do not see that changing anytime soon.
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
28,356
39,703
As someone who grew up loving the game, I have not watched an MLB game in 2 years and do not see that changing anytime soon.

Why, because the Pirates are tire fire? I’m legitimately curious what might have changed so drastically with the game itself that caused you or others to stop watching besides just outgrowing it.
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
28,356
39,703
I actually think I'm starting to understand people who quit following baseball after the strike.

Between the unwatchable product on the field and the rampant corruption and incompetence in the league and team offices (which I've never been under any illusion about, mind), I'm finding it harder and harder to care about baseball - at least the sport today, as opposed to yesterday.

Baseball had some of its best viewership and years during the highest points of corruption like the steroid years of late 90s - early 2000s.

What’s so bad with the on-field product though?
 

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