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

[southsideIrish]

MLB continues to look worse in what appears to be a coverup attempt in hopes this would all go away instead of properly cleaning this up.

Union looks like **** now too for protecting the cheaters so much. Their “clean” players are speaking up and not happy.

Bellenger calls for major consequences if this is all true.

If they're going to properly clean it up, they need to investigate it all. The original articles that came out after the WS clearly say this sort of thing was/is happening across baseball. Rosenthal even said something like baseball's sign-stealing investigation should not stop at Houston. The Athletic article said they reported on Houston because they had evidence, but "they heard and continue to hear" about possible violations by multiple other clubs.

I know Boston is being looked at, but is that it? MLB wants this to die quickly but like the steroids thing, it won't. Unless they feel they've gotten their pound of flesh and now hope things go back to normal. But I don't trust MLB to do the right thing with anything nowadays. I remember Frank Thomas was one of the clean players in the steroid era, and was very vocal about the 05 Sox team being one of the few in that time period that won the right way. But it's not like MLB did anything about the teams that built their success on the backs of multiple steroid users.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Players going off about this.

 

[Emperoreddy]

If they're going to properly clean it up, they need to investigate it all. The original articles that came out after the WS clearly say this sort of thing was/is happening across baseball. Rosenthal even said something like baseball's sign-stealing investigation should not stop at Houston. The Athletic article said they reported on Houston because they had evidence, but "they heard and continue to hear" about possible violations by multiple other clubs.

I know Boston is being looked at, but is that it? MLB wants this to die quickly but like the steroids thing, it won't. Unless they feel they've gotten their pound of flesh and now hope things go back to normal. But I don't trust MLB to do the right thing with anything nowadays. I remember Frank Thomas was one of the clean players in the steroid era, and was very vocal about the 05 Sox team being one of the few in that time period that won the right way. But it's not like MLB did anything about the teams that built their success on the backs of multiple steroid users.

They didn’t want to do even this. They only slapped Houston on the wrist because they got exposed.

MLB just wants this to go away. They don’t actually want to clean it up.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Players going off about this.

I love the subtle Bregman dig there.

 

[Terry Yake]

i guess MLB is denying that the asstros used buzzers

so basically they're just trying to save their asses after their "investigation"

 

[guinness]

They didn’t want to do even this. They only slapped Houston on the wrist because they got exposed.

MLB just wants this to go away. They don’t actually want to clean it up.

Oh, I agree. They didn't care, money was made. If it was possible to fully release all the skeletons in MLB's closet, that would be pretty amazing.

My disappointment is, that with all the talent Houston had, they still had to cheat. It's like me playing on the Show, and guessing correctly what the next pitch the CPU throws will be with the right key combo.

Thinking of that, Sony should put a garbage can banging mod in the game when they release it for PC.

The players on the Astros will end up being like the steroids guys, doesn't matter how great they were, but it will just hang around their necks for the rest of their careers.

The managers, FO were partly fall guys, but the players could've stopped it at anytime, honorable gamesmanship and all.

 

[EpochLink]

These 1st couple months of the season are going to be amazing...every team they play is going to want a piece of these guys.

All the fans are going to go at the Astros, including their traveling fans.
If any Astros fans wants to cheer them on the road, be warned you will be heavily bothered..

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I bet one of the reasons players are going to continue getting angry about this is the suggestion that it's a leaguewide problem. I definitely assume multiple teams are/were up to shady business, but at least until more information comes out, this seems to be more severe in both its extent and consistency. Players are now coming out and saying that they never saw anything similar on their own teams, which is believable to me.

MLB's strategy of sidestepping disciplining the players seems like it's going to backfire, as the potential implication is that all players bear some kind of similar guilt. That has the potential to make the Astros-involved games next year even more of a circus.

 

[BMOK33]

All the fans are going to go at the Astros, including their traveling fans.
If any Astros fans wants to cheer them on the road, be warned you will be heavily bothered..

I joked on Twitter two days ago that when I go to see the Mets in Houston in April I’m bringing a sign that says “please don’t steal THIS sign!” I got a response by a supposed Astros rep a few hours later that said all fans with any signage referencing the incident will have the sign confiscated and be removed from the park all season

 

[EpochLink]

I joked on Twitter two days ago that when I go to see the Mets in Houston in April I’m bringing a sign that says “please don’t steal THIS sign!” I got a response by a supposed Astros rep a few hours later that said all fans with any signage referencing the incident will have the sign confiscated and be removed from the park all season

The Astros can steal the signs they want to at home but traveling away is a different story.

 

[BMOK33]

I bet one of the reasons players are going to continue getting angry about this is the suggestion that it's a leaguewide problem. I definitely assume multiple teams are/were up to shady business, but at least until more information comes out, this seems to be more severe in both its extent and consistency. Players are now coming out and saying that they never saw anything similar on their own teams, which is believable to me.

MLB's strategy of sidestepping disciplining the players seems like it's going to backfire, as the potential implication is that all players bear some kind of similar guilt. That has the potential to make the Astros-involved games next year even more of a circus.

Evidently 5 other teams were doing something similar. At least that was what I read in recent days. I suspect Red Sox were one, Yankees or Dodgers may be another. Many Nats/Phillies/Mets fans have had suspicions since 2011 about the Marlins too. The Marlins have had wild splits at home against some of the better NL East starters yet been awful against them on the road

 

[BGDDYKWL]

I just got a notification on TheScore about Jessica Mendoza saying how this was "Hard to Swallow". Of course the twitter mob is going after her, but I can kind of understand this point of view. Fiers was on the team as it was happening, now he's on a division rival and finally, after 3 years, spoke up. I think it would have been more brave if someone spoke up in 2017 or 2018. A lot of this is political and not wanting to snitch on your friends, and I still think the penalties were too soft for what actually happened, but I do think anyone who asks the question why this came out from someone who is on the division rival 3 years after it actually happened is a legitimate question.

lol. who the **** cares that he waited a few years to speak up or who he plays for?

the fact is that he brought a massive cheating scandal to the public's attention. would it have been better if he didn't say anything at all? what a couple of ridiculous takes

also, jessica mendoza is a ******* clown. how sad that fiers went public about a team cheating! should've kept it to himself so the astros could have kept doing it!

Fiers is a rat, plain and simple. He benefits from the cheating, says nothing. Then once he's disgruntled and gone he spills the beans, and he's lauded as a "hero"? Please. If you have a problem with it you say something at the time. Guy's a coward.

As for Mendoza, I know nothing about her, but she's right on the money here. Ridiculous that she took heat for this today. Just goes to show how many people just don't "get" stuff.

 

[BMOK33]

Fiers is a rat, plain and simple. He benefits from the cheating, says nothing. Then once he's disgruntled and gone he spills the beans, and he's lauded as a "hero"? Please. If you have a problem with it you say something at the time. Guy's a coward.

As for Mendoza, I know nothing about her, but she's right on the money here. Ridiculous that she took heat for this today. Just goes to show how many people just don't "get" stuff.

I expect Mendoza will be fired by the Mets tomorrow or next week. I thought they’d do it today but they probably figured it was just too much to add to the circus but I would expect she isn’t surviving that quote

 

[HockeyGuy1964]

Fiers is a rat, plain and simple. He benefits from the cheating, says nothing. Then once he's disgruntled and gone he spills the beans, and he's lauded as a "hero"? Please. If you have a problem with it you say something at the time. Guy's a coward.

As for Mendoza, I know nothing about her, but she's right on the money here. Ridiculous that she took heat for this today. Just goes to show how many people just don't "get" stuff.

It's you that just doesn't "get" it.

 

[Terry Yake]

Fiers is a rat, plain and simple. He benefits from the cheating, says nothing. Then once he's disgruntled and gone he spills the beans, and he's lauded as a "hero"? Please. If you have a problem with it you say something at the time. Guy's a coward.

As for Mendoza, I know nothing about her, but she's right on the money here. Ridiculous that she took heat for this today. Just goes to show how many people just don't "get" stuff.

asstros fan detected!

so let's blame the guy who uncovered a massive cheating operation but not the people actually cheating right? what a ******* awful take. you really think anyone on that '17 asstros team was going to spill the beans about the cheating during that season?

if it wasn't for fiers speaking out they would've just kept on cheating. nothing wrong at all with that with your shi*** logic

 

[Vamos Rafa]

As usual, BDHWHAHEHDN with a hot take and taking the unpopular opinion's side.

 

[Emperoreddy]

We have yet to hear anything about other teams doing serious sign stealing, and even the Red Sox stealing sounds like a step down to what Houston was doing. There issue is more they got caught once with the Apple watches and did it again.

Everyone is sniffing around. If another team was doing something major it should have come out, and I imagine it will if it exists.

For now what Houston was doing was many steps above anything we have seen before.

 

[Emperoreddy]

asstros fan detected!

so let's blame the guy who uncovered a massive cheating operation but not the people actually cheating right? what a ******* awful take. you really think anyone on that '17 asstros team was going to spill the beans about the cheating during that season?

if it wasn't for fiers speaking out they would've just kept on cheating. nothing wrong at all with that with your shi*** logic

We have quotes that the players “knew it was wrong” and would have stopped if Hinch told them.

Which is a load of shit. None of them stopped it. None of them fessed up until they got caught.

Fiers isn’t the villain here.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Trevor Plouffe (@trevorplouffe) Tweeted:
I do not agree with Tom that what the Astros did is a league-wide problem. I played for 4 teams and never saw it. An OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of guys play the game straight up. Rich Eisen Show on Twitter

 

[PG Canuck]

Fiers is a rat, plain and simple. He benefits from the cheating, says nothing. Then once he's disgruntled and gone he spills the beans, and he's lauded as a "hero"? Please. If you have a problem with it you say something at the time. Guy's a coward.

As for Mendoza, I know nothing about her, but she's right on the money here. Ridiculous that she took heat for this today. Just goes to show how many people just don't "get" stuff.

good friends with @Duke33 I’m guessing?

 

[Crow]

Aaron Rodgers never cheated the game of football.

How naive. How could you possibly assume that?

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Fiers is a rat, plain and simple. He benefits from the cheating, says nothing. Then once he's disgruntled and gone he spills the beans, and he's lauded as a "hero"? Please. If you have a problem with it you say something at the time. Guy's a coward.

As for Mendoza, I know nothing about her, but she's right on the money here. Ridiculous that she took heat for this today. Just goes to show how many people just don't "get" stuff.

You literally have never made a post that was decent and rational.

Also, @SJSharksfan39, a 5 second google search proves your statement wrong. Fiers reported it in 2018 and the league said they would investigate it, which meant they'd bury it.

 

[Voight]

Fiers is a rat, plain and simple. He benefits from the cheating, says nothing. Then once he's disgruntled and gone he spills the beans, and he's lauded as a "hero"? Please. If you have a problem with it you say something at the time. Guy's a coward.

As for Mendoza, I know nothing about her, but she's right on the money here. Ridiculous that she took heat for this today. Just goes to show how many people just don't "get" stuff.

Again - if Fiers had said this while on the team not only would he have lost his job but he'd have a horrible rep around the players as a guy you can't trust and is a goody-two-shoes. Also possible Cora cheating a second time made him realize that this will continue on until somebody says something.

Now he could have also gone off the record with the NY Times or another major news organization with National recognition but it doesn't matter, he did the right thing.

You remind me of the people who were pissed when Dr. Omalu (the guy from the movie Concussion) discovered CTE and went about informing everyone about it. He was "ruining the game"

We have yet to hear anything about other teams doing serious sign stealing, and even the Red Sox stealing sounds like a step down to what Houston was doing. There issue is more they got caught once with the Apple watches and did it again.

Everyone is sniffing around. If another team was doing something major it should have come out, and I imagine it will if it exists.

For now what Houston was doing was many steps above anything we have seen before.

What also does not help IMO is that Cora had his teams cheat two years in a row. So instead of leaving the shady shit in Houston he continued it in Boston.

You literally have never made a post that was decent and rational.

Also, @SJSharksfan39, a 5 second google search proves your statement wrong. Fiers reported it in 2018 and the league said they would investigate it, which meant they'd bury it.

League did not want their new Golden Child/Franchise to have bad press. Fortunately they had no choice when Fiers went public.

 

[NJDevs26]

Fiers is a rat, plain and simple. He benefits from the cheating, says nothing. Then once he's disgruntled and gone he spills the beans, and he's lauded as a "hero"? Please. If you have a problem with it you say something at the time. Guy's a coward.

As for Mendoza, I know nothing about her, but she's right on the money here. Ridiculous that she took heat for this today. Just goes to show how many people just don't "get" stuff.

How did he 'benefit' personally? Yes he has a (ill-gotten) WS ring but hitters stealing signs doesn't help him pitch or get him a bigger contract.

What player is going to be holier than thou when it's an institutionalized scandal in your own clubhouse and the best players are doing it? You wouldn't be able to function in your clubhouse if you rat out teammates or goody goody it up. Heck even now some people will think Fiers is a rat and not trust him.

But how do you people think criminals get exposed? From disgruntled bad guys or ones who need to flip to lessen their own charges. The only reason MLB got as much information as it did was giving the players immunity. If you're waiting for an active Astro to come forward that'll be some long wait. You're blaming the whistleblower for something that wasn't even his fault.

 

[NJDevs26]

I expect Mendoza will be fired by the Mets tomorrow or next week. I thought they’d do it today but they probably figured it was just too much to add to the circus but I would expect she isn’t surviving that quote

Most people barely realize she's a Met employee to begin with although I agree that makes her Fiers quote worse since they clearly had skin in the game with Beltran (and have two ex-Astros on the team as well in Davis and Marisnick).