Anyone else worried about these Stros getting into the HOF? Bonds and Clemens are still being locked out and only have 2 years left to get in. I'd say since there is no hard evidence that player other than Beltran were the creators of the scheme they should be safe but you never know.
“The Astros did this to themselves. No one else is to blame. Strip the title. Don’t give it to the Dodgers just strip it from Houston. At least a big fat asterisk next to it. They are getting off easy here. They really deserve more scorn for cheating. Take them out to the center of town, put them in the shackles and flog them until everyone is satisfied.” - local Chicago sports radio host 30 minutes ago Unreal
And there is no doubt in my mind that he took it with him when he left. Cora alluded to as much. That in combination with the article and interviews saying that Beltran spent the majority of last off season setting up the Yankees video room SHOULD be enough to get them investigated. The only way the evidence comes out though is if Cora and Beltran are threatened with a lifetime ban in order to get them to talk. Or else someone like Cameron Maybin, perhaps, who was with the Yankees in '19 and is a free agent now, but I doubt he is a rat like Fiers.
The fact that Beltran lied (twice, publicly) when he was offered immunity should also be enough to be threatened with lifetime banishment as well.
Bet he wouldn't say that about Tony LaRussa who was just alleged to have cheated in the same way in the '80s with the White Sox.
Just goes to show people are idiots for defending Luhnow. He lost complete control of his club and had a chance to prevent all this but didn't. He will never work in Baseball again.
I guess we will never know. The report says they would have stopped if Hinch had told them too, but they could have just been covering their asses.
He didn’t lose control, he chose no to control. Always looking for ways to circumvent the system or so it would seem. Brilliant mind, but dude couldn’t get out of his own way. I know Hinch didn’t stop things, but it had to be very difficult if he had his boss putting him in the middle of it all. My guess is he never thought JL would be fired, so it would have made for a very difficult work place. I know a lot of you think JL was the bigger loss, but it’s Hinch who I’ll miss the most. I hate that Hinch is gone. Luhnow can get bent for all I care.
No way they don’t stop if Hinch told them not to. Yes it’s just my opinion, but I strongly believe that.
I guess the biggest thing was Cora was doing it. So to the players that seems like the coaches are condoning it. I wonder if Hinch ever said anything to Cora about it.
Underrated factor in the dilemma Hinch faced was the complete and total division of the clubhouse that would have been created. Beltran was like a coach to these guys. Beltran had the backing of another coach on staff in Cora. I dont see that there was a plausible path for Hinch to take, especially now knowing that Luhnow had no intentions of reigning it in either. Also, I believe the original report stated that the memo was sent to owners and GMs (why the managers wouldn't have been included is ridiculous). As I stated before, because we are so far removed (going on 3 years now) from that season, it is easy to forget that those who are now seasoned vets, 3 years ago, were guys still learning the/their way. Very delicate situation back then
My take is teams have been doing it for years. That seems obvious. The difference here was Mike Fiers happened. Sure, what we did may have come out later by some other means, but a different team may have been the one whistled on and they would take the brunt of MLB, not us. MLB knew about. Wanted to do something about for years. They needed a confessor. They needed a public statement so taking action didnt seem biased towards any particular team. They needed a fall team via nark and got one. I will go to my grave having Mike F#cking Fiers as my most hated player by miles and miles. Mercy on his soul if he ever sets foot at MM again.
Only place I disagree here is I don’t think baseball actually wanted anything to go this far. They just like keeping everyone on double secret probation to give the perception that the integrity of the game is on the up and up.
