Astros sign-stealing allegations

[Slasher9]

Among the most oft-used clips to demonstrate the possible use of wearable devices was was footage of Altuve seeming to ask his teammates not to rip his jersey off following his walk-off homer against the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS that sent the team to the World Series. (Altuve, through his agent Scott Boras, has previously denied the claim.)

 

Chapman was asked about the possibility at Yankees camp Thursday.

 

"I've seen that video — a lot of people have seen that video; it's a popular video right now," he said, per ESPN. "And yeah, if you look at his actions, they look a little suspicious. At the end of the day, I just don't know. I can't tell you if he had the sign or didn't have the sign -- I don't know. That's a good question for him, and for those guys. I just don't know."

 

Altuve had a response: "I’ve done that multiple times. That doesn’t mean I have a buzzer. MLB did their investigation and they didn’t find anything. They found what they found. In 2017, they did a really good investigation. They did an investigation on the buzzer and didn’t find anything.

 

"When you say you don’t believe I didn’t have a buzzer, you don’t believe in what MLB investigates."

[Slasher9]

“It was definitely an advantage,” shortstop Carlos Correa said in the team’s clubhouse on the first day pitchers and catchers worked out at spring training.

 

“I’m not going to lie to you, knowing what was coming, you get a slight edge. And that’s why people got suspended and people got fired, because it’s not right to do that.”

[Slasher9]

As for the Astros’ trash-can banging scheme, outfielder Josh Reddick says it simply could provide a pick-me-up at a point a hitter is struggling through the eight-month grind that comes with winning a World Series.

 

“I guess it could go back to the way I was feeling that day, if I was struggling or a tough lefty that I didn’t like facing,” says Reddick, a career .263 hitter who batted a career-best .314 that season. “You pick your poison.

 

“It was a good year for me so I know how that’s going to come off looking.”

[mvp 78]

These players are dumb as rocks part 2:

 

@Sam4TR

Justin Verlander re MLB's decision to not discipline Astros players: "That was [the commissioner's] decision."

How, if at all, was this different from when JV said Dee Gordon should be banned for PEDs?

"I guess my only answer would be that was individual and this was a team."

[a700hitter]

These idiots need to shut their mouths. MLB can't be happy with this look.

[notin]

"No. No. That's a lie. Nobody wore a buzzer. Nobody wore devices," Correa told reporters. "The story should be killed already because we know for sure, we are 100 percent (sure) as a team. ... It's just straight-up false. 2018, nothing. 2019, nothing. 2017 nobody wore devices either. It was just what was in the report."

 

"Absolutely not," outfielder George Springer said. "Absolutely not."

 

Said former Cy Young winner and Astros ace Justin Verlander: “I see these guys before the game, after the game, dressing and undressing, and I never saw anything like that.”

 

And Josh Reddick's response to the same question: "No. Not to my knowledge."

 

 

The buzzer story is probably just crap. I seriously doubt any story broken by a Twitter user claiming to be Carlos Beltran’s niece...

[mvp 78]

The buzzer story is probably just crap. I seriously doubt any story broken by a Twitter user claiming to be Carlos Beltran’s niece...

 

I appreciate the buzzer conspiracy theory.

[notin]

I appreciate the buzzer conspiracy theory.

 

But calling proof because Altuve would not let anyone rip off his jersey is like accusing Adrian Beltre of having a buzzer under his cap...

[Slasher9]

But calling proof because Altuve would not let anyone rip off his jersey is like accusing Adrian Beltre of having a buzzer under his cap...

is it really so hard to believe?

 

[mvp 78]

But calling proof because Altuve would not let anyone rip off his jersey is like accusing Adrian Beltre of having a buzzer under his cap...

 

Hmmmmmm, interesting theory. Maybe that's why he hated having his head rubbed!

[mvp 78]

is it really so hard to believe?

 

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See. I love conspiracy theories!

 

I used to have a whole host of them regarding TalkSox that I'd entertain UN? with.

[Slasher9]

whatever happen to UN?

[mvp 78]

whatever happen to UN?

 

Got a bunch of jobs. I think he was running a pizza place on the side. He just wasn't enjoying TalkSox anymore. I think he's just way less online now.

[Slasher9]

Got a bunch of jobs. I think he was running a pizza place on the side. He just wasn't enjoying TalkSox anymore. I think he's just way less online now.

 

no doubt he started hating TS around april-2016

[notin]

Hmmmmmm, interesting theory. Maybe that's why he hated having his head rubbed!

 

Sorta my point

[notin]

no doubt he started hating TS around april-2016

 

Yeah this place really went into the shitter then...

[mvp 78]

no doubt he started hating TS around april-2016

 

It went back to well before then. He'd take long breaks from this place. I think he hated the 2012 TalkSox roster much more than he hated 2016.

[mvp 78]

Yeah this place really went into the shitter then...

 

I think he was more annoyed by it because he thought of BDC as the domain of a few former TalkSox posters and just didn't want to give anyone a chance.

 

It just took a while for you guys to be properly assimilated.

[mvp 78]

@susanslusser

Tony Kemp says when he came up in 2017, he was asked to use “the system” and he said no. Was having a good season at Triple A and didn’t want to change anything up. Kept his head down and didn’t say anything.

[Slasher9]

this stuff is going to get better and better.....

 

 

Thomas Boswell of The Washington Post asked Suzuki this week if he believes the Astros were cheating during the World Series last season. The catcher said there is “no question” and that Nationals players could hear whistling coming from the Houston dugout.

 

“We could hear it from their dugout. We heard their whistling,” Suzuki said. “What are you going to do?”

 

In order to counter the sign stealing, Suzuki says the Nationals changed their signs during every at-bat of the World Series. On some occasions, they even tried to change the signs in the middle of an at-bat. He said there were swings Astros hitters had in certain situations that were “so good” there was no other explanation for them aside from sign stealing.

 

“When Max Scherzer has two strikes on you and he throws one 98 miles per hour near your head and you smash it — come on, nobody does that,” Suzuki said. “We got a couple of big strikeouts when their crowd was so loud they couldn’t hear. The whole thing was crazy. I got messed up on signs a couple of times, had to call time and take us out of rhythm. I kept thinking, ‘We have to go to the field and work early on our signs in the World Series just to stop their cheating.’ It’s so stupid and so wrong.”

[mvp 78]

Anyway, when you’ve caused Nick Markakis to suggest that perhaps violence is the best course of action, you sort of have a problem on your hands. Here are Crazy Nick’s comments today about the Houston Astros:

 

“I feel like every single guy over there needs a beating. It’s wrong. They’re messing with people’s careers . . . There’s right ways to do it and wrong ways to do it. I 100% disagree with way they did it. There’s a lot of people that were hurt by it, and it was wrong.”

 

As has become custom in these daily ranting, Markakis made sure he gave a shoutout to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who he criticized for letting the Astros off “scot free”:

 

“The way he handled the situation, he should be embarrassed of himself.”

[Slasher9]

pretty good article:

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2020/2/18/21141903/houston-astros-sign-stealing-scandal-continues

[bkzwhitestrican]

Carlos Correa: "It was definitely an advantage. I’m not gonna lie to you. Knowing what was coming. I think you get a slight edge. And that's why people got suspended and people got fired because this is not right."

 

Also Carlos Correa: "When you analyze the games, we won fair and square. We earned that championship."

 

Also Correa in response to Bellinger saying the Astros probably cheated the last three years: "what doesn't sit well with me is when you say false statements. If you don't know the facts. If you're not informed. This is America. You can say whatever you want. But Cody Bellinger's job is to look for information. Get informed. Know the facts, for sure, before he stands in front of cameras to talk about other players. You should get informed. You should be informed before you talk about other players. If you don't know the facts, then you've got to shut the f--k up."

 

What an asshat. Admits to cheating and that it gave them an advantage, but also says they won the World Series fair and square. And he says that false statements don't sit well with him, but I guess blatant cheating is fine.

[Slasher9]

inadvertently hit an umpire with a batting glove you threw in the air in disgust? 2 game suspension

use electronic means to steal opposing teams signs in realtime and win the world series? parade

[Kimmi]

Anyway, when you’ve caused Nick Markakis to suggest that perhaps violence is the best course of action, you sort of have a problem on your hands. Here are Crazy Nick’s comments today about the Houston Astros:

 

“I feel like every single guy over there needs a beating. It’s wrong. They’re messing with people’s careers . . . There’s right ways to do it and wrong ways to do it. I 100% disagree with way they did it. There’s a lot of people that were hurt by it, and it was wrong.”

 

As has become custom in these daily ranting, Markakis made sure he gave a shoutout to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who he criticized for letting the Astros off “scot free”:

 

“The way he handled the situation, he should be embarrassed of himself.”

 

I feel like there is a lot of hypocrisy going on with these players from other teams. I don't believe for a second that sign stealing isn't a baseball wide problem. The Astros were more brazen about it than other teams, plus their sign stealing resulted in a WS Championship, so I can see why they are getting the negative attention that they are. But with that said, I have a difficult time with these other teams and players acting like they are completely innocent.

[Slasher9]

Over a month after Major League Baseball’s report indicated that the Houston Astros illegally stole signs in the 2017 postseason without detailing the method, Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Tuesday that the Astros continued banging trash cans to relay signs in the playoffs.

 

also:

referring to the World Series trophy as “a piece of metal.” Manfred apologized for the comment Tuesday.

 

“In an effort to make a rhetorical point, I referred to the World Series trophy in a disrespectful way,” he said. “It was a mistake to say what I said.”

[Slasher9]

as for granting players immunity it looks like we can thank the players union for that one:

 

Manfred said he originally told the Players Association that the league wouldn’t rule out disciplining players, but said he got pushback from the union.

 

“The union indicated to us that would be a problem,” Manfred told reporters Tuesday. “We went back and suggested to them we would give them an initial list of people — players — that we would grant immunity to, preserving our ability to discipline other players. And the union came back and said that players would cooperate only if there was blanket immunity. Because we were at a bit of a stalemate, we knew we needed player witnesses, we agreed to that immunity agreement.”

 

Manfred also said the league wouldn’t have gotten as far in their investigation if they did not reach the agreement with the union.

[Slasher9]

“I’m mad at this guy, the pitcher who came out talking about it," "And let me tell you why. Oh, after you make your money, after you get your ring you decide to talk about it. Why don’t you talk about it during the season when it was going on? Why didn’t you say, ‘I don’t want to be no part of (this)?' Now you look like a snitch. You know what I mean? Why do you have to talk about it after? That’s my problem. Why did nobody say anything while it was going on?”

[Slasher9]

“I’m mad at this guy, the pitcher who came out talking about it," "And let me tell you why. Oh, after you make your money, after you get your ring you decide to talk about it. Why don’t you talk about it during the season when it was going on? Why didn’t you say, ‘I don’t want to be no part of (this)?' Now you look like a snitch. You know what I mean? Why do you have to talk about it after? That’s my problem. Why did nobody say anything while it was going on?”

 

this was David Ortiz btw....

[Slasher9]

Altuve, the 2017 AL MVP, was hit by a pitch in his third at-bat by Detroit’s Nick Ramirez