will Cora get hit with the Hammer??

[Bellhorn04]

I believe a former player like Fiers talked. But we don’t know who. But to give him some context, let’s assign him a made up name. Like, say, Steven White? Work for you?

 

Ok so how many teams have a Mike Fiers or Steven White to tell all?

 

Morrison said firsthand accounts. So you start by asking him whose accounts.

[Bellhorn04]

Now that Morrison has spoken up, all we need is one or two more to speak up, or squeal in confidence, and Manfred is going to be facing a massive headache.

[notin]

Morrison said firsthand accounts. So you start by asking him whose accounts.

 

How do you get past the "he said, he said" part of it? I don't think there aer too many willing whistleblowers. If anything, we don't even know how willing Morrison is to talk..

[jad]

I'm in LA now, and one of the more amusing aspects of this is listening to Dodgers fans and announcers wringing their hands in moral outrage at this. "Oh woe! Demand the WS trophe! Ban the Astros from post-season! Sue MLB! Give us our deserved title!" (LA is now one of the teams implicated by Morrison).

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

He didn't come out and say anything in 2017 because no one would have. Especially someone who knew his contract was expiring. The 2018 Red Sox have the same type of whistle blower who happens to still be anonymous as far as I know.

 

Apparently Fiers did spend 2018 alerting his new teams - Detroit and eventually Oakland - to the practices of the Astros. He didn't go public just yet.

 

Really I don't care about the timing, even if Fiers only ratted out the Astros because they did not offer him a good contract in 2018. In fact, if that is his ultimate motivation, all the more incentive for teams not to cheat - there will be inevitable blackmail in the future.

 

Morrison is probably right that the isue is more widespread than we realize. Certainly the Red Sox and Astros are not the only teams who know how to use a camera...

 

Manfred and the MLB would love to blame their culture soley on their chosen scapegoats, but the only way this is going away is if they blackmail all teams and players into silence under threat of blackballing them from the game.

 

If Cora and Hinch are Oswald and Ruby in this conspiracy, who are Luhnow and Dombroski... Castro and LBJ? JBJ? (the Boring Commission will make up something). In the meantime, we need Keith Hernandez to spit...

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Sorry, double trouble...

[notin]

Manfred and the MLB would love to blame their culture soley on their chosen scapegoats, but the only way this is going away is if they blackmail all teams and players into silence under threat of blackballing them from the game.

 

If Cora and Hinch are Oswald and Ruby in this conspiracy, who are Luhnow and Dombroski... Castro and LBJ? JBJ? (the Boring Commission will make up something). In the meantime, we need Keith Hernandez to spit...

 

I think you mean Roger McDowell. After all, there must have been a second spitter....

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Manfred's single BS theory...

[jung]

Geez Merloni has been pretty even handed on this topic and even HE is saying two year suspension for Cora and more than 4 draft picks for the Sox. How many more......Another year's worth for 6 draft picks.

 

That is a death sentence for the Sox if Lou is right. We have no farm to speak off. We have star players that are going to look at that and say....no Alex and no help coming! I'm outta' here.

 

As for the CYA crap that Manfred and so far Houston is about, that is such utter BS but so Manfred it hurts. I posted earlier that the way the report tried to protect Ownership in Houston through the report was sickening. Manfred does nothing until two reporters write a story. Then they write a report that completely absolves Houston Ownership and Houston Ownership promptly fires Hinch and the GM as part of this CYA crap.

 

They are all dirty and if they want to actually clean this up shoving stuff under the carpet ain't gonna' work.

 

MLB has been headed in the wrong direction for a long long time. Time to right the ship because the anchor chain has slipped and the anchor is about to crash through the keel. There John Henry, a nice boat metaphor for ya'.

Edited January 15, 2020 by jung

[harmony]

Yes:

 

[jung]

Sox announce that Cora and Sox have decided to "mutually part ways".

[Bama Boy]

Sox announce that Cora and Sox have decided to "mutually part ways".

 

Had to happen.

[TylerD]

He’s gone. Just got the update. Wow.

[jung]

Had to happen.

 

Actually, this is the softest move Sox Ownership could make. Cora didn't get fired. But I am not sure it will matter in the long run.

 

I am more upset about MLB covering its ass in this mess. They are all dirty. Manfred is dirty as he did nothing until reporters printed their story.

 

Honestly, I despise Manfred. If Trump needed a Sec of Cowardly, Manfred would be the odds on favorite for the job. He is just disgusting.

[a700hitter]

I am not sad. Bring in the next guy.

[Bellhorn04]

How do you get past the "he said, he said" part of it? I don't think there aer too many willing whistleblowers. If anything, we don't even know how willing Morrison is to talk..

 

Morrison seems like a guy who's plenty willing to talk.

 

Rosenthal and Drellich need to talk to him, at least...

[Slasher9]

jacksonianmarch. #yourteamcheatstoo buh bye boone

 

Logan Morrison doesn't believe MLB's sign-stealing problem ends with the Houston Astros.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers first baseman wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post he believes other teams have been guilty of similar infractions.

 

"I know from first hand accounts that the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, and Red Sox all have used film to pick signs," he wrote, per NJ Advance Media's Brendan Kuty. "Just want you guys to know the truth. I personally think it's a tool in a tool belt to pick signs, but if we are going to be punishing people for it. Don't half ass it."

[mvp 78]

LoMo is a real one. Shouldn't have deleted tho.

[Carpin]

jacksonianmarch. #yourteamcheatstoo buh bye boone

 

Logan Morrison doesn't believe MLB's sign-stealing problem ends with the Houston Astros.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers first baseman wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post he believes other teams have been guilty of similar infractions.

 

"I know from first hand accounts that the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, and Red Sox all have used film to pick signs," he wrote, per NJ Advance Media's Brendan Kuty. "Just want you guys to know the truth. I personally think it's a tool in a tool belt to pick signs, but if we are going to be punishing people for it. Don't half ass it."

 

I wrote this before, sign stealing and the use of electronics device is a league wide practice, same as PEDs in the 90's. Whoever thinks their team is/was clean on those matters are delusional.

 

The question is to what degree they were using the electronic devices? and then the league can decide if it's "illegal" or not.

[jung]

I wrote this before, sign stealing and the use of electronics device is a league wide practice, same as PEDs in the 90's. Whoever thinks their team is/was clean on those matters are delusional.

 

The question is to what degree they were using the electronic devices? and then the league can decide if it's "illegal" or not.

 

That is correct. I would only question those that want to split hairs past a team using in game real time video in order to cheat. Once you are using real time in game video to steal signs or in any other way gain an in game advantage, you have crossed the Rubicon and its already 90% of as bad as it gets. How you want to divvy up the final 10%......be my guest.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

LoMo is a real one. Shouldn't have deleted tho.

 

Wanna bet he was ordered to by Manfred, and also ordered to never admit he was ordered to?

 

They so want this to go away, but the Genie is hitting the bottle.

[notin]

Wanna bet he was ordered to by Manfred, and also ordered to never admit he was ordered to?

 

They so want this to go away, but the Genie is hitting the bottle.

 

Why would Manfred want it to go away? This could be his signature campaign - he could go down in MLB history as the man who cleaned up illegal sign stealing. It's much better than his previous trademark - the man who gave us juiced baseballs...

[S5Dewey]

Why would Manfred want it to go away? This could be his signature campaign - he could go down in MLB history as the man who cleaned up illegal sign stealing. It's much better than his previous trademark - the man who gave us juiced baseballs...

 

That would depend on how long he's known about it. As you say, he could be known as the guy who cleaned up illegal sign stealing (just as PED use has been "cleaned up" now).

OTOH, if he's been aware of it for some time he may be concerned that he's going to be known as the guy who ignored it for several years and dealt with it only after he got beaten over the head with evidence and had to do something.

 

Only Manfred knows for sure.

[notin]

That would depend on how long he's known about it. As you say, he could be known as the guy who cleaned up illegal sign stealing (just as PED use has been "cleaned up" now).

OTOH, if he's been aware of it for some time he may be concerned that he's going to be known as the guy who ignored it for several years and dealt with it only after he got beaten over the head with evidence and had to do something.

 

Only Manfred knows for sure.

 

Exactly. He might have been aware of this for years, but he also might have just learned about it in the last 2 months. There is too much presumption of guilt here...

[Elktonnick]

Exactly. He might have been aware of this for years, but he also might have just learned about it in the last 2 months. There is too much presumption of guilt here...

 

Too many posters are making excuses for the cheating that went on. Cora was clearly the ringmaster in Houston. He got caught. MLB needs to make an example of him. Ban the SOB. Let him apply for reinstatement in several years once MLB gets all the links worked out of the replay system.

[jacksonianmarch]

jacksonianmarch. #yourteamcheatstoo buh bye boone

 

Logan Morrison doesn't believe MLB's sign-stealing problem ends with the Houston Astros.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers first baseman wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post he believes other teams have been guilty of similar infractions.

 

"I know from first hand accounts that the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, and Red Sox all have used film to pick signs," he wrote, per NJ Advance Media's Brendan Kuty. "Just want you guys to know the truth. I personally think it's a tool in a tool belt to pick signs, but if we are going to be punishing people for it. Don't half ass it."

 

You’re not dealing in reality right now. You’re allowed to use media to pick signs. You can have a scout watch the broadcast and pick the signs and the sequence. You can then put it in an SR for the next game. Heck, I can get the sign sequence sitting at home. That’s easy. You cannot relay it to the batter in real time. That’s where the cheating comes in.

 

Also, LoMo was in the Yankee farm, but didn’t make a single appearance in the Bronx. How would he know whether the Yanks were relating it to their hitters? He’s got no idea. There’s a fine line here. But the Sox crossed it. The Astros crossed it. It remains to be seen if others did or now, but the only team pending a massive penalty is Boston

[Bellhorn04]

Also, LoMo was in the Yankee farm, but didn’t make a single appearance in the Bronx. How would he know whether the Yanks were relating it to their hitters?

 

He said he knows from firsthand accounts. Someone with firsthand knowledge allegedly told him this.

[jacksonianmarch]

Also, Manfred had no other option. You’re dealing with a game that’s far too long and is losing younger viewers. So you add in the super ball which makes the homerun so commonplace that it actually decreases viewership even more. Now, he’s got a scandal going on that’s likening the MLB to the WWE. He has to punish this.

[jacksonianmarch]

He said he knows from firsthand accounts. Someone with firsthand knowledge allegedly told him this.

 

Told him that the Yanks are relaying real time info to the hitters before the pitch comes? Yeah, I don’t believe that based on the reaction from CC and Judge. You don’t assume victim status if you’re just as culpable

[jung]

Now I am really smelling a rat in this. The Sox just spent 40 minutes in a press conference saying nothing beyond "we parted company with Alex entirely over his involvement in Houston".

 

Ah-huh. Watch, we are going to see another report that completely absolves Ownership for anything to do with 2018 if not makes an effort to white wash 2018. The Houston report completely absolved Houston ownership.

 

So Red Sox catch no flak for hiring Cora in the first place again following the "pure as the driven slush" profile of MLB ownership. They don't even make a single solitary effort to offer that it might just have been a mistake to hire the guy.