Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The sports world has been waiting since November to hear apologies from the Houston Astros for the sign-stealing scandal that rocked the baseball offseason.
The sports world has been waiting since November to hear apologies from the Houston Astros for the sign-stealing scandal that rocked the baseball offseason.
Pete Rose is asking MLB commissioner Rob Manfred for another chance.
Pete Rose is asking MLB commissioner Rob Manfred for another chance.
USA Today Sports is reporting that Rose and his representation sent a 19-page letter to Manfred on Wednesday, asking for his name to be removed from MLB’s ineligible list. He was banned for life from baseball in 1989 for betting on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
Rose’s argument points to the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and Manfred’s hesitance to punish active players for their participation in a scheme that almost certainly changed the outcome of games.
Here’s an excerpt of the letter sent to Manfred from Rose’s representation:
“However, in recent years, intentional and covert acts by current and past owners, managers, coaches, and players altered the outcomes of numerous games, including the World Series, and illegally enhanced both team and player performance. It has never been suggested, let alone established, that any of Mr. Rose’s actions influenced the outcome of any game or the performance of any player. Yet for the thirty-first year and counting, he continues to suffer a punishment vastly disproportionate to those who have done just that.”
Rose petitioned Manfred to be reinstated in 2015 but was denied. If Rose were to be reinstated, he would be eligible for consideration for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
In light of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, Pete Rose is asking for another chance.
In light of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, Pete Rose is asking for another chance.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were each suspended without pay for the 2020 season.
Major League Baseball came down hard on the Astros for sign-stealing during the team’s 2017 World Series season. Then, owner Jim Crane further dropped the hammer.
Monday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were each suspended without pay for the 2020 season. Crane announced later that he has dismissed both men from their positions with his ball club. Joe Espada has been named the interim manager in Houston for 2020.
MLB’s punishment includes the Astros having to forfeit their first- and second-round draft picks in both the 2020 and 2021 drafts and MLB also fined the team $5 million, which is the maximum fine allowed.
Additionally, former Assistant GM Brandon Taubman, who was dismissed by the Astros following insensitive commentary targeted at female reporters, has been suspended one year. Taubman is not currently working for a team and is not eligible to do so during that time. His suspension is effective immediately.
MLB investigated the club after a report by The Athletic detailed the way it used a camera positioned in the outfield to detect signs. Players in a room with a monitor showing the video would relay signs to batters by banging on a trash can.
The results of the investigation reveal that the efforts were primarily player-driven, but that former bench coach and current Red Sox manager Alex Cora was involved in the setup. The investigation followed a detailed report by The Athletic on the cheating. MLB is currently still investigating the red sox after a similar report by the same outlet.
Discipline for Cora is reportedly coming and, “will be harsh,” according to ESPN.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were each suspended without pay for the 2020 season.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were each suspended without pay for the 2020 season.
In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.
Four former Houston Astros players are confirming long-standing suspicions that the team steals signs. In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, written by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.
The report does more than explain the tactics used by Houston to sign steal, it also asserts that sign-stealing — although deemed illegal by MLB — is rampant in the majors and is an issue that the league is not cracking down on.
In addition to three anonymous former Astros speaking to their experiences with Houston’s sign-stealing during its 2017 World Series season, pitcher Mike Fiers is identified in the article as a source. The group claims that the Astros positioned a video camera in the outfield at Minute Maid Park and used a video screen in the home dugout to decode signs that were being used by the opposing team’s catcher.
Conflicting memories of when in 2017 the Astros employed the sign-stealing tactics are included in The Athletic’s report, which says “Two sources said the Astros’ use of the system extended into the 2017 playoffs. Another source adamantly denied that, saying the system ended before the postseason.”
Houston has denied sign-stealing as recently as during the 2019 ALCS when the New York Yankees believed the team was using whistling noises to indicate a particular pitch was coming. The Astros also denied similar claims during the 2018 ALCS when reports said that the team was caught sign-stealing versus the Boston Red Sox.
The Astros declined to comment on The Athletic’s report and MLB’s statement in the article acknowledges teams and sign stealing in a general sense, pointing to changes in the MLB policy that were made before the 2019 season following league-wide complaints in 2017.
MLB is investigating the Astros culture, following the firing of assistant GM Brandon Taubman, and the deep dive could be expanded to find out which members of the organization were and are aware of the sign stealing.
In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.
In a report published Tuesday by The Athletic, four members of the 2017 World Series team detail the way the team stole signs during home games.
