Stealing Signs - No, not freeway signs
The late Eddie Guerrero said, "if you're not cheating, you not trying. Joe Montana, when asked about the allegations of cheating by the New England Patriots modified that statement. "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying." Cheating runs rampant in sports, particularly at the professional level. The stakes are higher.
Many fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers are saying that Major League Baseball should declare them the winners of the 2017 and 2018 World Series titles, given that both Houston and Boston cheated by stealing signs. Is that realistic? No. The Los Angeles City Council has more important things to focus on, rather than passing a meaningless resolution calling on MLB to award those titles to the Dodgers.
The Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred debunked that resolution. There is no proof that the Dodgers would have won without the stealing of signs. However, what MLB has done is not sufficient.
The punishments meted out to the Astros were a $5 million fine, loss of some draft picks and the team's general manager and manager were suspended from baseball for one year. The players were left with their rings, their bonuses and their status as champions.
What should MLB do?
1. Vacate the title. Declare there to have been no World Series champion in 2017.
2. Fine every Astro who appeared as a batter in the 2017 post-season.
3. Suspend every Astro who appeared as a batter in the 2017 post-season for at least one game in the upcoming 2020 regular season.
As to the 2018 World Series, we need to wait until the investigation is over as to whether or not the Red Sox cheated. If they did, then a similar series of punishments should be handed down.
I find it interesting that baseball will not hesitate to punish individual players for using performance enhancing substances, domestic violence and other allegations of criminal behavior. The difference is that such things are individual behavior. When players collude to cheat as a team, the Commissioner refuses to take action against said players. Why?
Many fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers are saying that Major League Baseball should declare them the winners of the 2017 and 2018 World Series titles, given that both Houston and Boston cheated by stealing signs. Is that realistic? No. The Los Angeles City Council has more important things to focus on, rather than passing a meaningless resolution calling on MLB to award those titles to the Dodgers.
The Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred debunked that resolution. There is no proof that the Dodgers would have won without the stealing of signs. However, what MLB has done is not sufficient.
The punishments meted out to the Astros were a $5 million fine, loss of some draft picks and the team's general manager and manager were suspended from baseball for one year. The players were left with their rings, their bonuses and their status as champions.
What should MLB do?
1. Vacate the title. Declare there to have been no World Series champion in 2017.
2. Fine every Astro who appeared as a batter in the 2017 post-season.
3. Suspend every Astro who appeared as a batter in the 2017 post-season for at least one game in the upcoming 2020 regular season.
As to the 2018 World Series, we need to wait until the investigation is over as to whether or not the Red Sox cheated. If they did, then a similar series of punishments should be handed down.
I find it interesting that baseball will not hesitate to punish individual players for using performance enhancing substances, domestic violence and other allegations of criminal behavior. The difference is that such things are individual behavior. When players collude to cheat as a team, the Commissioner refuses to take action against said players. Why?
posted by me at 6:53 PM
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