Posted By: vonBaur
Houston Hammered - 01/14/20 03:22 AM
No, I'm not talking about another hurricane. Nor is it in reference to the Texans' disintegration in Kansas City on Sunday and belong on the "The Other Football Tread". No, this is about Major League Baseball's Houston Astros and their now-tainted 2017 World Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It's been determined that the Astros had a rather complex system in place to steal the Dodgers' pitching signals and relay them to their batters. This was long considered impossible because it would require reading the signal from the catcher, normally only visible in a fairly direct line from the catcher to the pitcher and then, theoretically, extending on forever. And while the signs are easily visible from the center field stands one would need optics with some serious magnification to see the catcher's fingers at that distance, and someone sitting there with binoculars or a telephoto lens capable of that would stand out like a sore thumb. Then there's the problem of letting the batter know what's coming within the few seconds from sign to pitch without having him take his attention off the pitcher AND without someone noticing the relay. So, yeah...not really possible. But where there's a will, there's a way.
It seems the system had someone with a camera hidden in the outfield, who would relay the sign by text message (probably simple numbers to indicate the type and location of the pitch) to a person in the dugout, who would then bang on a trash can to let the batter know what's coming. The noise was noticed by the broadcasters, but they didn't believe it could have been part of a scheme to steal signs.
Anyway, MLB has fined the Astros FIVE MILLION DOLLARS, the maximum allowable by League rules, took several draft picks, and suspended the manager and the general manager. The team took it a step further and fired both men. No players have been disciplined, but it's impossible for this to work without their being in on it. Personally, I think they should vacate the championship as well, with the players required to forfeit their winners' bonus and their rings.
My question in all this is will Roger Goodell follow Rob Manfred's lead and FINALLY take some serious, definitive action against the New England Patriots. The Astros got caught ONCE. The Pats HAVE GOTTEN CAUGHT four times and there's no telling how many times they got away with it, but it stands to reason it was a LOT.
It's been determined that the Astros had a rather complex system in place to steal the Dodgers' pitching signals and relay them to their batters. This was long considered impossible because it would require reading the signal from the catcher, normally only visible in a fairly direct line from the catcher to the pitcher and then, theoretically, extending on forever. And while the signs are easily visible from the center field stands one would need optics with some serious magnification to see the catcher's fingers at that distance, and someone sitting there with binoculars or a telephoto lens capable of that would stand out like a sore thumb. Then there's the problem of letting the batter know what's coming within the few seconds from sign to pitch without having him take his attention off the pitcher AND without someone noticing the relay. So, yeah...not really possible. But where there's a will, there's a way.
It seems the system had someone with a camera hidden in the outfield, who would relay the sign by text message (probably simple numbers to indicate the type and location of the pitch) to a person in the dugout, who would then bang on a trash can to let the batter know what's coming. The noise was noticed by the broadcasters, but they didn't believe it could have been part of a scheme to steal signs.
Anyway, MLB has fined the Astros FIVE MILLION DOLLARS, the maximum allowable by League rules, took several draft picks, and suspended the manager and the general manager. The team took it a step further and fired both men. No players have been disciplined, but it's impossible for this to work without their being in on it. Personally, I think they should vacate the championship as well, with the players required to forfeit their winners' bonus and their rings.
My question in all this is will Roger Goodell follow Rob Manfred's lead and FINALLY take some serious, definitive action against the New England Patriots. The Astros got caught ONCE. The Pats HAVE GOTTEN CAUGHT four times and there's no telling how many times they got away with it, but it stands to reason it was a LOT.
Exactly PM, Late 60's