It was reported this week that "everyone" in major league baseball knew the Astros were cheating at least as far back as 2016.
Alex Bregman: "I am really sorry about the choices that were made by my team, by the organization and by me. I have learned from this and I hope to regain the trust of baseball fans." ['Mistakes were made'. Mentions himself last.]
Jose Altuve: "[The] whole Astros organization feels bad for what happened in 2017. ... [I] especially feel remorse for the impact on our fans and the game of baseball." [They felt so bad they resolved to never say anything to anyone forever.]
Yuli Gurriel: "No one put a gun to our head ... It would be a lie to say that one or two people are responsible."
George Springer: "We are all responsible."
Justin Verlander: "Once I spent some time and understood what was happening, I wish I had said more. I can't go back and reverse my decision. I wish I had said more and I didn't." [(1) You had 2+ years to say something. (2) Wish you had said more? What exactly did you say at all?]
Marwin Gonzalez: "I'm remorseful for everything that happened in 2017. ... I wish we could take it back and do it a different way, but there's nothing we can do." [Oh, how I wish we had not cheated and lost in the 2017 ALDS rather than winning the World Series. But that's the way it goes.]
The Astros' timeline looks something like this:
2016: Began (?) cheating. 84-78, 3rd in NL West.One important thing the Astros learned is that MLB will not punish cheating players as long as enough of them are cheating.
Off-season: Hope fact of cheating does not become public.2017: Continue cheating in new and different ways. 101-61, 1st in AL West, World Series Champions.
Off-season: Hope fact of cheating does not become public.2018: Continue cheating in new and different ways. 103-59, 1st in AL West, lost ALCS.
Off-season: Hope fact of cheating does not become public.2019: Continue cheating in new and different ways. 107-55, 1st in AL West, lost World Series.
Off-season: Hope fact of cheating does not become public. ... Fact of becomes public. (Dammit) ... Express sorrow (in passive voice) about "choices that were made", say everyone "feels bad", wish you had "said more" or could "take it back", emphasize that you "have learned from this".
The Athletic: "Dave Hudgens knew why the Astros were banging trash cans. He let it go on. Now he says he's sorry"
ReplyDelete(Hudgens was Houston's hitting coach in 2017. Last season the Blue Jays hired him as bench coach.)
"When I first heard about it, it was during a game. The season had been going for a little bit. I don’t remember exact dates or anything, I just remember sitting in the dugout and heard some bangs going on. After it went on for a little while, I asked a player sitting next to me – I can’t remember who it was – ‘What’s the banging going on back there?’ ... And he said, ‘Oh, they’re letting him know a breaking ball’s coming,’ or whatever. I said, ‘Wow. OK.’ And so I wish at that point I would’ve gone to A.J. and said, ‘Maybe this isn’t the right thing to do. What do you think?’ But we didn’t. So now we’re dealing with it. ... I should’ve gone into A.J.’s office and said something, like any of us should’ve done. But we didn’t. And I really can’t even think of what I was thinking back then, to be honest with you."
[So just so I understand: You never went home at night and said, “Geez, I don’t think we should be doing this.” You didn’t have any kind of regrets or doubts about it at the time it was happening?]
"No, not that I can remember. I don’t remember thinking that."
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Honestly, I don't see any reason why MLB shouldn't strip the 2017 World Series title from the Astros. I'm not saying give it to the Dodgers, but simply show that there was no winner for 2017.
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