Houston Astros 2020 thread............

I read the 15 page report. The only useful part is how Watkins worked (pretty simple) and why it stopped for the 2018 post season and beyond (MLB sat in the replay room starting then). The remaining 14 pages are either a cover-up or joke.
The most egregious reads as a 'why this isn't a big deal':
even when Watkins utilized in-game video to revise his advance work, the information was only useful if the opposing team did not again change its sequence after Watkins passed along the information to players, and, only then, if the Red Sox baserunner was able to recognize the sequence provided by Watkins and also inform the batter through a gesture that was understood correctly by the batter.
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Can you imagine if the Astros report said 'the information was only useful if the opposing team did not again change its sequence after the trash can bang passed along the information to players, and, only then, if the batter heard the bang before the pitch, understood the bang's meaning, and had time to swing.'
The second worse is
Each Club’s General Manager and Field Manager will be held accountable for ensuring that all of the rules outlined herein are followed by players and Club personnel.
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along with
the prohibition on utilizing the replay room to decode signs was not effectively communicated to Red Sox players, and most Red Sox players said that they were unaware that MLB’s rules in 2018 prohibited Watkins from using the replay room during the game to decode signs.
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So where's the punishment for Cora or O'Halloran?
The Club’s front office took more than reasonable steps to ensure that its employees, including Watkins, adhered to the rules.
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Oh. I thought the players were employees?
 
Joe Fan said:
RIP Bob Watson, and "let them play"
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Just an odd Bob Watson story

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The best games by 1 batter for every club

ASTROS: Jeff Bagwell -- June 24, 1994 vs. Dodgers
In the midst of his MVP season, Bagwell went 4-for-5 with a club-record-tying three homers off three different pitchers in a 16-4 win over the Dodgers in the Astrodome. He’s one of only four players in Astros history to have 13 total bases in one game, along with Morgan Ensberg (May 15, 2005), Lee May (June 21, 1973) and Joe Morgan (July 8 1965).

The three homers came in a span of three innings, including a pair of homers in a nine-run sixth in which Bagwell became the 28th player to homer twice in one inning. Bagwell hit a towering one-out, solo homer to left field off Ramon Martinez in the sixth, and later in that frame homered off Rudy Seanez, a three-shot into the Astros’ bullpen in right. Bagwell’s third homer came off lefty Brian Barnes in the eighth.

“It’s my biggest night ever,” Bagwell said after the game. “I mean, I hit three home runs in college, but what’s that, against the University of Richmond? This is the big leagues.”

Bagwell hit .368 with 39 homers and 116 RBIs in only 110 games that season, breaking his hand just before baseball went on strike. -- Brian McTaggart
​

 
Max Scherzer makes it sound like there will be no pro baseball at all, over money of course

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I haven't watched a regular season MLB game in person or on TV since 1994 when the last strike happened. I used to be a nut, tracked stats, watched games daily, etc. At the time I was struggling making $5/hr barely making rent and it just left a sour taste so I have zero interest anymore. Both sides have every right to negotiate, but they need to do a better job of what goes out into the media instead of fighting the battle through the media. Hell, they won't even meet to discuss this.

If the millionaires and billionaires don't stop fighting about money in public in the middle of a time when so many have no money then end up not having a season because of money, they will turn off a lot more fans like me and will seriously hurt the MLB. I really don't care if MLB even exists after this year, but I find it hilarious how stupid these people are about their fights.
 
MLB has screwed the pooch.
The should have begun second Spring Training by June 1 and be playing games this month, in time for a fun July 4 period full of baseball.
But, instead, the players and their agents are fighting with the owners over money.
This while the rest of the country is struggling with this virus and their jobs and so forth.
It's a bad look.
 
Joe Fan said:
MLB has screwed the pooch.
The should have begun second Spring Training by June 1 and be playing games this month, in time for a fun July 4 period full of baseball.
But, instead, the players and their agents are fighting with the owners over money.
This while the rest of the country is struggling with this virus and their jobs and so forth.
It's a bad look.
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We had a situation in Houston the other day where ~60,000 protesters/rioters were crammed in front of City Hall all together at street level
MMP only seats ~43,000 and it is spread over 5 different levels but there is still no baseball
Weird times
 
Joe Fan said:
We had a situation in Houston the other day where ~60,000 protesters/rioters were crammed in front of City Hall all together at street level
MMP only seats ~43,000 and it is spread over 5 different levels but there is still no baseball
Weird times
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Not weird Joe - just two greedy groups who could care less about the fans trying to extract all they can from the other side.
 
Joe Fan said:
This was the first-ever Major League postseason game played in Houston.

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As sad as the ultimate outcomes in 1980 and 1986 were for Houston, those two Series were, for a long time, the greatest in post-season history.

Still won't forgive Knepper for blowing that lead but, damn...Puhl was a beast in those five games...
 
mb227 said:
As sad as the ultimate outcomes in 1980 and 1986 were for Houston, those two Series were, for a long time, the greatest in post-season history.

Still won't forgive Knepper for blowing that lead but, damn...Puhl was a beast in those five games...
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The umps actually blew the second out of a double play that would have gotten Knepper off the hook. Keith Hernandez slapped his leg with his left hand knowing the 1st base ump was watching for the foot on the bag, while listening for the sound of the ball hitting the glove. He got duped. Still photos the next day show he was safe by a pretty wide margin. Run scores, game over right there.
 
The Yankees, of course, got special protection
And Manfred was in on the fix

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As a reminder --

2017 home-road splits:
Jose Altuve:
Home - .311/.371/.463
Road - .381/.449/.633

Aaron Judge:
Home - .312/.440/.725
Road - .256/.404/.531

​
Career home-road splits:
Jose Altuve:
Home - .310/.364/.464
Road - .319/.363/.462

Aaron Judge:
Home - .315/.433/.647
Road - .233/.355/.472​
 
MLB scapegoated the Astros (thanks to Fiers)
Questionable use of Technology? Blame it on the Astros
Juiced baseball ? Blamed on Rawllings in 2019
Juiced players? Blamed on Bonds, McGwire and Sosa
Drug use (cocaine and amphetamines)? Blamed on the 1985 Pittsburgh Pirates
It's what MLB does, they find a scapegoat and sweep the rest of it under the rug. MLB itself never bears responsibility for anything.



 
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