My advice to Astros fans is to embrace the villainy.
If the league actually conducts a thorough, earnest review of allegations made that other teams including the Yankees, Dodgers, Brewers, etc. were in engaged in the same activity and finds nothing, then perhaps I would change my stance. However, I have no expectation of that happening.
I attended Super Bowl LI between the Patriots and Falcons. No one would ever describe me as a Pats fan, quite the contrary, actually. If you’ll recall, this game played after a season in the wake of Delfategate and/or Spygate – really it’s difficult to keep up with all the Pats various infractions. Nonetheless, I have to say that I was truly impressed by the Pats fans’ response during the postgame trophy ceremony. One might assume they were overcome with joy or elation after the historic comeback. Perhaps that was the case, but the manifestation of whatever emotions they were feeling at the time was unbridled, stentorian booing of Roger Goodell. The booing was so loud that I couldn’t hear a single word that came out of Roger Goodell’s mouth during the entire ceremony. The confetti was still streaming down and all that anyone in the stadium could possibly hear were boos.
All I want this season is for the Astros to fucking rake and to watch Rob Manfred hand the Astros a trophy while having no fucking clue or ability to hear whatever pointless drivel is coming out of his mouth.
Any ideas on what umps will do differently calling pitches this year? They could make or break games when we’re batting. They evidently never did anything previously
My question on the umps is not balls and strikes. They’ll do their usual on those.
But he will they handle the inevitable reprisal pitches? Do we go into every game with a warning in effect? Are opposing teams going to get a freebie and we get tagged for any retaliation?
What jumped out to me is that they only spoke about 2017 and denied doing anything in 2018. The report obviously contradicts that, which is weird. The only particularly concrete statement is that the device accusation is total horseshit.
I am now full on 100% with embracing it and being the villain. Nothing that anyone says is ever going to be enough for the idiot mob. And the words just get twisted. I thought AJ Hinch did mostly a hell of a job in his interview and he was excoriated. There is no way to win and no reason to try to placate the crybabies.
There is going to be hell to pay if one of our guys gets a Dickie Thon type injury.
Well, if we’re going to lean into the heel turn and embrace being villains, allow me to humbly suggest that the team adopt the following songs for their walk-up music:
T. Rex, “Bang a Gong”
The Five Man Electric Band, “Signs”
Ace of Base, “The Sign”
Spoon, “I Turn My Camera On”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”
Killer Tofu, “Bangin’ on a Trash Can” (from the now-defunct children’s television show Doug)
What else should be on the list? You know the road ballparks are going to do this to try to get their goat–might as well have a little fun with it first.
Nicki Manaj - “Bang Bang”
Green Day - “Bang Bang”
Frank Sinatra - “Bang Bang (She Shot Me Down)”
Knoc-turn’al - “Bang Bang”
Capone-N-Noreaga - “Bang Bang”
Duran Duran - “Big Bang Generation”
John Lee Hooker - “Bang Bang Bang Bang”
So there are a lot of options just in the “bang” oeuvre.