Punishments are official

TalkZone
21

Not really different at all. Pretty similar, in fact.

I’m wondering who’ll manage the All-Star Game. I’m assuming Aaron Boone, but who knows.

22

I think it would be fair if the Brewers manager did it!

23

state of shock… plyers seemed to get along with hinch so well

24

Espada will take over as interim manager.

25

Crane just dismissed Luhnow and Hinch

26

really?

27

I’m watching the press conference. He said he had two announcements and that was the first one. My feed cut out during the second.

28

WTF. I want AJ back.

29

Fuck you, Crane. Are you firing players, too?

30

Bad moves.

Crane said they will look for someone to manage the team. Crane said he will oversee baseball ops for now.

Jerry Jones 2.0?

31

This may be my first season ever without MLB.

2 Likes
32

I cant believe this BS. If I was them I would be calling my lawyer right now. Think I am done for awhile again.

33

I’m so mad. The firings made me madder than the punishment. Luhnows and Hinches don’t grow on trees.

34

This is actual chickenshit by Crane. If he were so concerned about going “above and beyond” he would have fired them before any suspensions were announced.

35

Obviously the suspensions were what I expected, but never did I think Crane would turn around and fire AJ. Total BS. Also, wouldnt be surprised to see Cora banned for more than a year.

36

Here’s the official findings from MLB (9 pages, single-spaced). The high-level points of interest, as I see them:

  • Crane had no knowledge of any of it and was “extrarodinarily troubled and upset” by the conduct.
  • The scheme started out by using the center field camera to decode signs for use by a player on second base. The info was conveyed multiple ways: (a) a player would relay the info to the dugout and signal the player on second (b) Alex Cora would use the replay phone to get the sign info from the replay room, © dude in the replay room texted it to a smart watch or a cell phone stored nearby.
  • Two months into the season, Beltran said “we can do better at stealing signs.” At that point, Cora had the center field camera (authorized by MLB for player development) rerouted behind the dugout. This is when the trash can banging began.
  • The scheme was “player-driven” and Cora was the only player involved in the trash can banging, but basically everyone heard or saw the banging.
  • The replay room continued to decode signs even after the trash can thing started.
  • Both the replay room and the center field monitor were used to decode signs into the 2017 post-season, but the report stops short of saying that those decoded signs were conveyed to players on the field.
  • Most 2017 position players recieved sign information somehow, and players said that if AJ said stop, they would have stopped. AJ didn’t say, in words, to stop, but he was opposed to the scheme and destroyed the replay monitor twice. Manfred says Hinch should have taken his concerns to Luhnow. Hard to disagree there.
  • “The investigation uncovered no evidence that Astros players utilized the banging scheme in 2018,” but the replay room continued to decode signs and convey them through in-person communication. This practice stopped at some point in 2018 because the players no longer believed it to be effective.
  • No evidence of cheating in 2018 post-season or 2019.
  • The Astros’ “top baseball operations officials” did not direct or plan the scheme, and while there are some emails to Luhnow that mention the replay room efforts, but the report doesn’t seem to care whether Luhnow knew–he’s taking the fall due to “a failure…to adequately manage the employees under [his] supervision, to establish a culture in which adherence to the rule is ingrained in the fabric of the organization, and to stop bad behavior as soon as it occurred.” I’m sure all other front offices have managed to live up to this standard.
  • Players are not being held responsible for their own conduct because Manfred “made the decision in September 2017” that the GM and field manager would be held accountable for this kind of conduct. Plus, punishing players is difficult and impractical.
  • Taking a cue from Evan Drellich, Manfred also takes general potshots at the “culture” of the baseball operations department.
37

I cant get over AJ getting canned same with Luhnow. Suspensions were warranted, unfortunately. Crane really over reacted.

38

Wonder if Crane was pressured.

They should have done better, but they deserved better too.

Golden era done.

39

This is one hell of a void.

40

Horrible move by Crane. The players really seem to like AJ. Lunhow and AJ built the team that has been so successful. Not good.