Rosenthal says the Red Sox and seven other teams basically did the same as the Astros. That does not justify anything the Astros did, but it does demand equal scrutiny and equal punishment.
Good grief, this has been going on for decades. This happens literally every single season. It was considered bush league, but it was an open secret. Every single team does or has done this. Every. Single. One. Nobody cared. Fiers has been telling anyone that would listen for three years. Nobody cared. This is all 100%, completely, manufactured outrage.
I could do this all day. If I was the owner, I would not be playing nice. I would be lining up the dream team and blow the top right off of this thing. Grow some damn balls.
I’m of the opinion that if Brandon Taubman wasn’t a drunken idiot after game 6 of the ALCS, the initial story is never written. His stupidity and the Astros tone-deaf initial response sent many reporters over the edge to protect one of their own, and when Drellich and Rosenthal had the chance to destroy the Astros’ reputation in the following weeks, they took it.