Astros Re-Sign Joe Smith

Stop lying, that ball was over the plate, and Altuve’s reach is very good for his size. Especially when a ball hangs so badly. Pitchers and hitters alike know this. It’s why the emphasis is on keeping breaking pitches down in the first place. How do you think he made so much contact in his career? This includes his seasons with the Lastros too, so don’t even go on about cameras. Chapman made a bad pitch and he knew it. Watch his reaction, just like when Mariano knew he did the same thing back in the day.

… ok? And that has what to do with Altuve hitting a slider into 2020? I asked for more evidence, you said, wait for evidence, but then insists that it makes me an idiot for requesting more evidence. So sorry if I’m not eager to just come to your side, compadre. I know I have to wait, but I was asking what other fans thought the Astros were doing to cheat. Didn’t ask for this fist-waving and you’ll-be-sorry assurances. But, thanks? I guess? Not really. But, if you’re satisfied then that’s cool.

Yeah, in 2017. And their reason was definitely sketchy but I guess that’s how it goes in MLB. It’s also why I wanted to know, outside of an article written by a New York writer and focused on 2017, if there were any clear-cut cases of cheating since then. It’s what I’ve asked for over and over.

Is Braun stripped of the MVP? No. So I don’t get how this sets a new precedent. Aaron Judge is still spotless after the Yankees got fined for infractions that year. We don’t know the extent of the cheating and should wait for a full report, is what I’ve been saying. But instead of being patient, you keep attacking. Are you ok? Cheating sucks, yeah, but to strip titles for it is NCAA-level treatment and it’s not what’s been done before. So yeah I think it’s an overreaction.

Either one represents a bad violation because you also can’t say (until the report comes out) how often this method was used to steal signs and alert batters of the pitch. In the case of PEDs, they are going to heighten your recovery and sharpness for the whole season continuously, or however long he was on them. That he chose to respond by calling his accusers anti-Semites is just the icing on the cake. You can’t just take one and then deride the other. This selectively extreme reinforcement of policy is why Pete Rose is banned from the game that he played an instrumental role in publicizing. So either come down hard on people who go outside the rules, or don’t.

Except…. there has? In 2017 the Red Sox got fined for using Apple Watches. The Yankees received a smaller fine for using a dugout phone (whether it was for that season or not, I am not sure, and admittedly don’t know). This has happened before, but you are singling out the Astros, and my first guess is that it’s because their team-building is simply better than the Yankees over the past half-decade, which leads to postseason victories. But, I won’t assume that because I get that there’s outrage. But no, it has happened, and frankly you don’t know what level it was on. So stop acting like you’re Manfred, dude. It’s not scaring anyone on the Internet and you’re not dunking on anyone and making me feel bad if the Astros are guilty, because it’s a game. You also cannot say the effectiveness of PEDs. You do not know that for sure at all and I would venture to say you aren’t a professional athlete. Sign stealing does not make PEDs okay, and vice versa. We can probably agree on that. I am talking about precedents for how to respond rule violations. Actually, I was asking how the Astros could be proved cheating based on what fans have seen after the 2017 season, but I will not get that answer from you, and I know that.