The Red Sox announced Tuesday evening that manager Alex Cora will not return as their manager in 2020. The news comes one day after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the results of his investigation into the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, wherein Cora was revealed to be one of the architects of Houston’s trash-can system. The Red Sox organization issued the following statement:
Today we met to discuss the Commissioner’s report related to the Houston Astros investigation. Given the findings and the Commissioner’s ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward and we mutually agreed to part ways.
The Red Sox’ usage of “mutually agreed to part ways” notwithstanding, there’s no way that Cora would’ve been ousted as manager were it not for his role in the sign-stealing scandal. It’s been extraordinarily difficult to fathom a scenario in which Cora would’ve stayed on as manager after Houston GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were fired by the Astros yesterday, given his involvement in the Astros’ scandal as well as the current investigation of the Red Sox’ 2018 . The now-former manager issued a statement of his own:
“I want to thank John, Tom, Sam, the players, our coaching staff and the entire Red Sox organization. I especially want to thank my family for their love and support. We agreed today that parting ways was the best thing for the organization. I do not want to be a distraction to the Red Sox as they move forward. My two years as manager were the best years of my life. It was an honor to manage these teams and help bring a World Series Championship back to Boston. I will forever be indebted to the organization and the fans who supported me as a player, a manager and in my efforts to help Puerto Rico. This is a special place. There is nothing like it in all of baseball, and I will miss it dearly.”
As was the case when Houston let go of its GM-manager tandem, this represents a stunning turn of mid-winter events for Boston. In terms of wins and losses, the two-year Cora era was especially fruitful for the Red Sox. As Cora mentioned, he helped the club to a championship in 2018 – his first year on the job and one in which it piled up a whopping 108 regular-season victories before steamrolling the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers in the playoffs. Of course, now that the league’s investigating Cora, there are perhaps questions about the legitimacy of that title.
Last season was far less successful for Cora and the Red Sox, though they were still an above-average team that won 84 games. Now, depending on how MLB disciplines Cora, that could go down as his final season as a manager in the league. Cora’s reportedly facing “harsh” punishment for his misdeeds, so the end of his Red Sox tenure seems likely to serve as a forerunner to a significant suspension.
The Boston organization, like Houston, now finds itself in the once-unimaginable position of suddenly having to find a new manager just weeks before pitchers and catchers report to camp. The responsibility rests with new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, who inherited Cora from ousted president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
This post was originally published on 1-14-20.
Check out our new video below (app users click here), as MLBTR’s Jeff Todd lays out the implications of Cora’s dismissal as well as the Twins’ signing of Josh Donaldson.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
SEE YA
Mike Fiers, man…Mike Fiers.
Need more guys like him.
he cheated with pine tar during his no hitter.
What you mean – a guy who had no problem with it while he was on the team and got a ring? Only called it out wherever his career is winding down? That the type of guy we need? Let’s not pretend Fiers is some unselfish hero of the game.
Really? More like him? A guy who cheated while throwing a no hitter and is totally fine with the Astros while it was happening – the rumor is he was bent he was let go from the team and wanted to get back at the Astros … PS he isn’t giving his ring back is he?
Who told you this? News to me. And BTW, he has two no hitters to his name.
What do the two no hitters have to do with anything?
search on youtoube mike fiers cheating and you can find clear evidence.
Here’s video evidence:
https://youtu.be/RhUUTkIxpp0
fiers is a snitch
The problem with so many Astros fans on this site is they’re more angry at an ex-Astro that called out the cheating than the fact that their team systematically cheated for multiple years.
BTW, Fiers went 15 – 4 with a 2.9 WAR in ’19, yet Astros fans making it out like he’s some scrub that shouldn’t be in baseball.
What a joke.
Waaah mike fiers waaah
@HarveyD82
“fiers is a snitch”
Sorry but that’s just prison talk. Are you an inmate?
You should e-mail your link to MLB since evidently you have incontrovertible proof.
If it was your favorite team, and the only championship you ever won was on the line, I GUARANTEE you’d have the same reaction.
And let’s not forget he was the only player to say anything. And the rat did it after he had left the team! Grudges and contempt for his former team quite evident.
I’d be furious at the organization that they felt the need to cheat, especially considering the undeniable talent that the team posses. I’d be mad as hell at my team’s management.
And Cora etal are scumbags. I’ll take the snitch every day of the week.
Surely your not saying YouTube is “ evidence”
No, most are upset that he did it the way he did. If you are going to make him out to be some hero you’d be wrong – if that was the case he would have called it out in 2017.
And it is ok to be angry at both of them.
Excellent point
The Astros were idiots to think they could get away with it. Of Course Fiers is going to tell his new teammates something is going on. You think anyone pitcher is going to keep that quiet?
I think you people are nuts.
So you are angry at the whistleblower but seemingly ok with the cheaters. Interesting.
So you are angry at the whistleblower but seemingly ok with the cheaters. Interesting.
He did it for his own purposes. There is no way he set out to help baseball. I don’t believe his story of how he felt bad for pitchers and other players. But in the end he did help the game by kinda ending all this nonsense. I don’t recognize the Astros or the Red Sox world championships in 2017 and 2018. They will forever be tainted
Youre a coward who hates the game
Yes the record books will forever say asterisk- Jubilee doesnt approve
Even though I stated this on another thread, I’m going to state it again here. For ALL of you whining about not recognizing championships, lifetime ban, etc this is for you. The 2017 Astros were 52-27 in AWAY games. THAT was tied for 1st in MLB. Yes, they cheated. Yes, they were caught (ratted out, snitched or WHATEVER you want to call it). 3 men lost their jobs. However the 2017 Astros were among the BEST for the year. They did WIN. No, I’m not an Astros fan nor apologist. I’m a baseball fan and my favorite team is the Atlanta Braves.
You nailed it
Lol
How about the Astros not do anything that can be snitched on
53-28 was their record.
Prospectnvstr – So what. They cheated on the road too.
The Astros cheating had agent in other players as well. How about the pitchers who got shelled due to the cheating and either got benched, sent down etc? There are more than just Astros players affected.
affect on not agent in.
What was their home/ road record in the playoffs in 2017?
well said
I have to completely agree with you Damon.
It is just like the vast majority of Braves’ fans when they got the hammer brought down on their organization. Instead of acknowledging
his wrongdoings and placing the blame on Coppy and his scouts, the vast majority of Braves’ fans wanted to just complain that the Braves weren’t the only organization doing it, and that the Braves were somehow just getting called out because somehow everyone hates to see the Braves succeed and do well..lol
Absolutely ridiculous, just own up to the fact your favorite team got caught trying to get away with breaking the rules. Take the punishment, come to terms with it, and move on hoping they learned their lesson..Its really that simple, complaining and placing blame elsewhere just makes you look IGNORANT and like a PETULANT CHILD!!
exactly, he’s a bum
Saavedra- Capt Obvious says: every sgl pitcher in mlb uses ‘foreign substances.’ They are not fixing their hat and clothes before each pitch because they’re ill-fitting!
8-1 at home, 3-6 on the road. OPS was .862 as a team at home, .631 on the road. 5.7 runs per game at home, 3.0 on the road. .273 BA at home, .208 on the road.
Exactly. Didn’t see him complaining while he was on the team and he certainly didn’t return his ring or his World Series share. He has one more season on his contract and then he will slink off. No team will sign him. You have to be able to trust your teammates and no one trusts Fiers now.
He wasn’t on the post season roster – so no ring, no post season share. But why let facts get in the way of your rant? Why – for that matter – trust a colleague with integrity?
Fiers was a scrub when he was with the Astros. He also didn’t come out while he was benefitting from the cheating with the Astros. He only came out after the Astros beat him silly for 2 seasons with the A’s. He is going to pay the same penalty that Cora will, he will never play another game in MLB after 2020 regardless of how he pitches.
Fiers has no room to talk about cheating when he used pine tar constantly including in his no hitter. He cheated in that way and he cheated in his starts with the Astros since he knew about the sign stealing and said nothing at that time.
You don’t have to be on the spots season roster to get a ring. He still got a ring.
A snitch. You pathetic POS!!!!! Cheating is unacceptable. It doesn’t matter how it came out. Cheating is cheating and should not be tolerated. If you want cheating, then go join a cheating league. Otherwise STFU!!!!
Not only players. Did this cause Girardi hid job? The record and home/away splits during the post season are very telling.
All the praise they got that year from being one of the worst strikeout teams to the best During the 2016/2017 offseason, which was attributed to the analytics dept and pitch recognition… well we now know they recognized pitches very, very well. They were marching to the beat of that trash can…
Exactly Derrick Rose’s brother, Darryl!!
Dead on.
Youtube can absolutely be evidence. Maybe you need to look up what that word means
Using capitalized words makes you look like an ignorant child. Also, you don’t know what petulant means.
Wasn’t Fiers the one who used pine tar to throw his no hitter for the Astros?
Last time I checked there is nothing confirmed about the Red Sox…. and nothing occured during the playoffs in 2018 because MLB was monitoring the video rooms… that is a fact.. Just keep assuming in grouping the two together and jumping to conclusions based on lack of facts and keep making yourself look even more stupid then you already appear to be..
we will leave the heroism to you jjd002.
Agree
Maybe they have fleas.
Or a bad marriage.
Well, we will see how the Boston investigation by MLB turns out. Any cheating by Boston during the regular season and/or the playoffs during 2017, 2018, or 2019 is going to be a big issue for BOS. And in this climate where Cora was at the heart of the Astros scandal, and acknowledged that to BOS management, well, it isn’t going to be pretty if MLB finds evidence.
We’ll see how this turns out.
Do teams want a whistleblower?
Blame it on shifty schiff
Yawn.
Mike Fiers…best of luck to you in Spring Training.
Snitches gets pitches on the ribs. He’s lucky he pitches in the AL.
@batter up
You sound like an inmate talking about snitches. And your anger is heading in the wrong direction. But I guess some inmates don’t have integrity.
But I am looking forward to the raft of crap heading the Astros team’s way on the road this year. Fans will crucify them! BWAHAHAHA!
Fiers had 0 choice to tell the truth. He was not the guy who started the investigation and not the only ex-astro to testify. There was 2 un-named players that also testified. He was the one that talked about it to the media. Who should get more respect Fiers for admitting the cheating or Altuve refusing to say anything?
batter.. you forget the pitchers are on his side.
Focusing on the “snitching” is just a left-field way of saying you’re ignorant to the actual crime at hand.
Mike Fiers is a small, small part of the equation. The bigger part is – the Astros are filthy cheats and liars.
Astro players wearing extra protection at baf for rest of the pitchers getting even with them.
I am all about the integrity of the game. I admire anyone that came forward.
The league implemented the necessary changes to combat electronic sign stealing in 2018. The Astros were not using the method they used in 17 during 2018 or 2019 because the league made changes. Clearly the league knew something with going on, and not just the Yankees and Red Sox.
So no, Fiers clearly had an axe to grind. He wasn’t doing this to “clean up the game” as he put it. The league did clean it up in 2018 and further in 2019.
Batter up — You’re going to single out Fiers for your anger? An entire group of players either actively cheated, or were too timid to stand up for what is right. Those other players are somehow “noble” because they carried on the conspiracy without regret or remorse? Fiers isn’t an angel, but he had the guts to say something. Unlike his weaker teammates. Where is your condemnation for his teammates who lacked the courage to do the right thing?
Batter up — You’re going to single out Fiers for your anger? An entire group of players either actively cheated, or were too timid to stand up for what is right. Those other players are somehow “noble” because they carried on the conspiracy without regret or remorse? Fiers isn’t an angel, but he had the guts to say something. Unlike his weaker teammates. Where is your condemnation for his teammates who lacked the courage to do the right thing?
Batter Up, are you ten?
You know you have lost your moral compass when you have the morality of a prison inmate.
Correa gets pitches in the ribs right back. And Glasnow might have a score to settle too at 99 mph.
God bless him for finally coming forward.
Oh no he scared
You are forgetting that he said nothing for 2 years. Not a peep while he was on the Astros. He never went to the GM or the owner. He never spoke up to any of the media when it was helping him win. Well, nothing could have helped him win as an Astro. He absolutely stunk as an Astro and that was why they traded him to the Tigers after the 2017 season. He only comes out with it 2 years later after the Astros absolutely kicked his behind while he was with the A’s.
He didn’t say anything about it when it benefited him, so I’d give neither of them respect.
Believe they didn’t use the trash can method but think report showed they were still using center field camera / video method to decode signs.
Didn’t use trash can method in ‘18 but did use video
I’d like to hear from that Bregman, since he always has lots to say other times.
Piece of poop he is
Mike Fiers is ready to be a commissioner on day 1 if his retirement!
Congrats to Fiers regardless of the consequences. Imagine if he played on the A’s in the late 80s. Maybe the PED situation would be far different when looking back on history.
You mean like it was for Canseco?
I meant if MLB took action then because players complained, they could have stopped it in the bud. Problem was after the strike MLB needed the juice (pun intended) that PED usage provided.
Only if he got moved to a team where he no longer benefited from it.
Can we officially change Fiers name to Takashi 6ix 9ine now?
How are Dodger players looking at Joe Kelly now?
Beltran, Espada next to fall from grace
Espada for what?
As was said on MLB today, if Cora the bench coach was the lynchpin, all coaches at least knew.
Cheaters…they will never get jobs at the MLB….
For years I have heard “if you aint cheatin you aint tryin”. Screw you! This isn’t the NFL or the NBA. “If you aint honest you don’t belong in baseball”.
Meanwhile, the Mutts still haven’t done NUTHIN about Beltran.
Ban cora for life period. Cheated twice obviously he learned he has to cheat to win. Send a message fire the cheating scum.
Joey Cora is available!
Based on what they announced they found, he’s going to be gone a year at a minimum.
No one will hire him again anyways, so it doesn’t matter how long he’s suspended for.
Hinch will work again eventually. Luhnow might not get a full GM/PBO job again but he’ll be around front offices again.
Cora… his career is probably over regardless of the suspension he gets.
AJ took the innocent road which is crap, he threw his entire team, including players, under the bus. He needs to OWN IT.
AJ literally went around the clubroom smashing up the monitors Cora and Co were using to cheat. Is he guilty of not doing enough? Probably. But he at least tried to stop it.
AJ was the manager. If he really wanted to stop it, he could have.
Clearly not. The only way he could’ve stopped it was if he told MLB about it, and that would’ve killed their season.
His entire team avoided penalty for their actions. He got suspended and fired. Hard to make the case that he “threw his team under the bus” when they’ve escaped punishment.
Xactly Joe. AJ three his entire team under the bus. Do the fans sincerely think Cora would act on his own? I seriously doubt it, Cora was a bench coach, UNDER AJ. I feel he would not have done it if not supported. IMO AJ prolly said do anything you feel will help. Then took a backseat. The monitor breaking, if I were to guess was perhaps due to someone too close to have it running.
It matters for his contract. He has 2 years left, so if it is just a 1 year suspension, the Red Sox will have to pay him his 2021 salary.
I doubt that, unless the front office knew about the scheme when he was hired. If not, Cora’s contract will be really easy to nullify.
No they won’t, He violated his contract. There are morals and conduct clauses.
Cora was not suspended. He was fired while under contract. The Red Sox agreed to pay his contract if he would just go away.
99% sure if he is suspended he forfeits his salary for the time he was suspended, regardless of whether he was fired before or after suspended. No way the Red Sox don’t wait until after the suspension is announced to fire him if not waiting means they still have to pay him.
There’s no way in the world he’s not getting more than Hinch and Luhnow. He was the person who carried out both scandals most directly and who was the architect of stealing two world titles. He’s a candidate to be banned for life and is getting at least a two year suspension.
With all that said, I want Cora to get his fair share of the punishment and not get scapegoated like Hinch and Dombrowski. The players involved CANNOT be allowed to get away with this with zero consequences.
Proven beyond a doubt that the Red Sox did not cheat during the playoffs. So Dodgers fans can cry all they want, they lost to a better team
in 2018, end of story.
Glad Cora was fired…nice to see Manfred grow a pair for a change.
Ummm Manfred didnt fire Cora, so I am unsure how he has grown a pair for a change.
Proven beyond a doubt? Are you joking? Give me a link to the investigative report
In light of the info, debatable!
Uh, MLB is investigating the 2018 Boston Red Sox right now.
Red Sox won 2 of 3 in Los Angeles. Can’t cheat on the road.
@Koamalu I keep hearing this dumb argument about winning on the road. You’re aware that once sets of signs are stolen they are still known on the road right??
Yes, because we all know cheaters have huge integrity and live by the “no cheating on the road” unwritten rule.
AJ knew everything throwing players along with administration under the bus.
Wow dude…breathe.
Between what happened in Houston and Boston, 5 years to permanent ban
Lifetime ban??
Ban the POS for life
Next he’ll be managing a Burger King.
I mean taco bell GM’s make 100 k a year so its not the worst thing that could happen to someone
No they don’t.
See ya later rat
Rat?
got a better descriptor?
Yay!!!
Wowza!
Let’s go yankees
Yankees are known cheaters too, theyre next
That’s just a dumb comment
Why?
They, like all other teams, might have done it… but nothing thus far has implicated anyone other than Stros and Sox
The Sox and Yankees were both fined during the 2017 season for using electronics to steal and relay signs.
It is just starting though… LOMO came out that he had knowledge of more…
IE::: ” He also said he knows that the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox have also used film to “pick signs.” ”
Plus houston was using the banging in 14 when he was in seattle….
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/astros-sign-stealing-ruling-fake-news
They were fined for an incident where the Yankees were setting up an MLB approved TV in gameand Brandon “glad we got Ozuna” taubman started yelling at then asistente manager of the Yankees claiming they were cheating. The YAnkees assistant Gm was the one that reported the incident to MLB!!
@oldoak33 That was before Manfred clarified the rule and warned the league.
Proof please? HATER!
Where do you think Coppolella and Gordon Blakely learned it from? Anyone watching John Hart on MLB Network knows he’s not the brains of that operation, just smart enough not to be the fall guy.
Lol there is nothing remotely as bad being accused on the Yankees haha but good try
There’s a current player that says he knows the Dodgers and Yankees also have used technology to steal signs.
“Now the Dodgers cheating ?”
I can believe that !!
Amen, Acarn
Lmao
WOW. This is a step below betting on baseball
This is worse than betting on baseball. Winning the world series is the single goal of the game, and here we have two that were absolutely stolen, with a vast spider web of consequences negatively affecting thousands of people, if you don’t include the fans.
If you took the time to read anything on this, the actions propped up by Cora to cheat only occurred during the regular season. There were MLB officials in the video rooms during the playoffs, and World Series. So there was no cheating during the playoffs/WS but there was during the regular season.. Not saying that what happened shouldn’t get punishment, but to say that it is worse than betting on a team is a bit of a stretch. I think Cora should get a 5 year ban from the game at all levels.
Once you steal signs, they can be used in the future. Including signs stolen in the regular season to be used in the playoffs. This year, the Nationals famously thwarted the Astros by changing all of their signs for the playoffs.
I’d argue that it’s actually WORSE than betting on baseball. These guys cheated to win a World Series. Betting on baseball is peanuts compared to this.
It’s not worse than betting on games.
I think that depends what you’re betting on… I don’t see any harm in betting on your team to win.
It never ceases to amaze me how people parrot Rose’s defense on this. The guy was a degenerate gambler who got caught betting on baseball games. Naturally, his weak defense was “I only bet on my team to win” but you’d have to be incredibly naïve to actually believe that. Yet, here we are, all these years later and you constantly hear people say that like it’s the gospel.
Using insider knowledge to bet on baseball games is far worse than PEDs or sign stealing.
I still believe these punishments are too light and the players getting off scot free is a travesty.
They cheated to GET to the post season, but not during the post season. The video replay position was set up differently for the post season.
Still cheated to win a World Series. Still worse than betting on baseball.
what they did was awful but cheating to win the ws and cheating to get to the ws are 2 totally seperate things
Both are wrong. What’s their 108 win regular season worth now? If there was no written mandate after Applegate, I’d feel differently. Reminds me of after 2004, realizing much of the league including Boston was using PEDS. My guess here is it will come out more teams violated the rules on electronic equipment and stealing signs. Perhaps MLB should come out with a voluntary grace period for self-reporting where teams and management will face penalties that are far less than if MLB learns from other sources. Such may not eliminate the problem as coaches and lower level management who have jobs and careers on the line may not report but ownership will.
Can’t compare but who needs to? If two felons from the same past job get out of jail after each serving the same sentence, each will like face obstacles returning to their old profession.
SHOCKER
Well that was fast.
Another one bites the dust…
Guess that means they got the report already.
All they needed was the Houston report. This took too long.
Long time Red Sox fan says bye bye cheater!!!
You shouldn’t be satisfied unless the players get disciplined and the world series title stripped.
they didn’t cheat in the playoffs/WS – why should the championship be stripped. There were mandated mlb officials in the video rooms during playoffs, not the regular season…so the cheaters couldn’t cheat then, just the regular season…unless they figured a way around that during WS and playoffs.
Oh they got to the playoffs on merit did they??? They shouldn’t have been in the world series in the first place
Astros found a way around cheating in playoffs, and the MLB investigation specifically said they were doing it in the post season.
So repeating over and over again it didnt because it couldn’t have happened in the postseason is not factual
Will the Yankees give back their titles in the 90s or the 80’s and the A’s because of PED use? Reminds me of everyone who says there is no proof of who actually used. Not meant as a knock on specifically those two teams as I believe it will come out more teams cheated in one form or another. Just typical of the personal and team greed of today. Sort of reminds me of today’s politics where the parties continue to win at all costs and look for loopholes to support their agenda instead of trying to compromise for the best interests of America. They can justify their actions at least in their own minds.
PEDs were not against the rules in the 90s and 80s. No discipline was issued for PED use in that era. So no, you have no idea what you’re talking about.
The substances they were using then were mainly illegal to possess without a prescription. They were purchased by others or cash and delivered elsewhere to hide a paper trail. You don’t need a baseball rule regarding something illegal. Please reconsider as yes I do know what I’m talking about in this situation.
Dewey – I missed the Yankees ‘80’s championship… they won the most games in the decade, only one appearance (‘81, lost to Lasorda’s Dodgers) in the series though.
Players were just as responsible as anyone else. Single them out and suspend or fine or both. It’s a game that needs to be played without cheating.
It would be a different ball game if there wasn’t prosperity in the sport, a union and an expiring MLBPA agreement.
The Houston Astros. The gift that keeps on giving.
@kenphelps Comment of the day. Kudos to you.
Thank you
He deserves to lose his job.
I would have been more shocked if they didn’t fire him!
Wowwwww let’s now here the suspension and take away the World Series title.
If they didn’t take it away from the Astros, they’re not going to take it away from the Red Sox.
Why not? Unlike the Astros, the Red Sox are second time offenders and had been specifically warned by the Commissioner. The Red Sox penalties should and will be worse than the Astros.
The did not cheat in the playoffs. Proven beyond a doubt.
Idk how you can say proven beyond a doubt. I understand the league put people in the replay rooms in the playoffs but we have no idea what else they were doing. The number of 2 strike and 2 out hits the RS got in the playoffs has to make you at least think something was going on. And the elephant in the room is how JBJ goes from .100 hitter who was a guaranteed K all season to being the ALCS MVP hitting a HR every other AB with no help at all.
Let’s look at something entirely different. How far does the cheating go back? Roger Clemens goes to the Astros and instantly becomes the Clemens of the mid 80’s again. Charlie Morton was well below .500 for his career until landing with Houston in his mid 30’s and then goes 29-10 in two dominating seasons there. Gerrit Cole, always with great stuff with Pittsburgh takes it to an “off the charts” level with Houston and of course the biggest example, a fairly washed up Justin Verlander goes to Houston and becomes absolutely untouchable again and wins the Cy Young and going 60-23 since becoming an Astro. I think in addition to sign stealing, there was some HGH being needled around in that clubhouse. Verlander can be enraged and complain about it all he wants, but like Bonds, guys don’t get SUBSTANTIALLY better in their mid 30’s.
All teams were warned. Cora was not on the team when those warnings were issued and he wouldn’t have been hired if the truth on 17 came out then. His punishment if the allegations regarding 2018 are true should be far worse but wait for the full report before convicting him and especially the team. The Sox had no choice based on his involvement as an Astro bench coast to fire him and now the Mets need to do the same with Beltran if his interviews and written application/emails were not truthful.
JBJ’s entire career has been marred by short bursts of .350+ hitting and what seems like under ,200 hitting the rest of the time. Sox though did have an amazing two out AB history then so who knows. What though could they have done? Did they have another set up elsewhere? Doubtful given the size of Fenway and limited other players spots to install a set up. Just another stain on the sport and reason not to pay for MLB TV this year.
Sad but your points are well taken Keens. It could also be in recent years differences in the ball that allows for spin rate adjustments. With the electronics of today, a small adjustment could explain big results. If there is an illegal explanation, another Mike Fiers, probably a hitter who no longer is on the Astros will soon make a public statement.
I’m not actually accusing of them doing anything in the playoffs and if they were, I don’t know what it was exactly… I’m just saying you have to at least consider it. I wouldn’t say they “were without a doubt” not cheating in the payoffs for the reasons I sighted above.
Dorothy – how are you this comfortable with lying? You realize people have read the commish’ report, right? Your parents failed you, liar.
I’ve already taken the championships away in my mind, Dodgers win in 17 and 18.
I’ve already taken the championships away in my mind, Dodgers win in 17 and 18.
Not so fast … Logan Morrison has come out and says he has first hand knowledge of the Dodgers doing it too. (And the Yankees).
Logan Morrison never played on the Yankees MLB team so he has first-hand knowledge of absolutely nothing.
And how would he know, he was never on the Yankees ML team.
Morrison is a known attention hog and he played in the AL during those years. How would he know how the Dodgers run things.
Just more false crap against the Yankees
No, but Beltran was on the Yankees right before joining the Astros. That’s who brought the idea to the Astros clubhouse.
Just thinking the same thing. I can’t wait for the Yankees and Dodgers to be implicated now.
Keep waiting.
Dodgers fans and Yankees fans getting righteous are hilarious. To outright say you’re team didn’t do it is stupid. The Astros and Red Sox are guilty with proof but you all forget all the accusations around your teams. Logan Morrison is not the first …
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-were-accused-of-sign-stealing-in-2018-per-the-athletic/2020/01/08/amp/
The Brewers and the Mets both accused the Dodgers in 2018 as well … and the Yankees have had a bunch of accusations.
You’re allowed to be mad at the Astros, they cheated, we get that. But if you’re a fan of any other team right now I wouldn’t be beating your chest and acting righteous, I’d keep my mouth shut and hope they don’t investigate your club.
No.
Mutually agreed? Great. As if it was even a discussion?
Make Pedroia a player/manager. Might as well get some use out of him and the $28mil he still owed.
Great idea!!
Pedroia was one of the players cheating with the Apple Watch scandal in 2017. Replace one cheater with another?
Uh ya, its Boston.
Well, that was predictable. Good riddance.
Beltran, it’s your turn to resign. (I’m not predicting the Mets to do anything right.)
It’s crazy that he’s going to get by with this 100% because he was a player and not a coach/front office personnel
Players will not be punished. He was a player. Get over it.
Not going to happen because he was a player not a manager.
He’s not a player now. Crimes big or small don’t go away with a job promotion. Just my opinion.
Not only was player at the time, hes supposedly cooperated completely with the investigation.
He’s not getting punished
Cora is gone
Stroman is very happy tonight!
Back to PR, winter league,
The sad thing is that because all the players are getting let off the hook, the Red Sox think they can dodge the bulk of the PR nightmare by ditching Cora early since Dombrowski is already gone.
The players should absolutely not get away with blatant cheating with zero consequences.
And the Red Sox should bear the full embarrassment of having been caught cheating their way to a world series title.
Hunch will land somewhereRead the report. Cora should be banned for life.
good for Boston
BIG OOF
Lifetime ban impending?
Wow you’re dumb.
It was a question, do you know the answer?
Wimps always talk shiat online.
So far he’s kept it to one syllable grunts…
I’d be surprised if he gets a lifetime ban, but I have a feeling Cora, Hinch, and Luhnow will never be employed in MLB again. Hinch either knew and is still lying, or he had no control over his team. You think any teams will want a guy who couldn’t stop his players and coaches from cheating? That’s the best-case scenario for Hinch’s involvement, and it’s hardly what you want in a manager.
Hinch did know and he expressed his disapproval by breaking the tv they were using on at least two occasions. But lets be honest, even if Luhnow forwarded the memo and Hinch escalated the matter, the players still wouldn’t be punished for their actions because they and the owner are untouchable in this business scheme.
LIFETIME BAN
Agree, if you’re talking about the commissioner!
How does this work for his contract? Seems like they’d have to pay out the remainder like a normal firing since it wasn’t done until after the suspension/ban (like Hinch)? Or would they be able to file a grievance and keep all that money?
No way he’ll get any money. He was fired for cause. Let’s say the investigation into the Sox turns up nothing, he still has an impending suspension because of his conduct in Houston.
it was a mutual agreement so it wasn’t technically a firing … isn’t that the same as tearing up the contract? so no more money changes hands I would think.
Well aren’t other coaches does for cause? Not winning enough is a fireable offense in baseball and they still get paid. If he was already suspended I could see it (like Hinch), but don’t know this way. But it is irrelevant now because it was mutual.
Mutual agreement = leave now with dignity and no money or we fire you in a week with no money
That part wasn’t in the post when I initially wrote the comment. But yes, that’s exactly how it went down.
Once he is officially suspended, I dont believe he is eligible for pay, in any form, from MLB. If they fired him with no suspension coming, he might be still cash in. With this whole story it’s hard to imagine either side making a big deal of it, they want it forgotten asap.
Nope, they won’t have to pay him.
well done Boston.
Well done? Are you kidding me? Well done would have been firing him when they found out about the cheating and not allowing the cheating to continue. But they wanted their world series title, so we have to settle for them firing Cora when finally forced to
Perception control? Won’t save you. Hit them with the hammer Manfred.
Agree. They can’t skate because they preempted the MLB punishment with two firings. Still have to pay the piper, Red Sux. I love how they get caught cheating and the only response from some fans is, “well the Yankees cheated too so they will get theirs.” Especially when there is no evidence whatsoever that they’re even being accused of cheating.
See you guys in another 100 years…
Yeah Manfred’s hammer isn’t that strong.
hope he got a good degree while in college. he’ll need it now.
Alex Cora played college baseball at the University of Miami, a college known for their own scandals. His older brother Joey played at Vanderbilt, a university with a better reputation and more academic credibility.
Well……………………..bye
That you Curly Bill?
Part ways with the roid man David Ortiz also
Lmao. Ur that stupid He was never charged or said he was doping ,unlike many of the stinkies who have emitted to it.
Oops admitted
That’s the difference, A-Fraud and Pettite admitted. Ortiz, who also failed a test (and produced age 40 results on the worst feet in baseball that are a dead giveaway), will die a fraud who never admitted it.
He did fail a test. It was when the MLB was testing to see if they needed to screen harder. He did the classic Boston thing (like I’ve heard from Chavis and Edelman) that he had no idea how the test was positive. Shocking…
Ortiz and Cruz are the roid kings, they are untouchable!
Cora and Hinch are a couple of morons that threw away promising managerial careers
Look for Kyle Snyder as he has ties to Bloom and the Red Sox. Current Rays pitching coach and former pitcher for the Sox
I love Cora, but he made stupid choices that ruined his career. I do not by AJ bring against it, that is dumb, especially hearing some of his statements in the past. Thier mutual decisions ended up punishing the fans most of all. I’m disgusted.
He made stupid choices that made his career before it ruined it.
Horrible but it had to be done. Bring back Ted Williams.
just his head is available
First, throw it in the microwave to defrost…
Just wish they would’ve been caught before the ‘17 and ‘18 World Series dammit lol
Hopefully the last baseball hears about this PoS for good. Lifetime ban please
Literally an hour or so ago I saw an article saying the Red Sox should fire him to save face…. then it happens. Right decision probably. Sucks to see what seemed to be good managers falter
Preemptive strike? I thought they would get the results of the other investigation before cutting ties.
Smart pro-active move by Chaim Bloom before Rob Manfred’s hammer falls on Alex Cora and likely the Red Sox as well for their own sign-stealing scandal in 2018 under a different front office.
All things being equal he was getting suspended a year w/o pay. Im not sure of his contract length but its a freebie for them unlike other firings they dont have to pay him. I noticed someone mentioned Beltran hes in the clear cuz he was a player at the time
Cora will join New England Patriots as a video assistant.
LMAO
Ball inflator
Fruit never falls far from the tree. Must be a Boston thing.
RIP
Fired? “Mutually parted ways”
there are some good managerial openings right now
Another scumbag bites the dust. Sssssseee ya!
Hello Captain?! Bloom on line 1, sir.
DUSTY BAKER TO BOSTON
Yeah, no.
Yeah, no.
Please no.
Bobby V!
Ban For Life. !
-My Guess he gets 5 Seasons from MLB.
“help bring a world championship back to boston….” by cheating
I like how his quote mentions no remorse for being a scumbag to the game of baseball.
Meanwhile all us Dodger fans are rejoicing karma smacking the Astros and soon to be Red Sox for stealing both World Series from us.
They still lost the series. May be an asterisk, but an asterisk loss none the less.
Red Sox did not cheat during any of their playoff series (proven by MLB) so the Dodgers plainly lost to a better team in 2018.
Not sure if the Astros were still doing their misdeeds in the playoffs during the 2017 title.
We’ll see in a few weeks if that’s still the case. They already announced equipment help through 2018 and getting rid of the mastermind behind the Astros scandal doesn’t hide the fact he didn’t bring it to Boston.
Comments like that make me excited for the Dodgers to get busted too.
The Astros are going to set a record this year….Most times being hit by pitches in a season
And loud, continuous booing, all……year……long. Gonna be a fun year watching it.
Should Bostons world series win 2018 have an asterisk attached like Houston’s will be? I think so.
Vacate both. Well, Houston to be sure… we’ll see when the report on Boston comes out.
Wow this caught me by surprise.
Signed “The Trash Can”
Well the Yankees have to be in the catbird seat now in the AL.
The players on the Sox and Astros are going to get killed for a long time by the fans of the other teams. I wouldn’t be surprised if these two teams are black balled by the other owners and don’t trade with them.
Tainted Title 2017. Screw Cora
2018
Better look into the Celtics and Bruins while they’re at it.
Haha
I dont understand, how did Coppola get a lifetime ban for cheating but these guys got one year?
Coppola skimmed money from minors.
The more the technology increases the more this stuff will happen Baseball need to get rid of the replay room and make managers make the call using how they feel instead of the replay room.
Not like it matters, but I’ve always thought that’s how it should work… you have like 5 seconds to throw the challenge flag after a call, then you live with it. Also helps with pace of play.
But, why not just keep him, keep cheating and force your media partners to ignore the truth and praise his genius, no matter how many times they get caught cheating?
Bob Kraft can explain this proven strategy to John Henry.
carlos beltran is sweating bullets rn
he’s next
There is absolutely no way the Mets can keep Beltran, no way.
Cora arranged his own demise, difficult to feel any sympathy for the guy.
100% agree.
The most crazy thing about this is how dumb it actually was. Like it’s so easy to spot once you know what to listen for. And you know a player will tell his new teammates as soon as he leaves, right? Like you could do it for one season but after that…words going to get out quick unless you keep everyone
So easy that no one spotted it until 2 full seasons later? In retrospect – yes, but it worked on two teams.
Yeah it’s like how did you not know a player would tell his new team and it would get out. And then easy to go back and prove
The Red Sox did not use trash cans or audio signals during the game like Houston. They went into the replay room in between at bats (regular season only) to see if they could figure out the signs, and if they got a runner on 2nd base, he would try to signal the batter as to what pitch he thinks is coming.
Most teams change their signals 2, 3 or even 4+ times during a game, and change them when runners get to 2nd base too, so it’s hard to tell what advantage Boston got out of this. Every team watches the same video of the opponents prior to the game and do the exact same thing if they figure out the sign sequence. The real issue is that they were trying to decode in game vs. before the game. This is MUCH different than what HOU did (signaling every batter via noise using a LIVE feed). Red Sox were not using a live feed. They were watching previous at bats via replay.
Also, MLB had officials in the replay room during every 2018 playoff series so no batters went in our tried to use this during the playoffs. If this gave Boston such an advantage, wouldn’t they have lost during the playoffs to a ‘better’ team since this was no longer available to them? Instead they went 11-3 and proved they were the best team in baseball in 2018.
Papi, you in Africa?
Come on guy. Why would they take the risk and go to those lengths if it didn’t provide a big advantage.
I’ve seen a lot of smart comments from you, Mantooth. Well said. Nonetheless, the club was caught twice between 2017 and 2018, with Cora apparently walking them into the latter transgression, and I think a lot of the Houston penalty will apply here—2 years suspension from baseball for Cora, $5MM fine to the club, and at least 1st and 2nd draft picks forfeited for 2020 (2021 a possibility).
Also, and quite counterintuitively given the situation, the Red Sox had several better team batting statistics in 2019 than in 2018, when they were aided by electronic cheating (Team Ave, HRs, and Runs scored all higher in ’19).
More likely they used sign sets already stolen during the regular season to succeed during the playoffs. Or some other system. Cheaters don’t just cheat when it doesn’t matter then suddenly stop when it does.
let’s also not forget that by dominating during the regular season the Red Sox materially affected how ptchers approached their batters during the playoffs.
Your insistence that the Red Sox 2018 playoffs are squeaky clean is simply not supported and doesn’t even pass the smell test. I’d tell you what it smells like but I would get banned from this board.
Well said Mantooth….but all the whiny Dodgers fan can keep crying because their team lost to a better team.
Well said Mantooth….but all the whiny Dodgers fan can keep crying because their team lost to a better team.
I hate to think this but AJ is not as innocent as he portrays. HE is the manager allowing it, but playing the “innocent” one which is crap. Cora made bad decisions n happy he owned it, unlike AJ. The fans are hurt most of all.
I feel that at about the owners who should get more than a slap on the wrist.
Either Hinch couldn’t control his players and coaches, making him feckless and impotent as a leader, or he knew what was happening, supported it or even encouraged it, and continues to lie about it.
Either way, who will want to hire him to run their clubhouse in either case?
Time for the Mets to do the same to Beltran.
100%
What is Beltran going to do now, he is going to have to coach the team without cheating?
Beltran will be a HUGE distraction during the yr, he needs to go n MLB needs to purge baseball, give the fun back to the fans.
beltran is not getting fired
poor red Sox and astro fans, you now have tainted world series champions lol
Cheating is an ugly stain on the great game we all love, I would permanently ban them all from any future MLB jobs.
Another thing……how or will it affect Mookie getting the payout as a FA? Mookie is gone, n I hope they trade him soon.
Nobody should be applauding this dumpster fire. If these guys were doing it, so were others. I doubt this is the end of it.
It’s another sad day for baseball. What you’re saying is it could get sadder. True.
Question… Will Luhnow, Hinch and Coras contracts be voided…or will they be paid the remaining balances. Because they shouldn’t receive another dime. If they are paid going forward, then Pete Rose belongs in th Hall of Fame.
Can we discuss how AJ Hinch smashed equipment (more than once) and yet never told anyone to stop? So Hinch objects with physical violence to equipment used for cheating, but Cora( his bench coach) continues to cheat? Cora, Hinch and Lucknow never discuss Hinch’s destroying corporate equipment? Was Hinch or his family threatened by Beltran and Cora during this period? Cora moves to Boston with a refined cheating technique? Joe Torre has no clue of any cheating for years. Neither Crane and his idiot family have no idea of cheating? John Henry is oblivious to cheating? Both coaching staffs are blameless?
Ultimately Crane is responsible for Luhnow just like Luhnow is responsible for all the players actions? Why didn’t Crane make sure the commissioners misguided memo was in fact distributed???
Not punishing Crane is just as senseless as punishing Luhnow for what the players did.
What do you think of John Farrell now?
Farrell is still terrible, just for different reasons
Not one player punished? Wow!!! Let this be a lesson to all those who actually stepped into the batter box and used technology to gain an advantage – your manager and gm will be suspended/fired for your actions! Why aren’t managers and gm’s fired for their players who use steroids, gamble and beat their wives? How about banning the person who attempted to white wash this situation? Make Baseball Great Again!
Because they were cheating in plain sight. The supervisors (manager, gm) allowed illegal activity in the dugout. In any normal place of work where the supervisors ALLOW illegal activity, the supervisors get the hammer. The employees (players) have plausible deniability (my supervisor said it was ok).
There’s no incentive for the players, who did the cheating, to stop with this punishment structure. But perhaps the commissioners office isn’t concerned with the cheating and steroid use in comparison to revenue?
50 men….ooops 52 men out….. or else apoligize to the 1919 white sox.
Another team with an asterisk beside their championship…..
Cora will never work in the Major Leagues again…good riddance
Well
Bye
Bye Felicia. Probably cheated at Miami too
The issue is not the fact they stole the signs. The issue is that in 2017 the commissioner sent out a letter thru email telling all ball clubs that if they were using electronics to steal signs for them to stop immediately.
These 2 teams obviously ignored it and are now paying the price.
But if you don’t think more teams than just them were stealing signs than you are dumb. Just watch a game and look at how many sets of signs a catcher goes thru when there is nobody on base.
It has been wide spread throughout baseball and these teams got caught and refused to stop and were made an example of.
Rumors of sign stealing in this fashion goes back to the white sox in the 80s. Rumor has it a light would go on in the stadium somewhere when an off speed pitch was coming
Also I know for a fact that in 98 the Mets instituted cameras down the lines and behind home plate to supposedly catch pitchers/hitters to see their swings and tendencies and after every pitch the home plate camera would fall to the 3rd base side and catch the signs the 3rd base coach would be throwing out to the batter & any runners on
Both Steve Phillips and Bobby Valentine admitted to it
I don’t agree with their brash arrogance in continuing to do it when the commissioner said to stop but it would be horrible if any of these guys never get to coach again.
Lunhow is a diffrent story because in 2017 he refused to even bring the letter to the attention of Hinch. His arrogance was at a whole different level so I hope he doesn’t come back but the other 2 deserve to pay their respected punishment and at some point in time get another opportunity somewhere
I’d argue that Hinch, who was in a perfect position to stop it (and didn’t), should be banned for a very long time. From what I heard earlier, Hinch knew about what was going on, didn’t condone it, and didn’t do a damn thing to stop it. Just turned a blind eye. That’s a tacit OK in my book and he is close to being equally at fault as Cora is and thus deserves a harsher punishment.
Hinch was in a tough spot because of his reputation in Arizona for being not popular with the players. He took the choice of breaking the equipment instead of ratting everybody out.
Don’t care. He’s just as culpable as Cora.
That’s a pretty weak excuse for allowing it to go on during his watch…he’s the manager, and the players go by his rules…..and his higher than though attitude doesn’t help either! Remember when he laughed when accused during the divisional series against the Yankees?
look at you with your moral superiority in your ivory tower. #OutrageCulture
Look at you, in your idiot bubble completely unaware of how the real word works.
have you ever done anything morally wrong aloop? has anyone ever found out about it? or did you cover it up too? America – land of the hypocrite home of the slave.
Beltran next?
No doubt, Beltran is next!
Beltran is not getting fired
By by Cora!! Damn cheat!!
Had to cheat 2 years in a row to beat my DODGERS….. you should be banned for LIFE…..
NO RED SOX CHEATING DURING THE PLAYOFFS!!! Dodgers just lost to a superior team. Deal with it Bridesmaid!
Bridesmaid??? This is like the fifth post I see from you crying that “they didn’t cheat in the playoffs.” Oh-Tay!!!
Dodger fan here as well: I think both teams should be stripped of their titles. Not that the titles should be given to the Dodgers (because their are other teams that both the Astros and Red Sox beat who would complain, and rightfully so) but just do it like the NCAA: vacate the title so no one won.
The awful stain these people have put on MLB will not fade with time. I believe it will only get worse. Hinch, Cora and Beltran will never work for a major league team again. This will fester with the fans and the baseball media. The perpetrators may think that time will heal all things, but they will be proven wrong. Personally, I’m disgusted.
This doesn’t necessarily mean players won’t be punished maybe their just trying to get the managers coaches etc out of the way 1st
Actually it does: Joel Sherman just said Beltran isn’t going to be punished because MLB decided not to deal with players. (Which is ridiculous: if you wanted to punish the players, just vacate the title). Manfred is half assing his response to this (some of which is because of their CBA) and it’s not looking good, IMO.
Players won’t be punished per Joel Sherman, not just Beltran. Sorry for not being clear earlier.
If Cora isn’t banned for a significant amount of time (life would be appropriate, but I’d take 10 years), then baseball will, IMO, have lost whatever credibility it had left after the laughably light punishments handed out to the Astros.
Good riddance. One more to go. What do the Mets do with Beltran?
hes not getting fired
Any team that values character and integrity would fire Beltran, the Mets aren’t that type of team. Fortunately the NY media won’t forget Beltran’s statements when he was introduced. Mets, fire the cheater.
Mutually agreed to part ways….lmao
Yeah because Cora’s integrity is off the charts and he couldn’t live with the guilt so he mutually decided to part ways….okay sure….this was 100% Red Sox decision
Lifetime ban, please. Good riddance you smug POS.
TIME TO ALLW FOR THE WHOLE SIGNAGE SYSTEM IN BASEBALL TO BECOME OBSOLETE.
IMPLEMENT TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS THE PITCHER AND CATCHER TO COMMUNICATE ELECTRONICALLY. (SMARTWATCH OR EARPIECE)
Please turn off your caps lock
Actually… I’d be for this. If we’re going to robot umps, why not this too?
The Astros will hack this immediately, lol.
Yeah, there’s no way that could get hacked…
At this hour, Chaim Bloom is wishing he stayed in his little corner cubicle in Tampa…..
Pretty reasonable that Ron Roenike (sp) gets the job……
Chaim Bloom has done nothing to help this ball club. He’s been completely ineffective when he could have easily made a splash to nullify some of the spanking we have been given. He’s taking us to 4th Place next year.
What would you have had Bloom do by now? Disperse all overpaid talent to get under the lux tax line? Hire overpaid FAs willy-nilly to go for it in Betts’s last year? Mo’st CEOs in baseball get a chance to get used to their team and its assets. Alex Antopolous did NOTHING in Atlanta for the first year after he ahd taken over. Bloom, on the other hand, has to solve the immense problems of salaries that amount to something over ownership’s (sudden) goal and the even more sudden loss of the team’s manager. So you’re not knocked out by Peraza and Perez. You might really like Brice and Hildenberger. Let Bloom work.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. He was brought in to fix our problem. Either rebuild or go all in, not keep the team the same.
Imo, the cheating isn’t nearly as reprehensible as the whitewashing of the situation and the use of the gm and coach as fall guys (for the players who actually did the cheating and an ownership who is ultimately responsible for the GM and coach).
It’s insane that the organisation hasn’t had their title vacated…. at the very least. Like stunningly so.
This ball club is in shambles right now. First Dombrowski, then not trading Betts, now Cora. 2020 is going to be dismal. We are better off rebuilding from scratch.
Man how can you call ur self a word series champion after this BS Yankees 2017 word series champions
He will find a job in the South American Winter League next year.
Too bad you cheated bud! 2x asterisk WS
Cora is a moron. Despite the risks involved, he just kept on doing it. Now that he’s been exposed, it’s the blatant recklessness with which he carried this out that means it’s all but certain that he’s managed his last game in the majors. This is going to haunt him to no end for the rest of his life.
first off I think any Yankee or dodger fan who think the Astros wouldnt have beaten them with out the sign stealing are delusional. tip your cap you got beat by the better team! I just really would love to know the reasoning behind the distain for Beltran and cora? don’t get me wrong I know if I was a yankee or dodger fan and we came so close those times I would scapegoat it too and figure this is the only reason but it’s sign stealing? not like he was running a doping ring having his players mash the ball all over. punishment should be handed out obviously as it was but this whole thing has been so blown out of proportion. seems to me a much more deeper rooted issue(I could be wrong)
If you believe this is sour grapes, then yes, you are wrong. This is about the integrity of the game. It’s called cheating; illegal, against the rules, forbidden, prohibited.
and yet everyone does it to some degree – but i guess you’ve figured out how to litigate every moral grey area. Let’s nominate you for SCJ next time.
I’m all for the keeping the integrity of the game in tact however like it’s been mentioned before all teams do it just the matter in which the astros deployed their system of doing so. otherwise wouldn’t even be talking about it but i am probably in the minority of thinking this was probably handled quite aggressively. not sure what life time bans, vacated titles, and, asterisks will achieve. to me that just sounds like adding insult to injury hence the sour grapes feeling.
Significant bans (potentially lifetime but certainly longer than a measly year) and vacated titles (along with much more aggressive fines… $5 million is nothing to billionaires), are the only way to send a really clear message. Especially vacated titles: you punish a team (in this case the Astros) for cheating that led them to a World Series title… yet you don’t take away the title? That doesn’t make sense to me.
To look at it another way: it’s the relative equivalent of punishing someone for cheating to get a diploma without taking away the diploma. You ban them from the college for a year, put them on probation when they are eligible to come back, but ultimately you let them keep the grade they cheated to get and the diploma that went along with that grade. That’s not a punishment. It’s hardly a slap on the wrist.
You’re insane. I’m a Dodger fan, and yeah, I’m pissed, but I don’t think we should be given those titles (because their are others teams who lost because of the cheating teams, who would have as much of a right to claim the same), but I do think they should have the titles vacated. No one won that year cause of rampant cheating.
I mean if we’re talking cheating and not just sign stealing then probably a lot of records need to be got rid of or have asterisks put next to them it would be endless but Astros were a stacked team those years. just because you bang on a trash can still need the ability to hit it and hit it well sometimes even the best leave a few hanging.
The shot heard round the world.
The Giants win the pennant!
1951.
Damn i feel bad i saw Cora in a elevator in DR and congratulated him on the win. Now he got fired that’s unbelievable.
How could you possibly feel bad for Cora? I do feel bad for his wife and kids for having an incredibly stupid husband and dad.
I wanna hear what is going on with their pitching
Trevor Bauer wants to know how pitchers spin rate increases when they get to Houston
Kuechel has not been the same and Cole never was as good and Verlander was reborn
Ver interesting
you mean Tyler Bauer
I hereby pre-asterisk 2020 because it will just be the cheaters who didn’t get caught yet.
This was 100% Red Sox decision not Cora’s because of the guilt he was having to endure daily….also Mike Fiers is a career number 4-5 starter/swing man who had 1-2 decent years probably because he cheated….u take out his best 2 years and he doesn’t even belong in the majors
The 1951 issue is bogus. The clubhouse was 480 feet away in center field and the bull pen was located 330 feet away in right field. Supposedly they used binoculars in the clubhouse to get catchers signs. They then sent the sign to a coach in the bull pen who flashed it to the batter. From the time the catcher put his sign down and the pitcher began his wind up was about 5 seconds. No way this could work.
Ralph Branca was convinced it worked.
So much ugly vitriol on this comments page. The punishments so far have been fair. And it would be impossible to punish player involvement as all players were either complicit or knowledgeable about what was going on. Way too many variables involved.
One big warning I would say to those who wish the death penalty (slight hyperbole on my part): be careful what you say. There are many teams throughout baseball history that did what the Astros and Red Sox did. Whether it was binoculars, telescopes, watches, or cameras — many teams were never investigated for their technological approach of stealing signs. And without a doubt, there are other teams throughout MLB that are doing this today. Maybe we should be a little less judgmental and a little more forgiving.
you’re drunk, not tipsy
Lets all advocate for reworking the penal code to reduce sentencing maximums because someone out there beat the system.
Yu Darvish can rest a lot more easily now, knowing that he wasn’t tipping pitches after and that the signs from the catcher were being stolen.
Darvish had a 7/118 BB/K ratio along with a 2.76 ERA in the second half last year. He should be a Cy contender next year for sure. He was absolutely amazing, better than he ever has been. Bet on him.
wasnt the beatdown when yuli was a jackass and made that racist move in LA?
It was in Houston
Except that the cheating wasn’t going on in LA (as far as I know from what I’ve heard)… so Darvish was probably tipping pitches considering he didn’t have a good game 7. And yeah, before you ask, I’m a Dodger man.
*** fan. Dodger fan. Stupid iPhone.
I kinda like the phrase “Dodger man” tbh. I might start using it to describe myself
Yes and Manfred should eliminate ALL the players involved too. OR reinstate the eight white sox players from 1919
Yu Darvish can rest a lot more easily now, knowing that he wasn’t tipping pitches after all and that the signs from the catcher were being stolen.
Joe Buck must be rolling in his grave. I remember him slobbering all over Cora during the 2018 World Series. Acting like Cora was a genius for out managing Dave Roberts LMAO.
Joe Buck isn’t dead
…but Jack certainly is…
Joe Buck engaging in socio-political correctness? Naw!
Mike Fiers for President of the USA – but only if he has his swirl sideburn-stache.
The true hero in all of this. Rest of the Astros, especially the clear liars like Beltran, Hinch and Verlander are all the massive cowards here. Fiers rules, every other Astros player is not a bigger man than any of us posting anonymously here.
Thats right, all you idiotic trolls who post in here are better men than any Astros hitter and management. Not to mention that team created tanking. Only move they should do it blow it all up and trade everyone – MLB should have requested this. I mean, they will get a lot of good prospects so it wont be long until they’re good again, but they need to be punished harder than they are.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
But why? He won back to back World Seriesesis…
Cora judgement was clouded for sure and he must have thought he was teflon coated after all the smarmy patronizing that came his way when he got the RS job. More importantly, he severely misjudged his own level of intelligence and I’m sure his wife is reminding him of that on an hourly basis.
This is the perfect excuse to serve as a distraction from the fact that the Red Sox have done ABSOLUTLY NOTHING to improve the team this off season. I don’t live in Boston but if I was a season ticket holder I would be turning in my tickets. Bleak year ahead in 2020.
Dodgers Fans,
Please explain to me how Boston stole the 2018 World Series title from you? While the Sox cheating scandal is a stain on baseball and their fans like me for sure, here are the facts:
1) Red Sox won 57 games at home and 51 games on the road during 2018. Players going in the replay room between at bats only happened at Fenway. Doesn’t look like they got too big of a home field advantage out of doing this.
2) MLB had officials in the replay rooms for every 2018 playoff series and has confirmed that no Sox players or coaches visited the replay room during the playoffs to review what signs were being used, so runners on second base had no extra information in the playoffs (which was the only time this was used during the regular season).
So how did the Red Sox cheat in the playoffs and cheat the Dodgers out of a title? Again, I hate the fact that it happened because that Sox team was nasty and didn’t need to do it, but the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers lost fair and square in the playoffs with no cheating or video sign stealing whatsoever and it wasn’t even close. 11-3 post season record. You just lost to the better team. #LABridesmaids
“That Sox team was nasty and didn’t need to do it” but yet they did
Simple: they paid off the replay official either to let them into the room, or give them the signs. Everyone has a price, one way or the other.
Now, I will say that we don’t know what happened as the report hasn’t been released. So, I could be 100% right and you could be completely full of hot air. Or the reverse could be true. We won’t know until the full report is released.
At least Henry eventually did the right thing and fired Cora. Much better than sleazy Bob Kraft.
But, despite everything you say you simply don’t know what the actual impact of their cheating was. You hypothesize but the reality is only one team cheated.
I’ve heard it hundreds of times with the Patriots or Barry Bonds or whoever, but the idea that people make the “they would have won/been the best ever even if they didn’t cheat” argument with a straight face is still wild to me.
If you don’t want the asterisk, don’t cheat.
When you do, you get the asterisk. Forever.
But they SHOULD HAVE been thrown out of sports. “if you aint honest you don’t belong”.
Hay Dorothy…. go back to Kansas.
Dorothy needs to find a hobby
Cheaters never win. Jk. They won 2 of last 3
and doesnt it feel great??? WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO the nature boy
*At least 2 of the last 3
Gotta love how yankee and dodgers fans are so happy right now because they think they’ll actually have a chance based on all this
Boston won 84 games in 2019. No threat to either the Yankees or the Dodgers.
and yet they both still didn’t win the WS
and neither of them cheated
new manager bruce bochy
Gag me right now he would prolly bring the Panda with him!
He did more damage than Pete Rose ever did.
No way, any chance of opening chances of gamblers impacting players being paid to throw games or managers not managing to win is far worse than stealing signs.
First the Patriots cheat. Now we have the Red Sox. Must be something in the water in Boston.
How about banning both the Astros and Red Sox for one year? I mean the teams, not just the managers.
That is crazy talking. It would definitely hurt the innocent fans….,.remember US?
If I see the name Bochy one more time I’ll lose my mind. Roenicke and Varitek will handle managers duties just fine. They aren’t stripping either WS. And as a baseball fan you shouldn’t want to see that for the sake of the sport. Astros was much worse than the Red Sox and both are bad. Yes I am very frustrated that my favorite team is the focal point of the 18’ mess, but if you don’t think Others are doing what the Red Sox did then you’re crazy. The Red Sox killed it in the playoffs, and THEN got to the WS, and the MLB is saying they couldn’t have cheated. That gives me slight comfort. Cora got what he deserved and his career is over. The amount of misinterpretation of what has been said throughout this is baffling. If you are confused, please read the articles that have been provided again.
It would be naive to think that this isn’t going on elsewhere but that is such a childish response. “Well everyone else is doing it.”
Cheater. Plain and simple. Everything he did as a coach should have an asterisk beside it. There is absolutely no credibility given to him here.
Bang a gong (0r trash can), Let’s get it on!!!
Whoever wrote this article should get all the facts and refrain from double talking themselves. The headline says fired but the article says it was a mutual agreement. Too many stories requarding the New England teams. This is just my opinion.
ESPN the unbias network that they are has cancelled all regular programming for January 14th 2020 for a 5 hour Round table discussion. “Boston Red Sox a Team in Utter Turmoil” The panel includes but not limited too
Bob Costas
Bob Uecker
Larry Bird
Andrew Dice Clay
Dr. Joyce Bros
Bozo The Clown
Kenny Powers
Abbot and Costello
Pete Rose
Mel Allen
Dr. Ruth
David Lee Roth
Axl Rose
Art Fern
Slippery the Wonder Eel
Earth Wind and Fire
Logan Morrison has implicated the Yankees and Dodgers as other teams to use video to steal signs. Yankees and Dodgers fans better hope their teams aren’t investigated. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2871359-logan-morrison-so-many-mlb-teams-cheat-using-video-names-yankees-dodgers
I mean I feel that’s fairly common knowledge in the baseball community. However, those teams didn’t win the World Series putting a huge spotlight on them. I’m sure if the Dodgers and Yankees won the title in their respective years they would be the main focus of the scandal.
Well, if Logan Morrison said it it has to be true……
So this offseason the managers of the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 World Series Champions all left their teams or were fired from them.
Bring back Bobby V!!!
Welp, this was no surprise.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL REDSOX may have beat the Yankees in 2018 but like yeah keep the firings coming
Now we know why these guys get the big bucks. They get paid to keep their mouths shut. The fans and the gamblers lose at the expense of these cheaters. Wow. This is a sad day for those that had faith in the integrity of the game.
Is Terry Francona available.?
I hated when they fired Tito. I’m sure it was financially motivated. I always resented ownership for doing that.
No
Guilty or not… I still feel bad for Cora… what he did with HOU was wrong and maybe he even continued it in Boston which is even worse. But regardless I feel bad for him — he had his dream job and now more or less his life is ruined. That just sucks all around for a guy who other than this scandal — seems like an all around nice/decent human being. He may well deserve the punishment and firing but at the same time I can’t help but feel bad for him as a human being — this sucks for him no matter how you look at it.
I feel bad he made wrong choices n ruined his career. I loved n still love Cora.
Yeah, I mean the poor guy will have to tough it out in the Bahamas with his Millions in cash.
The solution is simple : STOP using signs. Why is it that players need to be told by someone else what they should do in a certain situation ? Why does the pitcher need the catcher to tell him what the next pitch should be ? The pitcher is as intelligent as the catcher, is he not ? Why does the base runner need a coach to tell him when to run ETC. ?
Did you ever play the game at any level? If you had you would know why
If you did play baseball at any level, please explain why.
A joke right? Ever seen a catcher crossed up on a sign? Kind of important for a catcher to know what pitch he is trying to catch. A runner can run on his own, will the batter just guess if he shouldn’t swing to allow a steal or swing through the pitch? Should the batter guess if it is a hit and run? What is going to happen if a runner on first steals with a runner on third, many options, signs are good to get people on the same page. It is a strategy game and signs facilitate strategy.
The catcher is very likely crossed up on a sign because he is expecting a certain pitch. If there is no sign given, there is one less reason to be crossed up. No signs will penalize both teams equally in the decision as to whether to swing or to take a pitch. MoneyBall showed that hit and run is a wasted out. You have only 27 outs in a game – don’t waste them. Signs facilitate strategy but they also lend themselves to sign stealing. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Once again, both teams will be penalized equally by not using signs. The only other option is to give everyone electronic gadgets so that everyone is using technology. Either that, or put a MLB employee at the door of every Video Review Room.
Tell you what. You stand 60 feet away from me with a glove, and I’ll beat the crap out of you with baseballs because you’ll have no idea what is coming. And I’m in my 50’s.
Anthony you seriously have no idea why? Wow!
Please explain to me why.
Can the Astros sign Cora for their vacancy?
I want to hear Bergman talk about this since he always has plenty to say about everything else!
Glad Cora is gone, leading these efforts in Houston and Boston is a stain. Boston deserves a penalty, while Cora backed the plan way off in Boston, still wrong and after league warnings. All of that said anyone overreacting to Boston need to come back to baseball reality. What they did is permissible and done in every manner except for using the video room to get the pitch sequence. It was wrong for that reason but only helped when a team wasn’t smart enough to change sequences with a runner on second. Thats basic baseball and easily done. You think a team is onto signs put down a sequence they think is a fastball and throw a curve or worse the opposite. They quickly doubt they know signs and stop. Basic baseball players at high school and college do, so easy for pros. Still you catch a break here or there thus why teams do it naturally or in this case w video. It didn’t win 108 games or 3 playoff series unless every other team doesn’t know to change signs w runners on. Just basic baseball reason.
There was no way to do what the Astros did in 2017 during the 2018 season. Changes were made after the Red Sox and Yankees and were caught cheating in 2017 (with the smart watch, Red Sox, and cell phone, Yankees, in the dugout relaying signs to the batter) that made it impossible.
Yankees were not caught cheating. The Red Sox were fined for stealing signs. The Yankees were given a small fine for having a phone. No evidence of relaying signs in the dugout/cheating.
a bunch of teams were/are doing the same crap
Yes, but when you do it in the World Series TWICE with two separate teams that’s inexcusable.
There are many things I don’t understand about how the punishments were allocated. One of them is, how can you fire the manager but not anyone else on staff who was with the manager during their seasons? For instance, Hinch and Cora were fired as the rest of the coaching staff like Gary Pettis (3rd base coach) is safe? Does the Boston bench coach (Ron Roenicke), 3rd bade coach (Carlos Febles), and hitting coach (Tim Hyers) safe as well? As if they didn’t know anything about Red Sox cheating?
No proof of Red Sox cheating beyond what they were already fined for in 2017. When MLB releases a report on that we will know more.
Cora should be expelled from the league. PERIOD
just curious what makes you think this is worth such a harsh penalty?
The NFL has figured a better way to call plays, why can’t MLB find a better way?
In the NFL the plays are called from the sidelines with a speaker in the helmet of the QB or defensive captain. In the majors the pitches are called by the catcher. Not sure how a catcher is going to call the pitches without the batter hearing it.
Why aren’t the players in the frying pan? And why isn’t Beltran on the employment line? Video exists of the players receiving the information, I’d suspend all the players for a minimum of a year. Let Round Rock and Pawtucket play in the AL next year.
Two words “players union”
Manfred is afraid that if he goes after any players, that the MLBPA will both not agree to the penalties and it will make the CBA he is trying to negotiate now much harder to get done. A strike would mean billions lost by MLB and that is not what he wants to happen.
In other words, it’s all about money. And the average fans are believed to be dumb enough to continue forking over their hard earned wages for the enrichment of the owners and players?
When is anything not about money? Like any other business
Do you invest in baseball in any way?
I feel Manfred is placing the responsibility on the Players Association themselves to deal with handling the players involved in the scandal. It’s a very smart move actually, and the burden falls upon the men who take the field and their elected representatives as to what should be done to those whom have disgraced it.
LOL…The assbros are a complete garbage franchise. Garbage management. Garbage players. Garbage fans.
In response to a negative Bloom comment way up above: What would you have had Bloom do by now? Disperse all overpaid talent to get under the lux tax line? Hire overpaid FAs willy-nilly to go for it in Betts’s last year? Most CEOs in baseball get a chance to get used to their team and its assets. Alex Anthopolous did NOTHING in Atlanta for the first year after he had taken over. Bloom, on the other hand, has to solve the immense and immediate problems of salaries that amount to something over ownership’s (sudden) goal and the even more sudden loss of the team’s manager. So you’re not knocked out by Peraza and Perez. You might really like Brice and Hildenberger. Let Bloom work.
I’m wondering if there’s a connection between the departures of Dombrowski and Nolan Ryan and ownerships’ knowledge of the cheating scandals. I realize each situation is different but could what has been said publicly be smokescreens?
Talked to a friend that works in the Red Sox front office and he said that the Red Sox are paying Cora his $2+ million 2020 salary just to go away now and not wait until the penalty comes down from Manfred. Wonder what Manfred will say about that agreement or if there is anything he can say. Can’t take the check back..
The owners appear to be backdooring the commissioner at every opportunity. Nice to see that respect is earned even in a twisted money grubbing environment like MLB.
Or the Red Sox want to get ahead of this because they’re concerned about the impact on the franchise if they continue to partner with Mr Cheat.
I’ll take “Things that didn’t happen” for $500 Alex.
Man everyone here is going crazy one way or another. Ya’ll gotta chill.
Does Altuve give his MVP back?
No team in Baaaaaaaaaaaaahston can win anything without cheating.
Banned for life! let Pete rose manage!!!
I wonder if MLB will run that “Let the Kids Play” commercial again this year?
Don Hinch and Don Cora, the leaders of the two biggest crime families in baseball
So the league knew the sign stealing was going on…implemented changes…but did nothing to discipline those involved with causing a breach of the games integrity UNTIL it became a matter of public record?
That’s perhaps the most traditional baseball thing ever. And everyone thinks the game changes.
– The reports
– Your head
Is cheating just in the Boston DNA?
Yes can the Celtics cheat and get me a championship Again before I die ..jk
Supposedly in the old Boston Garden Red Auerbach had the maintenance staff turn up the heat in the visiting locker room. So would be cheating some. May be an urban legend though.
This Met fan says – get rid of Beltran!
Wow I cut my dish off so I don’t have mlb network for first time in a long time ..dang what a wow off season for the most part I miss out on .. I hate all the cheaters..
I’m pretty surprised there isn’t more negative chatter about the MVP and career season that Mookie Betts had in 2018, while playing under cheating Cora. Betts had a down offensive season in 2017, but roared back in 2018. If you look closer at his 2018 numbers, he was out of this world whenever there was a runner on 2nd base. Below are his stats for his entire season, including with a runner on 2nd, and then his numbers only when there was a runner on 2b.
Season: .346/.438/.640/1.079
BB %-13.2%, K%-14.8%
Runner 2B: .339/.516/.790/1.307
BB %-25.3%, K%-8.8%
Interesting
Not a single word about, “I was wrong and I’m sorry.”
Cheater.
Yeah, no regret, no apology, nothing. That seems to be the standard these days from people in power. Never apologize because it looks weak. What org is going to pay these guys to come and work for them?
Fox Sports. They could pair Cora with Rodriguez and call it “Alex ‘n’ Alex.” Cora can share insights on cheating while Rodriguez gives PED tips.
Man, you guys are on point with this. It’s very refreshing to see baseball fans collectively feel this animosity toward cheating. Keep it up guys!
Boy is Chris Russo an idiot…. and the press in News Conference asking the same question all over again, over and over…. ridiculous.
Only thing I can say, I can be sure my Orioles did not cheat the last two seasons, not when they lost 115 games having Machado, Schoop, Gusman, O Day, Brach, Britton, Davis, etc, etc and didn’t get any better last year after hiring Elias and Company from the Astros so we are safe
Only thing I can say, I can be sure my Orioles did not cheat the last two seasons, not when they lost 115 games having Machado, Schoop, Gusman, O Day, Brach, Britton, Davis, etc, etc and didn’t get any better last year after hiring Elias and Company from the Astros so we are safe
Maybe their as bad at cheating as playing ball?
Jk!
With every firing, suspension or banning, baseball the sport gets better and better. Keep it up Mets!
Probably going to manager the Astros next.
Oscar the Grouch is named new Manager of the Boston Red Sox..
Oscar’s experience with banging on garbage cans was a major factor on the decision.
The bottom line in all this is they cheated plain and simple, and something no one has mentioned is not one of them is showing any remorse or apologized for what they did.
I listened to Boston ownership go on and on about what a great guy Cora is and what a great manager he was.
I wonder if Yu Darvish or Clayton Kershaw both who got lite up by the Astro’s think Cora is a great guy
Jow Girardi who lost game 7 in the AL championship to Astro;s and lost his job before the end of season
Dodgers (twice) Yankees, and Indians being beaten by teams with Cora cheating.
If you ban Joe Jackson and Pete Rose then Cora, Hinch, and Beltran should be banned.
As for Boston taking the highroad, they did this because the Astro’s ownership forced the issue.
MLB has caused this. The day you start allowing electronics and cameras into the game for whatever purpose, is the day when someone looks at it and then looks for ways to get an advantage out of it. Next will be hacking other team computers, a wealth of info, injured players, draft choices, players wanted and players for trade.
But with all that written about this and the people involved and now out of work. The closest to an apology is from Beltran and he’s apologizing for diveting what he calls is ethical and moral code. The rest have just disappeared into the night.
Shouldn’t have dissed the White House invite. Karma