Former Astros bench coach and Red Sox manager Alex Cora was among those who bore the brunt of the punishment Major League Baseball handed down over Houston’s sign-stealing scandal from its 2017 World Series-winning campaign. Although they were just over a year removed from winning their own title under Cora in 2018, his first season as their skipper, the Red Sox parted with Cora back in January. MLB then suspended Cora through the 2020 postseason this past April.
Shortly after the league banned Cora, he issued a statement taking “full responsibility” for his role in the Astros’ misdeeds. Cora remains contrite for his actions as a Houston assistant, per Marly Rivera of ESPN.com, but he’s unhappy that he and former Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltran have gotten so much blame in comparison to many other members of the organization.
Rivera’s piece is worth reading in full for all of Cora’s quotes, but he said, in part: “Out of this whole process, if there is one thing that I completely reject and disagree with is people within the Astros’ organization singling me out, particularly [former general manager] Jeff Luhnow, as if I were the sole mastermind. The commissioner’s report sort of explained, in its own way, what happened. But the [Astros players] have spoken up and refuted any allegations that I was solely responsible.”
Cora added that “it was not a two-man show. We all did it.” However, he admitted that the ban the league handed him was deserved and he has to pay for his mistakes.
It now remains to be seen whether some of the key members of the scandal will return to the majors. Luhnow and ex-Astros manager A.J. Hinch received one-year suspensions in January. Beltran, now retired from playing, became the Mets’ manager in November, but the team ousted him around the time the league booted Luhnow and Hinch. Cora, though, could be helping his cause with the remorse he has shown throughout this process. He’s also just 44 years and someone with an excellent track record as a manager. And for what it’s worth, Cora told Rivera he “absolutely” wants to get back in the game at some point. For now, though, he’s focusing on his family.
He and the rest should be Banned for awhile! I think this Astros & Red Sox story will start to heat up even more when/if the season starts!!
Except the Red Sox didn’t do a thing beyond what the rest of the league did. By virtue of an investigation, they had to be punished by the league to save face.
I partly agree, but I’m not sure if your username helps your case
Pretty sure his username references a different Boston area franchise that cheated their way to titles.
Pretty sure you wish your teams could be half as successful as the Red Sox or Patriots.
Otherwise you’d know you sound like someone who care more about excuses then reality.
Yep, adjusting the pressure in the ball and perusing practice tap that skirted the rules is the sole reason they have an NFL record number of Super Bowls. Of course, considering human nature and competition, they were the only team to find ways around rules.
Wait, that is a common practice in many industries. People find ways to get a competitive advantage. It is a primary reason why there are so many regulations in the form of HRs and SBs.
Pardon me, I could not keep the fairytale going long enough to finish the comment. Life is a shade of grays filled with context and nuance, not simply black or white or right or wrong.
The above comment was made with possibly excessive sarcasm in mocking a typically simplistic view of anything.
I’ve watched the only team I care about win 5 titles. WITHOUT cheating. I’m good.
If you can ignore the asterisks and still enjoy pretending that they won legit, more power to you. But….
The reality is they cheated and you excuse it.
What Boston team didn’t cheat their way to the title? No way the Red Sox win without Manny Ramirez and Ortiz on PEDs.
The Patriots have been caught cheating several times.
Catchers who move their mitt to make a pitch look more like a strike…cheating or fair play?
I don’t excuse it, nor do I embrace hindsight naivete.
I love Cora n I think AJ n the rest of Astros threw him under the bus. I hope the RS rehire him, he was loved n respected in Boston.
Alot of players should be in all sports. Who cares stop crying. Its over with. Omgosh grow up ppls. I’m MD guy Terps for bball n football. Orioles and Ravens. But damn ha who cares its in the past
Ooooo I don’t think that’s gonna happen…Only one I see coming back is Hinch, MAYBE. Beltran probably tanked his HOF chances as well.
Hinch, IMO, is worse than Cora.
If you don’t believe Hinch played a role, and go further to discount some of what MLB’s report said, then Hinch is also guilty of the following: not keeping an eye on what his staff was up to, losing control of his staff, losing control over his players, failing to attempt to stop what he knew was happening and knew to be illegal. When a manager has zero control over his staff and clubhouse who is really running the team?
Because in an absolute best case scenario, Hinch pled innocence by virtue of failing to do his job for more than an entire season.
I think Hinch has the relationships to get a second chance. Most second chances in life aren’t entirely self made anyways. He won’t come back as a manager, but I could see Hinch starting as an instructor or bench coach and working his way back into a managerial role. In fact, I consider it almost inevitable if he desires a return to managing considering he was touted as one of the best in baseball pre-scandal.
I mean, people are still planning in voting in David Ortiz. And defending that decision vigorously so…
Do you guys see Beltran returning to the game as a special advisor? If so, who which team would give him that chance?
Patriots.
Lmao
Lance Armstrong is looking for help as well.
While you’re likely making a weak-minded attempt at humor, comparing a sport like cycling and Armstrong taking EPO is quite different than what happened with the Red Sox or Astros.
Yet, Astro fans are still in denial.
About what? That the Astros were among Vegas’ top 2-3 bets to win the 2020 WS before the season was halted?
What a jerk. On one hand he accepts full responsibility, yet on the other hand he doesn’t accept being singled out.
These guys score a negative value on the character meter.
Why are those 2 things mutually exclusive in your mind. He takes full responsibility for HIS ACTIONS but doesn’t feel that others who were just as aware and involved in what went on have been blamed publicly the way he and Beltran have.
They are mutual exclusive. Yes. He doesn’t take full responsibility. He takes responsibility for his part. He takes partial responsibility.
Full does not equal partial.
It’s like a player saying he takes full responsibility for the loss then says he’s not the only one who screwed up.
He takes full responsibility for his role. He says that others also had responsibility for their roles. What is so hard to understand?
You don’t seem to have a good grasp of the English language if that’s what you thought he meant by taking full responsibility. If he meant what you’re claiming he would have said he takes SOLE responsibility.
English is hard.
The guys going after you, Halo, are idiots. Cora is just ticked there wasn’t a bigger fallout from this. People skated, and he wishes he did. Would he have admitted to anything if others were taken down and he was still manager of the Red Sox? How about a big NO on that one.
Watched some of the 1993 playoffs since we have no baseball. I didn’t realize Joey Cora was a dummy. Dumb must run deep in the Cora family.
Ray. I take full responsibility for my role in Watergate.
The phrase is meaningless.
Kingken let me tell you something. You go in for an interview and you admit to doing something wrong, you don’t take others down with you. That’s just not the right thing to do. End of story.
You stand up, you take the hit but you’re not looking to the side to see who’s taking the hit with you.
Yeah, no.
To be fair, taking “full responsibility” probably means something like “I take full responsibility for my actions and my role in the scandal” instead of “I take full responsibility for all the cheating for everyone ever.”
Doesn’t mean he didn’t play a major role, but I can understand how he could be pissed for others avoiding accountability while he owned up to his actions. I believe he (and everyone involved) got off far too lightly, but I think this is one small point we shouldn’t harp on him so much.
Sorry, every time I take full responsibility I never look at someone else to take some responsibility.
Full responsibility means exactly that. I knew it was B.S. when he said it. He read a press release.
Cainer18, that’s just like the mistake Kobe made 20 years ago. He got caught for his atrocious Act and then said, well Shaq does it too. That is Bush League and that’s uncalled for.
This is not the same degree of course.. don’t even go there, but when you’re on the stand don’t point out to the audience and say they did it too. Not sure why this is such a big issue. It’s wrong.
It’s not even in the same league Gary. Houston was willing to throw Cora under the Bus and he is just supposed to say yea it was myself and Beltran and no one else cmon man let’s be real your either living in fantasy land or mob land. Everyone knows that more then just those two were cheating.
No, it’s more like if both Kobe and Shaq did the same thing at the same time to the same girl, but only Kobe had to go to court.
Cora just ruined my glowing respect for him. He’s walking both sides of the street. How do you take responsibility fully, and then say, “well I wasn’t the only one.. everybody else did it too. It’s not fair that I’m singled out.”
You know what, if you were somewhat innocent the players will speak up for you and other guys will speak up for you. Take your medicine and take full responsibility or don’t do it at all.
I abhor wishy-washy and I can’t stand when guys want to be known as a ‘stand-up guy’ and swallowing the pill, yet in interviews they cave and bring down other guys with them. I hope he never gets a job managing again. I don’t trust him anymore. At best some team will hand him clipboard and a Hertz Rent-a-Car credit card, and a box of blank minor league player scouting reports.
He’s saying he accepts his actions, and that others (particularly (probably), the players who got away unpunished) should as well. I couldnt agree more.
On the one hand he said “I accept full responsibility” and then later he throws everyone under the bus with “we all did it.” Just take your medicine and zip it! No reason to start pointing fingers every which direction. It’s a classless move and I understand why people don’t appreciate the wishy-washyness of it all. Cora and Beltran proposed the scheme and enacted it; I hope these cheaters never see the light of MLB again.
While I agree that they are both cheaters, I also agree with Cora’s sentiment that ALL people involved should be punished or at least acknowledged to some degree, not just scapegoat a few. I see nothing wrong in accepting one’s mistakes while also pointing out that other people acted wrong as well. I don’t see Mike Fiers getting punished despite being on that cheating team and snitching, not to mention all the hitters.
Saavedra, I think you are missing the point. Cora says he takes full responsibility and yet he doesn’t.
It proves his initial statement was bull manure and he never meant it. It was a press release and he clearly did not believe what he said.
Why should Mike Fiers be punished? Unless he was down there banging on the trash can, which he probably was.
Shamefully, Little Man-fred gave immunity to all players.
There wouldn’t be a case if he didn’t grant immunity. The players would have kept quiet and then nobody gets punished and it does not get exposed to the degree it did. I think the e Commissioner felt the tradeoff was worth it.
Just as I replied above, Cora is the one being interviewed and he shouldn’t be looking around at others. “I did it, I’m being interviewed right here, I’m not going to bring other names into the conversation.”
Maybe I’m old school but that’s just not how you do things. Why is this tough to understand in today’s crowd? Stand up.
Why is it so tough for YOU to understand that he takes full responsibility for HIS actions? He acknowledges that he should be penalized. Taking full responsibility for one’s OWN actions does NOT preclude voicing disappointment that others have failed to do so.
If you hate a guy, so be it, you hate him. Just understand that doesn’t change the definition of words.
I understand it fully. And I’ve got my opinion of what he did yesterday. If you’re on the stand you don’t get to say Joe did it too.
You take full responsibility for what YOU did, end of story, no one else is on trial here. If you start deflecting any amount of your personal responsibility then I lose respect.
If I cheat on my wife and I go back and say sorry and I never do it again… BUT during the conversation I say, “honey, Bill across the street does it too.” That totally wipes out any apology that I’ve given my wife up to that point, and that’s aside from it being absolutely uncalled for.
Not analogous. Do you take full responsibility for your illogical arguments? Or for all of the foolishness being spewed here?
Well said, Gary
honestly i dont even care anymore. bring him back, bring them all back. wouldnt matter to me. I need to go back to my normal life jeez.
Astros fan Im guessing?
Actually I think he’s a Phillies fan.
yes. it would hard to be truely apathetic about it if i actually had a vested interest in the teams involved.
There’s a bazillion other people we can try in the role of manager or bench coach before a cheating, lying, take down everyone else, misrepresenting dude like this.
I was great with Alex Cora on his initial statements. Like the guy above said, must have been written for him to read out loud.
They’ll all be back at some point
Shut up Cora. Even if what you say is true. Take full responsibility and mention nobody else’s name. Period. Ban his a$$ for life though. No way does he have any credibility after being a part of multiple scandals
Cora should name names if he’s a real one.
We actually should talk about the official asterisk on all those stats, and give the MVP to Judge.
For now he’s “focusing on family”. Of course he is. That’s the default explanation when players and managers aren’t actively pursuing positions.
It would be refreshing to hear, for once, somebody say that for now they’re “focusing on hookers and blow”.
A.C. Always Cheating
Nicely done
Now wait a second. I’m reaming him for what he’s done to name names to go down in the ship with him when he should have been the captain and tried to save others. Whatever happened to that concept? But that’s not where I’m going.
I think he did whatever he did for the good of the team, and to win at all costs. Did he use bad judgment, sure. But to say “always cheating” I think that is giving him a label to carry forward that’s not right.
I disagree.
Like anyone cares what he says.
Yes, and I can hear you now – why comment if you don’t care lol – it is because I think he’s a rat and a weasel.
Plus, i’ve been downing that ice cold beer.
I’m more annoyed that Cora (and more than a few commenters on here) conveniently fail to add that he cheated just as much, and to just as much resulting travesty (i.e., a WS title), with the 2018 BoSox. He’s the worst of the bunch because he irrevocably marred TWO seasons and should suffer double the penalty.
I don’t buy the Commish’s report that Boston’s illegal use of tech wasn’t “as bad” as Houston’s. Manfred just burying. But Fangraphs had a great article damn neart proving their man-on-second methods were equally beneficial to adding runs.
108 wins my arse. That 2018 title is utter garbage. Don’t let the madding crowd make this purely an Astros shame.
Wrong.
You obviously misunderstood what happened because the Astros and Red Sox situations are nothing alike. One was blatant systematic cheating, the other was one guy who broke the rules which were kind of blurry.
If you believe that … well, I don’t know what to say.
So Boston starts using video to steal signs upon Cora’s arrival, but he had no idea and never told his staff to seek ways to do so? Just a rogue replay guy? Riiiiiiiight.
If you think knowing the pitch only when a man is on second is that different, read this and respond: blogs.fangraphs.com/how-much-did-the-red-sox-benef…
The subtext of this interview is that when it becomes apparent that Cora is done in the game, names and deeds will be named. There will be a full accounting one day and it won’t be pretty.
Someone let me know if we are supposed to take a knee or defund the concession stand. I’m still learning how to react when things don’t go my way.
Still learning humour as well it seems.
What’s with the British spelling there Goat? Are you overseas?
He should name names and then just do a bunch of inexplicable stuff, like Jose Canseco.
I personally don’t understand all the bashing on Cora taking full responsibility or not. Isn’t the bigger picture the fact that more players and personnel were at fault? I’m thankful to hear it was more people involved.
I’m sorry, I just don’t care about this scandal. I believe a majority of teams were doing this or something similar, and unless every pertinent person in the game passes a lie detector test I’m going to go on believing it.
I think the league believes it too. Otherwise the punishment would’ve been worse. They didn’t really care. Considering the many existential problems the game has, no one should care.
This is akin to saying you don’t care about one person stealing because other people do.
I hope you never serve on a jury.
Yeah, except it’s not. When something is stolen that person is out something, they have lost something, probably something that actually matters, otherwise it wouldn’t be worth stealing.
This is sports. Sports don’t matter. Don’t get me wrong, I love sports, baseball in particular. Baseball is fun. Baseball is a great way to spend an afternoon or an evening. Baseball is some of the best entertainment that money can buy. But that’s all it is, entertainment. It’s corporate owned, mass market entertainment like movies, music, and books. Baseball is not life and death. Baseball, when compared with so many things that happen every day in real life, does not matter.
Maybe it would matter, if the sport had at some point had some integrity.
But teams institutionalized gambling. And teams institutionalized the availability and use or steroids. And teams ran clinics to teach pitchers how to hide foreign substances, and frankly there are probably things teams have done that we’ve never even heard of to gain advantages, and you know what, it doesn’t damage the entertainment value of the sport one tiny bit.
I’d be fine if the sport wanted to audit itself and get all this junk out, but it’s never, EVER been willing to do that. For the most part, they only make cheating illegal after it’s been done. They deal with these scandals one at a time, piecemeal, rather than putting real guards in place to maintain integrity with punishments that would actually make a difference.
Unless the sport decides to hold every team, executive, manager, coach, player, staffer, agent, and especially umpire fully and EQUALLY accountable, the sport will have exactly zero competitive integrity. That’s the way it has always been and will always be, so I just don’t care.
If you don’t care about when a team gets caught cheating, then either (1) you don’t care about baseball or (2) you have an awfully cynical point of view as to which teams engaged in the precise violation that the Astros were caught doing (using technology to steal signs). You don’t need anyone to tell you that either of those positions are perfectly acceptable, but on a niche site like MLBTradeRumors, you will find the overwhelming majority of users here care enough about baseball to, at the very least, be bothered when a team that won the World Series was *caught* cheating during the season in which they won the WS.
And the league couldn’t set a precedent by doing more than what it did, really. IMO the league should have banned the Astros from the postseason for a season, or penalized the players in some fashion (but even then, what about players who signed with other teams, which would in turn be penalized for actions that occurred in 2017?) Not to mention issues with the MLBPA that would arise from punishing players a year before CBA negotiations begin.
Anyway, Cora is weak and should have disclosed to MLB the names of the individuals he knew took part in the scheme, so at least the MLB couldn’t rely on the fact that they only found evidence from scapegoats Cora, Beltran and Hinch.
Also: its an outright lie that “all teams were doing it”. WRONG. Only the Astros and Red Sox and maybe the Yankees did it. Everyone else is entirely innocent and the fact that brain-damaged Astros homer fans are implicating other teams based on zero evidence is nothing but infuriating.
I’m sorry, but if you wrote all that and are either an Astros or Red Sox fan, then you wasted everyone’s time because your opinion is completely worthless.
Lol @ “I’m sorry”
As you can tell from my username, I’m a yankee fan and I would be ashamed of them if they were caught cheating. Can’t speak for the rest of the fan base, though I will note that no one hated A-Rod more than Yankee fans when he got caught doping. It’s embarassing.
I respect Cora for taking responsibility for his actions. He’s right to defend himself a little when others make it sound like he was the mastermind or sole offender when the whole team at least knew and most participated. Grace and forgiveness is everyone else’s responsibility when someone shows true remorse.
Then call it what it is. He’s not taking full responsibility for what he did. He’s saying others are responsible for what he did. One or the other can’t have both.
Gary – Give me the quote that you are relying on because I only read that he takes full responsibility for his actions with the Astros. He only said that he was not the only person involved, which is true. I can’t find any statement he made in which he said others are responsible for what he did. Please provide it.
I guess I have a different opinion then most. The issue I have is exactly what you’re saying here in your post “he’s taking full responsibility” and then he’s saying “he’s not the only one” who did it. That’s the problem I have. Leave others out of it and just take your own personal responsibility fully for what you did. Don’t even talk about anybody else. I guess that’s where I’m having issue.
Don’t even bring my name up if I’m the other guy. You’re the guy on the stand or being interviewed or whatever it is.., NOT ME. I just think it’s a bush-league to do something like that but I’m probably in the minority so there you have it.
It would be better if he named names.
“I take full responsibility…. BUT”
His “but” wasn’t to minimize his actions. He was only saying stop making him look like the only perpetrator. He has a right to defend himself in that respect.
He doesn’t understand the way guilt works. If two people kill someone, they are both tried for murder. You don’t distribute or proportion blame. He was one of the key masterminds. Does it really matter whether he was the only one?
If one of the two murderers shows remorse and takes responsibility for his actions, he will get a lighter sentence. Remorse and taking responsibility matters.
This is also not murder. It’s sports. Cheating at sports, on the criminal importance meter, is right up there with stealing a towel from a motel. Sorry, but if your going to equate cheating at a game with taking a life they you’ve just lost all credibility.
For sure Kreckert. There is a lot of self righteous indignation about this issue. No one on here was personally effected by the Astros, yet they want everyone involved banned for life, arrested, and publicly humiliated forever.
Nah, just permanently staining the accomplishment(s) is good enough for me. Now, IF Kreckert is correct that a majority of teams were doing “similar” — which I don’t automatically accept but can’t rule out — then sure, no harm no foul. I’m not talking murder, tar n feathering, etc.; agree that sports is a different world. But if a competition is crooked, then the results of said competition are irrelevant and should be deemed as such.
Except cheating at sports can result in the tangential theft of millions of dollars. All winning teams and their players benefit from winning through economic rewards (future contracts for players, merchandising for teams) and prestige. To say cheating is no big deal ignores the fact the losers lost those gains.
I can’t believe you’d be so obtuse on this to assume otherwise.
Darth – Neither Krekert nor I said cheating was no big deal. My point is and always has been that no one posting on here was personally affected, yet they are quick to demand life long punishments. Of those alleged millions of dollars, how much of it came out of your bank account? So to twist my comment to suggest I believe cheating is no big deal is a gross misrepresentation of what I said. No one on here was personally affected. MLB did what they thought was correct based on their findings. Enjoy baseball for what it is – entertainment.
My comment was directed at K not you so my intent was never to twist your words. However, I’ll bite on some of your comments.
In my opinion, I don’t think the analogy of actions not impacting the personal bank accounts of posters on this site is a dodge. As an academic who is trained to develop concepts and theoretical arguments proven by data and statistical modeling, I always beat the intellectual S out students who attempt to pass such fluff comments. Such rebuttals are intellectually void and your comment means nothing since you meant it to mean nothing.
Also, to say we’re not impacted by examples of moral degradation is, in my opinion, a serious issue with society. Every action can impact everyone since poor behavior that is not punished is either mimicked or becomes normalized.
Agreed but baseball had better be careful not to cross that imaginary line – the one that separates MLB from WWE. There has always been cheating, yes, and there always will be. But when the results get tainted that’s dangerous to the integrity of the sport. Sure, any cheating can affect the results, but if I didn’t believe the games were “real” then I wouldn’t watch.
Wait… what?? If there’s always been cheating and always will be, what on earth are you talking about?
Has he kept his WS Ring? If so, he should shut up.
Oh please. That’s irrelevant. There is no way to prove that the Astros would have lost in 2017 but for the cheating. It’s a game. You weren’t personally affected. Let it go and enjoy baseball.
Counterpoint: no, we absolutely shouldnt let cheating “go” in a billion dollar industry, you ninny.
So because there isnt a way to prove they would have lost, they just get a pass? interesting…
I dont think Cora should be blackballed. People make mistakes. When caught they get punished. As a Christian nation we are taught forgiveness, i feel the same way about Pete Rose.
Now if he was doing something to have his team lose. Thats different. Hanging is appropriate in that case.
You cheated. You got caught. STFU and take your punishment like a man.
If you don’t think others in MLB in any capacity haven’t cheated, you may be ignorant. Difference is, he got caught. Now he pays for it. Remember the old saying, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying…” Always going to be someone, likely unbeknownst to us, taking advantage of the rules somehow
That “old saying” was created by b00mers, the most corrupted, selfish and downright evil generation in the history of the world.
Let’s not forget it was the Houston front office staff who created the ‘tool’ that decoded pitches in real time and Luhnow knew all about it. The same front office personnel brought that tool to the team and asked how they could use it during the games to get an advantage over their opponents.
When Houston was finally caught, they tried to pin the entire thing on Cora and Beltran. Luhnow had the gall to say he knew nothing about it when he helped spearhead the entire thing. I don’t blame Cora for wanting to tell the real story; Luhnow has been proven to be a despicable person and if anyone should be banned for life, it is him!
hmm…poor guy. cheats the game and gets somewhat more punished in his eyes than another guy that cheated the game. I hope hes out of baseball for good, but I expect his chance will come again.
Sox contract will be waiting for 2021 season. This year 2020 will go down as one of the worst years in US history.
Hey Alex didn’t you hear ? MLB is dead !
I recall StL getting bagged for stealing Houston’s draft player analysis and got seriously fined and now this BS from Cora about others were behind this too in Houston. Seems like cheating is what they all do. The only reason they slap these fines and suspensions on those responsible is to show the gambling industry the game is policed. LOL. Gamblers bucks matter.
Maybe each team should create a position for Head of Cheating and Gambling BS Operations.