4:05pm: The Red Sox have made it official.
3:43pm: Cora has agreed to a two-year deal with a pair of club options, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN.
3:20pm: Cora will get a multiyear deal, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com tweets. The Red Sox are likely to announce his rehiring today, per Heyman.
8:18am: The Red Sox are bringing back Alex Cora as manager, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). He’ll return to the position he occupied from 2018-19 in a move anticipated by many for quite some time.
Cora and the organization parted ways in January after commissioner Rob Manfred implicated him as an architect of the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scheme. Manfred later handed Cora a suspension through the end of the 2020 postseason for his integral role in Houston’s transgressions. (That suspension did not implicate Cora in Boston’s video room misuse during his time as Red Sox manager, which the commissioner blamed on replay coordinator J.T. Watkins). By then, the Red Sox had already replaced Cora with bench coach Ron Roenicke.
Roenicke’s tenure proved to be short-lived, as he was let go on the heels of a disappointing 24-36 season. That’s hardly all Roenicke’s fault, of course. Boston’s roster took plenty of hits outside the manager’s control in the months leading up to the start of the season. Mookie Betts was traded away, Chris Sale was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery, and Eduardo Rodríguez suffered through a serious battle with myocarditis after a bout with COVID-19.
The 2018-19 teams led by Cora had plenty more success. In his first season at the helm, Cora guided the 2018 Red Sox to one of the most successful seasons in recent history. Boston won 108 regular-season games, then breezed through the postseason to a World Series title. The 2019 team took a significant step back, falling to 84-78 and missing the playoffs. Nevertheless, there’s little doubt Cora would’ve been entrenched as Boston’s manager had his heavily-involved role in the Astros’ cheating scandal not come to light.
Boston interviewed a handful of other candidates during the search for Roenicke’s replacement this offseason. Cora always loomed as the favorite, given his apparent ongoing good favor with ownership and many of the team’s players. New baseball operations leader Chaim Bloom spoke with a handful of other candidates, with Phillies director of integrative performance Sam Fuld seemingly emerging as Cora’s biggest challenger for the job. Nevertheless, the Red Sox turned back to their old skipper almost as soon as he was permitted to return to the sport.
Cora’s hiring is further indication clubs are generally willing to look past individuals’ wrongdoings so long as they’re capable of helping the team win games. The Tigers hired former Houston manager A.J. Hinch as their skipper just three days after his suspension expired. Cora follows Hinch back into an MLB dugout just a week later. He’ll be tasked with again trying to lead Boston back to postseason glory, although he’ll now have to do so with a less-talented roster than the one he helped to a title two years ago.
“cheaters never prosper” oh wait, nevermind.
Scum organization’s. As far as I’m concerned there was no World Series Champion in 2017 or 2018, or A.L MVP in 2017 or 2018 either.
Shuddup Cavan that is uncalled for from a hater. I’m so happy for Cora even you can’t upset me.
Hey Alex. I didnt know you posted on MLBTR…
I agree with you
Man what has this world come to, can’t we ever forgive someone who mess up.
He knew what he was doing was wrong. Cora and Boston back together again is perfect, because their both cheaters.
Man, what is the world coming to when people think second chances for cheaters are more deserved than simply hiring someone from the large pool of candidates who didn’t cheat.
Of course we should but has he shown any remorse for what they did?
Sadly for you, your concern doesn’t change the record books, take away the rings, trophies, or dollars that those organizations/players made/received during those years.
You don’t matter.
I’m far from the only person who feels this way. The fans DO MATTER and we don’t forget. So if tarnished records and damaging the beautiful sport of baseball for millions of fans doesn’t matter, to the record books. Trust me, it matters to us and we will NEVER forget.
You don’t matter Alex Jones you unisex named weiner. Lol
No, peoples opinions don’t change the WS outcome or the rings, but this rehiring of Cora by Boston sets in the stain that he brought to the organization. Its harder to forget, when the organization endorses it.
Cavan you are NOT a RS fan, and not a fan of baseball.
Just one more reason for Yankee fans to hate the Red Sox. Won’t matter much in 2021 because Sox will still be a bad team.
Agreed – not to mention professional players from other sports. When asked they get sick learning that players and coaches purposefully cheated, got caught, and shook it off like it is nothing. It hurts integrity for sports.
Why do you think that Pasha?? Because he doesn’t think people should be rewarded for cheating?
Wait why is Mookie at fault here?
The Redsox were cheating in 2018 and lost a second round pick because of it, the only reason they weren’t punished more severely was a lack of evidence but that doesn’t mean they weren’t cheating they were just smart about it. Mookie Betts has a career year in 2018 along with multiple redsox, what a coincidence Altuve had a career year in 2017 along with multiple Astros….,…
Huh. How does that explain Mookie’s MVP year this year with a completely different team??
It doesn’t, you’re clearly out to lunch. Learn how to read as 2020 clearly has nothing to do with the 2018 MVP.
Btw Mookie won’t win MVP this year, Freddie will!
Fisk27
“How does that explain Mookie’s MVP year this year with a completely different team??”
1) Mookie’s year in 2018, 10.6 WAR, was nothing like this year, probably something like 7.5 or so WAR.
2) Mookie isn’t winning the MVP.
Just shuddup, you know nothing n I quit being nice about the haters
It would be more accurate to say Betts had a MVP-caliber season.
Many Sox fans including me believe JDM was the true MVP of 2018. He was the difference that year.
Scum?? Okay….
Sox in 2018 lost ONE game “at home” in each Post-Season series (ALDS, ALCS & WS) and CLOSED-OUT each series “on the road” without losing a game. Gimme a break bro.
Why didn’t the Redsox have a 2nd round pick in this years draft???? that’s a tainted championship that nobody respects.
It’s useless arguing with a Blue Jays fan.
AGREED!
Talk to Tex about that one Mo.
All haters who can’t see any good in anyone. I have nothing to say to a bunch of haters. Not a baseball fan or a fan of humans.
Who said we can’t see the good in anyone? I didn’t say Cora deserves the death penalty but he doesn’t deserve a managers job in the MLB.
Yeah all of pasha2k’s comments are over the top here. “Not…fan of humans.” That’s comical. I think someone has a major Cora crush.
“Leave Britney alone!”
Lmaooooo cheif, I’m dying..
So, should the Red Sox not rehire Cora solely based on what he did in Houston, not Boston? Maybe, maybe not. I think they should have turned the page, but it is not the end of the world that they rehired Cora.
This is a disgrace. Hopefully Red Sox ownership won’t be among those complaining about lost revenues and the shrinking of the sport. Both will be at least in part self inflicted wounds. Real baseball fans will be increasingly tuning out. Without integrity, baseball is dead.
We agree beisbolista.
At exactly which point of its history would you say baseball had “integrity”?
Joe Jackson should be allowed entry to the Hall of Fame since these cheaters are allowed back into MLB.
Did you say the same about AJ?
He should have been in a long time ago. There are many who have been in MLB that were never asked to leave.
What a joke. Fired and now rehired. This question can be ask in the future, which Boston manager was fired and then rehired? Who, Who, Who? Alex Cora.
Billy Martin made a career out of getting fired and re-hired by George Steinbrenner maybe that will be Cora’s thing
He was suspended so they had to fire him
Cora was not fired by the Red Sox. They “mutually agreed to part ways”. Come on guys, get your facts straight!
That’s what they said. Lol.
Pure semantics Dorothy.
Go Dorothy, you have more tolerance than I have with them.
He wanted to spend more time with his family. LOL
Cora was suspended so the Red Sox had to replace him. I don’t understand why some people don’t seem to understand that. Re-hiring him seems questionable, but it’s not like they decided to fire him. I’m not a Red Sox fan so I don’t care too much about that organization, but people excusing cheating overall is irritating to me. I definitely have a bigger issue with the Astros and the people who try to defend them than the Red Sox. Of course, it helps that the Red Sox aren’t likely to be a competitive threat any time soon.. The Astros cheated their way to a World Series ring and MLB happens to have a commissioner who doesn’t have a backbone.
Yea. I know we’re going to hear the same ol’ “everyone cheats” nonsense, but it’s a bit infuriating. I see no reason not to cheat.
And you are perfect purple?
MLB players and managers make millions. It’s a privilege. If they’re caught cheating that privilege should be taken away from them. If I cheated at my job I’d be fired for life and likely have a hard time finding a job with another company. I don’t want anyone going to jail or anything, but losing their MLB job? Absolutely.
Why not jail when what they did was fraudulent. The better they perform, the more they make. Every reason to cheat if the penalties aren’t severe. Draconian penalties will stop this nonsense. Golf has self reporting rules and pros would get banned for cheating.
Red Sox be like hey Alex? You remember that time you got caught cheating and had to take a one year vacation? Yeah cool so do we but were still gonna hire you, So yeah don’t do that again ok? Cool
What a trash organization
100% percent true. With the Astros and now the Tigers with their hiring of a cheater
So he cheated twice and all he got was a slap on the wrist and then gets rehired
What a disgrace MLB has become. Wait until the league loses a class action suit resulting from the next scandal. Their marriage to FanDuel suggests in inevitable as the pattern of doing little to nothing has been set. Very dangerous situation. Zero integrity.
Iwba: Cora cheated once. The commissioner investigated the 2018 Red Sox for months – emails, video, people interviewed multiple times – and not one incident of cheating could be documented. There was no proof that even a single at bat was affected. MLB could only conclude that the Red Sox “may have benefitted” and “potentially benefitted” from Watkins’ theorized actions while also saying they “largely do not have direct evidence” against Watkins. JD Martinez was correct when he said they didn’t find anything in Boston.
Does it matter getting caught once or twice? Rehiring Cora now is pathetic. Ownership and Cora deserve each other. Sad that the sport continues to choose the lowest road possible.
Looie: Being accurate matters to me. I can see the point of view that Cora should not be hired any time soon because he cheated in Houston. I can also see the point of view that he did nothing wrong in Boston so it is ok to rehire him. Somebody is going to hire Cora eventually and it looks like the players really want him back.
Manfred must go!!! He’s a joke of a leader! Throw a bunch of money at the NBA commissioner
Cora has a bombshell waiting in his back pocket about the whole issue in Houston. While there’s no question that Cora was involved in the ‘bang the drum slowly’ scandal, there’s also no question that Houston threw him under the bus and tried to pin the entire thing on Cora because he had already left the team. Cora has the ability to bring the entire Astros organization to its knees but he has yet to play that card out of respect to MLB and probably a secret agreement with Manfred as well. I can tell you this though, the Red Sox would not have re-hired Cora if he was the mastermind of the Houston cheating scandal. I’m willing to bet the Red Sox owners now know the true story of what happened in Houston and how Cora was merely a pawn in the whole scheme. That’s the only way he gets re-hired by very smart people (Henry, Bloom, etc.). Yes they know they will take a PR hit over this hire but they also know the truth about what really happened in Houston (like the truth about the Osuna locker room comments Houston management was so quick to deny). I just hope one day we hear the true story of what happened in Houston; it’s not going to paint a nice picture of that organization too to bottom.
There was no penalty. Shortened COVID season in which he might have opted out from is not enough. League wants to sweep everything under the rug. How is there no penalties from the turner incident? Everyone has known for months the protocol when a person tests positive. It doesn’t matter whether or not his actions spread the disease. It could have and the penalty should fit his actions, not the resulting injuries. Same thing with firing a gun. You try to shoot someone and the penalty is less because you have bad aim?
Thank you for showing patience and telling everyone about what happened in Houston. I heard via Peter Gammons that MLB stated Cora was the only one in Houston who spoke the absolute truth to them telling them everything he was involved in. I also know the Redsox would distance themselves faaaar away from Cora if this was not the truth. The innocent AJ is not so innocent from what i can see, and his act doesn’t fly.
Cora has the names of the people who benefited from the inside trading by knowing which games the Astros were going to steal by cheating giving them the inside path to place large bets on those games. That was the real reason behind the sign stealing scandal, players were in on it were going to receive a certain % of the money gambled, that’s why there’s all this secrecy and a 9/11 report being classified on it. If the fans knew the truth it would be more damaging than biogenisis scandal, Pete Rose betting on baseball and the 94 strike combined. Not even those 5000 would have watched game one and two.
Oh Dorothy… so Cora is now the VICTIM?? I needed a good laugh.
Best way to move on is the truth. If Cora had fire to back up Dorothy”s smoke, would it not be best to have had it all come out a year ago? You think he’d be the only one with such info? Conspiracy theories are destroying this country.
Don’t forget, the American League offices are located in New York City. Just saying…..
And whoever signs Springer, the Twins, the Yankees, the Mets, the Dodgers, and the Blue Jays. All of them employ former Astros and Red Sox players that were part of the 2017/2108 teams. I’m sure there are others, but those are just at the top of my head. Get off your high horse.
I agree with your statement and the sentiment behind it but to think it was only Houston involved in using technology to scheme and gain an illegal advantage is somewhat naive. Astros only got caught because a former player spoke out.
Now for the Red Sox clearly they saw an opportunity to make an impact regardless of the PR implications which again speaks to the cutthroat/questionable ethical nature of the sport.
I agree with you. Houston (and Boston) weren’t the only teams doing it. It is no different than the PED stuff. People don’t want their favorite team/player associated with it, but deep down know their team was doing something they should not have been, or doing any different than the other teams.
If Fiers doesn’t get let off of the roster in the postseason Houston never gets in trouble (and as an extension the Red Sox) because he would not have gone to the media all butt hurt. Eventually one of the 30 teams would have had a player go to the media. It just happened to be Houston.
If what the Astros did wasn’t unique there would not have been so many players, like Trout, Kershaw, etc., (guys who do not ever speak ill about other teams or players), criticizing them for it. What the Astros did as a team is quite different than what individual players do with PEDs. It just takes a little common sense to understand it. Unfortunately, what should be common sense, too often is not very common. Quite frankly, it’s pretty weak to excuse one team or player cheating by just saying others must be doing it as well, with zero evidence.
There has been evidence of technology use when it’s not permitted, ie 2017 Yankees getting flag for dugout issues. The Astros took it to a new level no doubt but to argue that believing others are/were also blurring some lines is not using common sense isn’t true. Also you’re making some blanket statements in regards to other players stepping up to speak out. This has nothing to do with common sense, it may deal with a lack of facts but my common sense would lend me to believe the astros were not alone.
Common sense would say let’s not rehire a known cheater
The Yankees were fined in 2017 for being found one game to a phone in the dugout. No camera. No evidence of sign stealing.
Referring to specific interviews is not making a blanket statement.
jjd002
Sign stealing is very different from “the PED stuff.” With PED’s, it’s widely known that they were used players on just about every team. And PED’s were used by individuals. With sign stealing there were players across MLB who were very upset. That tells you that sign stealing was not widespread. And sign stealing is done by teams. So you have PED’s used by individuals across baseball and you have sign stealing done by a couple of teams.
I want to know why the Yankees went to court to block the official MLB memo about the Yankees cheating scandal from being released. If it were truly just a phone in the dugout being used then why put up a legal fight to block the memo from being released? It obviously contains much more damming information that what has been made public. The Yankees even admitted as much by saying it would cause harm to the team’s reputation. It’s quite obvious that the league swept something under the rug there; it sounds like we’ll never get to see/read the actual truth.
Ownership and this commissioner want to ignore reality and hope people forget. Remind us of anyone in politics?
They had Beltran. That’s where he learned what he brought to Houston – the inconvenient truth.
Exactly! Nope, it’s only the Red Sox that are “trash”. The hypocrisy is so glaring they cannot see it.
It really doesn’t, but carry on. Beltran learned the latest and greatest from where again?
Pathetic, this tells me bloom isn’t in charge
Agreed. Sox ownership has set a low standard. They changed their numbers retirement rule of only HOFers with Papi because they wanted to capitalize before any PED use confirmation came out (IMO) yet Evans and Tiant are still waiting, they took a wrong approach (again IMO) to bring down a local legend in Tom Yawkey who was raised in a different generation without considering he saved the franchise from moving, there wouldn’t be a Jimmy Fund like it us without his contributions and by many accounts was actually loved by his players and now this. I said it before the announcement. I’m done. I certainly will not pay one cent benefitting the club or MLB. That’s at least how I feel right now. My Sox coats went into the garbage. I have no issues with second chances but this is really just a continuation of his managerial career. He night have chosen to opt out for 2020 anyway. Simply no penalty. Plus the fact that 2019 suggests to me he got lucky in 18. He was simply horrible in 19.
@ Looie – the whole Mitchell report scandal came out prior to the 2004 season. That is the only time/place where Big Papi was ever accused of using a banned substance. He was tested 100’s of times after that clown show and never had a questionable sample. So the Red Sox changing their HOF requirements in 2016 or 2017 has absolutely nothing to do with Big Papi & PEDs. People just can’t admit that Papi was one of the best pure hitters of a generation. If he was PEDs for the majority of his career, a few things would have happened: 1) his body fat percentage would have been much lower 2) he would have never spent as much time on the IL with lingering foot, knee, back injuries as PEDs make your body heal faster. 3) he would have failed multiple tests after the PED rules were put in place. Even MLB admits that Papi was tested as much if not more than any other player and was done so randomly. MLB is not like the NFL or NBA where they know exactly when they are going to be tested and by what method. MLB has random urine, hair, blood tests throughout the entire season. I realize Yankee fans hate Big Papi but it’s ridiculous to accuse him of being a cheater throughout his career. Can we drop that once and for all?
Dorothy, it’s not true that ones body fat would automatically be different. If you don’t work out like Mike Stanton you won’t get his physique with or without PEDS. You brought up a Cora theory earlier. Mine is Papi. Many players stayed one step ahead of the testing and my eyes showed me. His 2016 year was the best ever for a 40 year old and I just don’t buy it. PEDs also improve eyesight, allow for quicker bat speed and generally yield quick recovery from injuries. I believe others not caught Aldo cheated and their stats take away from those that didn’t. The recent team scandals is just the latest way uncovered to cheat because the money is so great.
By the way, I grew up in CT and am as big a Sox fan as there is. I just try to be honest and objective in my posts which is why many times I’m also pushing Munson for the HOF. When he died, I recall realizing my then “hatred* was actually respect. Last March I had the opportunity to explain that to Diana, his widow.
“before any PED information came out”? “He may have opted out anyway” Then defend a racist. Keep them coming.
Did you really think he was? I don’t think any GM or manager today has the authority they once did.
So,Mr. Perfect (I’ve never done anything underhanded in my entire life), which organization are you referring to as “trash”? Are you referring to Houston, Boston or Detroit?
Haters
The Red Sox ownership and management is utterly disgraced by this decision and at the very least are now implicated as accessories after the fact in the greatest cheating scheme and fraud in the history of baseball.
Accessories to the greatest cheating scheme and fraud in the history of baseball? Did you pull a muscle on that reach? Are the Yanks accessories since Beltran brought the cheating ways from the Yanks?
Shakes head
Much to the surprise of absolutely no one.
You still almost can’t believe they’d do it.
My reaction to the news: “Fu €k”
Luckily I’ve been following the braves as much as the sox since 2012 so I’ll just have to switch over and root more for the braves.
W….T….F Henry and goons.
P.S. appears my initial estimates of bloom were right on target – USELESS.
Good root for the Braves cuz Redsox nation can do without your kind.
I’d argue Red Sox nation needs more of his kind. Read some of the posts by other Red Sox fans on here and tell me I’m wrong…
Well it’s a classy move and reflects really well on the organization.
So he gets rewarded for cheating? So disgusting
This is what happens when you reward results at the expense of everything else. So, I guess integrity, morals, and playing by the rules are just antiquated concepts.
Baseball might not be the sport for you. Roger Hornsby – “I’ve cheated, or someone on my team has cheated, in almost every single game I’ve been in.” It gets worse: Hank Greenberg admitted in his autobiography the Detroit Tigers started stealing signs illegaly in september.of 1940. Members of the 1951 Giants admitted to illegaly stealing signs from the Dodgers during Bobby Tomson’s “Shot Heard Round’ The World”. Who was on that 1951 Giants team? Willie Mays. Cheating is bad and wrong but you gotta accept that baseball has had a lot of cheating.
Looks at username
Looks at user name. Just change it to “doesntknowthehistoryofbaseball”.
But stealing signs by what means? You say ‘illegally’ but what methods / devices were used, if any?
If a pitcher is tipping his pitches, it’s his responsibility to make the necessary adjustments. His catcher and infielders should also be taking note.
If the opposition has determined the 3rd and 1st base coaches’ signs, again, it’s their responsibility to adjust.
Using a telescope is illegal. Feel free to look it up. My point is baseball has a history that doesn’t exactly scream “WE HAVE MORALS AND INTEGRITY”.
They used whatever technology was available to them at the time to cheat. If you’re a cheater, you’re a cheater. They would’ve used the same methods/devices had they been available in the 1950’s….don’t fool yourself
Goastros: that’s cute, but…. he was caught, twice. So, at some point someone in the room has to be the adult. Baseball is a microcosm of the world but you’re probably the individual who is okay with it until it happens to you and then you cannot conceive how someone can get away with it.
My favorite is pitch framing. A catcher intentionally maneuvers his glove to persuade an umpire that a pitch is a strike rather than a ball. And catchers are graded on their ability to do so, commended for their ability to steal the advantage.
As it states in the article, “he was implicated in the Astros incident but NOT in the Boston incident.” Whether that’s factually 100% true or not, he’s guilty in the court of public opinion (scrutiny) based on the Houston situation.
stealing signs has been going on since baseball started. FAR different from what the Astros did, utilizing cameras and video. Don’t even try this comparison.
I said it before on this site and I’ll say it again: The Astros cheated. Nothing I do or say will change that. People are going to think whatever no matter what, myself included. Because of that, I’m not trying to convince any one of anything. It’s cute that you think I am, Yankee Clipper. Whether any of us like it or not, baseball has an ugly history and cheating is part of it. Lars basically said having morals and playing by the rules are outdated concepts. I’m simply saying that: 1. teams have been doing illegal and dirty things in order to gain an advantage as far back as the 1900’s. Therefore, you can argue that playing by the rules, being fair, having integrity, etc in baseball (at least in MLB) is not outdated concepts because it was never relevant in the first place. 2. if you truly love baseball and the top league in the world aka MLB, then you gotta accept the fact that MLB and baseball in general has a history that is not as glamorous as you wish it was. You can’t have the good without the bad and vice versa. In no way am I making any excuses for the Astros nor am I defending them because they don’t have a lot to do with either of my points.
DP, the Astros have nothing to do with what I’m saying. However, since you brought them up, what the Tigers and Giants did was just a less sophisticated version of what the Astros did: using some kind of technology to steal signs. What the Tigers and Giants did is still wrong.
I remember reading the book Ball Four by Jim Bouton. He said Whitey Ford sharpened the corner of his belt and would rub the baseball on it to give it some nicks that would effect the balls flight to the plate. And, on wet days, Yankee catcher Elston Howard would ‘lose his balance’ and put the hand holding the ball onto the ground to get it wet for the pitcher. And everybody and their brother accepted that Joe Niekro was greasing up balls for his famous spitter. So, you’re right, cheating and ‘cutting corners’ have been part of the game for many years.
Preacher Roe of the Dodgers admitted he used spitballs. Just to make it clear to people: I’m not trying to defend Alex Cora or even the Astros.
When you get in bed with FanDual and gambling in general, you better have integrity. Otherwise it’s only a matter of time before the captain has to go down with his ship. MLB has gone downhill from the days of Giamatti and Fay Vincent who showed what integrity means. Even Bowie Kuhn showed the owners what was important when he voided the Finley cash deals involving Vida Blue ($1.5m to the Yankees) and Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi ($1m each to the Red Sox). I remember the Saturday after the deals, Fingers and Rudi were on the sidelines and not allowed to play for Boston. The deals were then voided.
The “court of public opinion” tends to be populated by fools. I’m sure he’s not losing any sleep worrying about the opinions there.
oh I agree with you that it’s still wrong. however they got signs from your catcher or coach not using indicators. whereas the Astros used technology which is of no fault to the players or coaches.
I just did a bit more research and the Giants used a buzzer that sounded in the bullpen as part of the scheme. You did bring up the Astros so sound familiar? The Giants used technology as well. The Astros just had more advanced technology at their disposal. Anyways, my overall point was that baseball has a pretty ugly history. Morals haven’t always been there in the sport.
Getting a managerial job is not a reward.. its a job. He was disciplined and suspended for year. Now he is working again. He didn’t break a law he broke a rule. If he was a bricklayer and went to jail for a year would you say he was rewarded if he went back to his bricklaying job.
True, but from the comments above and below, most think his discipline and suspension wasn’t enough to satisfy the average baseball fan, or those fans affected by Cora’s cheating.
Of course it doesn’t help that he is totally unrepentant, has an attitude, and thinks his stuff doesn’t stink…however let’s see how does when his team doesn’t have a career year all around and he has to scratch and claw back to the top or just contention.
Your right, for all of us this is not life and death….just baseball…..and by the way baseball doesn’t have laws but it does have rules both written and unwritten and he did a pretty good job in 2 jobs nonetheless breaking many of them.
You say…”He is unrepentant and has an attitude” Please cite the interview. The truth is the Red Sox only rehired him after he demonstrated his remorse and his intention of publicly demonstrating this.
It’s not a bricklaying job. It a high-value, high paying job that influences millions of people and directly impact the lives of young adults playing for him.
No, he should not be re-employed.
Yours truly,
Mr. P. Rose
OK clipper, u seem to think that a manager should not be allowed to manage. What about the players? Why not extend to them? Why not ban juicers? They cheated?
I’ve got a BETTER idea, since cheaters and possibly even juicers haven’t broken any real laws.. Let’s ban wife beaters/domestic violence guys for LIFE on principle ok? We know those guys have problems. Why not attack that area?
U trolls who attack just to jump on the “scandal” bandwagon are nothing more than the nerds who used to sit in back of class at school, pick their buggars and zits and talk crap all class.
Johnsilver: I don’t “seem to think he shouldn’t”, I assert he shouldn’t. That’s my position. You can extend it to anyone and everyone who violated any law. That’s your position, a very insanely defensive one, but one nonetheless.
He didn’t beat his wife, he violated the the rules of the game to achieve the game’s most coveted award and took millions from others (teams / players / pitchers!) by participating.
Then he washed, rinsed, and repeated in Boston. He should…. be…. banned…. for life. Make an example out of him and very few will attempt do that again. If they do, Yankees included, ban them too!!
Steroids and wife-beaters are a different conversation so stop conflating the two.
I am sooo glad you brought up the domestic violence criminals who still have their jobs, when they should’ve been fired. Two of them, but because they perform their jobs, they are forgiven. Please explain to me which is worse, stealing signs, or beating your wife?
Classic misdirection and failing to address the issue. It’s a strawman – beating any individual is worse Pasha, that’s obvious. This article is about Cora and his offense again MLB teams, players, owners, etc. Donestic violence is not the same thing. Stop trying to hide behind unrelated issues.
Stand up and simply say, “yeah, the Sox lack any integrity and shouldn’t have hired back the guy they secretly fired to get the heat off the 2018 investigation.”
Then once we finish this conversation, I’ll discuss the others with you, openly. But you cannot justify cheating by citing someone else beat his wife – it’s a complete failure to take responsibility.
Red Sox deserve Cora, he deserves them. If Yankees hire Beltran, for example, my position remains,regardless of whether or not he can cheat us to another World Series.
No. He got punished for cheating. Some people think he should never be allowed to work again. That’s what is disgusting.
He should be able work again. Just not in baseball. This is like a politician who gets convicted of voter fraud then becomes governor.
not in baseball he shouldn’t.
signed joe jackson
Joe Jackson was illiterate, so it’s likely someone else signed that.
@ hiflew – You win funniest comment of the day…
what a bunch of whiny twats in here. all crying and complaining about Cora getting his job back. the level of rightous indignation in this comment section is pathetic. get over yourselves. go cry over some more spilt milk sallies
Go Holz!!
As was the Yanks’. Tex said they did the same stuff. He didn’t use the info, of course. So many pious Yankee fans, so little time. Not a fan of this rehire, but the comments here about cheating are laughable. So many stones coming from glass houses.
He can work again, just not in baseball
How is a reward? He was suspended for a season and served that sentence. Did you expect him to just commit suicide over it or something? The man has a right to earn a living regardless of past mistakes as long as he has served his punishment for those mistakes. Everyone needs to just get over this stuff and move on.
i couldnt agree more. these crybabies are showing their pathetic streak going on and on about it.
I imagine they feel they are superior to every other human being, because humans have flaws, and humans make bad choices in life, and ultimately end up regretting the choice. And humans also forgive when the person shows the errors and remorse. We aren’t talking about a sadistic murder, we’re speaking about some really bad choices playing a game.
Nobody said anything about being superior or not making mistakes. But I also take responsibility for my mistakes and understand the consequences (which missing out on 60 game season hardly seems to fit the crime). Also let’s not equate actively deciding to cheat for at least an entire season if not two with the mistakes the rest of us make on a daily basis. Forgetting an appointment, losing track of time, sending an email to the wrong person… sure. If Coras crime was taking out a pitcher prematurely or screwing up the batting order or benching someone that should have been playing… those are the types of mistakes we can (and should) easily forgive. Having a large part in actively breaking a major rule and we would all be fired without second thought… None of us would even have the gaul to reapply for that same job one year later. TBH if I did something intentionally terrible I’d not only be fired but I’d have a hell of a time finding employment anywhere else either. Im against calling the cheating a mistake, it was a bad decision.
No shocker. If they weren’t going to hire him there would have been no reason to even flirt with the idea and take any negative press.
Absolutely ridiculous. I’m not surprised. Just go back to the same cheater.
MLB showed him.
Boom.
Garbage. Even worse cause everyone knew it was coming
Really Cora should have to earn a chance to manage again – at least work his way back to that level over a couple of years. I lost a lot of respect for Boston today.
What about Hinch?
He did earn it. He won a World Series in 2018! The fact that the punishment took 2 years to hand out is the anomaly.
He won absolutely nothing in 2018. He lied, cheated, and stole anything he got in 2018
There is no proof of this. Show me the proof that he cheated in 2018.
Cora didn’t win anything. He cheated.
Tex said they did the same thing. Love when Yankee fans get all worked up and ethical. They have been filthy in so many ways forever. They lead the way.
Define cheating. While in Houston, the organization (front office) came up with a computerized method to decode signs using illegal technology and pushed that information down to the team on the field. They asked the team to use it in the game to gain an advantage and that responsibility was given to Cora (and the players) to figure out how to use it in the game to their advantage. Did Cora do something wrong: of course he did. He should have said no to his bosses. But he did not develop the sign stealing methods and one could make the argument that he was ‘forced’ to figure out how to use this illegal information during the game as an employee of the club who designed the elaborate scheme.
Then is 2018, the video room manager was doing his standard job, 100% legally, by reviewing tapes of games, figuring out sign sequences and relaying that information to the players so they could use it during the game should they get on second base. This is 100% legal and all 30 teams do it. What happened during the season is that the replay guy started watching replays during the game and if he noticed a change, he was telling certain played that “hey, it could be sign sequence 2 tonight”. If a coach heard that, he would think nothing of it since that is the person’s job (but he has to do it before / after the game and not during). So in the few examples MLB found of him doing this, Cora has 0 knowledge that it was going on which makes perfect sense as this is normal, day to day legal discussions that usually happen throughout the game.
For the Red Sox management to go out on a limb and re-hire Cora despite the PR hit, it tells me for sure that they know the truth as to what really happened in Houston and who is responsible for it. The answer certainly is not Cora. The 2018 issue has nothing to do with Cora either. Otherwise he would not be back managing this team.
Lucky: “filthy in so many ways forever”. That is poetic. It says nothing, at all. And, if you read through the site, it’s not Yankee fans, it’s MLB fans, many of whom understand the consequences of failing to address cheating on this scale.
In terms of a relative sign-stealing scandal Think of Pineda and pine tar, right? Everyone uses it or something like it, but Pineda went to the mound with it caked on the side of his neck. You can’t do that, regardless of what other pitchers do, it’s going to get you in trouble. And…. it did.
#CorasVoyeurismIsIllegal
I’ve listed the ways, but you are blind to the Yanks’ flaws and obvious recent cheating ways. When the owner is a felon and gets to come back with a ridiculously short time away…Yes MLB lost it’s integrity YESTERDAY. LOL
No, you’ve simply responded with, “Yankees were bad and Beltran learned it from them.” You abdicate any responsibility much like your favorite team’s ownership. I never said the Yankees didn’t do anything to compromise integrity but I won’t let you shift the goal posts to avoid the conversation either. That’s weak
#SoxHideBehindExcuses
Sorry I thought this was another thread. So many Yankee soap boxers, it is hard to keep track. Daddy Steinbrenner was a felon to start. I won’t rehash them all. I am not a fan of this rehire in any way. Never claimed to be. I don’t think it is good for the Sox or MLB, but like it or not, Cora did his time. Yes it was far too light. They are playing the hand they were dealt. I do believe someone else would’ve hired Cora pretty quickly. I wish it wasn’t Boston. I thought he would be banned. I just find the pious Yankee fans amusing. There is no shifting of anything. Carry on with your nonsense though, plenty of other Yankee fans are in denial as well.
You have literally no idea what your talking about lol I know you’re trying to justify the Red Sox decision here by convincing yourself “they know something we don’t” but your taking this a bit far. The facts are Cora was part of one major and one minor cheating scandal and the Red Sox dont care. Let’s just call it like it is. Even if he wasn’t the head designer of the schemes he very clearly knew and was part of them.
I don’t think I have ever had any respect for them. They lack any semblance of class.
Do you feel the same way about AJ?
Talk about a Friday news dump where you can bury a story like this.
Thats exactly what happned haha. Red Sox are at least smart enough to do that.
Do the Sox get a discount this time around?
Next up, Carlos Correa’s Roberto Clemente award announcement.
Next up better not be bench coach Carlos Beltran.
Quality message Sox!! Cheaters always win!!
Torre’s late-‘90s Skanks, when he brought in the ‘roids and then became an MLB exec, punishing juicers!
There’s no evidence of the Yankees doing ‘roids in the 90’s.
Back to help them win a 3rd undeserved title. Rampant Steroid usage, Trash Cans, what next?
I don’t see a Red Sox title on the horizon.
Not unless voyeurism becomes trophy-worthy
And here I thought Cora was the guy that led the Red Sox astray. Turns out that management is just as lacking in character and now doubling down. There have been many sad days to have been a Red Sox fan, none more shameful than today.
awwwww did poor widdle guy get his feelings hurt? pretty sensitve bud. maybe you should sit next season out or find a safe space to cry in. the way you sound is the real disgrace. crying and blubbering like a lil girl who dropped her ice cream cone
@empirejim This is absolutely right. In my opinion this implicates Red Sox front office and ownership in the cheating scheme. “accessories after the fact” at the very least
Well that’s just another reason for me to hate the red sox
You can’t take the cheat out of a cheating team
Yank4life…
Yeah….Yanks4life….I seem to remember the Yankees jumping all over Aroldis Chapman after his “little incident” not too long ago. I’m not defending what the Red Sox did here, but all you Yankee fans need to get off your high horses and quit acting like that organization is full of integrity. Also keep in mind that baseball quit investigating after the Red Sox, so who really knows how many other teams/players/managers were involved in doing the exact same kind of thing. Take the blinders off people
@KCJ- Alex Cora cheated for TWO different organizations. I really wish the RedSuks my absolute best next season.
And this means what? I’m not defending the Red Sox….just saying the Yankees hands aren’t clean either, so I find it funny that you Yankee lovers are bashing the Sox today like you guys are the standard to which all other teams should be held to. The Yankees got plenty of dirt on their hands as well…as do most other teams
Said the fan of the team with the felonious owner George, steroid leaders, sign stealing cheaters, ball swatting, pop up calling – “We didn’t start the fire!” Right Yankee fans?!
Just the latest reason to hate the Red Sox. How much do I hate Boston? Besides the Yankees, I am also a fan of the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Penn State Nittany Lions, so plenty of teams to dislike, but Boston is the absolute bottom feeder for me.
Ya like using an Apple Watch to steal signs is the same as protecting and covering up a serial pedophile for years like Penn State did. You have a very skewed definition of “bottom feeder” my friend. I know you see the world through pinstripe colored glasses, but maybe you don’t have kids (or any perspective).
Apple watches, Penn State… what? You’re in a different time zone, man.
Two very different things. Don’t state generalities, facts do matter. The live video replay is very different than what happened with the Apple.
Don’t be disingenuous….. brah
Generalities??? Did you even read the comment???He said the Sox were the “absolute bottom feeders” implying worse that Penn State — read the whole comment —Brah.
Cora was disciplined for what he did with the Astros not the Sox – he was exonerated for anything with the Sox — Brah
Don’t let the facts get in the way of your narrative.
FISK27: How do you know that’s what he was implying? You can’t tell the basis for a relative statement online. Just admit your team has zero integrity and took the next step in the devolution of baseball’s moral fabric.
He was exonerated? That’s like saying, “these aren’t my pants” ….nice try. Be objective and stop pushing your false narrative.
Fact: he cheated (Astros)
Fact: He cheated, again (RSox)
Fact: He was suspended and it is widely accepted by objective analysts, players, coaches, fans that the punishment should’ve been a life ban.
Fact: RSox fans on this forum have done everything to assuage guilt and use individual players’ steroid use from 25 years ago as a comparable to systemic organization cheating
That’s a factual narrative. Yours is disingenuous. Run along now, adults are talking.
Clipper – he’s not implying anything – read what he wrote. I like Penn State “but of all the teams Boston is the absolute bottom feeder for me”.
There is no “narrative” that’s what he said. So go back and read the comment and stop trying to characterize what other people say.
You clearly don’t know what facts are since you have to rely on weak crutches like “widely accepted” and most fans think he “should have been banned”. Don’t preach about moral fabric and how your team is above it all. That is laughable. It’s not just steroids — where’s your outcry for Micheal Pineada getting a lifetime ban for cheating. So disingenuous, why isn’t he destroying the “moral fabric of the game”… because he was a yankee
Stick to what is factual and don’t speculate — your not good at it. It’s “widely accepted by objective analysis” that you don’t know the meaning of objective analysis.
FISK27: “For me” You have no idea what the relative comparable is to which he is referring, much like I said before. And by all accounts Penn Star did the right thing, according to many Sox fans on here – they forgave the abuser and gave him access to what he had before. You all should applaud that right? Or is that not applicable because it’s not your favorite team? The bias is astounding
I assume you are comparing this to Penn State?! Seriously? Try again. Not even close. I don’t think many Sox fans are happy with this rehire. What about A-Rod? How do you let a guy try to buy a team who was caught twice, sues everyone, tries to destroy careers, cheated numerous times on the field? There is not much, if any, integrity in baseball. I am against Cora being rehired, “unwritten rules” and their enforcement, etc. There is much that is dubious in MLB.
He said Red Sox are worse than Penn State -what do you not understand? Obtuse is the word your searching for. Explain to me again why Pineda doesn’t tear at your precious moral fabric?
NY_Yankee –
See my comment about about Aroldis Chapman (he who likes the throw 100 mph fastballs at people’s heads) and how baseball quit investigating the sign stealing. How can you be sure the Yankees are clean? How about that letter from MLB to the Yankees that was swept under the rug?
specific teams get specific privledge. you should know that by now.
Remember how they loved Clemens garbage antics when it was for them?! LOL
Steelers fans smh
A known sexual predator for a qb and a head coach who tuied to trip an opposing player as he was running up the sideline
How did the NFL find it’s way into the conversation?
Than you are missing out on fun. I am a RS fan, but i also enjoy the Evil Empire and their players. I do not like them when they play the Sox, but i do enjoy them, and admire them. I feel sorry for you NY missing out on a lotta fun.
A “new direction” after trading the best player in baseball so the $2.7 billion John Henry can save pocket change and now Cora is back? What happened to this being Bloom’s team? What happened to the new direction? Bad look on the Sox. Bad look on baseball.
Are you in Bloom’s pocket. Maybe Bloom is on board with this decision. Were you at the meeting in Puerto Rico?
Yes, I was at the meeting in Puerto Rico.
Wow. Why not just hire pete rose? Oh wait he’s banned for life for cheating. Wait wasn’t Cora caught cheating as well? Complete joke.
Rose’s mistake was gambling on his own team. Had he only been caught betting on other teams and not his own, he would be in the HOF today. Cora passed the buck and threw others under the bus so all he got was a slap on the wrist. What will be interesting to see is how MLB will handle the next cheating scandal (and there will be another, you can bank on it).
Didn’t Rose only bet on his team to win? I don’t see how that is worse than what the Astros did..
I wasn’t trying to minimize what the Astros, Red Sox, or any of the principles did. The danger with Rose, is that as a manager he could directly determine the outcome of a game a bit more easily. If he or someone else like him were to get mixed up with the wrong people in the gambling world, although never proven, he could easily cause his team to lose without anyone really knowing. And that would be far more damaging to the game’s integrity than banging a trash can. As for the Astros, it’s one thing to know what pitch is coming, but you still have to hit it, and your pitching and defense still have to come through.
It isn’t even close. I think that is the point.
@poolerh
You’ll have to run that one by me really slowly…
Had Pete Rose damaged the integrity by betting on teams other than his own, instead of merely damaging baseball by betting on his own team, he’d be in the hall of fame?
Thank you for clearing that one up
Hardly a surprise. In some ways he’s a worse signing than Hinch. Both were involved in the greatest team scandal since the 1919 Black Sox, but Cora was the organizer, and then he took it to Boston. They couldn’t get enough evidence there so the video room guy got thrown under the bus. Regardless, two time offender who got off easy. So to recap, MLB this offseason has hired back the two managers involved in a major scandal—Cora a two-time offender—and approved an owner from a hedge fund who himself has danced around a major securities scandal while also being accused of creating an environment abusive toward women. Maybe he’s innocent, but collectively MLB has a massive optics problem.
I think what this shows is everyone in baseball knows these weren’t the only two doing these.
That’s a reach. All it shows is that the Tigers and Red Sox are willing to look the other way.
If everyone was stealing signs then why were players across baseball upset by the news of sign stealing? The accusation that “everyone did it” just doesn’t hold water.
Where did Beltran get it from again Mo? LOL You Yankee fans just make it too easy.
Again, Fuld never really had a chance. Boston ain’t Tampa, and Bloom can fool with the bottom part of the roster, but Henry controls the top half.
The Red Sox need to win…TODAY. TB made it to the World Series, and it had zero economic consequence. Boston ain’t Tampa. The rules are different for the big boys. Henry took a bath last year…he’s not taking another one.
It was lose-lose for Bloom in any event. You don’t think Dombrowski knew this?
The Bosox tell you to win at all costs, then fire you for the costs
Bingo
When you think about it this was really an unfair process for Fuld, Kelly and the other “candidates” who in reality never had much of a chance, if any, of getting the job. This job was Cora’s from the get-go.
They did not have a chance because Cora is beloved by the team and the players. Simple.
not gonna happen. sux won’t win for at least 3 more years.
Oh, I tend to agree. But it’s all about the sizzle for John Henry, little about the steak. And it’s not an unsurmountable obstacle. The Rays are going to be suffocated by finances; frankly, the Yankees seem confused; it’s questionable whether the Jays will commit; the O’s are in no hurry.
I am reading many of comments from naive people.
What did you expect……winning is the priority!!!! people. When you win you get away with things.
Reputation???? Who cares.
Its all about winning.
Tell me who that was punished for the Astros cheating isn’t getting another shot?
Well with Mookie Betts outta the equation and how an experienced manager like Ron Roenicke couldn’t muster a winning 60-game season with the current roster…. “winning is the priority”. Must be a dirty Sox fan, no surprise.
Sorry for the delayed, had a to take shower to get all the dirt off.
Wow! Your thin skin is showing Macho Man.
Mookie? Well remember its a business too. Personally, I don’t think they could have maintain a contending team paying what he wanted.
Not sure what you mean by Ron Roenicke…..experienced? Yes….a winning manager? You tell me.
PLUS reality check, this was a transition season and 99.9% of fans knew it.
The fact of the matter is that some people are just plain stupid. Not gonna mention any names.
This wasn’t really even a question of if, but simply when. If they had no intentions of hiring Cora back, they would’ve avoided all contact with him to spare the negative press. If I was someone like Don Kelly I probably wouldn’t even have interviewed a second time, as it was all simply fluff for the media and to say that they (the Red Sox) had done their due diligence. Wonder how folks in Boston view this? He did win a ring with/for them? That’s a tough one.
I’m glad Cora is getting another chance. This just goes to show you – the Red Sox feel guilty that Cora/Hinch/Luhnow were punished so heavily and want to right their wrongs.
Bloom takes it in the chin here. He came in and was ordered to trade Mookie. He now has been forced to hire a manager he really didn’t want based on his comments. He’s a puppet.
The “ordered” to trade Betts part is telling and unfortunately true. Total puppet. Sox have lost a great deal of credibility in a matter of months – no integrity.
Or Bloom’s comments were a smoke screen slowing them to not field questions concerning Cora’s rehiring until it actually happened. Hinch hiring took some of the initial sting of criticism potentially directed at the Sox. If in fact Bloom had little say in the deed, it makes his job a S-show. Otherwise they’re exactly where they want to be.
duh. did you see the Cora firing news conference? Bloom just sat there while upper management spoke. this is across the board though, not just Bloom.
say thing happened to Hinch. he broke the camera they were using 2x. magically it was fixed.
Bloom didn’t have to take (accept) the position. If he REALLY feels STRONGLY against the decision, he could resign. He could SPEAK OUT and say this is an ownership choice and NOT MINE.
If he dissed Henry, Bloom wouldn’t get another job. Owners all want yes men and they always draw the wagons up into a circle. He’s in a no win situation.
Bloom is smart, the Fuld signing would’ve been another Bobby Valentine revisited.. I would feel badly for that guy who would forever be compared to the hero, Cora, a Hero with the players and fans. Not a good situation for a new manager under the microscope in Boston. The press would be never ending comparing him to Cora. When Xman was asked what kinda manager he wanted, he said “Someone like Cora”, and when E Rod goes on instagram with over the top excitement about Alex, what can you say to that? The GM Bloom just hasta take all the things into the mix, and also the fact, Cora is a darn good manager.
But can he Cora apple?
Cora Corad the big apple. Lol lol lol
Zip zip it is done.
You have got to be yankin me. Suck it Boston…let’s get on our morale social justice high horse but go ahead and bring back a cheating piece of garbage. Just canceled my MLB.TV subscription.
I just canceled my T-Mobile plan which gives me free MLB.TV! That’s what they get for making me clutch my pearls this early in the morning!
i love the indignation. and in a couple hears when the Boston Red Sox are competing to win their 5th championship since 04, with Cora in the dugout, these twats will cry and cry. and the victory will be all the more sweeter. go ahead dum dum cancel your subscription. go watch cornhole league on espn 3. find something safe that coddles your delicate sensibilities
Lol…twats…just because we have an opinion that’s different than yours. Nice one, you pudding of a person.
Lol victory will be sweeter or more illegitimate because everyone will just be wondering what cheating scheme Cora chose this time?
baseball gets worse by the day. I watch less every year. between walks and hr being the entire game to letting wife beaters and cheats run the game. wish we could have an election to rid the scum from baseball like we did with the clown
As if this crap isn’t bad enough. Let’s leave the politics in the trash where it belongs.
You think cheating and wife beating just started or is baseball only? Lol
Yeah, like all of the players in the NBA & NFL are choir boys. There’s good, bad, decent AND ugliness in ALL sports AND in ALL OF US. People, we all have the right to our opinions but PLEASE quit being SO HYPOCRITICAL. Before someone states what someone else deserves, truly think about what YOU really (REALLY) DESERVE due to YOUR OWN actions & decisions.
Well said, Prospectnvstr. Hating on others is the easiest way to avoid dealing with your own shortcomings
Excellent point Prospectus. Walk a mile… as it is said. Okay……. yep, I deserve to be fired and not rehired, paid millions, and influence (poison) the minds and culture of the youth under my command.
Great exercise; very cathartic.
The conversation went like this:
Bloom: I want Fuld to be our manager.
Henry: No, Cora will be the manager.
Bloom: Please?
Henry: No.
“Red Sox To Hire Alex Cora As Manager”
It’s like deja vu all over again!
This one’s gonna be a lolcow.
I call shenanigans!
Now expect George Springer to follow him.
All of your who constantly ridicule and troll the Yankee organization…calling them the “Evil Empire” should remember how you feel this morning about the Boston Red Sox.
Their management just spit in the face of MLB who is also complicit in this farce letting both Hinch and Cora resume their careers after an abbreviated 60 game season whilst Covid plagued the planet and frankly not all of us cared too much about baseball in the year 2020.
For all you Red Sox fans, you should be pretty happy getting someone at the helm with experience, albeit in how to not just bend the rules but trash them, but time will tell and just like us all you’ll root for your team all the same.
The year 2021 should be very interesting indeed!
So much wrong with your statement. They got suspended and finished their suspension. They aren’t banned from baseball. And it isn’t like the Yankees were not doing the same thing/have no issue signed PED users.
We don’t like Yankees fans because they don’t know how to form a sentence or use grammar.
Have you read the posts from the non-Yankees fans on this thread alone? They offer objective evidence that this inability to form sentences you mention is not unique to yankees fans. I’d argue yankees fans aren’t even the biggest offenders on here.
No a Red Sox fan here but I have a question, who really runs the team? Seems like if there was a lack of leadership, no authority at all…
July that’s a legitimate question and it seems management and Bloom has a dichotomy of managerial expectations.
In reality, he may be their perfect hire. If he fails, he gets fired and nobody cares. If he succeeds, which he has done, they win, Bloom’s job is easy. However, I don’t think Bloom is comfortable with someone like this but that’s conjecture.
And let’s stop ordaining Fuld a savior. It’s a lot easier being a 4th outfielder and hiding in the Phillie front office than being in the Boston limelight. A bright guy? Sure. So was John Farrell. An ex-player who’s analytically oriented? Sure. So was John Farrell.
And Farrell had won a World Series.
Bob, I do t think anyone ordained Fuld a savior. He is just the type of guy Bloom would hire though which leads me to believe he isn’t the decision maker when it comes to high level deals. This also seals it for any of those Red Sox fans that think Bloom had any decision in trading Mookie obviously he didn’t. I wonder if Bloom is starting to regret taking the job.
How do we know Fuld was Bloom’s choice?
They don’t know. But it’s the only thing that fits their narrative that everyone involved in the Astros thing is evil. I would love for these same people to be publicly scrutinized for every decision they ever make in their careers. I guarantee most of them have either done something similar to get ahead or simply didn’t get ahead. It’s a cutthroat world. Sometimes you have to bend or even break the rules to win in life.
Fisk we don’t but just the way that Bloom talked about Alex when it was brought up made me feel that he didn’t want to hire Alex. I think Bloom had a hard time getting past the cheating thing. I just speculated that Fuld would be the type of guy that Bloom would like due to being heavy into analytics. My opinion is that ownership wanted Alex back and not Bloom and that ownership is running the show on high level decisions not Bloom.
Gotcha Bruin. I agree Cora was liked by ownership and maybe was their choice. doesn’t make Bloom a puppet. People trying to connect the dots to Fuld just because he has a slight TB connection. It’s not like Cora was hired over Fred Mcgriff and Aubrey Huff.
MLB analysts discussed this and posited Fuld was Bloom’s choice and Cora was management/ownership’s choice. Bloom acquiesced to their wishes, which is understandable given his position. That’s a win-win for him. They do well, it looks good. He fails, he gets his choice.
Superman wears Sam Fuld pajamas.
If really hurts me to say this. But MLB is a joke.
Of course they did. Probably hire Papi as strength and conditioning coach soon.
only if he gets to bring his “special workout” cream and “vitamins”
Papi brings the shakes, a few of the Patriots guys bring some cameras, and voila that’s how Boston teams win.
No class, any of them.
I like to say I am surprised but it is 2020 and nothing surprises me. Cheaters win and loser organizations hire them.
Embarrassing, how can I root for a team that makes these types of pathetic decisions?
Just sad…
Hold on, you can root for the team owned by Yawkey, for Papi and Manny, for PEDrioa, be associated with fans who chant the N word at opposing players, but Cora is making you question your loyalty?
Epic.
Soooo much salt in this comment section! Welcome home Cora!
Wait until the fans are allowed back in the stadiums and they opposing teams hand out mini buzzers at the gate.
I’m done.
It’s extraordinary how tone deaf MLB front offices are. This sport is hemorrhaging casual fans. There are a ton of reasons for that, but the sport’s disinterest in its own integrity isn’t helping. This is going to increase fan disillusionment, dissatisfaction, and disinterest. And, despite what anyone thinks, the consistent reduction of fan interest over the past few years proves that winning absolutely does not cure everything. I mean, we had a GREAT World Series this year, and nobody watched. Bringing people like Hinch and Cora back into the sport after punishments that are widely considered to have been inadequate can only hurt. Oh, and reanimating tone deaf fossils like La Russa isn’t going to help either.
The World Series was the #1 most watched event of the day unless it went up against football
Yeah. And?
It was the lowest rated series ever, by a BIG margin. And it was one of the better series in recent memory with a team that’s got a pretty large and committed National fan base in the Dodgers. 10 Million viewers on average per game isn’t going to cut it, and whether or not that makes it the highest rated program of the day isn’t relevant.
TV viewing isn’t the same anymore. Gen Z and Millennials don’t watch TV the same way their parents did. They’re either streaming or watching games illegal. And like I said, it was the lowest but it was the most watched show every single night besides Sunday. Same with the NBA. Same with the NFL and Super Bowl, where the ratings have been stagnant for the last few years. MLB just signed a huge deal to re-up with FOX and TBS in a pandemic, so they’re obviously not concerned
You can argue that MLB never had that much integrity in the first place.
Absolutely true.
Also absolutely irrelevant.
It’s pretty clear the fans want integrity now regardless of what’s happened in the past. This sport’s one and only goal right now should be to attract more fan interest and that means listening to the fans. They’re not doing that and deserve to be called out for it.
Look, I never cared that much about this particular scandal. But I’m in the minority, and I do care about growing the sport. And MLB hasn’t made a single decision in recent memory that has a reasonable chance of doing that. Not one.
I agree. I’m not defending Manfred or any of decisions or even the Astros right now.
Has any sport? I don’t believe any of them have done a great job. I am a Red Sox fan, and think Cora should have been banned, but he wasn’t so they are free to hire him.
You are all Hippocrates, that is all!
The Boston Red Sox, creators of the Apple Watch scheme, and allowing a peon to take responsibility for using replay during the game, officially announce the return of Alex Cora.
Everyone knew Cora would return as soon as his suspension ended when they appointed an interim manager. Boston’s kabuki theater of interviewing people they had no intention of hiring, was a farce of the highest order, done to satisfy MLB’s equal opportunity mandate.
John Henry wanted it, Bloom did what he had to do to legitimize it, then followed his boss’ orders. Sad, but not a surprise.
I’m so glad Manfred is a strong commissioner who maintains the integrity of the game
What a joke
The worst decision ever by the RedSuks to rehire him as manager, this guy wasn’t just cheating with one team. He was cheating with 2 teams. Another slap on the wrist by MLB. He should of been banned for life.
You mean like Clemens? You mean like Giambi? You mean like Arod? You mean like Pettite? You mean like Melky? You mean like … ?
Exactly. That’s fear talking. You stick with Boonie. We’re good.
I mean like Ortiz and 10 other Red Sox who got away with PEDs. It happened on every team. Don’t kid yourself.
“Every team” would appear to include the Yankees.
There is something different between:
1) PED’s, which were taken by 1-3 individuals on just about every team, and
2) sign stealing, which is undertaken by a couple of whole teams in baseball.
Players across baseball were upset about the news of sign stealing. That tells you that it wasn’t a case of “everyone does it.”
PED’s were taken by more players on some teams than on others. They were taken strictly for personal gain and personal reward and teams with money provided the reward. So the highest paid teams wound up with more PED users over time. Essentially the wealthy teams wound up benefitting more from PED use, so really it did become a team cheating type of thing.
Players were upset over PED use but baseball and the fans ignored it. Then all of a sudden everyone is high and mighty about sign stealing?
I was hoping for Sam Fuld to be hired. I’m disappointed. But it’s water under the bridge. Come up with better signs. You can’t counter PED use. You can counter sign stealing. Everyone should do it. Better signs.
Not a surprise but this hire doesn’t make the Red Sox contenders. Bloom has plenty of work to improve the rotation and the bullpen. Cannot count on Sale at all.
To those upset by the hire, get over it. If you really thought Cora should not be hired then what about all of the PLAYERS. Why aren’t you speaking up about any of them not get suspended?
Cora and Hinch were suspended for 1 season. You can argue that was not enough but they sat out 2020 and are free to take any job in baseball. Cora’s suspension was not from his involvement with Houston’s Sign stealing scheme. He was not found gulty of anything in Boston…so that opened the door for him to be hired back in Boston. If he was found guilty of something in Boston…then he probably would not have been hired back.
Every message board everywhere wanted players suspended.
And they’d have hired him back even if he cheated in Boston, which he did.
You know it’s the right move for the Sox to hire Cora back when all the Yankees fan are acting so butt hurt. Go Sox! Welcome home Cora!
Pete Rose gets a lifetime ban for betting on his team to win but clowns like Hinch and Cora are welcome back with open arms. MLB is a joke.
Being a manager in the MLB must be the least interesting job in the world since the available jobs this year went to two known cheaters and a 76 yr old……. This old boys club is getting very tiresome let someone else have their chance to get their foot in the door instead
MLB is a bunch of hypocrites, they suspend this guy for 1 year for cheating and stealing a world series and they ban Pete Rose for life because he bet on his team to win. Pete didnt cheat, he had faith in his guys to win. This clown stole the integrity of the game forever and he gets to be involved in baseball, sad.,
RedSoxNation, thanks for taking a bullet for my Tigers. Cora’s re-hiring is the new scandal. Hiring Hinch is now old news. Thanks!
Y’all stay mad lol
This has got to be a good move since all these sour grapes fans of loser teams are salty about it this morning. Sweet. 🙂
Well, what’s done is done. I’m a Red Sox fan so I will roll with it and Trust the decision. They decided to not bring in a rookie manager and have him learn along the way.
So here’s the good news: Red Sox are looking to WIN NOW. That’s a good thing.
They’re bringing in not only an experienced guy but a guy that’s got experience with this roster and has had Success With It. Okay let’s roll.
0-162!!! A cheater and a lame human being
We will get a lot of flak for this but honestly, if we didn’t hire him back, someone else would have, and he is the perfect fit here.
I mean with all the money they’ve invested in buzzers, hidden cameras, hiring ex-Mossad guys to help with surveillance, it sure does sound like Cora’s paradise.
Disgusting. Disrespectful to the game. A shame and a sham.
Another dark day for baseball. The fact that him and Hinch already have jobs again is a disgrace to the game. Tommy Lasorda must be rolling in his grave!
You’re a disgrace and disrespectful. Tommy Lasorda is still alive.
Well…..except for the fact Lasorda is still alive.
Just out of curiosity, can you tell us where this grave is so we can save him before he dies in there? And leave all your contact information for the follow up police interview too
Loser organization hires cheating loser. Perfect. He, like Hinch, only ever won by cheating so good job idiots. Red Sox in 4th again hopefully then they can fire him once more.
If he did his time, why is Pete Rose still banished from baseball?
Cora’s punishment was one year. Pete Rose accepted a LIFETIME BAN from baseball from Bartlett Giamatti. What don’t you understand?
Awe shut up.
The fact is that baseball is rehiring a pair of cheaters who regardless of the length of their punishment should not be let back into baseball.
So if owners are willing to forgive them, well then it is about time to remove the ban on Pete.
Let’s forego the mirage of maintaining the integrity of baseball.
So the Red Sox and Tigers couldn’t find anyone else?
There is seriously not a good managing prospect, who is just waiting to make the jump to the big leagues?
A pair of cheaters is the cream of available managing crop?
What this tells me is there’s a hush-hush amongst those in baseball that know everyone cheats. These two guys would never ever get hired again unless that was the case. In baseball this is no big deal to those who know.
If everyone was stealing signs then why were so many players on so many teams upset?
They were upset about the roid use as well Mo, but carry on. Get back to use when the Yanks have clean hands.
That’s a reach that even Manute Bol would envy, Gary.
Gwynning, you’re right.
Then I just don’t understand how this can be done?
Blindness? Insane commitment to winning at any cost? Narcissism? Blackmail? Idiocy? I don’t have the answer but it lies at Henry’s feet.
Master-minded not one, but two cheating scandals and is immediately picked up by the last team he managed? Apparently, money + winning > any moral standard.
Seriously, how is actively cheating not as bad as betting on other teams when you have no control over those outcomes? And yet it’s Rose who’s banned for life and Cora who gets a job as soon as his suspension’s over.
Lost all respect for the Red Sox organization after this rehire.
Okay bye.
Only in America, well, maybe in other third world countries too.
The ONLY way this hire happens is because there’s cheating all through baseball. Who in their right mind thinks this hire and the Tigers hire is okay if this was isolated? Not a single one.
You guys are all going off the deep end for no reason. Couple guys got caught, did their suspensions and they’re back because EVERYONE DOES IT. Wake up people. The obvious evidence of this is that these two guys were hired back in. How could everyone miss something so obvious as this ?
Even though the NYY were the poster child for PEDs abuse, I never cared to pile on, simply I knew my team could easily be next. Same here.
In any case, in this country, if you paid the price, you should be allowed to move on. If you have an issue with any of the Houston employees returning to BB, take it up with Manfred. You are either barred for life, or you are allowed to re-join BB as soon as your sentence is over.
If everyone was stealing signs, then why were so many players across baseball so upset about it?
You know what.. great point !! You’re correct on that.
I guess what I’m saying is everyone knows that not everyone is as clean as a whistle. Point your finger at someone and 3 are coming back at yourself. Baseball knows Nobody’s Perfect. Red Sox chose to hire this guy because of his ability to relate to the players and they’ll live with the consequences.
Seems like half the fans wanted Cora back, half the fans are vilifying the team for hiring him, and 90% of the players wanted him back. Oh well we just move on. Go Sox.
Gary: you spelled Yankees wrong in your last sentence.
You’re right !!
Oh well, YANKEES just move on. Go Sox.
Some of them pretend. Look at the steroid users, many were caught. People lie and pretend because they feel they have to do so. Of course when Tex said the Yanks were doing it no one cared. That’s 2020 for ya.
This is one of the silliest arguments I’ve ever seen, and that’s with the acknowledgment that there are likely other organizations doing some not-so-nice things. We all know that.
They were hired back because people have short-term memories and often compromise their morals in pursuit of their pleasures. If fans were allowed in the stands next season, do you think Red Sox fans would protest or stay away from the ballpark to signal their displeasure with this move? Of course not. They’re going to do what they always have, thereby enabling what occurred. And I’m not even judging that decision so much as pointing out it’s just the reality of things.
Simply put, it pays to cheat and hire cheaters when you know the only repercussion would be some light punishments and booing away fans. When there is no deterrence, this is what happens.
Sheagoodbye, you’re right.
Then I just don’t understand how this can be done?
Not a fan of this choice.
Involved in both cheating teams in back to back years, he should have been banned for life. Congratulations, Red Sox, you have surpassed the Yankees as the most hated team in the AL East.
AND THATS COMING FROM A TWINS FAN.
#2020
I guess when it comes to being a last-place team or cheating your way back to the top, the entire league now knows where the Red Sox stand and that makes them a target, just like the Astros.
Amazon was seen leaving 2 dozen trash cans at Fenway
Letting Cora back into baseball is like letting Bernie Madoff back into investing.
This analogy is awesome
This just creates unneeded scrutiny
He’s a jerk to the media. Can’t wait for the media go after him and Hinch.
Bloom did not get to hire his man, he hired Henry’s guy. I hate Henry.
Any success the Red Sox may have during Cora’s tenure will be tainted. They could (but won’t, of course) go 112-50, sweep through the playoffs and World Series and Devers would hit .397 with 51 homers and it won’t mean a thing. Cora is branded and he brought it on himself. He’s essentially Charles Van Doren. Could have played it clean, chose not to.
For all the folks that want Cora banned for life, do you feel the same way for those who take PEDs, those with domestic abuse issues, those who intentionally throw at someone’s head or starts a fight?
Because all those players have received a specific punishment, serve their time, and go right back into playing baseball.
No, and for reasons that, if not apparent to you, are a non-starter for a conversation.
What a joke.
Why not? Everywhere else there’s cheating going on. The media will look the other way because he’s Hispanic.
There are issues here but race ain’t one of them. The Boston media, like most Boston fans, will draw the wagons up in a circle around Cora.
Bury-the-News Friday. Hire Cora, who enabled the two biggest team scandal(s) since the 1919 Black Sox; approve Cohen, a hedge fund owner who skirted around a major financial scandal; announce no discipline for Turner. All by design.
He gets another chance and a paycheck from the J. Henry Bank. All he needs now is a team.
Presumably no one would want their team to take on other cheaters like George Springer, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, etc., right? They didn’t get punished at all even though they were heavily involved, benefitted, or at least knew first-hand. I know that was the agreement with the union in order to secure player cooperation.
Or what about Justin Turner? The Trashtros cheated in games. Justin Turner’s selfish behavior could have endangered lives. And yet Manfred yawns.
Everyone that has money will be asking about those guys.
No one turned their backs on any of the PEDs cheaters either.
Anyone want to guess how players have had DUIs, served their suspension, and came back? Or illegal drugs?
Or players, GMs, and agents that have contacted each other illegally, or contacted amateurs illegally?
This is the nature of the world we live in. Everyone we know has a skeleton in their closet.
This man knowingly cheated the fair sport of baseball… multiple times. Serving penalty for a DUI and willfully cheating the sport are like comparing night to day. I’ve personally lost all respect for the Boston franchise today.
Disgusting and so so wrong on so many levels. I’m completely ashamed of the Red Sox organization and by association, anyone connected to the Red Sox organization.
Never hated Boston or the Red Sox… until now.
I don’t think the teams that fired these managers should be rehiring them. It’s not that I don’t think they should get a second chance, it’s just that I don’t think it looks right to fire your manager for a year during their suspension and then rehire them. What’s the point in that? I believe the Red Sox had this plan the entire time which is just shady to me. They can do what they want, I just don’t think they made the right call here just like I wouldn’t want the Astros rehiring Hinch. They were fired for a reason. Maybe Cora’s dealings had more to do with the Astros than Red Sox, but still – by all accounts he was essentially the ring leader of the Astros cheating.
Cora stepped down for his involvement in the Astros issue. Virtually nothing happened with the RS.
Right. It was all the video room guy. Lol.
Got to blame someone and its easier to find a job for the video guy in the Henry business then it is to find a job for a cheating manager.
“Stepped down”, yeah. Also, the Red Sox probably saw what happened with the Astros players spilling the beans and chose to keep their mouths shut.
I totally agree with you. This was all set up. Cora wasn’t fired he resigned prior to MLB banned him. and Roenicke said in an interview when Cora resigned that he was willing to take over a Manager only if Cora came back.
You summed it up, perfectly.
Lol I guess Pete Rose should be in the hof now ?
So Beltran gets hired next?
Wow they hired a guy who took one of the best teams ever assembled to the WS….I mean he had 3 aces and at least that many all-stars to plug into his lineup daily….
After Cora was replaced and Verlander went down for the season and Altuve and Correa were injured for parts of the season the Astros still competed to get to the ALCS….
The team was already stacked when Cora was there so don’t give him to much credit….
You do know he won a WS as manager, with Red Sox in ’18 too, right?
“Won”
Cora didn’t win the W/S the players did, he walked into a ready made team that had great pitching and fielding and hitting. Lets see what he does without the keystone pieces.
This shows Bloom is not in control. I hope Cora can pitch because the rotation and bullpen doesn’t exist and banking on E-Rod and Sale is not a plan.
These comments are pathetic
The truth hurts.
Been a Red Sox fan my whole life and I’m ashamed at how the current front office is operating, I’m not sure ownership has the interest it had back when they bought the team, but seems like they’ve gone down hill in the last couple years. I guess we’ll see how things turn out next year
Scott, that is an honest genuine response and most of us feel for you. It sucks when your favorite team’s ownership operates like this. It’s a violation of public trust. I hope it gets better and they realize the error of their ways; then we can get back to our on-field rivalry and let the best team win!
The Astros are like, “we could of done that!!?” #dusty
Can pitchers bean opposing managers? Just checking.
Happy news. I am not religious but believe in second chances. People need to stop being so judgmental. Alex Cora is a good baseball man who paid a price for his transgressions. It’s water under the bridge. Let the man live his life. People who have done much worse to fare given a complete pass by some folks. Why is that?
By your standard Pete Rose and Joe Jackson shouldn’t have life time bans and both should be in the HoF where they belong. What Cora and Hinch did came very close to destroying baseball.
Yes because no one stole signs before this.
If you’re not religious then there is no basis for the standards you refer to….. if you have a moral law you must have a moral law giver. If you don’t, then you circle back to man is God and what he says is moral, thus everything is moral and nothing is moral. Nevertheless, he can live his life, not…..managing…..baseball
#PeteRose4HOF
What a shabby move.
CHEATERS!
300 responses to what happened in Boston today. John Henry knows (like some politicians, including one that’s in the news these days), that when people are talking about you, positive or negative, it’s ALWAYS a good thing.
And this is exactly why Manfred sucks. We all knew this was going to happen at some point, so basically, the people most involved with the scandal got off free.
Fire Manfred.
Screw you, Red Sox.
I only hope there are fans in the stands at some point next season so they can be resoundingly booed.
What a scum bag. Fits in perfectly in Boston
Boston lacks any class, and Manfred lacks cojones. Joe Jackson got suspended for life for accepting money to throw the W/S yet his record during that W/S showed he was playing to win. Pete Rose got suspended for life because as a manager (not a player) he bet on ballgames, although it was never proven he bet against his team., John Coppolella (former GM of the Atlanta Braves) received a life time suspension for violating the rules regarding the signing of international players. None of these three affected MLB as much as what Hinch and Cora did in Houston and they got one year suspensions in a 60 game season. They both should be banned from baseball and Boston and Detroit should be ashamed of themselves.
Succinct, cogent, and pithy. Nice.
#CorasaVoyeur
For me, it’s not the second chance that bothers me. It’s basically the 60 game sabbatical. If he got hired by a different team, it would be easier to stomach.
Billy Martin may have some competition…but for different reasons.
So are the Mets going to hire Carlos Beltran after they fire Rojas next season?
Will the D-Backs now hire Wally Backman?
Imagine you took a massive $hit, flushed it down the toilet, then it showed up in your oven a week later.
This is that.
Cora = Big Effing Cheater
Oddly, both Cora and Hinch benefited from the pandemic. If fans were allowed to attend games this year, the fan reaction to the Astros and Red Sox, and the narrative around them, would have been a nonstop story. The pandemic drowned that all out. The Tigers and Red Sox wouldn’t have brought these two back because of all the negative publicity and vibes that would have permeated the game in 2020.
Lord99: precisely correct. If the pandemic had not hit when it did, the way it did, this would’ve been a hot-button issue the entire season. We have so many more important issues that detract from baseball issues: election, Covid, societal violence.
Great point
#CorasaVoyeur
#BeltranwasaYankbeforeaStro #soapboxyankeefans
An anagram:
Cora Cheats—>> Rat Coaches
I think it’s pretty despicable.
But, if a guy with no ethics was going to get rehired this week, I’m glad it was Cora.
I didn’t know that professional baseball was still a thing. Haven’t watched the trash in years.
After 60 years of being a diehard fan I’m done with the Red Sox until new ownership and a new manager are in place.
INTEGRITY – No rational person hires a CONVICTED CHEATER even if you need to fill the position with a minority to create an appearance of being diverse, which we all know they aren’t after dumping their two highest profile black players..
For my friends on this site, I will be on the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs sites going forward. I’m embarrassed to say I supported the Red Sox all those years after the recent moves the ownership group have made. My father is rolling over in his grave. Hiring a scumbag like Cora is both sad and pathetic. I hope the team gets the first pick in the draft until ownership has to sell the franchise and Cora is behind bars where he belongs.