Thursday, September 7, 2017

Apple Watches, Cheating and the Evil Empire


Dammit, why didn’t we think of that? The word “that” is in reference to the Boston Red Sox using an Apple Watch to steal signs from not only the New York Yankees but from other teams as well over the course of the 2017 season. Stealing signs have been around since baseball and giving signs have been around and while it technically may not be against the rules (unless you use electronic devices to do so of course which Boston did) it can be a shady thing to do. To be fair I’m sure the Yankees have done their fair share of it, there were always those allegations that Derek Jeter received signs and pitch tipping from some random guy out in center field which I never truly believed, but this is a Yankees-themed site and it was the Boston Red Sox who did it to New York so of course I’m going to talk about it. Here are my thoughts on the whole debacle. 

I will say that I think it’s great that Boston fessed up to the league about it, honesty goes a long way with me, but I am not so sure that manager John Farrell didn’t know about it like they stated. Sure, I’d buy that Dave Dombrowski and other team executives didn’t know about it but I find it highly unlikely that the manager had no idea what was going on here. Rob Manfred says a penalty is coming and I am interested to see what kind of penalty the league will lay down on Boston for this offense. I mean, what can they do? Fine them? Money is a drop in a bucket to a Major League team. They can’t reverse the outcome of games and they aren’t going to make the team postseason ineligible or anything drastic like that so what could they do? I’m not so sure but I’m not expecting much to be honest.  

Will the league follow what the NFL did when the New England Patriots got caught cheating in “Deflategate” and suspend a player for a huge chunk of the season? Tom Brady was suspended four games, or one-fourth of the NFL regular season, after cheating in the 2015 AFC Championship game while the team was also docked a first-round draft pick so maybe something along these lines could happen to the Red Sox for this scandal. I’m thinking the punishment will be more like “Spygate” though, you know that other time a Boston-area team got caught cheating, when the team was docked a 2008 draft pick in the first round while the coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 after filming Jets coaches signals during a 2007 game.  


So what are my thoughts? To hell with the Red Sox. Dock them five-or-ten games and let the Yankees win the division. I’m being a bit extreme and a tad bit sarcastic but honestly something major has to be done. You have executives from teams being charged with hacking other team’s personal files and databases and now there are reports of teams using electronic devices to steal signs. Where does it stop, and more importantly when does it stop? It stops when the league stops it so no pressure, but the future of the game is riding on this decision. A slap on the wrist encourages more cheating but a stern and strong hand nips it in the bud. Stay tuned to see which one we’ll be talking about when the league drops their decision on the Boston Red Sox. 

5 comments:

  1. I'll go with the famous Jim Rome quote, "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying. It's only cheating if you get caught".

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    Replies
    1. True, and I agree. Like I said though, it's the Red Sox and this is a Yankees blog. Of course I'm going to give them hell about it.

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    2. True Scott, IF it is done on the field by the players. But cheating by those out of the field of play is not in anyway to be condoned by anyone in the game...any game.
      Stealing signs is an old art form by only a few talented people...on the field!
      Having your infield grass cut high or short is an old trick to benefit the home team. Bringing in the fences is also to help the home team. But none of them is cheating...in my opinion!

      Letting out a bit of air in the football to help the Q-back throw better...is cheating. It is like throwing a scuffed ball/ per Whitey Ford and many others. There are rules against them.

      Having done many things that were very questionable myself, the game has gotten so far from the real game it gets boring sometimes. Sliding into 2nd base with spikes up is a NO, NO...a player that leans over the plate would have a ball in his ear real quick.

      Teams have way too much money tied up with the players nowadays, so I understand it but, I miss the way a 2nd baseman would pay back a player sliding into him. And the skill it took to play 2nd base back in the day, just to stay alive...or end up in left field!

      I know, long winded again!

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