What to Think of This Whole Astros Cheating Thing?
/As I have stated many times on this site, RD is the baseball guy. But today, I feel like I need to give my take on this whole Astros cheating scandal.
First and foremost, and I guess this is kind of sad since I loved baseball so much as a child, I honestly don’t have any real feelings on it. To be honest, I don’t really care. I know what they did was very wrong. You should never, ever cheat to get an edge. That doesn’t make you a winner, it makes you a cheater. They will go down as one of, if not the, most undeserving champions in any professional sport ever. But, when I try to get upset or angry or want to say how bad this is, I just kind of shrug. It honestly has no effect on me either way. I could care less about what they did. It was a careless and wrong way to gain an advantage, but so were steroids, and people have just kind of let that all go by the wayside. Who’s to say the same thing won’t happen with the Astros. I wouldn’t be shocked if in, say three years, most people will have totally forgotten about it, and some will even claim that they are real champs.
Second, everyone that was involved, that was in very deep, I have no problem with them being relieved of their duties. Any person who worked for the Astros during this time, especially coaches and the front office that knew about it, and supported it, they needed to go. The coach, GM, all the front office people, they deserved to be fired. They cheated and they should have to pay a punishment. As for other people involved they moved on to different jobs, like Carlos Beltran and the former Red Sox manager, they also deserved to be let go. They cheated, and who’s to say they wouldn’t do it again at their current jobs. That’s the way it is in sports. Cheaters should not prosper. I get furious when college teams get caught cheating in recruiting, and this was happening in the pro game. That’s not cool.
Third, if I really truly cared, I’d be super pissed off of I were a member of the Dodgers when this was at its height. They got to the World Series fair and square, and they lost to a team that was, at the time, cheating their asses off. I’m not a Dodgers fan, I’m not a fan of any LA team, but still, that’s not cool and not okay. The Dodgers may have a super high payroll, and can lure stars, but that’s not cheating, that’s pro sports.
Fourth, I think the players involved deserve the same punishment Pete Rose has gotten. Pete Rose gambled, even on his own team, while coaching, and he’s banned for life. What the Astros did, to me, is much, much worse. They stole signs. They knew what was coming from opposing pitchers. They gained an unfair advantage. All Pete Rose did was gamble. He never stole signs, forced guys to do something unethical or immoral, he just wanted some extra cash. The Astros straight up cheated.
Finally, I do think they need to be stripped of their title. They didn’t win their World Series fairly. They had an unfair advantage, and that’s not cool. It needs to be taken away or have an asterisk forever.
So, while I am not an MLB guy, this story is unavoidable, and I felt like I wanted to give my 2 cents. The Astros cheated, and they will never be deserving of their lone title.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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