DID AARON JUDGE JUST BET ON THE UPCOMING SEASON?

There's really nothing to talk about in baseball right now, obviously. We are all grasping for any news we can get our hands on, especially if the news bite has to do with baseball starting. And since we are so bored, if there was a story about an alleged baseball bet, wouldn't that catch your interest? Would you be more interested if it also involved the face of the Yankees franchise?

Probably, and Randy Miller at NJ.com certainly is jumping on that chance, read more HERE. Long story short, Rays star pitcher Blake Snell and Aaron Judge may have made a friendly wager about who will win more games in the upcoming season - the Rays or the Yankees. What's on the line? A $5,000 bet with all proceeds going to charity. You can read their take on it.

So NJ.com says both guys laughed at the idea "but it did definitely appear as if a bet was offered and accepted" as the article says. IT APPEARS as if a bet was offered. Is that what we are going with these days? Assumptions?

That's a BOLD story to go with, especially right now. We all know MLB has regulations regarding gambling. You can find a detailed document HERE and NJ.com is correct when they gave the definition as "any player, umpire or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shal be declared permanently ineligible." Baseball fans are familiar with this.

They are also familiar with the clause that is associated with why Pete Rose was banned for life:
"any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct." Many of us also believe that Pete Rose still believes in the Hall of Fame regardless.

So, is NJ.com implying that what Judge and Snell MAY or MAY NOT have agreed to is the same offense as Pete Rose? I guess I don't understand the sensationalist tone to their story.

Or maybe I do get it. Are we really THAT bored? I get the boredom, we all have cabin fever right now but the allegations about an illegal gambling proposal? Come on!

Have we not learned anything since the ASSTROS cheating scandal? THAT is a cheating scandal that has deserved all of the negative attention is has received. It deserves more, and it will continue to do so. It also deserves a stricter punishment, which Rob Manfred won't give because he is a weak commissioner. Are we so bored that stories like this are going to take over the sports world because "it appeared" that Snell and Judge made a "cardinal sin" as they called it?

We shouldn't assume anything by this, and that is not what good journalism does. But maybe I am in the minority on this one. At any rate, I am not going to assume that Judge just agreed to gambling. I think this is a story out of sheer boredom and Randy Miller should be writing better stories than this.

What's your take on this? Is this story a big deal? Comment and tell us your thoughts.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj