A.J. PIERZYNSKI SLAMS MLB OVER PETE ROSE HALL OF FAME ELIGIBILITY & IT'S HILARIOUS!

It's funny, because I never really imagined a moment that I would agree with A.J. Pierzynski on anything baseball related. I also thought of him as polarizing. He's been very vocal about a lot of issues in baseball and that is especially true about another polarizing name in the sport....Pete Rose.

There's been a lot of chatter about Rose recently. Now that he is reinstated for Hall of Fame consideration it's been a major topic at my dinner table and here at BYB, read PETE ROSE IS ELIGIBLE, BUT WILL THE WRITERS DO THE RIGHT THING? It's a polarizing topic. There are very strong opinions on both sides.

So, what's A.J's beef now? Well, he went on Foul Territory this week and didn't hold back at all. He believes Rose should NOT be reinstated. I know many people who are on both sides of the argument. His argument is that article 21 of MLB's Rule Book prohibits players and coaches from betting on baseball. If that was the argument he wanted to stick with I wouldn't be laughing as I am now. Check out the video clip below.

There's a real hole in this argument for me. As soon as he ran with the "You can't have the integrity of the game questioned at all" is where it went sideways for me. Has he been living under a rock? Serious question because this sport has lost all of its innocence. The integrity went out the window a long time ago. Let's just go back to the steroid era, shall we? Is Barry Bonds so long ago that baseball got a "get out of jail free" pass and I missed the memo? I mean, he and Bonds were playing at the same time from 1998-2007 so it's not like it's ancient history. It happened, while AJ was getting his feet wet on the big league stage and it's a huge part of history. 

Let's fast forward to 2017. It's a topic I will NEVER let go of but the Houston Astros literally cheated their way to a World Series Championship. Trash can signals and buzzers are NOT part of the game, AJ. Integrity went out the window there. To make it worse, after Carlos Beltran is named one of the leaders of this cheating scandal the same time he is in consideration for a Manager role with the Mets? So you cheat, you work your way up to a manager gig. That's the message sent here. If you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin? The Mets only "mutually agreed" to part ways with him after details came out which was a horrible message to send. They changed their mind to save their hide. I have despised the Mets more just for that alone. It was completely tone deaf.

And what about Alex Cora? The equally tone deaf Red Sox hired him for 2018 & 2019 knowing he was implicated in the cheating scandal, then took a brief step back to let the dust settle and let Ron Roenicke manage in 2020 and then reunite with Cora again in 2021 and ever since. What a minor slap on the wrist for a guy that was involved in the biggest cheating scandal in decades and then put him in charge of a different team. Integrity gone....

Oh and to make it more disturbing the General Manager of the Astros at that time Jeff Luhnow lost his job after the scandal. He's not back in the baseball world. In fact he is the CEO of Blue Crow Sports Group, which owns several soccer clubs, including Leganés in Spain and Cancún FC in Mexico. The guy with the least amount of involvement with the scandal not even around the team every day like Cora was and he pays the ultimate price. Integrity gone....

And last but certainly not least....you can't talk about gambling without talking about the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal that rocked baseball last year. It was alleged that his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole millions of dollars from the star to pay off massive gambling debts. Shohei denies placing any bets or paying off any bookies and it's funny how the money just disappeared without being detected, huh? Because are we supposed to be that nieve to believe the person who is in charge of Shohei's personal finances just didn't notice that massive amount of money just magically vanished into thin air? Apparently, because AJ himself came out in defense of Shohei saying there was no evidence to prove he was in fact gambling. So, it's okay for his money to be used on betting even if he didn't bet himself? Come on....if "you can't have the integrity of the game questioned at all" why is this any different?

If Pete Rose can't be reinstated for betting on games when he was a manager, why is it okay for Ohtani to be accused of it as a player and have no consequences even though his money was used? If the integrity of the game can't be questioned at all then this is no exception and it's hypocritical. By the way, Ippei took the fall for this and in February was sentenced to 5 years in prison over it....but he's not actually sitting in prison yet. His sentence has been pushed back, read more HERE. 

So yeah, A.J and I agree that the integrity of the game can't be questioned at all. If the ban is good for Rose, it should've been good for Ohtani, too but you can't really ban the new face of baseball can you?He brings international draw. Unfortunately, the integrity of the game has been questioned many times, and will continue to be (especially under Rob Manfred's command). 

We agree on the sentiment, but AJ is oblivious to how un-innocent baseball really is. His argument is a swing and a miss. It did give me a good laugh though.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE ASTROS OWNER & FRONT OFFICE ARE BAD PEOPLE

You knew it would come out.  We all knew it was bad, but the MLB's slap on the wrist was just not enough.  People should have been fired, banned, removed forever!! But the relationship between Rob Manfred and Jim Crane was too much make the banning a real life thing, and so MLB and Manfred made a fairy tale about how they were wrong, but they will apologize and MLB will move on.  It was all bullshit, and we all knew it. But we the fans have no control over that. We will never stop going to games and never stop loving baseball, and MLB top brass knew that.  

So what happened? We the fans turned on the bad guys when we showed up to games and we will continue to humilate them all until the day they retire. Because that's all we can really do.  Correa. Altuve. Bregman. The others got their jobs back... Hinch, Cora, and even Carlos Beltran became a commentator on YES.  But none of them should have been back.  

Meanwhile, a dope named Jeff Lunhow was the only one who lost a job and still hasn't returned or even works. Why? Well, not because he did the garbage banging and came up with the scam and executed it himself, but because he erased evidence that pointed fingers in his own organization.  

Explain this to me? Explain how Lunhow loses everything and all these other assholes still work in the MLB? It's the wicked web of Jim Crane and Rob Manfred and their friendship... and it's absolute bullshit.

Mark Powell of Fansided writes:

"Jeff Luhnow, the general manager at the time who oversaw this entire mess, has yet to get another job in baseball.

Luhnow, it turns out, tried to warn those within the Astros organization of an impending investigation before the fact. Those close to Luhnow even suggest he deleted data from his own phone, and insinuated others to do the same...Seemingly every reminder and/or update to this cheating scandal makes matters worse. It's another layer and reminder that Houston knew exactly what they were doing, and continued to sweep it under the rug."

Jim Crane is a bad dude. Luhnow? Sure, he is too, but this just proves that even the owner was in on it, and cutting Lunhow loose and creating another narrative is the way to go and that's what Crane is trying to do. Don't know what I mean?

Remember when Cashman came out back in March (CBS Sports) saying:  "The only thing that stopped (us) was something that was so illegal and horrific. So I get offended when I start hearing we haven't been to the World Series since '09. Because I'm like, 'Well, I think we actually did it the right way.' Pulled it down, brought it back up. Drafted well, traded well, developed well, signed well. The only thing that derailed us was a cheating circumstance that threw us off."

He was ripping the Astros and it was amazing. Jim Crane shot back, from Bleacher Report): “I found his comments to be extremely strange,’’ Crane told USA Today's Bob Nightengale. “There’s the letter, and you were doing it, too. You were there dude. What are you talking about? If I was one of the teams, and I knew our team was doing it [cheating], I’d keep my mouth shut and just go about our business."

Crane sounds like a 5 year old. "I pulled his hair because he pulled mine!" Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Go in the corner, you dunce.

By the way, the letter?  CBS Sports writes:  "In that letter, it notes that the Yankees were fined for sign-stealing behavior from 2015-16, but also clears them from wrongdoing"

Whatever Crane.

What we know these days is damaging and guys like Crane should be punished. Mandfred and the MLB should reopen this investigation on the Luhnow phone stuff. It's bad. But they won't.

As long as we are in a MLB world of stupid rule changes and relationships to make more money for the commissioner and the baseball owners, us fans will continue to shout but not be heard.  It's terrible what's happened to the MLB, but what's worse is that this Astros front office found one guy to truly punish and destroy, while the rest of these assholes can continue to live their life. The punishment did not fit the crime.  It's shameful.

THIS IS BIGGER THAN THE GOP & DEMOCRATS ARGUING...

Now we know... they're caught!

I can't stand Rob Manfred as Baseball Commissioner and I always knew that there was a quiet, handshake deal so the Astros could keep their title and so the world of baseball wouldn't become totally chaotic.  And now... that accusation is made and it appears that it could be true... let's see what the courts say. The accusation? It comes from a guy who was part of it and now a guy who is allowed to speak about it and is suing because of it.

USA Today writes:

"Former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow filed a civil lawsuit Monday against his old team, alleging that Major League Baseball’s investigation into the sign-stealing scandal that cost him his job was a “negotiated resolution” between the league and Astros owner Jim Crane that ensured Luhnow would be fired and the team would retain its tainted 2017 World Series title."

Now look, Jeff Luhnow is a loser, we all know that. But as I've said since day one... so is Jim Crane who's just hoping to keep his handle on the Astros championship and of course Rob Manfred who's just hoping to keep his phony bologna job.  

Trust is this deal is outrageous and proves that we need to have a new investigation into this whole matter.  What's worse is if you're Jose Altuve... Carlos Correa... and you know you cheated and got caught and people who were in your front office were taking the heat and got fired like Jeff Luhnow... how are you not more silent in front of the camera? In other words, take your lumps, know you got off easy and shut up! Correa is the worst at that. He's pompous and just a total a-hole.

Loyalty is big in life. I think it's a major sticking point for myself.  Jeff Luhnow was doing what he was told and I get that. That's the loyalty part. But when something is said or done that is FALSE OR MORALLY WRONG... he really needed to stand up and have a little character and say "no, let's do this the right way." 

I equate it to this whole election BS right now.  I love a good debate... we have it here at BYB all the time, but stay loyal to the ones you know, even when they disagree. Disagreement is healthy, it's the nastiness that can sometimes follow that isn't. If you're loyal... if you can take a deep breath, that conversation can be had... and you still walk away unscathed.

Like in the case of Jeff Luhnow.  He was loyal. He shouldn't have been shown the door. He also knew something was going on and said nothing. I should take that back... maybe he did try and say something. Maybe, just maybe it was ignored. And maybe, just maybe Jim Crane knew Luhnow could be a problem and he was the guy who was axed so that deal would go through smoothly. Either way... loyalty sucks when  only 1 in that discussion forgets what's important... character... integrity.  

I have had friends for years. I have had colleague-friends for longer. Why? Because a solid foundation and honesty make for a productive and honest and fair collaboration.  That's the bottom line with me, with humanity and dammit I am sure that's what should have happened with Luhnow and Crane. But in the end, nothing was said by Luhnow most likely and loyalty from Crane went out the door and he axed Jeffrey knowing he could make a deal. 

Luhnow is a creep. He didn't do the right thing.  But this entire Astros organization needs to be gutted starting at the top. Jim Crane is a loser.  Strip the 2017 Astros title.  Fire Manfred... make changes to have checks and balances in Major League Baseball. This is disgusting.

And stand up for what's right... not your opinion... YOUR MORALS AND LOYALTY! There are plenty of people in this country that have strong opinions about a lot of stuff.  The presidency... votes... even whether or not to cheat in the game of baseball... with steroids... with high tech equipment like the Astros did.  

Here's an idea... explain why it's good... or bad... but have facts. And the person on the other end that has a different point of view? LISTEN TO THEM. Sure... if they're saying stuff that's not factual... is a lie, not true, challenge it. But if it's constructive... meet in the middle. Crane's greed got the best of him. He should have NEVER made a deal with Manfred.  He's more loyal to him than his own employees. Think about how damaging that is.

For me? The Astros have shown no character and now we know the truth.  Good for Luhnow for speaking up. He's still a loser, but now we know that bad behavior get's rewarded. That garbage? It can't stand.

How many times can I I hashtag #FireManfred and #FireCrane.  They are both pieces of garbage.  Where the hell is Joe Torre in all of this? I really want to know what he has to say.

ALEX CORA ON ASTROS SIGN STEALING: "WE ALL DID IT"

Alex Cora is kind of a loser these days... disgraced, as is AJ Hinch and Carlos Beltran. In fact, the dumbest thing he could have done right now in the midst of George Floyd protests and COVID-19 is come out and remind us all about the Astros Cheating Scandal.  But, he did and that's on him.

He is coming out to defend himself. Well... don't worry Cora the Clown, we already know that the entire Astros organization was involved in some capacity, no matter how large or how small, we know it was an elaborate scheme and technological operation to steal signs and eventually win the entire World Series because of it.

Here's what Cora said, brought to us by SNY:

"Cora recently spoke with ESPN's Marly Rivera, and while he took the blame for his role, he disputed the notion that it was just a "two-man show." 

'There has been a narrative out there of what happened. Ever since mid-November until the commissioner announced the results of the Red Sox investigation, I have read many things that are true and many others that are not... Out of this whole process, if there is one thing that I completely reject and disagree with is people within the Astros' organization singling me out, particularly [former general manager] Jeff Luhnow, as if I were the sole mastermind. 

The commissioner's report sort of explained, in its own way, what happened. But the [Astros players] have spoken up and refuted any allegations that I was solely responsible.... 

If there is one thing I am absolutely sure of, it is that it was not a two-man show. We all did it. And let me be very clear that I am not denying my responsibility, because we were all responsible... Right now, all I care about is my personal life and my family. This has not been an easy time for us, and it's my fault... Do I want to return to the game? Absolutely. That's why I worked so hard for so many years before being named Red Sox manager. But right now, all of that is secondary. My focus is on much more important things... 

I understand why people think that our championship is not valid, and it's our fault that they think that. I am being honest and I apologize for what happened and for the mistakes we made as a group... I understand why people are disappointed. I am disappointed in myself. At the time, one doesn't think about the consequences. It was something that kept growing and growing, and in the end, it was wrong. We made a mistake and I must pay for the consequences of my actions."

This doesn't make Cora fall into a better light for me. The dude got caught, the dude is out of a job... he's squirming and so he's ratting everyone out, like we already know and suspect. And the other thing to keep in mind is, this was not a mistake.

It was a planned out strategic operation. A mistake is something you may do and not even realize it. This isn't that... and because of that, once star players like Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, are just losers now and can go to hell.  They all make me sick.

Look, cheating in baseball does happen. We all know this. The Yankees had been fined for it, the Red Sox have. But personally for me... here's something that I have always felt about a scandal like this... you cheat and win the whole damn thing? Well... you didn't actually win, you cheated and MLB was right to fall down on the Astros. They should have fell on them harder however. Then of course is the other side of cheating baseball...  You cheat because you figure out pitching sequence at second base and relayed that to your teammates and you win some and you lose some? That's just good ol' fashion baseball.

The point is Cora and the Astros knew exactly what they were doing and they got help even though they were talented enough to win the whole thing without it.

It's sad... it's pathetic... and trust me... we will NEVER forget how despicable you all are in the Houston Astros organization... you cheated your fans and you cheated baseball fans.

And I leave you with this... the smugness of ridiculous Jon Heyman...

I’d say there’s little question about this one. He will. https://t.co/77yB5qtsRU

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 12, 2020

If Cora comes back to the game after this... he's gonna have a hell of a time fitting in. I mean, how can he be trusted?

Look at Heyman's avatar... I just want to punch it in it's cartoon face.

CASHMAN STILL IRRITATED OVER ASTROS CHEATING SCANDAL

Remember when the Houston Astros cheated their way to a World Series win? Brian Cashman does, and he is still unhappy with how the MLB handled the situation.

There is a little bit of frustration,” Cashman said. “Frustration after the fact that Jomboy, for instance, put out online and decoded after the A’s Mike Fiers revealed what was transpiring. Frustration in, ‘Wow, we knew something was going on and we complained about it.’ But we didn’t have the fact of what the specifics [were] and once you saw it playing out, once it was decoded, you say, ‘How could we have not have figured that out?’”

When the Astros were stealing signs the Yankees tried to figure out what was going wrong. They did not know how they were conveying the signals and are now frustrated because it seems clear that the whole industry knew but them.

Out of respect for the sport and the commissioner's office, Cashman decided not to be very vocal about the issue. At the end of the day, the decision was out of his own hands and was careful of being critical. 

“Is there frustration in what transpired and how it potentially denied us further play in the postseason? Of course there is. Do I have strong feelings on that? Of course I do. Does it serve me or the Yankees or the industry of baseball by at times letting my guard down and sharing how I really feel from that and the emotion that comes from that? I’m not sure it’s helpful to the process.”

Cashman admitted that even after the punishment was given, irritation still lingered. Even as he acknowledged that Houston fired manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow and Boston canned Alex Cora as a result of the scandal.

“They clearly benefited from [the system],’’ Cashman said of the Astros. “They’ve been disciplined for it now and as we move forward, we just have to move forward and not look in the past because there’s nothing we can do about it.’’

I guess it is safe to say that the Yankees will forgive, but they will not forget. I know BYB won't forgive OR forget. We'll keep banging that drum.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

DUSTY BAKER'S NEW PLEA IS IRONIC & PATHETIC!

Unfit commissioner Rob Manfred knows he has a long list of problems on his hands. He's trying to get in front of them but he won't be able to. The Astros cheated, the game is disgraced and the player-driven cheating has been excused with no acceptable punishment for the masterminds. Now that baseball is back, he hopes to move forward....but this isn't over.

He thinks his stern warning to the league will keep players from seeking their own justice, but baseball doesn't care what he thinks. We don't respect his "authority" anymore and even if FOOLISH MANFRED TO PUNISH RETALIATION OVER CHEATING ASTROS and now Dusty Baker makes his own statement as he piggy backs off of Manfred's weak words.

"I'm depending on the league to try to put a stop to this seemingly premeditated retaliation that I'm hearing about. And in most instances in life, you get kind of reprimanded when you have premeditated anything. I'm just hoping that the league puts a stop to this before somebody gets 
hurt."

How pathetically ironic. "In most instances in life, you get kind of reprimanded when you have predmeditated anything..." except for when you are the ASSTROS, eh?

Someone should get Dusty Baker a dictionary!
premeditate - verb
"to think out or plan (an action, especially a crime) beforehand" 

So the ASSTROS PREMEDITATED to cheat. The players involved should have been REPRIMANDED for their actions that altered the course of the game, affected players careers and ultimately led to a tainted title. Based on what Dusty said.....Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and the entire team should be REPRIMANDED!! But they weren't....

The $5 million fine, firing of A.J. Hinch and Jeff Luhnow and loss of draft picks have no consequence to the PLAYERS who PREMEDITATED all of this. So the players involved deserve to be protected but not punished? Oh and the rest of the baseball world isn't supposed to feel angry about it? They were denied justice and a fair game. Neither Manfred's warning nor Dusty Baker's plea will deter the course of how this season is going to go.

So Dusty....your plea for protection is pathetic. We understand you will be like every other good manager and defend your guys, but your plea does not put an end to the frustration we all have. You manage a bunch of cheaters and you may have the commissioner on your side....but that isn't enough.

Get ready, Dusty. You can continue crying about it but this is far from over. The Astros will find out exactly how it feels to be on the other end of a PREMEDITATED act and they won't like it.

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

HANK AARON GOES FOR THE ASTROS THROAT!

The Godfather of Baseball, Hank Aaron has spoken. Time for MLB and the Player's union to react swiftly.  You want to know why? Because when a guy like Hank Aaron speaks about the integrity of the game... you do what he says.

This is a guy that played the game clean his entire career... even through racial hatred, even in the dark, dark days of living in Babe Ruth's shadow. And you know what? He did it with talent and pride... and not stealing signs using technology and faking it. Hank Aaron has honor. Rob Manfred and Tony Clark better sit at a table this weekend and fix this mess once and for all.

The Washington Post writes:

"A report released last month by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred detailed the Astros’ scheme, which continued into the 2018 season and involved using a center field camera to detect opposing catchers’ signs and tip off Houston batters to upcoming pitches. 

For everyone specifically named in the report, the fallout was severe: then-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and then-manager A.J. Hinch were each suspended for a year and then quickly fired; Red Sox manager Alex Cora, a Houston bench coach in 2017, lost his job in Boston; and the same fate eventually befell Mets manager Carlos Beltran, who spent his final season as a player with the 2017 Astros. 

However, no other players on that team were named, and Manfred said in his report that he was not inclined to hand down punishments to anyone else. 

Asked on NBC’s “Today” show if “the punishment fit the crime,” the 86-year-old Aaron replied. “No, I don’t. “I think whoever did that,” Aaron continued, “should be out of baseball for the rest of their lives.”...

When Aaron told NBC Thursday that he was “surprised” to learn the details of the Astros’ operation, he was asked, “They didn’t steal signs back in your day?” 

“They did. They didn’t steal them that way,” Aaron replied with a chuckle.

And that's the point. Playing baseball clean, seeing the way a pitcher tips pitches and then reporting back to your teammates to "look for this" or "look for that"... that's just baseball. That's trying to get the edge in the realm of the game itself.

When you start taking out baseball bats and banging trash cans because you have a live feed in the clubhouse and you move a camera in center field like Reid Ryan of the Astros did... that's cheating and there needs to be harsh, HARSH punishments for that. The Astros are liars and cheaters and are to never be trusted again. Bottom line.

Aaron's right. I hope Manfred and Clark are listening.

MANFRED JUST MADE MLB THE WILD, WILD WEST! RULES DON'T APPLY!

There will be head hunting when the Astros step into the batter's box! I mean, why not? You get away with being bad now in the MLB! Manfred just set the tone!

When things go wrong in business... you don't just turn a blind eye. If your company suffers, is questions, clearly in the wrong, you try and fix it.  It doesn't matter if it's a low level employee or someone at the top. You need to correct the problem.

It appears that Rob Manfred is what's wrong with Major League Baseball right now and it's all because he's turned a blind eye on the bigger problem in baseball. Cheating... and the knowing of cheating... and the deal made with a cheating team known as the Astros so life can go on and everything will be sunshine and rainbows.

Here's the problem with that. The Houston Astros will never get a fair shake or fair look EVER AGAIN. And neither will the Red Sox.  Why? Because not being punished for your crimes just proves to everyone out there that cheating isn't wrong. Instead it's fine.

It proves that apologizing fixes everything. Rob Manfred lives in a fucking fantasy world. The fact that MLB made a deal with the Astros and no player would be punished is so outrageous... it will not fix anything. It's going to make the games against this joke team more aggressive.  Because being bad is now a slap on the wrist.

You think the Yankee pitchers aren't gonna throw at these Asstros? Do you think any other team will? Or maybe go in spikes high? They will... they ALL will, because the fines they pay will be peanuts and because being bad doesn't have a consequence.  Rob Manfred just made it worse.

He doesn't realize that what he's about to embark on with technology and sign-stealing isn't the end... it's the beginning. The dude's been there only 5 years... wait until the next 5. He opened a hornet's nest. I love this from Sports Illustrated:

"It is time for Manfred to act, and he knows it. He must decide on the kind of game he wants to shepherd. Baseball will change far more in the next five years than it did in the previous five...."

And with the changes, he must still keep the integrity of the game intact. Instead, he thinks that firing a few high level people will fix the sign-stealing scandal.  DOES ANYONE THINK FOR A SECOND THAT THAT IS SUFFICIENT? This is Manfred's quote from an article from CBS Sports:

"'I think that four really accomplished baseball people lost their jobs over this,' Manfred said. 'Nobody likes to see that happen, but I do think it's the kind of message that will serve as a deterrent for this behavior going forward.' 

'In terms of [MLB's] continuing investigation, we have an open investigation on the Red Sox. What I've said to the owners is if I have some credible evidence that any other team was involved, they will be investigated with same thoroughness that we investigated the Astros.'"

But 2 things are wrong with this statement. This isn't a deterrent, because the Astros players were in it for themselves.  If they are padding numbers, waiting on sliders to crank out for home runs and wearing buzzer devices to do it, sure, it helps the team, but it helps line their pockets come a contract year...INDIVIDUALLY!

Do you really think Jose Altuve cares that Luhnow and Hinch were fired? Do you really think that changes his day to day, Robby?  Did you see him at Fan Fest? He looked like he was ready to cry... he was fighting for his life trying to address the media? IT WAS ABOUT HIM!

Rob Manfred is either the dumbest guy in the room or has to worst advisers ever... because all he did with the Astros debacle is make the whole situation worse.  He didn't take a hard stance... he took the easy way out.  And for me? I'm disappointed.

I'll be rooting for the Astros to get plunked all season long. I will question every win they have, will not believe any of them going forward. And I just hope that more major league players come forward.  Get mad! Be angry! Baseball needs to change.  The Astros players... the Red Sox players need to be punished!

Do it Manfred... or get the hell out of the Commissioner role... because you're just as bad as the rest of them.

MLB COVER-UP BOMBSHELL! MLB TRADED FAVORS WITH THE ASTROS!

And just like that, it's time to cut off Rob Manfred's head too... especially if the latest allegations are in fact true.

Earlier today Bleeding Yankee Blue reported on the outrageous suggestion that Astros Owner Jim Crane would have all his loser cheating team come forward and apologize for their sins at Spring Training (READ). It was a way for the Astros to prove to the baseball world, the fans, that mistakes happen... and they made plenty. But they are moving past it and are deeply, DEEPLY sorry.

This no doubt would pull on the heartstrings of baseball America... and in turn, we would feel a little bad for giving them all such a hard time... or at least that's what they would think. After all... this is America, we believe in second chances right?

Not so fast.  First of all, the notion that this Jim Crane turd is orchestrating the entire thing... firing Hinch, firing Luhnow… claiming his Astros team will fix it with apology is just outrageous.  Why? Well... because during the time of this sign-stealing scandal, the Astros had made Crane millions and millions of dollars.  He is part of the problem. He shouldn't be trying to fix it, he should be removed like the rest of them.

But now this… the most outrageous part of this scandal, and it's reached the top. A claim made that perhaps there is a deal in place between MLB and the Houston Astros, and if this is true, heads need to roll... from players, to owners... to the Houston front office, to even Rob Manfred stepping down.

Read this from the Wall Street Journal. The Journal has broken it wide open and now it's time to come after them all HARD. Excellent journalism here:

"...while Manfred suspended Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager A.J. Hinch for the 2020 season—they were later fired—no active players were even named for their involvement.

Manfred justified that decision by saying it would have been "difficult and impractical" to punish players, given that virtually all of them had knowledge of or were involved in the operation to use technology to illicitly obtain and relay opposing catchers' signals. But there is a simpler explanation for why no players were penalized: The league and the MLB Players Association struck an agreement early in the process that granted immunity in exchange for honest testimony, according to several people familiar with the matter. 

The league was quick to make such an offer, these people said, in part because it did not believe it would win subsequent grievances with any players it attempted to discipline. That's partly because of a bureaucratic shortcoming: The Astros' front office never discussed with players the league's admonitions against using electronic devices to steal signs, according to Manfred's statement. The deal is a sign of MLB's desire for a speedy and conflict-free investigation, the continuing power of the baseball players' union and the fragile state of the sport's labor relations. 

The promise of amnesty allowed the league to interview 23 current and former Astros players during the two-month investigation. The result is a situation that led to the harshest penalties in recent baseball history—none of them directed at the people Manfred said actually committed the offense. That has attracted public criticism even from some players who are members of the union."

I'm making that bold and big with the hopes that everyone will read this.  In the end, this goes further as one of the biggest MLB Scandals ever, and if true, the entire baseball league is and should be rocked.  How in the world do you cover-up wrongdoing? What is MLB thinking? What is Rob Manfred thinking?

Fire them all. Bring this to a new level now. Congress.  This is something that stinks in baseball and while the Astros are a despicable organization and will never get a fair look again, it is Major League Baseball that now has some real important questions to answer.  Rob Manfred... WE WANT ANSWERS!

Stay tuned folks. BYB refuses to go away from this story.  We will keep you up to date ever step of the way.

IF ASTROS PLAYERS APOLOGIZE FOR CHEATING, IT MEANS THEY'RE GUILTY!

Why would you apologize for something you don't do? NO... you wouldn't.

You apologize for something you did wrong, in the hopes you'll be forgiven. Here's the problem with the word "apology" and the "Astros". They changed the entire landscape in their quest to be greedy over the past few years. Players that weren't Astros players should have received accolades for their high level of play, but didn't because Astros players received them by cheating instead.

Teams that probably should have won didn't... because the Astros cheated their way to winning.  Even guys that probably should have received a much bigger pay day after a stellar season were affected, because the Astros cheated to get bigger contracts and bonuses.

In short, what Jim Crane, the owner of the Houston Astros wants is for his players to apologize so he can get ahead of it, and then have a 2020 season with controversy removed.  He wants to get past it. But here's the thing... the Astros will ALWAYS be tarnished and tainted now. They are untrustworthy.

Because the Astros are admitting guilt if they apologize for the sign-stealing scandal.  I am telling you right now... Rob Manfred and MLB brass better re-open an investigation into these idiots... because every single day it gets worse.

And if the Astros players come out and apologize for the sign-stealing scandal, it means they are part of the problem and guilty... not part of the solution of fixing the game like Jim Crane thinks.

The Houston Chronicle writes:

"A “strong statement” of apology is coming from the Astros players involved in electronic sign-stealing during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, owner Jim Crane said Tuesday."

And there's more. Sports Illustrated writes what Crane said:

"When we get down to Spring Training, we'll all get them together and they'll come out with a strong statement as a team and, I think, apologize for what happened and move forward," Crane said on Tuesday before the Houston Sports Awards. "We're going to sit in a room and talk about it, then we'll come out and address the press. All of them will address the press, either as a group or individually. Quite frankly, we'll apologize for what happened, ask for forgiveness and move forward."

Crane fired former Astros manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for their role in the sign-stealing scandal on Jan. 13. The Astros were also fined $5 million and forced to forfeit first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB drafts. 

The Astros owner was given the Executive of the Year Award on Tuesday. Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was named Houston Athlete of the Year."

I have to tell you... any noble, strong and smart player would return the Athlete of the Year award after a scandal like this. Bregman is a turd for even accepting it. And Crane, he made millions off of the Astros cheating scandal. The fact that MLB is not pressuring him into selling the team is outrageous. Jim Crane is part of the problem.  THEY ALL NEED TO GO.

I'm starting to worry the Rob Manfred is orchestrating this entire thing so he doesn't have to reinvestigate the Astros.  Whatever the case... this entire scandal sucks and I won't rest here at BYB. We will continue to write about it until there is more punishment, more firings and more fines. And ultimately, I want to see a handful of these assholes banned from baseball for life.  Bottom line.