THE ASSTROS: GROTESQUE ARROGANCE & WHY NONE OF THIS MATTERS

Let's not forget where the Astros came from. They are a bunch of cheaters.  They are trash.

I have written about this extensively on Bleeding Yankee Blue and this post will be no different.  Has clown Carlos Correa forgotten that he was part of a huge cheating scandal or does he just want to act like it never happened? Does Josh Reddick and George Springer and Alex Bregman really think it's over and that they've paid their dues? Let me tell you something. SMOKE AND MIRRORS WILL NOT MAKE ME FORGET THAT THESE GUYS ARE ALL PIECES OF SHIT.

I've expressed my anger for this fake, manufactured season all year. I can't stand it. I thought I was gonna love a short season, but what's happened to me is every time I watch, it's fun for a moment, and then I realize that there really isn't much energy in these ballparks. That's because the fans supply that.  And that brings me back to the Astros. 

Get all excited all you want, Carlos Correa. Act like you deserve to be there. Everyone knows you're not.  Now couple that with you guys actually winning without detection devices and you're acting like this season actually matters.   It does not.

We can fake our way through this season all we want. If the fans can't be present, if Rob Manfred wants to act like the Astros have been punished enough for a scandal that should have rocked the entire baseball world, but didn't because he didn't want chaos... then I'm not interested.  

I don't know what will happen with the Astros and Rays in the next game.  I know what should happen. But say the Astros win. Who cares. WHO FUCKING CARES. There are no heroes on that team.  

The media can sit there and act like these players are back in the fold all they want.  Buster Olney may be the dumbest of them all... feeling sorry for Jose Altuve because he suddenly can't throw. Well... karma's a bitch and the day the Astros stripped the innocence of baseball from the game was the day the Houston Astros lost me as a fan of true baseball players.

That's because the Astros deserve darkness. The Astros deserve a kick in the crotch, a true reprimand, a punch in the jaw and to sit down quietly.

Fake seasons don't put the Astros back in baseball's good graces. Write that down.  

Fake seasons like this are made because fans needed an outlet to watch professional sports in a pandemic.  It doesn't mean anything.  Correa can act like this is their road to the top all he wants, but it is nothing more than a dog and pony show for a bunch of losers who disrespected the game and then got off easy.

F the Astros. You cheated your fans and screwed baseball.  And now you act like it's over?  Nope. For me and for many, the Houston Astros, playing fairly or not, will always be under the microscope of skepticism because of their elaborate, well orchestrated scheme to cheat and win games. They should never have been allowed to play in 2020. I have news for you... the whole bunch should have been banned from baseball for life.

I am disappointed for what baseball has allowed the Astros to do, to act like and to forget. They forgot they were punished. They forgot they were under a microscope of suspicion. They need to be reminded pretty quickly and they should be humbled for a long, long time.

F Correa.

F Bregman.

F Altuve.

F Springer.

F Manfred.

Go Rays!

THIS IS A DEAD CASE THAT DID NOT INVOLVE THE YANKEES

Source: NBC Sports

Dead case. Did not involve. The Yankees. The end.

If I was sending this over the AP Wire to shut down any further discussion, that is how it would go.  When I got a text from my lifelong Yankee fan son yesterday that said, "Unless you want your day ruined, I would recommend staying off Twitter," I was not sure what to expect.  Clearly, I didn't listen, and what a saw was a bunch of hogwash.  The 2017 scandal is about the Astros and the Astros only.  What the Yankees did was equivalent of "driving 60 in a 55 mph zone," to quote The New York Post.

Source: The Athletic

For your information, two items highlighted in the letter Rob Manfred wrote to the Yankees back in 2017 as mentioned in the New York Post on Saturday:

"1. The Yankees improperly used a dugout phone in a season before 2017.

2. In 2015 and 2016, some Yankees players stationed themselves in their replay room in an attempt to steal opponents’ signs, then relayed that information to runners on second base so they could try to tell the hitter what was coming."

These two minor infractions are bath water considering the Red Sox "AppleWatchGate" which warranted a $200,000 fine and the Houston Astro chain of cheating strategies that should really keep them from playing in a post season for years to come.

Source: NY Post Anthony J. Causi

 “After the 2017 season, we learned that a number of Clubs believed utilizing video monitors in the clubhouse and video room to decipher signs so they could later be relayed to a runner on second base was not a violation of MLB rules as long as the information was not communicated electronically to the dugout. As a result, we clarified the rules going forward to expressly prohibit such conduct," stated The Post.

Source: AP

The utter nonsense posted on Twitter by both clown Astros players and other haters of the Yankees is just despicable.  The reason the Yankees wanted to keep the letter from Manfred sealed was to prevent this onslaught of ridiculous chaos in a game that already is under fire. The Astros and Red Sox cheating scandals led by the chief clown Alex Cora and the actions of players and owners prompted by the recent pandemic will tarnish the game forever.

The infamous letter "implicating" or rather scolding the Yankees for minor infractions that were not even subject to policy investigation gets released this coming Friday, June 19th, and expect dummies like Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr. and Josh Reddick to have something more to say, but give it none of your time. This is Correa with his Twitter garbage:

Wait... what? ....?

— Carlos Correa (@TeamCJCorrea) June 13, 2020

But Casey makes a good point. Pardon the profanity:

I think @TeamCJCorrea ‘s weak tweet doesn’t prove much at all. #Asstros won a World Championship cheating. @yankees and @redsox didn’t in 2017. Just Shut the Fuck Up and take your lumps, Tool. THATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM AND THE Asstros

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) June 13, 2020

As the Yankees clearly state and I concur, this is a dead case that did not involve the Yankees and the 2017 and 2018 cheaters will be remembered for their dismantling of the greatest American past time.  They are the cheaters.

The Yankees and the Dodgers for that matter fell victim to their illegal ploys to win a championships.  It is nothing more than that...pay no mind to this silly nonsense, for again, it is a dead case that did not involve the Yankees.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

CHEATER JOSH REDDICK JUST GOT OWNED ON TWITTER

Just because the Coronavirus pandemic has taken baseball away from us does not mean we have forgotten about the dirty ASSTROS and their cheating ways. This virus was the best case scenario for the pathetic ASSTROS because they had a brief break from the negative attention. I said HAD because Josh Reddick just had to go make an ASS out of himself on twitter so congrats dude, you get the spotlight back ya idiot.

It started out with just a simple observation in today's reality where we are all supposed to be practicing social distancing. We all still have to go to the grocery store. Some of us may still be searching for that toilet paper after all.

Which he then tweeted again to try and diffuse the situation as people were heckling him on twitter:

But then when he realized that he couldn't stop the people from heckling he decided why not just add gasoline to the fire. Forget about walking away and just leaving it alone, let's just piss people off.

So naturally, after that you can probably guess how people responded. This is just ONE example from a very long thread.

Reddick was incredibly stupid here for a few reasons. First, when does Walmart staff a large number of cashiers at any given time....pandemic or not? Even during the holidays, I saw maybe four cashiers at any given time. Self checkout has taken over the world.

Second, did he ever consider that during hard times like this maybe instead of trying to make a joke out of Walmart right now you should consider THANKING the cashier that finally checked out all of your groceries so you could continue to feed your family during this challenging time? Maybe...just MAYBE the cashier who processed your order was putting his or herself in even GREATER risk than you everyday because they DO go to work and interact with countless people during their shift?

They don't have the luxury of social distance right now. They are at greater risk of getting sick everyday! They helped sell you the food to help put on your family dinner table everyday. NO....Josh Reddick doesn't think about that because he has ZERO integrity and was just an insensitive jerk at the time of his childish Twitter temper tantrum.

So congrats dick, not only are you a hypocrite to your kids because you cheated your way to get that ring you flash all over social media. You are such a great role model for your kids, huh? Lets just add to it.... now you have shown that you only care about yourself. Everyone else be damned.

He's a jerk. Plain and simple. Before the Coronavirus he and his cheating buddies were front page news. He had a brief recess, but I've got news for you... you will still be front page news after this goes away and baseball finally comes back. You don't get off from this so easily.

So stay safe out there everyone and be well. And when you do have to go out to the grocery store don't be like Josh. We all have to stick together in times like this. Help someone out when you can....and again don't be like Jerk! 

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

NO ONE HERE BELIEVES THE ASTROS ARE GETTING DEATH THREATS...

And that's the problem when you lie and cheat and get caught. You're reputation is questioned... you live in a world of doubt. You are not trustworthy. In short... no one believes you. We don't believe the Astros who are clearly scrambling for sympathy.

Both Carlos Correa and Josh Reddick have come forward to state that they have received death threats, another story put out in the midst of the chaos that is the #AstrosCheatingScandal, created by them... now covered-up by Rob Manfred and Jim Crane, and protected by Tony Clark.

Photo: Josh "Loser" Reddick

Reality would tell you that death threats are serious, but here's the thing; the Astros players, clearly feeling pressure and clearly with their backs against the wall are playing victim. But they aren't the victim, they are the enemy in this entire scandal. They took integrity from the game, and sadly, they are trying to find public support for something that I believe NEVER HAPPENED... death threats.

KHOU 11 writes:

"Josh Reddick said he and his teammates are even getting death threats on social media. Reddick said his wife Jett has also been threatened. One Instagram commenter even said he hopes the couple's twin sons, 4-month-old Ryder and Maverick, get cancer, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan."

And the Houston Chronicle writes this:

Carlos Correa: "When you open social media these days, it’s the norm. You don’t see positive comments anymore. You just see ‘If you come to New York, you better watch out. Your wife better watch out.’ They start talking about raping, killing.” - https://t.co/rq1ErHchDA

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 21, 2020

Notice they are Houston publications which means one thing... it was planted, it was editorialized on purpose. It written for sympathy. Don't buy it. My opinion of course... but I'm pretty good with judgement of character and the Astros character? It's out the window.

You want to know about death threats? Talk to Rachel Robinson who experienced it on the daily when husband Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in a world where black men were not accepted in the major leagues.

That's real problems. That guy just wanted to play the game he loved, but wasn't accepted.

The Astros? They cheated, got caught and now are crying about it because social media is having a field day with these losers. They're not receiving death threats... they're just being mocked and ripped apart verbally and on the daily.  They need tougher skin... especially because the consequences of their cheating scandal is now too big for them to handle.

Own it losers.

MISGUIDED CARLOS CORREA SAYS HE IS NOT TAINTED

It's been three days since the Astros (ASSTRICKS) world came crashing down on them. Everyone is talking about it non-stop and we should be! We know Alex Cora is a criminal and A.J. Hinch didn't have the balls to step in and be a leader. We will continue to talk about them....but what about the others?

I'm mad as hell. I think Cora should be banned from baseball. If Pete Rose can be banned then so should dumb-ass Cora....even though I don't think Rob Manfred will do it. Cora has tainted the game we all love and he deserves to be banned. Carlos Beltran is no better. I've lost respect for him. But there are others who are "tainted" too.

Eight days before Manfred made his ruling against the ASSTERISKS I found THIS article and rolled my eyes. Carlos Correa was really stupid enough to say he had "no doubts" about whether the sign-stealing allegations against the 2017 World Series team would taint their title.....all while at an autograph show. PATHETIC! No morals and it disgusts me. Those signatures are WORTHLESS like he is.

What's even more pathetic....not having ANYTHING to say after Rob Manfred just exposed the embarrassing franchise he plays for. So Correa could puff his chest and talk like a tough guy before MLB exposed him for a cheating scandal he was involved in. But what about now? Where are you hiding Correa?

And he isn't the only one not talking. What about Jose Altuve? Justin Verlander? Alex Bregman? Yuli Gurriel? George Springer? Josh Reddick? Both Verlander and Bregman have been very vocal throughout the years and now when the controversy is about them they hide! They've been told to lay low and not face the music which is bullshit.

The Astros are supposed to be professional athletes who presumably know the importance of character and integrity. The fact that they all knew what was going on and engaged in cheating is a reflection of their pathetic character....and that is something fans and peers won't forget. They have compromised the integrity of the game. So if Correa still thinks his title isn't tainted, he's wrong!

Cora, Correa and his teammates will forever be associated with an asterisk mark and we will all remember that they brought shame to the sport. They betrayed the game we love. They betrayed the game that children love to play but they have been FORTUNATE enough to make a lot of money off of it. You will be an example of what we DON'T want our kids to grow up and be.

These men have betrayed ALL baseball fans and will forever be shamed. They deserve their asterisks. There is no coming back for this, not for any of them. They deserve a harsher punishment, and fans deserve to have the games integrity restored.

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

JOSH REDDICK IS BUTT HURT

Josh Reddick doesn't understand what rivalry is. Josh Reddick doesn't understand what fandom is.  Josh Reddick needs to shut the fuck up.

Sorry for the language, but this is laughable.

Let's understand something. Using words like bullying and "abuse" have been watered down. Not everything is bullying and not everyone gets abused.  Our society has gone soft and Reddick has fallen into that.  What a sad soul.

USA Today writes:

"Reddick braced himself for the abuse at Yankee Stadium, and has always been able to take the verbal insults, but objects thrown at him before the eighth inning Tuesday night infuriated him.

'There’s no place in the game for that type of thing,’ Reddick said after the Astros’ 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

'I think I saw seven or eight water bottles out in the outfield, and two souvenir baseballs thrown from center field to left. It’s scary. I don’t think a lot of people realize how scary that can really be. You throw a baseball hard enough, hit somebody in the head when we’re not looking, it can do some damage to you as a player. You throw a baseball from the third deck, it’s got a little bit of moment on it....

It’s definitely disrespectful, and at the same time, very unsafe.'’’

OK. Now let's break this down.

Throwing things at players is not acceptable. We all know this. That's one.

But I gotta tell ya... how specific is this guy? Sounds like a rehearsed story. He actually knows that there were souvenir baseballs thrown at him? Do you have any idea how much a souvenir baseball is?  Between 20 and 30 bucks.  Why would anyone buy a souvenir baseball just to throw it at Josh Reddick? I would not.  And so that story right there is total BS. I don't believe him. You shouldn't either.

OK. Let's talk about razzing.

Maybe a few water bottles fall out of the stands... it happens.  But I gotta tell you something. It's more about the person in Reddick than the fans.  We are Yankee fans. We will razz the shit out of you. Get over yourself, Joshie.

And by the way... note to every baseball out there that doesn't like cry babies.... THIS IS A PATTERN WHEN IT COMES TO JOSH REDDICK!

Josh is butt hurt. Don't you remember in 2017? He complained because the Dodger fans were booing at him. Read HERE.

Josh Reddick said he wanted to play the Dodgers in the World Series because of the way fans treated him in his two months there last season. pic.twitter.com/FplDH3odBm

— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) October 22, 2017

And so, this guy is just a pussy plain and simple. I find him soft. I find him always the victim. I find that I think he's being a big baby.

Do not believe Josh Reddick. He's the boy who cries wolf... over and over and over again. Or, better yet, when you see him on the street, tell him he's a big fat baby, sign your souvenir baseball and hand it to him with the inscription... STOP BEING A PUSSY.

This is post season baseball... no holds barred bra.  And last time I checked, words don't hurt, unless your Josh Reddick.

Sweet Lord.

MY 2017 FREE AGENT REPORT

I went through the trouble and did a quick analysis of  the free agents that will be available after this season in case we are not patient enough to wait for all these future starters, some of whom won’t be ready until 2018 or 2019.  Let me be the first on BYB to say... it is a very thin free agent class this year. 

There is literally not one good starting pitcher available in my opinion... so absent of a trade, it looks like Yanks will continue to go with Tanaka, Severino, Sabathia and Eovaldi (if he doesn’t need TJ surgery).  

Now, to be honest, I couldn’t tell you right now who our #5 starter will be, but likely either a trade or we go with a young guy like Jordan Montgomery. That's all I got for that. But there's more...

Here are other potential free agents that could have an impact:

· Relief Pitchers: Aroldis Chapman or Mark Melancon

· 1B/DH: Edwin Encarnacion (34)

· Outfield: Yoenis Cespedes (33), Ian Desmond (31), Michael Saunders (30), Jose Bautista (36), Mark Trumbo (31), or Josh Reddick (30).

Now, I looked at every single free agent.  Trust me, there is nobody else worth signing. So the above are the "better" options. Given the youth movement, I am fairly certain the Yankees are not looking to sign a free agent catcher, plus, would stick with Castro/Didi at 2B/SS. 

I also think out Yankees will ride out Headley’s contract at 3B (and there are no good third baseman available anyway).  So the only spots that they can sign would be for the OF, 1B or DH. If they can’t trade Ellsbury or Gardner, I would assume that Aaron Judge and/or Tyler Austin will be used in RF regularly. This leaves 1B/DH as the only other spots, and that seems like a possible upgrade. 

If Yanks want to add offense in 2017, then the only real move to make is to sign Edwin Encarnacion. He can play 1B if Bird struggles or can’t recover from injury and would otherwise DH. He has hit 30 HR and near 100 RBI for the past 5 straight years. That's power.

Even if they could trade Gardner or Ellsbury, I don’t see the Yanks giving any other free agent OF more than a 1-year deal, as they won’t want to lock up outfield slots with Clint Frazier and Judge expected to eventually become starters in the outfield.  Austin can play OF as well and Blake Rutherford may be up by 2018 or 2019.

Plus, Cespedes, Saunders, Trumbo and Reddick will all be getting big multi-year deals, so that won’t work, although I guess whoever they get can move to DH once the outfield is established, and assuming they don’t sign Encarnacion,by the way, I can’t see a scenario where they add more than one free agent hitter.

Anyway look... this is just me blabbling, but it's thought out, I swear.  

So... what do you think? Comment.

   

--Douglas Solomon, BYB Guest Writer
 

THREE OUTSTANDING PLAYS THIS SPRING TRAINING!

I just want to share this because while I could care less about Spring Training games, I do care about and respect the game. It's just that I don't want to get wrapped up in scores that don't matter. Spring training is for the youth to get showcased and for the team roster to get ready for the season. Anyway... I'm getting off track.

So far this Spring, there have been 3 plays (technically 4) that have really "WOWed" me and I wanted to share them with all of my BYB family.

The first one came when Josh Reddick of the Oakland A's made, not one outstanding catch to rob a batter of a home run... but 2, by reaching over the fence to make the play.



Simply outstanding and not only that, the catches game just batters away from each other.  Awesome!

Second has to be Mason Williams from the other day.  He was playing centerfield for the Yankees and made a terrific diving catch.  I'm a Williams fan and I hope we get to see this kid at point soon.



Don't forget, not only is Williams a talented player, he's a talented musician with our friend, Dante Bichette Jr.  Navy 58 baby!



Finally this, and it's a doozy.  Now look, I'm a huge Mike Trout fan.  Alittle trivia for all ya'll.  It just so happens that today Trout cranked a hit that to the naked eye, was clearly an inside-the-park home run.  1 problem; Yasiel Puig threw to the cut-off quickly and the next thing you know, Trout was pegged out at the plate.



Now, there are a lot of great things that I've seen over the years.  I love a big home run, I love clutch hits and I love good pitching.  But my favorite is great defense... you do that for me, in little league or as a pro ballplayer and you have me! That's baseball!

Just thought I'd share.  Please pass this post along, it's pretty alot of great baseball, the greatest game in the world.

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!

YANKEES GET STUNG IN OAKLAND!

For golf fans, today was a big day.  The British Open concluded at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in England.  Growing up around the game of golf, I always loved the British Open, especially the commentary of the late Henry Longhurst.  Mr. Longhurst would always call a spade a spade.  Formerly Captain of the Cambridge University Golf Club, rest assured Henry knew his golf.  If a player misread a putt or misplayed a shot, old Henry would intone, in that thick British accent, "That was a dreadful effort."  I shutter to think what Longhurst would have said about the Yankees the last three days had he been a baseball commentator.  Dreadful indeed, especially on the offensive side of things, but the pitching was certainly not clutch either, yielding late runs on Friday and Saturday that cost the Yankees a chance for victory.

 

The Yankees were in desperate need of help to salvage something from the four game series in Oakland.  Who better to turn to than their horse, northern California native CC Sabathia.  Sabathia was the closest thing to a genuine stopper today, and the team really needed him. Pennant races in this division have a way of turning dramatically and quickly.

Sabathia had pitched well his last outing,  throwing 87 pitches, 66 for strikes, in 6+ innings in securing his 10th win of the season.  On Sunday, CC squared off against old teammate Bartolo Colon in this critical match up against the red hot Oakland A's.

 

Sabathia began the afternoon pitching reasonably well.  In the first four innings, he allowed only a Josh Reddick double in the first and a Johnny Gomes single to left in the fourth.  Offensively the Yankees showed a little life in the third inning sending nine batters to the plate.  DeWayne Wise, Chris Stewart, and Curtis Granderson all singled and scored.  Wise came home on a Mark Teixeira single while Stewart and Granderson scored on a double to center by Alex Rodriguez.  The Yankees added a solo home run by Granderson in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead.

Then the trouble started.  Sabathia faltered giving up two runs in the fifth inning on solo blasts by Brandon Inge and Kurt Suzuki.   Sabathia gave up yet another run in the sixth on a Reddick walk, a Yoenis Cespedes fielders choice, a Chris Carter single to left, and one more fielders choice by Inge who was credited with the RBI as Cespedes scored the run.  At the end of six the Yankee lead had shrunk to 4-3.

 

Sabathia survived one more inning, but gave up a couple of hard hit balls in the seventh.  A single by Seth Smith and a smash off the bat of Jemile Weeks on which Teixeira made a diving stop to preserve a scoreless inning left fans wondering how much CC had in the tank.  Sabathia appeared to be tired following the sixth inning.  Perhaps he has not fully recovered his stamina following his three week stint on the disabled list.  Whatever the problem, he seems to be suffering some ill effects from the layoff, throwing only 98 and 87 pitches in the last two outings. 

Evidently Girardi had seen enough and went to his bullpen to try and preserve the one run lead.  The manager's plan failed.  David Robertson pitched well enough in the eighth, but Rafael Soriano blew his second save of the year in the ninth by allowing a home run to Seth Smith on an 80 mph slider delivered on a 3-1 count. Smith hammered the pitch to straight away center field and the ball cleared the wall by several feet.  Soriano seemed a bit shaken and gave up a single to Eric Sogard who followed Smith.  He rallied and was able to retire the next two batters to preserve a 4-4 tie in regulation.

 

Meanwhile the Yankee offense had gone dormant after Curtis Granderson's 26th home run in the fourth.  The next nine Yankee batters were retired in succession but Bartolo Colon was replaced following a hit by Teixeira in the seventh.  No worries however, as the Athletics bullpen continued the Yankee offensive futility.  The Yankees struck out six times against the A's bullpen combination of Jordan Norberto, Grant Balfour, and Jerry Blevins.  The Yankees also left runners in scoring position against the A's relief crew in the seventh, tenth, and twelfth innings.

(In Photo: Coco Crisp gets showered with water by the Oakland A's after win today)

Cody Eppley allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the 12 inning on and infield single that glanced off Derek Jeter's glove and could have been scored an error, a Jemile Weeks sacrifice of the runner, Derek Norris, and an RBI single to right by Coco Crisp to propel the A's to another one run victory over the Yankees, 5-4.  This one stung.  I mean losing stings, but four consecutive one run losses in a row hurts like hell. 

 

The Yankee performance in this series leads to the conclusion that the recent Yankee success was more aberration than representative of the team's actual capabilities.  I know the late Henry Longhurst would have been incredulous had he watched these last four games.  I can only imagine his utterances concerning this "dreadful" Yankee effort.   

 

--Frank Gentry, BYB Writer



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