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.

JETER HUMBLED BY HALL OF FAME SELECTION

Derek Jeter is a class act.  Being voted in to baseball's forever shrine is an incredible honor, if not the best one can receive.  He relished the moment much like he did his whole career.  It is an honor just to play; it is an honor to be a Yankee; it is an honor to be in Moment Park and it is an honor to be selected among baseball's greats.

"When you think about playing your career, this is the highest honor that a player can receive. It's a very humbling day and I was happy I had an opportunity to share that with family and friends, and I also want to take an opportunity to congratulate Ted Simmons, Larry Walker and the late Marvin Miller and family. So, thank you very much," Jeter said upon being selected to the Hall.

Source: AP

The headlines spoke about Jeter's failure to receive an unanimous vote, but Jeter spoke about the honor to be among the best that every played.  "Well, I look at all the votes that I got. It takes a lot of votes to get elected in the Hall of Fame. Trying to get that many people to agree on something is pretty difficult to do. That's not something that's on my mind, I'm just extremely excited and honored to be elected," said Jeter.

My fitness instructor always says after a great workout, "Thank God for the gift of movement." I believe Derek Jeter is grateful to have played, grateful to have succeeded, grateful to be a Yankee and now grateful to be a Hall of Famer.  It is not about the one vote.  It is about one career.  A career that made a difference.

Source: The New York Times

Derek Jeter was not just a great player but a change agent for a dynasty that needed to be reborn.  "The shortstop won five World Series titles, helping resurrect the Yankees from their down years in the 1980s into a late-1990s dynasty. By age 29, Steinbrenner named him captain of the team, and over the years, he’d simply become known as “The Captain.” And when it mattered most, he brought it," reported NJ.com.

He felt blessed to be Selected.  Chosen.  Included.  Among the Best.  It is a great day to be a Yankee fan and it is an even better day to be a Derek Jeter fan.  Congratulations to our forever Captain, Derek Jeter.  You're on your way to Cooperstown!

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

TY HENSLEY IS SUPERHUMAN

How many of you know I love and support Ty Hensley, Jake Hensley and love their work ethic? Many hands are raised. I mean... I can't see them... but in my imaginary auditorium... I see everyone's hands up. OK... anyway... let's get to the point...

Ty Hensley throws 100 mph. HE'S BACK MOTHER F-ERS!

Not trying. He IS. We know because we’ve watched this dude grind through all of it every single day. #TysTheLimit #BYB #CAN

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) January 21, 2020

He's back and he's getting better every day.

Ty Hensley's journey was long and hard... but in the end, when everyone wrote him off... he kept coming. Working out like a monster, staying healthy... finding his happy place... the love of baseball, the love of life. Hensley could have given up about 10 to 20 times since I've known him. Lord knows I probably would have.

The deck was stacked against him many times. But last season he had an incredible time with the Unicorns, an independent ball club out of Indiana, and then, yesterday it was proven that he is superhuman... hitting 100 on the gun, as reported on Twitter.

For the record I want to state that the Bleeding Yankee Blue family has been in this guy's corner since he was drafted by the Yankees. We stood by his side through all the highs and the many lows and you know what? I am thrilled and honored to say that the Hensley's are my friends... great people.

Many will see this story and think that it's ridiculous that I wrote a story on BYB about how Hensley hit 100 on the gun. It's not ridiculous... it's just another major achievement that needs to be reported. Challenges are always in life. But's it how you navigate that makes you the person you are. I have always been impressed with Ty.

Unstoppable folks. Where he goes next is anyone's guess, but I can tell you one thing... BYB will be right there with him. No doubt.

JETER GETS THE CALL. HE'S GOING TO THE HALL. THAT RHYMES

We'll treat this like a news story, because to be honest I don't care about Derek Jeter getting into the Hall of Fame unanimously. It doesn't matter to me. I have too many things in life to worry about than 1 dude's vote that didn't go Jeter's way to make him unanimous. You think Jeter cares about that? Nope. I don't either.  Bottom line for me is we knew he was getting in... today was the big day and he's going. Outstanding!

NBC Sports writes:

"The Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2020 on Tuesday night. Two players got in. Former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who was one vote shy of being a unanimous selection, and former Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies outfielder Larry Walker, who just squeaked in with 76.6 percent of the vote in his final year on the ballot."

One guy who I thought would get in was Curt Schilling. I mean, I can't stand the guy, but I respect him.  He should have gotten the call. And to be honest, I think Larry Walker was a pretty damn good player, but he's not Hall of Fame worthy.

But it's clear to me that these writers just don't want known PEDs players in... and so, that's why guys like Bonds and Clemens haven't gotten the call yet. And you know what? They will eventually... but it's my opinion it won't be for a long, long time. Remember, Bonds Pirate years were amazing.

Anyway... congrats to the big guy... Derek Jeter. I am so happy for you. I watched you play and loved you. I'm so happy you made it brother. Congrats.

SOMEONE OUT THERE IS DUMB ENOUGH TO DEFEND BROKEN BELTRAN

I hate cheating with a passion. I also hate it when people make a mistake, and don't own up to it right away. That is EXACTLY what Carlos Beltran did and it irritates me that someone out there is stupid enough to sit there and try to defend not Beltran and disgrace the New York Mets organization. It's beyond stupid! Yet, someone is....

I found THIS article here on USA Today that irritated me. I agree with Bob Nightengale's headline. Beltran's "ousting was completely bungled" but for very different reasons. The headline is the ONLY thing we agree on in this case.

Does Nightengale even understand the magnitude of this scandal? Does he not understand that this affects ALL of baseball? This isn't just a Astros and Red Sox problem, it has damaged the sport!

"Carlos Beltran wanted to stay, pleaded to stay, and told the New York Mets he could handle the torrent waves of scrutiny headed his way. Sorry, but the Mets couldn’t take the heat."

First of all....WHY should the Mets have to take that heat? They don't have to! They had no involvement with what happened in 2017. What organization in their right mind wants to be connected to this scandal? It's vile, untrustworthy and brings disgrace to the game. ANY affiliation with it only would make the Mets look bad too. They would be under a microscope for all of Beltran's tenure with the Mets. It would suggest that they have no standards or integrity. Once you lose your integrity, what do you have left? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The Mets maintaining Beltran's services would be catastrophic to their reputation. Obviously, Nightengale doesn't get that at all.

"The Mets could have stood behind Beltran and argued that he was simply part of the mob mentality in Houston. Players under investigation during  the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal were offered immunity, so he wasn’t going to be suspended. Beltran argued he could handle it. He wanted to apologize in a press conference. He spent 20 years in the game of baseball, and told them the Mets’ ownership and front office that he had plenty of experience persevering storms."

Again, who wants to stand behind a cheater? They could have, and did at first. It took Brody Van Wagenen a lot time to figure it out, but eventually he did. Back in November he said at Winter Meetings HERE:

"Anything that happened, happened for another organization with Houston, Major League Baseball," Van Wagenen said. "I have no idea if anything did or did not (happen). But at this point, I don't see any reason why this is a Mets situation. ... I'll let Major League Baseball dictate the next steps and try to gather more information in the coming days."

Here we are in January and Beltran is gone. The Mets realized it WAS a Mets situation. More importantly, the cheating scandal was a situation that Beltran CHOSE to be a part of. No one FORCED him to help Jose Altuve and company CHEAT. He knew it was wrong but made the decision to participate anyway. Instead of standing up like a TRUE leader (like someone who is going to in the future manage a baseball team!) and standing up and saying "NO this is wrong!" He just went with it. No 20 years of baseball experience is going to hep him persevere that storm. He helped create that storm....a storm we have not seen to this magnitude. He created the perfect storm but he wasn't going to come out of this on top and neither would the Mets if they stood by him.

Nightengale goes on to say "But the Mets had a choice here. They could have saved Beltran. Instead, they folded."

The Mets did have a choice. At first they stood by him, but as the facts continued to mount and painted a picture of guilt the Mets FINALLY made the right decision to cut Beltran, because they HAD to. Nightengale doesn't understand that at the end of the day baseball is still a BUSINESS. Like any business, you have to make tough decisions that are ultimately put the business in the best possible position. The best possible position meant the Mets distancing themselves from Beltran and let him face the music. There was no SAVING Beltran here. He already made his choice, and it was the wrong one. He chose to cheat. The Mets can't go back in time and change that.  Now all they can do is walk away and make sure they didn't bring a key person from this cheating scandal into THEIR organization. 

I've never had an issue with Nightengale's stories until now. So yeah, okay I agree Beltran's "ousting was completely bungled" but only because the Mets should have done it sooner. I guess it is better late than never. Maybe Nightengale should watch Baretta! Some of you out there know this American detective television series from the 70's.... "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." 

It's not rocket science, Nightengale. You have egg on your face.

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

CHEATING TWERPS ALTUVE & BREGMAN ARE RUNNING SCARED

Oh... suddenly they look scared and worried. You can see it in their faces. Little Jose Altuve looks like he's about to cry when he addressed the media at fan fest.  And Alex Bregman... you know, that cocky little dude who always used to run his mouth about how great the Astros are, suddenly has one answer: "The Commissioner made his report and decision, the Astros made their decision."

Not so cocky anymore @ABREG_1 . Maybe that’s because you’re caught. GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY. #BregmanTheClown #tinyaltuve #asstros #byb pic.twitter.com/TCSg0pqSLY

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) January 18, 2020

What he doesn't realize is that he's not safe by any means. Reports can easily be re-evaluated... especially when new information comes out.

They are running scared. They know they're caught and I am loving every minute of it.  The Sporting News expands on these 2 idiots:

"Altuve and Alex Bregman faced questions about Houston's sign-stealing scandal for the first time Saturday, but beyond denying rumors they wore electronic buzzers during games, the infielders mostly declined to discuss details about their team's misdeeds. Bregman called the allegations he wore a device under his uniform "stupid." Altuve called them "ridiculous."...

.@JoseAltuve27 asked about the MLB report on the #Astros sign stealing was player-driven: “I think the time to comment about that will come. It’s a little early for me to say something about it.” pic.twitter.com/0UGK46ZzrY

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 18, 2020

MLB said it investigated the possibility of "wearable devices" being in the Astros' scheme and "found no evidence." Altuve also issued a denial through his agent, Scott Boras. "

But if the drum is banged loud enough, by fans and especially by players, Rob Manfred will be forced to look into this incident again... no question. Guys like CC Sabathia, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Chris Archer and Todd Frazier have already come out blasting the Astros and they want action.

I do find it interesting that squeaky clean guy Justin Verlander is silent. A few years back he was the guy on the Tigers that was blasting the Astros for sign stealing. Now suddenly an Astro himself... no one has heard from this guy.  Makes him look just as guilty.

I will say this... this story is the greatest thing to happen to Bleeding Yankee Blue.  Our readership is now up by 70% thanks to these idiots. And so, we will continue to report on it. It's the biggest, most disappointing story in baseball history. Not everyone understands this though:

"looking LIKE a fool." Not "looking a fool". Bad grammar. Who tweets at 2:25am? Jerk offs... that's who.

Notice BYBs top 10 trending right now:

This works for us here at BYB. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for your support.

TAINTED ASTROS COMMITTED FRAUD & SHOULD BE BANNED FROM BASEBALL

Lance Armstrong cheated.  He admitted to doping.  He was stripped of his medals and honors in the world of cycling.  In 2000, China National Gymnastics team lied about a player's age.  They were stripped of their bronze medal and it was then awarded to the next in line, US team. Tim Donaghy, former NBA referee, intentionally blew calls and was later convicted by the FBI and given 15-months in prison.  The 1919 White Sox blew the World Series on purpose and therefore were given the name the Black Sox for this "fixing the series" incident. Eight players were indicted on nine counts of conspiracy. 

What the Astros did is far worse.  What the individual team members did to contribute to this cheating scandal was based on greed, entitlement and just down right desperation.  They misused and abused technology for their own benefit. They just wanted something and they stole.  They committed fraud.

"The Astros were punished by Manfred with suspensions, lost trade picks and a fine, but the history books won’t change. They won’t be stripped of their first championship due to cheating and there will be no asterisk," reported NJ.com.

This is absolutely ludicrous.  They stole something that was not theirs to steal.  They manipulated the game and other players' individual stats.  They took championships away from other teams using inappropriate behaviors and extraordinary measures.  If a college student could be expelled and even has legal ramifications for plagiarism, or a university or coach violates NCAA rules and procedures and is banned from bowl games or tournaments, how are the Astros players able to get off relatively free?

Back in 2017, given the evidence, "the Astros had an unfair advantage during their four home victories that probably led to runs that might have changed the outcomes of games at Minute Maid Park," reported NJ.com.  Both Jose Altuve's (8 for 15 .533) and Carlos Correa's (.467 vs. .000) batting averages were extraordinarily higher in Minute Maid Park.

Source: NJ.com

“Forever in my mind now, in ’17, we won the World Series,” Sabathia said. “I don’t give a F what nobody says. Period," exploded CC Sabathia on R2C2” podcast with co-host Ryan Ruocco.

But in the history books for the Yankees, it shows failure to advance to the World Series, at the tainted hands of the Astros.

Source: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Another identity stolen, the Los Angeles Dodgers's pitchers, who appeared to choke when things got tough.  "The Dodgers pitchers who were diminished in defeat should be viewed more charitably now that MLB’s findings are public. Unfair as it is, however, their names will never be completely cleared. The stigmas remained with them in the years that followed, affecting how they were perceived, how they were treated, even how they thought of themselves. All of that became part of their public profile. Most of the harm inflicted can’t be undone," reported the LA Times.

Source: NY Daily News

When you deposit money to your bank, the bank doesn't use technology to steal your money.  When you enter a testing center, you are wanded, you prove your identity, you surrender your technology and you are patted down for the purpose of integrity.  Why aren't players held to the same standards of integrity of a competition?  There is no difference in my mind.  Everyone should be held to the same standards and be punished if they misuse technology or create fraudulent documents or misrepresent themselves. They shouldn't even allow technology in the dugout.  iPads don't belong. There is should only be that one phone with the chord to communicate with bullpen.

The Astros and their players who cheated for their own gain, should be banned from baseball. If you are banning Pete Rose, and stripping Lance Armstrong, whose crimes was not nearly as egregious as this team's, then there is something wrong with the system and there is something wrong with baseball governance.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

DEFENDING ASTROS CHEATING COULD RAILROAD JESSICA MENDOZA'S CAREER

Remember when we wrote JESSICA MENDOZA'S BIG MOUTH WILL SEAL BELTRAN'S FATE
the other day and shortly after that Carlos Beltran got canned by the Mets? After all, it was really stupid for a Mets adviser to come out and defend illegal activity in a clubhouse as long as no one on the outside knew about it.

She tried to slam Mike Fiers for exposing the concocted scheme by the Astros, but in the end, the nation spoke out... calling Fiers a hero and Mendoza a ridiculous coward. Mendoza tried to backtrack knowing she was in trouble, but it was too late. In fact, I'm going to suggest that if the Mets were smart, they'd fire her. Now, last time I checked you can't fire someone for being stupid, but you can fire a person for making your organization look bad.  She did that to the Mets... she needs to go.

But don't forget, she also works for ESPN. Well, the rumor is that at this hour, she could be soon replaced... with the great David Cone.

NJ.com writes:

"The Post has learned, an intriguing option has emerged — YES Network’s David Cone. Cone and ESPN have been in discussions about potential roles, including SNB, sources said. ... If Mendoza is replaced, ESPN executives stressed it will not be because of her comments on TV Thursday in which, among other things, she said it was ‘tough to swallow’ that former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers…"

Don't believe that ESPN isn't doing this for the Fiers comments, folks.  Truth is no one wants to be connected to the sign-stealing scandal, because it's so disgusting, so untrustworthy and so wrong, attaching ones self or organization to it or anyone associated with it will just make you look bad too.


It's like the cheese touch.  Stay away or you'll be known as the kid who touched the cheese. ESPN doesn't want to be associated with cheese touching... uh, er... Mendoza.  And trust me, it has everything to do with her stupid comments.

Stay tuned on this one.

JIM CRANE KNEW & MADE MILLIONS OFF OF ASTROS CHEATING ANTICS

There is no way a smart baseball guy like Jim Crane, owner of the Houston Astros, didn't know of the sign-stealing mechanism that his team was using and created.  He not only knew, he ignored it, because that franchise was making him more money than ever by the 2018 season.  And when money talks, things don't seem do bad, even though they are... even though they go against the rules... even though those bad things are ruining the integrity of the game. This guy's a greedy scumbag.

 In short, when you are raking in big dollars for cheating and if you don't speak about it publicly and instead keep internal in the confines of the clubhouse walls... ANYTHING goes.  That's what moron Jessica Mendoza, the Mets adviser was suggesting when she went after Mike Fiers for exposing it... and that's what Jim Crane was doing when he acted like he knew nothing about it.

The bottom line is this though... Crane knew, because he had to fire his GM Luhnow and manger AJ Hinch to show face.  Some can say that they were involved in the daily baseball operations and Crane's just the money guy. But that's my point. It goes much deeper than Hinch and Luhnow.

Jim Crane needs to be investigated. The players need to be investigated and so does Reid Ryan, the Astros president of operations. You know... the one that moved the camera in centerfield "to get a better view for advertising during home games." I'm paraphrasing there, but that's basically what he said.

In essence, the advertisers came, they filled Jim Crane's pockets with a ton of jack, and at the same time, Astros players were concocting schemes to wait on certain pitches against their opponent to make their own big money at the end of each season with big numbers for home games.

The problem runs deep in Houston. It's disgusting and the King cheater in all of this is Jim Crane.  Rob Manfred and MLB needs to make a statement that is two-fold over the next few days. IT'S A MUST. If Manfred doesn't, we know it's a coverup.

1. Manfred needs to speak to the buzzer scandal that has spread like wildfire across the media and the league, tainting the game and destroying the integrity of it.

2. Manfred must force Jim Crane to sell his team. They are trash. They have no respect for the game or their opponent. They don't come to play hard... they come to cheat a win whenever they can.  That has become clear over the past 24 hours watching players like Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa block comments on their Instagram. The Astros are hiding and are on the run. 

They are guilty... EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. But it starts at the top, folks.  MLB must remove Jim Crane too.

WHAT DOES METS WORLD HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ALL OF THIS?

As we found out yesterday, Beltran was canned from the Mets for his involvement in the Astros cheating scandal. Many things have been said since the news came out and here is some of that information.

Mike Francesa addressed the scandal itself as well as if we will see Alex Cora, Carlos Beltran, AJ Hinch, Luhnow, Crane... back in baseball again during his "Mike's On" radio show last night.

“America is very big on second chances,” he said. “The American sporting community is very big on second chances. If you will say you did wrong, say you’re sorry, you’re 70 percent home. If that’s the case, you’ll see these guys again.”

Mike Piazza was at the Mets' spring training complex yesterday for a street-naming ceremony, hours before Beltran was released, and had this to say about the scandal.

"Unfortunately, it's an unintended consequence of the digital age and all this information," Piazza said. "To use a camera and relay it to the dugout is something I can't relate to," Piazza said. "Can you imagine if Nolan Ryan knew you were relaying his signs? You'd probably be missing a head."

Mets' star Pete Alonso is reassuring fans that there is nothing to worry about at this point in time. 

"Yes: there's a lot of craziness in the baseball world right now. At the end of the day, we have to do our job on the field and win the battle between the lines. Great things are to come this year. The boys will be ready. #LFGM"

Keith Hernandez also encouraged Mets fans not to worry about all of the craziness.

"Everybody, calm down. This current crisis is unfortunate to the nth degree, but not insurmountable. We have a good solid team, good core of young everyday players, mixed with veterans, and a solid rotation. They have great camaraderie, spirit, a will to win, 

and they're hungry."

Now the Mets will have to begin their second manager search of the season. However, it would have been worse if Beltran had stayed like he had wanted to.

"His tenure as manager of the team would begin with a news conference in which he not only would have to account for being a mastermind in the team’s systematic cheating, but also have to answer detailed questions about his misuse of technology, such as why he didn’t stop when warned, what he did in the 2017 World Series and when his unethical espionage began. He also would have to explain why, when the scandal first broke, he lied multiple times to reporters in denying he misused technology to decode signs."


In the upcoming days I am sure more news will continue to come out, so stay tuned for more of this mess.

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