Do you empathize with the Houston Astros?

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I don’t like baseball either, just sayin’.

 

[NashuaPats]

I think the Astros cheating scandal was much ado about nothing. I think the whole league was aware of it and doing the same thing. I also don’t think it had any meaningful effect. So I am sympathetic to them, but I object to calling “Spy gate” cheating.

 

[rochrist]

The whole league wasn't doing it and it did have a meaningful effect Knowing what pitch is coming is enormously beneficial to major league hitters. That's why you see otherwise effective pitchers getting their brains beaten in if they start tipping their pitches.

 

[203Pat]

No Sox, no care.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

The Astros success is based on cheating. Not only did Houston actually cheat, they did it to win their first championship. The Pats were well into their dynasty with a lot of built up resentment when they got into trouble.

 

[Rob0729]

Fact is that with coaches and players worried about their seven and eight figure yearly salaries, there is rampant cheating all over all the leagues. The difference between the teams that get caught and the teams that don't is many times that the team that got caught got caught and that is about it.

I don't feel bad for the Astros because they did in fact get caught and for baseball what they got caught doing is a significant crime.

I get more upset when teams get caught cheating and get away with a slap on the wrist while other teams get significant penalties than I have empathy for the Astros. I don't follow baseball so I cannot find examples. But the Colts got a slap on the wrist for pumping in crowd noise even though crowd noise can have a big negative effect on the opposing team in terms of penalties like false starts or receivers running wrong routes due to the QB cannot get out a route change over the fake crowd noise while the Pats were hit with a hard penalty for filming that 60,000 people in the stadium could see with their own eyes.

 

[maust]

I don’t like baseball either, just sayin’.

Mama says basedball is the devil.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Baseball has fallen off a map for many years due to a few reason which includes players constantly changing teams (cheap owners), too many games during the season and the slow pace of games which can go on for HOURS! But aside from the rise of the NFL/NBA, I think the biggest reason why baseball isn't popular anymore is because big market teams are allergic to winning Championships. Yankees and Dodgers routinely choking in the playoffs is just bad for baseball.

And to answer the question, the Astros are a talented team...but they cheated big time.

 

[rochrist]

Baseball has fallen off a map for many years due to a few reason which includes players constantly changing teams (cheap owners), too many games during the season and the slow pace of games which can go on for HOURS! But aside from the rise of the NFL/NBA, I think the biggest reason why baseball isn't popular anymore is because big market teams are allergic to winning Championships. Yankees and Dodgers routinely choking in the playoffs is just bad for baseball.

And to answer the question, the Astros are a talented team...but they cheated big time.

I'd say the largest factor you're ignoring in the decline is the onslaught of analytics into the game. Last night the Astros no hit the Phillies with FOUR pitchers which makes it completely uninteresting. As opposed to Don Larsen's WS perfect game. The great pitchers used to routinely go at least 8 innings unless they were off. Guys like Koufax, Gibson, Pedro would go nine when it counted. Now the teams have learned to be terrified of letting ANY pitcher go around the lineup more than twice and it's just ruined the game.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I'd say the largest factor you're ignoring in the decline is the onslaught of analytics into the game. Last night the Astros no hit the Phillies with FOUR pitchers which makes it completely uninteresting. As opposed to Don Larsen's WS perfect game. The great pitchers used to routinely go at least 8 innings unless they were off. Guys like Koufax, Gibson, Pedro would go nine when it counted. Now the teams have learned to be terrified of letting ANY pitcher go around the lineup more than twice and it's just ruined the game.

Yes! The constant changing of pitchers is irritating.

 

[aluminum seats]

I like baseball

 

[jah]

Does every thread about something related to baseball just have to be 50% posts letting everyone know which posters don't like baseball? Is that one of the 10 Patsfans Commandments?

It's only funny when I do it because I said so.

Probably wouldn't have if I didn't make it in first, though. I also kind of like baseball.

 

[NashuaPats]

The whole league wasn't doing it and it did have a meaningful effect Knowing what pitch is coming is enormously beneficial to major league hitters. That's why you see otherwise effective pitchers getting their brains beaten in if they start tipping their pitches.

It didn’t have a meaningful effect. By the time the sign is being relayed to the batter the pitch is already coming. There isn’t enough time between the catcher giving the signal and the pitcher throwing the pitch. Statistical analysis didn’t show any benefit.

The Red Sox got caught doing something similar which Pedroia was involved in. He explained to a reporter that there isn’t enough time to pull it off. When asked why even bother, he said for the challenge of it and for fun.

I say the whole league was doing it because ever since they allowed instant replay, pitchers and catchers began getting their signals crossed much more often. That’s because they began changing signals during a game more often. Catchers would then have to head out to the mound to clarify the new signals. Remy and Eckersley once explained what was going with home teams stealing signals from the replay booth before the Astros were caught.

There are many players changing teams between seasons and during/throughout each season. Any player to a new team is going to tell that new team what his previous team was up to. There are no secrets. Plus, there’s only so many ways to relay this to the batter. The other team picks up on it. The whole league new.

 

[VrabelJr]

I empathize with no one for I have no empathy. I take in all events as they come to me and evaluate them in the context of how they affect me and only me.

 

[Kontradiction]

I empathize with no one for I have no empathy. I take in all events as they come to me and evaluate them in the context of how they affect me and only me.

That’s the spirit.

 

[Patjew]

I signed a contract to make at least one contrarian post about Soccer or Baseball in every thread in which those two sports are discussed. A contract means something.

When does it expire?

 

[Patriot Missile]

Used to have time to watch baseball but now it’s just too time consuming. Completely different scenarios when you compare the two like some have mentioned.

Philly fans can say all they want about beating so called cheaters. They are like sheep and seem to believe everything they read like gospel. Aside from Butler, they are lucky Edelman and Hightower didn’t play in that game. It would of been a much different outcome if they had and they’d still be looking for their first superbowl win. What a game by Brady though.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Used to have time to watch baseball but now it’s just too time consuming. Completely different scenarios when you compare the two like some have mentioned.

You mean you don't have 4 hours on a school night to watch a game?
I stopped watching those Sunday night advertisement festivals err Sox Yanks a long time ago. Way too long. Way too late.

 

[Schmo]

The Astros success is based on cheating. Not only did Houston actually cheat, they did it to win their first championship. The Pats were well into their dynasty with a lot of built up resentment when they got into trouble.

Yep. They were proven cheaters in the world series and don't have the proven track record of being legit winners before or after like the Pats.

Playoffs in the MLB are a joke now anyways. Play 162 games and an 80 win team gets to play rock, paper, scissors to get to the WS. Goodell is a POS, but Manfred is a joke.

 

[goheels22002]

Screw the Houston Astros! First they were the Colt 45s in the National League and then changed their name from a gun to whatever an "Astro" is, which is nothing. Then they defected to the American League. Their career leaders include nothing but free agents including Red Sox like Roger Clemens and Jeff Bagwell. They had, without a doubt, the worst uniforms evah in the mid 1980s. And let's never forget the trash can.