The Morning Dispatch: Breaking Down the Astros’ Sign-Stealing Scandal

Plus, presidential trivia!

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Happy Tuesday! As we continue to experience the slightest of lulls in the political news cycle, we thought it worth turning for a moment to another big national story: cheating in baseball. In recent years, we’ve seen Americans’ faith in our institutions erode considerably, with scandals affecting the standing of the U.S. intelligence community, the Catholic Church, the financial sector, major news outlets, etc. Baseball has weathered its problems with steroids, but now faces a new test with this sign-stealing scandal and the league’s incompetent handling of it.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

  • The global outbreak of coronavirus has already been taking a human and diplomatic toll; the virus’s spread is now being felt economically, too. Apple announced Monday it expects to miss its revenue projections this quarter, as iPhone production is complicated and demand shrinks in China. 

  • Just two weeks after the Iowa caucuses fiasco, Nevada Democrats are bracing for the possibility of a similar meltdown this Saturday amid concerns that caucus volunteers have not received sufficient training for their duties. 

  • Former National Security Adviser John Bolton spoke at Duke University on Monday, but played hard-to-get in questions about his role in Trump’s Ukraine impeachment scandal. Asked if the call was “perfect,” Bolton responded that “you’ll love Chapter 14” of his forthcoming book.

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  1. Avatar photo
    Michael Carpenter

    I'm going to have to try Ike's eggnog recipe...

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    Bill Nelson

    What team is going to trade with the Astros for a player? That guy would be doomed if they played there in 2017/2018. This hurts the team immensely.

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    Alex Rabaey

    No discussion of sign stealing is complete without the Mean Girls explainer: https://twitter.com/jquadddddd/status/1218021838443438081?s=21
    Along with the explainer of the explainer https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/1668559/breaking-down-the-astros-sign-stealing-scandal-as-if-it-were-mean-girls

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  4. Collin Saunders

    Glad y’all took the time to detail the Astros scandal. Your original reporting will be coming back though, right?

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    1. Avatar photostaff-badge-circle
      Declan Garvey staff-badge Staff

      In full force tomorrow!

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    Michelle O

    Re: headphones. I have always been of the (misanthropic) opinion that people use them constantly lest a stray thought pass through their heads. Nice to see someone owning up to that! :)

    For clarification - I did not grow up in a city and hence never had to deal with the manners of ignoring one's fellow mass transit travelers. Working in a city, I can appreciate that a bit now, but I still despair at the obsession with constant sound.

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  6. Avatar photo
    Dick Scuttlebutt

    https://astrosfanatics.wordpress.com/2020/01/23/show-me-the-moneyball-whats-really-behind-the-astros-punishment/?fbclid=IwAR187ChXxW4mcCmj5uM3t_g0Izs93yWTzytiPFKeR2-4MVdqTHrSD1aAjU8

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  7. Avatar photo
    Dick Scuttlebutt

    Nixon frequently had a beard. Part of the reason he often looked weird on TV was that he was caked with makeup to hide it because his team thought it would be offputting. It's mentioned in many places, but the one that springs to mind is in the first couple pages of A Bright Shining Lie, when the author is talking about how jarring it was when John Paul Vann's son met Nixon and was shocked by the beard.

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  8. Avatar photo
    David

    I’m left to wonder with his handling of the Astros cheating, and the rule changes does Manfred not appreciate the game? Or is he just a good servant to the owners?

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  9. Avatar photo
    Capill717

    Declan has done some really good reporting debunking conspiracy theories, so it is disappointing to see him discuss the "buzzer" scandal without mentioning that, in fact, it is nothing more than an internet conspiracy theory. While the Astros did cheat by using the camera and trash can method in 2017, the commissioner's report found no wrongdoing in 2018 and 2019. In particular, Manfred specifically notes that zero witness could corroborate the buzzer story.

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    1. Avatar photostaff-badge-circle
      Declan Garvey staff-badge Staff

      That's a fair point, I should have added one more sentence in there to include denials from the players involved and Rob Manfred's conclusions.

      I will note: Manfred was not definitive on the issue in an interview earlier this week. "Can I tell you 100 percent certain that it didn’t happen? No. You can never know that." (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/astros/article/Rob-Manfred-You-can-never-know-Astros-buzzers-2019-15060685.php)

      And A.J. Hinch, in recent interviews, has not been entirely forthright in answering questions on the topic. (https://sports.yahoo.com/aj-hinch-astros-buzzer-question-mlb-investigation-035647546.html)

      That being said, you're right. It is a conspiracy theory at this point, no matter how many opposing players believe it. I could have done more to make that clear. Appreciate you reading and your note!

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    Ted Green

    The Astros were not "imprudent", they were dead wrong for what they did but the self-righteous rants of the rest of baseball are laughable. There is no evidence of the urban legend of the buzzers. What much of the indignation is really about is the inability of east coast teams - and the Dodgers - to beat the Astros. When the Astros are winning games in Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, is that cheating? The Astros lost all credibility to claim innocence but most of these other teams have also been caught in schemes that they are now dismissive about. All of these guys have been caught cheating. If MLB wants to clamp down, they need to take control of the methods used in cheating like the NFL did about footballs in "deflategate".

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    1. Avatar photo
      Richard Maxton

      Thank you for this, Ted. While I abhor the fact that my home team cheated, I am continually stunned and disappointed that so much of the coverage overlooks the fact that this kind of thing happens in many, if not all, of the clubs in MLB (hey, look, it's the 2018 champion Red Sox!). Am I supposed to believe that Carlos Beltrán didn't pull any sign-stealing experience from his 4 years with the Yankees before coming back to the Astros and instigating it? Come on, Man!
      If the MLB office wants to get serious about this, stop scapegoating one or two teams and look at ALL of them. But if ya'll want an asterisk next to 2017, then go ahead and put it in front of every year of the Steroids era and pretty much anything in the later half of the 2010's.
      My hope for 2020 is that the Astros prove themselves a Championship caliber team without doubt that they played the game clean.

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