1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Looking ahead: The long-term scandal fallout

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by topfive, Jan 17, 2020.

  1. topfive

    topfive CF OG

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2002
    Messages:
    18,933
    Likes Received:
    37,162
    I've been wondering what's in the future regarding this mess. Obviously, in the near future the Astros will have a new GM and a new manager, and losing their best four picks from the next couple of years will have implications down the road. But there are many, many other ways this could affect the club (and all of MLB, for that matter) going forward.

    Here are just a few things I can see happening:
    • The Astros will get roundly booed in every venue other than Minute Maid. This might even start with the spring training crowds. I can see this lasting a couple of years before it eases up. And just imagine what Dodger Stadium will sound like this year.
    • The scandal isn't done unfolding yet. I expect other teams will get dragged into this one by one as disgruntled players and staff come forward.
    • The Astros/Red Sox involvement will prove to be the tip of the iceberg. At some point, ESPN or The Athletic or possibly even a major newspaper is going to get after the story of illegal sign-stealing being rampant in MLB and investigate it thoroughly, much more so than MLB did. Once that story is published, this will break wide open and will snowball. There will be individual players named and careers tainted or ruined. This could even lead to more investigating from the league itself, and more teams being penalized.
    • We'll probably learn who among the Astros players were gung-ho about the cheating and bought into it to get an edge, and who either refused or didn't feel it was accurate enough to be more than a distraction. What if Springer was clean and Bregman dirty? What if it's vice-versa? Careers will be affected, for better or worse.
    • If hard evidence surfaces of any of our stars using wearable technology, there will be suspensions handed down and possible Hall of Fame inductions put in question.
    • Once the accusations begin to fly against individual players on many teams, things will get quite ugly. There will be denials, third-party confirmations, counter-accusations, off-the-record and anonymous finger pointing, etc. I think this is going to be one very difficult year for MLB.
    • All-Star voting will be affected. Bregman/Springer/Altuve for All-Star? Not if fans in every other MLB city have something to say about it. Post-season awards will be affected, too. I doubt you'll ever see one of the current Astros getting an MVP for their rest of their careers. Even the pitchers, who had nothing to do with the cheating, will be adversely affected. The writers and other players who vote on awards will remember.
    • Astros free agency signings will be more difficult, with some players not wanting to risk being associated with the team at all.
    • Player endorsement money will dry up to some degree, which would also be a factor in the free agency signings.
    • My biggest fear: Some of the Astros could make anonymous comments indicted other teammates. If that happens, this team could split apart from the inside. Despite all the amazing talent Luhnow assembled, there's a real chance that we've already seen the last of the glory days. Hopefully they'll all stick together, but all it takes is one or two out of twenty-five to start the ball rolling, and we might be doomed.
    Yeah, I know that last one is extremely pessimistic, but it's not unrealistic.

    I'm not trying to be a Chicken Little here, but I can't imagine that we've seen the worst of it yet. We're not going to know the full extent of the fallout until a few years have passed.
     
    #1 topfive, Jan 17, 2020
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2020
    gatsby, kaleidosky, Houstunna and 3 others like this.
  2. Snake Diggit

    Snake Diggit Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2012
    Messages:
    10,950
    Likes Received:
    14,696
    Astros will be booed mercilessly through the end of this season. The whole team, even pitchers and guys who weren’t on the 2017-2018 teams.

    After this season I think it’ll mainly be Altuve, Correa, Bregman, and Springer who will be booed.

    The players need to speak. If there are guys who didn’t cheat, then their cheating teammates owe it to them to publicly exonerate them. A joint statement from the 6 guys still on the team (Altuve, Correa, Reddick, Gurriel, Bregman, Springer) outlining how each was involved would go a long way. Of course, if they all cheated, then they are smart to just keep quiet, because they have all already been convicted in the court of public opinion.

    I keep waiting for Gattis or McCann to speak up. They have far less to lose by coming out with the truth.

    I bet Marwin is pretty stoked about leaving when he did, and Marisnick probably isn’t sad he was traded. Nobody’s talking about them.
     
  3. The Hunted

    The Hunted Member

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2007
    Messages:
    2,574
    Likes Received:
    1,545
    People have been calling them cheaters for years. All the Astros have to do is ball out. With this roster I have no doubt they will.
     
    UTSA2step likes this.
  4. The Hunted

    The Hunted Member

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2007
    Messages:
    2,574
    Likes Received:
    1,545
    Also, I have a feeling the sports media will eventually go too far with the conspiracy theories and sanctimoniousness and the fans will come around on the Astros again. Or they'll get bored or forget.
     
  5. DieHard Rocket

    DieHard Rocket Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2000
    Messages:
    9,382
    Likes Received:
    1,107
    If nothing new and major comes out regarding the Astros (i.e. buzzers or a sophisticated method), I think it will die down over time and become a hiccup in otherwise great careers for Altuve, Bregman, and Springer. Reason-being is the portion of the report that specifies that they weren't really sure how much it helped and that it stopped eventually. The legacy of 2017 is definitely tarnished but I don't think their careers necessarily will be. If any of them are specifically implicated of course it would be bad for them.

    IMO, this isn't the steroid/PED issue where guys were crushing HR records and the benefit was obvious. Most of the outrage is typical social media frenzy which I think has a short shelf life. We will get booed a lot this year of course, esp in NY and LA, but I think unless we win the WS this year and/or beat the Yankees in the playoffs it will die down after that though it won't go away completely for a very long time.
     
    dmoneybangbang, B-Bob and jklb like this.
  6. J.R.

    J.R. Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2008
    Messages:
    106,788
    Likes Received:
    154,648
    I think it will be "over" after they hand out Cora and/or Red Sox punishment. I think the rest is fan hope that other teams/players get dragged in.

    Like the Facebook post yesterday from a son? of a former MLB 3rd base coach? saying Trout uses HGH. MLB isn't going to investigate that.

    Maybe retired player speak out "Hey, this was happening when I was playing." but no current player will come out & put his name on it like Fiers.

    But I don't rule out fuccboi Jom and the rest of the twitter mob trying to dig up more dirt, throw out more accusations on the Astros.

    Although it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if it did really break open. The oh so brave, so courageous, so heroic Mike Fiers exposing one team the Astros until you found out there's 5, 10, however many other teams doing something too.
     
  7. astros123

    astros123 Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2013
    Messages:
    9,402
    Likes Received:
    6,754
  8. cmoak1982

    cmoak1982 Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2012
    Messages:
    16,129
    Likes Received:
    19,576
    That’s my issue, idiots like Jomboy being taken seriously and wild allegations being ran with just because it’s the Stros. While Logan Morrison made serious claims about the blue bloods and nothing has came of it....yet
     
  9. Major

    Major Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 1999
    Messages:
    41,383
    Likes Received:
    15,808
    Assuming nothing else comes out about the Astros, I would venture to guess than 6 months from now, no one is going to care even a little bit. There won't be booing, no one's careers will be affected, etc. This is a tempest in a teapot that will be forgotten once games are being played. It's a story because the report just came out and there's literally nothing else going in the baseball world right now.
     
    B-Bob likes this.
  10. Astrodome

    Astrodome Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2015
    Messages:
    10,994
    Likes Received:
    12,208
    I have seen many teams' fans saying bean balls are coming. Hopefully players dont feel that way as our franchise has had its share of injuries like that.

    I could see the guys really coming together and lighting the league up to prove their skills. This is my hope for the next two years.
     
    everyday eddie and topfive like this.
  11. chievous minniefield

    chievous minniefield Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2001
    Messages:
    2,240
    Likes Received:
    1,226
    How long it lasts and how far-reaching the impacts will be has everything to do with how much we win.

    The more we win, the longer it lasts.

    The less we win, the less opponents and their fans will care.

    It will be really simple math in that way.

    We are now in the quite-shitty position of extending the life cycle of the story through our own success.
     
    kaleidosky, The Beard and topfive like this.
  12. thedreamsteam

    thedreamsteam Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2010
    Messages:
    1,052
    Likes Received:
    1,466
    I disagree. Players should rip their shirts off after every home run and give a collective f**k you to the opposing "holier than thou" fan bases.
    Take the Patriots stance and win as much as you can, play angry and focused. Kick some ass and win another WS.
     
  13. The Real Shady

    The Real Shady Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2000
    Messages:
    17,170
    Likes Received:
    3,966
    Agreed. I think several Astros are going to start getting hit. Astros pitchers will retaliate, and there will be a few fights on the field this year. You have to imagine when they go to opposing parks there will be tons of fans screaming at them and banging trash cans to mess with them. They will be on edge and will want to fight.

    I only see accusations of other teams, but no other players rating out their former teams. So no one else will get investigated.

    Over the next few years the Astros are going to have a complete tear down and rebuild trading off the stars for prospects. While former players from the 2017 team are still playing for the Astros they will likely have a hard time winning the MVP or Cy-Young which will probably cause players like Verlander to want to leave.
     
    topfive likes this.
  14. Buck Turgidson

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2002
    Messages:
    84,927
    Likes Received:
    83,114
    This may be the dumbest **** I've heard yet.

    The loss of draft picks is the killer, nothing else sets the franchise back (and I say this with the utmost respect for the jobs both Hinch and Luhnow did).
     
    The Beard likes this.
  15. The Real Shady

    The Real Shady Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2000
    Messages:
    17,170
    Likes Received:
    3,966
    I guess we'll see how dumb it is this season.
     
  16. Buck Turgidson

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2002
    Messages:
    84,927
    Likes Received:
    83,114
    I did say "yet".
     
  17. blackistan

    blackistan Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2006
    Messages:
    2,101
    Likes Received:
    706
    I want to know what inspired Fiers to come out and snitch. I'm waiting for his comments to come out on all of this.
     
    UTSA2step likes this.
  18. Buck Turgidson

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2002
    Messages:
    84,927
    Likes Received:
    83,114
    He's been telling this same story to anyone who cared to listen for 3 years. Other players from around the league have said the same. Nobody cared, because everybody was guilty, but then other agendas came into play.
     
    everyday eddie likes this.
  19. The Real Shady

    The Real Shady Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2000
    Messages:
    17,170
    Likes Received:
    3,966
    The Athletic looking to dig up dirt on the Astros after Taubman. Probably asking former players trying to convince them to go on the record and got one.
     
  20. RocketManJosh

    RocketManJosh Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2003
    Messages:
    5,875
    Likes Received:
    711
    All I know is living in SoCal and also having a bunch of die hard Yankee fan friends has not been too pleasant ... I'm hoping i can take my kids to am Astros-Angels game but I'm not sure its worth the harassment even though Angel's stadium is 50x more tame and civil than Dodger stadium
     

Share This Page

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now