Correct, that's what I mean. He can't look like a lunatic publically. The "problem" is he seems to want to own the team a long time, so pissing off all the owners isn't in his best interest in that regard. That's why finding information and leaking to the media is the game that should be played. It's dirty but this situation strikes me similar to recruiting in the SEC, it's done in the mud and there ain't no way you're avoiding getting dirty.

Wabs.......I feel ya. 1000%. But just follow me on this.

IT.

AINT.

HAPPENING.

If Manfred were even remotely interested in getting to the bottom of all the accusations and innuendo that was flying around like popcorn from a skillet the last 3 years, he'd have already issued a behind-the-scenes STFU to the media and the players union to keep the yapping to a minimum lest the whole thing become a web of guilty hypocrites. All they've done the last couple of weeks (especially since the Crane dog and pony show the other day) is just double down and ratchet it up even louder.

It's over. The whipping boy has been whipped, and will continue to be whipped to the East/West coast media's satisfaction. Manfred is their little b****. Not the other way around. He's toothless and spineless. All we can do is just ride out the year, maybe even just a portion of the year (the Astros after all are just the scandal-du-jour and the storm will pass shortly since the public collectively has the attention span of a hyperactive 3 year old). Y'all talk about the Red Sox just getting a slap on the wrist.......I doubt they even get THAT much. Let's just own it, put on the black hat and hopefully this team has the wherewithal to drop another pennant on the hater's asses.

I wouldn't say Manfred is their b****. In the grand scheme of things, having the media JUST jump on one franchise, specifically one that isn't a blue blood, is the best case scenario for him. He wouldn't have even gone after Boston if not for the "unfortunate" connection to Cora.

It's steroids all over. Stick with the story that it's isolated, bury head in sand, and hope no one discovers otherwise. MLB always underestimated the media. Right now the media has no reason to investigate. They're sharks with a nice fat humpback whale carcass to eat but eventually that carcass will be consumed and another meal must be found.

I'm all for investigating the other teams, but how does MLB get accurate investigations? With the Astros, players were given immunity to talk. Well, media and fans want the players punished. MLB may not be able to do that with other investigations. Players may clam up, and the MLB gets nothing. Short of an independent investigation where possible civil or criminal charges are leveled, I'm not sure what the MLB can do.

Either way, players need to STFU. I guarantee you that some of the guys talking aren't clean.

Manfred said the MLB wouldn't have pursued this so hard if it wasn't for Mike Fiers. I'm really curious as to why he wanted to **** over the entire Astros team more than two years after the championship. He got a ring. He got a bonus. He showed on social media how proud he was of it. He participated it the parade. Why now? I don't buy the nobility angle. If he was so disturbed by the trash can banging, he should have said something in 2017. Again, what was his real motivation?

There will be another Fiers or a guy who doesn't last in the league who wants the Bolsinger 15 seconds of fame.

I tend to agree that no player is taking immunity going forward. Have your ring tarnished and get berated by media, fans and even other players? They'd probably prefer to roll the dice and see what Manfred dares to do if they don't talk.

Yep. That was always my thought.

I've already seen at least one article, that I didn't read - f them, that was going after the Astros for keeping a majority of the staff that worked under Lunhow. That's probably going to pick up steam at some point.

So, the "expert panel" weighing in this morning on whether the Astros should be decapitated publicly or just quietly strapped to the gurney and given the needle in the back room........3 former NFL hacks, Doris Burke the NBA chick, Laura Rutledge (who, sorry, I will never disparage)....and Greenberg. Yeah. Experts one and all.

Can't wait to see what today's selection of juicy little tidbits is. Yu Darvish's wife says he's been on suicide watch the last 2 seasons? Houston area kids claim Correa sprinkled cyanide on their Halloween candy? Crane covered up a drug smuggling conviction from Venezuela on Altuve's visa application? The world waits with bated breath..........

Frok said:

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Are these guys ever going to leave them alone? My goodness.

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Eh, they just want anything that will hurt Altuve and the team, honestly. They are trying to catch everyone in a lie so they can use it as some sort of circumstantial evidence to undermine the MLB report that we weren't cheating in 2018 or 2019.

Plus, the tattoo story gets clicks.

Marvin said:

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The first 2020 trip to every stadium will be bad, and each division return trip will be bad... so, like 100% of the 81 road games will be very hostile from both fans and the away media.

On the other hand, who worries about distant enemies with local meatheads like Chandler Rome?!

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I'm only doing Arlington this year. Figured there will be enough astros fans there it won't be as bad

Beat40 said:

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Frok said:

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Are these guys ever going to leave them alone? My goodness.

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Eh, they just want anything that will hurt Altuve and the team, honestly. They are trying to catch everyone in a lie so they can use it as some sort of circumstantial evidence to undermine the MLB report that we weren't cheating in 2018 or 2019.

Plus, the tattoo story gets clicks.

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I don't understand the tattoo issue. Are they claiming Altuve got a tattoo in the spot where a buzzer would be so he could say it was a tattoo and not a buzzer?

agproducer said:

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Quick sidebar: Does anyone else think it is funny the Astros=Cheaters thread has almost as many posts as the Rangers offseason thread? Rangers fans appear to be more interested in what we are doing compared to their own ****ty team.

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I think this sort of encourages the non astros trash ppl to return to this thread and talk smack like last week.

Frok said:

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Beat40 said:

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Frok said:

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Are these guys ever going to leave them alone? My goodness.

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Eh, they just want anything that will hurt Altuve and the team, honestly. They are trying to catch everyone in a lie so they can use it as some sort of circumstantial evidence to undermine the MLB report that we weren't cheating in 2018 or 2019.

Plus, the tattoo story gets clicks.

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I don't understand the tattoo issue. Are they claiming Altuve got a tattoo in the spot where a buzzer would be so he could say it was a tattoo and not a buzzer?

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Correa said part of the reason Altuve didn't want his shirt ripped off is he has an ugly ass tattoo.

Frok said:

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Beat40 said:

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Frok said:

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Are these guys ever going to leave them alone? My goodness.

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Eh, they just want anything that will hurt Altuve and the team, honestly. They are trying to catch everyone in a lie so they can use it as some sort of circumstantial evidence to undermine the MLB report that we weren't cheating in 2018 or 2019.

Plus, the tattoo story gets clicks.

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I don't understand the tattoo issue. Are they claiming Altuve got a tattoo in the spot where a buzzer would be so he could say it was a tattoo and not a buzzer?

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It's the second stupidest theory after the Reddick confetti fiasco

Frok said:

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Beat40 said:

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Frok said:

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Are these guys ever going to leave them alone? My goodness.

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Eh, they just want anything that will hurt Altuve and the team, honestly. They are trying to catch everyone in a lie so they can use it as some sort of circumstantial evidence to undermine the MLB report that we weren't cheating in 2018 or 2019.

Plus, the tattoo story gets clicks.

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I don't understand the tattoo issue. Are they claiming Altuve got a tattoo in the spot where a buzzer would be so he could say it was a tattoo and not a buzzer?

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Correa stated that on-top of Altuve's Latina wife not wanting her man to be shirtless on TV in front of the world, that he also had an unfinished tattoo that looked like ass. Jomboy and other Yankee/Dodger dumbasses went to his IG account and pulled a pic with Altuve shirtless at the beach from last summer and tried to say what Correa stated was a lie. It's like someone can't get a tattoo in 4 months. People quickly began posting a pic from the '19 WS where you could see part of the tattoo while Altuve was doing Altuve things. Jomboy is a ****ing partisan idiot and I'd love nothing more than Altuve to get enough and get his legal team to go after him for slander, because the dude just posts random **** without vetting it.

Ag_07 said:

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Frok said:

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Are these guys ever going to leave them alone? My goodness.

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It's gonna be like this for a good while into the season.

And I mentioned it earlier but I was not a fan at all of the Baker hire but seeing this **** storm I think it was a good call.

Could you imagine being a first time manager having to deal with all this while running your first ST?

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Absolutely

They're some of the most pretentious people on the planet.

Frok said:

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Got it. So the theory is proved false yet this story will probably continue on because nobody in the media will say that theory is bunk.

Baseball reporters are something else.

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Yep.

aTm2004 said:

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Frok said:

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Got it. So the theory is proved false yet this story will probably continue on because nobody in the media will say that theory is bunk.

Baseball reporters are something else.

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Yep.

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Seriously Jomboy is Alex Jones and running baseball infowars and "real" media laps it up.

I think the Astros this year might be a bit like Johnny Manziel in 2013. They will generate ticket sales everywhere they go. They will have higher tv ratings than possibly any other team, certainly higher than the Nationals. Most people will hate them but a significant minority will love them. And they will light it up, week in, week out.