Aggies2009 said:
Which raises a few questions...
1. Are teams still doing it? I'd bet they are.
2. Does "other teams do it" justify the cheating? In the steroid era, guys did it just because they knew if they didn't that they'd fall behind.
3. Is this the real reason the MLB didn't come down hard on the Astros? Cause they knew half the league was doing it?
4. Why haven't the Astros filed a lawsuit? They could easily argue they were targeted.
1. I bet they are still doing some level of sign stealing, but it's probably not done the same way. They've probably figured out some manor of stealing signs that they can claim doesn't break existing rules.
2. I wouldn't necessarily say it justifies the Astros. Astros definitely cheated. I think the punishment fit the crime, though.
3. I would argue they did come down pretty hard. The new GM has not been impressive. The League didn't take the WS away, though, because they know every WS winner for the past 50 years has been doing something illegal. Sign stealing, steroids, scuffing balls, etc. It's a precedent they don't want to start. BTW, here's a SI article from 2018 that mentions the Dodgers installed cameras to specifically steal signs (
https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/11/02/surveillance-cameras-sign-stealing-baseball-dodgers-astros ). For some reason, Dodger fans seem to ignore it.
4. Probably just want to put it behind them. In a couple more years, it will be totally forgotten.