And to add on the Luhnow interview...I don't think he ever gets a job in baseball again.

I think the fact that he was given a heads up by his colleagues on other teams then all these other teams knew he was being negligent. I think his reputation across the game is ruined.

It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here but I doubt it'll be MLB.

That sounds great.

Maybe Luhnow is telling the truth and he really didn't know. Personally I find that kind of hard to believe but I feel like what he forgets is that he is charge of that team and everything they do or fail to do. I've gotten my ass hemmed up many a time because one of my dumb ass soldiers decied to play **** **** games and get in trouble. Was I physically with him during his transgression? Absolutely not, but it happened under my watch. And while I empathize with Luhnow that's the price you pay to be the boss. All I could say was roger, and move on. I agree the interview gave off a weird vibe I didn't expect him to go all scorched earth on other teams ( even though I wish he did) but I got tired of hearing how he didn't know for half an hour.

MuckRaker96 said:

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Considering how many baseball trivia/history enthusiasts there are here, I wanted to float the idea of a separate thread where we basically take an off-season virtual tour of all of the MLB stadiums present and recent past - maybe a new one every 2-3 days where people can talk about if they've been there, when it was (baseball-reference) to pull box scores from a game you went to at said stadium, or really just anything about it - games you watched on TV, or Astros/Rangers memories from that stadium, or your favorite players from that franchise.

If there is interest, should I start it now or after the WS is over?

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sounds great! are you still planning a top astros moments tournament?

scrimp said:

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I read the transcript instead of watching the interview.

That being said, Luhnow seems to be implementing the Shaggy defense -- "It wasn't me."

He might not have known, but it was his job to know. His job to oversee or hire the support staff he is stating came up with and hid the activities from him. Still your responsibility, chief.

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i was thinking blues brothers defense,, 'it wasn't my fault!'

07ag said:

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MuckRaker96 said:

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Considering how many baseball trivia/history enthusiasts there are here, I wanted to float the idea of a separate thread where we basically take an off-season virtual tour of all of the MLB stadiums present and recent past - maybe a new one every 2-3 days where people can talk about if they've been there, when it was (baseball-reference) to pull box scores from a game you went to at said stadium, or really just anything about it - games you watched on TV, or Astros/Rangers memories from that stadium, or your favorite players from that franchise.

If there is interest, should I start it now or after the WS is over?

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sounds great! are you still planning a top astros moments tournament?

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I don't remember saying that, but it sounds super fun. I'll see what I can do.

Listened to a radio interview this morning of the KPRC reporter that did the Luhnow interview. What stood out to me was her saying "I approached Jeff and his wife about doing this interview a few months ago and he said he wanted to wait until the Astros season came to a close so it wouldn't take the shine off of their accomplishments"

I s*** you not, those were her exact words this morning. THE SEASON ENDED 3 F******* DAYS AGO.

Farmer1906 said:

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BCSGrubber said:

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W said:

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07ag said:

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thinking about how to do it in late 2016? first i've heard of that

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hmmn, that is interesting.

because that is before McCann or Beltran or Cora.

so who would have been the ringleader?

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Marwin

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Marwin was home grown talent. He used it and it helped but he doesn't seem like the choice to bring it.

We brought in several new faces in 2015. Valbuena (Cubs), Lowrie (As), Rasmus (Blue Jays), Gattis (Braves), & Gomez (Brewers).

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You forgot Fiers. Maybe he was the ringleader and then got demoted from his position.

MuckRaker96 said:

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07ag said:

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MuckRaker96 said:

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Considering how many baseball trivia/history enthusiasts there are here, I wanted to float the idea of a separate thread where we basically take an off-season virtual tour of all of the MLB stadiums present and recent past - maybe a new one every 2-3 days where people can talk about if they've been there, when it was (baseball-reference) to pull box scores from a game you went to at said stadium, or really just anything about it - games you watched on TV, or Astros/Rangers memories from that stadium, or your favorite players from that franchise.

If there is interest, should I start it now or after the WS is over?

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sounds great! are you still planning a top astros moments tournament?

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I don't remember saying that, but it sounds super fun. I'll see what I can do.

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hey don't worry about it if it's any trouble, i just enjoyed all your tournaments on the entertainment forum

I don't think a player brought the codebreaking scheme over. We brought in an analytics guy from the Mariners after 2013 named Tom Koch-Weser who reportedly helped us modernize our ability to decode signs. Per The Edge podcast, the Mariners had been stealing our signs the year before without us knowing.

I'm guessing the sign decoding movement in our organization started out pretty innocently (and legally... decoding signs with video pre/post game is perfectly legal). But by mid 2016, it was obvious around the league that you were at a competitive disadvantage if you weren't decoding signs in-game and relaying them to runners on the base paths. That's when we started putting plans in motion to catch up and perhaps first crossed the line into "illegal" activity (which is what I'm guessing Luhnow was referring to). MLB wasn't enforcing the rules and our competitors were doing it, so we joined in.

Almost everything points to Beltran as the guy who pushed it to the next level in 2017. As far as we know today (which still isn't much), we were the first team to relay signs decoded with technology directly to hitters and not via an intermediary on the base paths. It's easy to presume why we thought this was ok. If MLB was going to sit idly by while teams cheated to one level, why would they then choose to enforce rules on teams breaking the same rules, just to a different extent? Probably caused a "grey area" of sorts in the clubhouse.

My point is just that I don't think a player brought the scheme over in 2016. I think it was a scheme that was slowly built upon as we uncovered more information about our competitive environment, then Beltran came in and pushed it too far.

I still think this was a jab at Houston because we aren't LA, NYY or the Red Sox.

The other thing to think about with Springer is these ball clubs aren't pulling in Revenue like they have been...I think it's possible we get Springer back in a 1 year deal because these ball clubs might try and low ball these free agents this go around.

But...i think we keep Correa or Springer. Not both in the long run.

If Springer leaves....i see him at Citifield.....Owners new and has loads of money to blow.

BMX Bandit said:

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k20dub said:

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Luhnow waiting to do his first interview right before the World Series and bringing the whole MLB down with him. Luhnow still playing chess, not checkers.

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This local news will surely be seen by thousands!!!

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k20dub said:

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BMX Bandit said:

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k20dub said:

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Luhnow waiting to do his first interview right before the World Series and bringing the whole MLB down with him. Luhnow still playing chess, not checkers.

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This local news will surely be seen by thousands!!!

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And now the national outlets will try to jump on to it for their own interviews. They will pitch it as, "first national interview."

Good on KPRC for releasing the transcript. It made the national news jump easy. ESPN and Yahoo won't post it as the headline story because one of their guys didn't get it.

and what good does that do?

Each of these will spin it how they want.

Luhnow isn't going to do a national interview. He chose this lady because she didn't challenge him on anything. He wants a puff piece

I think you meant to respond to AgProducer. I was just pointing out that it indeed made national headlines.

BMX Bandit said:

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and what good does that do?

Each of these will spin it how they want.

Luhnow isn't going to do a national interview. He chose this lady because she didn't challenge him on anything. He wants a puff piece

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Apparently he is going to be on Ben Reiter's podcast, The Edge, this month.

BMX Bandit said:

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and what good does that do?

Each of these will spin it how they want.

Luhnow isn't going to do a national interview. He chose this lady because she didn't challenge him on anything. He wants a puff piece

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The reporter said, "Nothing was off limits," so I don't think it was a puff piece per se. I'm not sure what they agreed to prior to the interview, but it was clear Luhnow had been trained and was spinning his messages.

They probably agreed to time limits and content before hand.

As far as national outlets go, they will spin it however they want. Columnists offer up news with their opinions layered in. That's why they are called columnists. Local news was the only way Luhnow was going to get any kind of fair shake. It was very shrewd if him to work with a local outlet and with Ben Reiter with their history, to help control the messages he wants out.

Manfred straight up calling Luhnow a liar in the snippets of his interview I've heard. Luhnow really stepped on his deek with that channel 2 interview.
This is going to be with us for a while.

cap-n-jack said:

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Manfred straight up calling Luhnow a liar in the snippets of his interview I've heard. Luhnow really stepped on his deek with that channel 2 interview.
This is going to be with us for a while.

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What interview?

Quote:

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Ahead of a World Series capping the pandemic-shortened season, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said he hopes to keep two of this year's innovations: expanded playoffs and starting extra innings with runners on second base.

"People were wildly unenthusiastic about the changes. And then when they saw them in action, they were much more positive," Manfred said Tuesday during an interview with The Associated Press.

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I have not heard a single baseball fan be enthusiastic about either "innovation." Manfred is an idiot that makes Selig look like a fantastic commisioner.

If LA gets hot I don't see this making it to game 6.

Hope their bats flame out and get swept though

You can see the modified playoffs staying and see it from a million miles away. More playoff games on TV means more money for MLB. I actually like the no days off. It rewards the deeper pitching staff and keeps the Kevin Brown deal from ever happening again.

The all around DH will stay. That ship has sailed.

The extra innings nonsense needs to die yesterday.

Mathguy64 said:

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You can see the modified playoffs staying and see it from a million miles away. More playoff games on TV means more money for MLB. I actually like the no days off. It rewards the deeper pitching staff and keeps the Kevin Brown deal from ever happening again.

The all around DH will stay. That ship has sailed.

The extra innings nonsense needs to die yesterday.

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Yeah kinda figured expanded playoffs was here to stay. Not the extra inning rule though

Although it makes me sad, I agree about the DH. Considering all weeping, wailing & gnashing of teeth over the Astros (less so the Brewers) making the postseason with a sub .500 record even when it made some sense with an extremely truncated season. you would think they would reconsider expanding the playoffs. Bye bye interesting pennant races, hello sub ,500 clubs making the postseason every year

I think it was ESPN radio.

So how would we feel if there's a COVID outbreak and they don't finish the WS?

On one hand I'd be upset TB didn't get a crack at winning one but I'd be laughing my ass off at LA. Their whiny asses would probably just go ahead and claim they won.

That would be the most spectacular end to a covid season I could think of. They made the Cards sit out something like 3 weeks. Can you imagine that length of stoppage here?

Ag_07 said:

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So how would we feel if there's a COVID outbreak and they don't finish the WS?

On one hand I'd be upset TB didn't get a crack at winning one but I'd be laughing my ass off at LA. Their whiny asses would probably just go ahead and claim they won.

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Doesn't matter. * season anyways.