Tag Archives: sign stealing

Rob Manfred’s regrets

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He has one in particular that is of interest. In an extensive interview with TIME that was published Wednesday, the baseball commissioner talked about a lot of his successes in the sport, including the recent rules changes that has made for quicker games, but … Continue reading →

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Your 2023 Hall of Fame ballot is out

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Should be a quieter year, at least for the writers. The National Baseball Hall of Fame revealed the 2023 Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot on Monday, with several notable names appearing for the first time, as … Continue reading →

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Rob Manfred speaks

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

About the Astros and other things. When it comes to the Astros’ sign-stealing saga and its aftermath, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred does have one big regret. Was it his non-punishment of any individual players or granting immunity to … Continue reading →

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We finally see that Manfred letter to the Yankees

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron headline is blaring, but I kind of think we already knew most of this stuff. Major League Baseball fined the New York Yankees $100,000 in 2017 for using their replay room and dugout phone to steal their opponent’s … Continue reading →

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Courts keep turning the Yankees down

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Time to give up and move on, y’all. The New York Yankees keep taking losses in court. A federal appeals court has denied the team’s latest attempt to keep a 2017 letter from Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred detailing … Continue reading →

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MLB unveils a technical fix for sign stealing

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I like this. Pitchers and catchers will have the option of shaking off the traditional means of communicating between pitches during the upcoming Major League season. MLB informed clubs in a memo today that it is moving forward with regular-season … Continue reading →

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Do tell, Chris

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. A rival of the Astros during their current run as a Major League Baseball power said Houston wasn’t the only team that’s resorted to cheating. Red Sox lefthander Chris Sale, who pitched … Continue reading →

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Carlos Beltrán speaks about sign stealing

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Carlos Beltrán, the venerated designated hitter painted by Major League Baseball as a ringleader of Houston’s electronic sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 season, said this week he “wished somebody would’ve said something” and stopped the trashcan banging scheme. … Continue reading →

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Yankees still fighting to keep that MLB letter under wraps

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, it can’t hurt to ask. The New York Yankees plan to continue to fight the unsealing of a letter from MLB detailing alleged sign-stealing by the organization. The Athletic, citing a source with knowledge of the team’s plans, reported … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds ruling to unseal MLB’s 2017 letter on sign stealing

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Look, if you’re going to follow a weird story, you’ve got to stay committed to following that weird story. A September 2017 letter from Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred detailing alleged sign-stealing by the New York Yankees should be … Continue reading →

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Astros again seek to dismiss Bolsinger lawsuit

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They will probably succeed. The Astros have submitted their proposal for a Harris County judge to dismiss former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Mike Bolsinger’s lawsuit against the team. Bolsinger has alleged trade misappropriation and sought more than $1 million in … Continue reading →

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Former MLB pitcher re-files lawsuit against Astros

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the second attempt to sue them for damages over the sign stealing scheme from 2017. Continuing to maintain that the Astros’ 2017 sign stealing cost him a job in the major leagues, former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mike Bolsinger … Continue reading →

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Luhnow lawsuit dismissed

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing left to litigate about, apparently. Former Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow’s lawsuit against the ballclub was dismissed on Friday after both parties “resolved their differences,” severing the final tie between the team and its most successful executive in history. … Continue reading →

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More on the Luhnow lawsuit

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because I now have the brain space to think about stuff like this again. While baseball fans and courtroom voyeurs might long for a public legal showdown between Astros owner Jim Crane and former general manager Jeff Luhnow, attorneys say … Continue reading →

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Luhnow sues Astros

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be entertaining. Jeff Luhnow sued the Houston Astros for breach of contract on Sunday, alleging that Astros owner Jim Crane and Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred negotiated penalties for the sign-stealing scandal that enabled the team … Continue reading →

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What more is there to be said about the Astros sign stealing scandal?

Posted on November 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s at least one podcast’s worth of material out there. Rather than writing a sequel to “Astroball,” his 2018 book about the improbable rise of the Jim Crane/Jeff Luhnow-era Astros, former Sports Illustrated writer Ben Reiter opted for a six-episode … Continue reading →

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Astros ticketholder lawsuit update

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I share because I care. The Astros have asked the state 14th Court of Appeals to dismiss a consolidated lawsuit filed by three groups of disgruntled ticketholders, repeating many of the same arguments in favor of dismissal that they presented … Continue reading →

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No Yankees letter yet

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

May we all keep following this, all the other news about baseball is terrible. The Yankees and Major League Baseball on Monday asked the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals to prevent public release of a 2017 letter from MLB commissioner … Continue reading →

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A twist in the sign stealing story

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how twisted it gets. A federal judge ordered the unsealing of a 2017 letter from Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred to the New York Yankees that, according to court documents, detailed a “more serious, sign-stealing scheme” than … Continue reading →

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Arguments due this week in Astros sign stealing lawsuits

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Attorneys will submit written arguments May 25 to a Harris County judge in the Astros’ attempt to dismiss a consolidated lawsuit filed by season ticket holders upset by the 2017-18 electronic sign-stealing scandal. State District Judge Robert … Continue reading →

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Manfred finally disciplines the Red Sox for their sign stealing

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the MLB press release, written as a letter from Commissioner Rob Manfred. Executive Summary Following an exhaustive investigation into allegations of improper use of the video replay room by the Boston Red Sox, I have come to the following … Continue reading →

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DraftKings lawsuit tossed

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for the Astros. A federal judge in New York mixed technical points of law with humor and theatrical flourishes in delivering a rousing defeat Friday to a group of baseball daily fantasy players who sued the Astros, Red … Continue reading →

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Won’t you join our lawsuit?

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to keep giving me content for years. After filing two sign stealing-related lawsuits against the Astros on behalf of Houston season-ticket holders, a Corpus Christi law firm is asking Dodgers and Yankees fans who attended 2017 postseason … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit the Astros want tossed

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It was the first one filed against them relating to the banging scheme. The Astros have asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the team, owner Jim Crane and baseball operations employee Derek Vigoa … Continue reading →

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Astros move to dismiss season ticket holder lawsuits

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How about some non-coronavirus baseball-related news? I got some for ya. The Astros have asked Harris County district judges to dismiss the three lawsuits filed against the ballclub by ticketholders who claim they were defrauded by the sign-stealing scandal in … Continue reading →

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MLB, Astros, Red Sox respond to DraftKings lawsuit over sign stealing

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s motion to dismiss time. As baseball’s electronic sign-stealing case joins the long list of sports-related court cases, attorneys for the the Astros, Red Sox and Major League Baseball all say that while fantasy sports bettors may be angered by … Continue reading →

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More Astros lawsuits

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This one was filed by a dissatisfied customer. An Astros season ticket holder has filed suit in Harris County District Court against the ballclub, accusing the team of negligence, breach of contract and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices … Continue reading →

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Astros offer an apology

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes for them. Astros players issued their first public apology after being involved in a cheating scandal that rocked baseball in the offseason. “I am really sorry about the choices that were made by my team … Continue reading →

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Former MLB pitcher sues Astros

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. A pitcher who has not appeared in a major league game since getting shelled by the 2017 Houston Astros filed a civil lawsuit against the ballclub on Monday, according to USA Today. In the filing made … Continue reading →

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“You guys Codebreaking?”

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You thought the Astros sign stealing saga was over? It’s not over. Roughly four weeks ago, Major League Baseball disciplined the Houston Astros for what commissioner Rob Manfred called the “banging scheme.” The Astros were busted illegally stealing signs in 2017 and 2018. The … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over sign stealing effect on fantasy baseball

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Major League Baseball (MLB) teams secretly distorted player statistics and deprived fans of an “honest fantasy baseball competition,” a lawsuit filed by a fan alleges in the fallout to a sign-stealing scandal involving the Houston … Continue reading →

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Documenting the bangs

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You have to admire the dedication to craft. Like so many in Houston, Tony Adams and his family had to flee their inner-Loop home when Hurricane Harvey pushed Houston’s bayous out of their banks in August 2017. Weeks later, Adams … Continue reading →

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We have an Astros apology

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From a former player, not a current player. It’s still something. Twelve days later, an apology appeared on the south side of Chicago, from a bearded face that was constant throughout the Astros’ now-ruined renaissance. “Was it against the rules? … Continue reading →

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Is there an Astros apology coming?

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. A “strong statement” of apology could be forthcoming from the Astros players involved in electronic sign-stealing during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, owner Jim Crane said Tuesday. In response to interviews given by Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman on … Continue reading →

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