astros

Will Hoffa Weigh In?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The court of public opinion continued to pour in yesterday on the crime and the punishment of the Houston Astros and their 2017 and 2018 cheating ways.  Even basketball superstar LeBron James, @KingJames, held court via a tweet.

He started with “Listen I know I don’t play baseball but I am in Sports and I know if someone cheated me out of winning the title and I found out about it I would be F*^king irate! I mean like uncontrollable about what I would/could do! Listen here baseball commissioner listen to your…..”

He continued with  “…..players speaking today about how disgusted, mad, hurt, broken, etc etc about this. Literally the ball(⚾️) is in your court(or should I say field) and you need to fix this for the sake of Sports! 

LeBron has every right to speak his mind.  It’s guaranteed in the first amendment.  Just ask Daryl Morey and all of the folks Daryl empathized with over in Hong Kong.  LeBron said as much back in October.  He also cautioned about speaking before thinking.

Maybe he should also caution about writing without spellcheck or a grammar check app.  Evidently King James is no fan of the King’s English.  But we digress.

Also yesterday Yankee Aaron Judge,

he of the same sport as the Astros, went judge and jury on his opponents.  He says the Astros should be stripped of their 2017 World Series title: “It doesn’t hold any value, it wasn’t earned.”

BBR wondered who hasn’t yet offered their two cents.  So, the staff comprised a list of the very few folks who have not weighed in yet on the circus and hit the phone lines, emails, and streets well into the evening.  Several eye-opening comments follow.

We caught up to Kanye West striding through LAX with his MAGA hat in place and daughter hand in hand.  “MAGA, Make (the) Astros Great Again,” he said.  “It looks like the organization is directionless to me.”  Daughter North West smiled in agreement.

Joe Biden campaigning in South Carolina for the upcoming Nevada primary frowned and commented, “I’ve been there.  I feel for the entire San Antonio Astros organization man!  They all need to support each other through difficult times.”  He concluded with, “Remember the Alamo!”

Elizabeth Warren, she of a campaign fading into the sunset, was asked what a team should do in such difficult times.  “Circle the wagons.”  We asked if she was referring to her campaign staff or the Astros.  “Both!” came the terse retort.

We asked Bernie Sanders if he thought it was crazy to ask the team to give the World Series trophy back.  “Of course it is.  Rather than give it back MLB should give one to every major, and minor league, and Little League team for 2017 and 2018.  Free trophies for all!” He shouted.

Prayerful Nancy Pelosi seemed torn on the subject.  But, she gritted her teeth and lamented, “Commissioner Manfred needs to get a (poly) grip on this 2017 stealing fiasco as we did with Russia in 2016.”

Adam Schiff declined our interview request saying “You just want to out the whistleblower, Mike Fiers.  But we are going to protect his identity at all costs.”

We reached out to Jeffery Epstein but got no answer.  We aren’t sure what the hang-up is there.

We spoke to big baseball fan Stormy Daniels as well.  Daniels has season tickets right behind the foul pole.  She thought that the Astros should be stripped of their crown just as Yankee Judge did.  Her lawyer Michael Avenatti is caught in some bad weather himself.  He thought “the punishment didn’t fit the crime.  Too harsh.  Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t they?” he queried.

He better hope that his judge agrees with him and not with Aaron Judge.

If Jimmy Hoffa weighs in today, BBR will dig up his quotes and dish the dirt tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr. Crane,

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Dear Mr. Crane,

It’s been a week since MLB confirmed the terrible rumors, handed out the punishment, and you canned Manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow.  They say time heals all wounds.  This writer might need more time however as this wound feels like the proverbial “1000 paper cuts.”

Your ownership in 2012 began with the Houston Astros franchise at a low point and it continued for your first few years.  No local TV contract (good Lord) and 100 loss seasons is no way to endear yourself to a city that loves baseball.  But, by 2015 you started turning things around.  Now on TV again (thank the good Lord) you introduced us to Jose Altuve and a manager that look the part, talked the part, and knew how to manage the game and endeared himself to his players.

Soon your GM’s talent evaluations and trades gave us guys named Springer, Correa, Beltran, Bregman, McCullers, and Morton.  Playoffs in 2015, and a near miss in 2016, and a guy named Justin Verlander paved the way for a World Series win in 2017.  Holy Cow the late Harry Caray would have said!

But whispers that your club denied about electronically stealing signs, aka cheating, grew louder.  And, at the end of 2019 they were exposed by a whistleblower willing to be named- Mike Fiers.  Everyone, not just Adam Schiff, knew the name of this whistleblower.  And, a week ago it all came crashing down, and down.

In the late 90’s baseball was rocked by the steroid era.  This writer had an up and coming offspring baseball player who idolized guys named McGuire, Bonds, and Sosa.  “How can they hit so many home runs daddy?”  Little did we know.

It took years and a leap of faith to buy in again.  But, the passion, strategy, and professionalism exhibited by your Astros, our Astros, Houston’s Astros won us over.  They had “it.”

And, now they don’t.  The fall is so much steeper than the climb.

The Astros won it all in 2017, and went deep into the playoffs in 2018.  Your marketing department had a catchy slogan for 2019.  “Take it Back!”  And, it came so close to doing so, losing in game seven of the World Series.  Perhaps the slogan should have been “Steal It Back!,” instead.

For 2020 and beyond the fans might have their own slogan.  “Win us Back!” This time you have local TV, but will we turn it on?  For the climb back is so much steeper than the fall.

Sincerely,

A Disillusioned Fan All Over Again.