"The Definition of Insanity" -- The 2019-20 Hot Stove Off-Season Thread

What a complete and total shitshow of a press conference to "address" the cheating scandal. I wasn't expecting much from it, but that was even less than I imagined. Unbelievable.

Crane needs to be in the next Geico Pinocchio commercial...that dude just lied over and over again. Nobody believes he just found out in November.


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Just watched the live feed from West Palm Beach at the Astros' training complex. It was not the complete mea maxima culpa that I was looking for. Jim Crain has future in politics if he ever decides on a career change. He danced around and constantly cited the commissioner's report as if it were the end all. He repeatedly stated that he didn't feel it changed the outcome of the games. Complete denial. They are sorry they got caught, they nailed a couple of scapegoats, and now they want to move on with impunity.

The Astros are so pre-programmed to just lie their asses off and they expect it to be digested and we will all move on. They are tone deaf. This isn't going away. It's going to be burned into people's minds for years. Look at how the steroid era still smells. A lot of fans don't even recognize McGwire and Bonds over Aaron.

Manfred should be investigated because it's obvious that he gave a clear road for Crane to get away with this.

I couldn't agree more. I've gone from feeling swindled and angry at the original story to now totally enraged. They have made this 1000X worse in my opinion. I hope every pitcher throws at those assholes' heads.

Stark:

Are the Astros ready for the onslaught?
As part of this survey, we asked our panelists to name the spring stories that intrigued them most. You’ll never, ever guess the first thing we learned: That those 2020 Houston Astros haven’t begun to grasp the fury, the questions, the boos or the derision that’s about to descend upon them. Here’s just a sampling of the answers in the category of “Most Intriguing American League Storyline.”

• “Come on, man. Isn’t it kind of obvious what the biggest story in the American League is going to be — all year?”

• “Was there any other story this winter besides sign-stealing?”

• “Are opposing teams actually going to throw at the Astros all the time? This seems scary.”

• “I don’t think the Astros thing is over. I still think there is something out there where someone is going to start chirping about things they know.”

And on and on and on. On one hand, we wonder: How will these guys answer the questions that are about to start spewing at them? Will they answer them at all? Do they understand that those questions are never going to stop, even if they say stuff like: “We’re only going to talk about this one time?”

Are they ready for that daily soundtrack of fans banging on trash cans in the stands? Do they understand there is now a dark shadow over everything they’ve accomplished — and it’s possible that shadow will follow them for years? Have they grasped how many people have already consigned them to the Cheaters Hall of Fame, right there alongside Lance Armstrong, the old Soviet Olympic teams and Tonya Harding?

But on the other hand, how long will it take for the rest of us to be able to put this aside and focus on anything else? As one NL exec put it, the story of this offseason should have been the wild, hyperactive free-agent market and the refreshing sight of so many mid-market teams trying to win. Instead, the Astros turned into the baseball eclipse that blotted out all other stories.

“It all got overshadowed by the Astros,” that exec said. “It was such a black eye for baseball and such a PR hit for baseball that we couldn’t really celebrate an offseason that both sides should be celebrating.”

I didn't even bother watching or listening. I already knew it would be a PR-heavy script and not a one of the players or executives involved would admit any wrongdoing and instead would say that Manfred said it all. Simply put, not one opposing player is buying that line of shit and someone wearing an Astro uniform is going to get hurt and hurt bad because not every pitcher has perfect control. That is all on Manfred's head for not making an example of the players involved. The really sad part is that a pitcher and manager, let's say Bob Melvin and Sean Manaea, just to pick two names, will get a two week suspension when Manaea drills George Springer. All of this could be avoided if Manfred had a set of balls and a backbone.

I love when people use the word cretin. It sounds so much better than moron or imbecile. My father imbued me with that word because he said the world is full of cretins who think the word is a complement.

TOR C Reese McGuire is apparently not good at load management. I’m not going to link the story. You’re going to have fun looking it up.

Wow.

I read that story yesterday and I thought back to Super Troopers when Mac is working his wrist while staring at the sign for the casino.

Sour Grapes from Red Sox assholes.

Another reason to add why I don’t watch podcasts. Lol

A couple of broke losers who make less money than a tree trimmer does are popping off. I love it. Podcast guy for the most part is below the poverty line and are doing it out of their basement.

Ummm...I just started a baseball podcast with a friend. And as you know, we don’t have basements in SoCal. So...there!

That’s why I used “For the most part.” I would never include Dodger podcasts in this putrid group.

I know what you said, I was just trying to make a joke out of it. The people who ask me what's next on my RE development projects I tell them I've made the switch to being an internationally recognized baseball podcaster . which gets "that" look.

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After watching the Astros press conference I will say that I no longer want them to vacate their world series title. I no longer want the players to be punished. No, I've turned over a new leaf. The new me is looking for something else to rectify this situation. I think after their display today that the Astros should be contracted immediately. They should just no longer exist. MLB needs to get to work fixing the schedule for this year with one less team - or just give a forfeit for all of their games if that is the only way. But they need to be gone. We can't punish the players so they get a year of vactaion paid by Crane, yes he still has to meet his payroll requirements this year despite no longer owning a team. And next year we can have an expansion draft for the new team in say Montreal, and following that all Astros players and prospects will be available in their own draft.

Of course this can't happen. But at this point it's the only thing I can think of that would let me get over this...and that's really only because with this solution I wouldn't have to see or hear them for the rest of the year and their owner would be out of baseball.