Sports

There Might Not Be Crying In Baseball. But What About Cheating?

WAMU 88.5 | By Héctor Alejandro Arzate, Gabrielle Healy

Published February 3, 2020 at 2:09 PM CST

Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros hits a three-run home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Here is a video.

These are collected highlights from a2017 Houston Astros game, and if you listen carefully, you may hear a “thunk thunk” noise. And by now you may have heard about why that sound has attracted so much attention.

Late last year, Major League Baseball confirmed that the Astros electronically stole signs via cameras and video monitors. That means the team illegally recorded the signs a pitcher and catcher on opposing teams communicated to each other, and then told their batter about it – through that “thunk thunk” sound.

The repercussions have been swift: three managers and one general manager are out of a job — including two who didn’t work for the Astros anymore, Alex Cora, formerly of the Boston Red Sox and Carlos Beltran, formerly of the Mets.

And in the report that broke the story about the Astros, The Athletic made it plain that it wasn’t just about one baseball team.

They wrote, “illegal sign stealing, particularly through advanced technology, is everywhere.”

Cheating certainly isn’t limited to baseball. We all remember Deflategate, for example.How does history remember cheaters? If everyone is doing it…does it still matter if you’re not playing by the rules?

We hear from a reporter, a columnist — and a dedicated Astros fan.