The city of Houston has endured quite a stressful week.
The Houston Astros were disciplined harshly for their cheating in the 2017 season, including the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Following that news, the Boston Red Sox were also tagged with the “cheaters” label after the investigation showed they also used technology to steal signs from opposing clubs, and obtain an unfair advantage during the 2018 season.
If you ask Dodgers fans, their week is monumentally worse.
The Astros fired manager AJ Hench and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired, the Astros were fined $5M and lost their first two rounds of draft picks for the next two years. It all sounds incredibly harsh, and the penalties are unprecedented. However, the question remains on if Bob Manfred did enough to offset the damage done.
The Dodgers fans are no doubt justified in being the most frustrated and angered over these facts coming to light. Clayton Kershaw himself would have a completely different narrative about his postseason career if the Astros played by the same rules.
Let’s get one thing straight: Manfred did not want to tangle with the players union in trying to punish the figures who facilitated the actual cheating.
Managers and front office personnel are not covered by the union, only the players have that luxury. If Manfred really wanted to go after everyone, this would have drug out for many years, something he was not willing, or able, to do. I believe he wanted this wrapped up clean, quickly, and without much friction or push back. Thus, the players were nearly untouchable.
The mention that the commissioner should strip titles from both the Red Sox and the Astros is an understandable stance to have, but it won’t do any good. Nor should they be awarded to the Dodgers. If anything, the 2017 and 2018 titles could be vacated, much like the punishments the NCAA hands down to champions.
This is a tough pill to swallow if you’re a Dodgers fan. A championship starved fan base, one of the most celebrated franchises in all of the sports was robbed two years in a row. In the eyes of Dodgers nation, Bob Manfred cannot punish the Astros or Red Sox enough.
Featured Image: Seth Wenig/Associated Press
