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Manfred knew the game had entered a new era with the explosion of technology. On Sept. 15, 2017, in his statement announcing his fines of the Red Sox and Yankees, Manfred admitted “the prevalence of technology, especially the technology used in the replay process, has made it increasingly difficult to monitor appropriate and inappropriate uses of electronic equipment.”
He drew a line in the sand: “All 30 clubs have been notified that future violations of this type will be subject to more serious sanctions, including the possible loss of draft picks.”
Manfred explained, “When I did the fines with the Yankees and the Red Sox it was wholly out of whack with fines of the past and I knew it was thin soup at the time, which is why I wrote the thing the way that I did. Just stop. You have to stop. I think you know how clubs are about [draft] picks. That’s why I explicitly mentioned draft picks.”
Just six days after Manfred dropped his warning, the Astros used their trash can system against the Chicago White Sox, according to video and audio from the game. The moment Houston violated the commissioner’s Sept. 15 warning is the moment the Astros became subject to severe penalties.
According to two sources familiar with the investigation, Houston did not use the trash can system in the 2017 postseason. Banging on trash cans would be too obvious in the heightened scrutiny of the postseason environment.
Instead, playoff teams in 2017 would have to be more discreet about using technology to steal signs. Paranoia ran deep. By the end of the World Series, which had the sub-context of a sign-stealing competition between the Dodgers and Astros, Manfred knew the Boston scandal was only the tip to a massive iceberg.
According to one baseball source, MLB “spent the entire ’17 postseason running back and forth chasing down allegations about who was stealing signs. Everybody was charging everybody with doing it.”
Manfred doubled down on his warning. On March 27, 2018, under the signature of chief baseball operations officer Joe Torre, Manfred sent a three-page memo to “all club presidents, general managers and assistant general managers” defining the limits of technology. His goal was to remove any ambiguity that may have existed from his Sept. 15 statement.
The 2018 memo stated, “Electronic equipment, including game feeds in the club replay room and/or video room, may never be used during a game for the purpose of stealing the opposing team’s signs.”
In boldface the memo emphasized, “To be clear, the use of any equipment in the clubhouse or in the club’s replay or video rooms to decode opposing signs during the game violates this regulation.”
Said Manfred, “The way I read what I wrote was that there was going to be club responsibility and the people most able to control what was going on were field managers and general managers and it was their responsibility to make sure things were done correctly. Management has certain rights. They also have certain responsibilities.
“We made a decision in the 2017-18 offseason to draw the line.”
Still, the paranoia about cheating continued. Baseball announced that before the 2018 postseason “a number of clubs called the commissioner’s office about sign stealing and the inappropriate use of video equipment.” The charges came against “a number of clubs.” In February 2019 Manfred responded with stronger protocols against the misuse of technology, including banning all non-network cameras from foul pole to foul pole and placing all clubhouse and bullpen monitors on an eight-second delay.
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Astros cheating scandal had to result in historic punishment - Sports Illustrated
Manfred knew the game had entered a new era with the explosion of technology. On Sept. 15, 2017, in his statement announcing his fines of the Red Sox and Yankees, Manfred admitted “the prevalence of technology, especially the technology used in the replay process, has made it increasingly difficult to monitor appropriate and inappropriate uses of electronic equipment.”
He drew a line in the sand: “All 30 clubs have been notified that future violations of this type will be subject to more serious sanctions, including the possible loss of draft picks.”
Manfred explained, “When I did the fines with the Yankees and the Red Sox it was wholly out of whack with fines of the past and I knew it was thin soup at the time, which is why I wrote the thing the way that I did. Just stop. You have to stop. I think you know how clubs are about [draft] picks. That’s why I explicitly mentioned draft picks.”
Just six days after Manfred dropped his warning, the Astros used their trash can system against the Chicago White Sox, according to video and audio from the game. The moment Houston violated the commissioner’s Sept. 15 warning is the moment the Astros became subject to severe penalties.
According to two sources familiar with the investigation, Houston did not use the trash can system in the 2017 postseason. Banging on trash cans would be too obvious in the heightened scrutiny of the postseason environment.
Instead, playoff teams in 2017 would have to be more discreet about using technology to steal signs. Paranoia ran deep. By the end of the World Series, which had the sub-context of a sign-stealing competition between the Dodgers and Astros, Manfred knew the Boston scandal was only the tip to a massive iceberg.
According to one baseball source, MLB “spent the entire ’17 postseason running back and forth chasing down allegations about who was stealing signs. Everybody was charging everybody with doing it.”
Manfred doubled down on his warning. On March 27, 2018, under the signature of chief baseball operations officer Joe Torre, Manfred sent a three-page memo to “all club presidents, general managers and assistant general managers” defining the limits of technology. His goal was to remove any ambiguity that may have existed from his Sept. 15 statement.
The 2018 memo stated, “Electronic equipment, including game feeds in the club replay room and/or video room, may never be used during a game for the purpose of stealing the opposing team’s signs.”
In boldface the memo emphasized, “To be clear, the use of any equipment in the clubhouse or in the club’s replay or video rooms to decode opposing signs during the game violates this regulation.”
Said Manfred, “The way I read what I wrote was that there was going to be club responsibility and the people most able to control what was going on were field managers and general managers and it was their responsibility to make sure things were done correctly. Management has certain rights. They also have certain responsibilities.
“We made a decision in the 2017-18 offseason to draw the line.”
Still, the paranoia about cheating continued. Baseball announced that before the 2018 postseason “a number of clubs called the commissioner’s office about sign stealing and the inappropriate use of video equipment.” The charges came against “a number of clubs.” In February 2019 Manfred responded with stronger protocols against the misuse of technology, including banning all non-network cameras from foul pole to foul pole and placing all clubhouse and bullpen monitors on an eight-second delay.
snip---
Astros cheating scandal had to result in historic punishment - Sports Illustrated
