From the Boston Globe:
"The Red Sox and former manager Alex Cora learned their punishments on Wednesday resulting from an investigation by Major League Baseball into allegations of illegal sign stealing.
"Cora was suspended from MLB for one year for his conduct while serving as bench coach of the Houston Astros in 2017.
"In addition, the Red Sox lose a second-round pick in this year’s draft, and replay operator J.T. Watkins has been banned through 2020 and cannot return to his job in 2021. The team was not fined."
According to the story, "The report says commissioner Rob Manfred’s investigative team found that Watkins, 'on at least some occasions' during the 2018 season, violated MLB’s rules surrounding the use of game feeds in the replay room. Watkins used the feeds to update the information he usually gave to players before the game.
"The report essentially exonerates Cora, saying that he – along with the rest of the coaching staff, the front office, and most of the players – weren’t aware of Watkins’ use of in-game video."
- KC's View:
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I don't mean to be cynical here … but let me get this straight. Cora was one of the main guys behind the electronic stealing of signs when he was a coach in Houston, but he knew nothing about it when it was happening while he was manager of the Red Sox?
Really?
Is it just me, or does this seem to stretch credibility a bit?
Blaming the video operator sounds vaguely like the Patriots blaming the guys responsible for inflating the footballs - and doing to the team's advantage - when that scandal broke a few years ago.
Thought I hate to be cynical here…
