Tag Archives: Baseball

Baseball fans are mostly OK with the idea of robot umps

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So says a poll, so it must be true. MLB fans, it may be time to welcome your robot overlords. Baseball is known for its long-standing traditions, unwritten rules about players’ on-field conduct and a fan base that skews older … Continue reading →

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Rob Manfred speaks

Posted on July 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

About the Astros and other things. When it comes to the Astros’ sign-stealing saga and its aftermath, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred does have one big regret. Was it his non-punishment of any individual players or granting immunity to … Continue reading →

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“Significant” suspension expected for Deshaun Watson

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I should think so. The NFL will argue that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson should receive a “significant” suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, multiple people familiar with the case said Friday. The league “probably” will seek a … Continue reading →

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We finally see that Manfred letter to the Yankees

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron headline is blaring, but I kind of think we already knew most of this stuff. Major League Baseball fined the New York Yankees $100,000 in 2017 for using their replay room and dugout phone to steal their opponent’s … Continue reading →

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Courts keep turning the Yankees down

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Time to give up and move on, y’all. The New York Yankees keep taking losses in court. A federal appeals court has denied the team’s latest attempt to keep a 2017 letter from Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred detailing … Continue reading →

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JC Hartman

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good column from Jerome Solomon about the first Black baseball player for the Astros, who were still the Colt 45s at the time. You have probably never heard of many of the first Blacks to play modern-day baseball for franchises. … Continue reading →

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MLB unveils a technical fix for sign stealing

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I like this. Pitchers and catchers will have the option of shaking off the traditional means of communicating between pitches during the upcoming Major League season. MLB informed clubs in a memo today that it is moving forward with regular-season … Continue reading →

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Do tell, Chris

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. A rival of the Astros during their current run as a Major League Baseball power said Houston wasn’t the only team that’s resorted to cheating. Red Sox lefthander Chris Sale, who pitched … Continue reading →

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Carlos Beltrán speaks about sign stealing

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Carlos Beltrán, the venerated designated hitter painted by Major League Baseball as a ringleader of Houston’s electronic sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 season, said this week he “wished somebody would’ve said something” and stopped the trashcan banging scheme. … Continue reading →

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Yankees still fighting to keep that MLB letter under wraps

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, it can’t hurt to ask. The New York Yankees plan to continue to fight the unsealing of a letter from MLB detailing alleged sign-stealing by the organization. The Athletic, citing a source with knowledge of the team’s plans, reported … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds ruling to unseal MLB’s 2017 letter on sign stealing

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Look, if you’re going to follow a weird story, you’ve got to stay committed to following that weird story. A September 2017 letter from Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred detailing alleged sign-stealing by the New York Yankees should be … Continue reading →

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MLB’s Canadian conundrum

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an interesting wrinkle to the recently-resolved MLB lockout. With the Major League Baseball season set to start, unvaccinated players will once again need to sit out series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Players who haven’t been … Continue reading →

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MLB ends its lockout

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One small bit of good news. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association reached a tentative agreement on a new collective-bargaining agreement Thursday, ending the league’s 99-day lockout of the players and salvaging a 162-game season, sources familiar with … Continue reading →

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David Ortiz elected to MLB Hall of Fame

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Big Papi. With the process still tainted by the steroid era, David Ortiz was the lone player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, while others like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were shut out. “Big Papi” … Continue reading →

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They’re the Space Cowboys

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Bet you weren’t ready for that. You can call them the Space Cowboys. That’s the name the Astros have picked in their rebranding of the Sugar Land Skeeters, the team’s Class AAA affiliate. The official announcement will come on Jan. 29 … Continue reading →

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MLB Hall of Fame rights a couple of wrongs

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Buck O’Neil and Minnie Minoso, and the four other new Hall members. Six candidates earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday via the Eras Committee process, it was announced today on MLB Network. Gil Hodges, … Continue reading →

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The Hall of Fame 2022 ballot

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Should be another interesting year. The ballot for the 2022 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame class was released Monday. The 30-player ballot is headlined by some huge names in their 10th and final year on the ballot — Curt Schilling, … Continue reading →

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On Rice and the AAC

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a great move for Rice. It also means they will need to step it up in men’s athletics. On the job a few months in early 2014, Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard met with alumni at a fundraiser in … Continue reading →

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Astros reach settlement with the family of the girl hit by the foul ball

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some closure to a tough story. The family of a girl struck by a foul ball at Minute Maid Park during the 2019 season has reached a confidential settlement with the Astros, the family’s attorney said Friday afternoon. Because the … Continue reading →

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Astros again seek to dismiss Bolsinger lawsuit

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They will probably succeed. The Astros have submitted their proposal for a Harris County judge to dismiss former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Mike Bolsinger’s lawsuit against the team. Bolsinger has alleged trade misappropriation and sought more than $1 million in … Continue reading →

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Will MLB come to Central Texas?

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Drayton McLane thinks it might. Drayton McLane, who knows a thing or two about the subject, believes Central Texas is closing in on being able to support its own Major League Baseball team. That pronouncement might lead you to wonder … Continue reading →

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Former MLB pitcher re-files lawsuit against Astros

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the second attempt to sue them for damages over the sign stealing scheme from 2017. Continuing to maintain that the Astros’ 2017 sign stealing cost him a job in the major leagues, former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mike Bolsinger … Continue reading →

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Leave me out of the ballgame

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a snowflake. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced he would not throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Texas Rangers’ home opening game and would boycott any other Major League Baseball events, citing the league’s decision to pull … Continue reading →

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MLB pulls 2021 All Star Game out of Georgia

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Well, well, well. Major League Baseball on Friday pulled this year’s All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s new restrictive voting law. The “Midsummer Classic” was set for July 13 at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, in addition to other … Continue reading →

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Astros aim for half-full

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

To start out with. The Astros are expanding their previously planned attendance numbers at Minute Maid Park to start the regular season but will not exceed 50 percent capacity during April, senior vice president for communication and marketing Anita Sehgal … Continue reading →

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Take me out to the ballgame?

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready for this. The Texas Rangers plan to open Globe Life Field to a full-capacity crowd of 40,518 for their final two exhibition games and their regular-season home opener on April 5. … Continue reading →

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Luhnow lawsuit dismissed

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing left to litigate about, apparently. Former Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow’s lawsuit against the ballclub was dismissed on Friday after both parties “resolved their differences,” severing the final tie between the team and its most successful executive in history. … Continue reading →

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MLB deadens its balls

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wait, that sounds wrong. Major League Baseball has slightly deadened its baseballs amid a years-long surge in home runs, a source confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday. MLB anticipates the changes will be subtle, and a memo to teams … Continue reading →

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Will Spring Training start on time?

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, maybe not. Less than a month before pitchers and catchers are set to report, the Cactus League released a letter it sent to Major League Baseball in which it called for spring training to be delayed, a move it … Continue reading →

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No Hall of Famers this year

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Better luck next year. On Tuesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America revealed the 2021 Hall of Fame voting results. No players appeared on at least 75 percent of this year’s ballots, meaning no one will earn induction through the … Continue reading →

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MLB recognizes Negro Leagues as official major leagues

Posted on December 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

A long time coming. Major League Baseball has long celebrated the legacy of the Negro Leagues. But for the first time, MLB is officially recognizing that the quality of the segregation-era circuits was comparable to its own product from that … Continue reading →

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The Cleveland Baseball Team

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Major League Baseball team in Cleveland will get a new name. Cleveland’s Major League Baseball franchise has decided to change its team name, moving away from the Indians moniker it has employed for more than 100 years and that … Continue reading →

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The Hall of Fame 2021 ballot

Posted on November 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Always a favorite time of the year. While the 2021 ballot announced Monday features former All-Stars such as Torii Hunter, Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle and Barry Zito, none of its first-timers is an obvious Hall of Famer. The crowded crush … Continue reading →

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More on the Luhnow lawsuit

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because I now have the brain space to think about stuff like this again. While baseball fans and courtroom voyeurs might long for a public legal showdown between Astros owner Jim Crane and former general manager Jeff Luhnow, attorneys say … Continue reading →

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