Tag Archives: Baseball

A few bumps in the road for the NBA

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How’s that season restarting going? A month ago, superstar players got on a Zoom call and reportedly created a united front to support a safe return to play. A lot has changed since. Last week, the 28 NBPA player representatives all voted … Continue reading →

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We’re going to get the default MLB season

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The Major League Baseball Players Association asked MLB to set a schedule for the 2020 season rather than counter the latest return-to-play proposal by the league, setting the stage for MLB to implement a significantly shortened schedule and deepening … Continue reading →

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A twist in the sign stealing story

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how twisted it gets. A federal judge ordered the unsealing of a 2017 letter from Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred to the New York Yankees that, according to court documents, detailed a “more serious, sign-stealing scheme” than … Continue reading →

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NBA sets a plan, MLB still working it out

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Happening today. The NBA is finalizing details of a plan which is expected to be approved by the league’s Board of Governors on Thursday, paving the way for a return from the coronavirus shutdown. The board is poised to give … Continue reading →

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MLB players make their counteroffer

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Back to the owners. The Major League Baseball Players Association delivered a return-to-play proposal to MLB on Sunday that includes a 114-game season, deferred salaries in the event of a canceled postseason and the option for all players to opt … Continue reading →

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Reopening 3.0

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants to go to a water park? Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation Tuesday announcing additional services and activities that can resume under his second wave of reopenings, allowing food courts in shopping malls to reopen immediately and giving … Continue reading →

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MLB’s latest startup proposal

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The league still wants to stick it to the players. Major League Baseball drew the ire of the players’ union Tuesday with an economic proposal that called for a significant cut in salaries that would affect all players and particularly … Continue reading →

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The NBA inches closer to a return

Posted on May 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll know more soon. NBA teams are expecting the league office will issue guidelines around June 1 that will allow franchises to start recalling players who’ve left their markets as a first step toward a formal ramp-up for the season’s … Continue reading →

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Arguments due this week in Astros sign stealing lawsuits

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Attorneys will submit written arguments May 25 to a Harris County judge in the Astros’ attempt to dismiss a consolidated lawsuit filed by season ticket holders upset by the 2017-18 electronic sign-stealing scandal. State District Judge Robert … Continue reading →

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Here’s the MLB season-starter proposal

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Make of it what you will. Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday to making a proposal to the players’ union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans, … Continue reading →

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MLB’s restart plan is coming

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready. According to multiple reports, commissioner Rob Manfred will present a blueprint for the season’s resumption during a Monday conference call with league owners. From there, the first formal proposal for a return to play would be given to … Continue reading →

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Hey look, there’s baseball!

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the KBO: Those craving live baseball can soon get a fix. ESPN announced Monday an agreement with Eclat Media Group to televise six live Korean Baseball Organization games per week. KBO Opening Day [was] Tuesday and ESPN [began] … Continue reading →

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How about an Arizona/Florida/Texas plan for MLB?

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Call it the MLB Plan 3.0 for having a season. With the spread of the novel coronavirus threatening Major League Baseball’s 2020 season, the league and the union continue to seek ways to salvage the year as best they can. … Continue reading →

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Manfred finally disciplines the Red Sox for their sign stealing

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the MLB press release, written as a letter from Commissioner Rob Manfred. Executive Summary Following an exhaustive investigation into allegations of improper use of the video replay room by the Boston Red Sox, I have come to the following … Continue reading →

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Whither college football?

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

All NCAA spring sports were canceled due to coronavirus, beginning with March Madness and going through baseball and softball and soccer and everything else. Everyone has been looking forward to the fall when things were supposed to be back to … Continue reading →

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The Arizona/Florida Plan

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s call this the MLB Plan 2.0 for playing a season. Major League Baseball, assessing myriad proposals, has discussed a radical plan that would eliminate the traditional American and National Leagues for 2020, a high-ranking official told USA TODAY Sports, … Continue reading →

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The NBA tries to look forward

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Hope + uncertainty = where we are right now. While expressing a hope that bordered on determination that the NBA would be able to salvage its season in some form, commissioner Adam Silver also said the unknowns in the COVID-19 … Continue reading →

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MLB begins to contemplate its return

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is interesting. Major League Baseball and its players are increasingly focused on a plan that could allow them to start the season as early as May and has the support of high-ranking federal public health officials who believe … Continue reading →

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DraftKings lawsuit tossed

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for the Astros. A federal judge in New York mixed technical points of law with humor and theatrical flourishes in delivering a rousing defeat Friday to a group of baseball daily fantasy players who sued the Astros, Red … Continue reading →

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Won’t you join our lawsuit?

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to keep giving me content for years. After filing two sign stealing-related lawsuits against the Astros on behalf of Houston season-ticket holders, a Corpus Christi law firm is asking Dodgers and Yankees fans who attended 2017 postseason … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit the Astros want tossed

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It was the first one filed against them relating to the banging scheme. The Astros have asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the team, owner Jim Crane and baseball operations employee Derek Vigoa … Continue reading →

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The conditions under which baseball can return

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

If coronavirus cooperates. Cross your fingers and hope for the best. Major League Baseball owners have approved a plan to address salary and service-time issues amid the indefinite delay to the start of the regular season, according to ESPN and … Continue reading →

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Astros move to dismiss season ticket holder lawsuits

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

How about some non-coronavirus baseball-related news? I got some for ya. The Astros have asked Harris County district judges to dismiss the three lawsuits filed against the ballclub by ticketholders who claim they were defrauded by the sign-stealing scandal in … Continue reading →

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Further delay for Opening Day

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Mid-May at the most optimistic, and that’s very likely too soon. Major League Baseball pushed back opening day until mid-May at the earliest on Monday because of the new coronavirus after the federal government recommended restricting events of more than … Continue reading →

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Let’s not play ball

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not just yet, anyway. Major League Baseball has cancelled the remainder of its Spring Training games, also announcing that the start of the 2020 regular season will be delayed by at least two weeks due to the national emergency created … Continue reading →

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MLB, Astros, Red Sox respond to DraftKings lawsuit over sign stealing

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s motion to dismiss time. As baseball’s electronic sign-stealing case joins the long list of sports-related court cases, attorneys for the the Astros, Red Sox and Major League Baseball all say that while fantasy sports bettors may be angered by … Continue reading →

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More Astros lawsuits

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This one was filed by a dissatisfied customer. An Astros season ticket holder has filed suit in Harris County District Court against the ballclub, accusing the team of negligence, breach of contract and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices … Continue reading →

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Astros offer an apology

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes for them. Astros players issued their first public apology after being involved in a cheating scandal that rocked baseball in the offseason. “I am really sorry about the choices that were made by my team … Continue reading →

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Former MLB pitcher sues Astros

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. A pitcher who has not appeared in a major league game since getting shelled by the 2017 Houston Astros filed a civil lawsuit against the ballclub on Monday, according to USA Today. In the filing made … Continue reading →

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“You guys Codebreaking?”

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You thought the Astros sign stealing saga was over? It’s not over. Roughly four weeks ago, Major League Baseball disciplined the Houston Astros for what commissioner Rob Manfred called the “banging scheme.” The Astros were busted illegally stealing signs in 2017 and 2018. The … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over sign stealing effect on fantasy baseball

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Major League Baseball (MLB) teams secretly distorted player statistics and deprived fans of an “honest fantasy baseball competition,” a lawsuit filed by a fan alleges in the fallout to a sign-stealing scandal involving the Houston … Continue reading →

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Documenting the bangs

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You have to admire the dedication to craft. Like so many in Houston, Tony Adams and his family had to flee their inner-Loop home when Hurricane Harvey pushed Houston’s bayous out of their banks in August 2017. Weeks later, Adams … Continue reading →

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We have an Astros apology

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From a former player, not a current player. It’s still something. Twelve days later, an apology appeared on the south side of Chicago, from a bearded face that was constant throughout the Astros’ now-ruined renaissance. “Was it against the rules? … Continue reading →

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Is there an Astros apology coming?

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. A “strong statement” of apology could be forthcoming from the Astros players involved in electronic sign-stealing during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, owner Jim Crane said Tuesday. In response to interviews given by Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman on … Continue reading →

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