Astros Give First Legal Response to Cheating Scandal Lawsuit
By Mark Powell
While the Houston Astros would rather us move on and forget about their sign-stealing ways in the 2017 World Series (and perhaps beyond), that's not how the mainstream media cycle works these days. The average MLB fan will not simply forgive the Astros for their wrongdoings, and some have even taken things a step further.
Along with former MLB pitcher Mike Bolsinger, Daily Fantasy players are suing Houston, and even mentioned Major League Baseball and the Boston Red Sox in their lawsuit. Houston, however, remains the main culprit.
The Astros' 1st legal response has come 2 a cheating scandal lawsuit; the team argues cheating is part of the game, and, the team hit better on the road in '17 than at home. My look at the filing (MLB and the Red Sox also responded in separate replies)https://t.co/b72McM9EhT
— Daniel Kaplan (@KaplanSportsBiz) February 24, 2020
The Astros response, on the surface, is a little contradictory. First, Houston claims that cheating is merely a part of sports -- something that should be taken into account even in gambling. However, later in their statement, the Astros also try to minimize the role sign-stealing played in their World Series run.
“It is well established…that attendees or viewers at sporting events have no express or implied right to an event free of penalties, undisclosed injuries, rules violations, cheating, or similar conduct, and claims asserting such a right have been repeatedly dismissed,” the team’s legal brief said. “Even accepting the Complaint’s allegations as true, the alleged sign-stealing does not in itself render false any statement about the team’s strengths and successes."
The Astros' legal team then goes to the statistics, using very basic home vs. road splits to minimize the impact their sign-stealing means might've had on everyday DFS players.
Viewers of sporting events typically have no legal claims against teams for rules violations.
— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) February 24, 2020
That & other grounds are presented in #Astros motion to dismiss case brought by DraftKings user. Accurately notes that cheating is irrelevant to goal of scoring most fantasy points. pic.twitter.com/A1A7QgfWqk
“In 2017, for example, the Astros scored 395 runs at home (4.88 runs per game), while scoring 501 runs on the road (6.19 runs per game). In addition, the Astros hit 115 home runs while at home, yet were able to hit 123 home runs on the road. Furthermore, the Astros’ batting average improved from .279 at home to .284 on the road,” the statement continued.
Surely the likes of Bolsinger and other players have a legitimate gripe in court, but it would seem the Astros have done their homework in hopes of avoiding legal and further financial ramifications for their cheating ways.