Is Adam Ottavino correct about the Astros and MLB?
You may have thought that the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal was going away for a while. Well, it did, and now it’s back.
On the “No-Sports Report” podcast on Wednesday, Adam Ottavino vocally expressed that the Astros are benefitting from no baseball being played due to the lack of fans in the stands.
“I think that once the season started, they were going to be in for a lot of hatred from fans around the country,” he said. “So to me, I think this is helping them, especially when they come back there are definitely not going to be any fans in the stands.”
The Astros were the subject of controversy during the off-season after they were found guilty of using video cameras and monitors to steal the signs of opposing catchers, resulting in the firing and suspension of both manager AJ Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow.
But is Ottavino correct about his statements regarding the Astros? Not exactly.
For starters, many baseball fans around the country are furious with what the Astros did. Although they may not be able to express their opinions at baseball stadiums now, they will still remember this controversy next season. The Astros will play 81 road games next season, and all of them will be the same; full of anger from the home crowd.
Even if crowds will be allowed to games at some point during this season, it will be at 50 percent capacity or less. The atmosphere of a nearly full crowd will not be the same as just a handful of fans.
In the short-term, Ottavino is correct. Players will not be able to hear the full rupture of the fans’ unappreciation until next season. But for the long-term, Ottavino is wrong. The fans will be sure to let the Astros know that they do not accept cheating in baseball.
