Players Accused of Ball Doctoring

RubinRock · Jan 8, 2021

Ex-Angels employee names players who used his ball-doctoring substance

A former Los Angeles Angels visiting clubhouse manager filed an opposition Thursday to a legal motion by the team and Major League Baseball for trying to dismiss a defamation complaint surrounding his March 2020 firing, according to court documents obtained by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles...

www.thescore.com

While hearing pitchers use foreign substances isn't ground breaking, its still sorta big news to have some big time pitchers linked to it. Personally, my thoughts are this:

1. MLB has to do something. Whether its just legalize the use of grips, or start cracking down on it. You can't just keep ignoring it and pretending the rest of the world doesn't know what's going on.

2. It's pretty fucked up to use this one guy as a scapegoat. If its true the mlb has evidence of certain players doing it, its a bad look once again for mlb. Obviously, it wants to protect its players blaming everything on one guy and letting everyone else walk is all kinds of fucked.

3. Hopefully this ex-angels employee doesn't get a dime. He's claiming that because of this, he won't ever be able to land a job in baseball again. Well no shit man. You were aiding the other teams. Being a traitor is a lot worse than being a cheater. This is Mike Fiers level of shit.

4. Back to point 1. Mlb will continue to ignore it and pretend the rest of the world doesn't know what's going on.

Guy Incognito · Jan 8, 2021

The horse is pretty much out of the barn at this point. If they suddenly want guys throwing 98+ to stop being able to grip the ball, they'll wind up with a rash of HBPs and injuries.

They should just try to make a substance that enhances grip while hopefully limiting additional effects on the ball once it's been pitched, make that legal, and ban everything else.

RubinRock · Jan 8, 2021

Guy Incognito said:
The horse is pretty much out of the barn at this point. If they suddenly want guys throwing 98+ to stop being able to grip the ball, they'll wind up with a rash of HBPs and injuries.

They should just try to make a substance that enhances grip while hopefully limiting additional effects on the ball once it's been pitched, make that legal, and ban everything else.

Agreed with just letting them use substances. Hitters got juiced balls. Let pitchers get their substances. Not sure you will be able to make a substance that just gives them better grip without effect on the ball. The better the grip, the better the spin rate, the better the movement. Just look at Bauer. The dude has basically alluded that he has used substances this year to ridiculously improve his spin rate.

And if they were able to make something that doesn't effect the ball once its pitched, players would still be looking at ways to cheat and find ways to hide something that would help. And if mlb isn't willing to stop this situation now, does anyone really think they would in the future?

Clay Buchholtz spent a decade running his hand thru his disgusting greasy hair after every pitch with everyone knowing what he was doing. Only time I can really remember someone getting in trouble was Pineda

Voltaire · Jan 8, 2021

RubinRock said:
Ex-Angels employee names players who used his ball-doctoring substance

A former Los Angeles Angels visiting clubhouse manager filed an opposition Thursday to a legal motion by the team and Major League Baseball for trying to dismiss a defamation complaint surrounding his March 2020 firing, according to court documents obtained by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles...

www.thescore.com

While hearing pitchers use foreign substances isn't ground breaking, its still sorta big news to have some big time pitchers linked to it. Personally, my thoughts are this:

1. MLB has to do something. Whether its just legalize the use of grips, or start cracking down on it. You can't just keep ignoring it and pretending the rest of the world doesn't know what's going on.

2. It's pretty fucked up to use this one guy as a scapegoat. If its true the mlb has evidence of certain players doing it, its a bad look once again for mlb. Obviously, it wants to protect its players blaming everything on one guy and letting everyone else walk is all kinds of fucked.

3. Hopefully this ex-angels employee doesn't get a dime. He's claiming that because of this, he won't ever be able to land a job in baseball again. Well no shit man. You were aiding the other teams. Being a traitor is a lot worse than being a cheater. This is Mike Fiers level of shit.

4. Back to point 1. Mlb will continue to ignore it and pretend the rest of the world doesn't know what's going on.

Guy Incognito · Jan 8, 2021

RubinRock said:
Agreed with just letting them use substances. Hitters got juiced balls. Let pitchers get their substances. Not sure you will be able to make a substance that just gives them better grip without effect on the ball. The better the grip, the better the spin rate, the better the movement. Just look at Bauer. The dude has basically alluded that he has used substances this year to ridiculously improve his spin rate.

And if they were able to make something that doesn't effect the ball once its pitched, players would still be looking at ways to cheat and find ways to hide something that would help. And if mlb isn't willing to stop this situation now, does anyone really think they would in the future?

Clay Buchholtz spent a decade running his hand thru his disgusting greasy hair after every pitch with everyone knowing what he was doing. Only time I can really remember someone getting in trouble was Pineda

I think if they say "You can use substance x", and they're actually checking the balls, they could do something to monitor who is or isn't using too much or using something else.

And it might take a year or two to get people on board, and there's always going to be pitchers trying to cheat. We wouldn't be having this discussion right now if pitchers weren't already flouting the rules.

Let this clubbie sell his stuff to anyone. Let that be the one substance pitchers are allowed to use, and figure out an acceptable amount to use.

wazzu31 · Jan 9, 2021

If batters get juiced balls and get to wear padding going up to bat where they can crowd the plate why is it bad to use substances that allows for greater spin rate or break on the baseball? There are lines you can’t cross like using too much mud or clay to make the ball impossible to see but it doesn’t make sense to keep outlawing substances on baseballs unless there is a safety issue which is the only time they need to change rules in the sport.

Mofo · Jan 10, 2021

RubinRock said:
Ex-Angels employee names players who used his ball-doctoring substance

A former Los Angeles Angels visiting clubhouse manager filed an opposition Thursday to a legal motion by the team and Major League Baseball for trying to dismiss a defamation complaint surrounding his March 2020 firing, according to court documents obtained by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles...

www.thescore.com

While hearing pitchers use foreign substances isn't ground breaking, its still sorta big news to have some big time pitchers linked to it. Personally, my thoughts are this:

1. MLB has to do something. Whether its just legalize the use of grips, or start cracking down on it. You can't just keep ignoring it and pretending the rest of the world doesn't know what's going on.

2. It's pretty fucked up to use this one guy as a scapegoat. If its true the mlb has evidence of certain players doing it, its a bad look once again for mlb. Obviously, it wants to protect its players blaming everything on one guy and letting everyone else walk is all kinds of fucked.

3. Hopefully this ex-angels employee doesn't get a dime. He's claiming that because of this, he won't ever be able to land a job in baseball again. Well no shit man. You were aiding the other teams. Being a traitor is a lot worse than being a cheater. This is Mike Fiers level of shit.

4. Back to point 1. Mlb will continue to ignore it and pretend the rest of the world doesn't know what's going on.

Investigate the claim. If it has merit, then crack down on it during games with pitchers getting thrown out / suspended, if discovered. If the claim is baseless, then sue this guy into oblivion.