GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 28: Carl Crawford #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers poses for a portrait during spring training photo day at Camelback Ranch on February 28, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images)
Earlier this year, Major League Baseball revealed that the Houston Astros illegally used a camera system to steal signs during the 2017 regular season and postseason, during which they won the World Series, as well as in part of the 2018 season.
As punishment, the Astros were fined $5 million and forfeited their first and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts and Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager A. J. Hinch were suspended for the entire 2020 season for failing to prevent it.
The Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 in the 2017 World Series. “I’m from Houston so you always root for the Houston teams and you know, the integrity of the game was always at stake,” former Los Angeles Dodger, Carl Crawford told me while on the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show.
“So, when I saw the cheating scandal I saw that they proved it I said: ‘This might rank up there with the Black Sox or something one day…’ There were no fans this year so you couldn’t really see but I think they would’ve gotten booed in every city this year, you know?
“But it’s unfortunate that they got caught doing it and I’m hoping that they win again this year so that there wouldn’t be any excuses there for ‘em or whatever because that’s what you have to do is win again but, it’s a stain that’s always going to be there, it’s never going to go away and they’re going to just have to figure out a way to move on and try to win another one without that scandal. But definitely that’s a black eye on the organization and I’m just sad that it’s my hometown that got it, you know?”
Earlier this year, Los Angeles Lakers legend and partial Dodgers owner, Magic Johnson told me back in February that he wasn’t pleased. “We just want a level playing field,” he said.
“We didn’t get that. So I was really disappointed not because I’m the owner, but I was disappointed for my players. Because they deserved — everything needed to be equal, and it wasn’t and we feel that that’s the reason they won the World Series so, no I’m not happy.”
The Dodgers are again in the World Series. They’ll play the Tampa Bay Rays.
Will a Dodgers win this year become poetic justice? “I mean, I guess,” said Carl Crawford.
“The Dodgers have been trying to win for a while. I guess winning is always a redemption for people or whatnot. But we’ll have to see. Tampa looks scrappy so they better hope that they can beat ‘em.
“I mean, you would think that the Dodgers would win; they have all the firepower but, you never know about those scrappy Rays… I don’t know. I think it’ll go about six games. I say the Dodgers in six.”