LA Dodgers Should Revolt After MLB Lets Astros Keep World Series Title

MLB allowed the Houston Astros to keep their title despite finding they cheated during the 2017 season, which was capped with a World Series victory over the LA Dodgers.

Monday afternoon Major League Baseball announced its punishment for the Houston Astros stemming from the electronic sign-stealing system that began in 2017 and included postseason play.

“Notwithstanding the publicity surrounding the Red Sox incident, and the September 15th memorandum that I sent to all Clubs, the Astros continued to both utilize the replay review room and the monitor located next to the dugout to decode signs for the remainder of the regular season and throughout the Postseason,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred noted in his findings.

As a result, Astros general manager and head of baseball operations Jeffrey Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were suspended for a year, the team was fined $5 million dollars, and the team lost their first- and second -round draft picks for the years 2020 and 2021.

Later Monday, Astros owner Jim Crane fired both Luhnow and Hinch and promised to create a clean slate in the baseball operations department.

While the media considered this a hammering of the team, more like-minded opinions began to trickle out that perhaps the punishment was too lenient. It should be pointed out the Astros did not have to vacate their 2017 World Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers nor were any players punished in any form.

Dodgers ownership was immediately muzzled by MLB as shown by this statement:

“Cry havoc…and let slip the dogs of war”-Billy Shakes

With the fine being essentially a slap on the wrist that won’t deter anyone and MLB willingly sweeping it under the rug by telling their owners to “shut up” let this writer (super biased Dodgers fan alert) be the first to advocate that Dodgers owners declare war on MLB.

Outspend Everyone into Oblivion

With an $8 billion dollar TV package and an ownership group that controls assets that far exceed the budgets of some governments, the Dodgers ownership has the ability to outspend all but the New York Yankees many times over and create enough imbalance to wreck baseball’s facade of competitive balance.

It’s a facade because ownership groups are willing to collude to keep free agency down if the Dodgers actually used their immense wealth they could make MLB pay for such a weak punishment.

Never Listen to the Commissioner Again

The Dodgers need to just go rogue and blow off Manfred and whatever troika follows his rules and laws. They should say screw the gag order and let loose their tongues if the most a team will get fined is billionaire pocket change then say whatever you want Dodgers.

Nuclear Option: Sue

The Dodgers should just participate in America’s other famous pastime and start litigation proceedings. Sue MLB, Manfred, Crane and anyone else involved in cheating during the 2017 World Series.

Turn MLB upside down make them open up their books and proceedings and embarrass them for handing out such a weak half-handed punishment. If MLB is too stupid or too corrupt to really put the screws to the Astros then pencil pushers like Manfred should have to admit to the public and the system should be brought down.

Reality Check

This writer is not naive enough to believe the Dodgers will do anything, they’re a corporate entity that only cares about the bottom line and would not take on their fellow owners. They care more about the profits than the average fan who still can’t watch them in their own home. Revolting against the cartel they themselves profit from isn’t worth it to them.

But just because the Dodgers wouldn’t, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. Letting the Astros continue to call themselves 2017 World Series Champions is a travesty of justice, and that means the Dodgers should go to war.