TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020 | THEGLOBEANDMAILO B13
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was
forced out of hiding to address the issue.
This is his third or fourth attempt at calm-
ing things down. Each time he talks, they
get worse.
Manfred’s view is that an old fashioned
shunning is worse than any actual sanc-
tion.
“I think if you look at the faces of the
Houston players, as they’ve been out
there publicly addressing this issue, they
have been hurt by this,” Manfred said.
Manfred was less understanding on the
hurt of those who got ripped off by the
Astros’ sign-stealing scheme.
“I hope that I made it extremely clear
to them that retaliation in-game by
throwing at a batter intentionally will not
be tolerated, whether it’s Houston or any-
body else,” Manfred said.
Creating two tiers of law – this is how
you start a revolution.
It’s unlikely this will get totally out of
hand. At field level, baseball’s class system
is flat. There is no aristocracy against
bourgeoisie to drive animus. Everyone in-
volved in this fight is bougie. Class loyalty
will probably be enough to maintain calm
during games, with a few minor erup-
tions.
What’s still to be determined is whether
baseball players have the wherewithal to
take this fight where it belongs – to the
level above them, to ownership.
That’s where this went wrong. Houston
wasn’t punished because baseball isn’t
really a competition between 30 teams.
It’s a monopoly shared by 30 owners.
They’re in it together. Manfred is their em-
ployee. He can punish the hell out of any
player. But an owner? That’s outside his
purview.
Despite huge, initial anger, City’s scan-
dal was instead moving into an adminis-
trative phase.
UEFA is not beholden to any particular
interest. It oversees a couple of dozen
leagues, but doesn’t exercise control. They
run themselves based on UEFA’s (and
FIFA’s) rules. UEFA pays teams to play (in
the Champions League and other tourna-
ments) rather than being paid by them.
The Champions League, the world’s
most popular professional
sporting tournament, is a
stick and a carrot. Once
you’ve qualified for it, you
get cash and credibility. All
that cash and credibility
make next year’s qualifica-
tion more likely, earning you
further cash and credibility.
It’s a virtuous circle.
Remove a team from the
circle and it starts to wither.
Its best players want to
move on. If they can’t, they want more
money, which you no longer have because
you aren’t in the Champions League.
This is a punishment with teeth. People
may not like it, but they respect it.You don’t hear the players doing any
more than pro forma complaining. City
has now put its hope in the Court of Ar-
bitration for Sport, which could overturn
or amend the penalty.
Either way, UEFA’s hands
are clean. It did the right
thing. If a court sees it other-
wise, that’s not on it.
Order has been main-
tained. Future malfeasants
are cowed. Balance has been
restored to the system (until
the next team tries it, which
they most definitely will).
This is how you run a
sports league.
While Major League Base-
ball and its old boys network are watching
their game twist itself into knots for the
next little while, they might want to have
a think on how things always seem to be
better in Europe.Kelly:UEFA’shandsareclean,itmadetherightmoveonCity
FROM B10Houston Astros players take the field during a spring-training workout in West Palm Beach,
Fla., on Monday. The fallout from the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal is mushrooming, Cathal
Kelly writes, with players on other teams in open revolt.RHONAWISE/USATODAYSPORTSHoustonwasn’t
punishedbecause
baseballisn’treally
acompetition
between30teams.
It’samonopoly
sharedby30
owners.ATLANTABraves manager Brian
Snitker and his coaching staff
were given one-year contract
extensions through the 2021
season on Monday.
Atlanta general manager Alex
Anthopoulos was extended for
three years through the 2024
season, and given the additional
title of president of baseball
operations. The Braves have
won back-to-back NL East titles
under Anthopoulos and Snitker.
The 42-year-old Anthopoulos
joined the Braves following the
2017 season after two seasons as
the Los Angeles Dodgers’ vice-
president of baseball operations
and six seasons as the Toronto
Blue Jays’ general manager.
The 64-year-old Snitker led
the Braves to 97 wins last sea-
son. He is entering his fourth
season as manager and his 44th
season in the organization.
THEASSOCIATEDPRESSATLANTABRAVESGIVE
ANTHOPOULOSANDSNITKER
CONTRACTEXTENSIONSC
avan Biggio has never really be-
lieved in the idea of a sophomore
slump.
The Blue Jays’ 24-year-old sec-
ond baseman is too busy preparing for his
second major-league season – and first full
one – to worry about superstitions.
“Have you heard of the Madden Curse? I
think Pat Mahomes didn’t really care too
much about that,” Biggio said Monday, ref-
erencing the star quarterback who ap-
peared on theMadden NFL 20video game
cover and then led Kansas City to a Super
Bowl win this month.
“I don’t worry about those type of things.
I just look forward to dominating each day
and [trying] to get better every day. And
when games start, going out there and
playing the hardest.”
Biggio, who started last year with the tri-
ple-A Buffalo Bisons before debuting with
the Blue Jays in May, learned what it meant
to struggle on baseball’s biggest stage over
his rookie season.
The biggest downside to that, he said,
was feeling like everyone knew about it.
“If you’re struggling in the minor
leagues, you and maybe a couple other
guys on the team know that, but in the big
leagues pretty much everybody knows it –
the whole fan base, the organization – and
there’s a lot of different things that can
creep into your head,” Biggio said at the
team’s spring-training facility.
“But you know, keeping those blinders
on and keeping your head down and work-
ing and trying to get better, it’s really im-
portant not only in the big leagues, but in
this game.”
While Biggio had stretches of offensive
production – he hit 16 homers, 17 doubles
and drove in 48 runs – he also had 123 strike-
outs over 100 games, and periods where he
felt he failed to play up to his own expecta-
tions.
Biggio finished the year with a .234 bat-
ting average, .364 on-base percentage and
.429 slugging percentage.
“You learn how to get through things
like that and I think that’s important in this
game because it’s such a long season,” said
Biggio, adding that there’s more informa-
tion available at the big-league level to help
a struggling player.
“A lot of different things can happen and
[there are] a lot of things you can make ad-
justments on. So yeah, I think it was a valu-
able learning experience.”
Biggio said he also spent a lot of his off-
season improving on his defence, specifi-
cally working on his footwork in an effort to
prevent himself from becoming “stagnant”
in the field.
He said he would sometimes let the ballplay him last season, instead of the other
way around.
“With the work I’ve been able to put in,
it’s just more consistently better footwork
where I’m able to maximize my range and
continue to dominate,” Biggio said. “When
my feet are moving good I feel more confi-
dent, I feel more loose and I’m able to make
more plays.”
Manager Charlie Montoyo believes
Biggio – and the rest of Toronto’s young
stars – will benefit from the months of ex-
perience they gained with the Blue Jays last
season. He said he’s excited about the
youth of the team, centred around a core of
Biggio, shortstop Bo Bichette and third
baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
“I’m looking forward to see the Bos, the
Biggios and Vlads, the Gurriels [Lourdes
Gurriel Jr.] ... having full years, seeing what
they’re going to do this year,” Montoyo said.
Montoyo also expects Biggio to take on
more of a leadership role in 2020 after gain-
ing more familiarity with his teammates
last season. While he sees Bichette as a
lead-by-example type, he views Biggio as
being much more vocal.
“They both play the game the right way,
which is beautiful, that’s part of being a
leader,” Montoyo said. “But Biggio, in the
clubhouse, he speaks more than Bo does.
They are a little bit different when it comes
to that, but when it comes to how they play
they’re the same.
“They complement each other.”THECANADIANPRESSCavan Biggio of the Toronto Blue Jays turns a double play over Austin Meadows of the Tampa Bay Rays last September in Toronto. Biggio
finished his rookie year with a .234 batting average, .364 on-base percentage and .429 slugging percentage.MARKBLINCH/GETTYIMAGES
BlueJays’Biggioaimstobuildon
anup-and-downrookieseason
Secondbasemanwhostarted
lastyearwithtriple-ABuffalo
isputtingintheworkafterhis
firsttasteofthebigleagues
MELISSA COUTODUNEDIN,FLA.
BASEBALL
NEWYORKHouston Astros pitch-
er Francis Martes was suspended
for the 2020 season after his
second positive test for a per-
formance-enhancing substance
under baseball’s major-league
drug program.
Martes tested positive for
Boldenone, the commissioner’s
office said Monday. Boldenone is
sold under the brand name
Equipose and is used commonly
on horses.
A 24-year-old right-hander,
Martes is on the Astros’ 40-man
major-league roster, but hasn’t
pitched in the big leagues since
2017.
He was suspended March 12
for 80 games after a positive test
for Clomiphene, a women’s
fertility drug that has been used
by some athletes to counter side
effects of steroids use. Martes
returned Aug. 21 and made two
starts for the rookie level Gulf
Coast Astros and one for Quad
Cities of the Class A Midwest
League. He was 0-2 with a 6.75
ERA in 5^1 ⁄ 3 innings.
Martes’s ban isn’t quite the
Houston-related cheating puni-
shment fans and players have
clamoured for around baseball.
The Astros have been pum-
meled via the press by opposing
teams since opening spring
training, with many expressing
disappointment that no players
were suspended for their sign-
stealing scam.
Martes did not have a state-
ment, the players’ association
said.THEASSOCIATEDPRESSASTROMARTESSUSPENDED
FOR2020AFTERDRUGTESTTEMPE, ARIZ.Mike Trout thinks
the Houston Astros should pay
more dearly for their cheating
ways.
The Los Angeles Angels’
three-time AL MVP ripped the
Astros and questioned the
discipline handed out by Major
League Baseball on Monday
after he reported to spring
training. Trout joined the cho-
rus of prominent big leaguers
angry about Houston’s rampant
sign stealing on its way to the
2017 World Series title and
beyond.
“It’s sad for baseball,” he
said. “It’s tough. They cheated.
I don’t agree with the puni-
shments, the players not get-
ting anything. It was a player-
driven thing. It sucks, too,
because guys’ careers have
been affected. A lot of people
lost jobs. It was tough.
Trout said a few members of
the Astros reached out to him
during the off-season to explain
their side, but Trout didn’t
sound impressed.
“You don’t know what
helped them or what not,” he
said. “But if you know what’s
coming, it’s going to definitely
help them. I don’t know if you
take the trophy away or take
the rings away, but they should
definitely do something.”
Trout doesn’t remember
hearing the Astros banging on
trash cans at Minute Maid Park
during his nine big-league
seasons, all with the Angels in
the AL West.
“It’s frustrating, because you
have guys coming in here
battling every day and working
on stuff,” Trout said. “I can’t
imagine what the pitchers feel
like. It’s a mental game. You go
in a stretch where you’re doing
good, and you go into Houston
and get banged up, it could
mentally drain you.”
THE ASSOCIATED PRESSASTROSSCANDALIS‘SAD
FORBASEBALL’:TROUT