Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Wants Astros Stripped of World Series Title

Undeniably, the reactions from the talking heads continue to roll in. Right now the Houston Astros are the talk of sports, which means the Los Angeles Dodgers have direct involvement.

As you know, the 2017 Astros won a World Series title in tainted fashion; stealing more than just signs from an entire championship starved fan base. Typically ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is a loud show host. However, he’s on the Dodgers side with this one. He wants to see the Astros stripped of their title. See the entire video segment right here, or stay with us to comb his can’t-miss quotes.



First – when Smith is asked if the Astros should be stripped of their title – he barely needs a pause.

“Yes they should. They should be stripped of their World Series crown. The owner Mr. Crane was right to fire Hinch and Lunhow. He was right to fire them both, and it shouldn’t stop there.”

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Smith is not done with that bit, he had a lot more to say.

“We are talking about Kershaw here, Brandon Morrow, Yu Darvish. I was at game six and seven. We were sitting in the stands, and all of the sudden I’m saying ‘what this man can’t get anybody out?’. What the Hell is going on here? Before that in Houston you’re talking about 18 runs, 26 hits, six home runs surrendered by a Dodgers squad that was considered ripe with aces. Suddenly, they can’t get anybody out. And it made absolutely no sense.”

Finally Smith goes on to say that this is different then the New England Patriots and Deflategate because of the insurmountable evidence compiled by baseball. Notably, he says not only should the 2017 Astros be stripped of the title; but the 2018 Boston Red Sox as well.

While it’s not a World Series trophy, Cody Bellinger was right in saying the Dodgers did things the right way. Fans can take some solace in that, since they’re not involved in anything like this.

NEXT: Did the Astros Get What They Deserved for Cheating?

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32 Comments

  1. The moral outrage is off the charts. If you start stripping titles where does it stop? PED era? You are opening Pandora’s box. As an anymous ex player said this analogy- the speed limit is 65. The Astros were going 90. Most other teams were going 80. To be fair, the problem is widespread.

    1. Good post, and I agree with you. Pitchers like Alex Wood found a way to beat the Astros. Others didn’t.

  2. I am beginning to believe that MLB, specifically, Manfred, cannot do the right the right thing becasue he, and MLB are incapable of knowing what the right thing is anymore. They have a perverted way of looking at things, that is in a reality far from how normal people judge things. You reward cheating and say you have punished them by allowing them to keep the thing they cheating at getting? If that is punishment, I want some of that!

      1. The one thing I wish I would have seen that nobody has mentioned is that there should have been future punishments such as not being eligible for postseason play for the next 2 years. Everything else that has been done to Houston so far can be classified by the owner as worth it to get that World Series trophy. Take away future playoff opportunities makes it punitive. This also is a way to punish the players who led the process.

  3. Why are the players not being punished for what has to be seen as willing participants. The use of technology/electronics to cheat can only work if the players are willing to use that info.Take away the WS win, take back the rings and bonus money or suspend each and every player/coach for one year without pay and be forbidden to come to the ballpark in any manner for any reason.

    1. This is similar to when Braun stole MVP from Kemp and was found using roids. If it’s anyone except the Dodgers very little happens. There are most likely 2 Championships in a Row for LA with no cheating.

  4. What if you stripped the Astros and Sox of their 2017 and 2018 championships. Then what? Are you going to give one or both to the Dodgers? Would it have the same meaning to get a championship through forfeiture? I don’t have the answer. I just know that it wouldn’t feel the same. I think the Dodgers would have won in in 2017 if the cheating hadn’t occurred. I’m not so sure about 2018. The Sox were pretty dominant. But cheating can make you dominant. The Sox should lose draft choices just like Houston. Cora should get a lifetime ban from baseball. After that I don’t know, except that the Dodgers got hosed big time, and nothing will really change that.

    1. You are underplaying sign stealing. When a Major league hitter doesn’t have to guess when a fastball is coming it is a huge advantage. The Sox would have not been so dominant. That’s just factual.

  5. Getting a field level seat next time bosox and astros play angels, and chucking beers WITH PISS at them. Idc if i get ejected. Gonna be EPIC!!!!!!

    1. Please do this. The public needs to punish these guys every day of their lives since mlb dropped the ball as predicted

  6. How do common fans get their game back?
    Is the trust shaken enough where fans stop spending money (even though they love THEIR team in my case the Dodgers) to get the game back.
    It took the black sox scandal and fans whose trust was shaken by that scandal for baseball to take notice.
    Fans stopped coming to the park.
    What is it going to take to get our beloved game back from the clutches of people that should not be in leadership dictating baseball the commissioner and his henchmen.

    The only thing these people understand and side with is money.

    collectively the fans of all teams band together and boycotted baseball. it would bring MLB to its knees they would have to do something about this scandal besides slap on the wrist. It would also set a clear message for the future of any other scandals and how M I’ll be will deal with them. It would take total solidarity for something like this to happen.

    Most folks would say well my team didn’t cheat or wasn’t involved. The reality is is that a scandal of this magnitude effects every team. And has long reaching effects. It has taken place both in 2017 and most likely 2018. What are WE as fans of baseball going to do about it if MLB itself won’t clean itself up. It is up to us to take the power back.
    This is ultimately our game our love affair and if we don’t do something about it. We will allow baseball to remain in power and continuing them to miss manage and look the other direction because the money is right.

  7. At ‘the very least’ MLB should insist all ‘record compiling’
    publications (THE SPORTING NEW & other sports journals)
    carry an * with an explanation for both World Series in question-
    using rhetoric that clearly indicates the title as ‘tainted!’ Perhaps the
    word- cheaters is a bit harsh but other ‘politically correct’ wording would
    suffice & give THE DODGERS something additional they could hang their
    spikes on, so to speak.

    For me- GAME (5) 2017 in Houston was the this can’t be happening’
    loss. It was the Clayton Kershaw 2nd start of the series & he had a 4-0
    lead going to the bottom of the 4th & then the Astros exploded on him over
    the next two innings. In contrast, the man pitched twice at home during the series
    & they managed one run in over (11) innings & he struck out (16). Case closed!

    1. Agreed. This is a chickenshit punishment.the Astros don’t deserve the win. Either blow up ‘17s postseason or at the very least just no championship in ‘17 and ‘18 if that’s the case. An asterisk won’t do.

  8. For me to have good faith that this will not happen again. Cora is banned from baseball. the folks actively cheating are banned from baseball as well pipe player, trash can banger etc.
    Any player on that team that didn’t say something about what was going on forfits their entire salary for that year plus WS bonuses 1st time offense, next time they are banned for entire year with out pay. This should no way shape or form be any 3rd offense but if there was a 3rd offense they should be banned from baseball. Baseball rules to be fair. 3 strikes your out.
    That is more fair than what happened to the black socks if it were that era all these players would have been banned from baseball.

    The World Series and World Series rings should be stripped from the Astro’s or any team that conducted cheating including the Boston Red Sox. Any accolades in the playoffs and WS aka MVP of World Series etc. Stripped as well

    In A-day and age where corruption seems to be running rampant in alot of American systems. I thought we could find comfort in the sense that at least or game or national pastime was not tainted.
    We have now set a dangerous precedent for cheaters that it’s OK to cheat because the punishment is really not that bad.
    The coaches and players all knew about this this was conspiracy to cheat into winning a World Series.
    If that isn’t a serious offense then I do not know what is.
    If MLB can’t take that seriously then how are we as fans supposed to take paying hard earned money to go to a baseball game seriously. Especially if we know that the team who uses the most sophisticated cheating methods stand the greatest chance of winning a World Series championship.

    I was already motivated not to spend money on a dodgers team that seems reluctant to put the best product on the field while collecting billions of dollars of fans money but not spending that money to make this team any better.

    After the scandal has reared its ugly head that there might have been 2 teams cheating to win back to back World Series against my beloved dodgers and makes me sick to even think about watching another baseball game again.

    I don’t want anybody to shift a World Series championship title to the dodgers even though we more than likely would have earned it. but what I would do want is some sort of real Justice not this mamsy pamsy slap on the wrist it’s more of an encouragement than a deterrent at this point.

    Small pose this question again since obviously the mob baseball association and the commissioner will not take this offense as serious as it is what are we going to do as fans to make sure this never happens again our fans serious enough about cheating corruption in our national pastime to stand together and boycott baseball I know at this point of my life it breaks my heart to know that not only has baseball being corrupted to this extent but my beloved Los Angeles Dodgers have been cheated out of any chance of winning a World Series championship.

    I would love and hope to see that the United States of America still believes in integrity and would want to see Justice and fairness restored into a lot of American systems including baseball. I for one will be boycotting until I see a change I’m not spending another dollar On anything baseball related. Let’s send a clear message to Mlb that we will not stand for this injustice until they take cheating seriously.

  9. Unfortunately we all live in a world that is unfair.. But nothing we say will change anything. At the very least, those draft picks forfeited by Astros should all be given to the Dodgers in these next 2 years

  10. Of course both the Astros and Sox (if their investigation turns it up too) should be stripped of the WS championship! How is this even a question?!
    You can’t award the Dodgers the title. Sadly, there is no way to make the situation right. But you can stop making it worse by stripping the Astros and Sox of their ill gotten titles.
    Btw – it Does Not Matter whether or not their cheating ‘worked’ (whether the Dodgers would have won without it). The fact is that they cheated (the Dodgers players, the fans and the game itself), and for that alone they must have their titles stripped away. 2018 and 2019 will be the years of the asterisks and of, hopefully, a lesson.

  11. 2017 and 2018 should not have any championship teams. The vacated positions should be an example of what happens when a teams cheat. Also, it’s the only way to bring integrity back to the game. If the Astros and Red Sox are allowed to keep their titles, it supports cheating and validates a title can be achieved dishonestly.

  12. Stripping the Astros of the WS title is the only way to restore integrity of the game. If the are allowed to keep the title, it only validates cheating is acceptable. 2017 should be a year with no championship team.

  13. I guess Smith would be good with MLB stripping the NYY of titles because they used PEDs? Where would it end? Logan Morrison came out today and implicated the Dodgers and NYY among others. It is a widespread problem.

    1. What does Logan know about us anyway? Because the Phillies and their sorry pen couldn’t hold leads against us? He better have some facts and witnesses

  14. As a Dodger fan I wouldn’t be happy if they take away those championship titles to the Astros And Red Sox , but I would love to see the mlb getting an estimate of how much money did the Astros and Red Sox gain for those championships and force them to split the money between dodgers and Yankees as a reward for being robbed.

  15. Each and every Astro player ought to have to give back the Ring, their bonus and next years salary. This is the reason players took off and left the team after last years World Series. They knew this was going on in 2017. The commissioner just wants to sweep this under the carpet and forget it. He and the Astros owner both are trying to quiet this up before the new season. The Dodgers were screwed over and we all know it now. I’ve been a Dodger fan and 2017 should’ve been the end of their drought since 1988. All players playing with the Astros whether former or still playing on the team should be booed this 2020 season.

  16. Take the titls, trophies, a nd rings away. I would be fine with suspending every Astro for a year .with no pay…Boston too, if need be….They have farm teams they can use…This will Work as it is very severe…..

  17. Can you explain to me how the Astro’s cheating methods played out at Dodger stadium? As I recall, they won games 2 and 7 in LA. I agree they cheated. However, I’m struggling to understand where the “huge” advantage comes into play. In all honestly, the Yanks have a better case during the 2017 ALCS …. the home team won every single game of that series. In fact, Houston got crushed in NY.

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