MLB Off-Topic

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

"MLB said Hoberg's friend made 141 baseball bets between April 2, 2021 and Nov. 1, 2023, equaling almost $214,000"



As one does.

Exactly. How in the world can someone look at that and be like "Sorry to hear your friend did this to your account". Investigate him as much as possible over that.

Compare the bets to games he was part of, or if there's common themes (like if he wasn't part of it, did there happen to be a certain ump who was part of the crew in most or all games he bet on).

[Picci]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Anyone investigating Hoberg will find he's known to be one of the top-rated umpires of all of baseball Umpire Score card. I'm sure his latest are on par but quickest img I could find.

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

In its release, MLB detailed its findings from its investigation as well as a neutral fact finder, including information from witness testimony and review of electronic records.

• Hoberg met his friend, identified as "Individual A," at a poker tournament in 2014. They golfed, traveled together and watched sports on TV. The friend was a frequent overnight guest at Hoberg's home in Iowa.

• In 2019, when online sports betting became legal in Iowa, Hoberg's friend opened a legal online betting account with a sportsbook and then a second legal account with another sportsbook. Betting on these accounts was possible only from electronic devices physically located in Iowa. Hoberg asked his friend to place non-baseball sports bets for him using the accounts to do so. Subsequently, the friend gave Hoberg the username and password to his accounts so that Hoberg could place bets directly by logging into the accounts using Hoberg's own devices on occasions when his friend was not in Iowa and, therefore, not able to place the bets for Hoberg.

• Hoberg's requests to his friend to place bets for him were communicated via the messaging app Telegram. The app was also used to maintain a separate log of Hoberg's direct and indirect bets placed through the friend's accounts. The ledger kept track of the amounts of money Hoberg won and lost as well as the balance Hoberg owed or was owed when he won. Hoberg and his friend would settle outstanding debts in cash when they saw each other in person.

• After being contacted by MLB investigators, the friend deleted both of his Telegram threads with Hoberg. Hoberg also deleted his Telegram account. Hoberg asserted throughout the investigation and appeals process that he had no idea at the time that he was being investigated for betting on baseball because he had no knowledge of his friend's baseball bets. Hoberg said he deleted the messages simply because he was embarrassed by the frequency and volume of his legal non-baseball betting activity. Hoberg's actions regarding the deletion of messages made those messages irretrievable, as later efforts by MLB and Hoberg to recover those messages failed.

• Of the 141 baseball bets placed from his friend's accounts, eight bets involved five games that Hoberg umpired or had responsibility for replay reviews. There was no evidence that Hoberg took any action to manipulate the outcome of the games. A detailed analysis did not reveal any pattern to indicate Hoberg's calls were influenced by the bets being made by his friend.

• The investigation found that although the baseball bets were profitable, the data did not support a finding that bets from his friend's accounts were connected to game-fixing or other efforts to manipulate any part of any baseball game or event. The baseball betting activity also did not focus on any particular club, pitcher or umpire, and there was no apparent correlation between bet success and bet size. The eight bets on games that Hoberg worked similarly did not reveal any obvious pattern.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43680990/mlb-upholds-firing-ump-pat-hoberg-gambling-violations

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Anyone investigating Hoberg will find he's known to be one of the top-rated umpires of all of baseball Umpire Score card. I'm sure his latest are on par but quickest img I could find.

That's another part which is crazy in all this, I've looked at comments online and people seem mad because he's one of the good umps.

Which then brings up the question I mentioned before, who were the umps in the games his account bet on, and just as important, why does he give his friend access to his account even if nothing fishy is going on(I believe that friend is a professional poker player or something?)

The most I'll see in my everyday life is people suggesting bets and parlays to friends, not once have I ever seen someone make a bet for someone else, and I know some people who definitely have a problem with betting.

If he's not having bets on his game, is there an ump who people are betting on?

[Ghost Of The Year]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Former MLB Commish Fay Vincent passed away.

Anyone who remembered him/that era of baseball want to expand on if he was a good or bad Commish?

Reading a summary on him, was he as bad as he sounded.

He was the Commish who ruled on Pete Rose, banned Steinbrenner, let Joe West walk free after he slammed Dennis Cook on the field (West was suspended by the NL president but Vincent rescinded it), wanted to remove the DH, oversaw the 1990 strike, was in favour of division realignment, and of course ousted in 92, just 2 years before the 94 strike.

I personally liked Vincent as a commissioner, but I think as far as good or bad, just for the fact the owners didn't want him anymore told me everything I needed to know that he should have remained commissioner another ten years. He was a real commissioner AFAIC and Bud Selig never should have been commissioner for one inning let alone the twenty years he was. RIP Commissioner Vincent.

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Come on Manfred, release the report, I wanna read it. And of course they do this the week of the Super Bowl plus lucky for them the Luka thing happened too.

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I personally liked Vincent as a commissioner, but I think as far as good or bad, just for the fact the owners didn't want him anymore told me everything I needed to know that he should have remained commissioner another ten years. He was a real commissioner AFAIC and Bud Selig never should have been commissioner for one inning let alone the twenty years he was. RIP Commissioner Vincent.

I'm sure some baseball historian or analyst has talked about it, but I wonder how much this impacted what we saw in 1994? I'd guess it's the main reason the strike happened because the owners got what they wanted by ousting Vincent and bringing in one of their own in Selig to serve as the head which in turn led to the strike? If he never got voted out, would the 94 strike have happened?

[DrJones]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I'm sure some baseball historian or analyst has talked about it, but I wonder how much this impacted what we saw in 1994? I'd guess it's the main reason the strike happened because the owners got what they wanted by ousting Vincent and bringing in one of their own in Selig to serve as the head which in turn led to the strike? If he never got voted out, would the 94 strike have happened?

The strike happened because a.) the owners wanted a salary cap, and b.) the players/union held a grudge against Selig, who along with Jerry Reinsdorf and then-Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, were the ringleaders of owner collusion in the mid-80s.

Fun fact: according to Vincent, the main reason Marlins/Rockies expansion happened was so the owners could reimburse themselves after having to pay out a few hundred million in penalties for the aforementioned collusion.

https://web.archive.org/web/20060103..._interview.htm

[l3ulvl]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

For the longest time I thought Fay Vincent was a woman, I mean no disrespect to the deceased, I just figured MLB had a female commissioner for a few years. It was slightly before my time


I'm trying to look up the etymology of the name Fay, I thought it might be short for something, apparently it's just short for Fairy, or Fate


This also led me to find people named Fay King (awesome name), a football player from the 40s, and a cartoonist from the 20s (seriously, a cartoonist named Fay King is gold)


which led me to this lol:

Spoiler

Fay King the football player had three NFL seasons in the top 10 in receptions


edit: sorry i get carried away sometimes

[Ghost Of The Year]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

For the longest time I thought Fay Vincent was a woman, I mean no disrespect to the deceased, I just figured MLB had a female commissioner for a few years. It was slightly before my time


I'm trying to look up the etymology of the name Fay, I thought it might be short for something, apparently it's just short for Fairy, or Fate


This also led me to find people named Fay King (awesome name), a football player from the 40s, and a cartoonist from the 20s (seriously, a cartoonist named Fay King is gold)


which led me to this lol:

Spoiler

Fay King the football player had three NFL seasons in the top 10 in receptions


edit: sorry i get carried away sometimes

In Commissioner Vincent's case, his real name is Francis and he had said on multiple occasions that Fay is an old Irish nickname for Francis, and he had also said his dad had told him that, and his dad was Francis too but went by Fay. He (the commissioner) had also said his dad was called Big Fay and he the son (and commissioner) was known as Little Fay.

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

In Commissioner Vincent's case, his real name is Francis and he had said on multiple occasions that Fay is an old Irish nickname for Francis, and he had also said his dad had told him that, and his dad was Francis too but went by Fay. He (the commissioner) had also said his dad was called Big Fay and he the son (and commissioner) was known as Little Fay.

Big Fay sounds like a bus you don't want to mess with.

[Dead2009]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Orioles are debuting an all orange look for the 2025 season

https://uni-watch.com/2025/02/06/exclusive-baltimore-orioles-will-have-all-orange-uniform-in-2025/#google_vignette

[Sportsforever]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Fay Vincent was a weak commissioner who only took over because of Bart Giamatti’s untimely heart attack. Vincent was forced out of office in a hostile take over by the owners who installed their own puppet commish Bud Selig.

I’ve always believed that if Bart Giamatti had not died, baseball history would be very different.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Not sure what the Venezuelan manager is doing, even if it is to our benefit. Left his starter in when it was clear he was getting pummeled.

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Home ump might be blind, water is wet.