Ryan Tepera stopped short of making an accusation that the Astros were cheating, but it's fair to say he nestled himself comfortably in the land of insinuation with his comments after Game 3 on Sunday. He didn't out-and-out say the stole signs or engaged in other chicanery during the first two games of the ALDS, only mentioning that they became world-famous for doing so under previous circumstances with many of the same personnel, and whatever shame that results from the word-association exercise is not his problem.
It didn't go over well on Houston's side, although Dusty Baker was the only one to directly engage. He was hired in part to do just that, because they weren't his players then, but they are his players now, so he can do his job without a direct connection to the Jeff Luhnow years.
Baker was asked multiple times about Tepera's comments and repeatedly said he "didn't care."
"He can say what he wants to say," Baker said. "I never even heard his name before we played the White Sox. I’m not bothered at all by it really ... Let him talk." [...]
"Those are some heavy accusations," Baker said of Tepera's comments. "We're about the same runs, OPS and everything - actually better on the road than we are at home. I think they're actually better at home than on the road. I don't have much response."
Alex Bregman didn't bite with his availability, but Martin Maldonado used Twitter to spell out one of the fears of this whole sidebar:
That's the primary objection from White Sox fans, but it's one I don't buy for an elimination game in a postseason. There's no chance of sleeping dogs lying when 40,000 fans are screaming their heads off. I'd guess that managing excess motivation is more of a concern than having too little of it.
Not to say that Tepera was playing Time Chess with his comments. The risk they pose is a personal one, in that should the White Sox staff struggle at home in Game 4, they'll have eliminated one excuse. Or, if they succeed in pushing the series back to Houston for the do-or-die Game 5, you can imagine the reception they're going to get.
Tepera's comments mostly struck me as an internal rallying attempt made public. Two and a half games into a series, Tepera and the White Sox bullpen figured out how to subdue a lineup that had been giving them fits. He's staking a claim to confidence: "We can beat them, especially here," the latter part said with a smirk. They're going to need to take care of business in Game 4, and perhaps this helps achieve that goal, even if it raises the personal stakes for Game 5. Tepera is now known in Houston as more than his numbers.
If it doesn't work, there will be some egg on his face. White Sox fans will also get the brunt of boasting Houstin fans, including an alarming amount who are a little too comfortable raising the topic of the 1919 World Series, not connecting the very effective way the league closed that chapter on baseball history. I think a lot of people would be fine with lifetime bans for eight Astros, or more.
Still, seeing Alex Cora return to Boston after a minimal sentence, then lead his Red Sox to an upset over the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS to immense praise, makes one realize that lingering shame and skepticism is the only punishment that stands a chance of sticking here. In a way, it's comforting that prominent people still dislike that feeling.
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For his part, Tony La Russa declined to get involved in the debate, and downplayed the idea of it.
“I just don’t get into it,” La Russa said. “And I try to realize this is America and players can say what they want to, and I can say that I don’t get into it if I want to. They’re a very good team and they’re tough to beat. That’s what I think.”
He also shared his idea for avoiding sign-stealing confrontations in the future.
"I would have the runner on second base face center field while the catcher is putting the sign down," La Russa said. "I really would." [...]
"I think the easy thing is to have the guy turn around," La Russa added. "I think it would put an end to it, and it's pretty simple, but it hasn't gotten past my recommendation. That's what I would do."
As far as impractical, honor-based suggestions go, I'm not sure if it's more or less quaint than the demand Peter Gammons made of Tepera.
It's probably good the ALDS is only a best-of-five. This series needs to last two more days, and no longer. Game 4 starts at 1:07 p.m., and the White Sox are sticking with Carlos Rodón, whose entire White Sox career has built up to this moment. The level of Houston's motivation is likely a secondary concern.
(Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports)
