MLB issued a statement today regarding Pat Hoberg. The umpire has been fired for violating the league’s gambling policy. Per MLB’s statement, there’s no evidence that Hoberg himself bet on games or that the outcomes of any games were compromised. However, the statement says that Hobert shared a gambling account with a professional poker player, with this friend using that account to bet on baseball. The statement also says Hoberg deleted messages related to the investigation.
News of the Hoberg situation first came out in June, as covered by MLBTR at the time. MLB released a statement at that time saying that the league had started investigating Hoberg during spring training and that discipline was warranted. Hoberg decided to appeal.
Per today’s statement, commissioner Rob Manfred has upheld the decision, “following an appeal process in accordance with its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA).”
“MLB immediately opened an investigation in February 2024,” the statement reads, “upon receiving information from a licensed sports betting operator that Hoberg had opened a sports betting account in his own name and that the personal electronic device associated with this account was also associated with the legal sports betting account of an individual not covered by MLB’s policies (Individual A) who had bet on baseball. Hoberg was subsequently removed from Spring Training and made inactive for the 2024 Championship Season pending completion of the investigatory process.”
Per the statement, Hoberg has “adamantly denied betting on baseball directly or indirectly (i.e., through his friend), and the data provided by the sportsbooks does not show any baseball bets from his own electronic devices.” It goes on to state that the league “found no evidence that Hoberg or anyone else took any action to manipulate the outcomes of any games, and an analysis of the betting data did not show any discernible patterns indicative of an integrity risk.”
Per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, none of the bets placed from Hoberg’s devices were on baseball. However, the friend’s device bet on baseball 141 times, including eight games that Hoberg worked. “The investigation found no pattern to indicate Hoberg’s calls were influenced by the bets, none of which were profitable,” per Castrovince.
Jesse Rogers of ESPN provides some more details on the arrangement between Hoberg and his friend, who met at a poker tournament in 2014 and became friends. In 2019, online sports betting became legal in Iowa, where Hoberg lives. The friend opened legal accounts with two sportsbooks and Hoberg “asked his friend to place non-baseball sports bets for him using the accounts to do so.” Later, “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.” The two friends communicated via the app Telegram and kept logs of their gambling activity in there, later settling debts in cash when they saw each other in person. After being contacted by MLB, the friend deleted Telegram threads with Hoberg, and Hoberg deleted his own Telegram account. MLB was not able to retrieve those messages.
MLB’s statement goes on to state that Michael Hill, senior vice president of on-field operations, determined that Hoberg demonstrated poor judgement and could not be trusted to “maintain the integrity of the international game of baseball.” Hoberg was notified on May 31, 2024 that he would be fired. He appealed the decision to Manfred, though the CBA with the umpires calls for the involvement of a mutually agreed upon “Neutral Factfinder” who would look into the events in question. Per the statement, Manfred is to give “due regard” to the findings of this factfinder but “is not bound by them and can make an independent judgment that is final, binding and not subject to the grievance procedure or challenge in any other forum.”
A statement from Manfred was included in the release from the league: “The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules governing sports betting conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans. An extensive investigation revealed no evidence that Mr. Hoberg placed bets on baseball directly or that he or anyone else manipulated games in any way. However, his extremely poor judgment in sharing betting accounts with a professional poker player he had reason to believe bet on baseball and who did, in fact, bet on baseball from the shared accounts, combined with his deletion of messages, creates at minimum the appearance of impropriety that warrants imposing the most severe discipline. Therefore, there is just cause to uphold Mr. Hoberg’s termination for failing to conform to high standards of personal conduct and to maintain the integrity of the game of baseball.”
Hoberg also released a statement today, with Evan Drellich of The Athletic among those to relay it to the public. “I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today’s statement,” Hoberg says. “Those errors will always be a source of shame and embarrassment to me. Major League Baseball umpires are held to a high standard of personal conduct, and my own conduct fell short of that standard. That said, to be clear, I have never and would never bet on baseball in any way, shape, or form. I have never provided, and would never provide, information to anyone for the purpose of betting on baseball. Upholding the integrity of the game has always been of the utmost importance to me. I apologize to Major League Baseball and the entire baseball community for my mistakes. I vow to learn from them and to be a better version of myself moving forward.”
Hoberg can apply for reinstatement but not until the start of 2026 spring training.
Ok.. now do Football next.. lol
They are saving that until after they gift the Chiefs their third straight Super Bowl victory and will then say none of the Chiefs games were affected…
Baseball is starting to look a lot like fooseball.
You’re out!
MLB – “This umpire firing is sponsored by FanDuel”
Seriously, every sport, every radio and TV show about sports, every social media account showcasing sports…they just ooze gambling ads.
But also…gambling is bad, so please do so responsibly.
They say that so they don’t feel so bad after they’ve taken all your money.
The gambling scandals are just getting going. The next few years will be brutal, IMO.
Fever: This whole thing is so hypocritical for the reason you gave. Just think how much bending over backwards Manfred and the owners would have done if Ohtani had been caught.
The trek to an automated strike zone and nearly automated game as we know it has begun.
Conversely an automated game can be manipulated, too.
If MLB is truly concerned about it being perceived as just and fair, it will need a complete overhaul.
Systemic flaws.
Hoberg writes a tell all in 3-2-1…
What is funny is that hoberg has been one of the most accurate umps every year.
Suspicious in and of itself.
I hate it when we lose a good umpire to illegal gambling.
While MLB continues to celebrate cheaters, it is better than football or basketball where you can pretty much call a foul on every play. It’s the “correct” form of travelling, holding, etc… if it keeps the game close or favors the larger market team.
It’s supposed to be two steps correct? They haven’t changed that rule? Because I have seen 4 steps not called many times before I quit watching 21 years ago. Are 5 step maneuvers ever seen. I’ve seen pivot foots doing 360’s.
I’m not sure anymore, people keep euro stepping me in pick up games and my brain always says travelling.
I’m pretty sure an exception for traveling is made for lay-ups (or attempted lay-ups), otherwise most of them should be called for traveling.
MLB may have once celebrated cheaters, but since when do they continue to do so? There are strict penalties as seen here, and the PED-connected players continue to be blocked from the Hall of Fame (as well as Pete Rose and the Black Sox).
I think Bill took six steps even though he was supposed to drop dead after five.
The robo umpire is long overdue.
From watching baseball on a daily basis as I’m sure you all due, current day umpires are terribly inaccurate in calling balls and strikes. Time for Manfred to get some nerve and make the change.
Dog – it’s not even the inaccuracy which bothers me, it’s the inconsistencies. I’m ok with some missed calls on the edges of the rest of the zone is called correctly but it’s not.
Calling balls and strikes accurately and consistently is very difficult and anything that can be done to improve it should be welcome.
I’m also not a huge fan of the challenge system, if they have the technology to do that, they can just fully do it. But it’s better than nothing, allows some egregious mistakes to be fixed quickly.
The suggested challenge system is because the technology is NOT good enough on its own. As it is, the human umpires are generally at least similarly accurate as the computers, which have significant issues determining the correct height of the strike zone for the individual heights and stances of each batter.
The technology is good enough to call balls and strikes, the issue that you mentioned (and what some players dislike about the automated zone) is an issue with defining the strike zone for a batter.
There isn’t a significant issue determining the correct height, it’s clearly defined in the rulebook.
The official strike zone is the area over home plate from the midpoint between a batter’s shoulders and the top of the uniform pants — when the batter is in his stance and prepared to swing at a pitched ball — and a point just below the kneecap.
These are all points that can clearly be measured for each player.
Not until Kelce retires and that Taylor money goes away. Until then we’re stuck with blatant calls favoring one team.
This ain’t an NFL blog!
I clicked on this and thought interesting. Glad they caught him and fired him.
Review has helped but the power these guys have to influence games such as balls and strikes and ejections or any non reviewable aspects is kind of scary. With sports betting becoming mainstream and the money involved it’s gotta cost more than a job they have to be criminally prosecuted
And here comes Oldguy58 with his thinly-veiled racist hate against Ohtani…
Racist?
Racist?
The guy very possibly gambled and nothings thinly veiled, his nationality doesn’t matter at all. MLB can’t have their best player linked into gambling. His interpreter is scheduled to be sentenced Friday so let’s see what happens. In the Japanese culture the underling takes the fall, that’s fact not racism.. No hate for Ohtani or Kenny Rodgers just a love for fairness and pure baseball. What if the umpire had an interpreter?
Just keep telling yourself this stuff that nobody with half a brain believes.
No one with half a brain believes it however people with a brain do.
Sorry, my bad. I should have said only stuff complete ignoramuses believe.
Blue Skies
Half the country believes different stuff than the other half.
No point in attacking half a country.
I personally think Ohtani is telling the truth. But without personally reviewing the underlying financial documents including both of their non-related expenditures, I am not going to second-gues those who disagree with my conclusion.
Finally, a forensic accountant from MO on this thread.
Big word for you. Congrats on getting a thesaurus
Based on the facts, I’m sticking with complete ignoramusus. Those are the only people I am “attacking.”
Neither you nor I have to personally review any documents to know the truth. You can read the charging document if you like, and then be made fully aware of the facts and the law enforcement people who compiled them and the court that reviewed them. It’s all spelled out, in detail. No hocus-pocus required. This isn’t the Warren Report.
So I am perfectly comfortable second-guessing those who disagree. Ignorance is a choice nobody has to make. I have no theories about what half of the country this represents. The willfully ignorant half, I guess.
If the umpire had an interpreter, then that would be racist.
Do you know the FBI released audio of the interpreter impersonating Ohtani with a bank employee?
That is powerful evidence, but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t more to the story than revealed to the public.
It might be reasonable to think that MLB fudged the investigation to protect Ohtani, but theirs wasn’t the only investigation. The IRS Criminal Investigation unit also investigated. While MLB could have had ulterior motives in whitewashing the scandal, the Feds had no incentive to do so.
Almost anything’s possible, but people are innocent until proven guilty, and there is zero evidence linking Ohtani himself to gambling.
How is it racist? Its just an opinion. If he said that about say a white person, nobody would be saying anything, then again, I didnt see his originail comment, so maybe I just dont know about this argument.
I never said anything racist. But some people have different opinions which you get attacked for, but that’s the American way these days isn’t it?
Not me thinking that “Oldguy58” was a joke name you made up for a strawman
It is fairly “on the nose,” as generic nicknames for Archie Bunker types go.
“Racist hate against Ohtani”…You can always spot the lazy people who cannot or will not write posts that support and justify their position.
They just call everyone and everything “racist” and try to pretend they’re superior and that way nobody knows they know little to nothing about baseball.
I’m an Ohtani fan myself who believes he didn’t violate the law(I just can’t see the FBI, IRS or Homeland Security covering for him), but never took those who dislike him(for what he’s done or didn’t do)as “racist”.
I’d like some day to be a professional poker, but for now I have to settle for being an amateur nudger.
Wow. Sucks on one level because he was one of the best at calling balls and strikes.
Hoberg was supposed to be one of the good umpires. This is kind of a disappointment…
Acoss – Only good PLAYERS get protected.
Everyone else is made an example of.
Yep. I don’t think the complete Ohtani story will ever be known because he is MLB’s chosen one. We’ll never know all the facts. I like Ohtani and think he’s great for baseball but that whole gambling issue is a bit fishy to me.
You’re sounding like a higher fever pitch than fever pitch guy
“Story will ever be known”..Yes, the FBI, CIA, IRS, ATF and Homeland Security have ZERO idea what happened in the Ohtani case. They’re completely clueless and really don’t understand what all the fuss is about.
That’s why they’re among the most sophisticated and thorough investigation agencies in the world. They clearly were strong armed and sidelined by MLB to give Ohtani a complete pass on his “numerous” legal violations.
Here’s a thought: if the facts can’t be known (although a great deal of evidence has been released) why don’t we assume the best and say that Ohtani is innocent?
Sucked for Pete Rose too because he was one of the best hitters.
@octavian: Not when he was suspended, he wasn’t.
That was even more true for Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Luckily he can be reinstated in 2026 so he’ll be back soon, literally one of the top rated umps.
The investigation reads as he didn’t do it, just the Poker player using his account because it’s Iowa specific. Seems like an offense that’ll allow him to be reinstated in 2026.
It’s weird when you recognize an umpire, and its not in a bad context.
Whoa, Hoberg was supposed to be one of the good ones! This is something you would expect from Jerry West or Angel Hernandez
It’s something you would have HOPED FOR from Joe West, Angel Hernandez, or CB Buckner. Please, give me an excuse to fire you! At least Country Joe and Angel are no longer in the game.
It’s “Cowboy Joe” West for the record.
It was both, for the record.
Or Pudgy Joe as he’s known in the rodeo clown circuit.
Its funny because he was one of the best umps so he was doing the opposite of rigging games.
Nobody suggested he was.
What a double standard. Ohtani is MLB’s golden child, he can do no wrong. What a joke of a sport this is
I’m as tired of the Dodgers as the next person, but give the Ohtani stuff a rest…
Wow! You seem like you really did an in-depth investigation into the Ohtani situation and have a firm grasp of all the circumstances and truly have opinions only based on facts and not assumptions at all.
LFG mets: why are Mets fans such whiners every post?
Law enforcement even released audio of Ohtani’s interpreter pretending to be Ohtani and wiring money to himself. Pretty damning evidence.
He should have just blamed his interpreter, that seems to work for some people…
He should have blamed it on space lasers. That seems to work for some people.
Blue Skies
That was funny
That’s so 2023, this year it’s clearly the fault of DEI programs.
Them too.
MLB having a motivation for not blaming Ohtani does not amount to evidence that it wasn’t the interpreter and was Ohtani. I know that’s mind blowing to people.
To the cynical, Ohtani is way too good to not actually be really bad. Once your mind starts working this way it’s hard to stop.
The federal government did their investigation and found that his interpreter did, in fact, impersonate him on multiple occasions for the purpose of embezzling money. What was the feds motivation? Are they all on MLB payroll?
But will we ever know the REAL STORY? (Cue the spooky organ music.)
I have it on good authority that Ohtani is to blame and he just used his interpreter as a fall guy. It’s true I read about it on the internet with my sources being, I know a guy who knows a guy that works maintenance at Dodger stadium. The story checks out!
Wow, and those guys make over jhang a million a year
What a fool to throw that away
Does anyone remember when he called a perfect game in the World Series not that long ago?
There’s only been one perfect game in the World Series and it occurred before most of us were born.
No, he was perfect, no missed calls.
stop gambling people, its not that hard! Especially when you are employed by a sports league/team.
There are gambling addicts. And frankly addictions are not that easy to break. But I’ll rest my case
MLB said he didn’t gamble. He was guilty by association. So all these “don’t gamble” tips are probably superfluous.
Help me out here…. He didnt gamble, so why did he have a gambling account?
Technically, they only said he didn’t bet on baseball. He may have bet on other sports, but any such bets were perfectly legal and acceptable.
They said he didn’t gamble on baseball. They know he gambled. But why did he and his poker buddy delete their messages if they had nothing to hide? That alone looks very suspicious
The problem is only going to get worse the more that the league partners up with betting platforms. They can have all the policies they want but when the sports betting stuff is EVERYWHERE around the game (FanDuel sports network anyone?) it’s like chainsmoker parents telling their kids not to smoke because it’s bad for them.
Thank you Meow…
Called it when baseball got in bed with gambling. Will they pick and choose who they punish based on popularity? Is this the steroid era revisied as far as covering?
I think we know the answer whether some choose to believe it or not given the example of some “leaders”.
I partly agree with the analogy, but in reality a person with an addiction problem isn’t much influenced by the behavior of others. They are going to be ruled by their compulsions no matter what they see going on around them.
Meow Meow — 100%!!! The conflicts of interest in sports gambling and Sports are insane. It’s not a question of IF there is another Black Sox, but WHEN.
Money has never been a motivator for people to act against the rules, nah, nope.
The Greed of the Sports leagues let Sports Gambling back into the hen-house. Live by the bookies, die by the bookies.
They fired one of their best umps. Even if he was rigging games (which he wasn’t), he was doing a very poor job of doing it by being good at his job.
That’s Unfortunate….
Well, this is comforting.
Who shares a gambling account unless they don’t want it to be found out.
A good point.
A person who has an addiction which becomes the most important aspect of your life.
Agreed.
Afaik, MLB rules allow umpires to place legal bets on sports other than baseball. (Any betting with illegal bookies violates MLB rules.) content.mlb.com/documents/8/2/2/296982822/Major_Le…
I question whether MLB *should* allow umpires to bet on other sports. But it apparently *does*.
So, purely speculating here, was Hoberg himself betting on other sports in amounts that he thought could look really bad if MLB or the public found out details?
The only reason I can think for an ordinary person to share betting accounts would be overall combined personal finances (such as with a spouse). Which would be its own problem if the accounts had bets on baseball, because that’s the same financial impact as an umpire placing a bet himself.
The account was in his name, so it was his friend who was sharing his account.
@Lanidrac – Can you link a source for that? Doesn’t sound like that’s the case at all, from the details that I see reported.
Here’s what I read in Jesse Rogers’ reporting at ESPN ( espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43680990/mlb-upholds-firin… ):
” 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.”
So then Hoberg later had his friend place bets through those accounts, which belonged to the friend. Stated reason is that Hoberg called in the bets to the friend while Hoberg was traveling, out of the state (Iowa) where these accounts were legal.
Later, also from Rogers:
“MLB began its investigation into Hoberg in February 2024, after the long-time umpire opened an account with a licensed sports betting operator in his own name. The operator detected that Hoberg’s personal electronic device associated with the new account was also associated with the legal sports betting account of an individual who had bet on baseball.”
So Hoberg did eventually open his own account, but Hoberg spent years running bets through an account that was in his friend’s name. Hoberg very likely would have been flagged far sooner for baseball bets in the account, if the account had been in Hoberg’s name.
Good. These sickening gambling agreements are blowing up one by one. Hope they enjoyed the quick influx of cash at the expense of their product and customers. Ready for these in game ads to piss off permanently.
Rich Dauer, the second baseman on the 1983 World Series-winning team, died at the age of 72.
cbssports.com/mlb/news/rich-dauer-orioles-hall-of-…
The podium and media backdrop used when issuing the statement were sponsored by Draft Kings.
Keep selling all these ads for betting apps, that will stop it…NOT
Oh he gambled alright, and lost.
Was this brought to us by Draft Kings?
Fan Duel is the sponsor of this.
CYA loser
Just blame the interpreter it works for the dodgers
This sucks. I am 100% a fan of banning anyone on the field or in management from gambling on baseball, but unlike Pete Rose all on field evidence points to Hoberg not throwing games.
They have a very strict policy, dont bet on games. Games were bet on “from a shared account” Its pretty straightforward.
I get it. Needs to be done.
Wedding Crashers gif Chazz(Will Ferrell) “what an idiot”
Was the gambler Ashy Larry or Grits n Gravy?
Flying in from the far east is Fyuk Yu… It is a stupid move to share a betting account with anyone, but specifically as someone in Hoberg’s position. Shame as he is one of only a handful of umps that are adequate at their actual job.
Well, every time you turn on the tv, there are the sports gambling commercials all over the place. Some people, this is all it takes to get them started on this addiction. Not going to lie, I got drug into it, but when I lost my $25, I said nope, and haven’t done it again. I learned my lesson, but I know a lot people never do no matter how much they lose. They should ban gambling ads and commercials just as they did with cigarette commercials.
Meanwhile, “now a word from our sponsor…”
Not to put a serious matter in a trivial light, but is this the move that allows the major leagues to finally have their first “Woman in Blue”? Jen Pawol was a crew chief in Triple-A last summer.
Hobert did bet on baseball but shared a gambling account with a professional poker player, who did use that account to bet on baseball.
Uh huh. If MLB believes that I’ve got some Fartcoin that might interest them.
Fartcoin for the win !
I think we should start “Fartcoiin” FRTCN. .33 cents a share!
Then the mob will start a “gastritis protection” racket.
I think he could’ve survived this if he didn’t delete those messages
Think about how damning they must have been. I’m guessing real real bad.
Maybe MLB should reevaluate its newfound love of online sportsbooks. Kind of hard to have the higher ground when every other ad is for fan duel etc.
This breaking news update brought to you by FanDuel…..
These leagues are all in bed with the betting sites. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes the WWE.
The amount of effort it would take to make pro sports like the WWE would be impossibly astronomical.
I’m not one to drop a dime on some zebras… but Doug Eddings and Ron Kulpa sure do gamble a lot!
*wink, wink*
Robby the robot keeping that integrity of the game intact!
Now start firing umpires who are incompetent and miss a large percentage of calls.
There’s a Union for that!
Yet, somehow, Angel Hernandez got to retire on his terms. Wish they had caught him holding a scratch off at some point lol
“Yourrrrreeee Outtttaaaa Herrrreeee!!!”
That’d actually help Manfred’s image if that’s really how he fired these guys and the vid got released lol
There’s two things that never happened again. No major league umpire ever bet on baseball again and the Los Angeles Dodgers would never win a World Series again.
Upvote *ahem*… just cause.
Cool but can we start disciplining umpires for egregious calls and unnecessary ejections
Way too much gambling exposure for all personnel. I would bet that this is the tip of the iceberg.
Too much gambling exposure for fans, too. Flame away.
Just another step towards robot umpires
Robots can be re-programmed to do the bettors way.
Just an API away from changes to strike zone per different inning
Robot umps yesterday, please.
MLB gets in bed with organized gambling, then is surprised when they get fuc*ed!
Make all refs and umpires in every sport robots. The problem if that happened would be the ultra rich fixing games with the robot refs instead of the refs doing it themselves.
Not far enough. Make “all” players “in every sport, robots” too.
Has his interpreter made a statement about this?
Once major sports decided to let gambling be part of the game, no one should be surprised that this is happening. Anything questionable will be focused on more than ever. Game fixing has been at least suspected for over a hundred years. Look at the Chiefs and the referees. It’s not going to get better and there’s no going back now. It’s too profitable.
I’m not making excuses for Hoberg. Just a wild take:
These sports-betting sites offer generous sign-up bonuses. Deposit $5 and we give you $200 in betting credits. You lose $200, it’s on us. You win $200, we take back the credit but you get to keep the $200. You can also bet on both teams to win in the same game to guarantee a win with the credits. It’s a free $90 after commissions. “Yay! Free money so let’s play again for $10 on another game.” That’s how they hook the noobs.
Hobog signs up to bet on the NFL. He allows his significant other to use his account to play for fun. They mistakenly bet $5 for the White Sox to win. The sports-betting site immediately raises a red flag and reports it to MLB. Hobog falls. Why didn’t the friend use their own account? Their account was already banned for violating the site’s TOS as pro poker players are typically looking for an edge gain.
With more details out now… this take was an expected fail.
You cant watch an MLB game without seeing adds from FanDuel several times a game. So it’s ok for the bookies to pay MLB to advertise, but placing bets will get you banned. Great logic MLB. Hypocrite much?
He should have waited til A’s were in Las Vegas – it would be short walk to the betting window.
If they really cared about the integrity of the game we would have robot umpires already, tradable draft picks and manfred would’ve been fired 10 years
c’mon he bet his team to win…like Pete
Im sure youre kidding, but in theory umpires don’t have a “team”, since it’s critical that they remain neutral.
Haha say the athletic has better writers then trade rumors and they moderate your posts. The Athletic >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> trade rumors which was wrong on almost all free agent guesses
These shady, organized gambling companies use the same tactics as street corner drug dealers.
They give you lots of freebies and comps until you’re hooked and then they’ll drain your bank account and repossess your car until you’re paid up.
And if an umpire is stupid enough to share a gambling account he probably should be removed from the gene pool…
I guess he did not have an interpreter that would take the fall for him
How stupid can people be, smh
Ohtani over there lurking in the shadows with grin and dollar signs for eyeballs.
Explain to me the evidence of your claim, O enlightened one.
Hoiberg got caught but I’m sure there’s umpires smart enough to let someone else start and “own”(on paper) the account, while they make the bets without an actual paper trail to the account. You use another guy’s credit card and pay him back anything owed in CASH.
Great, one of few good umpires now gone.
lol. What an idiot moron. Gambling ruins so many lives I stopped playing Jackpot lottery in California even though a high number of people win there. Me I won 179.00 and 199.00 I’ve lost more from age 22 to 61. I dash the dreams of buying millions flat and home in Paris, AZ and UK. My Aston Martin is on the back burner. Im ready for A’s baseball without moron Oakland people.
“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules governing sports betting conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans.” This is hilarious! There are so many other ways that Manfred, the owners, and the players association, don’t uphold the integrity of the game, and there is zero evidence given that Hoberg bet on baseball. If he can be fired for what he’s being fired for, baseball has gone way overboard, concerning betting. I am not pro-gambling, at all, and this seems stupid to me.
MLB never fired umpire Angel Hernandez, so I don’t want to hear anything from Manfred about integrity
So baseball loses one of its best umpires yet Angel Hernandez made a career out of being the worst umpire. Ridiculous.
We’ll never know what the Telegrams exchanges were about as Telegram themselves don’t know with end-to-end encryption. I do wonder whether Hobog could’ve put up a stronger defense had the messages not been deleted.
Ill bet you they were partnering on bets. There will be more of this in all sports.
Like other commenters have said, MLB disciplining anyone over gambling is dubious at best. Between virtually every inning is a betting commercial.
Gambling is a bad look for umpires… but FTX patches were great!
I may be in the minority, but I’ve long been an advocate of using technology to call the games. People say it takes the human element out of the game, I disagree. It’s about the players not the umps trying to not make mistakes (or potentially making bad calls on purpose).
Lose-lose all the way around
Lose for Hoberg, I’m not sure what other job skills he has but I doubt he has any skill that will match what he was earning as an MLB umpire. He is young, 38 they have a fantastic union with tremendous job security. He could have easily worked another 20 years, between comp, benefits & retirement/pension he likely cost himself a minimum of $10 million
Lose for MLB. I understand they make it a requirement of employment despite the legality of it in many parts of the country. This is no different than jobs that require drug testing, might be legal but… I’m not sure if zero tolerance can work but for today at least this is the MLB headline not the hot stove or upcoming Spring Training
What leagues are asking of players/staff/officials regarding gambling is like asking high school students to practice abstinence as method of birth control. I wonder if the better solution is give those associated with a sport a way to bet through the league monitored app. You can bet on ABC, you can NOT bet on XYZ. You bet ANYWHERE else, goodbye. It’s a vice, so is drinking, but if your boss is the bartender behaviorally might any individual have a better chance at moderation vs being on your own? There’s no discussion of the $’s involved, simply that he gambled AND has destroyed evidence of his gambling trail.
Yeah, no. The policy does not prohibit gambling entirely. It prohibits gambling on the game of baseball. He made the bad mistake of sharing a gambling account that included baseball wagers, and then tried to cover his tracks. Not something everyone does. And strangely enough, gambling is not actually a universal urge, either.