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.
Where is his interpreter? He plead out so fast and was supposed to eventually report to prison. Usually they ask for your passport when you’re out pre sentence. Have a feeling the lack of a passport didn’t matter and he’s back in Japan.
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.
What cheaters are being celebrated?
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.
I agree Jmo, the technology is definitely good enough. Certainly better than a human trying to consistently do an impossible job. Watching a tennis replay and the minute detail for a line call, convinced me.
Joe not sure where you came up with your strike zone but your explanation is confusing.
The zone unless they have changed it since i stopped umping is the top of the knee to under the armpit/top of letters. It is also when they are standing casually. Not when in their stance. They could come up and squat down and put their chest on their knees so there was no zone. I have seen it happen in little league games. Coaches and umps do not know the rules. No I wasn’t umpiring I ran a couple tournaments for years. Had numerous teams from Washington State and Canada and one from Oregon that came to play before they went to the Little League World Series.
I am torn on the robo ump debate. I understand how hard it is to call balls and strikes consistently. I was a decent ump. Was well liked by coaches and players alike. Had great games and some bad ones. It happens to all umps. There are some awful umps they need to get rid of. Hernandez Diaz should be the first to go. Hate to see a competent ump get fired when they have clowns like those two that are plain awful.
That is the strike zone definition from the mlb website: mlb.com/glossary/rules/strike-zone which is a snippet from the rulebook.
Sorry not Diaz but Buckner. CB is awful. Just read below that Angel was out. That is great news. Waiting for BB to hire him to make comments on the game like the NFL does. Seems fitting.
Yes, the strike zone is clearly defined, but the computers can’t figure out that definition for each batter. Yes, we can measure it for each player in a 2D chart, and that’s exactly why we know the technology is NOT always using the right measurements while also tracking a ball in a 3D space. It’s getting the strike zones themselves wrong, which is why it’s not good enough on its own.
The top of the strike zone is certainly not at the armpit anymore.
Are you sure it’s not measured by their stances, or at least the ones they have before they start to swing.? They can scrunch all they want to shrink the strike zone. The problem is that scrunching excessively makes too hard to actually hit that way (except for Rickey Henderson to a certain degree of scrunching). Most major league pitchers can still throw it right down the chute 3 out of 6 times if they don’t have to worry about the batter making contact.
Put sensors on the jerseys and let the strike zone fluctuate based on each player and each differing stance.
Sensor on the letters and on the knees.
Something that I have been muuliing over with the integration of technology is lighting up the bases with LED lights.
Imagine sliding into home and the base lights up green signifying safe and red for out.
It’s wild but would visually bring about a unique experience.
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.
The Feds often have political motivations that color their investigations. To say any government entity is going to be fair or impartial when dealing with any big corporation is naive. I do tend to believe Ohtani on this. The Feds did release the calls where the interpreter is impersonating Ohtani. There hasn’t been any evidence to show otherwise. Even if the Guv is acting corruptly they tend to not be very good at it and things leak. No leaks so far.
There is some bias in federal agencies, and it goes both ways. But the Feds aren’t some monolithic entity. To believe they could totally make something unlawful go away is what’s naive. This scandal falls into the realm of conspiracy theory, and they are the heights of naiveté. As you point out the government is not good at keeping secret anything, especially when more than a handful of people know about it. A lot of people in government have integrity, and would not allow a blatant disregard for the law go unchallenged.
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?
One million $$$ on the line and you had to guess whether Ohtani was involved? An automatic yes. Not even remotely close.
Same here. The ump shares a gambling account with a professional poker player? Who does that? No one. Why would you let someone else bet in your name instead of opening their own account? There were BB bets involved. Again, if there was $1M on the table, I’d bet the ump bet on BB and wouldn’t think twice.
Why would the FBI, IRS, and DOJ cover up for Ohtani? The recordings of the interpreter pretending to be Ohtani with a bank employee have been released.
Some people are totally obsessed with this case. To them it can’t have gone down the way all the facts and evidence say it did, and can only be explained by means of some vast, amorphous conspiracy involving dozens of people and agencies who have absolutely no reason to cover up anything. They will never accept the established facts or recognize the illogic of their theories. Even complete confessions don’t count. I have given up trying to understand or explain why anyone does this. I only know we now live with it every day and in every way and it is rapidly killing off whatever little cultural grey matter we had.
LOL! Ohtani was 100% involved. Nothing else would sense. The number of people in this world that haven’t checked their bank account with $16M in it, is probably -0-.
The number of people in this world that make $200k a year, and are given a $16M line of credit, is probably -0-.
There are a dozen more things like this that are improbable, bordering on the impossible.
Like I said, I am glad they chose to cover it up, but imo, it would insane to buy that story.
Lol… you make it sound that the interpreter was taking millions out of the account at a time. The audio of the interpreter impersonating Ohtani was going for 200,000. Did you tell the FBI, DOJ, and the IRS that Ohtani was 100% involved? Maybe they’ll listen you and your “intelligent” take on 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”.
Less than 6 months later he’s advertising a Bitcoin bank in Japan. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. Harder to track where that money goes.
mlb fan
“Racist hate against Ohtani”…You can always spot the lazy people
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Some are simply brainwashed at an early age to call everything “racist”.
I’m going to take a guess and say you believe the 2020 election was stolen?
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.
I doubt it.
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.
Is Angel gone? I thought he was out for awhile with back surgery. He came back for a few months and was still rated one of the worst. Then sat out another year because of his back. Never heard he was done. Did he retire? Did not hear that.
Yes, retired from baseball. Then got a job inspecting planes for Boeing, according to The Babylon Bee.
Well now we need to worry about the planes even more. He obviously doesn’t have the eyesight to see anything wrong with the planes. What a clown.
Its funny because he was one of the best umps so he was doing the opposite of rigging games.
Nobody suggested he was.
so he was doing the opposite of rigging games.
======================
You don’t know that. In fact, if you are going to throw games, you want to be as inconspicuous as possible. No one will say anything if you miss one call in a game, even if it was with Judge at bat with the bases loaded. That’s how you do it.
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!
And he ended up floating in the LA River! Where will it all end?
@empire
“Hey Ippei, so I need you to say this on the phone. Don’t worry about it. I have a sore throat and they won’t believe me, but I reallllly need the money now. I’ll pay you later for the overtime work later”
does not amount to evidence that it wasn’t the interpreter and was Ohtani.
========================
No, but here is what does. And FWIW, I think Manfred did the right thing covering it up.
1-Bookies do not extend $20M worth of credit to guys making $200k a year. But just for fun, call up a casino and ask for a $20M line of credit and let me know their reaction.
2-The bookie had to know Ippie was betting on behalf of Ohtani, or stealing from Ohtani. There is no other way Ippie would have $16M.
3-According to the FBI report, Ohtani hadn’t looked at a single bank statement in 26 months.. Is there even a single person in here that hasn’t looked at their bank statement in one month, let alone 26 months?
And the bookies texts support that he knew Ippie was taking the fall for Ohtani.
Joe, my annual income is in the low 7 figures and no casino will give me a credit line even as high as my annual income.
Let me add a #4. It is just not that easy to make that size wire transfers. You can’t just pretend to be someone else.
Mizuhara is not charged with wire fraud. He is not charged with theft of millions from Ohtani. He is not charged with illegal gambling. He pleaded guilty to 1 count of bank fraud and 1 count of falsely signing a tax return. Lower level federal crimes. The sentencing guidelines for a 1st offender are for him to serve probation to 18 months in a minimum security prison. justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/orange-county-man-agrees-…
They call it Club Fed in Lompoc. Complete with tennis courts, baseball fields, and horse stables.
Would you take the fall and spend a year in prison for the millions in unrecovered money?
The fishy smell is so strong that the fishing fleet docks at Dana Point Harbor are a clean room by comparison.
What is the point of making up such nonsense?
outinleftfield
Mizuhara is not charged with wire fraud. He is not charged with theft of millions from Ohtani. He is not charged with illegal gambling.
==========================
I have also said from the beginning that we can tell the level of the coverup by the time in prison. We had a former employee who got 7 years in prison (iirc) for embezzling $200k. Let’s see how much time Ippie does for stealing $16M.
Your obsession is showing again.
Your obsession is showing again. It is virtually impossible to believe this story. You can let go of it now.
I’m as tired of the Dodgers as the next person, but give the Ohtani stuff a rest…
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
Why did he share his account with someone else to start with?
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.
Gambling ruined sports. If you gamble at all, you have contributed to unfair sports and awful calls in all games. NFL, MLB, NBA, soccer… The integrity of those sports are now compromised due to the constant gambling ads shoved in our faces and how much money the leagues can make.
This is why I know there are hypocrites who get mad that a call didn’t go their way when they placed a bet on it.
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.
Hoberg called in the bets to the friend while Hoberg was traveling, out of the state
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When he was traveling out of state, it was probably during baseball season. Not a lot of other sports are active then.
NBA and NHL in first half of season. NFL and college football in last month of season.
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-…
Wasnt a bad lil 2ndbsmn RIP
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.
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.
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
Thats information that would be tradable and could be subpoenaed though. Cant really do that when a guy can say balls/strikes are his best judgement at the time.
Robot umps yesterday, please.
MLB gets in bed with organized gambling, then is surprised when they get fuc*ed!
LFG mets: why are Mets fans such whiners every post?
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.
He’s not getting fired for a $5 bet.
$2 bet?
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?
Law enforcement even released audio of Ohtani’s interpreter pretending to be Ohtani and wiring money to himself. Pretty damning evidence.
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.
I thought it was obvious sarcasm
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
Huh?
Reading is hard huh. It’s in English but go ahead and run it through whatever translator you want to understand the basic text I wrote. Or you know read a book and don’t be such a moron
It is when you post something apparently. I haven’t had any issues with other posts here.
Try hooked on phonics since your reading skills are lacking so much. You never know could help. My post is in the English language my 5 year old just read it to me. Funny your reading level is less than a 5 year old. You’re pathetic
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.
That would amount to federal tax fraud. You have to pay taxes on your winnings. The repercussions, if caught, wouldn’t be a loss of a job, but prison time.
It’s not that straightforward. Bookies get suspicious when people win all the time. They will investigate who you know. They will eventually want a piece of the action.
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.
” He made the bad mistake of sharing a gambling account that included baseball wagers”
Then he’s a fool on so many levels. This could be as “dumb” as Hoberg wishing to bet but when umpiring games on the road couldn’t so his “friend” physically in Iowa placed them for him. Never know actually was going on due to the deleted Telegraph communications and that unknown only leads people to think the worst.
Gambling is not rational behavior by its nature.
It depends on how you define gambling. Everyone thinks they are smarter than everyone else. It’s why we have day traders, and house flippers, and option markets, etc. Most are a form of gambling.
Day trading is gambling. Investing is not. And so on.
This man umpired the 2022 World Series.
Cheatstros can’t help themselves
Now fire 5 more umps just because they suck and don’t care. Then maybe the others will make an effort. Unfortunately he was not one of those 5…,
Another reason to have the automated strike zone
Ok, so serious question here. What’s the point of an investigation? Or at least an in depth investigation.
He had a gambling account. Let’s investigate. Ok, He shared it with his friend who bet on baseball. That took all of five minutes, but geez that looks bad…let’s investigate some more.
Result…No baseball bets placed from his devices and absolutely no evidence of any strange calls in any game he worked. So bad judgment, but all the evidence points to him not betting on or affecting the outcomes of games.
Decision…fire him.
Why do an investigation if you’re going to fire the guy anyway? Once you see there were baseball bets made from his account, if you’re going to fire him anyway then why further the investigation? Just seems dumb.
Everything you wrote is irrelevant except “He had a gambling account…He shared it with his friend who bet on baseball.”
There’s a cardinal rule in MLB for everyone in the sport. It’s there is no betting, or association with anyone, who bets on baseball. Violate the cardinal rule, and it’s max punishment. There is no wiggle room on this as shown with Shoeless Joe, Pete Rose, and even Willie Mays. It’s hard and fast, without any mitigating factors.
“Why do an investigation if you’re going to fire the guy anyway?”
That’s makes zero sense. He’s fired because of the results of the investigation found a link to betting on baseball. Had the investigation found no link he wouldn’t have been fired..
I think you’re missing my point, or maybe I just did a bad job of making it.
I agree with you. My point is that there’s no need for an investigation beyond “he shared an account with a friend who bet on baseball”.
The further investigation showed that he most likely didn’t bet on baseball and that he didn’t ump any differently from game to game. What’s the point of this if you’re going to fire him anyway?
As someone else posted above, he is apparently eligible for reinstatement in 2026 (I have no first-hand knowledge if this is the case). But if that is true, I’m guessing the investigation went further to determine how egregious the transgressions were, and whether to allow a later reinstatement, or levy a lifetime ban. You’re right, they knew they were going to fire him, because that’s the punishment, but it’s more complex than that.
Either there was a reason to share his account with someone, or Hoberg is incredibly stupid. And “stupid” is usually not one of the correct answers.
You can drive drunk.
You can beat your wife.
You can SA women.
You can beat up dudes in bars.
You can shoot people.
The ONLY thing you CANNOT do in pro sports is gamble.
Actually 66, one cannot do anything you mentioned. If you wish to make a point through comparison, the reader assumes there is something factual to compare. Although, at the risk of appearing clueless, I do not know what, “you can SA women” means. Perhaps, better not knowing.
@fox
Second word is assault. You can probably figure it out from there.
Your world sounds nicer than this one.
In THIS one…
No, that’s wrong. You cannot do any of those things. The punishments vary, but none of them have anything to do with what this is about; maintaining the belief of fans that the on-field product is legit, without the influence of gamblers.
Maybe Otahni’s interpreter placed the bet.
“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.”
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.”
A very good umpire, made some unwise choices. Termination deserved? Maybe, maybe not.
It may not be fair for him but rules are rules in the contract. I’m glad MLB has a zero-tolerance policy for the sake of trying to preserve the game.
He’ll be back in a year or two. Strange judgement on his part though. You would think that umpires would stay away from anything gambling related. Too much to lose even by just the optics of it. I know people that have ruined their lives gambling and it’s fairly ugly to watch.
Gambling while chasing those dopamine hits can make you do irrational things. I used play a lot of poker, often to the excess, and was pretty good at it. I regret the time I spent on it when I could’ve done better things. In hindsight, it was dumb for me to go on vacations where I can play poker so I missed out on other experiences which I would remember.
YBC, I admit, I love to play poker. But just with friends for fun. If, at worse, I lose $30, it’s no big deal. Sometimes I win $30. Mostly I don’t win though.
But I got to see what you allude to when I went the Vegas in 1974 with 3 other guys, Dave, the Pear, and the Doctor, who were less sanguine than I was about gambling.
Our car broke down there when we tried to leave. It needed a new water pump, and we were out of cash. (I had only taken what I could afford to lose, and I lost it of course. Everyone else gambled theirs away.)
Dave had lost the $500 or so that he brought, and borrowed another $800 from the Pear, and had flown back to LA after only about 12 hours in Vegas. He wired the money he had borrowed to us so we pay for the car. It came in to Caesar’s place about 11 PM, and I pocketed the money for the car repairs.
By 3:30 AM or so, the entire remainder of that money was gone, and I had the Pear, drunk and swaying from the free booze, begging me to give him what had I put away for the car. The amount he begged for kept dropping until he was actually begging for one dollar (“because empires can be built from a dollar”).
I ducked out when he wasn’t looking and walked around the desert (Vegas was much smaller then) until 8 AM when I met the other two where the car had been repaired. I’ve been back a couple times, because I have friends that live there, but I’ll never forget that first time.
Lol. You were the practical one in the group.
I’ve got my fair share of my Vegas stories with my boys.
Wet-behind-the-ears, we pooled together $900 and ran it up to $11K on roulette one night. Partied away $1500 of it.
We decided the next morning to ditch our cheap hotel rooms and go get a suite at the Four Seasons. There was time to pass so we rented an RV filled with booze to see the Grand Canyon which wasn’t in the original plans. When we got back to the Strip, we made a regretful pitstop at the Luxor. Lost it all down to $300 and ended up with all of us crashing in the RV at the Four Seasons lot. Security kicked us out on 1.5 hours of sleep at 4:30am and told us all to go to Walmart so we did. None of us remember how we ever made it there.
Still enjoy playing poker with my friends for sure. We were playing weekly during Covid lockdowns over the internet. $25 max buy-ins. I didn’t try to play well at our games. It’s more fun throwing money away playing 10-4 offsuit and also chasing the rare two-outers for stupid bragging rights whenever I won a pot.
Wow, great story.
Some of the things I remember was the Doctor and I went during the 1974 energy crisis. We drove cross country in a drive-away car. The speed limit on the east coast was 55 mph, but once we got to Tennessee the limit was like 85, and we bested that the rest of the way. We rolled into LA 47 hours after leaving Delaplane, Virginia..
We spent the night at Dave’s in LA. But since we had 7 days to deliver the drive-away, we decided to go to Vegas. The Pear flew in from DC to meet us there. Since it was the energy crisis the lights were mostly off in Vegas. We stayed at the long gone Frontier, Howard Hughes old haunt (didn’t see him) but hit the Sands, and Caesars.
When I was walking around in the wee hours before we left, I checked out the original MGM Grand, which was under construction. It later burned. down.
I used to favor 7-card stud, but really like Texas hold ’em now. One important thing I learned was not to be the dealer when you’re high, and call night baseball as the game.
Partied away $1500 of it.
We decided the next morning to ditch our cheap hotel rooms and go get a suite at the Four Seasons. There was time to pass so we rented an RV filled with booze to see the Grand Canyon which wasn’t in the original plans.
======================
Probably the smartest thing to do. It’s 50 years later and your crew is probably still talking about it. I still tell some of my old poker stories.
One of my buddies’ grandfather used to be belong to a local Italian-American social club. Our group were often invited to dinners and parties there. The stories I’ve heard from these guys, who were born during the Depression in NYC, were truly wild. Many of them had mob-affiliations and were connected to Atlantic City. I could also listen to their baseball stories for days.
One of the games I played in in the Bronx was connected. I think mostly bookies. There was so much money available back then. I got my fair share of it, but went out partying 5-6 days a week.
A few worked for the USPS and ran books from within there. Lol. They also did paycheck cash advances or loansharking although their interest rates weren’t egregious. It was mainly for poor families and lots of debt were forgiven in exchange for favors.
I miss those old guys who had ~60 years on us. Our group of early 20-somethings were a pretty diverse group from different socio-economonical backgrounds and they were always so welcoming and open.
Until I was about 18, we mostly played amongst ourselves. Maybe half of us could play, including 1-2 that played in Vegas. One of my friend’s father ran a $4-8 7-stud game in the late ’70s, I always wanted to get an invite to the game, but we were “kids”.
I finally get an invite just hoping to break even. I won $200 in my first game, as did one of my future-LV friends. I couldn’t believe that 50 year old guys could get to be that old without ever learning how to play. This was the Bronx. I thought everyone learned to play in the schoolyard.
I mean, my friend and I were only 18, and we were the two best at the table, with only maybe 2 other guys that could play at all.
At the men’s club, they allowed us to run our own tables. The old guys were playing Pinnocle, Stud, dominoes and some other games. Their games were too slow-paced. We paid our dues of $2 for each visit. Sodas were $.50 and we brought our own booze which could be left there. They had no interest in playing Hold Em or Omaha because we’d often mix it up. Occasionally, one would join but they’d lose quickly.
The club always remind of that prison scene in Good Fellas where everyone is cooking up a feast. Every longstanding member’s birthday was celebrated with a big dinner.
Good Fellas is one of my favorite movies. I remember seeing it the theater when it came out. When the movie was over I was craving Italian food and had to have dinner in a place with red and white checked tablecloths.
One thing is for sure….. no matter what any of us believe or say in this chat room. Neither ruling will change!
If you don’t believe Ippei acted at the direction of Ohtani, then you have to believe that Ohtani is the dumbest jock ever.
I heard Angel Hernandez was in on it too. Best to get rid of him as well, just to be safe.
Didn’t read the comments. Just going to add my two cents and go.
MLB is sponsored by gambling. Everywhere you look on broadcasts is gambling. It is more than a little hypocritical when gambling on baseball is the biggest sin you can commit in the game.
I want to say something witty about the about glass houses. Instead I will go with “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
Clean up your own house MLB.
MLB is sponsored by gambling.
========================
As well as by alcohol. If an ump gets drunk and drives off a cliff, is it baseball’s fault because they advertise alcohol?
MLB has programs to treat alcohol addictions but none for gambling. They test for drugs of abuse including alcohol, but nothing in place to detect and stop gambling addictions,
You’re suggesting MLB solicits sports gambling to sponsor their product. That’s false. Broadcasters submit bids to air MLB games. The broadcasters that win those bids sell ad space. Anyone that wants to advertise, and can afford to, short of banned products like tobacco, can get exposure to promote their products. Blaming MLB for what the broadcasters are doing is misguided.
Calling MLB hypocritical for firing anyone associated with gambling on baseball, because of the presence of ads for sports books, is a false equivalency. MLB games are broadcast on Fox, ESPN, as well as other outlets. They pay MLB a fee to do so. Then they sell ad space to anyone that wishes to advertise, and can afford it.
Those ads have nothing to do with MLB’s policy regarding betting on baseball. They have a rule that they’ve consistently enforced since the Black Sox scandal over 100 years ago.
Jean Matrac
“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.”
Who’s this “anyone” that you’re talking about?
The article states he shared a gambling account with a poker player who did bet on baseball.
I’m fully aware of what the article says. Hoberg didn’t gamble on any baseball game/s. For sure he shouldn’t have shared an account with another individual, and he should have realised it was a bomb waiting to explode by doing so.
Fred McGriff HR, Are you confusing my post with someone else’s? My post was about the numerous accusations of hypocrisy because people see fan duel, and draft kings’ ads during baseball games.
It concerns me that I have to explain to you that anyone, is anyone that comes under the umbrella of MLB, players, managers, coaches, umpires, etc.. Why are you confused about that? But then you seem to be confused about the point of my entire post.
Who’s this “anyone” that you’re talking about?
=========================
I didn’t pick up on that. Why reference “anyone else” unless there was a 3rd party involved?
JoeBrady, I’m amazed that so many people are confused about what “anyone” means. Here’s the quote from my post:
“…they sell ad space to anyone that wishes to advertise…”
This isn’t Sanskrit. It’s pretty obvious. “Anyone” is whomever wants to buy ad space for MLB games. Certainly beer is an ad buyer. There are probably cars advertised as well. I didn’t realize I couldn’t just say “anyone” and that I had to list every buyer of ad space.
I’m amazed that so many people are confused about what “anyone” means.
==============================
I was responding to Fred, but here is what the statement says:
“….no evidence that Mr. Hoberg placed bets on baseball directly or that he or anyone else manipulated games in any way. ”
As always, there could be an answer as simple as poor word choice. But I get paid to be suspicious. Why would they include “anyone else” if there was no 3rd party? And who else could manipulate games other than another umpire?
JoeBrady, My apologies. I thought you were responding to me.
I think they included “anyone else” as a contingency in case some other connection did turn up later. I think it’s like when someone is charged with a crime. The language often includes a term like any other crimes or violations, to cover any further revelations.
Fred McGriff HR, And the fact that there’s no evidence that he bet on baseball, or influenced games in anyway, is irrelevant, MLB has a set of guidelines that pertains to gambling. Mitigating factors such as those you list are irrelevant.
Hoberg violated one of those guidelines. The policy is consistent, as is the punishment for violations. The fact that the evidence is as you describe it, means he wasn’t slapped with a lifetime ban, which is what could have been the case if the evidence had indicated otherwise. But, when it comes to MLB and gambling, it’s black and white. Mitigating factors are irrelevant. I don’t understand why people don’t get this.
Jean Matrac
I do not believe that it is irrelevant at all that he did not bet on baseball. What have gambling ads got to do with this. Whether gambling organizations run ads has no bearing on the matter, but I can certainly see how people see it as hypocritical of MLB.
(d) GAMBLING. (1) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.
(2) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible. (3) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct. Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who operates or works for an illegal bookmaking business shall be subject to a minimum of a one-year suspension by the Commissioner. For purposes of this provision, an illegal bookmaker is an individual who accepts, places or handles wagers on sporting events from members of the public as part of a gaming operation that is unlawful in the jurisdiction in which the bets are accepted.
Hoberg’s account was with a legal bookmaker according to the information in the article.
(f) OTHER MISCONDUCT. Nothing herein contained shall be construed as exclusively defining or otherwise limiting acts, transactions, practices or conduct not to be in the best interests of Baseball; and any and all other acts, transactions, practices or conduct not to be in the best interests of Baseball are prohibited and shall be subject to such penalties, including permanent ineligibility, as the facts in the particular case may warrant.
I would say that maybe the misconduct rule applies in the matter, but Manfred has said he violated the gambling policy. MLB employees are permitted to gamble on other sports.
Fred McGriff HR, You’ve made my point for me. The gambling part of the rule is irrelevant, because clearly, the misconduct clause is the one that applies. An umpire, sharing an account with someone that did bet on baseball, even though the umpire did not, would be considered not in the best interest of baseball. Whether Hoberg did, or did not, bet on baseball would be relevant to the gambling clause. But it isn’t.
Good point Jean. Networks sell and run the ads. Heck, any network could have sold Pete Rose ads and made him a spokesman for said network. Lol
MLB sought out partnerships with gambling organizations, This is not something that is JUST on the networks with no connection to MLB and MLB has blocks many other types of advertising on their broadcasts.
Man, I wish angel Hernandez would bet on something
All sports are rigged for the most part just like pro wrestling. It’s still fun for fans as we usually don’t know the predetermined outcomes.
Seems like there’s a different standard for umpires and Ohtani.
Gambling will be the death of professional sports with any meaning.