Houston Astro's Cheating Scandal is The Only Blemish on Baseball's Flawless Record of Integrity

The greatest baseball talent in the world is reporting to America's most desired vacation spots (places us yinzers can only dream about) over the next few days to begin training for the upcoming MLB season.

Ahh, nothing like heading to the ballpark with your old man on a warm, July day -- pairing a soggy hot dog with an overpriced beer, and following the Eat-N-Park Smiley Cookie while he bounces along to the words of America's favorite karaoke song -- Take Me Out To The Ballgame. It's wholesome US tradition at its finest.

And what is the game really about if not integrity and the equal opportunity for anyone in the league to have a fair shot at winning it all? It's the embodiment of the American Dream itself.

However, in one isolated and deliberate instance, some pricks from the Houston Astros have carved a chink into the otherwise completely unscathed armor of integrity that baseball has built and maintained for generations.

It must have been the extra lobster rolls that made Bonds so much bigger late in his career.

Pete Rose and Barry Bonds would be rolling in their graves at this gross display of disrespect towards America’s pastime. It's not like the Astros were corking their bats, or funneling cocaine through the team mascot. It's not like they turned a blind eye when guys were in the locker room shooting Winstrol into each others asses. No, those were things teams only did back when baseball still had an ounce of honor.

That World Series Title from 2017? Houston needs to be stripped immediately, if baseball wants to uphold its flawless record of rightful champions. Could you imagine a team back in 1919 cheating so bad that it directly determines the outcome of a World Series?

Yea, me neither. But again, that’s back when men were men and would never even think about cheating.

All this baseball blabber brings me to another reason why the sport has maintained parity and fairness for so long. Baseball is the only sport in America that maintains a level playing field when it comes to how teams finance their payroll.

The league is all about protecting the underdog small market teams and giving them their God given right to compete for a championship. That's why the battlin' Buccos are out there every single season competing for a playoff spot, and drawing massive crowds late into September, right?

Most World Series wins by team.

Name another sport that gives each team the opportunity to win championships? Cmon --when was the last time we saw a city outside of New York, LA or Boston win a Super Bowl? Exactly.

Now, with the Astros cheating at every turn, small market teams like the Pirates don't get their fair shake to win championships every year.

Baseball has always been about integrity and providing each club with the same opportunity to be a champion. There is no cheating involved, which is what makes it uniquely American. America never cheats. Here’s to hoping the Astros are brought to some good old fashioned justice, for baseballs sake.

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