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I am a conservative by nature and really do believe in the rule of law. However, at the risk of ridicule I hold a different position when it comes to baseball. I think 'cheating' has long been part of the game, part of looking for the edge and to me adds a bit to the allure. This recent Houston transgression brings it into the electronic age but is along the same lines as chewing slippery elm to produce spit, emory board in the back pocket, vaseline on the underside of the cap brim, pine tar up the bat and on the deterrent side of the coin the timeless antidote to signal theft......signalling for the breaking ball down and away and then throwing a fastball up and in. As they used to say..."Spin his hat"....that used to be the proper response to any attempt at gaming the system.
On the one hand Houston came up with a creative strategy but so poorly implemented....banging a garbage can for goodness sake??
Then as I related the story to my wife, a decided non baseball fan,....." yeh, but they still have to hit it! "
I understand your "there's a history of it" view and sincerely get it. The problem is that it really isn't a fair or sustainable model (only made harder in an era of high tech).
To wit, should every team try to cheat the "allowable" amount? And what is that "allowable" amount? And, as noted, what's "allowable" cheating in a digital world?
I think clear rules, clearly enforced is what is needed even if it "changes" the game.
And yes, the banging on the garbage can stood out as a ham-handed implementation strategy (for, as they'd say, the last mile).