MLB Teams Lying to Media About Injuries

[StlSluggers]

Last week, we learned that Chris Carpenter would be having surgery despite all of the good news we'd been getting from the Cards organization. The next day, I read a little quip from some media guy basically saying that he was glad for the surgery because we wouldn't have to hear 3 months of lies about how good Carp was doing.

Now today, I just saw an article by Rob Neyer on ESPN where he says that Ricciardi has "lost all credibility" after lying about Ryan's injury earlier this year. The club says, "There are a lot of things we do not tell the media, because the media does not need to know it and the fans do not need to know it. There are a lot of things that happen that if you let it play out, it ends up solving itself. If you bring attention to it, then a lot is made out of things that don't end up being a big deal."

Obviously, the media feels they are entitled to more.

My first thoughts are that JP is right, and that the media is becoming too self-important. If teams want to lie to the media, then let them. Why does it matter?

[YardBirds]

Then why announce any injuries? Why not just have a guy on the DL and submit the reasoning to the MLB and keep it private. If you are going to talk, then tell the truth. If you are going to lie, then just don't say anything at all.

[BillyHallDisciple]

How does it ever benefit the team to lie about the injury?

[Yoda]

I agree. Lying doesn't do any good for anyone. It creates a lot of angst from the fans: see Prior, Wood. I will never forget how the Cubs handled their injuries.

I am starting to believe that Felix's injuries are a lot more serious than we've been led on. I could be wrong but Bravasi has been one of the worst GMs in recent memory and I think he is the first one to get canned this year.

[YardBirds]

How does it ever benefit the team to lie about the injury?

Well if your starting ace contracted syphilis from a Texican prostitute... you would probably want to list him as having an "inflammed groin fluxor" or something.

The Ryan issue is, if he was having arm issues in the Spring, why lie and let him pitch the beginning of the year? Thats a danger to him and you lose credibilty with a fan base that, while wanting to see the stars at the park, also want the club to protect its assets.

[bleach168]

The media and the fans are entitled to the truth. If my team lied to me, I would question my loyalty.

[acsguitar]

Blah the media doesn't deserve much. A good reporter finds out things without being directly told

[Ender]

Teams lie/mislead the media so the teams they are about to face don't have all the information. An example would be Hart's wrist which is bothering him enough that he can't really play. Yost doesn't come out and say anything and now teams don't know whether he'll be available to come out and pinch hit or not so they have to make their in game decisions based on a guess rather than the facts.

[pokerplaya]

I agree. Lying doesn't do any good for anyone. It creates a lot of angst from the fans: see Prior, Wood. I will never forget how the Cubs handled their injuries.

I am starting to believe that Felix's injuries are a lot more serious than we've been led on. I could be wrong but Bravasi has been one of the worst GMs in recent memory and I think he is the first one to get canned this year.

I have the same concern. And having Felix in my keeper league isn't helping matters any...I'm considering unloading him at 50 cents on the dollar but I don't know what good that would do anyone...

[Madison]

It's a conspiracy against fantasy baseball players!




Actually, kinda on topic, but you'd think MLB would embrace fantasy players and do things to try to help us and make us happy (Name a closer! True injury reports! Etc.), like the NFL has done with fantasy football. Stupid Selig.