PLAYOFF CHANCE SABATOGED
SOX WORKERS COMPROMISE GAME'S INNER WORKINGSBY PAT DORWIN
SPORTSWRITER
CHICAGO MORNING SUN
CHICAGO - AT LEAST TWO WHITE SOX INTERNAL GAMING EMPLOYEES ALLEGEDLY RESET A KEY COMPONENT TO THE SYSTEM OF MLB: THE SHOW, THE FRANCHISE THAT RUNS MAJOR LEAGUE FRANCHISE FANTASY BASEBALL.
MLFFB, WHITE SOX GM LARRY FEENEY AND THE FBI OFFERED ONLY A TWO-SENTENCE PRESS RELEASE FRIDAY: "A CONSPIRACY BETWEEN AT LEAST TWO CHICAGO WHITE SOX EMPLOYEES SERIOUSLY JEOPORDIZED SEVERAL WEEKS OF GAME PLAY FOR THE TEAM. CHARGES AND ARRESTS ARE IMPENDING."
A HIGH-LEVEL WHITE SOX EMPLOYEE REVEALED TO THE MORNING SUN THAT THE TEAM'S HITTING INTERFACE WAS INTENTIONALLY RESET FROM "VETERAN" TO "LEGEND." THE ONLY OTHER COMMENT HE WOULD ADD WAS THAT "APPROXIMATELY THREE WEEKS OF GAME PLAY WAS AFFECTED."
A STUDY BY THE MORNING SUN REVEALS THE BREACH HAPPENED AROUND AUG. 12 AND WASN'T DISCOVERED AND FIXED UNTIL LATE THURSDAY, SEPT. 5.
THE SOX WERE OFF BOTH DAYS. CHICAGO WON ONLY FOUR OF ITS 22 GAMES DURING THE TIME FRAME, THE GLITCH WAS CORRECTED IN TIME FOR FRIDAY'S GAME AGAINST THE ROYALS, A 4-1 CHICAGO LOSS.
"THAT WAS DUE TO THE SHOCK OF THE SITUATION - AND THE FACT ZACH DUKE (ONE RUN IN 7-PLUS INNINGS OF WORK) PITCHED A HELLUVA GAME," SAID A LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCE CLOSE TO THE INVESTIGATION.
MLFFB HAS PROVISIONS IN ITS BY-LAWS COVERING SUCH SITUATIONS, BUT NOT FOR ANY INCIDENT DISCOVERED MORE THAN THREE DAYS AFTER AN ALLEGED INFRACTION.
"SO THAT MEANS THE GAMES WILL NOT BE MADE UP, NO MATTER THE LENGTH OF TIME," SAID TIM DEAN, A FORMER MLFFB INTERNAL INVESTIGATOR. "IT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE IT CLEARLY AFFECTED A LARGE TIME FRAME, BUT THE WINDOW OF TIME OPPORTUNITY IS GONE AFTER THREE DAYS.
"YOU CAN ONLY 'BEND' TIME FOR 72 HOURS."
THOMAS SMITH, DIRECTOR OF GAMING AFFAIRS FOR THE WHITE SOX, DECLINED REPEATED REQUESTS FOR COMMENT.
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