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Braves leftfielder Nick Markakis recently sounded off about the Houston Astros scandal. He wasn’t happy. At all.

“I know as players, we do not agree with what they did. We do not stand behind them. Never will we support them for their actions, and I think they got off pretty easy. They are going to be able to go out there and compete with no ramifications at all, which is wrong, and I think the commissioner completely handled it the wrong way.”

Markakis isn’t alone. A lot of baseball players have been ranting about the sign-stealing scandal that has plagued the MLB in this early spring period. The anger has been real. It has yielded a media circus. It has been sad to see baseball painted in such a negative light and harming the sports integrity.

What is a fair punishment for the Houston Astros? Despite the penalties handed down by commissioner Rob Manfred, there are people who think it’s not enough.

As Markakis so eloquently stated, “I feel like every single guy over there needs a beating.”

Sign stealing is a part of baseball. It’s a part of every sport. But when you use technology to get away with it—to give your team an unfair advantage—you’re only harming the game you are trying to win. I certainly expect all sports to tighten down on the regulations and penalties for cheating electronically.

Hawkins MVP Award

I was thrilled to see Bainbridge’s own Quayde Hawkins win quarterback MVP at a Rivals camp in Orlando this past weekend. Hawkins got a chance to show off his skills in front of a large group of scouts and fellow players, which can only mean good things to come for the soon-to-be senior. With five offers under his belt, including one from Ole Miss, I think we can expect to see some more trickling in soon.

There are countless moments I’ll always remember from covering Bainbridge’s 2018 state title run, and Quayde’s post-championship interview will always be one of them. He was cool as a cucumber, calm and relaxed. Quayde is a young man of few words anyways, but he was especially reserved after that win. You’d never know he had just scored the go-ahead touchdown in triple overtime in the biggest game of his life. The guy is a stud, and I can’t wait to see how he does his senior year at Bainbridge and beyond. Keep up the hard work, Quayde!