In the wake of Tuesday’s report that Cardinals employees accessed the Astros’ computer system without authorization, a couple of talking points have emerged:
(1) that the system was easily compromised because Luhnow re-used old passwords from his days with the Cardinals; and
(2) that the motivation of the Cardinals’ employees was their belief that Luhnow had taken Cardinals intellectual property with him when he went to Houston and they were just checking to see if that’s true.
The purpose of these talking points has been two-fold: either to make jokes about Luhnow’s password kung-fu and/or to somehow excuse the perpetrator’s hacking into the Astros’ system. Or, at the very least, to provide a non-espionage motivation for the alleged crime.
Time for some new talking points because over at Sports Illustrated Ben Reiter reports that neither was the case. At least according to Jeff Luhnow. A former technology executive, he flatly rejects the idea that he doesn’t appreciate and implement good password practices. He likewise denies any taking of Cardinals IP and notes that no one has ever before suggested that he has, formally or otherwise.
Contrary to what some “legal experts” and some Cardinals fans believe, neither the ease of access to the Astros’ system nor the existence of some IP-investigating motive have any real impact on the legalities of the situation. But it is interesting to hear Luhnow speak on this matter. Go check out Reiter’s exclusive report.
