Traci Brown, a body-language expert, analyzed comments made by the Houston Astros and concluded that they’re lying.
Members of the Houston Astros (current and former) are taking turns apologizing for the recently revealed cheating scandal. But the rest of the league, along with fans, aren’t having it. The team and their players have come under fire by many individuals in and around the sport.
Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media spoke with Traci Brown — one of the most accomplished body-language experts in the country — to find out if the Astros were lying. Brown has worked with the police, the FBI, and the United States Army Special Forces. Therefore, it’s safe to say that she knows what she’s talking about.
In Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS, José Altuve hit a walk-off home run off New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman to send his team to the World Series. While approaching home plate, he adamantly signaled to teammates that he didn’t want them to rip off his jersey. He then went into the tunnel to change his shirt.
When the scandal became public, a claim noted that the Astros may have been using buzzers hidden underneath their jerseys. Altuve was interviewed after the game and was asked why he didn’t want teammates to tear off his uniform. He responded, “the last time they did this I got in trouble with my wife.”
Brown said Altuve answered that question differently than he did the others. He looked down and avoided eye contact. He also smiled and laughed which she identified as “duper’s delight. He thinks he’s getting away with it.”
When Astros shortstop Carlos Correa denied the use of buzzers on Thursday, he said, “…you guys know me. I want to speak the truth every time I’m talking to you,” per Brian McTaggart of mlb.com.
Brown says that this is a “telltale of deception.”
The last instance is something that’s obvious to the general public, not just experts. After listening to how Alex Bregman and Altuve apologized, Brown said they were extremely insincere. She additionally pointed out how their statements were completely void of any sentiment or emotion.
“…they’re not sorry. They won. A couple of guys were fired. Who cares? They won.”
Brown’s thoughts on these players’ comments make for a very interesting read. Regardless, fans of teams like the Yankees and Dodgers will probably remain frustrated after reading them. They just seem to provide more confirmation that the Astros have been cheating like crazy all along and that their apologies carry no meaning.
