Source: Giphy

With the memory of the Astros' scandal still fresh, baseball has another ethics debate on its hand — though this one is far less devious.

What happened: After being thrown out at the plate Monday, Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier picked up a data card that had fallen out of Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk's wristband and brought it back to the Rays dugout.

• Kiermaier claims he didn't look at the card, which likely contained the Blue Jays' game plan for pitching to each Rays hitter.
• Once Kirk realized his cheat sheet was missing, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo sent a batboy to the Rays dugout to ask for it back.
• According to SportsNet, the batboy returned with a message making light of the situation, something along the lines of, "we can't hit Robbie Ray anyway."

What they're saying: "I keep [my outfield positioning card] in my pocket. Initially I thought it could've been that," said Kiermaier. "I never even looked at it ... But at the same time, I'm not going to ... hand it back."

The fallout: Rays manager Kevin Cash apologized Tuesday, and Montoyo called it "agua under the bridge." So, while a division rival — and possible playoff opponent — having your ace's pitching plan isn't ideal, this feels over.

Yes, but: The Kiermaier "scandal," if we can even call it that, does bring to light some of baseball's biggest concerns, which will linger far beyond this season.

• Gamesmanship vs. cheating: Baseball has a long history of teams trying to find an edge at the margins of the game. But the Astros' intricate sign-stealing system and the Red Sox's illicit use of smartwatches has created an aura of uncertainty, blurring the lines between gamesmanship (OK) and cheating (not OK).
• Inside baseball: Baseball fans don't expect to know everything that happens during a game, but they also don't want to be in the dark. Between sticky stuff, cheat sheets and dugout iPads, there's a lot that goes on now that feels opaque — intricacies of the game that most fans don't know about.
• Players as robots: The analytics movement has transformed baseball, but critics think it's gone too far, turning at-bats into math equations and players into robots. As longtime Blue Jay Vernon Wells put it: "This whole thing is ridiculous. ... You shouldn't need cards if you're a student of the game. Stop being robots and play the game!

My thought bubble: I'm completely fine with Kiermaier picking up the data card. If you make a cheat sheet, and that cheat sheet falls out on the field of play, you deserve to have it taken.

"Cryptocurrency exchanges and other blockchain-based businesses are pouring money into sports sponsorships," writes Morning Consult's Alex Silverman. "New research reveals why."

By the numbers: Sports fans are twice as likely as non-fans to say they're familiar with crypto, according to a new Morning Consult poll.

• 47% of sports fans said they're familiar with cryptocurrency; 27% said they currently own some.
• 66% of "avid" sports fans and 72% of sports bettors said they're familiar with cryptocurrency.

The biggest player: FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange, is the most active in the space. MLB umpires wear its logo on their uniforms, the Heat will play in FTX Arena, and athletes like Tom Brady are now partners.

In related news ... Paris-based Sorare, the Ethereum-based fantasy soccer game and NFT trading platform, has raised $680 million at a $4.3 billion valuation. It's the largest ever Series B in Europe.

Salvador Pérez hit his 46th HR on Monday, passing Johnny Bench for most by a primary catcher in a season, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

What to watch: Toronto's Marcus Semien has 41 HR, two shy of tying Davey Johnson (Braves, 1973) for most by a second baseman.

⚽️ USA 17, Paraguay 0: Last week, the USWNT beat Paraguay 9-0 behind five goals from Carli Lloyd. On Tuesday, they beat them 8-0 behind Alex Morgan's hat trick. OK then!

🍿 New trailer: Here's the first full trailer for the Kurt Warner biopic, "American Underdog." Comes out Christmas Day.

🏈 London combine: The NFL will stage an international combine next month in London, with athletes vying for spots in the International Player Pathway program, which has produced some current NFL players.

⚽️ 60 is the new 30: Suriname Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, age 60, played for the soccer team he owns on Tuesday. Talk about a wild life: He was once a wanted bank robber and has fathered at least 50 children.

🇵🇰 Pakistan pullouts: England and New Zealand have abruptly canceled trips to play Pakistan in cricket next month. "Many see the pullouts ... as punishment for the country's support of the Afghan Taliban," per NYT.

A new tentpole summer event will be added to the North American sports calendar beginning in 2023, Jeff writes.

Driving the news: MLS and Liga MX unveiled plans Tuesday to transform the Leagues Cup into a month-long, World Cup-style tournament featuring all 47 of their teams.

• The Leagues Cup debuted in 2019 as an eight-team tournament with games interspersed throughout the season. (The 2021 championship between the Sounders and Club León is tonight.)
• The new competition will see every team from MLS (29 in 2023) and Liga MX (28 in 2023) pause their seasons to compete in group play, followed by knockout rounds starting in late July/early August.

Between the lines: This is part of an overhaul to the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL), which will also expand in 2023 to a 50-team tournament with group play.

• The Leagues Cup champion will earn a spot in the CCL round of 16, while the second- and third-place finishers will automatically qualify for the group stage.

The backdrop: This is the latest in a string of MLS-Liga MX alliances, following the debuts of the Campeones Cup in 2018 (MLS champ vs. Liga MX champ), the current Leagues Cup in 2019, and a joint All-Star Game in 2021.

The big picture: In addition to capitalizing on the burgeoning USA-Mexico soccer rivalry, the new-look Leagues Cup presents a unified front ahead of the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

"We have been thinking about how to capture the interest and passion around the USA-Mexico soccer rivalry for many, many years. Now, [we're] turning it into an official CONCACAF competition."

"Increasing the interest and value of club competition between our two leagues is only going to help the sport grow in this region. And that's an important priority ... as we lead up to the World Cup in 2026."

The bottom line: FIFA president Gianni Infantino said a merger between MLS and Liga MX could produce "the best league in the world." An annual month-long tournament is no merger — but it might be as close as we'll ever get to one.

Back by popular demand ... Ironman triathlons took place across the globe this past weekend, generating some breathtaking photos.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — An athlete bikes past Shark Fin Cove, just off the world-famous Highway 1.

MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. — Athletes cross a bridge on the Cedar River Trail in the suburbs of Seattle.

MARBELLA, Spain — An athlete runs near the Mediterranean coast in Marbella, where Novak Djokovic currently resides.

JÖNKÖPING, Sweden — Athletes swim in Lake Vättern, the sixth-largest lake in Europe.

Tomorrow's virtual event (12–1pm ET) on the role of sports in the climate crisis features three speakers uniquely suited to speak on the topic.

• Tim Leiweke: He formerly presided over groups that owned six pro franchises and numerous venues. Now, as CEO of the Oak View Group, he's the lead developer of Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena — the world's first zero-carbon certified arena.
• David Goldblatt: In "Playing Against the Clock," he warns of the many ways sports will be impacted by climate change, while also examining sports' own contributions to the crisis. He contends that by 2050, half of all previous Winter Olympic cities will be unsuitable hosts.
• Susan Dunklee: The two-time Olympic biathlete with two World Championship silver medals is also a member of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project — a group of professional endurance athletes who train together while promoting sustainability in her home state of Vermont.

Attend the event.

94 years ago today, Jack Dempsey — an icon of the "Roaring Twenties" — lost his final fight, a controversial heavyweight title bout known as "The Long Count Fight."

What happened: Gene Tunney, who'd beaten Dempsey one year prior in the "Upset of the Decade," controlled the rematch fight through six rounds before Dempsey knocked him to the mat in the seventh.

• A new rule required fighters to retreat to a neutral corner before the 10-second down count began, but Dempsey forgot, instinctively standing over Tunney in case he got up.
• Dempsey finally heeded the ref's calls to retreat, but the extra time (video showed Tunney was down for 14 seconds) gave Tunney a chance to get up — and later win the fight.

The backdrop: The Dempsey-Tunney fight at Chicago's Solder Field — the first $2 million gate in entertainment history — was just one of many landmark moments in 1927.

• In January, the first transatlantic phone call was made between London and New York.
• In May, Charles Lindbergh made his historic flight from New York to Paris aboard "The Spirit of St. Louis."
• All summer, Babe Ruth and the Murderer's Row Yankees cemented themselves as one of the greatest teams in MLB history.
• In October, the first full-length feature with dialogue, "The Jazz Singer," was released, effectively ending the silent-film era.

📚 Good read ... Bill Bryson's "One Summer: America 1927" is a fascinating look at what led to — and stemmed from — one of the most eventful years in American history.

J.J. Redick, who retired Tuesday, ranks 15th all-time in made NBA three-pointers.

• Question: Who are the four active players ahead of him?
• Hint: Two have rings.

Answer at the bottom.

Anthony Gose, a former outfielder who played 372 games across five MLB seasons, returned to the big leagues Monday — as a pitcher.

• The 31-year-old threw 1.2 innings in relief for the Indians, giving up one run while touching 100 mph an impressive eight times.
• Gose made the switch in 2017 when it was clear his batting days were over and has been climbing the minor leagues ever since. Over the summer, he won a silver medal with Team USA.

The big picture: Shohei Ohtani's abilities as a hitter and pitcher make him a two-way unicorn, and likely MVP. But making the switch from one to the other like Gose did is almost equally as rare.

• The closest comparison might be Rick Ankiel, who went the other way, switching from pitcher to hitter after experiencing the yips.