Rob Manfred issued an apology on Tuesday for the way he trivialized the World Series trophy, but Kris Bryant says there is a feeling around Major League Baseball that the commissioner meant what he originally said.
While discussing the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in a recent interview with ESPN’s Karl Ravech, Manfred downplayed the importance of the World Series trophy — which is called the Commissioner’s Trophy — by referring to the award as a “piece of metal.” Manfred made the remark while explaining why he chose not to strip the Astros of their 2017 World Series title. On Tuesday, Manfred apologized for the poor choice of words.
Bryant is not buying the apology, and he says others around the league aren’t either. The Chicago Cubs star told reporters on Wednesday that he cherishes his World Series trophy and believes Manfred meant what he said when he called it a “piece of metal.”
Bryant not buying Manfred apology: "I don’t think people are accepting it. When you say something like that, I genuinely believe he really meant it was just a piece of metal. Not to me, I have one in my office back home, and it’s right in the middle, the center of attention."
— Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) February 19, 2020
More Bryant on Manfred's trophy apology: "This was something that was very important to me and very important to the whole organization. We haven’t had one in 108 years, and that piece of metal meant a lot to the whole city."
— Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) February 19, 2020
Players are not pleased with Manfred at the moment. Most feel that the commissioner made a huge mistake by not punishing any players who were involved in Houston’s cheating scheme, and Manfred has made the situation worse with his recent media tour addressing it. He’s well on his way to unseating Roger Goodell as the most hated commissioner in sports.
