If the Houston Astros thought their efforts at apology for their sign-stealing scandal on Thursday were sufficient, they’re quickly being proven wrong.
Commissioner Rob Manfred gave a clear sign Friday, telling Bill Madden of the New York Daily News that the Astros needed to make clear that they know they were wrong and were sorry for doing it.
“Let me say this,” Manfred said. “It is important for me to have the Astros players and the entire organization make sure the fans of Houston and the fans all over the country know that they did something wrong and they apologize for it.”
Manfred doesn’t directly call out the Astros in his quote. However, the fact that he felt it needed to be said a day after the Astros’ initial round of apologies makes clear that he thinks more has to be said.
The rest of the sport agrees. Owner Jim Crane was absolutely roasted for his words, and other players are openly trashing the Astros for not seeming to realize the gravity and scope of what they did.
There seems to be a sense of the Astros not wanting to admit that their actions had a significant impact on the games they played. They’ll say it was wrong, but they’ll downplay its significance because they don’t want to play a role in cheapening their own championship. Unfortunately, that line isn’t going to work in the eyes of the public or their peers — it just makes them seem sorry for getting caught rather than sorry for doing it in the first place.
The Houston Astros are confirmed cheaters and deserve an asterisk. Send that message by wearing our Houston Asterisks T-shirt! You can buy it here:
