Astros Apologize: Here’s My Unpopular Opinion

This morning, the Astros organization held a press conference at Spring Training and addressed the 2017 cheating scandal publicly, and as a group for the first time.

Before I start, I just want to make it clear that I believe that the whole cheating scandal was wrong, embarrassing, and made me question how fair the competition is in baseball.

That being said, between all the contradicting reports and accusations, I believe there is a lot we don’t know about what went on with the Astros and about what might be going on in other organizations. We received an apology today from the Astros, which is what fans have been asking for during the past few weeks. Personally, I am satisfied with what was said (with a few exceptions) and am ready to look forward to the 2020 season.

So here are my thoughts on what each person participating in the press conference said.

Jim Crane

Crane said several times throughout the conference that the cheating will not happen again under his watch (though he was hesitant to actually use the word cheating, and when asked directly if cheating was a word to describe what happened, Crane said they “broke the rules”).

One reporter asked him if he had known about the cheating allegations prior to them going public in November, since it has been reported that other organizations had filed complaints to MLB about the Astros before November. Crane claims that he learned of the potential cheating when everyone else did in November, but I don’t really believe that’s true. How can you be the owner of the team and have no idea that other organizations have reported yours to MLB?

Also, a lot of people are giving him a hard time because during the question and answer session, he said that he did not think the cheating gave them an advantage over the teams that were eliminated. He later corrected this statement and said they will never know. His first insinuation about how cheating did not give them a competitive advantage is ridiculous. While we can never know for sure, I would imagine it’s a lot easier for the batter to make contact when he knows what pitch is coming. He would also probably be a lot more confident at the plate.

I will play devil’s advocate for a second here and say that his second statement about never knowing who would’ve won was a lot more appropriate. There is no way he was going to say it did give them a competitive advantage, credit the cheating for them winning, or anything else of that nature. He can’t say anything like that without suggesting that the World Series win was not deserved, and therefore the title should be vacated (obviously the owner of the team would not want this- for both publicity and financial reasons).

Alex Bregman

Even though it was short, Bregman apologized on behalf of the team, organization and himself. He made eye contact with the crowd and said all he needed to, leaving it on a positive note and saying he wants to earn back trust. I thought this apology was perfectly fine and well spoken. What else was he supposed to say?

Jose Altuve

Another short one, but less apologetic and more about how they will bring a championship back to Houston. I would’ve liked what he said a lot better if he did not say anything about winning a championship. It would’ve been more appropriate to say that they are still talented players and they want the chance to fairly prove that to the world.

Dusty Baker

Baker’s statement talked about how remorseful and embarrassed all the players were in last nights team meeting. He mentioned how he started with this team during a tough time, and there will be a lot for him and the organization to overcome. He closed by stating he wants to bring a championship back to Houston. I thought this was okay (but only when he said it) because he is new to the organization, wasn’t involved in the cheating, and was trying to be encouraging for Astros fans.

The Astros’ Players Aren’t Public Speakers

Bregman and Altuve aren’t public speakers, they’re baseball players. A lot of fans are claiming Bregman’s apology was disingenuous because he was reading from notes (even though he wasn’t for most of his statement). While I’m sure PR went though what needed to be said with him, just because he felt more comfortable reading from notes doesn’t mean he doesn’t regret his actions. He seemed very nervous, especially when he first went up to the mic.

Watch Bregman and Altuve’s statements here (obviously Steve Gelbs of SNY wasn’t a fan of what they had to say):

Update on Beltran’s Role

There was a report earlier this week claiming that Carlos Beltran was the leader in this whole mess, steamrolling over everyone else’s objections to the cheating. The report also claimed that young players were afraid to speak up against him.

Today during Carlos Correa’s interview with the media, he denied all of these claims and said that all the players had a say in this scandal and that Beltran is the “nicest guy”. Here’s Correa’s full statement about Beltran:

Concluding Thoughts

I wanted an apology from the Astros because this whole mess really made me question the integrity of baseball. And not just due to the actions of the Astros, but for the accusations on other teams as well, and the fact that many organizations were aware of the cheating.

I thought today’s apology was perfectly fine. Obviously it’s would’ve been nice to hear more details, more accountability, etc, but that’s not realistic.

The Astros certainly had a competitive advantage in 2017, but they still had a very talented team, which is why I bet it is even more frustrating for fans to watch their title be diminished.

While I am not going to forget what they did, everything we will hear from this situation is a rumor, and we have no idea what’s true and what’s not. So I am looking forward to this season, of what is hopefully completely fair play.

What did you think of the Astros apology today?

If you haven’t seen it, watch the whole press conference and decide for yourself here (don’t let everyone else’s opinions sway yours!):