The fact that the Astros used the system during the '17 World Series confirmed the Dodgers' suspicionsGETTY IMAGES
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred yesterday said that the league's investigation "found the Astros had used their trash can-banging system to steal signs and signal them to hitters" during their '17 World Series victory over the Dodgers, despite the Astros' "recent denials" of such conduct, according to Bill Plunkett of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said that this "only confirmed what the Dodgers suspected going into" the series (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/19). In N.Y., Joel Sherman writes there was "power in hearing the words spoken in public, especially in the aftermath" of SS Carlos Correa "insinuating that the Astros did not use the trash can-banging system" during the '17 World Series. Manfred's words were "yet another reminder that the Astros cheated all the way to a title" (N.Y. POST, 2/19).
MANFRED'S METTLE: The AP's Stephen Hawkins notes Manfred apologized yesterday for what he called a "disrespectful reference to the World Series trophy as a 'piece of metal.'" Even before being asked about it, Manfred said that he "made a mistake with those comments while trying to deliver a rhetorical point in an interview two days earlier." He said, "I referred to the World Series trophy in a disrespectful way, and I want to apologize for it. There's no excuse for it. ... It was a mistake" (AP, 2/19). Manfred said that he "values the Commissioner's Trophy." He said, "I've awarded five World Series trophies. There is no greater pleasure in this job than awarding that trophy. I understand what it means. And again, it was a mistake to say what I said" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/19). In Chicago, Gordon Wittenmyer noted Cubs P Jon Lester "minced no words" yesterday when asked about Manfred's depiction of the trophy. He said, "That's somebody who's never played our game. We play for a reason. You play for that piece of metal. I'm very proud of the three that I have. If that's the way he feels, he needs to take his name off the trophy" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/19). But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts credited Manfred for apologizing, saying, "For him to circle back a couple days later and apologize, I think it says a lot" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/19).
ON TO THE NEXT ONE: In L.A., Dylan Hernandez writes the Astros' cheating has been the "talk of spring-training camps around baseball despite efforts by teams to look ahead to the upcoming season." If the story of the day "isn't about a previously unreported element of how the Astros perpetuated their fraud, it's about what a prominent player had to say about baseball's version of the New England Patriots." The developments "clearly have worn down Manfred, who looked like a living metaphor for the state of the game" yesterday. Hernandez: "He looked fatigued. He sounded defeated" (L.A. TIMES, 2/19). YAHOO SPORTS' Tim Brown wrote by late yesterday, Manfred "appeared winded," as his voice "lacked its usual crackle" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/18).
