The Houston Astros are in deep trouble — at least they appear to be. According to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, the league is looking into the Astros’ usage of high-tech cameras to gain a competitive edge via sign stealing. You know the story by now. However, there are new details coming to light, courtesy of a Rob Manfred press conference.
Astros, Lone Wolf
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Manfred told reporters that Major League Baseball has no reason to believe that the sign stealing allegations extend past the Houston Astros.
“I have no reason to believe it extends beyond the Astros as this point in time.”
As the owners' meetings begin, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the sign-stealing scandal. A few highlights.
As to whether other teams are involved as well, he said: "I have no reason to believe it extends beyond the Astros at this point in time.”
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 19, 2019
Potential Discipline and Investigation
When asked about the potential discipline that he would be interested in levying against Houston, Manfred basically told the media that he has the ability to destroy teams if he wishes:
“The general warning I issued to the clubs, I stand by. It certainly could be all of those things, but my authority under the major league constitution would be broader than those things as well.”
Manfred appears interested in a full-scale and lengthy investigation:
“Any allegations that relate to a rule violation that could affect the outcome of a game or games is the most serious matter. … We have … what is going to be a really, really thorough investigation ongoing.”
Manfred’s Interests
The allegations against Houston were brought to Manfred’s attention before it hit the mainstream. It is wholly possible that he tried to cover it up before then:
Rob Manfred definitely trying to cover this shit up, lol. https://t.co/UoyUh2f3vE
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) November 20, 2019
Trolling Houston
Of course, the Wikipedia pages for anything related to the Houston Astros have seen changes:
The World Series MVP wikipedia page rules pic.twitter.com/aqIjCJgAzz
— Russell Steinberg (@Russ_Steinberg) November 18, 2019
HA! Someone edited the Wikipedia page putting an asterisk next to @Astros 1 win…https://t.co/ee5tK11EbS pic.twitter.com/6xhB22YKcT
— The Bronx Zoo (@TheBronxZooNYY) November 15, 2019
Overall
The Astros are going down and everyone seems to know it — except for their fans.