Philadelphia Phillies: Let’s move past the Astros talk
Like the rest of baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies need to focus on their own season and not dwell on the Houston Astros situation.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the dominant story (basically, the only story) in baseball this winter has been the Houston Astros‘ cheating scandal and its subsequent fallout.
It’s a topic that’s gotten even more play in the past week or so as MLB players begin to trickle in to spring training and say their peace on the matter, with several Philadelphia Phillies players joining the fray.
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These are players who have sacrificed and dedicated their lives from a young age to the game of baseball, so they are certainly entitled to an opinion on the matter. And even though the Phillies who chimed in weren’t as aggressive as some other MLB players were in their opinions, I still didn’t really need to hear much from the Phillies about this whole ugly situation.
Again, players like Bryce Harper are totally within their rights to say something, but I’d prefer they just move on and focus on helping the Phillies win. And I really don’t need to hear from Larry Bowa about this, either.
You may believe I’m ignorant by thinking that professionals can just “move on” from such a thing that’s tainted their sport. I realize it’s not easy. But fixating on such a thing won’t help the Phillies to succeed in 2020, which is all anybody around here should be caring about.
Plus, the fans around baseball have got things covered, as they’ll be merciless on the Astros this season, and maybe even for the rest of the rest of the careers of the players involved. Houston hasn’t seen anything yet.
Is the end goal of all this chirping to turn up the heat on commissioner Rob Manfred and his ineffectual leadership? Would his removal somehow make baseball better? Who even knows?
Like any baseball fan, I’m digusted at what’s transpired here. Although, full disclosure, I won my fantasy baseball league in 2017 thanks in part to having Carlos Correa (career high 24 home runs and .315 batting average) and Josh Reddick (a .263 career hitter who hit .314 in 2017) on my team.
And no, I won’t be giving my trophy back.
Still, everyone finds this objectionable, though I can understand a fellow player being particularly incensed. It’s completely validated. But it can stop now. It already stinks that this threatens to hang over baseball for the foreseeable future. As a fan, I want actual games to take precedence when the season gets underway.
Outspoken players should also remember that, just like in the real world that the rest of us live in, the more critical you are of other people, the bigger your own fall will be if and when you get caught doing something that you shouldn’t be doing. And while I’m not insinuating anything about the Phillies or any other players around the league, you just never know.
Remember that thing about glasses house that our parents all taught us? You can criticize, but just be really careful about it.
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It’s only human to harbor resentment for things that have hurt you, even indirectly. I know I do it. But for these Phillies who are right here, right now, and trying to bring meaningful baseball back to this city, let’s concentrate on the task ahead instead of obsessing over a bunch of cheaters whose reckoning is only just beginning.