added 01/30/2020 by Pat Hajovsky

When Jim Crane’s partnership purchased the Astros in 2011, I wrote a column for this site outlining 8 "Bills of Particular" that I would expect Jim Crane to address. Some were my personal preference (bring back the "H" star – success!) and some were more business focused for the team.

All of the items, though, had one common theme – put the fans first. In that time, putting the fans first has been one of the signal accomplishments of this team. After the Championship in 2017, having ring giveaways for the fans the next year, making the Commissioner's Trophy readily accessible for pictures, constantly upgrading Minute Park, etc., all exhibited the characteristic that the fans were to be not just respected but prioritized.

Since the sign stealing scandal verdict hit on January 13th, however, Crane has become "Owner Crane", "MLB Office Disciple Crane", "Commissioner's Fan Crane" and, now worst of all, "Apologist Crane." The one thing Crane has not done is put the Astros fans first.

Let me put this as clearly as I can, as an Astro fan since the 1960's, and on behalf of all the fans, you can stick all of that apology stuff up your butt!

Violating MLB's rules is not a small thing, but let's focus on what actually happened, since the sign stealing "scandal" has long ago left the sanity dock and moved into the ocean of crazy hypocrisy.

Every single thing - every...single...thing - the players did was legal with the lone exception of attempting to tip off the batters. That's it. And the tipping off attempts were so stupid that Commissioner Rob Manfred himself said it couldn't be shown it had any impact on any games. It was not done because it couldn't be done, in the playoffs, due to lack of access to the replay cameras. Then, in 2018, even the players finally admitted to themselves it wasn't effective. 

Attempted sign stealing is integral to the game of baseball. I'd venture to say, not one Major League baseball game has ever been played where someone has not attempted to steal signs. Why do catchers cycle through signs with nobody on base? Because they know there's a camera on them and they're being watched. It's basic.

Thus, it's not partisan or biased or nuts to reach a simple conclusion – the attempted tipping off was a sin of competitiveness, not a sin against the integrity of the game. That overcompetitiveness is owed, perhaps, a month-long suspension. Heck, the fine and the loss of draft picks was probably more than fair, given the context of the game itself and what actually took place.

But this Commissioner (Mr. Let's Have Robotic Umpires, Let's Move The Mound Back, Let's Put Runners On Base To Start Extra Innings, etc.) can't just act with proportion. Not this Commissioner. Instead, Manfred seriously overreacted to what should be a relatively minor incident, with year-long suspensions. Manfred's overreaction fed, and is still feeding, the media beast. 

If you're Crane, what do you do? You deflate overreactions by staying steadfast, respecting the Commissioner's opinion, but show you disagree by your actions. Crane said he disagreed about the conclusion over the office culture, but has done nothing since to back up those words. Instead, we hear about getting together for apologies, by acting like a spanked dog begging the public for a treat.  

What I'm concluding from this whole affair is that Crane stinks at crisis management. Or I do - one or the other. The firings, I can understand. The Astros remain one of the top three or four teams in Major League Baseball. You're trying to win a World Series and you're seriously hampered if you are stuck with an interim GM and Manager for the whole season. I think his hands were tied.

But the rest? The apology? The contrition? And now we see the hiring of Dusty Baker, someone whose history shows he is about as non-analytical as a stuffed toy. Then add a GM candidate straight from the Commissioner's office?

Jim Crane has decided his fans are the Commissioner's office and the national media, perhaps fellow owners who think the Astros got off light. Interesting that those owners probably didn't win two pennants in three years and are likely the ones losing on purpose while not rebuilding.

I'll be the first to admit I’m not in those rooms and I don't know what was discussed with Baker or the GM candidates. As others have pointed out, there could be very legitimate reasons to hire Baker. But as for Crane and the public stances, he has prolonged this drama, and the hiring of Baker will prolong it further.

The final bill of particular I mentioned in that article was for Crane to refrain from interfering, to not be the GM. The public actions by Crane since the scandal hit have proven me right.

Crane is seriously misreading his real audience. The audience is Houston, Texas and fans of the Houston Astros. We don't need no stinkin' apologies!