Nothing will undo what the Houston Astros did. They definitely cheated and put together a sign-stealing scheme during their 2017 World Series season. But at a certain point, MLB and Houston need to move on.
Even with endless criticism swirling around the Astros, Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper seems to have a fair take on the situation as Houston tries to find closure on the scandal.
“Being able to watch a Houston team that you believed was one of the best teams in the world, that run that they had gone on. You’re gonna see this year if they’re the truth — if they’re really gonna go out there and do what they do,” Harper said, via NBC Sports. “And if they do, then nobody can really say anything. I think they do have really good players but the things they did do in the past is gonna taint what they did.”
Harper’s peers have doled out harsh criticism for Houston, and the court of public opinion didn’t appreciate the Astros’ disingenuous apologies during spring training. Perhaps the weak apologies — and punishments — have cause continued discontent among MLB fans, who have heckled the Astros regularly during the exhibition games in Florida.
Still, there’s something rational — and perhaps too rational — about what Harper had to say about the Astros. The New England Patriots, a team entirely familiar with cheating scandals, managed to change the conversation (slightly) after both Spygate and Deflategate by winning games and Super Bowls. In the case of Spygate, the Patriots clearly broke NFL rules and in the case of Deflategate it was “more probable than not.” The court of public opinion turned on New England. So in 2007, after Spygate, the Patriots had an undefeated regular season. And the Patriots have won three Super Bowls since Deflategate. The Astros can try to change the conversation in a similar way: if they win without stealing signs, they can begin to earn back respect from MLB fans and employees.
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