What did MLB Comissioner Rob Manfred say about his handling the Houston Astros cheating scandal?

Rob Manfred is one of the most reviled commissioners of baseball in the history of the game. His decisions have brought the game to the brink of implosion, placing the national pastime in a position where in order to save it, MLB had to gut the essence out of the game.

But of all of the myriad things that Rob Manfred should regret, he singled out offering Houston Astros players immunity as one that haunts him.

Speaking with Time magazine in a wide-ranging interview, the man who brought shift bans, pitch clocks, and a reclassification of analytics from side-room to head of the table said that one of his regrets was in the way that the Houston Astros were dealt with in the wake of the 2017 sign stealing scandal.

“I’m not sure that I would have approached it with giving players immunity. Once we gave players immunity, it puts you in a box as to what exactly you were going to do in terms of punishment. I might have gone about the investigative process without that grant of immunity and see where it takes us. Starting with, I’m not going to punish anybody, maybe not my best decision ever.”

Manfred added to the list comments that he made about the World Series trophy, referring to it as “a piece of metal” and how taking it away would be futile.

In other areas, the commish was less apologetic, saying that while he felt for the Oakland A’s fans, moving the team was destined to move because Oakland “is not a major league facility. It is not suitable for the A’s to be there.”

When questioned about the pitch clock, Manfred showed remarkable naiveté, or perhaps just wilful stubbornness, in saying , “You know, it’s still a game that doesn’t end based on a clock. It is just an interim measure of what’s going on during the game. A game is still nine innings no matter what.” Of course, this is patently nonsense, demonstrably so now that we have had several games end on pitch clock violations.

Robo umpires were a subject where Rob Manfred was a little more pragmatic, recognizing the fact that computers have no gray area and seeing that as much a hindrance as a boon.

Maybe Rob Manfred will learn from his experience with the Astros. “There have been times, particularly in times of pressure, when I look back, taking a little more time might have led to a different outcome.” Take your time, Rob Manfred. After all, everyone knows that clocks have no place in baseball.