Jack Flaherty Blasts Rob Manfred in Subtweet During Press Conference About Astros Sign Stealing
By Scott Rogust
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred hasn't helped his case in the 2020 calendar year. His punishment of the Houston Astros for sign-stealing was the equivalent of a slap on the wrist, and he's since stood his ground in defending his decision.
On Sunday, Manfred only angered the 29 other fan bases during his press conference, where he declared that the public backlash Houston is currently receiving is punishment enough and that any players who retaliate against the hated squad will face severe discipline.
His likability ranking only dropped after joking that the controversy topic "has been fun" and wants to move on...after answering less than a handful of questions.
"This has been fun, but I'd like to move on to other topics at some point." - Rob Manfred, giving a press conference in the middle of a firestorm caused by the biggest cheating scandal in the history of the sport after just a couple of questions.
— Nick Stellini (@StelliniTweets) February 16, 2020
Yeah, good luck with that, commish.
Manfred didn't just receive flak from fans, but players as well. After hearing the commissioner's quip, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty clapped back.
it is really good that he finds all of this funny
— Jack Flaherty (@Jack9Flaherty) February 16, 2020
No lies detected here. The Astros' sign-stealing scandal is probably the biggest of its kind in baseball history. Yet, just like the ruling he handed down to Houston, Manfred acted like it wasn't a big deal.
Even though Manfred is stressing harsh punishment for any beanballs thrown at Houston, comments like the one from Flaherty show that players won't have any issue serving the suspension or paying the fine while handing down justice.