Yankees GM Cashman, Astros Owner Crane Keep Pointing Fingers At One Another

Just when you thought that the cat fight between Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Astros owner Jim Crane was over, the two keep coming back for more.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Why are they yapping about one another? Let's recap. Back in 2017, the Houston Astros put together a means of stealing opponent signs. They perfected their system and won a World Series that year. Then, their scandal became known, and the MLB issued a sternly written letter and a slap on the wrist, asking them very gently not to do it again.

Per ESPN, several Astros personnel either lost their jobs or left the league as a result, including former manager AJ Hinch, who is now manager for the Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, Carlos Beltran, and Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow.

So why is this story from five years ago back in the news? Well, because the Yankees remain bitter that they were deprived of a World Series that year, and Crane remains awfully defensive about the World Series that he won that year. Crane made mention of Cashman to USA Today recently:

"ou were doing it, too. You were there, dude. What are you talking about? If I was one of the teams, and I knew our team was doing it, I'd keep my mouth shut and just go about our business."

Wait, what? The Yankees were stealing signs too? Turns out, that's true. Sort of. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred sent the Yankees a letter back in 2017 to inform them that they'd been found out.

Per ESPN, "an MLB investigation found the Yankees to have engaged in illegal use of their video replay room to steal signs and then relay them to the dugout in 2015 and 2016. The letter also stated the Yankees' illegal use of an iPad to watch a live game broadcast from the bullpen in June 2017. MLB fined the Yankees $100,000, and the funds were allocated for Hurricane Irma relief."

Cashman then defended his team against those accusations: "I don't think anybody equates it to what the Astros did except for Houston. the feedback from everybody in the industry, including Major League Baseball."

And to be fair, the Yankees were not fined for sign stealing but for "for improper use of the telephone in the replay room," which they say "was utilized as a competitive tool by numerous teams ... and only became illegal after the commissioner's specific delineation of the rules on September 15, 2017."

OK, you two, enough. My head hurts. The Astros stole signs and won, while Yankees stole signs and lost. Sounds like both men need to move on. There's still a World Series to be won in October 2022.