The Fact of the Matter is No MLB Fan Will Be Satisfied With Any Apology From the Astros

The Houston Astros had their first chance to right their wrongs for their sign-stealing scandal at a press conference at their spring training complex, and they somehow managed to make things much worse.

Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman read manufactured apologies in a very robotic fashion, while Carlos Correa merely said that they "feel really sorry" and tried to shoot down the theory that the team used buzzers in some capacity.

Corea (on MLB Network): No one wore buzzers. That's a lie. I want to speak the truth. It's just straight up false. No one wore anything.
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) February 13, 2020

The sad reality for the Astros is that no matter how they apologize or how flowery the language is, they aren't going to make this right instantly.

Not only did they steal signs, mess with the legacy of countless other players on other teams, and ruin their own reputations within the league, they did it so brazenly and with such little remorse over such a long period of time. Saying "I'm sorry" and crying some crocodile tears will not help smooth things over. They just have to endure their turn on the hobbling wheel.

Jim Crane sounds tone deaf. Jose Altuve and Alex Bergman spoke for less than a minute and a half combined. Dusty Baker, who has been Astros manager for two weeks, sounded the most sincere. What a mess.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 13, 2020

The only way the Astros could have gotten back any level of respect would have been being very direct, acknowledging what a mess they made, and taking ownership of their failure in a very professional manner. All these cryptic deferrals, half-truths, and PR apologies they're just reading off a piece of paper without any sincerity is only making things look worse.

But even if they had legitimate apologies prepared, it wouldn't make a difference. Their lack of substance in response to all of this is just making them look like even more of a laughingstock.