Former Dodgers OF Steven Souza Jr defending Astros is not what we need

At the end of the day, the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal is over. It’s in the past. What’s done is done. Los Angeles Dodgers fans don’t like to harp on it … but they also don’t want to hear anybody downplay how they got screwed out of a World Series, regardless of the alleged circumstances.

That’s why we do NOT need former Dodgers outfielder Steven Souza Jr. playing any sort of role in defending the Astros with the famous “everybody else what cheating, too!” argument. We do not care. The Astros got caught. They used their tactics to win a championship and arguably ruin careers along the way.

If everybody else was truly cheating to the degree the Astros were, then why do we have absolutely zero tangible evidence of it? And does it even matter, anyway? The Astros weren’t punished for what they did!

Manager AJ Hinch, bench coach Alex Cora and general manager Jeff Luhnow received 60-game vacations and billionaire Jim Crane had to pay the equivalent of a $20 fine for the common folk. The Astros kept their trophy and zero players were disciplined. So if fans want to be mad, let them be mad.

Souza, who’s played in 248 games since 2017 and hasn’t exactly been a prominent name in the sport, isn’t going to convince anybody otherwise.

Former Dodger Steven Souza Jr. defending the Astros is frustrating

Ah yes, those “really good human beings” who were so good and careful that they got caught compromising the integrity of the entire sport!

Another one of Souza’s rebuttals was “more than half the league” cheated … but none of the teams he played on! So how did he know?

The Astros have a Wikipedia page dedicated to their cheating scandal as well as various “explainer” articles from various sports outlets. This isn’t some grand conspiracy to bring one franchise down while exonerating countless others. Nobody is doubting unsavory practices took place, unchecked, in other organizations, but it’s evident no other team overstepped the boundary as excessively as Houston did.

And if Dodgers fans still want to feel some sort of way about Jose Altuve, then so be it. They don’t need to direct their anger toward a random player that may have cheated but didn’t affect their team’s trajectory.

By no means should fighting or extreme verbal abuse be condoned, but fans don’t have to deemphasize the Astros’ role and eventual outcome due to their actions because other teams may have been orchestrating similar practices. It’s a weak way to approach this and let the Astros off the hook for something they were found guilty of by Major League Baseball.

So, yeah, don’t expect Souza Jr. back with the Dodgers if the Mariners cut him loose this season.

Dodgers executive leaving for Astros front office is traitorous activity

The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost a front office executive to the Houston Astros. Why did this happen, especially after what went down in 2017?