⚾ The Astros’ Issues Are Just Beginning

The Houston Astros are upset at how players around MLB are talking about them and their sign-stealing scandal. Just wait until the season starts. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: The Houston Astros are about to get every single team’s best shot ... the latest update on Ryan Newman is incredibly positive ... and Stone Cold Steve Austin makes a viral moment even better. The Houston Astros, if we are to reasonably assume that Carlos Correa’s reaction is indicative of the clubhouse, don’t like what Cody Bellinger had to say about them. Which means they won’t like what Aaron Judge had to say about them. Or what Trevor Bauer and Nick Markakis had to say about them. Or — in what must be the first time anybody has had a problem with what Mike Trout said — what Mike Trout said about them. Or even, presumably, what LeBron James had to say to commissioner Rob Manfred … about them. They really didn’t like what a lot of people had to say about the theory of hidden buzzers secreted inside their jerseys, and they almost certainly hate the fact that they’re hated by the entirety of the baseball world outside of oil country. New manager Dusty Baker doesn’t like the fact that his players are going to get thrown at and yup, all in all, the Astros are pretty unhappy about all of the above, and just about anything else you can think of. [STORY IMAGE 1] And yet, if they think this is bad, the difficult times haven’t even started. Not even close. For we are still in the nascent days of spring training, days when talk is cheap and plentiful, when players have time on their hands and have had no one to chat to these past couple of months. As much as rivals of the Astros are happy to stand tall and speak up as defenders of fair play, they are, first and foremost, professional athletes. Which means they have an innate streak of competitiveness that is and will always be their favored way of making their voice heard. [STORY IMAGE 2] So Correa can whine all he wants about what Bellinger had on his mind, which was basically that the Astros were frauds and cheats and didn’t deserve their 2017 title, a view mirrored by Judge (bluntly), Bauer (savagely), Markakis (aggressively), Trout (almost nicely, somehow) and dozens of other elite players. Yet in a couple of months’ time, he and his Astros teammates may look back fondly on the time when the worst that was happening to Houston was what people were saying about them. Because think about this. Major League Baseball’s regular season is a 162-game slog, long enough that a baby conceived during spring training could arrive in time for the World Series if they were a couple of weeks early. And this season, all throughout it, in each of those games, the Astros are going to be facing an opponent that is treating the encounter like Game Seven of the Fall Classic. [STORY IMAGE 3] No baseball player turns up to a ballpark hoping, expecting or planning to lose. They are all in it to win it, on any given day. But just like you might have an extra spring in your step in the office if thrust into a competitive situation with someone you don’t like, so too can ball players conjure a little extra effort from their tired bodies when something piques their interest. And nothing quite does that as effectively as a team that won a world championship while cheating, didn’t really get punished for it, and doesn’t show much indication of believing it should be sorry. Already the oddsmakers are taking odds (probably) on which Houston player is going to be aimed at in retribution first. Already Manfred has had to step in and warn about the consequences. Do you think that is going to stop it from happening? Talking of odds, +600 for the Astros to win it all in 2020 (via FOX Bet) seems rather short. The crowds they face are going to be up for it. The players they battle are going to be up for it. An us-against-the-world mentality might work for a bit for Houston, but how hard is it going to be to lift spirits during a slump? A.J. Hinch is gone. Jeff Luhnow is gone. Both were fired because of the sign-stealing saga. Gerrit Cole is gone, off to the New York Yankees as a free agent. And the days of the Houston Astros being likable are gone. The great underdog story of zeroes to heroes has lost all of its sparkle. The narrative works if you overturn the odds and find a way to prevail, but not if you’re playing a different game than everyone else. The Astros have a new normal to get used to, one where everyone is out to get them. Chances are, they may not like it very much. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Will Leitch, Intelligencer: “Since the scandal first hit, it can feel as if every day brings some new revelation. We know so much more about where this whole thing is headed, and what it means for the sport itself, than we did when The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich broke the story in November. In many ways, the scandal has exposed fault lines in the sport and among the people in charge of it … but it also, oddly, may lead to a way forward.” Jeff Passan, ESPN: “Because it's true: [Altuve] didn't stop it. No one did. And that's a question the players lobbing grenades at the Astros ought to ask themselves, too. If they truly plumb the depths of their self-awareness, how many believe they would not simply be conscientious objectors, as the data suggests Altuve was, but entirely blow up a scheme being used by a team barreling toward 101 wins?” Gabe Lacques, USA Today: “Life is nothing but a series of slippery slopes, and we would be wise to embrace the scandal's didactic elements. The Astros' apologies may ring hollow, but it will be fascinating to observe both the implicated players' on-field performances, as well as their actions in and around the sport. They're baseball players, not the Manson Family.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Miracle of miracles: Ryan Newman is fully alert, walking, and has been released from the hospital — [and he’s smiling with his daughters, too.]( - Drew Brees is coming back for his 20th NFL season, and the Saints’ recent draft success makes it a lot easier for New Orleans to afford their star QB, [Albert Breer explains at Sports Illustrated.]( - As NFL free agency looms, not every team’s offseason is created equal. [CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora breaks down]( five teams facing critical decisions and tough cap situations. [THE BRADY HUNCH] [THE BRADY HUNCH] Celebrities: they’re just like us! Specifically, two of Tom Brady’s famous friends, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, are very curious about where Brady will play next season. [The two recently appeared on ESPN’s “Get Up,”]( where they revealed that yes, they have texted Tom about his intentions for the 2020 season, and he has indeed responded. Of course, his response was: “🤷 ♂️”, so unfortunately, Damon and Affleck aren’t a whole lot of help on this front. On the other hand, Brady did use one of Bill Belichick’s favorite phrases [in an Instagram post]( this week, which probably means ... something? Maybe? [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( By now, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen this video of a gentleman being a little too aggressive in opening glass doors at his local retail establishment — but you probably haven’t seen it with Stone Cold Steve Austin’s glass-shattering entrance song, which just takes the whole thing to another level. The juxtaposition of our hero’s bewildered reaction and Austin’s theme is pitch perfect. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] WWE NXT (USA, 8 p.m. ET) The Velveteen Dream’s mind games come to a head tonight, as he’ll face Roderick Strong in his first match since suffering a back injury in October. Welcome back, Dream. No. 21 Butler at No. 16 Seton Hall (FS1, 6:30 p.m. ET) Good news for Butler, as starting PG Aaron Thompson has been cleared from concussion protocol and will likely make his return in this Top 25 matchup. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Syracuse to score 20 points first vs. Illinois: +200 Historically, Jim Boeheim’s squad has been synonymous with defense — but this season, Syracuse’s offense is leading the way. While they’re nine-point underdogs to the No. 11 team in the nation (and +350 on the money line), you’re getting two-to-one on your wager that Syracuse can get off to a fast start tonight. And if they don’t? Well, you can quickly turn your attention elsewhere. It’s win-win! A new FOX Sports app and website is coming. [Click here]( to be notified when the reimagined app is available. [WHAT THEY SAID] “The phrase, ‘It’s just a game’ is such a weak mindset. ... When you stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice. There’s always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle.” — Ninja [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download the FOX Sports app for live scores and streaming [App Store]( [Google Play]( Available on: [tvOS] [Roku] [fireTV] [androidtv] [XBOX] [Google chromecast] [tvOS] [fireTV] [androidtv] [XBOX] [Google chromecast] Forwarded this message? [Sign up](. Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2020 FOX Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. FOX.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900