Astros owner apologizes to SI reporter for claiming she fabricated story

Tim and Sid talk about the Astros firing assistant GM Brandon Taubman for inappropriate comments made in the clubhouse, and all the ways the team mishandled the situation from the beginning and even up until the actual firing.

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has personally apologized to Sports Illustrated reporter Stephanie Apstein and retracted the team’s original statement that she attempted to fabricate a story about about the team’s assistant general manager last week.

On Sunday, Apstein tweeted an image of the letter Crane sent to her this weekend.

“On behalf of the entire Astros organization, I want to personally apologize for the statement we issued on Monday October 21st,” Crane wrote in the letter. “We were wrong and I am sorry that we initially questioned your professionalism. We retract that statement, and I assure you that the Houston Astros will learn from this experience.”

SI reported Monday that Astros’ assistant general manager Brandon Taubman taunted a group of female reporters during their ALCS celebrations on Oct. 19, yelling “Thank God we got Osuna. “I’m so f—— glad we got Osuna!”

Taubman’s taunts are in reference to Astros closer Roberto Osuna, who was suspended 75 games last year for violating MLB’s domestic policy while a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto later traded Osuna to Houston.

The Astros fired Taubman on Thursday after an investigation by MLB and the team.

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