Astros Owner Jim Crane should return the trophy

As the fallout continues in MLB's biggest scandal since the steroid era, the commissioner Rob Manfred has been criticized by pretty much everyone except the Astros and their owner Jim Crane. Recently, Manfred indicated he would not go beyond the current punishment of a $5 million fine and the loss of draft picks, and he would not erase the Houston Astros' 2017 World Championship, and he would not take back the coveted trophy (insulting basically every baseball fan from the age of four to ninety-four by calling the trophy "just a piece of metal"). And that is frustrating many people in and out of baseball. But here's the thing: he shouldn't have to.

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane should want to voluntarily give the trophy back.

The trophy is a symbol of the accomplishment of winning one of the toughest championships in all of sports. And when winners look at the trophy they should be filled with pride and smile about all the hard work and struggle and sacrifice and tears and pain and joy that went into winning it. True winners would want to look at it every day and be filled with joy again and again. But no Houston Astro can actually do that. The trophy is tarnished. It is stained. It is dingy and dented. Any man of integrity would not even want to look at it, much less show it off to visitors and friends. Any many of integrity would not want a reminder of the embarrassment and shame. No man of integrity would want that in his house.

Granted, there are many other things MLB and Rob Manfred can do to enact some justice in the huge cheating scandal. 

But, as far as the trophy goes, Jim Crane and the Houston Astros players should want to give it back.