Twitter Has Field Day With Astros' Fake Apologies: TRAINA THOUGHTS

Best memes, reactions to Astros press conference debacle

1. As you most likely now by now, Astros owner Jim Crane, second baseman José Altuve and shortstop Alex Bregman offered up meaningless apologies this morning for their involvement in the "bang the garbage can" cheating scandal.

Crane insulted everyone by saying his team cheated but it didn't help and Altuve and Bregman read prepared statements like robots for about 30 seconds.

I don't necessarily blame Altuve and Bregman for this. They clearly didn't want to apologize, and it's stupid to force people into apologizing for things they are not sorry for.

These guys won the World Series in 2017. They aren't sorry for stealing signs. They are bummed they got caught. Why bother forcing them to offer an insincere apology? What does that accomplish? 

However, the ridiculous scene at the Astros' spring training facility this morning did give Twitter plenty of fodder to do its thing.

2. LeBron James continues to cement his legacy where it matters most—off the court.

3. The NBA is not having a great season when it comes to television ratings.

4. SiriusXM's Chris "Mad Dog" Russo is very worked up about people who don't like MLB's proposed playoff changes.

5. Journalism is about getting all the facts. Reporting is about unearthing every detail possible. So thanks to The Daily Mail for making sure we knew this story involved "hardcore" porn and just not "porn" and for making sure we knew this incident took place in front of a dollar store.

6. The latest SI Media Podcast features interviews with ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky and New York Post sports media reporter/columnist Andrew Marchand. Here's a breakdown of topics discussed and their timestamps:

Orlovsky: (2:07) NFL teams reaching out to him about possible coaching jobs. (6:06) Biggest mistake NFL teams are making right now that hurt their quarterback. (9:45) Kyle Shanahan's biggest mistake in the Super Bowl. (16:16) NFL fans being smarter than ever. (20:06) Breaking down a memorable Tom Brady video and having to convince ESPN producers to let him do it. (23:06) Analysts he admires. (24:57) Twitter launching his career. (26:37) *NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys.

Marchand: (32:05) Flex scheduling possibly coming to Monday Night Football. (39:28) TV driving MLB's proposed postseason changes and selection show. (46:24 )XFL ratings. (51:21) Update on Tony Romo's contractual situation. (55:33)The Gayle King–Lisa Leslie–Snoop Dogg controversy.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: I had forgotten about the Dusty Rhodes–Randy Savage feud until I listened to a recent episode of the great Something to Wrestle With podcast. Angles like this were truly vintage old-school WWF.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.