Let no one take any bows for the events of Jan. 13, 2020, one of the darker days in major-league history.



Not commissioner Rob Manfred, who issued appropriate penalties to the Astros for stealing signs illegally in 2017 and ’18, but presided over a sport that did not police the explosion of video technology until it was too late.



Not Astros owner Jim Crane, who made the appropriate decision to fire general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch after baseball suspended both for the 2020 season, but presided over an organization marred by poor communication and a win-at-all-costs culture.



And not the Astros players who escaped penalty because Manfred determined in September 2017 he only would hold a club’s GM and manager responsible for sign-stealing misconduct — and because he promised players immunity for honest testimony, knew any discipline might invite a challenge from their union and, perhaps most of all, could not determine which of...