By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Baseball Writer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has apologized for what he calls his disrespectful reference to the World Series trophy as a “piece of metal.” Even before being asked about it at a spring training news conference in Arizona, Manfred said he made a mistake with those comments when trying to deliver a rhetorical point two days earlier. He says there's no excuse for what he said, and called it a mistake. MLB players were already upset with Manfred's handling of the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal and some of his comments in trying to explain it. They became further infuriated when he referred to the sport's ultimate prize as a “piece of metal.

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