By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL/Designated Writers

I had been getting more and more concerned that Lebron James had yet to weigh in on the Houston Astros’ scandal, but I am happy to report that he has found the time to comment on a sport in which he has nothing to do with.

Now, if we can just get rid of the comments from those who do play the sport. Stay tuned, because the third string catcher for the Seattle Mariners is probably about to let us know how he feels.

I realize that spring training is opening and the timing is such that it certainly qualifies as low-hanging fruit. But this probably has been made worse by someone who isn’t even a player. No, it’s not commissioner Rob Manfred, who may not have done a good job in taking the temperature of the room, but he did what he thought was in the best interests of the game. (That’s kinda his job.)

The problem here is Astros’ owner Jim Crane, who brought a gas can to the fire with his comments that were supposed to clear the air. Forget suspending players; Manfred oughta suspend Crane for being stupid.

Mike Trout is mad. Aaron Judge is peeved. Nick Markakis is hacked. Justin Turner is chapped. Every day, it’s someone else and the spring training media is lapping it up.

Now, as Manfred tried to warn players about intentionally throwing at Astro hitters in 2020, the players have taken issue with that. We will throw 100 mile-per-hour fastballs at someone’s head whenever we damn well feel like it!

Here’s what bothers me — what percent of these players who are soooo indignant wouldn’t have done the same thing had they been on the Astros in the last few years? (Hint: It’s a big number.)

Enough already. Just play and let the season take care of itself. Which can’t start soon enough.