Earlier this week, Cardinals first baseman -- and former long-time Houston Astros star -- Lance Berkman told a CBSSports.com's Scott Miller and one other reporter that MLB commissioner Bud Selig "extorted" the Astros into moving to the American League. When given the chance, Berkman even said that he would personally tell Selig that's what he believed.

Evidently he got his chance.

Berkman spoke with the commish this week, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Not just one of Selig's henchmen (or is "minions" a better term?), but the head honcho himself. And, actually, it was a conversation initiated by Berkman, as he wanted to apologize.

"It was a good conversation," Berkman said (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). "I basically apologized for using the word 'extortion.' I had a chance to tell him where I was coming from and he had a chance to explain where he was coming from."

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"A lot of things sound better in your head than they read in print," Berkman said (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). "It's certainly a situation in which I was trying to express a pretty strong emotion. For me, it's water under the bridge now. I'm more than happy to make amends. I don't carry any ill will or animosity. That's not me."

As CBSSports.com insider Jon Heyman pointed out, what happened was a simple business transaction and it was approved by all 30 owners. That's not even close to extortion. Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. agrees.

"I tried to explain the process and how it played out," DeWitt said (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). "The concept was endorsed by the (players') union to have two leagues with 15 teams in each. It was approved by a 30-0 vote of the owners. It's an unfair situation if you have a division like the National League Central, where you have to beat five teams to win it, compared to (the American League West) where you only have to beat three teams. It's more symmetrical — and much fairer — to have three five-team divisions in each league."

Credit Berkman, though, because he didn't go with the lame old "misquoted" or "misunderstood." He manned up by simply admitting he went too far in his attempt to stand up for the franchise he was with for so many years.

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