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Lance Berkman: Bud Selig 'Extorted' The Astros

While Lance Berkman just won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Rice product, who became known as "Fat Elvis" in his 12-year tenure with the Astros, still has deep ties to the Houston area.

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So it's not all that surprising that he has some hot sports opinions about the team's move to the AL West in 2013:

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"I feel basically like the commissioner extorted Jim Crane into moving the Astros. If he called me, I would tell him," Berkman said. "I think that's exactly what it was. To tell (Crane), 'We're going to hold the sale of the team up until you guys agreed to switch?' It just happened that the Astros were being sold at an optimal time for that to happen."

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The move to the AL has not been greeted with much enthusiasm in Houston, but no matter how shady it might appear, there's no turning back now.

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On the bright side, the move could let Berkman finish his career as a DH for the Astros.

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