'They can't bang on trashcans anymore': Bob Costas angers Houston Astros fans

Just before the Houston Astros celebrated their American League pennant and sweep of the New York Yankees on the field at Yankee Stadium early Monday morning, TBS host Bob Costas managed to arouse the ire of Astros and New England Patriots fans in one foul swoop.

Costas seemed to be delivering a compliment, but fans on Twitter didn't like that he brought up past transgressions.

"I wonder what you guys will think about what I'm about to put out there," Costas said during TBS' broadcast. "This in no way excuses what the Astros did in 2017 and whatever might have surrounded that. They were sanctioned for it. Some people say the sanctions were not stiff enough. But at the very least their championship in 2017, for many, carries a mental asterisk if not an official asterisk. But those who continue to say that that explains away their success - it's like people who try to put all the Patriots' success and (head coach Bill) Belichick and (quarterback Tom) Brady under the heading of Deflategate or taping a Rams' practice before their first Super Bowl victory. It just doesn't add up. These guys have been to the LCS six straight years, and they've gone to the World Series four out of six. And they can't bang on trashcans anymore."

Astros manager Dusty Baker, who managed the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013, is among the Reds' connections to the 2022 World Series. Baker, ninth in Major League Baseball history in wins by a manager, is seeking his first World Series championship as a skipper.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bob Costas angers Astros and Pats fans as Houston celebrates ALCS win