Is it me or has veteran broadcaster and baseball historian Bob Costas gone from beloved to just plain old bewildering over the last few years? He always seems to embroil himself in every controversy that comes around and not in a good way either… Sometimes he even likes to stir up his own controversies,,,
During a sports update on NBC this evening, they showed video of the Mets comeback 4-3 comeback win and the celebration that ensued at home plate following Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ walk-off homer at Citi Field. That prompted Costas to say the following:
“The Mets with four in the bottom of the ninth to win it, 4-3, and a team fourteen games under .500 celebrates as if it just won the seventh game of the World Series. Another indication of the ongoing decline of western civilization.”
Some Mets players took to Twitter to respond to Costas:
Jeremy Hefner: Hey Mr. Costas.. We will enjoy our wins!
David Aardsma: I love Bob Costas but are we supposed to roll over and die on the season? Or should we celebrate the excitement of a huge comeback?
Jim Malone: I respect Bob Costas as a broadcaster, but his comments today are a classic example of a non athlete not “getting it”
Costas’ snide remark also led to an official edict from Mets media guru Jay Horwitz:
Mets held team meeting in Atlanta tonight. Vowed no more on field celebrations after wins. Players will now yell quietly in lockers.
— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) June 17, 2013
Even retired Braves third baseman Chipper Jones chimed in and said:
“I’m thinking Mets fans will let Costas know about that little comment.”
I think Costas has lost that reverence he once held and has gotten too caught up in his own celebrity. He now spends hours with a makeup crew before each broadcast, who try desperately to make him look like hes still 30 when he’s actually 60.
Hey Bob, don’t tread on my Mets…
By the way, I’m well aware that many of us, including me, have had Chipper Jones on our Top 10 Most Hated Player list for almost two decades. But for the last 3-4 months, he has really gone out of his way to support the Mets as a team, or one of our players every chance he gets via social media.
I thought some of the things he said about Matt Harvey this season were very cool, and I thought it was classy of him to personally congratulate Zack Wheeler on Twitter last week when it was announced he was going to debut on Tuesday.
Maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all… Just a really, really, great player who used to kick our butts all the time while wearing an Atlanta Braves uniform…
