Bob Costas won't handle TBS play-by-play duties for Yankees-Astros in ALCS
Bob Costas before an NFL game on January 16, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. Credit: Getty Images
Legendary broadcaster Bob Costas, who called the Yankees’ five-game AL Division Series victory over Cleveland, will not be behind the play-by-play mic for the Yankees’ ALCS against Houston that begins on Wednesday night.
TBS announced minutes after the Yankees’ series-clinching 5-1 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday that its announcing team for the ALCS will be Brian Anderson and former Mets Ron Darling and Jeff Francoeur. Lauren Shehadi will be the reporter.
Costas, the 70-year-old who grew up in Commack, called the ALDS with Darling. Costas will host TBS’ pre and postgame coverage of the ALCS. This was always TBS’ plan as they consolidated from two broadcast booths for the two Division Series to one for the ALCS.
Costas’ verbose style wasn’t a hit with some fans, including 68-year-old former WFAN host and Long Beach native Mike Francesa, who recently said on his podcast: “Costas, who will not be quiet no matter what. He thinks, I guess, that every word is golden . . . Everything’s a history lesson. We don’t need a history lesson every two seconds! Everybody’s a Yankees fan. They understand Yankees history. They know it backwards and forwards! This is not a history class! It’s a baseball game! Be quiet! Do the game!”
Costas responded to the criticism in an interview with Cleveland radio station 92.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning.
“I’m going to give you an honest answer: I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to it because of the dynamics that we’ve been talking about,” he said. “So I understand what it is. There was one comment — in line with what you’re talking about — ‘You don’t have to say these things about the Yankees. Everybody knows this.’ Does that person understand the nature of a national broadcast? Yes, everybody from Sacramento to Bangor, Maine, knows who Aaron Judge is this year, but what about other factors within it?
“I think if you don’t set the stage and frame it a little bit, then the casual fan isn’t drawn in as much and they don’t understand the dynamics of the series. Once you move along past the first couple of games, then the series takes on its own narrative and you do less of that.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
