Time to move on from Astros cheating scandal? Not before Phillies fans get their say | Opinion

PHILADELPHIA — It is going to be L-O-U-D.

It is going to be crazy.

It is going to border on insane.

The Houston Astros have heard all of the booing, taunting and viciousness since their 2017 cheating scandal was exposed two years ago, but for the first time, they will be hearing it in Philadelphia.

The next three World Series games, beginning Monday night (8:03 p.m. ET, FOX), are at Citizens Bank Park, and in the words of all Phillies’ fanatics, “Baby, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet."

“You’ve seen our fans, you know how it is,’’ Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins said.  “I don’t see why it’s going to stop in the World Series.’’

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The Astros, who have been booed unmercifully wherever they’ve gone, particularly at Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium, have braced themselves for what awaits.

“We’re used to it,’’ said Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, one of only five players remaining from that Astros’ 2017 World Series championship team. “We’re all good. We’re going to focus on playing baseball. We're in the World Series. This is what it’s all about.

“I don’t worry about any of the other stuff, I worry about playing baseball.’’

Let’s be honest, what happened, happened. It has been five years now. The Astros didn’t stop winning. They’re better than ever.

This is the fourth time in six years they have been in the World Series, advancing to the ALCS six consecutive years.

If they win another World Series, it will be the greatest dynasty since the New York Yankees’ reign in 1996-2001.

“I mean, how could you not,” said ace Justin Verlander, when asked if the Astros’ run should be viewed in the same light. “I sure would like to cement another championship to really drive that point home, and here we are with a chance to do that.

“But, we’ve obviously been one of the best franchises in the history of the game since this run we’ve been on.”

It may be jealousy, more than anything else, why fans — and even rival players — continue to disparage the Astros all these years later.

Come on, do you really believe the Astros were the only team cheating by using illegal sign-stealing technology? That the Astros were smarter than anyone else in the world? That no one else was capable of circumventing the system.?

There were at least eight teams accused publicly and privately of doing the same, with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox disciplined and fined by the Commissioner’s office for their use of illegal Apple watches.

“Based on everything I’ve heard, it was like all the teams that were in the postseason that year were doing the same (expletive),” Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito recently told host Chris Rose of Jomboy Media. “I think that’s also kind of why the players kind of had that half-apology energy when they were apologizing for all this stuff.

“They probably knew, like, ‘Man, we got caught, but everyone was kind of doing this stuff.’ ”

Exactly.

You can’t find a soul in the Astros’ clubhouse or front office that believes the Astros were the only ones illegally using cameras. Several Astros officials actually have proof of other teams cheating with illegal use of cameras.

The difference is that the Astros had a whistle blower, pitcher Mike Fiers.

No one else ratted their team out.

If the Astros were just another team, and not making the Fall Classic an annual event on their team calendar, they likely would be forgiven. In the words of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, “they don’t boo nobodies.’’

You boo greatness

“It doesn’t matter to us, I don’t think,” Astros Game 3 starter Lance McCullers said. “I think a lot of great teams over history, a lot of great players over history, get booed wherever they go, even if they don’t deserve it.

“Maybe it’s a weird form of admiration.”

When you think about it, it’s similar to the steroid era. There were hundreds of players juicing in the game. There were hundreds of players never identified and unpunished. And there have been players honored with Hall of Fame plaques who used performance-enhancing drugs.

Yet, we want to punish Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens because of their greatness.

We still have players who want to believe the Astros would never have won the World Series if the Astros didn’t cheat. Maybe they would have, maybe they wouldn’t.

No one will never know.

But there still are those who refuse to forget.

“I think that those people who were involved in that situation still, every day at some point, have to realize what they did,’’ Phillies reliever David Robertson said. “I will never get 2017 back.”

Robertson was on the Yankees’ 2017 team that lost the American League Championship Series to the Astros, with Yankees GM Brian Cashman still convinced they would be wearing World Series rings if not for the cheating.

Then again, if the cheating really was that outrageous, if people were that offended, then why is everyone that leaves the Astros suddenly forgiven.

Manager Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox, who was the bench coach of the Astros, is beloved in Boston. Manager A.J. Hinch, who managed the Astros, is adored in Detroit. The Toronto Blue Jays embraced center fielder George Springer. The Minnesota Twins welcomed shortstop Carlos Correa. The Yankees accepted Marwin Gonzalez and hired Carlos Beltran as a broadcaster.

The Dodgers, who lost the 2017 World Series to the Astros, have voiced their anger the loudest, from the bowels of their clubhouse to the upper deck of Dodger Stadium.

Yet, guess who has emerged as one of the marquee free agents they’ve targeted this winter?

That would be Correa, who has acknowledged his role in the scandal.

So, what happens if the Dodgers sign Correa? Will Dodger fans cheer every Dodger who steps to the plate next year but boo Correa? Will every Dodger player and official who said that Correa and other Astros would never be welcomed in their clubhouse, now be absolute hypocrites and pretend that all is forgiven simply because they changed uniforms?

Enough already.

The Phillies’ fans and everyone else can boo the Astros because they are great, just like the Astros’ fans take such great delight in booing Bryce Harper.

But to turn booing into viciousness and cruelty, condemning the Astros forever for cheating five years ago, sorry, it shouldn’t work that way.

Simply, it was the sign-stealing technological era of baseball.

It happened. It’s over. And it’s time to let it go.

Well, at least after this week when Phillies’ fans finally get their chance to voice their anger, loud and clear, for all the world to hear.

“It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be crazy,’’ said Astros center fielder Chas McCormick, a native of Philadelphia, “and it’s going to be intense.’’

Let the booing begin.

“We feel,’’ Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber says, “like it’s another element that a visiting team is going to have to go through.’’

Only this time, it may be a level of hostility perhaps like no other in the 16-year history of Citizens Bank Park.

“It’s going to be,’’ Robertson says, “rather interesting.’’

Follow Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ready Astros? Phillies fans will bring the boos for cheating scandal