2017 Dodgers are finally admitting their Astros cheating scandal grudge was getting ridiculous

Eric Cole

League Championship Series - Houston Astros v New York Yankees - Game Four / Jim McIsaac/GettyImages

There is no denying that the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal was a dark time in the franchise's history. Through no one's fault but their own, the Astros lost their GM and manager, multiple draft picks (which set the franchise back significantly), and have forced fans to have to listen to the same tired garbage can jokes over and over again.

However, one of the worst consequences is that the 2017 Astros are now completely dismissed by a large swath of baseball fans. While Houston has to expect and own that, it is still truly obnoxious and misleading to think that that team wasn't any good because of what went down. It's also ridiculous that some continue to consider the current Astros cheaters when many of the players and coaches responsible aren't around anymore, and there has been no indication that things have been amiss since the initial scandal.

Many of the Astros' louder detractors in the wake of that scandal have come from the Dodgers' fan base and roster. Again, that makes sense, as LA was the Astros' opponent in the 2017 World Series and they lost a tight series. For many Dodgers and their fans, they felt robbed. However, it does appear that the hard feelings from back then are finally softening, and current Dodgers don't hold nearly as much a grudge.

It is long past time for everyone to move on from the Astros' scandal

No one should be arguing that Houston didn't break rules and shouldn't have be punished. Reasonable people can disagree as to how the Astros should have been sanctioned, but the Astros did wrong and were punished for it. If Houston had been on the other side of that, their fans would probably feel similarly to how Yankees and Dodgers fans feel.

However, it does seem like at least some of the Dodgers who were around back then are taking the right approach here. They certainly acknowledge that the memories of that postseason aren't fond ones, but it was also seven years ago and they aren't holding on to that level of animosity these days.

If other teams want to treat the Astros like rivals and their fans want to boo them incessantly, that is objectively great. We should all want fans to be emotionally invested in games, and players being amped up for a matchup leads to a better product for everyone. Just make it about what is happening right now instead of trying to re-litigate a scandal that is done and dusted now.

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Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.