Mark Madden's Hot Take: Astros' appearance makes World Series must-miss TV

Don’t watch the World Series.

I won’t. Not one pitch.

The presence of the Houston Astros guarantees that.

There was a good chance I wouldn’t watch, anyway. MLB stinks for many reasons, not least that efficiency has quashed entertainment and robbed baseball of action and romance.

But Houston cheated, most notably to win the 2017 World Series, and none of their players got punished. No suspensions, no fines. They got immunity for telling what happened. “Gee, Mr. Manson, if you just ’fess up, you and the family can be home by suppertime.”

The franchise got fined $5 million. That’s toilet paper to an MLB team. Revenue earned by winning a World Series far exceeded $5 million.

The Astros also forfeited two first-round picks and two second-round picks. That might temporarily derail the Pittsburgh Pirates’ nonstop “plan.” But you’d gladly surrender what Houston did to win a ring. (They got to keep their rings and trophy, too.)

The GM and manager got fired. Big deal. Small potatoes. Sacrificial lambs. The players engineered the whole scheme.

The Astros systematically stole signs, won because of it and 100% got away with it.

Empty seats during the pandemic diminished the fan abuse they absorbed. They got every break.

The players never owned what they did. The worst thing about the aftermath is how the players fancy themselves victims who will prove the haters wrong.

In 1919, the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series. Eight players got banned for life.

In 2017, Houston cheated to win the World Series.

In 2021, many of the same players might win another World Series.

They should have to do it with no witnesses. Don’t watch the World Series.