Bob Costas sets fire to TBS’s ‘House of the Dragon’ ad during ALDS

If you were curious about Bob Costas’ take on the widely derided « House of the Dragon » ad that aired on TBS during the ALDS opener between the Yankees and Guardians on Tuesday, wonder no more.

During a Thursday appearance on « The Really Big Show » with Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer on 850 ESPN Cleveland, Costas eviscerated the now infamous spot promoting the « Game of Thrones » prequel series when asked a general question about what has changed in broadcasting over the years.

« Here’s what’s changed just from a production standpoint – there’s a lot more to it, » Costas said. “The business imperatives are such that there are more drop-ins during games, including a dragon that descends on Yankee Stadium in simulated form in Game 1. And I didn’t even know what that was. was. They hand me this card and I’m like, ‘What the hell is that?’

“I read it in as detached a form as possible and then I see it with poor Lauren Shehadi, who is just a wonderful person doing a great job on the MLB Network and for TBS. And she has to do this thing – a mock report. Now I have to think about how can I get away from this without totally trashing it? So I said something that I hope reasonable people understood, it’s kind of like I’m rolling my eyes at the whole thing.

Keep in mind that Costas wasn’t directly asked about the dragon stain – it was something he probably wanted out of his chest.

« If Vin Scully, the greatest of the greats, was doing network baseball today, he couldn’t really be Vin Scully, » Costas continued. “On those Dodger plays, they got out of his way, which was the smartest thing to do, and they let him be Vin Scully.

“Now you kind of have to navigate a lot of things. I think the cogs and bolts are still the same, and my approach is still the same, but you have to make certain concessions to what they think of the pitch.

ALDS Game 2 between the Yankees and Guardians begins Friday afternoon in the Bronx. The Yankees currently lead the series 1-0.