In the final moments of an intense elimination game, Bob Costas wasn’t just delivering play-by-play — he was weaving another of his famous historical anecdotes.
He somehow turned his attention to Kevin Bacon.
No, the legendary broadcaster who’s been the subject of criticism for his announcing of the American League Division Series wasn’t talking about Footloose, Mystic River, Apollo 13, or JFK, but he did acknowledge a piece of history that relates to Aaron Boone.
If you’re asking yourself what Kevin Bacon and Aaron Boone have to do with the New York Yankees-Kansas City Royals series, perhaps you haven’t been paying attention to the broadcast. It’s not that it involves George Brett or anything for that matter, but it’s still in line with another Costas history lesson.
Bob Costas on Kevin Bacon and Aaron Boone (in the 9th inning of a crucial Game 4).
Naturally. ⚾️🎙️ #MLB pic.twitter.com/gwHK4gLovL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 11, 2024
“You know, we were talking with Aaron Boone before the game, and I said to him, ‘Do you know that game, that movie game — Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon — how supposedly you can connect anybody that’s ever been in the film business to Kevin Bacon in six minutes or less,'” said Costas prior to New York’s ALDS victory. “I said, ‘You won’t even need six moves to connect Aaron Boone to almost anybody, certainly since the midpoint of the 20th century.’
“Which goes back to his grandfather (Ray Boone) with the Cleveland Indians in 1948, his brother, Bret, and his dad, Bob Boone, who played toward the end of his career as a gold glove catcher and later was a manager, played with the Royals in the last two years of his career — ’89 and ’90.
“And Boone remembers loving that Royals team with George Brett and Bret Saberhagen and George Brett and Kevin Seitzer. And so the clubhouse guy here (Kauffman Stadium) goes into a closet and comes up with Bob Boone’s powder blue 1990 Kansas City Royals uniform and gives it to Boone. I’m telling ya, just name anybody.”
“That’s right,” said Ron Darling.
“And not only can you connect Boone to them, Boone probably has a story about them — and probably has some sort of friendship with them,” added Costas.
So, there you have it, a classic Bob Costas moment — seamlessly blending history, personal anecdotes, and a dash of pop culture trivia into a baseball broadcast. And for better or worse, criticism aside, that’s the essence of the 72-year-old Costas, the broadcaster Michael Kay so fervently defended.
