When Bob Costas' snide remark about Blue Jays chances in the '89 ALCS game infuriated Toronto fans

When Bob Costas took a shot a the 1989 Toronto Blue Jays during the American League Championship Series, fans took notice. Despite the common stereotype of Canadians being friendly and affable, their passion for sports has always been evident. After the team lost the first two games of the series to the Oakland Athletics, they were in a vulnerable state.

At the time, the Canadian team had never won a World Series, and this was the best team they had ever assembled. So seeing them down in the series immediately put fans on the defensive when they were down. When game three started with the commentator saying they had no chance of winning, fans were furious.

Bob Costas remembered this incident, and his admittedly great line, in an interview with Bill Maher, posted to YouTube.

"All things considered, Elvis has a better chance of coming back than the Blue Jays" - Bob Costas

As it turned out, he was right. The Oakland Athletics won the series 4-1. His being right probably didn't make things any easier; in fact, it made them worse. Sports fans are usually able to be good judges of their team, so many of them probably knew the chances were slim. However, hearing that vocalized on the national stage is a different, much more irritating situation.

Bob Costas would change his tune about the Toronto Blue Jays just three years later

That 1989 Blue Jays team was still special, as many of them would go on to win a championship just a few years later. The 1992 team was the best team in baseball and took on all comers in their pursuit of the championship. Costas was still on commentary at this time, and he delivered an iconic line for their big World Series win over the Atlanta Braves.

It is such an iconic line, that the Blue Jays themselves posted it to Twitter to remember the glorious victory.

"For the first time in history, the World Championship banner will fly north of the border." #25Years 🇨🇦 🏆 twitter.com/BlueJays/statu…

"For the first time in history, the World Championship banner will fly north of the border" - Bob Costas

Nothing in sports compares to a team winning their first championship ever. It is a moment of pure elation that remains unmatched. The only thing that could be better is maybe winning it a second time, which they did just one year later by beating the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bob Costas drew the ire of fans in 1989, but he repaid them with an unforgettable call in 1992.