This week after the World Series games, especially the Astros 7-2 win Wednesday, I've hopped on the Internet machine and streamed national sports talk shows and a couple local programs from the axis of Astros haters, Atlanta, Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Just to hear what those hosts and fans had to say. I realize the Astros aren't the darlings of baseball fans, and I didn't expect to hear Hail Caesar … but wow!

It's like a federal trial: the U.S. vs. the Astros, with everybody in Houston held as accessories to a felony crime committed in 2017.

I guess it's true, the whole country wants to spit on the 2017 World Series graves of the 2021 Astros.

There were the expected cries of "Cheaters!" and "Crooks," which admittedly would be accurate and deserved if they were talking about the 2017 Astros. But they weren't. They were wanting to rustle up the current Astros and run 'em out of town on the next train. Expel them from MLB, the whole lot, past and present. Callers want a congressional investigation of the Astros organization, and you know how speedy and effective those are. Congress is still undecided whether George Washington had accomplices when he chopped down the cherry tree.

Callers were angry that Astros infielders – Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel – were never personally punished for the sign-stealing scandal years ago. Actually, I'm with the callers on that. It was weird that the crime committers emerged unscathed and allowed to go on their merry, multimillion dollar way. I also thought it was odd that some, I said some, local talk hosts were foaming at the mouth attacking former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers for whistleblowing on the Astros. You know, snitches get stitches, and in Martin Scorsese movies, end up in ditches. The talk hosts should have been angry and embarrassed by the Astros, not Mike Fiers.

Four years later, the number of Astros on the current roster wearing 2017 World Series rings wouldn't fill one hand. If you expected baseball fans to forgive and forget and move on, you're sorely wrong. And it may be that the Astros are forever villains around MLB country. Images are hard to shake. Lance McCullers Jr.'s junior will be jeered in Boston

Talk show callers believe the Astros are still cheating, somehow, some way. They wondered if the Astros opened the roof so bribed pilots could flash signals from low-flying aircraft. Seriously.

It's open season on the Astros. Fans tore into every little thing. One national host insisted the Astros orange jerseys are the ugliest in MLB. Fair enough, just remember the playground rule, no mocking mothers.

Fans who say the Astros cheated their way into the World Series maybe should admit their teams just weren't good enough. We've become a country of sore losers from the top down. At least from the former top down. Whatever happened to gracious losers who "tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy?" Instead we have a college football coach now blaming his players for losses.

A White Sox pitcher, Boston announcers and columnists, other players, talk show callers … the Astros are lying, cheating scoundrels and they should be banned from baseball forever.

Around the dial, fans said the Astros were bad role models teaching children that cheating was OK. Bad sportsmanship is the key to winning. The Braves are good, the Astros are evil. Lock 'em up. Disgusting, the worst of the worst professional athletes. Bregman, Altuve and Correa are the three cheaters of the apocalypse. Hey, you forgot Yuli Gurriel as the fourth horseman in that impressive New Testament reference.

I liked this one: a host suggested that the reason fans have stopped bringing trash cans to stadiums is because of the interruption in America's supply chain.

Now the World Series moves to Atlanta, where they've got their own problems. After the final out, check out sports talk stations from around the country, especially if the Astros win. That's the real post-game show.