World Series starts with both teams in court of public opinion

Unrepentant cheaters and outdated nicknames? The Astros and Braves have attracted the ire of both fans and neutrals

As Michael Brantley came up to bat in the fifth inning an advert for a gym flashed up on electronic hoardings with the slogan Home of the Judgement Free Zone'.

It could easily have served as the motto of a raucous and roofed Minute Maid Park, the Astros' safe and loving place, hermetically sealed off from the harsh verdicts of a suspicious outside world.