Astros fire exec Taubman after rant at female reporters

RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Houston Astros fired assistant general manager Brandon Taubman on Thursday for directing inappropriate comments at female reporters during a clubhouse celebration, announcing the decision in the middle of the World Series and putting a renewed spotlight on domestic violence in baseball. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow apologized for the team's initial response Monday, which was to accuse a Sports Illustrated reporter of making up the story. "That original reaction by the Astros was wrong, and we own it as an organization," Luhnow said during a news conference at Nationals Park, a day before Game 3. "There were many people involved in reviewing that and approving that. And I'm not going to get into the details of that. ... But