Gene Elston never played for the Astros, so according to the definition of Astro-iestthat HLP provided, we probably shouldn’t be considering him.

But two factors led to me voting for Gene Elston. First, my personal voting definition of Astro-iest is “which person is more strongly associated with the Astros, contributing either through outstanding performance or longevity”. I think this kind of definition would put broadcasters on roughly the same level as players. Given how much of our Astros experience is spent listening to the voices of those play-by-play guys and color commentators, there is no doubt in my mind that these broadcasters should be considered highly Astro-ey.

Second, I realize that I (and probably a lot of us here) am young, at least compared to the length of time the Astros have been around, and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just voting for familiar faces and not giving enough consideration to people who were before my time.

Here is the specific reason I voted for Gene Elston. The guy did commentary for the “Astros” for 24 years, starting with their inaugural season as the Colt .45’s. Although I never really listened to him when he was broadcasting, I recognize that for many people, Gene Elston is the voice of the Astros.

oh well…had to be with baggs…prolly coulda advanced another round or 2…