Why Should You Root For The Houston Astros?
by David Coleman on Oct 31, 2011 11:50 AM CDT
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I realized it over the weekend. This may have been the worst season ever to be a Houston Astros fan. Let's run through the lowlights:
- Worst record in team history
- Worst record in baseball by a good margin
- Trading away two of the most marketable, likeable stars on the team
- A mess of an ownership situation that's no closer to resolving itself
- A possible switch to the American League
- Lance Berkman signing with the Cardinals
- The Cardinals winning the World Series
The only thing that could have made it worse is if George Springer decided not to sign and went to play independent ball.
At the same time, there is still a ton of interest in the team. We have more and more comments on this site and continue to set traffic records even as the team plummeted into the depths of mediocrity.
Why is that? Isn't it counter-intuitive that a team like the Astros should continue to see fan interest? What makes you root for the Astros?
When Greg Lucas wrote about not hating the Cardinals (h/t to Astros County), I understood his premise even while rejecting it out of hand. You can make all the reasoned arguments you like, but it won't affect a fan's feelings toward a team. That includes any rivalries with teams you play on a regular basis. The Cardinals and Astros have played for too long with too much animosity to just be happy for them. I don't like the Rangers, but I was still hoping they'd beat St. Louis.
That's not why I'm an Astros fan, but it's part of the picture. Over the past week, I had three different people comment on the Astros in a negative way. Twice, they called me out for wearing an Astros hat and the other time, someone made a backhanded remark about hoping the Rangers could win and how at least it was nice they hadn't been swept like the Astros in the World Series.
Did those comments keep me from wearing my Astros hat? No.
Fandom is irrational. It transcends geography sometimes, while sometimes being based soley on geography (see: Dallas v. Houston). It's based on things like getting a hat at some crucial time in your development, on playing a video game with a certain team or just following the team your parents did.
Sometimes, that fandom latches onto a single player, which then poses a problem when said player is traded to Philadelphia. Other times, it's rooted in history going back decades and is filled with fond memories of obscure games, both attended and watched or listened to.
If we ask you to put your story of why you're an Astros fan in the comments, I bet we'd get a different story every time. And yet, I bet we could understand and relate to all of them. In every story, there is a ring of familiarity.
After a season like this one, we all could use a reminder of why we follow this crazy team. It's going to get easier before it gets harder, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that you're not alone. There are plenty of us who are just as crazy about this team as you.
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Loved this one David. Good article. Recd it
"This is a simple game, you throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the the ball, you got it?!"
Great post
I grew up in CA and decided in 1980, after watching them win a game in the NLCS against the Phils, that I was an Astro fan and that Jose Cruz was my favorite hitter, and Nolan Ryan my favorite pitcher.
I might have abandoned the team in the mid 1990s if Biggio and Bagwell hadn’t re-signed. They were great guys to root for. I always thought the Astros were under-appreciated and should have made it to at least three WS (1986, 1998, 2004) before they broke through in 2005.
Finding this site and following minor league players to follow has been a godsend. I started checking minor league stats daily around July 2010. I’d no sooner root for another team (I live four miles from Busch Stadium and I lived in Boston for 9 years) than I would stop rooting for my kid. It’s part of the DNA, and they’re the only professional team I can say that of. Dedicated fanatics get more joy out of a quality Jordan Lyles start in an AAA game than casual fans get out of a WS victory.
by Exiled in St. Louis on Oct 31, 2011 12:53 PM CDT reply actions
My uncle took me to an Astros game when I was about 8 or 9 years old, back in the Astrodome days.
Loved them ever since. It’s easy to jump on some other team’s bandwagon that is winning right now, but there is no connection for me with the Texas Rangers and ESPECIALLY not the St. Louis Cardinals, the way that there is with the Houston Astros. GO ASTROS!
I don’t know why. I find myself asking that question this season. This has been a perfect storm striking Astros Nation. Are we just masochists, hanging on as the Astros’ ship seems headed for the ocean floor?
I think that my fandom is reflexive. I’ve been an Astros’ fan for 30 or 40 years, ever since I was a kid. Initially everybody went to watch the Astros in order to see the Astrodome, which was the 8th wonder of the world. And I guess the Astros grow on you. The Biggio-Bagwell teams of the 90’s and early 2000’s, as well as the 2004/2005 playoff teams seemed to re-double my interest in the team, creating my current obsession.
David, you are exactly right that being a fan is irrational. It’s based on emotion. I mean without the passion and emotion of fans, professional sports teams wouldn’t survive. That’s why I get irritated when writers call the fan base’s opposition to moving to the AL “irrational.” That irrationality supports the existence of professional franchises.
by clack on Oct 31, 2011 1:18 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I was going to rec you for the comment about what keeps sports teams in business but the mobile site won’t let me and I don want to go back to the full site. And I was going to claim responsibility for the rec. When people in the sports media write or say stuff like that it really pisses me off since they have jobs for that very reason. And, most of the time, started out as an irrational fan, one that was so irrational that they decided to make a living off of it instead of doing something respectable like being a bank robber or a pirate.
by ntn on Oct 31, 2011 2:04 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm an Astros fan because I love baseball and I live in Houston
I don’t have a better reason than that.
by CRPerry13 on Oct 31, 2011 1:43 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
I’m a relative neophyte in my Astros fandom. I started following the Astros in earnest during the ‘06 season (directly after their WS trip). I wasn’t that avid of a fan, but I enjoyed watching their games. Since 2007 I’ve attended at least 3 games a year (and up until this year, they had won every series I attended; 9-7 overall, 0-4 this year). I found TCB in ‘08/’09 and lurked until starting my account in ’10. TCB, with its writers and commentators, has influenced both my love for the Astros, but baseball in general. I have a much greater appreciation for the game and its intricacies. Its also strengthened my resolve to pursue opportunities in journalism (my big dream is to be a sports broadcaster).
Even with the Astros being as pitiful as they were this year, they are my team; I love ’em, and I have to hang tough with ’em, even when the going gets rough.
My days started when...
I was 6 yrs old on July 4th, 2001 and my family , aunt and uncle were popping fireworks and I was freaked out and started crying. So then my aunt brought me inside and turned on the Astros game. I went on b-ref and found who they were playing a cpl months ago, but I dont remember.
My first game was in 02’ against the Braves(of all teams) and Chipper Jones hit a homer, Furcal hit a leadoff homer, Kirk Sarloos was pitching and Blum also hit a home run.
Also I began watching full time at the end of ’03 and cried when we didnt make the playoffs.
In ’04 I watched as much as I could and I also cried my eyes out when we lost in some place, I called them the deadbirds and Im still teases about it to this day.
Anyways, Im a diehard and have a ton of emotion too the Astros. And Im a proud fan even though everybody at my school puts them down, these are ppl who are now Rangers fans(even though they cant name 3 players), Oregon Ducks fans and Auburn fans.
If i were Arnold Rothstein id pay Ryan Braun all the money he
wants to stop going on homer streaks against the poor Astros....
am i the only one?
by ccislanders on Oct 31, 2011 2:31 PM CDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
I may not cry but that doesn't mean Im not a fan, does it?
I don’t remember when exactly I really began paying attention to the Astros but I remember the day I was officially hooked for life. My dad had bought my friend and I tickets for the Astros and Cardinals game 5…2004. Does anybody remember how that went without looking it up? 8 and a half shutout innings by both teams. Brandon Backe had actually pitched well and the score was locked at 0 headed into the bottom of the ninth. Jeff Kent sends a 3 run shot to LF. That my friends is magic…still gives me goosebumps!
Look up Jeff Kent walk off home run on Youtube and tell me you don’t get goosebumps.
by Its Gonna Happen on Oct 31, 2011 6:55 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
That was an amazing game! I can remember that home run and game like it was yesterday. Woody Williams threw a 1 hitter through 7 innings and Backe only 1 hit through 8 and I think a perfect game through like 5 innings. Then in the bottom of the 9th Kent’s blast and nice little bat flip off of Izzy for the win! PURE BEAUTY!
Ohh man Ill never forget Kents helmet flip and his big 'ol smile!!
Great times.
Also, the only reason why I remember when I started watching is cause it was July 4th. And I was really ypung when I cried, so its ok if you dont cry, its just me and my emotions (Im overly attached if thats possible).
Lastly, my favorite game I went too was when Richie Sexson hit the ball off the flag pole and stayed in play(my dads fav player just cause of that) and when he hit 2 hrs and one went over tracks. Ill never ever forget that game that Sexson hit that ball of the pole, straight amazing.
Another game I went too was in Sep. ’04 when Roger Clemens pitched 8 innings of 1 or 2 hit ball and Jose Vizcaino scored the only run. That was my last gm till last year when the Astros won 10-3 againt the bucs and Berkman hit his 1st homer of the year, and Carlis Lee hit that triple and went home on the wild throw into the dugout.
If i were Arnold Rothstein id pay Ryan Braun all the money he
wants to stop going on homer streaks against the poor Astros....
am i the only one?
by ccislanders on Oct 31, 2011 9:25 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I won’t hate on a man crying. I’ll never forget Game 4 of the WS. I had tix to Game 5. I drove up to Indianapolis, IN from Bloomington when I was in college, got a hotel room to watch the game because I would have had to catch a red eye an hour or two after the game. Well as we all know the Stros were swept and I was left crying on my hotel room floor. I’m not one bit ashamed of it.
I was at that game too. What a memorable game.
by clack on Oct 31, 2011 7:19 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was hooked from then on
I listened to the 18 inning game at work in 05 on a radio I had snuck in when my boss left and went friggin nutz when Burke hit his HR. That along with Berkmans crazy arm swinging DP as a 1B and Bagwells stolen home are my most precious Astros memories.
by Its Gonna Happen on Oct 31, 2011 10:09 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
My most precious would be Biggio’s 3-run hr off Wagner, his 3000th hit, Oswalt’s gm 6 inthe NLCS and Burke’s/Ausmus’s hrs in the NLDS.
Also pardon me bringimg this up but at the moment I cant remember how gm 7 ended in the NLCS in ’04? Does anyone remember?
If i were Arnold Rothstein id pay Ryan Braun all the money he
wants to stop going on homer streaks against the poor Astros....
am i the only one?
by ccislanders on Nov 1, 2011 12:01 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
It ended with Isringhausen shutting us down, lol.
But seriously, the Astros were up 2-1 heading into the 6th before Pujols tied it w/ an RBI double off of Clemens; Rolen followed up with the go-ahead 2-R homer :(
They ended up winning 5-2.
oh wow, for some reason I dont remember that, all though its prbly a good thing.
All I remember is me shedding tears calling them the deadbirds.
If i were Arnold Rothstein id pay Ryan Braun all the money he
wants to stop going on homer streaks against the poor Astros....
am i the only one?
by ccislanders on Nov 1, 2011 9:19 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
What makes me root for my Astros?
Ignorance is bliss! We’re goin all the way this year!! Woo-hoo!!!
Ok, maybe not, but then again…maybe? That’s the great thing about baseball every year there’s usually a player that comes out of nowhere and figures it out and has a breakout year. That one player coupled with a couple of players on the rebound can turn a team around. Then if that team gets hot late in the season…Astros WIN Astros WIN!!!
Ignorance IS bilss… :D
by Its Gonna Happen on Oct 31, 2011 3:24 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Life in South Texas
Living in the Rio Grande Valley, there are many fair weather fans. Many people down here just a few years back were wearing ‘stros gear. Now everyone is wearing the Rangers stuff. I myself grew up out in El Paso, as a Dodgers fan. Then went to school in No. Texas and followed the Rangers. Still to this day, I wanted to see the Rangers win in the W.S. However, on a day to day basis, the Astros are the team. Have been since I moved to South Texas in 1997. My wife, a native Californian and I have great memories of going to many ball parks (what a wife- going to each one with enthusiasm), but our favorite memories are of blowing the train whitsle we got when Minute Maid was still Enron. Even to this day, she tells me that is her favorite baseball memory- cheering Bagwell on. Heck if we had a son, we would have named him Bagwell! I guess this is what being a fan is all about…seeing the end of the season hit, and already wondering how I will get up the road and see more games in Houston. Being a fan isn’t just about the record…just ask any true fan. It is about the whole experience. When I think of Astros games, I think of great food before, during and after. I think of Milo Hamilton on the radio when I can’t get up there, driving past the stadium in winter and thinking that this might be some crazy summer where the boys end up pulling out a “Miracle at Minute Maid.” This was a rough season for the Astros, but we will look on this when there are good times again, and it will make it all that much sweeter…thanks for the blog, thanks for the updates, and I’ll see you at the ballpark with my #5 rainbow jersey being worn proudly.
being on the ground floor as it were
on the Astros journey back to the top has a certain appeal. I’d hate to give up now and have to hop back on several years down the line.
It’s weird how that is isn’t it. I definitely feel that too. Plus when we’re terrible like this I feel like I get more proud of the players for their small successes thus become more attached. Kinda like watching a baby take its first steps.
I enjoy that comp!!
If i were Arnold Rothstein id pay Ryan Braun all the money he
wants to stop going on homer streaks against the poor Astros....
am i the only one?
by ccislanders on Nov 1, 2011 12:07 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I’m loyal to a fault. I significant part of my childhood experience was going to Houston from Victoria to the ‘dome to see the ’stros. Once I root for a team, I stick with them no matter what. My level of support rises and falls based on varying criteria, and ironically this is the most I’ve ever been into the Astros. For some reason over the last few years I’ve become very fascinated with the inner workings of major league baseball teams, from farm development to roster building, payroll, etc. It may die down someday, but for now it’s one of the things that occupies a lot of my free time. But I’ll always be an Astros fan. A move to the AL won’t change that, although I guess a move out of Texas would.
I have always lived in Houston
I didn’t follow professional sports much until I was done playing sports. Luckily this was the early 2000’s and the Stros were really great. That probably got me into. Then when I found out about sabremetrics I spent tons of time researching and simulating seasons. The last few years have not increased my interest at all.
My first mistake was assuming you knew what I was talking about.
GREAT POST!
My story is kinda funny and really I didn’t put it all together until a few years ago. When I was about 4 or 5 years old my dad went on a business trip to Houston where he bought me a bright orange Astros hat and white jersey with rainbow stripes down the side of the arms. I was young and impressionable and ever since I have been an enormous Astros fan. A few years ago I wonder why it was that hat and jersey that made me a huge fan. I got a Reds hat before and that didn’t stick and Cowboys jerseys in the 90s didn’t do much for me either. I realized that when I was young I loved everything orange because Michelangelo was the orange and my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. So I guess I can credit Michelangelo and his pizza eating ways with me becoming an Astros fan. I have lived in Louisville, KY and Indiana most of my life and I’ve had to deal with Reds, Cards and Cubs fans galore and that has almost spurred me on. I have loved my Stros for about 22 years now and if anything this slump is making me a bigger fan. It’s making me want the Astros to be good and be the best more and more. Being a fan in the face of adversity is what fandom is all about. I would never root for another team or turn my back on the Stros. I’ve never loved anything so much. If Christopher Lloyd stepped out of his Delorean to tell me I’ll die without them winning a World Series then so be it. At least I took a team and stuck by them during the good times and the bad times. All I know is that there’s gonna be one hell of a party when the Astros do win the World Series! Which will happen!
Also what sucks for me is all my sports teams suck. It’s bad. The Stros (worst in MLB), Colorado Avalanche (2nd worst in NHL last season), Indiana University basketball and football (football always has sucked and bball the past few years has been miserable), Clippers (nuff said) and the Bears who are pretty good but have a little b**ch as our QB. My sports life is bad right now lol
Astros
Texans
Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Alabams Crimson Tide(Im originally from their, I guess its in my blood cause Ive cried in my single digit age yrs over them at least 5x’s
If i were Arnold Rothstein id pay Ryan Braun all the money he
wants to stop going on homer streaks against the poor Astros....
am i the only one?
by ccislanders on Nov 1, 2011 12:06 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
first game
My dad took me to my first game in 86. Astros-Giants. Mike Scott no-no. Nuff said. GO STROS!!!!!!
by HTown80 on Oct 31, 2011 6:57 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I will admit that I always haven’t been an Astros fan. I didn’t start following them until around 97-98 or so, after the strike. Before that, I was a Phillies fan growing up in Philly and still live here.
After the strike, I stopped watching baseball altogether for a while, until one day I started to gradually get back into it after, oddly enough, playing Triple Play 98 for Playstation on a whim. One team that caught my eye was the Astros. I started using them and they just struck a chord with me, so I adopted them as my favorite team and stuck with them ever since, even though I am stuck deep in Phillies country.
I know it sounds pretty silly; but that’s my little story.
I did manage to finally make it out to Houston this season to check out a game at MMP, after going to CBP just about every season for a game or two. (I had to miss this year because it was the Phillies home opening weekend and there was no way I was going to be able to get tickets). Even though they lost, I still had a good time.
This station is non-operational
IT'S TEBOW TIME!
On the twitterverse
Only root for the hometown teams
Even though I have lived in two different countries and six cities, I have always adhered to the rule, you cheer for the teams in your city and that city is Houston. I was born here, cheered on the teams here and will die here.
thats the way that i feel too
It makes me sick when I see people who have lived in Houston their whole life root for the yankees cowboys or lakers. I don’t specifically remember when I fell in love with the astros but it was when I was a kid with the killer b’s and Shane Reynolds Mike Hampton Billy Wagner Alou Spiers Bogar Ausmus Hidalgo and Ricky Gutierrez. I love Baseball and there was nothing better than trying to get on the big screen at the dome and then at Enron (now minute-maid). Walking in to a Minute-Maid even as a 23 year old still gives me that feeling of being a kid again and there is nothing better IMO. I can’t wait for spring training and the start of the next great astros team!
by wdh001 on Oct 31, 2011 9:01 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Disagree about this being the worst year to be an Astros fan
For too long we’ve been patching pin sized holes in our hull, even as the other half of our ship that already broke off settles in on the ocean floor. This is the first year where we started taking real steps to rebuild, instead of aiming to win 75 games and pretending like it was bad luck that kept us out of the playoffs. For the first time in a long time I have hope about the Astros future. To the average fan, this was a terrible year, but to someone who knows a bit about baseball, the prospect of rebuilding after needing it for so long is exciting. Most of the people on this board know a lot about baseball, hence the user excitement despite the horrific year.
by seanbergmanrules on Oct 31, 2011 9:08 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
agree
We should have been rebuilding since 07 trading for randy wolf and aubrey huff was a joke. We lost Clemens and pettite and they thought wandy and backe could replace that production. Right
by wdh001 on Oct 31, 2011 9:12 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Who did they give up in the Wolf trade that set the Astros back.
by conroestro on Nov 1, 2011 7:11 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Yes, I view the Wolf trade as one of Wade’s best moments as GM. Look, the Astros almost made it to the playoffs, if not for Bud Selig’s insensitivity to a hurricane, in part because Wade made that trade. There is no way that was a bad trade.
by clack on Nov 1, 2011 8:05 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Ya, we gave up nothing for him and we were soooo close.
And we picked up Latroy Hawkins for nothing too. The worst memory was when I got home from practice and checked my phone only to see we were no-hit. Then Ted Lilly almost did the same.
If i were Arnold Rothstein id pay Ryan Braun all the money he
wants to stop going on homer streaks against the poor Astros....
am i the only one?
by ccislanders on Nov 1, 2011 9:24 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
to me its not about the fact that he pitched well for the astros
It’s the fact that Roy O and Puma’s value was at its highest it ever was and you sell high. If we would have traded them then we would already be contending again instead of being in the worst position this organization has ever been.
by wdh001 on Nov 1, 2011 12:12 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I would say that rebuilding needs to be improved.
The only potential superstar prospects the Astros have have come in trades. This basically says our drafting and player development skills are poor.
The Astros need to get a whole new scouting / management system in order to keep a good influx of prospects rising through the system, especially starting pitchers.
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
Neither Springer nor Ovando have proved anything. They both have potential, but plenty of guys have that and fail.
by seanbergmanrules on Nov 1, 2011 8:50 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree.
Well said.
The bird is struggling out of the egg. The egg is the world. Whoever wants to be born, must first destroy a world.
by Stupendous Man on Oct 31, 2011 11:17 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
My first MLB game:
Houston Colt 45s vs San Francisco Giants.
Here are few ramblings about my fandom...
I grew up in northeast Texas, which is Rangers country, but my Dad was always a national league guy… therefore he was an Astros guy. His Dad originally rooted for the Cardinals before the Astros were around then they were Houston fans through and through.
I went to more Rangers game as a child since the drive was much shorter, but my family was always Astros fans at heart. Once my little brother and I were old enough to handle the 4-5 hour drive, we would go to Astros game from then on.
My very first pro baseball experience was in the Dome with my little brother mis-pronouncing Astros by instead saying “As-hoes.” Everyone within hearing distance was laughing at him screaming “Go Hous-hon As-hoes!” Over and over and over again.
I’ve become extremely interested in the minor leagues of the Astros and player development over the last 3 or 4 seasons. I subscribed to MILB.TV this summer and watched Hooks games while the Astros games were going on my TV (a lot of time the Hooks games had my attention more).
This season has done nothing but fuel my fandom of the Astros even though it’s a masochistic move.
Increase in TCB comments and traffic,in the face of a horrible season....
That’s an interesting point for speculation. My guess is this: (1) The Astros had a lot of mid-season trades, and trades always bring around interest at TCB; (2) Ownership change and possible AL move have triggered many comments, whether debating or venting; (3) Fans showing more interest in amateur draft and prospect performance, given the rebuilding character of the Astros.
I view TCB as a unique place in the Astros blogosphere for intelligent and constructive discussion of the Astros, and I would like to think that is one reason people have come here during these trying times. I’m not knocking any other blogs; it’s just that TCB had been discussing and writing about rebuilding issues for several years and TCB’s value to readers increased in the current situation.
I think it's masochism
We just can’t go anywhere else to get this inundated by our personal source of pain.
Well, that and the writing is pretty good, the comments are entertaining, and it sure beats reading the cheer-leading nonsense on the Astros’ actual website.
Nice read and post. If loving the Stros is wrong I dont wanna be right!
"Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat."
by MexicanTitanFreak on Nov 1, 2011 3:59 PM CDT reply actions
After reading some of these posts and realizing how young most of you are I now feel
really freeking old! lol
"This is a simple game, you throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the the ball, you got it?!"
Don't post on here a whole lot, but this thread is making me
Went to my first ‘Stros game when I was about 6 years old in 2000. Wade Miller started, Hidalgo homered, we beat the Brewers. Guess I’ve been hooked ever since. Favorite moments:
Getting my picture taken with Jose Lima before a game vs. ATL in 2001. Its framed in my room.
Shaking hands with Jimy Wynn during his number retirement ceremony vs. TEX (2006 maybe?) as he rounded the field in a convertible. Good stuff.
Game 5, 2005 NLCS (I was there). We all know how that one ended, but when Berkman hit that go ahead opposite field shot, MMP was the loudest noise I’ve heard. Ever. Couldn’t hear myself scream at the top of my lungs.
Thats only two, but I really just enjoy being a hardcore fan when everyone else I know seems to have given up on the team. That will make it all the more satifying when we’re competitive again.
GG '10
by 04'-05'-glorydays on Nov 1, 2011 9:15 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
August 2, 1991 is when I was officially a fan. This was an early Birthday present for me.
I loved watching the Astros on TV in Beaumont, but never had the chance to go to a game before this day. My dad took a few days of vacation and took my brother and I to the Astrodome to watch the Astros put it on the Dodgers. Final score 9-8. I discovered Biggio and Bagwell that day in a way I never imagined. Biggio had 2 runs that day. That was probably the longest drive back to Beaumont for my dad, because I couldn’t stop talking about the game or Biggio and Bagwell.
My Dad grew up in Arlington and is loyal to the Cowboys and Rangers. I spent my younger years in Beaumont so it was only natural for me to be loyal to the Astros and Oilers. Oilers void filled when the Texans Franchise finally kicked off.
Side Story – The best game I attended was August 10, 2007 against the Brewers. Yeah, we lost, but it was my birthday. My wife and I sat in Halliburton’s Box seats with the full buffet, bar, and as much ice cream as I could possibly eat. I enjoyed the game and meeting Biggio and Berkman (very nice guys) and had my name thrown across the big screen showing Happy Birthday. Am I bragging? Hardly. Everytime I’ve had the chance to watch an Astros game it’s always been over the top. I don’t ever expect it, but it always happens.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
father/son bonding...
I remember loving the Astros since I was a little boy (probably about 3 or 4). I have a picture of me and Alan Ashby when he visited our church. Definitely one of the reasons I grew to love the ‘stros. I had the orange batting helmet, pennants, cards, cups – you name it. Me and my dad went to see games in the Dome all the way through high school. When I moved back to Houston after graduating college, and a 5 year stint in Austin, I continued to root for my team and attend games with my dad. I saw some pretty special games in the 2004 and 2005 playoffs. I got the privilege of attending Game 3 of the WS. I stayed until the very end.
This past season was, without a doubt, the most painful of my 31 years as a fan. Even with that, I still attended a few games with my family, and watched games on TV – my 4 year old daughter absolutely loves the Astros. I plan on attending many games with her as she grows up. The Astros still have a loyal following; it’s just been difficult for families to rally around a losing team with no identity in tough economic times. Add in an uncertain future with ownership issues and talks of moving to the AL, and you have the perfect storm for an unmitigated Astros disaster. That being said, I do have faith that the tides will turn. Our farm system is being built from the ground up, we have more money freed up, and hopefully a new owner that wants to build a championship club. Watching the playoffs made me realize why and how much I love baseball. Whatever the future holds, the Astros still have my heart.
astro nuts
the team is now interesting and exciting… hey, lets get roger back as closer…he could handle that job very well…. koby has to be in the mix as a power hitter someday….stay loyal….this yr will be fun….we might do very well…and at some pt during season make an addition or two…and make a run….mike h
If ever there was a good time to become an Astros fan, it’s right now. If I may show my comic book stripes for a second, right now the Astros are in the beginning of a new story arc. So, rather than go back and try to catch up on 50 years of history, start from this point and form your own bond with the team. I’ve been an Astros fan my whole life, but it wasn’t until this past season that I really started to FOLLOW the team. I’ve developed this weird vested interest in the kids they trotted out there this year, in addition to the prospects they got in the Pence and Bourn trades. I get a chance to follow these guys, and say I saw them when, and I think that’s pretty neat. It’s different, and following a few years of will-they-or-won’t-they stagnation, different is exciting.
by pancakebreakfast on Nov 3, 2011 3:53 PM CDT reply actions
My first Astros game was with my dad back in 81 or so.
I’ve been a fan ever since. In fact, even though I spend more time with the Texans these days, the Astros have always been my first sporting love. I follow them because I’m a born and raised Houstonian. What other team could I root for? It’s Houston teams or nothing, as it was after Bud Adams left town and before the Texans came into existence.
As for the increase in TCB traffic, I’d hazard a guess that it’s because TCB is a good blog.
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by tehGrindCrusher on Nov 5, 2011 12:13 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
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Current Series
Astros lead the series 1-0
| Fri 05/25 |
WP: Lucas Harrell (4 - 3)
SV: Brett Myers LP: Clayton Kershaw (4 - 2) |
3 - 1 win |
|
Houston Astros
Saturday, May 26, 2012, 9:10 PM CDT Bud Norris vs Chad Billingsley Mostly clear. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 65. |
||
| Sun 05/27 | 3:10 PM CDT | |
NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati
|
25 | 20 | .555 | 0 | Lost 1 |
|
St. Louis
|
25 | 21 | .543 | 0.5 | Lost 2 |
|
Houston
|
22 | 23 | .488 | 3 | Won 4 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
21 | 24 | .466 | 4 | Won 1 |
|
Milwaukee
|
19 | 26 | .422 | 6 | Won 2 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 30 | .333 | 10 | Lost 10 |
(updated 5.26.2012 at 6:14 PM CDT)
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