I want to thank everyone for their patience on Tuesday as we staged a silent protest of the Astros cancellation of the Black Tie and Baseball Caps Gala that supported the Houston Area Women's Center. Not everyone agreed with our decision to go dark on Astros coverage, but I hope at the very least that those who disagreed realized we had the best intentions at heart.
One of the things that makes me proud of this site is the community. We've got a lot of smart people who come here on a regular basis to comment and participate in intelligent Astros discussions. However, I was a little disappointed in some of the comments we saw on Tuesday, as we had to monitor and moderate some users to a higher degree than ever before. One instance that disappointed me greatly involved a female commentor who expressed her personal feelings about the Astros' decision to cancel the event. Her comment was quickly picked apart and attacked by other commenters. One of those individuals e-mailedl me and admitted he was out of line, and thanked us for removing his comments. I appreciated that gesture and thought it was a saving grace for our community.
My article got a wide range of reactions from positive to negative, which wasn't entirely unexpected. When I sat down to write the article I did so from the heart. I was feeling a lot of anger, which Chris already eloquently addressed, so I used that to write an honest piece about how I was feeling about the Astros and their continued treatment of fans, their own employees and now, charities. If I had the information we received Tuesday evening — information that should have been released two months ago — it would have been an entirely different article, but that doesn't mean I don't stand by what I said.
Tuesday was an emotional day for everyone and I hope people realize whether you were pissed off at the Astros or pissed off at the blogger community for going dark, there was one positive that day: We brought attention to a charitable organization that helps struggling women, and that attention possibly eased some financial concerns for the Houston Area Women's Center.
Thanks to all of you who donated and if you haven't donated yet, consider foregoing that one beer at Minute Maid Park and dropping the HAWC a fiver. Several of the writers here on the site, along with other Astros bloggers plan to continue to promote the HAWC in our articles throughout the season and, yes, that includes me.
There was enough discussion on the topic Tuesday so I'm keeping the comments closed on this article. Below are several well-written articles that were posted since Tuesday. Thank you again for your patience on Tuesday.
Astros Response and Details Regarding Cancelation
No wives, no gala: Houston Astros try to explain canceling fundraiser - CultureMap Houston
By Shelby Hodge
Ultimate Astros " Astros cancel annual Wives Gala fundraiser
By Jose de Jesus Ortiz
Ultimate Astros " Astros official response to ending of Astros’ wives charity event
By Reid Laymance
General Press Response
My Reply To The Astros' Statement About The Cancellation Of The Wives' Gala - Houston - News - Hair Balls
By Sean Pendergast
Behind the Dish with Keith Law - 5/14
Law addresses the Astros canceling the Wive's Gala event at the beginning of his 5/14 podcast. Keep in mind he's also operating from a point in which the Astros hadn't responded to the cancellation yet.
Astros Blogger Response
Astros County: Your Neighborhood Astros Blog & Grill: Response to the response
By Astros County
The Houston Sports Counterplot, Black Eyes and Baseball Mishaps?
By Andy