Baseball Hall of Fame: Craig Biggio's election could be last for Astros for a while

A friendly warning: Killer B's have spotted near Cooperstown.

Craig Biggio entering the Hall of Fame this year means something.

The wait may have been too long.

The vote total may have been too low.

But, finally, Astros fans have a Hall of Famer to call their own.

We all got to witness his greatness over the years, see him switch positions and win Gold Gloves. We got to see all those hits, the pine tar caked on his helmet. We got to stand in awe as he hit double after double on that Astrodome carpet.

Too bad his running buddy Jeff Bagwell didn't get invited in. With the glut of names on the ballot and those suspicions clinging to Bagwell like bad B.O., he may never clear 75 percent and get into Cooperstown.

That's a shame, too, because he deserves his spot there, next to Biggio.

For now, we can enjoy Bidge's time in the limelight. He will be an excellent ambassador for the Astros. Before this third time on the ballot, Biggio said he wanted to be elected, not for him or his family, but for the fans of Houston.

Do you know why we should celebrate this, aside from the usual reasons? Because we may not see another Astros inducted for a long, long time. Assuming that the Astros don't trade for or sign any would-be Hall of Famers, their next crop of candidates could be in the minors right now.

Think about it. The best of the best from last decade, Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt, both have the same problem. Neither played long enough or have enough awards to garner much support. They both make the Hall of Very Good, but probably fall short of the Hall of Fame when they become eligible in half a decade.

The other usual suspects from the World Series run (Jeff Kent, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Carlos Beltran) won't get in or didn't spend enough time in Houston to go in with an Astros cap.

Maybe Jose Altuve gets in, if he hits some big milestones. He's certainly young enough to do so. But, it's very hard for a player who's so dependent on contact to keep that up for a the decade and a half Altuve would need.

George Springer? Probably too hold when he debuted. Call it the Berkman problem. Even if he becomes an MVP candidate, he probably won't get many votes.

Jason Castro? Can you imagine anyone getting in with his offensive performance last season?

Jon SIngleton may have a chance, but he has to completely turn around a medicore debut season before we get there.

That means we'll be waiting on Carlos Correa, Mark Appel, Colin Moran, Preston Tucker, Brett Phillips. Heck, we may be waiting on Alec Bregman or Michael Matuella before any of those names. Prospects are fickle beasts.

It could be 30 years before Houston sees another player enter Cooperstown with an Astros star on his cap. Even that estimate could be optimistic.

Being a fan of the Yankees or Red Sox must be nice. They don't have to worry about seeing a steady stream of the stars of yesteryear enter the Hall, standing among the game's legends.

In Houston, we've had precious few players transcend the city and play in the stratsophere of baseball's greats. Biggio and Bagwell both did that.

Next summer, if you have the means, get to Cooperstown, New York. Take a vacation. Drive through the scenic countryside to the quaint little town where baseball's history is kept. Enjoy Craig Biggio's enshrinement.

For one moment, a symbol of the Astros' greatest era will reach baseball immortality. Who knows when we'll get a chance to see that again?