Why I’m A Fan Of The Houston Astros

Welcome to the new and improved The Crawfish Boxes. To celebrate the new look and feel of our sports communities, we’re sharing stories of how and why we became fans of our favorite teams. If you’d like to share your story, head over to the FanPosts to write your own entry. Each FanPost will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 Fanatics gift card. We’re collecting all of the stories here and featuring the best ones across our network as well. Come fan with us, won’t you?

Many of you in the past have shared why you are a fan of the baseball team from the space city. But I have never told my tail as an Astro fan.

My family is from the north, Wisconsin, and Maryland to be exact. It makes life interesting during football season, but there were no deep roots in baseball. My dad was always a Washington Senators fan and never fully connecting with Baltimore Orioles when the Senators became the Rangers.

So when the family moved to Texas when I was one-year-old, my dad fully embraced the Astros. We went to the Astros almost every Sunday when I was a kid. We sat in the $1 black-shellacked wooden seats in center field every game.

I feel in love with the Astros at the Astrodome. Every part of a trip to the Astrodome was planned for baseball. I needed my specific shirt, hat, and the pre-game had to be on the radio on the way there. I need a dome dog after we sat in our seats and had to have my glove.

I had to watch Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio be larger than life on the baseball diamond. I would recreate both players stance in little league and tapped up my bat like Biggio.

My fandom has only grown with the transition downtown and Minute Maid Park. These of being Astros fan have always been the same: unique stadiums, unique uniforms, and unique personalities.

The peak moment of why I can say I’m a baseball fan first over anything else (don’t tell BRB or TDS), was the 2004 playoffs.

My dad and I were in the standing room only section with a sea of Astros fans when Carlos Beltran's eighth home run of the postseason gives the Astros a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the 7th against the Cardinals in the NLDS.

The Astros would lose the series, but the stadium exploded with emotion when the ball landed in the bullpen. Nothing will ever compare to it until the Astros reach the top.

Why did you become a fan of the Houston Astros? Share your story here and you just might be $500.00 richer for it.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. SB Nation Why Are You a Fan Reader Sweepstakes starts on 8:00am ET on May 25, 2017 and ends at 11:59pm ET on June 8, 2017. Open only to eligible legal residents of the United States, 18 years or older. Click here for Official Rules and complete details, including entry instructions, odds of winning, alternative method of entry, prize details and restrictions, etc. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Sponsor: Vox Media, Inc.