Another New Face’s Introduction

Hello, everyone! I realize there’s been a lot of new faces writing around here, so I wanted to take some time to introduce myself. I’m Theo Gerome, and I’ll be writing at The Crawfish Boxes a few times a week, usually with a more analytical approach.

I became a Houstonian a little later in life than a lot of the people here, about a decade ago (and shortly thereafter, was welcomed to town by Hurricane Ike; it was an eventful summer, to say the least). I was already in high school and had moved several times before, but I was still a life long baseball fan. As a result, I was a little slower to take to the Astros than some. But I appreciated their efforts, even as their overall talent level slid over the years.

But they grew on me. Along the way, I started writing more about the sport I love, eventually starting my own site, Hot Corner Harbor. I took a more eclectic approach, writing about topics like a league-wide examination of retired numbers (partly inspired by my interest in the Astros’ choices), but it was primarily rooted in the numbers side of things.

After the sale of the Astros to Jim Crane, something clicked with me. Joe Posnanski has written in the past about how special it feels when you’re on the same page as the front office of the team you follow, and watching Jeff Lunhow’s front office rebuild the team in unprecedented ways and with a focus on data was fascinating to watch, in my opinion. I began following the progress of all of the pieces they picked up, even as the team continued getting worse. Throughout college, I kept writing about baseball for both my site (including a defense of the 2014 Sports Illustrated cover) and the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective, and I even got the chance to work for the Astros one summer (the year after I interned at the Cape Cod League); at some point during that time, I had been based out of Houston twice as long as I had lived anywhere else. Eventually, I couldn’t deny it any longer; I had become an Astros fan. When I saw The Crawfish Boxes post about looking for new writers, I knew I had to reach out. When not thinking about baseball, I also make music, and write about video games, movies, and other pop culture.

Last year was the highpoint of my baseball-viewing life, but it hopefully won’t be the Astros’ only title. Although I’m no longer based out of Houston, the Astros keep me feeling connected. I’m excited to join y’all down the stretch run!