I'm Proud To Be A Fan

Last night the Houston Astros saw their incredible 2005 season come to an end without winning a single game against American League challengers, the Chicago White Sox. What a monumental disappointment it must have been for the players and staff who had such high hopes as an organization. After years of trying, this was the first trip to the Series for veterans Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. It was probably the last for local hero Roger Clemens. Then you have the rest of the team, the younger guys, the new generation of players with names like Backe, Burke and Bruntlett. They made it to the place where very few professional baseball players have ever danced, and with a bit of luck, they may be invited again. It was an amazing season scripted in reality but with no fairy tale ending. From the worst to within reach of being the best in one season. Of course the fans are disappointed this morning. I'm disappointed this morning. But, that doesn't overshadow the accomplishments of the National League Pennant winners of 2005. Despite their loss in the World Series, the Houston Astros are still Houston's team; a team with integrity, perseverance and a sense of family values. I'm proud to be a fan.

The Summer Of 1980

Sunday afternoon I indulged myself by taking a nostalgic trip back to my first summer in Houston, Texas. Knowing for months that Six Flags AstroWorld would be closing its gates for good at the end of October, I decided to revisit the place where I began my career in Texas tourism 25-years-ago. I just wanted to take a few photos, revisit old feelings, and spend a couple of hours among memories from a time before kids, 60-hour work weeks and a gray mustache. As I crossed the pedestrian bridge from the parking lot to the park I remembered how much I truly enjoyed working in Public Relations at AstroWorld during the summer of 1980. I thought of people such as Gary Dalton, Alicia Smith, and Sarah Hampton, who enjoyed each other so much that after a day on the job they would go out together for fun. They were more than co-workers. They were a family. Once through the gate I noticed that Main Street had changed very little. Merchandise shops on the left and a confectionery shop and soda shop on the right. The old Mrs. Baird's bread store with it's miniature loaves of hot, sweet smelling bread had been replaced by some souvenir stand. The spot where radio controlled boats had once cruised was now a mucky pool attached to a larger mucky pond. Coney Island looked the same and the clank-clank-clank of the giant wooden roller coaster, The Texas Cyclone, was unmistakably familiar. Oh, how I used to love climbing beneath the tracks for spectacular photos of the cars racing down toward me at break-neck speed. But not today. That was 25-years ago. The carousel with its brightly painted animals of various shapes and colors was still there and the Alpine Village was just as I remembered with its clock tower chiming the hour. As I stopped to shoot a photo of the giant loop in the coaster Greased Lightning, I realized that I had taken the exact shot from the same position during the summer of '80 as part of a media piece that I would be writing for distribution in Louisiana. It gave me goosebumps. I struck up a conversation with the engineers on the old Cannonball locomotive and they gave me a special ex-employee ride on the rails around the park, allowing me to photograph the driver's compartment, while sharing stories from the train's 40-year history at the park. Every one of the rides from my era that I visited that day knew that I had come to say goodbye as I touched a rail, snapped one last shot, or simply paused to watch the guests enjoying the final days fun at this Houston landmark. My visit was an act of closure and I'm glad that I made the effort. Now that it's done I can look back with renewed memories of how it was to have been a part of that family . . . the AstroWorld family and a legacy that will be remembered fondly for many years to come.

World Serious

What a difference two days can make. On Monday night Houston fans watched in disbelief as the Astros came within one strike of going to the World Series, only to lose it in a broken-heartbeat. But, tonight all is right with the world once again. The Houston Astros took command of the St. Louis Cardinals early in the contest and never let up. The ninth inning in St. Louis was a total turn around from game five in Houston. Tonight it was the Red Birds' fans who sat quietly watching their team try desperately to comeback, playing not only the final game of the season, but the final game in historic Busch Stadium. Two bitter loses in one night for the diehard, yet gracious fans of St. Louis. The Houston Astros are going to the World Series along with more than 4,000,000 of their closest friends. This city couldn't be more proud of the Good Guys of 2005. It's been a long time coming, but well worth the wait. Congratulations gentlemen.

I Still Bee-lieve!

Tonight they came so close. Two outs in the top of the ninth inning. The Houston Astros were leading St. Louis by two runs and it seemed for a fleeting moment that all was right with the world. Then with a single swing of the bat, the screaming and chanting of 43,000 fans ceased and the dream of a National League pennant for the home team was once again put on hold. It was an emotional ride that I can't remember ever experiencing before. From the highest high to the lowest low in the time that it took for a baseball to travel just over 400 feet. I've heard the phrase, "the silence was deafening", but never really understood it's meaning until tonight. When that ball crashed against the railroad track high atop the left field wall above the Crawford boxes, the sudden silence was truely deafening in Minute Maid Park. It was so quiet, coming off of inning after inning of non-stop thunderous noise, that one might have imagined that they had lost the ability to hear. Everyone was dumbstruck including the scattered nests of Cardinal fans decked out in their red bird jerseys and caps. No one could believe what had just happened. The Astros and their hive of "Killer Bees" (a nickname for the roster featuring players such as Bagwell, Biggio, Berkmen, Burke, Backe and the other Bs) had lost an opportunity to make history, and had lost that opportunity at home in front of a sell-out crowd of real "Bee-lievers". This team is tough. This team is not known for doing things the easy way. This team will try again on Wednesday in St. Louis, and will hopefully come home as the National League Champs. If not . . . they played the good game and are still one of the top four teams in Major League Baseball. That's an incredible accomplishment worth celebrating in itself. Oh, ye of little faith. I still bee-lieve. Now let's hope the Houston Astros still do.

On The Verge

Well, here we are. The Houston Astros are just one game from going to the World Series for the first time. This is as close as the team got last year, but they just couldn't quite make it happen. But, this year it's different. This year it looks as if there is some destiny to be fulfilled. The momentum appears to be in Houston's favor. The calls and the breaks certainly are. For weeks, a chain of good things have continued to happen on the field. When a strike is needed, the call is made. When a soft bunt can make all the difference, some youngster steps up to make it happen. When a miracle defensive play can close out the inning, it's been there with unexplainable regularity. From the terrific trio of Clemens, Pettitte and Oswalt, to the bullpen bombers with "Lights Out" Lidge, Wheeler and the rest, the pitching has been phenomenal. The Houston Astros are on the verge. The face of the team will be changing soon as names such as Bagwell and Biggio, names synonymous with Houston baseball, retire after long, powerful careers. Yes, the Astros are on the verge. A new team of young, talented, and hungry ballplayers are taking their place in the dugout along the first base line. They will be filling a roster that once carried names such as Ryan, Doran, Cruz, and Scott. And this year the Astros are on the verge of a World Series appearance for the first time. Once there were the Miracle Mets and now there are the Amazing Astros. It's late October and the game goes on. Ain't baseball great?

The Year of the Good Guys

Tomorrow night the National League playoffs begin, and for the second consecutive year the Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals are vying for the title. The fact that Houston was once a farm team for St. Louis makes this rivalry somewhat personal, but knowing that the local team has become a serious contender in recent years makes the series really special. Astros fever can be felt everywhere from Galveston to Huntsville, though some folks here and in other parts of the country say that we're over reacting. How can being excited about your team be over reacting when they are now ranked among the top four clubs in Major League baseball? I'm proud to have the brick-red and black star on my cap, my truck, my cell phone and, when cool weather returns to Houston, on my jacket. I'm a fan . . . not fanatic, but a fan. I don't live and die with the Astros, but it's fun to have something beyond war, hurricanes and political scandal to talk about. It's uplifting to know that a group of guys who had been written off by most of the media and many local fans are now within a few games of the really big show. The World Series could be coming to Houston for the first time and I hope that 2005 will be that time. I hope that 2005 will be the year of the Good Guys.

This Is Where The Fun Really Begins

Back in May the nay-sayers were posting obituaries for the Houston Astros Baseball Club. At 15-games below 500, very few experts, and even fewer fans, held out hope that the "Good Guys" would post a half way decent season in '05. But, here they are on October 8, just nine innings from the Division Championship against their old nemesis, the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2005 Houston Astros have possibly found that perfect balance of veteran experience and rookiesque excitement and enthusiasm to go where many media types are now predicting; The World Series. Almost to the point of embarrassment, the city celebrated a Wild Card win as if it was a national championship, so dare we look ahead at the prospect of a Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox match-up and what that might bring? I say we do. Opportunities such as this come so seldom that we should grab on and not let go until the last out of the last inning in the last game. Maybe it's good karma for being there when Louisiana's homeless looked to Houston for help. Maybe it's because this city has dreamed of a World Champion baseball team for more than four decades only to come up short. Or just maybe it's because it's our time . . . a time when all the hard work is finally paying off and we are going to be here to see it happen. Stay tuned . . . this is where the fun really begins.

A Family Divided

Tonight I'm facing the prospect of a family divided. It's nothing on the scale of those living along the Mason-Dixon Line during the Civil War and being forced to judge the economic benefits versus immorality of slavery. It's not quite as debatable as whether the Three Stooges are really funny, or even who is the sexiest . . . Ginger or Mary Ann. But, it's still an issue that will cast my family into pseudo-turmoil for the next week. Will it be the Houston Astros or the Atlanta Braves moving on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Playoffs? You notice that I have already written-off San Diego. Too bad, too sad. I grew up in Atlanta. I lived there for 29-years before making Houston my home and adopting its sports teams as my own. I remember going to the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and enjoying every minute of it. I remember listening to Hall of Fame announcer, Milo Hamilton, calling Hank Aaron's record-breaking home run from there. I remember seeing the Beatles perform at second base in 1964. But today I am an Astros fan. That's were the family division comes in. Mom and dad still live near Atlanta and my brother, Dave, never gave up the Braves-bug when he moved to Florida several years ago. So, tonight we are a family divided. Divided by two teams going head-to-head on Thursday afternoon within the confines of Turner Field. The battle should be intense. The Braves have been in the play-offs for 14 consecutive years. The Astros fought their way back from the second-worst record in Major League Baseball earlier this year to win the NL Wild Card behind arguably the strongest trio of starting pitchers in all of baseball. When the chalk dust has cleared on the day of the final game, one side of my family will be disappointed while the other side will be looking forward to a possible World Series appearance. On that day the family divided will again become one. After all blood is thicker than pine tar or the spit on the dugout floor.

Good Guys Don't Always Finish Last

Well, it's come down to this. It's the last day of the regular baseball season and the Houston Astros are leading the National League Wild Card race by only one game. It's not the end of the world by any means, but it is the time to take control and make things happen. If the "Good Guys" (as the Houston Astros are known regionally) win today and their rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, lose, the Astros move on to play the Atlanta Braves in the play-offs next week. If the Phillies win and the Astros lose, there will be a one-game tie-breaker on Monday to determine the winner. If both teams win or lose, our local heroes will be flying to the Peach State after the game. It's not really confusing, but sure is nerve-racking. For better or worse, they seem to do this to us every year. Why can't there be a year where the Astros just run away with it from the start? I mean, really pile up the lead and hold on to it the way that St. Louis did this year. It probably wouldn't be as good for sales of TUMS and Corona, but a little padding would be a welcome change from the regular nail-biting end-of-season escapades that Astros fans have endured in the past. Today at work I'll be glued to MLB's Game Day Audio playing on my office computer and listening to Hall of Fame announcer Milo Hamilton call the most important game of the year. I hope to hear Milo shout "Holy Toledo!" the way he did when Hammerin' Hank hit #715 and broke Babe Ruth's homerun record in Atlanta around 30-years ago. If he does it's a good sign that the Houston Astros have taken up where they left off in 2004 on their quest for a championship. Maybe this is the year of the Good Guy. I still believe . . . I believe in this team, I believe in this city and I believe that Good Guys don't always finish last.