(Astros History) Does anyone remember this....?

via Wikipedia

 

whew...

 

Put it this way. If the guy in N. Virgina could have worked out a deal for a stadium AND somehow convinced Peter Angelos to approve it (probably by paying him a huge sum of money), the Houston Astros would now be the Washington ________s. Angelos was dead set against another team in that area.

 

What else are you looking for? I was alive when it happened...does that help?

It was in the midst of the Oilers' move to Tennessee...on the heels of that, really. The Astros were very vocal that they needed greater attendance. So they started a campaign called "Step Up to the Plate" pitching civic responsibility to attend baseball games. Even I found that to be kinda objectionable.

Eventually he determined that the Astrodome was just never going to draw fans. He looked around at the few new ballparks at the time that were drawing in droves, and decided that was the best alternative. Some businessmen, led by Ken Lay, bought the land where MMP now sits and provided it interest-free. The county got on board with the referendum for the new ballpark....it barely passed. Less than 51% in favor...but it gave the county the right to build a baseball park and a football stadium. Thus, Reliant and MMP.

 

I would venture a guess that most of us posting here were indeed alive when it happened.

You and I, however, were *also* alive when Don Wilson was throwing no-hitters and JR Richard was terrorizing the Dodgers.

 

I shouldn't have said alive...I should have said old enough to remember. I was in college at the time of the referendum and the buildup to it. I remember being felt like I was hit in the gut the day I learned they were exploring a move to N. Virginia.

If the Astros had moved, I think I'd still be a fan. I was resentful as hell of the Oilers/Titans. But I think I'd be rooting for the Northern Virginia (insert name here) today if that had happened. Thank God it didn't!!!!

 

Me too, and me, too.

If the Astros had moved, I'm not sure how I would have responded. Probably just as pissed as I was at the Oilers.

 

Are you serious? I didn't start following baseball closely until about '98. Civic responsibility? Wow, that's embarrassing to say the least.

 

I think that's behind a lot of pro sports. That you should vote them a new stadium....because it's doing your part for a better city. There's an argument that way of thinking is correct. I think many of us made it here in the Save Our Rockets campaign.

 

Larry King took a lot of flack, IIRC, for reporting 'stros to DC as a 'done deal'.

 

Didn't they also have some crazy realignment plan if the move happened? Something like 3 divisions and no more AL-NL.

 

SLAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I love baseball and that franchise too much. I wouldn't have anyone else to root for. I wouldn't have liked it...but there's no way I would have been rooting against Bagwell and Biggio even if they were playing in DC.

That's why it was so easy to move on from the Oilers...the team itself was in transition. The Moon run 'n' shoot era was gone. When they moved, they became the team they were rebuilding to be while playing out lame duck seasons here.

 

Sports owners are two faced. McLane cashed in on the public's fear of losing another franchise. The minute the Oilers left town the Astrodome became outdated and a financial drain on the Astros. I remember he was very vocal in support of the Astrodome being a great facility when the Oilers were unhappy...he knew the Astrodome was a sh!thole for football and lacked the amenities of newer ballparks for baseball.

Thank you Shawn Chacon.

 

I think at the time he was saying it was a good facility, he didn't have the evidence fully in front of him yet regarding the impact of new ballparks....and how long that impact lasted.

What does Chacon have to do with it?

 

I'll deal with Chacon first. As an Oilers fan, I'm still bitter. The way things went down hurt the fans...Bud, Mayor Bob, McLane, etc. didn't give a crap.

I think McLane was protecting his self-interest as landlord.

A new football only stadium would:

1) Take away McLane's major tenant
2) Create a competing venue to the Astrodome
3) Might delay McLane's new stadium

McLane made the Oilers look bad (they didn't need much help) and generated good PR for himself. He did what he had to do.

Seriously after the Chargers preseason game fiasco, did anyone think the Astrodome was a good facility?

 

I still don't get the Chacon reference.

You could have fixed the field at the Dome without building a new stadium.

Remember, Bud didn't want a football only stadium. He pitched a shared Dome with the Rockets...without checking with the Rockets first...the Rockets were like, "ummm..yeah...the alamodome sucks...so we're not interested." Then he signed an exclusive deal to negotiate only with TN for a year. By the time we had a chance to make a pitch, it was too late...we offered up an open-air stadium and he turned it down to move his team to TN.

But more importantly...we had just refurbished the Astrodome to keep the Oilers there. It was about 5 years prior that he said he was moving to Jacksonville...to keep him here we made changes. He told us the changes were great. More seats...less scoreboard. The NFL promised us a Super Bowl at the Dome. That never happened either. The county was still paying the interest on the loans for the refurbishment when Bud demanded a new stadium.

One doesn't have to try hard to make Bud Adams look bad.

 

Oh well we got 2 great new stadiums out of the whole debacle and a hopefully respectable football franchise this year so who gives a rats ass, it all worked out in the end.