This sums up exactly my feelings as well (except for the 0-162 part - I bear no ill will to those poor doomed souls). My dying wish is that Crane ends up butt buddies with Bud Adams, John McMullen and Bud Selig in hell for all eternity.
Good lord Good riddance. How many more extra late start games do we even have as opposed to when we were in the NL Central? So what we moved to the AL. With an attitude like that, it's hard to see you staying loyal to anything in your life.
I know everybody here is stoked about the +$20M in payroll and having legitimate big leaguers in the lineup, but part of me will really miss those awful rebuild years. I moved back in 2011 amidst an Astros 56-106 season. JD was calling the games, and him and BB's laugh alone kept me watching every night. Our only real prospects worth a **** were Jordan Lyles and Jonathan Villar. I won't miss the losing, but just watching the young guys getting a chance to develop. I know Lowrie will produce more than Villar will, but I thoroughly enjoyed it when Villar powered a double into left center or made a dazzling play at short. I greatly anticipated Folty getting the call and NiTro making his first start. Watching prospects grow and develop into legitimate pros really brings joy to a fan like me. I think bringing in Gattis and Rasmus is great and the competition will ultimately be really good for Singleton (JS), etc. However, in 2011, I still would have greatly enjoyed watching JS and Marisnick take their cuts and develop. I liken it watching D-Mo ball out this season and basically become our second option. When drafted D-Mo had all the talent and tools to become a starting 4 in the NBA. He worked hard, had competition, and if not for Butler, could win most improved. If Singleton can put a D-Mo-esque type season together, we could win 85 games. Ha! Sidenote, saw in the paper that Fields is 29? wtf? that surprised me.
Watching the 2005 World Series on YouTube feels like a dream. Man, I wish the Astros could be good again. Here's to hoping that they make the play-offs.
Crane had had no choice if he wanted to buy the team, any other potential owner was in the same boat. It's all on McLane and Selig. It's been talked about ad nauseam, so I'll leave it there.
Really looking forward to the new managers approach, with the developing talent and hopefully lack of incompetence at the manager position, this could be an exciting beginning to some great seasons to come.
I've completely lost interest in baseball over the years. I blame most of that on the Astros being in the cellar for almost a decade in addition to not caring at all about the AL (like other posters have mentioned). The other problem is that baseball is a really slow game with little action compared to other sports I like (basketball, soccer, football). Anyway, I hope as the Astros continue to improve that I will grow to like baseball again. My prediction is 76-86, although I could easily see us being above .500.
Don't worry if they get good there will be plenty of room for the bandwagon fans such as yourself. MMP will be packed full of "lifelong" Astros fans. Suddenly Jim Crane and the AL won't be so repulsive.
Bold prediction: we will have less than 10 sacrifice hits throughout the season and we will steal more than 162 bags at a 75% clip or better. We will lead the MLB in HR, while maintaining a low BA and obliterating the previous record for team strikeouts. We will have 3 players who belt over 35 homeruns. Oh, the record? 81-81.
Agreed in general, but I just want to point out that this particular lifer (dating back to Ford Motor Credit days and just a little before that) never went anywhere, isn't going anywhere, and is still completely repulsed by the AL. Jury's still out on Crane. But the AL sucks, the DH sucks, and Bud Selig sucks.
3 of the last 4 years, the Astros have finished in the cellar. Those are the only 3 years they have finished in the cellar since 1991.
I'm not sure why but I don't think Chris Carter's 2nd half from 2014 was a fluke. I think a light came on for him and he's going to have a big season. I could see a season of .250 - .260 with 40+ hr, 100+ rbi. He'll still get his k's but will get more bb's. I'm hoping for an OPS over .900 this season.
I think a .900 OPS is overly optimistic. We are now in a pitchers era, and a .900 OPS is a huge number now. Last season only 8 guys were over .900, and only 12 guys were over .865. Having said that, I do agree there is no reason to think what Carter did last season was a complete fluke. At this point I think he is what he is, a feast or famine guy who will end up with a good season by years end. My only hope is that he can maintain his slightly lower K rate, and avoid some of the super lows that he goes into.
Opening Day is absolutely one of my favorite day of sports. Can't wait for it to get here. And even though they may not be contending yet, the team is getting more interesting. Maybe the stupid dynamic pricing and higher ticket prices will be more justified and I'll head to more games this season, cause nothing beats going to the ballpark. Here's hoping for 80+
