I moved to Houston about 9 years ago. This was right in the middle of the Astros going to the WS and being a very relevant team. At that time, I really enjoyed watching baseball. Most of our players were well known and some were all-stars and etc. Really liked watching that team and I went to a few games here and there. Love going to baseball parks. When that team cratered and then our farm system cratered I completely stopped watching. I would check box scores and read this forum. The dedication of a few of the fans on this forum kept me reading about our prospects and obviously this became more interesting the last few years because of our great draft positioning. I don't know much about the players on the current roster other than Altuve and Cosart. I only know about them because for awhile they were the prospects that we were waiting on. Obviously Altuve and his being wee made it semi interesting to watch. I still don't watch more than a game a year but I am mulling committing to watching a few games and then seeing if it sticks. Our youth is on their way and I really need a sport post NBA. Can you learn to love baseball and a team? Feel like that is a slight to some of you guys who have suffered through the last few years. Also... From sports fan to sports fan I was to extend a sincere Thanks to: Tellitlikeitis, J.R., Cardpire, Bigtexxx and anyone else I forgot. Your dedication to this forum and more specifically our farm system has been something that has been entertaining to follow the last three years. I don't go anywhere for that info because I feel like you get it all here. You have really done a lot (IMO) to grow Astros fans. Is becoming a fan at this point wrong?
I'm in the same boat. I'm not a baseball fanatic, but always loved those great Stros teams. Until this past season I knew nothing about our current roster. Been trying to keep up with our prospects do that I can really love the Stros again once they get in the Bigs.
In my opinion, it is the BEST time to become a fan. You will appreciate the good years even better. You get to watch prospects come up and shape the future. You get to go to games and not worry about it being sold out. You can only go up from here! And this board is tremendous. Very well organized, and there are more than a few great posters that make it worth reading daily in my opinion. I recommend fellow fans to come to this board if they want to have worth while conversations with Astro fans.
It's fun both ways. I enjoy myself watching baseball live and on tv. Just wish comcast and get their **** together so I can watch instead of watching it on streams.
Can they go back to the NL now? Does the Rangers organization (that is making a windfall on their TV deal, regardless of the opponents) still care as much about having more central time zone games? Mr. 3000 (the Bernie Mac) movie was on last night... and in the most critical scene, its the Brewers playing the Astros. That scene makes no sense now!
It will be weird when all these games are suddenly televised. This whole AL switch and ring the worst team in baseball feels like a bad dream right now.
I was in the same boat, actually. I grew up more of a Rockets fan since Hakeem was my idol growing up. In fact, my first sports memory was the Rockets beating the Knicks in the 1994 NBA Finals, and my parents had a VHS tape of Game 7, which I watched at least 50 times before it was lost. As I've gotten older, though, I've come to understand the love affair that Houston has had with the Astros. The Astros of the past 3 years have gone through the worst stretch for a sports team in this city ever, and it has not been close. Not even a decade of the Texans has stunk as bad as the Astros have for the last 3 years. Combine that with the AL move, CSN, being the butt of jokes all around sports, and well, being an Astros fan has been torture. You know, I only seriously got into prospect watching 4 years ago, when Drayton was so hell-bent on having the Astros ride the mediocrity treadmill. I really had no idea that the nadir of this organization would be this bad. But when the minor league system has been so trashed... I guess it wasn't so difficult to see the writing on the wall after all. But you know what, all that suffering will be worth it when CSN is available to everyone (blech) and the Rockets are off winning titles and the Astros are taking Houston back from those assholes about 4 hours north on I-45. Even though you're a relatively new fan, I think that you're a better Astros fan than all the wagon jumpers that traded in their Astros stuff for Rangers/Yankees/Red Sox gear. Even when the Astros are running the rest of the league into the ground again, I simply can't and won't accept that set of fans as true fans. TL;DR: Welcome aboard! Here's to a new era of Houston Astros baseball!
Al West is a beast of a division with Oakland and Texas "Big Boys" , Angels underachievers , Mariners TBD with Cano and few other signings.
So nauseating and senseless that we are forced to make that an addendum. Becoming a fan at this point is the perfect time, Francis. Recognize that something potentially very special is brewing, and watch these studs in the farm grow now. The alternative is being a bandwagoner like the other 99% of 'Stros fans will be once we start winning. Not a rewarding form of fandom - in my opinion, at least. Glad to have you around. Enjoy you some Stros.
This is the perfect time to become a fan IMO. It's been an amazing ride remembering the days when I would watch Gameday just to see how JD Martinez and Altuve and such were doing. Now to see the guys you watch box scores for, and read about getting chances in the majors is just an amazing feeling. You're about to see a lot of young talent being thrown out there, and to me that's the most exciting feeling. Not knowing what's going to happen with any given young player that makes his way to the Majors. Whether it's over hyping one, etc. If you're looking for a "Win now" type team...then the Astros may not be your team for now. However, don't be surprised in 3-4 years if the Astros aren't competing again.
Honestly, I really don't think you can learn it without being a hardcore childhood fan. It's just not going to be possible to force yourself to be interested with all the losing. I'd suggest you just keep up with them from time to time by reading box scores, maybe watching some game recaps on mlb.com, take a look at their prospects' status intermittently, etc. Then, once they start winning you'll have at least a little bit of connection with the team. Trying to force yourself to watch this team the past couple of years sounds more like torture to me than anything else.
