We'd still be talking about them if he just announced the good news of new promotional pricing and new uniforms. He overshadowed all of that good news with a long asparagus piss on longtime fans.
http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2012/01/23/solomon-astros-need-changes-but-not-to-name/ Solomon: Astros name change? (Forget) that It is only right that Jim Crane has decided to slash ticket prices for that technically-major-but-closer-to-minor-league baseball team now known as the Houston Astros. Perhaps fans can get their money’s worth in the 2012 season. I mean, as was the case for all who paid to see The Green Hornet (or Green Lantern, for that matter), Astros ticket buyers must feel as if they are owed some green from last season. So Crane deserves a big whoop for that. But while the Astros’ new owner hit a ground-rule double with the ticket-price reduction — some 5,000 seats will be cheaper this year — he struck out looking by admitting the team is willing to consider changing its name. Seriously? “Change is change,” Crane said at a news conference to announce new “fan-friendly initiatives” on Monday. “We’re going to do a study on it. We’re going to study the information, both from our fans and from all sorts of marketing people. I’m not saying we’re going to change. We haven’t made a decision. If the change is going to come, it’s going to come next year.” Let’s not wait ’til next year on this. Please allow me to save you the money all sorts of marketing people will charge you to “do a study on it.” I can assure you those who have supported the Astros over their 50 years in Houston (47 with the name Astros) are not ready to kiss their Astros goodbye. I’d just learned to crawl when the Colt .45s became the Astros, so I don’t know how that was received by the general public, but the Colt .45s lasted only three seasons. Nationally, some made fun of Astros as a nickname, but since mosquitoes were as attached to the team as its Colt .45s moniker, the change couldn’t have been that traumatic. Fanning the flames But changing the Astros name to anything would tick off true Astros fans to the highest of tickstivity. (Please note I cleaned that up for the family newspaper, though the mere mention of a possible name change compels one to use profane language.) Stop while you are behind, Mr. Crane. Don’t change the name on the front of the jerseys; change the names on the back of the jerseys. Dig deep into your pockets and field a team of players worthy of wearing “Astros” on their chests. Heck, while you’re at it — and I understand this might be asking a bit much — find some players for whom the stars on their jerseys might actually describe their status in baseball. I’m not saying you can’t use cheap tricks to make fans want to want you — and you don’t have to be a band from Rockford, Ill., to know a name change is a cheap trick — but the name Astros is at the heart and soul of this franchise. Change is change, you say. We understand that. The Red Sox used to be the Americans. The Cubs used to be the Orphans, the Colts and the White Stockings. The Dodgers were once the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. And Prince used to be The Artist Formerly Known As. So? If you want change, change the team colors, paint the grass at Minute Maid Park orange, and hire scantily clad cheerleaders to dance on top of the dugouts between innings. But don’t make some silly name change as a money-grabbing ploy to sell more jerseys and caps. Astroworld is gone, the Astrodomain is now Reliant Park, and the Astrodome is a blight on the city skyline. But the Astros are Houston’s team, and despite what idiot politicians who didn’t grant us a space shuttle say, Houston is Space City. You may have purchased the franchise, but Astros is the name that belongs to the baseball team in Space City. From Aspromonte, Watson, Dierker and Wynn to Cedeno, Cruz, Richard and Ryan to Bagwell, Biggio, Berkman and Oswalt, MLB stars in Houston have been Astros. Keep this up, and your team will be the team formerly known as the favorite baseball team of tens of thousands of Houstonians. People aren’t embarrassed about being Astros fans because of the team name. They are embarrassed about being Astros fans because the team finished with the worst record in baseball. Winning cures all They didn’t show up in large numbers at Minute Maid Park last year because the team lost a franchise-worst 106 games. So before you mess with the team name, why don’t you try changing the Astros from losers to winners? How about changing them from being a laughingstock with a minor league roster and minor league payroll to being a team of which a major league city like Houston can be proud? Remember, a last-place team by any other name still stinks.
The Astrodome @theastrodome I would fear for Jim Cranes life if he tries to change the name of the Astros... Could he really be that dumb? #astros Astros County @AstrosCounty Crane shouldn't have mentioned a name change - it's all anyone is keying in on. Focus on what he said he'd do: Lower the cost of everything. Jerome Solomon @JeromeSolomon The Colt 45s changed their name in 1965 after the gun manufacturer sued over sharing profits of secondary rights. Baseball teams don't share
Agreed until he kinda jumped the shark at the end with his team building comments. "Lets go out and sign several more 'Carlos Lee' like players to large contracts so we can say we spent money for a winner." Because we all know payroll is directly proportional to wins If you have a ship full of holes, buying gold plated fixtures for it is not going to keep it from sinking.
Jim Crane @FakeJimCrane THE HOUSTON CRANES #IMTHEBOSS RT @crawfishboxes The Astros might be changing their name Help pick the #Astros new one!
No, still a silly garbage read. All he did was vent without giving any real solutions. We all know Crane isn't changing the name. People need to chill.
Here's the thing...i'll chill when jackass says, "we're not changing the name." Until then, I'll be less than chill about it.
The way people are getting their panties in a wad about him mentioning keeping all his options open, including a name change, is hilarious. Nevermind the fact they're completely ignoring all the good things - lower ticket prices, bringing in your own food and water, hopefully a solid uniform change, some personnel decisions that seem to make sense. No, let's freak out because of something that has a very small chance of happening. Moreover, it's just a sports team name. I wouldn't care if the Rockets changed their name. It's just a name. Will they win more? That's all I care about.
He did this. He is the one who threw out the name change crap in the midst of a press conference about lower ticket prices and promotions. His first real press conference since ushering in a league switch is one about ticket prices...where he drops that they'll consider a name change for a 50 year old franchise. Any franchise with any historical fan base at all would have the exact same reaction to a new owner coming in talking about whitewashing the organization's history. And they should. In pro sports we root for uniforms, team names and logos. The names and face of the players come and go in the free agency era.
I root for cities, franchises (i.e. ownership/management), and players. I really don't root for a team because of their name, logo, or color scheme. But it's nice to have some continuity.
I root for Houston teams....I don't give a crap about the rest. But if this organization turns its back entirely on 50 years of fans, I'm gone. Has a franchise ever changed its name after that long of a period of time? I'm guessing no.
Didn't he say they're only going to change the name if the fans want it (i.e. if marketing research shows it)? If so, I'd say you don't have to worry about them "turning their back" on anybody. If they change it, it will be because the fans want it.
Exactly. I root for Houston [ ]. I understand that even if the uniform changes, the logo changes, or the name changes, it is still the same franchise. The Titans are the same franchise as the Oilers... that's what is so upsetting to some of us, and what allows others in Houston to continue to root for them. Moreover, as any regular on this board knows, uniform and logo changes are actually typically sought after. Absent something iconic, people like the change. Team name is the same to me. Is the name "Astros" iconic? I guess. But certainly not as much as you are making it out to be. It's not iconic just because it's been around for 50 years. I certainly agree it has a lot of meaning, conveys a lot of memories, and is iconic to most Houstonians, and it would be a stupid change. But it is not nationally or globally iconic in any way, if you ask me. If, for whatever reason, Crane and his team thinks a team name change is instrumental into turning the team into a consistent, regular championship contender and World Series winner, then do it. If the price for a championship any time soon is a name change, then do it. I have absolutely no idea why that would be the price. The name isn't that correlated (if at all) to the play on the field, but whatever... I'm not for it, but also not freaking out about it. It has a very small chance of happening, and even if it does, well, fun new name, logo and uniform and hopefully new, winning identity to build around. Yes, Crane did this. But you, and the rest of the people acting like babies because of it, are the ones focusing on it. He said it was a possibility. He said they were exploring all options. This is what you want done when someone comes in to turn around a business. It doesn't mean you do it, it does mean you analyze it. They're analyzing EVERYTHING... as they should.
Acting like babies? What the hell do I OWE the Houston Astros? I'm a 37 year old lifelong fan of a 50 year old franchise. Just don't piss me off, and i'll keep buying tickets and all the other b.s. you sell. and if he reaches the conclusion that a name change means they're a WS contender, then he needs to hand over the keys and get out of the driver's seat.
I agree with the consensus that this is almost certainly 1) to make the other minor positive stuff he did look news worthy and 2) to give him a chance to look like a hero by "saving" the Astros tradition in a new league with new uniforms by keeping the name the same. I will say however, on the off chance they do change the name, I will probably get my live baseball fix from UH and Rice for the forseeable future.
because he wanted to..because he thought it was the right move. Drayton McLane always wanted a red baseball team. That's why the Astros have red today.
