Watch how the city goes crazy if the 'Stros make the playoffs. If the Texans do, it would be huge as well. Unfortunately soccer isn't bigger, but the Dynamo deserve our support. Come this June, it will be Rockets. Mark it.
By all accounts, the team that rules a city is either (1) the one that's been there the longest, or (2) the one that's had the most success. Usually, #2 is more the rule than #1- Cowboys in Dallas, Steelers in Pittsburgh, Lakers in LA, etc. By this rule, the Rockets should be the hands-down #1 favorite. But the Astros, according to reason (1), should be the favorite. Yet, because Houston HAS to be different, the Texans rule the local radio. Every time I come to Houston, it's Texans this and Texans that, then the Stros, then they throw a crumb to the Rockets. Like the Suns and Lakers, the Rockets should rule this town- but they need playoff success to surpass the Stros and Texans- and it probably still won't happen that they get the respect they deserve.
Even in the Luv Ya Blue era and Hakeem era, the Houston Astros were the king of the mountain in my opinion. Back in 1986 when the Astros when to the postseason this town went nuts and Jose Cruz is still as beloved as any past player including Hakeem and Earl and when Mike Scott through that no-hitter to get the astros into the postseason, you had to live through it. A world series championship would be bigger in Houston than anything past present or future in Houston. Take my mom as an example. My mother doesn't even watch sports, but if the Astros even get close to getting into the postseason she'll sweat every game, not so with football or basketball.
Earl Campbell was a bigger rock star here than Cruz ever dreamed of being. Not even close. I mean, I love baseball and the Astros and all, but Houston is a football town. It's big enough to *also* be a baseball town, but football rules the roost. Give the Texans a few years to build some modicum of "history", give them one--just one--superstar RB or QB (sorry AJ), and the Texans will eclipse the Astros easily.
Not to spark a debate, but I remember when the Oilers games were regularly blacked out do to fan support. There might be a dearth of hardcore sports fans that would put the Rockets ahead of everybody, and those fans might even live and die oiler blue, but to the casual fan in Houston there is a section of people that when the astros get hot it is BIG news. The oilers had one moment like that, Luv Ya Blue, and by the way I swear by Luv Ya Blue, I lived through it, but the astros just have been that way for as long as I can remember. Those are the fans I am talking about, people like my mom.
Nothing wrong with a good, civil debate. "People like your mom" includes me, by the way. And others here like bobrek and MadMax. So, it's cool. The Oilers games were blacked out due to ticket sales--during the oil bust, when Houston's economy was in the toilet. I remember a time when the Astros, who've always had the hard-core following like any team will (your mom, me, etc.), were Marlins-esque with regards to attendance. Houston had a label as a "bad baseball town" whose people were "disinterested". I took exception to that, and I'm sure you might also, but it was the impression on a national scale regardless. 1986 was big news, but while 1987 attendance rose a bit it was *still* below league average. Even 1986 attendance was below league average. They were above league average in '79 through '81, but through the rest of the 80s and early 90s well below league average. Attendance finally peeked above league average in 1998, and hasn't looked back since. That's right: Drayton McLane has turned this into a baseball town. (To be fair, Bagwell, Biggio, Hampton, Kile, Reynolds, Berkman, Oswalt, etc. had more to do with it--but McLane paid their salaries and has led this organization through its most successful era in its short history. That might not be saying too terribly much, but it's *something*, anyway!) All told, here are the years where the Astros' attendance has been above league average: 1965-69 (New stadium) 1972-73 1979-81 1998-2007 In 36 seasons prior to 1997, the Astros were above league average attendance 10 times. (3 more times they were within 150,000 of league average.) In 10 seasons since (and including) 1998, they have been above league average 10 times. I couldn't find similar NFL numbers; I'd be very interested.
Its Rockets/Astros but once the Texans make the post season it will be over in their favor. Houston was and still is a pro football city and success by the home team is all that is keeping them from owning this city.
I love all three of the teams but if I had to choose one, it would be my Rockets first. Its a generational thing I guess if you were growing up as a kid in the 90s and basketball was about the only sport we played and followed religiously. But no matter what, I think football rules this city. We were starving for it when the Oilers left. The Texans will always be number 1, I think.
rick riley is the most overrated sports columnist ever. he's even worse on sports reporters. typical, everything was great when i was young, these guys make too much money now, they don't love the game, blah, blah, freakin blah and he's not funny. edit: just remember, this is the guy who thought he was so cool when handed sammy sosa a cup to pee in. and all his media cronies supported him in making himself a part of the story.
Football will always be the top dog in Texas. IMO Houston is: 1) Astros 2) Longhorns Football 3) Texans (NFL) 4) Rockets
I would put my list as... Rockets Dynamo Astros Texans Baseball on the whole lost me when all of the steroids came to light, but I had been waning before. I think Homer Simpson, when on a break from Duff, put it best he said at a baseball game, "I never realized how boring this game is without alcohol!" I followed the Texans when they first started, but they've really done nothing to endear themselves to me. Add to that my dwindling liking of football and they go to the bottom of the list.
