100% agree.
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Someone once said never underestimate the heart of a champion.
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Someone else said it ainât over 'til itâs over.
They may be on life support but donât call hospice yet.
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Itâs been six years since the 2017 team. The energy level cannot be sustained over time. Which phase of Kubler-Rossâs grief response are we on? Bargaining, or acceptance?
âŚand itâs probably compounded by the extra grind caused by all the injuries⌠rehabbing from injuries, trying to play through injuries, trying to hit six run homers to carry all your teammates who are absent or struggling.
But if theyâre burned out, is there a fix for it? Is one offseason enough?
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My magic elixir for burnout was replacing the leader.
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So last night, I was flipping around Netflix and decided to watch The Battered Bastards of Baseball, about the old Portland Mavericks independent minor league team in the 70s. Iâve seen it before, but for whatever reason I decided to watch it again.
This may sound corny, but it reminded me again of why I love baseball, and a strange calm came over me about this yearâs Astros. I donât expect theyâll make the Postseason. And thatâs OK. I rooted for them when they lost 110+ games, I rooted for them when they won World Series titles, and I will certainly root for them when they are beat up, tired, worn out, and dragging ass.
These last 9 years have given us the greatest run in Astros history, and I am thankful. I beat up on them in the GZ as much as anyone, and probably still will, but in the cold light of day, I am thankful to be an Astros fan.
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Nice!
I think I know what Iâll be watching (again) before the Stros game tonight.
I agree with all of this 1000%.
This is so well said I wish I had said it, which is my ultimate compliment.
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Along the same lines, when Tucker yelled over to DubĂłn and laughed I was glad to see it.
A friend was reminiscing about his kid in little league as he shared an encouraging word given by the coach:
âGuys, youâre better than that.â
Still goes w/ the 'Stros.
I have mixed feelings about the messaging of the story. They paint it as this David vs Goliath story, and everyone wants to root for the underdog, but really it was David vs Goliathâs little sister. It was Low A ball, and the affiliated teams were youngsters, 18-19 years old in their first years of professional ball. The Mavericks were guys 28-30-35, most of whom had been higher level prospects, and some even were former Major Leaguers (hell, Bouton had been a 20-game winner in the Majors). They were âoutcastsâ and ârejectsâ, not because the Major League teams didnât think they couldnât play, but mostly because their careers topped out and there was just nowhere for them to go. The rest of the league simply had a different goal at that level of play. But what resonated with me was the reason the city of Portland embraced them. They were âour teamâ. These guys werenât the property of the Chicago Cubs or L.A. Dodgers, but they were our guys. This is how I feel about the Astros. This is my team. I love them. I am proud of them.
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On my flights this week, I watched The Last Out. The documentary chronicles the story of three Cubans who went to Central America hoping to get big baseball contracts. It didnât work out that way for them.
It was interesting to watch and be reminded of the dreams who donât end in the majors.
When I watched it on the plane, I didnât realize it was a PBS POV doc.
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Much like the beloved Houston Oilers were to me (rot in hell, bud adams), win or lose, up or down, since I was 5 yrs old in â79, the Houston Astros baseball club has been, and will always fucking be, my team. I fucking love âem.
Iâll leave front-running/fair-weather/t-shirt fandom to other franchisesâ fanbases (Iâm looking at you, arlington mouth-breathers).
Luv ya Orange.
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Havenât seen that oneâŚâPeloteroâ is a documentary I remember liking and should probably rewatch during the offseason
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As my Granny used to say, itâs hell getting old.
Well said, HH.
I agree completely.
Just in case anyone had any doubt that Curt Schilling was one of the biggest pieces of shit ever in a clubhouse, he revealed that Tim Wakefield had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
Without Wakefieldâs consent.
This less than a week after going full Nazi with a post all about the âJewish Question.â Revolting human being.