Shouldn’t there be an Astros thread here?

[utee94]

Now THAT'S a hockey sweater!

[CousinFreddie]

The idea that there's a general difference between Astros and Rangers fans, looks- or other-wise, falls in the general category of fake news.  Like most things these days.  Just the past 3 years alone, I've seen games in the following stadia: SF, Seattle, KC, StL, ChiSox, Pittsburgh, Nats, Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, and the Os.  I can tell you this.  It doesn't really matter east coast, west coast or fly over - baseball fans come in all shapes and sizes, some as skinny as foot long hot dogs and others as fat as a big old plate of nachos.  There are a lot of "relaxed" waistlines out there in MLB ballparks, and I don't just mean the pitchers on the field.   And, no one cares.

What I love about the game though is the mutual respect that fans of all teams have for one another - I've gotten so many compliments for my Cards gear when I go to either Os or Nats games.  Most recent version of this was that my son wore a new Molina (#4, a number destined to be retired in St Louis) jersey to Game 1 of the NLDS here between Nats and Cubs, and what that led to were all kinds of interesting conversations with mostly Cubs fans, like Heyward vs Fowler, or how many families had mixed allegiances between the two, or Maddon vs Matheny, or well you name it.  And no one wondered why we as were there with our STL gear on.  They just recognized that we were baseball fans, and this was the playoffs, and really what more do you need? 

[CousinFreddie]

Anyway I grew up in eastern Okla, which was decidedly Cardinals country in the day.   Tulsa had the Cards AAA team, the Oilers, and KMOX and Jack Buck/Mike Shannon was heard every night on KVOO (I think it was), which had huge reach on am, probably pretty much through all of NE Okla.  There were a few who bucked the Cards influence, who mainly went with the Royals who'd in fact claimed the household of the neighbors next door.  The Rangers were still too new, although it was intriguing that there was a new MLB team just four hours drive away to the south, one with a Six Flags close by even.  But the Astros were just way too far down there to think about, although everyone was curious about the 8th wonder of the world that they played in.

What kept me interested in the Astros was just that my dad's middle brother moved to Houston about the time they started in the early 60s, and he was a loyal Stros fan from the git-go.  Both his kids were Astros fans, and now the grandkids are.  First person I emailed when Morton shut the door on Wed night was my cousin's oldest son, who lives down in the Woodlands and has been a loyal Houston fan all 40 or so years of his life.  He was ecstatic, and I was really happy for him.  Sad to say that my uncle though passed a few years ago, and he did not get to experience the Astros breaking through.  

[longhorn320]

Ive mentioned this before but the close relationship between Houston and St Louis goes back a long way because Houston was where the Cards farm team was The Houston Buffs

In fact the great Dizzy Dean and his brother cam through Houston on their way to the bigs

[CousinFreddie]

That's some great history 320.  I just read on wiki that the Buffaloes played their first season in 1888!  Damn, that's deep history.

So, I think it's just GREAT that Houston finally has a world series crown.  Seriously great.  Congrats to you and all Houston fans.

[FearlessF]

very nice history

I'll be asking my cardinals rooting cousin how much he knows about that

cousin is 53 years old

[MikeDeTiger]

Can any Astros fan comment on the home-run ball the guy snatched from his sister-in-law's hands and threw back in Houston the other day?  Game 5, I think?  I saw on some show that a lot of people Mad Online about that, so the show found them and it turns out they weren't strangers, the couple sitting next to him was his brother and his brother's wife.  They also claim that it's a tradition for Astros fans to throw back HR balls in the playoffs or something like that.  That may not be the exact tradition, but he did claim there was some tradition that mandated throwing that back.  And the brother and his wife were totally cool with it and wanting to let everyone know everything was all good.  

I ask partly because I'm curious, and also partly because I know a Rangers fan, and on facebook he's more pissed than he needs to be about the incident.....what a jerk that guy is and he wished the other guy woulda slugged him.  I told him what I saw on TV and he says that's insane, there is no such tradition, yada yada.  

Also, I'm probably about to quit facebook, again.  

[UT-Erin03]

Can any Astros fan comment on the home-run ball the guy snatched from his sister-in-law's hands and threw back in Houston the other day?  Game 5, I think?  I saw on some show that a lot of people Mad Online about that, so the show found them and it turns out they weren't strangers, the couple sitting next to him was his brother and his brother's wife.  They also claim that it's a tradition for Astros fans to throw back HR balls in the playoffs or something like that.  That may not be the exact tradition, but he did claim there was some tradition that mandated throwing that back.  And the brother and his wife were totally cool with it and wanting to let everyone know everything was all good.  

I ask partly because I'm curious, and also partly because I know a Rangers fan, and on facebook he's more pissed than he needs to be about the incident.....what a jerk that guy is and he wished the other guy woulda slugged him.  I told him what I saw on TV and he says that's insane, there is no such tradition, yada yada.  

Also, I'm probably about to quit facebook, again.  

Yes,  you are correct that the BIL took the ball from his SIL's hand and threw it back out of a tradition of not keeping the opposing team's homerun balls.
Not started in Houston, though some fans may claim that after this particular incident, but looks like we can thank the Cubs fans for it:

https://guysgirl.com/mlb/why-fans-throw-home-run-baseball-back/


To quote the article above:  "Throwing the ball back is perceived as being a “real fan” ultimately saying, “I want nothing to do with your achievement on my home turf.”"

[MikeDeTiger]

So it's not just the playoffs?  They'll do that in all games?  

[FearlessF]

yup, been going on in the regular season for more than a few years

any self respecting Rangers fan should know this

I don't get to that many MLB games.  I've not been lucky enough to get a foul ball or a HR ball, so if I did, the home town fans might boo me or my daughters for not tossing it back, but I'd be keeping that souvenir

[CharleyHorse46]

I've not been lucky enough to get a foul ball or a HR ball, so if I did, the home town fans might boo me or my daughters for not tossing it back, but I'd be keeping that souvenir

Whether I'm watching the Stros, Horns, Express or some little league team, I try to sit where no balls are likely to be coming at me.  I would not consider it lucky to have some ball land on my funnel cake or hit me upside the head.
My preferred seating at Minute Maid is in boxes 214 to 224.  It's way high up but the view is good.  
Ain't got time to be playing dodge ball with a hard ball traveling a hundred miles an hour while I'm stuck in a seat between two arm rests, using both hands to eat one of those El Real Bulgoki Fajitas.  

[FearlessF]

I don't eat at ball parks.  

If a ball spilt my $9 cup of Budweiser I'd be ok with it as long as I go to keep the ball as a souvenir.

I have beer money 

[CousinFreddie]

We have two foul balls.  One the ballgirl gave my son when we were sitting in the right field boxes at Safeco, and the other off the bat of Oddibe young again McDowell in Arlington.  We were sitting behind home about 15-20 rows up and he squared around to bunt and fouled the ball straight back, heading right to the girl sitting in the seat next to me.  I reached over and caught it two handed, and she said “thank you for saving my face!” to me.  I was happy to have obliged.

I had consumed at least 2 maybe even 3 beers by the time of this foul, which is a lot for me - I’m a light weight when it comes to alcohol.  But perhaps I was too buzzed to have time to think about it, and just caught the ball by instinct.

Good thing I wasn’t stoned.  I have zero eye hand coordination when I’m high and would have probably just thought, wow man a foul ball coming this way and close and wow look how it’s hitting this cute girl next to me and oh man that’s a problem I should do something but too late now shit.

I never get high and go to games.  

This past summer at a game in Busch there was a guy who caught a looping line drive foul in a half full beer cup a few seats over, closer to the plate.  The splash was spectacular, drenching the big guy next to me but I was in his rain shadow so I didn’t get but a few drops of the spray.  It was a perfect catch.  The ball went all the way to near the bottom of the cup and there was little beer left.  Everyone cheered and they came over and interviewed him and in fact bought him a new beer on the house.  Likely a Bud.

[FearlessF]

 Everyone cheered and they came over and interviewed him and in fact bought him a new beer on the house.  Likely a Bud.

that's beautiful, Man