Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
Since there were no winners in the “Take A Legend to the Enron Opener”…(and don’t think I won’t remember this, you ingrates…) sitting on my couch watching on DirectTV and surround sound and of course Shiner Bock, was the next best option…The following is a look at the inner workings and one man’s opinion of the television coverage and mad amount of hype associated with March 30th, 2000.Read More
By Robert Snyder
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on March 23, 2000.
Since late 1997 when construction of Enron Field started I have avidly followed its progress. In my relatively short lifetime I have lived in Houston all of my life and have never been a witness to a new stadium being built. Even then the thought of seeing a new stadium go up gave me a never-before felt excitement. Throughout my lifetime I have seen a variety of baseball stadiums. In order of attendance and first year there is parentheses: the Astrodome (’84), Veterans Stadium (’87), Wrigley Field (’87), old Comiskey Park (’88), Busch Stadium (’89), new Comiskey (’90, and its horribly slanted upper deck), Riverside Stadium in Harrisburg, PA- Home of the AA Senators (’92), and single A, Kane County Ballpark- in Kane County, Illinois (’99- West of Chicagoland- in a location like Plano, or The Woodlands in comparison to their respective metropolitan areas). These stadiums have given me a background of sorts when comparing ballparks.Read More
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
It’s very comforting to me to see that, shockingly enough, The Houston Astros are still the team to beat in the National League Central.
After an off-season that saw the No-Longer-In-Motion-Stars show mercy in general on the rest of the division by trading Mike Hampton to the Mets and specifically to the Chicago Cubs and the residents of Waveland Ave. by getting Carl Everett out of the National League completely, one might be led to believe that the gap had been closed between the Stros and the rest of the scrubs in the Central. If you watch enough ESPN or Fox Sports Net, you might actually come to the conclusion that the Reds have surpassed the “mud n’ blood” crew.Read More
By Historian
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on February 9, 2000.
It would be fantastic if every ballplayer who played for Houston lived up to the hype and expectations surrounding their arrival. Some were high draft picks of which much was expected. Some came through the farm system with rave reviews. Some were free agents brought in to get the Astros “over the hump”. Others were trade material for which Houston paid a great price to acquire. Alas, for every player who becomes a star, two or three just never pan out whether it be through injuries, failed opportunities, bad timing or they just weren’t as good as somebody thought they were.Read More
By Sue S.
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on January 11, 2000.
Echoes of neighborhood boys who once shared tales of baseball can still be heard as if it were yesterday. “One million dollars?”, they shouted. “No one should make that much just to play baseball.” The time was around 1978, when Dave Parker signed the first million dollar per year contract worth $5 million. Well, why not? The average salary for a player in the NBA is around $2 million and approximately $1 million in the NFL. All compared to about $1.5 million for a player in Major League Baseball. At an Astros game in 1996, a fan was heard complaining, “They make millions of dollars and they still can’t win”. This person was wearing a Houston Rockets championship shirt and was exiting the Dome in disgust. It is ironic that it was Mike Hampton pitching that day and struggling early in his career. The team made blunders, but only due to lack of confidence. The players were doing their best with the teammates they had, with a payroll of just around $35 million. The Astros fell short of the playoffs that year. The opposing team, the Atlanta Braves, went on to win the National League pennant on a superior paycheck.Read More
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
Until further notice, Zipper Flap will be at half-mast due to the Carl Everett/Adam Everett trade. We here at the Flap hope this in no way had anything to do with C4 being named Zipper Flap Astro of the Year. Just to make sure, however, the Astro of the Year for 2000 is none other than Chris Holt!!!Read More
