Loved the 86 team. Made it to a few games that season from College Station!
I love Texas Aggie sports, but I love Texas A&M more.
When I was a kid my mom took me to the '85 spring training in Kissimmee, FL (also did Disney of course) but was a really great time and even took me to my first R rated movie, Beverly Hills Cop.Fat Bib Fortuna said:
This year is the 35th anniversary of my favorite season of Astros baseball (1986) so I am combining my two obsessions - writing and baseball history - into a day-by-day historical lookback at the '86 season, which had its opening day 35 years ago tomorrow.
I know some of you guys are old (or older) like me and have a lot of fond memories from the '86 team, so I look forward to recalling them with you. If what I'm doing seems really dumb, feel free to ignore.
As an opener, the Astros had gone 83-79 in 1985 and finished third in the NL West, but the effort had not saved the jobs of either manager Bob Lillis or GM Al Rosen. That team did have three players really emerge - rookie 1B Glenn Davis, who hit 20 HR and dove in 64 in 100 games to finish 5th for Rookie of the Year, 26-year-old RF Kevin Bass, who in his first full season hit .269 with 16 HR, 68 RBI, and 19 SB, and #3 starter Mike Scott, who had never won more than 10 games in a season, then went 18-8 with a 3.29 ERA in 1985 at age 30.
Lillis was replaced by 43-year-old Hal Lanier and Dick Wagner took over for Rosen.
During the winter meetings, Wagner made two small deals that turned out to be huge for the '86 team. The first was trading 34-year-old OF Jerry Mumphrey to the Cubs for 25-year-old OF Billy Hatcher. The second was sending the Astros' longtime staff ace Joe Niekro, 40 yeras old and coming off a 9-12 season, to the Yankees for a rookie named Jim Deshaies.
Sports Illustrated picked the Astros to finish 5th of 6 teams in the NL West, with the Dodgers atop the heap.
Coming tomorrow: Opening Day (Spoiler alert, it sucked).
Hopefully if they attempt to enforce people tell them to pound sand.agdaddy04 said:
Hopefully enforcement on masks is similar to what's seen up in Arlington
I am bringing a bag of sunflower seeds tomorrow just in caseagdaddy04 said:
Hopefully enforcement on masks is similar to what's seen up in Arlington
That seems like an equally genius and terrible idea.CFTXAG10 said:I am bringing a bag of sunflower seeds tomorrow just in caseagdaddy04 said:
Hopefully enforcement on masks is similar to what's seen up in Arlington
He's their highest-paid player in 2021. The one time the As spend a little money they get screwed.W said:speaking of Bob Melvin...wonder if he could be in trouble if the A's completely collapse.EastCoastAgNc said:
He's on a 1yr $11M contract. Ouch for the A's.
been the manager in Oakland a long time (10 years)
Depends on how much the 'moneyball' philosophy is still in play over there. Back when Beane first was getting it going, he only wanted a "yes" man to hand out the lineups and stuff. Most of the game strategy came from the front office. No idea how all that goes into play, these days.W said:speaking of Bob Melvin...wonder if he could be in trouble if the A's completely collapse.EastCoastAgNc said:
He's on a 1yr $11M contract. Ouch for the A's.
been the manager in Oakland a long time (10 years)
I will try not to spew my spit-laden sunflower seeds all over the ground in front of me and find a cup insteadFarmer1906 said:That seems like an equally genius and terrible idea.CFTXAG10 said:I am bringing a bag of sunflower seeds tomorrow just in caseagdaddy04 said:
Hopefully enforcement on masks is similar to what's seen up in Arlington
Nonsense.CFTXAG10 said:I will try not to spew my spit-laden sunflower seeds all over the ground in front of me and find a cup insteadFarmer1906 said:That seems like an equally genius and terrible idea.CFTXAG10 said:I am bringing a bag of sunflower seeds tomorrow just in caseagdaddy04 said:
Hopefully enforcement on masks is similar to what's seen up in Arlington
spadilly said:
Parking.
After the Astros' 2021 World Series run, the parking fees will more than offset the acquisition costs of that property. Of course, the people that choose to park there will have to wait 2-3 hours in order to actually leave downtown due to traffic.htxag09 said:spadilly said:
Parking.
Where'd you hear that? I thought it was mixed use residential/retail. So apartments or condos with bars/restaurants on the ground floor.
Quote:
This week, they plan to break ground on a mixed-use residential and retail development, according to the Houston Chronicle's Rebecca Schuetz.
seems as though you missed a few of the last posts...Nuke LaLoosh said:
Are y'all aware that they tore down all of the bars around home plate bar & grill and Luckys?
Where the hell am I supposed to pregame tomorrow?
Nuke LaLoosh said:
Are y'all aware that they tore down all of the bars around home plate bar & grill and Luckys?
Where the hell am I supposed to pregame tomorrow?
Nuke LaLoosh said:
Where the hell am I supposed to pregame tomorrow?
We were, but I don't we were clearly out of the mix when the price tag was what it was.Ag_07 said:
And I guess we dodged a bullet on Rosenthal.
Weren't we in the mix and pretty bummed to see we missed out on him?
1 week later we signed Baez.Quote:
In fact, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweeted Thursday that the Astros want more than one reliever and have interest in free agents Brad Hand and Trevor Rosenthal (along with the previously reported Liam Hendriks and Alex Colome). With that in mind, they probably aren't done after the Stanek acquisition.
Best seat in the house is on my couch. Don't have to put up with traffic, idiot fans, over priced crap food, over priced crap beer, nor overpriced tickets to an event I can watch for free.Nuke LaLoosh said:
Are y'all aware that they tore down all of the bars around home plate bar & grill and Luckys?
Where the hell am I supposed to pregame tomorrow?
V&A's bar is usually packed.Ag_07 said:Nuke LaLoosh said:
Where the hell am I supposed to pregame tomorrow?
Biggio's, The Inn at the Ballpark lobby bar isn't too bad, or any of the multiple bars down Main St.