WORLD CHAMPION HOUSTON ASTROS!!!!! WOW THAT FEELS GOOD TO TYPE!!!!

All the pain, all the angst, all the ghosts of more than a half century of waiting were whisked away in the greatest World Series ever by the greatest Houston Astros team ever.

This is for Houston. This is the championship that is ours. This is the championship that no one can say would have belonged to someone else if Michael Jordan had not retired. This is the championship of the century for a city that was inundated a couple of months ago with the flood of the century.

All the memories and ghosts that had haunted this team over the years are gone now. The playoff drought from 1962 to 1979, the hurt of 1980, the 16-inning loss in 1986, the first round losses in the late 90s, the close calls in the mid-2000s, the White Sox sweep in 2005, the three 100+ loss seasons, the loss to the Royals when they were probably too young to win it in 2015.

(In a side note – Carlos Correa just proposed live on national TV to his girl friend and she of course said YESSSSSS!!!)

This win is for all the wonderful fans who have lived and mostly died with this team over the years. This win is for the fans like my father who have moved on to a better place, but who must have smiled down on this amazing team.

The Astros had tried to win championships over the last 50+ years in so many ways. They tried doing it with youngsters, with oldsters, with trades, with free agents and home-grown. Every formula they tried never worked. But this one did.

The Astros of 2017 got off to a great start and then, despite losing their whole rotation, Carlos Correa, and George Springer to injuries of various lengths, they came within a hair’s breadth of the best record in the American League and in the majors. This was the most resilient team most of us had ever seen. They made a reputation of never being out of games, rallying over and over again during the regular season for late inning victories. When they did this in the playoffs and in the World Series the nation finally saw that this team had one of the biggest hearts combined with the biggest talent you are likely to ever witness.

They marched through the media darlings in three straight playoff series, putting to rest the Red Sox, the Yankees and the Dodgers. That felt as good as anything you could mention (except for the fact that this whole team should be back almost completely intact in 2018). It felt so good to do this while the whole media world wanted their opponents to win. The World Series had the insanity of Game 2 and Game 5 and then the almost normal win in Game 7. It was a tremendous, incessant march to the World Championship.

There are so many memories to be gleaned from this season and postseason. The greatest for me is seeing George Springer win the World Series MVP.  During a chunk of the playoffs he was awful. In the beginning of the World Series he was stinking it up so bad that most folks wanted him moved down or out of the lineup. And then he bounced back and was the most valuable player for this great team with 5 homers in the World Series and the most total bases in WS history. (OK and the seventh game MVP Charlie Morton was tremendous too….)

Greatest moment number two was waking up on September 1 and finding that the Astros had picked up one of the best pitchers in baseball, Justin Verlander, for the stretch run and playoffs without stripping the minor leagues. JV carried the team on his back and gave them their mojo back.

But everyone did something this season and post-season. Jose Altuve, Springer, Carlos Correa, Josh Reddick, Brian McCann, Evan Gattis, Carlos Beltran, Jake Marisnick, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, Nori Aoki, Derek Fisher, Marwin Gonzalez,  Cameron Maybin, Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Charlie Morton, Brad Peacock, Collin McHugh, Mike Fiers, Ken Giles, Chris Devenski, Will Harris, Francisco Liriano, Luke Gregerson, Joe Musgrove, Francis Martes, James Hoyt, Michael Feliz and Tony Sipp along with others all did something to get this team to the playoffs and through the playoffs.

OK, your turn. You suffered through all or most of the low points of the last 56 seasons and are now on Cloud 9.

So a quick quiz for you….

  • When did you finally start believing in the Jeff Luhnow Plan?
  • Did you ever believe this day would come in your lifetime?
  • What was the greatest moment for you during the regular season?
  • What was the greatest moment for you during the postseason?
  • Is there someone you wish was here to see this?
  • Who is the MVP of this team?
  • Who do you feel happiest for?
  • Can this team do this again?
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142 responses to “WORLD CHAMPION HOUSTON ASTROS!!!!! WOW THAT FEELS GOOD TO TYPE!!!!”

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  1. I finally saw the light at the end of last year. Had to start agreeing with Tim. Sure miss those arguments he and I used to have though.
    No. I never thought I would read those words. Every time I see those words this morning the tears come again.
    My greatest regular season moment was 9/1/17. When I read about the Verlander trade.
    My greatest moment last night was hearing those annoying announcers proclaim the Astros World Champions. I’ll never forget it.
    I wish my father in law could’ve been here. He was my only ally when everyone laughed at us for being Astro fans. I know he’s celebrating with a lot of fans in a glorious place above. There was a fan on the Astros web page called Scary. A true fan. He passed away last year. Wish he was still around to tell all the nay sayers, I told you so.
    I have to stick with Altuve. Without him I don’t think we would be here this morning.
    Us. I feel the happiest for all of us. We stuck with this team when everyone else deserted them. I’m also happy for Beltrán. Seeing tears in his eyes was very moving. And of course, the whole Astros organization.
    Absolutely! Yes!

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  2. -This morning there is only one elite baseball ream: Ours!
    -The Astros were underrated because nobody but the Astros and their fans were willing to acknowledge how good Brad Peacock and Charlie Morton were as pitchers in 2017. We knew.
    -I started to believe in Jeff Luhnow and the plan when I found out the truth about the Cardinal’s hacking and the truth about Brady Aiken.
    – I did not believe this day would come because I thought that the people who run MLB would not let it happen. Last nights home plate umpire blatantly did everything he could to help the Dodgers, and the Astros ignored it. I burst out in tears in front of my family at the end of the game and then stayed up an extra two hours watching the celebration.
    – The greatest moment of the season for me was taking 3 out of 4 games in New York on Derek Jeter Weekend. I believe that is when the Astros realized how good they could be.
    – The greatest moment for me in the postseason was Marwin’s home run in the ninth inning of game 2. I truly believe that changed the whole thing.
    -I wish my Dad were here to see this, but I feel blessed that Becky and I were.
    -Who is the MVP of this team? If I have to pick one person who was most valuable it would be McCann. I don’t think we win the World Series with- out him steering us from behind the plate all season long.
    – Who do I feel happiest for? Justin Verlander. If he doesn’t make the move, he never gets a ring.
    -Can this team do this again? No, but next year’s Astros could. It will be just as hard or harder.

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    • Our guys were seemingly prepared for the different strike zones. Kershaw got pitch after pitch. Our guys did not balk. But I was so very impressed by Morton. He threw some perfect pitches that were discarded by the home plate ump. It did not flummox him in any way. He simply kept throwing unhittable offerings. Did anyone hit the ball hard off of him in four innings?

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      • I think Verlander really helped with this strike zone deal – his demeanor never changed when he was squeezed – he just kept coming back with more great stuff – I think that kind of example has to rub off on the others. Morton was that way last night too. Don’t like this perfect curve? Well I’ll throw a 97 mph fastball with movement and dare you to not call that.

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      • Wow! Good timing. An hour ago I was removing the back straps from my son’s first deer of the season.
        Becky, what do you say we go for two world series wins now.

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  3. 1. The Plan. When Gurriel caught the throw from Altuve. I have always been late to the party. 2. Yes, but long before now. 3. Seeing all the injuries and the TEAM step up, to include many not on the WS roster. It took all 40 to get there. 4. The defense, that was one place the Astros were superior. 5. Too many to list. Obviously my parents and father-in-law. But we brought little leaguers to Colt Stadium and the dome that are now gone. 6. MVP – Altuve but no arguments with at least 3 others. 7. Happiest. The 100 loss boys. (Altuve, DK, Margo & Peacock). Bear Bryant had the Junction Boys. These went through a longer hell. 8. But it will be just as tough.

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    • I want to add “happiest ” player for me is Beltran. On all teams, there is the weakest link. Too many players bragged on Beltran and McCann for them not to have helped in the outcome. Beltran is obviously a class act who is 40. He deserves the Hall of Fame more than a lot that have been voted in recently.

      But I also LOVED McCann’s comment last night talking about last year. ” I knew they had great players and needed a catcher. I knew if they called, I was going to Houston.”

      Give me a guy that WANTS to be here and you can keep Cole Hamels and some others.

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  4. I’m still hung over for all these questions, not from beverages from the joy of 40 years of heartbreak at the old dome and MM. I finally felt good about the JL plan when he went out an signed the veterans, Beltran, Reddick and McCann to go with the youth, then when he made the JV trade I knew he had arrived and got serious. I’m so blessed I go to see it while both my die hard Astro fan parents are still alive. So happy for Springer, that MVP that most of us, including me, wanted moved down in the order

    One of the wow moments I had during this run, the first year in a long time we weren’t talking about how good some young pup was playing in the AFL (-:

    Just ordered my Astro World Champ T shirts!

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  5. 1. If the plan is high OBP, low K then I’ve been on board for 20 years. I can’t figure out if Luhnow was biding his time or really trying to get there over the previous five years though.
    2. Yes. I think.
    3. Verlander trade
    4. Marwin HR. Dropping game two would have been very depressing. This team scored more late runs than anyone else in baseball though.
    5. My mom would have enjoyed this as much as any of us.
    6. Altuve. Players want to play with him. He came up big all year long and had some huge moments in the playoffs. If you watched the LLWS you saw about 30% of the players listed him as their favorite player. He continues to amaze.
    7. Last night it was Carlos Beltran. Today it’s Brad Peacock. Tomorrow it might be someone else.
    8. A very similar roster in 2018 will have a chance if they stay healthy.

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  6. No doubt this team can do it again. Luhnow will make the 25 man roster stronger next year. He will not stand still. We can’t count on so many guys having career years. But on the flipside, Bregman will get better, so will Correa, so will Springer. And Altuve will be Altuve. We’ll also take a pen into next years playoffs full of guys that can get outs in big situations. We won’t have to win a game 13 – 12. That’s Luhnow’s biggest job for 2018.

    The plan really came together for me in the off season of 2016 -2017. We picked up the mix of guys needed to meet the Sports Illustrated obligation. But no doubt, whether part of the plan or not, this thing would not have happened without Verlander.

    There are some old Astro fans I’ve known in my life that have moved on to better places. My father, born in Brooklyn and a Dodger fan from the 20’s, the 1920’s, would have been pleased to see an Astro win regardless, and to see his favorite player, the one he shares May 6 with, win an MVP and play such a big role in this World Series.

    I think today I am most happy for Charlie Salty Morton. Not many guys get to resurrect a career and emerge as a power pitcher and go on to win game seven of the World Series, dominating the team the experts picked to win. He hushed the crowd. Morton had some LA loyalists heading for the exits before the game was over. This was also Luhnow’s finest moment.

    No greatest single moments stick out for me. The remarkable thing about being the best baseball team in the world is that from February, now into November, there are so many moments of truth, so many tiny details that continually mold a season. This is why baseball is truly the best game.

    As an aside, reading the Los Angeles papers this morning, Darvish has already been declared the scapegoat. So much for the love last week. No mention of an entire teflon pitching staff that got out pitched by a staff full of holes. No mention of a line up that could not keep up with the best hitters in baseball. No mention of a manager that got out managed. It’s easy to smile today.

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  8. . Never really knew what Luhnow Plan was
    . “I’ll go on record: I don’t see it happening for us” (Opening Day post)
    . Greatest moment of regular season: coming back from global injuries
    . Post-season greatest moment: final out last night (historically impossible)
    . Lord, please tell my dad the Astros are World Series Champs
    . MVP: Jose Altuve (with McCann in shadows in a face mask)
    . Happiest for the team and grizzled fans
    . You think I’d bet against this team again?

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  9. “When did you believe . . . ”

    Believing in ‘the plan’ – i.e. to draft and train well, especially for high obp, low Ks, good defense, and excellent off-speed offerings to complement mid-90s fastballs with good movement- came early, far predating Jeff’s tenure. Because of the ugly wrong turns of the Rasmus, Gomez, Conger era, the fiasco with the Cardinals, and the bad PR we got from the Brady Aiken mess, believing in Jeff himself has been the difficult part for me. Today, I still don’t know if I believe in him personally, but the success of the plan [as opposed to the man] speaks for itself. I know. I am prepared. Fire away!

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  10. Luckily (or unluckily) I only came to baseball and the Astros in 1997 so I missed the 1980 and 1986 games …

    So for me only 20 years of heartache not 56 years.

    1. I think that the Luhnow Plan was looking good in the early part of this season, when we saw the high contact high BA low K cadre finally emerge. But for me I really started to believe when we stuffed the Yankees in game 7 of the ALCS. I was really sure that the Dodgers would not be able to stand with the hitting lineup. Being in the UK (and NL sometimes) I usually have to wake up and see the results in the morning, and the early starts of the previous 20 games or so have not been great for us and I was starting to think I was the problem, watching them, so was (slightly) pleased to see the start times move to midnight or 1AM my time. Mind you I was suffering a few sleepless nights recently and snuck downstairs to check the box score one or two times. I was *convinced* that we would have them in Game 6. Utterly convinced. That was a real blow to the solar plexus. This time I tossed and turned and in the end got up at 3AM and watched the last six innings. Once Charlie got in his groove I was finally convinced by about the 1st out of the 8th inning … Wasn’t it *NICE* to see us have some quick and convincing 1-2-3 innings.

    2. Yes I was *convinced* that I would wake up in 2005 and see that Roger Clemens had pitched us past the Cardinals. After that, I was really wondering. I’ve just turned 50 this summer so you would think I have a few years left to see some Astros championships but I have to say that I was starting to wonder …. I remain convinced that I will *never* see the English football team lift a major honour in my lifetime. And I intend to live to 100.

    3. Greatest moment during the regular season was 6 representatives at the All Star Game. Finally some decent attention on our wonderful team.

    4. Greatest moment during the postseason was whacking Chris Sale all over the place. Then you really knew that this team was for real. And watching the 9th inning last night. Er this morning. With the strikeout of Uttley I knew then that is was looking good. I really enjoyed those last two outs.

    5. No ….

    6. MVP of the team – I’m going to cheat and have some co-MVPs. Altuve for the leading by example, Correa as our best all round player, Springer as Mr November, Peacock as the real pitching star, but probably after all it’s McCann. Johnny Bench’s baseball for dummies (which I bought in 1999) convinced me that the catcher was the heartbeat of the team.

    7. I feel equal happiest for Beltran, McCann, Verlander as veterans who might have been wondering, if ever …. And above all for Peacock and Morton, the unsung heroes of our pitching staff. No matter how good the hitting, it’s the pitching that wins it for you. And the defense. Good hitting beats good pitching and vice versa sounds great but it’s not true. You know, not a single one of our 2005 WS losses was tagged on the SPs? They were all attributed to members of our bullpen. This time our SPs *were* our bullpen.

    8. Yes of course. We will only get better next year.

    OK early night for me, been awake for 13 hours already!

    Take care and be safe and see you in H-town sometime soon, sometime next year, for a beer.

    Simon

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  11. *Did you ever believe this day would come in your lifetime?*

    What can I say. I am an optimist. I always believed it would happen in my lifetime. In fact, I believe it will happen more than once in my lifetime.

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  12. *What was the greatest moment for you during the regular season?*

    Justin Verlander’s first game in an Astro uniform. We beat Seattle 3-1 on the back of the first of many great performances by Verlander in a Houston uniform, aided by a late inning 2-run homer by Cam Maybin. Verlander’s last pitch of the night was a 99 mph heater that exploded past Mitch Haniger’s bat. Houston, we have the ace we’ve been looking for!

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  13. The guys who really started the phrasing that “this is for Houston” (that I know of) were Biggio and Bagwell. They proved it by coming here and never leaving! That sentiment alone shows they are focused on us as diehard fans. It’s the kind of thing you hear from players endeared to the place they adopt forever.

    We heard that last night.

    The turning point, so many for me, was May 29 when we stormed back from 6 down in the 8th vs the first place Twins to win 16-8. That’s when I thought what I was seeing was pure magic. I realize a lot had to come together, and specifically since Verlander’s first choice was LA; it certainly appears he was single-handedly the difference in the World Series victory.

    But to hear Keuchel give it up for Brent Strom, or to hear guys praise Marwin and Beltran and McCann as unsung heroes … you know so much more goes into mental and physical preparation which is the basis for winning (not just talent, but adjustment).

    I had a few doubts, but not many. Behind rj, I’m surely the biggest believer here followed by possibly Tim HaHa! My fears were mainly based in seeing us dejected after such an amazing run this year. The incredible struggle they put on last season down 7-17 after April alone is a testament to the tenacity of this core group, though.

    This season you really, really have to tip your cap to how far Bregman has come. He deserves an honorable mention to MVP. To see Keuchel be his old self through much of the season is not lost on me. Correa looked like a beast just before his injury. Verlander? I mean, absolutely huge acquisition, securing more confidence in our future. Altuve was probably the most fun to watch.

    But my MVP will always be George Springer. His attitude carries this team. He’s like the constant reminder of a mother at home who warms and welcomes everyone who comes. He’s the glue and instigator, the light and athlete extraordinaire. He’s everything that’s right about this world today. No phone, no twitter, heck, no brand new Silverado will ever sway what he’s grounded in. He makes me proudest to say, “this is my team!”

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    • Appreciate your characterization of George Springer and in terms of overall favorite, he’s probably mine too. It’s just that in answering specific questions, you have to tease out particular virtues, and with so many “angels” on this team, that can be difficult.

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  14. *What was the greatest moment for you during the postseason?*

    A simple 4-3 put-out on the score card that concluded the bottom of the 9th inning in game 7.

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  15. *Is there someone you wish was here to see this?*

    Yes. Al Spangler, Norm Larker, Joey Amalfitano, Bob Lillis, Don Buddin, Bob Aspromonte, Roman Mejias, Jim Pendleton, Jim Busby, Hal Smith, Jim Campbell, Bobby Schantz, Hal Woodeschick, Ken Johnson, Don McMahon, Dave Giusti, Dick Drott, Turk Farrell, and ‘Give-em-Hell Harry’ Craft. Oh, and the guy that I look a lot like who took me to all those games at Colt Stadium, sprayed me down with mosquito repellent, and kept yelling at the umpire: ‘Open your eyes, Ump – you’re missin’ a helluva game!’

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    • *Who is the MVP of this team?*

      From a comparative on-field performance standpoint the answer is easy: Jose Altuve.

      From a morale standpoint, it is a four way tie: Altuve, McCann, Beltran, & Verlander – and a very enthusiastic honorable mention for Kate Upton.

      From a ‘face-of-the-franchise’ standpoint, at this moment, after this WS, it is George Springer.

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  16. -Winning the World Series solidifies the Verlander trade as Jeff Luhnow’s best trade ever.
    -Carlos Correa injured a thumb in the post game celebration of Game 2 of the ALCS and has been receiving shots in that thumb.
    -Joe Espada will be the Astros new bench coach. He has been the Yankees 3B coach for 3 years and lost his job in this week’s coaching purge in NY. Was the manager of the WBC Puerto Rican team.
    – The Astros have Keuchel, Verlander, LMJ, Peacock, Morton, McHugh and Fiers under team control as starters next year, if they choose to keep them all. Their entire starting lineup for the World Series is also under team control next season.
    – George Springer was the only player in the World Series to bat over .300 for either side. The Astros team BA was .230 and the Dodgers team BA was .205. Pitching beats hitting except for home runs. The new trend in baseball of home runs and strikeouts held up in this World Series.
    – The Dodgers averaged under 7 hits per game in the Series. They had 47 hits in 7 games and two games went extra innings.
    – The much-maligned Astros catchers threw out 2 of 3 runners attempting to steal. The better-armed LA catchers allowed 3 SBs in 3 attempts.
    – The elite-defensive Dodgers had 4 errors in the Series and the lesser- defending Astros had two.

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    • 1OP, you probably heard the MLB crew talking about the Astros and Dodgers defense. They thought the Dodgers made mental errors and positioning errors. Especially with LMJ at bat and McCann on 3rd. I thought the Astros made several plays that were near impossible, and a bill of a cap saved one bone head play by the Dodgers.

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  18. *Who do you feel happiest for?*

    1. All past and present residents of Houston, TX;
    2. Scott Morton – VINDICATED!;
    3. Carlos Correa – ENGAGED!
    4. Carlos Beltran – GOING OUT WEARING A WS RING, BABY!
    5. A.J. Hinch – HAS BRAGGING RIGHTS OVER HIS OLD FRIEND DAVE ROBERTS.
    6. Chip and Dan – all the hard work & frustration over the years finally feels worth it!
    7. Us at Chipalatta – see comment on #6, above.

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  19. It’s been a tough year for our city so I felt like my problems were small in

    This city and surrounding areas have suffered so much this year my problems seems small in comparison. But here goes anyway.
    During spring training my precious little ShihTzu was diagnosed with Lymphoma. With months of chemo she made it till September. The Astros got me through.
    Shortly after she passed my hubby had several mini strokes and finally Carotid surgery for 80% blockage on the right side. I remember the two of us watching the game in the ER wile waiting for test results.
    Then the flood waters trapping us in our home for a week or so but the power stayed on so we had the Astros to entertain us after watching the devastation of our city day after day.
    I felt lucky to come through unscathed and felt so guilty praying for a WS win.
    I can’t quit crying today. Tears of happiness. 55 years of loving this team.

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  20. Suppose everyone’s been following the stories profiling victims of Harvey and how they’ve paused amidst ripping, gutting and mucking to check up on the Astros and get a respite and a taste of normality. Thanks again to the team on behalf of Houston, small towns and outlying areas of South Texas, and Louisiana. Baseball can’t give you your home back but it can take you out to the ballgame and maybe encourage you to get back in it.

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    • Diane…..baseball gave them hope, and we know life can not go forward without hope! I admired your posts in the days after that horrible disaster that not to forget those wonderful people who were just living life before that hurricane took that from them. You are a wonderful friend, who has the kindest heart of anyone I know.

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      • Becky, that there is a compliment out of left field. But I fear it’s easier to post than to live it. Thanks anyway. I can’t believe how this town has been lifted.

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  21. Long post coming later but I also have to give props to Jim crane. Spent money wisely and let luhnow do his job.

    Last night was incredible, and they just shut down the Dodgers in a way I didn’t think was possible

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  22. How about Carlos Beltran new hitting coach? The other hitters act like he tells them what is coming before it comes.
    I guess the question is – why did the Astros suddenly become the top offense with the least Ks. Yes, they added some better contact hitters, but I wonder in my head if there was something else going on here. Did Hudgens get them to listen or did Carlos get in their ear…..

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    • Dan, last night one of the commentators said he suspected Beltran was supplying top secret info on pitchers. Nobody glommed onto it and nothing further was said.

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    • That is such a strange statement – what could be “top secret” about pitchers? Maybe he is a savant on how pitchers tip pitches. But if he’s that good why couldn’t he hit if he knew what was coming? OK he’s 40 and probably washed up

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  23. *Can this team do this again?*

    Of course. That does not mean it will be easy. We will need to replace our DH, add solid bullpen arms to replace Gregerson, Liriano, and Clippard, upgrade from Ken Giles, and, most of all, STAY HEALTHY.

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  24. Fan from 1962 and experiencing the heartbreaks through the years. I have believed in the Luhnow plan from the start, but doubted that it would be carried through. I believe this team will compete next year and beyond, but this relief group could use a little help. I hope that this winter, the Astros can start locking up the essential players.

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  25. Let me start off saying I dearly love every one of you! Soo many of us have been a part if this blog, way back in its infancy. To those who are new…WELCOME FRIEND!
    This whole season came down to perfect timing. We needed Luhnow to give us Beltran (I love him so much), McCann, and the FINAL piece to this team was Verlander! Our pitchers owe McCann a debt of gratitude times 100! He guided our young guys, and let guys like Keuchel and Verlander be themselves. Other than the short stop….your catcher is the most important guy on that field! We are soo lucky he will be back next year! I know I ragged on Beltran for failing to hit those awesome homeruns he used to hit, but oh my goodness….our clubhouse THRIVED with him to give his wealth of information to! That brings me around to the pitcher that brought us over that hump, and did so in STYLE! I remember jumping up and down yelling how we NEEDED another pitcher, and watching every available guy go to other teams.
    I lost hope that these guys could actually compete with the rotation as it was.
    I remember listening to the game the night of Aug 31st, and checking my phone hour by hour, until I checked at midnight and saw we hade traded for Justin Verlander!! OH. MY. GOODNESS…..I jumped up screaming, I think my husband thought I had lost my mind! THAT was the missing piece, and HE was going to bring us the chance to get to the playoffs!! I realized then, that Luhnow was serious about this year, and our time. I wish my late husband and his mother were alive to see this, but I have to think they knew already!
    Of all the guys who are a part of this team….the three I’m most happy for are
    Beltran, McCann,and Verlander. They will FINALLY GET THEIR RINGS! Verlander and McCann had to wave no trade clause to come here, a choice they will never forget. Beltran was going to the highest bidder, and $16 million looks like a bargain now! I was listening to 790 am last night, and it was 4-5 seconds ahead of the television, so when Robert Ford called the last out I jumped and down crying and clapping and whistling while my husband was still watching the game!!!
    It was magic, and it ALL had to come down to the moves Luhnow made for it to happen! AND…I will forever be grateful for the Yoamans work that Brad Peacock and Charlie Morton did for this team. Those two guys went out and held the line over, and over again! We may never pass this way again, but oh my goodness I am soo glad I was able to experience it with ALL of you!
    2016, and most of 2017 I sat in an ugly beige chair hooked up to chemo, and without you I couldn’t have made it through those dark days😢. Thank you for your prayers, thank you for checking up on me❤. Thank you Astros for making this girl the happiest girl in Houston! I know I’ve rambled on, but it’s not everyday that we can wake up and say:
    The Houston Astros are the World Series Champions⚾!!

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    • Absolutely beautiful thoughts from the heart Becky. Now I’m crying again.
      I’m going to sit and watch the whole game now. I only watched the Astros bat last night then changed the channel when the Dodgers were up. I kept saying a 4 run lead is not enough. Now I know what it feels like to be an addict. I was trying to force myself not to look at my phone but I could not stop myself. I sat there in torture watching gameday on my at bat app. It seemed like each pitch took an hour and I was holding my breath until there was three outs.
      WORLD CHAMPION HOUSTON ASTROS! I’ll never get tired of saying that.

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  27. Just wondering what on earth will we talk about now?
    We have everything we’ve ever wished for. What more could we want?

    There could be many more championships for this team but there will never be another like this. It was so worth the wait.

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  28. I’m a little late to this party since I had a golf outing today. Good thing the Astros didn’t play baseball like I played golf today. The improvement from the plan was a slow progression but it’s like something new you’re trying to learn. You keep at it even when you feel like it’s not working and all of the sudden it clicks and you’re on your way. I always felt that we might win the WS but was always fearful of the potential disappointments. From the highs of our big winning streak to the doldrums of August it has been an emotional roller coaster. I really felt that when we acquired Verlander that we were now all in and controlling our destiny. The greatest post season moment was that final out recorded because up until that point, the “fat lady had not started singing”. As I mentioned last night I wish my Dad was alive to see this. He passed away in early 2005 and didn’t even get to see the Astros get to the WS. He used to sometimes work concessions at the old Busch Stadium where the Houston Buffs played. I even remember a player giving me a broken bat that I kept for many years. I honestly think the whole team is the MVP since there were so many contributors. Altuve for the season, Springer for the WS but Alex Bregman has to be right up there for his heads up play making, timely critical at bats and a maturity beyond his years. I’m happiest for the city of Houston and all of it’s Astro fans. You deserve it. Finally, yes we can do this again, hopefully next year. The challenge for management will to be to fill some “holes” but even more so to keep the nucleus of the team intact for years to come. Congratulations to the Houston Astros and thanks to Chip & Dan who have given us this forum to listen to us when we were ecstatic or just venting our frustrations and finally, thanks to all of the participants in this blog. It’s been a lot of fun this year and hopefully for more to come.

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    • I will believe that when I see that. The Astros are at or near their payroll limit. The team you see today has one more year before it starts losing it’s core to free agency.
      The team has a lot of players who are going to get raises through arbitration and that is going to eat up a lot of the money the Astros will have from not paying Beltran in 2018.
      I think the Astros will look for a reliever or two who could turn into the Charlie Morton of the bullpen.
      If I were the Astros I would be having my analytics team looking into taking a guy like Jake McGee and seeing if they can help him throw a second good pitch to go with his dominant fastball.

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    • I don’t think enough was made of the disparity between Houston and the other playoff team salaries. The Astros beat the top three salaried teams in all of baseball in succession from 3rd to 1st. Here are the opening day payrolls:
      1. $242M – Dodgers
      2. $201M – Yankees
      3. $199M – Red Sox
      8. $172M – Cubs
      9. $167M – Nationals
      16. $130M – Rockies
      17. $124.8M – Indians
      18. $124.3M – Astros
      22. $108M – Twins
      26. $93M – Diamondbacks

      This Wade Davis prediction, while fun, is just something thrown together by the writers of that site. First, I don’t think Chicago lets him walk. Second, the Cubs are positioned just as well as Houston to compete next year…so staying with them would be attractive to Davis. Third, Beltran’s contract will be off the books, but we’ll be paying a lot to Verlander and there are raises due to Springer, Keuchel, Gattis, Marwin ($3.725 goes to $5.25M), and more. In other words, unless Crane wants to add an extra $25-50M to the payroll, don’t expect to see a marquee signing like that.

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    • Wade Davis was worse than Ken Giles last year and he is on the wrong side of 30 and had a down 2nd half. I would not give that type of contract to Wade Davis.

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  32. As we get ready for the WS Championship Parade, my thoughts go back to 1962. The Philadelphia Phillies beat us like a drum that year – 17 straight times, in fact. But then, on September 4, in preparation for the last time the two teams would meet that year, the .45s PR department got a wild hair and called for community participation a ‘Voodoo Night’. The idea was to try anything to break the ‘Phillie curse’ and score at least one victory on the season. Bob Bruce responded by throwing a complete game 4-hitter, and the Colts finally won 4-1. Bruce drove in two of the Colts’ runs, and was definitely the hero. The crowd on hand at Colt Stadium was a whopping 4,537 – one of which was an 8-year old Mr. Bill.

    We’ve come a long way, baby!

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    • I had no idea you are so young. I will now call you Bill, as I am clearly your elder.
      (Note: I’m sure many bloggers will have to google the word “elder”)
      That win over the Phillies after 17 losses is etched in my heart as one of the truly wonderful moments of my Astros fandom. As usual, I listened to that game with my transistor radio under my pillow.

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      • Can’t say I remember that game, but I probably had the transistor radio under my pillow as well. No doubt we heard a few a “now you chunkin’ in there Bob Bruce!” a few times from Loel Passe.

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      • Young Bill, nice tribute to Bill Saluga and his “You can call me Ray……..”

        I do remember Voodoo Night, but had forgotten the particulars. And I have to add for the younger ones here, if you never heard Loel Passe, you missed the BEST home team announcer EVER. Every pitch was a strike. Every 45/Buffalo hit was almost a home run. It was wild, although I doubt very accurate.

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  34. My turn to answer my own questions

    When did you finally start believing in the Jeff Luhnow Plan?
    In 2015. I saw that the plan was working and that the team was heading in the right direction. I knew being as young as they were it might not be a straight rise to the top, but I knew they were better and that with the youth on the team and the youngsters coming they would keep getting better.

    Did you ever believe this day would come in your lifetime?
    It was not until about 1/2 way through this season that I really thought that this team was it (whether they did it this season or next). Finally I believed it would happen.

    What was the greatest moment for you during the regular season?
    Answered it already in the post

    What was the greatest moment for you during the postseason?
    Ditto – in the post

    Is there someone you wish was here to see this?
    My dad – though this postseason might have done him in.

    Who is the MVP of this team?
    Such a team effort – Altuve with Springer and Correa close behind

    Who do you feel happiest for?
    Me – haha. I feel so happy for my friends on the blog who have gone through so much to get here. I especially appreciate everyone who went through the awful 2011-2013 depths and stuck with this team. Y’all are either true fans or certifiable.

    Can this team do this again?
    Sure – they have a couple year window without making too many changes. Obviously, we saw from how the playoffs go that a play here or there could make the difference. But a lot of the pressure is off – they have done it once and now can go back out there a bit looser. I believe in this team and love how they care about each other. I can’t wait for a whole season of Carlos Correa at the prime of his game. And I think this post season had to help Springer realize just how great he can be. What does a guy like Morton take from this. That was a clutch performance in the middle of pitching failure. That takes tremendous character.

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  35. As an Artful Dodger might say to the 2017 Houston Astros:

    Consider yourself . . . on top!
    Consider yourself . . . king of the MLB!
    You’ve beaten the best, and shown,
    there’s no doubt, you’re definitely number one!
    Consider yourself . . . our ‘Pop’
    Consider yourself . . . part of history.
    There’s no one left . . . to best
    you passed ev’ry test. . . you’re king of the West!

    Consider yourself . . . the most!
    Consider yourself the Houston As-tros!

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  36. Awesome parade today! There were probably a million Astros fans lining the streets of downtown today! Our weather is hot and humid…..but they wouldn’t have missed seeing this team for anything!

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  37. When did you finally start believing in the Jeff Luhnow Plan? This may sound presumptuous, but I started believing in December 2011 when he was hired by Jim Crane. I liked the hire from the very beginning as I was impressed with his work with the Cardinals and his devotion to using advanced analytics as a strong tool to build a roster.

    Did you ever believe this day would come in your lifetime? I am not sure I could say I thought I would witness a World Series Championship, but I did believe and trust in the process from the vey beginning. When Luhnow was hired I saw a horrible major league team and a barren farm system. As much as I loved Pence I knew we needed to trade him. The same goes with Berkman and Oswalt. There was just no way we were ever going to reach the pinnacle without trading any assets that we had.

    What was the greatest moment for you during the regular season?
    It was probably around 11:14 PM on August 31st when I saw a tweet that the Astros had acquired Justin Verlander. At first, I thought it was just some fake account trying to get attention, but then I started watching MLB Network and realized it might actually be happening. I felt this would give the clubhouse the jolt they needed to make a deep playoff run.

    What was the greatest moment for you during the postseason? Winning Game 5 of the World Series when we trailed 4-0 early and then 7-4 in the middle innings and then winning it on a walkoff single by Bregman was the most excited I had been during the playoffs. It was then that I felt we might actually win the World Series.

    Is there someone you wish was here to see this? My father passed away in 1986, but he was not a huge baseball fan. He was more into football. I still would have enjoyed sharing this moment with him and my 2 sons together. Knowing how much my boys loved the Astros probably would’ve made him a bigger fan.

    Who is the MVP of this team? Altuve will be the A.L. MVP and he is the MVP of the team. Yes, Marwin had a great year, but Altuve is just the best player in the game and on the Astros.

    Who do you feel happiest for? Watching the tears flow with Carlos Beltran really brought a smile to my face. You could see how much this meant to him to finally get the elusive ring in, probably, his final year as a player. That was a great moment.

    Can this team do this again? They will definitely have all the core pieces back and should win the division next year, barring long-term injuries to key players. Once you get in then its a crapshoot and they will now have the confidence of already winning a championship. Yes, they absolutely can do it again.

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  38. The parade and rally were awesome! Approximately one million fans attended.
    Theses guys are not only baseballs champions they definitely a class act. I’m so very proud.
    Hope everyone of you that live elsewhere got to see it. If not it’s on MLB network hopefully they will replay it. And one more thing that Springer guy is absolutely the heart and soul of this team. Astros better find a way to hold on to him.

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    • “Class act”. So true. We have had so many class acts on Houston sports teams over the years. We’ve really been blessed in that department. And to tell the truth, I’ve often thought that having too many “nice guys” has prevented some of our teams from achieving more success. But this bunch of Astros has shown me nice guys can finish first. Take that, Leo Durocher!

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  39. I have to be the luckiest guy in the world. First my beloved Cubbies gave Chicago a championship (I’m a native Chicagoan 34 yrs removed to Tx). I embraced the Astros 3 yrs ago and have now been blessed with two championship teams back to back. Best two WS I’ve ever had the joy to witness. It did not happen this yr but they came close, the Astros & Cubs in the WS. if they both make it next yr and I’m blessed to be here, may the best tm win. Thank you guys here at Chipalatta for a wonderfully marvelous and thrilling ride & congrats on the Astros championship. Looking forward to blogging with you here in the future. Ready to pounce on the Hot Stove season now.

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  41. Seeing how it grieves me to ever compliment Luhnow, and I can NEVER agree with Tim. However, has anyone looked at the mess with the Detroit Tigers. They just released 7 or so, lost Sanchez to free agency and are not only paying the Astros $8 million next year so Verlander can take us back to the World Series. But they are still paying the Rangers $6 million in 2018 for the Prince Fielder/Kinsler trade. I know it is not all the fault of Avila, but man, I am sure glad we don’t have him and we do have this other guy.

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    • Also concerning the championship and the parade, Houston may not be the city with the best people in the United States but I didn’t see any reports of looting liquor stores, burning police cars, and the general mayhem that other cities use to celebrate.

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  43. Please don’t take this as an “I told you so”, but I have to give so much credit to Jeff Luhnow. I truly don’t believe we are sitting here today as World Champions if Crane hired any other GM. It took some big cajones to ride out the very lean years and bear the criticism he did from the fans and media. Most GMs probably would’ve caved into the pressure and made some foolish mistakes that would have derailed the rebuild. Obviously, Luhnow made some mistakes with the release of J.D. Martinez being the biggest one (the Gomez trade is probably 2nd), but he also made some very shrewd, under-the-radar at the time, trades that helped build this roster. Also, he and his staff did a great job in the draft, sans Mark Appel, but even Appel was used to help get Ken Giles. Yes, Giles struggled during the playoffs this year, but he was very good during the regular season, probably our most consistent bullpen arm, and he was integral in winning 101 games. Many will say he butchered the Brady Aiken pick, but I would strongly disagree for 2 reasons. First, there was no way to know the nature of his abnormally small UCL when he was drafted and, second, he made the right decision to not give him the agreed upon contract amount, which eventually led to getting Alex Bregman. Yes, in Luhnow I trusted.

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  44. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/world-series-2017-how-the-al-champion-houston-astros-built-their-roster/

    This is one story of how Luhnow put the team together. He made some trades, so far, that have been weak (insert Gomez) but none were a disaster. The stars came in the draft and international signings (Altuve with Wade), JL has put the rest of the team with trades. None (other than maybe Verlander) looked all that great. But as we learned this summer, it takes 40 to win the pennant. ALL contributed along the way. And he does deserve a RAISE.

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    • Read a story that Hinch, back in Tampa Bay, got ejected from the game. He called Luhnow and begged for a starter. And and and and if the story is true, Crane told him the same. So pressure from the fans was nothing. He was getting it from the manager and his boss.

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  45. I’m more inclined to look at Moran at DH than I am Gattis. Our lineup is still heavy on the RH side and, without knowing what Crane and Luhnow think about our current payroll, I like Moran’s money more than Gattis’s. I love Gattis, but we may need relief pitchers more than we need a backup catcher, that many don’t seem to want catching.
    Gattis might bring us a decent bullpen arm in a trade.

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    • 1OP, with only 37 PA’s at the major league level, Moran is a bit of a leap of faith. And do we want a kid sitting on the bench all day? We are right handed bat heavy, but Gattis hits righties well historically. It might well come down to payroll. If that becomes the case, I give the job to my nephew! The DH role could end up being a group effort too, which might include Moran. But I think Gattis, if in the lineup five days a week, will give us the .800 plus OPS we got from him in 2016. DH is one area we still want to improve on from 2017.

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      • All of your reasoning points out that I am “more inclined to look at Moran”, which is not saying “put Moran at DH”.
        I read Crane’s explanation on how he “Agreed” to the Astros taking on Verlander’s pay for the next two years, and it did not seem to say that Crane is going to keep increasing the payroll.
        The Astros have to make something of the investments they have put in guys like Reed, Moran, White, Feliz, Paulino, Martes, Fisher. These guys can play ball, but in order for them to do that they have to be put on the field, either in Houston or somewhere else in return for good prospects. That’s all I’m saying.
        Not even counting all the raises that will come with arbitration for a team that won the World Series, there is the extra $20 million for Verlander. The Astros have to be careful about their payroll.
        Dave, I believe if you put Colin Moran at DH every day you will end up with much more production than the Astros got from Beltran, for 1/30th the salary. I think the Astros would also be able to get the same from White at DH, but he would face twice as many same sided pitchers as Moran would.
        I’m trying to see the direction the Astros go next year without them having a $165 million payroll.

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      • I am definitely open to OP’s idea, but if we trade Gattis I might think a platoon of Moran and Dave’s nephew might be the route to go if the 25-man roster allows it. I think it is a real possibility they will look to trade Gattis to allocate payroll in other areas, such as the bullpen. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see McHugh traded.

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    • Moran can hit lefties decently. I wouldn’t use him as the primary DH though. His glove plays at 1B or 3B allowing you to shuffle Bregman or Marwin around to give DH days to Altuve/Correa/Yuri. Of course, he has to hit enough to hold a spot.

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      • I don’t think there will be much Bregman shuffling going on. He’s the Astro third baseman. Marwin will remain the guy that provides days off for the others, Bregman included.

        It’s hard to say if Moran can hit lefties decently. He has not done it enough.

        And 1OP, I can relate to a DH that can do what Beltran did for 535K, but Beltran did not do much. I’d still like to improve production out of that role. We’ve got a lot of good teams to beat all over again.

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      • And we’ve got a wonderful option that no other team can match. Marwin can go 15+ games at first, second, short and third, providing days off for the starters with pretty good defense and without much offensive drop off, assuming 2017 was not an anomaly. So there really will not be much work for a guy like Moran, unless the injury bug hits one of the corner starters. The Astros might be doing Moran a favor by including him in a trade.

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  46. Clearly I am almost the oldest person here with possible exception of AC45, going back to Buff Stadium. Here’s what I’m feeling: Peggy Lee Syndrome. Is that all there is?

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      • I’m never going to live that down so maybe I have to find another blog. LOL. Just wish I could be alerted to Astros appearances. They’re popping up everywhere and I find out 14 hours later. Plus, I missed the parade cause I had to work. Dang. The truth is, every time I woke up last night I was thinking about the ‘Stros and I love champagne. 🙂

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    • I might have you beat. The Pierce street elevator had not been built. Playland Park was still in existence. The 610 loop was only 50% complete. The Humble building at 44 stories was the tallest building in Houston. The Sharpstown bank deal was big news. Huntsville, where my fathers parents lived was a 4 hour trip. My mother’s parents lived in the Heights and I used to walk down to the White Oak bayou to throw rocks into it. We were able to get 20 hula hoops at the Gulfgate Mall during a give away. To get to my uncles house (somewhere off Wallisville road), we traveled through the Washburn Tunnel, Galena Park, at sometimes sat at the train tracks on Federal Road for an hour. I helped my parents work the concession stand at Rice Stadium where we sold hot dogs for a quarter and coffee for 10 cents. And the “crem de la crem” was the city of Houston getting a professional baseball team in 1962. Unfortunately, we moved away in 1964 so I didn’t get to see the Astros until 1984. Ah! The good ol’ days. Sorry, I had a Nostalgia Attack and couldn’t help myself.

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      • Think I’ve got you all beat. I was pretty small but I remember the only way to get to Galveston was down hwy 3 and you had to go through 4 or 5 little towns to get there.
        The big guns from WW2 we’re still on the beaches.

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  48. I come on here to read about the Astros and it reads like text messages from the Senior Citizens Center. Let’s break out the dominos.

    Sandy, all I will say is by the time you were born, I was out of cloth diapers AND the rubber sheets.

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    • Never learned to play “42” with dominos but my parents taught me to play Bridge. Never take ourselves too seriously. But as to Baseball, we need to shore up the relief corp. Unless Giles can learn another pitch or better control we need to address that issue first. As to starters, JV, Keuchel, LMJ, Peacock/McHugh, Morton. That seems to be a pretty good rotation if you ask me.

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  49. Concerning the off season. This may be the first time that I can say it’s Okay to lose all the free agents. We do need to move Chip’s log jam. We will probably only get younger prospects for Kemp, Reed, et al. But that is ok.

    For some reason I expect Luhnow to make an off the chart deal this winter. (Example ONLY, but Reddick, Kemp, and Fisher to Tampa Bay for a certain Starting pitcher. Actually not that deal but something equally out of the blue. )

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    • It seems the core of the team is good for another year. In 2019 we have to look at McCann, Keuchel, MarGo, Gattis, Sipp (no), Morton (retiring?). Otherwise we’re looking at picking up options. 2020 – 2022 will be the big question mark. I’m sure the Luhnow brain trust will be working those issues feverishly.

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    • Dan, I don’t see the rush with Tucker. Guys like Altuve, Springer, Correa, Bregman were all killing Minor league pitching when they got the call, with both high OBP and high OPS. Tucker is not there yet. But maybe in August.

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