True confessions of an Astros’ fan

Like many an Astros fan living through a frustrating sweep of the Astros this weekend, I have been feeling a lot of anger along with frustration. On top of losing three games to the Mariners, a team that has been successfully chasing the Astros (now half a game back), it occurred as the team the Astros were unsuccessfully chasing, the Rangers, were ripe for the taking as they were being swept by the Brewers.

But along with feeling anger and frustration towards my favorite team, I must confess I had one more overwhelming emotion this weekend. Shame.

You may ask, why would anyone other than the Astros themselves feel shame at this point? I may be alone on this, but there are several things driving me here.

• I’m cheering for the two-time World Champions, who, as recently as last October, thrilled me with two sweeps in the playoffs and then a World Series where they trailed 2-1 and then roared through a final three wins to bring a smile to my face and tears to my eyes.
• I think of my father, who passed away in 2001. From 1966, when we moved here, to his death, he was an extremely loyal fan of the Astros. But in all that time, he never saw them win a single playoff series, much less a championship. I’ve been blessed to be here for this Renaissance period.
• There are 29 other teams in the majors, most of whom are unsuccessfully pursuing a major league crown. Am I turning into some entitled Yankee-ish fan who believes that not getting to the big game every other year is some kind of shameful result? As I sometimes have to remind myself when one of our pitchers has a bad outing…. The other team gets paid too.
• I’m also acting like it is all over, that this team cannot pull it together this season. That may be true, and if it is, what do I have to complain about with a team that has had a winning record for 8 straight seasons (and will likely repeat this season), has made 7 of 8 playoffs (and would still make it if the season ended today) and has roared to at least the ALCS 6 times in a row, along with 4 World Series appearances and two championships. Shouldn’t I have some trust in them?
• I, too often, look at these men as machines and not as men. They came into the season with the least amount of rest of any team not named the Phillies. They had about half the team playing in the WBC. They have lost significant time from key members of the team due to injury. They have people moving around and playing out of position. They make mistakes. So do I at work. Yes, I’m not making hundreds of thousands or millions, but I also don’t have millions looking over my shoulder and picking apart my performance minute to minute.

Well, you get the general idea. In my mind, I need to let this season play out and see if this team will once again take me on a long ride through the playoffs as so few other Astro teams have done. If they don’t make it, what do I really have to complain about? Not much.