Jumping Ship

With the recent announcement of the Astros moving to the American League, I have heard about many fans wanting to abandon the team in favor of another National League team. We all know the villains that were involved in this soap opera. I am not launching into a rant against all things Selig. If you want to get a feel for how I feel about this move, go read my twitter feed. I am writing this post to tell those fans that I understand and don't hold it against them.

There are many reasons to bail out right now. The team is bad and looks to remain so for some time. We begrudgingly are moving to the AL, and we have an owner with a questionable background. Those are all valid reasons to leave, and I have no problem with these fans doing just that. The Astros will survive without these fans. The visions of a near empty Minute Maid Park will come to fruition but only because the product isn't good right now. Winning will bring fans back and even win over new fans in a transplant city like Houston. I might be in the minority, but I hope these fans that are bailing will return as well.

I, for one, will stick around for the ride, because my baseball roots run through Houston and this team. I have been through way too many ups and downs as a baseball fan not to have learned how to be patient. The ride back to glory will not be an easy one, but when we get there, the journey will have been worth it. Think about the last time that there was tremendous buzz around Houston about the next big up and coming prospect. I don't mean Altuve the adequate second baseman buzz. I mean we have a potential super star buzz. Pence had some of that, but it has been a decade since we have had that on a consistent basis. Prospects and the future make talking baseball fun, and we will have plenty of those things to talk about over the next few years. This should be a time where attending the games of Astros minor league affiliates will be purposeful. I live in Dallas, and I am already planning an OKC trip along with seeing the Hooks when they roll through Frisco.

Maybe I have successfully talked some fans off of the ledge, but I understand if I haven't. You have the right to use your "AL sucks, owner is allegedly a crook" card to bail at this time, but I am afraid that you are going to miss out on the ride back to relevance with a team that you have invested so much in already. Keep the faith. It will happen in Houston one day.