Thursday, November 02, 2017

No problem, Houston

I personally enjoy seeing a franchise and it's fan base celebrating their first ever championship.

From laughingstock to lift off.

George Springer and the Houston Astros rocketed to the top of the baseball galaxy Wednesday night, winning the first World Series championship in franchise history by romping past the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7.

Playing for a city still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, and wearing an H Strong logo on their jerseys, the Astros brought home the prize that had eluded them since they started out in 1962 as the Colt .45s.

This World Series victory should in no way take away from the fact that recovery and rebuild efforts from Harvey damage will be ongoing indefinitely. However, I believe many Houstonians consider this is a nice reprieve from the daunting task ahead.

As a Minnesota Twins fan, this Astros championship gives me hope. From 2011-2014, Houston averaged 105 losses per season. But the Astros have had a winning record three consecutive years now and have been to the postseason two of the past three, culminating with their 2017 championship. One serendipity to being a bottom feeder (as the Astros were for a while) is the opportunity to replenish the farm system with top notch prospects who eventually become key contributors with the big club. The Astros have done that in addition to savvy trades and modest free agent signings. It's a formula the Twins' new front office appears to be replicating, as they look to build upon their 2017 postseason appearance.

With that, I believe it's only about 100 more days until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training!

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