14 Reasons to Love the Houston Astros

What’s not to love about the Houston Astros? People love an array of things, but chances are if you’re on this site you love the Astros as much as we do.

For Valentine’s Day, we wanted to give some of the reasons we love the Astros, so I asked the staff, and here is what we came up with.

Ryan Gonzalez says that he loves the Houston Astros because of Orbit and Minute Maid Park. I mean, who doesn’t love Orbit? Fans from all different fan bases love his antics (or just really dislike J.P. Arencibia). From trout fishing with Mike Trout, trying to get Coco Crisp to play Twister, or anything he does with the Texas Rangers, Orbit is a source of joy for the fans.

Minute Maid Park is such a unique venue, from the Crawford Boxes (soon to be deemed the Bear Den by Evan Gattis) to the replica 1860s locomotive which symbolizes the connection to Union Station, which put the town of Houston on the map. Fun fact from the Astros’ site, “According to HOK’s design platform, the most literal tie between Houston’s past and its new ballpark is a physical line to Union Station.”

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Of course we can’t get too far without mentioning Tal’s Hill. What kind of site would we be if we failed to mention our namesake? For my money, Tal’s Hill may be the most unique feature in any ballpark aside from the Ivy at Wrigley and the Green Monster at Fenway. We also can’t mention Tal’s Hill without mentioning Lance Berkman‘s catch. Here is the link.

Brinn Williford’s reasons for loving the Houston Astros I’ll give to you one at a time. The first is that they have the best uniforms in baseball. I have to agree with Brinn there. For the past two months all I’ve wanted is an orange (or home white) Astro jersey, but I’m in the process of saving for a wedding so I have had to refrain. But they’re just so cool!

Brinn’s other reason for loving the team is that they’re Texas’ original franchise. That’s right “Texas” Rangers, we were here first!

Thomas O’Banion came up with Pat Neshek‘s delivery, which is amazing. During his windup it looks like he is going to throw it from down under, but at the point of release, he’s definitely a sidearm thrower. That funky delivery has led to a lot of out at the major league level.

Thomas’ other reasons for loving the Houston Astros are the AL batting champ (Jose Altuve) and Dallas Keuchel‘s beard. Altuve has overcome a lot of odds to make it where he is today, and he deserves everything he’s getting now. We’re happy to have him! Thomas (and myself) aren’t the only ones that love Keuchel’s beard. There is actually a twitter handle by the same name, which is some real dedication. As one bearded man to another, never shave Dallas!

Kennon went with the other pitcher we’re all excited about after last season, and that’s Collin McHugh. While his beard game isn’t on the same level as Keuchel’s, he may be able to match him pitch for pitch. McHugh put up a 2.73 ERA in 2014 after being selected off of waivers from the Colorado Rockies the previous offseason. I’m looking forward to seeing if he can do it again!

Andy Pondillo went with the player that I’m certain everyone in Houston wants to see more of: George Springer. The speed, the athleticism, the power, the smile, his eyes. Whoa, got carried away with the Valentine’s Day theme there.

Call to the Pen

All of these are well and good, but let’s throw some history in here. Perhaps something that floats like a butterfly and stings like a Killer B! Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell are two reasons that many in Houston can say they love this team. Both have provided numerous memories for us fans over the years, and many will be making the trip to Cooperstown to watch Biggio get inducted into the Hall of Fame this season.

Finally, we have to show some love to Evan Drellich and Brian McTaggart. They are two of the best in the business, and they cover the team that holds a special place in the hearts of Houston Astros fans everywhere.

What are some of the reasons you love the Astros?

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