Four Things to Know about the Astros Triple-A Rebrand
Well, the rumor was true. The Sugar Land Skeeters are now officially the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
The Houston Astros‘ Triple-A affiliate announced its changes officially on Saturday with a packed house at Constellation Field in Sugar Land. With over 5,000 fans in attendance, the festivities were delayed, as the lines to enter the stadium were longer than expected.
Here are four things to know about the Astros’ rebranding of their Triple-A affiliate.
Orion, the mascot
With Swatson out of the picture, the Space Cowboys will now be supported by a distant cousin of Orbit: Orion. The blue cosmic, space dog should have been named ‘Maurice, the gangster of love,’ in my honest opinion.
But, you can only make so many references to a Steve Miller Band song, composed close to 50 years ago. The Astros might not have the rights to make the connections, but they did stick to the space theme with Orion’s name.
Swatson, Sugar Land’s former mascot, has since moved on from the franchise and is exploring the globe, according to its Twitter.
New Uniforms
Coming into the season, the Space Cowboys have three uniforms with three different caps to complement them. Minor-league teams are gifted alternates uniforms over time, so there is a strong chance we see other alternates down the road.
Even manager Mickey Storey was enjoying the festivities with his Space Cowboy-themed shoes.
New Logos
The Space Cowboys will sport four different logos in their first season. The primary and secondary logo show a ‘Space Cowboy,’ which was the rumored branding coming into Saturday.
Space Cowboys to host the Astros
While only 22 miles from Minute Maid Park, Constellation Field is expected to host the Astros on March 28. The Space Cowboys would then be welcomed to Minute Maid Park for an exhibition game, the following day.
The lockout is pending these scheduled games, only a few days before Opening Day. If a knew collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached, then we possibly see these games postponed or played between other prospects within the system.