Houston Bees?

[Valadius]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AjIRsbT9eXTLaYSrNztk.BoRvLYF?slug=ap-astros-namechange

Nomination for clueless owner of the year? Jim Crane of the Houston... Whatevers?

�We had the Colt .45s and everybody liked that one,� Crane said. �So you can imagine how upset they were when we switched that. What you get when you look at the fan base is the older we get and I�m old, you don�t like to change. But the younger fans are very receptive to change and the older ones aren�t, so that�s what we saw with the American League.�

Yep, looks like Jim Crane wants to change the name of the Astros. Which is fine, except his reasoning just sounds ridiculous, especially in terms of "the younger fans made me move to the American League."

[Edgy MD]

It would be a pretty powerful symbol of the death of America's ambition for space exploration.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think it was 80 million dollars that made him change to the American League.

[G-Fafif]

I've always thought the Astros name stopped making sense once they retro'd their logo and moved into a ballpark that paid homage to a 1911 train station. Still, name-changing is a serious leap.

I recall stories surfacing in the 1981-82 offseason that the Mets were thinking they might want to find a new identity. This was on the heels of shunting (as it was seen then) Bob Murphy to radio exclusively plus installing a new manager and generally making with the new broom after two years of new ownership. Predictably, whatever trial balloon that was being floated got shot down. It was the first time I saw business guy Al Harazin's name in the paper, issuing a denial that noted how beloved the Mets were in 1969 or words to that effect as an explanation for why they'd never dream of changing the name.

Unfortunately (or from our perspective, just as well) the Astros don't have that kind of equity to hang their non-orange hats on. When you watch the Mets Yearbooks, you're reminded just how large 1969 loomed year after year in the Met consciousness. When they had nothing positive to report (which was mostly always prior to 1984), they found a way to insert 1969 into the conversation.

[G-Fafif]

Oh, and A+ for the thread title, Vlad.

[Edgy MD]

G-Fafif wrote: I've always thought the Astros name stopped making sense once they retro'd their logo and moved into a ballpark that paid homage to a 1911 train station. Still, name-changing is a serious leap.

I thought that too, but then I kind of got this steampunk vibe that the team suggested a notion of the leap to space as a natural extension of the rail revolution.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

G-Fafif wrote: Oh, and A+ for the thread title, Vlad.

I confess. I don't get it.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy DC wrote: G-Fafif wrote: I've always thought the Astros name stopped making sense once they retro'd their logo and moved into a ballpark that paid homage to a 1911 train station. Still, name-changing is a serious leap. I thought that too, but then I kind of got this steampunk vibe that the team suggested a notion of the leap to space as a natural extension of the rail revolution.

I wouldn't give them credit for that. Seemed like McLane was Wilpon-like in his deafness to the history of the club he owned.

[Benjamin Grimm]

My guess... the Boston Braves had temporarily renamed themselves the Boston Bees at one point, but the name didn't stick.

Is that it?

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

I was thinking it might have to do with the Killer B's of the Biggio/Bagwell days.

[Vic Sage]

I think the move to the AL gives them a good reason to change names. It closes the book on the NL team's history and allows them to start a new chapter, with all the merchandising possibilities that entails. It can vest a new generation in the team. It's not like the "Astros" have this illustrious history they would be turning their back on, but to the extent they want to, they can still celebrate the special players and seasons of their past. They could even reclaim the "Oilers" name. or go with Tornadoes, or Power, or some other non-space age appellation.

[Edgy MD]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Edgy DC wrote: G-Fafif wrote: I've always thought the Astros name stopped making sense once they retro'd their logo and moved into a ballpark that paid homage to a 1911 train station. Still, name-changing is a serious leap. I thought that too, but then I kind of got this steampunk vibe that the team suggested a notion of the leap to space as a natural extension of the rail revolution. I wouldn't give them credit for that. Seemed like McLane was Wilpon-like in his deafness to the history of the club he owned.

Oh, sure, largely accidental perhaps, but a vibe nonetheless.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Vic Sage wrote: They could even reclaim the "Oilers" name. or go with Tornadoes, or Power, or some other non-space age appellation.

Power. That's good. How about the Houston Enrons?

[seawolf17]

[Benjamin Grimm]

I looked up what the team name was when Houston was a minor league city, and it looks like the answer is the Houston Buffaloes.

I don't think I like that.

[G-Fafif]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I looked up what the team name was when Houston was a minor league city, and it looks like the answer is the Houston Buffaloes. I don't think I like that.

Known more commonly as the Houston Buffs. One who was Buff was John Hernandez -- Keith's dad, in the late '40s.

[G-Fafif]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Vic Sage wrote: They could even reclaim the "Oilers" name. or go with Tornadoes, or Power, or some other non-space age appellation. Power. That's good. How about the Houston Enrons?

If they go in this direction, I can feel "the Houston Energy" being the focus-grouped result.

Which would be a heckuva MISL team name.

[Edgy MD]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hernan001joh

A shame to see "Unknown" with regard to what arm he threw with. Ask Keith!

[G-Fafif]

Keith's dad met Keith's mom -- a Buffalo gal, if you will -- when he was playing for Houston. Without the Buffs, there's no Keith. Without Keith, who makes the play on that bunt in Cincinnati after Mitchell and Knight are ejected?

Ralph always talked about the size of the mosquitoes in Houston. Keith hints at the birds and the, well, bees.

[batmagadanleadoff]

G-Fafif wrote: Keith's dad met Keith's mom -- a Buffalo gal, if you will -- when he was playing for Houston. Without the Buffs, there's no Keith. Without Keith, who makes the play on that bunt in Cincinnati after Mitchell and Knight are ejected? Ralph always talked about the size of the mosquitoes in Houston. Keith hints at the birds and the, well, bees.

Was this anecdote retold on TV recently. The details are so fresh in my head, as if I heard this tale 20 minutes ago.

[G-Fafif]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Keith's dad met Keith's mom -- a Buffalo gal, if you will -- when he was playing for Houston. Without the Buffs, there's no Keith. Without Keith, who makes the play on that bunt in Cincinnati after Mitchell and Knight are ejected? Ralph always talked about the size of the mosquitoes in Houston. Keith hints at the birds and the, well, bees. Was this anecdote retold on TV recently. The details are so fresh in my head, as if I heard this tale 20 minutes ago.

Keith's brought it up on the Houston trip each of the past two seasons.

[batmagadanleadoff]

G-Fafif wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Keith's dad met Keith's mom -- a Buffalo gal, if you will -- when he was playing for Houston. Without the Buffs, there's no Keith. Without Keith, who makes the play on that bunt in Cincinnati after Mitchell and Knight are ejected? Ralph always talked about the size of the mosquitoes in Houston. Keith hints at the birds and the, well, bees. Was this anecdote retold on TV recently. The details are so fresh in my head, as if I heard this tale 20 minutes ago. Keith's brought it up on the Houston trip each of the past two seasons.

You're exactly right. In 2010, he retold the tale during the beginning of the Mets game in Houston that Nelson Figueroa started for the Astros. I recall because I watched this game two days ago.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, then my vote is for naming the team the Keiths.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hernan001joh A shame to see "Unknown" with regard to what arm he threw with. Ask Keith!

As per Keith explaining in his book about his life-long comfort at hitting against LHPs, John Hernandez was a lefty.

[Fman99]

RYOO CRAN'T CHRANGE TRHE RNAME RTHIS RIS RULLSHIT!

[G-Fafif]

Fman99 wrote: RYOO CRAN'T CHRANGE TRHE RNAME RTHIS RIS RULLSHIT!

The Houston Tralfazes.

[G-Fafif]

BTW, one of the Mets' radio sponsors during the 1986 playoffs was Astro Nissan. I considered that ironic at best, self-sabotaging at worst.

[Edgy MD]

Is Astro scooting there?

[Benjamin Grimm]

G-Fafif wrote: The Houston Tralfazes.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

[Valadius]

Mets � Willets Point wrote: I was thinking it might have to do with the Killer B's of the Biggio/Bagwell days.

Yup.