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Astros moving to American League

moochpuppy

By moochpuppy,
in General Baseball Talk

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ctcf Cooperstown

ctcf

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
I understand you guys are all Cubs fans, but if you take those glasses off and look at this from a pure fan of Baseball perspective - this is sad news. Rivalries and traditions the Houston has built up in the National League for 50 years are washed away. This isn't Arizona or Miami with historically little support and not much history. Also a move exploited by Bud because the Astros are being sold - so threaten to block the sale if the new owner doesn't agree to a league switch. Almost no Houston fans want this, and there are many diehards threatening to quit the league. MLB is alienating a great Baseball city, and ALL for Bud's ego. A 15/15 split is not imperative in MLB, especially where Interleague play is lambasted. Not to mention Arizona, Miami, Colorado, and Milwaukee all have less a history and fan attachment to the NL. This is a distasteful move at best, and market annihilation at worst.

 

Do you really think that fans are just going to quit loving a team because it switched leagues? If they do, they're fair-weather at best. While the Astros do have history, and I know I would be quite angry were this happening to the Cubs, it's not the end of the world. As far as rivalries are concerned, they are walking into a ready-made one with the Rangers, one I would imagine is capable of holding far more local meaning and implications than anything they would experience in the NL Central. While it certainly is distasteful, even insinuating it is "market annihilation" is ridiculous. Meanwhile, while a 15/15 split isn't imperative for MLB, it is extremely productive as it will likely lead to an extra wild card slot per league, which in my opinion is a huge help for the game.

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davearm2 First Round Pick

davearm2

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
I understand you guys are all Cubs fans, but if you take those glasses off and look at this from a pure fan of Baseball perspective - this is sad news. Rivalries and traditions the Houston has built up in the National League for 50 years are washed away. This isn't Arizona or Miami with historically little support and not much history. Also a move exploited by Bud because the Astros are being sold - so threaten to block the sale if the new owner doesn't agree to a league switch. Almost no Houston fans want this, and there are many diehards threatening to quit the league. MLB is alienating a great Baseball city, and ALL for Bud's ego. A 15/15 split is not imperative in MLB, especially where Interleague play is lambasted. Not to mention Arizona, Miami, Colorado, and Milwaukee all have less a history and fan attachment to the NL. This is a distasteful move at best, and market annihilation at worst.

Milwaukee fans squawked about rivalries and traditions when they were shipped from the AL to the NL. Yet their attendance jumped from 1.3M and 1.4M in their last two AL years, to 1.8 and 1.7M in their first two years in the NL. Of course now they have a new ballpark, are drawing in the 3M range, and playing in the NLCS.

J.R. ACL Cubs

J.R.

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
I understand you guys are all Cubs fans, but if you take those glasses off and look at this from a pure fan of Baseball perspective - this is sad news. Rivalries and traditions the Houston has built up in the National League for 50 years are washed away. This isn't Arizona or Miami with historically little support and not much history. Also a move exploited by Bud because the Astros are being sold - so threaten to block the sale if the new owner doesn't agree to a league switch. Almost no Houston fans want this, and there are many diehards threatening to quit the league. MLB is alienating a great Baseball city, and ALL for Bud's ego. A 15/15 split is not imperative in MLB, especially where Interleague play is lambasted. Not to mention Arizona, Miami, Colorado, and Milwaukee all have less a history and fan attachment to the NL. This is a distasteful move at best, and market annihilation at worst.

Really, they are just washing away the last ~15 years as the lay of the land is nothing like it was before the 1994 realignment. Thanks to the unbalanced schedule, all of the Cubs' old NL East rivalries are essentially dead, and similarly no one in Houston gives a flip about the Dodgers or Giants anymore.

 

Selig has to take this shot. Houston fans who hate this were for all intents screwed when their ballclub came up for sale at this particular point in history.

Guest

Guest

Guests
Posted
Posted

This is a great move for Houston. They have an instate rival now. Anyway, let's not kid around here, as soon as high school football starts the baseball season ends.

 

So in summary, piss off Houston.

mjohnson71 ACL Cubs

mjohnson71

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
The Astros should be considered like the other expansion teams for all intents and purposes. They are one of the least interesting franchises out there.

 

That ballpark is a joke. Thank goodness it will be in the AL now.

Splendid Splinter First Round Pick

Splendid Splinter

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
The Astros should be considered like the other expansion teams for all intents and purposes. They are one of the least interesting franchises out there.

 

That ballpark is a joke. Thank goodness it will be in the AL now.

 

 

haha I can't wait to see Hamilton hitting BOMBS in that park now.

  • 4 weeks later...
mjohnson71 ACL Cubs

mjohnson71

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

I'm glad they're in the AL. That ballpark is just stupid.

 

MLB is alienating a great Baseball city

 

lol no. houston isn't a great anything.

 

What about swamp-a** humidity and car theft?

Vinestal First Round Pick

Vinestal

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
If I were an Astros fan I'd be pissed. I think they should move a different team but the only way they were going to be able to move a team was in a scenario like this where they could hold the sale of a team up. I feel bad for them, it does suck.
jersey cubs fan GOAT

jersey cubs fan

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
If I were an Astros fan I'd be pissed. I think they should move a different team but the only way they were going to be able to move a team was in a scenario like this where they could hold the sale of a team up. I feel bad for them, it does suck.

 

I'm not sure I would be that pissed. The AL West isn't exactly led by the greatest run organizations in the league. They've been an after thought in the NL central for a while now. Now they can have a somewhat local rivalry and get to go to California and Seattle instead of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri and Wisconsin when road tripping.

seanimal South Bend Cubs

seanimal

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
yeah but there's no way to even out the leagues and divisions without someone getting the short end of the time zone stick. might as well be houston.
SouthSideRyan MVP

SouthSideRyan

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
yeah but there's no way to even out the leagues and divisions without someone getting the short end of the time zone stick. might as well be houston.

 

This does give the Rangers a time zone match now as well.

shnsajax Iowa Cubs

shnsajax

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
If I were an Astros fan I'd be pissed. I think they should move a different team but the only way they were going to be able to move a team was in a scenario like this where they could hold the sale of a team up. I feel bad for them, it does suck.

 

Most of Houston could go two years before even knowing they switched to the AL?

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