Shut up. Just shut up. I am DONE listening to that “the Astros World Series title is fake! They cheated!” shit. I was pissed at first too. I was there booing Altuve. Booing Bregman. Wishing ill on all of them. But I matured! It’s time for you all to do the same.
It is time to respect what the Astros have done.
Ugly Beginnings
From their inception in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45s to 2013, the Astros were considered a poverty franchise. Truthfully, their only claim to in that time period (as a team), was making the World Series in 2005, in which they were swept.
In that time period, especially in the late 90’s to early 2000’s, Houston had some pretty damn good players and still couldn’t do much. Sound familiar, Twins fans?
The Astros then began to decline even more in the early 2010’s, losing more than 100 games in 3 straight seasons (2011 to 2013). After making a lot of changes to their front office and drafting very well (Carlos Correa, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and George Springer), Houston was thought to be the next powerhouse squad.
And boy, were they ever fucking right.Astros Future Arrives – First Report of Cheating
Once Carlos Correa arrived in Houston, the tide seemingly began to turn in the Astros favor. The Twins, having another young stud that was drafted the same year in Byron Buxton, were thought to be on the same path. Obviously, we know how it went for both teams.
While the Twins and Astros showed flashes of turning the page in 2015, only one team actually managed to follow up with a solid record the following year. The Twins went 59-103, while the Astros went 84-78. This is where the two teams destinies split. One continued to develop amazing talent from within that is still producing on the field in 2022, while another is still searching for even a postseason victory.
2017, the talent officially landed in Houston. Alex Bregman, George Springer, and Correa, combined with proven players in Carlos Beltran and Jose Altuve propelled the Astros to a World Series win. The Astros were on top of the world… until news was made public in November of 2019 that they had been stealing signs and using other methods to win games in that 2017 season.
** If you don’t know how it went down, you live under a rock. Read it here **Aftermath of Cheating
Houston was the sports world public enemy #1. To this day, people can’t get over it. Seriously, to this day.
At first, like every reasonable sports fan, I was calling for the head of every single member of that 2017 Houston Astros team. In fact, I’m still upset. We all felt cheated out of a fair match up. This cheating gave Houston a competitive advantage that, ultimately, won them a World Series. However, what if I were to say that they would have won that World Series regardless… I believe they would have gotten past the Yankees in that ALCS matchup.
Houston paid the price for their scandal in more ways than one. Most notably, they had to forfeit their 1st and 2nd round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 and were fined $5 million. And probably the biggest price they had to pay (and still are), is that a lot of people are calling their World Series illegitimate.
What I don’t understand… why it’s still brought up like the Astros would not have been good without it?
Respect the Houston Astros
Regardless of how you feel about the Astros and their cheating, you need to understand this. Houston is a powerhouse! And there is no reason why they won’t be for at least the next couple of years either.
You have to respect what Houston has done since the early 2010’s. They drafted well, they made smart trades, and for the most part, have retained a brilliant group of players. The Astros are the model franchise for the rest of the league. Sure, the cheating cost them the respect of most of the sports world, but they don’t give a shit. Year in and year out, this squad is capable of going to the World Series.
6 trips to the ALCS in the last 6 years is quite an accomplishment. I only wish that the Twins had continued success like this.
Former professional High School Baseball player. 12 Handicap Golfer. Patrick Reusse blocked me for calling him old.