Why The 2020 Houston Astros Are Great For Sports
Chaos is King.
We have seen this sentiment time and time again. The Digital Age has taught us that each day there is a new “Public Enemy No. 1”. For better or for worse, this is the world we live in. I have been very critical of the way we use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. I believe it shows the worst side of humanity and causes more problems than it fixes. That being said, social media is also one of my favorite things to indulge in, so, color me a hypocrite.
Social media is a little bit like the game of tag - the idea is to “not be ‘it’”. If you are '“it”, your next 24-72 hours (or longer depending on who you are) are going to be hell. In the particular case of the Houston Astros - they became “it” for a very valid reason. They cheated and were dishonest about said cheating. Many believe their digital sign stealing, trash-can banging, and use of cameras for pitch tipping helped them bring a World Series to Houston in 2017, and again advance to the World Series in 2019, later to be upset by the Washington Nationals.
Sports has this special knack of bringing people together to rally around a subject. Regardless of the sport, the mass opinion of the majority usually will rule the way we see and feel each event. Cheering against “the bad guy” has been an age-old way to bring people together like nothing else. Fans of differing teams will high-five and boo if their least favorite player strikes-out. 80,000 people will hiss at the star Quarterback returning to play against his old team. LeBron haters will find a problem with the way he eats his breakfast to try to prove he isn’t the Greatest Of All Time. It’s beautiful and ugly. It’s what sports has become.
With that said, Baseball’s “Cheating Scandals” have ruled the sports debate world. Barry Bonds (the greatest hitter of all time) is usually the first scandal we think about when we talk of baseball’s dark side. The “steroid era” then evolves to loop in guys like Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens to name a few. Stars like Ryan Braun and Robinson Cano have dealt with the boo’s and have lost lifelong fans due to past mistakes. Pete Rose’s betting on the Reds has kept him out of The Hall. The Mets drug use in the 80s taints their memories. Corked bats, World Series conspiracies, the list goes on. Each of these examples and the athletes involved have all had to face the fire and wrath of angry fans. People have their opinions and have stood by them no matter what. There will never be a common consensus about scandals- the talking points will never die, and that is the beauty of sport.
Enter, the Houston Astros.
Of all the baseball scandals throughout history, there are usually people on each side of the aisle. Either Bonds is the Home Run King or Aaron is. Either Pete Rose should be banned for life or he didn’t actually do much wrong. This is what makes the Astros scandal unique. Everyone, literally EVERYONE was and is on the same page here.
Fans, players, politicians, sports analysts, you name it; the common sentiment was that what the Houston Astros did was wrong. Very wrong.
People felt cheated, and they were correct in those feelings. Stealing signs and tipping pitches have been a part of the sport forever. Hell, even we stole signs from second base in high school baseball, it happens. But when something like this becomes a key part of the success of an organization, especially through an orchestrated process and well-thought out means; that’s when it gets sticky.
The stories broke, the internet went into flames. Video after video of trash-can banging and digital sign stealing surfaced. The Astros had been caught and became “it” on the internet. Soon, millions of people around the world were linked together for one common cause: “Root against the Houston Astros at all costs”.
This is exactly what we as a people needed. It is exactly what baseball needed. It is exactly what teams around the MLB needed. And I believe it is exactly what the Astros needed, even if it sucks to be Public Enemy No. 1.
Why did baseball need this? Easy. It got people talking about the sport. Baseball has had a huge marketing problem for years now, something the players and baseball enthusiasts complain about all the time. The league makes it very hard to get more eyes to the sport; especially from the younger demographic. A huge scandal like this rips through the entire sports world. It brings attention to the beautiful game in an ugly way. And that’s okay. It’s the COVID year, meaning every league has had its troubles to find revenue streams and interest, so even if the interest is something the MLB isn’t particularly proud of, the Astros have at least given some people a reason to tune in. Now, a new baseball viewer may not be a fan of one particular team, but they know they can root against at least one.
Part of the hatred for Houston stems from the way to organization handled it from the start. But in hindsight, it was perfect. Instead of owning up to their mistakes, they vehemently denied it. Once there was truly no way to deny it, there weren’t any real sincere apologies. The suspensions or lack-thereof made things even worse. Rob Manfred didn’t lay the hammer down and people were calling for more and more. This perfect storm gave the Sports World a true “heel”. The Astros were in a complex. Guys like Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa puffed their chests and promised they’ll prove they don’t need any extra help. Other guys tried to stay in the shadows and tune it out. No matter how they handled it, the hate from fans grew even more. Everyone (including myself) wanted to see these guys fail.
Many people didn’t even think Houston belonged in the playoffs; after a 29-31 regular season and losing their ace, Justin Verlander, the Astros playoff chances looked bleak. But it’s October…and the COVID year, so anything can happen.
They just needed a spark. Carlos Correa was ready to back-up his talk. The Astros surprisingly took down a deep Minnesota Twins team 2-0, Correa going deep twice, talking his talk on the way to a sweep.
Okay cool… no way they knock off Oakland…
More bats got hot. The A’s were soon handed a Gentlemen’s Sweep, 3-1. The Astros were starting to look like the Astros again. That ‘Stros swagger, from George Springer to Jose Altuve and down to Josh Reddick, was coming back. These guys had fully embraced the ‘heel’ mentality. No more shying away from bad press- they seemed to want it. This was a nightmare not just for MLB teams, but for baseball fans. There’s no way this can be happening…
Fast-forward to today.
It all was going according to plan. Houston was finally dead in the water. Down 3-0 to an exciting Tampa Bay Rays squad, the end was near, the Astros were going to get sent home. Everyone wanted to see them go down in an embarrassing fashion. The frauds are done! But that isn’t how 2020 works. The villain always gets a chance in 2020. Sure enough, the sweep is avoided with a 4-3 win. No problem. Then another 4-3 win…and sure enough, a 7-4 victory to force the two most exciting words in sports, “Game Seven.”
Tonight, Houston has a chance to be the first team since the 2004 Red Sox to crawl back from an 0-3 deficit and advance to the World Series. The ‘04 ALCS had a different feel, though. In ‘04 the villains were A-Rod and the big bad New York Yankees. The Sox were the lovable, funny characters that everyone wanted to see win and break “The Curse”.
There’s no curse here. These guys just won the whole thing three years ago. People just don’t want Houston to win because of their dishonesty.
Well whether you like it or not, the Astros are here once again. And they are for real. From top to bottom, I truly believe the Astros expect to win this Game 7 and win the World Series. If that were to happen, the sports world would seemingly implode. The ‘bad guys’ will be victorious, “thanks again 2020…”
In my honest opinion, it could be pretty cool. Seeing things happen the way they “aren’t supposed to” is what sports are all about. It’s what keeps us coming back for more. Jose Altuve’s big words in the preseason rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Correa’s too. They had no business promising a World Series after all they were found guilty of. But sure enough, these are the two leading the charge on and off the field; backing up their talk with their game.
As a competitor, I love it. Part of me sees it as the perfect redemption. Fans, players, and pundits said they want to see Houston either lose or win “the right way”. Well here they are, currently doing it with a chance for more. I still don’t agree with what they did, no one does. But if they manage to go all the way and shove the talk back in all of our faces…then kudos to them.
Let’s sit back and enjoy an awesome Game 7.
Go Brewers.
