The Houston Astros joined Major League Baseball in 1962 as the Houston Colt 45s, playing in the National League. While the team changed its name to the Astros for the 1965 season, the team has continued to play in the National League ever since its inception.
Prior to the creation of the Astros franchise, Houston had been home to the Buffaloes, a minor league affiliate of the National League’s St. Louis Cardinals since 1928.
Houston’s affiliation with Major League Baseball’s Senior Circuit goes back 83 years. And now new owner Jim Crane and baseball commissioner Bud Selig want to change that.
On November 14, 2011, Major League Baseball announced that new owner Jim Crane had agreed to move the Astros to the American League’s West Division for the 2013 season, ending Houston’s nearly century-long association with the National League.
The reason? Money. Baseball wants to realign its divisions in order to add two more playoff teams. That means more revenue for the owners; revenue that is going to come from you. New owner Jim Crane received approximately $70 million in compensation for agreeing to move the Astros away from the league in which they had played for half a century.
What do Astros’ fans get out of the deal? Nothing.
What does the move to the American League mean for Astros’ fans?
1. Say goodbye to longtime rivalries with the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Atlanta Braves and the rest of the National League. Bud Selig and Jim Crane think the fans will be just as happy with "rivalries" with the Oakland Athletics, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the "nearby" Seattle Mariners.
2. Twenty seven additional late night road games. The Astros will now play in a division with three teams on the west coast. That means television start times of 9:00 or 9:30 PM in Houston, with many games ending well after midnight. If you want to watch the Astros play, you’d better be prepared to stay up late.
3. No more National League style of play. The National League plays baseball that involves stealing bases, situational hitting, bunts, and a pitcher who must bat. Managers have to utilize strategies that balance pitching and offense. In the American League, a designated hitter hits for the pitcher. As there is never a need to remove the pitcher from the game for a pinch hitter, playing and managing strategy is minimized.
4. A cheapening of baseball’s unique 162 game season. Bud Selig wants to add one more wild card team from each league to the playoffs. Each league’s wild card teams will meet in a one game, winner-takes-all playoff to determine which team will advance to the Division Series. After a 162 game season, two teams will now see their season end with a three hour playoff game. After a marathon, the first round of playoffs will now be decided by a sprint.
5. Interleague play all the time. The Astros’ move to the American League will now create two leagues of 15 teams each. Fifteen doesn’t divide by two, so the realignment of the leagues will now require interleague play every day of the season. Many fans of traditional baseball don’t care for interleague play, even in short bursts. It will now be an every day event.
A poll taken by the Houston Chronicle showed that 75% of Astros fans were opposed to moving the team to the American League.
How do owner Jim Crane and commissioner Bud Selig feel about that? THEY DON’T CARE. They believe that the fans, who pay for everything in baseball, don’t matter. Selig and Crane believe that the fans will happily pay for whatever they choose to do with the Astros and that the fans will just as gladly buy $70 tickets and $8 beer to see the Kansas City Royals as they will the Chicago Cubs.
The bottom line: Jim Crane and Bud Selig have sold out the Astros, their fans, and 83 years of association with the National League just for money. They couldn’t care less about history or what the fans want.
What can you do about it? Simple.
There’s only one thing that gets the attention of baseball executives: MONEY. If Astros fans want to get the attention of Jim Crane and Bud Selig, they need to send a message in a language that they understand – the language of money. Crane and Selig have done this because they think they will make more money – from you - for destroying the Astros’ National League legacy and moving the team to a west coast division in the American League.
They’ll only make money from this if Astros fans agree to give it to them.
If you oppose the Astros’ move to the American League, here’s what you can do:
1. First and foremost: DON’T BUY ASTROS GAME TICKETS. Bud Selig and Jim Crane are certain that the fans don’t matter, the fans don’t care, and that the fans will willingly continue to buy tickets to whatever sort of competition they choose to put on the field. The only way to show them otherwise is to show them tens of thousands of empty seats.
Don’t buy tickets. Don’t let your friends buy tickets. Don’t let your family buy tickets. If fans show up for the games, Selig and Crane will have proof that whatever they choose to do to any team simply doesn’t matter.
Are you a season ticket holder? Cancel your tickets. Tell the Astros why you’re canceling.
Have friends/family/employers who are season ticket holders? Persuade them to cancel, particularly if they’re corporate season ticket holders.
Bud Selig and Jim Crane think fans are suckers who will willingly pay for anything they offer as a product. You need to prove them wrong and that means hurting them at the box office. DON’T BUY ASTROS TICKETS.
2. Contact the Astros and tell them you are unhappy with the forced move to the American League. You can contact the Astros by e-mail here.
You can reach them by phone or mail here:
Mailing Address:
Houston Astros
501 Crawford St.
Houston, TX 77002
Phone Number:
(713) 259-8000
You’re unhappy with seeing your team move to the American League? TELL THEM!
3. Contact the office of baseball commissioner Bud Selig. You’re unhappy with the fact that he’s forced the Astros to move to the American League? TELL HIM!
You can contact Bud Selig here:
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
Address: 245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
City: New York, State: NY Zip Code: 10167
Phone: 212-931-7800
Fax: 212-949-5654
4. Don’t buy Astros merchandise. Buying caps, shirts, and other merchandise just tells the team you’re OK with whatever they’re doing. If they’re making money, they’re happy, even if you are not.
5. Don’t support other Jim Crane and Astros-related businesses. The Astros receive substantial revenue from advertisers. Don’t patronize them. There’s a great Website that will show you how to boycott Jim Crane, called Crane-Cott. They have a complete list of businesses you will want to avoid. Visit the site. Support their cause.
6. Create a Facebook page. Tell everyone you oppose the move. Pass it on.
Few people are happy with the announced realignment. Astros fans are livid. Fans of AL West teams don’t want to have to travel east for more games. Many fans hate the idea of interleague play every day and extra wild card teams that cheapen the regular season.
7.Get the word out. Link to this site. Tell everyone you know about this site. If you have a baseball blog, post a link. If you post on baseball forums, post a link.
This AL move doesn’t have to happen. Astros fans simply need to send a message to Bud Selig and Jim Crane using the only language they understand:
If they see empty seats, they’ll finally get it. Don’t want the Astros to move to the American League? Don’t patronize them. Don’t let your friends patronize them. Don’t let your family patronize them.
Without the fans, there is no team. It’s time that Astros fans made that clear to Jim Crane and Bud Selig.
Fans can make a difference. Pass it on.