Archive for February, 2002

Enron, Come On Down!

Thursday, February 28th, 2002

This is a move as welcome as it was unexpected (by me). I never thought that Enron would accept so little money – just a little less than half of what they’d coughed up for the 2002 season – to walk away from the naming rights contract. This still has to be approved by the bankruptcy judge, so there may yet be another twist, but I hope that his honor slaps his rubber stamp down on this deal and gets it over with.

Next up, what to do with all the signage? Dismantling all the Enron references around the park will be a time consuming matter. And the replacement name won’t even be known for a couple of months according to the Astros. I can’t imagine that Drayton will spring to have the word “Enron” replaced with the word “Astros” everywhere, but he may do it in a select few, high-visibility locations. It’s either that, leave it as it is for now, or have “[Blank] Field” all over the place. On the positive side of things, my ticket stub from the opening series against the Yankmees just got a little bit more valuable.

Hopefully, this will put an end to the hackneyed plays on the old name such as “HomeRun Field” and “TenRun Field”. (more…)

The Cost of Victory

Monday, February 25th, 2002

Discussing the relationship between money and success in baseball provokes strong reactions.

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The Void Ends

Thursday, February 21st, 2002

Really? You could’ve fooled me! Pitchers and catchers report, and we get nothing. Position players report . . . nothing! Everyone’s pussy-footing around the new manager, saying all the right things and showing up for camp early (brown-nosers!). This all leads to Spring Training reports with all the incite and pep of Alan Ashby’s play-by-play. Yawn.

I know ST games mean nothing, but I’m wasting away waiting for someone to actually throw a pitch in anger!

The Power Station

Naming rights issues mean that, rightly or wrongly, the name “Enron” is stuck on the Astros’ crib for a while. The nickname EFUS is a derivative of that name, and needs to be retired. I always thought it was a little contrived in any case ? and I have bad memories of it as I was laughed off the air by Charlie and Rich when I suggested it to them in my one and only appearance on Houston talk radio. (more…)

Naming Rights and Wrongs

Tuesday, February 19th, 2002

By Gene Elston
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on February 19, 2002.

Here’s a tip-o-the-cap to baseball franchises avoiding the use of corporate names on their ball parks!

It’s like a waft of fresh spring air, to tradionalists like me, to hear as the baseball season returns, the names: Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Veterans Stadium, Busch Stadium, Fenway Park, Comiskey Park, Yankee Stadium and Skydome. (more…)

Why I Love Baseball

Monday, February 18th, 2002

By groovydude
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on February 18, 2002.

The movie Eight Men Out was on TV tonight, and I watched it. Again. This movie is the story of the 1919 World Series and the Chicago White Sox, later known as the Black Sox, who conspired with gamblers to fix the Series. Watching Eight Men Out reminded me of Ted Williams. (more…)

Crystal Ball

Thursday, February 14th, 2002

Baseball statistics measure performance, not ability. Performance obviously results in part from ability, but baseball statistics also reflect randomness, or luck. A player might bat .310 one season and .290 the next without any appreciable decline in ability. In 600 at-bats, the difference between .310 and .290 is 12 hits, one every 50 at-bats or about every two weeks. Clearly chance alone might explain such a small discrepancy.

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