It seems like a lifetime ago, and maybe it was, when I used to listen to the Spanish radio broadcasts of the Colt 45s from Houston.
In those days there were players like Bob Aspromonte at third, Bob Lillis at short, Ernie Fazzio at second, the Cuban slugger Roman Mejia at center field and Al Spangler at left. Rusty Staub wasn't with them then, but he, too, was one of the original Colts.
I used to listen to them as my mom ironed the family's clothes and we became ardent fans of the Colts, the team which would later become the lowly Houston Astros in the National League. It got to the point where I thought that if I didn't listen to the game and they lost I'd blame myself for it.
It gets better. I used to have my mom buy votive candles that we would light as we listed to the game.
These thoughts were running to my mind as I see that the Astros, now the big dogs in the American League are about to face Boston on their way to face the (Los Angeles Dodgers, maybe?) for a possible back-to-back World Series. My dad, who is also a baseball fan, said that it didn't matter to him who won the series in the end last year because all the games turned out to be thrillers, some of the best baseball he'd ever seen.
Now names like Jose Altuve, George Springer and Carlos Correa have replaced the old Colts 454s in the fans' minds.
Houston needed a lift. And who would have thunk that it would be the Astros who would give the a post-Harvey battered community the uplift is so badly needed? Go for two 'Stros!
