It’s been a pretty miserable year for the Houston Astros, but owner Jim Crane says fans should appreciate changes for 2013, including new uniforms and possible ballpark changes. Some of the changes are final; some are not. Uniform changes have been submitted to Major League Baseball for approval — which, barring something extraordinary, should appear […]
Tag Archives | houston astros
MLB preps for interleague play in 2013
Plans are coming into place for Major League Baseball to feature permanent interleague play when the Houston Astros join the American League, leaving MLB with a 15-15 split in the two leagues. Scheduling is the biggest change when it comes to interleague play, and not every fan is going to like the changes, as it […]
Tal’s Hill, Astros train leaving the station?
The Houston Astros are looking at removing both Tal’s Hill in center field and the train running above it as part of branding changes for the 2013 season, when the team enters the American League. The raised center-field hill at Minute Maid Park, never popular with players, was named for former Astros executive Tal Smith in […]
The Week That Was: May 27
Success in Pensacola, Dodger Stadium problems, fence dimensions and affiliated ball in Ottawa: The most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. Blue Wahoos: Success means ballpark upgrades Freedom Baseball League begins play New Astros uniforms: Bring back the orange! Charges dropped in Dodger Stadium beating Marlins: No […]
Harris County considers Astrodome renovation
Good news for fans of historic structures: Harris County is considering a $270-million renovation of the Astrodome that would decrease capacity and make it more attractive for midsized events. The plan, as proposed by CSL and Populous, would raise the floor of the Astrodome and make it a more intimate venue, seating 5,500 for hockey […]
New Astros uniforms: Bring back the orange!
The Houston Astros will have new uniforms for 2013, and owner Jim Crane says they’ll be bringing back colors of the past — and given team history, we’re thinking orange. Crane told the Houston Chronicle “some of the colors in the past” would be part of a new design, chosen after months of design and focus-group testing: “We’ve […]
Fate of Astrodome again under debate in Houston
It’s a topic that pops up every few years, as Houston decides what to do with the economically obsolete Astrodome, the indoor ballpark once hailed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. There had been plans floating around for domed ballparks in the 1950s and 1960s — most notably Buckminster Fuller‘s proposal for a covered […]
MLB looking to alter interleague play to curtail rivalries: report
A scheduling reconfiguration in 2013 made necessary by the move of the Houston Astros to the American League could change the two annual rivalry series so popular at the box office. ESPNNewYork.com is reporting the shift, part of the move to permanent interleague play in 2013 when there are 15 teams in each league. Right […]
Marlins face not-so-unusual problem: dead turf in a covered ballpark
The problem dates back to the original Astrodome, where AstroTurf was invented to solve this issue: the Miami Marlins find it hard keeping grass alive in a covered ballpark. It’s been a wet April in Miami — undoubtedly due to global warming, if you ask Tim McCarver — and so the roof has been closed […]
If Nats leave Viera, will other teams follow?
With talks continuing between the Washington Nationals and Lee County about a spring-training move, folks are inevitably wondering if the Cardinals, Mets or Marlins will follow. It’s a natural question: the Cards and Marlins have a clause in their leases for Roger Dean Stadium the right to talk away for greener pastures if fewer than […]
Tal Smith joins ODP as special advisor
A personnel move to note: Tal Smith, longtime member of the Houston Astros front office, has been named special advisor to Opening Day Partners (ODP), owners of several independent Atlantic League teams. ODP’s newest team is the Sugar Land Skeeters, and Smith will be advising Opening Day Partners on that team as well as new locations […]
Astros to bring backs Colt .45s jersey this season
To mark the team’s 50th anniversary, the ever-colorful Houston Astros will be bringing back Houston Colt .45 jerseys for two April games and sport other retro unis throughout the year. The team will don the jerseys at their April 10 and April 20 games at Minute Maid Park. The jersey, worn when the team was […]
TCL expands to The Woodlands
The summer-collegiate Texas Collegiate League is adding an eighth team for the 2012 season, with a new franchise in The Woodlands to be owned by local resident Ramiro Lozano. The team, which will be named via a name-the-franchise contest, will play out of The Woodlands Christian Academy. Several college players from Texas colleges have already […]