The 2017 World Series Trophy
of the
Champion Houston Astros
The new Houston World Series trophy took on some damage last night. The headlines in today’s Houston Chronicle Internet report appear as follows:
“World Series trophy takes a tumble at Houston men’s gala.”
This damage occurred while the World Series trophy was on table display Thursday at “One Great Night in November,” a MFAH’s annual men-only event at the Museum of Fine Art Houston.
What the Houston Chronicle says:
Friday Version …. “Halfway through dinner during “One Great Night in November,” the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s high-powered, mens-only fundraiser, the table collapsed that held the 2017 Commissioner’s Trophy, which Astros owner Jim Crane had brought to the MFAH to give the evening a celebratory start.
“The trophy was swiftly placed back onto the table, but it did not survive the fall unscathed. Suddenly, men in tuxes were giggling about how “we’ll just have to win another one” while a cohort of large men with earpieces assembled around the trophy like bodyguards.” – (Houston Chronicle article, 11/10/2017)
Saturday Version …. No update, so far. Sometimes these Internet reports change as new information comes in. Nothing had changed as of 7 AM Saturday. The original story was still running. If someone actually dropped the trophy as they were trying to handle it, that sensible possibility has yet to be confirmed. It’s still hard to see how an injury of this kind this could have happened by the support table collapsing on its own.
Our Questions about What Really Happened:
The article doesn’t expressly say that the damage was caused by human interaction with the trophy or table, but neither does it explain how a valuable article display table now in use by the MFAH would suddenly collapse on its own – or why “a cohort of large men with earpieces assembled around the trophy like bodyguards” – was even suddenly necessary?
Injured tables do not need immediate security from themselves after an independent collapse, but a collapse that may have been hastened by people leaning extra weight into the table – or taking it upon themselves to touch or try to pick up the trophy from a precarious position among others at the table could have helped spurn a “tumble” of Houston’s brand new hard-earned symbol of earned honor at the World Series.
Nobody is saying that happened. We’re simply suggesting it could have happened. Of course, for that to be true, you would need a room of socially powerful people, mostly aging, but steeped in their own senses of entitlement to special privilege, based upon worldly accomplishments, social standing, or both. The presence of alcohol in the system and its aggrandizing negative capacity for altering personal judgment, human balance, and the use of hands and feet already affected by digital nephropathy. The presence of those profile factors easily could have sparked an affirmative answer from some to the question: “Do you think you can lift that trophy?”
No Question Here:
When the news of damage to the trophy got around, the Chronicle also reports that “suddenly, men in tuxes were giggling about how ‘we’ll just have to win another one’ ” as the apparent depth of their sense of loss about the damage done.
What a damn shame.
The Amazing Mr. Jim Crane
I don’t care how powerful these guys at the MFAH event are. Anyone of them who truly thinks the Houston Astros, beginning with our wonderful Mr. Jim Crane, also thinks in that same shallow pool of the giggler who joked about winning another crown to get a new and unbroken copy, is nothing less than sadly mistaken.
The Astros are World Champions today precisely because their owner may be the world’s greatest business genius in the field of logistics. How to get important items (or conditions) moved from one place (or condition) to another over a studied period of time is exactly what had to happen. Jim Crane saw that objective going into baseball from his experience in logistics. And that’s the success culture that has bred its way into Astros franchise life as a result. Crane found his genius baseball logistician in General Manager Jeff Luhnow and he listened – about what to spend – when to spend – and where to spend. And at the same time, in turn, Mr. Luhnow kept fine tuning until he had Manager A.J. Hinch in tow also as the field leader and talent developer – of some really great talent in the pipeline.
It should also be noted that the total rebuilding of the franchise was begun earlier, by Tal Smith and Ed Wade in 2011. Drafting George Springer, developing Jose Altuve, and cutting bait on certain high salaried players who were nearing the end of their careers also figured strongly into the motion for the drastic change that followed.
The system now is as lean of entitlement as it probably ever will be and that’s good. The appetite for success works best when it is fed by the idea that accomplishment works best when its also fed by the idea that the goals to be attained are best reached by earned effort. As long as the Astros work culture remains free of entitlement among its people at all levels – ownership, administration, players, and fans – our chances for repeated success remain high, but never guaranteed.
Entitlement is what cost the managers at Boston and New York their jobs.
Entitlement simply brims from the giggler quote, “we’ll just have to win another one.”
Because of all the chance vagaries, and the muses of the so-called “baseball gods”, next year’s championship is never a sure thing.
So, please, Mike Acosta, as soon as you are able. Please get the 2017 trophy repaired and put on display in some easy-to-see, under glass display case at Minute Maid Park.
Our 2017 Astros World Series Championship is worth better care than it received last night at the MFAH men-only function.
The article link.
Here’s the link. Now do yourselves a favor. Read the whole thing. Words and pictures, it’s not very long.
Then ask yourself: How could the World Series trophy possibly have been injured in the innocent evening company of all these fine Houston gentlemen?
And what were the eventually plentiful security people doing prior to the trophy’s injury?
Forgive us, baseball gods! – We’re first timer champion Houston – and we’re paddling as fast as we can.
GO ASTROS!
********************
Bill McCurdy
Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher
The Pecan Park Eagle
The Pecan Park Eagle 
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