The Pecan Park Eagle

Thanks to All from History Who Have Brought Houston’s Baseball Joy to Life As Winners of the 2017 World Series  as Players, Owners, Managers, General Managers, Coaches, Scouts, Administrators, Staff, Broadcasters, Writers, and Fans. No role was too small or large for mention here. Also, it wasn’t possible for The Pecan Park Eagle, on the night before Thanksgiving 2017, to add every name that needs to be included here, going back to the 1861 start  for Houston as an organized baseball city. If you see anyone you think we should have included, just add the name as a comment here and the comment section itself will become our conjunctive list for ….

Houston Baseball World Series Thanksgiving History List:

Thank you …. Frederick Allyn Rice, Joseph H. Evans, Ollie Pickering, John J. McCloskey, Joseph Lohbeck, Tricky Nichols, Harry Steinfeldt, John Henry Kirby, Johnny Kling, Jimmy Slagle, Bill Abstein, Claud Reilly, Tris Speaker, Jim Bottomley, Chick Hafey, Watty Watkins, Harry McCurdy, Pepper Martin, Andy Anderson, Lloyd Gregory, Bruce Layer, Homer Peel, Heinie Schuble, Gus Mancuso, Pancho Snyder, Tex Carleton, Cary Selph, Bill Hallahan, Ducky Medwick, Dizzy Dean, Raymond Lee Cunningham, Pat Ankenman, Don Gutteridge, Johnny Keane, Red Munger, Johnny Hopp, Howie Pollet, Eddie Dyer, Hal Epps, Danny Murtaugh, Allen Russell, Morris Frank, Miss Lou Mahan, Solly Hemus, Eddie Knoblauch,  Al Papai, Clarence Beers, Jim Basso, Larry Miggins, Loel Passe, Jerry Witte, Clark Nealon, Russell Rac, Dick Peebles, Dick Gottlieb, Earl Weaver, Wilmer Mizell, Frank Mancuso, Bob Boyd, Marty Marion, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, George Kirksey, Mickey Herskowitz, Craig Cullinan, Jr, R.E. “Bob” Smith, Judge Roy Hofheinz, Paul Richards, Tal Smith, Harry Craft, Wayne Chandler, J.C. Hartman, Gene Elston, John Wilson, Dene Hofheinz, Bob Aspromonte, Turk Farrell, Roman Mejias, Dick Peebles, Carl Warwick, Jimmy Wynn, Larry Dierker, Walter Bond, Larry Dluhy, Jim Umbricht, Rusty Staub, Nellie Fox, Pete Runnels, Lum Harris, Grady Hatton, Spec Richardson, Harry Walker, Leo Durocher, Lynwood Stallings, Preston Gomez, Pat Gillick, Buddy Hancken, John Mullen, Bob Green, Joe Morgan, Don Wilson, Doug Rader, Mike Cuellar, Norm Miller, Scipio Spinks, Tom Griffin, Wayne Twitchell, Rob Sperring, Daryl Thomas, Jose Cruz, Marsha Franty, Roger Metzger, J.R. Richard, Dennis Liborio, Joe Niekro, Bill Virdon, Bill Wood, Fred Nelson, Dan O’Brien, Jr., Al Rosen, Bob Lillis, Dick Wagner, Tom Murrah, Hal Lanier, Art Howe, Drayton McLane, Bob Watson, Terry Collins, Pam Gardiner, Tom White, Gerry Hunsicker, David Lakey, Matt Galante, Jo Russell, Mike McCroskey, Bill Gilbert, Mike Vance, Bob Stevens, Mike Acosta, The Pecan Park Eagle, Sam Quintero, Bob Dorrill, Peggy Dorrill, Casey Candaele, Craig Reynolds, Nolan Ryan, Dickie Thon, Wayne Roberts, Judy Veno, Cesar Cedeno, John McMullen, Mike Scott, Billy Doran, Ken Caminiti, Craig Biggio, Glenn Davis, Billy Hatcher, Terry Puhl, Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman, Phil Holland, Betty Holland, Billy Spiers, Jose Lima, James Anderson, Moises Alou, Rick Bush, Bob Green, Billy Wagner, David Gottfried, Herb Whalley, Tony Eusebio, John McCurdy, Alan Ashby, Bill Brown, Greg Lucas, Julia Morales, Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum, Matt Rejmaniak, Milo Hamilton, Dave Raymond, Brett Dolan, Robert Ford, Steve Sparks, Francisco Romero, Alex Trevino, Richard Hidalgo, Jimy Williams, Shaun Bejani, Roy Oswalt, Jeff Kent, Fred Arnold, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brad Lidge, Brad Ausmus, Carlos Lee, Tim Bogar, Adam Everett, Chris Burke, Tim Purpura, Ed Wade, Phil Garner, Neil Miggins, Jimmy Disch, Cecil Cooper, Hunter Pence, Jason Castro, John Watkins, Bobby Heck, Dave Clark, Ricky Bennett, Bill Hale, Jo Hale, Brad Mills, Tony DeFrancesco, Bo Porter, Quinton McCracken, Mike Elias, Tom Lawless, Allen Rowin, Ken Kern, Jim Crane, Reid Ryan, Jeff Luhnow, A.J. Hinch, Brian McCann, Yuli Gurriel, Tom Kennedy, Gary Trujillo, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Norichika Aoki, George Springer, Josh Reddick, Carlos Beltran, Marwin Gonzalez, Evan Gattis, Jim DeShaies, Jake Marisnick, Derek Fisher, J.D. Davis, Tyler White, Cameron Maybin, Juan Centeno, Tony Kemp, Max Stassi, Colin Moran, A.J. Read, Teoscar Hernandez, Kevin Bass, Mike Mulvihill, Brad Peacock, Joe Musgrove, Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Charlie Morton, Bob Copus, Collin McHugh, Mike Fiers, Chris Devenski, Tony Sipp, James Hoyt, Michael Feliz, Justin Verlander, Maxwell Kates, Reymin Guduan, Ken Giles, Allyson Footer, Tyler Clippard, Jordan Jankowski, Arthur Tolliver, Will Harris, Jandel Gustav, Francisco Liriano, Luke Gregerson, Frances Martes, David Paulino, Dayan Diaz, Alex Cora, Dave Hudgens, Tony Cavender, Brent Strom, Steve Bertone, Gary Pettis, Jeff Albert, Javier Bracamonte, Alex Cintron, David Skelton, Jose Espada, Doug White, Casey McCurdy, Joe Thompson, Tom Hunter, Jeff Share, Chris Chestnut, Roy Bonario, Jim Kreuz, and Carlos Munoz.

Thank you all for everything that made up your mainly separate, but overlapping contributions of ideas, progress, wisdom and action it would took for Mr. Jim Crane and the 2017 Houston Astros to not only reach, but win – the most exciting seven-game episode in World Series history. It was a heavyweight fight between two teams that never gave up. And it never ended until one club, the Dodgers, couldn’t get up from one more scoring blow from the Astros. This time the damage was early and stunning. As a result, the very hungry tiger in the house, the Houston Astros, finished the job they came to do, never yielding to the fear of another mentally-scripted failure for Houston in the most important sports challenge any club from our city shall ever face.

All the Astros had to do was knock off the three richest, most media idolized clubs in America – and in succession. And in succession they each fell, but always on the field of most resistant blood and sweat combat we’ve ever seen our Astros face on a baseball diamond – to that .

The Boston Red Sox fell in four, but there was never any cruise control aspect to the Astros’ 3-1 victory in games over the course of that ALDS opening win over the legendary team and its Green Monster. Our guys had to shock and awe the bejabbers out of the Sox before they finally got it that our “No Sale” sign literally meant – “and he’s not stopping us either!”

The ALCS turned out to be the best “World Series Imagination” we shall ever get to own about facing the dynastic New York Yankees for all the baseball marbles now that the Astros and Bombers are both members of the American League, making the World Series itself an impossible season’s final ending – and it turned out to be another storybook 7-game thriller in which the home team won every time. Good thing we got to see a clear demonstration how the “home field advantage” works when you really need it plugged in. The Astros hosted first and left Houston with a 2-0 games lead over the Yankees. We came back down 2-3, but were again able to take two more home win thrillers to clinch the AL pennant and move on to the World Series – where a confident NL champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers, awaited us.

Surprise! Dramatic Houston rallies in Game 2 in LA and Game 5 in Houston had to be the greatest parlay of exciting baseball melodrama that ever has been written into the records until 2017. We would need two more in LA to finish the job, so that Game 5 Astros rally win quickly proved essential.

And now, with three weeks and a day past the Game 7 knockout win, we Astros Nation folks breathe easy – and simply enjoy – exactly how this script worked itself out.

We know we have a champion in Houston that can hit and win. Better still. We know our Astros can also take a few hits and still get up. And then hit harder til the other team can no longer rise.

We knew we couldn’t thank everyone with a list of names. The most glaring omissions are the names of all the training staff people who have done such a great job of keeping the Astros healthy over the years. We also want to anonymously thank all the travel arrangements people who arrange for the club’s flights, hotels, and equipment availability around the big league travel circuit. We know that Dennis Liborio recently retired from years on the job as the equipment manager.

We’ve often wondered. – Are MLB club travel arrangements jobs also filled with people who think flying anywhere for Thanksgiving is really going to be a lot of fun?

Last, but not least, thank you again, Mssrs. Jim Crane, Jeff Luhnow, A.J. Hinch and all the 2017 Houston Astros for bringing us to a place in the company of World Series Champions that we shall cherish forever.

It’s an eternity thing. And things don’t get any sweeter than that!

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Don’t forget to add your own specific names you want thanked for this beautiful Astros championship year as a comment below on this column.

Our best Pecan Park Eagle wishes to you too for a peaceful and loving day with your own family and friends too!

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