European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 30, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday May 30, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary Houston waving Bye Bye to baseball whenever rumours Fly franchise shift shiver nimble through the Community known As Kins. Feeling betrayed resented and rejected runs begin in speak out recalling the Days when they supported a learn m its infancy the Days when the learn did l deserve their support. Fans let s not forget the term is the shortened form of fanatics begin to paint Iho ownership As robber Barons. Comparing the owners to those greedy Winner Lake All types of the 1880s, fans begin a Campaign comparing themselves to the Tittle Guy is. The big Guy the weak is. The powerful. Preying on sympathy the fans mount a Campaign to keep the Leam glued to the City. .-.,. The fans Case rests More often than not on fiction. Fans team should stay put became Well that s the Way it has always been. Fiction knows no Bounds always been the braves began in Boston moved to Milwaukee and later to Atlanta. The dodgers 801 their name from Brooklyn nol Lea Angeles. The Brewers were once known As he Seattle pilots. The giants once claimed the big Apple As their Home. The Ballimore franchise is the same one that once made a mockery of the game by playing under the title of Brawns. The discussion Here focuses on baseball. The reason Houston s astros Are talking about leaving the Texas City for the nation s capital. At first glance the proposal smacks of politics h seem every two years or so Washington makes a Low key Pilch for another Crick at a major league fran Chise. Never mind the tact thai it twice fielded teams called senators in the american league and failed miserably. Ironically in last Batch of senators changed heir name to rangers and took residence in Texas Between Dallas and fort Worth. Outside of politics Washington has Little o offer. Frk stadium is no showpiece. The City s pulse Dea Dens measurably during the height of the Blueball sea son once Congress goes Inlo recess. Its history of base Ball Success is Small enough to fit on a postage stamp. Still a shift from Houston to Washington makes sense. It makes sense because Houston s citizens have Given up on the astros. Playing in the National league West the astros climbed into first place Early in the season and have hovered around the lop rung since. Nivea the weakness of the six learns that comprise the division the astros should have no problem contending. A mid May the no East leading new York Mew arrived in Houston for a two game series. Now when two first place teams do Battle you expect the size of the crowd to reflect the status of the teams involved. Unless you re talking about astros fans. With unbeaten Bob Ojeda facing astros Ace Bob Knepper in the opener the astros managed to entice 11,626 fans to the game in the air conditioned Astro dome. They saw heir heroes Roll to a �-2 Victory handing Ojeda his first loss after five straight victories the following night strikeout King Nolan Rya ii was featured against another undefeated Mel hurler Ron Darling. Astros fans either knew that Ryan was going to have an off night or they did l care. The acts turned the score around that thursday but not Loo Many noticed. Only 13,856 fans looked on. Some might argue that frustration has overwhelmed the Houston faithful now in their 25lh year of major league Competition the astros have never been to the world series. They fell to the Phillies in the 1980 no playoffs and to the dodgers a year later in the strike shortened season. Still other cities have endured worse Yel came out in droves when their teams showed signs of life. Toronto rallied behind the Blye jays last year in
