Astro losses...2nd year in a row and with 4 games left we are sure to set an all time record. The other day on the local cable broadcast of an Astro game they had zero viewers according to the cable survey. Today our Manager said he wasn't letting the team throw in the towel? Didn't that happen before the season started when the management decided that 21 million was going to be the payroll? But fear not we are using the Pittsburgh model to get back to the top.
I don't know where our prices are related to other teams. But they did go to a pricing model for seats where they charged more for "premium" games like Cubs, Sox, Yankee's, Rangers than for other games. Went over like a lead ballon. Right now we are sitting at #27 in attendance with about 1.5M, way down from the glory years when we were battling the Cardinals for the NLC and going to a World Series we were usually around 3 million fans. But we will get another #1 draft choice and our minor league is supposedly strong.
Wasn't 1962 the Mets' first year in MLB? I recall that they played in the Polo Grounds for at least the first 2-3 years until Shea Stadium was built. Being a brand new franchise is a far cry from being a long established franchise like Houston and - as Terry said - throwing in the towel on the season. If I was a Houston fan, I'd be pretty upset. Maybe the future is bright a la the Pirates long road back to be a competitor. Maybe not. Time will tell.
Sid, 1962 was the first year of the Mets and I was there in the Polo Grounds on a rainy, raw, April day when they played their first game in NY. They lost 119 games that season. But you don't have to be a new team to be awful. The 2003 Tigers lost 117 games and they had to win the last few games to avoid being the worst of all time.
Gip, I remember when the Tigers passed the Mets in losses. It was big news. I forget who was the worst of all time.
Sid it was sold as we are going to have to burn it down before we can build it back. The few vets the team had are all gone now, traded for younger players/draft picks. Minor League system is being rebuilt or is rebuilt depending on who you listen to around here. We'll see, it was heady times back in the hey dey of Biggio, Bagwell and Berkman to go with Roy O, Lights out Lidge, and Rajah and Andy. I didn't think they'd ever end.
Make that offical, a new record folks, 108 losses, and a couple of games left to play....Yankees are in town to finish us off! :shock: They do however expect local Yankee fans to pack the stadium this weekend to boost attendence. I read where the Astros have over 1500 strikeouts as a team, they said that they are close to a record. Not sure if that's a MLB record or an Astros record though. 62-110 has a nice round sound to it. Go Astros!