Houston Astros

Prior to October 1960 there was an attempt to form the "Continental" League in baseball. The Houston Colt .45's were awarded franchise in the newly formed ten-team National League at that time and joined in 1962. In 1965 their name was changed to the Houston Astros and they were the first team to ever play indoors (at the Houston Astrodome).

The 2006 World Series Winners the St. Louis Cardinals were the first team to play against the Astros in the 2007 season. However, the off-season was a difficult one for Houston, losing Jeff Bagwell, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. They did bring in Woody Williams, however the largest contract ever awarded in franchise history belonged to outfielder Carlos Lee who signed a six year contract with the Astros worth approximately 100,000,000 dollars.

The Houston Astros 2007 season went much like the last few seasons have gone for the Astros. Marked with record breaking feats, numerous trades, and the retirement of a legend, this season had a few moments of glory but was fraught with defeat. Although the Astros played a decent season, their playoff bid ended in September and they did not make it to the National League Championship series. They did not make the playoffs at all, as a matter of fact.

The legendary Craig Biggio, who set a franchise record for staying with the Astros for 20 years, retired in September 2007. Jeff Bagwell's number 5 (who retired in 2006 due to health issues and had been with the franchise for 15 years) was retired in 2007, and Biggio has the same honor to look forward to in the years to come. In July, Biggio added another notch in his already loaded cap and hit a grandslam, marking an end to a stellar career. The Astros did a lot of trading trying to find a roster that worked for them in 2007, and fans have a new lineup to talk about for the offseason.

If the Houston Astros plan to make a comeback for the 2008 season, they need to get a stable lineup together. The number of trades and hirings/firings included both the manager and general manager for the Astros, so expect the 2008 season to be an interesting one, at the least. Players and managers alike will need to acclimate themselves to both each other and to the Houston Astros in general. At the least, the upcoming season promises to be a good one, with lots of new talent and World Series hope on the horizon.