I don't really have much to say. Win or lose, I was wrong to doubt my team. But hey, the fact that I doubted my team proves that I'm a true Houstonian. I don't know. All I'm saying is that it's not easy being a Houston sports fan in light of all the horrendous crap Houston sports fans have had to put up with. I'll make a short list at the bottom of this post.

But for now, I just want to say that I'm really glad the Astros made the World Series. It's really fun seeing the city of Houston celebrate and come together. I have a feeling that win or lose, this Astros team will be one that the city talks about for years to come. It's this Astros team that has transformed the city of Houston in a Baseball City.

The Oilers are gone. The Rockets are great, and trust me, the city of Houston *loves* the Rockets. But I think the city of Houston has wanted the Astros in the World Series above all else.

I have so many memories of summer afternoons spent watching Astros baseball in the Astrodome. I have many memories of my dad getting my brother and I tickets, and him taking the day off of work to go watch a game with us. I remember times when there really wouldn't be much going on, and dad asking me if I wanted to ride down to the Astrodome on his Harley.

Part of what makes this win so special, is that I can easily imagine dad being totally ecstatic over this team. He'd be in one of those moods where the smile never left his face. Some of my earliest memories were of dad sitting out on the porch, listening to Astros games.

On another level, I have *always* liked it when a player who has been with a team his entire career gets a chance to play in the Championship game. When they could have gone to the Red Sox or Yankees, they chose to stay in Houstn and grind it out. So it's nice to see these players like Biggio and Bagwell get a chance to play for all the big prize. I also think that this WS appearance (and this is definitely true if they should win this whole thing) will help Biggio and Bagwell's chances of getting into the Hall of Fame.

Guess that's all for now. Goodbye Choke City. Good riddance.

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matt out