Sports
October 20, 2023
Are Swangin and Bangin Allowed at Minute Maid Park? An Investigation
Before game two of the ALCS, a Houston Astros fan was told his shirt, which referenced the team’s cheating scandal, was unwelcome at the ballpark.
Astros
Sports
October 13, 2023
An All-Texas MLB Playoff Series 50 Years in the Making
Much like indoor baseball in Houston or an MLB team in Arlington, a Houston Astros–Texas Rangers ALCS was once a dream and is now a reality.
Sports
October 11, 2023
Let the Texas Rangers’ Creed-Inspired Playoff Run Take You Higher
After blowing the AL West division lead on the last day of the regular season, the suddenly white-hot Rangers swept their way into the ALCS.
Sports
October 2, 2023
What Has More Lives: The Houston Astros or a Cat?
While the Astros found a way to steal the AL West regular-season crown, the Texas Rangers are falling apart at the worst possible time.
Sports
September 7, 2023
The Houston Astros Still Run Texas Baseball
After a dominant three-game sweep of AL West rival the Texas Rangers, the Astros are gaining momentum for another MLB playoff run.
Sports
July 7, 2023
Where Do the Astros Keep Finding These Unsung Heroes?
The injury-depleted Astros should be having a nightmare season. But surprise performances from little-known players have kept Houston winning.
Sports
April 26, 2023
Can the Houston Astros Stretch Their Dynasty for One More Year?
No matter how many star free agents the Houston Astros lose in the offseason, the reigning World Series champs keep winning.
Sports
December 9, 2022
Can the Free-Spending Texas Rangers Close the Gap With the Astros?
In the past week, the Rangers have added an ace pitcher and the Astros have lost one. Can Arlington’s MLB team pay its way to competitiveness?
Sports
November 7, 2022
The Astros Beat the Team That Put Up a Statue of His Dad—and He Loves It
Reflecting on the World Series with Astros announcer Todd Kalas, whose father, Harry Kalas, called Phillies games for almost forty years.
Sports
November 7, 2022
My Life With the Astros
A fan from day one muses on sixty years of joy and heartbreak—and whether winning brings redemption.
Sports
October 31, 2022
Meet the Astros Fans Willing to Spend $80,000 on Custom Baseball Caps
Thanks to a memorabilia boom and another Astros World Series trip, Houston has become a hotbed for rare hat collectors.
Sports
October 7, 2022
The 2022 Houston Astros Have Been a Homegrown Masterpiece
Another 100-win season in the books, a chance to return to the World Series for the fourth time in six years—this franchise is special.
Texas Country Reporter
September 14, 2022
This Houston Nun Waited Decades to Root for Her Home Team
In 2007, Texas Country Reporter met Sister Damian, the Houston Astros’ most patient and faithful baseball fan.
Sports
August 30, 2022
The Night the Astrodome Got Rained Out
As rains fall across Texas, remember the 1976 Houston deluge that improbably shut down an Astros game at the famed “weather-proof” Astrodome.
Sports
June 22, 2022
This Nolan Ryan Documentary Is a Love Story (and a Home Run)
'Facing Nolan' has all the high heat and bench-clearing brawls that MLB fans expect. But deep down, the film is about a beautiful marriage.
Sports
January 26, 2022
Roger Clemens Deserves Better
Baseball Hall of Fame voters kept the former Astros pitcher out of Cooperstown. But there’s more to Clemens’s “character” than his alleged steroid use.
Sports
December 22, 2021
Will the Astros Be Able to Re-sign Carlos Correa After the MLB Lockout?
How a flurry of free-agent signings before baseball’s work stoppage could help Houston retain its All-Star shortstop.
Sports
November 3, 2021
After World Series Loss, Houston Faces the Possible End of an Era
Five straight winning seasons, three trips to the World Series, one title—but can the Astros keep it up if Carlos Correa leaves town?
Sports
October 27, 2021
How Mattress Mack Pays For His Sports-Related Mega Giveaways
If the Astros win the World Series, buyers win free mattresses—and Mattress Mack cashes the biggest winning ticket in sports-betting history.
Sports
September 22, 2021
Dusty Baker Gave the Astros Some Dignity. Now Can They Re-sign Him?
The veteran manager has Houston poised for another MLB playoff run, but the team appears lukewarm on retaining him after this season.
Sports
July 15, 2021
Boo ’Em All You Want: These Astros Keep Winning
The sign-stealing scandal won’t stop hounding Houston, and the 55–36 Astros are responding with the only thing they can control: their play.
Sports
June 8, 2021
New Book Shows Astros Kept Cheating After 2018
In ‘Cheated,’ Andy Martino reports that Houston’s sign-stealing scheme continued through the 2019 MLB playoffs.
Sports
April 12, 2021
Hey, Astros: Get Ready for a Full Season of Raining Trash Cans and “Houston Asterisks” Signs
From tossing trash cans to renaming the Astros the “Houston Asterisks,” baseball fans won’t let Houston forget the 2017 cheating scandal.
Sports
January 21, 2021
Nobody Mattered to the Houston Astros Quite Like George Springer Did
The All-Star outfielder is headed to Toronto, and however the team tries to replace his production on the field, they won’t be able to replace Springer’s presence.
Sports
November 2, 2020
The Houston Roots of the Mastermind Behind the L.A. Dodgers’ World Series Win
Family, high-school coaches, and former teammates recall the autograph-hunting, base-stealing baseball youth of Andrew Friedman.
Sports
February 14, 2020
Everything Feels Rigged These Days, and the Astros Aren’t Helping
A former McKinney North pitcher’s lawsuit alleges that the sign-stealing scandal ended his career.
Sports
January 13, 2020
Very Well, I Shall Manage the Houston Astros
A modest proposal for new leadership.
Politics & Policy
December 18, 2019
The 2020 Bum Steer Awards
Beto O'Rourke, Dennis Bonnen, and the Houston Astros make our annual dishonor roll, along with assorted lesser-known idiots and evildoers.
Bum Steers
December 16, 2019
2020 Bum Steer Awards: The Houston Astros
An open letter to a team that made us all proud—and then started whiffing.
Sports
December 16, 2019
The Moments That Defined Texas Sports in 2019
This year saw no shortage of impactful sports news, from Dirk Nowitzki’s retirement to Art Briles's return.
Film & TV
November 4, 2019
‘Ford v Ferrari’ Is the Imperfect Racing Movie for Our Times
Watching Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles take on their bosses feels prescient.
Sports
October 31, 2019
After Losing the World Series, What’s Next for the Houston Astros?
In the wake of the organization's missteps, it must reckon with its culture this offseason.
Sports
October 29, 2019
The Houston Astros and the Limits of Trusting the Process
It’s the players, not the front office, who are giving fans something to cheer for this World Series.
Sports
October 23, 2019
The Highs and Lows of Cheering the Astros From Standing-Room in the World Series
The communal feeling among the fans who forgo seats at Minute Maid Park makes for a singular experience.
Sports
October 23, 2019
Why Is Astros Management Making It So Hard to Root for the Team Right Now?
After assistant GM Brandon Taubman’s weird behavior following the Houston team's Saturday win, their authorities made things worse.
Sports
October 21, 2019
Let’s All Embrace the Fact That José Altuve Is the Greatest Astro of All Time
The MVP of MVPs is still adding to his legendary status.
Sports
October 3, 2019
Will Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole Carry the Astros to the World Series?
As Houston begins its playoff run, let’s pause and appreciate the Cy Young contenders who powered this season’s best team in baseball.
Sports
September 10, 2019
Can the 2019 Houston Astros Break the 1,000 Run Barrier?
They’ve got an outside shot at beating the record—and if their bats stay as hot as they’ve been, they could be World Series contenders.
Sports
April 17, 2019
So, Did Astros Pitcher Collin McHugh Take the Red Pill or the Blue Pill?
His ’Matrix’-like line-drive dodge seemed to defy the laws of physics.
Sports
February 27, 2019
The Houston Astros are the Best Bet in Major League Baseball
But what are the odds that they'll make noise come October?
Sports
July 27, 2018
‘Astroball’ Shows Us How the Astros Won It All—and How They Might Do It Again
Ben Reiter’s new book offers a comprehensive account of how the Astros became the next American baseball dynasty.
Sports
May 29, 2018
The Astros Are on Pace for the Best Run Differential Since World War II
If they keep this up, it’ll be an historic season.
Best Thing in Texas
May 17, 2018
The Best Thing In Texas: Houston Sports Teams Sure Do Love Each Other
It’s hard not to like these guys.
Books
May 1, 2018
In ‘Hurricane Season,’ Joe Holley Tells the Unlikely Story of the Astros as World Series Champs
The new book tells the story of how a team and a city came together in victory after Hurricane Harvey.
Sports
April 16, 2018
An Ode to Bartolo Colón and the Imperfect Game
Rangers pitcher Bartolo Colon pitched seven perfect innings against the Astros Sunday night. But it's OK that he came up short.
Sports
April 10, 2018
A Domecoming to Remember
Thousands of Houstonians turned out to get a last look at the Astrodome before its renovation.
Sports
March 29, 2018
The Astros Are Back and Better Than Ever
Houston Astros fans offer their outlook on the team’s first season as the defending world champions.
Sports
January 7, 2018
The Dallas Mavericks Now Play in China as the “Lone Ranger Heroes”
”Mavericks” is tough to translate. So is ”Dynamos.” But we imagined ways that we could rename Texas teams in a universal way.
Sports
November 15, 2017
What Carlos Beltrán Means to Houstonians
The Astro transformed from a young talent to the team's elder statesman.
Sports
October 31, 2017
Meet the Guy Driving the Astros Train During the World Series
Bobby Vasquez talks about the best job in the world and a very lucky pair of overalls.