Astros Home Opener

by poohrat on Apr 11, 2008 12:56 AM EDT

I just wanted to drop a line and give a little heads up on the Astros season opener. First it was an increadable game even though the Cards came up short. I guess there is something about the Cards ripping an Astros closer but all in all well pitched on both sides and late inning fireworks and a walk off homer. Everything as a fan you want in a game right? Well, unless you were actually there as a Cardinal fan. I have been to Cardinal games in a number of stadiums around the league both AL and NL when attending these games I expect a certain level of good natured ribbing even a little grief. I have been attending Astros/Cardinal games in Houston for the last five years but this was a little different.

I started off the pregame at a bar across the street from the stadium in Cardinal red and the obligitory STL hat. I was at once met with a chorus of boos, too be expected. I then settled in with a couple of AB products and met up with some friends and exchanged some banter with Astros fans, again no big deal. Once I entered the stadium though it was a different story. Inside it went from boos to groups of people yelling Cardinals suck at everyone wearing Redbird gear. This include kids, women and older people. I swear I've been to less hostile envirnments in Philly and Chicago.

The 'Stros fans seem to believe that we have a rivalry. As the evening wore on the fans got more ridiculous in thier jearing and relentless chants of Cardinals suck. After roughly of two hours of listening to a bunch of idiots I just reminded them of the number of WS titles. But the one that got them was "The Cubs are our rival, your just another whistle stop in the season." That seemed to shut them up for a while. All in all the worst fan exerience I've had in Houston or any other city for that matter. Maybe I'm just bitching alittle much about it but man it really got to me. The Astros fans are going off the deep end. It's too bad because it went from a somewhat knowledgable baseball town with hospitable fans to bunch of drunken idiots that lash out at the Cardinal fanbase because thier team can't get it done on the field. Yankee, BoSox, Philly and Chicago fans I expect to act like a bunch of a**holes I guess now I need to expect it out of Astro fans.

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I know a few Astros fans

They're good people who know their baseball. I've heard of decent Mets fans (oxymoron? kidding, kidding) coming to Busch and getting ripped into... Unfortunately, idiots are everywhere, even among us. We just rarely hear them since we're cheering for a common goal.

Sorry to hear about your experience. You've got to imagine how frustrating it is to make huge trades and have a projected team of scrubs in the division lead, though, from an outsider's perspective. That's gotta sting a bit since those deals Houston made were make-or-break type sell-the-farm trades. Not justifying their jeers since I try to be as polite as possible to out of towners (we have a reputation to uphold), just trying to put it in perspective.

Rasmus or bust.

by Zoop on Apr 11, 2008 3:50 AM EDT 0 recs

That is unfortunate.

I have been to Tigers/Cardinals games the last two years and had a similar experience once. I just use it as a reminder to treat other teams' fans courteously when I am at Busch. Even though I live in Michigan, Busch is my home stadium and other fans are our guests and should be treated as such. Good-natured teasing is alright, but that is as far as it should go.

by cardsgirl95 on Apr 11, 2008 9:33 AM EDT 0 recs

Detroit

I went to the '06 interleague series in detroit as well as a series at wrigley. In chicago, I got occassional mild ribbing, but in detroit, it was absurd. people were throwing objects and shouting obscenities. at least there wasn't a pacers/pistons situation, though it wouldn't have surprised me.

by spencegrif on Apr 11, 2008 11:44 AM EDT up 0 recs

That is when we went

('06 Interleague) and we got the obscenities tirade as well. We went again for Interleague in '07 and I thought it might be worse (you know, considering the outcome of the '06 WS), but I paid for better seats (that means further from the bleachers) and it was much better.

by cardsgirl95 on Apr 11, 2008 2:36 PM EDT up 0 recs

Fair Weather

Living in Houston myself for the last 3+ years now, I too have been subject to the same treatment you received. I've found that It typically only occurs on special dates when all the douchebags come to the game, ie. opening days, playoffs, late season when the standings are tight near the top, etc. For the most part, Astro fans provide good natured ribbing but nothing terrible.

Houston fans are VERY fair weather as well. The second game of the series that week, the attendance was down over 13K... and I think that was stretching it... the place was barely half full. So on special dates, the place gets packed with morons instead of the true baseball fans who are there most of the time and don't treat visiting fans foolishly.

By far, without question, the worst I've ever gotten it was at Wrigley Field. That experience is off the charts for me. So much so that I had to basically shove my fists deep in my pockets to prevent swinging at every Cubs idiot waving his finger in my face. Two good things came out of it though:
1. I had the chance to see what a sh*thole Wrigley Field is and will never go back.
2. I have the design of a toilet that will one day be in a future home of mine. Painted as a compete replica of Wrigley Field. All my "big" jobs will be done in that bathroom.

As far as Houston fans go, they want to be our rival so bad .... so so bad..... They just don't understand that their perceived rivalry with us will never be in the same Galaxy as the sChlUBS. And that bothers them.

by Cards67 on Apr 11, 2008 9:45 AM EDT 0 recs

They don't get the difference

...between two teams who have been going at it for ten years in competitive sense and between two regions of fans. The STL/Chicago rivalry is as old as the two cities, and the rivalry has been going on as long as there have been teams in Chicago and St. Louis. 10 years of good competition isn't about to change that, and this is a fact that truly grates their gills.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on Apr 11, 2008 10:33 AM EDT up 0 recs

Strongly disagree

While our rivalry may not be generational, I think it's damned uncivil to pretend as though there is no rivalry at all between the two ballclubs. The last decade of jousting between the Cards and Astros has DEFINED the NL Central. I want to beat the Astros very nearly as badly as I want to beat the Cubs, and the 2005 series (minus Game 5) was a gut punch to me.

"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz

by taiko on Apr 11, 2008 2:48 PM EDT up 0 recs

You must have misunderstood

I'm not saying that the rivalry between the Astros and Cardinals is insignificant. That is something I never said and will never say, b/c it isn't true. My issue is that the 'Stros fans seem to think that they're the BOB's hated adversary, and vice versa. It's not insignificant at all, just different.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on Apr 11, 2008 10:36 PM EDT up 0 recs

Most of them are truly fair weather fans

I've been here since 1988 and it's true in every sport. You've seen it w/ the Rockets this year. Last year I went to a couple of games at Minute Maid and they were pretty subdued -- a terrible team does that to them. When they were good, every jackass jumps on the bandwagon and they pretend to be better than they really are. I've taken some heat at the ballpark during the Astros best years but could do pretty much anything I want in the bad years.

The other thing is that Houston, and Texas, are both football country. If the Texans are better this year and the Astros continue losing, you'll be able to sit anywhere you want out at Minute Maid in August or September. The Astros are now, and forever will be, second-fiddle to football -- either college or NFL and could be third if the Rockets are able to make a deep playoff run this summer. Houston fans will jump on the bandwagon of whatever team's doing best.

by chuckb on Apr 12, 2008 12:06 PM EDT up 0 recs

I've lived in Houston for the past few years

and I've gone to nearly every Cardinals/Astros game since I moved here in 2005. There's been a few occasions where I've had bad experiences. But overall, I've had good experiences.

On the worst occasion, I was pelted with peanuts from behind in the later innings and was forced to get an attendant just to keep watch. Usually I'll be near friendly fans that may rib you a bit. Some are knowledgeable, some aren't. Most of the fans here are more into football, so they don't get too wound up when it comes to baseball. Other than the peanut situation, I've always had a good time.

I missed the home opener, but went to the other 2 games and had a good time.

I think it's unfair to say there isn't a rivalry between the two teams. But it's nothing compared to the Cubs rivalry.

by outraged on Apr 11, 2008 10:01 AM EDT 0 recs

Good point

I agree, there is a rivalry... I guess it just appears so microscopic when compared to the Cubs that it is sometimes hard to see.

by Cards67 on Apr 11, 2008 10:06 AM EDT 0 recs

Funny thing is this...

I went to games at both Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park last summer and basically got chatted up by the entire section around me about Cardinal Nation. Not a single asshole in either section. I was surprised, as I expected once my Cardinal fanhood came out I would be ribbed mercilessly, but that wasn't the case. One Boston fan even told me that his experience at Game 3 of the 04 Series was one of the best experiences of his life, not just b/c they won but b/c of the Cardinals fans and the way St. Louis treats the team.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on Apr 11, 2008 10:31 AM EDT 0 recs