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Lone Star League Reception
Announcing the 2008 TBHOF Inductees
Texas Baseball Hall of Fame is excited to invite you to be a part of our inaugural Lone Star League reception on Wednesday, June 25th at Minute Maid Park! The cocktail reception will be held in the Baseball Bar on the Club Level from 5:00pm to 6:00pm, prior to the
Astros-Rangers game. Full
Story
Off-Season's Greetings
!!!
From the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame
On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and staff of the Texas
Baseball Hall of Fame, we wish all of our visitors and supporters a
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and best wishes for the New Year!
~ TBHOF
Staff ~
Happy Thanksgiving from
the TBHOF!
As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take a look back over the last year or so and share a few of the reasons we at the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame have to be thankful.
To all of our friends and family, we wish you a very Happy
Thanksgiving! With your help, the next stage for the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame will be right around the corner.
Full
Story
The 2007 Induction
Banquet Light Burns Bright With Strong Baseball Linkages!
The 30th annual Texas Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, the fourth in our new Houston history, unfolded beautifully on Friday night, Nov. 9th, as a perfect exposition of our game’s curious, but always present linkages. A high-energy crowd of about 300 fans and supporters were present at the
J. W. Marriott near the Galleria in Houston as the weave of connections
unfolded. Full
Story
All
Aboard for the 2007
Induction Banquet
The 2007 Texas Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Banquet is just around the corner, and we want you to be a part of this amazing night. We will be featuring an incredible lineup of hall of fame inductees, including Austin native & star outfielder/DH/manager
Don Baylor; Astros star outfielder Cesar Cedeno; Astros star infielder/manager
Phil Garner; Rangers star outfielder Juan Gonzalez; pioneer sports journalist Anita Martini (deceased); and Negro League star shortstop
Willie Wells (deceased). Astros Vice President of Community Development,
Marian Harper, will receive the 4th annual Toy Cannon Award.
Full
Story
TBHOF
Announces 2007 Induction Class
The Texas Baseball Hall of Fame is proud to announce our class of
inductees for 2007. This year we will be honoring MLB stars Don
Baylor, Cesar Cedeno, Phil Garner, and Juan
Gonzalez; pioneer sports journalist Anita
Martini; and Negro League star Willie Wells. In addition,
the Jimmy Wynn "Toy Cannon" Award for community service
will be presented to Astros Vice President of Community Development,
Marian Harper. Full
Story
Frank
Mancuso (1918–2007)
By Bill McCurdy
Saturday, August 4,
2007 — Former Houston Buff, St. Louis Brown, and Washington Senator Frank Mancuso died today at the age of 89 in a Pasadena Rehabilitation Center for stroke victims. Frank had been recovering poorly for about a month as a result of a recent coronary and stroke. The baseball community, and especially the people that he represented from the East End during his 30 years on the Houston City Council, shall miss him greatly.
Full
Story
Off-Season's Greetings
!!!
From the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame
On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and staff of the Texas
Baseball Hall of Fame, we wish all of our visitors and supporters a
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and best wishes for the New Year!
~ TBHOF
Staff ~
2006 Banquet Paves
an Overdue Road into Texas Baseball History
By Bill McCurdy
On Friday night, Nov. 10, 2006, the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame’s 29th Annual Induction Banquet proved itself again to be far more than just another once-a-year baseball dinner. Loaded to the bear with a double theme of honor for the Houston Colt .45s (on the 45th anniversary of their creation as the first
Major League team in Texas) and “Texas Women in Baseball,” the evening’s celebration seemed destined for extra innings from the start.
Full
Story
We
All Will Miss
Joseph Franklin Niekro
By James Anderson
When the word came down that former Astros pitcher Joe Niekro had passed away from a brain aneurysm at the age of 61, the first feeling that hit me was shock, followed by sorrow. As I've had time to collect my thoughts and think about what Joe Niekro meant to the fans of Houston, I was touched by a strange feeling that we fans didn't seem to really appreciate what Joe accomplished for the Houston Astros franchise after he was acquired from the Atlanta Braves on April 6, 1975.
Full
Story
Bluebonnet
Belles: A Special Exhibit Honoring Women in Baseball — Featuring
the Ladies of the AAGPBL
The Texas Baseball Hall of Fame along with Cranks Rooters &
Fans, the AAGPBL, and the Northern Indiana Center for History invite you to journey back to a time when a woman’s place was at home... at first, at second, and at third!
This is your ticket to the Bluebonnet Belles
exhibit, which begins September 28 and
continues through November 26. Full
Story
"45"
Grand Opening on Sat., August 5th a Smashing Success
By Bill McCurdy
If “a good time was had by all” still flies as an appropriate
descriptor in 2006, the “45” exhibit’s Grand Opening on
Saturday, August 5th lived up to the spirit of that comfortable
old expression for an enjoyable house party. That’s how
seamlessly the 6:00pm. program on Houston Colt .45 history played
out last night. Full
Story
45:
Celebrating the 45th Anniver- sary of the Houston Colt .45s
(1962–2006)
The Texas Baseball Hall of Fame along with
Cranks Rooters & Fans are bringing back those first days of big league ball in the Bayou City, and we invite you to join in the fun!
Host: Cranks
Rooters & Fans 
26710 I-45 North
(281) 419-3363
Dates: July 20–September 10, 2006
Times: Monday–Friday ; Saturday; Sunday
Full Story
TBHOF Dedicates 2006 to the Celebration
of the Colt .45s and Texas Women in Baseball
Inductees: Colt
.45s/Astros star
Rusty Staub; Astros star Terry Puhl; AAGPBL stars Marie
Mahoney, Alva Jo Fischer, and Ruth Lessing; Astros
President
Pam Gardner; Colt .45s founders Roy Hofheinz, George Kirksey, and
R. E. "Bob" Smith.
Full Story
Gene
Elston Named Recipient of the 2006 Ford C. Frick Award
Courtesy of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
(COOPERSTOWN, NY): The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced today that
Gene Elston, whose baseball broadcasting career spanned 47 years,
primarily as a radio announcer for the Houston Astros franchise, has
been named the 2006 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented
annually for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.
Full Story
Aspromonte Joins TBHOF
Board
The Texas Baseball Hall of Fame is proud to announce that another former member of the original 1962 Houston Colt .45s has joined its Executive
Board of Directors. On Thursday, January 12, 2006, former fine-fielding 3rd baseman and clutch power hitter Bob Aspromonte was elected to the Board to replace the late Howard Green of Fort Worth who died last
October. Full Story
Off-Season's Greetings
!!!
From the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame
On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and staff of the Texas
Baseball Hall of Fame, we wish all of our visitors and supporters a
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and best wishes for the New Year!
~ TBHOF
Staff ~
A
Great Night for the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame!
The 28th Annual Induction Banquet of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame roared through the
J. W. Marriott near the Galleria in Houston on November 11th as a howling success. Convening for the 2nd straight year in its new Houston home base, the TBHOF hosted
nearly 500 members of the Texas baseball community to the treat of participating in a great evening of celebration and fun.
Full Story
Join
Us at the 2005 Induction Banquet
We are happy to invite you to the 2005 Texas Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, honoring baseball excellence throughout the state of
Texas.
Date: Friday, November 11, 2005
Time: 6:00 p.m. Reception, 7:00 p.m. Dinner (Business/Informal evening
attire)
Place: J.W. Marriott Houston, 5150 Westheimer (across from the Galleria).
Full Story
2005
TBHOF Inductees Announced
Bob Aspromonte, Satch Davidson, Rob Matwick, Joe Niekro, Ivan
Rodriguez, T. R. Sullivan, "Smoky" Joe Williams Comprise
2005 induction class of Texas Baseball Hall of Fame
Broadcaster Milo Hamilton to receive second annual Toy Cannon Award for his years of off the field contribution to various community charities. Full Story
Why Is a
TBHOF Museum Presence in Houston Important?
Although the answer may seem obvious, I’d like to talk with you for a few moments about why the Board of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame is giving high priority to the business of finding the best ways and means for establishing a museum in Houston—one which honors Texas baseball history in a first class way. Let’s simply begin with the most apparent needs, as defined by our organizational motto:
“Preserving History. Celebrating Excellence. Baseball Forever.”
Full Story
Mark
Your Calendar—2005 Banquet
After an amazingly successful 2004 induction banquet, the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame is happy to announce that our 2005 induction banquet will be at the J. W. Marriott for the second year in a row since our move to Houston.
Date: Friday, November 11, 2005
Time: 6:00 p.m. Reception, 7:00 p.m. Dinner
Place: J.W. Marriott Houston, 5150 Westheimer (across from the Galleria).
Full Story
Welcome to the New TBHOF Site!
It has taken a while to get here, but we are happy to welcome you to
the new Internet home of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame! We still
have a lot of content to add, so be sure to visit us often to see
what's new. Full Story
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It
Will Be a New Look Astros and a Winner, Too
By Greg Lucas (TBHOF '94)
It's time to put steroids, HGH and testosterone behind us…and I don’t mean where to inject it! No, its time to take a pre camp look at what the Houston Astros will put on the field in 2008.
Breaking down the club starts with the lineup. That is one area that has been built as the standard baseball blue print would call for. Speed at the top of the lineup. Strong hitting in the middle, and far less than automatic outs at the end.
Full
Story
Walter
Bond: A Ballplayer Who Was Big in Stature and Big of Heart
By James Anderson
The year was 1964; Colt .45s catcher Jerry Grote was sitting in the dugout at Colt Stadium watching the .45s taking batting practice. The newly acquired Walt Bond stepped in the batting cage to take his swings and laced several frozen ropes just a few feet above second base that carried over the 420 ft. sign in centerfield. Jerry just shook his head in amazement.
It so impressed Jerry Grote that the feat apparently made the circuit around the National League because years later Dodgers outfielder Dusty Baker shared the story with Walt's son Donald Bond.
Full
Story
A
Milkman From Brooklyn
By Cot Deal
There were a lot of interesting promotions in the days of the Colt
.45s... There were fireworks every night after the game. Before the game it might be an egg-throwing contest, or races, or a father and son game— or you name it, but Dairy Night was always popular in ballparks around the country, and Dairy Night always included a milking contest between two players.
Full
Story
3
Grand
By Gene Elston
I first became interested in those players who had reached the magic
number of 3,000 in 1958 when Stan Musial rang up his 3,000th as a
pinch hitter at Wrigley Field – I was calling the action in my
first season with Mutual’s Game of the Day and from that point on
it became one of my many projects of baseball research. Full
Story
Alyson Footer: Walking in the Footsteps of Anita Martini
By James Anderson
It wasn't that long ago when female sports beat-writers were looked upon by their male counterparts in the same light as the carriers of the Spanish Flu that devastated the lives of millions of Americans shortly after
WWI.
But it has become clear that someone finally made the local Houston sports scene who has built a unique reputation of her own that would make Anita proud and that person goes by the name of Alyson Footer.
Full
Story
Hot
and Colt
By Cot Deal
Houston obtained its National League franchise in 1961. The opening day of the 1962 season would be played in Houston. Interest was high. A "Name the Team" contest lured countless thousands of entrants. The stadium was sold out for the 1962 season opener before the new year arrived. The name selected was "Colt
45s." Full
Story
Goodbye, Buddy
Hancken,
We Love You!
By Bill McCurdy
When 92-year old Morris M. "Buddy" Hancken died on February 15, 2007, his loss fell hard upon a broad ground of baseball love. Two daughters, Candy and Kay, lost their father; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren surrendered their family patriarch; two sons-in-law lost their father figure; a sweet lady named Maurelle said goodbye to her best friend; the United States Marines and the Masons gave up one of their own; scores of friends literally and figuratively gave up their best buddy; and the game of baseball said goodbye to one of its greatest ambassadors and funniest storytellers.
Full
Story
Bob Bruce:
An Original Colt .45s
By James Anderson
It was finally over. It lasted 12 innings and took 2 hours and 50 minutes to complete. Jimmy Wynn bounced a single down the third base line off reliever Ron Perranoski that drove in Rusty Staub from second base with the winning run to give the Houston Colt .45s a
1–0 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Don Drysdale. As Staub crossed the plate, Colt .45s pitcher Bob Bruce ran out on the field to give Jim Wynn a big hug in obvious joy of Wynn finally sealing Bruce's 12-inning effort against LA.
Full
Story
"Hello
Win Column!"
By James Anderson
When Major League Baseball opens the 2007 regular season it will have been ten years since Texas Rangers broadcaster Mark Holtz was endearing fans with his warm friendly voice and his astute play-by-play. Doesn't seem that long ago.
Full
Story
Major
League Baseball is
Stronger Than Ever
By Greg Lucas
The 2006 World Series between the St Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers had the lowest television ratings ever. That means to some television analysts that fewer people care about baseball than ever before. That argument is flawed however. It only means fewer people watched the World Series than in past years. It says nothing about the interest in the game or even the number of eyeballs watching baseball during the season.
Full
Story
You
Can’t Hit the Ball with the Bat on Your Shoulder:
The Bobby Bragan Spirit
By Bill McCurdy
On Friday morning, February 24, 2006, I went
to our backyard patio with my cell phone to call Bobby Bragan in
Fort Worth for a scheduled interview about his life in baseball.
It was a special moment for me because of Bobby Bragan’s
unchangeable place in my personal baseball memory bank. You see,
58 years earlier, Bobby Bragan already had become the second name
I remembered best as an 11-year old kid following the Houston
Buffs of the AA Texas League closely for the second season in a
row.
Full Story
Hal
Woodeshick: The First Legitimate Closer in Houston Colt
.45s/Astros History
By James Anderson
Ask Hal Woodeshick about baseball and expect to be spending a fair amount of your day talking about the great game. Ask Hal about the state of pitching in the Major Leagues these days and the hair will stand up on the back of his neck as he ponders how to express his personal opinion on this particular topic without losing his temper.
Hal Woodeshick, who came to be recognized as the very first true "closer" in Houston Major League Baseball history, also became one of the top relievers in the league after teammate Rusty Staub taught Woodeshick how to throw a slider.
Full Story
A
Preview of the Season to Come
By Greg Lucas
During the 2006 Astro season one of the features
on our telecasts will dig deeper into the sport of baseball. We will
look at “inside baseball” as well as historical footnotes. Along
that line here are just some of the factoids that will likely make
the air with a Texas flavor.
Full Story
The Houston Pirates? C’mon! Who Are These Guys?
Take a close look at this photo. Has anyone ever heard of the 1909 Houston Pirates? If so, do you know anything about their history?
If you have an idea or theory about the photo, or would like to join us in the hunt for the truth, please get in touch through our website.
Full Story
Loyalty That Goes Beyond the Game
By James Anderson
In the broadcasting profession, it is not uncommon to find the different styles of broadcasting exceeded only by the inflated egos that also permeate the profession. So, it became all the more interesting when researching the relationships between three broadcasters whose paths crossed through the Houston Astros organization. Larry
Dierker, Dewayne Staats, and Gene Elston were the broadcasting team of the very first Houston Astros division winning team in 1980. In June of 2005, the team and the broadcasters reunited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that 1980 division winning team.
Full Story
A
Brief History of Baseball in Texas
By Bill McCurdy
The State of Texas is viewed nationally as a
football territory that only recently discovered the great game of
baseball with the coming of the major leagues to Houston in
1962. Nothing could be further from the historical truth. In spite
of football's current popularity in the state, there was an ancient
time in which baseball was king. Full Story
The
Moon and the World Series
By Dr. Frank Vandiver
Every Big League city has a special sort of pride. Impressive statistics can be paraded to show a city’s greatness—census figures, industrial potential, banking capital, educational facilities—but all these are assumed if the city is in the Majors. By definition, a city in the Majors is at the top of the heap, it’s the most. And this is still true, despite all kinds of stories about the so-called "decline" of the Great American
Sport.
Full Story
The
Greatest Game in Astros History
By Bill Brown
In the 44th year of the Houston Astros, the fans who made their way home from Game 5 of the NLDS between Atlanta and Houston would argue that they had just witnessed the greatest game in the history of the club. They also saw one of the best games in the history of postseason play.
Full Story
Diary
of a Wild Card Race
By Bill Brown
This is a diary of the last few weeks of the 2004 season. It produced one of the tightest finishes since the Wild Card was introduced into Major League Baseball in 1995...
With a 36-10 finish from August 15 on, the Astros became the first team since the 1951 New York Giants to compile such a winning percentage in the final portion of the season—a .783 figure. The end result was a one-game margin over San Francisco, with Chicago falling three lengths behind. Full Story
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