The family is traveling to Orlando to take a cruise. The cruise ends the morning of Feb 21 (Friday). I'm an Astros fan since 1985 and I have never been to spring training. Always wanted to, but just too difficult for me to do. My son also loves baseball, playing for 10 years now since he was 4yo. We have to fly back on Feb 23 (Sunday). Kids go back to school, us parents back to work.

So we were pondering, after the cruise, should we make the 2.5 hour drive south to West Palm Beach so we can catch the first game of spring training on Saturday? Then early Sunday, we have to start our trek back home.

We priced it out and it's going to cost us around an extra 1K to our vacation. Is it worth it? If we arrive on Friday around noon, then head back early Sunday... how much can we actually experience? If we're just going to watch a AA/AAA practice game, we can easily do that at a Space Cowboys game.

Yay or nay?

One of the NBA's greats at the Knicks v Sixers game. Looking good, AI!

I had some time to kill so I finally got around to streaming the 2021 30 for 30 on the 86 Mets. I’m too young to remember the famous NLCS but grew up hearing about it as a kid in the 90s. I never got around to reading Jeff Pearlman’s book, but this definitely whetted my appetite. I definitely recommend it, it works in the same way the Nolan Netflix documentary really brought home what a gut punch the 1980 NLCS loss to Philadelphia was. Some other Astros-centric thoughts:

-I literally love Charlie Kerfeld’s smack talking energy, he got under the skin of the Mets and you can tell it bothers them to this day. Absolutely would wear a Kerfeld tequila sunrise jersey. Looked at his BRef page, what a Rafael Montero 2022 season he had in 1986. Overall, I wish they had actually talked to some 86 Astros for the documentary.

-This partly explains why those Astrodome crowds from my childhood were so anti-Darryl Strawberry. That and uh other stuff.

-Mike Scott was an absolute menace. I had always heard the Mets were terrified of facing him in a potential Game 7 and they definitely were. I understand why the older generation of Astros fans held him in such reverence. Hot take: for a franchise that by its own admission probably has too many retired numbers, Scott’s is probably the most obvious reach. It’s strange to have his number retired and not Oswalt’s.

-Respect to Billy Hatcher for one of the most clutch hits in team history that would be talked about forever if the game had gone differently, but instead is consigned to the dustbin of our collective memory. A prototypical José Vizcaíno.

-If I had actually experienced this series as a fan it would have scarred me worse than the 2023 ALCS.

Use this thread for any miscellaneous conversation threads, Astros-related or otherwise, that aren't worthy of a standalone post. These will be posted weekly on Mondays until Spring Training starts.

Suggested conversation topics:

• Is putting Ryan Pressly on the trading block likely to attract many suitors? Is it a good move?

• Is LA the only realistic destination for Roki Sasaki?

• Is Christmas actually getting earlier each year, or am I just getting older and more crotchety?

Any stock in Bregman being at the Commanders game today? I have heard Washington as a strong suitor for his services

I know Ryan Pressly's on the trading block and he wasn't great this year but what are your favourite Astros moments with Pres?

Astros on here https://bvmsports.com/2024/11/08/nolan-arenado-being-shopped-5-possible-landing-spots/

It’s branded as legit and people in the comments seem to think they’re interacting with the real Roy Oswalt but everything about it just seems like a fake account.

AI? Manager run account trying to drum up impressions? Neither and I’m reading in to it too much?