The Houston Astros and Hurricane Harvey

[TitoFan]

So the Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series last night with a Game 7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers (hooray... I don't like the NY Yankees, OR the LA Dodgers). It was a welcome bit of relief and happiness from the otherwise mass depression left by Harvey in Houston in late August. That got me thinking about when Katrina hit New Orleans, and the Saints almost immediately had a wonderful season and almost made the Super Bowl. Started looking around, and found an interesting article.

https://commissarisjr.wordpress.com/...ral-disasters/


Aside from the glaring error in the article (Katrina was in 2005, more than "a few months" before the Saints won the 2010 SB), there seem to be some examples of teams being lifted to great heights following a natural disaster in their areas. I know there's more examples, but can't think of any at the moment. I thought the Yankees may have won after 9/11, but looked it up and that wasn't the case. Good for Houston, though..... they deserved the win.

[Spicoli]

That was a rough series and was hoping Dodgers would pull it out. Cannot dislike Astros though and finally finding their championship. Teams regardless of sport very much have a centralizing affect on communities that suffer devastation or are just in a bad way in general. Everyone loves to gather around a organized franchise as what people lack post mother nature knocking the shat out of us is any feeling of organization. The day, time, routine, future is all up in the air and you are very much living in the now and present. After Katrina the huge thing with Saints was we all yearned and saw them as "normalcy". You just want to have that well known event-gathering and a few hours to feel back to normal or something close to it. Anything to focus on other than the day to day uncertainty. The thing is the team itself was scattered and it seemed the rare year when there was no distinction between high and mighty ball player and fans. The Saints had a horrible run then and were playing 'home' games in Tiger stadium or an opponents field and practicing anywhere they could find from High Schools in Houston to massive parks. But the wins and losses were secondary. Then came owner Tom Benson and officials in Texas making moves and talking about the Saints being moved permanently and New Orleans losing them. Now THAT was it's own organizing moment for the locals and fans. Benson had to walk around with security ffs and it took NFL commissioner to hold talks and basically block any move. They in large part put this city on their shoulders and one of the most stirring moments was when they marched back into the Superdome on Monday night football Sept. of 2006. First game back home and you literally had grown men and women crying all over the place. Fans, players shit man even members of the other team just humbled. Nothing but raw emotion that night and a symbol of getting back. Dare I say puffed up chests and pride City wide.

People yearn for what they know. Doesn't stop at sports teams and you see it with individuals also. Concerts, simply regular roads driven before, boxers representing small communities, man even restaurants, bars and businesses. I remember when the first couple of restaurants tried to open here weeks after Katrina. The very first grocery store that had dairy and EGGS lol! It was madness and just great atmosphere. It wasn't that people were starving or even that the food had always been spectacular but it was having a moment of getting back to what you knew. There were "limited menu" signs all over but we didn't care, you were out of your half gutted home and out of that post hurricane smell and half abandoned streets. Bring on the basic shrimp side salads, garlic bread and cold drafts in plastic cups. Pricey restaurant pre Katrina or not..we tore it up and handed money over hand over fist .