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PrintNew Houston Astros owner Jim Crane is considering changing the name of the franchise as well as its uniforms.
Crane said Monday the team will conduct a study to decide whether or not to switch the name.
- Houston Astros owner Jim Crane announces fan initiatives for the 2012 baseball season Monday at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Crane is also considering changing the name of the franchise as well as its uniforms. Crane said Monday the team will conduct a study to decide whether or not to switch the name.
"We're going to study the information both from the fans and from all sorts of marketing people," Crane told the Associate Press. "I'm not saying we're going to change. We haven't made the decision yet whether we're going to change."
Readers of the Houston Chronicle have offered some suggestions, including Houston WeHaveAProblem and Houston Lastros, which probably stem from the team's franchise-worst 56-106 record last season.
Some comments at The Dallas Morning News seemed more viable, like Houston Command or Houston Hurricanes.
The team was established in 1962 as the Colt .45s and has been called the Astros since 1965 when it was changed to coincide with the move to the Astrodome. The lifespan of the Colt .45s bore some resemblance to the Wild Wild West, especially during spring training when superstition and lizards were aplenty, according to Sports Illustrated.
"We had the Colt .45s and everybody liked that one," Crane said. "So you can imagine how upset they were when we switched that. What you get when you look at the fan base is the older we get and I'm old, you don't like to change. But the younger fans are very receptive to change and the older ones aren't, so that's what we saw with the American League."
While the name change is only a possibility and no decisions have been made, Crane said switching uniforms is something they are "highly considering." Any changes wouldn't happen until 2013 when Houston makes the move from the National League to the American League.
The Astros have had several uniform styles in their history, including the shooting star jerseys and the now infamous rainbow ones, which even looked stylish on Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul for a Congressional baseball game in 1976.
The Astros' flare for colorful jerseys had its roots with the Colt .45s.
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