The Astros are terrible. That’s the uncompromising, unconquerable truth. It will take a Lazarus-type miracle for them to be in the pennant race by the time September rolls around. For reference: not only do the Astros have the honor of holding the worst record in the National League, but they also rank dead last in 8 key offensive categories (team batting average, OBP, walks, HR’s, Hits, XBH’s, Runs and AB’s). (Stats)
Somewhere inside Minute Maid Park, the whispers of the most successful owner in franchise history can be heard growing louder and louder. It is no secret that the Astros have made a laundry list of mistakes the past few years. Bad draft picks. Not signing draft picks. Stupid free-agent signings. Stupid trades. Unnecessary firings. Stupid hires. On the other hand, while the decisions made the past few years have led to the current downfall, the people currently inside the organization aren’t stupid. They know why the franchise went south, and they (hopefully) understand it won’t be fixed overnight. Have you checked the stats at Round Rock? Help isn’t on the way this year!
However, while the new management continues to search and groom for younger, promising talent, I offer up a suggestion to keep the fans interested THIS year. It is obvious that our fans want to see changes, so I would give them a change. I would implement a new policy centered on the team’s performance each night to try and build excitement inside Minute Maid, which would hopefully impede any mass exodus from the ballpark this summer.
My straightforward suggestion is to implement a ticket insurance policy for the rest of the season. Someone smarter than me can come up with the finer details, but for now we’ll say 10% of the original ticket price, and offer that as a hedge against an Astros loss. If you buy the insurance policy and the Astros lose, you get a voucher to attend another game at Minute Maid. This is a win-win scenario for Drayton and fans. With the way the Astros are playing right now, fans have the opportunity to purchase tickets for a game and more than likely will receive a 2nd game for a minimal cost. On the other hand, if the Astros do win, Drayton rings the register on his insurance policies.
Now what if the Astros lose? And the Astros are losing on a regular basis right now. Won’t that end up being a financial burden on the club? Not necessarily. Like I said, I haven’t ironed out all of the details yet, but if the Astros lose and you buy the insurance policy, you will receive a voucher for another game you chose. At the very least, Drayton will be attracting the casual fans back into the stadium to sample another game. And we all know that once you’re inside the stadium Uncle Drayton can scrounge money off of anyone from the concession lines and souvenir shops. I would also propose that the vouchers be picked up from one of the participating sponsors locations throughout Houston. Having the fans pick up the vouchers at the local business might keep your sponsors from trying to renegotiate or pull the plug altogether.
With the current state of the economy and the dismal performance of the team on the field, I’m sure Drayton is looking for anything to heal the wounds. I’ve presented my idea and am willing to talk details if the phone rings!
