Astros Winning in Obscurity: Eyes of Texas Not Upon Them

Houston does not have a baseball team as much as it has a secret society of sorts, surreptitiously infiltrating first place in the National League West.

The fronts of the uniforms say “Astros”--but Anonymos would be more appropriate.

In fact, the KGB has operatives who are better known in the United States than Houston’s players . . . or anyone else involved with the team.

For example, quick, name the manager.

Bob Lillis? Ralph Sampson? Davey Crockett?

Hal Lanier is the latest to go to this graveyard of managers. Managing in Houston is almost the same as being out of baseball. Guys go down there and disappear.

Leo Durocher managed a succession of clubs over five decades, but never again managed after he spent little more than a year in Houston. Commissioners, owners and umpires could not silence the lip, but one year in Houston did.

OK, name the starting rotation.

Nolan Ryan? Right. Except he’s on the disabled list. And he doesn’t really count. He was famous before he arrived in Houston, and proceeded to stay in the spotlight by breaking Sandy Koufax’s record for career no-hitters and Walter Johnson’s record for career strikeouts.

If Ryan had pitched his entire career in Houston, would word of his feats have leaked across the Texas border into the Greater U.S.?

When the San Francisco Giants were in town earlier this season, a guy asked me what happened to Bob Knepper. I said he was traded to Houston. Six years ago.

Houston’s winningest pitcher last year was a fellow listed in box scores as M. Scott. Darned if America’s baseball fans knew what the “M” stood for, but Mike Scott won 18 games and lost only 8.

One of the league’s leading home run hitters is an Anonymos named G. Davis. FYI: The “G” stands for Glenn. Try to remember, in case there’s a test later.

Davis has to endure being confused with Davises Alvin, Butch, Chili, Eric, Jerry, Jody, Joel, Mark, Mike, Ron, Steve, Storm and Trench, all of whom are listed in the 1986 Baseball Register. And he also might be confused for the one-time Heisman Trophy winner, who was known as Mr. Outside. Playing in the Astrodome, this Glenn Davis may someday be known as Mr. Inside--if, indeed, he is ever someday known.

One of the infielders is a guy who used to be Phil Garner during his days with Oakland and Pittsburgh. Folks see the name in box scores now and wonder if it might be the same guy. It is.

Even the names are rather generic. We’ve already covered Ryan, Scott and the commonality of Davis. Houston also features Ashby, Bailey, Reynolds, Walker, Andersen, Hernandez, Lopez and Smith. Is “Hatcher” Billy or Mickey and is “Bass” Kevin or Randy?

Doesn’t this Houston team have anyone named Akeem Olajuwon?

It does have Jose Cruz, who has spent much of his career being confused with American League infielders Julio Cruz and Todd Cruz.

This confusion is quite unfair because Jose Cruz more accurately belongs in the company of players such as Jack Clark, Andre Dawson, Keith Hernandez, Bill Madlock and Dave Parker. He may be slightly ahead or slightly behind these fellows in assorted statistical areas, but it should be noted that he has hit .300 six times while playing in the toughest hitters’ park in baseball.

It might be assumed that Jose Cruz is an All-Star Game regular, but that assumption would be wrong. He has batted exactly once in an All-Star Game.

I endeavored to ask Mr. Cruz about this seeming injustice, but he froze me with a cautious glare and advised me that he had to get his running in.

“Maybe later?” I said.

“Later,” he said. “Maybe.”

He thereupon sauntered out to the batting cage and socialized with the Padres until it was Houston’s turn to hit. He was running all right--from my attempt to make Jose Cruz a household name, at least in my household.

Another of these unsung Anonymos is Terry Puhl, who happens to hold the major league career record for highest fielding percentage for an outfielder. He was at .993 coming into the 1986 season, and he has yet to commit his first error. Only five outfielders in major league history have played in more than 150 games in a season and committed no errors, and Puhl did that in 1979.

For this fielding excellence, how many Gold Gloves does Puhl have on his shelf?

None.

“People don’t like us,” Puhl said.

To know them might be to like them, but no one knows them. To the National League West, it is almost as if first place is vacant. The attitude seems to be that no one will be on top until Houston isn’t.

“If they want to think that way,” Puhl said, “let ‘em.”

It is ironic that these guys may not be much better known in their hometown.

“Here we are in first place,” said relief pitcher Dave Smith, “and we draw crowds of 8,000 and 9,000 at home. I guarantee you that when the Chicago Cubs or St. Louis Cardinals come to town, 50% of the fans will be cheering for the Cubs or Cardinals.”

Smith, by the way, is the same Dave Smith who went to Poway High and San Diego State and then disappeared deep into the heart of you-know-where. He came to San Diego as the National League leader with 15 saves, although most baseball fans probably look at the name Smith and figure it must be Chicago’s Lee.

“Maybe we’d get some recognition if we went to a World Series,” Dave Smith said. “At least in Houston.”