We’re only seven games into the 2010 baseball season and the Houston Astros – or the Lastros as they’re known here – haven’t won a game.
The Lastros are the only winless team in Major League Baseball. Living in Houston for almost 7 years has given me a unique “outsiders view” of the city’s collective sports psyche. Houstonians are a proud people, as are the rest of their Texan brethren.
Along with this pride in their state, Houstonians are eternal optimists when it comes to their sports teams. They are reluctant to trash its teams before the season starts unless things are really dire.
An example of things being dire is the 2006 NFL Draft and the Texans selection of Mario Williams with the No.1 overall pick over Reggie Bush and Houston native Vince Young.
Listening to sports radio, there were probably 200,000 people that were going to cancel their season tickets, which did not happen. But just as on a November day in which Houston gets 3 inches of snow and Boston has a high temperature in the 60’s, sometimes the paranormal happens.
Locals here have been calling the 2010 edition of its baseball team the Houston Lastros. The nickname started before the season and is starting to pick up steam. 
Minute Maid Park, the team’s home field, is a beautiful place to watch a game. I try to catch a few games at Minute Maid every year and for fan comfort and amenities, it is a true jewel.
So the combination of a true diamond of a stadium and costume jewelry of a lineup is quite sad.
Just how bad is it?
About as bad as those incredibly ugly uniforms the team wore back in the day.
The Lastros are 30th – dead last – in team batting. Houston has scored a total of 13 runs in their seven games and has only two home runs.
In fairness, Houston has faced an early season schedule that saw the team play contending teams in the National League.
The Lastros opened the season against San Francisco and then had to face the Philadelphia Phillies. On Monday, Houston began their first road trip of the season in St. Louis.
The Giants, Phillies and Cardinals have a combined record of 17-4 and each of those teams have Cy Young candidates.
San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum, Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay and St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright have all pitched against Houston in the early going. The three have combined for a 6-0 record and a 1.02 ERA.
To make matters worse, the Lastros have been without Lance Berkman, the team’s best player. Carlos Lee, Houston’s only remaining home run threat, has gotten off to a terrible start, batting .111 with no home runs, no RBIs and has struck out in nine of his 27 plate appearances.
In other words, it’s going be a long summer for the Lastros. Also, since the “brilliance” of General Manager (read: yes man for the owner) has led to one of the worst farm systems in the majors, don’t expect relief anytime soon.
But hey, the ballpark is still nice…
