Don McPeak – USA Today Sports
The Houston Astros found themselves looking for a new manager before the 2012 season ended. As expected the Astros lost over 100 games for the second straight season in 2012. It was time for a change.
The Astros needed a manager who was confident, passionate, and quite frankly, breathing orange fire.
Bo Porter was that guy. From the moment Porter was hired, I think Astros fans knew they had a great manager. As an Astros fan, it just feels different from the past managers. Porter wants to win, and as far as he is concerned, the Astros can win right now. I don’t want to be the one to tell him any different.
From the time Porter arrived in Houston, things started changing for the better. The first time I heard Porter speak was at the Houston Astros Launch Party, a party unveiling their 2013 uniforms. The way Porter spoke wasn’t like a manager to his team’s fans. He spoke like a General would speak to his soldiers. Porter spoke about the past, spoke about the present and spoke about the future. Porter talking about the Astros future really had fans riled up.
The legend of Bo Porter is beginning to grow.
If you walk into the Astros clubhouse, you will see a “Wheel of Fortune” type wheel that Porter made. The wheel has many words circling it. A few of those words are “application, breakthrough, leadership and ‘Stros win!” In the middle of the wheel you see two World Series trophies. What could that be about?! Maybe it is a dream of Porter’s, maybe Porter thinks the Astros can get it done right now, who truly knows?
I, for one, believe it will be a few years before the Astros even make noise. But, don’t try to tell Bo Porter that.
Porter studied all 162 games of the Astros season last year. He believes the Astros could have won 35 more games than the 55 that the Astros did actually win. If you do the math, that is 90 win season for the Astros and would have ultimately propelled the Astros into the playoffs as the second Wild Card. Porter said those 35 games were lost at the “breaking point”. He also went on to say all the Astros need was mental toughness, and of course, a little motivation.
The legend of Bo Porter takes over Twitter.
Many Astros fans started hashtagging “The Legend Of Bo Porter”. It didn’t get as big as “Astros Movies,” but the tweets were fun to read. Needless to say, the Astros and their fans are eating up everything Porter has said. Porter is a sign of the future, a sign of something many Astros fans have not had. Hope. Maybe, just maybe, we as baseball fans will see “the legend” continue to grow right before our eyes!
