This is a response I wrote to the ESPN article: I make no bones that I’m a lifelong Astros fan even when they were losing 100+ games a year. Even without that history I would be a Jose Altuve Fan. He’s absorbed a ridiculous amount of hate from fans on the road and online. Of not just boos but people cheering when he gets hit by pitches. Of people calling for opposing pitchers to throw at his head and making jokes that it’s just throwing at an average players knee. Through it all he has been classy and humble. The other night after hitting a go ahead three run homer in a post game interview he congratulated backup hitter Jon Singleton for getting a walk to set up the play. Also while yes the Astros did cheat in 2017 almost every analysis shows that he didn’t participate in the trash cans and claims that he was using a buzzer in 2019 or somehow cheating now are baseless. Even so he’s stood by his team and players like Carlos Correa who aren’t on the Astros anymore. Refusing to separate himself. Very ironic as when Target Field fans rained boos and Called Altuve “CHEATER” while they cheered Correa. Altuve is a great player and he will go down as one the greatest second baseman to play the game. Understand pro sports beings out passions both glorious and ugly but the hate towards him from fan bases and even media is undeserved.
Altuve's postseason excellence and consistently clutch/game winning plays put him as the best Astros player ever. Sure you could point to Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio's career, but in the biggest moments, they didn't have the moments Jose has. Sports rankings are always subjective from any angle. But Jose is the Houston Goat. Not Jeff, Not Craig, not even Hakeem. This guy is the unquestioned Houston goat.
I love Altuve but I wouldn’t put him pass Dream. The role of a single position player in baseball is less important than a starting center in basketball. Dreams dominance in several categories is unparalleled. Even other greats like Jordan acknowledge how great of a player he was.
Which that is completely subjective. Altuve has a very similar pedigree as Dream. Two Rings. Accolades More Team success consistently Bigger moments in a harder sport(subjective) Depends how you look at it, but Altuves personal clutch moments do it for me.
I thought it was an insanely well written article. As someone who writes a lot for his job myself, I read that super impressed by that article. but I sure wish articles like that would acknowledge if was a league wide issue…and wouldn’t comment on the buzzer nonsense without calling it nonsense. I’ve seen Passan on TV make it very clear that the buzzer thing did NOT happen. I wish that same energy bled into this article.
frankly I don’t even wanna compare the 2. Same way I don’t have a favorite among my sons. I do think there’s some recency bias in this for Altuve obviously. Though I don’t mean that to diminish Altuve in any way. But Dream had a **** ton of clutch moments as well…they were just 30 years ago
That’s fair and I don’t want to turn this into Dream versus Altuve. They are both great player and good human beings. It’s a privilege that they both played for teams in Houston
I thought it was a decent article and fairer than many. I’m just getting upset by reading and even hearing first hand all the hate towards Altuve. It’s undeserved and ludicrous when some of those same fan bases are cheering Correa and Springer who benefitted far more than Altuve from the trash cans.
One thought I had…I doubt seriously Altuve would ever want to play anywhere else. Springer couldn’t wait to get out for a myriad of reasons. If the Astros are even close to other teams with his next contract offer, I can’t imagine he’d leave.
Both players have a "size" argument caveat. Altuve balls out despite his size, as well as Hakeem. Hakeem was 2-way with it though. On one hand, he was "too big" to be executing the moves he did. Then the other hand, he was "too short" to be blocking all those shots. Dream was truly an enigma. So great to have both players in Houston.
It would be a shock if he left. I have little doubt that NY and LA teams would be willing to offer him more money but given how he’s been treated on the road I don’t see why he would just leave for money. The Astros are his home. They’re the organization that took a chance on him and the fan base that’s embraced him. He doesn’t seem like the type of guy who would throw that away just because he gets more money and national fame playing in NY or LA.
That’s the interview! Thanks! Yeah he very clearly dismissed it like he was talking about Bigfoot sightings. Let that bleed into the article please, Jeff.
What I hope is that when he inevitably declines Astros ownership don’t lowball him and he goes somewhere else because he feels insulted. Too many Houston Legends like Dream and Nolan Ryan have finished their careers playing somewhere else. Even if the Stros years from now are back to mediocrity this organization and fan base owes it to Altuve to retire and Astro.
I think its a really fun conversation and we are so lucky that we have another player to have this discussion about. I could never tear Dream down to make a point. They are legends. I think if Dream beat Jordan in the finals(he would have), that his place in the game would have been ever higher than its perceived now(Fringe top 10).
I think Altuve is the one player Houston will overpay to keep him in one uniform until retirement. NONE of the ultimate success Houston has had since 2017 would have been possible without Altuve. And not just his performance on the field or his leadership in the clubhouse but also his behavior off the field. There’s an entire generation of young people in about a 300 mile radius who love baseball solely because of him. The residual returns to the Astros from Altuve’s performance and likability will go on for 30 years or more. He cannot be allowed to play anywhere else.
Yeah, thats right. I was a young kid when Dreams moments came. I can only really relive them from old videos. I think its as even as it can be. What does it for me are the walk offs, and just insane timing he has for delivering the final blow to teams in the most pressurized environments. Its wild.
Every little kid from Venezuela is growing up getting to watch the Astros dynasty led by one of their own. Every little kid from Cuba got to watch their goats, Yordan and Gurriel play for an Astros dynasty. The consistent winning is all over national television and the future generation will want to be Houston Astros. Houston's run just might extend longer than people thought from international stars over the next few years that we haven't even recognized yet. The future is still bright here.
