Houston Astrodome History

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There were two men on base, one on third and the other on second, and Craig Biggio, the second baseman of the Houston Astros, stepped up to the plate. Biggio tapped his left cleat once with his bat to remove the caked on dirt and then on the plate, and then on his other cleat. The pitcher stared straight at Biggio with his beady eyes, trying to intimidate him. Biggio reared his shoulders back towards the catcher, his forearm muscles tensed, waiting for the ball to release from the pitcher’s hand. He threw his arms forcefully towards the ball, connecting the tip of his bat with the ball. The ball soared high above the right fielder’s head, over the fence, and into the grandstands. “HOMERUN!,” bellowed the announcer, as the Houston Astros…show more content…
The Colt .45s, the professional baseball team in Houston, played three years at Colt Stadium and then changed their name to the Houston Astros when they moved into the Astrodome in 1965. Had the stadium not had a roof over its playing field, spectators would be sitting with their legs dripping wet with sweat, stuck to the orange, yellow, and red vinyl seats, trying to fan themselves off with their ballcaps and scorecards. Both players and fans alike welcomed the move to the Astrodome because cool air-conditioning filled the roofed stadium, making the experience all the more comfortable and pleasurable during the sweltering hot months in Houston. According to Allan Turner, a writer for the Houston Chronicle, “the world's first air-conditioned domed arena put everyone on notice that rumble-tumble, newly rich Houston was a burg to be reckoned with.” The Astrodome was Houston’s own Empire State Building, except that, as a tourist draw, its 4.5 million first-year visitors left one of the seven wonders of the modern world trailing in the dust (Turner). Along with professional baseball, the dome stadium housed the Houston Oilers football team, rodeos, concerts, and many other attractions over the years. Ironically, the Astros dumped the once famous Astrodome in 1999 for a stadium with a retractable…show more content…
“Stadium makes visitors as welcome as it can.” 2 Sept. 2005. LexisNexis Academic. UT Austin University of Texas Libraries. 3 March 2006 <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/#known_base>. Loewen, James W. “Some Functions of Public History.” Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong. New York: Touchstone, 1999. 26. McMullen, Cary. “A Cathedral, A Holy Place.” 5 Sept. 2005. LexisNexis Academic. UT Austin University of Texas Libraries. 3 March 2006 <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/ universe/ #known_base>. Munsey and Suppes. “Astrodome.” Ballparks. Nov. 2005. Max Lang Belts and Buckles. 8 Mar. 2006 <http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/astrod.htm>. Turner, Allan. “From Limelight to the Shadows: Proposals Aim to Redesign Dome for 21st- Century Uses.” Houston Chronicle 4 Aug. 2002, sec. A1. 7 Mar. 2006 <http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2002_3569598

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