In a 30-minute ceremony in the East Wing of the White House - fitting, since the Astros beat the AL East to get to the World Series - President Trump eloquently praised the Astros:
Thank you for being true champions on and off the field. You really exemplify what greatness is all about. You work hard and strive to be the best, and you win really big... To all the players and the staff, congratulations on your wonderful victory. After the devastating Hurricane Harvey - it was incredible what you went through - it's a befitting tribute in what was a show of world spirit and Houston strong.
Trump to Astros: “Game 7 of the World Series was one of the greatest baseball games anyone has ever seen.” If nothing else, this proves that nobody in the White House watched the World Series.— Jason Foster (@ByJasonFoster) March 12, 2018
Reid Ryan:
To get to come to the people's house and represent our game and see what makes our country great, you go through this building and there's paintings and artifacts from the entire history of our country. I think all the guys on the team didn't know what to expect, but they left with a great appreciation of our country and our democracy.
*Jerome Solomon writes that visiting the White House was fitting for the diverse Astros roster.
*Jose Altuve's expression was...something.
*Go ahead and just do a Google News search for "Astros," set to "Most Recent," and you'll be able to find at least two articles that align with your political point of view.
*Dayn Perry has your Astros 2018 Team Preview, and it's straight NSFW:
Hey, this isn't difficult. The Astros upgraded a championship roster. They'll win the AL West over the improved Angels by a wide margin, they'll threaten or surpass 100 wins, and they'll be playing in October with a chance to defend the title. The Astros' moment is now.
*Here are a couple of pieces predicting/projecting the Astros' Opening Day roster:
-Jake Kaplan in The Athletic
-Brian McTaggart at Astros.com
Can't believe they'd pick this Altuve fella over Vanderbilt star Tony Kemp. They do disagree on who will break camp as the Gurriel fill-in: Tyler White or J.D. Davis...WHO YA GOT.
*Speaking of The Athletic, here's why there's a paywall. (And if you like me, there's a good chance there'll be something for you on David Paulino and PEDs in the next couple of days. If you don't like me, well at least you get to read Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark and Peter Gammons and Jake Kaplan and C. Trent Rosecrans and Eno Sarris and Levi Weaver and Dennis Lin and Tyler Stafford and...)
*Any time you can trade HBPs in a Spring Training game with the team geographically closest to you, you gotta do it.