Fragile Astros brace for sneers against Oakland

At its most intense, scorn has no expiration date. There is talk of forgiveness, but it never comes to pass. The Houston Astros can’t stand being associated with the likes of Barry Bonds and Pete Rose, forever denied election to the Hall of Fame, but there’s an undeniable link to distrust — and it comes with a soundtrack, about to be freshly unveiled in Oakland.

Whether it’s a wicked wisecrack, a group chant or the creative use of noisemakers, A’s fans will be waiting for the Astros in Thursday night’s season opener. There won’t be many of them; with a mandate of just 20% of Coliseum capacity allowed, the crowd figures to be around 11,000. But they will be heard, on this night and throughout the fourgame series. In the cavernous climate of pandemic baseball, the most vociferous barbs tend to be heard quite clearly.

Perhaps only Dusty Baker will be spared. In

October, when the Astros eliminated the A’s in the Division Series, sympathetic fans put Dusty in a singular category, separate from the players who electronically stole signs during their 2017 World Series championship. Baker was a Houston newcomer and had too much history in the Bay Area, all about accomplishment and goodwill, to be portrayed as a villain.

As for the rest of the team, there’s no question about public sentiment. From the beginning of spring training last month, the Astros were heckled and jeered throughout the Grapefruit League. Fans shouted “cheater” at Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, and in one ballpark (in Jupiter, Fla., home of the Cardinals and Marlins), a uniformed security guard banged a trash can — the Astros’ absurdly crude method of communication during that tainted season — before every pitch during an Alex Bregman atbat.

Wisely, although they had no sensible alternative, the Astros had a stoic response. “Just show up and compete every day,” Bregman said recently. “I love that fans are back in the stands. Hopefully, as we get nearer toward the end of this virus, we can start to see higher capacities. I can’t wait to play in front of fans again.”

The pressing question: In what appears to be a twoteam race, which Houston team will the A’s be seeing? The one that knocked them out of the postseason (at Dodger Stadium, of all places) and took the Tampa Bay Rays to seven games in the ALCS, or the brokenspirited group that barely qualified for the tournament?

There has been significant change — the dynamic George Springer signed with Toronto and Josh Reddick remains an unsigned free agent after cutting ties with the organization— but hardly a glaring exodus. First baseman Yuli Gurriel (31 homers in 2019) signed a oneyear extension, pitcher Lance McCullers got a fiveyear deal, and Michael Brantley (three straight .300plus seasons) signed on for two more years after nearly being lured away by Toronto.

The most glaring spotlight, though, will be on the heartandsoul players. Correa, whose fiery spirit and terrific performance held the team together in October, recently turned down a fiveyear deal worth around $120 million and has promised to cut off talks if he doesn’t get an extension by the start of the season. Time’s running out fast, and if the deadline passes, “I’ll prepare like I’m going to be a free agent,” he said.

Bregman, one of the best twoway players in either league, was hardly recognizable last year, admitting he

“basically took the season off” because he was “super weak and fragile — not only physically but mentally.” Bregman has pledged this to be a “fun” season, and if he can make that a package deal with Altuve, the Astros could be formidable. The former MVP and threetime batting champion needs a spiritual revival in the worst way.

Described by Baker as “mentally strong but sensitive,” Altuve seemed to be most affected by the scandal’s aftermath. Correa insisted that Altuve “was the one guy that didn’t want any part” of the cheating, but he hated knowing that fans, particularly little kids, had lost faith in him. Then came the fateful ALCS, when Altuve turned the simplest throw in baseball — from second base to first, no complications — into a threeerror meltdown that cost the Astros eight runs and turned the series in Tampa Bay’s favor.

Was it the yips, a mental block that similarly affected second basemen Steve Sax and Chuck Knoblauch in past years, or something he will overcome? “To me it’s a moot point now,” said Baker. “It was on national TV at the wrong time, and there was something to talk about . ... If a guy ain’t never made no bad throws, he ain’t never played baseball.”

Baker calls Altuve “one of the truest guys ever,” a marvelous vote of confidence from the manager who makes sure everyone gets a taste. Great example: Uncertain of his status on the roster, Philadelphiaraised outfielder Chas McCormick was called into Baker’s office this week, “and he’s playing this song,” McCormick said. “He was like, ‘This band’s from Philadelphia, and I’m playing it because you’ve made the team.’ I thought that was pretty special, pretty cool.”

Coolness has been a trademark of Baker’s career, always a nice touch of class. On this club, it’s a veritable oasis.