We have been so close to winning the FA Cup on two occasions. I remember the heartbreak each time we didn't (I still have a deformed knuckle on my right hand from punching the metal railing in front of me when Hughes equalized). I had experienced the joy of promotions, both automatic and play-off based, but I had always wondered how it would feel to actually bring home a big one.

I can tell you, now, that it's better than all of the above. The Astros, after 52 years of existence, and at the second opportunity (one previous World Series appearance in 2005), won it all. It's amazing.

This is a team that won 104 games this year, but lost over 100 games each year from 2011 to 2013. During that time, they used their high draft picks (the purely socialist element of American sports that the losers get to pick first),chose well and stacked the team with young talent. They then added some veteran pieces and voila! World Series Champions.

An interesting aside is that Sports Illustrated predicted this in 2014 (see attached). They figured that's how long it would take for this young talent to mature into a team that could do it. They were right. No team has ever got past both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the playoffs before; and the 'Stros went one better, beating the Dodgers too. That's three storied franchises with a combined payroll of close to three-quarters of a billion dollars.

So, after all that losing and after Hurricane Harvey, Houston has its first ever World Series champion. And it feels f***ing awesome.

Attachment: Astros SI Cover.png (1,136.98Kb)

We don't do possession; we do defense and attack. Everything else is just wa**ing with a football.