Houston Astros Owner Puts Rest of League on Notice
It's easy in sports for players, teams and management to become complacent with winning. That's part of the reason why teams rarely win back-to-back titles in any sport anymore.
Fortunately, the Houston Astros don't have that problem.
They've been winning a ton lately with seven ALCS appearances, four AL pennants and two World Series championships over the last seven seasons.
The Astros have dominated baseball for the better part of a decade, and after an offseason where they signed Josh Hader and extended Jose Altuve, there's no end in sight.
It helps that Houston's owner, Jim Crane, is still as hungry, motivated and committed to winning as ever.
Crane, who has owned the Astros since the 2012 season, said that the team's championship window "will always be open" as long as he's the owner.
That's great news for Houston fans, who endured a painful rebuild during the first half of the 2010s before getting to this point. It sounds like Crane doesn't plan to put them through a similar lean period anytime soon.
It's unclear how much longer Crane plans to own the Astros, but he doesn't intend to take any major steps back while he's in charge. The 70-year-old helped build a dynasty, and he wants to sustain it as long as he can.
That explains Houston's surprisingly aggressive offseason.
If Crane shells out what it will take to keep Alex Bregman around, then he'll really be putting his money where his mouth is.
Sorry, American League.
The Astros aren't going anywhere.