HOUSTON (AP) — New Houston Astros owner Jim Crane says he won’t change the team’s name.
Crane said last week he was considering a switch. But he emailed a video message to season-ticket holders on Monday saying, “one thing that we are not going to change is the name.”
He says he made the decision after receiving “strong feedback and consensus among season-ticket holders and many fans.” He then added that “the Houston Astros are here to stay.”
The team was established in 1962 as the Colt .45s and has been called the Astros since 1965 when the name was changed to coincide with the move to the Astrodome.
Crane and his staff have been looking for ways to improve the team, which finished a franchise-worst 56-106 last season, and the fan experience since the sale from Drayton McLane was completed in late November.
