The More Things Change...

            Baseball is a game of change. That's one of the reasons I like the game so much.  Players move up and down the stats pages methodically with their change.  Guys like R.A. Dickey have careers and seasons that are beautiful examples of change personified.  Teams like the Astros unveil new uniforms, color schemes and mascots.  But not all change is enjoyable.

            I am speaking, of course, about the news that Jim Deshaies might not be returning next season to call the Astros telecasts. 

            I know announcers, broadcasters, radio personalities and even social media directors come and go in sports (the Astros have lost just about one of each this year alone), but in this particular case, it's different.  Deshaies has been the color guy in Houston for 15 years and more importantly he's been here while things have been hard, making the game enjoyable and at times he was the only reason games were bearable.

            In a season that has seen so much change for one team (ownership, countless staff changes, the home run sculpture... err, I mean the Community Partners board, uniforms, mascot, the American League), it seems almost unbearable to imagine that one of the personalities that carried fans through all of the trials of the last few seasons might not be around to help us settle into the American League.

                  Change can be a good thing and it is a necessity in baseball and life, but too much change at once is a recipe for disaster—especially when it involves a team coming off back-to-back 100 loss seasons and that is already suffering the effects of a waning fan base.  If the Astros have any concern for their fans and their city they'll bring J.D. back and leave at least a little continuity in this crazy game of change.