Astros Fans Show Championship Mettle In Triumph, Tragedy

HOUSTON, TX — In some cities, all it takes is a championship win by a sports franchise to bring out the worst in some people. In fact, it has become all too common to see mayhem and riots when a popular college or professional sports team wins a big game, driving raucous fans into the streets to celebrate just a little too much.

But so far it hasn’t happened in Texas, and it didn’t happen in Houston after the Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night, earning the franchise’s first World Series title.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who came to Houston last year from Austin, was impressed with the behavior of Houstonians after the big win. During a Thursday morning press conference, he shared his thoughts and experiences about the sports championship riots from his years as a cop in L.A.

“I was an assistant chief for the California Highway Patrol and I remember responding to riots every time the Lakers won [an NBA championship],” he said. “Last night...we made a total of four arrest. Two inside the stadium for people trespassing and jumping onto the field, and two outside, of two fools who decided to jump up and down on police car, and found themselves in the backseat of those police cars.”

Four arrests for America’s fourth largest city made an impression on Acevedo. Then again, Texas is not one to let a championship go to its head and lead to public mayhem.

Within the last 25 years, professional and college sports teams in Texas have accounted for eight NBA Championships, one Superbowl Champion, a National Hockey League title, and an NCAA Championship in college football.

None of those events resulted in riots, mass arrests for mischief or criminal activity because of a championship win. It didn’t happen when the Astros won a World Series Championship on Wednesday night, either.

When the Houston Rockets won back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995, the city cheered and united behind the players. The same happened when the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs, the University of Texas Longhorns the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Stars all brought home championship titles.

However, this championship was different than the rest, it seemed.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was fatigued from cheering on the home team, but he wasn’t at all deterred from smiling.

During the Thursday press conference, less than 12 hours after the Astros won the World Series Championship, a bleary-eye Turner donned a Houston Astros World Series Champs baseball cap and praised the home team with the rest of the city.

“They literally carried this city on their backs,” Turner said. “During Hurricane Harvey, 51 inches of rain fell on Houston, and last night, in the seventh game of the World Series, they end up winning 5 to 1. How amazing can that be?”

Flanked by Acevedo and Fire Chief Sam Pena, Turner thanked the team for an incredible World Series win, and doing something special to unite the city in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Turner then turned introspective.

"For Houston, this was personal," he said. "It has been personal, and it is a 'we moment' for the City of Houston."

Now Houston and the rest of Texas can hang their hats on the first World Series title for a Texas team, too.

Upon returning home to fans and supporters from the city “they carried on their backs,” the Astros will be honored with a downtown parade on Friday.

Watch: World Series Win, A 'We Moment' For Houston

Image: HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner talks with the media about Hurricane Harvey before a double-header with the New York Mets at Minute Maid Park on September 2, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Send your news tips to bryan.kirk@patch.com