minute maid magic

5 magical moments from the Houston Astros World Series win

Lance McCullers, Jr. Kara McCullers Ava World Series

Lance McCullers, Jr. shares a moment with wife Kara and daughter Ava.

Photo by Steven Devadanam

As the city settles into the warm afterglow of its second World Series title courtesy of the Houston Astros, we look back at some of the best moments of Game 6 on Saturday, November 5. Not surprisingly, some of the most magical memories came from the Astros we joined who also celebrated the first World Series title in 2017: José Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Lance McCullers, Jr.

Alex Bregman Tyler Straub world series Team Bregman poses on the mound.Photo by Steven Devadanam

The Bregman Family on-field

When CultureMap reminded third baseman and fan favorite Bregman that he predicted “big things ahead in 2022” — back in January, he grinned big at the mention, especially of his son, Knox. “Man,” he said as he stood on the mound after the game and posed for family photos, “we did it.”

“Moments like this when we win and when things go right, it’s the best thing ever to have him with us and celebrate with him,” his wife Reagan Bregman said about little Knox, whom she cradled on the field. “This is the best year of our lives.”

Reagan also shared the change in her husband since Knox came along. “He is just the most incredible father and it’s really cool to see how motivated he is on the field and at home.”

LMJ’s love for his teammates

McCullers, perhaps the official team spokesman, minced no words when asked to again state the impact of the new Astros. “I don’t think we’re here without those new guys,” he told us. “Some guys weren’t even in the organization, some guys were still in college, other guys like [pitcher Hector] Neris were on other teams. They’re the reason we’re here.”

Altuve’s big grin

$Jos\u00e9 Altuve World Series 2022 trophy$ Altuve grinned big as he held the trophy.Photo by Steven Devadanam

Hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy after the win on the big stage, Altuve looked like less like an Astros legend and more like a kid with his first trophy. He knowingly smiled wide when we yelled “vamos!” at him.

Big Papi bear hugs Breggy

We followed Tyler Straub, Bregman's best friend and manager, as he watched Bregman on the Fox Sports post-game show. As Bregman stood behind the hosts, analyst and MLB legend David "Big Papi" Ortiz — who was totally rooting for the 'Stros — walked onto the set and lifted Bregman in a massive bear hug as fans cheered. The slugger-to-slugger moment was a pure, inside-baseball celebration.

“Ring the f*cking bell!”

Already giving Houston a legendary battle cry: “Bury me in The H,” McCullers dropped another memorable line in the clubhouse as he addressed his champion teammates, bellowing, “Ring the f*cking bell — because we’re the World Series champions!” Kudos to beloved and cagey manager Dusty Baker, who, standing behind McCullers, laughed and ducked as he prepared for the deluge of champagne that flooded the room as LMJ and the players started spraying.

Given McCullers' grit, pain, and the often painful comeback journey that he candidly shared with us, his line rang even louder — especially to all the haters and doubters.

SUDDEN SHUTTERS

GameStop to close 11 Houston-area stores amid nationwide cuts

GameStop/ Facebook

Long lines for video game releases are a rarity these days.

For GameStop, it’s a blood bath right out of Mortal Kombat. The Grapevine-based video game chain is expected to shed 470 locations nationwide, including 11 in the greater Houston area.

The closures were revealed in the company's newest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that said it would close "a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025" ending on January 31. In its last fiscal year, GameStop shuttered 590 locations.

In addition to braving the overall “retail apocalypse,” the retailer faces the same conditions that largely decimated CD and video stores. Video games are now available for digital download in seconds and no longer require a trip to a physical store.

“As a part of our profitability initiative, we are reducing our global store base, which includes closing stores that are not meeting performance standards or stores at the end of their lease terms with the intent of transferring sales to other nearby locations,” the company wrote in its annual report. “ If we are unsuccessful in marketing to customers of the stores that we plan to close or in transferring sales to nearby stores, our results of operations could be negatively impacted.”

The current digital squeeze isn’t the first time GameStop has been thrown for a loop by contemporary internet culture. In 2021, the retailer famously became a meme stock, buoyed by users of Reddit's r/wallstreetbets. The skyrocketing increase in its stock price, followed by short selling, caused major financial consequences for hedge funds and other investors.

Since then, the stock price has been more stable but has decreased approximately 21 percent over the last year. After CEO Ryan Cohen bought 500,000 shares in the company on January 21, the price has slightly rebounded.

GameStop has not issued a formal list of the closures, and a request for more information was not returned at press time. But Ohio’s WKYC Studios put together a list of all the U.S. stores that are on the chopping block, verified through GameStop’s online store locator. The Texas closings are as follows:

Allen – The Village at Allen, 170 E. Stacy Rd
Arlington – Little School Road Shops, 1245 N. Little School Rd
Austin – Ben White Payload Center, 500 E. Ben White Blvd
Balch Springs – Lake June Plaza, 12209 Lake June Rd
Boerne – Menger Crossing, 1375 S. Main St
Cedar Park – Lakeline Plaza, 11066 Pecan Park Blvd
Conroe – Conroe Center, 1231 N. Loop 336 W
Corpus Christi – Padre Island Drive, 1805 S. Padre Island Dr
Corsicana – Corsicana Marketplace, 3811 W. Highway 31
Dallas – Glen Oaks Crossing, 4787 Vista Wood Blvd
El Paso – Alameda Town Center, 9411 Alameda Ave
El Paso – Fountains at Farah, 8889 Gateway West Blvd
Fort Worth – Clifford Retail, 301 Clifford Center Dr
Garland – Ridgewood Village, 2930 S. First St
Houston – Beechnut Street Houston, 10100 Beechnut St
Houston – Bellaire Gessner Center, 8880 Bellaire Blvd
Houston – Market at Uvalde, 13706 East Fwy
Houston – Market Square, 13341 Westheimer Rd
Houston – Oxford Plaza, 10407 North Fwy
Houston – Royal Oaks, 11807 Westheimer Rd
Houston – Wayside Shopping Center, 900 S. Wayside Dr
Huntsville – Ravenwood Village, 245 Interstate 45 N
Irving – MacArthur Park, 7601 N. MacArthur Blvd
Lake Jackson – Lake Jackson Shopping Center, 121 Highway 332 W
La Marque – LaMarque Crossing, 6408 Interstate 45
Laredo – Laredo Crossing Shopping Center, 4415 S. Zapata Hwy
Leon Valley – 5601 Bandera Rd
Lubbock – 7th St Lubbock, 1803 Seventh St
Magnolia – Westwood Village, 33020 FM 2978 Rd
Mansfield – Mansfield Crossing, 1301 E. Debbie Ln
Marble Falls – Highland Lakes, 2400 US Highway 281
McKinney – Lake Forest Crossing, 4100 S. Lake Forest Dr
Mesquite – Town East Mall, 2050 Town East Mall
Mission – Shary Plaza, 808 S. Shary Rd
Palmhurst – Palmhurst Shopping Center, 4416 N. Conway Ave
Paris – Paris Corners, 3842 Lamar Ave
Saginaw – Cross Pointe Shopping Center, 1453 N. Saginaw Blvd
San Antonio – Alamo Quarry Market, E. 255 Basse Rd
San Antonio – Blanco Road, 7117 Blanco Rd
San Antonio – Huebner Oaks Center, 11745 W. I-10
San Antonio – Northwoods Phase III, 1742 N. Loop 1604 E
San Antonio – Walzem Plaza, 5366 Walzem Rd
Stephenville – Stephenville Shopping Center, 2811 W. Washington St
Sulphur Springs – Sulphur Springs Corners, 1707 S. Broadway St
Terrell – Terrell Corner, 1888 W. Moore Ave
Tyler – State Highway 64 Tyler, 3842 State Highway 64 W
Watauga – Watauga Town Crossing, 8004 Denton Hwy

video games retail closings