Horde Of The Rings: Houston Astros’ 2017 World Series Champ Bling Carries Story Of A Franchise
Horde Of The Rings: Houston Astros’ 2017 World Series Champ Bling Carries Story Of A Franchise
As the battle with the Phillies takes us into November, it was the first of November, 5 years ago, that saw the 'Stros nab their first World Series Championship...and, with it, a ring for the ages.
Portions of this article appeared in The Runner Sports, April 4, 2018.
The championship banner was unveiled April 2, and the players received their $439,000 World Series bonus over the winter. Many also did countless TV appearances, and the requisite autograph sessions and photo ops. But, many, if not all of the Houston Astros, will tell you the thing they coveted most was… the ring.
The Astros received their personalized 2017 World Championship rings April 3, 2018 at Minute Maid Park, before their game with the Baltimore Orioles, eventually won by Houston, 10-6.
Commissioner Rob Manfred was the first to receive his World Series ring, as is customary at such proceedings. Beforehand, he commended the Astros’ long-term vision that led to the team’s championship, and ultimately, this wearable symbol.
“I think the Astros are just a great example of the fact that you need to have a plan, you need to stick to the plan, and if you do, you maximize your chances of being successful,” Manfred told the crowd.
“Sometimes parts of that plan can be difficult to stay the course. I give [team owner] Jim Crane and [president] Reid [Ryan] and [general manager] Jeff [Luhnow] tremendous credit for sticking with that plan. Obviously, they have a ballclub that’s built to win for a period of time.”
The Astros distributed 1,332 rings to Astros players, and various coaches, clubhouse and training staff, baseball and business front-office members, medical staff, season associates, Hall of Famers, owners, and broadcasters.
Hall of Fame Astros Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio (pictured above) were on hand to pick up their rings, also. The duo are team consultants during the season, and guest coaches during Spring Training.
A second ceremony, this one private, will be held on the field on the Astros’ off-day Thursday, at which time the front office staffers and others will receive their rings.
“We wanted to make sure that every member of our Astros organization, from the players to the front office staff to our seasonal associates, got a ring, because they all contributed to winning Houston’s first World Championship,” Crane said.
Enduring “Lastros” and “Disastros”
Born in 1962 as the Colt .45s, it took the Houston franchise (who became the Astros in 1965 with the completion of the Astrodome) 56 years to earn their first championship.
Born the same year as the Colts, the New York Mets won their first World Series in only eight years with the Amazin’ Mets famously prevailing over the Orioles in 1969. In a postseason that included the Astros, the Mets also won it all in 1986, overtaking the Boston Red Sox in Game 7.
To earn their trip to the World Series, the Mets won a dramatic NLCS in six games over the Astros, a series generally considered one of the most entertaining in baseball history. A revealing look into the Astros’ 1986 starting rotation can be found here:
The sixth game of that series went 16 innings, the longest playoff game in history until 2005, when the Astros turned in an 18-inning marathon against the Braves, won by Chris Burke‘s walk-off homer.
The Circle of the Ring
“We are incredibly proud of this ring and what it represents for our players, the whole Astros organization and our fans,” Crane said. “It was important for us to design a ring that reflected just how historic [2017] truly was.” Crane was one of the select few who contributed to the design of the ring, a process that began almost immediately after the last out of Game 7, November 1.
“Jim and [wife] Whitney were the ones who came up with the final look to this,” Astros president of business operations Reid Ryan told reporters. “My job and Anita’s job really were to make sure the ring told the story.”
Anita Sehgal is the team’s senior vice president of marketing and communications.
Crane, who understandably had the final say on the ring’s design, spoke to some of the senior members of the team like second baseman and 2017 AL MVP José Altuve and starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel. Manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were also sought out for their opinions, as were members of the Astros’ marketing department.
Design of the Times
Within about 10 days after the World Series, Sehgal told The Athletic recently, they had put together a brief spec description to submit to various ring companies. Ryan reached out to Chicago Cubs president Crane Kenney and Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy for early advice on design and process.
The team eventually settled on commissioning Jostens (known to many of us as high school and college class ring producers) to craft the ring.
Most of the work took place in November and December (2017), with the finalizing of the ring design taking about eight weeks. Crane insisted the design be completed before the holidays, no doubt concerned about the time it might take to run proposal requests and wait for contract bids.
“The thing that we probably went back and forth on the most was making sure we got the right blue sapphires and the right orange sapphires,” said Sehgal, who recalled showing Crane at least 10 different colors of orange sapphires. The completed ring consists of 16 blue and nine orange sapphires, accurately reflecting team colors.
Related: The Fans Love Their Replicas, Too!
Alyson Footer of MLB.com (who previously was a longtime Astros beat reporter) describes this unique jewelry: “The rings are bright with the Astros’ signature orange and blue, and they’re dripping with diamonds from all ends. This is where the ‘by the numbers’ game applies — as is customary with most teams when they win the World Series, there is a strategic meaning behind the number of diamonds included.
“In this case, 11 custom-cut baguettes that create the iconic “H” in the Astros logo represent the team’s 11 postseason wins. The top of the ring is adorned with 101 diamonds, representing the number of regular-season games won by the Astros in 2017.
“When connected with the 11 custom-cut baguettes, the total diamond count reaches 112, the final number of wins the Astros reached to become World Champions. Completing the top of the ring are 56 round diamonds, which encircle the logo and represent the 56 seasons of Astros franchise history leading up to the 2017 World Championship.
“On one side of the ring are the players’ names, which frame the iconic Houston skyline, designed as a tribute to the Houston fan base that supported the team throughout.
“The year side of the ring includes the words “Houston Strong,” which became an iconic phrase following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. A single diamond sits atop the Commissioner’s Trophy, representing the first World Series victory in franchise history and the first in the state of Texas.
“The Roman numeral LVI completes the side of the ring, paying tribute to 56 seasons of Astros history.
“The inside of the ring has its own design, too. The results of each playoff series are listed, showing the 3-1 American League Division Series win over the Red Sox, the 4-3 AL Championship Series win over the Yankees and the 4-3 World Series win over the Dodgers.
“The arbor of the ring (above) features the Astros’ 2017 rallying cry, ‘Earned History.'”
“Just putting it on was a unique experience,” Hinch said. “What you talk about in the clubhouse is, we want a ring.
“It’s this big shiny thing that you immediately put on your hand and feel like a little kid again. This is the reason why you play baseball.”
