query: when did houston move to the national league

pos: Houston Astros Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL). The Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000. The Astros were established as the Houston Colt .45s and entered the National League as an expansion team in along with the New York Mets. The current name—reflecting Houston's role as the control center of

pos: National League Division Series 5 is needed, the teams return to the higher seed's field. When MLB added a second wild card team in 2012, the Division Series re-adopted the 2-3 format due to scheduling conflicts. It reverted to the 2-2-1 format from 2013 onwards. NOTE: With the Houston Astros move to the American League at the conclusion of the 2012 season, the Braves vs Astros series is not currently possible. National League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series

pos: 2012 Houston Astros season 2012 Houston Astros season The Houston Astros 2012 season was the 51st season for the franchise in the National League in Houston, their 48th as the Astros and their 13th season at Minute Maid Park. This season was also the Astros' last in the National League. As a part of the recent sale of the team from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane, the Astros agreed to move from the NL Central to the AL West starting in 2013. "Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples;

pos: American League West is the Houston Astros. In 2013, the Houston Astros went from the National League Central to the AL West. That move gives all six MLB divisions an equal five teams and both leagues an equal 15 teams each. † – Due to the players' strike, the season was split in two. The Athletics won the first half, and they defeated the second-half winner, the Kansas City Royals (50 – 53 overall record) in the postseason.<br> § – Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, starting on August 12, no official winner was declared. The Texas Rangers were leading in

pos: Houston Dash Houston Dash The Houston Dash is a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas. They joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the 2014 season. On November 19, 2013, the Houston Dynamo began talks in the initial stages with the intention of bringing a top flight women's professional soccer franchise to Houston. Just a week later, the effort was bolstered when the Dynamo began accepting refundable deposits for a potential NWSL expansion team. On December 11, 2013, the National Women's Soccer League awarded the Houston Dynamo and the city of Houston an expansion franchise. During a press conference

pos: History of the Houston Astros History of the Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston,Texas that competes in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Astros are a member of the MLB's American League, having moved from the National League in 2013. The Astros are one of two MLB teams based out of Texas, the other being the Texas Rangers. The team began with the name Colt .45s in 1962 and changed their name to the Houston Astros in 1965 when they began playing in the Astrodome. The team has played in three ballparks in Houston, Colt .45 Stadium (1962-1964),

pos: Astrodome The Astrodome was declared non-compliant with fire code by the Houston Fire Department in 2008 and parts of it were demolished in 2013 after several years of disuse. In 2014 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Major League Baseball expanded to Houston in 1960 when the National League agreed to add two teams. The Houston Colt .45s (renamed the Astros in 1965) were to begin play in 1962, along with their expansion brethren New York Mets. Roy Hofheinz, a former mayor of Houston, and his group were granted the franchise after they promised to build a

pos: Park Chu-young was advised by newly national coach Hong Myung-bo to leave the club if Park was to remain in the national team. Park did not play a game for Arsenal for another 14 months until 30 October 2013 when he came on as a substitute for Aaron Ramsey on the 81st minute against Chelsea in the League Cup. Arsenal lost the game 2–0. Although there was a discussion of a possible loan move to Wigan Athletic, the deal never materialized. From that point forward, Park did not make any further appearance in the league with the first team. Park was released

pos: 2012 Major League Baseball season on September 14, 2011. The Major League Baseball postseason was expanded to include a second wild card team in each league beginning in the 2012 season. The season marked the last for the Houston Astros as a member of the National League. Following the sale to new owner Jim Crane, the Astros agreed to move to the American League effective in the 2013 season, and would be assigned to the American League West, joining their in-state rivals, the Texas Rangers. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game's 83rd edition was held on July 10 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri,

pos: Minnesota Wild game" Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Minnesota currently has one minor league affiliates the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Iowa Wild are owned by the parent club, who relocated the franchise from Houston in 2013. Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild are the only Minneapolis–Saint Paul area major professional sports league franchise to play in Saint Paul until Minnesota United FC move to their new home, Allianz Field,

pos:
2013 Major League Baseball season New York City, home of the New York Mets with the American League winning the All-Star Game with a 3–0 shutout of the National League. With the win, the American League champion earned home field advantage for the 2013 World Series.

 Several minor rule changes took effect during the 2013 season. These changes were approved by MLB owners; unless otherwise noted, they will also need the approval of the players' union. At the end of the 2012 season, the following teams made replacements to their managers. The Houston Astros' move to the American League West

pos: Houston Astros of discriminatory hiring practices regarding women and minorities, among other issues. This delayed MLB's approval process. During the summer of 2011, a frustrated Crane hinted that the delays might threaten the deal. In October 2011, Crane met personally with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, in a meeting that was described as "constructive". On November 15, 2011, it was announced that Crane had agreed to move the franchise to the American League for the 2013 season. The move was part of an overall divisional realignment of MLB, with the National and American leagues each having 15 teams in three geographically balanced divisions.

pos: History of baseball in the United States did not go into effect until the 1995 World Series. In 1998, the AL and the NL each added a fifteenth team, for a total of thirty teams in Major League Baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks joined the National League, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays—now called simply the Rays—joined the American League. In order to keep the number of teams in each league at an even number (14 – AL, 16 – NL), Milwaukee changed leagues and became a member of the National League. In 2013, in keeping with Commissioner Bud Selig's desire for expanded interleague play, the Houston Astros

pos: History of the Houston Astros among other issues. This delayed MLB's approval process. During the summer of 2011, a frustrated Crane hinted that the delays might threaten the deal. In October 2011, Crane met personally with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, in a meeting that was described as "constructive". On November 15, 2011, it was announced that Crane had agreed to move the franchise to the American League for the 2013 season. The move was part of an overall divisional realignment of MLB, with the National and American leagues each having 15 teams in three geographically balanced divisions. Crane was given a $70 million concession by

neg: Oklahoma City Dodgers returned in 1918 and the team name stuck until 1957 (the team did not compete during World War II). Oklahoma City's current baseball franchise began competing in 1962 as the Oklahoma City 89ers following a four-year period without professional baseball in the area. The franchise's original name made reference to the Land Run of 1889, which led to the founding of Oklahoma City. After the Houston Buffaloes of the American Association were purchased for territorial rights by the Houston Colt .45s (later the Houston Astros) of the National League, the big league club decided to move the Buffs elsewhere. In

neg: History of the Houston Texans The Texans lost 34–16. History of the Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a member of the National Football League. In June 1997, Bob McNair and Chuck Watson were bypassed by the National Hockey League in an attempt to bring a team to Houston, in part because of a lack of a suitable NHL arena. Two weeks later, Houston found itself without professional football for the first time since 1959 as Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams got the final approval to move his team to Tennessee. A lawsuit filed by the city of Houston, Harris County, and other parties was

neg: History of the Houston Texans History of the Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a member of the National Football League. In June 1997, Bob McNair and Chuck Watson were bypassed by the National Hockey League in an attempt to bring a team to Houston, in part because of a lack of a suitable NHL arena. Two weeks later, Houston found itself without professional football for the first time since 1959 as Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams got the final approval to move his team to Tennessee. A lawsuit filed by the city of Houston, Harris County, and other parties was settled with Adams paying

neg: Houston Buffaloes Houston for the next season, but in 1891, the Texas League did not play due to an inability to get financial backing. Without a league to play, Houston did not field a team. Despite McCloskey's return to Houston, a second title for the team, and a successful reorganization of the Texas League for 1892, the league remained unstable. The next two seasons it ceased to exist, and the club followed suit. 1895 saw the return of the Houston ball club. With McCloskey moving to manage his hometown Louisville Colonels of the National League, Houston promoted player Ollie Pickering to manage

neg: 1995 Houston Oilers season the season came on November 16th when Bud Adams announced plans to move the team to Nashville when the lease at the Astrodome expired in 1998. The Oilers were the debut opponent of expansion team the Jacksonville Jaguars, just as they had been with the previous NFL expansion and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976. 1995 Houston Oilers season The 1995 Houston Oilers season was the 36th season overall and 26th with the National Football League (NFL). The team bested their previous season’s output of 2–14, winning seven games, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive

neg: Edmonton Investors Group come up with about C$60 million. Nichols had about C$35 million in investments when an offer of US$85 million (C$120 million) came from a buyer who wanted to move the team to Houston. The Oilers' sale attracted interest in from several American cities, and as Nichols was securing local investors, an offer of US$85 million (C$120 million) came from Leslie Alexander, a Houston-based businessman and an owner of the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets. Houston, who's application for an expansion team rejected by the league, was (and still is) the largest U.S. city without an NHL franchise. Alexander's original offer

neg: 1980 National League Championship Series Saturday afternoon affair that ran into the early evening of October 11. A NCAA football game between the University of Houston and Texas A&M had been scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Rather than move the game to a different day or to another stadium, the schools elected to play the game at the Astrodome as scheduled. The conversion of the Astrodome from baseball to football took several hours and the football game did not kick off until 11:33 p.m. The game ended at 2:41 a.m. with the Houston Cougars taking a 17–13 victory over Texas A&M. The Astrodome crew

neg: 1986 Houston Astros season 1986 Houston Astros season The Houston Astros' 1986 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Houston Astros attempting to win the National League West, which they did for their third time in seven seasons. Scott was the first pitcher in the National League and the second overall to throw a no-hitter to clinch a pennant. The first was New York Yankees pitcher Allie Reynolds, who accomplished the feat on September 18, 1951. The 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 57th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National

neg: National Football League controversies San Jose Earthquakes in their move to become the Houston Dynamo (a new Earthquakes team eventually returned). On April 13, 1995, Stan Kroenke helped Georgia Frontiere move the Los Angeles Rams from Anaheim to St. Louis by purchasing a 30% share of the team. In April 2010, as a majority stock holder, Kroenke said: "I'm going to attempt to do everything that I can to keep the Rams in St. Louis. Just as I did everything that I could to bring the team to St. Louis in 1995. I believe my actions speak for themselves." In August 2010, Stan Kroenke

neg: 1960s FIFA World Cups during the decade: Major League Baseball expansion in 1961 included the formation of the Los Angeles Angels, the move to Minnesota to become the Minnesota Twins by the former Washington Senators and the formation of a new franchise called the Washington Senators. Major League Baseball sanctioned both the Houston Colt .45s and the New York Mets as new National League franchises in 1962. In 1969, the American League expanded when the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots, were admitted to the league prompting the expansion of the post-season for the first time since the creation of the

neg: Bud Adams with over 57% of those voting in favor. When the move was announced shortly after the end of the 1995 season, Adams's opponents in Houston attempted to block the move. The biggest example of this was when then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, whose district included portions of Houston and its suburbs, introduced a bill in Congress banning the move. However, it did not pass. Other opponents of the move filed their own lawsuits, but all were dismissed. By the start of the 1996 season, support for the Oilers had practically vanished. The Oilers played most of their games before crowds

neg: Houston Astros stadium, in the off-season Astros management announced its intention to sell the team and move the franchise to the Washington, D.C. area. However, the move was not approved by other National League owners, thus compelling the Astros to remain in Houston. Shortly thereafter, McMullen (who also owned the NHL's New Jersey Devils) sold the team to Texas businessman Drayton McLane in 1993, who committed to keeping the team in Houston. Shortly after McLane's arrival, which coincided with the maturation of Bagwell and Biggio, the Astros began to show signs of consistent success. After finishing second in their division in 1994

neg: Major League Baseball rivalries League teams played to 162, which meant teams would play each other 18 times a season. The National League did not implement this until the following year when the New York Mets and Houston Colt .45s (now the Houston Astros) entered play. In , with the San Diego Padres, Seattle Pilots, Kansas City Royals, and Montreal Expos entering play as expansion teams, MLB split both leagues into two divisions with six teams each. Teams played a total of 90 intra-divisional games, playing teams within the division 18 times each and 72 inter-divisional games, playing each team in the other division

neg: History of the Houston Astros grow increasingly disenchanted with the facility. Faced with declining attendance at the Astrodome and the inability of management to obtain a new stadium, in the off-season Astros management announced its intention to sell the team and move the franchise to the Washington, D.C. area. However, the move was not approved by other National League owners, thus compelling the Astros to remain in Houston. Shortly thereafter, McMullen (who also owned the NHL's New Jersey Devils) sold the team to Texas businessman Drayton McLane in 1993, who committed to keeping the team in Houston. Shortly after McLane's arrival, which coincided with the

neg: Houston Buffaloes by June 1904, the team was forced to move to an old horseracing track near Harrisburg Boulevard known as Harrisburg Park. At the time, the city's streetcars did not reach to this part of Houston, and fans were forced to ride the rest of the way in horse-drawn carts. With such a hassle for fans, attendance dropped dramatically, and the club was quickly losing money with rent to the racetrack. Instead of maintaining a home field in Houston, the team eventually opted to finish the rest of its season on the road, but Houston was ordered by league president Bliss

neg: History of the National Football League in Los Angeles the Rose Bowl while an NFL stadium was built in either Anaheim or Los Angeles. The Seahawks planned move was announced at a time when the Cleveland Browns had announced their relocation to Baltimore and the Houston Oilers to Nashville. The league passed a resolution in the previous year that a return to Los Angeles would be controlled by the league, the 30 teams collectively. Because of an owners' revolt where the league fined the Seahawks $50,000 dollars for every day the team was in Anaheim, Behring halted the process and moved the equipment back to Seattle. Eventually, Puget Sound

neg: Hurricane Harvey prices in two years. The flooding in Houston from the storm required the traditional Governor's Cup National Football League preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans scheduled for August 31 to be moved from NRG Stadium in Houston to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game was later cancelled to allow the Houston Texans players to return to Houston after the storm. In addition, the Houston Astros were forced to move their August 29–31 series with the Texas Rangers from Minute Maid Park in Houston to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida; ironically, just two weeks later,

neg: Paul Richards (baseball) Both the Associated Press and United Press International named him the American League Manager of the Year. The following September, Richards resigned as manager of the Orioles to become general manager of the new Houston Colt .45s National League club. Richards stocked the Houston club (soon renamed the Astros) with young players – including Joe Morgan, Jimmy Wynn, Mike Cuellar, Don Wilson and Rusty Staub – but he was fired after the 1965 season when the on-field results did not match owner Roy Hofheinz' expectations. The following year, Richards was hired as Director of Player Personnel by the Atlanta Braves

neg: 1965 Houston Astros season 1965 Houston Astros season The 1965 Houston Astros season was the franchise's first season in the Houston Astrodome, as well as its first season as the Astros after three seasons known as the Colt .45s. It involved the Houston Astros finishing in ninth place in the National League with a record of 65–97, 32 games behind the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros were managed by Lum Harris. On December 1, The Houston club changed its nickname from Colt .45s to Astros. The move resulted from objections by the Colt Firearms Company to the club's sales of

neg: 1986 Houston Astros season Red Sox, a series in which they would pull off one of the greatest comebacks of all time. The Mets had won the series with a .189 batting average, the lowest average ever recorded by a winning team in a postseason series. Their pitching had been the key. All-Star Game 1986 Houston Astros season The Houston Astros' 1986 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Houston Astros attempting to win the National League West, which they did for their third time in seven seasons. Scott was the first pitcher in the National League and the second overall

neg: 1998 WNBA season 1998 WNBA season The 1998 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's second season. The 1998 season saw two expansion teams join the league, the Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics. The expansion teams allowed the defending champions Houston Comets to move to the Western Conference. The regular season was extended from 28 games to 30 games. The season ended with the Comets winning their second WNBA championship. Eastern Conference Western Conference There were 10 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in the league were seeded one to four. Houston was switched

neg: Houston Aeros (WHA) an expansion with so many of its existing franchises struggling. Finally, Schnitzer campaigned to be allowed to purchase an existing club and relocate it to Houston. The obvious candidate to move was the Cleveland Barons (the former Seals), who had barely survived the season and were on the verge of folding. Schnitzer believed the older league would accept almost any other proposal as an alternative to the perceived embarrassment of having to disband a franchise, and did come close to a deal to relocate the moribund Barons franchise to Houston. However, the NHL instead opted to approve a proposal from

neg: 1996 Houston Oilers season in 1997, becoming the Tennessee Oilers (Memphis, too, would reject the "temporary" housing of the Oilers, forcing the team to move to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville until the new Nashville stadium was finished in 1999). 1996 Houston Oilers season The 1996 Houston Oilers season was the 37th season overall and 27th with the National Football League (NFL) and their final season in Houston. The team bested their previous season's output of 7–9, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Oilers only won two out of their eight games at home. However, on the road

neg: Tal Smith 7, 1975, Smith accepted it. Houston was in last place in the National League West Division when Smith assumed the reins, but under his leadership, the team rebuilt itself into contenders, winning its first division title in 1980. Along the way, Smith was named team president in 1976 and played a key role in resolving the club's ownership problem when he helped to convince Dr. John McMullen, a limited partner in Steinbrenner's ownership group, to sell his Yankees' shares and become the owner of the Astros. However, in a move that shocked baseball, McMullen fired Smith only days after the

neg: 1997 Tennessee Oilers season twice), many of the attendees were fans of the opposing team, padding the attendance totals. 1997 Tennessee Oilers season The 1997 Tennessee Oilers season was their 38th season overall and their 28th in the National Football League (The NFL). The Oilers finished the season with 8 wins and 8 losses, and did not qualify for the playoffs. The head coach was Jeff Fisher, and the team played their home games at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. The 1997 season was the first season that the team was known as the Tennessee Oilers, following their move from Houston. In

neg: 1997 Tennessee Oilers season 1997 Tennessee Oilers season The 1997 Tennessee Oilers season was their 38th season overall and their 28th in the National Football League (The NFL). The Oilers finished the season with 8 wins and 8 losses, and did not qualify for the playoffs. The head coach was Jeff Fisher, and the team played their home games at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. The 1997 season was the first season that the team was known as the Tennessee Oilers, following their move from Houston. In their first game in their new city, they defeated the Oakland Raiders 24-21. However, after

neg: Art Modell are ever moved out of state, a deal similar to what Modell agreed to with the city of Cleveland during the move. In December 2005, the San Jose Earthquakes MLS franchise moved to Houston, Texas to become the Houston Dynamo. At the time, it was announced by the league that while players and staff would move with the team, the team name, colors, logo, and records (including two championship trophies) would stay in San Jose for when a new expansion team arrives. In 2008, the Earthquakes returned under the ownership of Lew Wolff, a real estate developer, landowner and part-owner

neg: Houston Buffaloes next season heralded more change for the team, as Pickering was called up to the big league by former manager McCloskey to play for the Louisville Colonels. The 1896 season was the first in which the club would be known by the name of the "Houston Buffaloes". First baseman Charlie "Jugger" Shaffer took over as manager, and the Buffaloes claimed their third league title. From 1900 through 1902 Houston did not field a team, as the Texas League was again plagued by instability. However, in November 1902, new owner Claude Rielly revived the club when another league was formed for

neg: 2004 Houston Astros season more than one run. Clemens passed Steve Carlton to move into then-second place behind Nolan Ryan on the all-time strikeout list on May 6 against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 6–2 victory while striking out nine and bringing his career total to 4,140. In May, outfielder Lance Berkman produced a .785 slugging percentage with 24 runs batted in (RBI), winning his first career National League Player of the Month honors. In a three-team deal involving the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics, the Astros acquired center fielder Carlos Beltrán. The Royals sent Beltrán to Houston for minor league catcher John

neg: Billy Bates (baseball) Doctors performed an operation on October 3, which would hold him out of postseason play as Cincinnati won the National League West; the Reds were the first team in National League history to lead a division for an entire 162-game season. In a move that surprised Bates, who already prepared to return to his Houston residence after the Reds' last regular-season game, the club added him to their postseason roster. In the 1990 National League Championship Series, the Reds faced the Pittsburgh Pirates in a best-of-seven game series. In Game 1, the Reds, the home team, opened up a 3–0

neg: Mike Holovak final game of the season, Holovak handled the duties in a 42–3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on December 12. He then announced his resignation on May 20, 1977, citing personal reasons. In 1980, he was elected to the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame, then returned to football on February 15, 1981, when he was named executive vice-president of the Houston Oilers. Rebuilding the team following the departure of popular head coach Bum Phillips, Holovak made his most adept move when he strongly recommended the signing of Canadian Football League quarterback Warren Moon in 1984. By 1988,

neg: Major League Baseball tie-breaking procedures did not play a tiebreaker if their records were better than all non-division winners in their league. Instead, such a tie was broken using the rules listed below ("Breaking Ties Without Playoff Games"). This scenario happened in the 2001 Major League Baseball season when the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals tied for first place in the National League Central. The Astros were awarded the division title by virtue of a better head-to-head record against the Cardinals, while St. Louis received the wildcard berth. With, however, the adoption of a second wildcard berth and a wildcard game beginning in the

neg: History of the Houston Astros be Houston winning the second half. However, it wouldn't be easy since the Astros did not score too many runs. This was known as the "Chinese Water Torture" offense. They would have frequent 1-0 or 2-0 victories. The Astros would have a milestone on September 26 when Nolan Ryan pitched his fifth no-hitter against the Dodgers. A few weeks later, they were in the playoffs against the Dodgers in the 1981 National League Division Series. After the Astros won the first two games in dramatic fashion, the Dodgers won the next three in Dodger Stadium to earn the full NL

neg: Houston Astros both the NL and the AL, when they defeated the New York Yankees in the ALCS. They won the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning four games to three, earning the team, and the state of Texas, its first World Series title. From 1888 until 1961, Houston's professional baseball club was the minor league Houston Buffaloes. Although expansion from the National League eventually brought an MLB team to Texas in 1962, Houston officials had been making efforts to do so for years prior. There were four men chiefly responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston: George

neg: Houston Ballers Houston Ballers The Houston Ballers are a professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team competes in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The JBA was first announced on December 20, 2017, when media personality LaVar Ball said to "Slam" magazine that he would create a professional league targeted at high school graduates and fully funded by his sports apparel company Big Baller Brand. The league held tryouts in Texas in April 2018, selecting a total of 14 players in

neg: Erica Stokes Erica Stokes Erica Stokes is a former United States gymnast. Stokes trained with Bela Karolyi in Houston, Texas. Stokes spent three summers training with the Karolyi's. When she was 9 years old, Karolyi invited her to move to Houston to train at the Karolyi Ranch full time. Her family agreed, and later moved to Houston to join their daughter. Stokes finished second in the 1989 Junior National Championships and fourth in the 1990 National Championships behind Kim Zmeskal and Betty Okino. She was unable to compete in the 1990 Goodwill Games due to an injury. Her mother recalled that "she

neg: 1981 World Series August 8, the 1981 season was split into two halves, with the first-place teams from each half in each division (or a wild card team if the same club won both halves) meeting in a best-of-five divisional playoff series. The four survivors would then move on to the two best-of-five League Championship Series. The expanded playoffs led to Game 1 of the World Series being pushed back to October 20, the latest starting date for a Fall Classic up to that time. In the National League, the Dodgers led the National League West prior to the strike. The Houston Astros,

neg: Jim Crane Commissioner Bud Selig intended for Houston to move from the 6-club National League Central to the 4-club American League West. Crane received $35 million bumps from McLane and the MLB in exchange for this league-change stipulation, which McLane had previously committed to. "It was two things (owning a team and golf course) that I never thought I would be able to accomplish," Crane mused at his Floridian National Golf Club's reopening. "I was able to pull it together and I am very happy about it." Crane and his ex-wife, Franci Neely Crane, are financial supporters of The Museum of Fine

neg: Beltway Series to Washington for the 1974 season, bids to purchase the Orioles in 1975 and the San Francisco Giants in 1976 and move them, a large "Baseball in Washington in ′87" promotion in 1987 advocating that a team to come to Washington, calls in 1991 and 1994 for MLB to place an expansion team in Washington, and efforts to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1995 and the Houston Astros in 1996 for a move to Washington. None of these efforts bore fruit, and Washington, D.C., had no Major League Baseball team from 1972 through 2004. Play between Baltimore and Washington did

neg: Occupy movement in the United States they did. Yet after spending a few days at City Hall the encampment was moved one last time to Tranquility Park—this time the pressing issue forcing the move was the Energy Day festival in Houston which has Hermann Square rented. Though Occupy Houston opted to acquiesce to the demands of the City by evacuating Hermann Square, it did not support the Energy Festival. Instead, Occupy Houston protested the festival on the grounds of its sponsorship by TransCanada, the company behind the Keystone XL Pipeline, and Valero which demanded a further $62.8 million tax refund. The night of the move (as

neg: Jack Kershaw (footballer) Millers in the 1920 National Challenge Cup. He suffered a season-ending injury sometime in December 1920 or January 1921. In 1921, the SNESL was disbanded with the creation of the American Soccer League. Fore River did not move to the new league, but Kershaw spent two seasons in the new league, first with J&P Coats in 1921–1922 and then the Fall River Marksmen in 1922–1923. In 1924, Kershaw scored the season’s first goal for the Shawsheen Indians in the semi-professional National League, which had replaced the SNESL. However, Kershaw is not listed on the Indians’ roster when they won the

neg: Alief, Houston personal computers placed in all of Houston's branch libraries so that all Houstonians could access the internet "information superhighway" during their visits. In 1996, the Henington-Alief Library began offering free internet access to the public. The service was text-only and was limited to 20 minutes when other users were waiting to use the computers. The move by the Houston Public Library was intended to bring internet access to Houstonians who did not have a home computer and therefore did not have home access to the internet. In 2005, Alief became home to many Hurricane Katrina evacuees. More than 3,000 evacuees

neg: Fox Sports Houston Smith remains with Fox Sports as a host for team programming pertaining to the Houston Texans, while Kevin Eschenfelder left the network in late September to join Comcast SportNet Houston as a reporter. Reporter Greg Lucas also did not continue with Fox Sports; while it was initially unclear if he would join Comcast SportsNet Houston, he ultimately did not move to that network. Fox Sports Houston Fox Sports Houston was an American regional sports network that was owned by Fox Cable Networks, a unit of the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of News Corporation, and operated as an affiliate of Fox

neg: AFC South AFC South The AFC South is a division of the National Football League (NFL)'s American Football Conference (AFC). It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams. Since its creation, the division has had the same four members: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans. Before the 2002 season, the Texans did not exist, the Colts belonged to the AFC East, and the Titans and Jaguars were members of the AFC Central. Indianapolis, Tennessee, and Jacksonville all won multiple division titles and wild card berths in their prior respective divisions.

neg: System quarterback the early 1990s, when two University of Houston quarterbacks failed to carry college success into their professional careers. First, Andre Ware, in head coach Jack Pardee and offensive coordinator John Jenkins's run and shoot offense, had a record-setting 1989 season that culminated in a Heisman Trophy. He was the seventh overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, but did not have success in either the National Football League or the Canadian Football League. David Klingler took over for Ware at UH and was the sixth overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft. He too, failed to find exceptional success in

neg: 2004 National League Championship Series to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Larry Walker's single. Jason Isringhausen shut down Houston in the ninth to win the Cardinals their first National League pennant in seventeen years. 2004 NLCS (4–3): St. Louis Cardinals over Houston Astros 2004 National League Championship Series The 2004 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 13 to 21 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals and the wild-card qualifying Houston Astros. This marked the first time in either Major League that two teams

neg: West End Park (Houston) West End Park (Houston) West End Park was a baseball park in Houston from 1905 to the 1940s. It was the primary ballpark for the city when it was constructed, and the city's first venue for Negro Major League games. From 1909 through 1910 and again in 1915, it also served as the spring training facility of the St. Louis Browns (known today as the Baltimore Orioles) as well as the 1914 New York Yankees of the American League and the 1906 through 1908 St. Louis Cardinals of the National League in Major League Baseball. After its use by its

neg: Dee Thomas Dee Thomas Dee Thomas (born November 7, 1967 in Morgan City, Louisiana) is a former professional American football defensive back in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers, Montreal Machine in the World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League. He played college football at Nicholls State University and was drafted in the tenth round of the 1990 NFL Draft. Thomas played for the Houston Oilers during the 1990 season. After the season, Thomas was protected in Plan B, but he did not play for Oilers during the 1991 season. In 1992, Thomas played in the World

neg: 1998 Major League Baseball expansion play, both leagues would need to carry an even number of teams, so the decision was made to move one club from the AL Central to the NL Central - it was ultimately then-acting Commissioner Bud Selig (who at the time also owned the Milwaukee Brewers) who agreed to have his own franchise change leagues. The 1998 expansion remains, as of 2018, the most recent to be conducted in Major League Baseball. MLB would later reverse the imbalance created by the 1998 expansion when, following the sale of the Houston Astros, the new owners agreed to move their franchise to

neg: Occupy Houston Yet after spending a few days at City Hall the encampment was moved one last time to Tranquility Park—this time the pressing issue forcing the move was the Energy Day festival in Houston which has Hermann Square rented. Though Occupy Houston opted to acquiesce to the demands of the City by evacuating Hermann Square, it did not support the Energy Festival. Instead, Occupy Houston protested the festival on the grounds of its sponsorship by TransCanada, the company behind the Keystone XL Pipeline, and Valero which demanded a further $62.8 million tax refund. The night of the move (as with the

neg: Olympia Radotín did not meet the requirements for professional football and the only stadium in Hradec Králové that did was already in use by FK Hradec Králové, another Czech National Football League club. Despite staying clear of the relegation zone in their first season in the second tier league, chairman Angelos Goulis announced the club had decided to willingly move one tier down the football pyramid into the Bohemian Football League. The club relocated from Střížkov to Radotín and rebranded itself under its current name. As a part of this move, the club also merged with SC Radotín, a local lower-league club.

neg: Houston are a National Football League expansion team formed in 2002. The Houston Dynamo is a Major League Soccer franchise that has been based in Houston since 2006, winning two MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007. The Houston Dash team plays in the National Women's Soccer League. The Houston SaberCats are a Rugby team that plays in the Major League Rugby. Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros) and Toyota Center (home of the Rockets), are located in downtown Houston. Houston has the NFL's first retractable-roof stadium with natural grass, NRG Stadium (home of the Texans). Minute Maid Park is

neg: AFC South 16. In the previous week, the Jaguars had clinched their first playoff birth since 2007, with a win against the Texans. Team earned first-round bye.<br> Stats updated through 2016 season. AFC South The AFC South is a division of the National Football League (NFL)'s American Football Conference (AFC). It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams. Since its creation, the division has had the same four members: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans. Before the 2002 season, the Texans did not exist, the Colts belonged to the AFC

neg: Cullen Center Continental move would raise the Cullen Center's occupancy rate from 81 percent in November 1996 to 94 percent. Tim Reylea, the vice president of Cushman Realty Corp., said that the Continental move "is probably the largest corporate relocation in the central business district of Houston ever." Bob Lanier, Mayor of Houston, said that he was "tickled to death" by the airline's move to relocate to Downtown Houston. In 2001, when Enron collapsed, it vacated of space in the Allen Center and Cullen Center complexes in Downtown Houston. In 2008, Continental signed five-year lease renewals for its Downtown Houston office space.

neg: Clutch City the same fate as the city's National Football League (NFL) club at the time (the Houston Oilers) did; the Oilers blew a 32-point lead during a January 3, 1993 NFL playoff game versus the Buffalo Bills; the Bills won the game 41-38 in overtime. During this era, no Houston-based professional sports team from an existing sports league (the NFL, NBA, or Major League Baseball) had won a championship. In Rudy Tomjanovich's second full season as head coach, the Rockets began the 1993–94 season by tying an NBA record with start of 15–0. Led by Hakeem Olajuwon, who was named the

neg: R.B.I. Baseball the late 1980s. As it was not licensed by Major League Baseball (MLB) itself, it did not use team nicknames or logos. Instead, the game contained 8 teams listed by only their location: Boston, California, Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, New York, St. Louis, and San Francisco; their real-life, MLB counterparts were the first place teams in each division in (Boston, California, Houston, New York) and (Detroit, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Francisco) MLB seasons. The game also boasted two All-Star teams, American League and National League; the two featured established veterans such as George Brett, Dale Murphy and Andre Dawson—none of whom

neg: Houston Buffaloes went on to lead the broadcast for the Colt .45s and Houston Astros from 1962 to 1986. In 1959, the Buffs severed ties with the Cardinals to move up to the Triple-A level, and then began an affiliation with the Chicago Cubs. At the same time, the City of Houston, through a group of local business leaders known as the "Houston Sports Association", was selected as one of the eight members of a planned "third major league", the Continental League, but plans eventually fell through after team owner Marty Marion could not come to an agreement to sell the team.

neg: History of the St. Louis Cardinals (1920–52) face certain expulsion from baseball. For a time, no credible offers surfaced from St. Louis interests, and it looked like the Cardinals would indeed be forced to move out of town. The most promising offer came from a consortium of businessmen in Houston, Texas. The Cardinals owned the Houston Buffaloes of the Texas League; under major-league rules of the time, they also held the major-league rights to Houston. The only question was whether Buffalo Stadium could be upgraded to major-league standards. However, Saigh ultimately sold the Cardinals to St. Louis-based brewer Anheuser-Busch (A–B). In February 1953, a group of local

neg: Hank Steinbrenner said his father did not get enough respect for hiring Torre in 1995, and that Joe Girardi has "...a little more fire in his belly" compared to Torre when it comes to managing. Steinbrenner has gone on to say that he will "support everything [Girardi] does" and "[Girardi] was the manager I wanted, and that's not anything towards Joe Torre. That's the manager we wanted at the time. Times change." In 2008, Steinbrenner lashed out when Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang was injured while running the bases in an interleague game against the Houston Astros, suggesting that the National League needed

neg: Soccer in Houston Summit (Major Indoor Soccer League). Professional soccer returned to Houston again from 1984-91 with the Dynamos, who competed in the United Soccer League, the Lone Star Soccer Alliance and independently in between. The Hotshots was the last professional soccer franchise in Houston before today's Dynamo, operating from 1994-2000 in the Continental Indoor Soccer League and the World Indoor Soccer League. Houston did not field a professional team from 2000 to 2005 but the city's ability to draw big crowds for friendlies placed it in the conversation to land a Major League Soccer club. Houston had become a hotspot for Mexican

neg: Houston Astros announced the formation of a new league to compete with the established National and American Leagues. They called the new league the Continental League. Wanting to protect potential new markets, both existing leagues chose to expand from eight teams to ten. However, plans eventually fell through for the Houston franchise after the Houston Buffaloes owner, Marty Marion, could not come to an agreement with the HSA to sell the team. To make matters worse, the Continental League as a whole folded in August 1960. However, on October 17, 1960, the National League granted an expansion franchise to the Houston Sports

neg: Houston Astros Crane was given a $70 million concession by MLB for agreeing to the switch; the move was a condition for the sale to the new ownership group. Two days later, the Astros were officially sold to Crane after the other owners unanimously voted in favor of the sale. It was also announced that 2012 would be the last season for the Astros in the NL. After over fifty years of the Astros being a part of the National League, this move was unpopular with many Astros fans. In 2012, the Astros were eliminated from the playoffs before September 5. On

neg: Buffalo Stadium consortium of Houston businessmen who planned to move the Cardinals to Houston. Under major-league rules of the day, since the Cardinals owned the Buffs, they also owned the major-league rights to Houston. For this reason, the only question was whether Buff Stadium could be upgraded to major league standards in time for the 1952 season. However, at the 11th hour, Saigh took a somewhat lower offer from Anheuser-Busch. The stadium was renamed, in similar fashion to the St. Louis Cardinals' Sportsman's Park, to "Busch Stadium" in 1958 to honor the Busch family. At the same time, the Buffs transferred to

neg: Craig Smajstrla Craig Smajstrla Craig Smajstrla (pronounced: Suh-ma-struh-luh), (born June 19, 1962 in Houston, Texas), was a Major League Baseball player with the Houston Astros baseball club in 1988. A native of the Houston area, he only had three at-bats in his entire big league career and never recorded a hit or walk, but did reach base several times as a pinch runner. He tied a record set by many who have appeared in the Majors and yet never recorded a hit. His Astros record was broken in 1990 when Jeff Baldwin went 0 for 7 in his career. Smajstrla was nicknamed

neg: Tim Hanley League Soccer. He remained with the team every year, except 2000, through its name change in 1999 to the San Jose Earthquakes and its move in 2006 to Houston where it became the Houston Dynamo. In July 2006, he left the Houston Dynamo to move to the Los Angeles Galaxy. He was released from the team in August 2007. In 2002, Stanford University hired Hanley as the goalkeeper coach for its men's soccer team. He has also held positions with several northern Californian youth clubs such as: The Stanford Quake and Palo Alto Blue 93. Hanley was re-hired by the

neg: 1957 Houston Cougars football team National Football League in the 1958 NFL Draft. It was the eighth time in team history that Houston players were taken in the draft. Tackle Hogan Wharton was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the eleventh round (131st overall), but remained on the team through the duration of the 1958 season. Similarly, Don McDonald was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the twenty-ninth round (340th overall), but did not leave Houston until after the 1959 season. Tackle John Peters was taken by the Green Bay Packers in the thirtieth round (350th overall). While Donnie Caraway, another Houston player was

neg: Lone Star Series the play-offs but changes won't be seen until the 2011 Season. During the 1997 off-season, "radical" realignment plans were bandied around about possibly rearranging teams from one league to another, especially Houston and Texas. In order to cut down on traveling costs and align teams together based on geography, the MLB owners came up with many plans to put the Astros and Rangers in a more suitable placement together. However, the American League and National League would lose their respective identities in the process. (The only move was the Brewers from the AL Central to the NL Central.) One of

neg: Craig Reynolds (baseball) representative on the American League squad, but did not appear in the game. After that season, he was acquired by his hometown Houston Astros in exchange for future AL strikeout champion Floyd Bannister. After Garry Templeton declined his invitation to the 1979 All-Star Game, National League manager Tommy Lasorda added Reynolds to his team. As a result, Reynolds became the only shortstop in MLB history to be selected to the AL and NL squads in consecutive seasons. He batted .265 his first season with the Astros, but more importantly, he helped solidify the Houston infield with a .965 fielding percentage.

neg: National League Central National League Central The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League East (the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals). When the division was created in 1994, the Pirates were originally supposed to stay in the East while the Atlanta Braves were to be moved to the Central from the West. However, the Braves, wanting to form a natural rivalry with the expansion Florida

neg: 1961 Chicago Bears season 1961 Chicago Bears season The 1961 Chicago Bears season was their 42nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted an 8–6 record under George Halas, which was an improvement over the 5–6–1 record of the previous season. On January 14, Chicago Bears End Willard Dewveall played out his option and joined the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another. The Bears were notable for taking part in an exhibition game in their first ever game outside of the United States, taking on the

neg: 1961 Chicago Bears season CFL's Montreal Alouettes (the original team), winning 34–16. 1961 Chicago Bears season The 1961 Chicago Bears season was their 42nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted an 8–6 record under George Halas, which was an improvement over the 5–6–1 record of the previous season. On January 14, Chicago Bears End Willard Dewveall played out his option and joined the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another. The Bears were notable for taking part in an exhibition game in their first ever game

neg: Lance Cormier Houston Astros, 6-4 in 6.0 innings pitched. He struck out five, and recorded his first major league hit. He made a move to the bullpen after losing his next 2 games. From August 29 to September 11, batters only hit .136 off of Lance. He recorded his first big-league RBI on July 29. In , Cormier appeared in 67 games for the Diamondbacks. His 7 wins tied for fourth place among National League relief pitchers. He pitched 18.0 scoreless innings at the beginning of the season, and on April 29, he recorded a career-high four strikeouts against the San Diego

neg: National League Central in 1994 and was initially assigned to the team with the best record in each league that did not win its division. The first year of implementation was 1995 as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since implementation, each of the NL Central teams has won the wild card. In 2012, a second wild card was added to post-season play. <nowiki>*</nowiki> – Defeated the San Francisco Giants in a one game playoff for the Wild Card, 5-3. <nowiki>†</nowiki> – finished with the same record as the Houston Astros, but Houston won the season series vs. the Cardinals that

neg: 1962 Major League Baseball expansion 1962 Major League Baseball expansion The 1962 Major League Baseball expansion was the formation of two new Major League Baseball (MLB) teams for the 1962 season. The Houston Colt .45s (later renamed the Astros) and the New York Mets were added to the National League (NL), becoming the 19th and 20th teams in MLB's two leagues. The Colt .45s were the first major league team in Houston while the Mets filled the void left when the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers of the NL moved to California after the 1957 season. The expansion was the second part of an

neg: History of the Houston Astros the Astrodome (1965-1999), and, currently, Minute Maid Park, a stadium with a retractable roof. The Astros hold one World Series title and one national league title. From 1888 until 1961, Houston's professional baseball club was the minor league Houston Buffaloes. Although expansion from the National League eventually brought a Major League team to Texas in 1962, Houston officials had been making efforts to do so for years prior. There were four men chiefly responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston: George Kirksey and Craig Cullinan, who had led a futile attempt to purchase the St. Louis Cardinals in 1952;

neg: Bud Adams & Energy. The company's basketball team was an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) powerhouse, finishing third nationally in 1956. Adams soon became interested in owning an NFL team. In 1959, Adams and fellow Texas oilman Lamar Hunt tried to buy the struggling Chicago Cardinals and move them to Texas. When that effort failed, he tried to get an expansion team, only to be turned down. A few days after returning to Houston, Adams got a call from Hunt proposing an entirely new football league. They met several times that spring, and Hunt convinced Adams to field a team in Houston. In

neg: History of the National Conference League allowing the National Conference League champions to apply to replace the bottom team in the pro leagues. However, the latter concession soon disappeared as the pro leagues moved to summer and the National Conference League did not want to move, furthermore Woolston Rovers' application to replace Highfield was voted out (the one club elected to the league from the National Conference League being Chorley Borough who were themselves a former semi-pro league club). The National Conference League soon expanded all divisions to 14 teams, though on occasions it has struggled to reach full complement of members, and lost all the

neg: Soccer in Houston Soccer in Houston The history of professional soccer in Houston spans half a century, and includes clubs playing in numerous different leagues such as the North American Soccer League, the United Soccer League, Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League. Professional soccer in Houston began with the Houston Stars, who played at the Astrodome from 1967-68 in the United Soccer Association during their first year and the North American Soccer League during their second and final season. Houston returned to the professional soccer scene with two clubs, both operating from 1978-80: the Houston Hurricane (NASL), and the Houston

neg: RC Bègles XIII XIII and did the same again in 2013/14 this time losing to US Pujols XIII. Season 2015/16 saw the club move across to the "Midi-Pyrenees" region. National Division 2 RC Bègles XIII RC Bègles XIII are a French Rugby league club based in Bègles, Gironde in the Aquitaine region. The club plays in the "Aquitaine regional League" of the French National Division 2. Home games are played at the Stade Denis Mallet. The clubs first honours arrived in 2006 when they lifted the Paul Dejean Cup after beating SU Cavaillon XIII in the final 30-23. Not long after the club

neg: Gordon Houston players when the team started spring training in 1938. Finally, Gordon was added to the roster, but C. L. did not make the final cut. Gordon Houston had his most productive season with the Liners in 1938, when he led the East Texas League with a .384 average and his .618 slugging percentage was second best in the eight-team circuit. Houston started at left field and later moved to right field, going 3-for-4 on Opening Day and staying above .400 until the midseason, but never hit below .380 throughout the rest of the season. In addition, he collected 32 doubles,

neg: Puerto Rico Islanders by Joe Serralta and other Puerto Rican businessmen and played only seven games before Serralta decided to move the franchise to Houston, Texas on June 1, changing its name to the Houston Force. The move was prompted by problems with the Puerto Rican Football Federation and low attendances. The Force folded after one game in Houston. Eight years after Serralta's first attempt at professional football, he gave it another go and together with a new group of Puerto Rican businessmen officially created another incarnation of the Puerto Rico Islanders. The team played their first season in the A-League in 2004.

neg: History of the Houston Astros MLB for agreeing to the switch; the move was a condition for the sale to the new ownership group. Two days later, the Astros were officially sold to Crane after the other owners unanimously voted in favor of the sale. It was also announced that 2012 would be the last season for the Astros in the NL. After over 50 years of the Astros being a part of the National League, this move was unpopular with many Astros fans. In 2012, Sig Mejdal implemented the STOUT sabermetrics system (a combination of the words "scout" and "statistics") for Astros. The system

neg: Houston Astros Gerry Hunsicker, who until 2004 would continue to oversee the building of the Astros into one of the better and most consistent organizations in the Major Leagues. However, in 1996, the Astros again nearly left Houston. By the mid-1990s, McLane (like McMullen before him) wanted his team out of the Astrodome and was asking the city to build the Astros a new stadium. When things did not progress quickly toward that end, he put the team up for sale. He had nearly finalized a deal to sell the team to businessman William Collins, who planned to move them to Northern

neg: 1994 Houston Oilers season 1994 Houston Oilers season The 1994 Houston Oilers season was the 35th season overall and 25th with the National Football League (NFL). Despite finishing with a 12–4 record and a first round bye the previous season, team owner Bud Adams made good on a threat to break up the team if they did not win the Super Bowl. The two biggest losses the Oilers suffered were the trading of Warren Moon, the team’s longtime starting quarterback, to the Minnesota Vikings and the departure of defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who was hired to coach the Arizona Cardinals. With Moon being replaced

neg: Rice Track/Soccer Stadium the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in 2002 and the Conference USA Tournament (won by Rice) in 2005. The WAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships were held there in 2002 and again in 2004. Following Rice's move to Conference USA in 2005, the C-USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships were hosted at the facility in 2007. The stadium has also served as a practice venue for soccer teams visiting Houston, including the United States men's national team, Everton of the Premier League, the Colorado Rapids, the Republic of Ireland women's national football team, and the Argentina men's national football team. The

neg: National Football League Christmas games situation, with the Denver Broncos playing the Oakland Raiders in what could be the final NFL game played in Oakland before the team's scheduled move to Las Vegas in 2019. When Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday, as it did in , the "Thursday Night Football" game can be moved to Friday on Christmas. The 2009 game was between the Chargers and the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, with a special start time of 7:30 PM Eastern/6:30 PM Central. The league chose not to exercise this option in , when it scheduled a Thursday night Christmas Eve game between the Chargers