By Kathryn Pardis
Baseball runs deep in Reid Ryan’s family. His dad, Nolan, pitched for 27 years and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Nolan was with the New York Mets when they won the World Series in 1969. Now, Reid, as president of Business Operations for the Houston Astros since May 17, 2013, personally knows the euphoria that comes with that level of success.
The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership invited Reid to speak at its May luncheon, to share his thoughts on the Astros’ 2017 World Series title, and there was definitely a level of anticipation in the air even before he took the stage wearing his bedazzling World Series ring. And, he quickly filled the room with laughter when he said the most in demand “person” from the Astros organization is the Commissioner’s Trophy at No.1. Astros Mascot Orbit is No. 2, trailed by José Altuve at No. 3!
The mantra for the Astros this year is Never Settle, he said, making it very clear that the Astros are not satisfied with just one World Series Championship. And, with their wonderful camaraderie, that might not be so difficult.
“They are great players, but they are even better human beings. When you have guys that like each other, that root for each other, the sky’s the limit. These guys have the common denominator that they don’t want to be good, they want to be great. José (Altuve) is making our players better, and Justin (Verlander) is making our pitchers better. Talent raises talent.”