Flores is a Houston native, graduating from UH, and later became the sports director for KWTX-TV in Waco KEYE-TV and in Austin at KEYE-TV. He joined ESPN in 2005.Astros County asked questions, Robert Flores provided answers:
AC: How hard is it to be an Astros fan in Bristol?
RF: I wouldn't say it's hard but it can be lonely. There aren't alot of us up here. This is mostly Red Sox/Yankee country.
(Ed. Note: This is absolutely true. I lived in upstate New York for three years, and no one up there even realizes there is a Major League team in Houston. Yankees fans were raging angry when Chien-Ming Wang got hurt in Houston, mainly because they couldn't figure out why he was running in Houston in the first place. For them it's where Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens went to the same farm that sick pets go to, but then they came back.)
AC: What's your favorite Astro memory?
RF: My favorite Astros memory is back in 1986 a friend and I slept in the Astrodome parking lot for tickets to Game 1 of the NLCS against the Mets. Mike Scott went out and helped the Astros to a 1-nothing win. The Dome was electric that night.
AC: How long before the Astros get back to respectability?
RF: I think they're respectable now, especially in the last two weeks. Now, when will this franchise start winning divisions and going back to the playoffs and World Series? That's a tougher question. Their starting pitching isn't great and their farm system needs replenishing. Their most recent drafts can help, but it will take time.
AC: Who is your favorite Astro of all time?
RF: Cesar Cedeno. In fact that's the name of my fantasy baseball teams. I used to love to watch him leg out a double or triple and see his batting helmet fly off his mini-fro. The Astros didn't have many stars in those years, but he was definitely fun to watch.
AC: How long have you been an Astros fan?
RF: I've been an Astros fan since I was born. There wasn't even a choice. The only thing I regret about the 2005 World Series run is that I wasn't living in Houston at the time.
