It happened here

Houston's homecoming
For the Houston Astros, which can now claim its first World Series appearance, traveling to Chicago is a sort of homecoming: The franchise was born here. On October 17, 1960, baseball's annual National League meeting took place at the Blackstone Hotel at 636 South Michigan Avenue. At a time when the National League consisted of only eight teams, league owners approved franchise applications for the Houston Colt .45s (which would later become the Houston Astros) and the New York Mets. While the "Miracle Mets" would go on to win the World Series in 1969 and '86, this is not only the first Fall Classic for the Astros, but for the Lone Star State. Since that time, both the team and the hotel have seen their share of changes. The Astros played at Colt Stadium, then the Astrodome, then Enron Field (renamed Minute Maid Park); the Blackstone, which stood vacant for years, is going condo.—Tim McCormick