In 2014, Sports Illustrated columnist Ben Reiter wrote the now famous cover article about the Houston Astros titled “Your 2017 World Champions; the Houston Astros.”
After three straight seasons with the worst record in baseball and more than one hundred losses, it was an audacious prediction, downright ludicrous. Even Astros fans, even those who understood “The Process,” considered the timing premature, and that’s not even taking into account the long odds against even the best team going all the way.
Of course, as you all know, Ben Reiter turned out to be a prophet, and even sweeter, the cover boy, George Springer, was World Series MVP.