Houston Astros

There’s rebuilding projects, and then there’s the Houston Astros.  Ever since the team went to the World Series in 2005, the entire organization has been in shambles. 

Sure, they won 86 games in 2008, but that is their only time in the past eight years to win more than 80 games.  They are currently on their seventh different manager in those eight years, and their attendance has plummeted to one of the lowest in the league.

The signing deadline for 2014 draft picks officially passed Friday at 5 p.m. ET, and the Houston Astros were not able to sign No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken, according Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). He also reports that the Astros failed to sign fifth-rounder Jacob Nix and 21st-rounder Mac Marshall.

With his 124th hit of the season in Monday's 12-7 win over the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve set a new franchise record for most hits by one player before the All-Star break, per CSN Houston's Julia Morales.

Things haven't been nearly as bad in Houston as many expected they would be, with the Astros looking very much like a team that has finally taken a big step back towards respectability after years of being the laughingstock of the game.

General manager Jeff Luhnow has done a remarkable job in recent years of unloading his veterans for younger, less-expensive talent, and the current roster doesn't have much in the way of valuable trade chips to peddle at the trade deadline.

Mmmm…the sweet tang of palm gravy.

A young Houston Astros fan received a five-finger wake-up call on Thursday night after taking his tongue to a souvenir baseball. 

Older fans in a nearby section passed the ball to the young man in the hopes it would make his little day—which it did, in a weird, compulsive way. 

The child grabbed the ball, retreated to his seat and promptly began licking it like an owl with a lollipop. 

An otherwise promising season for the Houston Astros took a turn for the worse after top prospect Carlos Correa suffered a leg injury during a Single-A game for the Lancaster JetHawks.

JetHawks broadcaster Jason Schwartz reported that Correa had to be carted off the field and was in a visible amount of pain:

You know it's a weird week in sports when Drake turns down an NBA Finals game in Miami to watch the Houston Astros play.

Nevertheless, the hip-hop star wisely avoided the sinking ship that is the Miami Heat in favor of showing love to Houston—his home away from home.

Houston Astros outfielder George Springer has hit home runs in four consecutive games to set a new franchise record for rookies, per Jose Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle.

Just when you think there are no more moves for the Houston Astros to make, they find a way to prove you wrong.