While the Houston Astros are much maligned by a whole group of MLB fans, general manager Dana Brown has done his best to field as good a team as possible. Right now, the Astros have a laundry list of players, including star slugger Yordan Alvarez, out with injuries.

It’s a tough job that Brown has to do, often hearing the wrath from Astros fans over his moves or lack thereof to help the team out. Some fans might even wonder if Brown has a backbone at all.

Well, Brown showed Astros fans his backbone during a recent road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Here’s the set-up: The Astros and Pirates were scheduled to start a Thursday night game in Pittsburgh at 6:40 p.m. Eastern. Rain, though, kept the game from starting on time.

Not only did it not start on time, but didn’t even begin to start nearly three hours after initial first pitch was to be thrown. Pirates manager Don Kelly and Astros manager Joe Espada came out of their respective clubhouses to talk over the situation with the MLB umpiring crew assigned to the game.

Dana Brown Was Ticked In Pittsburgh

Dana Brown was not happy about the situation. Why? The Astros, who have received a boost in their lineup with players like Cam Smith, were due to fly into Cleveland and start a three-game series against the Guardians on the following Friday night. The team was already planning to arrive in Cleveland early Friday morning due to the Thursday night game.

When Pirates officials, in conjunction with the MLB umpires, decided to keep the tarp on the field, it led Brown to lose it. Cameras caught Brown demonstratively making point after point to Pirates officials as well as Kelly. Kelly took over the managerial duties after Derek Shelton was fired following Pittsburgh’s 12-26 start to the 2025 MLB season.

Brown was incensed. Time and time again, as cameras were glued to the situation, Brown pointed toward the Pittsburgh group. He let them know, in no uncertain terms, that he was not happy with what was happening. Astros fans might have been surprised to see Brown turn the heat up a few notches.

After the game, Brown talked about the situation with the Houston media, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“My thing is I want to protect all of our players at all costs, and I was frustrated that we were starting so late and that we couldn’t find a window to get a (potential) makeup game,” Brown said outside the visitors’ clubhouse at PNC Park.

“If we were here tomorrow, it wouldn’t be a problem. But the fact that we had to get on the flight and go to Cleveland and post in Cleveland tomorrow against a good team, getting in late. And I had my ace going too (Thursday). Bad weather, I was worried about guys getting hurt. So I kind of showed it.”

Dana Brown has been a part of winning organizations before, spending time with the Atlanta Braves before joining the Astros as their general manager. He knows how much pressure there is to win. With the Astros having a stellar run of postseason play, not to mention two World Series titles in 2017 and 2022, Brown knows there is an expectation of excellence.

While Astros fans might still doubt Brown’s moves as general manager, at least for one night, he showed them that he gave a damn about the team.

End of My Dana Brown Rant

I know that Astros fans want to keep winning. They love their Astros and, admittedly, I do, too. I’ve been a fan of the team since I was a young boy, having gone to many games at the (in my opinion) beloved Astrodome. People who never got a chance to visit “The Eighth Wonder of the World” don’t know how a gust of air conditioning feels when hitting a person who is coming in after coming out of the Houston summer humidity.

I also admit that I haven’t always been a fan of what Dana Brown has done with the team. Still, seeing him on the field like this in Pittsburgh gives even an old Astros fan like me some hope. Brown will fight for his team and its players. That’s a fantastic sign and should give some Astros fans a chance to applaud him.