Astros' Ticket Deals: Here They Come

"You want fries -- and Astro box seats -- with that?"

​You've got the worst team in the league, you're shopping your ace pitcher in blatant acknowledgment you're not going anywhere this year, and it's a tough economy.

Is it any surprise the Astro 'Kuh-waaazy Deals" onslaught has begun?

The team had a press conference today to announce two new low-price options for fans who want to see Carlos Lee not try. We're guessing they're the first two of many. By late August, you might be getting Astro tickets anytime you spend more than two bucks at any Houston-area retail store, from Diamond Shamrocks to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

On the other hand, it is major league baseball (of a sort), so cheap is good. Just be sure to eat and drink your fill before you enter the stadium; Minute Maid Park is like Vegas in that there are lots of giveaways just to get you there...where they make their real money.

The two plans announce today:

The Astros are bringing back the "Kids Free All Summer" deal, where each full-price ticket to the cheap seats brings with it two free tickets for kids 14 and under. Seeing how easy it is to "improve" your seats during an Astro game these days, that's not a bad deal at all.

There's also the extension of the "Price Matters Days," which were only supposed to include 13 designated games this year. Now the deal is good for any Monday-Thursday game the rest of the season.

You get one View Deck II ticket, one regular hot dog, one H-E-B bag of chips and one 16-ounce soda (Coca-Cola products only), all for just $10, half of regular pricing.

"With the economy still struggling somewhat, we're excited to be able to give our fans affordable options" Astro owner Drayton McLane said at the press conference. "With summer fast approaching, we felt this was a great time to announce this. Baseball has always been a family sport. We feel its important to give families an opportunity to come to Astros games in a way that works for them economically."

Of course, putting a better team on the field might be a more enjoyable way of attracting crowds. But that option seems a long way off.