The Houston Astros are not going out of business although it may seem that way. As they remember 50 years of National League play, 2012 will be their last season before switching to the American League.

So why is 2012 the "final season"?

It will be the final season for some as fans of the Houston Astros, finding American League baseball with the designated hitter rule repulsive to the point of no longer following or supporting the team.

Couple that with the absolute farce of a ballclub new owner Jim Crane plans to put on the field and it is as good a time as any to look for a new team to cheer for or find something else to do besides watching Major League Baseball.

Once 2012 is done, you may find that historical documentation on this website will not carry over to the 2013 season and beyond. Why should it, when the club is beginning from an entirely different premise? They may still be called the Astros and they may still play in the same place but it won't be the same game. At least, not to me.

The Dome was historic and innovative. A proud National League franchise began in 1962 with a win in their very first game. In 1965, they moved to the Astrodome, their home for 35 seasons. In 1972, they had their first winning season and in 1980 hoisted their first title - National League West Champions - after defeating the Dodgers in a one-game playoff. The 1980 season also became the first in a series of excruciating playoff losses that would extend for almost a quarter-century. But more signature moments came. In 1981, Nolan Ryan became the first in major league history to author five no-hitters. He's still the only member of that club. In 1986, Mike Scott clinched the West Division title with a no-hitter. Rainbows: Gone but never forgotten. A rebuilt team began to reach their peak in the 1990s behind Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio with consecutive NL Central Division crowns in 1997, 1998 (their only 100-win season) and 1999. They bounced back again to take the division in 2001. The Astros finally broke through with a postseason series victory in 2004 against their constant tormenters, the Atlanta Braves. They lost the battle for the National League pennant to the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The next year, despite losing Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran to free agency, the Astros returned to conquer the Braves again in a dramatic 18-inning Game 4 thriller then toppled the Cardinals in six games for their first and only National League pennant. The thrill was dashed slightly by getting swept in the World Series. Pitchers will never bat at home anymore. In 2007, Biggio reached his personal pinnacle of 3,000 hits while Astros fans rejoiced and the sports media yawned. Perhaps even then one could sense the franchise would never be respected as it should have been. Now a franchise that began their history with three straight wins over the Chicago Cubs is likely to end their National League record with a second 100-loss season. They are dying with a whimper, not a bang. Will the Astros ever rise again from their self-imposed ashes? They probably will after a long agonizing decade of drought. But it will be a far cry from the first domed men in rainbow uniforms who were baseball pioneers that built their success on pitching, speed and defense. The next Astro champions, if I'm still alive to see them, will be culled by the new front office for their high statistical indicators, not for their grit and determination. They will mash the ball out of the yard, all nine of them, because that's how the American League game is played. No finesse is required. But the pitchers won't hit and anyone who enjoyed the unexpected plate prowess of Joe Niekro, J.R. Richard, Bob Forsch, Mike Hampton, Brandon Backe or Gustavo Chacin will feel something is amiss. Something is lost that will never be regained. 2012 won't be the final year of the Astros but it will be the final year of watching them playing baseball the right way - the National League way. That will be sorely missed. - Bob Hulsey (All photos (c) Houston Astros)