101-year-old Astros fan wants to see Houston in the World Series

PHOTOS: A look at Walter Peine at the last Astros game he attended Walter Peine at an Astros game in 2015, just before his 100th birthday. Browse through the photos to see Walter Peine at the last Astros game he attended at Minute Maid Park. less PHOTOS: A look at Walter Peine at the last Astros game he attended Walter Peine at an Astros game in 2015, just before his 100th birthday. Browse through the photos to see Walter Peine at the last Astros game he ... more Photo: Robert Schultz Photo: Robert Schultz Image 1 of / 57 Caption Close 101-year-old Astros fan wants to see Houston in the World Series 1 / 57 Back to Gallery

With the MLB playoffs underway, casual fans are clambering on to whichever bandwagon happens to be nearest them, but it would be tough to find a team that has a more experienced fan than the Astros.

Walter Peine, who was born and raised in Houston, will turn 102 years old on Oct. 20 and his only birthday wish is to see the Astros in the World Series.

He has been watching professional baseball in Houston since way before the Astros existed, attending Houston Buffs games as a child when they were a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Peine often would go to West End Park and Buff Stadium with his brother Leon, but he can’t remember anything too specific about those games, other than that his favorite player was Dizzy Dean, who pitched for the Buffs in 1930 and 1931 when Peine was a teenager.

“Wherever [Leon] went, he would take me with him.” Peine said.

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Peine, who thinks he and his brother used to get into the games for a quarter each, continued to follow the team closely until the Colt .45s brought Major League Baseball to town and eventually became the Astros.

A large portion of his time as a Houston baseball fan was spent watching young players in the minors, which Peine says he enjoyed just as much as watching the big leaguers.

“I used to watch all the better players that I figured would eventually go to the big leagues,” said Peine, who would go on to join the Navy Reserve and the Coast Guard. “I would watch them in college [and in the minors]. The skills that the better players had - watching them catch, run and bat … that’s what I liked about baseball. But there were so many things happening at that time … war and everything … I couldn’t keep up with all of them.”

When Peine was born, the Model T was just seven years old, so the most efficient means of traveling anywhere “far” was by train. Between 1910 and 1945, if you were coming to or leaving Houston, you’d be going through Union Station.

Now, that original depot building is the main entrance to Minute Maid Park, so a flood of fond memories washes over Peine every time he gets to go to an Astros game.

“I used to go there with my mom,” he said. “We would go to Union Station, because there were about 18 different railroads that would come there — they all ended up there. After my father died in 1918, my mother would take me and all my brothers there. We’d go and visit all his relatives.”

Peine also spent time at the University of Houston and remains a dedicated Cougars fan.

He even attended the 1968 UH-UCLA Game of the Century at the Astrodome, which was the first nationwide, prime time broadcast of a regular season college basketball game.

Though Peine always loved sports, he never played outside of pickup games with neighborhood kids.

“Baldwin Park was right down the street from where I lived (Rosalie Street) and I used to play ball there,” Peine said. “I used to play baseball, tennis, softball, you know just kid games. I was a little too small though; no one would take me.”

When he was older, Walter worked with Mayor Louie Welch to help build recreational facilities all over Houston.

During Welch’s tenure, Houston opened the Astrodome, the Houston International Airport, and NASA sent a man to the moon. When he was elected, Houston’s population had just surpassed one million. By 1975, two years after he left office, Houston was the fifth largest city in the United States.

“Houston was growing fast,” Peine said. “They were building new buildings … everyday they were starting some new high-rise. It was interesting to see it kind of blow up.”

In two weeks, Peine will be turning 102 years old.

He’s seen 17 presidents, but he hasn’t seen the Astros win a World Series.

He isn’t even asking for them to win it all this year, he just wants to see them get there again.

Peine knows the Red Sox are tough and that they have a rich history of success in the playoffs, but the Astros have Peine's favorite current player - Jose Altuve.

“Every time [Altuve] gets up to bat you expect him to make a hit — I like to see him play,”Peine said. “The Red Sox are one of the best teams in professional baseball. I like to see their skill players, too. The Astros might [be able to beat them].”

Peine hasn’t been to a game since 2015, but he is excited to watch the ALDS from his apartment at Belmont Village Hunters Creek.

As for making it to 102, Walter says it’s been a combination of luck and good decisions.

“Fortunately, my mother had pretty good genes,” he joked. “I never did smoke and I never did drink … that’s it. I just lived a pretty good lifestyle. Do like I did. I’ve lived good, I think. And I still enjoy a lot of activity at my age and I think that’s the best thing you can do.”