Camp opens slowly (c) Associated Press

In 1962, the franchise begun spring camp in Apache Junction, AZ in desolate land beneath Superstition Mountain. Nobody in the Colt .45s first camp was assured of employment when they first convened, which might explain how the ragtag group of cast-offs and misfits won the Cactus League title that spring. Every other team focused on getting in their work while the Colt .45s were playing hard in order to have work.

Fast Forward to 2012 and you'll find a lot has changed but some things remain too much the same. The Colt .45s, having long since switched their names to the Astros, now have their original jerseys found politically incorrect by Major League Baseball yet many of those who flock to Kissimmee are just hoping they'll still have a job come April.

Youth dominates the landscape in Astrotown but veterans like Zach Duke, Livan Hernandez and Carlos Corporan lurk carrying the hope this won't be their last chance to wear a big league uniform. In many ways, Brad Mills has as thankless a job as Harry Craft did in 1962 - trying to mold a competitive team out of a group hopelessly undertalented for the job at hand.

Houston lost over 100 games for the first time in their 50 seasons just last year and the prospects look little better this season. Combine that with fan apathy and resentment over recent changes and one can expect a somber mood around Minute Maid Park this year.

Can the 2012 version lose fewer games than the 96 those originals in the Arizona desert surrendered? That may be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow all year. Will the Astros exit the National League worse off than when they began?

Those are questions for later. For now, warmth and optimism are the order of the day. The sound of popping mitts and cracking bats is welcome to all.

- Bob Hulsey