HOUSTON -- Reid Ryan choked back tears as he was introduced as president of his beloved Astros, the team he grew up watching in the days when his Hall of Fame father, Nolan Ryan, starred as a pitcher for Houston. Air Force 1 White Outlet . "My ties with the Astros go all the way back to 1980 when my dad came over," Reid Ryan said. "Today really is a dream come true because you grow up an Astros fan if youre in Houston. Everybodys got their hometown team, and the Astros were mine. This is just a very special day." Astros owner Jim Crane certainly appreciates having the Ryan name associated with his team again, but was quick to point out that Reid Ryan is much more than simply the son of a famous ball player. "Its great to have your kid in the business, but now he can prove himself as Reid Ryan," Crane said. "His dads is a famed player, a very, very famous guy, but Reids the kind of guy that stands on his own, and I think youll see him stand alone in this position and do a great job." Since 1998, Ryan, the eldest son of Nolan Ryan, has been the CEO of Ryan-Sanders Baseball, which owns the Triple-A Round Rock Express and Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. The 41-year-old Reid Ryan helped create the Express, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the Hooks, an Astros affiliate. Don Sanders, who co-owns Ryan-Sanders Baseball with Nolan Ryan, raved about Reid Ryan. He pointed out the work he did in luring fans to see his teams, which have often been ranked at the top of the minor leagues in attendance. Reid Ryan also came up with the idea for the Rangers to play two exhibition games at the Alamodome in San Antonio in March that drew more than 75,000 fans. "If I were going to buy a baseball team and I could have anybody in the country to run it, hed be the guy," Sanders said. "Hes just awfully good. I dont know that in this arena that anybody is any better." Reid Ryan takes over a job where he will be tasked with helping increase attendance and win back disillusioned fans to a team that has finished with 100 losses in each of the last two seasons and has the worst record in the majors again this year. He acknowledged that Houstons problems are complex and that theres no way he could know how he will work to get things back on track on his first day. But he did share a couple of keys that he will focus on. "We have to put the fans first in everything we do and then weve got make sure were taking care of the players, because its all about the players," Reid Ryan said. "If you dont have the players, youre really not going to have anything." While the team has been baseballs worst for the last couple years, Reid Ryan has been impressed with how the infusion of quality prospects from Houstons many recent trades has improved the organizations farm system. "We had a stretch where we finished last five years in a row in Corpus Christi, and it was tough and we didnt have a lot of prospects," Reid Ryan said. "Then (general manager) Jeff (Luhnow) started making some of the hard decisions he made ... now theres a lot of talent, a lot more than Ive seen in my time with the Astros." His father played for the Astros from 1980-88 and spent four years beginning in 2004 as a special assistant to the general manager in Houston before joining the front office of the Texas Rangers. His famous dad and former Astros great Craig Biggio were on hand Friday for the announcement. Though Nolan Ryan now works for Houstons in-state rival about 200 miles up the road, he still has a keen interest in the team he once played for. "He grew up an Astros fan. Im still an Astros fan. I follow them on a day-to-day basis," Nolan Ryan said. "Im very connected to the team and very connected to what goes on here in Houston with the baseball climate. So thats a part of us and will always be a part of us." Nolan Ryan said he hasnt shared any advice with his son about his new job, but he is very excited to see his son working for his former team. "Youre very proud when you see one of your children get an opportunity of this nature," Nolan Ryan said. "Im very proud of the fact that our kids grew up in baseball and have a relationship with baseball and enjoy it and want to be associated with it. So that makes you feel good." The younger Ryan takes over the position that was left vacant when George Postolos resigned on Monday. Also on Friday, Crane announced that he had agreed to a letter of intent to buy the Hooks. The sale is pending MLB and Ryan-Sanders shareholders approval. The Astros plan to assume control of operations of the Hooks at the end of the 2013 season. Air Force 1 High Outlet .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Air Force 270 Outlet ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. https://www.cheapairforce1outlet.com/air...f-white-outlet/ . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Toms Ready was the winner Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack at Churchill Downs, although perhaps the bigger story was the fourth-place finish for heavily favored Runhappy.Toms Ready, ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., came from well off the pace to win the one-mile Ack Ack by a half-length over Iron Fist after Runhappy tired on the lead as the 3-10 favorite.Toms Ready, owned by GMB Racing of New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, returned $11.80 as second choice in a field of six after finishing a mile in 1:34.86 over a track rated wet-fast. It was his second graded victory of the year, following the Grade 2 Woody Stephens at Belmont Park in June.I was pretty confident the whole way, Hernandez said.Trainer Dallas Stewart was in New York to saddle Forever Unbridled in the Grade 1 Beldame. He said later by phone that Toms Ready likely will make his next start in the Nov. 4 Breeders Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.Meanwhile, an entourage of about two dozen people led by owner Jim Mattress Mac McIngvale and his sister-in-law, trainer Laura Wohlers, were on hand to cheer for Runhappy and came away visibly disappointed with the defeat. Making his first start in more than nine months, the 2015 Eclipse Award winner for top sprinter appeared very relaxed in settiing fractions of 23. Air Force 1 Blue Outlet. 08, 45.95, and 1:10.22, but he had no punch in the final quarter mile, finishing 2-1/2 lengths behind the winner.Well, well just live to play another day, go back and regroup to square one, McIngvale said.Edgar Prado was in from Maryland to ride Runhappy.He relaxed nice and easy, Prado said. He was sharp, though, and he rated nice for me, so thats good.With Runhappy having been sidelined by minor injuries for much of the year, Wohlers was squeezing in a prep for the colt prior to the BC Dirt Mile. McIngvale already has paid $1 million for one of 12 spots in the Jan. 28 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park for Runhappy.Toms Ready, a Pennsylvania-bred by More Than Ready, now has won three of 13 career starts and has earned $640,267. Stewart had considered bypassing the Ack Ack in favor of the $350,000 Kelso Mile next Saturday at Belmont before deciding to stay home following the colts latest breeze.I had never seen him work any better so I said, We need to run him right here, Stewart said.The $2 exacta (3-1) paid $45, the $1 trifecta (3-1-6) returned $117.90, and the 10-cent superfecta (3-1-6-5) was worth $32.19. ' ' '