For anyone who has listened to Astros postgame shows over the years on SportsTalk790, odds are you've heard the voice of "Miss Carol." Carol Thomas was a longtime New Orleans resident who relocated to Houston during Hurricane Katrina, and quickly became a diehard Houston Astros fan. Being legally blind, she would listen to every game on the radio on 790, and became an avid caller on the postgame shows over the years.
She became a staple of positivity amid a lot of negative callers on the postgame show, always shining a positive light on the team, and an affirmed faith that the Astros were going to get it done in the postseason. Throughout the 2017 postseason, she called regularly as the Astros went on to win their first World Series in franchise history. She was even featured in the MLB 2017 World Series documentary, highlighting the Astros win.
In 2018, our own Matt Thomas and Michael Connor teamed up to get Miss Carol tickets to an Astros game with help from Reid Ryan, where she enjoyed the experience at Minute Maid Park, even getting to meet team broadcasters Robert Ford and Steve Sparks, whom she listened to on a nightly basis. Later, Mattress Mack of Gallery Furniture would get her tickets to another game with transportation included.
In addition to the postgame shows, she would also call in regularly to many of our shows on 790, including The Sean Salisbury Show where she affectionately called Sean "Mister Salisbury." A strong woman of faith, she was also known to call in regularly to KTSU professing positive messages. Unfortunately, just a few weeks ago, Miss Carol lost her battle with cancer at 71 years old.
I speak for all of us at SportsTalk790 when I say she will truly be missed, and may her positive spirit live on.
Photo: Bob Levey / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images