ALVIN, Texas — What if you could take something out of left field -- or center and right for that matter -- and put it in your backyard?
Well, that’s exactly what lifelong Alvin neighbor and Astros fan Freddie Valdez along with local artist Daran Smith (Instagram/@daransart) collaborated on -- a 30-foot long by 6-foot high mural of the Minute Maid Park outfield, complete with giant Astros logo and World Series trophies.
Smith painted it on Valdez’s backyard fence.
“I needed something to start with on the outside,” Valdez said.
Smith said the depiction took about seven months to complete.
“After getting the prompt of Minute Maid, I found a number of reference images. So a few for Minute Maid itself and then several for the extra additions,” Smith said.
The two met at a local gym where Smith had painted another mural.
“My wife saw his mural ... I didn’t even know that he had painted it. I said, ‘Wow! He does a good job.’ I said, ‘I need to get the fence painted.' She suggested Daran to come do it. I said, ‘Maybe he can paint the Astros just like this, like out here you know? Just the star and the H’? And she said, ‘How about Minute Maid?’ I said, ‘That’s an even better idea.’”
But Valdez’s fandom goes far beyond the foul pole. The walls of his home are covered with memorabilia.
“A 15-year-old kid in a 57-year-old body,” Valdez said.
Houston is, of course, represented well.
“I’ve got the Killer B’s -- Berkman, Biggio, Bagwell,” he said.
His collection spans sports history.
“The three 34s -- Ryan, Campbell and Olajuwon.”
And the sports world.
“I can go on and on. Jim Brown, John Elway, Reggie Bush.”
Valdez himself has witnessed many memorable moments in person. Some of his favorites include the Astros' combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series, the World Series-clinching Game 6 in 2022 and Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS against the Yankees when the Astros clinched the AL pennant.
But there’s more to his collection than what you see.
“It’s something bigger than life,” he said.
The priceless pieces serve as a reminder that no matter where you’re watching, sports can take you far beyond the field.
“It gets you out of reality, and it just keeps you young at heart,” Valdez said.