I'm Glad I'm Not in Kissimmee

For the first time in weeks, I can honestly say that I'm glad that I'm not down in Florida - but only because the team has moved on. With much glee (well documented by Alyson Footer's camera), the big league roster guys checked out and headed out for the big city. Well, actually, they headed out to Corpus Christi, but it's in the right direction.

They left some of the minor league contingent back in Osceola Land, to play one more just-fer-fun against the Braves. The Astro-wannabee team lost 2-1, but they acquitted themselves very well, thank you, behind an excellent start by Bud Norris. He threw 4 innings, giving up only a single run on five hits (including a solo homer), walking no one, and striking out 4. Sergio Perez came in behind him with 4 well-pitched innings, giving up one run on 2 hits and a walk. Neal Musser threw a hit-free ninth. It was a doesn't-matter game, attracting less than 2500 fans (probably including some of my die-hard new friends with their season tickets). But still nice to see some muscle on the mound from our much aligned farm hands.

Meanwhile the Big Boys were off to Corpus to play the Double A Hooks - the first time since the 50's that a major league team has graced that fine city with a ball game. (That was before the Astros were born.) This occasion drew almost 4 times as many baseball fans as the earlier game in Florida - a record breaking crowd of over 9000 for a Corpus ball game.

Though this game was not the pitchers duel of the earlier one, it started off with a terrific performance by Wandy Rodriguez. He pitched six shutout innings, giving up only one hit, walking no one, and striking out a whopping 11 batters. We can make some excuses - it was just a bunch of minor leaguers, after all - but in Wandy's last three plate appearances, he's pitched 16 innings without giving up a run, striking out 20 in the process. The guy is locked in. If he can stay healthy, this could really (finally) be his year to shine. Despite his diminutive size on the mound (a midget next to hunks like Valverde), Wandy can really pitch. I vowed last year that, if Wandy would grow up in pitching stature, I'd start calling him by his last name. Now with a second Rodriguez on the team, it's not worth the confusion, so I'll stick with Wandy and Pudge. But I'm going on record now, predicting that he's going to come into his own this year.

As good as Wandy was, Capellan was bad: In his 2 innings, he was in trouble all over the place, giving up 4 runs on 4 hits - including two home runs - and 5 (FIVE!) walks. Maybe he was just disappointed that Ortiz made the team and he got sent to Round Rock. At any rate, his performance didn't do anything to challenge the wisdom of that move.

I listened to this evening game on the radio broadcast after work, and found the announcers to be nearly giddy in their presentation of this who-cares game. The one thing that they did not say, but what I suspect in my heart o' hearts, is that the Astros threw the game to the Hooks. It went back and forth, with the Astros taking a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth. At that point, they made a curious pitching move - they handed the ball to one of the Hooks' own pitchers, Chris Salamida. (Kind of a conflict of interest there? Read on...) The lefty threw to only two batters in the ninth: The first hit a single, and the second homered to give the Hooks a walk-off 5-4 win. Okay, using Valverde might have been overkill - although the Corpus fans would have loved to have seen him. Perhaps the Astros hadn't brought any extra relief pitchers with them? I don't believe that. I think they put in the kid with the express (oh wait - that's the AAA team) purpose of throwing the no-account game to the home team crowd. Whatever the motivation, the crowd loved it. David slew Goliath and everyone went home happy.

I've had a crazy time at work since I've been back from Spring Training, with barely time to listen to the games on the radio, let alone format pictures and write about baseball. It's going to be much worse over the next couple of weeks, between my work at the office and the Passover holiday (don't get me started!). But the clock's ticking - just two more exhibition games and then...

THE SEASON'S STARTING MONDAY!