GAMES 159-161 - September 26-28: There's Always Next Year...

September 26: Houston 5, Atlanta 4
September 27: Atlanta 11, Houston 5
September 28: Houston 3, Atlanta 1

Word for the Day: Eliminated. Removed from consideration by defeat; excreted (bodily waste). Take your pick.

Give the Astros credit for living up to their reputation for exciting finishes. Back in the middle of the season, when the Astros were in last place in the NL Central Division, there were not a lot of folks writing that Houston would still be in contention for a playoff spot right up to the last series of the season. Even if October isn't going to be very interesting for Astros die-hards, we can be proud of a team that surprised a lot of people by staying in the game till the end, with a 42-24 record since the All Star game. They even came in a half game ahead of the Cards...

When I turned on my computer Saturday night after the Sabbath, the headlines featured the dreaded "E" word - eliminated. The Astros won a great game on Friday night, taking it with a Darin Erstad's walkoff homer, after Valverde had blown the save in the top of the ninth. But just a few minutes later, all it took was one win by the Braves to knock them out of contention. As Berkman noted afterwards, it was unreasonable to expect that both the Brewers and the Mets would be swept - a necessary condition for the Astros to even require their 162nd game. But it wasn't really reasonable for the Astros to have advanced so far so quickly - miracles happen. Just not this year.

Saturday night's game was a mess, from the first inning on. Backe was true to form, continuing his Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde routine that has been going on all season. This was one of the less fortunate starts - he gave up 8 runs in one inning and change, his worst start of an up and down season. The relievers allowed a few more, but the damage was already done. Better to have been eliminated on a night that they won than due to a game like this one. It's not clear where this lackluster performance leaves Backe - with single digit wins, it was definitely a disappointing year for him.

Despite elimination, the season ended on a high note - a win and a ceremonial goodbye to a player who routinely receives accolades and scorn, depending on who you ask. If you ask this Fan in Exile, you won't hear scorn for Brad Ausmus. After ten years and 1249 games worth of seeing him behind the plate, I'll be sorry to see him go. I doubt that the Astros will ever have another catcher who is as intelligent about the game, a factor that has kept him on the team despite a less-than-impressive batting average. I also doubt that the Astros will have another catcher who is as photogenic as Ausmus - a loss which will be notable to this Spring Training shutterbug. I am not the betting type, but I would have bet money on one thing: With old friend and ex-Astro Mike Hampton on the mound, Ausmus was going to hit a home run in this game. Both teams out of contention, the outcome of the game meaningless, and a long-time veteran playing his last game... Hampton can deny it, but Ausmus' first-pitch homer off him smelled like professional courtesy to me. (But he struck him out in his next at bat - one big fat one over the plate per customer.) Ausmus' two run homer was the deciding hit of the game, as Wandy pitched extremely well in his final start. He earned his ninth win of the season on seven strong innings, giving up only one unearned run on 4 hits, no walks, and 6 strikeouts. Valverde closed, getting his 44th save of the season - that ties Wagner's team record from 2003.

As soon as Sunday's game ended, I jumped over to watch the end of the Mets' game. The Brewers had won their game already, and the Mets had to win to tie for the Wild Card spot. I know it's ugly but my longstanding antipathy to the Mets had me standing in the kitchen cheering as they lost their last game in Shea Stadium, another season in which they failed at the very last minute. I enjoyed every NY fan's miserable face.

So 2008 is over for the Astros. I'll probably cheer for the Rays and the Brewers in the playoffs, in honor of my cousin Jon in Tampa and my Uncle Syd in Milwaukee. I've got cousins in Chicago, LA, and Philly too - but I think that it's the Brewer's year. I wish the Rays still had "Devil" in their name. Truthfully though, it doesn't really matter to me which of these teams wins in the playoffs. I'm a one team kind of gal, and my team's on vacation. Time to turn my attention to the Presidential election, which will be a much more interesting race.