So I got my first dose of Spring Training today. I watched the Astros beat up the Nats 10-2, winning a second game on the power of their ... HOME RUNS?!? CJ knocked in the winning 2-run homer yesterday, and today's blowout was courtesy of 3 home runs, including a pair of 3-run babies by two guys named Martinez (JD and Fernando). Two games (and two first-week-of-Spring-Training games at that) is too small a sample to draw conclusions from, of course. But for a team that didn't have much in the way of homers last year, it was fun to watch. The other thing that was great to see was the way that the Astros generated those runs -- mostly with 2 outs on the board. Nice thing about a young team with some competition for the roster: They aren't slacking off in Florida.
It was a MASN broadcast, since the game was in Viera, and the Nats' broadcasters pointed out how hard the wind was blowing to left field. That was a likely factor in the Astros' homers, but the Nats had the same windy field to play on. The Astros also benefited from 8 walks (more than they had in the first couple of weeks of last season, I think), 2 Nats errors, 3 wild pitches, and a hit batter. Every little bit helps.
Given my dilemma about whether to try to switch my allegiance from my original home team (after 49 years) to my current home team, it was a good chance to see both teams. Stephen Strasburg has a good first spring start, lasting into the third inning. The Nats have a bunch of the Astros' former players -- Lidge, Fulchino, and Michaels were all in today's game.
Hi to Carole and Mitch and my other Spring Training buds - wish I were down there too!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Missing Spring Training
This morning I was just about to write my Goodbye, Astros blog. I'd made my decision: Try to become a Nats fan, let the Astros go their merry way (to the AL!), time to part after 49 years. But first I took one last look at astros.com... and just like that I got sucked back in. Before I knew it I was checking the Spring Training schedule, looking at Osceola Park seat availability, checking out whether there were any cheap last-minute flights to Orlando, and thinking that maybe I'd try to get down to Kissimmee just for a couple of days. The pull of Spring Training is overwhelming.
The long and short of it: Plenty of seats in the ballpark, but no cheap flights, and no, I can't really take off work this week. Reality check. But sitting in my kitchen in Maryland, I can close my eyes and picture that first glimpse of the field when you walk up the ramp, and it's so hard not to just pick up and go. There's nothing I need more right now than a few days in the sun, watching practice and games that don't matter, and talking baseball with friends that I only see in Kissimmee.
The chances that I can get down there even for a couple of days are next to nil. But I'm going to watch the ball game today -- the Astros are playing the Nats -- Strasburg's Spring debut -- and the game will be on local TV. I'll give you an update after the game.
The long and short of it: Plenty of seats in the ballpark, but no cheap flights, and no, I can't really take off work this week. Reality check. But sitting in my kitchen in Maryland, I can close my eyes and picture that first glimpse of the field when you walk up the ramp, and it's so hard not to just pick up and go. There's nothing I need more right now than a few days in the sun, watching practice and games that don't matter, and talking baseball with friends that I only see in Kissimmee.
The chances that I can get down there even for a couple of days are next to nil. But I'm going to watch the ball game today -- the Astros are playing the Nats -- Strasburg's Spring debut -- and the game will be on local TV. I'll give you an update after the game.
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