GAME 1 - April Fools: Phillies 5, Astros 4
First game of the season, on a Friday afternoon. I was at work and by the seventh inning stretch, with the Astros ahead 4-0, I was boasting a bit to my Phillies-loving colleagues. Went home to finish up the workday, arriving just in time for the bottom of the ninth, with the Astros lead cut to 4-2. My devoted cheering is obviously not the Astros' lucky charm today -- as soon as I turned on the game, the Phillies started hitting broken bat singles against Lyons. After about a half dozen of those, the Phillies had pulled off the come-from-behind victory that their shrieking fans wanted.
Myers did a good job against his former team, giving up only 2 hits and no runs in the first six innings, then allowing a pair of runs on miscellaneous junk (walks, passed ball, RBI groundouts) in the seventh. His final line was 1 ER on 3 hits and 3 BBs, no Ks, over 7 innings. He even hit a couple of singles and a sac bunt in an effort to eke out some run support. The game was his to win, before Lyons came in and blew the save. Lyon faced 7 batters and gave up singles to 6 of them.
In the hitting department, the Astros got 1 triple (Bourn), 1 double (Pence), 7 singles, and 1 measly walk. Somehow they managed to piece that together into 4 runs. Of special mention in the no-hitter department: El Caballo went 0 for 4. After batting approximately .200 in Spring Training, this is an ominous start. Bill Hall also started out his Astros career today with an 0 for 4 game.
Hey Astros fans, it's going to be a loooonnnnngggg season.
Shabbat Shalom!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Opening Day Confessions
I'm not ready. The Astros play their season opener tomorrow afternoon, and I haven't even been to Spring Training yet. For the first time since 2004, I missed Spring Training this year -- I just couldn't work out my schedule to get down to Kissimmee. With a busy work schedule in March, including a couple of Sundays in the office, I didn't even get a chance to watch the spring games on mlb.tv. I just barely managed to read the occasional Alyson Footer blog, and to keep up with news on who was injured, who was sent down, and who made the starting rotation. This isn't just Exile -- maybe I should change the name of my blog to Astros Fan on the Dark Side of the Moon.
I have a confession to make. I've been toying with a dark and disloyal idea over the past couple of months:
Maybe this is the year I should try to become a Nats fan.
I know -- it's heresy. But hear me out: I've never seen many of the players on the current Astros roster. Usually I get to know who's who down in Kissimmee, out at the practice field and at games. I take a few hundred pictures per game, and then come home and edit the photos and post them on my website. By Opening Day I can recognize all the players at a glance. But this year is different. I didn't make it to Spring Training. The players who have been the heart of the team for the past decade have moved on, through retirement or trades. Wandy's the last man standing from the 2005 Astros -- the first year I went to Spring Training, and the first and only time the Astros won the NL Pennant. And it's going to be an ugly season. The Astros finished up Spring Training solidly in last place, only winning one game in their last week playing the starters. I don't even know if the Pirates will be able to stay below the Astros in the standings this year. And just to make it worse: The Astros are playing their only series in Washington over a weekend in September -- due to Sabbath observance, I'll only make it to the Sunday game. Only one in-stadium Astros game all season.
If I'm ever going to switch allegiance to a local team, this would be the time.
The Nats would be such an appealing team to cheer for -- I'm a sucker for the underdog, having grown up with the early era of the Astros franchise. And my local Washington team is definitely an underdog! But the Nats are going to be an exciting team to watch in the next few years if they grow out the talent that they've acquired through those low draft picks. (And if Strasburg recovers well from his surgery!)
So I thought about it. At 2 AM one morning in the middle of March, I decided: I'm going to do it. I'm going to cheer for the Nats this season and see what it's like to be a real live in-person fan again. Jump on the subway and go to the ball park. Cheer for the home team for a change. Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks -- or even some shwarma at the National Stadium's kosher eatery. Catch a foul ball! Sing TMOTTBG. Get a team hat, even though the W on it looks like the logo for Walgreens.
I got up the next morning, my resolution intact: I'm going to be a Nats fan this season. And then, that day the Astros newbie first baseman, Brett Wallace, hit a grand slam, a single, and a pair of doubles, finishing up the day with 7 RBIs. Watching the archived game afterwards, my resolve began to crumble. How can I not cheer for the Astros' kids, now that the team is (finally!) rebuilding? How can I not cheer for Wallace and CJ. Or for our old "veterans" like Underpants and Air Bourn? I'll watch a few games on mlb.tv, and before long I'll recognize all the newbies. I'll wear my FAN IN EXILE jerseys. Cheer for the Nats??? What was I thinking?
The Astros might lose 100 games this year, but I guess I'll just have to be there cheering for them anyway -- sitting in front of my computer watching them on mlb.tv, as usual.
Hey, it's Opening Day of the 2011 season! Baseball is back! Ain't it grand?!
I have a confession to make. I've been toying with a dark and disloyal idea over the past couple of months:
Maybe this is the year I should try to become a Nats fan.
I know -- it's heresy. But hear me out: I've never seen many of the players on the current Astros roster. Usually I get to know who's who down in Kissimmee, out at the practice field and at games. I take a few hundred pictures per game, and then come home and edit the photos and post them on my website. By Opening Day I can recognize all the players at a glance. But this year is different. I didn't make it to Spring Training. The players who have been the heart of the team for the past decade have moved on, through retirement or trades. Wandy's the last man standing from the 2005 Astros -- the first year I went to Spring Training, and the first and only time the Astros won the NL Pennant. And it's going to be an ugly season. The Astros finished up Spring Training solidly in last place, only winning one game in their last week playing the starters. I don't even know if the Pirates will be able to stay below the Astros in the standings this year. And just to make it worse: The Astros are playing their only series in Washington over a weekend in September -- due to Sabbath observance, I'll only make it to the Sunday game. Only one in-stadium Astros game all season.
If I'm ever going to switch allegiance to a local team, this would be the time.
The Nats would be such an appealing team to cheer for -- I'm a sucker for the underdog, having grown up with the early era of the Astros franchise. And my local Washington team is definitely an underdog! But the Nats are going to be an exciting team to watch in the next few years if they grow out the talent that they've acquired through those low draft picks. (And if Strasburg recovers well from his surgery!)
So I thought about it. At 2 AM one morning in the middle of March, I decided: I'm going to do it. I'm going to cheer for the Nats this season and see what it's like to be a real live in-person fan again. Jump on the subway and go to the ball park. Cheer for the home team for a change. Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks -- or even some shwarma at the National Stadium's kosher eatery. Catch a foul ball! Sing TMOTTBG. Get a team hat, even though the W on it looks like the logo for Walgreens.
I got up the next morning, my resolution intact: I'm going to be a Nats fan this season. And then, that day the Astros newbie first baseman, Brett Wallace, hit a grand slam, a single, and a pair of doubles, finishing up the day with 7 RBIs. Watching the archived game afterwards, my resolve began to crumble. How can I not cheer for the Astros' kids, now that the team is (finally!) rebuilding? How can I not cheer for Wallace and CJ. Or for our old "veterans" like Underpants and Air Bourn? I'll watch a few games on mlb.tv, and before long I'll recognize all the newbies. I'll wear my FAN IN EXILE jerseys. Cheer for the Nats??? What was I thinking?
The Astros might lose 100 games this year, but I guess I'll just have to be there cheering for them anyway -- sitting in front of my computer watching them on mlb.tv, as usual.
Hey, it's Opening Day of the 2011 season! Baseball is back! Ain't it grand?!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Fan Speaks Up for Jeff Bagwell
The 2011 class of the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced imminently, with Jeff Bagwell's position on the ballot of primary interest to Astros fans like me. Lots of sportswriters and baseball bloggers have weighed in recently on whether Baggy (or as they keep calling him, BagPipes) could or should be voted in. Unfortunately a lot of the discussion has not been on his many years of performance on the field -- most admit that Bagwell's got HoF-worthy stats. Instead, some of the just-say-no-to-Bagwell voters focus on his being a steroid user. Of course, they can't say that he used steroids: No one has ever claimed to have seen Bagwell use drugs. He has never failed a drug test. He has said repeatedly that he never used steroids. But it's just the times, you know -- guilty by association. Just on suspicion, just in case, don't vote for him. To me, that's puny, pathetic, and cowardly.
Of course, there's no possible way for me to make an unbiased comment on the subject of Jeff Bagwell. He's my all-time favorite baseball player. But for what it's worth, in my eyes Bagwell's a Hall of Famer, and it's a no-brainer for three reasons:
1. His performance on the field. I don't need to recap the numbers - I'll leave that to Zack Levine and other sabermetricians, who have all shown that -- by the books -- Bagwell's right up there with the denizens of the Hall.
2. His leadership off the field. In his many years playing for the Astros, Bagwell was a clubhouse leader who gained the huge respect of his teammates, team management, Houston sportswriters, and fans. You can still see it at Spring Training when he's mentoring the minor league guys, and when he was filling in as the hitting coach at then end of last season. Players do not get that kind of admiration from their peers just because they're good at their job; they earn it through character, hard work, caring about their colleagues and about how the game is played.
3. His integrity. In an era when there were a lot of cheaters, Bagwell didn't use steroids. Why do I think that? Simply because he says he didn't. I've heard Bagwell called many things -- a role model (except for his batting stance), a strong but quiet leader, a players' player. I've never heard the people who worked with him and around him call him a liar or a cheat. So if Bagwell says he didn't use PEDs, I choose to believe him. If he lied, I'm not sure that I will still believe that baseball's the best game in the world. In an era of liars and cheaters, it takes players like Bagwell to still believe in the game. It's why, even though they had "suspicions" that Bagwell wasn't really going to be able to play in 2006, so many people thought that he should get his chance to try at Spring Training -- out of respect, they gave him the benefit of the doubt.
If the HoF voters don't think that Bagwell's lifetime achievement in baseball warrants a first-year vote, it's their perogative not to vote for him. But weasily claims of "suspicion" are cheap shots from people who work in journalism, people who ought to know the value of sticking to facts and not just making up the so-called news. Writers like Dan Graziano can vote for whoever they please, but if the reason for not voting for a player is based on innuendo and hunches, they should just shut up about it. To brag about voting like this just cheapens their credibility as journalists to me.
I have no doubt that Bagwell's going to be in the HoF, voted in in a future year, if not now. At one time, I had kind of a nostalgic idea that it would be nice if Bagwell and Biggio would go in together, the first players to enter the hall in Astros uniforms. But they aren't the Bobbsey Twins; they are individual players who have each earned places in the Hall of Fame. As emotionally satisfying as it would be to see them standing in Cooperstown together in a couple of years (Biggio's got to be a first rounder!), I'd much rather hear that Bagwell got the vote for 2011. I hope that many of the voters -- rejecting the unfairness of suspicion and innuendo as factors for determining HoF-worthiness -- used their ballots to make that point loud and clear.
That's my 27 cents. There's no ballot for bloggers, other than the feedback they get from their readers. So, other Astros fans out there, what do you think?
Of course, there's no possible way for me to make an unbiased comment on the subject of Jeff Bagwell. He's my all-time favorite baseball player. But for what it's worth, in my eyes Bagwell's a Hall of Famer, and it's a no-brainer for three reasons:
1. His performance on the field. I don't need to recap the numbers - I'll leave that to Zack Levine and other sabermetricians, who have all shown that -- by the books -- Bagwell's right up there with the denizens of the Hall.
2. His leadership off the field. In his many years playing for the Astros, Bagwell was a clubhouse leader who gained the huge respect of his teammates, team management, Houston sportswriters, and fans. You can still see it at Spring Training when he's mentoring the minor league guys, and when he was filling in as the hitting coach at then end of last season. Players do not get that kind of admiration from their peers just because they're good at their job; they earn it through character, hard work, caring about their colleagues and about how the game is played.
3. His integrity. In an era when there were a lot of cheaters, Bagwell didn't use steroids. Why do I think that? Simply because he says he didn't. I've heard Bagwell called many things -- a role model (except for his batting stance), a strong but quiet leader, a players' player. I've never heard the people who worked with him and around him call him a liar or a cheat. So if Bagwell says he didn't use PEDs, I choose to believe him. If he lied, I'm not sure that I will still believe that baseball's the best game in the world. In an era of liars and cheaters, it takes players like Bagwell to still believe in the game. It's why, even though they had "suspicions" that Bagwell wasn't really going to be able to play in 2006, so many people thought that he should get his chance to try at Spring Training -- out of respect, they gave him the benefit of the doubt.
If the HoF voters don't think that Bagwell's lifetime achievement in baseball warrants a first-year vote, it's their perogative not to vote for him. But weasily claims of "suspicion" are cheap shots from people who work in journalism, people who ought to know the value of sticking to facts and not just making up the so-called news. Writers like Dan Graziano can vote for whoever they please, but if the reason for not voting for a player is based on innuendo and hunches, they should just shut up about it. To brag about voting like this just cheapens their credibility as journalists to me.
I have no doubt that Bagwell's going to be in the HoF, voted in in a future year, if not now. At one time, I had kind of a nostalgic idea that it would be nice if Bagwell and Biggio would go in together, the first players to enter the hall in Astros uniforms. But they aren't the Bobbsey Twins; they are individual players who have each earned places in the Hall of Fame. As emotionally satisfying as it would be to see them standing in Cooperstown together in a couple of years (Biggio's got to be a first rounder!), I'd much rather hear that Bagwell got the vote for 2011. I hope that many of the voters -- rejecting the unfairness of suspicion and innuendo as factors for determining HoF-worthiness -- used their ballots to make that point loud and clear.
That's my 27 cents. There's no ballot for bloggers, other than the feedback they get from their readers. So, other Astros fans out there, what do you think?
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Kaz Goes Back to Japan
I interrupted my perusal of grandbaby photos to do a quick check on the Astros hot stove. Not that much exciting news there, but I did notice a small news item that Kaz Matsui had given up on the MLB and returned to Japan. After being cut from the Astros, he ended up in the Rockies farm, never made it back to the bigs, and has now signed with the Rakuten Eagles.
No great loss there - I was never happy with him during his Astros tenure. He got off to a bad start after the Astros acquired him before the 2008 season, when he ended up on the DL following surgery that he would probably have preferred unmentioned. He hit .293 for the season, but only logged 96 games due to injuries.
If anything, the best thing about Kaz was the presence of his two aids (a trainer and a translator) who trotted around with him at Spring Training, dressed in matching red and black costumes. I know it's awful, but I couldn't help referring to them as Thing 1 and Thing 2.
No great loss there - I was never happy with him during his Astros tenure. He got off to a bad start after the Astros acquired him before the 2008 season, when he ended up on the DL following surgery that he would probably have preferred unmentioned. He hit .293 for the season, but only logged 96 games due to injuries.
If anything, the best thing about Kaz was the presence of his two aids (a trainer and a translator) who trotted around with him at Spring Training, dressed in matching red and black costumes. I know it's awful, but I couldn't help referring to them as Thing 1 and Thing 2.
So it's back to Japan for Kaz. I don't know what will happen to Thing 1 and Thing 2 - he won't need a translator back in the old country. As for me, I've moved on to my own version of Thing 1 and Thing 2.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
My New Favorite Team in Exile
I have a confession to make. The Astros have been surpassed in the competition for my affection. There's a new team that I've become a huge fan of. Like the Astros, they're an out of town team, so I'll be following them from Exile. You might call them the "Twins," but they're not in Minnesota. Like the Astros, the new team features cute young men who wear hats. But rRally, there's no competition. Astros? Astros who? I've moved on...
When you see a picture of the out-of-town team I've become a fanatical fan of, you'll understand. One glimpse of them sunbathing barechested will make you swoon. Forget about Hunter and Michael and CJ and JA and Wandy and Carlos and Brett... Welcome Oscar and Oren -- my precious twin grandsons.
When you see a picture of the out-of-town team I've become a fanatical fan of, you'll understand. One glimpse of them sunbathing barechested will make you swoon. Forget about Hunter and Michael and CJ and JA and Wandy and Carlos and Brett... Welcome Oscar and Oren -- my precious twin grandsons.
You see my problem? It's pretty hard to get my mind off these young fellows! They are so seriously adorable that's it's hard to think about stuff like baseball -- in the off season! At 6 days of age Oren and Oscar have surpassed all those 20-somethings in Houston. Can you blame me for my switching teams?
Just to be clear, becoming a grandmother for the two most precious babies in the world isn't going to keep me from following the hot stove, or making plans for Spring Training. They just put things in perspective.
Monday, November 15, 2010
CJ's a Winner in My Eyes
The MLB Rookie of the Year votes are in and no big surprise - Buster Posey added on to his team's World Series triumph by carrying home the NY ROTY award. The Braves' Jason Heyward came in second, with several other young players garnering fewer votes.
The Astros' team ROTY, of course, was Chris Johnson, who missed part of the season start due to injury and a detour through Round Rock, but came back in a big way in the second half.
Just in case anyone's wondering, how does CJ compare to the other position players who got ROTY votes this year, here's a comparison based on various hitting stats:
Pts Name/Team AB BA HR RBI SLG OBP OPS
129 Posey/SF 406 .305 18 67 .505 .357 .862
107 Heyward/ATL 593 .277 18 72 .456 .393 .849
18 Sanchez/FLA 572 .273 19 85 .448 .341 .788
3 Walker/PIT 426 .296 12 66 .462 .349 .811
3 Castro/CHC 463 .300 3 41 .408 .347 .755
2 Davis/NYM 523 .264 19 71 .440 .351 .791
1 Tabata/PITT 405 .299 4 35 .400 .346 .746
0 Johnson/HOU 341 .308 11 52 .481 .337 .818
Not at all shabby numbers for CJ -- one only wonders how he would have compared had he more at bats for the season, instead of doing time in Triple A. At any rate, it's certainly good enough to secure a spot a third base for next spring, saving the Astros the trouble of wasting their money chasing down another Pedro Feliz in the free agent market. Just to keep you going until Spring Training starts, here are a few pictures of CJ from the 2010 season...
CJ batting at Spring Training:
CJ hits a 9th inning homer against the Nationals in September:
Making a play at third base in Spring Training:
Back to back with Bogusevic against the Nats in September:
Three months till pitchers and catchers... and counting. Can't wait till Spring Training!
The Astros' team ROTY, of course, was Chris Johnson, who missed part of the season start due to injury and a detour through Round Rock, but came back in a big way in the second half.
Just in case anyone's wondering, how does CJ compare to the other position players who got ROTY votes this year, here's a comparison based on various hitting stats:
Pts Name/Team AB BA HR RBI SLG OBP OPS
129 Posey/SF 406 .305 18 67 .505 .357 .862
107 Heyward/ATL 593 .277 18 72 .456 .393 .849
18 Sanchez/FLA 572 .273 19 85 .448 .341 .788
3 Walker/PIT 426 .296 12 66 .462 .349 .811
3 Castro/CHC 463 .300 3 41 .408 .347 .755
2 Davis/NYM 523 .264 19 71 .440 .351 .791
1 Tabata/PITT 405 .299 4 35 .400 .346 .746
0 Johnson/HOU 341 .308 11 52 .481 .337 .818
Not at all shabby numbers for CJ -- one only wonders how he would have compared had he more at bats for the season, instead of doing time in Triple A. At any rate, it's certainly good enough to secure a spot a third base for next spring, saving the Astros the trouble of wasting their money chasing down another Pedro Feliz in the free agent market. Just to keep you going until Spring Training starts, here are a few pictures of CJ from the 2010 season...
CJ batting at Spring Training:
CJ hits a 9th inning homer against the Nationals in September:
Making a play at third base in Spring Training:
Fielding third base against the Nats in September:
Back to back with Bogusevic against the Nats in September:
Three months till pitchers and catchers... and counting. Can't wait till Spring Training!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Bourn is Hot... but the Stove is Not
The World Series is over. Some team from the West Coast won, I hear. Meanwhile, there's supposed to be a lot of action going on in the free agent market, but the Astros don't seem to be in the running for any big names. All part of the rebuilding that started after the World Series - let's take a look at those kids, maybe fill a hole here and there. But don't hold your breath thinking that we're going to be signing away the big bucks this winter.
It's a new world for the Astros, a team which was one of the most geriatric in the league not long ago. Now our veterans are guys like Michael Bourn, who at 27 has just snagged his second Gold Glove. Given that there's not much news on Astros.com, I'll dedicate the rest of this blog to some of my pix of Bourn, taken at Spring Training and Astros @ Nats games here in Exile.
It's no wonder that Bourn has led the league in steals - he can really fly. Speaking of flying, this flying shortstop picture is one of my favorite Spring Training shots ever.
The stereotypical picture of Bourn on first base... don't blink - he'll be on second!
Here's one that he didn't quite pull off - Bourn in a rundown...
Here's an early look at Bourn as an Astro - taken at Spring Training in 2008 after we got him in trade from the Phillies.
To end, here are Bourn and Pence celebrating a win over the Nationals in July 2008. I was able to get this great field-level angle due to fantastic birthday-present tickets from my son Josh, who came down from NY just for the day to take me to see the Astros.
Sadly, Bourn was injured when the Astros played the Nats here in Washington in September. I'm looking forward to seeing Bourn, Pence, and Wandy (our veterans!) and all the new guys in Spring Training - just a few months away!
It's a new world for the Astros, a team which was one of the most geriatric in the league not long ago. Now our veterans are guys like Michael Bourn, who at 27 has just snagged his second Gold Glove. Given that there's not much news on Astros.com, I'll dedicate the rest of this blog to some of my pix of Bourn, taken at Spring Training and Astros @ Nats games here in Exile.
It's no wonder that Bourn has led the league in steals - he can really fly. Speaking of flying, this flying shortstop picture is one of my favorite Spring Training shots ever.
The stereotypical picture of Bourn on first base... don't blink - he'll be on second!
Bourn doesn't stop at second - here he is stealing third too.
Here's one that he didn't quite pull off - Bourn in a rundown...
Here's an early look at Bourn as an Astro - taken at Spring Training in 2008 after we got him in trade from the Phillies.
Speed accounts for lots of Bourn's singles on bunt and infield hits.
Unfortunately, I don't have much in the way of the leaping and rolling catches that won Bourn his Golden Glove.
To end, here are Bourn and Pence celebrating a win over the Nationals in July 2008. I was able to get this great field-level angle due to fantastic birthday-present tickets from my son Josh, who came down from NY just for the day to take me to see the Astros.
Sadly, Bourn was injured when the Astros played the Nats here in Washington in September. I'm looking forward to seeing Bourn, Pence, and Wandy (our veterans!) and all the new guys in Spring Training - just a few months away!
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