A Forgetable Memorial Day!

I really don't like complainers, especially when it is me complaining. But there was lots to complain about or visit to Minute Maid Park this afternoon. First, the advertised holiday version of the Astros caps that were to be given away as promos were not provided. Not even the little American flags that we have received at games on Memorial Day were handed out this year. Can you say, "cost-cutting?"

Then when we got to the kids play area, that the Astros promote in an effort to attract families to the games, most of the activities were not open. We were told that they did not have enough staff to man all them. We had heard that the last three times we had taken to boys to a game, but those were on week nights/school nights. Today was a holiday and there should have been max staff on the job. More budget trimming?

Then the home plate umpire, Bill Hohn, decided he was the center of attention. He had, from our seats right behind the plate, squeezed the strike zone on Astros' pitcher Roy Oswalt. In the third inning Oswalt threw what both he and I thought was strike three to Adam Dunn. Hohn called it a ball, and on the next pitch, Dunn hit a bases loaded double, driving in three runs.

The next batter, Josh Willingham, had a 1-2 count. The next pitch was a fantastic pitch--I saw the replay when I got home and was right about my original opinion--but Hohn called it ball 2. Oswalt turned toward right field and raised his head and shouted. I don't know what word he said, but he was not shouting at the umpire, just expressing frustration.

But Hohn came out from behind the plate and walked toward the mound. He called Roy to attention, and Roy responded by pointing to the umpire. Hohn promptly ejected Oswalt. From there the pitching unraveled and the game got really ugly. The final score was 14-4. Most of the fans had left the building before the last out.

To add to the insanity, twice during the game, idiotic fans jumped the rails and ran across the diamond. Each time security captured the fan and led them away, one in hand cuffs. They will each pay a thousand dollar fine and spend the night in jail. Some fans find the trespassers amusing, but I am not one of those. I enjoy a baseball game, not jerks, whether they are behind the plate or trespassing on the field.

A thoroughly forgettable Memorial Day!

Seeing Ubaldo

I got to watch Ubaldo Jimenez in person for the first time tonight. The Colorado Rockies' young pitching phenom is pretty special. He only allowed one hit in seven innings shut out innings, and hit 99 mph on the radar gun several times. And not only does he throw hard, he also has a nasty curve ball that he throws in the high 70's! His change up was clocked at 88 mph. The Astros had very few opportunities to score.

Again Roy Oswalt was the tough luck loser, giving up only 2 earned runs in 6 innings and giving up only three hits. But he was tagged for his sixth loss of the season.One wonders how many wins he would have if he had any run support at all.

Perfect Night at Minute Maid

Being at a ball game anytime is a great joy, but Tuesday night at Minute Maid was almost as perfect as one could ever expect. The April temperature was about 70 at game time, and not a cloud in the sky. The roof was open and the breeze was blowing gently.

To make things better, we saw the return of Lance Berkman to the line up for the first time, following his time on the disabled list. He was one for four with a double and two runs batted in, giving hope that the offense will be improving in the days ahead. Even Carlos Lee had a hit, also a double, sparking hope that his slump will end soon. J.R. Towles had a couple of hits! Things are looking better.

After giving up hits to the first four Florida hitters, Brett Myers pitched tough enough to keep the Astros in the game. Matt Lindstrom came in and closed out the come from behind win over the Marlins.

It would be hard to find a better day at the ballpark!

Opening Day At Minute Maid '10!!!

Opening Day has been a huge part of life for my wife and I. We have celebrated 43 anniversaries, 42 of them at Opening Day for the Astros. The only time we missed was when we celebrated our 35th in New York City. We just returned from the 2010 edition.

Roy Oswalt started for the 'Stros against Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants, the reigning back to back Cy Young winner. Oswalt pitched creditably, but not well enough to avoid the loss. He gave up three runs in his six innings of work, while Lincecum did not allow a run in his seven innings of work.

Houston did not hit the ball hard very often tonight. Carlos Lee had a line drive off the wall in left, but the next well struck ball was in the 9th inning when J. R. Towles had a double to left center field to drive in the second run of the evening for Houston.

There were not too many bright spots for the over 43,000 in attendance. I wonder how many fans will be in the stands tomorrow.

Just One More Month

It is getting closer to baseball season, I can feel it. Every day now there is some baseball related story in the newspaper. Two of the Astros arbitration eligible players signed contracts yesterday--Jeff Keppinger and Chris Sampson. In a month the players will be in training camp and we will see pictures on the evening news of the workouts and then Grapefruit League games. I know the football playoffs are going on right now, but for me that is just a diversion till baseball gets back underway!

Astros Add Myers!!!!!

I was away from home and the media for the first week of the new year, so I was a bit late in hearing that the Houston Astros had made a deal with right handed pitcher Brett Myers. It was a surprised because I did not think the Astros would spend the money for a free agent.

I am pleased that the move was made because I think Myers has a chance to really improve the starting staff this year. And of course that makes there be a chance to have a better season. Myers will likely be the third pitcher in the rotation, behind Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez. That is a lot better than Mike Hampton or Russ Ortiz.

I am feeling a bit of optimism!

Bud Norris to The Bombers!

I was just looking through the players available on the free agent list for our fantasy league and found that Bud Norris was there. I snapped him up for my pitching staff, hoping to rise from second place to the lead of the league on the strength of his arm!

I am going to watch him pitch tomorrow night at Minute Maid park! Go Bud!

No Swoon in June

THe Houston Astros had their best month of the season so far in June, finishing with the fourth best record in MLB for the month. That allowed them to get back close to
.500 and within three games of the lead for the division. Their good starting pitching for the month was the biggest improvement. Now if the hitting would pick up a bit and the errors were cut down a bit, the rest of the season could be fun to watch!

Miggy on Fire!

Miguel Tejada came into the game tonight with a .353 batting average, leading the National League in hitting. Then he was on 4 times tonight, including a game winning home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning. The Astros won the game 3-2 for a four game winning streak. That is a modest streak, but it is a step in the right direction.

Hard to Be Excited!

The Houston Astros are playing so poorly that it is hard to be excited about what the dog days of summer will bring for the team. Their history indicattes that they will not give up and just be washed away by the competition. But just a few days ago I was sitting in the stands watching a game that if they won would have put them only one game under .500 for the season. Roy O. was on the mound with a lead. Relievers could not hold down the Brewers and the offense could not score again, so the game was lost. Followed by a string of losses that has put the 'Stros in the cellar and not showing any signs of getting better. Yesterday they gave up eight unearned runs and lost 8-5 in Cincinnati on a day shen the team had 14 hits. Yuk!

I'd Have Left Him In!

I went to watch the Astros and the Brewers last night. Roy Oswalt pitched into the seventh inning. He had a 3-1 lead, when he allowed two base-runners with only one out. Ryan Braun, the Brewer's young star, was coming up to bat. The acting manager, after Cecil Cooper had been ejected, decided to bring in Jeff Fulchino to pitch. When he did I told the guy with me that I would have left Oswalt to try to get out of the mess, because he is the best option. He had only thrown 104 pitches and was still throwing 95. When inning was over, the Brewers had scored three runs off three relievers and Oswalt had a no decision.

We will never know how it would have turned out, but I'd have left him in!

Did You See That?

I watched the Houston Rockets' game against the Los Angeles Lakers this afternoon and I was really shocked, almost as much as the Lakers appeared to be! The Rockets had lost their best player, Yao Ming, to a leg injury. Most expected to see the Lakers dismantle the decimated Rockets, but the reverse was the reality. The Rockets played their hearts out and blasted the Lakers. The final score was only 99-87, but the Lakers never led in the game and trailed by as much as 29 at one time. It was very sweet if you are a Rockets' fan.

Finding the Positives

The three game series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers finished with a bit of a bitter taste for the 'Stros, because Chad Billingsly pitched a shut out for LA. But the Astros won the series, 2 games to one, and broke the Dodgers' 8 game winning streak. All the starting pitchers pitched well enough, especially Wandy Rodriguez, who only gave up two runs in 7 innings.

Now the chore is to build on the positives when the Brewers arrive for the weekend!

Bull Pen Woes

The Bull Pen of the Houston Astros was supposed to be one of the team's strengths this year, and it may well be over the course of the year. But it was not over the course of the recent weekend.

The Astros played a four game set, in Minute Maid Park, against the Cincinnati Reds and lost three of the games. In all four of the games the starting pitcher lasted at least six innings and gave up three runs or less. But three times the Bull Pen surrendered the winning runs in the late innings.

Such a waste really hurts the chances at respectability! And that does not even mention the lack of clutch hitting that the team has shown thus far!

Two W's in a Row!

The Astros have won two games in a row now, after having lost five straight. The wins were on the road, in Pittsburgh. Last night they jumped out to an early lead and won 4-1 on the strength of Mike Hampton's best start in years. Today they had to cme from behind 3-1 to post a 6-3 win. Chris Sampson got the victory in relief. The good news is that Michael Bourn continued to hit after having moved back to the lead off spot for the two games!

O's Woes!!!!

The Houston Astros have begun the 2009 season with a 1 win, seven loss record. That is their worst beginning in 25 years. Today they were shut out by Zack Duke of the Pittsburgh Pirates, after having been shut out yesterday by Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals. Eighteen innings without a run, only a total of seven hits in those two games; unnacceptable!

Five Homers Is Not Enough!

Brian Moehler had a good season for the Houston Astros last year. Brian Moehler may have a good season for the Houston Astros this season. But he did not have a good game last night!

When he was pulled in the second inning, the Chicago Cubs had scored 8 runs on their way to a an 11-6 win. The Astros made bid to get back into the game, hitting five home runs, but it was not enough.

Opening Night!

Last night I got to attend the Opening Night game at Minute Maid Park between the Houston Astros and the Chicago Cubs. It was the 10th year anniversary of the opening of the stadium. I was in attendance at the game in 2000 when Octavio Dotel was the Astros' starter in the first regular season game ever there. It was a very special night.

But the crowd last night was even better, 43,287, which was the largest non-playoff game crowd in Minute Maid history. The game was good, with the starters being Roy Oswalt and Carlos Zambrano. Though the Cubs came away with a 4-2 win, it was good to be back at the "Old Ball Park!"

Ticket Draft

I am one of a group of six that split a pair of season tickets for the Houston Astros baseball games at Minute Maid Park. Four of the guys take ten games each while two of us have twenty games each. Each season we have a draft to determine which games we will get.

We had our draft last night and I had the number one pick, so I will be at Opening Day against the Chicago Cubs next Monday. I expect to see Roy Oswalt as the starting pitcher for Houston and Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs. It will be a wonderful day as the new season opens with all the promise and the excitement!

Miggy Gets Probation!

Miguel Tejada's immediate playing future was cleared up today when he received probation for having lied to Congress. He was liable for up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine for his crime, but was given leniency because he plead guilty. He will also have to pay $5000 as his fine, but now he can get on with his preparations for the season without an ax hanging over his head. Let's hope that translates into a good season for him and the Astros!