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!