Is anyone going to the festivities tomorrow. I think I am going to attend.

I am watching Ken Burns Baseball right now. It is an account of the history of baseball in a 10 disc 20hr  dvd set. I guess it was made for PBS. Anyway it is pretty informative. I recommend  watching it if you can find it somehow. So many things about baseball I didn't know.

I also found this over at minorleagueball.com. Pretty cool Bob Feller interview about him trying to change the players rights in baseball when he retired.

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/multimedia/video/2008/wallace/feller_bob.html

What a nightmare for the pitchers. Every flyball was an adventure and 8 HRs total was pretty crazy. The only HR that was truly impressive was Pence's.

The good news:

Bourn is looking excellent. Having GREAT ABs and putting great contact on the ball. He is also amazing in CF. Anything close to this production and he will give the Astros the best leadoff hitter since Biggs of 8 years ago.

Pence is giving a mixed bag but good for the most part. His patience at the plate is worrisome to me but he has so much power he can get away with it more than most. If he was more selective no telling what he could accomplish this year.

Lee and Berkman both look like they should right now and that is always good.

Backe looks really good to me. He has had some good and not so good outings. I think he will put it together for a real solid campaign this year.

Roy Oswalt. Will win the Cy Young and most wins in 20 years or so.

Valverde is the only RP that has looked really good though they have enough arms to have a solid relief core.

The Bad:

Woody has been the pits this spring. Everyone is questioning if he will even make the team. Nothing he is doing seems to work this spring. JD(announcer) suggests he throws backwards like he did at the end of his career or like Jamie Moyer does now. Mainly throw junk and limit his 84 mph FB under 20 times per game.

Tejada has butchered SS all spring and though I am not that worried about his swing he hasn't done anything to relax the critics that think he is declining rapidly. I think he will be fine.

All the nagging injuries. The whole Paulino thing is very strange. Never heard of it until yesterday. Someone said he had a family friend in the Phillies organization with the same kind of problem and after a while they eventually removed part of a rib(I know this is crazy) and he was better in weeks. He had pain for a long time and post surgery he gained 4mph on his stuff.

Towles, Valverde, Matsui, and Wandy will all play big rolls on the club but haven't played in a while. Not a great thing.

What they might do:

It looks like Wright has the stuff to be on the roster and probably has the inside track right now. Sampson will likely get a spot in the rotation now and for sure if Woody continues to stumble. With Matsui out for the fist week or two Q might make the team and might even get traded in May. Abercrombie has come on strong lately but I don't think he makes the team over Cruz who is probably the Spring MVP.

That is all I can think of right now but if anyone hasn't seen or heard the Stros much ask a question and having seen or heard all the games available I will answer if I know something.

I loved this guy. I was very very high on him. Some due to the fact that I always disliked AE because he was the worst hitter in baseball every year but two. Zobrist has had arguably the best plate discipline minor league-wide since he signed in 04. With a BB/K of 1.33/1 and a BB--rate almost double an average player 234BB in 1251ABs he never had an OBP less than .400(avg 428) and only once hit less than .300(avg 316). He was always 2 years older than competition of the league and never got credit until the trade to Tampa. He bombed in his first trial last year in 97ABs after destroying spring training. When he was sent down he again killed AAA as a 26 year old. He is a slick fielder able to play the most premium position in baseball. I still think that he has a chance to play in the majors because plate discipline is one of the true skills that doesn't lie to you.

This is how I got the bulpen

Valverde
Brocail
Villareal
Borkowski
McLemore
Geary
Wright/Paronto

Then I expect Estrada to get called up sometime as someone gets hurt or is released.

I got home and found a UPS parcel. Inside was my 2008 Baseball Prospect Book from Sickels. Then I fired up the internet to see that the Astros TV schedule has been released.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20080207&content_id=2367 688&vkey=pr_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

I am going to get the MLB package again this year so I can watch any game from my computer, but it is great to know that I will be watching a real broadcast in less than a month. On March 3rd at noon the Stros face the Yanks and hopefully JD, B Brown, and Lucas are in fine form. It has been a long time coming and the wait is almost over.

As much as I hate what has become of my beloved Astros over the last 2 1/2 years the feeling I have today makes me realize that I will be a Stros fan forever and I really have a problem with my love of baseball.

CF Bourn
RF Pence
1B Berkman
LF Lee
SS Tejada
3B Wiggy
2B Matsui
C  Towles

C  Ausmus
IF Lorreta
IF Blum
OF Abercrombie/Cruz/Ramirez/FA
OF Abercrombie/Cruz/Ramirez/FA

SP Oswalt
SP Backe
SP Rodrigez
SP Sampson
SP Williams(maybe he retires)

CL Valverde
RP Brocail     RP Villareal      RP Borkowski
RP Geary       RP McLemore       RP Wright/Estrada/Paulino/FA

That OF bench is really weak. I wouldn't mind picking up Lane and my second choice would be Mench. They both will have to settle on bench roles this year. Man do I hate that rotation. As the team is now it is going to drive me crazy. I have said how I think that a well-pitched game is beautiful and looking at this I will only get one a week. Roy may win 25 games this year though. I am not kidding.

Suggestions/thoughts? What a crazy offseason

Are issuing statements right now.

Roger denies the allegations in the report and says it was made up by a "troubled" man that was faced with Federal Prison. He says the report is slander.

This was issued by Clemens attorney.

Pettitte has not issued any statement under advisement of the Hendricks brothers, as he is an active player.

I don't know where the statement was made. Parts of it was read over ESPN790 in Houston.

Looks like Clemens won't take his fate. Where do yall see this going?

Edit: The 2 statements were issued directly to ESPN790 by the Hendricks brother. The statement they read for Roger was written by his team of lawyers following the official report. It appears following the report Clemens called together his lawyers to start clearing him.

Astros get: Tejada, that's it

Orioles get: Albers, Scott, Sarfate, Costanzo, Patton

That is quite the haul for the O's. I will have to think about this.

My initial reaction is that Scott will outhit Tejada next year.

Ok, so after a minute of thought I hate it. The Astros trade 5 assets(some small though) for one asset. Miggy is a bargain in his current deal for the next 2 years. Patton is under control for 6 years. Costanzo 6 years. Albers 5 years. Scott 4 years. Sarfate 6 years. That is 27 years of controlled salary for 2. Even if the O's get half of those years at even league average production they win huge.

I have to bring up my thought about the Stros not being able to win again. Going into the off season I wanted the Stros to sign Wolf and Linebrink, thats it. Since then they have made many trades, signed a below-average 2nd Baseman, and amassed tons of RPs. They still have a joke of a rotation; I mean a real real joke. They now have sevaeral superstars(Berkman, Tejada, Oswalt, Lee) all over 30 wasting there prime years on a losing team.

The hedgehog looked at Houston and predicted a long winter; I predict 5 more years of losing baseball. I can only imagine the Stros will sign 2 crappy pitchers for like 25mil a year. SCREW ME SIDEWAYS

Story

ESPN 790 is reporting that a Tejada trade is now likely and the Astros are both optimistic it will happen and satisfied in what they are giving up. They haven't said who they would give up in the deal. They also say it might not even be announced today. The ball is in Baltimore's court (like the last 3 years?).

I don't think they would mention it if they didn't think it was going down.

All I want is to keep Pence. I hope both Bourn and Scott are not in the deal, who plays OF,(will make Stros sign an expensive FA CFer). I hope Wandy is in the deal(I think his value is higher perceptionaly).

I will have more thoughts

MLBTR is saying the principle players would be Everett, Burke and a pitcher. Like I said, I really hope that is Wandy and not Patton. But with the other players being so light on value I would have to think it is Patton.

I guess the Astros are shopping Burke and Scott, with everyone else to a lesser extent. No more RP Wade. The rumors about him were true. He is insane about RPs.

The latest I have heard is the Rox want Burke but they don't like him straight up for Fuentes. I don't like Fuentes. Not enough "stuff for a closer", his off nights make Lidge's off nights look good.

Also, the Padres want Scott. I wouldn't trade Scott unless it is in a deal for a GOOD pitcher. Scott gets out of bed and slugs 500.

I will update