SBNation.com User Blog: littlevisigoth

Keuchel signs

littlevisigoth — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:51:55 -0000

Keuchel signs

The Astros now have signed all but one of their top 26 picks and a total of 35 out of 51 so far. I'm not sure what's the story with 12th rounder Geoffrey Thomas, but he's a high school kid, so maybe they took a flyer on him and missed. He's committed to Southern Miss, which based on this past year's run to the CWS in Omaha, is no slouch of a program.

To me, Keuchel was the last piece that really solidifies this year's draft as a huge success, at least from a securing all of the top priority picks. We'll see how they all pan out. A lot of people thought this kid was a steal in the 7th round and it sounds like we went over slot to get him.

The article says he's going to report to Tri-City, along with most of our other college draftees.

Per BA: Palmisano, Estrada Released

littlevisigoth — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:38:17 -0000

Per BA: Palmisano, Estrada Released

Palmisano was the rule 5 catcher we got from the Brewers, who didn't want him back when he didn't make our club out of ST. He was on the Hooks roster and prior to getting his release was on their 7-day DL. The other two catchers on the Hooks roster right now are Brian Esposito (30) and Jonathan Fixler (22). The two catchers at Round Rock are Santangelo and Towles. I would assume a Castro sighting in Corpus this summer is extremely likely, as neither Esposito or Fixler appear to be prospects.

Estrada was once a highly regarded, back end of the bullpen prospect, but was hurt most of last year and has generally fallen off over the last three years. Giving up on him might pave the way a little bit for younger, more valued prospects to get bumped up a notch.

Seaton signed!

littlevisigoth — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:23:16 -0000

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080801&content_id=3235469&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

Everything I've heard about this kid has been good. He sounded to me like first-round talent with signability issues, but since he's local and purportedly and Astros fan, we were able to reel him in. With all the discussion of things that the front office is doing wrong, we've signed most (only Davidson, who we'd get a compensatory pick for if we can't sign him, is a top pick yet unsigned).

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080801&content_id=3235469&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

Buzz Bissinger and Deadspin founder Will Leitch

littlevisigoth — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:34:29 -0000

this is getting a lot of chatter on other sites. didn't know if all of you had seen or heard of it, but this is Friday Night Lights author (have only seen the movie and know nothing of his other work, but I guess he's had people telling him how great he is for some time) going off on bloggers, in particular one comment from one person at Deadspin. you can read up on some reactions at Deadspin, Kissing Suzy Kolber, and Fire Joe Morgan.

Buzz Bissinger and Deadspin founder Will Leitch

ST today vs. Marlins (3/24)

littlevisigoth — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:11:59 -0000

Didn't see a main page post, so figured I'd try this FanPost thing out.

Bit of a JV lineup on this roadtrip. I'll post the lineups in the comments.

Didn't see a main page post, so figured I'd try this FanPost thing out.

Bit of a JV lineup on this roadtrip. I'll post the lineups in the comments.

More cuts

littlevisigoth — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:33:24 -0000

there are eight fewer guys on the roster now.

for those keeping score, that's 35 total now:

18 Pitchers (2 NRI), only one lefty candidate for the bullpen left

3 Catchers (0 NRI)

8 IF (2 NRI... I'm including Newhan here)

6 OF (1 NRI)

there are eight fewer guys on the roster now.

for those keeping score, that's 35 total now:

18 Pitchers (2 NRI), only one lefty candidate for the bullpen left

3 Catchers (0 NRI)

8 IF (2 NRI... I'm including Newhan here)

6 OF (1 NRI)

so if they carry 12 pitchers, that's 6 that still have to go, and 4 position players that need to go.

we're down to Cruz and Abercrombie for the 5th OF. Gorneault didn't seem to get as much of a chance for some reason. His numbers were certainly good, but a lot of it coming at the end of games.

Newhan and Perez are probably hanging around until they decide what to do with Matsui's vacated spot and whether or not they're going to deal Loretta (which I continue to read rumblings about).

it'll all play out in the next week. Coop apparently will be managing games more like regular season games now, stretching pitchers out more, playing regulars deeper into games, using switches situationally. i think it's safe to say that some of the "results don't matter" talk begins to fall to the wayside.

Lieber, Linebrink?

littlevisigoth — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:09:39 -0000

link

Wade appears to be leaving no stone unturned. I've said before I like the idea of gunning for Linebrink. I'm not so sure about Lieber. He's only had one fully healthy season out of the last five. I wonder what kind of contract he'll be demanding. Something one-year and incentive-laden seems appropriate, being old and coming off of a surgery.

I do like that Wade seems to be beating the streets like he said he would. Although maybe that's his strategy, to prove to everybody that he's working hard. I'll choose to wait and judge him by the decisions that he actually makes.

link

Koji Uehera: NOT our No. 2 starter

littlevisigoth — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:40:57 -0000

Apparently he was injured for a portion of this year, so he doesn't actually have the service time required to be eligible for free agency and would require a posting fee (link).

Read: not gonna happen.

Apparently he was injured for a portion of this year, so he doesn't actually have the service time required to be eligible for free agency and would require a posting fee (link).

Read: not gonna happen.

Roger doesn't believe

littlevisigoth — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 13:55:37 -0000

I don't know how cynical people are around here towards our departed hometown hero that went to pitch one last (until next year) season for the bombers, but apparently he thinks his pin-striped comrades are going to bomb in the playoffs, cause he's got plans for next week.

http://www.administaffclassic.com/tournament/Tournament-Schedule

Scroll down to Saturday and Sunday, where apparently he's confirmed as a celebrity in the pro-am tournament here in Houston.

http://www.administaffclassic.com/tournament/Tournament-Schedule

Scroll down to Saturday and Sunday, where apparently he's confirmed as a celebrity in the pro-am tournament here in Houston.

Even if they ARE bounced in the first round, wouldn't you think it's bad form to be playing in a celebrity golf tournament just a few days later?

Too Early?

littlevisigoth — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:36:23 -0000

I'll be attending my first Longhorn football game since 2003 on September 1st, and I'll have a bachelor party (not mine) full of non-longhorn fans (some FSU, but otherwise none of them went to a D1A football school), but avid college football fans, in tow. Coming from Houston and Austin hasn't been my stomping ground for some time. Any gameday dos and don'ts, tips on hitting the tailgate scene (have 12-pack will travel?), etc. that might maximize the enjoyment of the whole experience?

Also, general tips on orchestrating a bachelor party in Austin would be appreciated. I'm the only one that ever lived in Austin and my knowledge of the ever changing city is a bit dated (although i'm sure some things never change).

Cheers!

Co-op to open in Houston

littlevisigoth — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:25:12 -0000

Forgive me if this has already been noted on this site, but it was news to me and I check here pretty regularly.

http://www.universitycoop.com/ePOS?f...

Now all us Houstonians have a local store devoted entirely to UT. Will the book be available there?

Forgive me if this has already been noted on this site, but it was news to me and I check here pretty regularly.

http://www.universitycoop.com/ePOS?f...

Now all us Houstonians have a local store devoted entirely to UT. Will the book be available there?

Van Ostrand

littlevisigoth — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:10:26 -0000

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070708&content_id=271940&vkey=news _milb&fext=.jsp

thought i read some discussion on this guy, but i couldn't find it (maybe it was on another board). is he a legit prospect? i guess his first year in the org was last year and he didn't do so hot in a short season in Tri-City. he's a mid-season all-star in the South Atlantic League this year (.300/.356/.464) and got a jack in the Futures game. the article says he plays 4 positions in Lexington, but he's listed as an OF. he's 22 and is probably at least 2 years from any consideration for an MLB roster spot. checked to see if he attended the elite hitters camp, and he didn't, but teammates Max Sapp, Koby Clemens, and Ralph Henriquez did (none of which seem to be impressing this year).

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070708&content_id=271940&vkey=news _milb&fext=.jsp

just curious about this guy, since i hadn't heard much about him to date. as an extension (and i know you guys get a lot of demands), but if anybody on this site with knowledge of the minor league system (any level) can give some mid-season report cards on any prospects that look to be making real progress on the farm (anything we can look forward to), the break here might be a good time to talk about it (Greenville Astro, where have you been?).

cheers.

Roy an All-Star

littlevisigoth — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:59:50 -0000

In case you hadn't seen it yet...

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070705&content_id=2068603&vkey=allstar2007&fex t=.jsp

Guess he won't need our help in the final vote after all.

In case you hadn't seen it yet...

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070705&content_id=2068603&vkey=allstar2007&fex t=.jsp

Guess he won't need our help in the final vote after all.

No more Roy v. Barrett in the Cubs rivalry

littlevisigoth — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:15:38 -0000

Barrett shipped to Padres with money for a back-up catcher and a minor league outfielder.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070620&content_id=2038291&vkey=news_mlb&fext=. jsp&c_id=mlb

Probably an inevitable move by the Flubbies, with all the dugout drama connected to Barrett. I don't have enough information to rate it as good or bad for either team, but it certainly seems to make sense for both. The Padres have the second lowest BA in all of baseball (man the White Sox are sucking these days), while having the best ERA in all of baseball. Barrett is performing well below his career numbers, but is still (at a lower level of production) better than the guy starting in SD. It should be noted that Barrett is a FA after this year.

Barrett shipped to Padres with money for a back-up catcher and a minor league outfielder.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070620&content_id=2038291&vkey=news_mlb&fext=. jsp&c_id=mlb

Berkman Suspended Two Games

littlevisigoth — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:00:12 -0000

It's official:

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20070608&content_id=2013 531&vkey=pr_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

It's official:

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20070608&content_id=2013 531&vkey=pr_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

A previous article indicated that Watson may have been ignoring the fact that he came back on the field during the Lee HBP fracass. It seems like standard practice to appeal, but being that we're facing a lefty tonight, maybe he'll just accept it and sit out tonight and tomorrow. I can't see him winning any appeal.

4th and 5th Starter Spots

littlevisigoth — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 12:29:25 -0000

Okay, we're getting close to halfway through the Spring Training games. The fat is starting to get cut a bit and the candidates for starting positions are starting to stretch out their appearances. We still have single digit innings from everybody in the hunt, but does anybody have any feelings about who's beginning to establish themselves on the inside track for those last two starting spots?

Wandy seems to be doing nothing to eliminate Garner's lean towards him, although we'll find a little more out today. Sampson and Nieve have both been solid. If anybody's going any direction, I'd say maybe Albers is inching towards the rear of the pack. Do we really think Moehler is a serious candidate?

Astacio* 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 5.40 BB/9, 7.20 K/9
Sampson 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 1.41 WHIP, 4.76 BB/9 7.94 K/9
Moehler 3.38 ERA, 8.0 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 3.38 BB/9 6.75 K/9
Nieve 4.50 ERA, 8.0 IP, 1.50 WHIP, 4.50 BB/9, 7.88 K/9
Albers 5.14 ERA, 7.0 IP, 2.00 WHIP, 6.43 BB/9 11.57 K/9
Wandy 5.19 ERA, 8.2 IP, 1.85 WHIP, 8.31 BB/9 6.23 K/9

If the numbers improve or even stay the same, it looks like we'll be able to feel alright about what we've got for options. All the walk rates are a bit high, but you'd hope that's something that would improve as ST progresses (hopefully bringing the WHIP down with it). Albers' K-rate shows that he's got the stuff. If he can do a better job of keeping guys off, he might return to the pack.

To early? I dunno. I'm looking for things to talk about.

Lastly, what's with Woody? Has he been pitching in minor league games that aren't showing up on the stat page? Why does he only have two innings so far?

*added in Astacio, as per comments. also updated Nieve and Wandy's numbers. i guess if we're gonna credit Moehler for his small sample size numbers, we need to do likewise for Zeke. i've always been a fan of Zeke's stuff. if he can improve his control, his ceiling is heigher than Wandy or Moehler for sure.

To early? I dunno. I'm looking for things to talk about.

Lastly, what's with Woody? Has he been pitching in minor league games that aren't showing up on the stat page? Why does he only have two innings so far?

Anbody see this quote?

littlevisigoth — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 16:07:55 -0000

Referring to Luke and his bid for the starting spot in right field, "Every manager who's had him has liked him," Garner said. "He can win ballgames for you, and HE'S THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER." (emphasis mine)

I wonder where he gets that from. I've never been particularly impressed with Scott's defense, although he's never seemed to me like he's TOTALLY clueless out there. Meanwhile, I think it's clear that both Hidalgo and Lane have better arms (although maybe all that time in the gym for Scott has improved his throw) and I've always fancied Lane as a pretty solid fielder. He's got a lot more diving catches and blue star plays in my memory than Scott, but maybe that's just cause I've seen him play the position more often.

Anybody else surprised by that comment? If Garner really DOES think of Scott as the best defender, doesn't that give him a HUGE edge in the race since he's coming off such a monster second half of the season last year?

Tatum Bell/Jake Plummer trade?

littlevisigoth — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:47:31 -0000

I don't have a link. I've just heard various folks on 790 talking about it, but it sounds like there's a rumor (coming from Denver's side I assume) about a potential trade that would bring Tatum Bell, Jake Plummer, and Denver's first round pick (21st if I'm not mistaken) for our 8th pick.

To me, this is just Tatum Bell for a swap of first round picks. I don't value Jake Plummer much over David Carr, and he may be available if the Broncos cut him loose anyway. I don't like it. Hopefully it's just a crazy rumor.

I've been pointed to this site from the Astros and Longhorn SBNation blogs and I'm looking forward to following along with the discussions. I haven't been a huge Texans fan since moving to Houston, but the last couple years I've been following them a little closer. This site might sucker me into becoming a real "fan". Cheers.

No Hidalgo post yet?

littlevisigoth — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:19:46 -0000

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070112&content_id=1778091&vk ey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

is this just regarded as a non-story? is nobody interested in him competing for a spot in the OF? he certainly looked like a classic case of "traded at the time", but he's only 31. can he really be washed up already?

can't see how he fits in, but it can't hurt to have him in Round Rock (if he'd actually take that gig) in case something unexpected happened with our OF. we'll see what happens in ST, i guess.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070112&content_id=1778091&vk ey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

can't see how he fits in, but it can't hurt to have him in Round Rock (if he'd actually take that gig) in case something unexpected happened with our OF. we'll see what happens in ST, i guess.

El Caballo

littlevisigoth — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 21:43:04 -0000

So much to the dismay of Brewers fans, Carlos Lee is now a Ranger. Apparently it was another case of a small market club with a player that got just too good to hang on to, they couldn't get him signed to an extension, and sent him packing before the deadline to a team with deeper pockets.

Haven't read all the reactions from Brew Crew Ball, but it seems like it's uncertain in their fandom as to whether this was a win now move, a shore up for the future move, or merely an act of desparation.

http://www.brewcrewball.com/story/2006/7/28/135055/984

Whatever it is, it's done.

http://www.brewcrewball.com/story/2006/7/28/135055/984

Whatever it is, it's done.

So what's it going to take?

littlevisigoth — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 19:04:09 -0000

These last two weeks could not have gone much worse for the floundering 'Stros. They managed a losing home stand against the two most beatable AL teams on their schedule (btw, they haven't had a winning home stand since that two game quickie sweep of the Cards in the first week of May). They ran the gauntlett of CHI/DET and only barely scraped one blown save extra innings win in six games.

I think fan morale (based on my own feelings, observation of friends, and listening to local sports talk radio) is at a season low. It's not out of the question that they could go 7-3 heading into the all-star break and find themselves above .500. The three teams they're playing aren't exactly playing great baseball either. I'm not sure how many people truly believe that's a probably outcome, though.

Listening to Charlie Palillo's show last night, there was a lot of clamoring for call-ups and trades. Lots of finger-pointing. Lamb, Berkman, and Burke are the only offensive players that seem to be showing any consistency, but even THEY have gotten cases of the chokes with RISP lately. Roy's been slightly less Roy-like than we're used, but still good, and Roger's thrown two games that with even just a little run support would have earned him wins, but not a single other pitcher on our roster has been anything resembling solid lately. Up and down the roster there is an aweful lot of inconsistent performances. We don't need great everywhere. Decent everywhere, with flashes of great, would be just fine.

So is there anything to look forward to? Is there any indication that we'll ratchet down the suckitude in the near future? Rag on Purpura all you want, but is there really anything he can do right now? There's no way he can attempt to improve this team with a trade that won't require another big addition to the payroll. He can't make a call-up without essentially cutting loose a major league player. As dissappointing as many of their position players have been, I can't think of any that wouldn't be claimed off waivers, and unless I'm mistaken, nobody has options left. Would Luke Scott, or popular names thrown around on talk radio shows like Pence or Zobrist (neither seem like logical call-ups all the way from AA, although why neither are playing in Round Rock may be a good platform for argument) really help this team?

So what can we fans do but throw our hands up? Just hope and pray that so many of these guys that have now garnered a reputation for wildly inconsistent play finally somehow come together and magically be all good at the same time for the next three months (and hopefully four). Not sure there's anything else we CAN do.

Thoughts?

Anybody around for the game today?

littlevisigoth — Wed, 31 May 2006 17:16:09 -0000

Guess Rastro is a bit tied up and as of 12:10 CT, hasn't posted a gameday thread.

Have to make this 100 characters to make it a diary...

Big news this morning is obviously the signing of Clemens for the last half of the season or so. Notice that he's targeting the 22nd of June for his first appearance? Think he's a little too obsessed with that number? Quickly projecting, if they go with five pitchers through all their off days, that should be Pettitte's start. If he pitched two starts earlier, he'd boot Nieve and would make his second appearance on a Saturday in Chicago against the White Sox. Wouldn't MLB love that setup?

Guess Rastro is a bit tied up and as of 12:10 CT, hasn't posted a gameday thread.

Have to make this 100 characters to make it a diary...

Anybody following the WBC?

littlevisigoth — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 20:00:29 -0000

The broadcast time and the lack of star power caused me to mostly ignore the Tokyo bracket (although Korea's upset of Japan is newsworthy), but now that the juicy part of the tournament is rolling around, my interest is piqued. This Venezuala/Dominican matchup is particularly intruiging... the pitching factory versus the slugging factory. The silly thing about this whole tourney is that each team only plays each other once. This thing is going to be over in the blink of an eye. As I listen to this game online (and as a side note, how a guy with as noticeable a lisp as the play-by-play guy they're using manages to secure a job in radio is beyond me), Beltre just blew this one open with a three-run jack in the top of the 5th. Don't know if the Venezualans will be able to bat their way back into this. We'll see.

I'm hoping to also listen to the U.S. opener. Hopefully they can get it done against Mexico. Playing only one game, though, anything can happen.

Astros Offseason

littlevisigoth — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 22:44:26 -0000

So ESPN put out a poll on what the 'stros should do in their offseason (http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/polling?event_id=1817). As with all of their "SportsNation" polls, it's a bit narrowly scoped, but it hits on a lot of the big offseason issues. When I filled it out, there were only 250 respondants, but many seemed to agree with me. So what do us Crawfish think?

I think Roger's coming back. He was just too good last year, and he's gotta feel like management is going to put a better offensive team out on the field. Maybe it's narrow-mined hopefulness. Maybe it's that HEB commercial with his son. I just think it's gonna happen.
If Clemens doesn't return, the knee-jerk reaction is to go out and get a worthy replacement (as evidenced by their poll question). The question is, will this be the best way to spend their money (as noted in one of the possible responses)? I went with the knee-jerk response and picked Burnett. Most respondants either agreed or said spend the money elsewhere. The latter may have a sound argument, because I think between our two rookies and our up-and-coming prospects, we may not be so bad off in our starting rotation.
I kinda looked around to see if anybody was watching when I submitted this one, which should tell you what my answer was, and most people seemed to do likewise.
I'd LOVE to see Giles in this lineup. He's one of those complete players that brings a valuable tenacity to the field. I'm not sure what we'd have to give up to get any value in a trade. I think the emotional attachment I've let myself generate with this current roster would make me a horrible GM.
There didn't seem to be much disagreement on this one. We need more offense... duh. And unless there's some radical roster shuffling with trades or whatnot, the obvious place is OF or 1B (although really just OF in my opinion).
I picked Zeke, and 97% of the other voters disagreed. Everybody wanted to pick Burke. If Biggio stays healthy and productive and we pick up another OF, as everybody seems to agree we desperately need (or if Bags is at first and Berkman is in left), Burke's not going to see much action next year (at least not in an Astros uni). I thought Zeke showed a lot of improvement over the year, and the fact is, he's got great stuff. He's just got to continue to learn how to pitch. I think he has a higher ceiling than Wandy (although you gotta love Wandy), and I think it'll show next year.
Always the Cardinals until we're proven wrong, and just about everybody else seemed to agree.
I didn't put much thought into this one, and I may be wrong, but I don't think Purpura is going to put much thought into this one either. Brad has become a hometown hero, particularly with his post-season solid play.

Anybody else want to weigh in?

I think Roger's coming back. He was just too good last year, and he's gotta feel like management is going to put a better offensive team out on the field. Maybe it's narrow-mined hopefulness. Maybe it's that HEB commercial with his son. I just think it's gonna happen.
If Clemens doesn't return, the knee-jerk reaction is to go out and get a worthy replacement (as evidenced by their poll question). The question is, will this be the best way to spend their money (as noted in one of the possible responses)? I went with the knee-jerk response and picked Burnett. Most respondants either agreed or said spend the money elsewhere. The latter may have a sound argument, because I think between our two rookies and our up-and-coming prospects, we may not be so bad off in our starting rotation.
I kinda looked around to see if anybody was watching when I submitted this one, which should tell you what my answer was, and most people seemed to do likewise.
I'd LOVE to see Giles in this lineup. He's one of those complete players that brings a valuable tenacity to the field. I'm not sure what we'd have to give up to get any value in a trade. I think the emotional attachment I've let myself generate with this current roster would make me a horrible GM.
There didn't seem to be much disagreement on this one. We need more offense... duh. And unless there's some radical roster shuffling with trades or whatnot, the obvious place is OF or 1B (although really just OF in my opinion).
I picked Zeke, and 97% of the other voters disagreed. Everybody wanted to pick Burke. If Biggio stays healthy and productive and we pick up another OF, as everybody seems to agree we desperately need (or if Bags is at first and Berkman is in left), Burke's not going to see much action next year (at least not in an Astros uni). I thought Zeke showed a lot of improvement over the year, and the fact is, he's got great stuff. He's just got to continue to learn how to pitch. I think he has a higher ceiling than Wandy (although you gotta love Wandy), and I think it'll show next year.
Always the Cardinals until we're proven wrong, and just about everybody else seemed to agree.
I didn't put much thought into this one, and I may be wrong, but I don't think Purpura is going to put much thought into this one either. Brad has become a hometown hero, particularly with his post-season solid play.

Anybody else want to weigh in?

Anyone else excited?

littlevisigoth — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 19:21:44 -0000

So I'm forced to assume that our fearless leader is pinned down by circumstances involving the hurricane. In an attempt to pick up the torch and start some chatter about tonight's game, I figured I'd start a thread and see who else is stoked about the first world series game ever played in the City of Houston.

Lots of people seem to think the series is already 2-1, and although we Astros fans have a lot to feel good about going into this one, it's not in the bag just yet and is sure to be another nail biting affair. This guy Garland did start out at the bottom of the Chicago rotation, but managed to win a few games in there (or so I heard). He put the lockdown on the Halos and went the distance in game 3 of the ALCS, so I'm not expecting this to be too lobsided of a game.

There's talk all over the radio about MLB "forcing" the Astros to open the roof. Not sure what other reason can be given to dictate something like that except for a few blimp shots of the field for everybody's favorite broadcast network, Fox. Any thoughts?

Also a lot of buzz about obnoxious ChiSox fans and some major disrespect to the wife of a city icon. I feel bad condemning an entire city (some local sports radio bandstander was engaging in a full on rant about how southside fans are lower forms of human), but it seems there's more of a pattern in that stadium than in others around the league.

Anyway, all off the field distractions aside, I'm looking forward to a great game tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing the embodiment of the title fight contender bouncing up off the mat metaphor people like to throw around. I'm looking forward to seeing who's going to step up with their bat and make sure the rest of the country isn't writing us off after this one. Here's to hoping the good guys can get it done in front of 43,000+ rabid fans hungry to see this first world series victory in the first world series game held in the state of Texas. Anybody else?