[Unofficial] Cubs @ Astros (in Milwaukee)

[Castor27]

Remember, no PBP in these threads and keep the chatter on topic (if it is about something other than this series, talk about it in another thread).

9-14 CHC Carlos Zambrano, RHP (13-5, 3.58) vs. Randy Wolf, LHP (10-11, 4.45) 7:05 PM on My20

9-15 Jason Marquis, RHP (10-8, 4.36) vs. Alberto Arias, RHP (1-0, 1.93) 1:05 on FSN

[RedRaiderRocket]

I dislike Bud, Drayton, and the Cubs a lot.

[Castor27]

I think it is a total travesty that the games are in Milwaukee. i don't have a problem with a neutral site for the games but neutral is the key word. Milwaukee is not neutral. And the excuse "Dud" Selig gave of wanting it indoors, is a crock of crap. He is trying to squeeze a few extra bucks for Milwaukee out of it. Is hegoing to move all the other games possibly getting affected by weather this weekend to venues with a roof. I highly doubt it.

[Zacatecas]

Well,

Considering that there was 99% of Houston out of power yesterday; the game had to be moved.

It would have been nice had they moved the game to Round Rock. But the Astros did what Selig and the Cubs to him to do (darn it Drayton).

[geeimsobored]

the title of this thread makes me sad.

Go Bud Selig. :rolleyes:

[cjstukenholtz]

Is the damage from Ike more devastating than from Alicia 25 years ago? I don't think I can recall any Astro games moved that year (1983) after Alicia barrelled through.

Well, as far as the Astros are concerned, the thing to hope for is the ongoing wait for them to play baseball again as a result of Ike won't disrupt their late-season charge for the wild card spot. As far as getting the two games played under a roof is concerned, the purpose in doing that is just to be sure to get the games in since there were two days of postponements when the third game to be played is set to be played after the scheduled end of the season, if necessary.

[Nero]

This reminds me of the World Series when it came back to Houston and Selig demanded that the games be played with the roof open, even though it was cold and raining.



Drayton needs to grow a pair and start telling Selig where he can stick it.

[kaleidosky]

edit: Astros @ Cubs (in Milwaukee)

WW baby! Band together over the tough times

[right1]

[QUOTEWW baby! Band together over the tough times[/QUOTE]

Sure... I hope the Astros win the next 15 games. However, when you're getting so blatantly screwed by the commissioner of Major League Baseball at a time like this...well you've got to tell it like it is. It's total crap :mad: . But, hell yes, let's win these two games in Milwaukee and tell Bud Selig to shove it.

[SWTsig]

**** bud selig, **** the cubs, and **** drayton for being a little bitch.

this is such a crock of sh!t.

[Wakko67]

Two and a half back, with fifteen to play. Drayton agrees to play in milwaukee, where A) There are the most cubs fans outside of Chicago and B) Its the city of the team we're chasing. How is that neutral?

Amazing. Drayton is awesome.

Yeah concern for the city right? Making the playoffs would be a great morale boost once people are getting settled again and he pulls this bull$#!+. I can't understand what he was thinking. Atlanta and Cincy were said to be options.

Here's hoping our Stros come out angry and sweep these two games. :mad:

[Surfguy]

Astros and Hurricane Ike vs. Cubs of Milwaukee's Beast

Please kick their butts, Astros. This could determine the wild card right here.

[leroy420]

SHOVE IT UP THE cub's A**ES!

GO ASTROS!

[JunkyardDwg]

Two and a half back, with fifteen to play. Drayton agrees to play in milwaukee, where A) There are the most cubs fans outside of Chicago and B) Its the city of the team we're chasing. How is that neutral?

Amazing. Drayton is awesome.

Yeah concern for the city right? Making the playoffs would be a great morale boost once people are getting settled again and he pulls this bull$#!+. I can't understand what he was thinking. Atlanta and Cincy were said to be options.

Here's hoping our Stros come out angry and sweep these two games. :mad:


Stop blaming Dayton...only so much he can do...

HOUSTON -- The Astros will head to Milwaukee on Sunday to play two games of their series with the Cubs, Major League Baseball announced Saturday evening.

The Astros and Cubs will play a 7:05 p.m. CT game Sunday at Miller Park, a 1:05 p.m CT game on Monday and a third game on the 29th, if necessary. The Astros will be the home team for these games.

Randy Wolf will start for the Astros on Sunday, with Brian Moehler starting on Monday. The Cubs will start Carlos Zambrano on Sunday.

Tickets for both days will be priced at the Marquee Game rates, which range from $25 to $60, and seating will be sold in the Field and Loge Levels only at Miller Park. Tickets went on sale at 9 p.m. CT Saturday, and fans were encouraged to go to Brewers.com to purchase the seats, and select the "print at home" option.

Tickets also may be purchased at the Miller Park Box Office, but phone orders will not be available.

The decision to play the series at Miller Park arrived less than 24 hours after Hurricane Ike, labeled as a Category 2 but only one mph short of qualifying for a Category 3, slammed into Galveston and made its way up to Houston, home to nearly four million residents.

The announcement was made after days of haggling between the Astros, the Cubs, the Commissioner's Office and the MLB Players Association. A slew of scenarios were bandied about, including playing one game in Milwaukee on Sunday and two in Houston on Monday, playing the entire series at Turner Field in Atlanta, or playing two in Houston on Monday and playing the third game upon the conclusion of the regular season.

Ryan-Sanders Baseball, which operates the Astros' Triple-A and Double-A clubs, offered to host at least one game of the series at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

At one point early Saturday afternoon, select Astros uniformed personnel were told to be ready to travel to Milwaukee for one game Sunday. However, later in the afternoon, the city of Houston closed downtown to the public to enable the cleanup from Hurricane Ike to begin, presumably ending the Astros' hopes to host two games of the Cubs series at Minute Maid Park.

With at least 80 percent of the city without power and billions of dollars estimated in damage to the Houston and Galveston areas, it became increasingly obvious that hosting baseball games at Minute Maid Park was not a reasonable option, even though the ballpark wasn't affected structurally by the storms.

"Honestly, it comes down to the right thing to do," said club president of business operations Pam Gardner. "Yes, we could play a game, but is that the right thing to do with what people are dealing with personally? That became the driving force for us.

"It's going to take a while for the city to recover. Most people don't have power. When 90 percent don't have power, it would be unfair for fans who try to get down here, when they really shouldn't. Had we been able to play, we would have preferred that. It's a natural disaster and you have to adjust, so we did. It's not perfect. It's the best we can do."

Ultimately, Commissioner Bud Selig picked Miller Park. Because the venue has a roof, it would not be affected by weather-related issues that have inundated large portions of the country.

"Honestly, we would love to have played games in Houston, but with the situation with the aftermath, the city needs to get back in order," Gardner said. "It's an act of God and there's not a lot you can do. Milwaukee has a roof, so we don't have to deal with weather."

The Astros-Cubs series was supposed to be played in Houston beginning Friday, but the impending arrival of Hurricane Ike prompted the Astros and MLB to decide Thursday to postpone games Friday and Saturday. Officials were scrambling to determine alternate sites.

Milwaukee was initially ruled out, partly because of an event scheduled on the field over the weekend and partly because the series could amount to extra home games for the Cubs, who play 90 miles down Interstate 94 at Wrigley Field.

Houston owner Drayton McLane lobbied for the games to be played at Minute Maid Park. The Astros have won 14 of their last 15 games, and they didn't want to lose the home-field advantage.

This series is essential to both teams as they battle for postseason berths. The Cubs have a six-game lead in the National League Central, while the Astros were 2 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the Wild Card standings when Saturday's decision was announced.

Astros players and personnel were also exposed to the effects of Hurricane Ike, and they understand why the games can't be played in Houston. But to play in a venue that is a two-hour drive from Chicago isn't sitting well with some.

"I'm definitely not happy with it," said manager Cecil Cooper, who has no electricity at his home in Katy. "It's bigger than me, I guess. You want to play in your home ballpark. It's a bit of a disadvantage. They've got the fans there that can drive up [from Chicago]. But what else can you do?"

Roy Oswalt, who has no power in his Memorial home, was able to access the Internet late Saturday and viewed the damage to downtown Houston. In that vein, he wasn't surprised the Astros were unable to arrange to play their home games at home.

"It's going to be a good week before they'll get back up and running," he said. "I know we can't play, but I don't understand why they can't find another site [other than Miller Park]. It's so close to Chicago, where guys can drive to the ballpark. It's more convenient for them than for us."

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080913&content_id=3470739&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

Personally I think it would have been cool to have the games at Dell Diamond.

And I can understand the weather issue...don't want to have to postpone games again. But this was supposed to be a home game for the Astros and now it's basically not (aside from batting last).

[Grandpappy]

F the CUBS
F Bud Selig
F Milwaukee
Here's to a sweep of these games

[across110thstreet]

i like the round rock idea. how come they didnt think of that first?

[doboyz]

If anyone cares heres Rob Neyer's Take on the situation.

Link: http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3587461&name=Neyer_Rob

As a baseball fan, I don't like this. I don't like this one bit.

CHICAGO -- Two games between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros that were postponed this weekend in Houston because of Hurricane Ike will now be played in Milwaukee.

The Cubs and Astros will play at 7:05 p.m. CDT on Sunday and 1:05 p.m. on Monday at Miller Park, with Houston being the home team. If the third game of the series is needed, it will be Sept. 29 at Houston.

…

The Cubs could have a decided home-field advantage in the Brewers' home park that is only 90 miles away. When they play Milwaukee on the road, the Cubs are often cheered by thousands of their own fans.

And that's when the Cubs are visiting an actual home team. For these games in Milwaukee, the Cubs fans will outnumber the Astros fans by, what, 50 to 1? 100 to 1?

Among all the non-Houston ballparks that might serve as a "neutral" site, it seems to me there are three that might be considered unacceptable: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Miller Park, and perhaps Phoenix's Chase Field (there are great numbers of Cub fans in the Valley of the Sun). Somehow, MLB managed to choose one of those three.

Rich Levin, MLB's senior vice president of public relations, said Milwaukee was chosen because the city of Houston was still reeling from the effects of the hurricane. At least 80 percent of Houston was without power Saturday night and it will take some time for the city to recover.

"They had a very powerful hurricane go thru the city," Levin said. "We didn't think it was appropriate to play there. They have a lot of issues to take care of in Houston. Playing baseball is not a top priority."

Miller Park may be an easy drive from Chicago, but it also can handle any weather conditions.

"What with all the rainy weather, the chief reason was finding a place where we knew we could get the games in," Levin said. "Miller Park has a roof. That was a determining factor."

Sorry, Mr. Levin. Not good enough. Not nearly good enough. No, it's probably not appropriate to play in Houston. Playing baseball probably is not a top priority. Granted, Houstonians will presumably still be seeing movies, going out to eat, and drinking their favorite alcoholic beverages at the local tavern. But, whatever. I get it.

But Miller Park was the choice because it's got a retractable roof? Seattle's got a retractable roof. Tampa Bay's got a roof. Minnesota's got a roof. And the roof is sort of a red herring anyway. These games are happening Sunday night and Monday afternoon. I know there's been a great deal of wacky weather lately, but forecasters are pretty good at predicting the weather 48 hours out. Is it even possible that MLB couldn't find a rain-free site that's not nicknamed "Wrigley Field North"?

I see two possibilities here. One is that MLB has overreacted to all the inclement weather; the headlines have been about Hurricane Ike, but there were multiple postponements Friday night and there's been terrible flooding in Chicago. The other is that MLB didn't want to inconvience the Cubs, who were already in Chicago and now have just a very short trip; it's 86.1 miles from Wrigley Field to Miller Park.

To me, neither of those reasons are compelling enough to stick a shiv in the Astros' suddenly viable postseason prospects.

[BrooksBall]

I like the article but what would have been the issue with playing in Arlington? The makeup site should have either been in the Astros favor or, in the worst case, neutral. Is he saying Arlington is unacceptable because it favors the Astros? These were supposed to be our home games.

[right1]

I like the article but what would have been the issue with playing in Arlington? The makeup site should have either been in the Astros favor or, in the worst case, neutral. Is he saying Arlington is unacceptable because it favors the Astros? These were supposed to be our home games.

I didn't get that, either. It's not supposed to be played at a neutral site. It's supposed to be an Astros home game.

[Kerfeld]

What a sham. I just hope the Astros can focus and take care of business. I still hate the Cardinals more, but the Cubs are gaining ground. God, I hate the Cubs.

[bobrek]

I like the article but what would have been the issue with playing in Arlington? The makeup site should have either been in the Astros favor or, in the worst case, neutral. Is he saying Arlington is unacceptable because it favors the Astros? These were supposed to be our home games.

In terms of "neutral" site, Arlington would be unacceptable, but in this case, since it is an Astros home game, Arlington SHOULD have been an acceptable alternative and there is nothing wrong with a site favoring the Astros. I was a bit confused why Neyer wasn't more clear. That being said, I don't think they reasonably could have relied on the weather being decent today in Arlington so that was probably reason enough to eliminate it.

My question is what if the Astros had refused to go to Milwaukee? It would have been interesting for them to make a stand and see if MLB would have threatened them with a forfeit and carried out that threat.

[BrooksBall]

In terms of "neutral" site, Arlington would be unacceptable, but in this case, since it is an Astros home game, Arlington SHOULD have been an acceptable alternative and there is nothing wrong with a site favoring the Astros. I was a bit confused why Neyer wasn't more clear. That being said, I don't think they reasonably could have relied on the weather being decent today in Arlington so that was probably reason enough to eliminate it.

My question is what if the Astros had refused to go to Milwaukee? It would have been interesting for them to make a stand and see if MLB would have threatened them with a forfeit and carried out that threat.

I hear you, I just don't see any point in discussing how a site wouldn't be acceptable because it favors the Astros given that these were supposed to be our home games. The only possible reason to pursue a neutral site would be so that it doesn't favor the Cubs.

[msn]

I've always disliked the Cubs more than the Cardinals. They are gaining ground on the Mets, Dodgers, and Br*ves in my book.

[mateo]

Wondering if this game is on the MLB package. Not on the listings.

[The Cat]

Leadoff homer... thanks a lot, Bud. Thanks a ****ing lot, jackass.

[kona-]

Look at all the Cub fans. Looks like a home game to me... :rolleyes: :mad:

[RedRaiderRocket]

I see a lot of blue....

[DaDakota]

They should have played in Round Rock.

DD

[JunkyardDwg]

Forget the fact that this should be a home game for us...this isn't even a neutral game.

[BrooksBall]

I hear that Drayton is getting at least all the gate receipts. That probably helped him back down. If anybody is watching the game, they showed Drayton sitting in the midst of a sea of blue with a big smile on his face.

[FFz]

it's a business afterall... the fans will forget about this in a few days is prob what they are thinking.

[JunkyardDwg]

I hear that Drayton is getting at least all the gate receipts

If that's true, then I'd imagine he would receive some sort of revenue from these games no matter where they played.

[kona-]

I still cant believe this is the mose Neutral site they could think of?

I mean, its like 1 hour from Chicago... So dumb.

[DaDakota]

The cool air will help that Fat Arse Zambrano.....

This is a royal screw job and taking advantage of a team and city that got hit by a hurricane.

Drayton should have said we can't fly out, and our players need to deal with their families......

Round Rock was the RIGHT solution....

I mean our team is built for minute made park.......a better park for our hitters, and we lose the home crowd advantage......LAME.

DD

[Uprising]

well the phils are up 4-0. man I hate they are playing there.

[FFz]

Sure sounds and looks like a neutral field.

[DaDakota]

Sure sounds and looks like a neutral field.

Everytime Wolf...the home team pitcher throws over to first, they boo....ridiculous.

DD

[BrooksBall]

If that's true, then I'd imagine he would receive some sort of revenue from these games no matter where they played.

Look how many Cubs fans are there. J.D. was talking about how we won't see a crowd this big for the rest of the season. Bigger crowd = bigger bucks.

[FFz]

They should play catch with first base just to piss these people off.

[SuperS32]

3-0 and with the home crowd behind Zambrano, it seems over. :(

[adw]

This sucks so bad :mad:

[v3.0]

nightmare inning

and Wolf was pitching a pretty good game, had good control

if this gets outta hand, start plunking the batters, start with Soriano

[FFz]

wtf is happening... i bet the players are evne more disgusted with this away game as we are.

[DaDakota]

Well, we got jobbed, then we got drummed.

That pitch that Lee hit to the wall was a GREAT pitch Lee just got his arms extended and belted it.

DD

[weslinder]

Im still in Chicago watching this travesty at Shoeless Joes. I hate Chicago, the Cubs, Cubs fans, and Bud Selig. This is ridiculous.

[Uprising]

well this sucks. sure glad we are playing these at home where we are a better team in the midst of a playoff push. seriosly, this sucks donkey balls.

[weslinder]

nightmare inning

and Wolf was pitching a pretty good game, had good control

if this gets outta hand, start plunking the batters, start with Zambrano
Fixed.

[FFz]

the good news is... there seems to be some new snorgtees pics.

how many people have gotten on base with 2 strikes?! This is so frustrating.

[BrooksBall]

If we end up losing tonight, the key will be to forget about this game, get some rest and take the game tomorrow. Getting smacked like this may turn out to be a good thing if it fires our guys up for the remainder of the season.

Yes, I'm trying to put a positive spin on this disappointing game.

[v3.0]

For the record I knew home field advantage is important in baseball lol

apparently more important to the Stros :(

[BrooksBall]

A lot of questions have come up about Cooper as a manager this season, especially early on. How he handles these guys over the next couple of days will say a lot about his intangible qualities.

[BrooksBall]

LET'S GO ASTROS!
LET'S GO ASTROS!
LET'S GO ASTROS!

This team has come so far over the last month that I refuse to let the last few innings get to me.

[weslinder]

Did yall see the guy with the "Thanks Bud Selig" sign that they showed on WGN? The reason why the Cubs haven't won anything in 100 years? Karma.

[astros148]

stop bitching about the where the game is played, its old news. Its not valid excuse for the astros to be getting merked.

[The Cat]

stop bitching about the where the game is played, its old news. Its not valid excuse for the astros to be getting merked.

Cubs at home: 51-24
Cubs on the road: 37-34
Cubs on the road not counting Milwaukee: 33-34

Astros at home: 43-29
Astros on the road: 37-38

Yeah, clearly where the game is played has nothing to do with the likely result. :rolleyes:

[RedRaiderRocket]

Im with stros on this, its messed up where the game is planned. The Astros could of used this to fire them up, instead they just flat and uninterested. Might want to use this as an excuse not to play well. I don't care where you play at if you don't hit the ball, you don't win. If you misread balls your going to lose. Whether the game was at Houston or anywhere else the Astros would be losing this game. They are rusty and looking like the old Astros for the first half of the season.

[v3.0]

Im with stros on this, its messed up where the game is planned. The Astros could of used this to fire them up, instead they just flat and uninterested. Might want to use this as an excuse not to play well. I don't care where you play at if you don't hit the ball, you don't win. If you misread balls your going to lose. Whether the game was at Houston or anywhere else the Astros would be losing this game. They are rusty and looking like the old Astros for the first half of the season.
their minds are prolly on their families and homes

[RedRaiderRocket]

I would agree with that, but it would be the same had they played this game anywhere else including Houston.

[JunkyardDwg]

The Astros could of used this to fire them up, instead they just flat and uninterested.

Not one to make excuses; at the end of the day, they still have to play the game...but don't you think they could be a little tired considering what we all had to endure yesterday. So not only do they still have to play a game today, but they have to travel to way the hell up north to do it. The leauge basically did everything it could to please the Cubs instead of the "home" team that had a hurricane rip through it's city.

At the end of the season, if they don't make the playoffs, I certainly won't use this series as a reason why; but I do think Selig made an absolutely horrible decision.

[RedRaiderRocket]

Yes I agree I am just bored of hearing this as an excuse. They could play this game in many many cities but chose it where we are trying to compete for a wild card spot. I am just saying it is what is. As for fair or foul it is definitely fair. But right now we are getting worked badly by Zambrano.

[lalala902102001]

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

[DaDakota]

At this very moment the ASTROS control their playoff destiny, they are tied in the loss column with Milwaukee and Philly.

Of course we are getting tossed in a NO HITTER by Zambrano.....now, but as of right now.

Milwaukee, Philly and Houston all have 67 losses.

DD

[weslinder]

Some jackass Cubs pitcher is pitching a no-hitter.

[FFz]

espn front page already... no hitter...

I did my part in the jinx i guess.

[The Cat]

If this holds, Zambrano and the Cubs get the biggest * in the history of sports for this.

[BrooksBall]

I'm an idiot I guess but I didn't realize the Astros flew into Chicago TODAY. I hear they didn't even get there until around 2pm. Brown said something like this was the first time he ever remembers the Astros traveling and playing on the same day.

[The Cat]

I'm an idiot I guess but I didn't realize the Astros flew in to Chicago TODAY. I hear they didn't even get their until around 2pm. Brown said something like this was the first time he ever remembers the Astros travelling and playing on the same day.

Yup. Astros had about a three-hour flight... Cubs had about an hour drive to play in front of 20,000 rabid fans, all for our "home" game.

If this team misses out on the playoffs by one game (or two, if they lose tomorrow), I hope they raise bloody hell over this all offseason and expose Selig for the cowardly piece of **** he truly is. This makes the NBA ref scandal look like nothing by comparison -- after all, in this instance, it's the freakin' commissioner of the damn league who did it, all by himself.

[JunkyardDwg]

I'm an idiot I guess but I didn't realize the Astros flew into Chicago TODAY. I hear they didn't even get there until around 2pm. Brown said something like this was the first time he ever remembers the Astros traveling and playing on the same day.

Also consider that not only were they the only flight out of the airport, their charter was the only plane even there.

I know they got games to play, but MLB should have been a little bit more understanding and sympathetic of the situation...pretty much no one in the Houston area except for essential personnel had to work today...last I checked a baseball team doesn't constitute essential personnel.

[The Cat]

*

All that needs to be said.

[hjg877]

This is such a load of bull****. Another reason why Selig is an absolute turd. C unt.

[adw]

I'm so disgusted right now.

[RedRaiderRocket]

Like I said home or away we would have lost this game.

[JunkyardDwg]

I hope they fall hard in the playoffs...or how bout the Astros beat the crap out of them in our actual home park on the last game of the season to clinch the Wild Card, then go on to beat them in the Divisional Series.

[v3.0]

Astros pitchers shoulda beaned Zambrano when they had the chance.

[BrooksBall]

On ESPNews, they just something like "we'll get back to talk to Carlos Zambrano about his no-hitter in Milwaukee in a home game for the Cubs".

I assume he was joking but it actually sounded like he just made a mistake. I can't blame him, either way.

[Pocket Rockets]

I hope they fall hard in the playoffs...or how bout the Astros beat the crap out of them in our actual home park on the last game of the season to clinch the Wild Card, then go on to beat them in the Divisional Series.

you mean nlcs

[WhoMikeJames]

This is complete bull****... **** Selig.

[Pocket Rockets]

Like I said home or away we would have lost this game.

they shouldn't have had to play today....astros should have gotten another day off before playing on monday.

[adw]

Like I said home or away we would have lost this game.

You have no clue how the Stros would have played at Minute Maid in front of their home crowd.

[BrooksBall]

The Cubs first no-hitter in 36 years on a day the Astros had to travel and play a game on the same day - right after Hurricane Ike ravaged Houston.

I am trying to keep cool but I'm stunned right now.

[JunkyardDwg]

you mean nlcs

Even sweeter.

[Scientific1]

I would not have cared about this no hitter had we not gotten screwed. If it were in Houston, I could have swallowed that, but for him to do it in front of a park full of Cubs fans just infuriates me. And too call it a neutral site is a slap in the face.

[Landlord Landry]

I hope youre happy Bud.

not only the 3 million you raped from the Houston Astros org.

not only the complete disrespect of the fans during their time of need.

not only another mockery to add to your already horrid list of embarresments as commishener.

but thanks sucking the life out of our amazing run. at least for one night.

Mr. Selig, I hope you die in your sleep. Seriously.

[weslinder]

Good for the jackass with no respect for the game, his loser team, and their ignorant fans. I hope Zambrano pulls a hamstring tomorrow and the Cubs lose every game from here on out and the dump they call the friendly confines burns down, but tonight I'm happy for him and his no-hitter*.

[Nick]

Even sweeter.

Well, its the only possibility.

The Astros can't play the Cubs in the NLDS since they're in the same division. We'd play the Phillies as the wild card.

Which, btw, we are still very much in the race for. We actually GAINED ground since the last time we played a game (now only 1 back in the loss column from the WC leader).

[RedRaiderRocket]

Well the fact is we did and we got no hit. As a fan I am pissed as anyone else, but Zambrano had his stuff, the Astros didn't. Ike didn't only destroy my home city it also ruined the momentum the Astros had going. But you have to give props where it desserves. Zambrano did anything and everything he wanted to us. Had this happened the other way around people wouldn't be complaining.

[SWTsig]

i hope bud selig rots in hell.

[Pocket Rockets]

Well, its the only possibility.

The Astros can't play the Cubs in the NLDS since they're in the same division. We'd play the Phillies as the wild card.

Which, btw, we are still very much in the race for. We actually GAINED ground since the last time we played a game (now only 1 back in the loss column from the WC leader).

well the mets are the division leader so we would play the mets in the division series unless the phils overtake the mets.

[The Cat]

Well the fact is we did and we got no hit. As a fan I am pissed as anyone else, but Zambrano had his stuff, the Astros didn't. Ike didn't only destroy my home city it also ruined the momentum the Astros had going. But you have to give props where it desserves. Zambrano did anything and everything he wanted to us. Had this happened the other way around people wouldn't be complaining.

Speak for yourself. If a Cubs home game against the Astros was moved to Beaumont and Oswalt fired a no-hitter, I would not consider it legitimate and yes, I'd still be complaining.

[Pocket Rockets]

Well the fact is we did and we got no hit. As a fan I am pissed as anyone else, but Zambrano had his stuff, the Astros didn't. Ike didn't only destroy my home city it also ruined the momentum the Astros had going. But you have to give props where it desserves. Zambrano did anything and everything he wanted to us. Had this happened the other way around people wouldn't be complaining.

well considering he got handicapped tonight it doesnt surprise me at all what took place.

[hjg877]

Had this happened the other way around people wouldn't be complaining.
What the hell kind of comment is this? This situation is unlike any other situation that's occurred...of course if my team got a no-hitter I wouldn't be complaining. WTF??

[JunkyardDwg]

Well, its the only possibility.

The Astros can't play the Cubs in the NLDS since they're in the same division. We'd play the Phillies as the wild card.

Yeah I just forgot...but we could play the role of the Marlins in NLCS...maybe some sort of home run call that gets overturned by replay (playing the role of Bartman) that helps the Astros to win the series.

[Wakko67]

Well the fact is we did and we got no hit. As a fan I am pissed as anyone else, but Zambrano had his stuff, the Astros didn't. Ike didn't only destroy my home city it also ruined the momentum the Astros had going. But you have to give props where it desserves. Zambrano did anything and everything he wanted to us. Had this happened the other way around people wouldn't be complaining.

I agree. I don't see too many fans complaining if we threw the no no. Great point. :rolleyes:

Z had a good game, but do you really see this happening under normal circumstances?

I'm not worried about it. Its done. Lets go out and take tomorrow's game in front of those classless fans. Then lets get back on track and take the wild card. We now have extra motivation.

Hopefully we make it and see the cubs. :mad:

[RedRaiderRocket]

What the hell kind of comment is this? This situation is unlike any other situation that's occurred...of course if my team got a no-hitter I wouldn't be complaining. WTF??

I don't know how you find that statement confusing. Like I said earlier its bull what happened. Its bull where it was played. Like many others I would have wish they have played anywhere outside either Chicago stadiums, Milwaukee, or Philly. Bud Selig is a jerk, but Drayton went with it. I blame more Drayton than I do Bud. Both were looking for extra cash in their pockets and they knew Chicago would make the hour drive to see them play. The neutral site argument is a bunch of crock. But I am tired of beating down the same argument. We are all pissed, but the fact is Zambrano and Cubs outplayed us. We were rusty which was expected. Thats my entire argument. They had more fans than us, that is all. I don't think fans can throw a no hitter or make mental errors in the outfield. Its two extra road games.

[Surfguy]

Wow....Houston got pummeled by a hurricane and a hated pitcher/rival.

Unbelievable!

[BrooksBall]

The Cubs throw their first no-hitter in 36 years on the same day that the Astros travel and play a game on the same day for the first time in over 40 years of club history. Coincidence? I say "Hell no!".

[RedRaiderRocket]

Also Astros showed little intention of trying to break up the no hitter as well. By letting Quintero and bringing in Castillo to pinch hit, instead of Loretta or Abercrombie.

[BrooksBall]

I don't know how you find that statement confusing. Like I said earlier its bull what happened. Its bull where it was played. Like many others I would have wish they have played anywhere outside either Chicago stadiums, Milwaukee, or Philly. Bud Selig is a jerk, but Drayton went with it. I blame more Drayton than I do Bud. Both were looking for extra cash in their pockets and they knew Chicago would make the hour drive to see them play. The neutral site argument is a bunch of crock. But I am tired of beating down the same argument. We are all pissed, but the fact is Zambrano and Cubs outplayed us. We were rusty which was expected. Thats my entire argument. They had more fans than us, that is all. I don't think fans can throw a no hitter or make mental errors in the outfield. Its two extra road games.

I think you're totally underestimating the impact of traveling and playing a game on the same day for the first time in the history of the organization. That was the single biggest factor, far more than the whole Wrigley North deal.

[RedRaiderRocket]

I think you're totally underestimating the impact of traveling and playing a game on the same day for the first time in the history of the organization. That was the single biggest factor, far more than the whole Wrigley North deal.

Maybe but I still find least one player that could and should of got a hit in the game. But like I said Drayton agreed. He could have easily said no that he wants to play in some other "dome." Bud the gready jerk suggested to play in Milwaukee if Drayton cared he would have said no, or he could have just told them the team needs a day of rest to travel given the circumstances and chose to play a double header instead on Monday.

[rrj_gamz]

Cuck the Fubs and douchebrano...

[DOMINATOR]

*
:mad: :o

[engr chris]

Stern > Selig

[JunkyardDwg]

Maybe but I still find least one player that could and should of got a hit in the game. But like I said Drayton agreed. He could have easily said no that he wants to play in some other "dome." Bud the gready jerk suggested to play in Milwaukee if Drayton cared he would have said no, or he could have just told them the team needs a day of rest to travel given the circumstances and chose to play a double header instead on Monday.


The announcement was made after days of haggling between the Astros, the Cubs, the Commissioner's Office and the MLB Players Association. A slew of scenarios were bandied about, including playing one game in Milwaukee on Sunday and two in Houston on Monday, playing the entire series at Turner Field in Atlanta, or playing two in Houston on Monday and playing the third game upon the conclusion of the regular season.

Ryan-Sanders Baseball, which operates the Astros' Triple-A and Double-A clubs, offered to host at least one game of the series at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock...

Ultimately, Commissioner Bud Selig picked Miller Park. Because the venue has a roof, it would not be affected by weather-related issues that have inundated large portions of the country.

Plenty of options were thrown around but the decision basically rests in the hands of Selig. What could Drayton have done...refuse to play?

[The Cat]

Stern > Selig

It's true. As bad as the NBA scandal is, there's no direct proof that the chief executive of the entire league was complicit in the fix. Here, Selig front and center making the call. Despicable.

*

[BrooksBall]

For those who haven't read this yet, please take a few minutes to see what the organization went through over the past 48 hours just to be able to arrive in Chicago in time for tonight's *:


Transporting Astros no easy task
Club manages to escape Ike's aftermath and land in Milwaukee
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com

HOUSTON -- Leaving a city that is largely lacking in electricity, water pressure and passable streets is no easy task, as the Astros -- and more specifically, traveling secretary Barry Waters -- painstakingly discovered this weekend.

Once the decision was made by the Commissioner's Office to have the Astros-Cubs series played at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Waters was single-handedly responsible for taking care of all of the logistics involved with transporting the traveling party -- 80 strong -- from point A to point B on Sunday morning.

Usually, this isn't much of an issue, seeing Waters does this 13 or 14 times a year for normal regular-season road trips. But Hurricane Ike changed everything after it whipped through Galveston and Houston in the wee hours on Saturday. Houston was, by all accounts, non-functional. That goes for all three airports, Intercontinental, Hobby and Ellington, all of which were closed for business until at least Monday.

"I got a call from [club owner] Drayton [McLane] [on Saturday] morning, wanting to know if we could get a plane," Waters said. "I said, 'The airport's closed and Continental doesn't have one plane in town. Let me see what I can do.'"

Waters made some phone calls and the answer was what he expected: "There's no way we're going to get a plane here."

Waters took that back to his higher-ups. The response? "Get us a plane." So Waters continued to press, hoping the Astros' strong business relationship with Continental Airlines would eventually sway the airline to help.

He also couldn't help but wonder, why are we doing this in the first place?

"People don't have electricity, trees are down, houses are broken, and we're worried about playing this game?" Waters said.

Few, if any, planes were sitting at Intercontinental Airport, so the airline had to locate one in another city, Eventually, arrangements were made for a plane in Newark, N.J., to leave at 6 a.m. ET and arrive to Houston sometime around 9.

With that piece of the puzzle out of the way, Waters moved on to arranging for bus transportation. They needed two buses to take the traveling party from Minute Maid Park to the airport.

Again, this is usually as easy as 1-2-3 under normal circumstances. Such was not the case in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Houston had become a virtual ghost town, with businesses shut down indefinitely, at least until power was restored to the nearly 2 million residents who lost it Saturday morning.

Waters, working without electricity from his home and getting dangerously close to running out of battery life on his cell phone, frantically tried to contact the Houston bus company he works with, but to no avail.

"All the buses were out of town," Water said. "They had a couple at the yard, but there was nobody to be found. I was panicking."

At 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning, four hours before those buses were supposed to leave Minute Maid Park carrying 80 travelers, Waters finally located two. Getting those buses to the ballpark, however, presented another challenge. Four more inches of rain fell overnight, adding to the watery mess that had already inundated the city. The buses could only get so close to downtown before they were halted by feet of standing water.

After taking several routes around the downtown area, the buses found a path to the ballpark, and at approximately 11 a.m, the Astros left Minute Maid Park. Intercontinental, one of the nation's largest airports, was empty and silent, occupied by only a handful of workers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) who flew in from other cities to help out when the airport opens to the public on Monday.

The Astros took off close to noon CT and arrived to Milwaukee -- where they were met with yet more rain -- just before 2 p.m. By a little after 4, everyone was assembled in the clubhouse at Miller Park ready for their 7 p.m. start time with the Cubs.

From the outside, the process appeared to come off without a hitch. Inside, however, the feeling was much different.

As Waters recounted the last 48 hours from a side room in the clubhouse, he shook his head in partial disbelief.

"I was biting my nails," he said. "I didn't think any of this was going to happen."

Link to article: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080914&content_id=3478104&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

[The Ming Dynasty]

It NEVER should have happened - Selig is a jerk!

I don't wish bad stuff on BAD people but it would be funny if hurricane Ike took his house away.

[BrooksBall]

ESPN just showed the following message on their ticker:

"First no-hitter at neutral site since 1900"

You... have... got... to... be... kidding...

Somebody f***ing shoot me. Seriously.

[DaDakota]

For those who haven't read this yet, please take a few minutes to see what the organization went through over the past 48 hours just to be able to arrive in Chicago in time for tonight's *:


Transporting Astros no easy task
Club manages to escape Ike's aftermath and land in Milwaukee
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com

HOUSTON -- Leaving a city that is largely lacking in electricity, water pressure and passable streets is no easy task, as the Astros -- and more specifically, traveling secretary Barry Waters -- painstakingly discovered this weekend.

Once the decision was made by the Commissioner's Office to have the Astros-Cubs series played at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Waters was single-handedly responsible for taking care of all of the logistics involved with transporting the traveling party -- 80 strong -- from point A to point B on Sunday morning.

Usually, this isn't much of an issue, seeing Waters does this 13 or 14 times a year for normal regular-season road trips. But Hurricane Ike changed everything after it whipped through Galveston and Houston in the wee hours on Saturday. Houston was, by all accounts, non-functional. That goes for all three airports, Intercontinental, Hobby and Ellington, all of which were closed for business until at least Monday.

"I got a call from [club owner] Drayton [McLane] [on Saturday] morning, wanting to know if we could get a plane," Waters said. "I said, 'The airport's closed and Continental doesn't have one plane in town. Let me see what I can do.'"

Waters made some phone calls and the answer was what he expected: "There's no way we're going to get a plane here."

Waters took that back to his higher-ups. The response? "Get us a plane." So Waters continued to press, hoping the Astros' strong business relationship with Continental Airlines would eventually sway the airline to help.

He also couldn't help but wonder, why are we doing this in the first place?

"People don't have electricity, trees are down, houses are broken, and we're worried about playing this game?" Waters said.

Few, if any, planes were sitting at Intercontinental Airport, so the airline had to locate one in another city, Eventually, arrangements were made for a plane in Newark, N.J., to leave at 6 a.m. ET and arrive to Houston sometime around 9.

With that piece of the puzzle out of the way, Waters moved on to arranging for bus transportation. They needed two buses to take the traveling party from Minute Maid Park to the airport.

Again, this is usually as easy as 1-2-3 under normal circumstances. Such was not the case in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Houston had become a virtual ghost town, with businesses shut down indefinitely, at least until power was restored to the nearly 2 million residents who lost it Saturday morning.

Waters, working without electricity from his home and getting dangerously close to running out of battery life on his cell phone, frantically tried to contact the Houston bus company he works with, but to no avail.

"All the buses were out of town," Water said. "They had a couple at the yard, but there was nobody to be found. I was panicking."

At 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning, four hours before those buses were supposed to leave Minute Maid Park carrying 80 travelers, Waters finally located two. Getting those buses to the ballpark, however, presented another challenge. Four more inches of rain fell overnight, adding to the watery mess that had already inundated the city. The buses could only get so close to downtown before they were halted by feet of standing water.

After taking several routes around the downtown area, the buses found a path to the ballpark, and at approximately 11 a.m, the Astros left Minute Maid Park. Intercontinental, one of the nation's largest airports, was empty and silent, occupied by only a handful of workers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) who flew in from other cities to help out when the airport opens to the public on Monday.

The Astros took off close to noon CT and arrived to Milwaukee -- where they were met with yet more rain -- just before 2 p.m. By a little after 4, everyone was assembled in the clubhouse at Miller Park ready for their 7 p.m. start time with the Cubs.

From the outside, the process appeared to come off without a hitch. Inside, however, the feeling was much different.

As Waters recounted the last 48 hours from a side room in the clubhouse, he shook his head in partial disbelief.

"I was biting my nails," he said. "I didn't think any of this was going to happen."

Link to article: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080914&content_id=3478104&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

Drayton should have said no.

DD

[JaWindex]

**** Zambrano, **** Selig, and **** the Cubs. I hope the 'stros smash them tomorrow.

[francis 4 prez]

you knew this ****ing hurricane was going to screw up our run. we get jerked around to a chicago home game (thanks selig) and then end up sucking. now the run is pretty much over.

[magnetik]

just ridiculous.

[The Ming Dynasty]

If this game isn't called a mulligan & replayed somewhere in the great state of Texas or a "true" neutral site (not 90 minutes from Chicago) then I'm sorry I ever started watching baseball again after the strike of '94.

It's bad enough baseball doesn't have a salary cap. Stop screwing the overachievers.

My eyes are on Tampa now as they don't have a good fan base and I'll bet somehow Selig will find a way to have them eliminated. It's all about the benjamins!

Selig screwed us with the roof in '05 and AGAIN with a "neutral site" in '08.

Please, Bug (or whatever your name is) stop trying to manipulate the results, & just let 'em play! :mad:

[Kerfeld]

That was a complete sham. MLB should be embarrassed. We even wore our freakin road jerseys!!!!!! I am so pissed off right now. I HATE the Cubs and their stupid, moronic, dumb, loser fans. Nothing will make me happier than if they choke in the playoffs again.

A side note, dont you love how everyone one of those dumb idiotic Cubs fans blame Bartman for their 2003 NLCS loss. The real goat was Alex Gonzalez, but they are stupid to realize this.

[FFz]

complete bull**** game if u factor in the fans the travel and the stress the players have to deal with.

[StraightG]

I'm completely pissed.

[Aceshigh7]

This has got me so pissed off. First in 2005 the Stros have to play a world series game in a freezing downpour in Chicago, then MLB dictates that we open our roof for our home games.

Then earlier this year our team has to play in a lightning storm in Chicago, and now this?

Everyone blames Selig and I don't like him much, but Drayton damn well could have refused to play there. The ball was entirely in his court. If he had simply refused to play in MIL, public opinion would have been entirely on his side due to what this city has gone through. These games ****ing should have been played in Texas.

This is ****ing bull****. I hate cubs fans and drayton as well. 'Are you ready to be a champion?' This astros team may be ready but uncle drayton certainly ISN'T.

I'm a season ticket holder and I don't want to give mclane one more penny of my money. This is such bull****

[leroy420]

**** the Cubs.

*

[BrooksBall]

I'm not a big fan of Brian McTaggart but at least he makes a good argument here:

Astros-Cubs should have been in Arlington

It was disgusting watching the Astros play a home game in front of a throng of Cubs fans. I'm not sure what baseball had in mind, but moving the Astros games against the Cubs to Milwaukee, a.k.a. "Wrigley Field North," was a dumb idea. Was Wrigley Field not available?

I'm not sure why playing at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington wasn't given serious consideration, but that should have been the first choice. The Rangers were in Oakland. It would have made the Astros' travel on the day of a game pretty light and would have given the opportunity for hundreds of Houstonians that evacuated from Hurricane Ike a chance to watch their team. Instead, it was the Cubs who had the easy travel.

Oh, and don't tell me about the weather. I've been in Dallas since Thursday, and on Sunday it was 81 degrees and beautiful. Perfect for playing a doubleheader. Are you paying attention, baseball? Apparently, the Astros suggested playing in Round Rock, but were told by Major League Baseball that was not a major league stadium. Huh? Have they not been to Tropicana Field lately? Besides, isn't this the same MLB that has held a regular-season series at the Braves spring training home in Disney's Wide World of Sports the last two years?

Perhaps the no-hitter Carlos Zambrano threw Sunday is just a road bump on the way to the Astros finishing off their playoff push, or perhaps it will be the beginning of the end. Either way, it should have not have happened within 90 miles of Chicago.

Link: http://blogs.chron.com/gamedayastros/2008/09/astroscubs_should_have_been_in.html

[pgabriel]

i love the attempt to try and jinx it. that was ****ing awesome true stros fans

its just one game guys, let em have their glory

[BrooksBall]

People, I am outraged. I can't even sleep after what I witnessed tonight. Sure, if the Astros won, I would be ecstatic to see how they overcame all the obstacles in their way. Earlier, it was the whole "Wrigley North" thing that bothered me. But that wasn't the real issue. We swept them at Wrigley a couple of weeks ago. After learning what they had to go through today, it was obvious they were at a major disadvantage that nobody could see until the first pitch. I don't care how good people think Zambrano pitched, that was not the same Astros team we've seen during the last several weeks. Honestly, this isn't even the team we saw months ago when they were struggling in the 1st half of the season. In 40+ years of this club's history, an Astros team has never once traveled and played a game on the same day. It's not a coincidence that the Cubs threw their first no-hitter in 36 years tonight. The Astros were stressed, tired and they didn't even have the chance to get that little edge that a home crowd can give a team - to spark them or pump them up when they needed it more than ever. Instead, the Cubs were rested and got the real home field advantage. The fact that Bud Selig could make this decision, for whatever reason, is beyond me. He clearly had no sympathy for southern Texas after what we just went through and took one of the few positive things going for the city of Houston recently, the surging Astros, and basically hung them out to dry - along with tens of thousands of Astros fans.

I apologize to those that may read this and disagree with me, thinking I'm just whining to no end. All I can say is that a win tomorrow is about the only thing that could really allow me to get over this. I am praying to the baseball gods to let the good guys pull this one out tomorrow. Today was a travesty.

[pgabriel]

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.

Carlos Zambrano is pitching a no-hitter.


awesome, too bad it didn't work

[RedRaiderRocket]

Your not whinning man it is completly understandable. I am very upset as well. A majority us here are Astros fans and want to seem to do well. If Ike didn't occur not only am I certain there would of been no hitter, we might have won today. I am just personally not going to take anything away from what Zambrano did today. Clearly he did have a huge advantage but throwing a no hitter while only allowing one walk is remarkable, and I hate Zambrano more than any Cub, with the exception of probably Jim Edmonds. I hate the Cubs players and their fans. I think Bud Selig is a scumbag but what are you going to do about it. He is the worst commisioner in all of professional sports, and this type of move did not suprise me in the littlest. In my honest opinion he will do anything possible to draw high records this coming season so he is hoping and praying the Astros don't make it. He is hoping Cubs play the Red Sox in the World Series.

[BrooksBall]

Richard Justice's thoughts:

Now to be serious for a moment. This game never should have been played at this location. No way. No how.

I don't want to hear how it was the only available venue. Bull. If this is the best MLB could do, they should have called the whole thing off.

Bud Selig and Drayton McLane ought to be embarrassed to have asked a team in a pennant race, a team that has done amazing things, to fly all this way and play in front of 23,441 fans, virtually all of them cheering for the other team.

Some of you will blame Bud Selig. I'm OK with that. He never, ever should have approved Miller Park.

One guy wrote and said this decision proves Bud is trying to give the Brewers an unfair advantage. Look, I think the decision was dumb, but saying it's about Selig and the Brewers is even dumber than the decision.

If I'm blaming one person, I'm starting with Drayton McLane. He was desperate to get those three home games against the Cubs and refused to believe the weather reports.

He could have postponed the series Wednesday and still had time to move it to a real neutral site.

Now the Phillies, Astros and Brewers are bunched together, a game in the loss column apart. After all the fighting and clawing the Astros finally have a legitimate chance to do something we'll all remember forever.

Link: http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2008/09/bud_selig_and_d.html

[Red Chocolate]

Astros were listed in Vegas as 11 to 10 underdogs with the game in Miller park. They would have been something like 11 to 10 favorites in Minute Maid. The decision basically cost the Astros something like 10% off the bat. Just really sh***y luck for them and a huge downer for those interested in the wild card chase. Anyone think if a disaster happened in NYC they'd make the Yankees play at Fenway if it was the only venue open? LOL.

[Shroopy2]

Well the fact is we did and we got no hit. As a fan I am pissed as anyone else, but Zambrano had his stuff, the Astros didn't. Ike didn't only destroy my home city it also ruined the momentum the Astros had going. But you have to give props where it desserves. Zambrano did anything and everything he wanted to us. Had this happened the other way around people wouldn't be complaining.
F*** Zambrano's effort and MLB.

As rare as they are, tell me the conditions weren't almost ideal to make a team vulnerable to get no-hit? The only thing that'da make conditions worse was if one of the Astros players died during the storm.

If the Astros would have played in a real neutral site or played in Arlington and no hit the Cubs, no I wouldnt complain. In fact it would have been a national feel good story of the Astros rallying for the victims of Ike and the storm ravaged city.

[Zacatecas]

Hit them when they're down.

Nice going MLB.

[RocketsPimp]

I understand why everyone is blaming Selig for this, but where is the blame for the f-ing owner? Drayton has clearly shown that he does not have the team's best interests in mind. Grow some cojones Drayton and stand up for your guys next time.

:rolleyes:

[DaDakota]

I understand why everyone is blaming Selig for this, but where is the blame for the f-ing owner? Drayton has clearly shown that he does not have the team's best interests in mind. Grow some cojones Drayton and stand up for your guys next time.

:rolleyes:

Here here !!!

DD

[Surfguy]

Listening to the Astro post-game interviews, it appears baseball is the last thing on their minds with the hurricane effects and all. In fact, with their minds obviously on the troubled situation in Houston...they have a built-in excuse to just throw in the towel and call it a season. It feels like the hurricane iked our season. This team is not focused on winning the wild card or baseball currently. Their focused on the same ***** a lot of you in Houston are focused on...when is the phone and power coming back on, what stores are open, and where can I go for my next tank of gas? Being away from home just makes them think of it all the more...because family is left behind dealing with it all.

I guess we see what happens. They have a built-in excuse for playing losing baseball the rest of the way. The question is...how do they respond today and going forward? Can they get past all this bs and play focused, winning baseball? Did all that momentum we had completely vanish into thin air with Ike?

[Scientific1]

Yes it is true. But Houston will have their spirits high if our ball club makes it to the playoffs in another amazing run. Hurricane aside, I'd like them to play for our city. I thought I'd feel better this morning but the more I think about it the more it angers me.

[JunkyardDwg]

The Players Union lobbied for the games to played in Atlanta, while several other cities were considered as well. Ultimately, the Commissioner's Office insisted on the games being played under a roof.

"Our preference was Atlanta," Brad Ausmus said. "It was a question that the union brought to them -- why not Atlanta? [Turner Field] was open Sunday and Monday. The first response was 'We're uncertain of the weather.' They felt in a domed stadium, you're guaranteed to play at least two games."

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080915&content_id=3479166&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

Bulls**t!!

How hard is it to look at the weather reports and see if it's clear the next two days?!

[v3.0]

Skip Bayless just got some respect from me as he outlined everything what was wrong with that game last night on 1rst and 10. Stephen A. Smith, well, always a douchebag. :rolleyes:

The Astros should have never got on that plane. What better protest then a forfeit.

[Surfguy]

Well...Cubs fans...and even their players...are completely discounting the venue location as having anything to do with being no-hit...which I would agree with if it were the lone factor. It's funny how none of them even mention anything about the hurricane effecting the players. All they are talking about is change of venue location didn't cause the no-hitter. Well...I agree with that if that were the lone factor...which it wasn't. But, that's all they wanted to throw out there as the factor. No acknowledgement from any of them on how the actual hurricane impacting the players' performance. I guess they think the players were above it all or something. We're talking about one team whose players were completely well-rested...and another team whose players just went through a hurricane and all that comes with it before, during, and after. All I'm saying is it would have been nice for either their coach or their players to acknowledge our players were dealing with situations they were not...and were not immune to it all all and above it. But, they won't even give us that. They just want it to be some "fair and square" situation or something...which clearly it wasn't.

My only beef with the situation is they are talking like both these teams were in the same situation as far as having to change venues. The rest of it is completely dismissed by their side as having no influence.

That said...it's over and we were no-hit. The record books don't have room for asterisks.

[right1]

What I didn't understand was if it was a "home game" for the Astros, how come they were playing "Rally music" when the Cubs were up to bat....starting in the first inning :mad: !

[msn]

There is only one just conclusion to this fiasco.

The Cubs should go 0-for-the-rest-of-September and miss the playoffs, including being no-hit once by whatever scrub the Astros run out there and a couple more times by rookie call-ups or AAAA has-beens.

The Astros should surpass Milwaukee for the division crown after finishing the season 10-2.

Philadelphia should surpass Milwaukee for the wild card.

Selig should get canned.

All told, the only just conclusion for this is: Selig gets canned, the Brewers and sCrubs watch the Astros play meaningful baseball in October.

Thank you and good night.

(and screw you, Bud Selig.)

[topfive]

<BR>
This is telling: Prior to the no-hitter*, a thread on a prominent Cubs forum begins with the details for that game and jokingly lists the venue as "Wrigley North."

ProSportsDaily (http://www.prosportsdaily.com/forums/showthread.php?t=271196)

Let's hope this pisses off the team and gets them fired up to get some revenge.
<BR>

[Major]

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080915&content_id=3479166&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

Bulls**t!!

How hard is it to look at the weather reports and see if it's clear the next two days?!

Looking it up is easy. Predicting what will happen is far more difficult. The forecast there today calls for 40% chance of thunderstorms. So what's going to happen? No one knows. They had to decide Saturday night, when it was even more unclear.

I would think there were some dry places in the country that could have been options, but unfortunately Atlanta didn't make a lot of sense.

[Nick]

One question. Why was there opposition to a day-night double-header in Milwaukee today?

Why did the Astros HAVE to play last night? I think THAT should be explored more than anything else.

[msn]

One question. Why was there opposition to a day-night double-header in Milwaukee today?

Why did the Astros HAVE to play last night? I think THAT should be explored more than anything else.
A day-night double-header in San Franciso. In Phoenix. In Tampa. In Arlington. It was total horse**** to play this in Milwaukee, and you and everybody with half a brain knows it.

Houston should be awarded three extra home games next year.

Better yet: Houston should be awarded draft picks for this fiasco. Or at least cash.

[leroy420]

One question. Why was there opposition to a day-night double-header in Milwaukee today?

Why did the Astros HAVE to play last night? I think THAT should be explored more than anything else.

Well, with all the adversity the cubs had to go through during these trying times, they didn't want to compound the problem...

Wait...that didn't sound right.

[JunkyardDwg]

Looking it up is easy. Predicting what will happen is far more difficult. The forecast there today calls for 40% chance of thunderstorms. So what's going to happen? No one knows. They had to decide Saturday night, when it was even more unclear.

I would think there were some dry places in the country that could have been options, but unfortunately Atlanta didn't make a lot of sense.


Yeah 40% chance is rolling the dice but I'm sure there were other places that had a much better chance of being dry.

And again...why couldn't they play a double header in Mil. today or one game today and a double header at MMP at the end of the season. Just does not make sense at all to play 2 games there and a game only a day after a major hurricane hit.

[thacabbage]

Better yet: Houston should be awarded draft picks for this fiasco.
No point. We wouldn't sign them anyway.

[Uprising]

Well congrats one a well pitched game against a tired and emotionally distracted team.

I'm still pissed that they had to play, and of all places there! My friend frind told me that they were playing the charge music / rally music when the cubs were batting. ugh.


I'n just pissed that after such anice run somethin like this happens that can derail it. We are pretty damn good at home. This series should have ben postponed to play at home near the end of the season.

[DOMINATOR]

Well, with all the adversity the cubs had to go through during these trying times, they didn't want to compound the problem...

Wait...that didn't sound right.
i know you are being sarcastic but it's true cubs didnt want to play a double header because it would be too tough on the big bad cubbies as they have no more days off.

[BrooksBall]

Playing a double-header today would have made at least a little more sense, considering how many things we already had working against us. I have to believe the only reason they didn't do that is that "somebody" stood to make more money from a Sunday night game. I can't get over the fact that yesterday was the first time in 40+ years the Astros traveled and played on the same day.

[Surfguy]

Astros are already down in this game. Maybe we can get a hit this game? You think?

[Major]

And again...why couldn't they play a double header in Mil. today or one game today and a double header at MMP at the end of the season. Just does not make sense at all to play 2 games there and a game only a day after a major hurricane hit.

This whole "mental state / emotional distraction" thing seems to be a new complaint only after the Astros lost. The Astros themselves wanted to play yesterday (albeit in Houston). The issue is with the location, not with playing on Sunday. No one anywhere brought that up as a concern beforehand.

[BrooksBall]

This whole "mental state / emotional distraction" thing seems to be a new complaint only after the Astros lost. The Astros themselves wanted to play yesterday (albeit in Houston). The issue is with the location, not with playing on Sunday. No one anywhere brought that up as a concern beforehand.

I totally disagree with you. The issue was playing on Sunday more than the location. I also don't think that nobody brought this up as a concern. I am pretty sure the Astros players and coaches were not too happy about having to travel and play on the same day for this first time in club history. I believe as much was even stated in a few places. The Astros didn't want to play yesterday, they had no choice because it's their job and the decision was made to play by their superiors.

[Surfguy]

the hurricane must be playing tricks with the ball. astros can't seem to get any good wood on it. if we're not careful, then we could be looking at two no-hitters in a row. lol

time for you people to move on to the current game. the past is the past.

[Major]

I totally disagree with you. The issue was playing on Sunday more than the location. I also don't think that nobody brought this up as a concern. I am pretty sure the Astros players and coaches were not too happy about having to travel and play on the same day for this first time in club history. I believe as much was even stated in a few places. The Astros didn't want to play yesterday, they had no choice because it's their job and the decision was made to play by their superiors.

Drayton was initially trying to convince MLB to let them play in Houston on Sunday and Monday. If the Astros would have preferred a Monday double-header, he would (or should) have been arguing for that instead. The MLBPA, in defense of the Astros was arguing to play in Atlanta and wherever else on Sunday or Monday. If the doubleheader idea had been proposed, it would have opened up potentially more ballparks since you wouldn't need the hometeam gone both Sunday and Monday. None of the articles suggest a Monday-only option was ever in the mix from any party.

[Nick]

This whole "mental state / emotional distraction" thing seems to be a new complaint only after the Astros lost. The Astros themselves wanted to play yesterday (albeit in Houston). The issue is with the location, not with playing on Sunday. No one anywhere brought that up as a concern beforehand.

That was before the airports were closed all of Saturday. When the plan was made, I'm pretty sure the Astros were planning on flying on Saturday. After the airport was closed, they went into full scramble mode to get out on Sunday (reference the above article), while the airports were STILL closed.

Hell, the Cubs themselves said that they "refused" to fly anywhere on Saturday, airport closed or not... not sure what their reasoning was, but it likely was more of a push to simply allow the 1 hour bus ride to Milwaukee.

The whole thing was handled poorly. If this plan was presented well before the hurricaine (play two games in Milwaukee, Sunday night and Monday, with the team flying out on Sunday), it would have been laughed at. The fact that the union was lobbying for a better plan speaks volumes.

From a travel perspective, a double-header today would have been best for the Astros... the organization you would think MLB was trying to appease, since THEY were the one completley displaced in all of this. The Cubs had no issues with travel... plane or otherwise (let alone having to deal with flooding and their families all of Saturday).

[desihooper]

Well that was a delightful bottom of the second...

[BrooksBall]

Drayton was initially trying to convince MLB to let them play in Houston on Sunday and Monday. If the Astros would have preferred a Monday double-header, he would (or should) have been arguing for that instead. The MLBPA, in defense of the Astros was arguing to play in Atlanta and wherever else on Sunday or Monday. If the doubleheader idea had been proposed, it would have opened up potentially more ballparks since you wouldn't need the hometeam gone both Sunday and Monday. None of the articles suggest a Monday-only option was ever in the mix from any party.

I agree with you here. My belief is that Drayton wanted the Sunday game, despite how difficult it would be on our guys, because he stood to make a lot more money. Most people don't work on Sundays and can make the trek to catch a baseball game. On that note, does anybody know the size of the crowd today?

[Surfguy]

astros can't even get a f-ing hit again today so far. now i'm pissed. :mad: :mad: :mad:

edit: through 4, another no-hitter. i hope you people have some reserves available in case you have to possibly bitch and explain away a double no-hitter in a row. the city will never live this one down. you better pray... .

[desihooper]

astros can't even get a f-ing hit again today so far. now i'm pissed. :mad: :mad: :mad:

edit: through 4, another no-hitter. i hope you people have some reserves available in case you have to possibly bitch and explain away a double no-hitter in a row. the city will never live this one down. you better pray... .

Well, they're making contact the second time through, that's progress!!

- Mr. Brightside :cool:

[BrooksBall]

Edmonds goes yard.

- Mr. Darkside :mad:

[desihooper]

Edmonds goes yard.

- Mr. Darkside :mad:

And their pitcher is out-hitting us again... :mad:

[leroy420]

Ted Lilly is throwing a no-hitter through 5

[Nick]

This is slowly becoming the Milwaukee Massacre.

[Surfguy]

Apparently, Hurricane Ike washed the Astros hitting ability away. My God...it's not like it's been 2 weeks since they picked up a bat. There are no excuses for this...other than we are sucking hard right now.

[desihooper]

This is slowly becoming the Milwaukee Massacre.

Yeah, it cost Ned Yost his job!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3589405

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers have fired manager Ned Yost in the midst of a late-season slump that has jeopardized the team's chances of making the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

Third-base coach Dale Sveum will become interim manager for the remainder of the season. Bench coach Ted Simmons was reassigned to an advisory role.

"This was a very difficult move to make, and we appreciate all of the work that Ned has done to develop this team into a contender," executive vice president and general manager Doug Melvin said in a story on the Brewers' Web site. "In the end, this was a collaborative decision made to put our club in the best position for the final two weeks of the season."

The Brewers have lost 11 of their last 14, and share the NL wild-card lead with Philadelphia.

[Gene the PIG]

UN-****ING-REAL!!!

[Surfguy]

Well...the game is pretty much over. Now, it's just a matter of if we can get a hit before the end. I have serious doubts.

[halfbreed]

So after playing mere hours after landing last night, we have to play a day game about half a day later?

[BrooksBall]

I'll probably get flamed for this but it will make Drayton and Selig look like bigger a-holes if we get no-hit two games in a row.

[Surfguy]

It appears the best thing we can do now is delay the ending of the game by letting them rack up some runs. Then, maybe our guys can wake up enough to actually get a hit before it is all over. I think I saw them taking turns sleeping on a cot in the dugout. :D :mad:

[Gene the PIG]

If we are no-hit two days in a row, under THESE circumstances ... WORST moment in Houston Sports History ... & that includes Lozenzo Charles NC State, & Can't kick the door in @ Pittsburgh, & The Astros losing to the Mets in '86.

[BrooksBall]

15 innings of no-hit baseball... 2 days after a hurricane and 1 day after traveling and playing a game on the same day for the first time in club history... potentially, 2 no-hitters in a row for a team that hadn't thrown one in 36 years...

coincidence?

[Uprising]

worst weekend ever. No electricity, no Texans, Astros sucking ass....playing in Mil.

ugh.

[msn]

15 innings of no-hit baseball... 2 days after a hurricane and 1 day after traveling and playing a game on the same day for the first time in club history... potentially, 2 no-hitters in a row for a team that hadn't thrown one in 36 years...

coincidence?
The Cubs are a bad road team this year and an excellent home team.

This "neutral" venue plays so incredibly into the Cubs hands it's sick. Butt Selig should be absolutely embarrassed at his dumbass decision. He should walk around with a sack on his head to cover his stupid face, and he should be fired statim.

What a crock of crap. What a load of manure.

Hey Bud: from all baseball fans in the hurting city of Houston: kiss our collective asses, asshole.

[Surfguy]

I take it this will be a major league record for two different pitchers to pitch two no-hitters in a row like this?

I found this: http://major-league-baseball.suite101.com/article.cfm/two_nohitters_in_a_row .

[Surfguy]

Hey Bud: from all baseball fans in the hurting city of Houston: kiss our collective asses, asshole.

It seems to me that Drayton gets at least half the blame...if not more.

[Surfguy]

Yay!!!! A F-ING HIT BY LORETTA! HALLELUJAH!!!!

[Uprising]

It seems to me that Drayton gets at least half the blame...if not more.

I'll agree with that. Even if we were winning I would stll think it's dumb how it al happened.

but from how it's all unfolding.....I'n pretty pissed.

[Uprising]

Yay!!!! A F-ING HIT BY LORETTA! HALLELUJAH!!!!

thankgod.

[msn]

I take it this will be a major league record for two different pitchers to pitch two no-hitters in a row like this?

I found this: http://major-league-baseball.suite101.com/article.cfm/two_nohitters_in_a_row .
Reds and Astros traded consecutive no-hitters in the 70s. Don Wilson threw the second one.

This game should not even be taking place at this time. Nor should yesterday's.

Astros
Friday night: stay up all night while a storm beats the hell out of your city.
Satuday day: make provisions for your family while getting yourself together for an unplanned road trip
Saturday night: sleep horribly because there's no air conditioning and no power
Sunday morning: get up at 5am after precious little sleep in the last two nights, drive to Minute Maid. Get on a bus. Ride to some airport somewhere, board a plane.
Sunday afternoon: arrive in Milwaukee a couple of hours before the game
One hour later: BP
One hour later: "Home" game begins. The stadium has exclusively Cubs fans, your family is back home with no power, you've had no sleep in 48 hours.

Cubs
Friday night: get a good night's rest after the latest meltdown. Your suckball POS team is 3-7 in its last ten, and you're facing a tough road trip in Houston this Sunday.
Saturday: enjoy your complimentary day off. You find out you won't have to go to Houston, after all
Sunday: get up around 11am after another good night's rest; drive an hour and a half to Milwaukee, where 26,000 screaming Cub fans await you on this "road" game.

Yeah, that's fair. That's neutral.

Can grown men really be this stupid? Fire Bud Selig, a dumbass for the ages.

[msn]

It seems to me that Drayton gets at least half the blame...if not more.
It's pretty well documented that McLane and the PA complained pretty loudly, all to no avail.

For heaven's sakes, let's not employ any common sense or equality, here. This is "Destiny Year" for America's lovable losers, after all.

[Surfguy]

Oh...I thought Drayton had to agree to it?

[msn]

Oh...I thought Drayton had to agree to it?
I'm no expert--I read that he disagreed and complained. What does he do, though? The MLBPA complained rather loudly, and were not listened to.

Seriously, does anyone know if McLane has the latitude to say, "hell no, Bud, and kiss my ass. It's not good for the team, their families, or the city. Get back to me when you have a solution that's not stupid."

[Surfguy]

I misunderstood I guess. The Astros should have just never gotten on the plane and forfeited then. I wouldn't have blamed them one bit.

[astros148]

lmfao the stros are getting ****ign merked. pathetic there goes playoffs.

[JunkyardDwg]

Despite McLane's reported stubbornness, that didn't preclude MLB from making a better and earlier decision. For the record, Selig no longer owns the Brewers (even though his home and office are still in Milwaukee) -- so it's unfair to blame the bias on Selig. In fact, had Selig been making a decision with the Brewers' best interests at heart, he would not have used Miller Park as the neutral site. That doesn't mean he, along with the Cubs and Astros, could have predicted this scenario and planned well ahead. Bottom line: The games should not have been played in Milwaukee.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=22528

A good point brought up here...well first I disagree about his bias...if Selig was biased, he very much would want to have the games in Mil to give the Cubs the best chance of winning (outside of Wrigley) and to put some distance between the Brewers and at least one of the teams behind them.

But the good point here is, yes, Drayton may have been at fault for being so stubborn in wanting to play the games in Houston, but MLB should have stepped in long before the storm hit (but when it was clear it was heading to Houston) and found another venue...that probably would have allowed them more options (or at least more time).

[JunkyardDwg]

lmfao the stros are getting ****ign merked. pathetic there goes playoffs.

Playoffs are far from over...the Brewers have to face the Cubs six times and while the Phillies have an easy schedule, so do the Astros...anything can still happen.

[astros148]

Playoffs are far from over...the Brewers have to face the Cubs six times and while the Phillies have an easy schedule, so do the Astros...anything can still happen.
Phillies are making the playoffs, they have it easy. Stros are already choking

[BrooksBall]

Phillies are making the playoffs, they have it easy. Stros are already choking

After winning 14 of 15 then losing 2 games under these conditions hardly qualifies as choking. That is as unreasonable as a Bud Selig decision.

[msn]

Phillies are making the playoffs, they have it easy. Stros <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">are already choking</span> are being choked
There. Fixed that for ya.

[astros148]

There. Fixed that for ya.
thanks homer

[Surfguy]

Hey...we got a hit and a run. It's a miracle.

Now, get the ***** out of Milwaukee!

[msn]

thanks homer
You're quite welcome, jerk.

[sccdct34]

I don't think the playoff run is over yet, even with today's loss we are still only 2.5 games out.

THe brewers are going to continue to choke, I think, so thats leaves the phils and the mets.

I think the phillies are going to catch the mets and overtake them, the astros play nobodies the rest of the way while the mets have a 4-game series against the cubs coming up soon.

So, lets think about this guys, while these last two days were horrible, we are still not out of it and we have Roy going tomorrow.

Better days lie ahead!

[ac in austin]

Having to root for the Cubs against the Brewers, Cardinals, and Mets is going to be brutal.

[A.J.]

GO CUBS!

[Uprising]

Having to root for the Cubs against the Brewers, Cardinals, and Mets is going to be brutal.

That it has been. Man. :(

[johnmvp]

Did spikesnstars.com shut down?

[johnmvp]

AKA Orangewhoopass

[ryan17wagner]

AKA Orangewhoopass


There you are. You got called out on the hangout. Why didn't you defend yourself?

[Uprising]

Perhaps because he knows he wronged the guy?