It's early, it's watchable, which Astro...

[ROXRAN]

has surprised you thus far?

Taveras has for me, yes it's early, but he seems to give us the speed, coverage and batting consistency that is needed...

Will Lidge ever mess up? To me the fun part is seeing the positive surprises (even though it's early) ...Maybe we all expected Lidge to continue to be light out, what else?

[MadMax]

Taveras for me, too.

[Saint Louis]

I like the young Astros, but like watching children grow up there will be times that will make you cringe. I am not concerned if the Astros have the best record in baseball, I just want them to be close enough later in the year to win the NL Central.

[Joshfast]

Jason Lane's hitting and 4 steals without being caught.

[fya]

Lane

[redgoose]

Originally posted by Saint Louis
I like the young Astros, but like watching children grow up there will be times that will make you cringe. I am not concerned if the Astros have the best record in baseball, I just want them to be close enough later in the year to win the NL Central.

I'm pretty sure if they have the best record in baseball, they'll be close enough to win the central. :D

[LonghornFan]

Originally posted by Joshfast
Jason Lane's hitting and 4 steals without being caught.

Make that 5 steals. Lane is looking real good.

[Lil Francis]

Lane has surprised me the most. He may hit 25 homers this season.

[Fegwu]

Originally posted by Lil Francis
Lane has surprised me the most. He may hit 25 homers this season.

May? May hit 25?

Lane is on pace to hit over 35 homers. I see him hitting at least 30. He is on pac to steal over 20 bases as well.

If Taveras goes to the #1 spot he will steal 40 bases.

The #1 suprise for me is Roger. I know.....I know he is the Rocket but common 0.43 ERA after 3 starts? How ould again is this guy? 42? Roger is a man and that is all I will say about him.

Other notable pleasant surprises included Willie, Andy, Jason and Luke (for lack of hitting despite his great hitting form and potential....baseball is indeed a game of momentum and inches).

[SamCassell]

I could care less about "great hitting form" if a guy can't produce, and conversely could care less about poor form if a guy can. Bagwell has a horrible stance, but he's a hall of famer.

I am pleasantly surprised by Taveras, encouraged by Lane producing as his numbers told us he would, and thrilled to have a closer like Lidge. Roger? Nothing Roger does surprises me anymore.

[msn]

Lane has been a pleasant surprise for me, as well. I hope that he produces well throughout the summer, as often in the past hitters get hot in April and sink to low production rates for the rest of the campaign.

[NJRocket]

Backe....he has pitched well enough to be 3-0...i was expecting him to better than last yr (not better than the playoffs) but i didnt expect him to be pitching this well

[kevwun]

Backe has been most suprising to me. After coming from nowhere at the end of last season and how he was rocked in spring training, I figured he wasn't going to be able to live up to expectations.

[Svpernaut]

There are a lot of bright spots so far... Roger FREAKING Clemens is still dominant. Brandon Backe is still gutsy. Jason Lane is surpasing what most of you ever gave him credit for. Chad Qualls is a legit big-league setup man... and Willy Taveras is on his way to being a hitting, stealing and scoring machine.

[NJRocket]

Originally posted by Svpernaut
Willy Taveras is on his way to being a hitting, stealing and scoring machine.

not to jinx him but he looks like he could become a juan pierre type with a little more power

[bobrek]

Originally posted by NJRocket
not to jinx him but he looks like he could become a juan pierre type with a little more power

I'm hoping he is not the next Gerald Young, Eric Yelding or Brian Hunter.

[Svpernaut]

Originally posted by NJRocket
not to jinx him but he looks like he could become a juan pierre type with a little more power

There's our infamous MLB scout.

[Groogrux]

I'll go with Pettitte. Two straight games with over 100 pitches (per 610). Could easily be 3-0.

[msn]

Originally posted by bobrek
I'm hoping he is not the next Gerald Young, Eric Yelding or Brian Hunter.
good lord.

[msn]

Originally posted by bobrek
I'm hoping he is not the next Gerald Young, Eric Yelding or Brian Hunter.
Heh. Do you remember how apathetic GY could be in center? I don't mean lazy, I mean "ho-hum". For instance, one fly I'll never forget--he looked up, sighed took three steps forward, stood still for a second with his right hand on his hip, then nonchalantly put his glove out in front of his waist--the whole time with his right hand still on his hip!!!--as the ball dropped in. Then he tossed the ball to Bidge and turned and strolled back a few steps. I was rolling!

[SamCassell]

Originally posted by bobrek
I'm hoping he is not the next Gerald Young, Eric Yelding or Brian Hunter.
James Mouton gets no love in these discussions.

[NJRocket]

Originally posted by Svpernaut
There's our infamous MLB scout.

how nice it is that RM and Max let you out of their bungholes to post...it must be boring stuck up there...we all missed your wittiness and originality:rolleyes:

[Groogrux]

Originally posted by NJRocket
how nice it is that RM and Max let you out of their bungholes to post...it must be boring stuck up there...we all missed your wittiness and originality:rolleyes:

And we were having such a nice time the other day. :(

[NJRocket]

Originally posted by Rocketman95
And we were having such a nice time the other day. :(

wasnt directed towards u...just at your little follower...sorry

[msn]

Originally posted by NJRocket
how nice it is that RM and Max let you out of their bungholes to post...it must be boring stuck up there...we all missed your wittiness and originality:rolleyes:
I hope you personally aren't as full of crap as this post. Perhaps I missed it, but I've never seen this guy attack you in this intimate of a matter. Lots of people have attacked your baseball posts, because frankly they're easy targets. But your take above was a little personal.

[The Real Shady]

That Roger Clemens guy looks pretty good.

[Lil Francis]

Originally posted by Fegwu
May? May hit 25?

Lane is on pace to hit over 35 homers. I see him hitting at least 30. He is on pac to steal over 20 bases as well.

If Taveras goes to the #1 spot he will steal 40 bases.

The #1 suprise for me is Roger. I know.....I know he is the Rocket but common 0.43 ERA after 3 starts? How ould again is this guy? 42? Roger is a man and that is all I will say about him.

Other notable pleasant surprises included Willie, Andy, Jason and Luke (for lack of hitting despite his great hitting form and potential....baseball is indeed a game of momentum and inches). Im not ready to pencil in 25 homers for Lane already. He is on a great pace right now but I've seen too many guys start off fast and then go a month and a half without hitting a homer. It would be nice if he could hit 35 but I just don't see that many in his first season playing everyday.

[Groogrux]

Originally posted by NJRocket
wasnt directed towards u...just at your little follower...sorry

So, who's the leader/follower of the pessimist club? :)

[Svpernaut]

Originally posted by Rocketman95
So, who's the leader/follower of the pessimist club? :)

lol...

[NJRocket]

Originally posted by Rocketman95
So, who's the leader/follower of the pessimist club? :)

im on the ticket for 06

[Groogrux]

Originally posted by NJRocket
im on the ticket for 06

Already calling that season a disaster as well???

;)

[NJRocket]

Originally posted by Rocketman95
Already calling that season a disaster as well???

;)

NO NO NO.....that came out the wrong way!

[Howyalikemenow]

Taveras and Lane are fun to watch! Speed and power.

Love the pitching too. Aside from our 5th starter.
:D

[Behad]

Originally posted by Behad on 02-15-2005@ 03:04 AM
Jason Lane will have 30 HR's and 100 RBI's this year. (http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91409&highlight=jason+lane)

I called it two months ago.

[msn]

Originally posted by Behad
I called it two months ago.
That took balls. I probably disagreed with you. I hope you're right and I'm wrong.

[Joe Joe]

Things that surprise me.

Taveras's swing...his swing looks more like a swing than it did last time I saw him in Round Rock. In Round Rock, it looked like the bat was swinging him at times.

Biggio's defense is up there. He seems much more confident all around this year.

Burke in left is surprising. Just a little time ago, there was huge hole in left center between Ward and the CF. In an interview recently, Burke said the hardest thing about playing left was not running into Taveras. Nice.

Ensberg striking out a lot.

Bagwell's arm. Man, I thought last year was bad. I don't think Bagwell can make the throw to third such that any ground ball should get a runner from second to third regardless if he gets "looked back".

The Astros running game. I expected the Astros to steal more bases this year, but I did not expect them on such a pace.

[SamCassell]

Originally posted by Behad
I called it two months ago.
Not bad!

Originally posted by SamCassell 1-10-05
Jason Lane is a solid OF. He's not spectacular, but he's not bad. His minor and major league numbers suggest he could hit for decent average with 25 - 30 homers. And the best part is, he's cheap.
He's exceeding my expectations so far.

[Saint Louis]

I like the Astros so far, but they do need Berkman. Inserting Berkman into the four spot will help Bagwell see better pitches to hit. I'd still like to see Taveras inserted into the leadoff spot. Hoping the future lineup looks like this:

Taveras CF
Biggio 2B
Bagwell 1B
Berkman LF
Lane RF
Ensberg 3B
Ausmus C
Everett SS

Burke, Lamb and Vizcaino play enough to keep everyone else rested and healthy.

[Fegwu]

Originally posted by Saint Louis
I like the Astros so far, but they do need Berkman. Inserting Berkman into the four spot will help Bagwell see better pitches to hit. I'd still like to see Taveras inserted into the leadoff spot. Hoping the future lineup looks like this:

Taveras CF
Biggio 2B
Bagwell 1B
Berkman LF
Lane RF
Ensberg 3B
Ausmus C
Everett SS

Burke, Lamb and Vizcaino play enough to keep everyone else rested and healthy.


I like your lineup but since Bagwell's decline has slowed him down so much this season I would prefer a lineup looking llike this when Berk comes back:

Taveras CF
Biggio 2B
Berkman LF
Lane RF
Bagwell 1B
Ensberg 3B
Everett SS
Pitcher (Brandon Backe)
Ausmus C

[MadMax]

Originally posted by Fegwu
I like your lineup but since Bagwell's decline has slowed him down so much this season I would prefer a lineup looking llike this when Berk comes back:

Taveras CF
Biggio 2B
Berkman LF
Lane RF
Bagwell 1B
Ensberg 3B
Everett SS
Pitcher (Brandon Backe)
Ausmus C

http://www.thediamondangle.com/archive/sep02/cards/tlr3.jpg

[msn]

Originally posted by MadMax
http://www.thediamondangle.com/archive/sep02/cards/tlr3.jpg
You can tell by the light in that picture that it's going to rain.

[kevwun]

Backe is a better hitter than Ausmus. At this point, it's not really close.

[MadMax]

Originally posted by msn
You can tell by the light in that picture that it's going to rain.

monkeys make me laugh sometimes. so do penguins.

[msn]

Originally posted by MadMax
monkeys make me laugh sometimes. so do penguins.
That made me laugh. Unless there is a joke that I'm missing, I want to explain the context--do you remember the beginning of I believe the '02 season, when the Astros went to St. Louis and took the first two of three game series? Ausmus had a 2-dinger game in one of those. Anyway, with the sun shining brightly and a couple of green squiggles on the radar around St. Louis, game 3 was "rained out", though precious little rain actually fell on the gateway city that day. All year long, we were calling them the "Jakes" instead of the Cardinals, and wondering if there were more "LaRainouts" to come.

[MadMax]

Originally posted by msn
That made me laugh. Unless there is a joke that I'm missing, I want to explain the context--do you remember the beginning of I believe the '02 season, when the Astros went to St. Louis and took the first two of three game series? Ausmus had a 2-dinger game in one of those. Anyway, with the sun shining brightly and a couple of green squiggles on the radar around St. Louis, game 3 was "rained out", though precious little rain actually fell on the gateway city that day. All year long, we were calling them the "Jakes" instead of the Cardinals, and wondering if there were more "LaRainouts" to come.
aaahhhhhhh...got it!!! :) i had NO idea what you were talking about! i do remember that, though. but wasn't that last season??

[Fegwu]

Its late, Duckworth is unwatchable.


:(

[msn]

Originally posted by MadMax
aaahhhhhhh...got it!!! :) i had NO idea what you were talking about! i do remember that, though. but wasn't that last season??
Might've been last season; I don't remember anymore--I just remember all the "LaRainout" smack that was being tossed around. That and "Co-Ards" and "The F--------g Jakes" were commonplace terms.