Just a question... Didn't the Yankees enter the postseason last year or the year before in a rather large slump? They still won it all that year. Have some hope.
Ugh. I hate fair weather fans. I'll stick with my team through thick and thin. Sure, I may have loathed the Oilers after the '93 disaster against Frank Reich, scourge of Houston, but I got over it. I agree that the Astros haven't played well enough lately to justify being a playoff team, but they'll get in. Have a little faith. San Fran is still 3 games behind for a wild card birth...
Point me to the post where someone stated they weren't fans because the Astros currently suck. You can say a team sucks (and if you don't believe this team sucks right now, you're an idiot) and still be a fan. BTW, crispee, it's amazing how you could make my favorite post in one day (the Eddie Griffin/Cato one), and then make one of the dumbest I've seen.
Settle down, dude. I was just letting off some steam. Mind you, this is the same Astros team I used to watch after work every freaking day last summer. I watched them tear through the rest of the NL, and to see them choke like this brings back bad memories of Houston sports. Remember this is not the first time that the Astros have struggled in October. We are 1-9 in the playoffs with Dierker as our manager. As far as saying that the Astros "suck," that's a perfectly appropriate comment from a frustrated Astros fan. I remember growing up I watched guys like Nolan Ryan, Jose Cruz, Mike Scott, Kevin Bass, Bill Doran, Glen Davis, etc. I have always been a die-hard Astros fan, and to see them fail like they're doing now is heart-breaking. Remember 1986?
Regardless of all these arguments about semantics, the fact remains that they are choking. However, even with the bad timing of the losing streak, they are still tied for first, and have the best record in the National league. It is not a choke......YET !!! DaDakota
I was hearing last night that the Astros were likely to join only 1 other team in baseball to blow a 5 game lead with a couple of weeks left in the season. By any historical account, they are choking if you think their is validity in the term. But the Astros have been one of the better teams over the last 10 years or so, even if it hasn't be reflected in the post-season success. It is still a lot better being a Stros fan than being a life-long Cubs or Redsox fans, or as someone else said, a Dodger fan over ther last 10 years (especially considering their payroll). Also, the Bills-Oilers was defintely the biggest blown lead of any playoff game, I think maybe of ANY NFL game played period. The Rocket-Suns game 2 in 94 was close to the same for BB playoffs (blown 20+ point lead with like 10 minutes to go). It was after that ChokeCity headline that the Rockets played inspired (even Elie has remarked that whole thing fired them up and got them focused). I for one am glad for that ChokeCity headline, it may not have made a difference in helping make the Rockets determined to redefine their fate and prove to the world their internal mettle on the way to making ClutchCity happen, but I for one am glad we will never have to find out.
If they could just win tonight's game... Just one win away from the postseason (wild-card or division winner). C'mon, guys.
You know what, my optimisim is running slim. If they squek in and have to face Randy Johnson and Schilling, it will be over all to quick. They are seriously choking right now. You can see it in their eyes and approach to the game. DaDakota
It's very disappointing to see people coming out of the woodwork now to bash the 'Stros. When they were winning there are probably 3/4 regular posters talking about the team. Now that they're on a tough losing streak people are all over them. I guess negativity always gets more attention. The team has always had streaky hitting and they are obviously pressing, BUT there is no doubt the team is feeling the effects now of losing Astacio, Oswalt, and Carlos Hernandez. Losing those top pitchers just magnifies the other weaknesses on the team. Even the bullpen is getting rocked a little now after they were lights out for a long time. Hopefully they can regroup and kick some Cardinal ass this weekend. GO 'STROS!!!
This slide by the Astros is alot like the 94 Rockets slide against the Suns. When the Rockets choked away the first two home games vs the Suns, they were getting verbally battered by the Houston media..... ...and I personally was stunned becuase I thought the Rockets would have the killer instinct to take advantage after the Sonics lost to the Nuggets. As a result the Rockets left Houston with their fans feeling disgusted. They knew the city was against them, so all they had was themselves. Going on the road to Phoenix turned out to be the best way to recover. The Astros are in the same predicament right now. They get the chance to leave the distraction (which is the city of Houston and the fans). All they have is themselves. I think leaving town is the best thing for the team. Baseball fans are about to learn a lot what kind of character this Astro team has. Will they crumble and quit (as they pretty much did in Game 3 vs the Giants)vs the Cards, or will they get together and realize that each player must play their best three games ever coming up, and determine that losing in this way is unacceptable. The bottom line is that the Astros have a chance to recover just like the Rockets did. Will they take advantage? Who knows? But I hope Clutch City II can be born.
I don't think this team will ever quit, but crumbling under pressure has been a 5 year tradition. If this was the first time it happened, I would be more optimistic, but this the first week in October, which has been choke time for 4 of the past five Octobers. This team is not doing anything we haven't seen before.
My question is, has this team quit? What are their chances of winning the division or making the playoffs?
I really can't believe this is a team of quitters. Chokers, I can believe, but not quitters. There is still a very realistic shot at making the playoffs as a wild card. To not make the playoffs, San Fran would have to win all three of their games and us lose all three. A tie for the wild card would be if we lose all three and they win two of three, or they win all three and we lose two of three. The playoff game, in that scenario, would be in San Fran. A single Astro win combined with a single Giant loss, and we're in. The division crown is another matter. To win outright, we must sweep the Cardinals. Two wins, and there will be a one game playoff. One win=pray for a Giant loss.
Well Gr-8 the chances are moot if they don't win any more games. They need to win at least 2 out of 3 to tie for the division. Their magic number is 2 against the Giants, all they had to do was win 1 of the last 3 and they get in..but they choked them all. Now, their chances are ok, but they are slumping at the worst possible time. I rate the chances of them getting in to be 50-50, and the chances of them doing anything in the playoffs...very slim. DaDakota
<B>Two wins, and there will be a one game playoff. </B> Actually, two wins gives us the division. Since both Houston and St. Louis then make the playoffs, they don't waste the time on the tiebreaker. Instead, they award the division and home-field advantage to the team with the better head-to-head record. We would have that at 9-7 if we win 2 of 3. Amazingly, not a single team has clinched a playoff berth in the NL yet. St. Louis has clinched a tiebreaker game (if they lose out and San Fran wins out), but that's it.
Series Matchup: Today - Miller (16-8, 3.45) versus Williams (15-9, 4.18) Saturday - Villone (6-9, 5.81) versus Hermanson (14-13, 4.33) Sunday - Reynolds (13-11, 4.47) versus Kile (16-10, 2.90) If we want to grab a playoff spot without relying on help from the Dodgers, tonight is must-win. The rest of the weekend series doesn't shape up well for the Stros (unless by some miracle the Cards rest Kile on Sunday).
