You're just being ridiculous now. I was in the damn clubhouse. Every other question on Monday was about the importance of sweeping this series and how this homestand gave the Astros an opportunity to jump back in the race.
I'm not denying it. He had some bad "big games." He also had some good "big games" as well that get lost in the shuffle -- they just weren't written about as such because it's only a big game if Texas loses. Anyway, that's the last I'll say about that... if you want to talk college football, let's do that in another thread.
If 2004 and 2005, and Lidge's career playoff numbers, are indications of a guy who's simply had "one good run" and doesn't have a "mentality"... I'll gladly take as many of those guys as possible.
Outstanding analysis. Care to explain? Or would you prefer to keep talking out of your ass like you did after the game last night?
I just got home, man that was a great game. Fans got to eh stadium at 9am to get the Biggio statue things. That is dedication.
Sure ... you lost your little debate, IMO. You know, the one where you went schitzo all afternoon. So there, Lidge Licker. Yeah, I really talked out of my ass after the game last night. I said, "Yay Qualls" after he served up a 'tater. Maybe I said, "Screw you Lidge" or something ... who cares? You're insane.
buster olney has a q&a with chris sampson on his blog at espn.com but it requires an insider pw...can someone post it? btw i think i agree with nick and the cat
Q&A with Chris Sampson posted: Sunday, August 12, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry Chris Sampson can relate to the transformation and ascension of Rick Ankiel. Sampson broke into pro ball as a shortstop, but struggled to hit and retired -- and four years later, he was encouraged to try pitching. Now he's in the big leagues with the Astros. We e-mailed questions, he e-mailed answers. 1. When you initially retired as a position player, was that a difficult choice? How agonizing was that? How did you arrive at your decision? CS: Yes, it was a very difficult decision. There were a lot of heart-to-heart talks with close friends and family, not to mention many sleepless nights before coming to my decision. My priorities in life have always been: God is No. 1, Family is No. 2, and then Baseball. So when things weren't working out with my wife, (now ex-wife), I felt obligated as a husband to stay back and try to work on things. 2. How did you come up with the idea of pitching? Was it right from the start, when you were throwing batting practice? Can you remember the day when the idea of pitching popped into your head? CS: I came up with the idea to pitch shortly after a practice game we had at the junior college (Collin County Comm. College) where I was an assistant coach. We had a pitcher get a sore arm, so I pitched his two innings for him so our hitters could get their at-bats in. I ended up striking out 5 out of 6 batters I faced. After the practice game the head coach Greg Dennis and pitching coach Tim Peters called me over to talk. They both told me that it looked like I could still play, and at 24 years of age, was still young enough to give it another shot. They both knew I was getting divorced and had no ties left there, and both were encouraging me to go back and play. Tim actually worked with me during bullpen sessions at the college before I called the Astros to let them know I was interested in coming back to play, or pitch I should say. 3. What kind of response did you get from your friends and family when you raised the idea? CS: I remember the night I told my family. They thought I was just coming to Houston to visit from Dallas. Little did they know I had already called the Astros to set up a workout at Minute Maid Park. When I told them their eyes opened wide with the look of shocking yet very exciting news. My family and close friends have always believed in me, and have stood behind every decision I have made. My dad has always told me that I can do anything I want to do in life as long as I put my mind to it. 4. One of your catchers, Brad Ausmus, has a reputation for having the ability to receive the ball with extraordinary skill. From your perspective, how much of a difference does it make? CS: Brad is one of the best, if not the best defensive catchers in the game. He goes to great lengths to prepare himself so he knows each hitter's strengths and weaknesses. It always seems like he knows the right pitch to call at the right time, which a huge help for a young (young in experience) guy like myself. When Aus receives the ball, he catches the ball in the center of his body to make it look as though he never had to move his glove to catch the ball. Which, in return, gets a lot of called strikes from umpires on borderline pitches. And every pitcher loves that. 5. If you had a skills competition among the Houston pitchers, who would win for: Bunting; hitting; outfield play (in batting practice); a 100-yard dash. CS: Bunting I would say me. Hitting -- If Brandon Backe is included, I would say Backe. Outfield play: again Backe, then me. 100-yard dash: Me. Ugliest Swing: Roy Oswalt. 6. You went to Texas Tech, and your former teammate, Roger Clemens, was, of course, a huge Longhorns fan. Was there any razzing going on between you and he about this, and when the teams played in sports, was this a topic of conversation, either through e-mail or phone calls? If not Clemens, any other Texas-based teammates who take their alma maters very seriously? CS: Hahah.. No, there wasn't too much razzing going on between Roger and I about that. But we both agree that Texas Tech and The Longhorns could crush Vanderbilt though … hahaha … [Blog writer's note to self: Chris Sampson just took a cheap shot at me and my kind. Not happy about it. Must plot revenge&] Now it's Jason Jennings (Baylor Bear) and I who sometimes talk about who we think will have the upper hand when our teams play one another. 7. You were never mentioned in trade rumors, but as a bystander, with so much talk about Dan Wheeler, Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, Mark Loretta, Jennings, Mike Lamb, Morgan Ensberg in the papers and on TV, what was it like in the Astros' clubhouse in the days leading up to the deadline? Was there much conversation about it? CS: There wasn't too much talk going on about the possible trade rumors. I had a conversation with Lidge, and he told me it seemed like his name comes up in trade talk every year, and that he was used to all of this. And I know Ensberg was excited about getting traded to the Padres, because he is from that area. And there is nothing like playing in the big leagues for your hometown team. I should know … 8. You recently saw the Braves for a few days. How will the addition of Mark Teixeira impact them, in your eyes? CS: The Braves' lineup was good before Teixeira, and now it's one of the best in baseball. I look for the Braves to be the team to beat in the NL. 9. I always thought, in covering teams, that the largest clubhouse cultural gap was between position players and starting pitchers; they tend to do stuff together (and separate from the other group), and they tend to look at the game differently. Because you were once a position player, in your heart, which group do you relate to more now? How does it help you to have been a position player? CS: I definitely relate better with the pitchers now. And like Trevor Hoffman [who, like Sampson, was once a shortstop in the minor leagues], having been a position player growing up and my first year in pro ball, I understand how hard it is to hit. A Hall of Fame hitter has a career .300 batting average or maybe a little better. That's only succeeding 3 out of 10 times at the plate. That means the pitcher succeeds 7 out of 10 times. Understanding this has really helped me stay aggressive by throwing a lot of strikes, and striving to keep my walks low. 10. Describe the best pitch you've made in your career. CS: The best pitch of my career was the day after my son was born, against the Giants. We were winning 2-1 late in the game, Bonds was up with bases empty. I decide to go after him and challenge him. I threw him a slider down and in that he swung over the top of for strike three. • Sampson played catch on Saturday, by the way, and could come off the disabled list shortly.
43,000+ tickets were sold, but the actual attendance was a little over 35,000. I was actually a bit disappointed at the attendance. I expected every seat to be filled.
Are you estimating 35,000, or did somebody actually tell you that. Because I saw that the right field upper deck seats were mostly filled (probably the worst seats in minute maid park)... and if those are filled, its most definitely more than 40,000 there. Anything more than that involves some serious standing room only capacity. Since that probably wasn't there, I agree that there likely wasn't 43,500 people in attendance (the listed attendance).
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just means that we have no one else to replace him right now. and no he just didnt become a unreliable closer after last night. this has been going on for quite some time. every closer blows saves here and there. i heard a caller on 610 saying that lidge has closed 5 out of 6 games for his career but his numbers are terrible for a CLOSER the past two seasons. lets look at this year... he has 8 saves and ONLY 5 blown saves this season. his era and whip was also terrible last season. i will have low interest in the stros until we get a better closer. lidge should be used as a middle reliever and thats where it ends.
I re-watched the Lidge meltdown from Saturday. I take my b****ing back. Nick was right. He had bad luck and Braun made a hall of fame swing. I can see why he was rattled against Fielder. That series sums up the frustration of 2007.
Can you provide actual substance behind anything you say? Or just throw out random insults? You see, I actually provided justification for my opinion. You might not agree with it, but I laid out what I think with evidence. You're essentially throwing out random insults without anything to back them up.
