can't help getting excited...

Off topic:

Pinetree, are you practically living on this site? I work shift work, so I see a lot of different patterns from different posters as to when they will be online. You are always here!

...not that there is anything wrong with that...

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I always thought "With my talent, it's only a matter of time before I'm discovered". Now I think "With my talent, it's only a matter of time before I'm found out".

 

Pinetree -- I think we'd all like Drayton a lot more if baseball as a whole had their economic house in order the way the NBA does. With a salary cap and some revenue sharing, you wouldn't have the natural constraints that keep teams like Houston from putting together teams like New York

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I am vacationing, and sitting here on the computer is fun. I am not accomplishing anything worthwhile . Hehehe.

I jump around reading articles in newspapers, etc. and pop back in here to read and comment. It's a hoot.

Right now, I am obsessed with Rockets draft picks and off season moves. And I'm always ready to talk about religion, politics, and humor.

I like to write and I don't mind arguing.

My posts will slack off when I have to get some real work done, but right now...I'm screwin' off!! (and doing a good job of it)



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"We're having a pretty good time considering one day we're all going to die." Steve Martin, 1976

 

I agree that those changes are needed.



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"We're having a pretty good time considering one day we're all going to die." Steve Martin, 1976

 

You guys are too hung up on how hard a pitcher throws. We need guys who know how to pitch. Major league hitters can hit the fastest pitchers. Its the second or third pitch that a pitcher has that seperates them from the rest of the pack.

Haven also brings up an excellent point. Dierker is leaving pitchers in games too long. Granted the bullpen sucks again this year, but that is no excuse for allowing a young pitcher to throw 130 pitches. Remember the 1980 Oakland A's pitching staff? Billy Martin was the manager. The A's staff led the league in complete games, pitching a ton of innings in the process. 2 years later, every starter on that staff had some kind of arm trouble and their careers were basically over. Lets hope that doesn't happen.

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When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.-
Albert Einstein

 

This quote has lawyer written all over it!

Oh wait...you are a lawyer...nevermind.

Back on topic:

Finn, I think Oswalt is more of a pitcher than a thrower. He doesn't look like he can overpower a batter, but he sures does a great job of fooling them with his fastball.

Dierker is old school in that he believes starters should go deep into games like they used too. But what damage does that do to a pitcher's arm?



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I always thought "With my talent, it's only a matter of time before I'm discovered". Now I think "With my talent, it's only a matter of time before I'm found out".

 

The Astros could really use a left-handed arm in the rotation. The only real trade possibility to give up is D.Ward, and to an American League team...because Ward is a DH, I don't care what anyone says. Problem is, with trading Ward, we lose his LH hitting, which Dierker has said we need. He is their best LHander other than Berkman. The Stros are in a tough position if they really are trying to acquire a lefty...just don't know who to give up.

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Now saw off...there's nothing to see here.

 

Sounds like it might be Alou, if Lopez from the Chronical is correct. There goes McLane, putting the budget ahead of winning:

June 21, 2001, 1:00AM

Alou's departure appears imminent
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle

In the eighth inning, Moises Alou sent a booming calling card whistling past Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr.'s office over the left-field wall.

The towering shot was like poetry in motion, as opposed to Alou's tranquil, stoic face as he rounded the bases, which as usual was as still as his batting stance.

The only thing Alou forgot to do was sign the ball before launching it: "Remember me? Love, Mo."

There is so much Mo Baseball in this man than your average outfielder, it's almost silly. The only thing sillier would be letting him go, but that's what the Astros seem poised to do.

Alou is batting .363, for gosh sakes. He's a certain All-Star, possibly even the league batting champion, possibly the league's Most Valuable Player. He went 4-for-4 with a home run in Wednesday night's 7-2 win, and the reaction by teammates to his big night was subdued. Indifferent, even.

They simply expect it, much like you do and I do.

"He's a professional hitter," Astros second baseman Craig Biggio said. "He's a professional hitter. He's one of those guys that comes to spring training, gets out of bed and gets hits. There are probably five guys in the big leagues that can do that and he's one. You can't replace him."


But on the other hand ...
So why will the Astros try? Why haven't they given Alou at least the same courtesy they gave Biggio and fellow beloved Houston icon Jeff Bagwell? Why haven't they begun talking contract extension in this Alou's final season of a dirt-cheap -- by baseball standards -- $5.2 million contract?

Because, baseball fans, they don't want him back. They do not want to pony up another big contract, once again putting budget constraints ahead of chasing division titles, which we all know has been McLane's stated goal since Wal-Mart was a convenience store.

The club's stance on Alou's contract is wait-and-see, which pretty much has been what Astros fans have done when it comes to playoff time. They keep waiting. And they see others win the rings.

With a bevy of young, talented outfielders in the stable, the Astros figure to allow Alou to sign elsewhere this offseason -- or perhaps even trade him before the July 31 deadline if the team is out of the race.

They'll let him go rather than pay a likely $10 million free-agent price and that will be a shame, and yet another window to McLane's world. When Biggio was entering the final year of his contract, the Astros hustled to get an extension done. The same happened with Bagwell.

But with Alou, whose expressionless face and short time in an Astros uniform has not made him as beloved among fans, there apparently is no big hurry. Can you say Mike Hampton?

"I've stopped waiting for them to come up to me," Alou said.

But there are huge differences in Alou's free-agent situation and that involving Hampton. With Hampton, the Astros said they had to trade him because Hampton made it clear that he wouldn't sign with the club. With Alou, he in fact has made it clear that he wants to stay.


Last year not forgotten
Alou is as mystified as anyone as to why management has not tried opening negotiations, but he, too, has seen the writing on the wall. Only a year ago, the Astros tried to trade Alou, a sure sign that signing him as a free agent wasn't exactly in the plans.

"I was asked by our GM (Gerry Hunsicker) to leave," Alou said. "I was kind of bitter. I felt unwanted. I (declined the trade) because of that ... you want me to leave? Then I'll stay. Plus, I wanted to win (a championship) with Baggy and Biggio. I did tell them, 'Where are you going to find someone that can do what I do for $5 million?' "

They can't. But, hey, it's McLane's money. He can do with it what he wants. The Astros have heard what has been said about Alou on the call-in shows. They've seen that Alou has yet to entrench himself as a fan favorite and figure they can get away with letting him go.

"I think what happened in '99, the way I got hurt and then the way I re-injured myself, then the things that were written and said in the papers about why I wasn't here in the playoffs, that had something to do with it," Alou said. "I think that left some scars in our relationship on both sides."

When it's all said and done, it's about money issues and putting a spin on not making a move that should be a no-brainer. Here we go again.




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I always thought "With my talent, it's only a matter of time before I'm discovered". Now I think "With my talent, it's only a matter of time before I'm found out".

 

Drayton McLane=Bud Adams

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When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.-
Albert Einstein

 

I'll seriously rethink my loyalties to the Astros if Alou is let go and not adequately replaced (i.e. spending bucks on another player).

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Can't I just give you some of my sperm? It's really good!

 

Bob Finn sez:

"Dierker is leaving pitchers in games too long. Granted the bullpen sucks again this year, but that is no excuse for allowing a young pitcher to throw 130 pitches."

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!

My pet peeve!

Jiminy Christmas, Larry, you leave these guys in too long. It's like he has a rule. The tying run has to be on base before he pulls a guy. How many times have you seen him leave a pitcher in 3 guys too long?

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"We're having a pretty good time considering one day we're all going to die." Steve Martin, 1976

[This message has been edited by PinetreeFM60 (edited June 21, 2001).]

 

You cannot replace Alou, he is one of the best hitters in baseball, I really hope they aren't that stupid. In fact, instead of getting rid of our one Alou, I think we should get a second Alou - Felipe.

But that's just me.

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"I always thought it was something that went around my house"
- World B. Free on Defence

 

puedflor: no, it's not just you. It's me, too .

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Lacking inspiration at the moment...

 

haven:

Early afternoon till around 8 or 9, except on weekends.



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Beware the blank post!

 

Agreed. I would love to see Felipe here. He gets more out of his talent than any manager in the league.

I've always liked Larry, but his deficiencies are pretty glaring, and his relationship with his stars is not great.



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"We're having a pretty good time considering one day we're all going to die." Steve Martin, 1976

 

I as well will be seriously pissed if Drayton trades Alou for pocket change. Alou has become one of my favorite players... on level with Pigpen, Bags, and Wagner. If he trades Alou, I hope it is to a team that has a chance to win, and to a team that has a chance to sign Moise's father as manager.

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Feeling claustrophobic, like the walls are closing in.
Blood stains on my hands, and I don't know where I've been.
I'm in trouble for the things I haven't got to yet.
I'm chomping at the bit, and my palms are getting wet.
Sweating Bullets

Runnin', Ravin', Endin', Out.

 

Behad:

The baseball sabermetricians (you can read Rob Neyer on espn.com) have done some pretty in-depth studies about pitcher-longevity, and it seems that high pitch counts early in their careers often leads to arm troubles later on. There are exceptions, but they're several times more likely to have major arm problems than young pitchers who are taken care of.

The most recent example is Kerry Wood. He was throwing HUGE pitch counts early in the season and... well, you know the rest.

Lou Piniella is notoriously bad with young pitchers. Halama seems ok so far, but he's ruined a TON of great prospects by overworking them.

Young pitchers really shouldn't go above 100 pitches, ever. Very dangerous. Interestingly enough, it was after consecutive 120 pitch outings that Miller declined a bit.

BTW, when do we all post? I'm curious to know how well you have me (and everyone else) pegged.

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Lacking inspiration at the moment...

[This message has been edited by haven (edited June 21, 2001).]