i just saw your post...sorry!!! april 11th?? i'll have to check on it...email me. you're sure it's ok i can bring my hoodlum 3 year old son?
hey, RM95. FYI. . . it's looking now like I'm going to skip out on Humperdink's tonight. with the Big Injury looking like he probably won't play, combined with some other factors, I'm going to take a pass. have fun wherever you watch the game.
Cool...we'll get together soon. Like I said, I'm up there a lot now...maybe we can catch the game tomorrow night. Now go get some coffee!!!
Another year older, another year not better. Vizcaino was excellent last year, I doubt he'll repeat. Blum and Merced were better than I expect for this season. 4th and 5th starters were reasonably respectable but I doubt they'll do better. It's up to Kent and Hidalgo to play to best form, Bags to 'shoulder' more load, and Berkman/Oswalt/Miller/Wags/Dotel to be as great as they have been. And they finished poorly. But -- Cards were lots better than stros last Sept. Cubs, are better by far. Reds scare me -- Junior has too much to prove. Bucs? May not stop til they bypass our locals. Sorry, and I am, because I am pessimistic about the season.
Question..................................Why are you guys predicting such a bleek outlook for a talented ballclub like this. I am a huge Mets fan and we have good hopes for the season. But, they would have been higher if we would have landed the man we wanted and needed, Jeff Kent. Edgardo Alfonso was not gonna do it for us. Yous Guys got Kent and now your contenders, or should I say "Kentenders," in most peoples books. Kent was second on his team in the Homers department and he did that in one of the worst hitters ballparks in Baseball (Pac Bell). You put him in that "juice box" of a ballpark that really lives up to its name and he could easily produce a 50-plus homer season, as pointed out in the ESPN article. And he will, too. That's like adding Sammy Sosa to your offense. The reason why you probably dont realize it is becuz he's not a marquee name like ughh..........per say Barry Bonds who overshadowed him in San Fran. Kent and Santiago made that teams offense "go" because it sometimes forced pitchers to pitch to Barry because he was surronded by good hitters. Barry is the MVP on his team, but without he needed the protection Kent and Santiago provided him for that offense to succeed. That became evident in Game 4 of the WS when Kent and Santiago both jacked homers when the Angels pitched around Barry. That's why the question of the season was always " to pitch or not to pitch to Barry?" Kent was obiviously the better of the two who surronded Bonds. But once again, Kent nor Santiago recieved credit for the good job they did as they were always overshadowed by Barry Bonds. If you want proof of that, see how many times Barry is walked this season compared to last season's record he set now that his protection (Kent) is gone. He will shatter that record this season because pitchers will no longer have to worry about the dangerous hitters around him. They can now pitch around him, which will mean his numbers will drastically reduce and his team will ultimatly fail. I know you guys havent had a shot at winning it all since 86' when my Mets beat you silly, but I have a feeling this will be your year, just like it was the Angels last year. Angel fans were talking just like you guys last year and look what happened there. There supposed "40 year curse" was lifted from them. You have the talent that it takes to win it all and end your "curse" too.
Not sure who you are talking about. xiki is the only poster that is predicting a bleak outlook. A-Train acts all pessimistic, but we know he really loves the team.
This was for anyone who had doubts about this team, but mainly for the two you mentioned above. This is just my opinion anyways. Its just that everyone I talk to (not just on BBS) always seems to be pessimistic about the Astros outlook for the upcoming because they always seem to find a way to choke at the end. I just think the annual heartbreak you normally suffer will change into celebrations come October for you guys.
1. why not another year better? why can't berkman be another year better? or oswalt or miller? you mention blum and merced and ignore the younger talent we have on the team 2. why do you think the 4 and 5 starters can't be as good or better than last year? what leads you to believe that? just a hunch? 3. bagwell shouldering more of the load? dude, we just subtracted out darryl ward for Jeff freaking Kent. why will he be shouldering more of the load when we're adding a guy who typically hits about 40 HR and hits well over .300 while playing in a pitchers' ballpark? 4. in every situation where it could go either way (better or worse) you see it being worse.
wait..i'm not done..but i can't edit!!! damn it!! the reds scare you?? with what?? because of one player? because of junior? what about their pitching scares you? the cards were very good last season...but why don't you feel the same way about them? another year older, not another year better, right? the cubs are a better team...but are they better than the Astros...not that i can see...at least not on paper. still a team that can't score runs. the freaking pirates? come on. yes they made some good moves to solidify their rotation...but that team making a charge at the division would be akin to the Angels of last year...not likely...can it happen? sure...but geez, your glass has got to be pretty half-empty to think that everything that can go wrong for the astros will, and everything that can go right for the pirates will.
Dude, I hope you are right. I don't believe in this squad. I don't believe in MLB, for that matter. The Angels? A special group of personalities. The Astros? I don't see division winning talent. But, you may be right. I hope so. I doubt it, but after all, what do I know?
We've won 4 pennants in the past 6 years (and our main core is still essentially the same). Doesn't that qualify as "division winning talent"?
Hey Buck, I guess he was refering to the Angel's Rally Monkey. But we've got Junction Jack dude! And if more presonalities are needed to win the division, they could always bring back Orbit and maybe have Clutch, Turbo and Toro in the bullpen. In a related matter..............You dont see division winning talent on this team. I hope your not a scout for the Astros cuz our farm system would be in deep trouble. As pointed out in an earlier post, we have won the division 4 times in the last 6 years with the last occuring in 2001. Most of those players from that team are still here. We just added a manager with more playoff experience in Jimy Williams. Add to that the talent and experience Jeff Kent brings to the ballclub having come off of a World Series. Our lineup is solid and our young pitchers compare to that of the staff in Oakland with Zito and Mulder. Dotel and Wagner will get the job done in the bullpen. So what more could you ask for?
I can't wait to see what the stros' do this season... Last season sucked... I hope Hidalgo wakes up and Biggio plays to all-star potential... I hope our pitching holds up to our hitting...
It did. It doesn't. BTW -- they were not 'pennants', just 'Divisions'. PS Yes, I am negative about the Astros and MLB. I am a fan but with less enthusiasm than ever before. The Texans try. The Rockets try. The Astros kind of, sort of give it a go. Even if they were all the way committed they are 100 mil below the Yanks, 30-50 mil below several others. How about an even playing field? Not in MLB and not in NHL.
you acknowledge the uneven playing field. i'll acknowledge it too. but then you use that to color your perception of the effort the astros are giving toward winning. given that over the last 6 years they have the second best record of any NL team, i don' t think i can question their effort.
