In the end, Should we really be surprised that the Astro bats are crumbling now

Jesus, quit whining. You're like that @sshole at parties nobody ever wants to talk to cause all he talks about is how he smart and superior he is.

Yeah the Astros might lose in the first round. Hell, they might not make it. But try to remembing that some people are enthusiastic and want to chear for their team regardless. I'll be really disapointed if they don't make it to the playoffs but I will chear for them in the future either way.

I mean, really, what was the point of your post? It seems like all you've posted the last several weeks is that the Astros suck, the Astros are gonna lose. People get tired of hearing it! Sheesh, and you wonder why you get no respect on the tz. It's cause you sound like a friggin broken record! Believe it or not, we get it: we know you have no faith in this team. But you can have no faith without loudly telling people every other friggin day....

 

<B>Being a fan, I have learned to expect the worst. It doesn't even bother me anymore.
</B>

Then you're not a fan. If you don't care, stop watching them.

<B>Bottom line is this, The Astros so called "dangerous" offense continues to suck against good pitching. Ever so rarely do they break out against a good pitcher (against Matt Morris a week ago). </B>

And you clearly haven't been paying attention this year, because the Astros have sucked quite often against bad pitching, but they've really blasted some good pitchers this year. They've hit Shilling (twice), Johnson, Morris, Lieber, Maddux, etc very hard.

 

BTW, can you name one NL offense that does hit good pitchers consistently better than ours? There's a reason they are called <I>good pitchers</I>.

 

Part of being a fan (well, being a fan of teams other than the Lakers and Yankees) is dealing with failure. You think Astro fans have cause to whine? Try being a Redsox, or a Cubs fan. The Astros have had a good season and the future looks promising with the possibility of a Braves-esque pitching staff. Still, I wish the Astros could at least win a playoff series. I am not even talking about winning a title..just one playoff series. The Astros are flawed team not because of some nebulous concept like clutch hitting, or whatever, but because they are slow and cannot manufacture runs. That is how you can get passed good pitching.

 

I'm not an Astros fan, but you guys ripping JBIIRockets have to look at it from both sides. Being a real fan is criticizing the team's fault as well as the positives. The team has won countless playoff spots and haven't done anything in the postseason. That isn't an opinion it's a fact, they underachieve, and you have to expect that some fans will be jaded. How do you think the Braves fans feel? 10 years in the playoffs and 1 world championship and countless playoff chokes. They criticize the team and have their faith in the team's performance shaken, that doesn't mean they're not real Rockets fans. The Astros every year tear apart good pitching but in big games, for whatever reason, they come up short. Maybe they have trouble adjusting their bats, maybe they get caught up in the spotlight of the playoffs, I don't know, but this team should have made at least one or two LCS appearances over the last few years. I don't consider what JB says "whining" just because it's negative, JB never said he wasn't an Astros fan, just basically that the Astros just seem to disappear down the stretch, and that is a serious concern. Painting a rosy picture doesn't solve their problems, and hopefully they can change their playoff fortunes this year. It has to be frustrating for some fans to see the Astros disappear against he pitching of Atlanta, and then watch the Braves crash and burn in the next round or two. Dealing will failure doesn't have to equal accepting failure.

 

I know the Red Sox have been heart broken numerous times and haven't won since 1918, but I always wonder how it is any worse than what Astros fans have gone through. I mean unless you're like 90, you haven't been a fan for all 83 years since the last world series and the astros haven't exactly been lighting the league up since their inception. Hell, at least Boston knows what the World Series looked like as recently as 86 and they won a playoff series only, what, 3 (2?) years ago. And while Bucky Dent homers and Bill Buckner gaffs suck, we've lost series where 4 of the 5 games went to extras, lost 16 inning game 6's where we led 3-0 after 8, and have had bases loaded, no out situations in the tenth and didn''t win. I would say over the last 40 years, it's sucked worse to be a stros fan than a red sox fan. The public just likes to focus on Boston's misery more. Now cubs fan, I'm not sure. They haven't been to the series since '45 I think, so that's gotta suck.

 

I agree with JBIIRockets on this one (and I for one couldn't give a rat's dirty ass if he doesn't get respect on the tz...in my mind, respect on that board would be a bad thing). I won't be surprised either if the Astros don't even manage to make the playoffs. It's kinda like the way I felt about the Oilers. There were all those years that they were supposed to go all they way, but never did. Finally, you just realized that the chances of it happening were slim and none, and slim just left for Buffalo.

Also, really good bats find a way to beat the good pitching. We should have minimal problems hitting the baseball. Any lineup with a caliber equal to Biggio, Bagwell, Alou, Berkman, Hidalgo, and Castilla should have no problem scoring runs, a few pitchers withstanding (Johnson comes to mind). This year, if we lose the rest of the games 9-8, that's fine. It'll suck, but it will be expected with our current pitching state. There's no way we should have 0 or 1 run games.

Will I be surprised if the Astros' bats fail this year? No. Will I be disappointed? I couldn't tell you til it happens, but right now I'll say no. Does that make me any less of a fan than you? Hell no.

 

They have made the playoffs 5 times, not countless. 5 times is not a lot. Of those times tey were favored once, maybe twice. In 1980 and 1986 the were the underdogs, in 97 they represented an extremely weak central division and were again the underdogs, in 98 they were favored, and I don't know if they were favored in 99. So there is no way you can say the underacheived regularly.

I never said he was not a fan, I just daid he was an @sshole and I stand by that statement. He's the guy on the corner constantly preaching gloom and doom and almost acts upset when it's a nice sunny day. Have you read any of his posts in the last two weeks? If not, search for them. ALL he does and b**** and moan about how bad the astros are, they're gonna choke, etc. Saying it once wouldn't have been that big of a deal but they guy is a joke and a broken record. Life isn't about having to paint a rosy picture. Life, however, is also not about gloating and taking pleaure in other peoples hopes. This guy is a troll, pure and simple. He's like gettinbranded, only at least GB has a team he cares about.

JBIIRockets needs to get a new message, this one is worn out...

 

There's a book called Great Expectations. It's a good read. Only one team can win it all. The rest of us go home losers each year. The odds are against success. It's all about the journey so I say enjoy it. Hasn't it been fun watching the rookies turn this team around. woo hoo! We went from last to first. That's an achievement. Sometimes getting there is an achievement in itself. I think it's been a wonderful season regardless of how it turns out. Let's just hope the story has a happy ending, but even if it doesn't, that doesn't mean the story is over, it's just got a few more chapters in it

 

I gotta agree with RocksMillenium on this one. I mean, I have almost zero faith that the Astros will win in the playoffs or ever be clutch, but does that mean I'm not a fan. No! When each new game starts, I'm still right there in front of the tv waiting for them to rip my heart out and show it to me. And I'll be there for the next game after that, because I've always got hope; I'm just pretty sure it will be proven unfounded. I can even understand the comment about not caring. After your team loses 6 of 7, you feel that way between games (or right at the end of the one you're losing), but you know you don't really mean it. It's just something you tell yourself to mitigate the pain of losing. When the next game starts, you'll be caring again. And it will still hurt to lose.

 

dylan,

What has there been in the last two weeks to be happy about with regards to the Astros? They've absolutely sucked.

 

If you're not disappointed when your team loses, I don't think you're a fan. Isn't wanting the team to win part of being a fan? And if something doesn't happen that you want, isn't the result disappointment?

So if you're not disappointed with a loss, then you didn't really want the team to win. If that's the case, you're not a fan.

Just my opinion.

 

<B>What has there been in the last two weeks to be happy about with regards to the Astros? They've absolutely sucked.</B>

Over the last two weeks, they've gone 7-6 against playoff contenders. Granted, it was very much skewed -- 6-1 and then 1-5, but over the 2 week period, they've been just fine. It's the last one week period that sucked.

 

Thank you shanna for clearing that up. You just made me realize that the last 21 years of my life have been meaningless...this whole time I thought I was an Astros' fan, but you've come along and cleared that up. Because I might not be disappointed if the Astros do the same exact thing they do every year they make the playoffs, I'm not a real fan.

I'll go ahead and assume that people who defend "fans" for booing the home team are not real fans either.

I guess we'll be watching hockey tonight.

 

Honestly, not much. Injury problems and cold bate have been a problem. However, in spite of their problems, and in spite of the Cardinalls success, we are still tied for the lead in the central. Who in the hell would have predicted that after last year? Who would have predicted the great success of Wade Miller, or Oswalt, or Carlos Hernandez? How about the amazing bat of Berkeman?

Or how about the fact that all we need to do is win one game against the Giants to make the playoffs?

I am not trying to say critisism of the astros is not allowed. There are certainly flaws in the team right now. But just mindlessly repeating the same drivel over and over again gets reall old to me. And maybe it's just me, in which case people are welcome to put me on their ignore list.

 

<B>Thank you shanna for clearing that up. </B>

No problem, glad to help!

<B>You just made me realize that the last 21 years of my life have been meaningless...this whole time I thought I was an Astros' fan, but you've come along and cleared that up. </B>

So you're telling me you weren't disappointed after the '97, '98 and '99 playoffs? What was all the b****ing about then?

Maybe you were a fan then and not now.

<B>I guess we'll be watching hockey tonight.</B>

You might be, but I'm a real fan!

 

God, I'm sick and tired of the "we were in last place" last year defense. Well, we shouldn't have been in last place last year. For about a month this year, we were playing like World Series contenders, and now we're horrible. I've already said that the injuries to our pitching staff would be to blame for 8 runs a game...that's fine, it sucks, but it's not the fault of the players. However, the bats going silent <B>AGAIN</B> is not acceptable. I don't care if we were in last place last year or not. We had a freakin' 5.5 game lead a week ago...a 4 game lead last Friday. The only reason the Cardinals haven't taken over first place is because we haven't played tonight.

 

oh, btw RM95, thanks for the info about the conservative law firm's opinion on Clinton. Interesting stuff. If, in fact, he didn't just get away by abuse of power then my opinion is very much changed. It was the abuse of power (or at least my perception of it) that bothered me more than the actual case...

 

<B>that's fine, it sucks, but it's not the fault of the players. However, the bats going silent AGAIN is not acceptable.</B>

It seems you're quite disappointed. Either that, or you're b****ing about something you don't care about....