I don't care how they made it to the World Series. That's completely irrelevant. That's always irrelevant when your team makes it to the pinnacle of their league (of course, things like cheating and fixing games aren't irrelevant). After 172 games, we're one of two teams standing. It worked.
I will gladly pay off the bet today. For the record, I AM CELEBRATING this victory. Anyone who knows me would agree. I got a barrage of celebratory phone calls last night and was up past 1:00am responding to well wishers. bobrek, you are the one who dredged up the Plan B debate today. Not me. I was just responding. It's obvious that the discussion isn't going anywhere when you have people responding to my posts with stuff like "this isn't a fluke" and "WORLD SERIES". It's like they aren't even cable of reading or thinking.
You're just paying off the bet today even though it was decided the last week of August? Man, business must be bad. Actually I started this thread (believe it or not) for the main purpose of having you respond at some point so I could ask if you paid off our bet yet. It worked.
WORLD SERIES. IT'S NOT A FLUKE. And quit lying. We all know how horrible a summer this has been for you. You can't deny it now.
Or perhaps we're saving that very valid discussion for a more appropriate time. Levelling an attack the intelligence of others never strengthens one's argument. The mature side of me says, "Maybe, but let's just soak in the moment for now." The immature side of me says, "quit b****ing dude, let's party!!!!!"
And Burke, the player you wanted to replace, who won two playoff games for us (NLDS game 4, NLCS game 2), and has been our best offensive player in the playoffs. Had we made the trades you wanted, are we here? Who knows. We had the strong offense last year. This year, we had a more fundamentally sound offense that got big hits when necessary. You didn't believe in these players. Purpura did. You were wrong, he was right. Deal with it.
If talent alone won championships, then the Yankees would win the World Series every year. Talent will only take you so far. After that, it's all about heart and team chemistry. Our guys this year had more heart than any other team that I've ever seen. I'll take that over some washed up scrubs and an injury prone Ken Griffey Jr. any day of the week.
Anyone who thinks this is a "fluke" is obviously ignoring the fact that the Astros have gone 81-46 in their last 127 games (including playoffs). That's a .637 winning percentage (roughly equivalent to 103 wins over the course of a season). That is not a fluke. That is a culmination of great pitching, good, solid defense, intangibles (i.e. base running, decision making, chemistry) and timely hitting. So what if they are carried by the starting "big three" and the relieving "big three". Last time I checked, pitching was part of the game and arguably the most important part. Also, say what you want about Everett's offense, but it would not have been a shock to see him named MVP of the NLCS. His defensive plays were critical to a couple of games in this series.
I'm satellite of reading and thinking. I got sick of my old crappy cable service and went with Go Dish!
And I'm on cloud nine. What we saw was complete baseball... the suicide squeeze, sacrificing the runner over, making the right defensive replacements, perfect moves with the bullpen, and a hundred other little things that, with world-class starting pitching, led to this moment. I'm so damned happy. 44 seasons of watching the Astros, going to Colt "Stadium" with my Dad, which was legendary for it's clouds of mosquitos, and believe me when I say that they were there in the hundreds of thousands... the Dome a hole in the ground, through all the futility and great baseball moments in the Dome, to the final, successful struggle against a great Cardinals team. I'm just floating, and have been since the final out last night. This is amazing!!
Ahhh, Colt stadium...I remember I was 5 or 6 and we got tickets to the enclosed section (we called it the gold level). All the fried chicken I could eat and the soda I could drink, and not as many mosquitos.
I was about twice as old, I guess. Dad was a huge baseball fan, as was my Grandpa in East Texas, who kept a scorecard while he listened to games on the radio. That was a temporary field that's supposed to be in Mexico somewhere. Don't know if it's still in use or not, but as bad as it was, it served it's purpose, and it was baseball in Houston! And we're finally going to the Series. Too much.
The 94 Rockets had "problems" scoring too. Of course, in the end, it didn't matter. They scored more than the other team. Kind of like the Astros have done in 7 out of the last 10 playoff games.
All that matters is that they were the best winning team in the NL in the playoffs. And after next week, hopefully all of baseball.
There are weaknesses in any team or lineup. Look at the Cards relief staff. They suck, yet everyone signs the praises of the Cards. We have a soft-hitting SS who also is known to make big defensive plays. We have an inconsistent catcher who is known to keep our pitchers very happy with his work behind the plate. We have some young guys who's numbers don't currently match up to their potential (Burke, Lane and Tavares). These guys are the building blocks for the next team. Purpura was very smart not to trade away the future while holding on to a great team. You can second guess him all you like, BUT look at the asking price for Adam Dunn or any of the other players who would have been a serious improvement. As for stock's, I'd say ours on a serious rise. We have two mature pitchers in Andy and Roy who are coming back. We have a solid 4 in Backe who still is on the upside of his career and some very promising young pitchers (Astacio and Wandy). We are young in the pen and maybe the best bullpen in the league. We have the best closer in baseball. We have 3 future stars (Lane, Burke and Tavares) at the beginning of their careers and 2 current (Berkman and Ensberg). We have the potential to be a top defensive unit. I think Biggio still plays a couple more years. Best of all, from top to bottom, we have a unit that exhibits the personality of their coach - Scrap Iron. Players who are there for all 9 innings (or 18 if necessary). Our farm system is not loaded, but it's also not depleted. I just can't think of many teams that are more balanced right now than the Astros. Big credit should be thrown Purpora's way. If you wish for a better team, tell me what assets of these you are willing to give up to improve it? Would you have taken the Dunn deal and traded away Backe (game 4 winner), Lane (game 6 HR), etc? Would you have given up the best closer in baseball?
