Wowsers, this Thread must mean it's real. It's real. It's really spring, Baseball Season!!! Go Rox - and 'stros!!!
It's a wonderful day. It may be about to rain in Austin, again, but it's Opening Day and that's all that matters. GO ASTROS! GO ASTROS! GO ASTROS! WWW
Its something that Garner utilized throughout the last 2 weeks of spring training... he wants a high OBP guy at the top of the lineup before Berkman/Lee, and this also has the dual effect of getting the streaky Ensberg some decent pitches to hit to start the year. Ideally, I'd want Burke batting 1st, Ensberg 2nd, and Biggio 6th... but that gives Biggio less AB's, and also creates a black hole of Biggio-Everett-Ausmus-Pitcher. Burke should be fine wherever he is... he needs to stop pressing, the job is his.
So what is the lineup then? Biggio Ensberg Berkman Lee Scott Burke Ausmus Everett Oswalt Is that it? DD
Hell yeah...opening day...Wish I was going...A girl I just started talking to is going...Pretty cool... Stros: 5 Pirates: 2 Go Stros!!!
The "black hole" you mention still exists, except it is Everett-Ausmus-Pitcher-Biggio. Ensberg batting second should eliminate one of my biggest pet peeves (although Garner does it less than Williams). If Biggio leads the game or inning off with a double, please, please, please do not sacrifice (unless it is the 7th inning or later of a tie game).
Well, the only solution to any possible black hole scenario is to not have Biggio playing everyday... but that's not going to happen (since the only places for him in this lineup are 1st or 6th). Also, I prefer Burke over Biggio in that scenario because he can be a table setter and steal bases towards the bottom of the lineup (and then we can sacrafice all we want with our inept hitters). Also, I didn't mind the sacrafice as much by JW because of the pitching we had in 2004. He only used the tactic in the 1st inning, and you can probably find ample statistics showing the increased winning percentage when teams score first... but I agree that he probably shouldn't have been so stead-fast in that rule (but it did eliminate the black hole, by having Everett bat 2nd).
Yes! Until Ensberg can prove he can hit again, the number 2 spot is a great place for him. I'd prefer Burke at leadoff, but this lineup ain't half bad.
I refuse to think of Biggio as being any sort of contributor to an offensive "black hole" in the lineup.
