houston astros baseball 3-20-08

opening day for the astros is MARCH 31st!

from richard justice's blog:

Spoke to Ed Wade on Wednesday, and he remains optimistic that the Astros will leave Florida with a decent rotation. Brandon Backe, Wandy Rodriguez, Chris Sampson and Shawn Chacon seem to have the four sports behind Roy Oswalt. He also said reports of Miguel Tejada's demise have been greatly exaggerrated. As for Michael Bourn, the organization is thrilled at what it has seen so far.

I will restate what I have said from the very beginning-
the tejada trade may bite us in the ass for these reasons:
1) tejada's defense is subpar....
2) tejada's GIDP potential is cringe-worthy
3) besides the fact that the man is most probably a steroid cheater...
even if he's not playing with a guilty conscience... he will undoubtedly be playing under intense scrutiny which will add to the pressure of playing under the spotlight as it is. i can imagine his performance (already backsliding) could possibly get worse.
4) MARK MY WORDS: luke scott's HRS and RBIS will rival if not overtake tejada's output in the same categories. count on it.

below: miguel tejada's steroid check from the mitchell report....



about the starting rotation:
typically my frustration with astros pitching typically starts after the season is underway
this year it started when we traded some of our pitching away for tejada...
now that spring training is 11 days from being over- blood pressure rising....
will woody williams retire?
will ed wade make a last ditch effort for a free agent or for a trade?
(i find it doubtful he would trade loretta to baltimore considering a) loretta's proven contact hitting track record and b) the possiblity of matsui on the DL or not working out at 2B)
will the bullpen come together behind valverde?
will wigginton STOP MAKING ERRORS ALREADY?!
will towles keep up his pace upon his return?
what's this about coop actually taking 3 catchers?!?!
ok... so why did we get rid of mike lamb?

below: backe rides the shortbus!


i cant wait. i try my hardest not to pay attention to spring training because sometimes it incites needless panic-
and until the numbers actually count for something and until the actual same lineup plays with one another day after day...
i wont start hyperventilating at the sight of spring training ERAs of errors...

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!!! (and normal life resumes!)