By Breedlove
Editor’s note - This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on March 27, 2001.

Train Wreck 2000 - The Astros’ pathetic inaugural display at Enron Field at Union Station.

While many in the Astros organization spent the last six months trying to wake up from that nightmare, Gerry Hunsicker had to relive it over and over to decide what had to be done to keep it from happening again. Much of his work goes on in the offseason, and it was his responsibility to use that time to ensure the Astros do not suffer a similar fate in 2001: A Baseball Odyssey. Here Brushback begins to openly wonder what hath Gerry wrought. (more…)

Astros fans worried about their team’s lackluster spring-training performance probably shouldn’t be. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about this team: the starting pitching is shaky, half the bullpen is recovering from injury, the defense isn’t exactly solid. But, as the axiom goes, spring wins and losses don’t matter.

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Astros fans spent all winter hoping for a spring turnaround from Jose Lima. Adopting Hideo Nomo’s tornado wind-up isn’t likely what they had in mind. Lima fell from 21-10 in 1999 to 7-16 with a league-worst 6.65 ERA and 48 home runs allowed in 2000. Even his teammates think Lima is a yo-yo. Does that mean he can bounce back from his hideous performance?

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