Back in April, I wrote a column where I expressed nagging fears that this season might blow-up, destroying all our hopes and dreams for the glorious campaign to come. “BANG!”, I said. I was wrong. This is no bang, this is a whimper. OK, so Miller and Pettitte have spent some time on the DL, and Oswalt is nursing a bum rib, but that matters ought when you look at any or all offensive categories. “Operation Shutdown” has been executed flawlessly, and the Astros’ season has been scuppered as a result.

As I write this, Scrap Iron appears to have beaten some life into the Astros offense. This, coupled with some unexpected pitching fortitude from Munro and Redding, has resulted in a rally that has reinvigorated certain sectors of the fan base, and seemingly convinced the organization to press on with this campaign instead of cutting bait. They announced this renewed commitment to winning by trading for Darren Oliver. Of that I will say nothing except, “WTF”? (more…)

I will be the first one to admit, I’ve never understood the animosity, rancor or flat out hatred for Jimy Williams. He struck me as a pretty good baseball mind. Stop your snickering. (more…)

A Team Effort

Seven weeks ago, I wrote, “As the season unfolds, and if the Astros continue to prosper, it should not be surprising if most of the games they lose are tight — their pitching staff should ensure that — but that many of their wins will be by a wide margin — the offense will help out in that regard.”

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