The Marlins came to Kissimmee Wednesday and Astros fans were treated to a shitfest of bad Astros baseball. Pitching, hitting, defense, all bad. Wandy got the start followed by Paulino, two guys that the team is counting on to have career years, and both ran into lots of trouble – control problems, leaving balls up in the zone, the usual. Most of the big Astros bats were in the lineup this day and most were silent.

You’ll have read and discussed all of this already and I won’t re-open old wounds. I will, though, mention two things that will not have shown up in the box score, one negative and one positive. First, the negative. Pence had a rough day in right field. The day was neither cloudy nor especially windy, two things that can make Grapefruit League fielding an adventure. Pence badly misjudged a routine fly in the first inning. He broke back four or five steps only to realize his mistake and turn and run helplessly forward on a ball that he would have caught effortlessly with a couple of steps forward from his initial positioning. This Misplay was ruled a hit and saddled Wandy with an ugly run. Another time a couple of innings later with a runner on second Pence fielded a single on one hop charging in. I was very surprised to see the Florida third base coach wave the runner around as Hunter fielded the ball very shallow. His throw to the plate from very shallow right field was a dozen feet off line; Towles had to skip-step three times to his right from home plate simply to field the throw. It was a day of very poor defensive play all-around from the Astros, but the defense in right field was especially weak.

And on to the positive – Paulino pitched an inning and had lots of traffic. He gave up three hits, two walks and two earned runs. He also recorded two strikeouts which is why the team continues to be hopeful. Anyway, in the middle of the inning when the bases were busy and things were looking bleak Pedro Feliz called time out and trotted over to the mound for a quick, private word. I’d mentioned before how much I like what I’ve seen from Feliz. He’s swinging a hot bat at the moment but his glove is beyond reproach and he gives the team an upbeat, positive presence from a veteran that I’d hoped would fill the void created by Tejada’s departure. I was very pleased to see Feliz take the initiative and call time out and try to settle Paulino down. I hope that Feliz becomes comfortable with a role of quiet leadership.

After the game Limey arrived in Orlando and we made it to the ESPN Zone at the Disney Boardwalk for Astroline. The broadcast hour was most enjoyable, everything else was less so.

March 11: Rainout

Limey and I drove to Viera in a driving rain. The game was canceled prior to our arrival at the stadium. We drove back to Orlando. We discussed politics and religion the entire time.

March 12: Rainout

Limey and I drove to Tampa and met with Ty in Tampa. We three continued on to Dunedin in a steady rain. The game was canceled after our arrival and admission into the stadium. Limey was triumphant at the opportunity to gain entrance to a Grapefruit League stadium. We drove back to Tampa. We discussed politics and religion the entire time.

March 13: WAS at HOU, W 8-7

Astros fans enjoyed clear skies and strong winds Saturday afternoon at Osceola County Stadium. My guess is that the Astros players found little enjoyment in the winds. Fielders chased infield and outfield fly balls alike with comical ineptitude and pitchers saw routine flies hit to right field leave the yard entirely.

Bud Norris started, pitched three and looked pretty good. He issued a couple of walks early and was tagged with a wind-aided home run (which plainly got to him and affected his pitching for the next couple of batters), but on the whole his velocity was good and his breaking ball and change were both being thrown for strikes and he looked very comfortable from the stretch.

The only other time I’d seen Lindstrom he threw fastballs and very little else. Today he mixed in quite a number of offspeed pitches, sliders mostly, and while some reports say that Lindstrom looked “extremely sharp” I would say that this is true only in relative terms. He was effective but his control is still wanting and he’s a ways away from being sharp. The only pitcher who was truly sharp today was the Nats’ Drew Storen who pitched the fourth for Washington and struck out two while giving up a hit and a walk. Storen seemed to have the best command of anyone who took the mound today and threw an effective slider for strikes. Lindstrom struggled to get batters to offer at his slider, most of which were well out of the zone and not tempting to the batter.

Pedro Feliz continues to impress. He had his customary good day at the plate, but again he made some challenging plays at third look absolutely routine. If a challenging play is a play that an average third baseman will turn into an out two thirds of the time, Feliz will turn this play into an out damn near every time. And he will make spectacular plays that the average fielder would not be able to attempt. He may play for the Astros for no more than a single season but he will be fun to watch.

Sure Footer, Fallas, McTaggart and Levine provide plenty of Spring Training coverage from Kissimmee, but if you want to hear about the real happenings – SnS style – the buck stops with Chuck. Chuck is a long-time SnS’er and has been an Astros Spring Training season ticket holder for the past four years. This year we’ve conned and cajoled him into periodically writing about his Spring Training observations for us here at TRWD. Enjoy!

I don’t have a lot to say about this one, unfortunately. There was a surprisingly large crowd at Osceola this afternoon. The ticket taker mentioned that they were selling a lot of walk-up tickets because last week’s weather was so bad no one wanted to commit by purchasing tickets ahead of time. That may be. It was another nice day and the crowd was decent, maybe two thirds full, and split pretty much down the middle in terms of Astros fans and Blue Jays fans.

Norris started and looked pretty good for it being this early in the season. He got hurt on a pitch he left up but he worked quickly and seemed to retain his confidence through both his innings. Poor Yorman Bazardo gave up three hits but no walks and incredibly got out of the inning without allowing a run. This is a triumph in relation to the last few times he’s pitched and been roughed up badly. Today was my first look at Chia-Jen Lo in a game. I’d seen him throw off the mound before but not to a batter. He has an interesting delivery in that he rotates his hips more than average. It’s almost an exaggerated rotation, actually. He likes a four seam fastball that come from over the top and that he can throw hard. I’ll really enjoy watching him develop. Today was also my first look at Wilton Lopez who looked in fine form delivering the only 1-2-3 inning of the day for the Astros none too soon in the top of the 9th.

The bats were quiet. In general the good guys hit a lot of balls hard right at people. Towles continued his torrid pace by belting two doubles and, according to first base umpire Laz Diaz, arriving at first base just prior to the ball for an infield single. Castro and Manzella each contributed a hit and each continues to hit the ball hard which is all I really care about offensively at this point. That and getting Michael Bourn on track, which will happen. Yes, OSF, Bourn was very tough to watch at the plate for the first half or so of ST last year but at some point the light went on and he started spraying doubles all over the place. Plus, he won a Gold Glove so we know he must have had a good year at the plate.

One final note about the game – Joey Gathright led off for the Jays and drew a walk. Everyone in the crowd who hadn’t nodded off (man, it was quiet in the yard today, those Canadians are too polite to cheer…) or had his or her face stuck in a tub of cotton candy knew that at some point Gathright would set sail for second. Sure enough on the second pitch, a called strike, he broke. Castro calmly fired a bullet down to second and threw his ass out. It was not close.

Chuck and some random dude in Astros gear

And about the picture you jokers have up on the front page (thought I wouldn’t see it, did you?), I can’t tell whether I look like a failed theater student delivering an epicene admonition or if I’ve just taken the sting from a particularly tart Campari and soda. I’ll go with the latter. Anyway, OSF now has another more topical shot he may elect to use once the mirth recedes a bit.

The mundane detail of the trip is that we’re attending two road games: the Gnats in Space City and the Blue Jays in Tampa, where our duo will become a threesome with Ty. Eh? Oh. Anyway, that’s Thursday and Friday. To be followed by 2 games at the OCS: a split-squad game with Washington being the visitors (while the rooks ride the bus to Jakeback Mountain) and then the Hated ATL come in to finish me off. Whatever.

Watching the drills will be very educational for me, I hope, never having been formally trained in the art of baseball. I’m also looking forward to seeing Brad Mills at the helm. Two years of Cooper has put me in a position of having to ration f-bombs, lest I run out of my quota before I die. I am certainly not alone in exhibiting a man-crush on Mills, but even this early into his tenure, he seems to be the antithesis of the outgoing skipper, and that is a whole boatload of good.

But…

Looking at the projected lineup, this team is going to have to win on pitching and defense, and it is questionable in both areas. Even if the meat of the order is productive, it’s still only 2½ sluggers surrounded by Punch, Judy and a few of their ilk. Even then, while defense up the middle will be one of the best in the majors, and 3B has been shored up, the corner outfield spots will continue to be a rich vein of comedy.

Then we look at the pitching. It’s Nicole Richie thin. That doesn’t meant that it can’t get the job done, but it’s a brave man who expects it to get the job done. Oswalt, Rodriguez and Myers will have to do the bulk of the heavy lifting, while someone from the pool of Norris, Moehler and Paulino is going to have to step up. That’s not a major stretch, but the rotation can’t afford any slip ups. Oswalt needs to come back from last year’s struggles, Wandy needs to progress, not regress, and Myers needs to be on his game.

Then, if that all works out, the bullpen has to slam the door. The hitters are not going to mount too many late inning rallies. There’s too little fire power and, let’s face it, not good enough hitting to suggest that they will get knocks in bunches to push runners around the diamond. If the starting pitching works and the offense can eke out a lead, then the bully has to be merciless.

Unfortunately, this bully will have to cobble together its holds and saves; lacking, as it does, a dominant closer. Mills is going to have to manage his bollocks off in the late innings to get the right pitchers on the mound at the right time, and the right defensive replacements on the field in the right places. And I don’t mean the Cooperfucks (there goes another one) that we were used to seeing. You know. When the lead-off guy would get on in the 5th or 6th, prompting a 45 minute half-frame in which the same number of runs score, or don’t score, as would’ve without the changes, but now the defensive alignment looks like it’s been drawn by Picasso, and Stretch is all alone in the bullpen.

Please don’t misunderstand me; I am buzzed about this season. But I have tempered my joy at the change of skipper with a rationality born out of the reality of what he has to work with. Four games in mid-March really isn’t going to be anything on which to base one’s opinion, but maybe this trip to Florida will change my mind. Just maybe.

Early in spring training you can expect to see a lot of pitchers struggling to find the strike zone with their fastballs and a lot of very sloppy infield play. This game had both of those things. In front of a very sparse crowd the Astros erased an early 5-0 deficit built largely on pitchers’ control problems and infield miscues by going crazy in a bat-around bottom of the 4th where just about everyone but Jason Castro got an extra base hit. Later, five pitchers threw an inning each of tidy, scoreless baseball (no walks issued by anyone after the Myers’ three in the first frame) after Sampson qualified for the win pitching the bottom of the fourth.

Last year the opening game at Osceola County featured Florida’s Governor and an opening day spectacle on the field led by Drayton McLane. This year there was no spectacle and no Governor and no Drayton.

The things about the opening game that stood out beyond the absence of the team owner and the very light crowd was the productive plate appearances by the pair of young players I am trying to watch closely – Manzella and Castro. Both of these guys figure to be very good defensive players. Manzella has been advertised as an Adam Everett replacement, all glove and just about no bat. Castro has hit well through the minors, but since seeing him for the first time last spring I have been very impressed with his defense. With Manzella and Castro holding down two critical defensive positions I expect the team to be very solid up the middle. Offensively, Manzella and Castro both had very credible plate appearances. Manzella, the starting shortstop, and Castro, the DH, each had a base hit and each hit the ball hard in most every plate appearance. Castro’s hit ironically was a dribbler up the first base line, but in other plate appearances he was aggressive and made solid contact. Manzella too was very aggressive and looked very confident. He has a batting stance vaguely reminiscent of Moises Alou in that he pinches his left knee in fairly dramatically. Manzella had four quality at-bats, putting the ball in play crisply each time. It’s exciting to imagine these two leading the team into its next chapter.

Anyway, Wandy started the game for the good guys and had some control issues. Most of the Astros pitchers had their difficulties with only Byrdak, Lindstrom and Loux looking good in the box score by not allowing an earned run in their appearance. Byrdak and Loux were fine. Both of these guys are ex-Tigers, by the way. Byrdak is almost certain to make the big league team, but Loux is an interesting pitcher. He throws what looks like a 3/4 split finger pitch. I happened to be able to watch him throw from behind the catcher a few days ago and his release point immediately caught my eye as well as something odd about the way his wrist is cocked prior to release. This was not every pitch, just the strange splitter that I was mentioning. I’d always thought that most splitter pitchers use more of a 12 o’clock release point so the ball dives on the hitter. Loux’s 3/4 delivery has the ball dancing around almost like a hard-thrown forkball. As I watch him more I’ll try to get a better handle on what he’s doing. But this day he turned in a nice inning with a hit and a K and no ER.

Lindstrom didn’t give up a run but neither did he make it through his allotted inning. Yes, he throws hard. But, in this game at least, that’s all he does. His fastball looked very straight and he had no other pitch that was at all effective. Of course he may have been working on something specific in the outing. Many times a pitcher early in spring training will take the mound intent on doing one or two things and completely ignoring whatever else he may ordinarily throw. Maybe this was the case today, but Lindstrom couldn’t throw a strike with anything other than his fastball, and after the first fastball the hitters were not missing it. If they weren’t hitting them they were fouling them off, a lot. Lindstrom threw six, eight, ten pitches to many if not most if not all of the batters he faced. I’ll be very interested to watch him throughout the spring, too, to see how his arsenal of pitches develops.

Bazardo arrived on the scene in time to give up three runs. Not to be outdone Polin Trinidad managed six runs, all earned, on four walks and two hits in one of the uglier outings you will see. I’m still trying to figure out how the Tigers got any hits because Trinidad was nowhere near the plate. Ever. And he recorded no outs so his ERA is currently infinity.

The fielding was terrible. There were Little League errors in the outfield (Bogusevic with two drops in RF) and infield (Shelton, another ex-Tiger, a wild throw to third from his post at first base). But these are the things that Brad Mills gets to be unhappy about. Give me another 20 years or so and maybe then I can lay claim to being a salty Spring Training attendee, but as of now I’ve seen enough of these games to know when to start paying attention to defensive miscues, and we’re nowhere close yet. Especially not when we’re talking about guys who aren’t going to be in Houston in April anyway.

As for the other pitchers there are a couple of things I’d like to mention. Arias looks different to me. As observed by homer of TZ fame who was kindly able to join me for a couple of games, Arias looks like he’s slinging the ball rather than throwing it. I’ll be watching this while I’m here and asking about it when I can. I’ve seen Gervacio twice now. He’s all over the place but somehow manages to get people out. Jose Valdez is a very tall, very lanky pitcher. I have no idea where the hell he came from but he throws a weird-ass forkball, a real forkball, not like Loux’s faux-fork, and it appears to confuse the shit out of batters. Unfortunately he seems to have only the vaguest notion of where it’s headed. But he’s an interesting guy. And finally, Fernando Abad. He gave up a couple of hits today and in so doing had the ugliest line score of any pitcher. I read somewhere that the team is giving Abad a real chance to make the squad. I can see why. He’s a stocky left hander, not too tall, but not short. Six feet? Six-two? He’s bigger than Wandy and throws harder. He goes right at guys and has an attitude out there that you’d immediately appreciate. I’ll keep watching him to try to get a better handle on what his breaking balls are all about because I think that this guy is someone to watch. I don’t necessarily think he’s a dark horse to make the team, but I do think we’ll be seeing him at some point in the future and I’d like to know what to expect.

And seeing a kid like Abad is another reason why I am always pleased when some bunch of jumped up shitheads dutifully informs the universe that the Astros have the worst farm system in baseball. You guys keep writing that, OK? Thanks.

Other than that, at the plate Bourn looks bad, Matsui looks really bad… It’s early. Everyone else looks about like you’d expect them to at this point. Pedro Feliz… Well, his defense is no joke. With Pedro and Manzella the Astros are going to have a defensive left side of the infield to remember. And he’s been productive with the bat so far. I should emphasize that so much of what you see here at this point between pitchers and hitters simply will not translate into the season because pitchers are not using all of their pitches and certainly not in the same sort of sequence that they might in the regular season. So when Hunter Pence went nutso three or four years ago it was fun but not necessarily indicative of what he might do elsewhere. Next thing you know he’s a NL All Star. Anyway, yeah, Feliz is going to prove to be a nice addition I think. Watching him in workouts I saw him to be very up, very energetic, very vocal, very fun. I’m hoping he brings the team some of the energy that Tejada injected. I don’t see him calling time out in the middle of an inning and giving pep talks on the mound, but I do think that he is a very positive, inclusive sort of player that will benefit the team beyond making Ole! grounders at third a thing of the past.

Photos from March 4 vs. Nationals and March 5 at Joker Marchant

Chuck, Live from Kissimmee (pt. 1, 3/3/10)

Players day

As a spring training season ticket holder I was invited to what the ticket office calls a ‘Players Day.’ I imagined it would be a sort of meet and greet with a breakfast and a protracted autograph session. It was scheduled for 7:30 AM, which is not an hour of the day I am typically possessed by thoughts of baseball, or bagels, or autographs, but there I was, pulling into Osceola County Stadium at 7:35 or so. The players’ lot was already full, by the way. The assembled crowd unsurprisingly tilted heavily towards retirees. There were also several socially maladjusted individuals who seemed intent on securing as many signatures as possible when not hectoring the staff or mumbling to themselves. After a while a few of the players cowered out of the locker room in the 40-degree weather to sign memorabilia and pose for pictures with the collected crowd – Wandy, Pedro Feliz, Bud Norris (a very animated young man) and, finally, Jeff Bagwell. Quite a bit of the crowd had dispersed once Bags emerged but those remaining quickly gathered round and I heard several people wishing him a successful season as they toddled off with their signed baseball or pennant or hat or whatever.

Practice fields

From there I walked back to the practice fields in order to watch an intrasquad game that was scheduled to begin after a few hours. The practice complex is a collection of five normal size fields plus a sixth field that is simply an infield as well as a covered and mostly enclosed set of ten or so batting cages. There’s also a building that serves as a sort of minor league headquarters with several locker rooms, offices, trainers’ rooms and a weight room. By the time I got back there at 9 or so there was already plenty of activity – minor leaguers emerging from the bating cages or the weight room, players scheduled to play in the upcoming game stretching. Before long the major league position players filed out of the locker room inside the stadium and made their way to field 4 for their practice session.

Mills running the show

The practice began with infield work, Feliz on third, Manzella and Keppinger rotating at short, Matsui at second and Berkman and Blum rotating at first. Mills and Pedrique ran the practice although there were six or eight other Astros coaches and staff in uniform working the practice as well. The tempo of the workout was impressive. There were four coaches, Mills included, fungoing grounders to the various infield positions at once. Just as, say, the shortstop was releasing his throw to first a ball was being hit to Matsui. Very crisp, very fast. After about twenty minutes of this the practice shifted to what was clearly its main focus – working on cutoffs. Mills gathered the infield and outfield players together (the outfielders hadn’t been doing too much during the infield work, playing lazy catch and stretching) and went over some of the key things that he wanted to accomplish. They had obviously worked on many of the concepts he was teaching before because he continually referred to previous practices.

Mills stood in the infield beyond the pitchers mound and called out the number of outs and on which base the runner stood. He’d hit to one side or another of the outfielder and guide the infield on where he wanted them to be as the throw was coming in. He directed each infield player to be in a specific spot in each situation. Each player has a responsibility on each play. This may seem obvious, but Mills was plainly teaching new concepts because there were plenty of questions (particularly from the first base tandem) and plenty of re-instruction and plenty of repetition. Mills is clearly a hands-on sort of teacher. I observed him to be very encouraging but very exacting. I watched them work on cutoffs for well over an hour. Many of the players on the field are veterans and make 4, 6, 8, even 15 million dollars a year and here’s a first year manager out there working with all of them, enthusiastically, on something that every player begins to learn the basics of in Little League. It was an inspiring thing to see.

Catchers

Three catchers worked the practice, by the way, Castro, Towles and Q. I was standing within earshot of a couple of the coaches when Bourn was fielding balls and sending them home through Manzella. Manzella is a big kid, very rangey, much taller than I’d remembered. He’s very smooth with a very strong arm. ‘Man, that shit gets in there quick,’ said one coach, smiling, after an 8-6-2 relay. Another time after a Blum bobble on a relay Lance announced, ‘The guy fell down rounding third.’

Intrasquad game

For a while I wandered back and forth between field 4 where the major leaguers were now on to BP and field 1 where the minor league intrasquad game was happening. By this time Mills and his coaches were all watching the game. You will have read about the game already so I’ll say only that out of all the players who played unless I missed a pitcher or two only Moehler and Norris are likely to make the big league team at the outset. The game was watched by Tal, Wade, Mills and all of the coaches. There were a couple of bleachers the same as you’d find at any Little League field. At one point I was sitting on a picnic table and suddenly Mills and a coach were standing three feet away. They were speaking quietly but with a bit of effort I could hear Mills. He was talking about the cutoff drills, discussing what went well and what still needed work.

Castro, Bogusevic and Mier take BP

I watched some of the presumable major league players take BP and some notable minor league players as well. I’ll mention a couple of them. Many of the major league players are still getting tuned up. You can see it in their swings and you can hear them say as much as they come out of the cage and speak as the other two players in their rotating threesome get in and hit. Jason Castro’s swing looks like it’s in midseason form. He is a big kid, as tall as Manzella, maybe a bit broader. But he has a very sweet left handed swing. It looks fluid and natural and not at all rushed. Bogusevic has a pretty swing, too, but it often looks over-eager, rushed, forced. Castro just casually drops the head of the bat onto the ball and hits it hard. He looked great in BP, very relaxed, very fluid. I also watched Jiovanni Mier take BP. He is a big kid too, maybe not quite as tall as Manzella but he has plenty of size. I know he hit .750 or something stupid in high school but his swing seems raw to me; it doesn’t seem effortlessly athletic. He didn’t make a great deal of solid contact. I realize that he may have been working on something specific and in any event he’s only 19 years old. I was excited to see him, though, and I’ll enjoy watching his progress.

Miscellaneous sights from Spring Training (click to enlarge)

Chapter 1

December 23, 2009

I am sorry to say it, but as far as excitement over major holidays goes, Christmas isn’t really my thing.

I don’t have any objections to Christmas on religious or cultural grounds; in fact, I don’t really have any objections to Christmas at all. I think the protests by the sensibly secular in this great land of ours against the public celebration of Christmas are largely misguided expenditures of energy and emotion by basically well-meaning people who should put their earnest efforts into something of more practical value, like fighting world hunger or class divisions or economic disparity, or saving the rain forests.

Or, they can go fuck themselves, too. Whichever.

My vague disaffection with the holiday season is not based strictly on anti-commercialism, either. I don’t have a problem with the most of the “commercialization” of Christmas – in the generic sense, at least. In fact, I think the crassness of the season may well inadvertently reinforce the basic decency in most of us, and even cause us to consider, if briefly, moral values we might not think much about otherwise, at Christmas time, or any other time.

We go out shopping this time of year fight mind-numbing gridlock on the roads and the vehicular transgressions of other drivers in scary mall parking lots, and yet most of us seem to retain some basic good cheer; at least partly, I think, because we are reminded this time of year that it truly is better to give than to receive.

The tangled up traffic can promote road rage in some cases, but it also offers multiple opportunities to do something nice for a somebody – letting him or her cut in line; or yielding that parking spot you have been eyeing for five minutes and parking instead a half a block further away; or just holding open a door for some poor bastard loaded down with bags and packages.

The overcrowded stores we wade into are often stressful and irritating; but on the other hand, we cannot stay aloof in a crowded store for long, no matter how hard we might try. One cannot stand in a queue at Best Buy for two-and-a-half hours and not talk to one’s neighbors in line; and if they seem relatively bright and/or mentally stable, one might even get to know them a little bit, no matter who they are or what they look like. The neighborly conversation flows naturally, and even if the catalyst for it is simply to commiserate on the consistently shitty customer service one finds practically everywhere nowadays, you can only talk about that stuff for so long.  Pretty soon you end up talking about other things, the weather, things you have in common, etc. That is the fun part. I sometimes find even a superficial conversation with a stranger in a long, slow-moving line will lower the blood pressure a bit, even make me feel a little better about the world, and maybe myself, too.

If you are like me, you get a little head rush out of doing something nice for or being nice to someone you don’t know, for no good reason. It is a pleasant feeling of well-being that just may have something to do with this ‘Christmas cheer’ one hears about this time of year.

So, I guess I have a positive feeling about Christmas, mostly. It is just that there are some celebrated cultural touchstones regarding the Christmas holidays I feel like I must have missed out on somehow.

I don’t like Christmas music much, for one thing. Some people I know get almost rapturous in late November or early December when they break out the Christmas music for the first time, digging out some Mannheim Steamroller CDs, a Pat Boone cassette or two, and, way in the back of the cabinet there, a scratchy old Harry Belafonte LP that has a great version of “Little Drummer Boy” on it.

Personally, I am indifferent to most traditional yuletide music. There are some non-traditional Christmas songs I kind of like. John Prine’s “Christmas in Prison” comes to mind, or maybe Springsteen and Little Steven and the E-Streeters doing “Merry Christmas, Baby.” At a holiday get-together once, I was asked what my favorite Christmas song was, and I blurted out, “Stranger in a Strange Land”. That brought some vacant stares. “You know, the Leon Russell song.” More incomprehension.

Listen to the lyrics sometime, is all I can say.

**********

I don’t have strong nostalgic feelings for Christmases past as some seem to. I have good memories, but I think part of my problem has to do with growing up with not much extended family around who at least got along well enough to get together for the holidays. The concept of huge Norman Rockwell-ish family get-togethers, all of us sitting around the groaning board eating goose and brandied plums and bread pudding at Christmas-time does not resonate with me.

Probably another impediment to me connecting with the Christmas atmosphere is that I grew up in a sub-tropical climate. I have seen snow at Christmas exactly twice in my life, and I am sure people from snow country would have laughed at it, as it was mostly just a dusting. In fact, it was often warm and humid enough around Christmas time here to wear shorts and a T-shirt. When I was 14 we had a warm front come through off the Gulf of Mexico right before Christmas, 75-80 degrees and humid as hell, and in the course of helping get our house and grounds looking nice for holiday visitors, I actually had to go out and mow the fucking yard. . . because it was three days before Christmas, and the St. Augustine was still growing. I remember pushing this heavy old self-propelled Sears mower that didn’t self-propel around the yard, sweating my ass off, all the while singing, “Mow the (fucking) yard and trim the (goddamn) hedges/Fa la la la la, la la la la”.

So there you have it, the confessions of one Southeast Texas semi Grinch-like individual.

“When the baby looks around him
It’s such a sight to see
He shares a simple secret
With the wise man”

**********

Well, I exaggerate a little. I’m not really a Grinch. In fact, I am kind of looking forward to Christmas this year.

Ed Wade and company seem intent on low-keying their way through the holidays, so far opting to put money down for stocking stuffers, rather than spending on any big ticket items. But there is always the chance they will surprise us. When I was a kid we’d look at the Sears toy catalog, and I’d secretly wish for about 2/3 of what was on every page. Nowadays, I am more realistic. All I want is a quality #2 starter, another solid bat for the lineup, and someone, anyone, above run-of-the-mill to emerge at catcher. That’s not asking for too much, is it?

My kids are ridiculously cheerful this time of year, of course, and act a bit more respectful toward their old man and his requests of them than usual. No doubt they have an idea in mind of not screwing up their potential presents from their mom and I. Not perfectly altruistic on their part, but I’ll take it.

I will get to see some family in the next few days I don’t see as often as I’d like to. And, I’m supposed to be getting a Kindle™ for my birthday (Christmas Eve), so I am pretty stoked about that. . . So anyway, you know, this Christmas could turn out to be a pretty good one, after all. Maybe that is why I have been walking around the last few days humming that “do you hear what I hear?” song playing in my head.

I recall that after all the hassle and hustle and bustle, for a brief moment on Christmas morning there is usually a sort of lull; a quiet time between opening gifts around the tree in the living room, and moving on to the dining room to commence the chowing down. In that lull, that quiet time, is it possible that some perhaps supernatural knowledge may be bestowed upon one, if one is open enough and enough at peace with oneself and the world to receive it? If so, then maybe all the things having to do with Christmas, the secular and the religious, the ridiculous and the sublime, will be put in order in one’s mind, if just for a brief moment.

It may even be just possible, in the brief quiet, to hear a voice, but faintly; singing of what this season is really all about, and why it all still matters as much as it does.

”And the baby looks around him
And shares his bed of hay
With the burro in the palace of the king”

He’s a stranger in a strange land
Tell me why. . . “

**********

And so it is Christmas. No, the war ain’t over, but I think am going to celebrate a little anyway.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Feliz Navidad and Happy Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and Ashura, and Happy New Year, too; to all of Whoopass Nation, and those beyond. . . to those within, and those without. Peace.

It does not matter who you are or what you look like or where you came from or what-all you believe in. You are my brother.

And, oh yeah, Peace on Earth, too. Maybe one day.

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Random reactions, comments and notes on the hiring of Brad Mills as Astros Manager.

Terry Francona on Brad Mills and his new role with the Astros (from Amalie Benjamin at the Boston Globe):

“He’s wanted this. I’m so proud, not just of him, but for him. He’s not going to shortchange anybody on effort. He embodies so much of what’s good in our game. I’m so happy for him. This meant a lot to him, as it should. I’m so thrilled for him. How much we’re going to miss him, sure, but it’s so far outweighed by happiness.”

“Attack is a good word,” of how Mills will take on his new role. “He’s got a lot of skills that are going to help make him a successful manager. He understands communication. He respects the players. I think he’ll make the players be accountable, all the things we’ve talked about for six years in Boston. He’s a smart baseball person and he’s a very good person. That’s a pretty good combination.

“We’ve been friends for 30 years. You can’t replace that. He got his chance to do his own thing. We’re so happy for him, but replacing him won’t be easy, that’s a given.”

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More from Francona on Mills (from Ian Brown at MLB.com):

“I’m proud for him. He’s one of my best friends, not just in the game but in life. We’ve been together for 30 years. It’s a little bit bittersweet, because it’s our loss, [but] their gain far outweighs how I feel about losing him.”

On whether Mills is ready to step up to the next level:

“I think he’s ready. He’s been ready. That’s subjective, but he’s been working his whole life toward this. When he was second in charge, he did a great job. Now he’s going to be making the decisions, and he’ll do a great job. You can’t find a better guy. He deserves this opportunity. Again, I hope he takes it and runs with it. I’m thrilled for him.”

On not having Mills by his side in Spring Training next year:

“I’ve probably taken it for granted that everybody is where they’re supposed to be because he’s so good at it. We’ll certainly have to make some adjustments. But his gain far outweighs any adjustments we have to make. Millsy embodies so much of what is good in baseball. For him to get an opportunity, it sure is nice. It sure is exciting for all of us.”

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Tim Bogar on the Mills hiring (via Tag’s Lines):

“He’s put in his time and diligence in being a bench coach for [Francona] for a long time and learned quite a bit from him and also his time with the Expos and all the way back to Philly. If there’s one guy who deserves a chance to run a team, it’s Brad Mills. Having a chance to run the Astros is going to be perfect for him. Not only is he a capable manager, but also one of the best teachers I’ve been around.

“With the [Astros'] situation on the left side of the infield and the catching situation [and playing youngsters], he’s going to be perfect for those young players. Being in Boston and being round veteran players, he knows how to handle them and knows how to do things to compete and he obviously understands the pitching aspect of it.

“I think they made a great hire, and Brad is going to be everything everyone is looking for as a manager. He may not be a huge name, but you can’t ask for a better quality individual.”

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Footer chimes in with the skinny on Mills from Friend No. 1 and Friend No. 2 (Alyson’s Footnotes)

“Once I learned that Brad Mills was hired as the Astros manager, I reached out to two good friends who have covered the Red Sox for parts or all of the last decade and asked them simply, “What do you think of Brad Mills?” Here’s what I received back:”

Friend No. 1:
“Mills is a genuinely nice guy and he did an amazing job turning the Sox into such a well-run machine. He’s so efficient at everything he does. He’s not a great quote but he’s friendly and respectful. He’s the ultimate taskmaster.”

Friend No. 2:
“Tremendously organized. Probably the most organized coach I’ve ever been around. He had basically every day of Spring Training plotted out weeks in advance of camp, with charts on where everyone is at all times.

“He was a big help to Francona on the bench, helping pitchers with pickoff moves, etc., and aligning the defense, etc. He had great communication skills with the players and has been Francona’s confidant since their days as roommates at Arizona.

“I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about Brad Mills. And being around Francona on the Red Sox bench for the last six years can only help from an experience standpoint.”

A couple of things stood out to Footer from the responses:

1) both said Mills was incredibly organized and 2) Friend No. 2 pointed out that Mills is good at aligning defenses. And can I just say, hallelujah on both counts. The Astros are already better off in ‘10 than they were in ‘09, and they’re more than five months away from playing a game that counts in the standings.

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Astros players and a coach on having Mills as their new manager (by McTaggart at Astros.com):

Lance Berkman

“Certainly I’d love to get together with him before we get started at some point to meet him and talk to him and see kind of what he’s all about and that sort of thing,” Berkman said. “It’s weird because at least with the other managers we’ve had, going into the season we knew a little bit about him. He’s kind of an unknown to me, but I’m looking forward to getting to know him. I’ve heard great things.”

Hunter Pence:

“I’m excited to look at the next chapter of the Astros and our season and hopefully we get moving in right direction.”

“We all have to get to know each other and really get on the same page and get started winning and get a winning attitude and mentality,” Pence said. “It’s the first time since I’ve been here a manager has come in from outside the organization, so I’m just looking forward to seeing what he’s going on.

“[General manager] Ed Wade and [owner] Drayton [McLane] and all the Astros management believe in this guy. He must have something going on and he was with a winning ballclub in Boston. It’s exciting to have a leader like that.”

Sean Berry:

One person that does know Mills well is Astros hitting coach Sean Berry, who lives relatively close to Mills in central California. “He’s got everything you need to be a successful manager and bringing those intangibles and that experience from Boston, that should really help him,”

Bud Norris:

Astros pitcher Bud Norris played with Mills’ son, Beau, in the Arizona Fall League and against him in college. Norris, who’s one of the young players Mills will have to rely on in years to come, listened to the press conference to announce Mills’ hiring and was thrilled with what heard.

“He had a good demeanor and good approach,” Norris said. “It’s good to hear him say the fact he appreciates the veteran guys and he’s going to push them and it sounds great because I know he’s going to push me, too, and I liked to be pushed. If we can fill in those last pieces in the lineup card, we should have a good outlook for next year.”

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Zach Levine at the Chronicle discusses Brad Mills and the state of on-field management

“What’s Brad Mills like as a manager as it relates to what goes on between the lines? Who knows? The regime that one is a part of as a bench coach doesn’t necessarily imply anything about the one he will lead.”

I’d think I’d have added something along the lines of ‘a bench coach working under a good manager does not necessary a good manager make’ (e.g. see Cooper, Cecil), but Levine’s point is appropriate includes an example from the Rays under Maddon’s tenure as manager:

Look at one of the most successful bench coaches-turned-managers of this decade, Joe Maddon. Immediately before his first managerial gig, he was part of the Small-ball Society in Anaheim under Mike Scioscia, whose Angels teams, for better or worse, were near the top of the list in giving up outs for bases. Maddon’s Rays hardly ever sacrifice like the Angels did, but the Rays do, given the speed of Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton, steal bases.

The article also discusses forward and backwards steps made by the Astros during Cooper’s tenure (including worn out bullpens) and asks:

“What do you think is the most important aspect of in-game managing that you think Mills needs to improve in Houston?”

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