Waiting for the Game

Unlike any other sport there is a whole lot more to playing a major league baseball game than having a youngster screech into the P.A. mic with "Let's Play Ball". Or, in San Diego even fewer words, just "Play Ball."

No many of the players and all of the coaching staff are in the park by 3pm...the coaches and manager earlier than that. Media types including the radio and television folks arrive by 3:30 at the latest with the guys and gals that actually work on the telecast production on hand between one and two for a night game.

The last hour before the game is used putting final notes together for the broadcasters and writing news notes for on line reports by the writers.

Meanwhile the players are starting organized on field work outs as early as before 3pm. Extra work takes the field by the visitors first with the home team taking over at 3:30. Official batting practice for a 7:05 game starts at 4:40. It runs an hour. Then the visiting team hits to 6:30 only seconds before Astros Live Pregame hits the air.

That is why Kevin or Bart and their analyst partners have to keep one eye on the field from their Crawford Boxes spot. Never know when a ball will come whistling that way.

We won't have much of a crowd tonite with the match up featuring the Pirates and Astros. But it will be baseball... Former UH hurler Brad Lincoln starts for the Bucs. So there is still something to see. Hope you will join us on Fox Sports Houston...in about 12 minutes for Astros Live pregame.