Texas Has Some Regrouping to do--Fast!

The #1 ranked and regular season baseball champions of the Big 12 are limping home on Saturday night after losing all three games at the Conference tournament in Oklahoma City. Most think they are still a major player in the NCAA tourney, but things will have to change fast.

Reds Give LeCure Lots of Support

Former University of Texas pitcher Sam LeCure won't forget his major league debut. He beat the Astros and didn't have much trouble. His teammates in Cincinnati ultimately scored 15 runs and won 15-6. Sam had a lead from the bottom of the first through his six innings of two run ball.

What can we say about the Astros that we have not already this unfortunate season? One thing is we can put to be any comparisons with 2005's 15-30 and 16-31 start. The 2010 Astros have bested (worsted?) that. They are now 16-32.

The 32nd loss featured something relatively rare this year-- poor starting pitching which put the team in a hole. Wandy Rodriguez was rocked and that pushed his season ERA over 5.00. Totally unacceptable and Wandy knew it following the game. He repeatedly told the media he had to work harder. He had to get his stuff to obey...the curves to break more sharply and all his pitches hit the spots in which they are intended.

Sam LeCure's stuff did just that. A great start for the fifth member of the 2004 Longhorns currently in the big leagues. Along with LeCure is catcher Taylor Teagarden, reliever Huston Street, outfielder and fellow Red, Drew Stubbs and pitcher A.J. Howell.

On Saturday the Astros will trot out veteran Brian Moehler with Wesley Wright in the ready reserve to take over at the point Brian needs help. That is expected since Moehler has not started a game this year and thus has not needed to go very deep into any of his prior appearances. Until his last outing in which he got no one out, he has been very good out of the pen. Now he needs to be very good as a starter.

Presuming the injury to Bud Norris is not serious it may have come at a good time. Bud needed to step away for a bit to re-examine his work and what he needs to do to improve.

The Astros got some hits on Friday. Hunter Pence had a good game. But some of the hits came when the Reds had a big lead and the pitcher's job is to make sure he throws strikes and not try to be tricky. So it is hard to say things may start to improve. Pedro Feliz is still a troubling story. One only wonders if he will be able to play out his contract or have to face the same fate as Kazuo Matsui. Clubs don't like to pay off players whose contracts must still be honored. At the same time when there is little production behind that contract and in the Astros case there IS a third baseman at Round Rock who may be ready to show what he an do, the quandary becomes larger.

Fans, reporters and broadcasters only have to speculate about those sorts of things. GM's and owners have to make the decisions with all that goes with them. They are not easy calls at all.

ON TO OKC

I am leaving the Astros Saturday morning and heading to Oklahoma City for the Big 12 baseball title game telecast on Sunday. (KTXH-TV 20 1pm in Houston). Baylor knocked off Oklahoma to make the game from one pool. Texas A&M goes in from the other. Because of the way things worked out none of the games scheduled for Saturday have any meaning. The final match up has already been determined. The worst of them is the final game: Baylor vs Kansas. It is scheduled for a 7:30 start, but when four games are played in one day that likely won't happen and the game will start later. Then Baylor will have to come back for a day game on Sunday to go for the title.

It is a flawed system, but it is the only one we have.

Roy is Roy and College Baseball

A couple of sports notes caught my eye early this morning. Number one--and I saw this one first hand-- Roy Oswalt is as good as ever. Since that is the case I have decided nothing less than a can't miss future superstar should be part of any deal sending Roy to a post season bound club. So, choose well Ed Wade--should you choose at all.

Personally, I have absolutely no qualms about Roy sticking around. This Astro team as offensively challenged as it has been has the makings of a pretty darn good pitching staff. When one includes the top arms in the farm system there IS hope.

Don't get all excited. Other than improvement this year, which I definitely expect, the real growth will be in 2011 and 2012. By that point Oswalt will be at the end of his contract and may retire or move on. Until then he would be a continuing good role model for the young arms like Bud Norris and Felipe Paulino and others yet untoched by the major leagues on the way up.

COLLEGE TOURNEYS FIRING UP

The other item that caught my eye was one score from the Big 12 post season baseball tourney. It was: Missouri 7, Texas 3. That was a win by the number eight (last) seed in pool #1 against the number one seed and number one team in the country.

It does not eliminate the Longhorns from anything, but is still instructive. Even a club with as good a pitching staff as Texas can be caught on a given day by a given team. No, Texas is not in a must win situation in the Big 12 Tourney. They know they will host a regional and super regional. (OK they don't really KNOW yet, but they are pretty darn sure.) So, not winning the post season tourney in the league is not so important for them. They would still like to, however. Losing the opening game means some other teams need to do some upsetting to get them to the final on Sunday on FSN regional networks.

Texas plays Texas Tech Thursday at 3pm. Then they play A&M on Saturday. They have to win both AND hope that Missouri can pull off another upset at 7:30 today or they won't be playing on Sunday. It is that simple.

Meanwhile, in Houston at the University of Houston the C-USA tourney is underway. The dominance of Rice over the last few years is on the line. The Owls should be an NCAA tourney team win or lose the tourney. But their seeding and where they play is very much up in the air. That is often crucial is giving teams a good shot to get all the way to the College World Series in Omaha.

ASTROS CLOSE OUT IN MILWAUKEE

Meanwhile the Astros close out their short three game series in Milwaukee with an afternoon game on Thursday. Then it is off to legitimate NL Central contender Cincinnati for the weekend. Was the hitting resurgence of the Astros' 3-4-5 hitters on Wednesday real or a temporary fluke? Think real because Lee, Berkman and Pence ARE better than they have shown for the first 45 games.

Sad news for the career of Gregg Zaun. I did a pre game interview with the former Astro on Wednesday while he was waiting for a final determination of the extent of his shoulder injury. He got bad news. He has a torn labrum which will require either surgery or a long long rest. At 39 his very career may be in jeopardy. A good guy, Zaunie, and we hope however things go from here things are positive.

I Didn't Want to Do This

It was inevitable when the Astros record fell to 15-30 that comparisons to the 2005 team that "achieved??" the same mark would be forthcoming. So here goes. I doubt if this will be encouraging, but at least it may offer some though provoking tidbits.

That 2005 team finished in a rush with a overall record of 89-73. That was hardly earth shaking but was good enough to still take the NL Wildcard spot even if eleven games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central.

Then in the post season the Astros beat both the Braves and Cards to advance to their short four game World Series with the White Sox.

The biggest similarity between the 2005 and 2010 Astros is in the pitching. However, even there the 2005 team has the edge. The overall bullpen may not have been quite as strong as the 2010 team but the starters were stronger and in the top three far more well established than this year.

The top three in 2005 featured Roy Oswalt, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. Two of those figure to qualify as Hall of Fame candidates based on pure numbers. In 2010 the big three are Oswalt, Brett Myers and Wandy Rodriguez who was also the #4 or #5 starter in 2005.

Only Oswalt should he decide to play on past his current contract might have a chance at Hall of Fame consideration.

Both teams had solid closers. Brad Lidge would save 42 in 2005. He had eight at the 15-30 mark. Matt Lindstrom has ten saves at the same record.

The current Astro back two in the rotation, Bud Norris and Feilipe Paulino have had their moments of success and failure. That was the same with Brandon Backe and Rodriguez in 2005.

Offensively, while the 2005 Astros were a step down from earlier clubs that included Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent in the lineup they were still more potent that the 2010 contingent. As maligned as Brad Ausmus and Adam Everett often were both were better hitters than Humberto Quintero or Tommy Manzella. Morgan Ensberg hit 36 homers at third base in 2005. Pedro Feliz won't come close to that. He has never hit more than 22 in a major league season and is well off that pace. At second base Craig Biggio returned for his outfield stint and hit 26 homers in 2009. Jeff Keppinger may be able to best his .264 average, but won't come close in the power department.

Lance Berkman is still the first baseman, although Jeff Bagwell tried to start the season there in 2005. He had to bow out in early May due to his continuing shoulder problems and Lance moved in for good. He got off to a poor start himself after beginning the season late following knee surgery. He was hitting only .179 after 45 games. He finished strong, like the team, and was at .293 with 24 hr and 82 rbis when the bell rung at the end.

In the outfield the potential for the 2010 team is greater, but don't forget Jason Lane's 26 homers in 2005. Call Lane and Hunter Pence a wash. Michael Bourn has a greater upside than Willy Taveras. And Carlos Lee--if he only BECOMES Carlos Lee again-- has a major hitting advantage over Luke Scott.

There ARE differences between the 2005 and 2010 Astros. The 2005 team probably wasn't as good as it finished. The 2010 team isn't as bad as it IS.

Where will things wind up?

Astros Nearing Dubious Record

One more loss and the Astros are right there with 2005. But that is not good.

Wanted--New Crew for Ship Being Abandoned

In the martitime world when it is time to abandon ship that means it is sinking and is done for. In baseball when it is time to abandon ship that means the crew is jumping off, but the ship itself will contine to sail. The latter is the situation with the Houston Astros.

A team called the Houston Astros will continue to play baseball in the major leagues. It simply appears there will be a new staff of "sailors" getting it through the seas.

How soon will this happen? Now it appears it may happen within weeks or surely just a couple months and may ultimately involve a number of players considered icons with the team.

Roy Oswalt could be first. He and his agent have made a formal request for a trade. He can't demand it and the Astros can't even assure it. But his wishes are quite well known now. Any contending club that is just a starting pitcher away from perhaps being a champion will be contacting GM Ed Wade. Ed won't have to do a thing except put his scouts to work making sure the prospects or players the Astros might get in return for the franchise's all time 2nd winningest pitcher are sure fire future contributors to the Astros. Then the new club will have to get Oswalt's approval.

Lance Berkman could be second to go. In his case, however, he has to prove to the baseball world that his slow start in 2010 and his less than lofty 2009 season were not the result of a slowing bat and indicators of career decline. He has to get hot for the Astros pretty soon. His run of pop ups, soft fly balls and easy grounders must end.

While what he has left in the tank may be a question for some, his contract status makes him worth a gamble perhaps. He has only an option year after this. A club that picked him up in August, for instance, would only be obligated to pay the final weeks of his salary this season plus the buy out clause in the option. Berkman, like Oswalt, has a no trade clause, but has indicated that could be waivable. It still could be a sticking point, however. Players in situations like Lance's have often accepted trades only if a new deal is negotiated with the acquiring team before the trade is agreed to.

Other players on the club who could be traded with only the question of what value in return include everyone except Carlos Lee. He, too, has a no trade clause and unlike Oswalt or Berkman has made no indication he would consider waiving it.

But players like Hunter Pence, Wandy Rodriguez, Matt Lindstrom and even Michael Bourn could be significant trade bait. Fans don't need to worry, though. It is highly unlikely all of them would be or could be traded in a one year period. That is too difficult and would involve a great deal of risk.

Less risk for Lindstrom since he will be a free agent at the end of the season. The Astros have a closer on staff in Brandon Lyon who is under a three year deal. And, teams rebuilding and not pennant contenders don't really need a closer as good as Lindstrom has been. He could be a prime trade candidate in a month or so.

Even Drayton McLane, Jr., Astro owner, admits it is time to make changes. He has been every bit as disgusted at what he has seen so far this year as the most critical fan. In a story written by Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, McLane admits changes have to be made. He also says the Astros will make them.

In good times--as during the bulk of the Biggio/Bagwell era-- team icons and favorites were able to stick around and finish their careers in Astro uniforms. This is not an Astro good time now and really has not been for at least four years. That is why Oswalt wants out and Berkman may follow. It is why younger players like Pence and even Bourn may have to be sacrificed for the greater good if the right deals presented themselves.

The Astros have to change. The fans know it. The owner knows it. The players know it too.

Sayonara Kazuo...Too Bad Your Peak was Past

The Astros did something many followers had advocated for some time. They asked waivers on second baseman Kazuo Matsui for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.

Unlike most folks who lose their jobs there should be no weeping for Matsui. He will be payed the rest of his contract which amounts to nearly $4-million. While his career may be over--at least in the United States-- he could possibly re-surface in Japan should he desire.

Matsui most likely is a victim of age and a compilation of injuries. It was apparent his bat speed was gone. Rarely did he hit a ball with authority and he finishes his Astro career with an oh for 20 stretch. He was still the club's best defensive second baseman, but his bat was so woeful a move had to be made.

The fact that he was in the final year of his contract and would not be re-signed was a factor. So was the work turned in by Jeff Keppinger while manning the position.

It was only co-incidental that Matsui was released following Keppinger's three hit, four rbi game, in Wednesday's win over the Rockies.

Before we say a final good-bye to Kazuo Matsui let us just recall what he had been. Just for the Astros he had been productive enough. In his first two Astro seasons he had hit .293 with 20 stolen bases in 2008 and .250 with 19 steals in 2009. Both seaons, however, had been marred by nagging injuries to his legs and back. He had ironically been healthy in 2010, but his hitting skills seemingly were gone.

Kazuo Matsui had come to Major League Baseball in 2004 with the New York Mets after signing as a free agent from Japan. The Mets thought they were getting their shortstop of the future. In fact Matsui's contract required he be played at shortstop for at least his first season. Manager Art Howe was saddled with that requirement even though it became obvious Matsui was not his best player for the position defensively. Injuries became a factor early on when a lower back strain put him on the disabled list late in the season.

The next year, moved to second base a bruised left knee set him down for six weeks. In 2006 he missed most of the season while being traded to the Rockies in June.

In 2007 he was the mostly regular second baseman for the NL Champion Rockies.

Then it was off to Houston and a new three year contract. The acquisition was a gamble by Astro GM Ed Wade. He was counting on health and the Kazuo Matsui that would ultimately be honored by the Japanese version of the Hall of Fame. Except for short periods and some individual games it did not work.

Matsui was a great player from 1995 through 2003 for Seibu in Japan. He never missed a game, had a lifetime batting average well over .300 with power. He hit 30 or more home runs twice and 20 or more four times. He stole as many as 43 bases one season. He never approached any of those numbers in the tougher level of MLB and was forced to change positions.

Since Kazuo won't be 35 years old until October he very well might catch on with a team back in Japan to play a few years. Whether he can be a success there again, however, might be in doubt. The level of play may generally be a bit below that of the major leagues. But, if his bat speed has declined as much as it appeared this season that may not matter.

It has been a very good overall career for Kazuo Matsui. It is just too bad it could not have been better with the Astros.

Rain and Cold in LA...Ump DID cost 'Em

The smallest crowd I have ever seen in Dodger Stadium either in person or on TV saw umpire Phil Cuzzi actually cost the Astros a possible win on Monday night. His miscall on a force at second base in the first inning resulted in a three run first for LA. They won the game 6-2 so the three un-earned runs were not the final margin, but it was only a 4-2 LA lead until the 8th. The Astros should have been on top at least that far.

Now, I am not jumping on the umps. They make far more correct calls that any batter gets hits or pitchers have 1-2-3 innings. But when they miss in a crucial spot it hurts.

Cuzzi said that Keppinger left second base too soon on the force play throw from Geoff Blum. Replays showed he certainly did not. That would have been the second out in the inning. When the next hitter hit a fly ball to right field the inning would have been over with no runs scoring.

Instead that fly ball turned into a sacrifice fly. The next hitter tripled home two more runs.

It seems when a team struggles as much as the Astros have this season EVERYTHING turns against them. That call was the latest example.

The schedule will be next. After Tuesday night's game in Los Angeles the Astros will fly home to Houston to open a two game series against Colorado. The club will land at Bush Intercontinental at about 5:15AM. After the bus ride back to Minute Maid Park it will be nearly 6AM. For those who wish to wait for the delivery of luggage it will be nearly 6:30 before they can get home.

That will make for a sleepy or at least circadian cycle challenged Astros in game one against the Rockies.

Baseball never stops. Win or lose there is a game nearly everyday with a lot of travel in between. People with "normal" lives cannot relate. All they care about is whether the team is winning or at least playing well. Sometimes it is very hard to do either. The Astros are proving that right now.

Let's Try to Beat L.A.!

The Astros had no luck in beating the Giants. Now in Los Angeles they will try their luck against the Dodgers who don't have the same starting pitching as San Francisco which throttled the Astro offense so well.

Day Off in San Francisco

Astros losing 2-1 to San Francisco on Saturday

Saturday's Astro game was televised by what we call Big Fox and not Fox Sports Houston. So, all those involved in the telecast crew had the day off. For me that means more physical activity than a game day allows for. And in San Francisco that means a lot of walking with some of it up and down the hills the city is known for.

I began at 8:30 when I left the hotel downtown and walked up Powell Street headed toward North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf. Part of that walk is almost straight up. I only paused when I got to an intersection and the light told me to. Otherwise a pushed on. I stopped by Pier 39 and noted the sea lions are all back. Last year they were gone and no one knew why or where. I don't know why they are back, but they are there again sprawled out on the pier. I noticed a significant number of youngters this time.

Continuing my walk I decided to skip the hill on the way back and headed toward the financial center. While in the Fisherman's Wharf area and closer to downtown I ran into a number of homeless street people and beggars which is not unusual. Mostly I tend to ignore them, but I had to give it to the ingenuity displayed by three of them with the signs they held. One said, "I love my family. I need money to celebrate." Another read, "Who am I trying to kid. I want to buy booze!." And the third, "I'm too ugly to attact women. I need money to buy a..." (you imagine the rest.) I made note of their signs, but moved on.

I ate lunch at John's Grill downtown. The place has been around since 1908 and in mentioned in "The Maltese Falcon", both the book and movie as one of Sam Spade's favorite spots. Apparently author Dashiell Hammett loved the place as well. Then it was time to go to the ballpark.

After I had jogged to AT&T Park and watched the Astros lose a very close 2-1 game to the Giants, actually, one of the better games of the year from a spectator standpoint. That final at bat by Kazuo Matsui against Brian Wilson was classic. It took 15 pitches for Wilson to finally retire Kaz on a soft fly ball to left that gave the Giants the win. Afterward I jogged back to the hotel. As I neared it, there was a demonstration going on. It was demanding that Israel cease it's occupation of Gaza. There were a number of people of all descriptions chanting and holding signs.
One of those holding a sign was my street person friend who said he was too ugly to attract women. I always heard that joining groups was a good way to meet them. Of course he may have been here because he didn't collect enough money for his backup plan.

The Bourn Suspension

No, not another movie starring Matt Damon...but the update on the situation involving Michael Bourn...and what may be the result. From the Sports Library.

Reminder tonight is Wednesday and that means two things. On Astros Live Pregame Bill Brown and Jim DeShaies will answer E-mails and during the game I will be Live Chatting with fans. Contact through our website: http://www.foxsportshouston.com We will be up and running at about 7:20 after I have time to make it back upstairs from the field and the pre game shows.

Also due to our Live Chat (from about 7:20 till the 8th inning) I won't be working Twitter or reading emails. However, EVERY other game but Wednesday follow on Twitter and submit e-mails anytime. I will answer or forward ALL e-mails. Some of them will be part of E-Mail Wednesday on the Pregame show with BB and JD.

NCAA Baseball Title Back to Texas?

If you have not been noticing it may be time to start. Augie Garrido's Texas Longhorn baseball team is loaded again and after clinching another Big 12 regular season title is loaded for post season success.

Is This Worse than 2000?

It is amazing how many Astro fans and followers who were not around in 2000--or too young to really remember-- have asked me to compare Houston's worst season since 1991 to this one.

While I was also around in 1991 I was not comparing that 65-91 team to 2000 or the present since I was announcing on Texas Rangers games and not covering the Astros. However, having my home in Houston I can say that while the 1991 team was not good it had much hope. There were some young guns on that team named Biggio, Bagwell, Caminiti and Gonzalez. There was hope for the future. The team was not good, though. The young players were not ready to excell. The pitching was weak. There were a lot of low scoring and boring games in the cavernous and often two thirds empty Astrodome.

But that all started to change. The next season the young players were more experienced. The pitching got better. The record jumped to .500 in 1992 and by 1993 Art Howe's team was eight games over .500 and near contention.

The 2000 team was a different animal. The Astros had won three straight division championships in the last three years of the Astrodome. In 2000 Minute Maid Park--then known as Enron Field--opened. The Astros could not adapt. Oh they adapted in the batters box. The team set the still NL record by hitting 249 home runs. Unfortunately the pitchers who were used to the cover of the Astrodome's dead air and long distances did not. They were blasted unmercifully at home and road. The record fell to 72-90, a .444 winning percentage and the lowest since 1991.

Yet, there was still hope with that team. The very next season Larry Dierker's team was a winner again. They won 21 more games than in 2000 and claimed another division crown.

Even in 2000, though, going to an Astros game was fun. The new retractable roof ball park was brand new. Despite the club's record it was full or very close to full every night. The games were exciting thanks to the Astros offense even if the pitching often gave up even more runs.

So far in 2010 that has not been the case. The club has a poorer won-loss percentage than either in 1991 or 2000. What is more distressing than that is what the so far season long hitting slump is doing. It is making Astros baseball very boring and uninteresting to watch. For a major league baseball team to have a winning financial season it needs more than a hard working promotions staff. First and foremost it needs a winning team. If it can't have a winning team it must at least have a team that plays hard and is exciting. The Astros play hard. When you can't hit any better than the Astros have this year you just can't be very exciting.

Every single statistic and historical track record for the players in the Astros lineup shows they can hit. Carlos Lee has always been able to hit. Lance Berkman has hit well enough to be a strong candidate for MVP. Hunter Pence has been an established major league hitter. The fact that none of them has done much at all this season is why the club is in its current state.

It is not a matter of contending for or winning pennants. No one in baseball felt this club was a pennant contender. At the same time no one in baseball expected or still expects this team to play (hit) as poorly as they have thus far in 2010.

The answer to the question is: Yes, this is worse than 2000 or even 1991 right now. The season is only about 30 games in, however. When it is all over it wont be this bad. The Astros will again be an interesting team to watch. Hopefully, this poor start won't discourage fans from stopping by Minute Maid Park and seeing for themselves.

Fans Had a Good Time

Last night while I was walking from Minute Maid Park to my car I overhead a number of fans talking about what they had just seen during their evening watching the Astros play. And you know what? They were talking about how much fun they had and Carlos Lee's game winning home run. None of them were worrying about the Astros low batting average or place in the National League standings. No one was trying to analyze what needed to be done to get the Astros on a winning streak or how to fix apparent problems with the team.

They had simply had fun at the ball park watching a major league baseball game. I guess none of those fans bother with talk radio or offering comments on on line forums. They just take an evening at the ball park for what it is--fun.

It is true, of course, that the average attendance at Astros games is at a record low Minute Maid Park pace this year. That is directly attributable to the team's poor record and low expectations during the whole off season. It, however, does not mean there are not a large number of Houstonians who will attend baseball games anyway. Those are the fans that I overheard on the sidewalk last night.

Ending a game on a walk off game winning home run doesn't happen every night and when it does it elevates a game to a special category. Still, I get a feeling those fans I over heard would have had a good time anyway. They love the game of baseball and the atmosphere of going to a major league baseball game. There is nothing like it win...or lose.

Remembering Ernie Harwell

Back in my Texas Ranger announcing days I had a chance to get to know Ford Frick Award winning baseball broadcaster Ernie Harwell well. Sharing a microphone with him for an inning every season was always a joy. Ernie died Tuesday at 92. He will be missed.

What the Fans Don't Know

On Monday night the Astros played a miserable game in losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-1. Starting pitcher Felipe Paulino, however, only made one mistake that hurt. The three run towering homer by former University of Houston star and Houstonian, Chris Snyder, was it. Other than that the big guy performed well. He was losing 4-1 when he left the game and with the current state of the Astro offense his fate was certain.

Tim Byrdak was next. He got the first two hitters, then lost his control. He gave up a hit and walked a couple before being relieved.

Byrdak is a prime example of a major league veteran player trying harder to get the job done than any fan knows. He has been battling through a groin problem that often sees him limping through the clubhouse with a large ice pack or heating pack (depending on when you see him) strapped to his upper thigh, lower groin area. He has been feeling pain for some time. Still, he has been getting the job done until Monday night. He has been "toughing it out."

Now, however, it has been decided he must be given some time to heal. He is going to the disabled list. A lot of people in "normal life" wouldn't mind being paid for not working for a couple weeks. In fact, when it happens to us we call it vacation. Being on the DL is not a vacation for major league players. It is something they try very hard to avoid. Players go on the DL only if they are almost forced to.

Add Sammy Gervacio to that list of those who, by staying off the DL for a second time, is now back in the minor leagues. Sammy had just come off the DL when he hurt his shoulder again. He was able to convince club trainers and doctors that it was not a problem. He was feeling well enough to pitch again. So, he did pitch on Monday and got no one out. While he is not on the disabled list his ineffectiveness got him a ticket to Round Rock.

Last season the same thing happened with Chris Sampson. He went through a stretch of not pitching well after coming off the disabled list. When he told Astro management that he was physically OK--when he probably was not-- they packed him off the Round Rock. He fnnished the season there and was not even a September recall.
It is the human nature of ball players to want to play.

Wilton Lopez is back. Lefty Gustavo Chacin joins the Astros for the first time. Byrdak will be given time to heal. Gervacio will be given time to get back on track--a probably heal a bit, too.

While the Astros are certainly not playing as WELL as fans would like. Don't ever think it is because they don't want to play. They ALL want to play and to win. Sometimes things like injuries get in the way along with hitting slumps.

Just Waiting for Something to Happen

The Astros will open a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in about an hour an a half. I have been at Minute Maid Park since about 2:45. That is pretty typical for a night home game. I get to the park, pull out and set up my laptop and look to see if the starting lineups have been posted in press box yet. If they have I start filling in the book and spend the rest of the time until about 3:25 checking items on the computer or reading the media notes and stats.

At 3:30 I hook up with whoever is working as our Fox Sports Houston cameraman in the Astros clubhouse and seek out a subject for the night's pre game interview. Many times we put those two to two and half minutes on tape before 4pm. Patti Smith and Bart Enis split their duties during the season and whichever is working will need to share the cameraman with me. Occasionally our needs (and availability of our interview subjects) conflict but that is rare and we always work around them.

Once the interview is "in the can" I am free until the pre game show hits the air. During the rest of the time I spend time chatting with players, coaches, writers and fellow broadcasters. Usually well before Astros batting practice if finished I am back in the press level filling in the rest of my scorebook and again going thru web sites for more news and information.

As I type this I am in that stage now. Once this is finished I will be back on Twitter to let fans know the starting lineup for the game. Tonight my "in game" work will focus on reading and responding to fans on the Fan Mail site and on Twitter. Wednesday is the night we leave those sites to concentrate on our weekly Live Chat.

Occasionally something a fan may submit thru email is timed just right and fits into the game flow so I will go on the air and interject...or perhaps involve Jim Deshaies and Bill Brown into a conversation. This may not happen some games or could happen two or three times in a given game. That is mostly dependent on the game itself and the type of correspondence I am getting from fans.

When the game is over I will interview an Astro player on the field if the Astros win. Otherwise I am finished for the evening. Either Patti or Bart will handle clubhouse coverage. I do that on the road, but get a break for most home games.

During the course of the season I will do a behind the scene story on the men in the booth and the folks out in the truck. All are busy folks getting ready for every game.

Open Letter to the Astros

Friday night I followed the results and play by play of last night's Astro loss in Atlanta from afar. (I am in Stillwater, OK to do the play by play for the national Big 12 baseball telecast of Kansas at Oklahoma State later today.) While jotting down the entries into my Astro scorebook several things came to mind about what we have all seen so far this year. So, I am about to present an open letter to the Astros.

Dear Astros,

Like all major league teams you have hundreds of thousands...maybe a million or more different fans who are pulling for your success every time you hit the field. Right now they are being disappointed Yet, everything that may be causing disappointment can be overcome.

Tommy Manzella: You must cut down on your errors. Too many of your miscues have come on playable balls that have extended innings and resulted in un earned runs. No one really expected you to be a great hitter. You were expected to be a far above average defender. So far the steadiness needed in addition to great plays is not quite there.

Carlos Lee: Almost without saying your offensive output has been extremely disappointing. That can happen in baseball and cream almost always rises to the top. However, until it does you must do a better job of hustling on every play you are involved with. Whether that involves hustling after balls in the outfield or running hard even on ground balls hit by you that are surely going to be outs. The fans expect it. They deserve it. So should you.

Lance Berkman: Be careful out there. No more injuries, please. The Astros need the real Lance Berkman's bat in the lineup.

Hunter Pence: Please start to relax when hitting in potential big RBI situations. You are practically squeezing the sawdust out of the bat trying so hard to do well. Take it easy. Your talent will take you through if you let it.

Starting Pitchers: As a group you are doing OK...not great, but OK. For the most part your are keeping a team with normal offensive output in games. Unfortunately, the Astros have not shown much normal offensive output this year.

Michael Bourn: What is up with all these strikeouts recently? It looked like you had licked that problem the way you started the season. Now, however, the curse of the K is back.

Kazuo Matsui: Yes, you are likely in your last season with the Astros and in major league baseball. But while you are here the team needs the real Kaz. That's the player who can hit .260 to .290 with the ability to steal bases. As a result of your slow start and Jeff Keppinger's hot one you have played less. But Brad Mills will give you chances. Start to take advantage of them.

Brad Mills and staff: Don't change a thing. You are doing a great job of encouraging, teaching and leading. All of that work will pay off.

Summation: The Astros record is just about where lots of people figured it would be and on the same pace for the whole season lots of people thought it might be. Still, this club has more talent than it has shown. This club--barring any major injuries to key players-- is at least a .500 club. They have to get there first.