Baseball's Third
There are few things in this world that I love more than baseball, and I can name all of those on my right hand:
So when the Astros are on the television or on the radio, I tune in with 100% enthusiasm. Saturday, while driving around Houston like crazy people to get to meetings, lunches, new-in-laws houses, I listened to probably the only great part of Saturday's game against the Cardinals.
With two men on Biggio is at the plate, a killer B, a hero, a star. The King of Houston as it were. So Biggio is at the plate, takes some cuts, gets a full count (I think, it might have been 2-2). Then, the pitch, CRAAAACCK! Biggio hits a home run out into the air and three runs are scored, bringing the game from 4-1 to 4-4. B-G-O! The crowd chants B-G-O! In my car I was whooping and hollaring and clapping with the rest of them. For those of you not into the baseball world, we're entering the All-Star break, and the 'Stros are down 6 games behind the Cards. Not good.
Not impossible odds either. But still not good.
And with wins on either Saturday or Sunday the 'Stros could have made that gap smaller. Instead they ended up making it bigger. Both nights they battled back, both nights Chris "Clutch" Burke got on when he needed to and scored when he had to. Both nights we had opportunities to win. And yet, both nights we lost. And I can tell you why: Brad Lidge.
It's not just about his pitching. He's still an all-star with unhittable stuff. He flew some amazing fast balls past some quality hitters. He even managed to get Pujols out (albeit on a flyball) without scoring. Which was great. But what he's missing is confidence. What the fans are missing is confidence in him. And I think maybe the players are the same way. With Lidge on the mound there's a tension, a difficulty, a sense of loss already out there hanging over everyone's heads. In the old days, Lidge would stried onto the field and the crowd would go crazy. Nobody could stop us with Lidge on the mound. Up by 1 with Lidge? No worries. No one would score against him. No could come close to hitting his slider.
Well now his slider is sliding into the dirt and no one's swinging at it. Either they know when its coming and his secret is just out, or he's just not where he was this time last year.
And again, I'm little-miss-fan. Not Super-Well-Paid-Manager. I'm not in the clubhouse, and I'm certainly no baseball expert. But I'm just telling ya'll what I think. Until we get some trust worthy, quality people on the mound, our club house is going to be ringing with the likes of Berkman screaming the place down. And rightfully so. For a team that's been critized over and over again for having poor at bats to have good ones and still lose, it's just not fair. Berkman, Burke, Biggio, Lane, Lamb and even Petite and Oswalt (two pitchers who got on base -- we must be at the nexxus of the universe!) deserve a win. They earned it. They played hard and battled through some of their own fielding errors.
But don't lose heart fans! We've been in worse scrapes than this and we'll battle through it. We could still make it. We're the NL reigning champions, and nobody loves the game more than us. Houston fans may not be recognized nationally yet, but they will be soon. We've got ourselves a real fine ball club down there. And I just hope the nation gets a chance to see it again. Biggio deserves it. And we do it all for Biggio. :)
But I do want to say one thing to the fans that were at Saturday's game who booed at both Ensberg and Lidge.
Don't boo at my boys. They are my team and my favorites and I think they are great. They play hard and they try hard. And I understand your frustration regarding Ensberg, I think he's more hurt than he lets on too. But don't boo him. He gets booed enough on the other teams field. Don't boo him at home. And Lidge -- Lidge has performed well. He has 23 of the last 25 saves or something like that. So he really is doing good. Not that his ERA shows it. But don't boo him. No one is taking these losses harder than he is. Don't boo him Houston. It's like booing at Biggio and we all know we would never do that. No one boos at Bigg.
And how about that Chris Burke? I hope he stays in Houston for ever. He's like the Prince of Houston. The next Craig Biggio. Let's hope he has Bigg's heart.
1. Lew & Mavvy
2. My Whole Family
3. ... yup that's it, Baseball's third.
So when the Astros are on the television or on the radio, I tune in with 100% enthusiasm. Saturday, while driving around Houston like crazy people to get to meetings, lunches, new-in-laws houses, I listened to probably the only great part of Saturday's game against the Cardinals.
With two men on Biggio is at the plate, a killer B, a hero, a star. The King of Houston as it were. So Biggio is at the plate, takes some cuts, gets a full count (I think, it might have been 2-2). Then, the pitch, CRAAAACCK! Biggio hits a home run out into the air and three runs are scored, bringing the game from 4-1 to 4-4. B-G-O! The crowd chants B-G-O! In my car I was whooping and hollaring and clapping with the rest of them. For those of you not into the baseball world, we're entering the All-Star break, and the 'Stros are down 6 games behind the Cards. Not good.Not impossible odds either. But still not good.
And with wins on either Saturday or Sunday the 'Stros could have made that gap smaller. Instead they ended up making it bigger. Both nights they battled back, both nights Chris "Clutch" Burke got on when he needed to and scored when he had to. Both nights we had opportunities to win. And yet, both nights we lost. And I can tell you why: Brad Lidge.
It's not just about his pitching. He's still an all-star with unhittable stuff. He flew some amazing fast balls past some quality hitters. He even managed to get Pujols out (albeit on a flyball) without scoring. Which was great. But what he's missing is confidence. What the fans are missing is confidence in him. And I think maybe the players are the same way. With Lidge on the mound there's a tension, a difficulty, a sense of loss already out there hanging over everyone's heads. In the old days, Lidge would stried onto the field and the crowd would go crazy. Nobody could stop us with Lidge on the mound. Up by 1 with Lidge? No worries. No one would score against him. No could come close to hitting his slider.
Well now his slider is sliding into the dirt and no one's swinging at it. Either they know when its coming and his secret is just out, or he's just not where he was this time last year.
And again, I'm little-miss-fan. Not Super-Well-Paid-Manager. I'm not in the clubhouse, and I'm certainly no baseball expert. But I'm just telling ya'll what I think. Until we get some trust worthy, quality people on the mound, our club house is going to be ringing with the likes of Berkman screaming the place down. And rightfully so. For a team that's been critized over and over again for having poor at bats to have good ones and still lose, it's just not fair. Berkman, Burke, Biggio, Lane, Lamb and even Petite and Oswalt (two pitchers who got on base -- we must be at the nexxus of the universe!) deserve a win. They earned it. They played hard and battled through some of their own fielding errors.
But don't lose heart fans! We've been in worse scrapes than this and we'll battle through it. We could still make it. We're the NL reigning champions, and nobody loves the game more than us. Houston fans may not be recognized nationally yet, but they will be soon. We've got ourselves a real fine ball club down there. And I just hope the nation gets a chance to see it again. Biggio deserves it. And we do it all for Biggio. :)
But I do want to say one thing to the fans that were at Saturday's game who booed at both Ensberg and Lidge.
Don't boo at my boys. They are my team and my favorites and I think they are great. They play hard and they try hard. And I understand your frustration regarding Ensberg, I think he's more hurt than he lets on too. But don't boo him. He gets booed enough on the other teams field. Don't boo him at home. And Lidge -- Lidge has performed well. He has 23 of the last 25 saves or something like that. So he really is doing good. Not that his ERA shows it. But don't boo him. No one is taking these losses harder than he is. Don't boo him Houston. It's like booing at Biggio and we all know we would never do that. No one boos at Bigg.
And how about that Chris Burke? I hope he stays in Houston for ever. He's like the Prince of Houston. The next Craig Biggio. Let's hope he has Bigg's heart.
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