Astros' Myers moves from starter to closerFebruary 28, 2012, 9:25 am When the word came out from Kissimmee Tuesday morning that Astro pitcher Brett Myers would move from last year’s opening day starter to this season’s closer a lot of speculation was unleashed. Why is the move being made? Could it mean that Brandon Lyon is not sufficiently healed from his surgery of last season? Could it be a way to make Myers more valuable as a future trade pawn? Could it just be a way to open a spot in the rotation for non-roster veteran Livan Hernandez who is already being afforded elevated status as the first exhibition game starter? Or could it just be that Myers is the best choice for the job? It was not a spur of the moment decision. According to Myers he had been called at home about three weeks ago to be asked if he would make the move. “I told them I’d think about it. I had to think about it to see if I could do it since I haven’t closed in five years. I feel like I can do it. They told me it is probably best for the team, so I was all for that. I enjoy the chance to play every day. Every time that phone rings, it could be you. It’s a different mindset. As a starter you try to go 6-7 innings. As a closer, you need to get three outs.” Manager Brad Mills said GM Jeff Luhnow brought the idea to him originally. After discussing it for a couple of days Mills agreed that if Myers was OK with it, making the change could be a good one. Myers was much less effective as a starter in 2011 than he had been in 2010 when all but one of his starts lasted at least six innings and he was 14-8 with a 3.14 ERA. Last year his record fell to 7-14 and his ERA ballooned to 4.46. It seemed to take Myers time to get into a groove. He often had rough starts. According to stats dug up by the Houston Chronicle’s Stephen Campbell, Myers was quite ineffective with his first 25 pitches. A batting average of .350 with .382 on base and .571 slugging percentages might cause some concern as he now moves into a role in which his first 25 pitches are more important. However, too much can be read into those numbers. The job of a starter and closer are different. Myers as a starter was far more concerned with longevity on the mound than immediate success. Perhaps the loss of two or three miles per hour off his average fast ball was a problem and the same pattern he has used in 2010 just didn’t work. In many of his starts his fast ball was well under his 88.4 norm in the first or second innings, but got up to that average and a bit more as the game progressed. Now, Myers will not be trying to save anything—except the game—when he takes the mound. His job will be to get three outs and nothing more. If he can pitch at 90 with the FB to go with his good breaking balls he will be fine. Remember, he HAS done it before. In 2007 with the Phillies he moved from the rotation to the pen early in the season and was effective. He saved 21 of 24 games while registering a 2.87 closer ERA. In 38 of 48 relief appearances he was unscored upon. One caveat goes back to that fastball. In 2007 he had up to four more miles per hour on his average fast ball than he showed last year. Hopefully the return to the pen and objective of going one inning will result in the return of some of that velocity. Moving Myers to the pen would seem to mean that Brandon Lyon is not deemed ready to return to the closers role. He saved 20 games for the Astros in 2010 before arm miseries began which led to surgery last summer. Of course, if Lyon does come back that could make Myers trade bait by mid season if he is effective. Being able to start and/or relieve is a pretty valuable skill. Meyers would have it if one of the mid season contenders needs another arm and the Astros are not in a race.
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Cougars indoor team falls short of C-USA titleFebruary 26, 2012, 8:54 pm Cougars fall one point short in C-USA men's indoor track
and field In the Conference USA indoor meet staged at the new Birmingham
Crossplex, coach Steve Gulley admitted to FSN's Jeremy Bloom he had been hoping
for another second. The Houston Cougars looked too tough to overcome. Not only
had they won in 2011, but they dominated the league. Houston had won 12 men's
indoor titles in 16 years, but the Cougars would not win a 17th this season. Houston freshman Anthony Coleman could not hold the lead, getting
edged by UTEP’s Curtis Kock at the finish, while Tulsa's Julian Frazier had a
strong finish and moved Tulsa into third. With UTEP’s win in a conference
indoor meet record 3:11.64, Houston second and Tulsa third, a new champion was
guaranteed. Still, 12 men's
titles in 17 years is impressive. The real turning point was one event earlier. Brittany
Copeland won the 3,000 meters and the 10 points she earned pushed East
Carolina ahead of UCF, which didn’t score a point in the event.
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Are Astros and Rockets the same team in different sports?February 24, 2012, 9:43 am The Rockets don't have any players in the NBA All-Star Game. That may not be a bad thing. The team reached six games over .500 for the first time in three seasons when they beat the 76ers on Wednesday. Coach Kevin McHale has his club playing as a team bereft of superstars. Sure, Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola have veteran status. But none of them are superstars that need to have each game revolve around them. McHale has used his bench and has broken away from the standard substitution patterns most teams follow. How does this apply to the Astros? Like the Rockets, the Astros will likely not have any all-stars beyond the required representative on the NL team this summer. Like the Rockets, not much is expected this season. GM Jeff Luhnow told reporters in Florida a couple days back that his expectation is higher than most of the media. He did not go so far as to project a contender, but that it would have a better record than last year and could surprise a lot of folks. That would make for another valid comparison with their basketball buddies. The Rockets are playing much better than expected. They look like a genuine playoff team that capable of beating almost anyone in a given game. Will the Astros be able to do the same? Competition for playing time with the Astros mirrors what is going on with the Rockets. As spring training begins it would appear that other than catcher and third base most spots are solid. But are they? Jason Castro would appear to be the primary catcher, but he must prove his health and then win the job. Chris Johnson may have the early edge at third base, but will face competition from Jimmy Paredes and perhaps Brett Wallace. Brian Bogusevic won the hearts of a lot of fans last season in right field. But he faces stiff challenges from Jack Cust, Fernando Martinez and others. Jordan Schaffer may have the edge in center field, but what about Jason Bourgeois? In left field, J.D. Martinez is the leader. But he, too could be beaten out. In short, the Astros have almost the same situation as the Rockets. Players will face real competition and, other than Carlos Lee at first base, do not have a position guaranteed by virtue of a large contract. As for the pitchers, only Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Bud Norris would seem to have spots wrapped up. Roster spots are up for grabs just as with the Rockets. As the Astros continue to build their minor-league system, there will be players who don't make the team that wind up being key cogs with others. Rocket fans know all too well that Jeremy Lin of the Knicks did not make it through training camp. They also note that Steve Novak has been doing some successful long- range shooting for New York. Then there are Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks, who are performing at high levels in the NBA, but no longer in Rockets uniforms. If the Astros' building plan succeeds, fans may bemoan some baseball players with other teams that passed through the Astros as young unproven players and became stars elsewhere. Pitchers Mike Cuellar and Curt Schilling are two notables from the past. That is the price of building a deep system. You can't keep everyone and judgments must be made. Sometimes the player that gets away is still worth it because of what he brought in return. The jury is still out on the Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn deals of last season. There is no question the Astros got some top prospects in return. If a few of them turn out to be productive, that trade could be graded as a success even if Pence and Bourn are all-stars. Although Lin was not traded — he just failed to make the team — and there was no room for him, some Rockets fans are bemoaning “the one that got away.” Yet, the 2011-12 team without him is doing quite well anyway. The Astros and their fans hope for the same as the process of evaluating the camp roster starts to play out and then the season begins.
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Texas Was Once Big in Spring Training, but Hardly AloneFebruary 21, 2012, 10:58 pm While all thirty major league baseball teams currently train in either The latest trend has more teams leaving Earlier this week I wrote of the many This state was hardly the only one other than The Braves, then based in Boston, trained in Wallingford, CT in 1943 and 1944 and in Washington, DC the next year. The Cubs went down to Larry Bird’s hometown—French Lick, Indiana. The Reds trained at The Brooklyn Dodgers went upstate to the Bear Mountain Resort in The St. Louis Cardinals crossed the The New York Giants trained during the war in nearby The Chicago White Sox, like the Cubs tried French Lick for a couple of springs then moved on to Terre Haute, Indiana in 1945. The Indians stayed in During World War II Yet, before When major league baseball moved into |
Spring training in Texas? It was once a big dealFebruary 19, 2012, 11:27 am This week, pitchers and catchers are reporting to major league baseball spring training camps in Arizona and Florida. But Texas was once a very popular spot for spring training. From the time organized preseason workouts began in the 1890s, teams had sought warmer weather climates than afforded to the teams based in the Northeast and Midwest — which included all of them, at the time. As early as 1904, major league baseball found Texas. That spring, the St. Louis Browns opened a camp in Corsicana, the St. Louis Cardinals gave Dallas a shot, the Chicago White Sox set up camp in Marlin Springs and the Cleveland Indians moved even farther south to San Antonio. For the next 30-plus years, someone would be training in Texas. There remained an occasional foray into the state as late as 1941, when the Browns completed a five-year stay in San Antonio. From 1904 to 1941, only 1935 saw Texas without a team in camp. According to Baseball-Almanac.com, no fewer than 14 different clubs during the 16-team era trained at least once in Texas. Only the Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers never did. The Yankees were here only once — in Houston in 1914. The Red Sox (San Antonio, 1924), Phillies (New Braunfels, 1939) and Pirates (San Antonio, 1936) were other one time visitors. Along with Corsicana, Dallas, San Antonio, Mineral Springs and Houston, other cities to host big-league teams included Waxahachie, Galveston, Eagle Pass, Cisco, Mineral Wells, Seguin, Waco, St. Augustine, Palestine, Hot Wells, Brownsville, Orange and New Braunfels. Wichita Falls hosted two teams from the Federal League, Indianapolis in 1914 and Kansas City in 1915. Marshall hosted Kansas City in 1914. Three major league clubs of note spent the most time in Texas. The New York Giants trained in Marlin Springs for 11 springs from 1908 through 1918 and had two stints in San Antonio, from 1920 thru 1923 and again from 1929 thru 1931. Manager John McGraw loved the place. He was not a fan of Ty Cobb, though. When both the Tigers and Giants trained in San Antonio and were quartered in different hotels on Alamo Square, they stayed apart. McGraw would not so much as play an exhibition game with Cobb's Detroit team. Detroit was a semi regular in San Antonio. They trained there in 1909 and 1910 and again in 1921, 1927-28 and, finally, in 1933. The three other clubs besides the Giants that spent the most training time in Texas were the St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox. The Giants trained 17 years in Texas at two different cities — San Antonio and Marlin Springs — and the Browns visited six cities in 17 years. They used Houston and San Antonio twice and also camped in Corsicana, Dallas, Waco and Palestine. The White Sox trained in Texas for 15 seasons in seven different cities: Marlin Springs, Waxahachie, Seguin, Dallas, San Antonio, Mineral Wells and Waco. The latter two were used on two separate stints each. The St. Louis Cardinals were also a frequent visitor. Fourteen springs were in Texas, with San Antonio on their list twice, but Houston having the most springs, with four. Through all of the Texas spring training years, San Antonio was the most popular single city from most different teams using the facilities to most total years used. Thirty-three spring training camps were held in the Alamo city from 1904 through 1941. No city rivaled Marlin Springs' longevity with the Giants, 11 straight years. In the Texas days of spring training, things were far different from today. Camps were used to get players in physical shape. Many did very little or no conditioning in the offseason and would report to camp soft and well over weight. While hitters took batting practice and fielders took ground balls and fly balls and pitchers threw to get the kinks out of their arms, there was no organized exhibition game schedule. It mattered little how close or how far the next nearest big league club was training. If the manager wanted some game competition, he would either organize intrasquad games or invite local amateur teams to play. The playing conditions were crude and ballparks hardly in the best shape. Still, as spring training opens in the modern, fan-friendly facilities in Arizona and Florida, it is good to remember that for many years Texas played a major role in getting the big-leaguers ready to play.
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Don't overestimate "Moneyball" -- Astros aren'tFebruary 16, 2012, 8:15 pm In reality all the A's did was to seek players (draft choices, free agents and others) who would not cost as much as others, but who had qualities that may have been over looked. With hitters that meant players who may have lacked some of the five tools, but who still had worth thanks to the performances they had demonstrated in the past and could still be productive major leaguers. The movie version of the book was mostly centered around how the club would be able to replace Jason Giambi at first base. The club knew it could not compete with big spending franchises like the Yankees and that Giambi would be only the first of their stars to depart via free agency. How could the A's remain relevant? That is where the concept now known as moneyball was given emphasis. But in many ways it was both highly over rated and certainly nothing really new. For instance, the success of the A's from 2000 through 2006 encompassed time with Giambi and without. His replacement at first base after he left in 2001 was Scott Hatteburg for three years. He was an adequate player, but not nearly as productive as Giambi had been. Hatteburg had a good on base percentage for a hitter whose batting averaged ranged from .253 to .284. He had only modest power and did not score a particularly impressive number of runs or drive in more than his career high 84 in 2004. In other words he proved he could play in the major leagues, but hardly star in them. Every club can use players like Hatteburg, but they also need more. The A's still had more. The real stars of those teams had names like Tejada, Chavez, Zito, Mulder, Dye and Isringhausen. They were the nucleus of the clubs led by Art Howe and Ken Macha that routinely won 90 or more games and under Howe surpassed 100 wins twice. GM Beane must be given credit for one thing. He saw the future. The future was that the A's with their low fan support and revenue would not be able to compete with the big boys for long. Oakland has to do the best they can with the money they have—which isn't much. The Astros know all of this. Some of their off season acquisitions may be in the Hatteburg mold. But the real long term plan doesn't center around the Jack Cust's or even the Jed Lowries. The Astros know that when they rejoin the list of contenders it will be led by players they have developed. They are using modern techniques of statistical analysis combined with old fashioned good scouting and development. From the players scouted, drafted and signed they want to move past the old standard of potential and emphasize the projection analysis. There is at the very least a subtle difference between the meanings of potential and projection. Potential is often derived from the five tool evaluations scouts have used for years. For position players that starts with can he hit? Can he hit with power? Can he run? Can he field? Can he throw? Those qualities, especially the last three can be determined from watching games. The first two are harder to determine since the level of competition can often disguise things. Many players drafted in the first round are selected on potential. A lot of so called good athletes also are drafted. Often, though, the best athletes don't make good baseball players. Projecting whether a player can make it to the major leagues is an educated guess. Those educated guesses are made once a player has had a chance to begin his professional career. Projections are made after his mental makeup is factored along with his tools and achievements. Can that high potential player based on the five tools make it higher as a pro when things start to get rougher and he faces more failure. Does he adapt well to coaching and instruction. Does he have the heart and desire along with enough talent to succeed? When I was doing radio play by play for the Buffalo Bisons which was the Pirates AA club in 1979 the team had three players who would later spend extensive time in the major leagues. Only one of them, catcher Tony Pena, was a highly regarded prospect who definitely projected to be a star. He became one, too The other two were not even projected to be regulars with the Bisons when the season began. Outfielder Luis Salazar was to be the extra outfielder, but a late injury in spring training allowed him to move into the regular lineup. He starred by hitting over 30 home runs. Before his career ended he had played 13 years in the majors with the Padres, White Sox, Tigers and Cubs. The other non prospect was lefthanded pitcher Dave Dravecky who was probably was only on the team because he was a lefty. From a short middle reliever he moved into the rotation as the season continued. He never stopped moving until he had played eight years in the majors and won 14 games for the 1983 Padres. You may know the story of Dravecky His career was interrupted by cancer, but he came back and almost literally pitched his arm off. Weakened from radiation treatment his arm actually snapped delivering a pitch for the Giants in 1989. Damaged so severely it had to be amputated. The lesson I never forgot from both Salazar and Dravecky is how important heart and desire is for players to overcome odds set against them by scouts and baseball officials to make it. Closer to home the Astros have two players who are trying to over come low first impressions. Outfielder J.D. Martinez was not even a starter when he began is pro career. At that point was evaluated as a nice minor league outfielder. He was a 20th round draftee and did not possess high scores in all the tools categories. He had little speed, a average outfield arm and his swing did no produce much power. Soon, however, he showed he could hit for high enough averages that any speed or power shortages could be down played. Then he started to develop some punch. He became a major league prospect. He was never projected to be, but now may be a regular in the major leagues in 2012. Second baseman Jose Altuve is another who has shown heart, desire and intense love for baseball have moved him from novelty minor league filler to the major leagues. Until his rapid rise last season Altuve was most known around baseball as the shortest player in uniform. Though he has always been listed as 5'7" he is likely closer to 5'5". He is also one of the best hitters in professional baseball. He got where he his through hard work, developing skill and determination to be a star in the game he loves. The Astros plan is to find and develop more players like Martinez and Altuve to go with good decisions at the top of the draft. The plan also includes finding players in other systems via trades who might have the same qualities to "come out of nowhere." The Astros plan is solid. They know there is more to scouting and developing than just what a print out sheet shows. They also know what those sheets may show can give some leads where to look for talent. A lot has been made of the backgrounds of GM Jeff Luhnow and Director of Decision Science, Sig Mejdal. That is fitting since both are from a winning organization in St. Louis that has shown how to meld the scouts and minor league development personnel with the statistical analysis needed to get the best picture possible. Everything works together to get the best picks on draft day and in trades. The Astros want players who have a chance not only to make the Astros, but to become key parts of a consistent winning Astros ball club. If not , then good enough to become parts of future trades made to help strengthen the club. Going what will likely be called "the moneyball route" or re-building a franchise with young players is nothing new. Many have tried. Some teams have not been able to stick it out long enough for positive results to be achieved. Others have made bad choice and have been relegated to the lower standngs for years. By using both good statistical analysis and eyes on the field Houston hopes not to make the mistakes of others. Fans and the club itself will have to be patient. There will be some failures and more games lost along the way. Yet, success can be achieved. One of the keys is not having players themselves be concerned with what they may read (officially or not) about how they projects. You have seen plenty of them. Player A looks like no more than a #4 starter in the major leagues, or Player B has a good glove, but won't be able to hit for much power. You see those all the time. No player who ever reads less than positive comments should ever hang their head and give up any more than any player being praised for his skills thinks he has it made. Remember Salazar, Dravecky, Martinez and Altuve. They never quit. And whatever happenedto players like Mike Ivie or Brien Taylor? Hard work and a positive attitude go a one way in baseball.
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Players Work Out, Fans Read to Prep for SeasonFebruary 12, 2012, 4:54 pm Get Ready for the Baseball Season By This time of year magazines directed to fantasy baseball are starting to appear on the newsstands. Sometimes it seems more people play the fantasy game—in baseball or football— than those that pay attention to the real thing. However, I have a couple, if not new but still in the bookstore, books that fans more concerned with the real game of baseball should consider adding to their libraries. One is called “The Unwritten Rules of Baseball” (Harper Collins) which became an oxymoron when those rules compiled by Paul Dickson first appeared in print in 2009. You may recognize the name, Paul Dickson. He also wrote the “Dickson Baseball Dictionary in 1989,” “Baseball’s Greatest Quotations” in 1991 and “The Hidden Language of Baseball” in 2003 among others. Dickson’s work is for fans of the real game and great for new fans to major league baseball. Most of the so-call unwritten rules don’t apply to the strategy used in games, but mostly how players conduct themselves. For instance an unwritten rule is to respect the other team and do not “show up” the opposition. This one used to be followed religiously in many ways from not stealing bases with big leads or swinging at 3-0 pitches under the same circumstances. Everyone who has ever watched a major league game has seen these guidelines ignored at times. However, a young player who forgets will be reminded by his teammates…or by the opposing pitcher. Which brings us to another unwritten rule: If you DO show up the opposition by showboating on a home run or violating one of the rules in the previous paragraph you likely will have to get out of the way of a very close pitch the next time you hit. Or at least that is how the game used to be played. This unwritten rule is hard to follow in current baseball since pitchers daring to throw inside in situations that would have called for it under the unwritten rules are often in danger in being tossed out of the game by the umpire. Times have changed. I am not going to spoil the book for you by going over any more of these unwritten rules, but you get the idea. Author Dickson fills the 244 pages with a listing of rules for players, managers, umpires, score keepers, media and even fans. It is a good read peppered with anecdotes illustrating many of the “unwritten rules” in action. If you have to choose one book to buy, pick Paul Dickson’s work. The other tome, while a bit heavy statistically for some tastes is another good read to prep for a long season . It was originally published in 2007 and compiled by Tom Tango, Michel Lichtman and Andrew Dolphin (Potomac Books). Titled simply, “The Book” it covers the strategic moves most used by baseball managers and why they use them. It also offers statistical evidence why some long time common moves may not be the best. For instance, in the National League where the pitcher bats, there is great discussion when the manager should order a bunt and when it is not a good idea. A manager’s evaluation of his pitcher’s hitting skill should be taken into account more than it often is according to “The Book.” How about making out lineups? Traditionally the number one hitter has been a non power player who has a good on base percentage and base stealing speed. The number two man needs to have bat control with few strikeouts, hit from behind in the count, have nearly as good or better batting average more more power than the leadoff man. Maybe not as swift, but still a good base runner. The number three hitter has traditionally been the best hitter for average with good power but maybe not as much as the #4 hitter. The number four or cleanup hitter traditionally has had the best power and RBI ability. He usually has little or no speed. Number five has usually been less skilled than #3 or #5, but not much. Perhaps he has a bit lower average. The sixth place hitter is slightly less skilled than #5, but ideally still will have some power. Once the lineup gets to #7 the team needs a hitter who can drive the ball a bit if possible before the bottom two hitters step up. The 8th place hitter should be able to hit bad balls and get runners home before the pitcher comes up. If there are no runners with two outs he can look for a walk just to get the pitcher to the plate and not to start a new inning. He does not need to walk much, but should have a good enough eye in strategic moments when a pinch hitter will be used next. In the American League with no pitcher in the lineup the #9 hitter may have some of the qualities of the leadoff man but be less skilled. “The Book” says that generalization may not be correct based on statistical research dealing with how often the best hitters get to the plate. The top five hitters shouldn’t follow the tradition according to some research. Do you think the #2 and #4 hitters or the #3 and the #5 hitters are interchangeable? Researchers for “The Book” say they are. Carlos Lee hitting second and Jose Altuve fourth? Or Jeff Bagwell in the second slot and Craig Biggio number four? Personally this is where the statistical analysis folks and yours truly part company a bit. We are only talking about pure hitting comparisons, but as we know there is more than pure hitting numbers that go into a batting order. Speed is one thing. The Biggio-Bagwell switch might have had some merit, I suppose. Both could run. But moving slow footed Carlos Lee to second in the order makes little sense despite his hitting numbers. Players on base percentage and/or slugging percentage are two other factors. Biggio-Bagwell are close enough. Bags hit homers but Biggio hit a fair share and a whole bunch of doubles. Lee and Altuve are not close at all save possibly for batting average. Altuve is not an extra base hitter and rarely walks. Lee is very slow. Just getting more at bats with runners on only works if the hitters can bring them home. The traditional “Book” lineup has speed and on base hitters at the top with average and power hitters following. Yes, there are many innings in which those at the top fail to reach base or are retired in order and the #4 hitter leads off the next inning. But if just one of the top three reach base the player with the most power hits with a runner on. Statistics also show the team that scores first wins a high percentage of the time. That is why “The Book” sets things as it is—statistical revelations be damned. Interesting reading in both book books for those who want to know the “whys” and “hows” of major league baseball. There is also some well researched documentation. All of it thanks to “The Unwritten Rules of Baseball” and “The Book.” |
Oswalt Still Top Free Agent AvailableFebruary 11, 2012, 9:49 am Free Agency Isn’t Really Free For Either Side The only significant free agent still floating around baseball less than two weeks before camps open is former Astro right-handed pitcher Roy Oswalt. It seems his requirements for a new team are not fitting what the teams have to offer. Let us be honest about all this. It is all about the money. Well, it is MOSTLY about the money. You see, Oswalt has been trying to pick the teams he wants to play for, but so far none of them have been willing or able to meet his reported asking price. The price, reportedly first revealed by FoxSports.com and confirmed by others, has been $8-10 million on a one year contract. Oswalt has expressed interest in the Cardinals and Rangers and maybe even a return to the Phillies. However, even those successful or big money clubs have spent most of what is in the budget already. Unless Oswalt and his agent reduce their price or a club can make other cuts getting a deal with one of his preferred teams may be too much a reach. The Boston Red Sox have been another club reportedly interested. Oswalt and his agent have apparently turned down Detroit which is interesting since the Tigers are one of the better teams in baseball and playing for a sure fire contender has been one of Oswalt’s goals. That is why the Pirates or Reds who may have shown some interest are unlikely landing spots. Reds GM Walt Jocketty says everything tying Oswalt to the Reds are “just rumors and there has been no contact between the parties.” At some point unless If the Astros were in a better place he would fit in here well. He could finally pass Joe Niekro and become the winningest pitcher in franchise history. Alas, that “better place” is at least a year away. This is not the time to sign a high dollar pitcher that would take development time from the young arms. The object is not to win the World Series in 2012, but to start to move in the direction that would make that possible. It is almost unfathomable that Oswalt won’t hook on with someone soon. He can still pitch when his body hangs together. There has to be a contender who can find room in the rotation for a player of his ilk. Who will that team be? |
Mills Has Plan for the SpringFebruary 11, 2012, 7:59 am Astros Ready for The equipment truck will pull out of For baseball fans the opening of training camps is one of the most exciting days of the year. Sure, that fades during the long run on exhibition games that don’t count. At the same time, especially with teams like the Astros that will have competition for pitching and playing time, there is something to follow on a daily basis. Wins and losses don’t matter. How the individuals perform is what matters. On Wednesday the Astros held a media brunch with GM Jeff Luhnow, Mgr. Brad Mills and CEO George Postolos in attendance. It was the last time to chat with Luhnow or Mills before camp opened. Perhaps the conversations with skipper Mills were most interesting. For one thing he says despite an opening training camp roster of over 60 players the club will actually play fewer games than last spring. In 2011 the Astros played a number of “B” games in an effort to get more pitchers some work. But it also meant the players were involved in more games than desired. Mills felt it showed in September when fatigue set in, but it also may have been a factor with the Astros slow start when the regular season began which set a negative tone for the whole year. This year there will be far fewer “B” games and more time off. Mills said second baseman Jose Altuve will get significant time off once he is zeroed in. Altuve played winter ball in There will be a push at third base. It will be a push for the job. Jimmy Paredes, Chris Johnson and Brett Wallace will all get some playing time. Yes, Brett Wallace! Wally will still be primarily a first baseman, but since he has experience from his college days at the hot corner he will be given some refresher work to hone his skills and may contend for the position if he has a good spring and his competitors struggle. That fact that he hits left-handed is a plus. With Carlos Lee slated to hold down first base Wallace could get some platoon time on either side of the infield if he passes the spring test at third. Mills says Jed Lowrie is likely the shortstop but that Marwin Gonzalez a Rule V pickup will be watched closely and the system has some other shortstops of note who only need to show a better bat. With the signings of outfielders Jack Cust, Fernando Martinez, Travis Buck and Brad Snyder there will be solid competition for the club’s outfield spots. Of the Astro outfield candidates only Jason Bourgeois was a member of the club for all of 2011. Perhaps Mills most interesting point was that if the camp opened today he would have Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Bud Norris in the rotation, not necessarily in that order, but who would work out of #4 or #5 is fully open. Most fans and reporters have long assumed J.A. Happ and Jordan Lyles were in those slots, but Mills says he will look at a number of other candidates as well. That list includes the veteran Livan Hernandez and Zach Duke plus Henry Sosa, Kyle Weiland, and maybe more including Happ and Lyles. Some of those who don’t make the rotation may find homes in the bullpen. Others may find homes at It will be that kind of spring. Messrs Mills, Luhnow and Postolos are all ready to get things started on the field. Off the field Luhnow says the master plan is being followed and Postolos said that one off season sales goal was reached on Monday. Astros Media Relations Director, Gene Dias reminded all of the annual Baseball Dinner is set for Friday with Fan Fest at It may still be April 6th before the season officially begins, but baseball started to feel much closer on Wednesday. |
Winning would help Astros' new lookFebruary 5, 2012, 11:49 am Though many might say what's most important is to get the right players in whatever uniforms the Astros wear — and that sentiment is correct — there are many reasons changing uniforms could be an important move. What the players wear can affect how the public views a team. Of course, there's no guarantee of that — unless the team also shows a long period of success. Certainly the best example of that is the New York Yankees. When one thinks of the Yankees, the uniform almost immediately comes to mind. Their pinstriped home and gray road uniforms have barely changed since the 1920s. The NY logo on the caps and breast of the home uniforms is classic. Babe Ruth wore essentially the same uniform as Derek Jeter does. So did Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. The same can be said about teams like the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers. In a few instances, some of those uniforms slipped away from the classic style, such as the Braves in the 1970s and the White Sox under Bill Veeck's ownership, but the eventually switched back. If fans are going to identify with teams for years and years, the shouldn't be asked to endure too much change. The Astros learned that when they floated the idea of a possible name change and fans were quick to voice their feelings. Had the same sort of question been floated before the team's move to the American League, the response likely would have been the same. In that instance, however, the fans were not consulted. Fans often do accept change. The current trend for alternate uniforms that break from the traditional have been accepted by all clubs. That includes the Yankees, who might wear a different jersey for Sundays or pregame wear is quite common. Maybe even an alternative cap. But the basic Yankee pinstripes are still worn most home games. The problem the Astros face deciding on uniforms for 2013 to coincide with their move to the AL is they have no traditional look. (Notice, by the way, I have not brought up the issue of merchandising and sales. That's an important part of all teams' decisions. I'm looking at this strictly from the viewpoint of fans.) So, do the Astros design something entirely new or look to the past for inspiration? The most famous Astros look was the one most ridiculed — the orange-striped uniforms of the mid-'70s to mid-'80s. Now, those uniforms are collector's items, but when they were worn, many fans and media around the country laughed. Would they work, however, as an alternative uniform to be worn on Sundays and holidays? You can bet that's one of many ideas the club has considered. The Astros wore what most would consider classic baseball styles — some, though, would say dull — in the early days of the franchise, both as the Colt .45s and Astros, and in the last days of the Astrodome. From 1962 through 1970, the Astros' home uniform was plain white with a nickname logo on the front. The road uniforms were gray, with block letters spelling Houston on the front. The caps were navy blue with either ".45s" from 1962 through 1964 or the orange star with the while block "H." The team colors were orange, blue and white. The first orange caps appeared in 1971 and lasted through 1982. A switch to a navy blue cap came in 1983. In 1975, the club went to the orange-striped top — leaving convention completely. In fact, at the beginning the Astros wore the same uniform at home and on the road. No one was going to confuse the teams, for sure. From 1975 through 1993, the name "Houston" was not to be found on any Astros uniform. However, as soon as Drayton McLain Jr. could get things changed, he made sure the city was represented on the road jerseys again. He also ditched the orange-based color scheme that had been used on less-garish uniforms — limited to shoulder stripes — from 1987 through 1993. The Astros uniforms from 1994 through 1999 went back to classic styling, with silver, blue and white the primary colors. As a trade-off, perhaps, for the block "H" being removed from the caps for an open silver star, the name "Houston" appeared on the gray road uniforms. That was also the first uniform era in which alternative uniforms appeared. That brings us to the present. Since 2000, the Astros' colors have been brick red, white and black. On the road, it might be a brick red top or a full gray uniform. The cap can be brick red or black. So what should the Astros' look be starting in 2013? I am partial to the classic look of the final Astrodome years, but others don't like those uniforms at all. Many fans are intrigued by the orange stripes but concede that time has probably passed. Some strongly back the original Houston Astros look, with the shooting star above the Astros name on a cream-colored home jersey and a simple gray road uniform. Hardly anyone I have heard from wants the status quo. What do you think? What about colors? And what about longevity? How many fans want something that will last for decades, as the uniforms of the Yankees have? Or does that take multiple world championships first? Let me know your thoughts. As always you may contact me directly at foxsportshouston@yahoo.com. |
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Astros' Myers moves from starter to closer
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