April 21, 2010Not Looking Forward to a Great Year
Astros 5
Marlins 4
Because of the ongoing recession, because I haven't had a raise in over three years, because of some large auto repair and veterinarian bills, I've made the tough decision to forego the MLB cable package this year.
I don't usually have that much to say anyway, placing maybe ten or twelve posts here in a good year, but perhaps this year I'll have less than is usual.
Here's to better teams and brighter times, huh?
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Anyway, I WAS able to catch the second game of the Marlins series on local televsion, and had some thoughts.
Bud Norris had really good movement on his slider, too good, actually. Nothing he threw with any break at all would end up in the zone. Served him well for four innings, but once the Marlins realized they needed to lay off and get ahead, Norris' goose was cooked.
I still think Mills pulled Norris too soon, and I KNOW Fredi Gonzalez pulled Josh Johnson too early. The only difference between the two skippers was that Mills got lucky with Wilton Lopez and Gonzalez got unlucky with Burke Badenhop.
A lot of strange baserunning in this game. Bourn was incredibly scrappy in his rundown, staying alive until the opposition screwed up, but what in the hell was Berkman thinking when he tried to steal third with a man on one out and Pence at the plate? I understand trying to surprise your opponent (and can give Lee a pass for his attempt during Pence's earlier AB for that reason), but the knee and the situation make it a bonehead move, even if it's successful. Marlins announcer Tommy Hutton figured it was Lance going on his own, and I've gotta believe that. If it was Mills' idea, we could be in for a painful year.
In the eight inning came a play I'm pretty sure Mills was behind. With Pence up again and Lee again on first, Lee started on the 3- 2 count. Good job staying out of the DP, when Pence rolled over, but Carlos kept going. Hanley Ramirez had trouble getting to the third base bag to cover and Lee beat the return throw. It was exhilirating to watch, but in retrospect I'm not sure it was a good play. Certainly with a one-run lead and two outs with Feliz on deck when they get Pence you don't lose a whole lot if Caballo gets caught.
But you also don't gain a lot. I like Bourn on third, I like Pence on third I like Matsui on third, 'cause you never know when a ball can get by the catcher. With Lee there you're more likely to hold him back. And of course the subclass of singles Feliz might hit that would score Lee from third but not from second is a vanishingly small one. So in the end, I say that I like aggressive baseball, but not when it's pointless aggression.
I still don't have any confidence in Lyon or Lindstrom, but what the hell. Astros have won five of six after the 0 - 8 start, and maybe the jagoffs at ESPN will lay off on the Oswalt trade rumors.
They fucking better.
January 26, 2010Adios Motherfucker
So Tejada is no longer our shortstop, having signed a one-year with the Orioles.
I was appalled when he came here, so I should be overjoyed that he's leaving, right?
Well, actually, yes, I should. And I am. Of course Clemens and Pettitte got there first (and don't forget Ken Caminiti and Chris Donnels and Jason Grimsley and Stephen Randolph and Adam Seuss and Lou Santangelo and Carlos Lazu), but Tejada brought shame upon the organization when he brought his bat to Houston.
We have photocopies of Tejada's signed checks to Kurt Radomski; in fact we had them, I am sure, before the deal was even made.
That's of course why I hate Tejada the most--he presented a test of faith to management, one which they failed miserably. Wade and McLane KNEW Miggy was a cheat, and they went and got him anyway.
Sonofabitch. My fandom may never be the same, but at least the chapter is now over, and I can see about moving on.
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It's impossible to suggest that Tejada wasn't an upgrade over Adam Everett offensively, but it's also very easy to overstate what Tejada did as an Astro. Yes, Miggy played 158 games a year, and hit .300 in 2009. But he also OBPed .314 in '08. Adam Everett posted a better number twice, and the Astros have seen nine seasons in which a shortstop played 100 games and OBPed better than that .314. Players having accomplished this include Andujar Cedeño and Ricky Gutierrez.
Getting 4 or 5 PA's a night, Tejada walked once every 7-1/2 games. Think about that, and then think about the 13 or 14 home runs he hit each year. Did you know that Adam Everett's home run high as an Astro was 11?
Normalized stats suggest that both of Tejada's seasons rank among the top six ever posted by an Astros shortstop, solidly behind Dickie Thon's 1983 season, and behind two that Denis Menke posted when Harry Walker was still managing.
'Course, Menke and Thon never GIDPed 30 times in a season, either. Tejada was a double play machine, let us remember, and he now holds down slots # 1 and # 3 on the all-time seasonal list, with only Brad Ausmus preventing from achieving the quiniella.
Yes, I guess he played hard, and I hear he was a "good teammate," if it can be that good teammates lie about their drug use, and about their age, until they're caught, at which point they apologize. So, hardworking and "a good teammate" and a liar and overrated and basically just not the fuck worth it, not worth the money, not worth Luke Scott, and not worth the shitty reputation for the franchise that he helped cement. Goodbye Miggy.
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Valverde's now with the Tigers of course, and it made me think that we're unsettled at the closer position as we enter the season, as unsettled as we've been for a very long time.
