2005 SEASON
APRIL 5-6: ST LOUIS @ HOUSTON
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2005 (Opening Day)
St Louis 7, Houston 3
In an effort to psych the Astros into having their best year ever, I’ve decided to keep a game-by-game season diary and scrapbook. That way at the end of the year, when the Astros go to the World Series, I’ll be able to say that I toldja so, and I’ll have a complete record of history in the making. Okay, it’s not a done deal; everyone says that they won’t do any better than 3rd in their division, behind the Cards and the Cubs. But that’s what they said about St. Louis this time last year. So forget the experts, and go with wishful thinking. This might be the last year to see Bagwell and Biggio playing together, since Biggio is going 40 (and still looks 25) and on a one-year contract. It would be so sad for them never to make it to the World Series together. So I’ll just pretend that it’s going to happen. And hope that Willy T and Luke Skywalker tie for Rookie of the Year. And Lidge breaks the all-time strikeout record for a reliever.
Well, the bad news is that the Astros lost the first game of the season to the Evil Cards. The Cards took it 7-3. The good news is that the game wasn’t over until the last pitch – bottom of the 9th, behind by 4 with the bases loaded. Everett grounded out and that was that. But considering that it wasn’t a close game, by stats, the Astros did force LaRussa to bring in his closer to finish it off. So it was interesting. Meanwhile, although it would have been nice to see the Astros blow them away, it’s not worth making too big a deal out of the opening game. The Cards lost 3 of 4 games in their opening series against Milwaukee, and look how that ended up.
High points:
- Go Bidge! Biggio was 3 for 4, two singles and a double, with all 3 RBIs. It was awesome seeing him in the infield with Bagwell. Must be a great disappointment for Burke, but I really want to see Biggio finish up his career with a great year.
- Taveras got a good start, with a single and double (2 for 4), and scored the first run.
- For the most part, the relievers did a good job. Springer gave up a HR in his inning, but Harville and Wheeler were pretty clean.
Disappointments:
- Well, of course, I really wanted to see Bagwell knock one out. He was 0 for 3, with both his first strikeout and his first walk of the year. And he hit into a double play. I’d really rather see a HR. He needs to average 28 this year and next to break 500 career homers. That’s one more than he hit last year.
- Luke Skywalker didn’t get a hit in his first game. That would have been really sweet. But as Scarlett says, Tamara is anuthuh day… I think Garner will let the kids play, even if they get off to a slow start. Hey, Burke was 1 for 17 when he came up in September last year.
- Oswalt had a less than stellar start – gave up 6 ER in 6 innings, only 2 Ks, and took 106 pitches to do it. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all. Next time.
- Telecast was from the Cards home station. Bummer. Would have liked to hear the announcers spend a bit more time talking about the Good Guys.
Notes on the Bad Guys:
- Chris Carpenter pitched great for the Cards.
- David Eckstein, the SS, only sounds like a Jewish name. He’s not. When some newspaper reported that he played on Yom Kippur, he responded, “Of course I did. I’m Catholic.”
- After the Astros game, I watched the Cubs play Arizona – might as well get a preview of more bad guys… I’m cheering for Sean Green & Co. WOO HOO: Cubs lose.
- In other news, Carlos Beltran started out his season with the Really Bad Guys yesterday, going 3 for 5, with a double and a HR. But the Mets lost anyway. HAHAHA.
Final123456789RHESt. Louis « 3000031007110Houston 0010000203 70W: C. Carpenter (1-0) L: R. Oswalt (0-1) S: J. Isringhausen (1) ==============================================================================
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2005 (Game 2) - St Louis @ Houston
Houston 4, St Louis 1
I have three “never” rules of thumb:
- Never pass up an SRA company event, since I work in a government building and rarely get to see any of my SRA buds.
- Never pass up a chance to stop in a ladies room.
- Never turn down a cup of coffee or a bourbon.
So today, I exercised all three and went to the SRA Tech Day in Virginia. It was very nice to see a lot of my SRA buds, and to get inquiries about my availability to jump to a new job. But it sucked to miss the Astros game – I didn’t get home until the 7th inning, due to an idiotic 4 PM (CT) start time. I did get to see the Astros pull ahead in the 8th and win the game, but missed many of the other high points. I should set up a higher level “never” rule: Never miss an Astros game that’s not on Shabbat.
Houston wore the home solid whites.
High points:
- Andy Pettitte pitched great, giving up one run (HR toSanders) in 6 innings, only 4 hits. Hope he can keep it up all year! (But I missed it; by the time I got home, he was out.)
- GO BIDGE! Biggio got another double, and scored a run. (But I missed it.)
- Bagwell got his first hit and RBI, knocking in Biggio from second. (But I missed it, of course)
- Mike Lamb, who didn’t hit diddlysquat all spring, came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th, when the game was tied 1-1, and got a triple. I actually didn’t miss this, since I got home in the 7th inning. More importantly, according to one of Alyson Footer’s columns, he looks like Sty Stallone. (“But I’m better looking,” says Lamb.) Being culturally retarded, I can’t really say whether he looks like Stallone. I think he looks like some guy from Brooklyn. I probably think that because the Astros got him from one of those NY teams, but he’s actually from California. Now Ensberg looks like he’s from California, the blond surfer dude look (he is from California). And Ausmus is a surfer dude (but he’s from Connecticut, go figure). Meanwhile, back to the game…
- Willie Taveras was 2 for 4 again.
- Probably the best news: The relief pitching was nearly perfect. Chad Qualls threw 2 lights out innings, and Lidge was Lidgeful in the 9th, getting his first save of the season. It’s too much to hope for, that the relief pitching will be a wonderful surprise this year. But if it’s at least not terrible…
Disappointments:
- Missing the first 7 innings.
- Luke Skywalker was 0 for 3 again. After his phenomenal spring, he must be pretty disappointed not to have hit in his first two games. I wonder if he goes home and prays for a hit. Or just cries.
- No game tomorrow.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle, as the Nationals won their first game, 7-3, over the Phillies.
Notes on the Bad Guys:
- In other good news, the Very Bad Guys lost again, Reds 9, Mets 5. Beltran is doing okay (he’s not a bad guy, just not an Astro). I should be cheering for any non-Central Division team over the Reds, but hating the Mets is too ingrained.
Final123456789RHESt. Louis 000010000140Houston « 00100003x4 150W: C. Qualls (1-0) L: J. Tavarez (0-1) S: B. Lidge (1)==============================================================================
THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2005 (OFF DAY)
No game today, boo hoo. How can they have an off day, after only playing two games? And tomorrow’s game is on Shabbat. I’m having withdrawal symptoms…
The next game is Clemens’ start against the Reds – on Friday night. So I’ll miss that one, and also the start of the Saturday night game. Sunday’s game starts at 2. I will organize my day around it.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- Brad Wilkerson was 4 for 5, as the Nationals won again, 5-4, over the Phillies in 10. That puts the Nats in first place in their division.
Notes on the Bad Guys:
- In very good news, the Very Bad Guys lost their 3rd game in a row, Reds 6, Mets 1. I should be cheering against the Reds, but I love it when the Mets lose. This is the first time they have lost their first 3 games of the season since 1964.
