Astros 2005 Season Journal
When I went to Spring Training the third week of March, 2005, I knew -- I just KNEW -- that this was The Year. After decades of cheering for the Astros, I was certain that this would be the year I'd see them playing in the World Series.
I was so certain of this, I decided to watch every game I could, and to document all of the games in a season journal. Watching every game (being a fan-in-exile) was accomplished for the most part courtesy of mlb.tv. The entries in the season journal were produced after every game: I'd write up the game (generally racing to get it done before Astros.com posted Alyson Footer's game report). Later I'd steal a few pictures from Sportsline or the Houston Chronicle to illustrate it, along with the box scores and the occasional post-game quote. Then I'd print it out and add it to my season binder.
By the end of the season, when the Astros really did go to the World Series, my journal filled two 3-inch binders. My family members (most of whom don't give a hoot about baseball, let alone the Astros) told me I should "do something" with it. But it didn't really occur to me that, out of the millions of baseball fans out there, there would be anyone who'd actually WANT to read my game reports -- even for such a historic year. I am still not convinced of it.
But who knows - I'll leave it to the reader: I'll post them on this site, and if anyone wants to read them, gei gezunt (as my grandmother would say). Enjoy.
The links to all of my 2005 game writeups are below, grouped by series. Click on the series link to get to the write-up.
I have removed all of the purloined photos, league standings, and boxscores from my personal copy of the journal, since I don't have the rights to them. If you like pictures, see the Photo Album for my own photos, taken at Spring Training and at the rare season games I get to attend in person.
Disclaimer: This is a fan journal, not a professional sports report. In focusing on my Astro heroes, I'm likely to forget to even mention the players on the other team by name. All mistakes, dumb ideas, and silly sentiments herein are my own. If you want to read a real pro's take on the games, go to Astros.com, and read Alyson Footer's excellent writeups.
Game 1: October 22 - White Sox 5, Astros 3
Game 2: October 23 - White Sox 7, Astros 6
Game 3: October 25 - White Sox 7, Astros 5
Game 4: October 26 - White Sox 1, Astros 0
So What's Going on with the Friday and Saturday Games?
If you read the journal entries, you will come across a recurring pattern: I managed to miss watching every Friday night and Saturday day game of the season. That's because I'm Jewish and Sabbath observant: I don't watch TV, use the computer, etc., on the Sabbath ("Shabbat" in Hebrew) - from Friday sunset till Saturday night. I also don't watch games on Jewish holidays; in a typical year that includes Passover in the spring, Shavuot in the summer, and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the fall. In a good year - and 2005 was definitely a good year! - the Astros are still playing in October, so I sat out the Sukkot games too.
Happily, the mlb.tv archive comes to the rescue: I can watch the Shabbat and holiday games on the archive the next day. It's sometimes better than watching live - knowing the outcome ahead of time often makes for a more relaxing game-watching experience. There are many times when, before Brad Lidge gets around to striking out the last Bad Guy, I'm pretty much nuts.
April 5 - Cardinals 7, Astros 3