Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on June 9, 1999.
Ignoring the evidence of my eyes…I don’t have any hard and fast reason to believe this, but the slump is about over. Is it because Astros are starting to get healthy? Is it because Biggio is starting to get on base again? Whatever the reason, I think the Stros have bottomed out with the pasting they received in Minnesota on Sunday.
It could be that a butt whuppin was just what they needed. First as an attitude adjustment; I don’t think these guys were taking their slump-o-rama as seriously as they needed to, mainly because they were still 4-2 that week. Secondly, after about the fourth inning Sunday, the Astros were in batting practice mode, and you learn more against live pitching than you do in a cage.The Astros are starting to get better cuts. They aren’t looking horribly fooled and I’m sure Bagwell, Everett and Hidalgo are tired of being the only guys hitting.
What gets you into a slump? Injuries, complacency, playing down to your competition. Sounds like the Astros the last several series. But it looks like they’re turning it around, but I don’t know what I’m basing that on…
I think maybe it’s something Terry Kennedy, former Giants catcher, said: “Slumps are like the common cold. Most last two weeks no matter what you do.”
DOME MOMENTS… June 1991
The Moment: Andyzipp begins his commentary career in the Dome
The Outcome: Through a particularly boring game between the Astros and the San Diego Padres, Andy and his good friend Danny proceed to provide their own running commentary. Topics include Dome Pizza, Bob Cluck, Major League Guts, Hal Lanier Memorial garbage tosses and possibly the worst imitations of Milo Hamilton and Larry Dierker ever heard. It looks as though they’ve found a fan in their style as the comely lass sitting in front of them actually shoots soda through her nose laughing so hard not once, but twice. The laughter quickly dies in the 8th inning when the young lady’s uni-brow wearing beau-hunk tells them to shut the hell up.
For The Record: Andy and Danny would repeat their running commentary through at least 7 more games that year. Unfortunately, no other instances of beverages passing through nasal cavities were noted.
What They Said: “Could you shut the hell up now, I’d like my girlfriend to pay some attention to me, dammit. You’ve been going since the 2nd inning. Shut the hell up.” – Unibrow wearing boyfriend
Around Baseball…
There appears to be a competition brewing hotter than any pennant race this baseball season. It features two fiery competitors with distinguished pedigrees and storied baseball backgrounds. The competition? Who can make a pitcher’s arm explode first? In this corner, wearing purple, weighing in at 135 pounds soaking wet, Jimmy “Coffin Nails and Coffee” Leyland. In this corner, wearing teal, weighing in at 250 if he’s a pound, Lou “Huge Torso, Bird Legs” Pinella.
Both “esteemed managers” are doing well in the fight. This past week, Leyland had Pedro Astacio throw 153 pitches through 8 innings in a game he left with a 6 run lead. Pinella, to counter that tough move is going for the consistency of having 23 year old Freddy Garcia throw “125-140” pitches every time out.
Leyland has got history on his side, with the experiment that Livan Hernandez was for the past 2 years, but Pinella is coming on strong with statements like, “His prior organization babied him. It teaches limitations to young guys, and that’s not good…”
Expect to see Chan Ho Park in a NWO/WCW pay per view event…I think he could take Hollywood Hogan and probably even Goldberg if he can land a few of those Belcher Blaster drop Kicks…
Credit where credit is due… The Pirates swept us. They have the makings of a good young team. Brian Giles is the real deal, even though he’s killing my fantasy team right now. Pat Meares has really, really responded well to that contract extension by keeping himself out of the lineup until August, and the Bucco-Bells have swept the Astros and the Dodgers before interleague travesty began. But the longer they play Sprague, Benjamin and the rest of the scrubs they picked up in the offseason, the longer they’ll be a .500 team. But again, I’m sooo glad we could make their season 2 weekends ago…Bundle up until the Steelers begin play, Pittsburgh.
Astro of The Week…Giving it to Jeff Bagwell every week would get me labeled a racist by Telemundo, so how ’bout that Richard Hidalgo. La Mala hit .320 this week with 3 clouts and 7 RBI. And in a week where it looked like he was one of like 2 guys on the whole team who were hitting, those are huge numbers…Viva La Mala.
Dis-Astros of The Week…Want to know why the Astros were slumping this week? Look no further than those two guys at the top of the line up earning 12 million dollars combined and getting the bulk of the at-bats. Craig Biggio and Derek Bell combined this week (probably should say weak) for a .227 batting average with an OPS so low that it’d be no surprise if Annie Potts showed up in the dugout dispensing One-A-Day Plus Iron ™ tablets. It’s been said in the past that as Biggio goes, the team goes. He and Bell better get it in gear, or we might be better off with Potts leading off with Delta Burke batting 2 hole…