Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
Days like Sunday remind us that baseball is indeed, just a game. While our lead on the Scrubs or getting thrown out trying
to steal third in the 9th inning seem day to day to be “life and death”, they aren’t. Neither is the status of any of the
Astros pitchers as an ace, Derek Bell’s every-other-year slump, Elarton’s place in the rotation, or Stretch Suba’s pro
career.
Watching the broadcast, it was a typical lazy Sunday game. A pitchers duel that shouldn’t have been, save for the fact that the Astros had never faced the Pad’s Heath Murray before. As the much-maligned Derek Bell strode towards the plate, I was counting the many ways the home team would somehow not score despite the situation. I also started lamenting the bad luck-stretch Shane Reynolds was going through and how once again he was going to be the victim of the narcoleptic bats our guys seem to use when he toes the rubber.
When Bell came through with bases-clearing blast, there was elation. Not necessarily because of the win that seemed to be
there for the Astros, but for Bell himself. The emotion and excitement that he displayed was incredible. He may be horrible in the clutch every other day of his life, but you flat out cannot say this man is lazy and doesn’t care about winning. And while I was pretty sure Trevor Hoffman was going to throw at him if he got to bat again, Bell deserved his victory dance. No one was going to try to trade him away on the post game radio show, for one night at least.
Bell wouldn’t even be mentioned.
For a lot of people Larry Dierker is the Astros. He’s been an Astro since the Dome opened, making his mark as a goofy 18-year-old surfer facing Willie Mays…and striking him out. Since then, he was a mainstay in the rotation, in the clubhouse and in the community. Despite the obvious setback of being from California, (which probably explains the year he willingly spent with the Cardinals) you could tell this was a guy with a heart as big as Texas.
While wondering along with everyone else when the paramedics were going to show up, I noticed how the players were reacting. Craig Biggio, with a cross in his mouth, was on the verge of tears, as were Jeff Bagwell, and Glen Barker. Bell, Carl Everett and Matt Galante were holding Dierker down, trying in vain to will the convulsions to stop. Jose Lima was praying alone at the other end of the dugout. I imagine all the players, and most of the fans who were so inclined, were doing the same.
The game, the situations, Bagwell against Hoffman, and the win didn’t matter anymore. And in that instant, one could see what a team really is and how much Dierker means not only to the Astros, but also to the city. I started screaming at the television for the EMTs to run from the swinging gate in centerfield; I was truly touched that nearly 40,000 also started screaming about the same thing. Dierk was all that mattered at this point.
One of the reasons given in the TalkZone for being an Astros fan is that they are different from other teams because they’re a family. They demonstrated how close they truly are in their concern and love for Dierker. I was nearly in tears by the time Biggio and Bagwell, who aren’t vocal enough to be leaders, lead the team in prayer. I will be hunting high and low for a photo of the team prayer on the field that took place after Dierker was safely on his way. That image will serve as the best example of what is truly important and the best definition of what this team and it’s players and coaches really mean to the city and to one another. And if I ever have a son, I’ll pull out this picture when he’s old enough to understand to show him what being a man and being a team are really about. And I’ll explain to them why that’s important.
Astro of the Week… I had to think long and hard about this one…Do I reward someone for the week where his batting average has dropped nearly 12 points, or the player who has raised his average nearly 20 points? The answer my friend is blowing in the OPS… Derek Bell is hitting again (and in the 4 hole…wow!) to the tune of .423 for the week. However he also hasn’t taken a walk all week, and has only one extra base hit, which makes his OPS a respectable .961 (.423/.538). The winner, Jeff “Southie” Bagwell, only hit at a .318 clip this week. He did take 5 walks and had four extra base hits, making his OPS for the week and mind-boggling 1.318 (.545/.773). Congrats, oh he who used to have the Hockey Hair…
Dis-Astro of the Week… Jose Lima, for claiming to have a freakin’ Lima “Mini-Me” in his glove. Saying this to Lance Zerlein is one thing, but saying this to Sports Illustrated is another thing entirely. You don’t like the name El Loco? Stop talking to miniature versions of yourself on the mound, in the dugout, on the radio, in bars, driving, eating in restaurants, bathing, playing video games, jogging, baking cakes, depositing money, attending church…