By David in Jackson
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on May 23, 2000.
It’s a tough time to be an Astros fan — especially in Jackson, Mississippi.
1. The team stinks.
2. Our much-hyped new stadium hosts an AL-style of ball we had disdained, and has been ridiculed as Coors South.
3. That hill is stupid and Roger Cedeno’s spleen is at risk every day.
4. The team’s AA affiliate plays in Austin, not Jackson’s Smith-Wills Stadium.
5. The Jackson DiamondKats, an expansion team in the Independent Texas-Louisiana League, got beat 16-4 the other night by a team from Greenville, Mississippi.
So what to do?
I can’t get Jose Lima’s head on straight, or cure Mo Alou’s mysterious calf ailment, or bring the Kissimmee Cobras to town, so I have few options. My plight raises questions not only for Jackson Astros fans, but for all TZ-dwellers accustomed to division championships.
Face it, despite three straight October collapses, we’ve gotten spoiled for the first time in franchise history. After the Monday Massacre in Milwaukee Game One, the future of the entire team is in doubt: Will Jeff Bagwell leave for Fenway where October disappointment fits like an old sweater? Will Ken Caminiti retire to his deer stand? Will Alou depart to play for Dad?
With likely All-Stars Bell and Everett already gone, soon only Craig Biggio could remain as a major everyday player from the powerhouse team of 1998. As for pitching, the rotation is young and, with the exception of Shane Reynolds, lacks any consistency. The bullpen is a disaster almost beyond description, and even the once-dominating Billy Wagner looks average at best.
All gloom and doom, right?
Maybe, but we can take pleasure in some other teams struggles:
Yanks: The World Champs started Ricky Ledee, Shane Spencer, Wilson Delgado, Scott Brosius, and Tino Martinez this week. Scary? Hardly. Clemens, Cone, and Pettitte all seem old or vulnerable.
Chief Wahoo: Trailing the White Sox (and the Expos) as I write this. The offense has started slowly and Chuck Finley’s not the answer to any pitching problem.
D’Bucks: Take away the Unit and they’re depending on former ‘Stros Finley and Gonzalez and oldsters like Williams and Jay freaking Bell.
NL Central: Read the Rag.
Padres: Were in the World Series 18 months ago. Who knew?
ATL: Ted and Jane are splitsville, baby.
Maybe it is time to push the panic button. But, even so, I think we all should follow legend Ray K’s adaptation of Pascal’s Wager (even if Pascal would probably follow Les Expos were he philosophizing today): It’s better to expect the good and be disappointed than to expect the bad and be proven right. And take comfort: Long-range, this club still isn’t the Phillies.
These are some of the thoughts I was thinking the other night while drinking a beer and sitting with 220 other Jacksonians watching the DiamondKats (Hey, my girl loves the mascot). Baseball’s still fun. Bagwell still rocks. We have a glut of good outfielders, a good-hitting young catcher, and all three top minor league teams winning. Sure, we need pitching but everyone else does, too.
Yes, I’ve been disgusted by our scuffling play. I still cringe when I see the Crawford Boxes and that stupid train. I still miss the orange. And a loss like the one to the Brewers in Game One is almost enough to make me watch a NBA playoff game (not quite, thank goodness). But, a baseball season is 162 games and any team can expect to win each night. Steve Trachsel and the Devil Rays can beat Pedro Martinez. Chris Holt can throw a 1-hitter. Quality starts can be made at EFUS. The Brewers can score 7 runs in the bottom of the ninth (doh).
Is it time to throw in the towel on the season? When I first made a stab at this column last week, I said “No.” Now, after eight straight losses, I’m less certain. Last week I thought: It wasn’t over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, and it’s not over now! Today, every Astros fan knows what this DiamondKats fan knows too well: How it feels to fall swiftly and firmly to the bottom.
2000 is a pivotal year for the Houston franchise. The move to EFUS signals a new era, but maybe not be the one we had in mind. This is a team in transition, with a lot depending on Bagwell and even more on The Grocer. Big market or small market? Pitching or slugging? Veterans or youth? Mild or extra spicy? Let’s hope we see a move to a different winning team, and not a one-way ticket to Rockie-ville. In any case, in times like this take the long view and enjoy the ride.