By Breedlove
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on July 6, 2001.
On June 23rd the Astros parted company with one of the great characters in franchise history when they traded the troubled Jose Lima to the Detroit Tigers for righthander Dave Mlicki. Over his few short seasons in the Astros rotation Lima’s star rose to heights and fell to depths rarely witnessed in Houston sports. By the end even El Loco himself was ready to acknowledge he had to move on, but he will still be missed. For a time, watching the Astros without Jose Lima will be like reading the Sunday paper without the comics.
Houston mainly accomplished two things with the trade. First, they expanded to the modern 25-man roster enjoyed by other teams. With Lima they had been playing with 24. Second, they mentally turned the page on a turbulent year and a half.
After getting knocked out of the playoffs in 1999, Astros faithful had every reason to believe the team would be competitive as it moved into its new home, Enron Field. Sure, fixtures like Mike Hampton, Carl Everett, Ricky Gutierrez and Derek Bell had not made the move with the team, but Lima, Reynolds, Biggio, Bagwell, Caminiti and a healthy Alou all but guaranteed a positive inaugural season at Union Station.
Then the wheels fell off. Long-time Astros fans acquired still another ritual scar as they watched their once-proud nine do a one-eighty overnight. It’s difficult to say what really brought on the Astros’ 2000 performance. Maybe it was losing too many vital pieces from ’99. Maybe the cozy dimensions at Enron were too big a change. At least some of it was Jose Lima launching a homerun in batting practice before Enron ever opened and deciding then and there it was uninhabitable for pitchers.
Lima was clearly a big part of the team’s spirit. Despite attempting the ostrich treatment toward his personal burdens, Jose’s myriad feigned demeanors – from light-heartedness to apathy to self-flagellation and encompassing everything in between – were burdens on everyone. He was not a cancer, but his situation was.
Yet even in his suffering Jose Lima gave the Astros a gift of sorts. He was downright awful. With his track record and popularity, had Lima scraped along in mediocrity the club would have been hard-pressed to make any moves. Instead they were able to justifiably infuse the rotation with the young right arms of Roy Oswalt and Tim Redding. Along with Wade Miller and Scott Elarton, they have turned 18 months of scuffling for answers into a promising young staff.
Tim Redding especially should be expected to run into hurdles as the season wears on. The 23 year old is making the jump almost directly from Double-A and he has really only mastered two pitches. Elarton remains a source of concern as well as he continues to pile up the outings without a standout performance, but both of these two have the ability to be very good.
Already very good are Wade Miller and Roy Oswalt. These two are thunder and lightning. Miller has ranged from utterly dominant to very solid with only two weak outings all season, a pasting from the Rockies at Coors Field and a test drive of the Rangers’ high-octane offense in Enron. Oswalt has yet to so much as look concerned. His velocity, control, mechanics and mound-presence have Houston fans giddy in anticipation of many years of fun.
Fresh arms and fresh attitudes might be just what the doctor ordered for pitching well at Enron. Including the consistent contributions of Shane Reynolds, this starting five has the potential to be as capable as any in the Central Division by season’s end. At a minimum the focus has changed for the first time in a long time from how bad they are to how good they can be. It all adds up to fresh hope.
Bawl-Stars
As usual, there is no lack of sniping about who did and did not make the All-Star teams. One popular complaint with all the publicity surrounding NL Manager Bobby Valentine’s snub of Marlins outfielder Cliff Floyd is that Floyd should have been named ahead of the Astros’ own Moises Alou. Considering the long list of qualified players who have been left off in the past and the similarity between Floyd and Alou’s numbers, making that argument is a serious waste of time.
Leaving Cliff Floyd off the All-Star team is no more a travesty than leaving off Moises Alou (and the highest average on planet Earth) would have been, and it’s not as if that was the only possibility. No, there were several permutations that would have allowed Floyd’s attendance, since some people seem to believe simply must be there, by order of Bud Selig if necessary, because of his numbers. Was another first baseman really necessary, or could Ryan Klesko have stayed home? At third base fans will be treated to Phil Nevin when Larry Wayne Jones and Albert Pujols will already be there. Did John Burkett’s 6-6 record really merit inclusion on Greg Maddux’s say-so?
And since when are numbers the determining factor anyway? Sure, how well players are doing matters, but so does how well they are doing for their position. Only one second baseman made the cut, for example, but Craig Biggio and Jose Vidro are left wondering why you only have to be a top-ten outfielder to have a complaint when the two best second basemen get snubbed. There should be a rule: there must be at least one backup at each position who plays the spot regularly, and that goes for the outfield, too. Centerfielders deserve the spot for all the running they do.
Congratulations to Moises Alou, Lance Berkman, and Billy Wagner on being named to the National League All-Star team. Every one of you played well enough to be there. Astros fans are grateful for the seasons you are having and look forward to your representation of the team on a national stage. Enjoy it.
Speakeasy
There’s a new feature in town. At the end of each Brushback you will find a quote or two with no attribution. Usually they will be from film, sometimes from the world of baseball, and often they will be apropos to the text of the column they follow. Be the first to e-mail this feature’s author with the correct attribution and get your name in lights in the next Brushback. Style points are awarded for smooth application of quotes into conversation in the TalkZone. First time out is an easy one.
“My God, it’s full of stars.”