Astros 0, Mets 5
The moment finally arrived. This has been one of the most interesting seasons to date in my Astros viewing history. I think for most of us the ups and downs of a season were not the fun roller coaster we usually enjoy. It seemed like all the ups led to worse downs than we normally expect. We had the ups of Wandy’s break out season, getting to one game of the division lead before the All-Star break, Bourn finally being inserted into the lead-off spot (and doing a good job there) and players hitting homerun and base hit milestones. But those downs just came a lot more often. There were the reactionary line-ups, manager moves, mismanaged benches, arms falling off of pitchers (and sometimes their legs), player discontent, and so on and so on. But through it all we watched and wanted our team to end up with different results.
I’ve been giving this moment a lot of thought over the last couple weeks. A lot of people use Labor Day as the marking of the end of summer, for me it is the baseball season. There are no more offers of “hey I have an extra ticket to the game, want to go?”, or “I’m going to the game tonight, are you? Want to meet up?”, and even the “did you watch the Astros last night?” For many of us, there is football and other events that will consume our lives like the Astros do during the summer. But there is still the moment of “damm it is really over isn’t it?” that comes at the end of a season. It is very sad for me.
I’ll drive by Minute Maid Park off and on during the offseason and miss the boys, those banners on the outside just aren’t the same as seeing them on the field. The playoffs aren’t the same when my boys aren’t in it (I’m rooting for Minnesota at this moment, but they may not even make it).
But one of the things I miss the most is what I call my baseball friends. You all. The TalkZone seems to slow down and there seems to be sadness about. We all just wait for the Astros do something, almost anything (be careful what you wish) to have some baseball to discuss.
I miss the get-togethers where we share a beer (or many), tease each other and just hang out whether online or in person. Many of you have been and have become very dear friends to me. And you all are what the Astros give me each season and for that I can not be disappointed in the season.
I don’t expect a lot of splash in the off-season by the Astros’ front office. Sure there is a lot to fix on this team, a lot, but I don’t think there is a budget in Drayton’s office that is going to allow them to go out and buy us a World Series. I think we are going to have to wait a good 2-3 years for the prospects in the farm system to mature and hope the next version of Bagwell, Biggio and Caminiti come along in their own form.
We seemed ready for this moment, waited for this moment that seemed like we were ready for yet not, at the same time.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe off season, see you around.