Chase Field (AND Minute Maid Park… Who the fuck came up with this schedule, anyway?!)

Monday June 9th, 8:40pm CSN, but much more likely if you’re actually watching, MLB.tv

Tuesday June 10th, 1:40pm CSN, but much more likely if you’re actually watching, MLB.tv

Wednesday June 11th, 7:10pm CSN, but much more likely if you’re actually watching, MLB.tv

Thursday June 12th, 7:10pm CSN, but much more likely if you’re actually watching, MLB.tv

Monday

Jarred Cosart (4-5, 4.16) vs Josh Collmenter (4-2, 3.63)

After a stinker against the A’s (1/3 inning, 7 earned runs) in April, Jarred has really settled down and pitched well. His ERA is down 3 full point and some change, and he’s given up 3 or less earned runs in every game since.

Cosart has never faced the Diamondbacks. Fuck you, Bud.

Collmenter is a 28 year old that has done whatever the Snakes have asked him to. He’s been exclusively a starter this season, but his career numbers are pretty solid both out of the pen and as a starter (3.43 ERA 1.16 WHIP).

Current Astros are 10 for 42 against Josh, with Guzman (4-13, 2 2B) leading the charge. Dex Fowler (4-17) is the only other guy with extended numbers against him, and a few other guys have seen him a few times, but haven’t done anything of note.

Tuesday

Brad Peacock (2-4, 4.82) vs Bronson Arroyo (5-4, 4.50)

Peacock is best described as “servicable” when describing his pitching style. He can be effective for stretches, and when he’s on, he is a plus pitcher. But when he’s scuffling, it ain’t gonna be pretty. He’s been pretty reliable his last few outings, and had a pretty great one against the Orioles in his second to last start, giving up one earned run through six innings of work while striking out seven.

Bradley J. has only faced one current Diamondback, and Mark Trumbo drew a walk against him. DOOMED.

I fucking hate Bronson Arroyo. Get a haircut and get a real job you goddamn hippie.

Current Astros are pretty dismal against this fuckstick (7-44). He’s held Altuve at 0fer (0-10). Marwin, on the other hand, has knocked him around in very limited numbers (2-3 with an RBI).

Wednesday, Switching to Minute Maid

Brandon McCarthy(1-8, 5.13) vs Dallas Keuchel (7-3, 2.50)

Brandon McCarthy is a known Communist sympathizer… Wait, wrong guy. McCarthy has scuffled a LOT this season, as his one and eight record suggests. Every time it starts to look like he’s turned things around, he has another stinker of a game and his ERA goes back up to the high fours or low fives.

The only current Astro with any at bats against Brandon is Dex Fowler (1-3, K). So yeah, lots to go on for this game!

Dallas (the player, not the shitass city) has been spectacular this season, just absolutely spinning beautiful start after beautiful start. His last outing was six innings of one unearned run baseball against the Twinkies, which notched Keuchel his seventh win of the season.

Current D-backs (which totally sounds like some kind of really uncomfortable women’s underwear line) knock Dallas around a bit (7-20) With Aaron Hill (2-5) and Mark Trumbo (4-7, 2 3B, 5 RBI) doing the brunt of the damage. So yeah, pitch around Mr. Trumbo please.

Thursday, Still at Minute Maid. Don’t ask me, I didn’t come up with this dipshit idea.

Wade Miley (3-6, 4.57) vs Scott Feldman (3-4, 4.12)

Wade Miley (not to be confused with Wade Miller) looks a little… strange. He’s a middle of the rotation kind of guy that has really focused on throwing more strikes recently, and his strikeout numbers have spiked because of it. But, he’s also given up a bunch of home runs because of it, so look for some heavy contact from the Good Guys against ol’ Wade.

Current Astros hit Miley well (16-50), with Jesus Guzman (7-20,  HR, 2 2B, 6 RBI), Dex Fowler (4-14, HR, 4BB) doing the brunt of the damage.

Scott Feldman has been solid for the Astros so far this year, but ran in to some trouble in his last start against the Twins. He only lasted 1.2 innings, and left after giving up three unearned runs and laboring badly. Otherwise, he’s been good if not great.

Current Snakes don’t hit him well (15-76). Cliff Pennington (5-17, HR) and Aaron Hill (5-21) have done most of the damage. The rest of the team either hasn’t faced him or hasn’t done anything against him.

Injury Report

Houston

Fatt Albers is on the 15 day DL with shoulder tendonitis.

Anthony Bass is on the 15 day DL with a intercostal something-or-another.

Jose Cisnero is out for the season due to biceps surgery.

Jesse Crane may be ready to return to action sometime in June. Thanks MLB.com, VERY descriptive.

Asher Wlotsmorelettershere is on the 15 day DL with a lat strain/flexor injury. No word on return for him yet.

Arizona

Ryan Brasier is on the 60 day DL with an elbow strain.

Sean Burnett is out for the season with Tommy John surgery.

Brian Moran is ALSO out for the season with Tommy John surgery.

Ian Stewart is on the 15 day DL with a hand contusion. They’ve apparently filled him full of Cortisone and it still hurts.

Giveaways This Series

It’s in Arizona, so probably desert fever. Which is WAY worse than dessert fever.

AND in Houston. I know. It’s stupid. Don’t ask me.

Nothing cool on Wednesday. Thursday they’re giving away Astros Grocery Tote bags!

Our Interesting Things to Look For

• Oh oh, whats this? Suddenly the baby Astros are heating up and the media is taking notice? Welcome back, least fickle of the bandwagon fans. There’s plenty of room on the SpringerDinger Express.
• That Singleton kid has got a sweet stroke. The grand slam he hit was a thing of beauty. SUCH quick hands.
• If I hear any of you non-sarcastically say “Springer Dinger” within earshot of me, I will powerbomb you through a fucking table.
• Seriously, Bronson Arroyo is awful.

Things have been kicking in the Gamezone lately! Go check it out!

Minute Maid Park

Friday, Septemeber 13th, 7:10pm. CSN, mlb.tv

Saturday, Septemeber 14th, 6:10pm. CSN, mlb.tv

Sunday, September 15th, 1:10pm CSN. mlb.tv

Friday

Jason Vargas (8-6, 3.76 ERA) v. Dallas Keuchel (5-9, 4.99 ERA)

The Astros as a group hit .283 in 53 at bats against Vargas, with Altuve (3-6), Domingez (4-5, 4 RBI), and Hoes (2-3, HR) doing most of the damage. Carter (1-13, 7K) is dismal against him, but he’s walked 5 times too. So he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

The Angels hit .333 in 48 at bats aginst Dallas, with Erick Aybar (3-6), Collin Cowgill (2-2, WHO?), and Mark Trumbo (3-5, 2B, 3B, HR, 3RBI) doing the heavy lifting. Peter Bourjos (0-3), Grant Green (0-4), and former Astro J.B. Shuck (0-3) all lead the 0-fer charge in limited at bats.

When was the last time two starting pitchers both wore the number 60 in a non Spring Training game? Tonight, apparently!

Saturday

Jered Weaver (9-8, 3.38 ERA) v. Brett Oberholtzer (4-2, 2.65 ERA)

The Astros are batting a putrid .000 against Jered Weaver. Thank God we don’t have a lineup of 9 Chris Carters (0-4, 3K), or we’d REALLY be in trouble tonight.

The Angels are hitting .304 in 23 at bats against the Astros rookie, with Hamilton (2-3, 3B, HR) and Trout (2-3) leading the way.

I really like Oberholtzer, and not just because he’s got an Old West last name.

Sunday

Jerome Williams (7-10, 4.81 ERA) v. Paul Clemens (4-4, 5.91 ERA)

Current Astros are “batting” .208 in 53 at bats against Jerome. I won’t even go in to details here. It’s ugly. Just chew on this, J.D. Martinez (3-6) is the best Astro hitter against Williams. Villar (1-1) and Robbie Grossman (2-3) provide small glimmers of hope, but don’t hold you breath on an offensive explosion tonight.

The Angels are hitting .308 in 13 at bats against Clemens. Nothing really noteworthy, other than Erick Aybar taking him deep for his only hit.

I have nothing interesting to say about this game. At all.

Injury Report From Astros.com

Angels:

Peter Bourjos is out for the season after having surgery on his right wrist.

Sean Burnett is out for the season with a torn flexor tendon. Good, fuck that guy.

Coello, Robert is out for the season with right shoulder inflammation. Really dude? That’s a season ender?

Kevin Jespen is out for the season due to a rogue appendix.

Luis  Jimenez is on the 15 day DL with a sore shoulder and thumb. That sounds like an injury I don’t have any interest in hearing about.

Chris Nelson is on the 15 day DL with a sore right hamstring.

Andrew Taylor is on the 60 day DL with a tear in his labrum.

And lastly, Albert Pujols is done for the year with “Partial tear of left plantar fascia”. Every time I see an injury report about Albert Pujols, I can’t help but snicker when I see a reference to “the 33 year old Pujols…”. It’s almost like a big wink and nudge joke that writers just keep on bringing back up. I don’t care that he doesn’t play for the Cardinals any more. I don’t care that he’s supposedly a great guy that does a lot for the community. I don’t give a shit at all. I cannot stand that smug cocksucker. And a little part of me is sad that he isn’t playing currently so I can’t boo the shit out of him if I was able to watch the game somehow.

Astros:

Jason Castro is day to day with a sore knee.

Paul Clemens is day to day with a blister on his throwing hand.

Robbie Grossman is day to day with a straight oblique.

J.D. Martinez is on the 15 day DL with a strained wrist.

Max Stassi is on the 15 day DL with a concussion.

Alex White is done for the year after Tommy John surgery.

Our Interesting Things To Watch

There’s not a lot to add here for me. Without a Pujols to boo, I’m left to hate Josh Hamilton and Mike Trout, both of which I don’t really hate at all.

Neither of these teams is playing for anything at all. The Angels are 15 games out of the Divison race, which is a pretty huge surprise when looking at all the money they spent last off-season.

This makes for some pretty un-interesting baseball. I’m a lot more excited about next season already than the end of this one. Bring in another class of good prospects, and keep on rebuilding.  Go Astros!

My prediction for this series: The Astros win Oberholtzer’s game, and the other two come down to the bullpens. Angels Series Win, 2-1.

Discuss things in the GAMEZONE!

The Astros are, believe it or not, actually riding a little mini hot streak currently. After salvaging one win the series against the Mariners, the Astros proceeded to kick the shit out of the White Sox, taking three out of four from them. Next up was a quick two out of three from the Brewers that could’ve easily been a sweep if it weren’t for the Good Guys terrible, terrible fucking bullpen. The pitching has been getting better, and the bats have been more awake than asleep in the last few weeks. Surprisingly, if you take good pitching and combine it with good hitting, you win some ballgames!

That Fucking Dump They Call The Friendly Confines A.K.A. Wrigley Field

Friday, June 21st. 1:20, CSN or MLB.tv

Saturday June, 22nd. 3:05 CSN or MLB.tv (this one is also on WGN, but if you can tolerate THAT bullshit, you’re a better man/woman/Fredia than I)

Sunday June 23rd. 1:20  CSN or MLB.tv

Friday

Dallas Keuchel (4-3, 4.23) v. Matt Garza (1-1, 4.98)

Dallas has been absolutely awesome this month, which is the exact opposite of the city of his namesake both in baseball sense and just in general. He’s 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA and 13 strikeouts in the month of June, and seems to really be putting it together.

Current cocksuckers hit .267 (4-15) off of him, and none of the Lovable Losers have more than one hit off of him. This team has some really fucking stupid names on it. Darwin Barney (1-2) sounds like the friend of a friend you had in college that you eventually come to find out was selling his Adderall to all his friends and  failed out because he actually does have ADD and wasn’t taking his meds.

Matt Garza “had one of his best outing of the season in his last start against the Mets, throwing seven scoreless innings…” Wow. 7 scoreless dropped your ERA to just under 5? That’s pretty fucking terrible. I don’t have anything bad to say about Matt Garza (other than his team affiliation) though, so I almost feel bad for the guy. Almost. In his last 3 starts, he’s 0-1 with a 6.38 ERA. Oof.

Current Astros are pretty dismal against him, sporting a .212 (7-33) average. J.D. Martinez (4-7) is licking his chops though! Castro, Cedeno, Corporan and Fields round out the hit parade, with one each.

Saturday

Bud Norris (5-7, 3.64) v. Travis Wood (5-6, 2.74)

Norris has been great at home, but has sucked rocks on the road. In his 6 road starts this season, he’s given up 35 hits in 31 innings. Yuck.

Current Cubs hit .292 (31-106) off of Bud. Another fucking stupid name – Starlin Castro (which sound’s like Fidel’s hippy-dippy daughter) is 7-19 against Bud. DeJesus (5-11) and Soriano (more on this fucktard later, 6-17, 2 HR) both light him up as well. The rest of the hits are scattered around the lineup.

Travis Wood I know nothing about. He looks stoned as hell in his ESPN Profile Picture, though. Even I have a hard time hating guys I know nothing about, but he’s had a pretty good (but short) career, so I suppose I can muster up a little bit of dislike for him. He does also share a last name with one of my least favorite Cub pitchers of all time, which makes it a little easier. Fucking asshole.

Current Astros are fucking terrible against him, sporting a .200 (14-70) average. Ronny Cedeno (4-9), J.D. Martinez (3-10), and Justin Maxwell (2-7) do some damage against him, but that’s about it. The Lil’est Altuve has taken him yard, but only has two hits in eleven at bats.

Sunday

Jordan Lyles (4-1, 3.22) v. Jeff Samardzija (4-7, 3.35)

Jordan apparently took it upon himself this season to debunk my Jordan Lyles Drinking Game  (about half way down the page). He’s been fantastic so far this year, as his numbers would indicate. In Jordan’s ten starts this season, he’s given up three or less earned runs all but once, and if you take that one start he gave up eight earned runs in four innings against the Rangers away, his numbers are even more spectacular.

Current Dickless Wonders Cubs hit a paltry .176 (6-34) off of Jordan, with Douchenozzle Barney (2-6) doing the most damage. Dioner Navarro (ANOTHER dumbfuck name, 1-2) is the only current Cub to take Jordan deep.

Jeff Samardzija has like 10 strikes against him already. He’s a fucking Cub. He was a fucking Fighting Irish. And at some point this season he was sporting this horrible fucking mustache. I hate him with every fiber of my being. When the Cubs drafted him a few years ago, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was like some kind of cosmic karma. The stars aligned and just made sure I’d NEVER like Jeff Samarfuckwadstupidlastname.

Current Astros share in my hatred of this dicknose, sporting a .222 (6-26) average against him. J.D. Martinez (2-3), Jason Castro (2-5), and Brandon Barnes (1-1, HR) are the only people that have done anything significant against him, and I salute them for it. Everyone else has been pretty dismal <looking at YOU,  Altuve! (0-7)>

Injury Report From Astros.com

Astros

Trevor Crowe – 15 Day DL for a shoulder injury to be named later.

Edgar Gonzalez – 15 Day DL for a shoulder sprain. Since I don’t even know who this is, I’m assuming it’s not a big loss.

Alex White – 6 Million Day DL.

Obnoxious Assholes Cubs

Scott Baker – 60 Day DL. Chronic Masturbation Arm Syndrome (CMAS)

Steve Clevenger – Speaking of stupid fucking names…60 Day DL. Left Oblique Strain.

David DeJesus – 15 Day DL for a Sprained Shoulder

Rafael Dolis – Who the hell is this guy? 15 Day DL right forearm strain.

Kyuji Fujikawa – Don’t even get me started on that one. Just underwent Tommy John surgery. Out for the year.

Zach Putnam – 15 Day DL for a bone spur in his right elbow.

Arodys Vizcaino – I refuse to write anything about a guy who has Arod in his first name. Get outta here with that shit.

Giveaways This Series

It’s the Cubs. They’ll giveaway at least one of the games in a spectacular meltdown fashion.

Friday – Great, just what the world needs. More ways for the Fatgut McNoShirt  to get drunk.

Saturday- Exclusive AND Limited Edition! Gotta get me one of these Edwin Jackson Bobbleheads!

Sunday- Fuck. I give up. We’re all being trolled by the Cubs Marketing Team. Ryno the Rhino Build-a-bear. You win this round, interns!

Other Stuff

• If you’re curious how David DeJesus hurt his shoulder, here’s the video (http://wapc.mlb.com/chc/play/?content_id=28016413&topic_id=8878834&c_id=chc). Prepare yourself for a violent collision with a wall, as well as a bunch of nonsense noises from the booth as they talk about it.
• This was already covered on the TZ, but I think it needs to be rehashed. Alfonso Soriano is badmouthing Carlos Marmol in the media pretty hardcore.  Just so we’re clear, Soriano is hitting .245 this season. He’s hit all of 7 home runs and his OBP is a sparkling 20 points higher than his average. HE gets to decide who sucks? That seems pretty fair. For the record, Marmol sports a 5.86 ERA and has 2 saves in 5 opportunities to go with 2 Wins and 4 Losses.
• While hunting for what games would be on WGN this series, I stumbled across this gem also (http://www.wgnamerica.com/sports/chicagocubs). Check out the description there. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about Cubs fans, nothing will.
• Subset of Other Stuff, the rest of the stupidly named Cubs: Wellington Castillo, which sounds like some weird fusion puff pastry steak at a TexMex restaurant and Anthony Rizzo, which just makes me think of this every time I hear/see it.
• On a plus note, I noticed that our old friend Cody Ransom is on the Cub active roster. If there ever was a Cub to actually root for, Cody is it. What a great guy, and what a warrior. Dude has 8 home runs in less than 90 at bats, which is more that Soriano has in 261. Fucking awesome.
• And on the saddest note possible, don’t forget you can tune in Saturday to WGN and catch JD calling the game for the Goddamn Fucking Cubs. FUCK.
• And lastly, I’ll just leave this here for your viewing pleasure…

My prediction for this series? I think the Good Guys take it 2-1. I also predict I won’t watch a pitch of it, and I’ll be okay with it.

I’ll probably lurk the Gamezone! But, that’ll be it.

Fuck the Cubs.

Minute Maid Park

Friday, May 10th, 7:10pm CSN, MLB.tv (Or Rangers Broadcast on TXA-21 if you can handle the smug fuckery of their announcers)

Saturday, May 11th, 6:10pm CSN, MLB.tv (Or Rangers Broadcast on FSSW if you can handle the smug fuckery of their announcers)

Sunday, May 12th, 1:10pm (Or Rangers Broadcast on FSSW if you can handle the smug fuckery of their announcers)

Friday

Alexi Ogando (3-2, 3.08) v. Dallas Keuchel (0-1, 4.96)

Ogando threw 6 1/3 scoreless against the ‘Stros his last time out against them. He’s been pretty spotty against the league in his last few starts, boasting an ERA north of four and a half and a 1-2 record.

Current Astros are hitting a robust .200 (5-25) against Alexi. Altuve has a double and two Ks in 4 at bats and JD Martinez has a double in his only at bat against Ogando. Pena, Cedeno, and Maxwell each have a single off him in a total of eight attempts.

Kuechel has gotten knocked around pretty good so far this year in the bullpen. This will be his first start of the year… So he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

Current Rangers are hitting .286 (4-14) off Dallas. No fireworks, just four singles from four different cocksuckers Rangers.

Saturday

Yu Darvish (5-1, 2.56) v. Erik Bedard (0-2, 7,.36)

Darvish has been pretty spectacular so far this year. The Rangers have won all but one of his starts, and he’s just blown away the competition.

Current Astros are hitting .144 (5-44) against Yu. He almost threw a fucking perfecto against the Good Guys last time he faced them, until National Goddamn Hero Marwin Gonzalez said “Fuck this shit” and slapped one right below Yu’s darvishes (which is Japanese for balls, true story) in to center for a hit to break it up. So put on your hard hats, boys and girls, this is probably going to be an ugly one to watch for the Whoopassians.

Erik Bedard has been the opposite of spectacular this season. His first two appearances he looked like the second coming of (insert your deity here), and since has looked like a puddle of vomit left to cook in the Chicago sun after another Cubbie day game loss.

Current Rangers are hitting .250 (33-132) against Bedard. Nelson Cruz (6-17, 2 home runs) has done most of the damage against him, with Andrus, Beltre, and Fuckface Catcher all taking him deep as well.

Sunday

Nick Tepesch (2-3, 4.50) v. Jordan Lyles (1-0, 4.50)

Well, ESPN’s stat database just took a mega-dump, so you’re not going to get to find out much about him. It looks like he hasn’t ever faced the Astros, so there’s that. I don’t remember if that means good things or bad things anymore, but I’m just going to assume the worst. DOOM! GLOOM! DEATH! RON WASHINGTON WITH HIS HAT OFF!

Same problem with Jordan Lyles. Instead of actually doing some research, I’m going to assume that Jordan Lyles has dominated the Rangers in his career. Shut up, don’t ruin this for me.

Injury Report From Astros.com

Rangers – 

Neftali Feliz is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Fuck him.

Matt Harrison is having back issues. Had a second surgery to address this May 1st. Fuck him, too.

Colby Lewis has an elbow ouchie. Seriously, how can you take someone named Colby seriously? Oh, and fuck him.

Justin Miller also recovering Tommy John surgery. Fuck him, also.

Martin Perez fractured his forearm, and is in the minors recovering. Fuck him as well.

AJ Fuckface strained something. I hope he never recovers. I refuse to spell his stupid goddamn last name, too. I’m not wasting the 3 seconds it would take to figure it out because he’s a douche of the highest variety. FUCK HIM.

Joakim Soria ALSO is recovering from Tommy John surgery. How has nobody else noticed that half of the Rangers pitchers are exploding their arms? What the hell is going on in Dallas? Odds are this is Nolan Ryan’s fault. Oh, and fuck him. Both Joakim and Nolan, if that wasn’t clear enough.

And I hate to say it, but you’ve got to wonder about a pitching staff so full of injured arms…

Astros – 

Josh Fields is recovering from a forearm strain. He just started a minor league rehab assignment.

Justin Maxwell is recovering from a fractured hand after being hit by a pitch. He will hopefully be back in early June.

Alex White is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Giveaways This Series

Friday Night is “Big and Bright Friday Nights” Whatever the hell that is. Also, Fireworks. And a pink cosmetic bag (set of 3) to the first 10,000 fans. Oh man, sign me the hell up!

Saturday Night is Houston Astros Blood Drive and Pink Baseball Cap to the first 10,000 fans.

Sunday Afternoon is Mothers Day (not just at the ballpark, mind you) and Pink Tote Bag to the first 10,000 fans.

All of the above promotions are brought to you by Methodist Cancer Center.

The Rest of the Rest (AKA Other Reasons I Hate The Rangers)

• I, with a fair amount of other OWA’ers, attended Opening Day at Minute Maid this season. Much to all of our surprise, the Good Guys not only were competitive against the Rangers, but put a pretty serious whupping on them and won the game. There were a LOT of elated Astros fans. I was shocked, however, at how many not just depressed but angry Rangers fans we encountered on the way out. We witnessed more than a few verbal altercations, and the outright hostility coming from the Rangers fans we were near was more than a little bit surprising, at least to me. There was open hostility in the air, and Rangers fans were the ones pumping it out.
• When Darvish almost threw a perfecto against the ‘Stros a few nights later, I was at Pinthouse Pizza having dinner and a beer with some of my Floorball playing friends. I was wearing some Astros gear and just casually watching the game. When Marwin broke up the perfecto, I decided it was about time to head home. As I was leaving, there was a slightly drunk Rangers fan (a grown man, probably in his 40’s) openly weeping at the bar while watching the game play out. This guy was eating pizza and drinking at a bar, and was so invested in Yu Darvish throwing a perfect game that it brought him to tears. I’m a big baseball fan, but even I’m not THAT over the top. Get a fucking grip, man.
• Hey, Rangers fan… Any idea who the first Texas team to play in the World Series was? Nope, it wasn’t the Rangers. Astros did it first!
• Hey, Rangers fan… You’ve won the EXACT same amount of World Series as the Astros, ZERO. Turn that nose back towards sea level, asshole. You’re just as baseball irrelevant as we are.
• Hey, Rangers fan… I know you’ve got an Astros hat or shirt stowed somewhere in your house. You ditched it when the Rangers finally started playing good ball a few years ago, but your bandwagoning ass was rooting for the Mud ‘n Blood for a few years at least. You’re from Dallas, we all know about your bandwagoning ways.
• Hey, Rangers fan… Want to hear about the dumbest baseball owner ever? He’s the guy that has his team playing in brutal 110 degree weather for 3+ months a year because his stadium doesn’t have a fucking roof on it. GREAT PLAN! I LOVE HEAT STROKE, TOO!
• Hey, Rangers fan… Fuck you, too.

Go blast your hatred on the Rangers in the Gamezone!

(If you can read that and don’t hear the opening strains of the A-Team right now, there is something wrong with you)

I’m not really sure what else to say about the two “A” teams meeting here.

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Monday, April 15th, 9:05pm (Hahaha, you actually think you’ll get to watch this?)

Tuesday, April 16th, 9:05pm (Hahaha, you actually think you’ll get to watch this?)

Wednesday, April 17th, 9:05pm (Hahaha, you actually think you’ll get to watch this?)

Monday

Eric Bedard (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Tommy Milone (2-0, 4.50 ERA)

Bedard has thrown 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball and has only given up 2 hits. He nailed down his first career save on opening day, and had a great start cut short due to… well, I don’t even know why and I don’t feel like looking it up. Anyway, he’s been great so far this season, and has fantastic career numbers against the A’s (4-0, .55 ERA).

Current A’s bat .115 against Bedard (3-26). So, expect 4-5 innings of well pitched baseball before the game is turned over to our dumpster fire of a bullpen.

Tommy Milone sounds like someone’s little brother. He faced the Astros once when he was with the Nationals.

Current astros bat .111 against Milone (1-9). He’s been pretty meh so far this year, so hopefully the Astros can jump on him early before Bedard’s quick exit.

Tuesday

Brad Peacock (1-1, 4.82 ERA) vs. A.J. Griffin (2-0, 1.93 ERA)

Peacock had a short start against the A’s earlier this year where he gave up 2 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings and took the loss. His other outing was a pretty solid one against the Mariners.

A.J Griffin sounds (and looks) like the douchey guy that would hit on your girlfriend at a bar on a Wednesday night. This is only his season season in the big leagues, but so far, he’s looked pretty solid.

Griffin has only faced one Astro in his career, Mr. Happy’s best friend Carlos Pena. Carlos is 2-3 with a double and 2RBIS, but Mr. Happy would like to point out that his other at bat was a strikeout.

Wednesday

Bud Norris (2-1, 1.96 ERA) vs Bartolo Colon (1-0, 4.15)

Bud has really come on strong early on this season. He’s really put it all together so far, and if he keeps this up, he’ll have a good chance to win 6 or 7 games before the season is over.

Current A’s are batting .227 (10-44) against Bud. Jed Lowrie (2-3, HR) does the most damage against him, that traitorous bastard.

Bartolo Colon is a big fat tub of goo. That’s neither here nor there, but should be said. It’s rare to see a pitcher with an ERA that matches his weight, but there it is.

Current Astros bat .309 against Blubbertolo (17-55). Jason Castro, Justin Maxwell, and J.D. Martinez all are 2-3 against him, and Carlos Pena is 10-33 with 3 home runs against him. You can hear Mr. Happy grinding his teeth all the way from here!

Injury Report From Astros.com

Astros:

John Fields is on the 15 Day DL with a forearm strain.

Fernando Martinez is on the 15 Day DL with an oblique strain. He started a rehab assignment Sunday in AAA.

Alex White underwent Tommy John surgery and is out for the year.

A’s:

Travis Blackley is on the 15 Day DL with a shoulder strain.

Yoenis Cespesdes is on the 15 Day DL with a hand sprain.

Coco Crisp is off the DL, but still day to day with a groin strain.

Hiroyuki Nakajima is close to coming off the 15 Day DL with a straight hamstring.

Fernando Rodriguez is out for the year recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Adam Rosalez is on the 15 Day DL with a strained intercostal.

Scott Sizemore is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Giveaways This Series

The Astros were given away to the AL. Fuck Bud Selig.

Other

• Brad Peacock looks like the after picture of a Bud Norris miracle diet commercial here.
• These first few weeks have been really interesting to watch. The team went from a total strikeout fest every game to suddenly taking close pitches instead of flailing at anything within 5 feet of the plate. It’s rare to see a turnaround like that happen so quickly. One has to wonder exactly what happened. Did Bo Porter just finally send in the “Don’t swing at every pitch ever” sign?
• Although I’ve been keeping up with the team mostly, I’m having a really hard time getting as emotionally invested in writing about the Astros. There just isn’t that much to be excited about playing on the fucking west coast at fucking 9pm every fucking night against fucking teams I fucking don’t care about. Aside from waiting for Pujols to suddenly age like the bad guy at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (or like Dick Clark finally did), I’m just sort of along for the ride so far. I’m trying to muster up hate, but so far it’s pretty lukewarm annoyance.
• Please, for fuck’s sake, put someone that maybe has just a LITTLE bit of gas left in them in the closer’s spot. If I’m going to watch someone blow games, at least make it someone interesting to watch pitch.

Talk about tonight’s ridiculously fucking late game in the GAMEZONE!

I’m feeling particularly “mail-it-in-y” today, so forgive my candor. This team is terrible. There are no two ways about it. The sense of relief the few times I’ve actually seen the Astros squeak out a win is almost worse than the dropping I feel in my stomach as I watch the early lead they were clinging to go flying out the window in the 4th or 5th inning. That being said, it’s still Astros baseball. We get to watch a sport we love and a team we at least have loved in the past, and they’re still playing the same great game that I’ve loved for almost my entire life.

That’s about all the sunshine I’m pumping though. Fuck the stupid Cardinals.

New Busch (Because we shut down the last dump-ass stadium you dipshits played in)

Tuesday August 20th, 7:15pm. FS-H, MLB.TV

Wednesday August 21st, 7:15pm. FS-H, MLB.TV

Thursday August 22nd, 12:45pm. FS-H, MLB.TV

Probable Starters From Astros.com

Tuesday

Lucas Harrell (10-8, 3.81) vs. Adam Wainwright (11-10, 3.87)

I’m not even going to waste time looking up numbers for this series. It’s going to suck worse than the “Life From Fernando Vina’s Point Of View” reality show. Nothing like looking up at other people’s crotches for 30 minutes (minus commercials of course) to make you feel better about yourself.

Lucas Harrell has been an absolute joy to watch in this season of suckitude. The fact that he has a winning record when you compare him to the rest of this slop jar full of nuts we call a pitching staff is just mind blowing.

I fucking hate Adam Wainwright. Tall, bearded bastard. Not to mention the fact he’s been so damn good for so long now. What an asshole.

Wednesday

Bud Norris (5-10, 5.23) vs. Kyle Lohse (12-2, 2.61)

Bud, quite frankly, I’m tired of your shit. Get it together, man. I used to think you were going to be the next big thing. Now I think you’re just going to be the next thing we trade for some unknown player from some unknown team.

Fuck Kyle Lohse. He’s a slop throwing slapdick, and I hate him.

Thursday

Dallas Keuchel (1-5, 4.99) vs. Jake Westbrook (12-9, 3.50)

Oh Dallas. You suck almost as bad as the city you’re named after. I had really high hopes after the first few Keuchel starts. There was a lot of potential there, both in the fact that his name is impossible to pronounce correctly and the fact that he looked damn good. Well, that ship sailed and sank pretty damn quickly. He has since gotten a pretty severe case of the nibbles, and it hasn’t been pretty.

Speaking of guys I hate… Jake Westbrook, COME ON DOWN. I don’t even know why I hate him. Probably because he’s another shitty retread arm that Drinkin’ Dave Duncan has been spoon feeding HGH to for the last few years so the ligaments in shredded arm would grow back. Either way, I hate him.

Injury Report from Astros.com

Astros

Francisco Cordero is out with a sprain in his foot. I’d be sprained too if I was helping lug that fat tub of goo around all day every day.

Sergio Escalona just has a really cool last name. And Tommy John surgery.

Jed Lowrie is experiencing better range of motion since switching to a new brace. Hey, thanks shitty Injury Report, that is SO helpful!

Jordan Schafer is out with a sore shoulder. How the hell does someone with such a noodle arm hurt their fucking shoulder?!

Kyle Weiland is still out with shoulder herpes. Maybe he gave it to Schafer, too.

Co-Ards

Twinkie the Kid Lance Berkman is out with a “Right, left knee”. I just checked, and holy shit! I’ve got a right and left knee too. Time for some Worker’s Comp claims!

Chris Carpenter is injured again. If you’re surprised by this, well, you’re a dumbass.

Kyle McClellan has a lot of fucking L’s in his name. And is hurt.

Giveaways This Series

Odds are we’re just giving away the series anyway, so we’ll go with that!

Interesting Things To Look For (Loosely Translates to: My Random Thoughts)

• Does everyone have a Cardinal friend? Are they all as insufferably annoying as mine when it comes to baseball? You’re not any better than any fans anywhere else, you smarmy slapdick. As far as I’m concerned, you’re probably not even the best fans in St. Louis, let alone baseball. So shut the fuck up and hurry home to watch the game you DVRed (of course ignoring the fact that there is NO reason to hurry home when you DVRed it, since YOU CAN WATCH IT WHENEVER THE HELL YOU WANT TO!).
• The more I think about it, the more I really just hate St. Louis. Everything about them. Their tradition. Their players. Their stupid arch. Man, what a bunch of assholes. They aren’t quite Cubs Fan level, but goddamn, I’m going to miss hating these idiots next season. I wonder how shitty Angels fans are…
• The best news concerning this entire turdburger of a series is that Lance is out. Few things annoy me more than Twinkie knocking the shit out of the ball against the Astros. Fat, traitorous bastard.

Talk about today’s game in the GAMEZONE!

The town of Brenham, Texas has high expectations for its high school baseball program.  I was blissfully unaware of these expectations as I drove to Brenham from my home in Austin in August of 1968.  I was Jimmy Raup then, and I was traveling to Brenham to interview for the Brenham High School baseball head coaching position.  I had no idea of what that job involved.  All I knew was that Cliff Gustafson, baseball coach for the University of Texas, called me to tell me the job was open, he recommended me for it, Brenham is a great baseball town, and he would take the job if offered.  With that advice and his directions on how to get to Brenham, I headed east on Highway 290.

My 1968 spring semester at UT had been an eventful one.  I had finished my baseball career as a pitcher for the Longhorns in 1967, and I graduated with a BA in history in January of 1968.  Coach Gustafson, in his first year at UT replacing the legendary Bibb Falk, asked me and another recent graduate teammate to coach the Longhorns Junior Varsity baseball team.  Freshmen were eligible for the varsity in 1968, and the JV team had freshmen and a few sophomores.  I was a graduate student beginning a master’s degree in history, and I accepted the coaching opportunity eagerly.  My plan at the time was to obtain a PhD. and to teach history in college.  The coaching assignment was merely for fun and for the opportunity to learn baseball from Cliff Gustafson.  He had won seven state championships at South San Antonio High School and was a coaching legend himself.  I had no thought whatsoever of making coaching my profession.

Uncle Sam and the North Vietnamese Army changed my plan.  Following the surprise Tet Offensive in January of 1968, the draft call was for 48,000 men, and the United States Army apparently thought I should be one of those men.  My draft notice came, and I was certain that I soon would be switching uniforms from burnt orange to olive drab.  I previously passed an Officer Candidate School physical, but there were no available armed services alternatives to being drafted.  I had waited too long.  I dropped out of graduate school and boarded the Army’s bus to San Antonio for my pre-induction physical, resigned to my fate of being drafted into the United States Army.

Surprise!  The Army rejected me because of my long medical history of asthma and sent me back to Austin to figure out what to do next.  I no longer was in school, but Coach Gustafson asked me to finish the JV team’s season.  I did so happily because I had discovered that I enjoyed coaching baseball very much.  An additional benefit from this first year in coaching was getting to know and becoming friends with Freddie Steinmark, who was a middle infielder on my team.  His tragic fate was three years in the future.  At the end of the season, Coach Gustafson told me I had done well and urged me to consider high school coaching as a career and to interview for an opening at Fort Worth Trimble Tech High School.  Why not?  The North Vietnamese Army had driven me out of graduate school, and I had nothing else to do.  I interviewed in Fort Worth in the late spring and accepted a coaching and teaching position at Trimble Tech for the 1968-69 school year.  At the time, I did not know where Brenham was.

My interview in Brenham in August of 1968 began at the home of the head football coach, Lloyd Wassermann.  Coach Wassermann took me to Fireman’s Park, the Brenham Cubs’ home field, which is one of the best high school ballparks anywhere.  He and I walked the field together as he explained that the people of Brenham were intense baseball fans who expect to win every game.  He also spoke glowingly of Cecil Cooper, the Cubs’ best hitter and major league prospect, who graduated in 1968.  He said several talented players were returning for the 1969 season, including two outstanding pitchers.  Coach Wassermann told me a good baseball coach can win in Brenham, and he must win.

Coach Wassermann and I met the high school principal for an interview at a local café, and we visited briefly with the Superintendent, Harold Eikenhorst.  With Cliff Gustafson’s recommendation and the beginning of the school year fast approaching, all I had to do was avoid a disastrous interview.  Apparently, I said all the right things, or at least no egregiously wrong things, and they offered me the job.  I accepted, and after filling out the necessary paperwork, I was the Brenham High School baseball coach at 22 years of age with no previous high school coaching experience.  I was confident and not nervous about this, but perhaps I should have been more concerned.  The Fort Worth school district released me from my commitment to Trimble Tech with no complaint, and I was ready to begin my teaching and coaching career in Brenham.

During the 1968-69 school year, I also was Freshman football and basketball coach with no assistants.  I enjoyed coaching those sports, but I was eager to get started in baseball in the spring.  The 1969 Brenham Cubs baseball team was a somewhat veteran squad with nine 1968 lettermen, including returning all-district players at catcher, shortstop and center field.  Mike Kluck, the shortstop, and Darrell Blum, the catcher, hit in the middle of the order and were among our best defensive players.  A promising sophomore, Otto Kemper, would play second base so the team appeared to be strong up the middle.  Tommy Lange, the centerfielder, was a key player on the team, and the two returning pitchers ensured that the team’s chances for success were excellent.  Lange was the leadoff hitter, and he was the first player I talked with before the season started.

Coach Gustafson had a system for leadoff hitters that I adopted, but the system required the player to believe in the system completely.  Instead of being ready to swing at a pitch, he must be ready to not swing.  He must take (not swing) each pitch until the pitcher threw a strike. This is called “taking a strike.” My leadoff hitter also must take every two balls-no strike (2-0) pitch, every three balls-no strike (3-0) pitch and every three balls-one strike (3-1) pitch.  The leadoff hitter must not swing at these pitches regardless of the score, the number of men on base, or the number of outs.  Most high school kids want to hit, and when they learn that the coach will force them to take pitches even on hitters’ counts, they often have difficulty accepting this concept.  The coach must convince his leadoff hitter to forget his batting average and to be as proud of getting a walk as others are of getting a hit.

Tommy Lange completely bought into this system without argument, question or complaint.  He took great pride in his ability to draw walks and absolutely refused to swing at pitches outside the strike zone even when he was behind in the count.  Pitchers knew he was not swinging, and he still drew walks.  Over a 30-game season in 1969, Lange drew 35 walks, stole 37 bases, scored 37 runs, and struck out only 14 times.  He also raised his batting average from the previous season about 30 points to .274 because he was swinging only at pitches he could hit.  A better high school leadoff man would be difficult to imagine.

Pitching was the strong suit of the 1969 Cubs team.  We had three legitimate #1 starters, and two of them were left-handed.  Ira Joe Newsome, an experienced senior lefty, was 7-0 in 1968 with wins in bi-district and regional competition.  He threw hard enough, kept the ball down in the strike zone and had an excellent curve.  Fearless and cocky, Ira Joe could both start and relieve in tight situations.  Tommie Sullivan, a senior righthander, had no 1968 experience because of an arm problem, but he had a very good fastball and a tremendous overhand curve that old-timers would call a “drop.”  His arm was healthy in 1969, and he quickly became an ace of the staff.

The best of the pitching cadre was Zane Grubbs, a junior lefthander who had lettered twice already.  Grubbs had a live fastball with lots of movement, an outstanding overhand curve, and good control.  He could throw his curve for a strike ahead or behind in the count, and his pickoff move to first was uncanny.  Grubbs also was extremely confident and competitive, and he believed he could beat any team.  The three pitchers carried the team to a 25-5 record despite a lineup with only one .300 hitter.

I also adopted Coach Gustafson’s many pickoff plays that were designed to surprise inattentive or unwary baserunners.  These pickoff plays required my players to be aware constantly of the game situations in which I might want them to execute a specific play.  They had to recognize the situation and to anticipate the correct play so that I would not tip off a pickoff by trying to get payers’ attention for a signal from me to run the play.  Each pickoff had signals between players so that all players knew a pickoff was on, and some required a signal from me before the team could call the specific pickoff play.

The pickoff plays required considerable practice for flawless execution, and my Brenham players enjoyed working on these pickoffs.  The Cubs used these pickoffs to great effect during my time in Brenham, and my players loved getting outs on unsuspecting opponent baserunners by their execution of these pickoffs.  My Brenham players believed they were smarter “baseball-wise” than their opponents, and they were.

I ran a tight ship.  My rule for my players’ conduct on the field and in the dugout was inflexible.  I did not tolerate throwing bats, batting helmets, gloves, batting gloves or any other object to express displeasure.  I had no patience with temper tantrums or with demonstrative shows of negative emotion.  Anyone who violated this rule earned a seat on the bench for the rest of the game.  I also did not allow smack-talking or yelling at our opponents.  My players must yell only for their teammates and must not initiate or respond to taunting.  They must respect their opponents and the Game.  Finally, the Cubs must hustle on and off the field each inning and must uphold the tradition of Brenham baseball by playing with pride and by winning and losing with sportsmanship.

During the 1969 season, Coach Raup was 23 and looked 16, and the seniors on the team were 18.  Many times when I took the lineup card to home plate to go over ground rules with the umpires, the arbiters asked me where the coach was.  I had learned during the 1968-69 school year something about the intensity of the town’s interest in the high school baseball team, but I did not expect the media attention.  There were daily newspaper articles, and the sport editor was a grizzled and cynical old-fashioned sports reporter.  Carlos Deere had seen it all, and he was not impressed by the no-experience, wet-behind-the-ears coach.  He was polite to me, but his “show-me-something” skepticism was obvious.  Randy Reets, the radio play-by-play man, was an easy-going, friendly guy who was pleasant to work with.  He broadcast every game and did many stories during the week for the local station.  Each week I gave interviews to the local media, some of which Deere disguised as casual conversations, but I quickly learned that my offhand remarks would be quoted and that I must be careful about my comments.  Coaching in Brenham was a graduate degree experience in media relations.

The first game of the Coach Raup era at Brenham High School was a disaster.  We were a team that had reached the regional round in 1968, but an undistinguished Bryan High School team destroyed Brenham 17-9 in the opening game of the 1969 season.  I was far more than disappointed because by that time, I was well aware of the town’s high expectations.  A collective “Uh, oh” concerning the no-experience head coach reverberated all around Brenham.  Following this debacle, I made a personnel switch that made a huge difference: I switched positions between A. J. Williams, our third baseman who had a chronically bad arm, and Bill Nutt, our first baseman.  This switch improved both positions dramatically and greatly improved our team defense.  At first base, Williams was a magician, and why I did not put him there to begin the season makes no sense to me now.  Nutt had a strong arm and played excellent hot corner defense.  We were a better team immediately.  We began to win and to play at the level expected of the Brenham Cubs.  Brenham completed the non-district schedule with a record of 8-3 and entered district competition with accustomed confidence.

A watershed moment in my team’s acceptance of their kid coach occurred as the Cubs prepared to meet A&M Consolidated, which was Brenham’s chief rival for the North Zone championship.  Winning championships was imperative in those days because the University Interscholastic League’s (UIL) playoffs toward the state championship included only district champions.  In Brenham, not making the playoffs would be a firing offense for the high school baseball coach, if not a hanging offense.

A group of players and I scouted the A&M Consolidated Tigers in their Tuesday game before playing Brenham the next Tuesday.  Friday was an open date for all teams because of a district-wide track meet.  Pitching for our rivals in the game we scouted was their ace, Robbie Schleider.  He was a righthanded pitcher, and he threw very hard.  Schleider pitched quite a game as the contingent of Brenham Cubs looked on:  he pitched a perfect game and struck out all 21 batters who faced him!  Holy Cow, that was an intimidating performance.

I noticed, however, that Schleider did not throw his curve in the strike zone all night.  He bounced his curve or threw it low and away, but his opponents helped him by swinging at those bad pitches.  I had an idea about how to prepare for Schleider, and we had four full days of practice before the game with the Tigers.  Business as usual practices would not prepare my team for Schleider’s overpowering assortment of pitches, in my opinion.

At our Wednesday practice, I assembled the team and unveiled our practice plan.  I would move the screen that protects the batting practice pitcher to a point halfway to the plate, which would be 30 feet away from the hitter.  I would throw all of the batting practice and would throw as hard as I could throw from that distance.  (I was only 23 years old, and to the extent that I ever could throw hard, I still could.)  I would mix in curves with the fastballs, and during the early part of the week, I would tell them which pitch was coming.  By Friday, I would not tell them in advance whether I was throwing a fastball or a curve.  The hitters’ task was two-fold and was simple to articulate: be able to time the fastball and to recognize the curveball spin and not swing at the curve.  The task would not be so simple to master.  With two strikes, they must swing at a curve in the strike zone, but the basic plan was to swing only at fastballs.  If our hitters could do these tasks by the Tuesday game, I thought they could handle Schleider.

As one may imagine, my hitters had a difficult time on Wednesday with my fastball from 30 feet, and more than one of them told me what I was asking them to do was impossible.  They struggled to swing quickly enough to make contact with fastballs, and they swung at many curves because they were not focusing on the pitch’s spin.  Thursday was better, however, and by Friday, despite not knowing which pitch was coming, they were hitting the fastball well and were not swinging at many more curves than they swung at.  I could see their confidence growing.  Monday’s pitch timing and recognition practice was even better, and I thought we were ready.

Brenham rocked A&M Consolidated and Robbie Schleider at their home park 10-1.  Our game plan worked to near-perfection.  The Cubs pounded out eight hits, drew nine walks, stole five bases, and A. J. Williams hit a two-run home run in the first inning to set the tone for the evening.  Schleider, definitely unnerved by the Cubs’ strike zone discipline and lack of intimidation, issued nine walks and uncorked six wild pitches.  Grubbs pitched a four-hitter and struck out 13 for the win.  Our game plan’s success erased any doubts that my team may have had about the Boy Coach’s knowledge of baseball, and they were “all in” with me for the duration.

Brenham and A&M Consolidated kept pace with each other as Zone competition progressed and met again at Brenham in a crucial game for both teams.  A win would give the Cubs a two-game lead with only three games to play.  Although the game was closer this time, Brenham defeated the Tigers and Schleider 6-4 behind Tommie Sullivan’s 13-strikeout performance, with last out relief from Grubbs.  Brenham closed out the North Zone championship with wins over Navasota and Huntsville and prepared for the playoffs.

The Cubs defeated Aldine Carver two games to one for the district championship, thanks perhaps to the Carver coach’s decision to rest his ace pitcher in the first game of the series.  The loss to dominating Willard Ester of Carver in the second game of the series was Brenham’s only loss at home in my three years at Brenham, and I was thankful that he pitched only one game in the series.  Next up was Jasper, and Brenham won 11-1 and 8-7 for the bi-district championship; the second Jasper game “featured” 22 walks by the two teams combined.  El Campo fell to the Cubs two games to none for the regional championship despite a heroic performance by El Campo’s star pitcher.  Brenham won a nail-biter 2-1 in a pitchers’ duel between Grubbs and Alan Olson for the Ricebirds and won the clincher 3-2 in eight innings the next day, with Olson pitching his second complete game in two days. The Cubs were going to the State Tournament for only the second time in the school’s history.  Brenham High School had advanced to the Tournament in 1966 but lost both games.

In 1969, Brenham faced Andrews in the Tournament’s semifinal round, and I made a decision on the starting pitcher that still is criticized in Brenham as I write this in 2012.  My decision was whether to start Zane Grubbs or Tommie Sullivan on the mound against Andrews, which was a team that Brenham should beat.  Coach Gustafson watched Andrews practice at UT’s field and recommended a righthander if I thought my pitchers were equal in ability.  I thought both could win at that level and started Sullivan on Gustafson’s recommendation.  That was a fateful decision for me.

Brenham gave up four runs in the first inning, in part because of a two-out, bases-loaded error in left field.  We fought back to tie the score after three innings but missed two great chances to take the lead, including a popped-up squeeze bunt that resulted in a double play.  I brought in Grubbs to pitch the seventh inning with the game tied, and I believed that we would score to win and that he would pitch us to the state championship the next day.

Not so.  Zane made a throwing error to begin the top of the 9th, and a sacrifice bunt and a broken bat bloop single with two out put us behind.  We stranded a runner at third in the bottom of the 9th inning and lost the semifinal game 5-4 in nine innings.  This was a heart-breaking defeat because the Cubs were the better team but did not play well that day.  We won the third place game over Burleson easily with Grubbs pitching a shutout for a consolation prize.  Taylor High School, a team we shut out behind Grubbs earlier in the season, won the 1969 State Championship.  We won the final Third Place game played in the UIL State Tournament and finished better than any Brenham High School team before us.  Lange, Williams and Blum were All-State Tournament selections. I was disappointed in our loss to Andrews but proud of the team’s accomplishments.

The 1969 Brenham Cubs only hit .265 as a team, but the pitching overcame a lack of offense.  Grubbs was 9-1, Sulivan was 7-1 and Newsome was 7-3.  Stealing bases also was important for our anemic offense.  Lange had 37 steals, Kemper had 25, Mike Kluck stole 18 bases and Nutt had 16 steals.  Baserunning enabled this team to score runs without stringing three hits together.  Finishing as the third place team in the State of Texas was a tremendous accomplishment for the 1969 Cubs, I thought as we returned to Brenham from Austin after the Tournament.

After the State Tournament in 1969, I learned completely what coaching in Brenham meant.  My euphoria over the Cubs’ best-ever season did not last long.  I naively believed that the fan base would be pleased and proud because we had been to the State Tournament for only the second time in the school’s history, and we had won a game, unlike the 1966 team.  I could not have been more wrong.  The conventional wisdom among the “Downtown Coaches Association” (railbirds who met at a local cafe to evaluate and criticize coaches and coaches’ decisions) was that I had blown the state championship by not starting Grubbs against Andrews.  This group of “experts” conveniently ignored the crucial errors and forgot that Zane entered a tie game and was the losing pitcher. Apparently, these details were irrelevant because they believed steadfastly that Grubbs would have defeated Andrews had I started him.  Many in the town mourned a lost state championship, blamed the coach and did not celebrate our third place finish.  I was very surprised, but looking back, why should I have been?  We went to the State Tournament and did not win it all.  End of story for many in Brenham, Texas.

The 1970 season loomed large for me, and I believed I had something to prove.  During the summer, I turned down an offer to coach baseball at Brazoswood High School, a new high school in the Brazosport Independent School District.  This opportunity again was recommended by my guardian angel, Cliff Gustafson, but I said no because I loved coaching in Brenham and wanted to return.  The Cubs would be a very inexperienced team in 1970, but we had Zane Grubbs on the mound for his senior year.  For the 1970 season, we replaced 1969 starters at shortstop, first base, catcher, all the outfield positions, and we had no experienced pitchers to back up Grubbs.  Other than that, we were solid.  We were a team in transition, but we had some promising players to replace the graduated starters.  I was determined to answer the 1969 criticism with the 1970 team’s performance.

Otto Kemper was a returning starter at second base, and Bill Nutt returned at third base.  Each hit only .244 in 1969, but each was excellent on defense.  Replacing Lange in center was Larry McDonald, who had been an outstanding platoon player in right field as a sophomore in 1969.  He had sprinter track speed, was a line drive hitter, and would steal many bases if he could get on.  Wayne Kluck took over for his cousin Mike at shortstop and had power potential.  Roosevelt Leaks, the football star running back, talented in baseball but very raw, would get a chance in left field.  Doyle Gaskamp, a sophomore, would platoon with Leaks in left field and also could play third base.  Several players auditioned for right field, and James Mueller, who had lettered three times, started the season there.

Catcher and first base were the biggest question marks, but Charles Schlottmann quickly took charge at first base.  A sure-handed defender, Schlottmann solidified the infield defense.  Catcher was another matter entirely.  The player I thought would be our catcher did not make his grades and was ineligible for the season.  Val Gene Kiecke, an outfielder, said, “I can catch, Coach,” and he did surprisingly well.  He had little to no experience behind the plate, but he worked hard with a great attitude.  I thought his defense would be adequate.

Zane Grubbs was going to have a big year on the mound, but he could not pitch all the games.  Roger Gaskamp, a senior righthander, began the season as our second pitcher.  Gaskamp threw hard, but he struggled with his control.  After that, a cast of thousands vied for relief roles.  As the season got underway, I did not have a clue who would be able to pitch at the level the team needed, other than Grubbs and Gaskamp.  None of the other pitching candidates stepped forward during the pre-season, and this crucial part of the team was a major concern.  We could not go far in the playoffs with only two pitchers.

Running was a major characteristic of the teams I coached.  The 1969 team stole 131 bases, with Lange stealing 37 and sophomore Otto Kemper stealing 25.  Taking the extra base and stealing bases helped that team win despite a subpar offense.  The 1970 team appeared to be able to run also; Kemper and Nutt were back, McDonald was faster than Lange, and others had base-stealing potential.  None of them could steal first base, however.  We would have to hit better than in 1969 and draw walks when possible to have a chance to steal bases.

Grubbs pitched a no-hitter to open the season, and although the Cubs got only one hit, it was a long home run by Kluck.  Brenham won 6-0, and the 1970 season had begun.  The next two games also were shutout wins, and we were 3-0 and had not given up a run.  Next up was the Wharton Tournament, and after a 6-2 win over Dickinson, the wheels came off.  Grubbs lost 2-1 to Corpus Christi Miller on two unearned runs, and Brenham lost again the same day 5-2 to Lamar Consolidated.  Suddenly, the Cubs’ record was 4-2, and I was wondering which way the season would go.

As I did in 1969, I made a personnel change in 1970 that made a big difference in our defense and improved the team’s play.  Val Gene Kiecke, who volunteered to catch because of an ineligible player, was struggling with his defense.  During the last game of the Wharton Tournament, I moved Kiecke to right field and replaced him at catcher with sophomore Duane Houston.  Kiecke was a great outfielder, and Houston, although inexperienced, solidified the catcher position with better defense.  We were an improved team immediately, and Houston’s steady and consistent play behind the plate was critical to this team’s ultimate success.

On the horizon was the Austin ISD Tournament.  Brenham was defending co-champion and was the only 3A team in a 16-team field.  All the other teams in the tournament were 4A schools, and this did not seem to be the best environment for us to right our listing ship.  Bad weather came to our rescue, perhaps, after Brenham beat Austin Lanier 12-4 in the opening game.  All of the Saturday games were rained out, and Grubbs did not get to take on a 4A opponent on Saturday.  The enforced rest likely helped.  The next week Brenham battered Rockdale. 12-0 to end non-district play.  Heading into the games that really counted toward making the playoffs, Brenham’s season record was 6-2 and the Cubs were the favorite to win the North Zone championship. La Grange would be the main threat to a Brenham championship.

In a non-district contest against Taylor, Delbert Boeker took a huge leap forward to provide pitching depth behind Grubbs and Gaskamp.  Relieving Grubbs in the 6th inning with the bases loaded, no outs and a 3-0 count on the hitter, Boeker registered a strikeout, a force out and a fly ball out to extinguish the fire with only one run scoring.  After a leadoff double in the 7th inning, Boeker struck out the side to close a 6-2 win over the defending 3A state champions.  Boeker’s heroics were crucial in the Taylor game, but his emergence as a dependable pitcher became more important as the 1970 season unfolded.

The North Zone championship ultimately was decided by Brenham’s two games with traditional rival La Grange, but the outcome was not without drama provided by our game in Huntsville and by an umpire’s incorrect decision.  Brenham led 5-0 after five innings, and I replaced Grubbs with Boeker to give Grubbs some rest and Delbert some work.  I often substituted in the late innings with a comfortable lead to give bench players playing time.  We had many good players, and substituting with a lead usually was a safe decision.

Uncharacteristically wild, Boeker walked the first two hitters in the 6th inning, and when he threw two balls to the next hitter, I had seen enough.  I attempted to put Grubbs back into the game, as UIL rules permit, but the umpires ruled that he could not re-enter the game.  This decision was absolutely wrong, but there was nothing I could do.  Neither Boeker nor the reliever who followed could stop the avalanche, and Huntsville won 7-6.  I was very shaken by this loss because of my decision to substitute for Grubbs.

This loss could have been devastating because we should have won the game easily.  Brenham now was a game behind undefeated La Grange in the North Zone in an era when only champions reached the playoffs.  Fighting back the urge to panic, I stressed to my team that we could not lose another game.  Perhaps because our backs were to the wall, the Cubs began to roll.  Brenham blasted A&M Consolidated 17-0 and Bryan Kemp 10-1.  In a 12-run inning against A&M Consolidated, Brenham hitters connected for eight consecutive hits, and shortstop Wayne Kluck slugged two homers in that inning.  Not to be outdone by the hitters, three Cubs pitchers combined to no-hit the Tigers.  The showdown with league-leading La Grange approached, and a loss to them likely would kill the season.

Brenham easily defeated La Grange 10-0 and moved into a tie for the North Zone lead.  Zane Grubbs pitched a one-hitter for the eighth shutout of Brenham’s 13 wins on the season.  Kemper and McDonald, the first two hitters in the lineup, combined for a perfect seven for seven at the plate, seven runs scored, two runs batted in, and Kemper tripled twice.  As the league moved into the second half of Zone play, Brenham had made up for the near-disaster in Huntsville and was in its accustomed first place position.  The Cubs had not lost since Huntsville.

Brenham continued winning throughout the second half, surviving close games against Navasota, 4-3, with Grubbs getting a three-inning save, and A&M Consolidated, 3-0, behind Gaskamp and Boeker.  Revenge for the Huntsville loss was sweet: Brenham blasted Huntsville 10-0 in the rematch behind a two-hitter by Grubbs, who had 11 strikeouts and no walks.  The second game with La Grange decided the North Zone Championship.  Brenham shut out La Grange 5-0, with Grubbs hurling a three-hitter and striking out 12 to go 11-1 on the year.  The Cubs were 19-3 and had not lost since Huntsville.

Brenham stormed through the playoffs toward the 1970 State Tournament.  Cypress-Fairbanks fell 17-0, with Grubbs allowing only one hit and striking out 14, and 6-0 behind Gaskamp and relief help from Boeker.  The wins gave the Cubs the district championship for the seventh straight year.  Jasper was Brenham’s bi-district opponent in a matchup of winning streaks; Brenham had won 17 of the last 18, and Jasper had won 15 of the last 16.  After an 8-inning struggle, Brenham won the first game 2-1, and Zane Grubbs gave up only two hits and struck out 17.  Grubbs also scored the winning run on a two-out double by Otto Kemper.  In Jasper, Brenham won a walk-filled game 10-6, and Delbert Boeker, who relieved Roger Gaskamp in the 2nd inning, finished the game for the win.

Alvin, hometown of Nolan Ryan, was next up in regional competition, and a trip to the State Tournament was at stake.  Brenham, at 23-3, and Alvin, at 19-3, had the two best records left in the 3A playoffs.  Brenham had not lost since Huntsville.  Pitching for Brenham was Zane Grubbs, with a record of 13-1, and Frank Johnstone, who was 11-1, was on the hill for the Yellowjackets.  With this pitching matchup, the game promised to be tense and tight, and the game did not disappoint fans of exciting playoff baseball.  In an extremely well-played game, the Cubs defeated Alvin 3-2 in eight innings.

Brenham scored in the 1st inning on a sacrifice fly by Nutt, and Alvin answered with a run in the bottom of the 2nd inning on a two-out single.  Brenham broke on top 2-1 in the 5th inning when Nutt scored on an Alvin error.  With Grubbs on the mound, any lead was big, and Brenham appeared about to win on a grounder up the middle in the 7th inning that Kemper miraculously turned into what looked to be a game-ending double play.

After Kemper’s tremendous backhand stop and flip to Kluck to force the runner at second, Kluck made the relay throw to first that would end the game.  Bad luck stopped our celebration, however.  The sliding runner’s batting helmet popped up into the air at second base, and Kluck’s throw to first glanced off of the helmet and deflected into the dirt past Schlottman at first base.  The tying run scored on this unlucky error, and the game headed into extra innings.

Brenham bounced back immediately from this unhappy turn of events.  Nutt doubled to lead off the top of the 8th inning, and one out later, Schlottman singled him in for a 3-2 lead.  Grubbs closed out the Yellowjackets in the bottom of the 8th inning with two strikeouts and a groundout.  Johnstone gave up seven hits and struck out 12, but Grubbs was better, giving up only three hits and striking out 14.  The second game of the regional playoff was never in doubt as the Cubs pounded Alvin 10-1 behind Boeker’s first playoff start and complete game five-hitter.  Brenham had not lost since Huntsville and was on its way to the State Tournament for the second consecutive year.

In Austin, Eagle Pass was Brenham’s semifinal opponent, and the Eagles were 19-6 on the year.  Pitching against the Cubs would be Rolando Surita, who was 12-4 with an ERA of 2.09.  Zane Grubbs, Brenham’s star pitcher, entered the game with a 14-1 record and a microscopic 0.28 ERA.  In marked contrast to the 1969 team, Brenham boasted six hitters with batting averages above .319, led by second baseman Otto Kemper at .446 and third sacker Bill Nutt at .391.  I felt very confident in our ability to handle the Rio Grande Valley team easily.

Surita, a burly right-handed fireballer, struck out eight and surprised me by keeping Brenham at bay until the top of the 7th inning.  The two teams were locked in a scoreless tie entering the 7^th inning, and the Cubs had managed to not score in the 6^th inning despite getting four hits in the inning.  Surita had walked only one thus far, but he walked the bases loaded while getting two outs.  Larry McDonald was our hitter, and Surita buckled his knees with two sharp breaking curves for called strikes.  Down 0-2 in the count, McDonald looked to be an inning-ending strikeout with one more curve.

For reasons known only to him or to the person who called the pitches, Surita threw McDonald a fastball with his third pitch.  Larry did not miss it and lined a triple into right centerfield just out of the reach of a desperate dive by the Eagle Pass centerfielder.  We led 3-0, and with Grubbs pitching, that lead looked to be as safe as 100-0.  Grubbs gave up the only hit he allowed with one out in the bottom of the 7th, but he finished the game with two strikeouts.  Zane struck out only eight Eagle Pass hitters, a low total for him, but the Brenham defense backed him with an errorless game.

For the first time in the school’s history, the Brenham High School Cubs were in the state championship game, and Dumas High School was the opponent.  Delbert Boeker drew the starting assignment to pitch the most important game of the 1970 season or of any Brenham High School baseball season.  He had pitched very well in relief during the 1970 campaign, and because his ability to throw strikes had been the most consistent of the Brenham pitchers not named Grubbs, I started Boeker against Alvin in the second game of the regional round.  He responded with a complete game victory over Alvin and gave up only one unearned run.  I thought he had earned the start against Dumas for the state championship.  Grubbs was available to pitch in relief if needed, and I would not hesitate to use him.

I cannot overstate the excitement of playing in the State Tournament.  For a coach, it is the ultimate accomplishment because the Tournament matches up Texas’ final four teams after weeks of highly competitive, intense playoff baseball.  There is no more exhilarating experience for a baseball coach than a playoff game.  Every situation is crucial, and every coaching decision is magnified.  I loved playoff baseball.  The challenge for a coach in the State Tournament is to convince his players that they must play the most important game of their lives as though it were just another game.  That was my task as we prepared to face Dumas High School for the 1970 3A State Championship.

The state championship game was no contest.  In the 1st inning, the Brenham Cubs sent 10 men to the plate and scored six runs.  Piling on, we scored three more runs in the 2nd inning and put the game away.  Dumas answered with two runs in the 2nd inning, but the Brenham infield defense put on a clinic throughout the game, and the outcome was never in doubt.  The Cubs scored two more runs in the 6th inning and won the 1970 3A State Championship 11-2.

Boeker was up to the challenge and pitched a complete game victory giving up only five hits and one earned run.  The Brenham infield defense flawlessly recorded fourteen groundball putouts.  Val Gene Kieke, who had selflessly volunteered to play catcher and who had struggled at the plate all season, had two hits and a sacrifice fly and drove in three runs.  McDonald also had two hits, and we finished the season 27-3.  Brenham did not lose a game after Huntsville and won 17 consecutive games on the way to the state championship.

State Champions!  The 1970 Brenham Cubs were a great high school baseball team.  Seven Cubs were named to the All-State Tournament team: Schlottmann, Kemper, Nutt, Kluck, McDonald, Kiecke and Grubbs were selected.  Schlottmann, Kemper, McDonald, Kiecke and Grubbs were unanimous selections.  A state championship always is a team accomplishment, but these players deserved this individual honor.

The 1970 season’s statistics showed how outstanding this team was.  The team batting average was .309, and the team ERA in a 30-game season was 0.78.  Our hitters’ statistics were impressive: Kemper. 439, McDonald .337, Kluck .356, Nutt .380, Leaks .346, Schlottmann .308, and super sub David Schomburg .308.  Wayne Kluck tied a school record with seven home runs and drove in 36 runs.  Larry McDonald drove in 27 runs, which was the second most on the team.  McDonald also set a school record with 40 stolen bases, Kemper stole 30 bases and scored 41 runs, and Nutt stole 26 bases.  The team had 137 stolen bases and scored 219 runs.

Zane Grubbs had a phenomenal year in 1970.  Over 106-1/3 innings pitched, Grubbs had a record of 15-1, gave up only 26 hits, eight runs, four earned runs, struck out 198, and he finished the season with an ERA of 0.25.  He pitched one no-hitter, a combined no-hitter and four one-hitters.  Boeker was 7-0 with an ERA of 0.80, and Gaskamp was 5-1 with an ERA of 1.78.

Boeker’s development to provide dependable relief pitching was crucial to this team’s success.  He also made the most of his starting opportunities by pitching complete game victories in the regional championship and state championship games.  The Brenham pitching staff shut out 14 of its 30 opponents and gave up only one run to four others.  In 1970, the Brenham Cubs had it all:  pitching, hitting, defense and baserunning.  No matter what was to come after 1970, these Brenham Cubs were the first to win a state championship for the school and for this wonderful baseball town.

After all of the thrills of the 1970 season, Brenham’s 1971 season was anti-climactic and ultimately disappointing.  Everyone in the starting lineup returned except third baseman Bill Nutt, and Doyle Gaskamp, who hit .286 and platooned in left field in 1970, would be an adequate replacement for Nutt. Grubbs and Roger Gaskamp graduated, and we had no one who could replicate the year Grubbs had in 1970.  Delbert Boeker began the season as Brenham’s #1 starter, but he was more suited to his previous role of reliever and #2 starter.  As the season progressed, Charles Proske, a talented sophomore, became our #1 starting pitcher, and Eddie Marshall and Brian Tharp, senior right-handers, provided pitching depth.  Marshall eventually became the #2 starter despite his total lack of experience.

Brenham started the season with a 12-2 record and had played only 4A teams so the prospects for another deep playoff run appeared to be excellent.  In Zone play, however, cracks began to appear.  Columbus, always a tough opponent, used three hits and a walk in the 1st inning to defeat Boeker and the Cubs 3-2.  Once again, Brenham’s backs were to the wall.  Proske, Marshall and Boeker shared the pitching assignments during Zone play with Boeker being most effective in relief roles.  Brenham advanced through the other Zone opponents with opposition only from La Grange.  After a hard-fought 7-4 win over La Grange and an easy win over Houston Elmore, Brenham prepared to meet Columbus for the second time, and a Cubs’ win would create a tie for the Zone lead.  Behind an 11-hit barrage, Brenham defeated Columbus 12-2 to move into a tie for the Zone lead with the Cardinals.  Proske moved to 8-0 with a three-hitter.  Both teams won out, which required a best two out of three playoff for the Zone championship.  This playoff was worth watching.

Brenham won the opening game in Columbus 2-1 on an 11th inning home run by Charles Schlottmann.  Proske went the distance for his ninth win without a loss giving up only three hits and striking out 14.  McDonald, who stole four bases in the contest, saved the game in the 8th inning with a catch at the fence to rob the Cardinals of a game-winning home run.  Eddie Marshall pitched a complete game 5-2 victory over Columbus in the second game, and the Cubs were again Zone champions.

At this point in the 1971 season, Brenham’s hopes for a repeat state championship still were high.  All of our position players had been starters or front-line reserves on the state championship team in 1970.  Brenham was 23-3 and playing well on offense and defense.  Injuries had been a minor problem, but substitute players had stepped up when called upon, especially sophomore Edwin Morrow, and the Cubs had continued to win no matter who was in the lineup.  Brenham’s pitching was not dominant, but Proske was a pleasant surprise at 9-0, Marshall was inexperienced but was 7-1 as a #2 pitcher, and Boeker was once again a dependable reliever.  I was optimistic about our chances but was about to learn how much we missed Zane Grubbs.

Just ahead in the district championship playoff were the Crockett Bulldogs, led by Jamie Easterly, a senior lefthanded pitcher who was undefeated at 9-0.  After 11 innings in an afternoon game in Brenham, the Cubs gave Easterly his first defeat 4-3, although Easterly struck out 18 Cubs.  Proske was relieved by Boeker in the 6th inning but re-entered the game and pitched 9 1/3 innings for the win, striking out 17.  Brenham tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning on a triple by McDonald and won it in the 11th inning on McDonald’s second triple and a single by Kemper.

Jamie Easterly came back to pitch the second game of the series in Crockett and evened it up all by himself by striking out 20 Brenham hitters and hitting a two-run home run.  This game was played at night under the lights, which appeared to be one candle on a pole.  Crockett led only 2-1 going into the bottom of the 5th inning but pulled away to win 9-1.  The rubber match was played on a rainy night in Bryan with a strong wind blowing in from center field, and Crockett prevailed 3-1 in the deciding game of the series.  Brenham scored one run in the top of the 1st inning, and as Proske left the dugout to head to the mound, I told him, “There is your run.  You cannot give them any.”  He smiled, but I was serious.

Easterly once again pitched a complete game for the win, and Brenham miscues figured prominently in all three Crockett runs.  Proske struck out 10, walked none, and the Cubs should have made plays to convert three of Crockett’s four hits into outs.  Those misplays and a passed ball beat us.  Over a seven day period, Easterly pitched 25 innings, gave up 10 hits, struck out 45 and won two games and lost one. Proske was outstanding all year and in this series, especially for a sophomore, but we missed the dominance of Grubbs who could beat any team on any night 1-0.  Backed by better defense, however, Proske would have beaten Easterly and Crockett 1-0 in the deciding game.

Crockett advanced as district champions, and the Brenham Cubs’ 1971 season was over.  Larry McDonald had another outstanding year, hitting .426 and stealing 35 bases in the abbreviated season.  Otto Kemper hit .320, stole 24 bases and led the team in RBI with 23.  Charles Proske was the leading pitcher at 10-1, and his only loss was the hard-luck defeat in the final game of the season.  We finished my third season in Brenham at 24-5, and our won-loss record during those three seasons was 76-13.

As it turned out, 1971 was the end of the Coach Raup era in Brenham.  During the summer, the Austin ISD Athletics Director, who had been my football and baseball coach at Austin High School, offered me the head baseball coaching position at McCallum High School.  I wanted to return to Austin and accepted this offer immediately.  I knew that McCallum had a strong baseball program and tradition, and I thought my chances of winning with the Knights were excellent.  I bade Brenham and my players farewell and headed back to Austin for the 1971-72, school year.  Make no mistake about it, though, I loved coaching in Brenham, and I loved the young men who played for me.  They made me a winning coach, and I hope I helped them become better players.  They already were good players when I got there.

Time passes so quickly.  I will be 67 soon, and the “kids” I coached in Brenham are in or near their 60s.  Looking back with the perspective of age and experience, I realize how lucky I was to receive Coach Gustafson’s call in August of 1968.  I was very fortunate to begin my coaching career in Brenham, Texas.  Skilled players awaited me as I began my career at Brenham High School, and they were eager to be coached as well as I could coach them.  Success was there for me if I could make the most of my opportunity.  I rode the wave of Zane Grubbs for two years, and a great pitcher goes a long way toward making his coach look as if he knows what he is doing.

The talent level in Brenham extends beyond the current players in high school.  Youth baseball programs in Brenham are annually among the strongest and most successful in the State of Texas, and there is a constant flow to the high school of kids who have been coached well, who can play and who know the game.  In retrospect, my coaching career may have been more successful if I had stayed in Brenham, but I had fine teams and great players at McCallum too.  I do not regret my move to Austin.

Cliff Gustafson was so right in 1968.  Brenham is a remarkable baseball town, and the players not only were talented but also were hard-working, high-character kids who wanted to win.  Brenham’s players take pride in the winning tradition of the program, and they seek to leave their own marks on that tradition.  For a young coach, the situation was ideal.  There were no discipline issues, and the players came to each practice ready to work to improve so that the winning would continue.  Players and coaches expected to win, and the state championship was our goal every year.

Starting my coaching career in Brenham taught me from the outset how to coach at the highest level of competition.  Brenham was the best of the best, and each team we played wanted to beat the Cubs to make its season meaningful.  My team and I had to be ready to perform at our peak each time we stepped on the field.  Complacency was not an option, and neither were poor decisions by me.

Coaching in Brenham taught me to deal with the tremendously high expectations in the community.  Baseball fans in Brenham assumed the Cubs would win and would win big.  To some, anything less than a state championship was a disappointing season.  The fans were rabid supporters, and we played every game before big and enthusiastic crowds.  We took the field thinking we would win each game we played, and our fans were not satisfied with less.  Pressure was on the field, in our dugout, in the stands and at the local cafes after the games, but I learned to deal with pressure and high expectations as an important part of my education as a coach.

Finally, as mentioned previously, being the Brenham High School baseball coach was life in a fishbowl and brought me daily attention from the local print and broadcast media.  At 23, I learned the art of giving interviews in which I could discuss our team frankly without being overly critical.  I learned how to be comfortable when speaking with reporters and how to state my main point concisely.  This was especially important in radio interviews.

Media representatives were often at practice to watch and to talk to players and coaches.  I learned to interact with the media on a daily basis and to not be defensive or resentful about their questions.  Most important, I learned that my comments would be in the local media, whether I wanted to be quoted or not, so I must never be flip or sarcastic or harsh while talking about the team or my players or our opponents.  I enjoyed my relationship with Carlos Deere of the Brenham Banner Press and Randy Reets of KWHI, and they taught me a great deal about media relations.

I would not have grown as much as a coach anywhere else as I did as a young coach in Brenham, Texas.  I had no idea as I drove to Brenham from Austin in August of 1968 what coaching in Brenham would require of me.  The entire Brenham experience of high level competition, intense playoff baseball, a town’s high expectations, intense and supportive fans, constant media attention and, above all, great players who also were great kids made me a much better coach than I would have been had I started my career elsewhere.  I am so thankful I started my coaching career as a Brenham Cub.

But wait.  The title of this piece is “Dynasty,” but it is only about my three years in Brenham.  Two trips to the State Tournament and a single state championship hardly qualify as a dynasty.  Consider the following additional history of this baseball program:  as I write this in 2012, Brenham High School has appeared at the UIL State Tournament a record 16 times and has won seven state championships.  Now that is a dynasty.

Brenham High School’s unparalleled baseball tradition at the UIL State Tournament includes:

• 1966 – the first appearance in school history. Lost to South San Antonio and Waxahachie
• 1969 – coached by Jimmy Raup.  Lost to Andrews and defeated Burleson to finish third
• 1970 – coached by Jimmy Raup.  Defeated Eagle Pass and Dumas to win the school’s first state championship
• 1973 – defeated South Grand Prairie and lost to La Grange to finish second
• 1975 – defeated Iowa Park and Sinton to win the school’s second state championship
• 1976 – defeated Pecos and South Grand Prairie to win the school’s third state championship
• 1986 – defeated Snyder and Mercedes to win the school’s fourth state championship
• 1987 – defeated Robstown and Fort Worth Brewer to win the school’s fifth state championship
• 1988 – defeated Canyon and Waxahachie to win the school’s sixth state championship
• 1989 – lost to Austin Anderson
• 1994 – lost to Big Spring
• 1999 – lost to Andrews
• 2003 – lost to Hewitt Midway
• 2009 – lost to Texarkana
• 2010 – defeated Wichita Falls Rider and Corpus Christi Calallen to win the school’s seventh state championship
• 2011 – lost to Wichita Falls Rider

No town in the State of Texas can match Brenham’s tradition of excellence in high school baseball.  Brenham truly is Baseballtown, USA, and the Cubs’ seven state championships are tied with Houston Bellaire and South San Antonio for the most championships in Texas schoolboy history.  Brenham High School is the premier baseball program in the State of Texas in 2012.  Remember this, however.  No matter how many more appearances at the State Tournament the Cubs make or how many more state championships Brenham wins, the 1970 Brenham Cubs were the first state champions of this storied program.  Brenham Cubs baseball is indeed a dynasty, and Coach Jimmy Raup and his team were there at the beginning.

Wade Miller Park

Whatever happened to ol’ WaMi, anyway? He was pretty great until he blew up his rotator cuff. He could probably slide right back in to the rotation now, or at least fill up some bullpen space. Somebody get that guy on the horn at whatever Insurance Company he’s working for now!

Monday July 30th, 7:10pm FS-H, MLB.tv

Tuesday July 31st, 7:10pm FS-H, MLB.tv

Wednesday August 1st, 1:10pm FS-H, MLB.tv

Monday

Bud Norris (5-8, 5.05) vs. Marco Estrada (0-4, 4.52)

Well, shit Bud. Any time a game description talks about a pitcher trying to get their “elusive 6th win”, you know the season isn’t going so well. The guy you’re facing has ZERO wins and a better ERA than you by half a point. That’s pretty miserable.

Current Brewers hit .286 against Bud, with the biggest offenders being Alex Gonzalez (3-6), Corey Hart (5-12, 2 HR), Nyger Morgan (4-11), and ErrorMiss Ramirez (5-14, 2 HR). That is a lot of every day players that hit him hard. Shit.

Marco Estrada has been pretty shitty this year, as indicated by his numbers. The Brewers would probably be better served sending Erik Estrada out there. If nothing else, it’ll pull Zipp over to the dark side for a game or two.

Unsurprisingly, the Astros suck testicles against Marco. I won’t even go in to the details but to tell you the team average is .222 in limited (18) at bats.

Tuesday

Dallas Keuchel (1-3, 4.63) vs. Yovani Gallardo (8-8, 4.07)

After a sparkling debut, Dallas has scuffled a little bit. But with the Astro “offense” “supporting” you, who wouldn’t scuffle some? I think Keuchel can be a very serviceable big league starter, and I’m glad they’re letting him learn his trade in the bigs.

Dallas has yet to face these assholes Brewers, so who knows what to expect. My advice, start drinking before the game starts. You’ll know you’re drunk enough when they show crowd shots and you think you see a hot chick with a big rack, then suddenly realize  it’s just another fat Milwaukee fan in a XX instead of a XXX Prince Fielder jersey.

Yovanni Gallardo… I hate this fucking guy. Why, you ask? Don’t question my hate, asshole. Trust me on this. The guy is a Ryan Braun level douche.

And if you need proof, current Astros are batting a glossy .156 in 77 at bats against him. Good news, though! Jason Castro (3-8) actually hits this guy really well! What? Well, shit. Some guy named Brett Wallace (3-9) hits him well too, but I don’t think he is with the team anymore.

Thursday

Jordan Lyles (3-7, 5.54) vs. Mike Fiers (4-4, 1.77)

Should you desire to get extremely drunk on Thursday afternoon and want to blame someone else, might I recommend to you…

The Jordan Lyles Drinking Game!

In the first 4 innings/2 times through the lineup:

1 drink for –

A swinging strikeout where you think “That was some big league stuff right there!”

An opposing hitter breaks his bat.

An opposing hitter is completely overmatched and hits a popup or a slow roller.

1 shot for –

Jordan wiggles his way out of a jam with 2 on and less than 2 outs and gives up a run or less.

Jordan strikes someone out looking.

Jordan induces a double play.

Finish your drink (Chug it!) –

Jordan gets a hit.

Jordan works his way out of a bases loaded/no outs jam and gives up one run or less.

After 4 innings/3rd time through the lineup:

Take a drink –

Jordan leaves his cutter or any other offspeed pitch hanging and it leads to a base hit. (add one extra drink for every extra base in addition to one)

Jordan grooves an 0-2 or 1-2 pitch.

Jordan loses a batter after having him down in the count 0-2 or 1-2.

Take a shot –

Jordan gives up more than one run after starting an inning with an out.

Jordan’s brother tweets something retarded.

Finish your drink (CHUG!) –

Jordan doesn’t make it the full five innings needed to qualify as a winner.

Jordan gives up more runs than there are outs in an inning.

You think to yourself “I really thought he was going to put it all together this time.” as the lead slips away.

If you’re still coherent by the end of this game, might I also suggest the game-within-the-game of taking a shot every time Mr. Happy posts in the Game Zone for this particular game. That should finish off the seasoned drinkers too.

Thanks for playing!

Filed under “S” for Silver Lining (or Sucks Less), Jordan has held current Brewers to a .250 BA in 44 at bats. Stay away from Errormiss (4-9) and he should be fine. Nobody else has consistent good numbers against him.

I have no fucking clue who Mike Fiers is, but holy shit, those numbers are impressive!

Dude has never faced the Astros. I suspect a No Hitter Watch is probably already in effect for the greater Milwaukee area, so I’d highly recommend my drinking game listed above. With any luck, you’ll fall down and hit your head on the coffee table and wake up with no recollection of what happened the day before. If you’re REALLY lucky, maybe you’ll have amnesia, and can just pick a whole new team to root for.

Injury Report

Astros –

Jason Castro is out with a knee something or another. Looks like he’s due back in early August.

Sergio Escalona is out for the year with a blown elbow. Poor guy is going to come back next season and go “Who the fuck are you guys?!” when he first walks in to the clubhouse.

Jed Lowrie has nerve damage in his knee, but is scheduled to take the brace off on August first. No idea on a timetable for actual return, but his knee is gonna stink like ass on August 1st.

Kyle Weiland is out the year with shoulder herpes, apparently. Some kind of infection in his shoulder, won’t be back until 2013. I’d say he’ll have the same reaction as Escalona, but I suspect the locker room will have the same reaction to him.

Brewers

Ryan Braun is out with blisters on his hand. That doesn’t even deserve a joke. What a pussy. He should be back soon, but will at least miss the first game.

Mat Gamel blew out his right ACL. No idea who he is, but that sucks for him.

Alex Gonzalez ALSO blew out his right ACL. Holy shit, is that contagious somehow?!

Shawn Marcum’s injury is listed as “right shoulder, elbow”. I’m not sure if he hurt those things, or that’s the name of something he injured. I’ll keep you posted.

Chris Narveson is out for the year recovering from shoulder surgery.

Manny Parra is out with shoulder irritation. Few injuries sound more severe than ______ irritation. Get well soon, Manny!

Tyler Thorneburg is out with arm fatigue. And YOU thought we’d get through this without a masturbation joke, didn’t you?! WRONG!

Giveaways This Series

This series is in Milwaukee, just assume they’re giving away Beast Lite and cheddar. Odds are you’ll find some laying around somewhere outside the stadium anyway.

Our Notable Things To Look For

• I’m still watching games, but holy shit, is this team hard to root for. Aside from the Little League “They’re trying as hard as they can!” angle, I just am totally wiped out as a fan. I’m glad management has decided that Fire Sale is the way to go. Dump everything of value (and Chris Johnson) and start over. That’s the way things should’ve been 5 years ago!
• Brett Wallace has finally returned the Bigs. Out of all the things I’ve not understood/half understood from this regime, the treatment of (the former) Walrus is probably at the very top. Dude raked when he got called up, they sent him down, they traded away half the team (including the guy that plays his best postion), and then he rotted in the minors for another month or two. WTF? Glad he’s back, and hope he continues to mash.
• Holy shit, Coco Cordero is terrible. That 6.75 ERA is… robust. Nothing else to add here, just wanted to make it known to anyone that wasn’t sure what I though.
• One of the greatest, most underrated inventions of the 20th Century is volleyball shorts. If you’re not watching Women’s Indoor Volleyball in the Olympics, well… You Foo. That being said: Ladies, if your ass cheeks are flabby enough that those tight shorts can’t keep them contained, I can assure you that nobody (except maybe HudsonHawk) has ANY interest in seeing them hanging out the bottom of your volleyball shorts. At least keep it contained and let us just speculate, and not insure we’re all aware that your maximum level of fitness still involves what looks like a serving of tapioca pudding.

Should you want to discuss the game (or who is looking best in their Volleyball shorts), hop over to the Game Zone!

In 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers jilted me and the entire borough of Brooklyn by heading west to the promise of a new ballpark and all the gold in California.  Dem Bums were my boyhood favorite team, but I chose not to follow them to Los Angeles.  For the first time since I started following baseball in the early 50s, I was without a team and feeling abandoned by my first baseball love.

As I looked around for a team to follow in 1959, Elroy Face caught my eye as he worked his way toward an 18-1 season (17-0 at one point) out of the bullpen.  Because I was a pitcher, I was hooked, and the Pittsburgh Pirates became my team for the 1959, 1960 and 1961 seasons.  Houston’s entry into the National League coaxed me away from the Pirates in 1962, and the Colt .45s/Astros have been my only team through the 2012 season.

The Astros are about to jilt me too, however, as they prepare to move into the despised (by me) American League.  The Pirates are trying to win me back, and I look forward to this series as the Pirates’ audition of sorts to be my team in 2013.  Wandy Rodriguez is a Pirate now so what’s not to like?

Minute Maid Park

July 26-29, 2012

Elizabeth is a beautiful name.  I picked the name for my daughter several years before she was born, and she is the second child her mother and I adopted from the Edna Gladney Home in Fort Worth.  Born on July 24, 1982, Elizabeth came to our home in Austin twelve days later to join Mark, her mother and me.  Most of my friends know Mark well; he and I are together frequently, and they are with him at local sporting events, beer halls, spring training games or my house.  Mark has been as much my friend as my son, and he never caused his parents worry or difficulty.  My friends do not know Elizabeth well because she has not been around them much.  This is her story.

From the very beginning, Elizabeth was a handful.  Sleeping through the night was not something she did.  Colicky and fussy, she demanded and received our attention each night, and she let us know each day that she was a strong-willed girl and someone to be reckoned with.  She remains so to this day.  Her mother was thrilled to have a daughter, and Mark loved being a big brother.  I looked forward eagerly to the day when “sugar and spice and everything nice” and “Daddy’s girl” kicked in, and all of us believed that our family was complete.

Elizabeth was a very loving child who was eager to please her parents, her teachers and other adults.  She worked hard to make good grades in school, and she participated in Brownies, piano lessons, dance classes, gymnastics, band, school plays, basketball, soccer and kickball.  She was among the best at everything.  Successful and never in trouble at school, Elizabeth was popular with her teachers and classmates.  She loved her family fiercely and adored her big brother.  At home she rarely was in trouble, but sometimes she operated on a pleasure and pain system.  If she wanted to do something and both her parents said no, she did it anyway and accepted her punishment.  Perhaps a warning bell should have gone off, but none did for me.  We smiled, said, “That’s Elizabeth,” and thought each time she had learned her lesson.

Elizabeth was the perfect child for me.  She was a superb natural athlete who mastered every game or sport she attempted, and she combined her talent with an outstanding work ethic.  She loved to practice, by herself if there was no one else around, and she often asked me to play catch or to shoot baskets or to hit volleyballs with her.  I loved her and loved doing these things with her.  By the time she finished middle school, Elizabeth was one of the best athletes in the city at basketball, volleyball and kickball (a highly competitive sport in Austin for schoolgirls and adults).  At McCallum High School, she also played softball for the first time and had varsity-level skills as a 9th grader.  I thought she had college scholarship potential in basketball, volleyball and softball, and I was convinced that her desire to excel at sports would motivate her to stay out of trouble so that she could continue to play.  I had no concerns about her behavior entering high school.

TELEVISION:

All games are on FS-H.  You are going to watch this? Really?

Unbeknownst to me or to her mother, Elizabeth had begun experimenting with drugs during the 8th grade.  She told me years later about smoking marijuana in our backyard.  To this day, I do not know the extent of her early drug use, but she remained very successful academically and athletically through her freshman year at McCallum.  As a freshman, she played volleyball and softball, made the Blue Brigade (the school’s dance/drill team) and was on the A and B honor roll each grading period.  She appeared to be well-adjusted and happy.  Surprisingly, she did not play basketball, but I was not concerned because she told me she wanted to concentrate on volleyball.  She played select volleyball also, and she seemed about to emerge as a superstar at McCallum.

My world turned upside down during Elizabeth’s sophomore year.  Mark was away from home living in a dorm at the University of Texas, and we all missed him, especially Elizabeth.  I was excited about the opportunity to spend more time with her, and I hoped our relationship would become as close as mine with Mark.  Elizabeth’s year started great: she was a star setter for the JV volleyball team, she was honored as Dancer of the Week by the Blue Brigade, she worked hard at her activities and her schoolwork, and she made the highest grades she ever made during the first six-weeks grading period.  Her volleyball coach told me that she was “really starting to take off as a person.”  Her future appeared brighter than ever before, but by Christmas, our lives had fallen apart, and Elizabeth began a downward spiral that would last many years.

Adolescent hormones and stresses hammered Elizabeth and wreaked havoc on our family.  Peer pressure and drugs accelerated her demise.  Adopted females often have a difficult emotional adjustment, and she had the added difficulty of a juvenile diabetes diagnosis at age 10.  Diabetes caused high blood sugar episodes, and they exacerbated whatever emotions she was experiencing.  These factors together with the hormones of adolescence created a perfect storm of rebellion.  Her decline and fall was classic: her friends changed from highly-motivated athletes and good students to dropouts and others we did not know;  instead of getting up and dressed for her 7:30 a.m. drill team practice, she became almost impossible to wake up; she often was late to her practice or missed it entirely; her grades declined; rumors of her drug use reached us; she skipped school; she never quit a team during its season, but she dropped volleyball and drill team from her activities; and she refused to participate in softball.

Elizabeth’s rebellion blindsided me.  Her mother and I were beside ourselves with worry and fear, and I was desperate to reach her somehow to influence her to remember the star she was becoming only a few short weeks ago.  I spoke many words to her on the way to school or in her room, with predictable lack of results.  I wrote her long letters concerning various aspects of her life, behavior, opportunities, future and my hopes and dreams for her.  I tried to offer ideas for her consideration rather than to preach or to command specific actions.  She read these letters and kept them, but there was no dramatic, or even discernable, change in her.

Schedule

Thursday, July 26

7:05 p.m. CDT

A. J. Burnett (11-3, 3.59 ERA) v. Dallas Keuchel (1-2, 4.03 ERA)

Friday, July 27

7:05 p.m. CDT

TBA v. Jordan Lyles (2-7, 5.50 ERA)

Saturday, July 28

6:05 p.m. CDT

TBA v. TBA

Sunday, July 29

1:05 p.m. CDT

TBA v. Lucas Harrell (7-7, 4.07 ERA)

Our home life became a hostile battleground between Elizabeth and her mother.  For many years she had been extremely close to her mother, but Elizabeth began separating emotionally from her.  The literature says this separation is normal, but she also rebelled vigorously against her mother, me and her diabetes.  She stopped taking care of her body, her blood sugar often was out of control, and angry fights and disobedience were the norm.  I hated to come home after work, and both wife and daughter repeatedly called me with tales about what awful act the other had committed.  Our counselor asked me to take over dealing with Elizabeth because her mother could not handle the emotional stress.  Welcome to my private room in Hell.

At 16, Elizabeth fell in love for the first time and brought him home to meet us.  He was a 21-year-old punk with no job, and he was on probation for a drug offense.  We tried hard to be nice to him because we feared if we forbade her from seeing him, she would marry him.  He rejected our efforts to help him, however, and eventually he tried to get her to run away with him to Florida.  Her mom thwarted this effort by getting a police officer there in time, but during an ugly scene in the front yard, Elizabeth pushed her mother in full view of the officer.  This resulted in a trip to the juvenile justice center and her first encounter with law enforcement and courts.  Because this was her first time in trouble, there were no serious consequences, and we hoped this would be her wake-up call and an impetus to get back on the high-achieving track that still was within her reach.

Instead, Elizabeth threw away her junior year academically, and she did not return to any of the teams or activities in which she participated in previous years at McCallum.  She removed the punk boyfriend from her life, thank goodness, but that was the only positive change she made.  Her friends were in school, but none were the highly motivated, high achieving students with whom she associated previously.  Not coincidentally, her closest friends also were rebellious and sometimes stayed at our house as a refuge from their own unhappy home lives.

After she admitted previous drug use, I became a drug cop at home.  I searched her room often, after first telling her that she had no right of privacy in keeping cigarettes, alcohol or drugs in her room.  My searches often were “successful,” and she must have tried every substance available at least once.  Smoking may be the most destructive single vice a diabetic can pursue, and I found and threw away many packs of cigarettes.  Our angry fighting at home diminished somewhat, but Elizabeth did not study and did not care.  She failed a semester of Algebra II and had to make it up in summer school.  Her other grades dropped but remained passing.  Incredibly, at the same time, she made an A in Honors Chemistry because she liked her teacher and wanted to impress him!  As her junior year ended, her once-promising future looked bleak, and her graduation from high school very much was in doubt.

Batter vs. Pitcher Matchups

Who cares what happened in the past?  The Pirates are better than the Astros right now . . . by a lot!  Do not let children under the age of 16 watch this series.

Against what I thought were long odds, Elizabeth turned it around enough during her senior year to graduate from McCallum on time with her class of 2000.  During the spring semester, she jointly enrolled in Austin ISD and Austin Community College, which gave her high school and college credit for the six hours at ACC.  Taking college courses put her high school graduation at risk, of course, but she passed both college courses with a B.  Her success in these courses gave me hope that Elizabeth had returned to a productive path.

Elizabeth decided to begin her college years at Austin Community College, but she did not apply herself in school.  She attended ACC for two years, but she dropped many courses and did not complete a degree.  She also took online courses from the Art Institute of Dallas but did not complete a certificate or degree there either.  Although she is intelligent, she did not appear to have the self-discipline required to be a college student, and thoughts of her getting a degree from any school were not realistic.

My daughter is a very talented person; she is artistic, bright, well-spoken, funny and beautiful.  Her best work is often done in a sales position or in any people-oriented setting.  During the first few years after high school, she interviewed for and obtained several well-paying, responsible jobs with stable companies such as Dell Computers, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nieman-Marcus.  She never lasted long in these jobs because she sabotaged any chance of success by refusing to accept supervision from females, by poor attendance or by inconsistent performance.  She bounced from job to job with long periods of unemployment in between.

Early in her independence (she had moved into an apartment at 18), her credit rating was as good as mine, and she was responsible with her finances and her bills.  Always dissatisfied with what she had and where she was, Elizabeth decided to move to San Diego, California, with no job and no place to live.  Before long, she began asking for money to pay rent and other living expenses, and her excuses for not having the money became more and more creative.

Elizabeth also lived in Dallas and Las Vegas, but her employment was never stable, and her finances became a disaster quickly.  She briefly became engaged to a young man from Austin with whom she reconnected in San Diego, but she soon recognized that he was not good for her and wisely broke the engagement.  During this wanderlust period, I had an epiphany of sorts and stopped sending her money to pay rent or other expenses she should have been working to pay.  We butted heads constantly over money and my refusals.  She often was furious at me, but we never became estranged.  She never stopped loving me, or I her.

Promotions:

1980s retro cap on Friday and Chris Burke Bobblehead on Saturday (OMG!), but if you go to the games to score giveaway stuff, God help you.

Her 20s are a blur to me now looking back and trying to recall those years.  After she left Austin pursuing illusory and unrealistic dreams, our contacts were limited to the occasional phone calls when she needed something from me, usually money.  She visited me seldom and preferred her mother’s company to mine because I said no much more frequently.  Her mother and I separated and divorced during this time, and our breakup hit Elizabeth very hard.  Perhaps because she is adopted, home and family were vitally important to her, and the divorce affected her greatly.  Also during this period of her life, I now know, her drug use progressed from occasional and recreational to an addiction.

I do not know when Elizabeth’s drug addiction began.  Our infrequent contact during her years living away from Austin made it impossible for me to know, and she hid her drug use from me when we were together.  If I asked, she denied any suspicions that I expressed.  Even after she moved back to Austin to live with her mother, I saw her rarely.  She came to my house for Christmas and Thanksgiving meals but left quickly because she always had other plans.  Father’s Day became “will I talk to my daughter?” occasions for me.  I usually saw her, and she sometimes brought a card, but she never stayed to hang out with Dad.  She had other places to be and other people to see.  Finally, on one Father’s Day, I neither saw her nor received a call from her.

Her behavior became unpredictable, irresponsible and often unfathomable.  She called to say she was coming over or I expected her for some specific purpose, but she did not show up.  She had a few temporary jobs but nothing stable or full-time. She did not appear to have financial problems, but debt collectors called my house looking for her.  Her mother accused her of stealing from her, but Elizabeth had a plausible reason why that was untrue.  She used my identity for purchases.  She drove a luxury car that she could not possibly afford, had nice clothes, ate at the best restaurants in town, lived a party lifestyle in Austin’s clubs, had friends from and in the club scene, all with no visible means of support and no steady, well-paying employment that would finance this rock star lifestyle.  Through it all she told me, “Dad, I do not even go out anymore.”  Mark was certain that she was using drugs from her appearance and behavior, but none of us could get past her denials.

Sometime in 2009, the world began crashing down on Elizabeth.  She had lived a carefree and irresponsible life without meaningful consequences thus far, but that idyllic period was about to end.  One Sunday afternoon, I was watching the Astros on television, and my cell phone rang.  The caller was a bail bondsman’s employee, and she asked if I was Elizabeth’s   father.  After I said I was, the caller informed me that my daughter had been arrested on a drug charge and was in jail, but that if I would agree to pay $1300, she would be released on bail.  I asked if the money was refundable.  The caller said that it was not.  I thought for a brief moment, replied “No. Jail is probably where she needs to be,” and returned to watching the game.  Some may think my response was insensitive and callous or perhaps unloving, but I decided at that moment, damn it, my failure to enforce rules and to provide consequences for misbehavior had contributed to her present predicament, and it was time for her to learn that bad acts have bad consequences.

Elizabeth obtained her release on a personal recognizance bond and was livid at my refusal to put up bail money.  She and I had a brief period of true estrangement because I had no sympathy whatsoever for her plight and no remorse for not throwing good money after bad to bail her out of jail.  Consequences, Sweetheart, consequences.  She, of course, had many excuses why this arrest was a trumped-up charge, but through connections I had developed by prior service as a Travis County Grand Jury foreman, I learned that she had 20 grams of cocaine in her purse in baggies, obviously for distribution.

Injuries:

Astros – Escalona and Weiland are out for the season.  Castro and Lowrie are on the 15-day DL.  Astros’ bats are terminal and on life support.

Pirates – Charlie Morton is out for the season.  Gustavo Nunez is on the 60-day DL.  Juan Cruz is on the 15-day DL.  Who cares?

Elizabeth faced serious prison time in the state penal system, but because this was her first offense, she received deferred adjudication and five years probation.  If she completed the probation successfully, the charge would be dismissed, and she could deny ever being arrested for it.  We had lunch the day she was sentenced to probation, and I asked her if she knew how lucky she was.  I emphasized how important it was that she do nothing wrong during those five years, and she assured me that she understood completely.  I believed her because I thought she knew that the Texas Department of Corrections does not offer pleasant places to live.

Fast forward to sometime during the summer of 2010.  Elizabeth called me on a Sunday afternoon and said, “Dad, I’m scared.”  I asked why, and she told me that she had been interviewed by “the FBI” and that “they know everything I have been doing.”  My blood ran cold, and I said “Elizabeth, whatever you are doing, stop it immediately.  The feds do not fuck around with drug offenses.”  She swore to me that she had stopped.  Her interrogators were members of a law enforcement task force investigating major drug crimes in Austin.

My advice was, of course, much too late to do her any good.  The Prince Charming boyfriend from a great family, with whom she had been living, was a drug dealer.  He introduced Elizabeth to some very bad people who were big-time cocaine dealers and who were large blips on the task force’s radar.  By her association and cooperation with these dealers, Elizabeth became a blip on the radar as well.  Her need for drugs and money overcame any reluctance she had for criminal behavior and obliterated any good judgment she still possessed.

A federal grand jury in Austin indicted Elizabeth on charges of being a member of a conspiracy to distribute cocaine.  Federal conspiracy law considers each member criminally responsible for the acts of all other members of the conspiracy if he or she commits a single act in furtherance of the conspiracy.  Elizabeth undeniably did: twice she walked money from a car into an Austin upscale restaurant, exchanged the money for cocaine from the bartender, and walked the drugs back to the person waiting in the car for the delivery.  That these two acts were relatively minor in the overall scheme and actions of the conspirators makes no difference to federal conspiracy law.  Elizabeth, by those two overt acts, became responsible not only for the actions of all of the other conspirators but also for the quantity of cocaine involved in the overall operation.

Federal drug laws are very tough and carry long sentences.  Her indictment was for a crime carrying a possible sentence of ten years to life.  I refused to believe that she would receive this sort of sentence for a first offense in the federal system, but her criminal behavior occurred during her state court probation, and she also faced the probability of revocation of the probation and of receiving a five-year sentence in the Texas Department of Corrections.  That would be much worse than federal incarceration.

I called a lawyer friend who I had known since junior high school, and he agreed to represent her.  He is an excellent, not flamboyant, well-respected criminal defense attorney who has vast experience in the federal system.  When Elizabeth initially was interrogated by law enforcement officers, she admitted her crimes and agreed to cooperate with them.  She told them what she knew, and she agreed to allow law enforcement to put her back into the criminal world to buy drugs from persons who were under surveillance.  She made several of these buys with officers nearby.

Cooperation with law enforcement put Elizabeth in harm’s way repeatedly.  She agreed to risk this danger with no assistance of counsel and with no enforceable promise of leniency in return for her cooperation.  I was terrified, and when I asked her why she risked her life with nothing in return, she replied, “I wanted to show them I am not the person they think I am.”  She later testified in the federal trial of the primary drug dealer in her conspiracy and helped the United States Attorney secure a conviction and a long prison sentence.  Her attorney believed her cooperation might help her at her own sentencing, but the United States Attorney prosecutor, who is a long-time friend, was playing hardball.  He believed that Elizabeth was a major player in the conspiracy and wanted her to receive a stiff sentence.  She had pleaded guilty and had cooperated courageously, but realistic prospects for her sentencing appeared dismal.

Prior to Elizabeth’s federal indictment, her attorney had arranged to surrender her to custody briefly and then to obtain her release without need for a bond.  When she arrived at his office after the indictment, she told him she could not go to court because she had “used” crystal meth the day before and her urinalysis would be “dirty.”  Her attorney showed her no mercy.  He told her she was most certainly going to appear in court that day, and he asked her if she was willing to admit her addiction in open court and to request an in-patient rehab program.  She told him she was willing to do that, and a path to redemption opened slightly to her.  The path was steeply uphill with many obstacles because Elizabeth was using crystal meth every day.  Her addiction eventually would have killed her.

After her appearance, the Court ordered her to go to the federal in-patient drug rehab program in Waco, but that program was counselor-based and had no Twelve Steps component.  Because of her diabetes, for which the program inexplicably was unprepared, she received a medical discharge a few days short of completing the program.  My observation was that the Waco program had no appreciable effect on her or on her attitudes.  She seemed to be angry, sullen and unreconstructed upon her return to Austin.  She told me she would kill herself if she received a prison sentence.

From there, however, she entered the in-patient program at Austin Recovery Center, and this program turned Elizabeth’s life around.  At Austin Recovery, the path to redemption opened wide to her.  She embraced the Twelve Steps approach, worked the Steps and emerged from this program a completely different person from the person who entered it.  The counselors selected her as the outstanding “graduate” of her unit, and she delivered an impressive extemporaneous speech at the ceremony.  I was skeptical and watched carefully for “programspeak” or for anger, resentment or blame for having been put into rehab.  I saw none of that, and when she left Austin Recovery, Elizabeth voluntarily chose to live in a “sober home,” which had curfews, locked doors, random drug tests and strict rules that would lead to expulsion if violated.  Soon her progress was sufficient for the off-site house manager to appoint her to be “house mother” with supervisory duties over the other residents.  She attended AA and NA meetings regularly.  These changes were very positive, but her federal sentencing hearing still awaited her.

Sentencing was scheduled for December 3, 2010, which was the 16th anniversary of my Dad’s death.  Because of her cooperation and other nuances of federal sentencing guidelines and her attorney’s advocacy skills, the prosecutor agreed to recommend “only” 33 months in prison, but he refused to reduce his recommendation further.  Elizabeth’s attorney advised me that Judge Sam Sparks, before whom I had practiced and who is a tough sentencer, likely would accept the United States Attorney’s recommendation, although the Judge had the discretion to sentence her to less.  Her attorney thought there was no chance she would receive less than a 33 months sentence.

At sentencing, Elizabeth addressed Judge Sparks, and I was proud of her.  She asked for leniency, of course, and for home confinement, not prison, but she accepted full responsibility for her actions and apologized to the Court for them.  Her attorney spoke effectively and well to the Court, and then it was my turn.  I do a lot of public speaking in my job, and I was never better than I was that day.  My theme was gratitude: the criminal justice system saved Elizabeth’s life, Austin Recovery Center turned her life around, and Elizabeth’s changes restored her life.  I too asked for home confinement, knowing full well that the Judge would not agree, and I asked the Court to take into consideration her courageous cooperation with law enforcement and the voluntary changes she had made through Austin Recovery Center and by the Grace of God.  I sat down thinking I had done the best I could do but certain that she would be sentenced to 33 months.

Elizabeth stood before the Court to receive her sentence.  Judge Sparks made some preliminary remarks, and then he spoke directly to her.  He thanked her for her frankness, and he told her that although he would like to grant her request for home confinement, he could not do so and be consistent in sentencing other defendants.  He told her that she had done very bad acts and that she should have serious consequences for them.  Then he said “I sentence you to 12 months . . .,” and I did not hear the rest of his remarks.  I immediately asked my wife, “Did he say only 12 months?”  Elizabeth looked at me and began crying, but her attorney and I were ecstatic.  Only 12 months, not 33, and she would be in Fort Worth at a women’s medical unit because of her diabetes.  I could see her every week, and she would be home in a year or perhaps less.  Judge Sparks exercised his discretion to be merciful, and he gave Elizabeth a major break for which she and I are thankful.  Months later we both told him how grateful we are.  Judge Sparks offered her a second chance at her life and told her he never wanted to see her in his courtroom again.

Elizabeth began her sentence in January of 2011.  For me, Elizabeth’s time in Fort Worth went fairly quickly, and I visited her each week on Saturday or Sunday.  No doubt it did not go so quickly for her, but she was upbeat and positive during our weekly visits, and she had many funny stories to share.  During moments of fear or despair, she recited the Serenity Prayer over and over to reconnect with God.  She displayed no anger or resentment for being there, and she did not blame others.  Our visits were fun, but each goodbye was very sad.  She says she will write a book about her experiences, and I hope that she does.  A beneficial aspect of her confinement was that Elizabeth, who probably never even read much in a textbook, became a voracious reader to pass the time.  She devoured books and kept asking for more.  Silver linings in dark clouds indeed!

After six months at the women’s unit in Fort Worth, Elizabeth moved to a halfway house in Austin and was scheduled to move to home confinement with her mom in mid-December to finish her sentence.  The advantage to the halfway house, although it was incarceration, was that she could get a job and leave for her work hours.  She also could get weekend passes and live normally at her mother’s home, but she had to return by curfew with no excuses.  The disadvantage to this halfway house was that it was a Texas Department of Corrections facility, and it made the federal prison in Fort Worth appear to be a Ritz Carlton by comparison.  There were more than 90 men and fewer than 10 women.  It was a very rough place, but she only had a few months left to serve.  She sought psychiatric counseling, took prescribed meds for depression and ADHD and worked her recovery by attending AA meetings.  She had a job waiting tables at a downtown restaurant and was happy and enjoying her job.

Almost all aspects of Elizabeth’s legal problems and subsequent incarceration were positive events because, as a result, she admitted an addiction, became clean and sober, took full responsibility for her actions, remained upbeat about her life while incarcerated, and was ready to become a productive citizen after release, perhaps for the first time in her life.  What happened to her at the halfway house in early December, however, with barely a month to go on her sentence and only a week to go before home confinement, would have broken many people.

Her psychiatrist in November prescribed Adderall for her ADHD, and Elizabeth turned in the prescription and the pills to the halfway house personnel as she was required to do.  Residents were not allowed to have insulin, medications or pills in their rooms, and halfway house personnel dispensed the prescribed medication to her and recorded dispensing the medication on a daily log.  Despite the prescription and the medication logs, the Assistant Director of the halfway house, for reasons known only to her, reported Elizabeth to the federal Bureau of Prisons for having amphetamines in her urine with no medical explanation for the positive test.  Her prescribed Adderall, dispensed to her and recorded in a medication log by halfway house personnel, is an amphetamine, and the prescription for ADHD was her medical explanation.  Federal bureaucracy being what it is, the Bureau of Prisons never reviewed her discipline case, and she served the remaining six weeks of her sentence in a maximum security cell in the Bastrop County Jail.  She lost her job because of this unjust confinement, she missed serving out her sentence at her mother’s house, and she missed Christmas with her family.  This dishonest act was an egregious abuse of power, and I worried that this unconscionable treatment would destroy all of the positive gains she had made.

Following completion of her sentence in January of 2012, Elizabeth went back into society and began rebuilding her life.  She works in outside sales, and she thinks that she has discovered her calling.  She attends AA and NA meetings and works the Steps.  Through deft lawyering, her state court probation was not revoked; thus, she sees two probation officers and is subject to random drug testing.  Elizabeth tells me that everything happens for a reason and that change can come only after one accepts complete responsibility for one’s actions.  Her sincere belief is that she would not be the person she is now if she had not experienced the ordeal that she did.  She knows exactly how many days she has been clean and sober.  She is an addict in recovery and is committed to sobriety.

Has Elizabeth truly changed?  Read her words from a letter she wrote to me during her darkest days at the Bastrop County Jail in late December of 2011:

I have been sitting here thinking about this past year and I have to tell you I wouldn’t change a thing.  I thought when I caught my federal case, my life was over.  Really it saved my life. You are a wonderful father and I respect you so much. . . . I have caused so many problems for you in the past.  I regret putting you through everything and will work as hard as I can for the rest of my life to make it up to you . . . .  I love you Dad and I want you to know that you never failed me as a father.  I chose the path I went down and it had nothing to do with your parenting skills.  With all the mistakes I have made, they turned me into the person I am today.

Elizabeth has made significant personal changes following her release.  She strives to be successful in her job through hard work.  Family once again is of paramount importance to her, and she calls me several times each week just to chat or to check on me.  She is loving, attentive and loyal.  She is on time for personal and business appointments and is responsible with her money and her bills.  She does not forget holidays or special occasions.  She has an active and fun social life without alcohol or drugs and without Austin’s clubs.  Her close friends are good role models who are honest and hard-working young women. She does her required community service enthusiastically and looks for other opportunities to serve others.  Freedom is precious to Elizabeth, and she savors each moment of her second chance at life.

If asked, Elizabeth will say that her recovery is absolutely one day at a time.  She now sparkles with happiness and confidence, and she looks forward to each new day with bright-eyed wonder and excitement.  She speaks openly and honestly about her experiences and soon will be speaking about them to groups of recovering addicts.  She has been clean and sober for 759 days as I write this.  She likes herself and who she is for the first time in her life.  I believe she will triumph over her past, and she has become the person I always hoped she would be.  Elizabeth makes me proud every single moment of her life.

Sometime during her incarceration in Fort Worth, Elizabeth told me about one day driving away from her apartment after getting high on meth.  She said her sunroof was open, and she looked up through it and cried, “God, I cannot live like this any longer.  I cannot do this on my own.  Please make something happen to get me out of this.”  Two weeks later, police officers detained her for questioning, and Elizabeth believes steadfastly that God sent those officers to save her.  So do I.

Demons possessed my sweet daughter long ago, and she left us to walk with them.  Elizabeth was lost to me and to herself.  Slowly but inexorably, she moved into their world, resisting at times but never strong enough to leave.  Bravely but foolishly, Elizabeth followed her demons toward her destruction and the abyss.  At the brink, redemption imprisoned her and offered freedom from her demons.  Powerless and serene, she opened her heart to redemption and was saved. Elizabeth lived for many years in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but now, praise God, she followed her path to redemption back home.

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,

Courage to change the things we can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

Follow the game and the brilliant commentary in the Game Zone.

THE 2012 ALL-STAR GAME

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball will celebrate itself by playing the 83rd All-Star Game.  In theory, this game features the best players from the American League and the National League and is designed to determine League supremacy on an annual basis.  The 2012 incarnation of best versus best will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and can be watched at home on Fox.  First played in 1933 and quickly dubbed the “Midsummer Classic,” the All-Star Game has a rich history and tradition for baseball fans of a certain generation.  Memorable moments from past games include Carl Hubbell’s five consecutive strikeouts of future Hall of Famers in 1934, Ted Williams’ walk-off three-run homer in 1941, Williams’ long home run off the “eephus” pitch in 1946, Jackie Robinson and three other Black players in 1949, Stan Musial’s walk-off 12th inning homer in 1955, Pete Rose’s shoulder-first “slide” dismantling Ray Fosse with the winning run in 1970,  and the scoreless tie until the 13th inning in 1987.

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We started as friends, she and I.  Only a name on an employee roster to me, we stood beside each other at a law firm happy hour and began talking.  I liked her instantly and hoped to talk to her again.  Over time we did talk again, and I learned her life story.  I admired immensely her determination and perseverance because life had thrown boulders at her.  Seemingly unscathed, she raised three children, largely alone, and she obtained a four-year college degree while working two and three jobs to support her family.  Unhappy marriages and unhappier occurrences had scarred her, however, and she dealt with demons.  My life had fallen apart as well, and I divorced after 32 years.  We leaned on our friendship and each other to get through the days.  Talking with her became important to me, and we closed our conversations with “soon” so that each would know that we would be back in touch soon.

We began a romance, she and I.  Slowly but surely, our friendship deepened into something more.  We began as social companions because I was lonely, and perhaps she was also.  I was fearful and hesitant at times.  I had not dated in over 30 years, and I was nervous that I would do or say something wrong.  She went to baseball games with me and said she loved them.  We did simple things I could afford, and Saturday breakfasts for migas at different places all around Austin became our special tradition.  We liked movies and kicker dancing at the Broken Spoke. She cooked dinner for me and made my favorite dishes. She said I was “wonderful;” I knew I was not, but I loved that she thought so.  She helped me deal with my loneliness and lost relationship, and I tried to help her exorcise her demons.  We had fun together, and it was the best relationship I ever had.

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The original All-Star Game was meant to be a one-time event to be played as a part of Chicago’s Century of Progress Exposition.  Arch Ward, then Sports Editor for The Chicago Tribune, conceived the idea for the game, and its great success resulted in MLB’s making it an annual showcase of big league baseball’s most talented players.  In 1933 and 1934, the managers and fans selected the teams, but from 1935 through 1946, only the managers selected the teams.  From 1947 to 1957, fans selected the starters and the manager chose the pitchers and remaining members.

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We fell in love, she and I.  We seemed so compatible and spent each evening together watching TV, reading or talking.  She listened when I talked and was attentive and loving.  I enjoyed giving her gifts and making her smile.  I told her I loved her many times each day. We began attending law firm events as a couple, and my friends became her friends too.  She invited me to family meals, and I tried to convince her children that their mom was in good hands.  I wanted to be her hero, her knight in shining armor and her guy on a white horse all rolled into one.  We had problems, sure, but they seemed manageable, and I knew she loved me.

One night we became lovers, she and I.  It was completely unplanned and completely wonderful.  We spent that night together, and I never experienced such pleasure from sleeping.  We slept a peaceful sleep of contented and happy people, holding and being held all night long. I began to think of forever for the first time.  I am too old fashioned to live with someone so we continued to live apart with occasional “sleepovers.”  Each time our sleeping was an extraordinary aspect of being lovers.  I loved her fiercely and looked forward to each tomorrow with her.

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Ballot-box stuffing by overzealous Cincinnati fans resulted in seven Reds being selected to start the 1957 game, and as a result, managers, players and coaches selected the entire teams from 1958 through 1969.  Fan balloting for starters returned in 1970 and remains today.  From 1959 through 1962, MLB had two All-Star Games each year for reasons known only to the baseball executive who thought more is better.  The abominable Designated Hitter now is used in every game regardless whether the venue is an American League ballpark.  Beginning in 2003, “this time it counts;” the winner of the All-Star Game determines home field advantage for the World Series.

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We decided to marry, she and I.  We had discussed marriage at length, of course, and we went ring shopping together.  Even so, I surprised her with my proposal, to which she replied, “Are you kidding?”  “Yes!” followed quickly. We decided there was no reason to wait and picked June 16, 2005 as our wedding day.  Our best friends stood up for us, and a close friend performed the ceremony.  It was an exciting day at a beautiful location, and I was giddy with delight to marry her.  This marriage I would get right. We were husband and wife, she and I.

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For the modern fan, the All-Star Game likely is a fun event with its carnival-like atmosphere, Home Run Derby, Futures Game, Celebrity Softball Game and Fan Fest.  To the long-time fan, however, today’s All-Star Game is nothing more than a flashy media event that is empty and meaningless.  Players look for any hangnail or twinge to call an injury so that they can have the days off rather than play.  Replacements for the “injured” All-Stars are commonplace, and the game looks to be about as serious as the average company softball game.

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We enjoyed life together, she and I.  We began each morning with coffee and conversation, and our days and evenings were full.  Plays, shows, museums, concerts, symphonies, lectures, sporting events, restaurants, happy hours, family outings, kids’ sports, holiday celebrations: we did all of these and more. We enjoyed the same activities, and, best of all, we enjoyed each other’s company.  When she joined me at a restaurant or another place I reached first, she kissed me before she took her seat. She made me feel like a king.  I loved the things we did, but I loved being with her most of all.  My life was complete because she was with me.

We travelled the world, she and I.  She lived in Germany in another life and convinced me to travel there with her.  I loved Bavaria instantly and wanted to return with her again and again.  We visited many places, on cruise ships, by train and by plane.  Together we experienced the Panama Canal, the breadth of Canada, the Caribbean, Alaska, the Normandy beaches, the Eagles Nest, a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2, a train ride across Canada, being in the midst of 82 whales in Puget Sound, Niagara Falls, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eiffel Tower, the Romantic Road, Oktoberfest, the Charles Bridge and, wonder of wonders, Red Square and the Winter Palace in Russia.  No one has ever planned a trip as well as she, and I never experienced such joy as travelling with her.  Each trip was better than the one before, and I thought we would travel to the end of my days. She enriched my life beyond measure.

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The “who cares” approach to winning the game culminated in the infamous tie in 2002 when both teams ran out of pitchers because neither manager was trying to win, and the Commissioner ended the game after 11 innings amidst a chorus of boos from the cheated fans.  No more are the days when the outcome truly mattered to the players in each league, and the games were as fiercely played and were as highly competitive as any World Series contest.  The All-Star Game has become an exhibition of high-priced, bored talent and nothing more.

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We are no longer together, she and I.  Our happiness is no more, and angry fighting consumes our waking moments.  We live separately under the same roof and rarely are in the same room at the same time.  We do not sleep in the same bed, and we hold only our pillows as we sleep. We drink our coffee apart and do not plan our days in pleasant conversation. We do not get ready for work together, and we eat our meals on opposite sides of our house. Angry words have replaced “I love you today,” and the end is inevitable.  I mourn the death of our relationship as I mourn our fathers’ deaths, and I do not know what is next for me.  This end was unthinkable when we were in Russia, and our demise will surprise those who know us.  She has fallen out of love with me and sees only my many faults.  I love everything about her except a single issue, but I can no longer live with that issue. There is no warmth, no tenderness, no softness and no vulnerability. There is only stubborn pride and bitter resentment. Has love died?

We will divorce, she and I.  I made a selfish decision in her time of need that she cannot forgive, and she said angry words to me that cannot be taken back. We will sell our house and divide our property, our joint funds, our debts and our joint possessions. We will end our life together with a stroke of a pen. Finally, we will go our separate ways, stepping over the wreckage of our life and perhaps never looking back.  Our lifetime together will be a mere seven years.  There may be someone else for her, and there may be someone else for me, but we will no longer be she and I.  We could not overcome the issues that each of us saw in the other, and those issues destroyed us.

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Today’s All-Star Game is a watered-down love fest between players who change teams and leagues often, who have no strong allegiance to either League, and who sometimes leave the ballpark early so they can beat the traffic home.  Simply put, the modern player appears to not care about winning or even playing in this game.  MLB’s All-Star Game does not capture the rapt attention of fans who remember nostalgically the Game as an exciting, hard-fought contest between great players who were going all out to win.  Many, perhaps most, of these fans who remember fondly the game of their youth no longer watch today’s All-Star Game.  Like a lost love, the meaningful All-Star Game of our past is long gone, but not forgotten, and is never to return.

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We will not grow old together, she and I. We will leave each other to be alone, but the memories of our life will never leave us. We were one only yesterday, it seems. How one can become two so quickly and so completely is unfathomable. How love can turn to hate in the blink of an eye cannot be explained. Forever in my heart will be words she spoke only a few months ago:  “We are so lucky to have the life we have.” Yes, we were lucky, she and I.

We had a great life together, she and I.

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If you care, follow the 83rd All-Star Game in the Game Zone