1521 – Martin Luther was banned by the Edict of Worms because of his religious beliefs and writings.
1805 – Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned King of Italy in Milan Cathedral.
1836 – The U.S. House of Representatives adopted what has been called the Gag Rule.
1868 – U.S. President Andrew Johnson was acquitted, by one vote, of all charges in his impeachment trial.
1896 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average appeared for the first time in the “Wall Street Journal.”
1908 – In Persia, the first oil strike was made in the Middle East.
1938 – The House Committee on Un-American Activities began its work of searching for subversives in the United States.
1940 – The evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, began during World War II.
1946 – A patent was filed in the United States for an H-bomb.
1959 – The word “Frisbee” became a registered trademark of Wham-O.
1973 – Kathy Schmidt set an American women’s javelin record with a throw of 207 feet, 10 inches.
1975 – American stuntman Evel Knievel suffered severe spinal injuries in Britain when he crashed while attempting to jump 13 buses in his car.
1978 – The first legal casino in the Eastern U.S. opened in Atlantic City, NJ.
1998 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ellis Island was mainly in New Jersey, not New York.
1998 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police officers in high-speed chases are liable for bystander injuries only if their “actions shock the conscience.”
2009 – The Houston Astros lost their 6th straight.
Astros 4, Red 6
W: Nick Masset, L: Tim Byrdak, S: Francisco Cordero
Astros Recap
Yahoo Recap
Box Score
This team is just bad. I thought about writing something good about each player but decided I did not want to spend the whole night trying to come up with something for each player.
The theories as to why they are bad do not really matter. At this point, they are bad. Managing, starting pitching, hitting, relief pitching and fielding have all had their moments in the Astros suckitude this season.
I noticed a couple of weeks ago, when leaving an Astros game I was not as upset as I have been in the past after a loss. It took me a day or so to realize it is because I do not expect this team to win. My expectations for them as a team are probably higher for them than what they have for themselves.
But enough about my feelings. There are players that seem to have improved this season and they do make the games worth watching (besides it being baseball). Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence. Both of them have made improvements in their play. I’m happy for them, but it only seems to be upping their trade value at this time.
Astro highlights from the game:
Rodriguez’s double in the third to score two. I have to admit, I thought the Astros weren’t going to score at all.
Bourn’s catch in the bottom of the fourth inning was outstanding. Bourn’s catch at the wall.
Keppinger’s homerun.
Edwin Maysonet’s first RBI.
LaTroy Hawkins pitched a scoreless 8th inning.
Bench Tidbits:
The Pittsburgh Penguins are waiting to play the Detroit Redwings (not yet time for the Chicago Blackhawks) in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
Read the GameZone for some game time reactions.
Check out JaneDoe’s series preview to see who Felipe Paulino is starting against.
“Astros need to step up and do a better job of it.” – Cecil Cooper
