submitted by Neil T

So on the guitar, I divide the year up into quarters and work on stuff for a quarter and then move on. This year’s first quarter I was working on a transcription of Ravel’s Death of a Princess. I spent three months and got to the third of four pages and moved on. I love the song, but it’s not really a good guitar song, and it was too hard to concentrate on the finish.

Second quarter I worked on Villa-Lobos Prelude no. 5. Villa-Lobos is a Romantic parading as a Modernist, and I have an easy time with his music. Some of the first songs I ever learned were the Villa-Lobos Estudio 1 and the Prelude 1, and if you asked me to play them today I could do a credible job. They’re fun to play, have tricks to their playing that make perfect sense, and they’re deeply Romantic, which I find easy. I once followed a young Japanese guitarist from guitar shop to guitar shop in Granada: he was playing Flamenco like only a young obsessed Japanese kid could play flamenco, and I was playing the Prelude 1. Three days later in a shop in Sevilla he held up a guitar and joyously told me he’d found one. It was one of the best moments of my life.

This past quarter I’ve been working on Leo Brouwer’s 20 Estudios. No one but classical guitarists have ever heard of Leo Brouwer. He’s Cuban, a member of Cuba’s Communist Party, and he hasn’t actually played professionally in a while because of a hand injury. Unlike Villa-Lobos, he’s a Modernist without much Romanticism. A friend once took a master class from Brouwer, and he told me that he thought Brouwer thought exactly like his music sounded.

There are four great sets of Estudios for classical guitar. An Estudio is that: it’s a study. It’s supposed to improve your playing by concentrating on one thing that the guitar is supposed to do, or better yet that you’re supposed to do to the guitar. There are the Carcassi Etudes. There are a bunch of Sor Etudes from the early 1800s, which I think were actually grouped into a set of 20 by Segovia. Then you jump to the Villa-Lobos Estudios which were written for Segovia but which Segovia wouldn’t play. You want to know an odd fact? Villa-Lobos wrote one Concerto for guitar and orchestra, which was premiered in 1956 by Segovia, in Houston, with Villa-Lobos conducting. Villa-Lobos wanted it buried with him, but it wasn’t.

And then there are the Brouwer Estudios, which are just weird. And fun. And weird.

This is a nice You Tube playing of the Brouwer Estudios. They’re nice because you can see the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ5XRfKccoo I’ve memorized some, and right now I’m working on numbers 9 and 10. My favorites are numbers 2, 3 (because it is so damned fun to play), 6, and 7 (because it is even more fun to play), and 10.

The Brouwer Estudios make no rational sense. No one who didn’t think that way would put together music like that. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be learning, except maybe a lot of right hand and syncopation, but they’re perfect. Just perfect. Damned perfect.

I was listening to no 15 during the last out of tonight’s 8th inning. It’s now my favorite. No 18 is the most beautiful, and I listened to it in the 9th. No matter where it is, beauty is beauty.

Astros 3
Dodgers 0

Fiers W.

Rays 1
Astros 0

WP Archer (11-9)
LP McHugh (13-7)

submitted by Mr. Happy

Chris Archer was magnificent tonight (a pitching score of an unbelievable 95), blanking the Astros 1-0 on one hit, striking out 11 while walking only one (Altuve, to start the contest). The Astros’ offense was so anemic that they only had one LOBster. Colby Rasmus got the lone hit off of Archer. The sad thing is that McHugh pitched his ass off and deserved better, but Archer was just too good.

The game was played very quickly, in only 2:32, as Archer at least put us out of our misery quickly. The GameZone missed MRaup tonight. Given the HPU’s amazingly inconsistent strike zone, it’s probably better that he missed the game, because he might have punched a wall and broken a hand or something.

The Good Guys entertain the Dojers over the weekend, and we have to face both Kershaw and Greinke. Lord, help us.

Notch their thirty-third come from behind victory with 3-2 13 inning win.

WP: Josh Fields (4 – 0)
LP: Matt Andriesse (3 – 3)

Submitted by Sphinx Drummond

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GameZone

A solo homerun by Carlos Correa, his 15th, got the scoring started for the Astros and the one to nothing score held up until the 7th inning when the Rays scored twice to take the lead. Correa’s second hit of the game, his first walk off, proved to be the game winner.

There were a lot of missed opportunities in between. A RBI single by Evan Gattis that scored Jed Lowrie finally tied the game in the bottom of the ninth frame to get to extra innings. After Hank Conger lead off the 13th with a strike out, Colby Rasmus picked up and walk, he advanced to third on Jose Altuve’s single, and following a strike out by Marwin Gonzalez, Correa struck gold with a single to right field to end the game.

Dallas Keuchel came up short of getting a win but turned in another stellar performance in attempting to be the MLB’s first 15 game winner, he scattered 7 hits over 7 innings, allowed 2 runs, and finished with 5 strike outs and one base on balls. Chad Qualls was excellent, striking out the side in the 8th, Pat Neshek was perfect in the ninth, as was Luke Gregerson in the 10th. Will Harris, Oliver Perez and Josh Fields killed in extra innings.

The last time Houston was in sole possession of 1st place in their division this late in a season was on Sept. 21, 2003, when they were 84-71 and leading the NL Central Division by a half game. Thursday the first place Astros try to make it three in a row when Collin McHugh squares off against Chris Archer in a 7:10 pm CST start.

Attendance: 26,001
Game Time: 4:04

Astros 9
Cardinals 5
Game Recap

Duman reported:
A few observations from the game last night.

Daz is fast! He tracked a ball down at the wall that looked like a double off the bat. He also moved from first to third on a play and accelerated very quickly. He went 3 for 4 last night with a double. Took a pick off throw to second in the back last night.

Tucker’s swing is sweet! He looks very skinny on the field. He has missed several homers by 10-15 feet. When he get’s some more meat on his frame, those will be well over the fence. He hit a double in the LC gap last night that short hopped the wall. Nice oppo power shown there. Doesn’t use batting gloves.

Diogenes Almango – I am excited about this kids arm. FB 91-94. Appears to have a slow curve and a slider/cutter. Had trouble commanding the cutter/slider. First name is pronounced (Di-o-HEN-is).

The other Astros game didn’t have quite the favorable outcome. The Houston Astros lost 9-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays. THey are 0-4 for the season against the Rays. It seems much of the team is pressing or just off a bit. Hopefully they can all go for ice cream before Tuesday’s game so they can at least prevent getting swept for the season.

Here’s the MLB recap and the GameZone.

Houston 5
Detroit 1

submitted by NeilT

I have to write a recap. I have been waiting for this game for two days. I’ve been thinking, finally, they’re home. That was a horrible road trip and now they’re home.

And I’ve got nothing amusing to say.

August must be the worst month in baseball. August must be the worst month in Houston. August is the cruelest month. It’s brutally hot in Houston. It’s hot in Houston? Global warming is real. Us and the polar bears are all going to die.

So. Recap. This is the most exhausting team I’ve ever watched. This is the best team I’ve ever watched. This is the worst team I’ve ever watched. It’s August. August is the cruelest month.

As part of a group of season ticket holders, I ordered my playoff tickets this week. I hope this team can hold out. I hope the polar bears can hold out.

What a brilliant game. Damn this season is fun.

All it takes is 2 homers and shut out pitching in 2-0 victory.

WP: Feldman (5-5)
LP: Heston (11-7)
S: Gregerson (23)

Submitted by Mr. Sphinx Drummond

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GAMEZONE

Club Astro head honcho Jose Altuve, or “Big Shorty”, as he is known on the inside, is constantly flanked by his goons body guards Chris Carter (AKA Crunch) and Evan Gattis (AKA Caveman). They make a hard time for anyone who thinks they can mess with the diminutive leader. If Jose Altuve is to Club Astro what Frank Sinatra was to the Rat Pack, then George Springer (AKA Cool Breeze) is definitely the Dean Martin equivalent. It’s too bad that Club Astro is not a road show because the team could sure use the mojo that Club Astro brings when they are playing at home.

Wednesday morning a strange package arrived in the visitors locker room at AT&T Park. Jose told Marwin Gonzalez (AKA El Rey) to, “take the package into the shower to open it, while the rest of us wait out in the hallway in case it explodes or something.” Marwin will do anything but make eye contact with Evan Gattis.

So Marwin ventured alone into the showers while the rest of the team hunkered down out in the hallway behind a vending machine and waited. After a few tense moments Marwin emerged with a broad toothy grin and holding above his head a disco ball. Not just any disco ball but the Disco Ball. The one and only Disco Ball from Club Astro (and before that the original Dome Shadows Disco Ball but that is a different story best left untold). Bill Brown (AKA Brownie), sensing the Astros were missing something and could use a boost had shipped the Club Astro Disco Ball to San Francisco.

It worked! Mired in the midst of a 1 and 7 road trip with one game left to play, the magic of Club Astro was reborn, at least for one day, the Disco Ball did its job!

Scott Feldman (AKA Methuselah) showed why the cagey veteran is part of the rotation with an impressive six innings of shut out baseball, allowing no runs on 4 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 4. Oliver Perez (AKA New Guy), Will Harris (AKA Hairy), and Pat Neshek (AKA It’s Pat), were lock down solid in relief and Luke Gregerson (AKA Just Plain Luke) pitched the ninth to pick up his 23rd save in 28 attempts. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Five Man Shut Out Band.

It was a classic pitcher duel until the seventh inning when Colby Rasmus (AKA Hey Dude) hit a solo homerun. He said he was happy to see the Disco Ball but if Brownie had sent the Club Astro mechanical bull instead, he probably would have hit 4 homers. Jed Lowrie hit a solo homer in the 8th inning to cap the scoring. Jed Lowrie, who is know as Dred Lowrie in the realms of Club Astro, said the Disco Ball helped but he also was listening to Bob Marley all day and wouldn’t dismiss the influence of the Great One.

The Astros have the day off Thursday and will welcome JD Martinez and Brad Ausmus and the rest of the Tigers to Houston for a 7:10pm CST start time. Alfredo Simon (10-6 4.74 ERA) faces Dallas Keuchel (13-6 2.40 ERA) to start off the three game series.

Attendance – 41967
Game Time – 2:54