By Steve Beitler
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on June 18, 2002.

The Ken Caminiti steroid flap has become yesterday’s news faster than the Astros bullpen can blow a lead, which tells us more about drugs and baseball than most of the pundits did when the story first broke.

“This could change baseball forever,” intoned Chris Rose of “The Best Damn Sports Show Period.” Read More

By Knoxbanedoodle and Spiers for Hall of Fame
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on June 17, 2002.

DAY ONE

Knoxbanedoodle and Spiers For Hall Of Fame’s Astros Farm System road trip actually begins like this: we are in Providence, Rhode Island, in Spiers’s apartment, watching Oswalt strike out the side against the Pirates in the top of the eighth. He is throwing 98 MPH gas, the game is tied at one, and in the bottom of the inning Vizcaino pokes a little two run single into left field. We win.

Things are good. We keep saying: “Oswalt,” or “Dude, Oswalt,” or occasionally just: “Dude!”Read More

By Gene Elston
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on April 2, 2002.

The heist by Ruben Rivera of Derek Jeter’s bat and glove pulled off recently in the Yankees clubhouse during spring training, not surprisingly elicited the legend of Leo Durocher’s theft of Babe Ruth’s watch in 1929.

However, while searching for information on the subject I have ALMOST drawn a complete blank. The almost is what I found in Robert W. Creamer’s book, BABE – THE LEGEND COMES TO LIFE. “And here is a legend, seldom printed but often talked about in baseball circles, that says Leo Durocher stole Babe Ruth’s watch, which is not true. What is true is that Ruth did not like Durocher.”Read More

By Gene Elston
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on March 22, 2002.

How could anyone forget the coming of the 21st Century and the problems that arose because it was erroneously believed the first decade of the new Millennium would begin in the year 2000.

Many people are confused about the calendar system now in universal use. Our era, known as Anno Domini (A.D.) began in the year “one” (there is no year “zero”). The first decade ran from year 1 through year 10.Read More

By Gene Elston
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on March 5, 2002.

There is no question the quality of our lives has improved over the last 100 years. However, very often today we hear the phrase “life used to be so simple.”

Life WAS simple in the National League in 1900 when the circuit decided the 12-club league was too unyielding and top-to-bottom, competition was nigh impossible, the league voted to reduce to an eight-club organization.Read More

By Gene Elston
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on February 19, 2002.

Here’s a tip-o-the-cap to baseball franchises avoiding the use of corporate names on their ball parks!

It’s like a waft of fresh spring air, to tradionalists like me, to hear as the baseball season returns, the names: Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Veterans Stadium, Busch Stadium, Fenway Park, Comiskey Park, Yankee Stadium and Skydome.Read More