My 2 Cents (A Reflection)

Posted on July 11, 2002 by Andyzipp in Bleacher Rap

By Scott
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on July 11, 2002.

So I don’t write much around here, but I figured in the wake of the recent turmoil and our decision to hang ’em up after 6 years, I should probably chime in to 1) remind everyone that I exist and 2) just talk a bit about what the experience of running this site with Kev has meant to me. If you’re not interested in the nuts and bolts of the site or my personal ramblings, you can check out now and save yourself some time. But I figure there’s been a lot worse crap written on this site, and if that can fly as content, well then I think y’all can tolerate me for a spell.Read More

Difficult but Not Impossible

Posted on July 10, 2002 by Arky Vaughan in Crunch Time

Third place, 6.5 games out, 41-45 wouldn’t have sounded too promising leaving spring training. Given where the Astros looked to be heading a couple of weeks ago, though, it’s a fairly decent accomplishment. Since dropping three of four to the Brewers and two of three to the Mariners in mid-June, the Astros have run off 10 wins in 13 games, moving to within four games of .500. That’s progress considering that the Astros finished the Seattle series 10 games below even.

The Last Zipper Flap

Posted on July 9, 2002 by Andyzipp in Zipper Flap

Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.

It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel…

Queasy. Even though I’ve known this announcement was coming for a couple of weeks, seeing it glowing ominously on my CRT this morning, it still feels like a sharp shot to the gut, and makes it all too real.

So whether this site exists until the end of the week or the end of the season, to steal from the “Naked Gun”, I feel like I’ve swallowed a gallon of Clorox…I’m cleaned out but I’m all hollow inside. The truth is, I feel like I’m writing a eulogy for a dear friend.Read More

So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish!

Posted on July 9, 2002 by Limey in Limey Time

I am sure that we will never no the true effort required of the Fearless Hosts to keep this site going. I know that I can lob them a Limey Time at my whim, and find it online within hours if not minutes. The dedication and attention this site has received from it’s founders is clear to us all, and I believe that we all understand K&S’s decision to pull the plug.

Personally, I doubt my Astro-fandom would’ve reached the ridiculous levels it has without this site. As many of you know, I arrived in Houston in March 1994 and became an instant Rockets’ fan as I was swept up in “Clutch City” fever. I’d followed what you call “football” from across the pond and so baseball was a distant third on my list of sports in which to become interested. To my ill-informed mind, it was nothing but a bastardisation of a girls game called “Rounders”, and just a poor man’s cricket.Read More

Orange (Juice) Fire?

Posted on July 4, 2002 by Limey in Limey Time

OK, so they haven’t exactly set the Central alight, but the Astros are creeping back into things. There’s one game left in Cincy as I type – a favorable pitching match-up for the Juicers – and Astros sit 6.5 games out of 2nd place with a chance to shrink that down to 5.5 tonight. With Roy on the mound and Berkman swinging for the fences, you have to fancy the Astros’ chances tonight. And did you know that Blud ‘n’ Mudders are 5-0 in their last five 1-run games?

However, after that it’s off to Pittsburgh, where things might get a little rougher. You see, the Astros have a sparkling rotation set for the wrap-around in PNC: Redding; Munro; Cruz and Miller. Yikes! Mlicki is due back at some point, but Hernandez may need surgery (MRI today or tomorrow) and Shane is definitely done for the year. The Astros are probably going to have a hole in their rotation for the rest of the season. Now that they’ve abandoned the B-Movie experiment of “The Sarloos Project” and beamed Kirk back down to the minors, the Astros will need Hernandez back and healthy, or Munro to be what no one’s ever expected him to be. That’s a tall order.Read More

Catchers and Pitchers

Posted on July 3, 2002 by JimR in From The Dugout

Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
Much has been written about the ability of a catcher to “handle pitchers.” If a catcher cannot relate well to his pitching staff and does not have their confidence, he cannot help them to maximize their performance and his value to the team is diminished substantially. Generally accepted notions are that “calling a good game” is the main component of being a “good handler of pitchers” and that calling pitches is what makes a catcher valuable to a team and its pitchers. Although it is true that the catcher-pitcher relationship is important to a pitcher’s success, calling pitches rarely is a significant aspect of a catcher’s game. The purpose of this article is to examine the attributes that contribute to a successful relationship between batterymates. Many of the skills which endear a catcher to his pitching staff may go unnoticed by the casual fan, and if a great catcher is not a run-producing hitter, many fans may not appreciate his worth to the team and may not consider him to be great at all. Read More

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