The Fallacies of Fanning

Posted on February 5, 2002 by Arky Vaughan in Crunch Time

Last season the Brewers shattered the major-league club record by striking out 1,399 times, eclipsing the mark of 1,268 set by the 1996 Tigers. As power-hitting has come to dominate the game, increasingly more players are swinging for the fences with whip-handled bats that generate tremendous speed over the plate. Coupled with changes to the strike zone in 2001, the result for the Brewers was lots of home runs and lots of strikeouts.

Fathers & Sons

Posted on February 2, 2002 by Andyzipp in Bleacher Rap

By Neil T.
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on February 5, 2002.

I promise this has something to do with baseball, and not just my children. Bear with me.

I have two children. Austin is my daughter. She’s 15 and she’s Ivy League smart, very pretty, and very talented. She is more fun to go to a baseball game with than anyone I know. She yells with joy at every strike and despises the wave. Read More

Astros And Enron

Posted on January 30, 2002 by Limey in Bleacher Rap

By Limey
Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com on January 30, 2002.

This subject has become the staple of the TZ during the activity-starved days of “The Void”. It’s always darkest before the dawn, says the old adage, and this has never been more apparent as we inch agonizingly slowly towards the glorious sunrise that is the reporting of pitchers and catchers. With The Hun either sitting on his hands or (more likely, IMO) having had them crazy glued together by McLane, the dearth of activity from the Astros organization has been excruciating. As a result, the TZ has become a vacuum where half-arsed theories about Enron’s involvement with the Astros can breed and fester.Read More

Defensive Decision

Posted on January 9, 2002 by Arky Vaughan in Crunch Time

Was Ozzie Smith’s first-ballot election to the Hall of Fame another instance of that institution’s supposedly declining standards? After all, inductee Red Ruffing had a better career batting average and more career home runs than Smith, and Ruffing was a pitcher.

Youth Movement

Posted on December 19, 2001 by Arky Vaughan in Crunch Time

Statistical analysts claim that baseball players tend to peak between the ages of 26 and 32. If that finding is accurate, then Astros fans have reason to be optimistic about the next few seasons. Aside from a pair of future Hall of Famers and a veteran catcher renown for his defense, the Astros have a prospective line-up entering its prime. Ages are as of opening day 2002:

Pos  Player       Age
---------------------
C    Ausmus        32
1B   Bagwell       33
2B   Biggio        36
3B   Ensberg       26
SS   Everett       25
LF   Ward          26
CF   Hidalgo       26
RF   Berkman       26

A Hot Stove in the Dugout

Posted on December 10, 2001 by JimR in From The Dugout

Editor’s note – This article originally appeared on AstrosConnection.com.
I often have thought that the easiest job in the United States of America must be coaching or managing a baseball team. That must be so because everyone who has seen a game thinks the job is easy. In this age of information, excessive analysis, computer simulations and fantasy leagues, people who do not know that baseball players also must play defense are front office wannabes just waiting to be discovered. There is no shortage of armchair “experts” who are willing to tell the real experts how to do their jobs. Why should I be different?Read More