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

2002 TalkZone Hall of Fame

Posted on July 1, 2002 by Waldo in Hall of Fame

2002

Well, it is that time of year again. A time to look upon the best and worst of TZ. But this year’s TZ Hall of Fame Spectacular is even more significant! Why, you ask? Because this year’s event WILL BE THE LAST IN THE HISTORY OF TZ!

There have always been reasons to stop doing this, but the main one this time around is that 2002 is going to be the final season for ASTROSCONNECTION.COM. Kev & Scott made a decision back during spring training to make this year the last hurrah, and make the announcement during what we consider the most important days on the ASTROSCONNECTION calendar – the July HOF activities during MLB’s All Star break. So here we are, ready to receive our plaques, bronze busts and custom Harley Davidsons from a grateful and heartbroken nation as we set out on the farewell tour.
Additionally, there has been speculation over the past few days as to whether or not ASTROSCONNECTION had received a “cease and desist” letter from MLB. Indeed, such a letter was received at ASTROSCONNECTION World Headquarters on Friday afternoon. While the Fearless Hosts are certainly aggravated that MLB’s legal initiative undercuts some of the drama of today’s announcement, we have always made it a policy to inform our loyal audience and the TZ community of any developments that potentially impact the function of the website. The possibility of MLB squaring off against the Big Freight Train is something that had been planned for, and we can tell you that for the record, Kev & Scott’s intent remains exactly as it was at the start of the year, to go the distance of the 2002 Astros season, whether that winds up being mid-August, early October, or heaven forbid, late October… and then blow this thing sky high.

Of course, updates on the status of the site will be provided as necessary, but right now consider it business as usual around here until seasons’ end. For complete info on our decision to retire from the Astro web community however, you can check out a special issue of the Pine Tar Rag.

We are sure that you have questions, and we have plenty of answers, but we’ve already wasted enough space in the hallowed halls of the TZ HOF on this. Again, a complete statement on the Fearless Hosts’ decision to shag and their perspective on MLB’s current actions can be viewed in the special Pine Tar Rag issue.

All right… here are the FINAL TZ HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES. As usual, some of this stuff contains bad language, and just about all of it is inappropriate, so proceed at your own risk. At the bottom of the page, we identify the 2002 TalkZone MVP, the last individual who will hoist the coveted Golden Scott Award aloft in victorious fashion…Read More

My Kingdom For An Edge: Drugs And Baseball

Posted on June 18, 2002 by Andyzipp in Bleacher Rap

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

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