Topics

1

The Bus Ride Discussion Forum / Probeis

« on: January 13, 2015, 07:40:00 pm »

Although the national tournaments that pit one provincial team against another (one junior tournament for late teens and another for adults) are the most popular tournaments there's a modest, four team professional league, too. Carlos Lee owns the team based in the province where I live, the Caballos. The league is very Panamanian heavy naturally but all told there are about fifteen players in the Astros organization who are playing this season. I'm watching Telvin Nash, Jack Mayfield and Tyler White right now.

http://probeispanama.com/

Each team's roster is listed. You can watch whichever games are televised here:

http://tvmax-9.com/envivo/

As I said, there's a game going on right now. If there are games scheduled and TVMax is not carrying them you can always try

http://www.coolpanama.com/television-stations-panama.html

SerTV, Telemetro and RPC are the most likely.

I'd mistakenly assumed that this league is virtually all Panamanian and that no one would care about it. I stumbled across the game tonight just as they were giving the lineups and I was astounded that I recognized a number of the players.

Anyway, I know some of you guys are seriously hard up for baseball by now and when I checked earlier this evening the TVMax feed was working great. Also, it looks like you could probably buy a ticket if you show up at game time. It does not appear to be sold out.

2

Talk Zone / Screwy

« on: July 10, 2014, 09:50:30 pm »

I thought this was pretty interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/magazine/the-mystery-of-the-vanishing-screwball.html?_r=0

3

Talk Zone / FIELDS!

« on: April 23, 2014, 10:19:00 pm »

This is a recent Rotoworld take on the Astros' greatest pitcher. I was asked to bring it to your collective attention by a once active, now banned poster. And no, I'm not talking about Noe.

Josh Fields earned his first save since April 2 and his second total in Tuesday's 5-2 win against Seattle, striking out one over a perfect ninth inning.

Outside of a shaky outing with a five-run lead earlier this month against the Blue Jays (3 runs, 2 earned), Fields hasn't coughed up a run, a stretch that has reached five straight appearances. Unless you play in an AL-only league, it's just too hard to own a Houston reliever in fantasy. Fields would hold some intrigue if the ninth-inning job was his, but he's going to keep sharing it with Anthony Bass, Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, and the guy from Section 157 that Bo Porter ran into outside the stadium before the game.

This was sent before today's game. Had I seen and posted it earlier it likely would have had more punch.

It's weird, our old friend popping up to share this, a pravata sighting. Maybe it's all down to Earth Day, I don't know.

4

Beer and Queso / Futbol

« on: January 25, 2012, 05:15:36 pm »

From what I've reading in the papers here the US is basically bringing their JV team to tonight's friendly but it will still be a great time. Look for me, I'll be the guy in the red shirt.

5

Game Zone 2011 Archive / Astros at Snakes 8-8

« on: August 08, 2011, 08:57:08 pm »

You necks are missing a good game. Wandy got to bat in the first if that tells you anything. He got a knock, if that tells you anything else.

6

Beer and Queso / I Am Not Making This Up

« on: April 19, 2011, 10:20:53 pm »

The headline of the entire online sports section of the Houston Chronicle reads, as of 10:22 PM CDT:

"Texans schedule sets up playoff run"

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Game Zone 2011 Archive / Astros v. Tigers 3-21

« on: March 21, 2011, 12:22:59 pm »

I suspect we're seeing the OD lineup.

8

Game Zone 2011 Archive / Astros v. Jakes, 3-19

« on: March 19, 2011, 11:27:30 am »

The Jakes brought their scrubs which I suppose explains why Berkman is in right batting third. The only other notable thing about their lineup is that the pitcher is batting ninth.

9

Talk Zone / Spring Training

« on: February 03, 2011, 08:31:13 pm »

If anyone is planning on making it out to Kissimmee this spring and would like to avail themselves of my tickets please do but please let me know your anticipated dates as soon as you can.

10

Talk Zone / El Caballo

« on: December 11, 2010, 09:45:08 pm »

There was a feature article on Carlos today in La Prensa, Panama's main broadsheet.

http://mensual.prensa.com/mensual/contenido/2010/12/11/hoy/deportes/2431333.asp

Basically he says that after last season the club told him to be ready to play first base, not that he is necessarily going to play there but be ready. I'll be ready, he says, I am a very agreeable sort of fellow and I played infield through my minor league career.

He also denies talk that there is any sort of friction between him and the club (not sure what they're referring to other than the fan base's overwhelming desire to trade the guy), and he expresses optimism that the youth movement will make the team as competitive next year as they were over the second half of last year.

Unfortunately the picture they ran on the front page of the sports section did not make the online edition. Carlos is playing first base and is on one knee, right arm outstretched having just tossed the ball to the pitcher racing to the base. It's a very dramatic shot.

11

Beer and Queso / Sandinista!

« on: August 21, 2009, 12:39:23 pm »

Some nutcase apparently decided to do a track-by-track tribute to the Clash's Sandinista!, a sprawling, incoherent, three-LP work that one either loves or hates. (I love it.) The project was meant to raise funds for a foundation in the name of Joe Strummer that battles global warming. Believe it or not the project dissolved into a giant clusterfuck. The work did get done, though, and the discs released as far as I can tell. But the whole project was a mess and much if not all of the work got leaked onto P2P sites and otherwise bootlegged. In a final white flag the leader of the project is offering a legitimate, free download of the entire work today only. Today is Joe Strummer's birthday it turns out.

http://blog.guterman.com/2009/08/20/sandinista-free/

I've gotta lose this skin I'm imprisoned in!

Happy birthday, Mister Mellor. I never met you but I certainly miss you.

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Beer and Queso / Good Friday

« on: July 17, 2009, 06:18:27 pm »

You know how excited you goobers get when a new iPhone is released or when the monster truck show comes to town or when Gopher Golf is finally available for Play Station 3?

Well, I received my Texans season tickets this afternoon.

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The Bus Ride Discussion Forum / Round Rock Radio, Let's Go

« on: May 08, 2009, 10:40:27 pm »

Apparently the Express brass has a short memory or they've waived the background check for broadcasters, one, but they've let a lawyer loose within shouting distance of a microphone. And I'm listening. And I'm enjoying it.

And I'm wondering why in the hell it has never occurred to me to listen to Express games over the interweb before. I mean, after Astros games end I'll watch a west coast game. I should be seeking out the Express, especially if they're playing out west. It's great. I'm hearing all about the players that I get to watch for a month in Florida and many of whom I'll see before too long in an Astros uniform. Plus, I get to enjoy enjoy professional broadcasting in the voice of Mike Capps. I have no idea why the idiots that run the Astros could possibly think that two monotone, monochrome know-nothings could be better than Capps. Maybe they were cheaper. Goddam, Drayton is an idiot. He gives fat fuckers an all-you-can-eat in the top corner of the stadium (cruel, that) and thinks that he's doing something for the fans, and meanwhile he inflicts a couple of chowderheads on those of us who are, god help us, actually trying to follow the fucking team.

Anyway, I've noticed that Jim and Zipp have some very similar verbal mannerisms.

14

Talk Zone / ST

« on: January 23, 2009, 10:04:24 am »

I will have a pair of tickets available to most of the Astros' home games at Osceola. I would love to make the tickets available to any TZer that wishes to go.

The good news is that the seats are excellent: row two of section 109, seats 9 and 10 I believe, which are on the aisle shared with 108.  The further good news is that I'll be sitting one row away so you should be able plausibly to deny any association with me whatsoever. The owner of the club will be sitting within sunflower seed spitting distance. I'll leave it to you to determine if this news is good or otherwise, but you will have the necessary proximity to share your remarks if you are so inclined.

If anyone is interested, please let me know.

15

Talk Zone / Today, Tomorrow

« on: March 22, 2006, 12:53:01 pm »

Anyone planning to be at either game? I'll be there, let me know. I'm very excited about seeing the scheduled pitchers tonight. If anyone would like for me to look for something specifically let me know and I'll do my best.

Backe was all over the place last night, and his fastball looked pretty lethargic to me. It just didn't have any pop. Fatigue, not throwing the day before, who knows?

Munson's HR was absolutely towering.