happy happy sunday win

[Fredia]

beat a rookie the astros have never seen before
got a win against the stems
roy o did good after that one inning.. and even got a hit or two
gong back to the frienly confines of mmpus
day off
and as a extra bonus bidg got a hit to add to his total
most important the bullpen allowed no hits and the score never changed.. time for a mass happy dance

[otterj]

Nice win indeed. Wish they could spread some of those extra runs around to other games.
I was worried that a loss could've had'em headed towards being sellers instead of buyers. Trading for a good bullpen arm combined with some better second half hitting makes the wild card to be there for the taking, optimistically thinking.

[astrojim]

A happy Sunday night for a change!  Maybe the momentum carries over to this week vs. Red Stockings!

[Rebel Jew]

I don't know if today was a good indicator, but if it was, then the Mets have a long way to go before being anything more than a decent team playing in a shitty division.  Aside from the Heilman lollygag in the 9th, there were numerous examples of half-hearted, bare-handed, outfield pickups, lazy attemps at catching bloop singles, Wright's failure to pay attention to the runner going to 3rd in the 8th, and infielders cheating over to field routine grounders.  Say what you will about the Astros this year, they bust their asses on every play.  I didn't see the same intensity from The Mets, and they could be in big trouble when they run into good pitching in the playoffs.

[astro pete]

Quote:
Nice win indeed. Wish they could spread some of those extra runs around to other games.
I was worried that a loss could've had'em headed towards being sellers instead of buyers. Trading for a good bullpen arm combined with some better second half hitting makes the wild card to be there for the taking, optimistically thinking.

Bringing up Albers might be the "trade" you're talking about.  At least, that's the hope.

[Golden Sombrero]

It was the one game I couldn't see or listen to (my AM radio from circa 1980 broke down, and I was in the library "studying"), so I missed the Game that Changed Everything.  Too bad Lance is down--any word on how long they expect him to be out?  Although along with other posters I hope Luke gets a chance to start more regularly and continues to do well.

[toddthebod]

Don't forget that I broke my personal losing streak at Shea.  And it was nice taking the kids to an Astros win, particularly given the fact that there were hardly any other people at Shea wearing Astros stuff.

[JimR]

that truly was a Turnaround Game.

[pravata]

Quote:
I don't know if today was a good indicator, but if it was, then the Mets have a long way to go before being anything more than a decent team playing in a shitty division.  Aside from the Heilman lollygag in the 9th, there were numerous examples of half-hearted, bare-handed, outfield pickups, lazy attemps at catching bloop singles, Wright's failure to pay attention to the runner going to 3rd in the 8th, and infielders cheating over to field routine grounders.  Say what you will about the Astros this year, they bust their asses on every play.  I didn't see the same intensity from The Mets, and they could be in big trouble when they run into good pitching in the playoffs.

Friday's game was feeble.  It's the only word I can think of. I'll give them that they were trying.  I don't know if that makes matters better or worse.  I had commitments on Sat. and Sun. and didn't even make the effort to steal a listen on the radio. Possibly losing interest in this current team.   Has it really been Jeff Bagwell that gave the Astros their character for the past 10 years?  Very un-Astro lately, both on and off the field.  Still 4-6 on a road trip is not that bad for this team, considering.

[Reuben]

Quote:
Don't forget that I broke my personal losing streak at Shea.  And it was nice taking the kids to an Astros win, particularly given the fact that there were hardly any other people at Shea wearing Astros stuff.

Nice to hear. I went to the Friday game, which was a pretty demoralizing experience. Definitely not as fun as my last game in NY- the no-hitter at Yankee Stadium.

On the bright-ish side (and forgive me if you really don't want to hear this), right now they are 5 games back in the WC, behind 3 teams. At the same point in 2004, they were 6 games back, behind 8 teams. 2005, 4 1/2 games back, behind 2 teams.

[ybbodeus]

The Heilman play was the hardest I've laughed and cheered since Craig parked the Wagner fastball in the left field seats last September in Philly, a truly glorious moment that was.  It remains to be seen if what we witnessed yesterday was a similarly defining moment as was that homer, but it HAD to give the team a spark it's needed for some time....a turnaround game, as The Pope labelled it.

It was all the more sweet to me because of some jackleg know-it-all fatalist who had called into LeDuca on Saturday morning with some long-winded tirade against the team for what he called an utter lack of hustle and a failure to run out infield hits.  I wanted to call in and ask, "How's that Burke play working for you, a$$wipe?"

There......I feel better now.  Thank you.

[WulawHorn]

Boy- the Stems looked like shit in a way Sunday that I rarely remember the astros ever looking. They looked like they just flat out didn't care.  Half assed it all the way around the ballpark.  Outfielders taking lazy routes to flyballs, barehanding hits, the chris burke infield hit etc.  This team plays hard- you can say that for them.  Lately that is about all that you can say, but very jarring to see the contrast on sunday with the best team in the National League.

[HurricaneDavid]

Quote:
that truly was a Turnaround Game.

It seems like there have been a few turnaround-type games already this year, none of which have actually resulted in a turnaround...

[JimR]

yeah, but todd broke his streak with this one.

[jasonact]

Quote:
Don't forget that I broke my personal losing streak at Shea.  And it was nice taking the kids to an Astros win, particularly given the fact that there were hardly any other people at Shea wearing Astros stuff.

My wife grew up on Long Island. While we were dating, I went with her to an Astros/steM game at Shea in 1997, dressed in full Astros stuff. Someone there insulted me for being an Astros fan (I don't remember what they said; I think it was some stupid Jetsons reference.). My wife, then girlfriend, was so offended by it, that she disavowed the thin strands of loyalty she had to the steM. She's been an Astros fan ever since.

On a side note, that game was memorable in part because we ended up sitting in a section full of people who had gotten comp tickets from Astros players. We sat with some of Jose Cruz's family members, Jose Lima's cousins (they were fun), some friends of Tim Bogar, and some of Biggio's friends.

[ybbodeus]

It will be a pleasure to watch their eventual meltdown.  I've never wanted the Braves to come back so much in my life.

[jasonact]

Quote:
Boy- the Stems looked like shit in a way Sunday that I rarely remember the astros ever looking. They looked like they just flat out didn't care.  Half assed it all the way around the ballpark.  Outfielders taking lazy routes to flyballs, barehanding hits, the chris burke infield hit etc.  This team plays hard- you can say that for them.  Lately that is about all that you can say, but very jarring to see the contrast on sunday with the best team in the National League.

This is the time of the season when those teams who are running away with the division sometimes unintentionally begin to slack off. The problem will come if they continue that way into the postseason. It could be an early exit, reminiscent of many early division winners of the recent past, if they don't get that sense of urgency back.

[Taras Bulba]

Quote:
The Heilman play was the hardest I've laughed and cheered since Craig parked the Wagner fastball in the left field seats last September in Philly, a truly glorious moment that was.  It remains to be seen if what we witnessed yesterday was a similarly defining moment as was that homer, but it HAD to give the team a spark it's needed for some time....a turnaround game, as The Pope labelled it.

It was all the more sweet to me because of some jackleg know-it-all fatalist who had called into LeDuca on Saturday morning with some long-winded tirade against the team for what he called an utter lack of hustle and a failure to run out infield hits.  I wanted to call in and ask, "How's that Burke play working for you, a$$wipe?"

There......I feel better now.  Thank you.

Beyond the obvious, the thing that impressed me about the Heilman play was Willie Randolph.  Maybe he chewed his ass out in the clubhouse/office after the game, but he did not go out of his way to show the guy up on the field or tear him up in the press--sort of refreshing to see versus a guy like Guillen.

[ybbodeus]

Quote:

Quote:
The Heilman play was the hardest I've laughed and cheered since Craig parked the Wagner fastball in the left field seats last September in Philly, a truly glorious moment that was.  It remains to be seen if what we witnessed yesterday was a similarly defining moment as was that homer, but it HAD to give the team a spark it's needed for some time....a turnaround game, as The Pope labelled it.

It was all the more sweet to me because of some jackleg know-it-all fatalist who had called into LeDuca on Saturday morning with some long-winded tirade against the team for what he called an utter lack of hustle and a failure to run out infield hits.  I wanted to call in and ask, "How's that Burke play working for you, a$$wipe?"

There......I feel better now.  Thank you.

Beyond the obvious, the thing that impressed me about the Heilman play was Willie Randolph.  Maybe he chewed his ass out in the clubhouse/office after the game, but he did not go out of his way to show the guy up on the field or tear him up in the press--sort of refreshing to see versus a guy like Guillen.

He somehow managed to look stunned in disbelief yet enraged at the same time.  I have no problems with Willie, other than where he manages.

[hostros7]

Quote:
This is the time of the season when those teams who are running away with the division sometimes unintentionally begin to slack off. The problem will come if they continue that way into the postseason. It could be an early exit, reminiscent of many early division winners of the recent past, if they don't get that sense of urgency back.

The White Sox did OK with the late season tailspin last year, not that one can argue the salubrious effects of playing half-assed baseball.