And he calls himself a Texan… (LINK) MMPUS cracks the top 10 in PeTA’s Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks for 2009 (coming in at #5). Shame on you, Drayton. SHAME!

Roy likes the Big Unit (Yahoo! Sports):

“As a guy who’s been around for a while now, 300 wins is a lot,” Oswalt said. “You got to have a lot of things go your way. He’s the type of pitcher that if you put him in a situation to where he can win, he’s going to win. He doesn’t beat himself. I think that’s the biggest thing about 300-win guys. They don’t beat themselves out on the mound. They seem to be aggressive the whole game and get deep into games.”

Does it or doesn’t it? (A Professor Throws Curveballs a Curve):

“There’s something physical about it and something illusory about it,” the Bucknell University professor Arthur Shapiro said. *** “They look like they jump or break or do all these funky things, but they don’t,” he said. “The idea that the bottom falls out isn’t so.” He added: “I’m not saying curveballs don’t curve. I emphasize that, yes, they curve. They just do so at a more gradual rate. Instead of making a sudden hook, they would form a really big circle.”

This Just In: The Mole has no class (LINK).

A day after being accused of “zero class” and “zero professionalism” by one of the Roach bros. for saying the Mets should be “embarrassed” for getting swept by the Pirates, The Mole responded: “If he said that, I don’t agree with him. I got class.”

The twenty-two million dollar man (ESPN):

Pirates’ Ohlendorf ain’t no Ausmus, but apparently is a pretty sharp cookie in his own right. For his Princeton senior thesis, the Operations Research and Financial Engineering major wrote a 126-pager on the June amateur draft. Specifically, he attempted to determine the value of draft picks. “So what” you ask? Coming in at #4 on the list was Phil Nevin, providing a net return on investment of $22,916,550.

Too bad the Astros only ROI in the deal was Mike Henneman…

SnS is on Twitter In case you missed it, SnS is on Twitter. Not exactly sure what you can get there that you cannot on this site, but taking in a glimpse of the SITE ICON is worth the visit in any event.

In other Twitter news, the Kiss cam [at MMPUS] just makes [Footer] uncomfortable. (You would too if you had to sit by JdJO and McTaggart during games…).

__________

Condolences to Brownie

Bill Brown returned to the booth on Friday after missing two broadcasts to attend the funeral of his mother Hazel. Condolences go out to him and his family on their loss.

__________

Mama don’t let your babies grow up to be Dickities

Jeff Zimmerman at Beyond the Boxscore has compiled an ‘injury database’ from 2002 to 2008, and his findings are pretty interesting. (Link: Dissecting the Disabled List by Team, Position, Year and Injury)

Among his observations was this nugget:

“Players from Cincinnati spent five times the number of days on the DL compared to players from Houston. It was really an eye opener to see which teams seem to care about conditioning and the ones that do not.”

The numbers are staggering. From ’02 to ’08, Astros spent about 2,000 days on the DL. Reds spent over 10,000 days on the DL. Players for the Angels, Diamondbacks, Mets and Nationals/Expos spent nearly four times more on the DL than did Astros players. The closest teams to the Astros in terms of days lost to the DL were the Marlins, who lost around 3,000 days.

In addition to days lost to the DL data, the Astros also fared favorably to the rest of baseball with regards to total number of trips to the DL. Astros pitchers and position players visited the DL less than 50% of the time than did players on the Rangers and Reds. Only the White Sox had fewer players on the DL from ’02 to ’08.

Just call this reason #2,345,678 why it sucks to be a Dickity (or is great to be an Astro).

__________

They’re the Good Guys, of course they can’t steal for shit

Levine at Chron.com does the math on Astros base stealing efforts so far this season. (LINK)

Prior to the series opener against the Pirates, Astros not named Michael Bourn were stealing at a combined rate of 47% (15 of 32). Bourn was at 82% (18 for 22).

__________

The Grocer gets contemplative on the issues of youth and rebuilding

Is Drayton planning on blowing it up and starting over? Justice thinks perhaps… (Chron.com)

Drayton McLane said things I’ve never heard him say before. He spoke of the importance of scouting and player development, of getting younger and of being patient. He seemed to understand that the Astros need to be rebuilt, and this time he wants to do it the right way. Yes, he sees the same things you see.

“We have to make a stronger investment and smarter picks in the draft,” McLane said. “You’ve got to invest in young talent. To do that, you need patience, and that’s hard for me.”

***

“We need to bring the age of our pitching staff down,” [McLane] said. “We’ve got two in Round Rock (Bud Norris and Yorman Bazardo) right now that they say could be very effective next year. We got some potentially great ones in the draft last year.”

Although Pinwheel might have one think a rebuild may be around the corner, it appears unlikely. McLane hasn’t given up on ’09, and isn’t particularly sold on the concept of rebuilding in any event.

This is no concession speech regarding 2009. [McLane] still believes the Astros can win because he has seen them come from farther back than this. Yet he also understands that the franchise must change in some fundamental ways. ***

[McLane notes] [W]e were trying to be competitive every year. Look at teams that rebuild. Look at Pittsburgh. They haven’t had a winning season in 14-15 years. Look at Cincinnati and Kansas City.”

Even if a rebuild were to occur though, McLane would still like to keep Oswalt and Berkman.

I asked about trading some of his older players. He answers, sort of, saying things would be evaluated at the trade deadline. *** [McLane] emphasized he would like both Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt to finish their careers with the Astros. If either asks to be traded, he’ll attempt to talk them out of it.

McLane also confirms that there have been no discussions about trading Roy. (Davidoff/Newsday link)

[McLane] wrote me back, with a pretty definitive take on Oswalt:

“In regards to your question about Roy Oswalt, there has absolutely been zero discussion about him being traded. Roy is one of the cornerstones of our team and the personal relationship that we share is important to me as well. That is why he has a long-term contract with a no trade agreement. I am not sure where this rumor began, but it was untrue. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to make this clear.”

In other notes from the article, McLane confirms that he is NOT trying to sell the Astros.

Take a look in the TZ for thoughts on the subject.

The only constant is change, but Astros news keeps coming anyway. Thus in an effort to keep folks abreast on all things Astros (or as an alternative to the torture of reading Justice and the like) we’ll be updating y’all here and again on what ‘the media’ is saying about your Houston Astros, as well as other topics we feel like posting on. So without further adieu, here is a sampling of the things you may have missed the past week or so.

___________

Kazuo “Mats who-ee”

Kaz took ground balls before Saturday’s game, and while he progressing fine and is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday, Coop might give him a couple more days off for good measure. (Astros.com), (Chron.com)

“He looks like he’s moving freely and looks like things are coming along,” said manager Cecil Cooper, who watched Matsui closely. “We won’t rush him, that’s for sure. We’ve got some options so we don’t need to rush him. He’s got to be 100 percent coming back.” (from Astros.com link)

Options is right, as Maysonet (Matsui’s primary replacement during this latest DL stint) is hitting .366 (15 for 41) with a couple of doubles, 6 runs, a home run and 6 RBIs (and flashing some decent leather to boot).

“Maysonet has done an outstanding job,” Cooper said. “I think way more than we anticipated. We wanted him to come and spell guys at different positions, but he’s come in here and taken over second base and done a great job.” (from Astros.com link)

Perhaps it is time for Matsui, his personal massage therapist and translator to hit the road…

Props to Mr. Happy for the “Mats who-ee” gem and to Sphinx Drummond for the assist.

__________

I don’t need no stinking rehab

Geary continues to throw pain free, but after initially planning to make two minor league rehab appearances before coming off the DL, Geary and the Astros have decided to cancel them and throw simulated games instead. (Tag’s Lines)

“We felt it was better for me to get a read from Major League hitters,” Geary said. “As you throw your innings, your professional team is the one that’s going to give you a good read.”

When he a threw his previous simulated game, Geary said Michaels told him he wasn’t throwing as well during his second at-bat against him.

“That right there tells me I would rather listen to hitters up here than go down and face hitters who are greedy and want to absolutely crush you,” said Geary, who said he feels healthy enough to pitch now.

On another front however, Papa Grande is excited about the prospect of making three minor league appearances and is set to do beginning this week. (Astros.com)

“My legs are good and my arm is ready to pitch,” Valverde said. “The thing is I haven’t pitched in a month. I have to take it day-by-day and see what happens. Everything is perfect right now, and Sunday I will have to throw again and after that will go to the Minor Leagues.”

“I’m so excited,” Valverde said. “I see my teammates excited, too, because I’m real close. I’m ready, you know what I mean? I’m ready to be in the game.”

__________

Tip your waitress, not your pitches…

Pudge thinks Wandy is tipping his pitches. (Astros.com)

Rodriguez was pummeled in Thursday’s 10-3 loss to Colorado, giving up 10 hits, including four home runs, in five innings against a team he had dominated a few weeks earlier. [Wandy] told reporters after the game he believed the hitter could tell what he was throwing, and his catcher apparently agreed.

***

“[Pudge] told me, ‘I think you’re moving your [left] elbow a little bit when you throw your curveball,'” Wandy Rodriguez said. “When I saw the video today, I didn’t see anything, so I don’t know what’s going on.”

Although it is unclear as to whether or not Wandy is actually tipping pitches as of late, it wouldn’t be unprecedented for the left hander to be doing so.

“Wandy’s had a history of that,” [Dewey Robinson] said. “Last year, a couple of teams had his pitches, and it makes a big difference because his curveball is so good. If you know it’s coming, you can lay off of it and wait for a fastball, and it makes a difference. “We don’t know if teams did it or not this year, but it’s always something we have to guard against, so we constantly look at video to see if we can pick something up the other team has.”

Read about it here in the TZ.

__________

I thought Wandy was having control problems, but who knew?

Alberto Arias was day-to-day after being taken to the hospital as a result of being hit in the head by a ball thrown by Wandy during pregame warmups on Friday. (Astros.com , Chron.com , Chron.com)

“It was really scary [Arias said]. I didn’t see the ball until it hit me. It just came right at me and hit right here (points to forehead)…”.

Fortunately for Arias, Rex Jones happened to be dropping things off in the dugout when it happened and came over to assist when he heard players yelling his name from the outfield.

Although a precautionary CT scan came back negative, Arias continued to experience headaches and dizziness, and was unavailable on Friday and Saturday. Footer noted that she thought he was available for Sundays game though.

__________

’09 Draft Notes

Footer may no longer be the beat writer at Astros.com, but she is still maintaining a presence there and her bog remains a must read. (McTaggart also has a blog, Tag’s Lines at Astros.com, and it too provides some excellent information).

Among other things, Footers new gig has allowed for unique glimpse into the Astros draft preparations this year. Here is a sampling of her most recent comments (although you’ll be shorting yourself if you don’t read them in their entirety): (LINK)

The Astros have been knee-deep in Draft meetings pretty much every day, all day, for quite some time. On Thursday, they granted me access to one of these meetings, which involved front office staffers and cross-checkers preparing for the final stages leading up to next weeks’ Draft.

Among those in attendance were GM Ed Wade, Assistant GM of Scouting Bobby Heck, the team’s regional and national cross checkers and two scouts. The group is in the process of merging the lists of potential draftees they put together last week from the three regions — East, West and Midwest.
<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–>
<!–[endif]–>

The amount of information they have on each player is mind-boggling. They watch video and discuss, discuss, discuss — about personalities, family backgrounds, projections as to where the player might fit in on a Major League club and who, if any, current or past players a certain prospect might resemble, perhaps by his build, athleticism, swing, or pitch delivery.
<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–>
<!–[endif]–>

The one thing that struck me is how little Wade talked. He sat stoically in his seat and listened intently as Heck and his staff dissected each and every player. There was rarely a lull in the conversation and it was my first exposure to just how much GMs rely on their scouts, and how much these guys stick their necks out for players they believe in. So much is riding on their observations and judgments, and I can’t imagine how gratifying it is when one of their guys makes it to the “Show.”

She also discussed Fridays workout held at MMPUS for 46 potential draftees: (LINK)

“It was outstanding, in terms of the quality and quantity of players,” general manager Ed Wade said. “The scouts did a tremendous job putting the whole thing together.
<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–>
<!–[endif]–>

“There was never any down time. It started at 9 in the morning and went to 2:30 There was not a minute lost. The body of work that our scouts have put in will be the determining factor as to who we take, but this is a chance for us to see these kids in our environment, give them a chance to soak in what the Major League experience is like. We think it’s a win-win, but from a standpoint of what took place today, I thought it was a perfect day.”

McTaggart also writes on the upcoming draft, and while the information provided is somewhat generic it does provide us with a tidbit here and there. (Astros.com)

The Astros don’t pick until 20 others have selected in the first round, so a lot could change. Expect Houston to continue to try to rebuild its Minor League system by taking the best athlete available, but don’t be surprised if it goes after pitching. There could be a pair of intriguing left-handers available in Kentucky’s James Paxton and Lipscomb’s Rex Brothers, but if athletic high school center fielder Everett Williams of Austin, Texas, is available the Astros might not be able to pass him up.

For continuing commentary and information on this years draft, make sure and Ride the Bus!