Yeah after the last 2 sweeps, there isnt much left to be done than remember the run we went on at the end. It was a valiant effort but Ike ed us over. I will always wonder, had IKE not gone into Houston, would things have ended differently?
LOL ^^ that too
Yeah Cooper really pissed me off with the whiny stuff. I have to think his at ude rubbed off on the players.
Oh well. They were bound to come back down to earth. This really isn't a Playoff level team at this point.
Yeah your right, we are 2 or 3 pitchers away from being a true playoff team. We also need to address the need at catcher. We can't get a decent hitter there.
Looks like Hampton signed a 1 year deal for 2 mil. I hope he stays healthy enough to do something for this rotation. And it looks like Wolf is out.
http://blogs.chron.com/gamedayastros...nt_afford.html
thanks drayton
Brocail is coming back.......... WHY HAMPTON??? I wanted Wolf back.
I wish we could have kept Loretta .... he comes dirt cheap and delivers in clutch situations. stupid move for the Astros to let him walk.
http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=hou
LAS VEGAS -- Ty Wigginton, Jose Valverde and Miguel Tejada are the three Astros names generating the most activity on the rumor mill at the Winter Meetings, but in all likelihood, it's Wigginton and Tejada who will stay on the front burner, while Valverde has the best chance to still be wearing a Houston uniform in 2009. Speaking from his plush suite on a top floor at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas, general manager Ed Wade stuck to his policy to not discuss trades, but he did indicate he'd rather not deal Valverde. Wade did not go as far as to say that he wouldn't trade him, but clearly, Valverde is not someone the club is anxious to get rid of.
"I don't normally talk about trades, but we're not interested in trading Valverde," Wade said. "I'm not saying we're not going to. I'm not going to say 'never' to anything, but if we can figure out a way to make it work and preserve Valverde, we're going to try to do that."
The same cannot be said about Wigginton and Tejada, although Wade's camp is mum on that front. However, the lobby scene at the Bellagio is something quite different, and at the end of Day 1 of the Winter Meetings, there were strong indications that both players were generating interest from other clubs, with Wigginton drawing the bulk of the attention.
The Twins expressed an interest in Tejada, but it's likely they're more focused on Wigginton. It could be a while before anything is resolved on both the shortstop and third baseman fronts as many teams wait for the market to establish itself.
The Astros may agree to absorb some of the $13 million Tejada is owed in 2009, although how much they'd be willing to take on is unclear. That would largely depend on who they would receive in return, and if the Astros can nab a young pitcher from the Twins' pitching-rich farm system, they may be swayed to pay a chunk of Tejada's remaining salary.
Interest in Wigginton appears to be more abundant. The offensively sound third baseman displayed versatility when he thrived as a subs ute for Carlos Lee in left field late last season, and with a number of teams looking for a third baseman, he could be in high demand. The picture will become clearer once free agent third baseman Casey Blake signs, and observers believe Wigginton's trade value will increase as soon as Blake is off the market.
The Twins, believed to be out of the Blake sweepstakes, may be interested, and again, their pitching-rich farm system has the Astros' attention.
In a perfect world, the Astros would not be shopping any of the players who helped the club win 86 games in 2008, and would instead be pursuing a veteran free-agent arm, like Randy Wolf. But economic realities hit the Astros' front office with the same urgency as felt by most of the other 29 clubs, and instead of adding, the Astros must subtract, all the while keeping the Major League team compe ive.
"I'm not going to say 'never' to anything, but if we can figure out a way to make it work and preserve [Jose] Valverde, we're going to try to do that." -- GM Ed Wade Those are undoubtedly tough marching orders for Wade, who has to pare down the payroll by $10 to $20 million to hit the $100 million mark projected for '09. Insistent that the Astros will be compe ive next season no matter what happens this winter, Wade stated the obvious when he acknowledged that any trades he would make would ideally bring in young pitching.
"Controllable players, close to the big leagues," Wade said. "Those are probably the most precious commodities out there. Short of that, prospects to continue to build the system are very important. We have a few specific needs, and we've talked about them. I think there's ways of filling those things in a number of fashions, whether it's trades or being patient in the free-agent market or the Rule 5 Draft or the non-tender market. There's going to be all kinds of opportunities to do those sort of peripheral things.
"If we were in the midst of moving a significant player, we'd like to try to get some type of significant return for the player. At the same time, the reason why, at this point in time, we'd be putting a significant player in the mix is try to reconcile where we need from a payroll standpoint."
The Astros' rotation, as it stands now, consists of Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Mike Hampton, Brandon Backe and Brian Moehler. Backe could be non-tendered on Friday, but with so few starting options, the Astros may have no choice but to give the right-hander another chance, despite his disastrous finish to the 2008 season that included a 7.82 ERA in August and a 19.64 ERA over his final three starts.
In other news, the Astros continue to pursue a veteran catcher who can either serve as a backup to Humberto Quintero or share equal playing time. They can't take on a lot of salary to fill that need, making it unlikely that they would explore a trade for Orioles backstop Ramon Hernandez, who is owed $8 million in '09 and has a $1 million buyout on his $8.5 million option in '10.
Dammit Backe again!!!! I think our pitching is going to be worse than last year!!
Tuesday, January 27 – Round Rock/Austin2:30 - 4:00 - University of Texas - Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, North End Zone, 403 23rd St., Austin4:30 - 6:00 - Academy Sports + Outdoors - 12250 Research Blvd., Austin, TX 78759Astros Participating: pitcher Mike Hampton, infielder Mark Saccomanno, former player Jeff Bagwell and broadcaster Milo Hamilton
Wednesday, January 28 – Austin/San Antonio4:30 - 6:00 - Academy Sports + Outdoors - 714 West Loop 1604 North, San Antonio, TX 78251
I'm gonna try and go to the San Antonio date and get a Bagwell autograph.
Yeah same here im going to get a ball for him to sign. Ill put it up there right next to my Larry Dierker autographed ball.
Also a Milo Autograph would be cool too
Man, this is what sucks about being a 'Stros fan in Chicago. ...Well, that, and all the crap I get from Cub fans.
Are the 'Stros ever going to get Ben Sheets?
Or is it just a pipe dream?
ing Bagwell. 10 people left in line in front of me, ten, and he is done.
I waited an hour and a half to be 10 people too late.
Damn dude that sucks, I didnt get to go up here because I was busy getting my mirror on my car fixed.
Anyone know where I can get audio of the game going on now?
It was on AM 790 when I was driving home, did you try streaming from their site?
Yeah I tried but no dice. I think they play other stuff online during the game because of the MLB audio league pass crap.
Today's game will be on ESPN2 I think at either 12 or 1.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6281692.html
Kissimmee, Fla. — So the day began with Chris Johnson and Drew Sutton making things a bit more interesting for the Astros.
Aren’t they what spring training is all about? It’s where the improbable becomes the possible.
“Maybe we’ll have a great story this spring,” Tal Smith was saying the other day.
Hunter Pence was ticketed for the minor leagues two years ago when he began hitting moon-ball home runs. The Astros knew they had something special by the time spring training ended.
Pence spent a month at Round Rock before getting a chance. He has brought energy and enthusiasm to the ballpark every single day of his brief career.
Young players are the foundation on which good organizations are built, and for the first time in years, the Astros can see their next generation taking shape.
Remember the names Chris Johnson, Drew Sutton, Tommy Manzella, Brian Bogusevic, Bud Norris, Brad James, Jason Castro and Sergio Perez.
They’re eight reasons the Astros are more optimistic about the future than at any time in recent years. They probably won’t all be big league stars, but no one is betting against them .
Best of all, they may make a difference in 2009. They’ll set their own timetables.
“We’re not going to wait until a guy turns 28 to give him a chance,” Smith said.
First-time thrill
It’s an hour after the first spring training game Wednesday afternoon, and the kids are hanging around the clubhouse long after the veterans have departed.
Some of them have played in a major league game for the first time, and afterward, they hit the weight room and the whirlpool and then just hang around to talk baseball.
The Astros may have baseball’s weakest minor league system. Yet even weak systems have a few players.
So far, this spring has two story lines. One is that Russ Ortiz and Mike Hampton appear to be everything the Astros hoped they’d be. It’s way too early to draw conclusions, but they got off to good starts with two shutout innings apiece in a 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.
The other story line is the impression the young players have made.
“We’ve got some big, strong athletic guys,” hitting coach Sean Berry said. “They just need to play.”
Skipper impressed
Cecil Cooper and Ed Wade are going to give them that chance. Johnson hit a towering home run in his first game Wednesday, and Sutton had a pair of singles.
“Johnson was impressive. So was Sutton,” Cooper said.
Both opened eyes in the organization last season with big years at Class AA Corpus Christi. Both went to the Arizona Fall League and played well.
Now both seemed ticketed for Class AAA Round Rock, but that could change.
If Kaz Matsui stays healthy — and that’s a huge question mark — he’ll be the everyday second baseman. All Sutton can do is show he’s ready for a chance.
“Being in Arizona around some really good players at Double-A and Triple-A and some guys that had been in the big leagues gave me some confidence,” Sutton said. “Coming in here and having a good two first days builds on it.”
The Astros plan to open the season with a platoon of Geoff Blum and Aaron Boone at third, but they’re going to give Johnson the opportunity to show he belongs.
“I saw him in the Fall League, and he hit two of the longest home runs I’ve ever seen,” Cooper said. “I’m not going to rule him out. The kid has tremendous ability.”
Johnson was jumpy upon entering the game in the sixth. He grounded into a double play but batted again in the eighth and homered.
“I’m pretty confident,” he said, “but you’re going to be a little nervous around these guys.”
He said his goal was to make a good first impression. He has already accomplished that. How much more he does will be the fun part of this spring.
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Astros up 7 to 2 against the Braves
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