Tag Archives: Houston Astros

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball, Texas Rangers

Pudge Takes His Place Among Texas Ranger Greats

This past Saturday in Arlington, Texas, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriquez became the 16th person to be inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremony occurred prior to the Rangers and the Orioles taking the field. And while the game itself clearly belonged to the Orioles, the pregame ceremony was about honoring Pudge for his time as a Ranger.

During a 21-year career that started in 1991 when he was only 19-years-old, Pudge was voted to the All-Star game 14 times. He was named the 1999 American League MVP and earned seven Silver Slugger Awards with six of those coming during his 13-year tenure with the Rangers.

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez became the 16th person inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Saturday before the Rangers versus Orioles game. Photo R. Anderson
Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez became the 16th person inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Saturday before the Rangers versus Orioles game.
Photo R. Anderson

While the bulk of Pudge’s career was spent in a Rangers’ uniform he played for the Marlins, Tigers, Yankees, Astros and Nationals before retiring at the start of the 2012 season.

While Saturday night was all about honoring his years with the Rangers, I tend to remember Pudge more as a member of the 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins squad as well as a member of the Astros in 2009.

It was during his brief time with the Astros that Pudge broke the record for most games caught. Fittingly enough Rodriguez surpassed Carlton Fisk’s record of 2,226 games caught during a game against the Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington allowing the Rangers’ fans to take part in Pudge’s record setting evening.

Shortly after breaking the record the Astros traded Pudge to the Rangers for the remainder of the 2009 season. The 2010 and 2011 seasons were spent with the Washington Nationals and Pudge ended his career with a major league record of 2,427 games behind the plate. It is doubtful that his record will ever be broken.

I have little doubt that Pudge could have kept playing. The fact that a team did not add him to their roster in 2012 is definitely a travesty in my mind. But baseball is a business and even the best players do not get a farewell tour. Of course the season long tributes that Chipper Jones and Mariano Rivera received are certainly the exception more than the rule.

While Pudge was known for having a rocket launcher of an arm and an ability to pick runners off at ease, he was also no slouch at the plate as a hitter.

Pudge was known as much for his play at the plate as behind it and leads the Rangers in many offensive and defensive categories. Photo R. Anderson
Pudge was known as much for his play at the plate as behind it and leads the Rangers in many offensive and defensive categories.
Photo R. Anderson

In 1,507 career games with the Rangers, Rodriguez hit .304 with 217 home runs with 842 RBIs.

He is second in club history in hits (1,747), doubles (352) and multi-hit games (490). Rodriquez also leads several categories across all of baseball for a catcher.

I was fortunate enough to see Pudge play on several occasions late in his career. I was definitely one of the people who thought that the Astros should have kept him around a little longer to help mold their pitching staff.

When none other than Hall of Famer, and Texas legend, Nolan Ryan calls Pudge the best catcher ever, one would think that people would listen. And Nolan would know a little bit about catchers and Pudge in particular.

During Pudge’s second game as a Major League ballplayer in 1991 he caught Nolan Ryan. Now 22 years later, Pudge works as a special assistant to Ryan to assist the Rangers in several areas, including international scouting, player instruction on the major and minor league levels and talent evaluation. He also represents the team in community and marketing endeavors.

Pudge spent part of the 2009 season with the Houston Astros but was traded back to the Rangers prior to his Bobblehead giveaway game. Photo R. Anderson
Pudge spent part of the 2009 season with the Houston Astros but was traded back to the Rangers prior to his Bobblehead giveaway game.
Photo R. Anderson

I last saw Pudge play in 2009 after he was traded back to the Rangers.

Ironically enough while Pudge was suiting up for the Rangers in a game against Tampa Bay, about four hours to the south the Astros were celebrating Pudge bobblehead day. I guess once you order the bobbleheads you still need to hand them out even if the player has moved on.

I went to some Spring Training games for the Washington Nationals in 2010 and 2011 but sadly Pudge did not play in any of those games.

Three years from now Pudge will become eligible for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and his career numbers should make him a shoo-in for induction on his first year of eligibility.

From everything I can tell Pudge played the game the way it should be played. Hopefully that will earn him a trip to Cooperstown to take his rightful place among the other Hall of Famers.

There is little doubt that when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame he will go in as a Ranger and that should certainly make his former battery mate and current boss, Nolan Ryan, very happy.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some baseball games to watch.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball

We Knew They’d Be Bad, But This Bad?

With the Major League Baseball All-Star Game behind us, and about two and a half months of season ahead of us, this is the time that most prognosticators roll out their list of surprises and predictions for the rest of the season.

This allows them to pat themselves on the back on the things they got right, and remind us how fluid the game is and make new predictions for the ones that they got wrong.

Over the past few days I have read many such articles of predictions gone well and predictions that didn’t quite pan out at the midpoint of the season. While I made predictions at the start of the season I do not believe in a mid course correction. Instead we will see how they hold up at the end of the year.

As part of this yearly ritual of assessing the season at the halfway point the subject of which teams will be trading away players and which teams will be getting players also comes up.

Lance Berkman was traded to the Yankees in the first phase of the Astros epic rebuilding process. He has been on winning teams ever since. The Astros have yet to post a winning record since the trade. Photo R. Anderson
Lance Berkman was traded to the Yankees right at the trading deadline four years ago in the first phase of the Astros epic rebuilding process. He has been on winning teams ever since. The Astros have yet to post a winning record since the trade.
Photo R. Anderson

July 31, is considered the main trade deadline and a flurry of activity usually occurs with teams far from contending dumping players and payroll to teams that still have a chance at playoff glory but may be missing a piece or two in that winning formula.

For the past few years the question of how many games over 100 will the Astros lose and how many players will they trade en route to that inevitably gets discussed in the local Houston media and with a third straight year of futility in progress the national media has been weighing in on the matter as well.

So everyone agrees that the Houston Astros and their lowest in baseball by a long shot payroll are not going to the playoffs in any way, shape, or form. In fact, by most estimates, it will be several years before the Astros can even think about such lofty goals.

But the baseball season is a long season and the Astros want to put fans in their ballpark since fans equal money and money keeps the lights on. But fans have been staying away in large numbers this season since most people enjoy spending their hard earned money on entertainment where the outcome is not assumed ahead of time. And with very few exceptions it is assumed that when the Astros take the field it will result in a loss.

I will give the Astros credit though over the past month their losses have become more creative and usually involve at least one instance where an error of tee ball magnitude occurs.

The Astros should embrace these errors and perhaps by making such huge errors the other ballplayers will have to leave the game from laughing so hard and pulling some rib cartilage.

I know there have been games that I have watched at home that have left me sore from a combination of cringing and laughing at the ineptitude on display.

So with it understood that the Astros are bad, really bad, the only question is who is in their same league of badness?

For that we can look to Miami where the Marlins are giving the Astros a run for their money in the battle for who can win less. And I think this battle for the worst record in baseball should be embraced by both teams and a World Series of Futility should be created for them.

But Ryan you say isn’t it wrong to root for a team to be so bad that they are dead last? To that I say no, because the team was set up as way to replenish the farm system. And everyone knows the best way to replenish the farm system is through the hit and miss way of drafting prospects who may or may not ever make it to the Major Leagues.

Personally if I were running a team I would want a roster comprised of proven players with a few prospects sprinkled in but I am not running a team and no one asked my opinion.

So the Astros are looking at things from a strictly pasta throwing kind of way. When cooking pasta one can hurl it at the wall and if it sticks then the pasta is cooked. If the pasta falls to the floor than it is not cooked.

Jimmy Paredes is one pasta, err player, that just has not stuck no matter how many times the Astros throw him at the wall. Photo R. Anderson
Jimmy Paredes is one pasta, err player, that just has not stuck no matter how many times the Astros throw him at the wall.
Photo R. Anderson

So think of the Astros as a big pot of pasta. Every so often upper management will take one of the players from their Triple-A club and throw them out on the field and hope that they stick, or at least slide slowly enough down the wall that they can buy some time until the pasta in Double-A gets cooked.

To date, most of the players brought up have not stuck to the wall. This can be caused by them not being seasoned enough in the Minor Leagues or it could be that they just aren’t Major League quality regardless of how long they stay in the pot.

So the Astros need more pasta, err players, in order to field a competitive team. So a battle for last place gives them something to shoot for. And in a season that was declared lost at the start I think the majority of the fans may enjoy seeing a little competition with the Marlins for that coveted first pick.

Plus, if the Astros do end up with the first overall pick next year it would be the third year in a row that they did that. And that boys and girls is called a winning streak which is certainly in short supply when it comes to the Astros.

While waiting for the Astros to be competitive again fans at Minute Maid Park can enjoy plenty of elbow room and of course an obstructed view of downtown. Photo R. Anderson
While waiting for the Astros to be competitive again fans at Minute Maid Park can enjoy plenty of elbow room and of course an obstructed view of downtown.
Photo R. Anderson

So embrace the rebuilding and the futility that comes from it. Watch some players make the kind of errors that just should not be seen at the Major League level and attend a game or two if you are in town. Just don’t expect to see a consistent winner for a few more years.

Of course hopefully by then those annoying billboards in center field will be gone restoring the view of downtown. Because when the action on the field is too unbearable to watch it is certainly nice to be able to watch a nice sunset or watch the cars go by.

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to get ready to watch some baseball and hope that I don’t end up hurting myself.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball, Texas Rangers

Knowing When to Call it a Career Doesn’t Always Come with a Singing Fat Lady For Guidance

History is full of stories of athletes riding off into the sunset at the top of their game and as Champions.

Football has given us the image of Ray Lewis, Michael Strahan and John Elway hoisting the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl Champions before calling it a career and head into life after football.

In baseball Tony LaRussa managed the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title in his final game as a full-time manager.

In opera it was always known that the end of the performance was coming when the “fat lady” would come out and sing. This of course led to the expression, “It ain’t over til the fat lady sings.” Unfortunately sports careers do not always come with the benefit of a singing fat lady.

For every moment of ending on a great note there are many more of players who just don’t know when to call it a career and continue to play well past their primes.

Some of these instances are motivated by a fear of what to do in post playing days while others are driven by the urge to continue to make the kind of money that pro ballplayers make.

Two recent stories regarding players hanging on too long recently grabbed the attention of us at Triple B. So, let us study the cases of Roy Oswalt and Manny Ramirez.

Once upon a time Roy Oswalt was a dominating pitcher. Recent events have shown that time is likely passed. Photo R. Anderson
Once upon a time Roy Oswalt was a dominating pitcher. Recent events have shown that time has likely passed.
Photo R. Anderson

Roy Oswalt was once among the most dominating pitchers in baseball, and paired with Roger Clemens, he helped lead the Houston Astros to the 2005 World Series. The years since that first World Series appearance in Astros’ franchise history have not been kind to either the Astros or Oswalt.

Oswalt was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and managed a couple of successful years before spending part of last year with the Texas Rangers.

Oswalt’s time with the Rangers could be called traumatic at best with the “Wizard of Os” getting demoted to the bullpen at one point based on his record of 4-3 with a 5.80 ERA in 17 games.

That brings us to this year. With starting pitching at some a premium and with teams competing to find the best arms available there are often risks taken by teams on former star pitchers to see if there is anything left in the tank.

This year the Colorado Rockies were the team willing to pay for Oswalt’s services. Much like the start of his Rangers tenure last year Oswalt spent a few games in the Minor Leagues after signing his contract. He dazzled in the Minors and was given a chance to get promoted to the Rockies and joined the starting rotation.

It has been déjà vu all over again though as the results have just not been there at the Major League level. Oswalt is 0-4 with a 7.64 ERA in four starts with the Rockies since signing a $2.3 million, one-year contract on May 2.

The news got even worse yesterday when it was announced that the Rockies placed him on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.

Time will tell if Oswalt will bounce back from this injury and return to form as a quality starting pitcher or if this latest injury is the fat lady quietly singing him into retirement.

It is not like he has not been one before as he was a three-time All-Star with the Astros and the 2005 NL championship series MVP. Oswalt was also a 20-game winner in 2004 and 2005.

But at age 35 it is very clear that his best days are behind him. Baseball is a young man’s game and there are plenty of young arms gunning for Oswalt’s roster spot if he can’t get the job done for the Rockies.

The road back to Major League Baseball has run through the Round Rock Express for both Roy Oswalt and Manny Ramirezz as each have hoped a stop at the Rangers' Triple-A affliate will lead them back to greatness. Photo R. Anderson
The road back to Major League Baseball has run through the Round Rock Express for both Roy Oswalt and Manny Ramirez as each have hoped a stop at the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate will lead them back to greatness.
Photo R. Anderson

The other player vying for a comeback is Manny Ramirez, 41-year-old slugger attempting a comeback with the Texas Rangers after a two-year absence from the Majors.

The Rangers signed Ramirez to a Minor League deal July 3 and he is currently on their Triple-A Round Rock Express roster.

Ramirez hasn’t played in the Majors since 2011 with Tampa Bay. After going 1-for-17 for the Rays, Ramirez announced his retirement in lieu of serving a 100-game suspension for failing a drug test.

The suspension was reduced to 50 games last season and Manny spent some time in the Oakland A’s Minor League system.

After leaving Oakland’s Sacramento affiliate, Ramirez tried his hand with the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League hitting .352 (64-for-182) with eight homers and 43 RBIs in 49 games.

Ranked No. 14 all-time with 555 career homers the Rangers are betting that there is a little left in Manny’s tank and he can be a productive hitter for them down the stretch.

While it is probably easier for older hitters to keep playing, and the designated hitter position has been filled by sluggers still going strong in their 40’s before there are certainly no guarantees that past success will lead to future success.

So Roy Oswalt and Manny Ramirez will try to go to the well as long as there is still water in it. But at some point the well will run dry and people will be left with more memories of them as broken down players as opposed to players who went out on top.

The very drive and determination that makes the elite athletes excel can also be the Achilles heel that doesn’t let them walk away when everyone except for them can clearly see that the time to heed the growing volume of the music has come.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to feed my tank some dinner.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball

Castro the Astro Named All-Star Cuz Someone Had to Be

Saturday night Major League Baseball announced the starters and reserves for this year’s All-Star Game.

With the exception of a final fan’s choice vote for each league, and some players to be named later by the managers, the rosters are pretty much set.

For the most part the rosters seem sound and despite the ill conceived notion of fan voting, the bulk of the players seem to have gotten on the team through merit.

Of course since the introduction of the “all teams have to be represented by at least one player rule” some of the reserve players would not be on the team were it not required for someone from their team to be there.

Jason Castro was named to his first All-Star game Saturday. Photo R. Anderson
Jason Castro was named to his first All-Star game Saturday.
Photo R. Anderson

This brings us to Jason Castro, catcher for the Houston Astros. Castro was named to the All-Star game as the sole representative of the Astros.

To think that his level of play reaches the level of an All-Star leads one to have to make a quantum leap of reasoning.

Even given the notion that someone from the Astros has to be selected as an All-Star, Castro does not even lead any offensive categories on the team. Which means that he is not even the best of the worst team in baseball.

Castro ranks second in batting average behind Jose Altuve (last year’s Astros All-Star representative) and also ranks second on the team in runs scored and home runs.

Granted Castro had a “see I belong in the game” moment Saturday night when he hit a three-run home run against the Rangers as part of a shocking upset in Arlington but the case remains puzzling as to why he is heading to the All-Star game as a reserve catcher.

To be fair I have nothing against Jason Castro despite the Astros seeming to have a man crush on him since drafting him with the 10th pick of the 2008 draft and repeatedly shoving him down the throats of the fans despite the presence of better catchers on the roster.

While there have been some catchers through the years that have swung the bat well those are usually few and far between. And in the case of former Astros catcher turned second baseman Craig Biggio catchers that can hit are usually moved to other positions to prolong their careers. Had Craig Biggio remained a catcher it is very probable that he would not have had the long career that allowed him to obtain over 3,000 hits.

So to me the job of catcher first and foremost is that of a defensive player that works well with the pitchers and can throw runners out at second base. Through the years prior to Jason Castro arriving at the Astros there were a string of such players who while not known for consistently driving in runs they definitely minimized opposing teams scoring through their work behind the plate.

Future Hall of Famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriquez spent only part of a season with the Astros before being traded to the Rangers. Photo R. Anderson
Future Hall of Famer Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez spent only part of a season with the Astros before being traded to the Rangers.
Photo R. Anderson

To me the best catcher to ever wear an Astros uniform was Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. With a young team and a future Hall of Famer behind the plate, it seemed like a no brainer to keep Pudge in the Astro pinstripes for as long as possible to allow him to mentor the pitching staff and provide veteran leadership in the clubhouse.

Sadly the Astros traded Rodriguez to the Rangers midway though the 2009 season. But during his time there he was definitely fun to watch and showed Astros players and fans what a real catcher looks like.

J.R. Towles was another catcher who called a good game but fell short at the plate. Towles and Castro were both competing for the starting job at the same time. Towles beat out the injury prone Castro twice in spring training for the job and received high praise from many of the Astros pitchers for his presense behind the plate.

For my money former Astro J.R. Towles was twice the player Jason Castro is where it counts most, defensively. Unfortunately for Towles the Astros disagreed and kept sticking with the error prone Jason Castro behind the plate. Photo R. Anderson
For my money former Astro J.R. Towles was twice the player Jason Castro is where it counts most, defensively. Unfortunately for Towles the Astros disagreed and kept sticking with the error prone Jason Castro behind the plate.
Photo R. Anderson

Unfortunately Towles struggled mightily at the plate generating far more outs than hits. After a few seasons of battling between the Majors and Minors, and with Castro still the anointed catcher of the future, Towles was finally let go paving the way for the Jason Castro era to begin.

Still even after Castro was anointed the starter he still faced injury issues and actually missed the entire 2011 season with a knee injury received during Spring Training.

It seems that he is finally showing the offensive spark that they had hoped was there but there are still glaring defensive issues visible in his game in the amount of passed balls that get by him. His ability to call games and be in sync with his battery mates is also an area that is still in work.

I certainly hope that I am wrong and Jason Castro can become a successful every day catcher for years to come and help the team with both his bat and his glove. I just have not seen enough evidence of that to date to give me confidence in his ability to be that player down the road.

Granted, as a reserve there is no guarantee that Castro will take the field at any point in the game. The rules say a member from every team has to make the roster but it does not say that the managers are forced to use every player like some Little League pay to play situation.

I truly hope that both fan voting and guarantee representation from all teams are removed from the All-Star Game landscape in the coming years to return the game to its roots where the best players, regardless of team affiliation, are battling each other for bragging rights and home field World Series advantage.

Until that day comes the All-Star Game will carry a virtual asterisk next to it meaning that the accomplishments made within it should not be judged the same way as the the pre fan vote era.

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to start planning my All-Star Game menu.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball

Celebrating a Trio of All-American Traditions

Yesterday was the Fourth of July. Which aside from meaning that today is the fifth of July, means that yesterday was a day set aside to celebrate America’s independence from the occupying British forces.

That independence from British rule established principles regarding life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

As part of my pursuit of happiness this year I took part in a trio of All-American festivities. At the time I woke up I was only planning to partake in one American tradition but as the day wore on I soon added a pair more to my original plan.

For nearly a century people have been eating Nathan's Hot Dogs on the Fourth of July. Of course some people end up eating way more than others. Photo R. Anderson
For nearly a century people have been eating Nathan’s Hot Dogs on the Fourth of July. Of course some people end up eating way more than others.
Photo R. Anderson

The first tradition I took part in was eating a Nathan’s hot dog on the fourth of July.

For about a century now Coney Island, New York has hosted the Nathan’s Famous July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating Championship.

And while competitors come from nations all over the world the item remains All-American in that it occurs on July 4th.

This year, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut ate 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win another title.

To honor this achievement of man concurring frankfurter I decide to stage my own hot dog eating on the Fourth of July.

While I did not eat anywhere near 69 hot dogs I did venture to my local Sam’s Club to get an authentic Nathan’s hot dog. In hindsight I should have worn my Nathan’s hot dog contest shirt to the Sam’s Club but that would have required a wardrobe change before adding to the next item on my list of All-American activities.

Nathan’s was one of the brands I grew up with on the east coast and they are hard to find here in Texas. Don’t get me wrong there are some very nice hot dog choices here but to me a hot dog on July 4th has to be a Nathan’s hot dog. I am sure there are people that feel the same way about whichever hot dog they grew up with as well.

With my hot dog properly washed down with a Cherry Coke it was time to move onto what would become the second side of my freedom celebrating pursuit of happiness triangle.

The second side of the triangle was of course an afternoon baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays.

It does not get much better than being in a ballpark on July 4th. Photo R. Anderson
It does not get much better than being in a ballpark on July 4th.
Photo R. Anderson

I had attended the Wednesday night game but considering the Rays do not visit Houston often I felt it was justified to see them two days in a row. Plus, there is just something special about watching a game on July Fourth as part of the American tradition.

The Astros typically honor soldiers at each home game and yesterday was no different. But getting to show support for soldiers on the day that we honor America had a little extra significance.

Getting to see an extra inning marathon game was just an added bonus.

As mentioned before I typically root for both the Astros and the Rays. Since I have followed the Rays longer than the Astros I proudly wore my Rays gear and cheered them on to victory yesterday.

During Wednesday’s game the Astros won so in a way one of my teams won both nights.

After coming home from the game I had every intention of staying home the rest of the night and watching the celebration and fireworks from the Nation’s Capitol. If you have never caught the broadcast on the local PBS station I highly recommended it.

The third leg of the All-American triangle included fireworks, lots and lots of fireworks. Photo R. Anderson
The third leg of the All-American triangle included fireworks, lots and lots of fireworks.
Photo R. Anderson

Broadcasting from the steps of the Capitol the Capitol Fourth show features music and fireworks. This year’s performers included Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow and John Williams.

Each is an American icon in their own right and seeing them in the same 90 minute broadcast was certainly a treat.

But a funny thing happened as I was watching the televised fireworks from Washington D.C. About midway through it occurred to me that fireworks would be going off about three miles from my house in about an hour.

Now there had been signs on the road for weeks warning people to stay away from the area where the fireworks would be held due to the crazy amount of traffic that was expected.

But I figured I knew a back way to get there and could avoid the traffic while still catching the live fireworks that Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow’s patriotic numbers inspired me to want to see.

More fireworks. Photo R. Anderson
More fireworks.
Photo R. Anderson

I think on any other day I would have lost serious street cred by uttering the phrase, “Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow inspired me do it.”

But, someone on the Fourth of July there is no shame in the men behind Sweet Caroline and Mandy providing a patriotic bit of encouragement to get off the couch and go see some fireworks.

So hyped up on feelings of patriotism I piled into my car and made the three mile trek to a Walmart parking lot that would allow me to see the show and in theory quickly escape the traffic in the same way upon the completion of the show.

There were no issues getting there but the escape from the Walmart took a little longer than I anticipated.

And you guessed it, more fireworks. Photo R. Anderson
And you guessed it, more fireworks.
Photo R. Anderson

With my July Fourth triangle of All-American activities was completed it was time to go home.

I suppose I could have gone inside the Walmart and purchased an apple pie to turn the All-American triangle into an All-American square but I went home and had a V8 and some carrots instead.

Perhaps next year I will add a pastry component to the celebration or maybe even add a second hot dog.

Who knows what the celebration will entail. After all I have an entire year to plan it.

I do know that it will likely include a baseball game if at all possible. While the day game this year did not allow for post-game fireworks the on field action was certainly explosive.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have a strange urge to listen to Copacabana for some reason.

Copyright 2013 R. Anderson