Fixing the Astros

2005 seems like a long time ago doesn’t it? It finally seems like the Astros are slowly taking the right steps towards becoming relevant again. I can’t wait for the day when I go to a September baseball game against the Rangers and the stadium is sold out because the game will directly hurt and help each teams’ playoff chances. However, there is no way of telling if that is going to be in 2015, 2025, or 2125. Here are my 5 steps to helping the Astros get through these next few years:

1. Six man rotation

I feel like this is the most logical of all my steps. The Astros are currently running a six man rotation out there right now for the last month of the season. Why not do it for the next year or two? Their oldest starting pitcher right now is Edgar Gonzalez and he is 29. There is no guarantee that he will even be on the team next year. This will help protect all the young arms that the Astros have. There is such a big deal being made about the Nationals shutting down Strasburg and the Astros don’t want to be in that position with one of their pitchers when they are finally able to contend. I’m pretty positive that the Astros’ fans would not approve of shutting down a pitcher given that it has been an extremely long time since the Astros have even sniffed the playoffs.

2. Spend a little

I don’t think it would hurt the Astros to spend a little bit of money especially if it is on the bullpen. I think the Astros should take a chance on some veteran relievers. Give them one year deals and if they have a good first half, trade them for prospects. Every team, regardless if they are in the playoff hunt or not, could always use more relief pitchers. As of today (September 10^th) the Astros’ team ERA is 4.69 which ranks 27^th out of 30 teams. The Astros have 29 blown saves which ranks 25^th in baseball but their save percentage is only 55% which is the worst in baseball. A veteran pitcher would add some leadership to the team that really doesn’t have any. Plus, they can’t be any worse than Fernando Rodriguez who has a 5.65 ERA and a 1-9 record as a relief pitcher. That means at least nine times he has either lost the lead or let the other team score when the game was tied and that involves only pitching an inning or two at the time.

3. Move Bud

Speaking of bullpen help, I would be a HUGE fan if the Astros decided to move Bud Norris into the closers role. I don’t think Wilton Lopez is the long term answer in the role now. Bud Norris has struggled and everybody keeps waiting on him to turn the corner. I don’t think he will ever be that frontline pitcher that everyone has hoped he would be. He has shown flashes of brilliance but no consistency. Right now, his strikeouts per 9 innings are 8.84 which ranks 16^th out of starting pitchers in baseball. That’s a higher rate than guys like David Price, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee. That is pretty impressive. He doesn’t have the true off speed pitch to keep hitters off balance throughout an entire game. His fastball/slider combination would be deadly coming in at the end of the game. Moving him to the closer role would also help keep him healthy. He has battled injuries this year. Moving him to the bullpen would open a spot in the rotation for one of the young guys and give them a chance to get their feet wet in the majors.

4. Sign Roger Clemens…

Yes, I think the Astros should sign Roger Clemens. However, not to be a pitcher for the team. I think that would just be embarrassing. I do believe that they should make him their pitching coach. Regardless if the man took performance enhancing drugs or not, he could still pitch. It wasn’t like those drugs were going to make his location that much better. Maybe it helped with his velocity and being able to stay in shape but at the end of the day, he still had to be able to get batters out. I think he would be a great addition to a team that has so many young players on it. I believe he would be able to provide a lot of insight for the young pitchers and help them progress with their careers. I would love for him to be around when Jarred Cosart makes his first appearance for the Astros. Cosart is going to be a big key for the Astros’ future and from what I’ve read, he is the same sort of overpowering pitcher that Clemens was.

5. New (Old) Identity

This step kind of ties in with the previous step. The Astros have been put in an awful situation that just got worse by having to move to the AL West. I think one way to ease the transition for the players and fans is to make Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell and even Brad Ausmus more visible with the organization. The Astros are looking for a manager and it would be awesome if Ausmus was the guy even though it is probably a long shot. I think it is important for Biggio and Bagwell to be around the players on this team. I think it is important for them to tell them that not long ago the Astros organization was one that was taken seriously and that a lot of people in the baseball world had respect for. Jim Crane needs to have those two icons involved with the team any way he can get them to.

The average age of the Rangers and Angels is almost 29. The average age of the Astros is 26.2. It is not unreasonable to think that the Astros would not be able to contend in three or four years in the AL West. Obviously a lot has to go right for them but it happens. Players have to continue to develop but the foundation has been laid. The Astros have guys on their current roster that will play a key role for years to come and have some very promising prospects working their way up through the organization. It might not hurt to say a few prayers either.  

College Life: The Untold Stories

Just so everyone knows, I just used that title as an attention grabber. I’m sorry if this disappoints… I realize it has been a while since I’ve posted a blog about anything but I figure now is the time to post one more and no this one isn’t about sports.

In three days I will be graduating from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Sometimes it is hard to believe that it is finally here and then sometimes it feels like just yesterday I was moving all my stuff into my dorm with my parents in McLane Hall. I can remember the months leading up to going to college, people would tell me that college would be the four best years of my life so I should enjoy it while I can. I really didn't know what to expect or what exactly the definition of “the four best years of my life” really meant. Looking back at it now and being so close to graduation I can honestly say that my time at Mary Hardin-Baylor was truly amazing and I could have never imagined or planned what was going to happen in those four years.

As most people know, I originally decided to attend UMHB because I had decided to extend my baseball career in college and I loved the fact that they had Sport Management as a major. It seemed like the perfect marriage (that’s kind of funny because I really did find the perfect marriage so to speak but I’ll get to that later on). Also as most people know, my baseball career did not last very long. A month at most. Every now and then after I stopped playing I would sometimes get that feeling in the pit of my stomach that I made a mistake. It was until probably the last year or so that I finally came to peace with that decision. I am thankful for even the few weeks I spent practicing with the baseball team. I feel like it was a necessary experience. One of the major reasons I decided baseball was no longer in the future for me was my problem with time management. As a 19 year old, I had a lot to learn and needed some adjusting to the college life. At first, I thought that “adjusting to the college life” meant getting used to making the late night runs to Taco Bell or Whataburger or my favorite, IHOP. Really though, it meant figuring out how to manage my time and figuring out how to motivate myself to go to class. I do think over the last four years I have gotten better at both. Just to be clear, I never once had an attendance issue with any of my classes and my grades did not suffer from not going to class. I just got better at strategically planning on when I was going to skip class. I do think I figured out the whole time management stuff and that will really help me out down the road.

Corey's outdoor bed

Something I will always be thankful for is the great friends I have made along the way. Everyone has rough patches in college no matter who they are and whenever those rough patches came along in my college
career, I always had friends by my side and letting me know they are always there for me. For that, I am truly grateful. I will say I will miss all the late night food trips and the late night video game playing and really just the late nights in general. Without fail, there was always a reason to stay up late otherwise I was going to miss a great moment. I will never forget the moments like when Ethan would yell at the TV because he wasn’t very good at NCAA Football or Travis and I going to IHOP and then playing MLB The Show until the wee hours of the morning or Andy and I putting the extra mattress we had and leaving a note out for Corey telling him that is where he was sleeping that night. I will never forget winning the intramural softball championship my Junior year. It might seem silly to some people but that was a very proud moment in my life. I was glad I was able to celebrate that moment with some great friends too.

The note Andy and I left for Corey

Jax finally accepting me!

I will also never forget the night that I asked Molly to be my girlfriend. She probably doesn't believe this but I was nervous! I did not know that night what I do now. At that time, I had no idea that on July 6, 2013, she is going to be Molly McBride. I also had no idea that Jax was ever going to accept me especially since he peed the first time I went to Molly’s apartment. Four years ago when people were telling me that college would be the best four years of my life, I never really thought by the end of those four years I would have been engaged. Sometimes, though, really nice surprises come along the way. Molly is extremely special to me and it still makes me smile knowing that one day she will be my wife. These next 430 days really need to go by fast! It is nice knowing that when I sit and plan for my future that she and Jax will always be a part of those plans one way or another. I can’t wait for when we can go apartment/house hunting and finding a place that we can call “Home.” I also consider myself to be extremely lucky to have some pretty awesome future in-laws.

Engagement Dinner!

This is Zooey

A lot has happened over the past four years. My brother is now taller than I am and just finishing his Junior year of high school (I can still take him in a fight though). My parents bought a lake house that is beautiful. We even have had a new addition to the family in the last four years. Zooey. Originally she was going to be my dog but she kind of grew on the family (that’s an understatement). Even though we haven’t even had her for a year, it seems weird knowing it hasn’t been that long. It seems like she has been around for a while. It is not uncommon to hear a Zooey story from my parents when we talk on the phone or to get a text from Daniel telling me about all the hair she has left on my bed for me to clean the next time I’m home. I remember the day that Molly and I went to adopt her from a shelter in Austin, I had to go in her kennel to get her to come out. Now, I’m doing well if she doesn’t pee when she sees me. She has come a long way since last summer. I will also never forget when Zooey was in Belton for a month and she and Jax had a blast. Those two never stopped playing. The poor beaver toy was always a slobbery mess.

Once I walk across the stage and get my diploma, the “rest of life” starts. I do not have a job yet but I am confident that one will come up soon. I feel like my past experiences in life and spending the last summer interning for Harris County – Houston Sports Authority has prepared me for the next chapter in life. I know that no matter what challenges I will have to face from here on out that I will always have my family’s, Molly’s, and friends’ support along the way and that is something I will always cherish. A lot of the times when a student finishes a class for the semester, he or she decides that information is no longer important and tends to forget about it. Well that won’t be the case in the three days. My four years at Mary Hardin-Baylor are quite simply unforgettable. There are too many memories and too many stories to forget. I would like to thank everyone that has been part of my life the last four years, nobody will be forgotten. In three days when I walk across the stage, I want everyone to know that I have accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in college. Thank you everyone for everything!