Welcome To Case's Column
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.
In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
Astros' Star Is Freefalling Again
Back in April and May, the Houston Astros looked like they would be turning the corner. They'd have no place to go but up after a franchise-worst 106 losses in 2011. The offense had made some improvements and were finding ways to manufacture runs in games. At one point in May, they were fourth in the National League in runs scored and were outpacing last year's home run total. The pitching had been improved, both with promising starters and a good bullpen. While these guys were pushing .500, they had a real opportunity to be the most improved team in the NL as they are continuing their rebuilding process.
That was back in May.
Here we are now in late July, and Houston's baseball club has turned to mush. Nothing is going right for these guys now. The pitching and offense can't get it together in the same game. Too many missed opportunities. Too many runners left on base. Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, and Carlos Lee are now gone. Catcher Jason Castro and shortstop Jed Lowrie have once again suffered injuries. Their performance in July could end up among the worst ever in Astros history. To top that off, there are now rumblings (not from the front office, but from the grapevine) about manager Brad Mills possibly losing his job. Such a shame, considering he is a bright baseball man with a real chance to become a good, if not a great, major league baseball manager. If the Astros don't turn things around quickly, he might not be around when they do, even though management has insisted that he is the guy.
~Sigh~
... So now, the 'Stros have to try to avoid finishing with an even worse record than last year's debacle of a team. General manager Jeff Luhnow has got some serious work ahead of him. The encouraging thing is that the minor league system is getting better and more talented. And improvements next season won't come easy or too quick, as the Astros have to get used to playing in a new league, against some teams they've either played in interleague or haven't yet seen at all. Challenges, folks. ... Challenges. 
Let's just keep our fingers crossed for an August comeback.
That was back in May.
Here we are now in late July, and Houston's baseball club has turned to mush. Nothing is going right for these guys now. The pitching and offense can't get it together in the same game. Too many missed opportunities. Too many runners left on base. Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, and Carlos Lee are now gone. Catcher Jason Castro and shortstop Jed Lowrie have once again suffered injuries. Their performance in July could end up among the worst ever in Astros history. To top that off, there are now rumblings (not from the front office, but from the grapevine) about manager Brad Mills possibly losing his job. Such a shame, considering he is a bright baseball man with a real chance to become a good, if not a great, major league baseball manager. If the Astros don't turn things around quickly, he might not be around when they do, even though management has insisted that he is the guy.
~Sigh~
... So now, the 'Stros have to try to avoid finishing with an even worse record than last year's debacle of a team. General manager Jeff Luhnow has got some serious work ahead of him. The encouraging thing is that the minor league system is getting better and more talented. And improvements next season won't come easy or too quick, as the Astros have to get used to playing in a new league, against some teams they've either played in interleague or haven't yet seen at all. Challenges, folks. ... Challenges. Let's just keep our fingers crossed for an August comeback.
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Yeah, Case, it's a shame what's happened because in April and May, they appeared to be making strides even if Mills didn't seem completely settled on his lineup. Now, they're a mess, but I guess in a rebuilding of any club, you're going to have long losing streaks. And losing Jed Lowrie didn't help, either.
I'd like to see Houston make a comeback, and Jeff Luhnow is just the guy to help them get to contention again. He did wonders for my Cardinals, so I know he'll be a great GM for the Astros. He always seems to find the right players and he does things in a different sort of way.
In the meantime, you can always root for St Louis!Posted 08-03-2012 at 09:37 AM by malfunction
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So much for a team getting my hopes up. We weren't going to win the NL Central anyway, but we made things interesting for a while. That'd have been something if the Astros were, say, a .500 team going into today, and I'm not sure we'd have made those five trades in July if that were the case.Posted 08-03-2012 at 06:33 PM by case44
