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 Off To A Slow Start: Is It Time To Panic?
Posted 04-23-2016 at 08:16 AM by case44
Houston baseball fans have had plenty of reason to get excited about a new season, given that their Astros had their best season in years this past year, with its first playoff berth since their World Series sighting in 2005. Expectations are high this year, so much so that the cats at Sports Illustrated had the team highlighted on their baseball promotion cover, predicting them to win all the marbles.
And the Astros record as of this writing? How about 5-12?
Houston, have we got another problem?
Look, things after their Opening Day win have gone south for them. They did win on Opening Day in New York and also won their all-important home opener. A lot of other things have not gone right for your Houston Astros. Talent is one thing, but production and making things happen, well, that's entirely another.
The pitching, for one, has not been good at all. The starters have not gone deep into most games and have left some trailing. Recently-acquired reliever Ken Giles has not lived up to his expectations as yet, as he'd given up some costly home runs early in the regular season. The staff's ERA is currently near 5, among the American League's worst.
Offensively, things have not clicked. Luis Valbuena, who has some power and was one of the factors in leading Houston to contention last year, has no home runs yet and is batting just .205. Evan Gattis and Jason Castro haven't been much better. Jake Marisnick, a solid defensive player in the field, is batting .100 at the plate but is platooning. Baserunners have made some silly mistakes on the pads. And the Astros still have trouble capitalizing on opportunities with runners in scoring position.
General manager Jeff Luhnow must face a critical decision on his personnel. His team is in last place in the AL West, and although this is a long season and anything can still happen, the 'Stros can ill afford a long slump to start things out. He's got Lance McCullers, Jr nearly ready to step back into the rotation after an injury had him sidelined, and folks in the minors who are having blistering starts at the plate are at the point of readiness to enter The Show if needed. So Luhnow does have options.
In the meantime, here's Richard Justice, former Houston Chronicle beat writer and hometown boy, offers his two cents at the Astros' plight.
Astros are better than their 5-11 record | astros.com
And the Astros record as of this writing? How about 5-12?
Houston, have we got another problem? Look, things after their Opening Day win have gone south for them. They did win on Opening Day in New York and also won their all-important home opener. A lot of other things have not gone right for your Houston Astros. Talent is one thing, but production and making things happen, well, that's entirely another.
The pitching, for one, has not been good at all. The starters have not gone deep into most games and have left some trailing. Recently-acquired reliever Ken Giles has not lived up to his expectations as yet, as he'd given up some costly home runs early in the regular season. The staff's ERA is currently near 5, among the American League's worst.
Offensively, things have not clicked. Luis Valbuena, who has some power and was one of the factors in leading Houston to contention last year, has no home runs yet and is batting just .205. Evan Gattis and Jason Castro haven't been much better. Jake Marisnick, a solid defensive player in the field, is batting .100 at the plate but is platooning. Baserunners have made some silly mistakes on the pads. And the Astros still have trouble capitalizing on opportunities with runners in scoring position.
General manager Jeff Luhnow must face a critical decision on his personnel. His team is in last place in the AL West, and although this is a long season and anything can still happen, the 'Stros can ill afford a long slump to start things out. He's got Lance McCullers, Jr nearly ready to step back into the rotation after an injury had him sidelined, and folks in the minors who are having blistering starts at the plate are at the point of readiness to enter The Show if needed. So Luhnow does have options.
In the meantime, here's Richard Justice, former Houston Chronicle beat writer and hometown boy, offers his two cents at the Astros' plight.
Astros are better than their 5-11 record | astros.com
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Awesome blog Case44Posted 04-25-2016 at 12:52 AM by makemoneyu
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Well, thank you.Posted 04-25-2016 at 08:03 PM by case44
