vivalaultra

But ya gotta admit Sampson's pitching a Hell of a game. He's the NEXT Brandon Backe.

Well, Marshall's looking pretty good, too. It's just too bad that B-Rad is the best offensive catcher in the National League. I take back my prediction of the game ending up 21-19 'Stros, and modify it to end up being 21-0 'Stros.

Actually, I think Wandy was pretty mediocre in his last few outings against the Cubbies. I know he lost his first ML start against 'em, but he was pretty mediocre much of last year as a whole. I was hoping for a shutout, which would tie the Astros with the San Diego Padres for the NL high (7), but, of course, Lidge couldn't go an inning without giving up a run. Silly me for hoping our closer could get his ERA below 5. Tomorrow should be an interesting game, with one of your rookies going against a guy for us who will be making his first Major League Start...either Chris Sampson or Phillip Barzilla, hopefully Barzilla cuz he's a lefty. I predict the final score being 21-19 Astros.

Hey...Wandy's lookin' good. The Cubs aren't. I just found out this guy that lives like...2 blocks away from me got drafted in the 9th round by the Astros. Clemens looked pretty good in his first minor league start tonite. He went three innings, gave up 3 hits, one run, and struck out 6. Some rook hit a homerun off him in the first inning...and did the fastest homerun trot I've ever seen.

Townes Van Zandt, ya big dummy. Old Crow Medicine Show does some cool bluegrass revival stuff, too. Wilco has that useless "alt.country" designation, but who thinks of them as a country band these days, really? I'm glad to see that my influence is already being felt. Now, say that you love the Astros. Do it.

Pshaw. You guys are silly. It's not even the All-Star break. The 'Stros are in a great position. Everything is A-O.k. Yeah, Pettitte's been stinking up the joint, and Buchholz hasn't been living up to the Rookie of the Year hype I had hoped he would live up to, and Preston Wilson couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper bag if he was swingin a freakin' machete, and Lidge is no longer Lights Out but Lights that Sometimes Flicker A Little Bit, and Wheeler isn't as good as last year, and Oswalt's on the 15-Day DL, and Brandon Backe probably won't be back-e until 2008, but we're only a few games under .500. I'm not worried at all. The dizzying highs, the troubling lows. It's all a part of baseball. We were about 10 games under .500 last year, and the year before we went 36-10 at the end of the season with a rotation of Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Brandon Backe, and Pete Munro. Has anybody heard what Pete Munro's up to lately? Despite what anyone says, our offense this year is alot better than last year's. Our pitching...not so much, but still, we're not dead yet. However, I really wish the Houston Chronicle would declare the season dead like they did last year. That seemed to really inspire the team. Oh, in other news, the Astros took an 18 year old left-handed catcher, who, according to the Astros scouting department, isn't even close to being major league ready. That does trouble me. And we called up uh...Phillip Barzilla, a LHP from AAA to take Oswalt's roster spot. And I just read that the Pirates took my fellow UH alum Brad Lincoln. Good grief.

Come on...don't be dissin' on Senor Smoke. Seriously, I'm looking for the 'Stros to rebound in a big way. I think last nite was rock bottom. I hope last nite was rock bottom. If Wood strikes out 20, I'm gonna be pissed (mostly since he's not making it outta the 5th...and it's really hard to strike out 20 guys in 5 innings).

Not living in the L.A. area, I don't get to hear as much Vin Scully as I would like to, but I do know that he's pretty much the best when it comes to baseball announcers. He uses really colorful imagery. I remember earlier this season saying that a ball was whipping around the field like a gyroscope. I thought that was good.

This game tonite was just terrible. I would've rather seen Zambrano throw a no-hitter than this horseshit. In the second inning, right before Zambrano hit his homerun, Jim DeShaies said something to the effect of, "Buchholz's stuff looks really good tonite. He should have a good game. He's not facing a very good lineup." And then...bam! I'm not gonna give up on our young arms, Buchholz, Nieve, and Wandy, but they need to stop having these stretches of 4 bad games and then a good game and then 4 bad ones again. To his credit, Nieve's at least competed well in 90% of his starts, but Buchholz...you looked so good the first couple weeks of the season. I'm not overly worried. I don't think I can be overly worried yet after 2004 and 2005, but if Roy Oswalt goes on the DL, if Brandon Backe (who we need in the rotation almost as much as Roger Clemens, I think) has to have Tommy John surgery and if Jason Lane doesn't get on track soon...things might be bad.

Hey...the 'Stros are about to make it 5 in a row, too. And we play Atlanta this weekend. One of our slumps HAS to come to an end.

And the no-no is gone. Thanks ESPN and mlb.com. Now we just have to get Big Z rattled and score about 9 runs. ...

Damn it. Then I'll just casually mention it in passing that Zambrano has a no-hitter going through 6.

I don't wanna jinx it or anything...as I've heard that talking about it can do, but Carlos Zambrano has 6 no-hit innings. In 6 innings, he's given up no-hits. No Astro has gotten a hit off of him. To recap...through 6 innings, Carlos Zambrano has a no-hitter going.

Like, ya know...whatever. Shouldn't you be watching your dirty Cubbies thrash my loveable Astros?

Well, yeah, but I meant that if you like Wilco, you'll most likely like the movie, and even if you don't like Wilco you'll still like it. I was just making a general statement not directed at anyone in particular. The Last Waltz is really good. Also, The Concert for Bangladesh is quite good, too.

...Damn. Uh...get on that shit, Hidalgo!!!!

Oh yeah...Kenny's not there anymore. Uh....go Phil Nevin!!!!

Since it's my home state, I'll take on the duty of reppin' for the Rangers. Go Kenny Rogers!!!!!!!!

Fuckin' Zambrano. Dusty should bat him cleanup...or make him a 1B/P.

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is really good, I found. Even if you don't like Wilco, I could see you enjoying it.

Pfft. Baseball writers are stupid. It's not like Lastings Milledge did a stupid celebration dance or something. I personally think endzone celebrations in football show up the opposing team a Hell of a lot more than a rookie slapping hands with fans after hitting his first major league homerun. It's not like he Barry Bondsded it and watched it for fifteen minutes before doing the slow jog around the bases. He was excited. Good for him. Go get 'em, rook. Edit: I just read that tomorrow, June 6th, Roger Clemens' start for the Lexington Legends will be televised on ESPN with the BBTN crew doing in-house commentary on the game. I'm curious to watch it, not just for Clemens, but also because I wanna get a look at Troy Patton, the Astros #1 prospect, who, apparently crushes mad balls, yo.

Heeeeey, Acid Bath. Man, I could tell some ridiculous Dax Riggs stories. He used to live by me. He invited my brother over to his to eat spaghetti one nite. He tried to give himself oral sex in the backseat of my cousin's Honda. One of my friend's brothers was in Deadboy and the Elephantmen with Dax up until about a year ago when Dax kicked everybody in the band out so he could let the chick he was bangin' in the band. Yeah, but as far as the two Acid Bath CDs, When the Kite String Pops is better than the second one, but I think the first Agents of Oblivion CD is better than anything else Dax Riggs has been involved in.

My Wilco list: 1. Summerteeth 2. Being There 3. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (when it first came out I thought it was their best CD, but I don't listen to it now nearly as much as I do Summerteeth and Being There.) 4. A Ghost is Born (I didn't like it as much as their other CDs upon first listen, but, like has already been pointed out, after hearing the songs in concert, I got more into it.) 5. Kicking Television (Wilco's really, really good live. Like...really good.) 6. A.M. Townes Van Zandt (focusing not on reissues and compiliations. I will only be satisfied after everyone listens to and appreciates the genius of Townes Van Zandt.) 1. Live at the Old Quarter 2. Our Mother the Mountain 3. For the Sake of the Song 4. The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt 5. Townes Van Zandt 6. Delta Momma Blues New Kids on the Block (I defy anyone to disagree.) 1. Hangin' Tough 2. Step by Step 3. New Kids on the Block 4. Face the Music

Yeah, that's what I heard. I heard that he's got great stuff-probably the best fastball/curveball among high school kids in the draft, and that he's probably the best position player from high school int he draft (but I have no idea what position he plays), but I heard he's got a chip on his shoulder, which is the problem with drafting high school kids...and Scott Boras clients. Luke Hochevar, I'm looking at you...

I'm pretty sure it only goes to 50 rounds...or at least till the teams stop picking people. There's good buzz around two Houston area pitchers-Kyle Drabek, Doug Drabek's son and Brad Lincoln, a RHP/1st baseman from the University of Houston. There was alot of preseason talk that the Astros would draft Lincoln in the first round, but I heard tonite on the news that he might go sooner than that...perhaps to the Royals, but I don't see that happening, however, he's really, really good. Drabek's a high-school kid, so who knows what'll happen to him. In other news, Roy Oswalt might be out for a bit. Hopefully not. Anyway, happy times are coming for Houston, as the Cubbies are coming in, so that should be a nice bounce-back series for the Astros.