vivalaultra

And nobody talks about the 'Stros...except me...and uh...some people that don't ever say anything. Adam Everett is money, baby. 130 chances and no errors. Smells like Gold Gloves to me.

Gah, the 'Stros are suffering from "Cubs Syndrome" as they are on the verge of being shutout in Colorado by Jason Jennings. And super-utility man Chris Burke left with a shoulder injury.

No, I just think more people need to be aware of the former Blake Street Bomber.

Anybody remember Colorado Rockies slugger Dante Bichette?

I just heard the new Replacements song...good song. Sounds like something off of Tim.

I just read on my fantasy baseball site that Jose Lima is, in fact, being called up to start for the Mets tomorrow and "another roster move will be made to accomodate" Lima. That's just great...I hope he sings "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

I just think that "I Shall Be Released" is a good song no matter who did it. I could've been obvious and said "The Weight" or "Cripple Creek". My favorite Hendrix song is a Bob Dylan song. I just think that the work that Dylan and The Band did together was really good. No shamefulness involved.

Well, you have been facing some top-notch pitching the last few games...

I've been told by various relatives that Robbie Robertson is distantly related to me, but I doubt it. My favorite The Band song is "I Shall Be Released", and they made about the best use of the clavinet of any band ever.

Yeah, but he did play all year...and he stole a fair amount of bases, even with his problems. Luckily this year, he's looking better as far as defense and getting the ball outta the infield and working the count. And thank God that at least one of the pitchers from the Wags deal looks good. Duckworthless was horrid. The jury's still out on Astacio. He has good and bad moments...mostly bad, but when he's good...

Yeah, Lidge's been leavin' fat ones over the plate for the better part of the year. It's just easier to blame Lidge than Mo...for throwing the ball away or Garner...for putting Lidge in or Wheeler...for walking Carrol. Seriously, Lidge has just looked like shit. And while Buchholz doesn't have ROTY sewn up already, he's still pitching great, and I don't think it's just because the hitters haven't seen him, as it looks like his stuff is really good and he has a good head for pitching. I'm just glad that all of our rookies have been so good this year, since that was the major question coming in to the season and a problem for alot of last season. And also, I wanna declare Buchholz ROTY right now just because I'm still pissed that Willy Taveras got robbed last year. Ryan Howard? Yeesh...

That was some horseshit in Colorado. Lidge's mojo is officially lost (at least for the moment). I hate games that end on a bases loaded walk. Ah well, at least Cincy lost so we're still only a half game behind. And Buchholz pitched really well again. Rookie of the Year right there. And our game started in the fourth inning of the Braves/Mets game. Yeesh.

Don't be so glum. Remember the reigning and defending NL champs started last season 15-30, and 2-21 on the road. They were shutout 17 times over the season, three times by the Pirates. They were at the bottom of every offensive category in the National League. I mean, we did have Oswalt, Pettitte, and Clemens at the top of the rotation, but we also started the season with Brandon Duckworth as our number five starter...and then we had Ezequial Astacio, who only pitched really well in one game against the Cubs, and Wandy Rodriguez...who was...just okay.

Well, at least Marshall looks really good, from what I've seen and heard. That's what? 1 for 3 in rookie starters this season? And isn't K-Wood supposed to be on a minor league rehab this week?

'Stros won again against the Cards, who have been swept in the last two series. Andy Pettitte finally got his second win of the year, and I got to see SOOOOOOOOOOOO Taguchi~! And Brad Ausmus is in the top 3 in NL batting average (zuh?!?) and Lance Berkman is atop the NL RBI standings.

It got a little hairy last nite, but the 'Stros still managed to win, and were the only Central Division team to win last nite, so they're now 1/2 game back. Tonite...maybe we'll get lucky. Pettitte's pitched more than well, but we can't score runs for him this year. Oh well. It'll be fun to watch. And here's a great quote from Roy Oswalt about last nite's game: "Around the 6th inning, we were winning it 5-1 and I figured, to get on a highlight, I could give up a home run to Pujols and probably get on TV." Roy's cool. And dammit, I'm hoping So Taguchi gets into the game.

Well, we can't be on all the time...

"Wuss rock", is pretty good if only because it's not that hard to trick girls into thinking you are sensititve. Some of it, if you look in the right places are actually just good stuff. Yeah, there's some Wuss rock that's not too bad. John Mayer's a pretty talented guy. But that uh...James Blount asshole...yeesh. Anyway, I went to a John Mayer concert with my sister about four years ago, and it was like "Underage High School Girls with Big Boobs and Tight Shirts" city. If I wasn't several years older than them and in a relationship I woulda been all up in that...Jason Mraz...I still don't like that guy, though. He's much too funky.

Alright...biggest series of the year so far for Houston. 'Stros vs. Cardinals. I'm 99% sure we'll get at least a split, and, depending on the health of Albert Pujols we might sneak away with the series. It'll be interesting to see if Lidge gets to pitch to Pujols and how that goes. Roy Oswalt goes tonite after winning a bulldozer in his last start against the Cards. Rolen's not playing and outside of Pujols, the Cardnials offense honestly doesn't frighten me any. I'm hoping to see So Taguchi.

Yeah, as far as plotlines, they were different, but it just seemed like they needed to have a "coming of age" book and since they couldn't do Salinger, they went with another one. The general feel was similar, to me at least, even if the characters were different. It was both about preppy kids growing up in the middle 20th century. And A Seperate Peace was totally homoerotic. That was actually part of the reason my English class hated it so much....teenagers that we were. Everytime they said "BUTT Room", the whole class freakin' erupted. John Knowles actually wrote a sequel, Peace Breaks Out. I have it but haven't read it. Despite my ragging on it, I liked A Seperate Peace, but it just seemed like it was only there as an alternative to Catcher in the Rye.

I think it's time we discussed our mothers' taste in music.

Funny story about assigned highschool reading. When I was in 10th grade, I was in the "Gifted" English class. We had to read uh..some Shakespeare....some Poe...and then, since Catcher in the Rye is "Dangerous", we had to read a cheap imitation of Catcher in the Rye called A Seperate Peace by John Knowles. It totally reeked of imitation. And we also read "The Metamorphosis" by Kafka...wearing trash bags to see what it's like to be a bug. My teacher was a dumbass.

Actually, Song of Solomon was written by Toni Morrisson, who also wrote Beloved. Maya Angelou wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Song of Solomon and Belovedare both great books. "Solomon" won the Pulitzer. They're different from Zora Nelly Hurston in that Toni Morrisson, in those two books, wrote more about the myths and folktales and reclamation of magic in the African American community...kinda what Garcia Marquez did for the Colombians and Leslie Marmon Silko did for the Native Americans. And the main character in "Solomon" is named Milkman Dead. That's a kickass name.

What's wrong with ELP?

Europe's "Final Countdown" on endless repeat. Yeah, baby~!