but we're not locked in for $17 mill with those fellas. and those fellas are actually showing improvement.
not even YOU can spoil my mood about these 'stros right now. which i think is nearly an exact quote of what i told you last year.
I did not think the Astros would be a playoff participant, given their opening day roster. Guess what, as it stands they are not. I was right. This seems to anger you, because you keep asking the same question, hoping for a different response. Would you like me to tell you that the Astros are in first place? When they were 15-23, I did make a bet with you that they'd be more than 5 games out of the wild card chase on Sep 1. Even after the miraculous run they've had, they are darn near 5 games out. Amazing how that represents an astonishing success in your book. I have already answered your third question. Re-read my previous posts.
You don't seem to grasp that the season doesn't end today. The playoff teams aren't determined by the standings on July 26th, so no team is in the playoffs today. Unlike you, most people here have the ability to look forward and project reasonable standings as of Oct 2nd or whenever the season ends and see a far better final standing than you.
Major, if I may veer off topic for a single post, how can you possibly have the gall to not make a contribution to this website, given your history of leeching off Rocketman95's account during heavy traffic times??? This is not even mentioning your thousands of posts. Contribute.
Trader_Jorge, Quit trying to change the subject. Please give us your prediction on where the Astros will be when the regular season concludes. I will be happy to give you mine. I say we will win the wild card before the last series. Thanks in advance.
You are absolutely correct. If the season were 100 games long, the Astros would be out of the playoffs. Fortunately, the season is 162 games long. It is odd how you are basing your correctness on the presumption that the season would be over today. From 15-23 (and eventually 15-30) to 52-47 is indeed an astonishing success. Only 4 teams have ever been 15+ games under .500 before the all star break and recovered enough to be at or over .500 at the all star break. My enjoyment from baseball comes from the Astros being competitive for the playoffs. Baseball is the most difficult of the major sports to make the playoffs, so to expect a playoff berth year in and year out is unrealistic. To expect competitiveness is what I ask. Incidentally, would you make the same bet today? There may be some participnts in this thread who'd take you up on it.
One last question, since the Astros were in first place when they were 4-1, does that mean you were wrong in your thinking that the Astros would be a playoff participant, because had the season ended then, they would have won the division despite their "disastrous" offseason.
No, you may not. If you'd like to ask in email, feel free, but Clutch is kind enough to let me post here, so I will try to stay on topic.
If anyone has ESPN Insider, I'm sure we'd all like to read Buster Olney's speculation about what's gonna go down at the trade deadline. I noticed the story, but I don't have access, and I'm too cheap to buy. I do like to mooch, however.
here ya go... There is some sentiment among executives that there won't be many trades between now and 4 p.m. ET on Sunday. Too many teams are too closely packed together in the standings. Too many teams are unwilling to define themselves as sellers at the same time they are trying to sell tickets. Too few good players are available, with their respective general managers asking for too many good prospects in return. I still think there will be a lot of trades made on Saturday and Sunday as the deadline approaches. But what if there are few trades? What does that mean? It probably means that help will be very hard to come by for the contenders the rest of the season. One of the gripes you hear these days is that the asking price for the likes of Mark Redman and Danys Baez is very, very high. "Off the charts," one general manager said Monday. The demand for those players will still be there after the trade deadline passes, but the leverage possessed by the general managers dangling them will be mostly lost. The players will have to pass through waivers before they can be placed on the trade market again, meaning that 29 other teams will have a shot to put in a claim. And suddenly, the advantage in this summer's sellers' market will flip: All the buyers desperate for help now will probably be placing claims. There would be virtually no chance that someone like Redman or Baez or Detroit's Jason Johnson would get through waivers. If Redman were claimed -- by the Marlins, for example -- then the Pirates could either work out a deal with Florida or withdraw Redman altogether and be unable to trade him. Example No. 2: Right now, the Florida Marlins can dangle A.J. Burnett to a myriad of contenders, playing their offers against each other. But as soon as the trade deadline passes, there is no chance Burnett would get through waivers, and the Marlins would be limited to dealing with only the team that placed the claim -- and there's a possibility that would be a team in their division, like the Mets or Nationals, whose only intent would be to block a Burnett trade. That's why I think there will be trades this weekend. As of 4 p.m. ET Sunday, the sellers' market we've all been talking about officially becomes a buyers' market. Bad feelings in San Diego • Now that Phil Nevin has rejected the trade to the Orioles, his situation in San Diego has the potential for getting pretty ugly. He's simply not going to play that much, now that the Padres are committed to shifting Xavier Nady to first base, and any frustration he feels will fester as he sits and watches. • Tampa Bay continues to give problems to the AL East contenders -- beating the Red Sox this time. David Wells has some advice for Lou Piniella. Curt Schilling has not solved Boston's bullpen problems. Kevin Millar says he'd go with the Red Sox, as comprised, and that a trade isn't necessary. But then, what else can he say? • The Astros pounded the Phillies in the first game of their series. Jeff Bagwell doesn't know what his future as a player will be, as Richard Justice writes. • The Orioles now know that Nevin is not going to Baltimore, they still haven't acquired a pitcher, and they lost more ground in the wild-card standings with a loss to the Rangers. At least Javy Lopez is back. • Florida is committed to keeping Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, if not A.J. Burnett, although there is some feeling among rival executives that the Marlins might hang onto Burnett since they're hanging around in the wild-card race. Mike Berardino thinks the Marlins should stand pat. • J.J. Hardy is benefiting from some hitting tips he got from a top Brewers prospect. Doug Melvin knows what it means to be aggressive at the trade deadline. • It's a sellers' market, and the Mets are finding the prices exorbitant, especially for the likes of Alfonso Soriano and Danys Baez. The Mets opened their road trip with a loss to the Colorado Rockies. The Mets remain bitter about dealing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, by the way, as mentioned in this story. • Todd Helton is dealing come up lame with a calf problem that he says is not serious. • Bob Finnigan reports the Mariners have discussed a possible swap for the Yankees' Carl Pavano. In a Monday night victory over the Tigers, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson gave the Mariners exactly what they paid for. Jeremy Bonderman has dropped his appeal on a suspension. • With the Nationals needing some offense, Jim Bowden issues a challenge. They're expected to get Nick Johnson back from the disabled list, and that should help. • The outfield wall over which Bill Mazeroski's home run flew is the subject of preservation efforts. • The White Sox got a lift from Jermaine Dye's bat and glove in a victory over the Royals on Monday night. Chicago continues to be mentioned prominently in the A.J. Burnett rumor mill. The White Sox think Frank Thomas will be back this year. • Rich Hill gave the Cubs a boost as they search for a replacement for Kerry Wood. When Wood gets back, it looks like he'll be used as a reliever. Dusty Baker was taken aback by a story about Corey Patterson. • Derek Lowe dominated the Reds on Monday night, allowing one hit. Paul DePodesta is in a tough spot as the trade deadline gets closer. • Mickey Hatcher is the Angels' answer man. • In this notebook from Monday, heat remedies are noted. • Half the Cardinals' everyday lineup is on the DL now, with the addition of Larry Walker. • The Athletics never lose anymore, and now they lead the AL wild-card race. Jason Kendall has struggled in his first season in Oakland, but he has played very hard.
his columns are usually a bunch of nothing....i like reading gammons more...and kurkjan too....ready Olney is like reading rotoworld
