Oh Astros!

Well tonight was opening night for my beloved Houston Astros in San Diego against the Padres. With the exceptions of Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Brad Ausmus, the lineup is completely revamped from last year. With all the money spent on hitting this offseason, you'd think we'd be able to at least get a runner to third, let alone score. That wasn't the case as last year's Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy trumped us and we fell 4-0. New centerfielder Michael Bourn had a great game in any measure, but leadoff guys don't score runs on their own. The scorn of being tied to the Mitchell Report didn't affect our new shortstop Miguel Tejada seemed unphased, going 2-4, but when they needed him to get a hit, he was suspiciously absent. Lee, Berkman, and Hunter Pence went hitless, something I don't expect much of this year. Even though starter Roy Oswalt didn't have a good game, I think the next few games will really show who belongs on our pitching staff, as we have assembled a rotation of young guys who have shown little to no potential at the Major League level and a has-been in Shawn Chacon.

Ed Wade can get all the damn Tejadas, Bourns, and Erstads he wants, but when he trades away legitimate pitching prospects like Troy Patten and thinks signings like Chacon, Geoff Geary, and Doug Brocail will improve our dearth on the pitching staff he is absolutely mistaken. This isn't the NBA, we're not the Golden State Warriors, and Cecil Cooper sure as hell isn't Don Nelson. Baseball is the one sport where just trying to outscore your opponent on a day-to-day basis won't get you into the playoffs. When the Astros go 74-88 this year and were out of the playoff picture by June, blame it all on Wade. Roy Oswalt and Jose Valverde alone maketh not a respectable pitching staff.

While my passionate support for the Dallas Cowboys runs supreme in my love of professional sports teams, none get my hopes up like the Astros. If you want an example of how to take a bad franchise make it good and then make it mediocre, talk to owner Drayton McLane. McLane seems to believe that the concepts of a strong minor league system and a good Major League team are mutually exclusive. I'm just pissed we lost, and don't look like we have much of a chance this year. Hey though, Tejadas, Lees, and Matsuis put people in the seats and ultimately that's all that matter to McLane. If he can feign like he gives a damn about winning and get away with it then so be it.