Perspective: Harvey, Astros, Houston, you and me

It will be a long time before baseball returns to normal in Houston. Even before Harvey unloaded on the nation’s fourth-largest city, it wasn’t clear that the Astros were the best team in the American League. The Indians and Red Sox have closed the gap and have been playing better baseball since the All Star break.

But, baseball has not only taken a back seat for the foreseeable future, it may be in the rear view mirror for some time.

After Ike turned the city — and many stomachs — upside down in 2008, then-owner Drayton McLane toyed with the idea of moving the team. Jim Crane and the Astros have donated $4 million to the relief effort and that’s cool. But with major weather affecting playoff runs twice in a decade, will Crane sit idly by? Of course, he’d have major obstacles to cross to move the team and MLB itself would come under great pressure if he tried to move the franchise after this tragedy.

No, Crane has a major opportunity here to step up and lead the rebuild. Much like Drew Brees did in New Orleans after Katrina. It’s more than saying the right things. It’s doing the right things. It’s more than just throwing money at the rebuild. It’s getting involved in unique ways with good organizations to restore confidence and community.

He can follow the rebuild or he can lead. Understand that both are important, and both are great avenues for the Astros. But few people — very few — can lead the charge. Like Brees in New Orleans, Jim Crane is one of those people in Houston.

I’ve lived through hurricanes and even the Great Flood of 2016 (in Baton Rouge), which didn’t get the same news coverage as this event (pictured above). According to estimates, Baton Rouge received three times as much rain as Katrina. Friends and relatives lost everything. With no insurance. With no safety net. They turned life savings into a new beginning. (Obviously, Harvey is a much different, bigger event of epic proportions!)

But it was the outpouring of friends and new friends who made the recovery and turnaround something different. Republicans helped Democrats. Blacks walked through the waters alongside whites. The young carried the old. Northerners helped southerners. Yes, the Red Cross was there and so was Samaritan’s Purse and others. But it was the personal story and multiple people living together in hotels or homes that were opened to others that stole the day.

Yes, we’ll have baseball again in Houston. But it will be days, if not weeks, and the drag on the team and its players will take its toll. An already-horrid injury toll will only grow with the fatigue of travel and uncertainty. And, it could push Jeff Luhnow a little closer to a deadline deal, time will tell.

Here are a few quick thoughts…

  • If you are in Houston, south Texas or Louisiana, stay safe.
  • If you are not in Houston, find a way to get involved. Call friends, encourage them.
  • I am a conservative Christian and despise the hate mongers who want to do nothing but tear down.
  • Why can’t we have a civil conversation anymore without the discussion deteriorating into personal denigration and name-calling?
  • What has happened to the world most of us knew when we were growing up?
  • How much impact do you believe Harvey will have on the Astros’ playoff chances? Do you care?
  • Where do you live, and what are you seeing (about Harvey) from your perspective?
  • I’ll include some other personal notes in the comments along the way. It’s been a stormy 2017, but know this: God is faithful, He cares and He was not surprised by Harvey.
  • This is a safe place. Please note that I reserve the right to delete comments that are incendiary, political or otherwise out of bounds.
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115 responses to “Perspective: Harvey, Astros, Houston, you and me”

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  1. We Ill go first because I’m sure I am in the minority here. I think Houston will come back strong worried about my Astros.

    * I am a Progressive Christian
    * I am an independent
    * I try my best to love everyone no matter Race, Gender, Religious or sexual preference
    * I try my best to understand the extreme right, but I fail a lot
    * I think the hate , racist, bigoted rhetoric coming out of the white House is disgusting, thus hate is feeding hate
    * I believe in Climate change, Strengthening Social security, Cheaper College, and Health Care for everyone

    I love my country, My Gracious God, My family, my Friends, and Chipallta.

    I will keep praying for Houston and all my friends still there. I think the Astros will figure stuff out , get in the playoffs, and sadly will not have enough Pitching to go far

    However its only baseball and may life bless us all in so many more things that really matter

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  2. We were soo blessed not to have flood water in my home. Just a few blocks from me, folks lost EVERYTHING. I hope we can forget any political differences in America and see this as a second chance to love one another. I am a classic conservative, but I birthed some liberals!! We have a rule in my house, we love our Lord, but we leave our political differences at the back door. Besides, they KNOW who cooks, and if they wanna eat, they gotta follow my rules!!
    I truly, truly hope these guys don’t fall out of the hunt for a championship. They have worked SOOO hard to get to where they are, we just need to think good thoughts for them, as fans that’s all we can do. I love this team!!! I LOVE this team!! Whatever happens it’s up to THEM to drive their own destiny. I hope they succeed!!
    Chip nice to see you! If there is anyone who knows about floods, it would be you.
    Much love to each one of you, Becky⚾

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  3. My friends and family in Houston have lost a lot, but thus far only material possessions. My family has been through this before. They’ll be fine. What concerns me the most, in Houston, is not how the Astros will fare the rest of the season. They’ll win or lose, but it won’t matter in the grand scheme. We have all our All Stars coming back next season. Unless Luhnow gets crazy, they’ll have another crack at it. What scares me is my uncertainty about how some areas of the city will recover from the storm. How many small business will be lost? How much of our donations to the charities will actually get put towards helping those in need? Finally, let’s all be clear – this was an early storm in the season. It came a week on the calendar before Katrina hit New Orleans, and we can all remember how much fear there was as depressions and storms developed for the next two and a half months.

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    • Devin, the busiest part of hurricane season is the last two weeks of August and first two weeks of September. Harvey “predated” Katrina by only a few days, but stayed around longer. The storm season runs through November, but the next 2-3 weeks will be critical in the season, so stay alert. IRMA just left the African coast and will be a hurricane by Monday. I remember the double punch of Katrina and Rita in 2005. For Baton Rouge, believe it or not, Rita was worse than Katrina.

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  4. When I think of all the things I have done in my life that took strength, quickness and durability and money, it sickens me to sit here able to do nothing.
    Praying is so hard for me because I spent so much time praying and now I feel beaten up and useless, even though I know my prayers have been answered every single time. I do know that I misunderstood what growing old was like when I was younger and that it is easy now to realize what I didn’t know back then.
    I have always been a conservative and a Catholic and an American, and that was always supposed to be the proper way to live for me and everyone I was raised around. Do you know what it’s like to be accused now of being a racist and a homophobe and a woman hater, when I have never been any of those things?
    When I was growing up in Catholic schools, we were taught about Saints and Martyrs. It seemed like a mythical thing from way back. Now I am old and have the internet and see that there are thousands of people in this world dying every day because of their faith. The lions and Diocletian are still there, they just look different and are called by different names.
    Baseball is kind of like life. The new kind of baseball fan, the new kind of GM, the new kind of player and umpire are each individually more important than baseball as a game. They all think the game needs to be changed to suit them. The old game wasn’t good enough. It’s got to be made better because all the people involved in the game think they are better and deserve a better game. Teams, players, umpires fans GMs, and cities want more and more money and better facilities and newer colors and fans want the ball parks to be a giant bar, where they can also watch that game that is way too old fashioned and slow for them.
    I think that Grampa and Baseball are going to part ways soon. There will be nothing to replace it. It’s just another thing that has changed and now looks at me as something from the middle ages, which I am. I’m from the middle 20th century. Not good enough to be an antique, and definitely not collectible..

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    • OP, I feel your pain. There was a day I enjoyed talking politics and religion with people. I have given up that “hobby” though as it has deteriorated into personal attacks, name calling and denigration. It’s quite amazing. And, yes, baseball isn’t the game it used to be. It’s a big money game, all the way down the little league.

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  5. I am not much into labels, as in my younger days I claimed – and looked at others through the lens of – way too many of those in my life.

    I appreciate the Creator’s gift of life and relative health, and believe His Ways, as He described them in the Bible, are always the best – and only wise and productive – ways.

    I am grateful for the privilege of living in America – despite our country’s political, economic, and entertainment/media systems having some obvious flaws.

    I love my family.

    I desire the best for all people of all races, tribes, tongues, genders, and lifestyles – though I do not feel any of these is ‘better’ than another, whatever the media’s current crop of talking heads insist.

    And I have confidence that Houston and surrounding areas in Southeast Texas will survive – and even thrive again – in days to come.

    Oh, and did I mention that I am somewhat of a fan of the Astros baseball team?

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  6. I have good news! Both airports in Houston will be open at 4:00 this afternoon!
    The boys will be able to love on those wives and babies by Friday evening…I *HOPE*!

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    • Becky, my guess is that they’ll stay in Florida through the weekend and play the Mets. Just a hunch, but doubtful that MLB will want to upset the apple cart and try to play baseball this quickly. MLB is set to make a decision on that later today.

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      • Nope! The Astros will play in Houston this weekend with a day/night DH on Saturday. Friday night tickets will be good for the Day game Saturday.
        Game is at regular time on Sunday.
        The Astros will be coming home after Thursday’s game!

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  9. It’s a been a tough week for me but certainly not in the way it has been for millions of others. Lot’s of family to worry about. Much like 1OP, I’m in a place far too remote to be wading through the moving current, helping my fellow citizens find a dry, warm place to hang their hats, even for a night. So yes, I feel a bit less relevant. But I can still and have done the same kind of good work where I live today. God willing though, it won’t be necessary anytime soon.

    I think I probably started to understand my own Catholic faith about the same time that baseball became a part of my life. The church sure has changed, but then again so has baseball. Maybe oddly, I’m a conservative leaning more in the other direction as I get older (or maybe mature) so I think I like my Pope and his direction, his empathy, his humility. Not sure if I like the way baseball has gone though, probably for the same reasons in reverse. I’m going to avoid politics here, because I’ve honestly retreated from some of my basic tenants in life because of what I believe to be a leadership crisis today. And I seem to be concerned more and more about every soul as I move later into life. It hurts me to watch today’s America, today’s world.

    All that said, I feel renewed, nourished by what I’ve witnessed this week in Houston. Human beings digging deep and sharing their best with other human beings, helpless human beings, literally saved by each other. Good Lord, let’s try harder to do this same stuff when the sun is out! We have it in us. Could not be more apparent today.

    As for my favorite baseball team, it does not seem all so important to me or them right now, even if they are putting up a brave front. They just want to get home like everyone else. I do think with this still significant lead, there is time to get healthy, rejuvenated, in the right frame of mind to go out and play and have fun. There are a handful of better teams out there today. But baseball is still a game and can’t feel like work. If our guys can get back into that frame of mind, anything can happen.

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  10. I have probably the most in common with old pro – I too am an old school Catholic conservative and I too am appalled that I am being labelled a bigot or a racist or homophobe. I am also nothing like that but I am being pre-judged (which is prejudice – right?) based on my political leanings. Do I as a conservative want people of color or women or whoever to fail? Heck no, I want everyone to succeed – I want the government to be the last place they have to turn rather than the first.

    Anyways – I hate that this storm has come along and sucked the joy out of such a great season for the Astros. I hope the team and especially the city comes back strong from this. I hope my heart can get its traction back and that this all becomes a long ago memory by the end of October.

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  11. Now that their President Reid Ryan (who, probably pulled a BUNCH of strings) has made it possible for these guys to come back home, we should see some smiles return to those faces tonight! I don’t CARE how he did it, I don’t CARE what it costs him…..I just CARE that he made it happen👏👏👏😀

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    • Becky, I remember MLB games starting up after 9/11. There was discussion about the appropriateness of the timing, even by some players, but it’s also one reason they continued to play during WW II. There is something about baseball that lifts the human spirit, despite the changes in the game. It will probably be a huge boon to the city in an effort to return to some sort of normalcy.

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  12. I’m not in Houston and I’m not from Houston. But I’ve been emailing my friends and colleagues in the oil industry that are there. I was supposed to be coming over in Sept but that’s on hold so I can only offer help from afar.

    I’m in The Netherlands but my company has a lot of people there so we are seeing daily updates and our people are being found and helped. So I see a lot of it.

    The Astros season will go one of two ways I think – down the toilet like 2008 or else this will lift everyone up and we shall grit our way to the WS. If we’re there then destiny is on our side. Not that this has ever helped me or any of the teams I follow (see England in the 1990 World Cup for example).

    Be safe in Houston and see you all soon.

    Simon

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  13. Well I am a Baptist, just a sinner saved by grace. Grew up in East Texas. We sold our home a year+ ago and decided to full time in our RV. We volunteered to work this Summer in Glorieta, NM at the kids camp. We were planning to leave after Labor Day but they needed for all volunteers to leave by August 15th. We got back here a week later. We had the RV parked and set up in Livingston. My wife’s Mom is 94 and lives on Baytown. Friday at the last minute, her Mom decided she would leave and stay with us. As she watched the news these past few days, she has stated “If I had stayed, nobody in the family could have got to me, could they?”

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    • I wanted to echo 1OP said. John 21:28: “…….. but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and arms, and someone else will dress you, and carry you where you do not wish to go.” It is the absolute helpless feeling that I can’t help.

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  14. I’m a Baptist, a conservative, and a proud American. I still get tears when they play the National Anthem.
    I too am at the age where I’m saddened by the path this country has taken in recent years.
    Yes, I also know what it feels like to be accused of being a racist and all the other things that have already been mentioned here. I believe all were created equally and I love seeing people of all races and religions succeed in life.
    I would never judge a person by the color of their skin, gender, or how they choose to live their lives.
    I’ve loved baseball all my life and I’ve loved this team since I finally gave up my loyalty to the Cardinals and became an Astros fan in 1972.
    I never stopped loving them when they were down and I never will.
    I was born in Houston lived here my first five years here then raised in a small town in east Texas by my grandparents.
    I currently live in Pearland Texas.

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  15. I have a lot in common with Chip, Dan, Daveb7, and, of course, Old Pro.

    I am very much involved and still overwhelmed. I am a 33 year veteran with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Working through all of these disasters and still… STILL finding good hearts and souls in people is amazing. Yes, there are the knuckleheads out there, but they are few and far between thank Heavens!

    I am a Conservative Catholic, by choice, as I learnt the differences while a middle-aged teen. I know God is REAL and Faithful. He answers prayers and I can see His work in all of the world each day. Just typing these words is a revelation of His work. I was involved in a horrific traffic accident, while working a freeway construction job as a police escort back in 2006. I was life flighted to Houston from League City, where the accident occurred, and my family was told I would not survive the morning. People from my Catholic church and other strangers began to pray for me. I lasted into the night and God used my personal friend, James (Red) Duke that night, to open me up and save my life. Friends, God is REAL!

    I still have civil conversations because I surround myself with like-minded people who, with my age and political connections with the local conservative party as a chairman, respect my input as I do not overwhelm them with my ideas but I speak to both sides. I do not force my will or opinion onto others, I teach them my view so they can understand and then choose to accept or reject it without me being bothered.

    The world we knew as we were growing up has changed and it began with the schools, in my humble opinion. Colleges taught a certain lean to the students who became teachers themselves in the public schools and this turned over and over…

    After the Astros return to Houston, I feel a sense of urgency will come. Seeing the damages to their homes, families, and assets will probably take the edge off of the baseball life, but they have not been the same team since the all-star break anyways. I really do not care about the baseball race since we ALL have to pull up our bootstraps here in Houston and rebuild our homes, families, businesses, our very lives.

    I live in the City Center area and the water has been tremendously depressing to us. I am thankful though, that we are alive, we have a home still, and our families came out okay but shaken.

    I will second your memo… It’s been a stormy 2017, but know this: God is faithful, He cares and He was not surprised by Harvey.

    I pray my post makes the cut.

    Peace

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  16. Watching the 4th inning, I think, and seeing Fisher throw to 3rd thus allowing the batter to advance to 2nd……. their heads are not in this game either.

    When I was a kid, there was a newspaper cartoon about a good high school baseball them that was lethargic and uninspired. The assistant coach said “This team needs zip.” Well the 3rd team shortstop was named Zip Gust who lacked a lot in talent but played like his hair was on fire. He was promoted and the team immediately started winning.

    We have a “Zip Gust” with great talent to play short. I hope he turns the attitude around.

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  17. Had to turn off tonight’s game, just a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
    These guys are gonna let arlington catch up with them, and take the AL West, just like last year, and I can’t bear to see it happening again. Sorry folks.

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    • Becky, the good news is that after tonight we’ll have 30 games left and a 13 game lead in the loss column on TEX. That means the Astros would have to lose 13 more games than the Rangers do for them just to tie us. For example, if Houston went 5-25 to close the year, TEX would still have to go 18-12 just to tie us. They might limp to the end, but they can do it!

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  18. What I’m worried about right now is Port Arthur and the surrounding area. The city is completely under water. They have people in flooded shelters. God help them. I so fear a bigger catastrophe there than the loss in Houston.

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    • I really don’t think they really thought it was coming their way. So many are so very poor and either CAN’T leave because of bad health, or they can’t or won’t leave their homes, because that’s all they have. Yes it’s sooo sad.

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  19. I am coming here with my tail between my legs to apologize to everyone here that I have offended in the past, especially OP1, Becky, Sandy and Kevin, but if I have offended anyone else please know I apologize to you as well.

    As you well know by now I am very passionate about this team and baseball in general. It is my one release from the daily grind of being a dad, husband and provider for my family. I realize I can be a condescending ass in my responses and I am very sorry for this. From reading the comments over the years I have been here I see people with good hearts and a strong faith. You deserve better than how I have responded to many of you.

    I am going to make a concerted effort to not reply, or at least make sure my replies are much more muted. My objective will just be to post my own thoughts in a separate post, but still trying to give a softer delivery. If I stray please let me know, but I hope to be a changed person going forward. You have become like my virtual family and I truly like everyone here that posts even though my responses may imply otherwise. I just see a blog full of loving and caring people. I thank you for allowing me to post here. I am surprised and appreciative I haven’t been banned yet. The tragedy that has struck our beloved city or the city of our favorite baseball team puts things into perspective. I haven’t even been upset about these last 2 games because I can see that their hearts and minds, at this time, are not on baseball, understandably so.

    Thanks again for being a big part of my virtual life and God bless each and every one of you. I have been praying for everyone affected by this devastating storm.

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    • I accept your apology. We are a family, who have been together for more than 10yrs.
      You are just like we are, a fan of this team. Non of us are experts, we are just fans.
      Sometimes it gets rather heated on here, and that’s when we need to step back and think about our words. You will always be welcome here. Becky⚾

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    • It takes a good soul to apologize, I just gave you a big Colorado Hug and all is forgiven and old news. I think we all can disagree, but work hard not to be disagreeable , I hope that made sense

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  20. McCullers 2nd reabsorbed start:
    5 innings
    5 hits
    2 ER
    1 walk
    2 K”S
    Personally I think he needs another rehab game. Bringing him back too soon again is gonna backfire on them again.
    Correa has two more games and I “think” he might be activated on Sunday. That would be a miracle, because he’s about 2 weeks early from returning back!!!

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  22. Down on the farm, AJ Reed hit his 33rd homer last night. He is only one back from tying lead the milb lead right now. Fresno has six games left.

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  23. I know everyone is praying, but could I just ask that we unite especially that this storm en route does not make landfall on either Texas or Louisiana coasts? Thanks. And this morning I heard city of Beaumont has lost its water supply.

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  25. I’m “watching” the game on Gameday at lunch in the office – so I “see” the Rangers ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the 1st, Bregman strikes out into a DP with Springer thrown out at 2nd, Hinch get thrown out of the game by Joe (I’m never wrong) West and Altuve tying it up with a home run. I hope the Hinch thing fires the team up.

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    • Something please, I thought that come back win on McCanns triple would do it. I’m going to say this and you all can jump on me, it ok.

      I’m very disappointed on how this team has reacted and not handled Business since the Trade deadline. I’m not talking Harvey.

      It’s like they all decided to pout and take their ball home. The energy, passion, hustle, comradery just vanished. The last time I checked these are well paid professional men , getting paid well. I can’t lie I expected more for all of them.

      Every team has injuries and slumps , I guess I’m Naïve, I expected more.

      I hope some how we get our act together

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  26. my hopes and prayers that all the chipalatta folks and family are all safe. same goes for all effected by this horrible storm. its going to be many months before this is all sorted out. we in texas (in my opinion) are a tough resilient group and i have no doubt we will come back as strong as ever over time. hopes and prayers for louisiana now as the storm heads their way. as we can all see there are things in life that are extremely important and others that we just make important. i live and die with the astros and have since the first colt 45’s days, but that just shrinks down to nothing when compared to all the tragedy and damage in the houston area. my hope is that recovery happens faster and more efficiently than in the past and also that the astros in their own small way will help the city and all fans to have something to hold onto and go forward with and look forward to in a positive way after all of this gloom and doom. I live in austin but today and for many more i am a houstonian and proud of it! god bless you all.

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  28. i have been holding back on this and i still dont know all the ins and outs of it so maybe there is some reason but i would like to contrast the behavior of the dallas cowboys and so called texas (ahem) rangers. the cowboys opened their training facility to the texans, they opened their stadium for a game (now canceled) that the texans could not host, now with no game they are going to have a televised practice and hurricane fund raiser in its place. they have cheerfully helped in any way they could.
    now for the rangers, why in the world would you not open your stadium given these extraordinary circumstances? why? you host a 3 games series at home and go on the road to houston for a 3 game series later in the year that would have been in dallas. still 3 road games, 3 home games. the only difference the dates played. how can you not as a fellow texan, fellow baseball organization and just a fellow human being see the need and react in a compassionate way? despicable!! my dad once told me and i admit to not always folowing his advice, if you dont have something good to say about somebody, dont say anything at all.
    as far as the rangers go i have this to say:

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  29. Some various thoughts here:
    – The Astros have supposedly picked up Cameron Maybin as Kevin refers to above and I ask – Why? If they had to send some asset for him – why not try to bring back Nori Aoki for free? Maybin has been pretty bad this year and worse since the all star break…like our team.
    – I saw where J.D. Davis stole a base and I ask – How? If anyone saw this – please let me know how a guy who makes McCann look like a speed demon stole a base. Was it a hit and run and the ball bounced in the dirt and away from the catcher? Did someone collapse on the field? Did the catcher throw the ball 20 feet over the SS?
    – Saw that Gattis is back on the DL with wrist soreness and I ask – When? He seemed to be having some problems behind the plate a few games ago and then played another game after that.
    – Saw where the Astros are still talking to the Tigers about Verlander and I ask – When? And maybe How and Why? Well it has to happen today.

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    • – Maybin – he is tied with Altuve for league lead in SB. Fisher is having a rough go of it right now. Maybin gives you a guy who can play both LF and CF, pinch run and steal a base. They now get a month to decide whether he is a worthwhile last man on the bench for October.
      – Davis’ steal came on a hit and run. The ball was in the dirt and there was no throw.
      – No idea on Gattis
      – Yeah, I can’t see it happening, but today would be the day.

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  31. Stranger within 2 minutes Beltran gets hit by a patch and has to leave the game. Then Beltre catches a routine ground ball and apparently pulled his hamstring and fails to even throw the ball. Both legends left the game.

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    • Well….we sure will miss Beltran and his homeruns everytime he come up to bat won’t we. I mean where would this team be without ALL those homeruns he’s been hitting.

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  33. I am hoping that Luhnow is working HARD to get Zoolander, from the Tigers!
    Sending J.D. Davis to the Tigers along with??? Picking up Maybin might be just a guy like that for the stretch is meh…. He’s a free agent next year, and unless they trade him we will have KTUCK next year roaming left field. MAN…. if Luhnow could pull this off…OMG!!
    I’m trying hard not to watch anymore flood video’s. I’ve become weary of the constant watching my city, and my hometown, Beaumont just destroyed. Baseball is my only outlet today to stop watching this awful devastation. Becky⚾

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    • Wouldn’t it have to be a prospect? Anyone on the 40 man would have to pass through wavers. Please tell me I’m wrong cause I would really go for a deal like that.

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      • Sandy, it’s likely that much of the 40-man roster has already gone through waivers this month. That’s common for most teams in August so they can know what they’re dealing with in trade discussions. Some didn’t make it through and were pulled back, others probably sneaked through. But yes, other prospects would need to be included…or the very famous PTBNL.

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  34. Here’s a thought on Maybin. Forgive me if someone has already mentioned this. But it could be a preemptive move for Luhnow if he’s planning a Verlander deal. Who knows, Maybin may be a little more significant acquisition by this weekend if someone else is headed out in a Verlander (or other big) trade.

    Minus that explanation or some other as-yet-to-be determined reason, add me to the “WHY?” group!

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    • I had that thought myself but then I thought no way with the waver thing. Think it’s possible someone like Fisher or Davis could make it through wavers?
      Don’t want to get my hopes up but that would really boost this team.

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      • No, it’s doubtful that players like Fisher, Davis, Correa, Bregman or others like that were even put on waivers. HOWEVER, the Tigers do have one of the worst records in the majors, so it’s plausible that Houston could send Fisher or Davis through and the Tigers pick them up that way…if the Astros can get the cooperation of other teams ahead of the Tigers. Plausible, not necessarily likely.

        Understand this about the process though. If a player has gone through August waivers earlier in the month, was selected by a team and then pulled back by the Astros, they cannot be placed on revocable waivers again.

        Fisher or Davis, though, could be the famous PTBNL I suppose. It’s all just speculation, but we’ll soon know for sure.

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      • chip, i agree that the maybim addition makes more sense if there is a trade in the works that involves an astro outfielder or two headed off somewhere in a trade (verlander?) if and its a big if, verlander does come here it could definitely be a boost for this year. the prospects that go to the tigers could be depressing when looking at future years, depending on who goes. i will scream loud and long if any of the guys going to tigers are named bregman, tucker the younger, devenski, whitley, bukauskas, armenteros, martes. that leaves plenty of others to choose from.

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  35. Great win at a critical time today.
    – With Hinch out – who made the decision to pull McHugh in the 5th – big contrast to what happened in the first game of this series with Fiers getting lit up. Devo with 2.1 IP and Giles with 2.0 IP came through big time
    – Fisher must have heard Maybin is coming to take reps from him as he came up with the 2 run single that broke it open in the 8th
    – The Belt brothers – tran and tre out in the same game….

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  39. Chris McCosky, veteran Detroit News sportswriter, just tweeted Astros/Tigers close on Verlander trade. Just need Verlander’s approval to finalize. If you’re on Twitter you can see for yourself.

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      • Wow that would have been a trade the fans would have supported – good prospects but not one of a kind prospects – too bad

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      • Devin, could have happened only if the Astros were picking up most of Verlander’s salary. And there could have been a PTBNL perhaps. Tim, I am curious, where did you see that?

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  41. I’m usually a Luhnow defender but I’m starting to get the idea that a lot of players do not want to deal with this front office.

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  42. So, if this is true, how does Detroit let a deal go that far — where two teams have agreed on players in a trade — and NOT know that Verlander would or would not approve the trade to that team. Granted, there is more to the story and perhaps the Astros weren’t willing to pick up an option or something else, but to get to the last minutes of August and not know it seems odd.

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    • Chip, I thought we had a rumor/report last week that JV was willing to waive it to go to Houston. I have three theories: 1. JV had a change of heart influenced by the hurricane damage 2. JV lost faith in HOU due to recent struggles by the team. 3. The report is bogus and DET was not accepting those prospects for JV despite the wishes of some bloggers and DET reporters.

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      • Perhaps #3, but still Detroit should have known about any “change of heart” or other reasons he didn’t want to go before getting so deep (if that is true). In my opinion.

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  46. Still need the details but that seems like a solid deal for both teams. If his option kicks in he could be here for 4 postseasons.

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  47. Talk about the gamut of emotions in 30 minutes. It was a big haul to give up, but it should definitely lift the spirits of the team and the fans of the Astros. It has been a very trying week and this helps to ease some of the pain.

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  48. OMG!! OMG!! OMG!! WOOO-HOOO!!! YES!! I started screaming and my husband was looking at me like I was crazy….I AM CRAZY….CRAZY HAPPY!!! This is a game changer, I mean can you imagine how nuts this clubhouse is gonna be when he walks in!! We might have just added the missing piece to our 2017 puzzle! I hope he will be as excited to be a part of this team, as much as they wanted him here.
    OMG!!! I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!! Thank you Jeff Luhnow!!!

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  49. He held out to the last minute hoping he could go to the Cubs. Detroit’s front office were actually at his home for the negotiations and when he realized there would be no last-minute Cubs deal, he approved the trade to the Astros.

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