I’ve probably shared this story with my friends here, but it is a good one and gets to the core of things. When my dear wife was a bit of a rebellious teen ager she would get into “discussions” with her dad. She would tell him, “Don’t worry about me.” And he would say “I’m not worried….I’m concerned.”
Some days the overwhelming overload of stuff in this pea brain of mine just pleads to be dumped. Today is one of those days.
When the Astros announced that Michael Brantley was going for a second opinion on his injured shoulder, it felt like the writing was on the wall in giant fluorescent letters. Surgery was likely on the way, and with it, the end of his 2022 season.
You are a very smart, thoughtful, and at times cynical and feisty audience. Today we will ask you to answer ten intelligent and thoughtful Astros’ questions created by your wise and kind host.
Your loyal scribe was riding home from a haircut and listening to the good folks on local talk radio discuss the JV “Situation”. The situation concerning Justin Verlander is that he easily rolled past a contract goal in his last start (130 innings), which automatically meant that should he opt for it, he can make another $25 MM in 2023 as the Astros ace.
Being a baseball fan for most of us is a battle between the two sides of our brains. There is that right side of the brain that is always knee-deep (yeah, I know that doesn’t work anatomically) in facts and stats. Then there is the left side that dabbles in the emotions of being a fan – in the fanatical depths of our being.
After two very good months of May (21-8) and June (16-9), the Astros continued their surge with another solid month with a 19-9 July. Thanks to going 6-1 against the second-place Seattle Mariners during the month, the team finished the month with a 12-game lead in the AL West, despite the 14-game winning streak the M’s had in July.
In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit raises what was a not very heartfelt toast to the “founder of the feast,” Ebenezer Scrooge. This is, of course, before Scrooge experiences the lessons of the three ghosts and “became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew…”.
CHIPALATTA 