Note to all American League contenders, pretenders, challengers, wannabe aspirers and would-be competitors and opposers: Jeff Luhnow and Jim Crane mean business. Serious business!

After a great season like the Astros had in 2017, it is fun to look back at statistical oddities, because so many of them are on the positive side.

Today we salute two oldies but goodies on the blog.

Happy New Years, fellow Chipalots and Chipalettes!! After a 2017 that fulfilled the wishes of our Astro lifetimes – it is hard to gear up for another run at the big ring. It is just more fun to bask (as Chip so aptly put it) in the warmth of a World Championship season.

“You can tell where a man will go by looking to see where he has been.” A crafty old sheriff candidate in my Louisiana hometown used that slogan to compare himself to the competition en route to his first election. And it rings true in most applications, including general managers, managers and major league baseball…

All Astro fans received their biggest Christmas present early this season as the first in a lifetime gift of a World Series championship came home to roost on November 1st. We at Chipalatta, wish all our fine readers a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

Digging back into the Writer’s Block post, here is a question and conversation starter from friend of the blog, Tim. “How do we avoid the dreaded World Series hangover that the past 4 champions have experienced? They showed the records of the past 4 champions at the ASB and I think the Cubs this past…