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MMQB: The untouchables, the upgrades and the rest
The Astros have turned the corner — maybe even .500 in the near future — but the straightaway ahead may still be littered with potholes and some detours. Even though the Astros may have transitioned from a crawl to a walk, it’s quite clear that the growing pains will continue into the next phase. You…
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Random Astros’ thoughts and sentence fragments
After the first walk-off home run of the season, the Astros have a better record now (31-37) than any other season after 68 games since 2010. If they aren’t careful, they could be approaching .500 at the halfway point of the season. Here are some thoughts as the weekend gets underway. Feel free to join…
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Astros: From tipping point to turning point
The Astros have arrived at a pivotal moment. While the tipping point obviously occurred months or even years ago, general manager Jeff Luhnow now faces decisions he’s never faced as the leader of the Astros’ baseball operations. And, it’s not as simple as buy, sell or stand pat. As the Astros prepare to complete a…
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The Tipping Point Revisited for the Astros
It was almost 4 years ago that I wrote my first guest blog for Chip Bailey over at chron.com (spit !). Note – I give all credit to Brian T for (spit!) which he uses when mentioning the Yankees (spit!). Anyways that blog post stirred up a bunch of conversation by linking the thoughts behind Malcolm Gladwell’s best…
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MMQB: Astros’ difference makers from then and now
It hasn’t been long since the Astros were en route to another 110-loss season. Bungled plays, base running miscues, no clutch hitting and a team generally playing with no passion. You remember your frustration. That was back in April, and it seems like another time and another place. Far away. Since finishing April 9-19, the…
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Free Blog Weekend: Last of the consecutive #1 picks?
As the Astros perhaps put a cap on the consecutive #1 picks in the draft Thursday evening, the organization seems to finally be standing on its feet after years of having their legs knocked out from under them. Not running yet, but perhaps walking in the crawl, walk, run philosophy. Here are some starters for…
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Astros restocking again, starting with Brady Aiken at #1
Astros Picks 1-1 LHP Brady Aiken, Cathedral Catholic HS (California). CB-3 OF Derek Fisher, Virginia. 2-1 1B A.J. Reed, Kentucky. The Astros chose high school pitcher Brady Aiken in the first round of the draft. While the pick wasn’t a complete surprise, it is somewhat of a risk for the Astros as high school pitchers don’t…
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Once Again, We Hear That Familiar ‘Tick, Tick, Tick …’
By Brian Todd “Jeff, we’re on the clock.” “We’ve been on the clock, Mike. We’ve been on it since, oh, mid-September.” “Right, but this time there’s an actual clock.” “Oh, crap, is the windbag with the bad haircut standing at the podium?” “Yep. Selig’s ready for his 15 seconds of fame. You know, shaking a…
ALL THINGS ASTROS 