Glad You Be Dead, Harvey

September 1, 2017

houston flood

 

Glad You Be Dead, Harvey

(Sung to the old blues song, “You Rascal You”)

By Bill McCurdy

We be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!
We be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!
When you dead and in your grave,
No more houses will you crave.
We be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

I don’t trust you near my home, you rascal, you.
I don’t trust you near my home, you rascal, you.
I don’t trust you near my home,
You wouldn’t leave my stuff alone.
I be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

We just heard you headed east, you rascal, you.
We just heard you headed east, you rascal, you.
Time to see your ugly fall,
So we can get your ashes hauled.
We be glad, so damn glad, you rascal, you!

You tried to drown our town, you rascal, you.
You tried to drown out town, you rascal, you.
You dropped oceans on our toes
Tried to drown us, goodness knows.
You tried to drown our town, you rascal, you!

You know you done us wrong, you rascal, you.
You know you done us wrong, you rascal, you.
You know you done us wrong,
But we did not stay down long.
We just glad you be dead, you rascal, you!

We rose up and took you on, you rascal, you!
We rose up and took you on, you rascal, you!
You tried to put us down,
But you don’t do that to H Town.
We make sure you stay dead, you rascal, you!

We learn hard from what you do, you rascal, you!
We learn hard from what you do, you rascal, you!
We now use you as our teacher,
Building dams that have no breacher.
We learn strong, from what you do, you rascal, you!

Ain’t no use to run, you rascal, you.
Ain’t no use to run, you rascal, you.
Ain’t no use to run,
Now that you have had your fun.
Ain’t no use to run, you rascal, you!

You picked the wrong town to hit, you dumb ass, you!
You picked the wrong town to hit, you dumb ass, you!
Watching you die is going to be fun;
Buzzards gonna have you when we done.
You picked the wrong town to hit, you dumb ass, you!

You done messing with our lives, you rascal, you!
You done messing with our lives, you rascal, you!
Houston thrives on building stronger,
Texas fights to live well longer!
We all glad, you be dead, you rascal, you!

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Posted in Houston, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Life with Harvey: Days 5 and 6

August 31, 2017

Good to be back, folks, but we take nothing for granted. We lost power at home about 6:00 PM on Tuesday and only got it back about 7:00 PM last night, Wednesday. No storm record there for us. We were without power for 14 days with one of the big storms of a decade ago. You get used to it. You don’t like it, but you do adjust. Compared to what others are going through with this incredible force of nature, we are doing A-O-K. There’s been no flooding in our neighborhood, no water standing in the street, no rising threat of water in the yard – and this surreal condition is either in spite of – or because of the Barker Dam that stands only 2 blocks to the north of our house. We just happen to be on the first few acres of dry land that are protected by the dam system that keeps all of Houston from total inundation by this wort storm in a thousand years. We are the first small neighborhood on the “dry” side of the dam, but that fact does not detract from the power of second factual realization. And that is – that even though most of our houses are two-story structures, the water level at the brim on the containment side of the is now presently moving around at an altitude that is higher than any of our homes.

We do not watch the newscasts with casual indifference to reports of water spilling over the walls – and we do understand that the option to leave existed for all of us prior to Harvey’s arrival. Still, we stay. We don’t live in Houston in fear of the risks. We live in Houston because this city is our home. For that reason, it is important that we live in faith and reasonable hope that the dam is going to do what it was built to do – and that objective, simply put – was to make life in Houston as a major city of commerce and opportunity an always improving environment.

What could be done to improve the Houston and Harris County water management system?

I’m no expert on what’s actually being done recently, or all that’s been tried or proposed in the past. I do know that years ago the Army Corps of Engineers ran into a clash with environmentalist groups over the Corps’ plans to line each of our bayous with concrete walls (as an aid to water flow, we suppose) – and that they did some of this work on some of the lesser known bayous before they were stopped from doing the same to Buffalo Bayou. Rightly so, I think, environmentalists pointed out how the concrete-banks plan was going to destroy the natural habitats of water creatures and plants. I am unable to recall how they resolved the conflict, but it’s likely the beautiful environmental development we now have going along the natural banks of Buffalo Bayou near downtown would never have occurred.

Dig Deeper. Would that help?

My 32 year old adult son, Casey McCurdy, is quite a thinker and researcher about things, a sort of Po-boy renaissance man on human relationships with each other and our need to “dig deeper” in our use of knowledge and technology for improving the plan for flood reduction in Houston. Casey’s working out of state at the moment, but I’m hopeful that he will write up some of his suggestions in a column for here, whenever he finally has the time.

Meanwhile, here’s what I hear Casey saying:

The Addicks/Barker Dam System. Dig it deeper near the current interior walls. Use the extricated soil to make the earthen damn both higher and thicker. Then it could hold far more water as a deeper, higher, thicker, and stronger wall.

Buffalo Bayou. Leave the environmental bayou banks alone, but dredge and dig the middle of the artery even deeper for greater water volume handling in the entire center portion of the bayou. Maximize Buffalo Bayou’s ability to handle the flow of water coming from streams like White Bayou.

What do you think?

Glad to be back.

PS: Tuesday I got my injured hand infection treated fine at the ER of Memorial Hermann – Memorial City. I was quite impressed with the professional care I received there and would recommend them to anyone, if you are on the west side and need serious help. My insurance even covered most of the cost. What a bonus.

Stay dry and well.

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ASTRO*NOTES

Wasn’t able to watch the Astros’ first of two drubbings by the Rangers at Tropicana Field, but did note that Mike Fiers apparently used it as yet another opportunity to demonstrate his remarkable ability to go from a great Dr. Jekyll mode to his horrible Mr. Hyde impression in two consecutive starts. He may have had just cause in the second game. Then last night’s unfortunate performance by Dallas Kuechel led us to wish that home plate umpires could be robotically programmed to give Dallas that low outside strike call. When he doesn’t get it, as he didn’t last night, sometimes the wheels come off.

The Net of it. The Astros are human beings too. They’ve had to play these last few dangerous days away from Houston. I’m ready to wipe out whatever happens in Tampa as attributable to the emotional strain of dealing with Harvey from afar – and also with the anal-retentive Texas Rangers who forced the damn series to be moved to the Tropicana Graveyard for Venue Esthetics. Theirs was a magnificent display of classless decision-making.

Next time you get the Rangers down and rolling over, Astros, keep it up. Don’t stop until you score a minimum of 30 runs.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

RANK AL WEST W L PCT. GB
1 ASTROS 79 53 .598  
2 ANGELS 69 65 .508 11.0
3 RANGERS 66 66 .500 13.0
4 MARINERS 66 68 .493 14.0
5 ATHLETICS 58 75 .436 21.5
           

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

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FOR GAMES OF TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

 RANGERS 12 – ASTROS 2

 ANGELS 8 – ATHLETICS 2

ORIOLES 4 – MARINERS 0

 **********

 FOR GAMES OF WEDESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

 RANGERS 8 – ASTROS 1

 ANGELS 8 – ATHLETICS 2

 ORIOLES 8 – MARINERS 7

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

 THRU GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 500 177 35 4 20 .354
2 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 407 132 22 4 13 .324
NR * CARLOS CORREA HOU 325 104 24 1 21 .320
3 ERIC HOSMER KC 500 159 24 1 22 .318
4 JONATHAN SCHOOP BAL 504 154 30 0 30 .306
5 EVIS ANDRUS TEX 527 161 37 4 16 .306
6 JOSH REDDICK HOU 409 124 26 3 12 .303
7 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 499 151 43 5 20 .303
8 JOSE ABREU CWS 518 156 36 4 26 .301
9 JEAN SEGURA SEA 431 129 24 1 7 .299
10 DIDI GREGORIUS NYY 428 127 23 0 19 .297
Other Top 40 Astros
14 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 371 109 23 0 21 .294
15 YULI GURRIEL HOU 454 133 36 1 15 .293
20 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 445 129 25 0 29 .290
24 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 449 128 31 5 16 .285

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

 

 

 

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Life in Houston: Day 4 of Harvey

August 29, 2017

 

 

“Harvey, the world loved you when you made that movie as Jimmy Stewart’s supernatural, but invisibly wise and six foot tall ‘pooka’ alter ego rabbit character that he also named ‘Harvey’, but I gotta tell you as strong as I’m able: your new role as the storm that now menaces Houston and the State of Texas is going to make you about as unpopular in the future as Michael Meyers ever was in that ‘Halloween’ film series!”
~Artwork by Chrisipe Photography ~

The rain and the flooding continue. Thousands of people have now been moved from flooded out homes to quickly organized shelters all over the Greater Houston area. And a few instances of death from trees falling on people, or people drowning from trying to save themselves by swimming in flood tides are starting to show up.

What’s showing up strong, as we noted yesterday, is the character of everyday people who are going way out of their ways to help their neighbors in need, with hardly a picture at all of sociopathic looting going on in great contradiction, as is the case in so places when the disaster is precipitated by hostile political confrontations.

There is a more silent crisis going on for some of us who rely upon life-sustaining medications for survival. Due to flooding and the closure of medical offices, urgent care centers and pharmacies. it has become virtually impossible to get serious problem medical help or a normally simple prescriptions filled without going to a hospital ER and paying the big bucks it costs there to get your medical needs met. Personal example: Early Sunday, I had to ask the physician on call at my base practice primary physician’s office to get a prescription called into Walgreen’s at Memorial and Dairy Ashford for an internal infection that has started in my right hand from a collision my fist had with a wall at Minute Maid Park a week earlier. I wasn’t trying to slug anyone. I just had a startle reaction to something else and swung my hand in such a way that made the injury look like damage from a hard thrown punch.

The hand seemed to be getting well last week, but that began to change on this past Saturday. My hand had swollen again – just like I’d hit it again – and it returned to that reddish mass shape it had taken originally. Because of my age, and all the other meds I take for coronary artery disease, my doctor wanted me to get started right away on the treatment of internal infection.

The antibiotic Rx got called in to Walgreen’s late Saturday. Early Sunday, I called Walgreen’s. All I could get was the robot, but that first seemed to be no problem. I was told all day by the robot that they were “still processing” my order and that they would call me when it was ready. Seven hours later, I continued to get the same robotic message every time I called Walgreen’s for s status check. About 3:30 PM Sunday, I’d had enough. I decided to venture out to see if I could even reach Walgreen’s, which I did, with no problem.

The problem was – the still-announcing-themselves-by-phone as “your 24 hour” store was closed – and according to locals in the area of the Memorial @ Dairy Ashford Walgreen’s – the store had been closed all day – even though their robot continued to give out the “we are open” impression all through the wasted day for all the other phone callers who fell for same misinformation.

OK! Maybe I was only sucker who bought the “we’re working” ruse so easily. Walgreen’s finally corrected the message. They simply didn’t get around to it until Monday, at the start of the still-going-on closure. Suddenly interjected into the normal robot-message wer the words “were closed”.

The problem then became – that I couldn’t get my meds from Walgreen’s – and none of the no other pharmacies I could reach on drive-able streets were open. Two area urgency clinics also were closed – and have remained closed through early Tuesday morning – and I cannot get my antibiotics anywhere. – Meanwhile, my hand continues to stay swollen, red, itchy, and a concern. – How many others of us are going through the same kind of thing with an unanswered health problem this morning? – I also just checked and have learned that my base office clinic is still closed due to Harvey.

All I can do now is head over to the ER at Memorial Hermann Memorial City. Maybe we’ll meet up there.

And, Harvey, I hope we never meet up again. For if we do, and even if it does no good, I may have to waste another perfectly good fist on your snowy white chin, if I can just get you in my sights, Harvey!

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017

RANK AL WEST W L PCT. GB
1 ASTROS 79 51 .608  
2 ANGELS 67 65 .508 13.0
3 MARINERS 66 66 .500 14.0
4 RANGERS 64 66 .492 15.0
5 ATHLETICS 58 73 .443 21.5
           

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 AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

FOR GAMES OF MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2017

 ANGELS 3 – ATHLETICS 1.

 ORIOLES 7 – MARINERS 6.

 RANGERS @ ASTROS (postponed due to Harvey) *

  • The 3-Game Rangers @ Astros series has been rescheduled to Tropicana Field in Tampa, starting tonight, for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday contests. MLB may have feared that simply moving the games to Arlington left the door open to rainouts in North Texas too. Now they will be played in a stadium that is both unreachable by most Astros fans and also unattractive to almost all fans, even the few that follow the Tampa Bay Rays.

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Posted in Baseball | 5 Comments »

Harvey Now Titled: A 500 Year Storm

August 28, 2017

Day 3 of Hurricane Harvey
“Gloom and Misery Everywhere … Stormy Weather”
~ 25″ of rain have fallen in the 1st two days ~
~ 15″ more rain are predicted thru Wednesday ~
~ Also Present ~
The Resilient, Fighting Back Spirit of
The People of Houston and SE Texas!

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Houston Handling Harvey Just Fine

As an unbelievable force of nature again arrives to teach us how little we human being have over the true powers of this universe, and as the thin line of civilization teeters on the brink of anarchy over the disrupted flow of food, water, medical supplies, and organized lawfulness, the people of Houston and SE Texas are rising up as “volunteers” to help their trapped and flooded out neighbors in ways that go way beyond the usual “feel-good” closer story on a newscast that is all about tragedy. “Houstonians” – and that term is used here to be inclusive of all our like-spirited people in the region – are the ones bringing out their boats, and fuels, and foods, and supplies to search out and rescue people trapped in their attics from the rising waters of Harvey. As much as I love baseball and the Astros, and as much as I cherish our hope for Houston finally winning the Fall Classic, I’m looking at something down here among my own people that is much more admirable. Through the actions of its people during the stress of Harvey, Houston shows up again as it has in the past. – We already are a City of World Championship quality human beings.

The color, race, ethnicity, or religion of both the rescued and the rescuer don’t matter to any of these people out there doing the right thing. They are acting because we all need each other’s help. It’s just clear as day in greater numbers in the face of a menace like Harvey. And nobody’s doing it for the sake of either earning a statue or getting one torn down. It’s simply the right thing to do as a way of life when one does not attach any political action payback expectation to the gift of a true helping hand.

Way to go, Houston! ~ We are the Champions because of our people!

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Astro*Notes. Light on baseball today. …. In Game 3, the Astros did unto the Angels what the Angels did unto them the night before. A 2-out triple off the CF wall by Brian McCann of the Astros cleared the bases for 3 runs batted in and a 7-5 rally win over the Angels. It was almost caught by star Angels center fielder Mike Trout, but he missed it. Thank goodness. …. In the process, the Astros expanded their AL Playoffs home field advantage edge over the Boston Red Sox to 6 games. Boston lost a 2-1 close one to Baltimore Sunday to make it possible.

The Astros were supposed to come home today for a 3-game series versus the Rangers. That one likely will be shifted to Arlington due to Harvey. The Astros flew back from Anaheim to Dallas in apparent anticipation of that logical switch. The Astros have another 3-game series with the Rangers scheduled later for Arlington that will logically now be shifted to Houston as the logical balance adjustment for this storm-imposed move.

Stay tuned.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017 

RANK AL WEST W L PCT. GB
1 ASTROS 79 51 .608  
2 MARINERS 66 65 .504 13.5
3 ANGELS 66 65 .504 13.5
4 RANGERS 64 66 .492 15.0
5 ATHLETICS 58 72 .446 21.0
 

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

THRU GAMES OF SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

ASTROS 7 – ANGELS 5.

YANKEES 10 –  MARINERS 1.

 ATHLETICS 8 – RANGERS 3.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES OF SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 492 175 35 4 20 .357
2 AVISAIL GARCIA HOU 398 128 21 3 13 .322
3 ERIC HOSMER KC 490 157 24 1 21 .320
NR * CARLOS CORREA HOU 325 104 18 1 20 .320
4 JOSH REDDICK HOU 405 124 26 3 12 .306
5 JONATHAN SCHOOP BAL 492 150 30 0 28 .305
6 DIDI GREGORIUS NYY 417 127 22 0 19 .305
7 JEAN SEGURA SEA 422 127 24 1 7 .301
8 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 364 109 23 0 21 .299
9 ELVIS ANDRUS TEX 517 154 34 3 16 .298
10 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 487 145 41 5 18 .298
Other Top 40 Astros
16 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 438 128 25 0 29 .292
19 YULI GURRIEL HOU 448 130 35 1 15 .290
26 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 440 125 31 5 16 .284

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Posted in Baseball | 5 Comments »

Three Stooges Punch Astros Win in Mouth

August 27, 2017

“Next time Hinch calls for you, you stay away from the white part of the plate. – Larry and me has got that part covered!”

 

Bottom Line: It’s a little hard to win from a brilliant 6-inning performance by the starter when the three relievers who come in to protect, hold and save victory pitch more like “The Three Stooges” over the last two innings 0f opportunity. Astros starter Brad Peacock gave up only 1 run over the first 6 frames, striking out 8 and walking 1, before leaving the Astros with a 6-1 lead to defend.

Then came Mo, Larry, and Curly.

Taking over in the bottom of the 7th, Francisco Liriano, Francis Martes, and Tyler Clippard proceeded to cough up 6 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, capped by a 3-run homer off Clippard in the bottom of the 8th in a way that made his return for the bottom of the 9th totally unnecessary after the Stros took the sheep’s way home, going away mildly in defeat in the top of the 9th.

Liriano and Clippard were/are our Astros shore-up acquisitions at the recently infamous trade deadline. Boy! Weren’t we lucky?

What’s that you were saying about the Dodgers yesterday, Harvey?

Other notes: Jose Altuve returned to the lineup, but went 0 for 5. …. Alex Bregman stayed torrid, going 2 for 5 and raising his BA to .287. …. Jake Marisnick was the only other Astro with multiple hits, including a monster bomb to dead center in the 4th …. and George Springer also picked up his 29th HR of the season with a blow in the 7th that briefly looked like the deciding crunch on an Astros victory. …. It was not to be. …. The good news that lasted? The Red Sox also lost Saturday, keeping the Astros a full 5 games up on the Bostons for home field advantage in the AL Playoffs.

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DAY 2 IN HOUSTON
RAIN. RAIN. RAIN
SOME BAD FLOODING
A FEW TORNADOES

 

Fleming Drive & Maxey Road
East Houston
Sunday Morning
August 27, 2017

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2017 

RANK AL WEST W L PCT. GB
1 ASTROS 78 51 .605  
2 ANGELS 66 64 .508 12.5
3 MARINERS 66 64 .508 12.5
4 RANGERS 64 65 .496 14.0
5 ATHLETICS 57 72 .442 21.0

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

THRU GAMES OF SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2017

ANGELS 7 – ASTROS 6.

YANKEES 6 – MARINERS 3.

ATHLETICS 8 – RANGERS 3.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES OF SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 488 173 35 4 19 .355
NR * CARLOS CORREA HOU 325 104 18 1 20 .320
2 ERIC HOSMER KC 488 156 24 1 21 .320
3 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 395 126 21 3 13 .319
4 JONATHAN SCHOOP BAL 488 150 30 0 28 .307
5 DIDI GREGORIUS NYY 412 126 22 0 19 .306
6 JOSH REDDICK HOU 401 121 26 3 12 .302
7 JEAN SEGURA SEA 418 126 24 1 7 .301
8 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 361 108 23 0 21 .299
9 ELVIS ANDRUS TEX 513 153 34 3 16 .298
10 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 483 143 40 5 18 .296
Other Top 40 Astros
13 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 434 128 25 0 29 .295
20 YULI GURRIEL HOU 446 129 35 1 15 .289
25 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 435 125 31 5 16 .287

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

 

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Harvey Brings New Light to Hunkering Down

August 27, 2017

“Listen, Harvey, it’s your turn to ‘hunker down’. The Saturday night Astros game with the Angels is only a little more than an hour away.”

 

The reason we don’t have a great thesaurus for hurricane-speak is probably tied to the fact that everyone seems to understand the simple terms we now use without harbering great fear that to see them used twice in the same spoken or written paragraph of thought will be tantamount to sloppy, hackneyed expression.

For example:

Every impending hurricane starts with two choices for the residents in its path: either “Hunker Down” or “Get Out of Dodge”.

What could be clearer?  Well, other than how strong is the storm? how fast is it moving? where is it projected to land? will you be on the dirty eastern side of the storm if you stay put? is your property on a flood plain? how close to the ocean are you? do you have a car full of gas and a house full of non-perishable supplies and a clear understanding of what those supplies need to include? got flashlights with batteries and first aid supplies, for example? do you still have time to leave or will you just be stuck in a panicking traffic jam on the highway, if you leave now? Stuff like that. And don’t forget the danger of tornadoes that often spawn as the barometric manifestations of the unstable atmosphere created by the presence of a landing hurricane and its powerful swirls of air and water.

Interesting. We just wrote the previous paragraph without once using either “hunker down” or “get out of dodge”. The perils of either seem to be obvious – in other words.

At 7:10 PM, Saturday, we are still under a tornado watch on the west Houston I-10 corridor and it is again raining hard, but the drift we are picking up from the local Channel 2 News is that Harvey has weakened more than expected coming inland and may not have the power to do that loop that will make the rain situation in Houston as bad as it was predicted to be.

But please don’t take my word as your weather cast. Pay attention to the Weather Channel and the other weather pros.

As for the rest of the “hunkering down” experience, we’re good. Hunkering down at home is a life style for some of us who have grown long of tooth. That means I’ve gotten in a nice nap this afternoon in preparation for the 9:00 PM AT&T Sports.net telecast of the Astros game in Anaheim versus the Angels.

If the power stays on and the creek doesn’t rise, it’ll still be “baseball tonight”.

 

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Posted in Baseball, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Watching Baseball with Harvey on Our Minds

August 26, 2017

Alex Bregman

Deep down in Luzianna – Close to New Awleens

A baseball-playing Tiger pumped the LSU scene

He hit them dad gum pitchers

Like he’s ringin’ a bell

And those who tried to stop him

Caught a bat full of hell

 

He also learned to read and write

And count big numbers too swell

So when the Astros signed him up

It went well, well, …. well, well.

 

Maybe someday his name will be in lights

Screaming “Alex B. Good” Tonight”

**********

NOTES: Alex Bregman went 3 for 4 and played brilliantly at shortstop in the series opener 2-1 win over the Angels. He’s now batting over .350 since the 4th of July and his current .286 number places him today as the 25th highest ranked batter in the AL. …. Jose Altuve took the game off to rest the pinched nerves in his neck. He certainly deserves the rest. Let’s just hope it’s a need for rest and nothing worse. …. the yin and yang of baseball lessons are forever oscillating. Thursday night a ball that got away from catcher Brian McCann on a strike three contributed mightily to the Astros 5-4 loss to Washington at home. Last night a ball that got away from the Angels catcher allowed George Springer to score from 3rd base with what proved to be the winning run in Friday’s 2-1 Houston win over Los Angeles. …. Colin McHugh pitched well and deserved the win. …. Astros rookie J.D. Davis followed up getting his first MLB HR in his last time at bat of his first home stand on Thursday by also getting his second homer in his first time up on a road trip last night in Anaheim. …. The Astros now hold a 5-game lead over the Red Sox for home field advantage all the way through the AL Playoffs. …. Remember, we are hunkered down in Houston through most of next week, waiting for the flood rain backlash side of Hurricane Harvey that made landfall about 180 miles SW of us last night. …. If our normal appearance is a no-show any time in the next five days, Harvey is our designated culprit.

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“OK, Harvey, we think you’re all wet about the Astros not having a chance against the Dodgers, but we respect your power to flood us with all kinds of personal opinion. – Could you do us one serious favor? Could you please go easy on the storm damage you are now threatening upon the Texas coast?”
Thanks! – The Pecan Park Eagle

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017

RANK AL WEST W L PCT. GB
1 ASTROS 78 50 .609  
2 MARINERS 66 63 .512 12.5
3 ANGELS 65 64 .504 13.5
4 RANGERS 64 64 .500 14.0
5 ATHLETICS 56 72 .438 22.0

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

THRU GAMES OF FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017

ASTROS 2 – ANGELS 1.

MARINERS 2 – NEW YORK YANKEES 1.

ATHLETICS 3 – RANGERS 1.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES OF FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 484 173 35 4 19 .357
NR * CARLOS CORREA HOU 325 104 18 1 20 .320
2 ERIC HOSMER KC 485 155 24 1 21 .320
3 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 393 125 21 3 13 .318
4 DIDI GREGORIUS NYY 409 126 22 0 19 .308
5 JONATHAN SCHOOP BAL 484 148 30 0 27 .306
6 JEAN SEGURA SEA 413 126 24 1 7 .305
7 JOSH REDDICK HOU 398 120 26 3 12 .302
8 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 361 108 23 0 21 .299
9 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 479 143 40 5 18 .299
10 JOSE ABREU CWS 504 150 34 4 26 .298
Other Top 40 Astros
11 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 429 127 25 0 28 .296
22 YULI GURRIEL HOU 443 128 34 1 15 .289
25 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 430 123 31 5 16 .286

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

 

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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The Zimmerman Play: Forget About It!

August 25, 2017

Forget About It.

Dallas Keuchel

It was just one of those nights – just one of those frustrating plights – when bounces of the ball off excellent pitching by Dallas Keuchel created a hard to make quick “hustle and throw” situation – that led straight into a rare Keuchel throwing error and a 2-run early inning Nationals lead – one from which the Astros would finally tie things in the 9th, but fail to overcome in extra frames – as the ball and good fortune both continued to bounce in Washington’s direction. Houston’s young Mr. Davis bopped his first MLB homer to start the bottom of the 11th, but that was it. And it was not enough.

Washington won the game, 5-4, and the series, 2-1.

But we can play with these guys and beat them in the World Series, if necessary. All we have to do is get there. And have some of the balls and breaks bounce our way next time. I keep thinking of that third out bouncing high-hop ball from McCann that the Nats’ first baseman Zimmerman still managed to reach up and snare with his glove as he seemed to be going down in anticipation of a lower-to-the-ground catch on his way to a tag of the bag. A more complete Zimmerman stumble – or an inch or two higher bounce – and the ball shoots goodbye over the first sacker’s head and rolls down the right field line. And boom. The Astros would have pulled off a 4-3 score for another walk-off comeback win in the bottom of the 9th.

Maybe next time. In the meanwhile, as we said up front: forget about it.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017 

RANK AL WEST W L PCT. GB
1 ASTROS 77 50 .606  
2 ANGELS 65 63 .508 12.5
3 MARINERS 65 63 .508 12.5
4 RANGERS 64 63 .504 13.0
5 ATHLETICS 55 72 .433 22.0

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

THRU GAMES OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

 WASHINGTON 5 – ASTROS 4 (11 innings)

 RANGERS 3 – ANGELS 0 (10 innings)

 MARINERS (day off “on the town”)

 ATHLETICS (day off in memory of Connie Mack)

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 484 173 35 4 19 .357
NR * CARLOS CORREA HOU 325 104 18 1 20 .320
2 ERIC HOSMER KC 481 153 23 1 21 .318
3 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 390 124 21 3 13 .318
4 DIDI GREGORIUS NYY 405 125 21 0 19 .309
5 JEAN SEGURA SEA 408 125 24 1 7 .306
6 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 357 108 23 0 21 .303
7 JONATHAN SCHOOP BAL 479 144 30 0 27 .301
8 JOSH REDDICK HOU 394 118 26 3 12 .299
9 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 475 142 40 5 18 .299
10 MELKY CABRERA CWS/KC 489 145 21 2 16 .297
Other Top 40 Astros
11 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 425 126 24 0 28 .296
17 YULI GURRIEL HOU 439 128 34 1 15 .292
28 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 426 120 31 5 16 .282

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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Fiers Lights Fire to Nats’ Hope

August 24, 2017
A Salute to Mike Fiers
(To the tune of “Buckle Down, Winsocki”)

Mike Fiers

Buckle down, Mike Fiers

Buckle down

You can win, Mike Fiers
If you knuckle down
If you break their necks
If you make them wrecks
You can break the hex,
So, Mike Fiers, buckle down
Make ’em yell, Mike Fiers, make ’em yell.
You can win, Mike Fiers
If you give ’em hell
If you don’t give in, take it on the chin
You are bound to win,
If you will only buckle down,
If you fight you’ll chuckle at defeat.
If you fight, Mike Fiers, your luck’ll not retreat
Knuckle down, Mike Fiers
Knuckle down.
You can win, Mike Fiers
If you buckle down
If you mow them down
If you go to town
We can wear the crown
If you keep on buckling down.
********************
And buckle down is exactly what Mike Fiers did in Game Two of the Series with the Nats at MMP last night. He went 7 full innings for the first time this season, showed masterful control of his stuff, giving up only one earned run on 4 hits, none by the nemesis long ball route, while punching out 6 batters and walking only one. We could hardly ask for more. If this means that Mike now again has control of all that natural and learned ability we know he has within him, Astro prospects for the post season just got a lot brighter.
It also helps to see guys like Jake Marisnick, Mike Stassi, and Alex Bregman dropping in those long ball bombs in support of Fiers and the team win.
Astros Manager A.J. Hinch keeps telling us and we must try harder to remember: Never give up on these guys. They are a special and talented team. – And if they all find their max capacities as Mike Fiers did yesterday, look out, world of major league baseball!
********************

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

RANK AL WEST W L PCT. GB
1 ASTROS 77 49 .611  
2 ANGELS 65 62 .512 12.5
3 MARINERS 65 63 .508 13.0
4 RANGERS 63 63 .500 14.0
5 ATHLETICS 55 72 .433 22.5

********************

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

THRU GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

 RANGERS 7 – ANGELS 5 (10 innings).

 MARINERS 9 – BRAVES 6.

 ORIOLES 8 – ATHLETICS 7.

 ASTROS 6 – NATIONALS 1.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 481 172 35 4 19 .358
NR * CARLOS CORREA HOU 325 104 18 1 20 .320
2 ERIC HOSMER KC 477 152 23 1 21 .319
3 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 390 124 21 3 13 .318
4 DIDI GREGORIUS NYY 401 125 21 0 19 .312
5 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 352 108 23 0 21 .307
6 JEAN SEGURA SEA 408 125 24 1 7 .306
7 DUSTIN PEDROIA BOS 340 103 17 0 6 .303
8 JOSH REDDICK HOU 389 117 26 3 12 .301
9 JONATHAN SCHOOP BAL 479 144 30 0 27 .301
10 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 420 126 24 0 28 .300
 
  Other Top 40 Astros    
17 YULI GURRIEL HOU 434 127 33 1 15 .293
33 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 421 117 30 5 16 .278

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

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My Double Play: Old Movies and Baseball

August 23, 2017

“OH BUNNY, WHAT ON EARTH HAS HAPPENED TO YOU? YOU USED TO BE QUITE A NICE BOY – EVEN FORNICASIONALLY”

 

She Said What???

The quote from this early scene in the 1935 movie, “Biography of a Bachelor Girl”, is what some unspecified members of the old movie industry censorship code group (1930-68) thought they heard when they happened to hear them spoken by beautiful lead actress Ann Harding to her old earlier times boy friend, actor Edward Everett Horton.

What Ms. Harding actually said, according to the script, and my numerous replays of that spot on the DVR copy from the movie’s broadcast this past weekend on the Turner Classic Movies channel were exactly these: ““OH BUNNY, WHAT ON EARTH HAS HAPPENED TO YOU? YOU USED TO BE QUITE A NICE BOY – EVEN FUN OCCASIONALLY.”

Close, but no cigar!

Thank you TCM movie host Ben Mankiewicz for alerting us to look and listen for this issue early on in the playing of the film. In a way that is similar to baseball, or in all passions for any area of history, there is always something new to learn. At any rate, it turned out to be a ripple in the stream issue and the movie went forward without editing, but that wasn’t all the case. The movie’s “Hays Code” was named for Will H. Hays, who was the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) from 1922 to 1945.

The Code had been in effect since 1930, but serious enforcement of it didn’t go into effect until 1934. It wasn’t surprising that a 1935 movie would get this kind of close attention.

It also brings home how much the advent of “talkies” in the 1920’s increased the fear that some Hollywood producers would now run morally amuck and bring down the wrath of government regulation upon the entire industry. So, in self-defense, the film industry created their own code of righteousness – regulating that criminals had to pay for their film crimes, and that sex had to be kept out of sight and even restrained from suggestion or plays on words by film characters. An actor and actress could not sit down together on a bed unless they each kept one foot on the floor for as long as they remained there.

Of course, the nation was operating under a different moral compass in those days. It was not one I admire, nor one I’d ever like to see us repeat.

Most movies were all white; people never had mixed race relationships; it was OK for major white stars to don themselves in minstrel show make up and act like buffoons; and to present minorities, mostly blacks, but sometimes Native Americans, Asians, and Hispanics as smiling stereotypical servants and sidekicks; and everybody smoked heavily and drank themselves into stupors with no long-term side effects; and if you were non-white, you had earned the right to fight for your country too, as long as you understood that you still couldn’t break bread, live next door, or attend church with whites once you came home, if you came home.

Let’s hope that most of our younger people shall live to see the day in which each of them only has to show up as a decent human being to earn their places at the table of life. Statues cannot put you there – or keep you away – once that day comes.

Watch a few really old movies from the 1930’s, for example, and you will get to see all the reasons we still aren’t there today as the brothers and sisters we all really are. And you really won’t have to work hard to see these missed opportunities. You’ll simply need to be old enough to get them. It’s all there in what they say. And what they don’t say. In what the characters do. And what they don’t do.

At least the old movies work from a dynamic narrative script. And the same cannot be said for The Fast and The Furious efforts of this day and time.

My Guilty Pleasure

Some nights I will double play a DVR movie from TCM with an ongoing DVR of the Astros game. depending upon how much the game grips my early inning attention span. It works best when Keuchel pitches. In a typical Keuchel game, I will watch the whole first inning of a home game. Then watch the movie for however long it takes “K” to retire the side and switch back to watch the Astros hit. I never miss anything because of the replay capacity. And my mind “sometimes” seems to crave the multi-tasking. The other night I got to watch Harold Lloyd as a 1928 New York taxi driver whose job it was to get a late Babe Ruth (the real Babe) to Yankee Stadium on time for his game. What a hoot! I thought the Babe was going to have to change his pants as a result of that little hop over the bridge from Harlem.

********************

Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

 

 

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