Early Season Optimism for Astros Was Up by 1973

April 8, 2017

Original PR Staff in 1965
Wayne Chandler (far left) began as assistant to Bill Giles and later took on more responsibility as Giles moved on to Philadelphia.

 

According to this article we found on our own independent fishing trip to the archives, early season optimism for both the Astros’ performance and home game attendance was high in 1973. With the help of  Astros Director of Press Relations Wayne Chandler, Port Neches Mid-County Chronicle sports writer Bob Griffin discerns something of a turning worm. The people are no longer simply coming to see the Astrodome itself and the great players of other teams. They are rallying behind the good talent that now dots the Astros’ roster and pulling for their own team realistically to bring home a first major team championship to the City of Houston. They don’t come right out and say it that directly in print, but that’s the tilt of the whole piece. It’s one that many of us older fans remember – and it felt as good then as it still does now.

“Hey, it’s 1973! Maybe we actually are finally close to having a club that could win a World Series. After all, the dad gum New York Mets, as bad as they were, even much worse than us at the start for each club in 1962, actually did win the World Series in 1969. They weren’t that great in 1969, but they won it anyway on some talent, a lot of good effort, and some bodaciously full-tank  phenomenal good luck and help from the baseball gods. Maybe now, four years since the Mets, maybe, just maybe it’s finally our turn.”

Fortunately, unless my old spirit bones are now sending me misdirectional signals, that old “we can finally do it in Houston this year” still survives in the early stirrings of the 2017, now American League-anchored, still fiery Houston Astros club of Manager A.J. Hinch!

____________________

Port Neches Mid-County Chronicle Review

Sunday, June 3, 1973, Page 6

Things Have Changed …. ASTRO FANS ARE FOR REAL

By Bob Griffin, Sports Staff

 

The crowds that pack the Astrodome these days aren’t like they used to be.

They’re there to watch the Astros. It hasn’t always been like this. In the past, the Dome or the other team was the attraction, but not the Astros.

The Astros have the center stage now and the fans come to see them. The fans are still interested in checking out the Astrodome and they still want to watch a Johnny Bench play, but the Astros are the real reason they’re there.

SO WHEN the Dome is packed these days its because the fans are there to watch the Astros battle to stay near the top of the National League West, a spot they’ve become familiar with the past year or so.

And all this makes the Astros happy. I chatted with Houston’s Wayne Chandler about this. Wayne has been with the Astros’ press relations department since they moved into the Dome. I fact, he now heads that department.

And in his years with the Astros he’s seen the change.

“It’s really gratifying that fans are coming because of the good ball club we have and the fact that they like to see the good ball that we play,” Wayne (Chandler) told me.

“Back in 1965 they came to see the Dome or to see a Sandy Koufax, the congenial Chandler continued. Now it’s to to see Cesar Cedeno, Jerry Reuss, Bob Watson, and all our other players.

“Every year our fans have become more knowledgeable and we have developed a great corps of fans who know good baseball when they see it and bad baseball when they see it.

And the Astros play good baseball most of the time.

Another point made by Wayne (Chandler) was that many of the top players with the Astros were brought up through their minor league chain.

“We’ve developed some good players,” explained Wayne. “(Cesar) Cedeno, (Bob) Watson, Doug Rader, Larry Dierker, and Don Wilson to name just a few. These are the kind of players that attract a crowd and win pennants.”

In their last 11-game homestand the Astros drew 263,068 fans. It would have been more except for a four game series with the lowly Atlanta Braves that pulled in only 43,000.

The Astros are running slightly behind last year’s totals, but it’s hard to compare since the season started late last year, throwing most comparisons off just a bit.

If the Astros continue to average the size crowds they’re averaging now their total attendance this year will be slightly up over last year by the end of the season.

And if the Astros are still battling it out with San Francisco, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles for the top spot in the NL West at the end of the season, there’s no telling how many they will draw during their homestands in September.

During September they (the Astros) have three games with Cincinnati, four games with Los Angeles, and their last three home games of the year are with the Giants.

But no matter who’s in town the Astros are the Dome’s main attraction these days. And they like it that way.

~ end of newspaper column transcript.

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In Case You Are Wondering or Trying to Remember …

In 1973, the Astros finished 4th in the NL West with a record of 82-80, .506 – a full 17 games back of division winner Cincinnati, 13.5 games back of 2nd place Los Angeles, and 6 games behind 3rd place San Francisco.

Their home attendance for 1973 was 1,394,004 in Leo Durocher’s last season managing anywhere.

___________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

 

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Fly Balls Still Falling in Astrodome (1965)

April 7, 2017

Artistic Apology from Bill McCurdy
Sandbox Artist, Pecan Park Eagle

 

Fly Balls Still Falling in Dome

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

If major league baseball players miss four fly balls when there is very little sun in Houston’s $31.6 million Domed Stadium, how many will they miss when the sun shines brightly?

That was a pertinent question Saturday after Houston defeated Baltimore 11-8 in the first daylight game played in the new park.

The day was overcast with little sun shining through the dome, but two Orioles and two Astros had trouble with four of the 24 balls hit into the air.

Left fielders Boog Powell of Baltimore and Mike White of Houston each misjudged a fly, with the balls falling behind them for hits. Oriole catcher John Orsino couldn’t make a try for a pop foul behind the plate because he didn’t see it.

Center fielder Jim Wynn of the Astros got his glove on a fly but was unable to hold it. Wynn collected four hits in the game while teammate Jim Beauchamp drove in six runs, three with a third-inning homer.

~ Victoria (TX) Advocate, Sunday, April 11, 1965

 

Art Credit to Cartoonist Bud Bentley of the Houston Post

 

Saved By The Weather

Astros Planned $250,000 Refund

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros were prepared to offer about $250,000 in refunds to 70,629 cash customers had the Saturday and Sunday afternoon exhibition games in the Astrodome turned into comedies of errors.

Overcast skies, however, made refunds unnecessary. There was practically no glare in the indoor stadium and the Astros, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles had little difficulty handling pop and fly balls.

The refund plan resulted from a Thursday afternoon intra-squad game when most outfield flies were missed because the Astros could not follow the balls in the glare caused by a bright sun penetrating the plastic dome.

Paul Richards, Astro general manager, revealed his refund proposal Monday and commended the club owners, R.E. (Bob) Smith and Judge Roy Hofheinz, for giving quick approval.

Richards said he went to Hofheinz three hours before Saturday’s game with the Baltimore Orioles and said: “Judge, hold onto your seat belt, I got something to tell you.”

Richards said he told the judge:

“If the sun comes out and the ball game this afternoon or tomorrow afternoon turns into a Keystone comedy with the players unable to follow the ball, we have no choice but to announce every ticket stub will be refunded in cash or replaced with a ticket for a future game.

“I thought he would swallow his cigar. The judge gave me one look of complete amazement. But after about 10 seconds he said, ‘I think you’re right. We’ve gained a billion dollars’ worth of goodwill through publicity, and we can’t afford to jeopardize this great start’.”

~ Victoria (TX) Advocate, Tuesday, April 13, 1965

____________________

Thanks again to Darrell Pittman for these two early articles on “The Sky Is Falling” April 1965 period in Astrodome history. As you now well know, the problem would lead to solutions for artificial playing surfaces that would transform the game and spawn whole new industries and trademark names for something we all once simply referred to as “grass”.

Nevermore.

____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

 

 

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An Old Scoring Nemesis Rears Its Head

April 6, 2017

Chris Devenski: The Unofficial Winning Pitcher in 5-3 Astros Comeback

 

Houston 5 – Seattle 3 (13 innings) – Minute Maid Park – Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Astros Winning Pitcher: Brad Peacock (1-0)

Mariners Losing Pitcher: Chase De Jong (0-1)

 

I didn’t find out until about 7:15 AM this morning, Thursday, April 6, 2017. After battling another drowsiness-inspiring respiratory infection since Tuesday, I had hung with the game on ROOT through all of those earlier missed chances the Astros had to win this game, but simply could not curb either my frustration or desire to descend into coma sleep late in the game. I went to bed after Brad Peacock walked in the run that gave the Mariners a 3-2 lead. I also put the rest of the game on DVR so I could watch it, outcome unknown, once I awoke today. To the mirthful result of my early morning ecstasy over George Springer’s “one-strike-to-go” poke into the Crawford Boxes for a 5-3 Astros walk-off win, my thoughts jumped almost immediately to one of the flaws in our long-time system of awarding wins and losses in multiple pitcher games, which today, pretty much covers all of them.

Did Brad Peacock really deserve the win that was assigned to him for being the pitcher record by being the guy who was still in the game when the Astros won it suddenly in the bottom of an extra inning game? After all, he had walked in the run that had given Seattle their short-lived 3-2 lead. But he had also had inherited three base runners via walks from previous pitcher Jandel Gustave, who got nobody out in the time he was out there. Peacock then shut Seattle down after their one gift walked-in run. He struck out two and shut the gate on further scoring in the 13th. So, yeah, by current scoring rules and his own game performance, he deserves it.

a hypothetical

What hurts is to realize that, if this game had been a 0-0 tie game going into the 13th – and if Peacock had given up all three Seattle runs on six hits in this one same 13th inning – that a walk-off grand slam by Springer in the bottom of the 13th would have still given Peacock the win for being the pitcher of record when the deed was done.

In reality, under those hypothetical circumstances, had the Astros not rallied to take the lead, Peacock would have deserved the loss for the three runs he surrendered in the top half of the 13th. But what rationale supports him deserving the win, simply because the offense rallied? The answer is – none of common sense need apply. The win assignment rule for pitchers rests heavily upon the facts that it is another of those “rules that exist because we baseball rule-makers say it’s the rule.” It is an attempt to objectify pitching win assignments so that records are consistently measured the same over time from one era to the next.

I’m not really sure there’s anything effective that could be done to improve the rule without creating a system which would open the win assignment job to subjective assessment. In that case, people like this writer might have responded to both the real 5-3 Astros win and the hypothetical version in the same way. We might have given the win to Chris Devenski and, in the real game situation only, a save to Brad Peacock.

Here’s the box score. Please make any scoring changes you might make in the real game:

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mariners-vs-astros/2017/04/05/490133#game_tab=box,game_state=final,game=490133

In the meanwhile, some of us will continue to do what we’ve been doing – taking win totals, particularly for relievers, with a grain of salt.

____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

 

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Dome History Tribute to Wayne Chandler

April 5, 2017

 

Remember this guy from the original Astrodome scoreboard?

 

Most of you won’t know of his name. If you ever watched an Astros game from the Astrodome, however, you will know of this quiet gentle man from all he did to alter the way we all watch games today in any big league park.

I really only knew of Wayne Chandler until recent years, when he either joined SABR or became an active member of of those who gather monthly for those wonderful evenings. It was through our local Larry Dierker chapter that I really started to get to know the man who did one of the loudest, and certainly most graphic things at the Astrodome over the years – and in exchange for barely hearable or unspoken credit for being the person who literally pushed the buttons of change on how modern fans of big league baseball “see” the game today through a continuously evolving visual presentation of the action via special digital screens and scoreboards in all stadiums that have all followed the original Astrodome prototype for (KA-POW! – IN YOUR FACE! – HERE IT IS!) visual energy and all the musical and driving sound background features that thematically pound every moment from pitching changes to critical walk-off hits.

The following contributory article from Darrell Pittman covers the early new offerings on the scoreboard at the Astrodome from 1965 forward. Whatever else Wayne Chandler did in his many years of faithful service to the Houston Astros is duly noted, but this is not his job resume’ at age 89 and still going strong in life. It is a “put-up-our-hands-and-say-clearly” to Astros historians and all former members of the organization that’s it high tine that Wayne Chandler be given due credit for what he literally did. – He’s the man who changed the way we watch baseball at place like the Astrodome, going forward.

A whole generation of young Houstonians grew up with the four images shown in our opening graphic. Those images spoke for the plight and destiny of the failed opposing pitcher when he was pulled from the mound and sent to the showers.

If anyone out there, including Wayne Chandler, would like to write a deeper informed column about the role of Wayne Chandler in this major presentation change through technological advances, The Pecan Park Eagle would welcome your submission by e-mail.

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In the meanwhile, here’s the article that Darrell Pittman found for us in the April 11, 1095 edition of the Victoria (TX) Advocate:

April 11, 1965 Victoria Advocate

Pitchers Beware: Mad Scoreboard

HOUSTON (AP) – The Houston Domed Stadium may turn out to be the most traumatic place in the world for the unfortunate visiting pitcher who throws a home run ball.

Let’s reconstruct a scene Saturday in the exhibition game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Houston Astros.

It’s the bottom of the third. Baltimore pitcher Dave McNally has already given up four runs in the first inning. Now there are two on base.

Wham!

Houston’s Jim Beauchamp slams a homer into the center field bleachers. While the three runs cross the plate, nightmarish sounds and sights erupt from the $2 million scoreboard.

Shoulders slumped, hands on hips, McNally turns to watch.

In colored lights on the scoreboard, the dome blows off the stadium… home run flashes… rockets zip red tracings from end to end of the board… cowboys chase longhorn steers… and, finally, two big steer heads appear, each with a United States flag flying from one horn and the Lone Star flag of Texas from the other, which the loud speakers blare “The Eyes of Texas.”

McNally slowly turns  back to the mound. Can this be real? Is it really happening? Or is it only a horrible dream?

He tugs on his cap, wiggles his shoulders, sticks out his chin and fires.

Mike White smacks the ball into deep left field for a double, and McNally is yanked.

Low in heart and mind, he starts off the field. Is he allowed to make the long, lonely walk in a decent pall of gloom?

No, there’s that infernal scoreboard lighting up again.

This time on comes an animated picture of a jowly, grim-visaged manager. His mouth opens wide and in giant, black capital letters out float the words: “Pitcher out? To the showers?”

The scene changes to a slump-shouldered dejected pitcher ambling under a shower head. He removes his cap, and spray begins pelting him.

Mercifully, a black curtain rises and cuts off the tragic scene.

The crowd guffaws.

McNally disappears into the dugout.

Has he just had a nightmare: No, it’s all too real.

That’s what happens to unlucky visiting pitchers.

But what happens when somebody belts a homer off an Astro pitcher?

The scoreboard flashed “tilt.” And the game goes on.

  • Victoria Advocate, Victoria 11, 1965

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Here at The Eagle, we just want shout it loud and wish we had a cartoon presentation to go with it:

 

“The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You!”

 

CONGRATULATIONS, WAYNE CHANDLER! ~ YOU IT UP OUR BASEBALL EYES IN WAYS WE’D NEVER PREVIOUSLY KNOWN! – AND, OH YES, – ‘THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU FOR BEING AN OUTTA THE PARK GUY!

~ Bill McCurdy, Publisher, The Pecan Park Eagle

 

____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

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Barker Red Sox in Vintage Ball Road Trip to Dallas

April 5, 2017

According to Manager Bob Copus, the Barker Red Sox did a beautiful job of representing the Houston Area in a a Vintage base ball Gathering at Farmers Branch near Dallas last Saturday, April 1st. Here they are with the Farmers Branch host club at the Farmer’s Branch Historical Park.

No identification is provided for the team to the left here in this photo with the Red Sox, nor has there been any confirmation, so far, that a Kansas team that came to play at Farmers Branch in their own team bus was transported there through the skies by a runaway twister.

Our April Fool’s Day Vintage Ball Trip to Farmers Branch

By

Bob Copus, Barker Red Sox Manager

And

Special Correspondent for The Pecan Park Eagle

The weather was perfect on April Fools Day 2017 for a fun filled day of Base Ball at the Farmers Branch Historical Park outside of Dallas, Texas.  Teams from Carrollton, Irving, Waxahachie, and Farmers Branch, Texas participated, as well as a team from Wichita Kansas and also the world famous Barker Red Sox.  The Historical Park was similar to the George Ranch Park but smaller in size, but equal in charm.  This did not take away from the hospitality shown by the Farmers Branch Mustangs nor Danielle Brissette, Museum Educator for Farmers Branch Historical Park.  Danielle was very gracious and did wonderfully at organizing the event. Plus she fit the part by wearing 1800’s style clothing.  The sportsmanship and positive attitudes of all players made it such a joyful event.  There was much laughing and joking among the players, however, we all played to win. After the last game of the day between the Barker Red Sox and the Wichita Red Stockings, photo requests from young kids were received with smiles.  The Red Sox also posed for photos with a wounded war veteran, who gave us the thumbs up after.  It is moments like these that make it all worth while.

The field of vintage teams at Farmers Branch last Saturday included Texas clubs from Farmers Branch, Estelle, Carrollton, and Waxahachie, plus, the Bullstockings of Wichita, Kansas, and, of course, our also Texas-based Barker Red Sox from the hinterlands of Houston’s western suburbs.

Our next road trip comes up this coming weekend, Saturday, April 8th, when our Barker Red Sox travel with another local vintage club, the Houston Babies, for another nice tourney at the big spring festival west of Houston in Sealy, Texas, Come see us play, if you can make it. Allow yourself to experience as fans how base ball was played back in 1860.  The first of two morning games will get under way at 10:00 AM and we will then break for a nice lunch prepared by the Sealy Texas Spring Festival planners. The games will resume after lunch and an enjoyable social rest.

Come join us and get ready for the time of your lives. If you ever played sandlot ball or have seen how it’s depicted in old movies, you are going to love it too, but be forewarned. It’s contagious! Playing the game is even more fun! Play one game and you want to play another!

If your interest grows to joyful-serious, seek out manager Bob Dorrill of the Houston Babies or yours truly (Bob Copus) of the Barker Red Sox and we’ll give you all the informational help you need to start your own vintage base ball club in the Houston area.

Let’s go, fans! It’s time! Play Ball!!!! …. Vintage Ball!!!

Before we take the field again, here’s a final visual trip to the inviting marketing plan that helped lure our Barker Red Sox to Farmers Branch last weekend – and also to a nameless Red Sox father who has given us permission to show that even your little kids can enjoy vintage base ball on any …. given ….. Saturday.

____________________

It all starts early, when we fall in love with chasing a base ball.

~ Bob Copus, Special Correspondent for The Pecan Park Eagle

 ____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

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Opening Day with Jimmy Wynn Was Great Fun

April 4, 2017

April 3, 2017: Clay Walker sang Our National Anthem. Craig Biggio threw out the first pitch to – who else – newest Astro Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell.

The Pre-Game Stuff

And two military jets buzzed the open spring skies over the fresh green fields of home prior to the game – with their roaring sound arriving overhead about two seconds prior to their physical eye-blink blaze-over the few of us who caught them in sight as they were passing. Seen or not, the sound of them and the reminder of who really makes all our freedoms work on a daily basis was inescapably connected to the joy and pride and gratitude we all got to feel. – Thank you for your service to all of us, brave men and women!

The first pitch moment was special too. It had to be really big too for Bidge and Bags, as Jeff gets ready to join Craig this summer in the Hall they’ve both deserved for many years. When we inducted both men together into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, during my tenure as Board Chair and Executive Director of that organization, I remember telling both of them that this moment too was their first chance to polish what they really needed to say again to the world and each other once they both entered the Big Hall in Cooperstown together some day. I failed to take into account that baseball politics might someday alter that timeline – and then make us all settle for serial inductions – but that’s OK. This time – with the help of the baseball gods – the writers got it right – and now we have another reason to make Cooperstown in July our two out of three years running vacation destination.

Good Friends. Marie Wynn and Norma McCurdy had a great time visiting and shopping at the gift store. Jimmy and I both acquired new Colt .45 caps as gifts. The girls were great and very patient with the desire that Jimmy and I shared of actually watching some of the game.

MMP-OD-040317-01

Bill McCurdy and Jimmy Wynn ~ From the deepest row of Keuchel’s Corner.

 

The Game Itself. 

What a start! We send one man to the plate in the bottom of the first – and four pitches later – George Springer tags a Crawford Box homer that gives us a one-run lead that we never surrender. We early get a second run on a sac fly to center and then, another short while later, Carlos Correa crushes one to Crawford Street because of the open roof circumstance and we then have what shall be the final score of 3-0! Astros win – and they are now tied for first place with whomever else in the division won from the AL West opening day segment of things.

The highlight for me, whenever this kind of game company situation works out for us, was again – just being with my dear friend Jimmy Wynn. It is a lesson about the long reach of love and appreciation Houston fans have for the players that turn out be top-level human beings in addition to great players for our local team.

Put this in perspective – especially if you weren’t even alive when Jimmy Wynn Last played for the Astros. Jimmy’s last season in Houston was 1973 – that’s 44 years ago – but still the fans who remember seek him out to express their love and appreciation for all he did here as first a Colt .45 and then an Astro from 1963-1973. Our seats were located in one of those areas which offers wheel chair accessibility, with portable folding chairs for Marie, Norma, and me. A stream of people came by to speak or get photos taken with Jimmy, and many came with clear ancient memories of his past accomplishments. To make it short here, not a one of those people went away disappointed. Jimmy’s ability to give of himself to others in kindness is invariably unshakeable. Even when some repeat, as often happens with athletes, facts and feelings that a thousand others before them already have proclaimed, Jimmy listens as though it’s the very first time he’s heard the comment. – And he does so, not merely because he speaks in the name of love, but because he listens in the name of love too. It’s not just an honor to be at a game with the man. – Heck! It’s an honor to be on the same planet with him. And the same goes for his wife, Marie. Marie Wynn is the spiritual battery that re-charges Jimmy’s soul, with a lot of love and encouragement left over for the souls of her friends and other company too. And all of this does not impair one’s ability to also watch baseball. It just takes baseball to another level of spiritual grace upon the green fields of our hearts and minds. Perhaps, you’ve heard of it. It too – is a place called “soul” – for all who enter its realm.

The Astro Players

As for the players we watched, they all looked great. Dallas Keuchel pitched deep and gave up no runs, while also fielding like the “gold glove fiend” that we know him to be. Ken Giles looked like the kind of closer we need him to be. The boys were fast and slick in the field. I was specifically impressed with how well Yuli Gurriel scooped up some triple bounce throws to first base that got us out of a few jams. And on and on and on.

When you begin the season on top from the first batter up, it’s at least an encouraging start.

Our New MMP Center Field is no longer an issue. Tal’s Hill is gone. The Astros are going to need big money someday, if it’s not already too late,  to have any chance of keeping Jose Altuve on our side. Question is, what are our chances if we don’t sign him to a new long-term deal before he wins a third AL batting title this year?

Minor Milestone and Notice

Today’s column is number 2600 since we started The Pecan Park Eagle in 2009.

One of our readers and close friends, Tom Hunter of Denver, e-mailed me the following overnight: “What happened to The Pecan Park Eagle blog?  I can’t find it.”

I cannot detect any problem here and was able to access both of yesterday’s columns and all others through the links sent out regarding each of those pieces. If you are having trouble accessing or “finding” this blog in any way, please let me know.

  • The Pecan Park Eagle …. houston.buff37@gmail.com

____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

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Expectations for the Houston Astros in 2017?

April 3, 2017

Bill Gilbert, our long time invaluable SABR analyst and independent columnist for The Pecan Park Eagle checks in today with his first thoughts about all our Great Expectations for the club this season. As per granite rock certain, Gilbert’s hope comes served with definitive globs of pure reality caution.

 

What Should be Expected from the Houston Astros in 2017?

By Bill Gilbert

 

In the midst of a 70-92 season in 2014, a cover story in Sports Illustrated forecast the Houston Astros to win the World Series in 2017. This seemed like a far-out prediction at the time but the Astros made a significant improvement in 2015, reaching the post-season playoffs with a record of 86-76. They fell off slightly in 2016 with a record of 84-78 due to a poor start and injuries to key pitchers.

Now it is 2017 and time to deliver on the 2014 SI forecast. The team made some significant offensive improvements in the off-season, picking up Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Josh Reddick and Nori Aoki to shore up the lower part of the lineup which was a soft spot last year. They will also have Alex Bregman and Yulieski Gurriel for the full season. Young players like Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and George Springer should have their peak years ahead of them.

The Astros scored an average of 4.5 runs per game last year. The improved offense should raise that figure to about 4.8 runs per game which could result in about 5 more wins. This leaves it up to the pitching. The key will be a return to form of Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers after their season ending injuries in 2016. If they are successful, the Astros should be in good shape but, if not, the club may have to give up one of their top prospects in a trade for pitching help.

The remainder of the starting rotation should be competitive if Collin McHugh returns to health. Newcomers, Charlie Morton and Joe Musgrave, both had excellent springs. The bullpen is deep and should be one of the best in the league.

Another key to success in 2017 will be the ability of the Astros to compete with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers have totally dominated the Astros in recent years including a record of 15-4 in 2016. If the Astros can win half of their games against the Rangers, they should finish on top in the Division

The season will be a major disappointment if the team fails to reach the playoffs. If things fall in place, a Division Championship and post-season success is within reach.

 

Bill Gilbert

billcgilbert@sbcglobal.net

4/2/17

____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

 

 

 

 

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First Pitch of the Season 2017

April 3, 2017

Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros
Opening Day Starter versus Seattle Mariners
Minute Maid Park, Houston TX
April 3, 2017

 

First Pitch of the Season

By Bill McCurdy

Original Version: March 26, 2015

Adapted for a Lefty: April 3, 2017

 

He raises both arms

Left hand to right glove

He grips the fresh ball

Caressing with love

 

He holds fast the roar

As he pauses to grip

Like a marbled Adonis

The wheel of his ship

 

Awaiting a late sign

From the Captain of Crouch

He soon finds the signal

As his fingers branch out

 

Controlling the ball

Begins with the grip

But includes body rhythm

Speed and place of each trip

 

The pitcher rares back

As his right leg kicks high

Then the right leg steps forward

As the left arm flies by

 

And when he lets go

Of the little white ball

It sails on toward home

On its own special call

 

To rise, sink, or curve

High, low, in or out

Even sometimes to flutter

What’s that all about?

 

As the left leg falls forward

With the release of the ball

The pitcher now braces

Awaiting – that’s all

 

Ball, strike, or in play

The deed will be done

First pitch, once delivered

And the season’s begun

____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

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Mgr. Lum Harris on 1965 Astros’ Needs

April 2, 2017

 

____________________

The above article by Houston Astros manager Lum Harris appeared in the April 6, 1965 edition of the St. Albans (VT) Daily Messenger. 1965 would be Houston’s fourth season as a big league club, but its first as the Astros, playing under the roof of the brand new Houston Astrodome. Everything about the 1965 season was charged with the idea of a new start date for hope in the destiny of baseball in the Bayou City. No other club in big league history had ever started a season in a venue that had been constructed to shelter all who came there in cool comfort from the fire and rain weather of one of the seven months a year hottest places to do anything in the western world.

To say that the fans were excited about the start of this 1965 season like no other, before or since, is arguably true. There will never be another time in Houston baseball history in which excitement over roofs and air conditioning will be more dominant than the prospects of the team that’s taking the field for our dear old home town, but make no mistake. By 1965, the growing talent on Houston’s roster already was stoking hope for a winning team in the reasonable few years ahead.

Again, thanks to Darrell Pittman, this whole article and the clear full copy of every word it contains is his gift to all of us. Thanks, Darrell. Your generosity is priceless and my appreciation of you goes beyond words.

____________________

The Complete Column in Readable Form ~

St. Albans (VT) Daily Messenger

April 6, 1965

More Runs, Power, Outfield Defense, Needs of Astros

Lum Harris

Houston Astros Manager

 

My goal as the new Houston manager is to win 15 more games than the Colt .45s did in 1964.

That would give the Astros a .500 record and a possible berth in the first division. And when a club is in the upper half of the National League standing, it is in contention.

The Astros have one of the finest defensive infields. The pitching has to be rated among the best. Our greatest needs are more runs and power and improved defensive play in the outfield.

Again we have to rely on the development of youngsters such as Rusty Staub, Jimmy Wynn and Joe Morgan, the first two back from Oklahoma City and the latter up from San Antonio for the first time.

I believe that playing in the fabulous new Astrodome is going to give our athletes a psychological boost.

It should also give our most powerful hitters, Walter Bond and Staub, added confidence and more run production. The fence is about 20 feet closer all around. There will be no wind from right to left as was the case in Colt Stadium.

The left side of our infield with Eddie Kasko at shortstop and Bob Aspromonte at third base made fewer errors last season than any combination in the major leagues.

I am turning the second base job over to Morgan, who at 5-feet-6 and 155 pounds, is called The Little Giant. Morgan, 21, was the principal reason why San Antonio won the Texas League flag.

He led second basemen in fielding, had 42 double, 12 home runs, 90 runs batted in and stole 47 bases batting .323. Not once did this fleet-footed kid hit into a double play.

Bond did a creditable job defensively at first base last season while leading the club in home runs with 20 and RBIs with 85. Bob Lillis, who hit .268 in 1964, plays shortstop, second and third base with the best.

Staub and Wynn showed enough promise at the end of last season to make us believe that their seasoning in Triple A last year was what they needed for them to reach their potential as outfielders and hitters. Staub hit 28 home runs with Houston and Oklahoma City.

Wynn will be the center fielder as long as he gets the job done. Al Spangler, who was hampered by a wrist injury, should come back to his fine showing in 1963. We also have Mike White, who does well at several positions, Jim Beauchamp and Joe Gaines.

Catching remains a question mark, but I like little Ron Brand, who will be pressed by John Bateman and Jerry Grote.

Bob Bruce, Dick Farrell, Don Nottebart and Ken Johnson are solid starting pitchers who last season were joined by Don Larsen.

Left-handed Hal Woodeshick and right-handed Jim Owens and Claude Raymond give us the nucleus of a top bull pen. Ken MacKenzie knows how to pitch.

Chris Zachary was the outstanding pitcher in the Texas League. Bob Turley is attempting a comeback. Danny Coombs, Phil Henderson and Larry Dierker are youngsters who merit considerable attention.

I hope we can get into orbit like the other astronauts have.

NEXT: Billy Herman, Boston Red Sox

____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

 

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A 2017 Spring Trivia Quiz

April 1, 2017

Season Slogan
Of
The 2017 Houston Astros

 

A 2017 Spring Trivia Quiz

Here’s a little mindercise activity to start off the month of April.

APRIL FOOL! – Nobody’s insistent upon a lot of work when the brand new 2017 baseball season begins in only two days. With the changes the club has made since last year, thanks to owner Jim Crane and General Manager Jeff Luhnow, the growing passion and maturity of Manager A.J. Hinch, the general excitement over the coming of age among so many promising and already great younger players, the presence of Jose Altuve, the return of Carlos Beltran, the near future slugger prospects of Derek Fisher, and the hope for the immediate return of the true Dallas Keuchel, – all of that and more – and the fans and players alike can hardly wait until Monday night.

We also like the Astros’ new “Earn It” 2017 slogan. When a club has the material to live up to that hope, this is an especially good time to embrace it. – GO ASTROS! NO APRIL FOOLING! START EARNING IT AND WE SHALL NOT ONLY HANG WITH YOU THIS YEAR AT THE CORE, WE SHALL ALSO GROW IN NUMBERS FROM THE NEXT LEVEL OF BANDWAGON FANS WHO ARE SURE TO JOIN US! – And, yes, all those words deserved a big shout-out in CAPS!

In the meanwhile, here’s a little April 1st quiz that was sponsored by our recognition of how many two-word rhyming phrases there are out there that match up well to “earn it”, but it’s no April Fool joke. All of these nine other “groups” with slogans that rhyme with “earn it” have real and distinctively separate answers from each other. Some may be close, but they are all distinctly different.

See how many you can get right. Then add your matching list of numbers (1-10) of slogan sponsors with specific slogans (A-J) and post your responses as a comment in the section which follows this article.

When we have our first 100% correct answer entry posted, the Pecan Park Eagle will step in on-line and raise the winner’s hand. You each already know that 2-E is correct.

And, hey, look at it this way. You are all starting with one correct answer in hand.

The “Earn It” 2017 Spring Trivia Quiz Chart:

Sponsor Slogan
1. American Crematories A) Turn It
2. 2017 Houston Astros B) Stern It
3. Butter Creameries Co. C) Durn It
4. The Anti-Sinners League D) Burn It
5. The Second Language School E) Earn It
6. League for Softer Words than “Damn” F) Spurn It
7. Funeral Fashions Exclusively G) Urn It
8. Our Universal Wish at the Wheel of Fortune H) Fern It
9. Unimaginative Flower Beds, Inc. I) Learn It
10. The Eternal Soul Vase Company J) Churn It

 

If you do not submit an entry, no problem. Readers who do submit, who know you also as a reader, will simply assume that you were too busy to try or didn’t have a clue beyond the first given answer provided for you.

Bigger reason – it’s all in fun. Feel free to play or not.

~ The Pecan Park Eagle

____________________


Bill McCurdy

Publisher, Editor, Writer

The Pecan Park Eagle

Houston, Texas

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