Right Now, This is a Bad, Bad Team

I haven't posted in over a month because of travel, work, and life in general, but since I knew no one was reading the blog, I figured I would wait until my life settled down and really begin to devote myself to this thing. But that's enough with the sad-sack stories.

But wait, how can I write about the Astros without talking about a bunch of sad-sack stories? Right now this team is awful, full of injuries and holes, and apparently all is NOT well in the clubhouse. In this current 7 game losing streak, they have been swept twice (by two decent teams, but that's beside the point), had two complete games thrown against them, and by and large, stunk up the joint.

It's one thing when a team loses a lot of games while still playing hard, but this is a whole different hot dog. Many in the local media consider Cecil Cooper to be a dead man walking and they may be right. I'm not sure what Coop's new deal guarantees him, but I'm sure Tal Smith, Ed Wade, and Drayton McLane had the foresight to minimize the financial hurt if/when they decide to can the coach. These journalists/columnists/beat writers/talk radio personalities are about ready to call for Cooper's head, and as much as I hate to agree with the guys who get paid to do this, they may be right. I have no access or inside information, but the general attitude of this team (from watching on TV, mind you) is obviously very poor. I have no idea what Cecil Cooper has done so far (the team did have a recent meeting), but now may be the time for a last ditch Hurricane Ike of a clubhouse tantrum, with the expected silent treatment to follow. I'm not sure, but maybe these guys' manhoods need to be challenged--then again that could make things worse...if that's even possible.

As for the positives, there are a few things to be happy about. Miguel Tejada, Hunter Pence, and Michael Bourn continue to have solid games night in and night out, and even Carlos Lee has been hustling from time to time. I am also pleased with Felipe Paulino, who, despite his numbers, is showing that if he can reign his stuff in, he might have the potential to be nasty. There are other isolated bright spots, but I hesitate to praise this team at all, based on recent performance.

As for me? I am going to renew my dedication to this blog...as soon as I get back in town. That's mostly a joke (I will be going out of town for the first week in June, but I will do my best to post based on whatever Astros baseball I can catch). I have been lacking in my effort, just like a baseball team I know, but I promise that will change. This team may end up losing 100 games this year, but I promise to give playoff effort, even if the 'Stros are mathematically eliminated by August. I have big plans for this whole thing, so please bear with me as I get my shit together.