It’s Opening Day for the Houston Astros and I am so excited. I think of the time between the end of the Super Bowl and the start of the baseball season as the dead zone. Not being a huge basketball fan anymore, it is a really boring time on television and on sports talk. Sure we have March Madness, but at this point, it’s more fun to do a bracket than actually watch a 3-4 week long basketball tournament.
But no more! We now have seven months months of glorious baseball talk, stats, games and smack. Praise Cthulhu!
I am currently watching Baseball Tonight and they can’t say enough good thins about Brett Myers. John Kruk in particular noted that Brett has one of the best breaking balls in the majors and if he has command today, the Phillies are going to be in trouble.
Blame It on the Rain…
Game time temperature is going to be around 42˚ with light rain. In fact, it is supposed to rain during the whole game. It’s going to be a miserable day and everyone is questioning not only why this game wasn’t played in Houston, but also how the Houston players are going to perform in such chilly conditions.
I think it is an appropriate question. Even though we have several players who have experience playing in the colder cities, that doesn’t mean that they are acclimated to those conditions today. This is going to be their worst handicap today and add Roy Halladay to the mix… yuck!
Just be glad the Astros aren’t playing in Cleveland.
What Do We Want to See Today?
We would love to see a win. Starting the season with a Myers win against Halladay would be a great way to start the season. However, we have to be realistic. The first month of the season is always weird as the players get into the groove and get their rhythms figured out.
- We want to see good bat speed. No 0-for-4 performances unless you knock out several foul balls. We want to know that the players can make contact.
- We want to see confidence. No cockiness. Quiet determination that lets the players and fans know this young team means business.
- We want to see no errors. Defense is the base for good baseball. A strong week in defense will be something the Astros can build on.
Go Astros!!!
