Gotcha with the headline eh?  Not really breaking news.. but it is news.  Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte both filed for free agency.  Not like anyone is surprised.  No this doesn't mean that they won't be coming back to the Astros next season.  It just means they filed for free agency.  That's it.  The chances of them coming back this season are as good as they'll ever be and nothing has really changed since the end of the season.  Link

And the second set of Astros news...  The Astros declined the 18 million dollar option on Jeff Bagwell instead, buying out his contract for 7 million.  What does this mean?  It just officially means that Bagwell, the best Astros player ever, will never play baseball as a member of the Houston Astros.  Not like that's anything new.  We've pretty much known that since he said he couldn't play after spring training.  This is just making it official.  Expect Bagwell to announce his retirement from baseball in the near future.  Link

It makes me very, very happy to see Eckstein(not Ecksteen Bud!) win the MVP and the Vette...  Absolutely awesome. 

First off let me say that IE7 *****!  I don't normally use it, but for some reason I was now... had a long nice post and decided to insert and image and whamo.. message gone. 

Just wanted to say congrats to the Cardinals for their total domination of the Tigers.  I said all along that I thought the Cardinals were the worst team in the playoffs, but they have shown everyone that it doesn't matter how bad or good you were in the regular season... once the playoffs starts, the slate is clean.  Weaver was totally outstanding.  8 innings of 4 hit 2 run ball against the Tigers... nice job. 

Even though I didn't want the Cardinals to win and didn't think they would win... Them winning isn't all that bad.  Them winning stops the streak of National league teams not only losing in the World Series... but being swept out of the World series.  The Cardinals who were swept by the Red Sox 2 years ago get some paybacks this year by putting it to the Tigers.  Good for the NL.  It's also good that the "worst division in baseball" took the World Series from the "best division in baseball."  And the best part of this all (for me)?  The end of the World Series means free agency starts sooner.  15 days after today FA will start and the Astros can start trying to make some moves to bolster the ranks of a poor hitting club. 

So once again, congrats to the Cards, the 2006 World Series Champions.  Boy do I hate you. :wink:  I'm sure Fox is happy that they can now air something that will actualy get decent ratings. 

My bro asked me to get stats for Biggio compared to the other 2nd basemen in the league.  So here ya go. 

Here's how Biggio fared offensively with all of the 2nd basemen with 400 at bats or more(13th being the worst).   

Just a side note.. many of these players are still early in their careers and not making the $ that they are worth. 

From here.

The Yankees are looking for takers for Gary Sheffield, and the Houston Astros are thought to be interested.

A major-league official confirmed the Yankees are trying to trade Sheffield, whose contract includes a $13 million team op tion for 2007. Although Sheffield -- who turns 38 next month and missed most of 2006 with a wrist injury -- would seem unlikely to command $13 million on the free- agent market, his original deal called for $4.5 million of the $13 million to be deferred, making him more affordable (it is unclear if that portion was adjusted when Sheffield got upset about the deferments in spring training 2005).

By trading Sheffield, the Yankees can get something in return rather than just allowing him to become a free agent.

The Yankees would have to have a deal in place by the early- November deadline to pick up the option to avoid an outfield logjam. There seems to be no room for Sheffield, with the late- season and playoff move to first base not very successful and outfielders Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu all under contract.

The Astros could use Shef field's power, if it returns. Despite a close left-field fence at its home park, Houston had just 39 homers against left-handed pitching, the fourth-lowest total in the NL, and Astros cleanup hitters had a .484 slugging percentage, 10th in the league.

Houston may have relief pitching to trade, possibly including embattled closer Brad Lidge, who is eligible for arbitration.

Umm... I wouldn't trade Lidge straight up for Sheffield.  Yes Sheff would be a good addition to the offense(if he stays healthy), but he's getting close to 40 and missed most of last season.  Not real sure how his attitude would gel with the Astros.  If the Astros can't make a deal to get Lee or Soriano(or some other decent bat through free agency) and they could get Sheff without trading away any young talent... then I would be okay with it.  But I still have hope for Lidge... I still have hope for Ensberg...  Trading away our young unproven pitching for a guy who will probably retire soon is not worth it in my opinion.  If I read that correctly, there's a chance that the Yankees will just buy out his contract and make him a free agent...  That seems like the better option to me.  Take a chance by not trading for him and see if you can pick him up through FA.  Of course through FA, he might not want to come to the Astros... but if that's the case, then I don't see why we'd want him here anyways. 

You know the news is slow on your team when you go to the team homepage and 2 of the last 6 headlines are basically the same thing.  Yes, Biggio is still close to a deal with the Astros.  We know that!  Give us some news.  But from the article I read this :

The issue is money. Biggio will be receiving a raise from his $4 million salary of 2006. How much of a raise appears to be a sticking point.

A raise?  Are you serious?  Now I'm a huge Biggio fan and the thought of him possibly playing for a team(no matter how small of a chance it is) turns my stomach...  but a raise?  What is this, an appreciation raise for past service and for being a cornerstone of the organization for the best part of 20 years?  He definitely doesn't deserve a raise based on performance.  Biggio had one of his worst offensive seasons of his career last season...  Of his 15 seasons that he's played more than 140 games, here's how his stats last season added up(with 1st being his best season in that category and last being his worst season in that category). 

Then you take into consideration that Biggio is more than likely not going to play 140+ games next season.  Look for Biggio to get less starts once he hits the big 3K in hits.  Next season will be sort of a out with the old, in with the new at 2nd base, bringing in Chris Burke to get more starts while Biggio(while still getting more starts than Burke) gets more off days.  Biggio is one of my favorite players ever...  but he's getting old...  His defense isn't what it used to be and his arm is very weak... even for a second basemen.  His home run totals are still good(21 last season) but he's also benefiting from the Crawford Boxes in left field while at home.  I just don't see how based on his performance that he could even realistically expect to get a raise... I don't know what the Astros are offering, but I can only assume it's at least 4 million.  I never would have imagined it would have taken his long to get Biggio signed again. 

Excerpt found here.

Axelrod said he thinks another client, Craig Biggio, will end up bridging what is currently a financial gap and re-sign with the Astros while also getting a personal-services deal like Roger Clemens that extends into his post-career. However, Axelrod said he had spoken with Biggio, and that if matters cannot be worked out fairly, Biggio would leave the only team for which he has played and seek the 70 hits he needs to reach 3,000 somewhere else.

"He said to me that if they don't value me enough and I have to go to St. Louis, Chicago or New York to play on a winner and hit milestones, then I will do it," Axelrod said.

The last few lines are kind of scary as an Astros fan... but I'm pretty sure that's just agent speak and positioning by Axelrod.  Don't think Biggio won't be an Astro next season.  I don't see any scenario where the Astros don't watch Biggio get his 3,000 hits in a Houston uniform.  Hopefully we'll see Biggio in the Houston organization for years to come after his playing career as well.  Just guessing, but I'd bet Biggio signs a contract before the World Series is over with...  if not then next week at the latest. 

I didn't think the Cardinals would make it past the first round.. and I was positive they wouldn't make it past the Mets...  so basically any prediction I have is almost sure to be wrong...  With that said, I still think the Cardinals were the worst team to make the playoffs this year and think they will lose in the World Series.  I think it will be the 3rd World Series in a row to feature a sweep of a National League team.  Like most of the talking heads on T.V. I'm not giving the Cardinals much of a shot to beat the Tigers.  They could win one and it wouldn't surprise me, but if they take it to 6 or even 7 games I'll be border line shocked.

I sort of want to root for the Cardinals just because they are a National League team and I'm a National League kind of guy...  but I'm not going to root for the Cardinals...  I just can't bring myself to rooting for a NL Central team that isn't the Astros...  So Go Tigers! 

Biggio is still without a contract...  don't look for that to last much longer.  I'm guessing a 1 year contract for 4 million. 

Go 'Stros!

Since the Astros didn't make the playoffs this year, I don't really have any rooting interests.  I was rooting for the Padres basically just because they were playing the Cardinals, but now they've been eliminated.  So now it's down to the A's and Tigers in the AL and the Cardinals and Mets in the NL.

Here's a breakdown of what teams in the playoffs have done in the past(pennant and World Series wins).

• The Tigers have won the World Series four times(1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984), and the AL Pennant nine times(1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968 and 1984). 
• The A's have won the World Series nine times(1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1989) and the AL Pennant fifteen times(1902, 1905, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1988, 1989 and 1990)
• The Mets have won the World Series twice(1969 and 1986) and the NL Pennant four times(1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000).
• The Cardinals have won the World Series nine times(1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967 and 1982) and the NL Pennant sixteen times(1626, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 2004). 

I don't really want to root for the Cardinals, since they eliminated the Astros from the playoffs but I'm also a National League fan and would rather a National League team win the World Series over an American League team.  I don't really want to root for the Mets just because they are the Mets...  but they do have some people on the team that I really like(David Wright, Billy Wagner, Pedro Martinez etc).  I kind of have a rooting interest in the Tigers since they've been so bad in recent history and before this year, didn't have a winning season in over 10 years(1993)...  Then again I could root for the A's just because have nothing against them. 

I still don't know who I want to root for.  I think the World Series will be between the Mets and the Tigers.  I guess I kind of hope the Mets win, but if the Tigers won, it wouldn't upset me in the least bit.  The only team I really don't want to win is the Cardinals.  If the A's, Mets, or Tigers win, I'll be happy for them.  If the Cardinals win...  well...  lets just hope that doesn't happen.  I do think the Cardinals are the worst team in the playoffs right now though. 

That much can be expected.  Earlier in the week Chris Burke had successful shoulder surgery on his left shoulder(non throwing) which popped out of place multiple times this year.  It was more of a tune up on him to prevent it from happening again.  The Astros took catchers Eric Munson and J.R. House off of the 40 man roster and added Paul Estrada(from the Hooks).  Estrada is a flame thrower who served as the closer for Corpus last season.  Not really a major move.. but it's news, so bare with me.

I believe free agency begins 15 days after the final game of the World Series.. so until then, there probably won't be much Astros news.

The 2nd round of the playoffs is almost set.  The Tigers, A's and Mets have all moved on while the Padres and Cardinals are still fighting it out.  They are about to start in St. Louis with ex-Cardinal Woody Williams taking the hill against Chris Carpenter.  Go Padres!!  If needed, game 5 will be played tomorrow in San Diego, but the Carindals lead the series 2-1 and have their ace on the mound, so all of those in Cardinal land are probably pretty confident they will move on.  Once again... go Padres!!

League Championship Series Schedule

Other Sports News
The Pens are now 1-1 after losing against the Red Wings 2-0 on Saturday.  The Texans had an off week after winning their first game last week and take on the Cowboys next Sunday.  The Cowboys are currently playing the Eagles and just tied the game 24-24 in the 4th quarter with less than 12 minutes left on a field goal.  T.O. has done nothing. 

Well...  can't say I'm really surprised the way the playoffs are going...  but it's not going the way I had hoped.  The Tigers and Yankees are tied with 1 game each after the Tigers came back last night against the Yankees and won the game 4-3.  I'm rooting for the Tigers in this series.. mainly because the Yankees have won enough, but I really don't dislike the Yankees or like the Tigers.  The A's lead the Twins 2-0.  Really have no preference here at all...  The Mets lead the Dodgers 2-0 in the series after beating the Dodgers last night 4-1.  Go Dodgers!  No real rooting interest in either team, but I have family who like the Dodgers.. so Go Dodgers!  And last, the Cardinals lead the Padres 2-0 in the series.  The Padres have scored 1 run against the Cardinals and haven't realized that you don't pitch to Pujols!  I really wanted the Padres to win.  Ok.. I wanted them to win, I really don't care anymore since the Astros are out.. but I still wanted the Padres to win. 

Haven't watched a full game(baseball) since last Sunday...  Weird all the extra free time I have now...

So, last night hockey season started for me.  I'm a huge Penguins fan!  What?  A Pens fan in Houston?  Why?  Well there was no NHL team in Houston(or Texas for that matter) when I started into hockey and I really liked Super Mario when I was younger, so I started liking the Penguins.  I don't miss many Penguins games(thanks to NHL center ice that my brother subscribes to).  Last night the Pens shut out the cross state rival Flyers 4-0.  It was a great game, the Pens were physical, aggressive and pretty much played a perfect game(minus all of the freaking penalities they took).  Fun game though.  Go Pens!  Go 'Stros!

Just giving some love to the newest addition to the Astros MLBlogs family.  Check out Houston Heat for a new perspective on the Houston Astros!

On March 29th, I made some predictions on how the Astros season would go in my post here.  I'm going to go through the post and see how close/far off I was.

• Oswalt - look for Oswalt to hit the 20 win mark again.  He's still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball and with some extra run support this year, should have a little easier time. 

Well, that didn't really turn out how I expected.  Roy was dominate like normal, but the improved run support I hoped for just wasn't there.  Roy ended with 15 wins and the NL's 2nd best ERA of 2.98

• Pettitte - Pettitte had a great season last year but was question mark at the start of the season due to previous injuries.  Look for Andy to have a season comparable to last season with maybe 3-4 wins more due to more maturity in the Astros batting order.  He'll be right around the 20 win mark this season.

Pettitte had a rough start to the year having his ERA well over 5 for a good portion of it.  He started pitching well at the 2nd half of the season lowering his ERA to 4.20 and 14 wins. 

• Backe - Backe is too streaky.  I think this will be his make or break season.  If he can show the brilliance he's shown in the post season, during the regular season then he has the chance to win 15-20 games.  If he continues to be streaky then he'll be fighting for his job come late season.  He needs to get his ERA under 4.00 and work on keeping the ball down and keep it in the park.

Backe didn't have much of a season.  He was out most of the season with arm troubles only make 8 appearances on the season.  When he did pitch, he pitched pretty well, winning 4 games with a 3.77 ERA.  Backe is now looking to miss most if not all of next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. 

• Catcher - Brad Ausmus - Brad will be behind the plate again this year.  Expect a gold glove caliber year defensively and around a .250 batting avg.  He'll hit 8-10 home runs this year and like normal will struggle at the start of the season. 

Brad hit 2.30 on the season with 2 home runs.  He was excellent behind the plate with the best fielding percentage in the National League of all catchers who caught more than 100 games. 

• First Base - Lance Berkman - expect Lance to have a big year.  A full season with out injuries should be a great thing for the Astros.  Lance will hit 35-40 bombs this season with a .300+- batting avg.  Playing every day at first should help him stay healthy and improve his numbers at the plate. 

Lance had a career year hitting career highs in home runs(45) and RBI's(136) and finished off the season with a .315 average, slugging 621 and on base 4.20.  Lance stayed healthy for most of the season playing 152 of 162 games.

• Second Base - Craig Biggio - Bigg's hit his career high in home runs last year.  He's getting older, but that doesn't seem to be effecting him much offensively.  He's not the greatest defensive 2nd basemen, but he's solid.  His arm isn't what it used to be, but he can still turn the 4-6-3 and the 6-4-3 so there's no worries.  Look for Biggio to hit 22-24 home runs with a 270's batting avg and start the season at the lead off spot. 

Biggio had an off year(due to age?) with his lowest batting average in a full season of .246.  He did hit 22 home runs, but his on base % was also a career low at .306.  Biggio should be back next season to get his 3000th hit as an Astro and then be able to retire and head to the hall of fame.

• Third Base - Morgan Ensberg - Morgan had a break out year last season and I expect his numbers to increase this year.  Look for Mo to hit 35-37 home runs this season with a 280's batting avg. 

Oh man was I off on Morgan.  Morgan was... bad.  He batted .235 on the season and only played 127 games(mostly due to being benched).  Not even sure if he's going to be an Astro next season, or if he will be a starter.  Only time will tell. 

• Short Stop - Adam Everett - Adam's the best defensive shortstop in the National League(maybe in baseball), but his offensive numbers are sub-par.  He has the tools to be a great lead off hitter if he learns to watch a few more pitches, and swing at the right pitches.  He has a tendency of swinging at balls low and outside which really hurts his batting average.  Hopefully Adam will feel some pressure from Burke or Bruntlett and step his offensive game up some.  Look for Adam to hit around .250 and steal 10-15 bases this season.

Another poor offensive season for Adam.  He batted .239 on the season and only stole 9 bases.  He was outstanding again on defense and was 2nd in the league with a .990 fielding % behind Vizquel and turned 105 double plays(good for 3rd in the NL). 

• Left Field - Preston Wilson - The Astros main free agent acquisition this year, Wilson should definitely increase the RBI totals from the 2005 Astros.  Preston should benefit from the Crawford boxes and possibly hit 30-40 home runs this year.  Look for him to strike out 30% of the time and hit for about .265 with 105 RBI's. 

P-Dub wasn't the home run/RBI man like he was advertised.  He did hit for a .269 average as an Astro(compared to my predicted .265) but only had 9 home runs and 55 RBI's through the first 102 games.  He was traded to the Cardinals and finished the last 33 games with them.  He ended up with 17 home runs and 72 RBI's on the season.  Good riddance. 

• Center Field - Willy Taveras - Willy T's a monster on the base paths and has the tools to steal 50+ bases this season.  Willy needs to work on his strike outs and take a few more pitches.  He really needs to take over the lead off spot from Craig Biggio and let Biggio hit 2nd.  If he doesn't increase his on base percentage this year, he'll find himself batting 7th or 8th and possibly losing some playing time to Chris Burke.

Will T did some of what I hoped he would do.  He produced 9 more walks and 15 less strike outs on the season and raised his on base % by 8 points.  He only stole 33 bases which would have been higher he he attempted any stolen bases at the start of the season.  He did finally take over the lead of spot for a good portion of the season and also lost some playing time in center to Chris Burke.

• Right Field - Jason Lane - Jason will benefit this year from not having to worry about losing his spot.  He had a nice season last year in his first full season.  Jason has the tools to hit 40+ home runs if he can just stay consistent.  If Jason can stay consistent, look for him to hit .280 with 35-40 home runs and 110-115 RBI's. 

Well, I said if he could stay consistent, he would do well.. but he didn't.  He batted on the season for .201 and only hit 15 home runs(though 112 games).  He spent some time in Triple-A and would have spent some more time if he would have cleared waivers. 

• Bench - Orlando Palmeiro, Eric Bruntlett, Mike Lamb and Chris Burke are the only givens.  In my opinion, the 'stros have one of the strongest benches in the majors.  Look for Burke to get the most playing time, starting in the outfield and 2nd base.  Bruntlett is probably one of the best defensive utility men in baseball with the ability to play every position(minus pitcher/catcher) at an above average/gold glove caliber level.  Lamb will get a little time relieving Berkman at first base, and maybe a few games relieving Ensberg at 3rd, but will mainly come in late in the games to pinch hit.  Palmeiro is a really consistent pinch hitter and will be used mainly as a pinch hitter in the late innings

Lamb was by far the best bench player... He got quite a bit of time starting this year playing in 126 games between first and third base.  He batted .307 on the season and hit 12 home runs.  Palmeiro was a pinch hitter for most of his at bats and batted .252 on the season.  He really showed his worth in the last week of the season going 6-11 in the last 7 games with 6 RBI's(many to tie the game or put the Astros ahead).  Bruntlett didn't play much this season, but when he did, he was alright.  He batted .277 with 119 AB's.  He also spent some time in triple A.

With the loss today to the Braves, the Astros are eliminated from the playoffs.  Tony LaRussa must have read my blog because they didn't pitch Carpenter today.  That move was pure genius! =)

The Cardinals are losing today again today, this time 5-1 to the Brewers.  So it looks like the Cardinals are going to split the series.  Yesterdays game could have easily went in the favor of the Brewers as well if one strike(which appeared to be a strike) to Spezio would have been called a strike.  Anyways...

I just wanted to thank the Astros for playing good baseball and giving us a reason to watch them until the last game.  It was a very stressful season for me, but I guess that's the way baseball is.  Hopefully the Astros will go out and get at least one more good hitter(Carlos Lee maybe?) and possibly some pitching help.  I don't think we need a whole lot.. but a few key players and we could be a very tough team again. 

Changes to my blog:
First let me state that I am not being a band-wagoner, but the Padres only have 1 person blogging for them, and that person hasn't blogged since June 9th... so I"ll probably change my blog layout over to the Padres, and follow them while they are in the playoffs.  Someones gotta give them some love right?  I might not... but if you do see that, then you'll know why.  Secondly, you'll notice a change in header.. We're no longer the Defending National League champs.. so I need to think of something new for there... 

I'll probably continue to post through the summer.. might post a little bit about the Pittsburgh Penguins(hockey rocks!) and maybe some Aeros stuff... doubt I'll post anything about the Texans, but might.. Might also post some general nothingness just to kill some boredom.  I'm sure I'll also keep anyone who reads up to date with any Astros news.. but I doubt you'll get any of that until the playoffs/world series is over with.. and then probably a few weeks/months after that. 

Anyways, thanks again to the Astros and thanks to anyone who reads this silly thing I write. 

The Padres/Dodgers now lead the West and the Central, mathematically eliminated the Phillies from the playoffs.  The Cardinals have a game and a half advantage over the Astros with two games left.  The Astros just have one game left and must win(while the Cardinals lose two in a row) in order make the playoffs(after a one game playoff with the Cards).  The Cardinals send their slumping ace to the mound tonight to try and seal the deal.  If I was the LaRussa, I'd send anyone but Carpenter to the mound tonight.  All they need is one win out of two or an Astros loss and they clinch.  So why not save Carpenter, hope one of those two things happens tonight, and then cruise into the playoffs with my ace starting game one, instead of my ace starting game three or four.  If the Cardinals lose tonight and the Astros win, then they could send Carpenter to the mound.  Dunno, just seems like simple logic to me... I guess they want to celebrate on a Sunday instead of a Monday...  hopefully they'll lose out(which they are prone to doing over the last week) and the Astros will win tonight and send the Cardinals/Astros to a one game playoff. 

The non-clinched divisions stand like this: