Help me, help the Astros

by Stephen Higdon on Apr 6, 2010 11:00 AM CDT in Editorials

This is majestic place. People dressed as Taco Bell hot sauce packets should not be running around in it—ever.

This has nothing to do with baseball. Instead, it has something to do with the travesty that is the apparently newly enshrined tradition of packets of hot sauce ripping off venerated sausages. I have yet to see any video/picture evidence of this travesty, but my imagination runs wild. So does Joe's, as this revelation last night it nearly caused him lose his delicious nachos. Nachos. That would have been a tragedy (full text after the jump).

I know that advertising revenues have likely yet to rebound, but hot sauce packets? But really?! Really?!

My proposal today is that instead of licking our wounds from the beating Tim Lincecum dealt us—or plotting to jump Barry Zito and his contract this evening—we pool our collective brain power to come up with something better. I will be embarrassed if the Astros allow the City of Houston to become associated with a cheap Mexican-food chain's crappy hot sauce and their varying levels of Scovilles. Near enraged, actually. Surely we can come up with something more fitting, and the hopefully incite a riotous enough protest to end this charade of crappy-cheap-condiment-competition.

AAARRRRGHHHHHH

I’m about to puke up my nachos

Astros fan for life

by Joe in Birmingham on Apr 5, 2010 7:31 PM CDT

Poll

How do you feel about the Taco Bell hot sauce packet race?

Dude, I'm actually ok with it. You need to calm down.

53 votes

This is ridiculous/shameful.

97 votes

150 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 27 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

It's ridiculous and shameful.

But I’m not sure there’s actually anything we can do about it, unfortunately.

by OremLK on Apr 6, 2010 11:07 AM CDT reply actions

I still go with my suggestion when I first heard about it….racing peppers.

by clack on Apr 6, 2010 11:08 AM CDT reply actions

It'd be worse if...

Giant cows raced to the “fowl” poles, right?

Plus, was Taco Bell the only sponsor for this? What about getting Tillman Fertita involved? He wouldn’t throw money out there for a seafood race, with a fish, a shrimp, a crawfish and an octopus or something?

I even like the pepper idea better.

by David Coleman on Apr 6, 2010 11:09 AM CDT reply actions

hmmm…how about a crawfish race….that would really go with our site, right?

That’s a Szezchuan crawfish, in case you get a chinese restaurant to sponsor it.

by clack on Apr 6, 2010 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions

I suggest

Giant mosquito races.

by alamosweet on Apr 6, 2010 11:13 AM CDT reply actions

Until we become the "Taco Bell Astros"

I won’t complain…and the days of just being the “city” “mascot” are coming to a close soon unfortunately

The Crawfish Boxes, Astros blogging at its finest.

by Evan Hochschild on Apr 6, 2010 11:15 AM CDT reply actions

Kind of like the New York Red Bull team

by Timothy De Block on Apr 6, 2010 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions

exactly

The Crawfish Boxes, Astros blogging at its finest.

by Evan Hochschild on Apr 6, 2010 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions

or more like

teams in the Japanese baseball league

The Crawfish Boxes, Astros blogging at its finest.

by Evan Hochschild on Apr 6, 2010 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions

I think the better question is

Why is Barry Zito getting a start before Matt Cain? did I miss something and Zito become exceptionally better and Cain fall off the wagon?

by Timothy De Block on Apr 6, 2010 11:49 AM CDT reply actions

Maybe separating 2 RHPs with a LHP? some managers like to do that, even though I doubt it makes much difference. some managers like to separate 2 power pitchers with a soft tosser, and Zito might make sense that way too.

by clack on Apr 6, 2010 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions

Ya I see your point, I just believe in putting your best foot forward.

by Timothy De Block on Apr 6, 2010 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Barry makes more money

So he must be the better pitcher, right?

by OremLK on Apr 6, 2010 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions

Though, to be fair, xFIP thinks that Cain and Zito weren’t that far off last season (4.46 xFIP for Zito as compared to 4.22 for Cain).

by OremLK on Apr 6, 2010 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions

I checked in on some of the fangraphs’ opening day chat session (even though you probably have to overlook about 10% – 20% of the chat session, which was comprise of making fun of the Astros or particular Astros players). MGL was there for awhile, and he gave some of his own pitcher rankings (what system he uses…he doesn’t say). He said that he ranks Cain better than Lincecum, which is surprising. He also ranked quite a few pitchers better than Beckett, Holliday, and King Felix (Carpenter and Sabbathia are two I recall). Since mgl has a contrarian streak, I also wondered if he was saying this to rankle Cameron and some of the other fangraphers on the chat. Let’s hope that he isn’t right that Cain is better than Lincecum.

by clack on Apr 6, 2010 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions

There’s no way he is. Just on the basis of their K/BB and groundball rates alone, there’s no way I can even come close to buying that Cain is the better pitcher.

I would even go so far as to say that Lincecum is twice as good as Cain and not feel like it’s much of a stretch.

by OremLK on Apr 6, 2010 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions

Embarassing

I’m fine with cheap panderous displays of corporate sponsorships, and I’m definitely cool with people dressed up in goofy plush costumes they may or may not even be able to see out of and doing a lap across the outfield, but come on… Taco Bell sauce packets? How about Goya food products? How about Landry’s seafood spring for some different giant fish costumes? How about anything that’s remotely associated with the City of Houston?

As for what we can do about it, we know that Drayton responds to boos. We can start a “Boo the sauce packets” campaign.

Something needs to be done. It’s an embarassment to the franchise and an affront to the dignity of the fans in Houston.

by littlevisigoth on Apr 6, 2010 12:53 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

maybe the players get free coupons for Taco Bell. that should attract some free agents, right?

Oh, but Carlos, don’t make it your fourth meal of the day.

by clack on Apr 6, 2010 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions

The fourth meal and Carlos

Are definitely how this got started.

The Crawfishboxes
A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.

by Stephen Higdon on Apr 6, 2010 1:48 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

How about...

Racing Chris Johnson over to first base and letting him get some playing time. Blumm is a nice guy, but should not be starting at first.

You are banned from Music City Miracles.
Happy Now Tits?
You are banned from Blogging The Boys.
Vince Young - Suicide Doors

by CFHTim on Apr 6, 2010 1:50 PM CDT reply actions

Chris Johnson will play 3d base tonight, and Feliz will play 1st base. I think the Astros are reluctant to play the rookie at a position he has never played in his career.

by clack on Apr 6, 2010 3:17 PM CDT up reply actions

One item of note, clack, is that Chris Johnson did play first base in college. However, I believe you are correct that he has never played the position as a pro.

by OremLK on Apr 6, 2010 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions

I doubt that they think Johnson couldn’t play 1st base with practice. More likely, they don’t want to add another layer of things for him to work on at a time he is adapting to the major leagues.

by clack on Apr 6, 2010 3:43 PM CDT up reply actions

I’d definitely agree with that analysis.

by OremLK on Apr 6, 2010 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm falling back on my theory

MLB teams don’t want to start three rookies (excluding pitchers) in a game, if at all possible. Johnson plays only when (and sometimes not even then) Manzella or more likely Towles sits.

Astros fan for life

by Joe in Birmingham on Apr 6, 2010 4:46 PM CDT up reply actions

I like calling them condiments

It should be noted that the Nats have the racing prezs and the ’Rats have the racing Polish dumplings, er, uh, pirogues. The travesty is that one of them is named Pete.

by ol Pete on Apr 6, 2010 3:03 PM CDT reply actions

Seems pretty silly, but I’d still like to see video of it, just so I can laugh at how bad it actually is.

Oh, This is bound to be good
You can't, but you thought that You could

by jello44 on Apr 6, 2010 3:46 PM CDT reply actions

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