Houston Astros : Spring Training Notes

by Stros Bro on Feb 19, 2008 11:45 AM CST in News

Tejada has arrived! Not like there was any doubt, but he is the biggest signing the Astros had this off season and he is now officially in camp with the Astros after showing up this morning 7:00AM EST.

Pence Injured. Like already mentioned here by Clack, Pence was injured last night while enjoying a nice dip in the hot tub with a friend. Reports say he didn't know his friend closed a glass door and Pence accidently went through it. You can read more about it here. Looks like he'll be out of spring training work outs for a week or so.

Loretta loses arbitration. I was kind of expecting Loretta to win his. I don't know why, but I was. This results in Loretta earning 2.75 million this year instead of the 4.9 million he was wanting. Read more.

Chacon close to a deal with the 'Stros? Maybe... Ken Rosenthal from FOXSports.com is reporting that the Astros are close to signing Chacon to a 1 year deal. The Astros intend to use Chacon in the rotation. (thanks Clack for the Link)

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VERY surprised

that Loretta lost his arbitration. It seems to me he has been undervalued throughout his career. I thought he was a lock for $4.9 million.

It would be interesting to know more about exactly how the process and the meetings go.

On the other hand, I'd love to lose an argument and have to "settle" for only $2.5 million this year!

I hope these injuries aren't a developing trend for Hunter Pence. Some people, for no apparent reason, sustain more than their fair share.

Don't ever lie to Congress; you can't beat them at their own game.

by bwhite2323 on Feb 19, 2008 1:30 PM CST reply actions

Loretta's agent...

had said the main issue would be whether Loretta's current salary "includes" or "excludes" the incentives he earned last season. I assume his argument may be that the Astros' offer is a "pay cut" (which almost never happens in arbitration) if you include his incentives. That seems like a fairly narrow way to frame a salary argument, but that may just be one of several issues and the others don't make the press quotes.

by clack on Feb 19, 2008 2:00 PM CST up reply actions

Dammit, Pence

How can you run into a glass door? This better not turn into something serious or our season is already out the window. Too bad we can't fall back on Luke Scott. :(

Lee, Pence, HGH in '08

by entropic soul on Feb 19, 2008 2:59 PM CST reply actions

No worries

Or at least, I don't think there should be any... just some cuts, I don't think there is anything serious. He's wearing a brace on his leg, but only to keep him from bending it and ripping open any stiches.

Go 'Stros!

by Stros Bro on Feb 19, 2008 5:43 PM CST up reply actions

Pence

I don't know about ya'll, but at night, in a hot tub with "a couple of friends" and possibly going to the bathroom often usually means to me that Hunter was having a bit of fun that night.

Also, I guess you have to be fairly toasted to slam into a glass door. Just a thought.....

By the way, this is my first post on the Crawfish Boxes, but I have been reading this blog frequently for over a year, and I've been a diehard Astros fan my whole life. I'm looking forward to another great Astros season this year and making some new Astro Fan friends

by FishMan on Feb 19, 2008 10:59 PM CST up reply actions

Welcome to posthood

Don't be a stranger!

I've read from at least one place that his "friend" was actually a lady friend.

Florida Home monthly rent : $3000
Hot Tub : $5000
Swim Trunks : $30
Crashing through a sliding glass door when going to take a pee on your first date : Priceless

The real question is... from weather.com, it was about 55 degree last night when the incident happened... who leaves the doors open to their house?

Go 'Stros!

by Stros Bro on Feb 19, 2008 11:07 PM CST up reply actions

welcome

If nothing else there are Stro fans here.

I heard something funny and true today. If there was a vote of who would be the most likely Astro to run through a glass door it would inevitably would have been voted Pence.

My first mistake was assuming you knew what I was talking about.

by Shamus on Feb 19, 2008 11:25 PM CST up reply actions

Hunter, hurtin for a squirtin'

I too, have been an Astors fan all my life and have been reading this blog for a little over 6 months. How I came across it, I'll never remember. Nonetheless, I'm here and have joined the Fantasy Baseball league. (SuperStros)

This is just my opinion but I believe one of two things happened the night Hunter crashed into a sliding glass door. 1- He was with "friends" partying in the tub and had to shit real bad so he ran into a very clean glass door. (I have also run into one full force but didn't shatter it) or, 2- He was with "friends" partying in the tub and a girl called his name from the bathroom to get down.

Either way, I would have run too. If I just had to piss, better believe that I would have gone in the jacuzzi. Who would have even known?

by garageinc on Feb 20, 2008 12:08 AM CST up reply actions

Pence Hammered?/Brocail

I guess Jose Ortiz actually had the balls to ask Hunter the same question here : http://blogs.chron.com/baseballblog/archives/2008/02/pence_joins_clu.html "No, I was not drunk at all." On another note, it seems that Stros aren't wasting any time naming their set-up man. I guess competition isn't always a good thing.

by FishMan on Feb 20, 2008 12:00 PM CST up reply actions

Anyone notice

There's no more "home of the goody guys" or anything like that on Astros.com anymore? :)

They finally got rid of the banner up top with Biggio on it.

Go 'Stros!

by Stros Bro on Feb 19, 2008 5:45 PM CST reply actions

Chacon signed

1-year, $2M. Like it. Low-cost, decent arm.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/02/20/astros-sign-shawn-chacon/

by ET90210 on Feb 20, 2008 2:46 PM CST reply actions

Agreed.

Wade is quoted as saying that Chacon turned down better financial packages to sign with the Astros. I suspect that he thinks his chances of competing for a rotation spot are better with the Astros because of the question marks among the starters.

by clack on Feb 20, 2008 3:01 PM CST up reply actions

can't hurt, right?

puts pressure on Sampson, Borkowski, and all the other pitchers on the fringe of the rotation and the bullpen.

man, i can't wait for spring training games to start. there aren't a whole lot of jobs up for grabs, but i just want something to talk about.

whatever happened to the bunting competition among pitchers? wasn't that usually during the first week of camp? was that just a Garner thing? it was weak, but it was at least conversation worthy. the players are all in camp, i feel like we should have something of substance to talk about other than the Mitchell Report and who said what about who over the offseason.

by littlevisigoth on Feb 20, 2008 3:55 PM CST up reply actions

At the beginning...

of spring training, Coooper said that the pitchers would have bunting contests. But I never heard more about it. Maybe it will be later in the spring.

by clack on Feb 20, 2008 4:26 PM CST up reply actions

so

do we need to update our handy guide to offseason moves to include Chacon?

by littlevisigoth on Feb 21, 2008 1:46 PM CST up reply actions

Done

It was something I had planned on doing, but with Rastro being gone(and he handled all of the design-type updates n-stuff) and me kind of searching around blind for where this information was located, I didn't have time to do it earlier. :)

But nonetheless, it's done.

Go 'Stros!

by Stros Bro on Feb 21, 2008 7:43 PM CST up reply actions

anyone seen pictures of players

I am wondering what some of the guys look like going into camp.

My first mistake was assuming you knew what I was talking about.

by Shamus on Feb 20, 2008 5:48 PM CST reply actions

Here is some...

from chron.com.

Here's some more from a few days earlier.

Some from ESPN.com as well.

by TexSkins on Feb 20, 2008 6:22 PM CST up reply actions

thanks

wanted to see what berkman looked like

My first mistake was assuming you knew what I was talking about.

by Shamus on Feb 20, 2008 6:39 PM CST up reply actions

thanks for those

why in the ESPN link, do they insist on saying "of Japan" after every reference to Matsui, but they don't say "of the Dominican Republic" for Tejada, or "of anything else" for anybody else. that was annoying, reading all the captions.

man, i'm jonesing hard for baseball to be all the way back. we should have a countdown on the main page for the first game of Spring Training.

by littlevisigoth on Feb 21, 2008 9:24 AM CST up reply actions

I was surprised....

that ESPN's photo shoots of the Astros were so focused on Matsui. That made me wonder if ESPN believes that it gets a lot of web hits out of Japan when they feature Japanese players. Maybe that explains the national reference....

by clack on Feb 21, 2008 10:13 AM CST up reply actions

I was thining the same thing

Very few pics of Tejada and tons of Matsui...

Go 'Stros!

by Stros Bro on Feb 21, 2008 11:04 AM CST up reply actions

Hello Again!

So my winter hibernation over here in Korea is almost over and I'm ready for some Astros baseball. Had to read the "handy dandy updated list" of all the Astros off season moves to get kind of caught up!

Anyway, Go Astros!

SeoulStro

Bagwell for the Hall of Fame!

by SeoulStro on Feb 21, 2008 2:36 AM CST reply actions

Welcome back!

How's the weather? :)

Go 'Stros!

by Stros Bro on Feb 21, 2008 11:04 AM CST up reply actions

Is the next 7 days thre longest week in baseball?

I tried to find a pre-season game on MLB.com before I realized I have to wait one more week.

Spring has sprung: Play ball

by Joe in Birmingham on Feb 21, 2008 11:37 AM CST reply actions

Agreed

all winter long, it's "pitchers and catchers report on February 14th!", but there's really nothing to satiate our hunger for baseball until next week.

by littlevisigoth on Feb 21, 2008 1:24 PM CST up reply actions

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