Simplest explanation: taking a short vacation.
It may seem a little early in the season to plead burnout, but there it is. And with the Astros out on the left coast, and facing the prospect of a succession of 1:30 AM finishes, I decided to skip it, get to bed early for a change, maybe--in a definite blast from my past -- read from an actual book.
The most important thing about this place is not of course any of the hackneyed things I might say about the team, but rather that it has become a place where a few intelligent people meet to discuss the ongoing game, and it was for that reason that I made sure to post the pictures of the pitchers, and their records. As a placeholder, and as a road sign.
The good thing is that I feel much better after the short layoff, after this bout with the blog-depression, and my struggle against the creeping sense that my admiration for the Houston baseball franchise is being actively exploited, or the fear that sometimes the act of showing "patience" merely increases the period during which you are being taken advantage of.
A positive here for me is that this short holiday has coincided with the team's worst stretch of baseball thus far this season. I haven't had to watch the crappy baseball the Astros have played on their current foray into the Pacific Time Zone, so when I return I may actually have a more positive attitude about the Astros than some who've had to watch the recent fielding butchery and laughable pitching. . . .
My idea right now is to continue chilling tonight, then to return with the full-feature posts tomorrow, when the 'Stros begin their next homestand with a game against Colorado.
Thanks again to everyone who takes the trouble to come here; any strength that this site has indubitably flows from you.