Matchup/Maybe No Game Thread Game # 155 vs. Cardinals

Jeff Weaver	Roger Clemens
7 - 14, 5.84	7 - 5, 2.37

[T]his is apocalyptic sort of stuff. I was at the games Thursday and Friday. I wore my Pujols jersey Friday night and I was threatened more than once - in non-joking ways. There is an energy in that juice box that is palpable. Their season is on the line and they're fighting like wild animals backed into a corner. Its a cursed, cursed place.

---Someone calling himself by the admittedly very cool name of "satori21,"
at Viva El Birdos

My, my, my, there are some scared Cardinals fans out there. They've lost five of six, and signs like this one from their official site are starting to seem like whistling in the dark.

With a good series, the Cardinals could have clinched the NL Central last night. Instead, the Astros have responded with their most spirited play of the year (if not necessarily their most error free), and they have prevented the celebration on their own turf.

I believe that the Astros can win the Central like I believe I'll win the Lotto. Could happen but not likely and I sure as hell ain't gonna invest anything emotionally in the concept.

But that don't mean I won't be rooting like hell for the Astros to continue the savage smackdown they've been dealing to St. Louis. I want Houston to lay the sweep on St. Louis like I want sex, like I want lobster, like I want to sleep late on a Sunday morning. I want it bad.

Like I was saying, I take it personally that St. Louis is not a more worthy champion. They deserve to be kicked.

If they'd piled up enough wins to clinch two weeks ago, the Astros' disappointing run this year wouldn't mean so much. The Cardinals make me look at my team as it so often has been this year, a disappointment, and for that I hate them.

*** 'Course we've also got the Clemens last start thing going (again). When they announced Clemens' start tonight the other day, I started the thought "Clemens has had more last starts than . . ." but left it unfinished. So I figured I should pick that up now. So Clemens has had more last starts than Michael Jordan Cher has had last concerts Gordie Howe Jamaica's Got Mangoes JD's got Salinger , but a win here is required if he is to pick up career win # 350 (!) at some point over the next week.

If possible , Roger should be even more focussed than usual, the crowd should be amped after three straight walk-off victories, and the players should be able to feed off both.

So I'm figuring tonight will be therapeutic. The only thing that worries me even slightly is yeah, the Cards are 1 - 5 in their last six. Who started their lone win?

Jeff Weaver.

*** We had the cable reinstalled today, so after a summer of watching the games on my desktop computer, I'll be checking out the ESPN broadcast on my TV out in the living room for a change. If a Game Thread gets started by Stros Dux or anyone else, I may chime in, but I won't be starting one, because I don't wanna be chained to the computer. So if it's empty around here (not that it hasn't been anyway), never fear, I will post again postgame.

Go 'Stros, keep dealing the pain!