I don't know if there's anyone else out there who is anixously awaiting the offseason like I am, but...I am. Even though it's likely to be rather unexciting and slightly disapointing, there are a lot of decisions to be made. There's a new manager to be hired, the question marks of closer, SS/3B, who the Astros will pull of the scrap heap and add to the rotation, Wesley Wright's conversion to starter, and a few other miscellaneous projects on Ed Wade's to do list. Whatever the results, it'll at least make for more dicussion and excitement than seeing if Miguel Tejada can amass 200 hits or Michael Bourn can set the Astros single season steals record.
With my psuedo-editorial out of the way, here or some links to chew on:
- Like I just said, Michael Bourn is a scant four stolen bases from tying the Astros single season steal record set way back in 1990 by Eric Yielding. Anybody know the line on his breaking it? Even though he's got the NL title for SB this year, it'd be cool to see him get his name in the Astros record books; sort of the icing on the cake of an illustrious season by Mr. Bourn.
- Speaking of Michael Bourn's glorious season, maybe it's time that we start thinking of Bourn in terms of this BtB Graph of the Day. (Too soon?...Yes, but a man can dream.)
- Dave Clark is going to give Miguel Tejada just about every opportunity to reach 200 hits. What's crazy to me is I can remember joking with HLP at the ASB that if Tejada, who had 112 hits at the time, didn't get 200 hits, we'd know that the Astros season had gone terribly awry. Damn me for being so prescient.
- The downside to letting Miggy pursue such a benchmark heading into free agency, is that Tommy Manzella is seeing less playing time (which I previously would have thought unthinkable to do). The rookie, however, is taking it in stride and appreciating learning by watching Miggy.
- Richard Justice continues to confuse us, his readers, and possibly himself as he displays sort of an internal monologue in his latest blog post. The issue: the vicious cycle that could be poor attendance leading to decreased spending, leading to poorer attendance, leading to...well, I'm sure you can fill in the ellipses. What confuses the hell out of me, is that Justice seems to alternate, week by week, day by day, etc., on whether Drayton is justified in reducing spending.
- Zach Levine checks in with minor league news. Filling us in on where some will spend the winter, how some are fairing after injury, etc.
- Another BtB Graph of the Day: The relationship between walks and wOBA. Definitely worth the looksy and the readsy.
- Finally, if I had somehow managed to post this in March of this year, would anyone have taken it seriously? Doubtful.