Three quick notes today that are too good to pass up.
'Breaking' into the bigs: The Astros held live batting practice on Thursday, but temperatures had dipped down to the low 40's in Kissimmee, meaning many of the hitters chose not to take any swings. McTaggart related in his latest notebook that Lance Berkman told Roy Oswalt to 'just move that screen' in front of the pitcher's mound, since he wouldn't be swinging anyways. Oh, that Lance. Such a cutup.
Apparently, though, rookie third baseman Chris Johnson was swinging away and hit a home run into the player's parking lot. It's a nice sign, right? Except that the homer broke Hunter Pence's windshield. Pence had one of those one-hour repair people out to the clubhouse to get it fixed, but didn't let Johnson pay for it.
Team Meeting: Not all meetings are alike. Except that every year, Astros owner Drayton McLane addresses his team and says, 'Are you ready to be a champion?' Well, here's some video proof.
I may not have said it here, but I often think it. We are living in a glorious age, my friends. Isn't technology wonderful?
Flamethrower: It's not a big thing, but Bernardo Fallas tweeted earlier today that Matt Lindstrom is the hardest thrower in camp...already. Lindstrom's fastball has been clocked as fast as 102 MPH before and his arm is apparently in top shape right now.
There's also an interesting story in Fallas' notes column from a couple days ago about Lindstrom's Mormon mission to Sweden. Great, now I'm going to have to watch my language around the clubhouse....