Monday Liftoff Links

While the Astros were trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Brewers I was putting together these links for the start of your new week.

Stories of a Losing Team

The Psychology of Losing " The Pecan Park Eagle
Bill McCurdy looks at the rules involved in regards to the psychology of a losing team and its fan base.

Ultimate Astros " Astros’ liquidation may continue, but returns will diminish with Bourn, others
This article kind of highlights why the Astros got a bad return on Bourn. I think it had more to do with the Astros own evaluation of Bourn rather than other teams, but Bailey was dead on with his assessment.

Stories of a Minor League Team

RedHawks' Lucas Harrell learning how to swing a bat all over again | NewsOK.com
This one slipped through the cracks, but it's a nice little article on the hitting prowess of AAA pitcher Harrell.

Stories of Good Will

Saturday roundup: gifts, scholarships and honoring Brownie. " Alyson's Footnotes
A nice gesture by the Astros giving Buddy Lamothe a van to help with his rehab. It would be awesome to see that gesture pay off down the road on the field.

Stories of Resilience

For the Braves’ Uggla, Luck Is Not a Statistic - NYTimes.com
Contrary to popular opinion, a hitter’s luck does not necessarily even out over the course of the season. Interesting article by Rob Neyer in regards to Dan Uggla and his poor showing as a hitter. The Astros J.R. Towles had the same misfortune, but even on a bad team wasn't given an opportunity to see if that luck could be turned around.

Scott Boras On Washington Nationals' Right-Hander Stephen Strasburg's Impending Return. - Federal Baseball
In case you were wondering what happened to Strasburg he made his first start since going on the disabled list yesterday.