Super Sunday Astros Crawfish Boil - May 11, 2014

Good morning boys and girls, and Happy Mother's Day. Here are some links to look over before brunch.

The National Pastime, Amid a National Crisis - NYTimes.com
A Civil War photograph shows Union soldiers in a neat line — and, in the background, an early moment in baseball history.

Baseball road trip: How to visit all 30 MLB stadiums in 30 days.
There are 30 major-league teams and there are 30 days in a month. Baseball is our national pastime. Driving is our other national pastime. According to my friend Ben Blatt, the logic was simple: Completing a 30-day journey that would take us to all 30 ballparks, entirely by car, was...

Oakland teammates in Moneyball Era, veterans Harang, Hudson still finding success | FOX Sports on MSN
It's been 12 seasons since the Oakland Athletics' storied 2002 season, and the final two active pieces to their stacked rotation -- Atlanta's Aaron Harang and San Francisco's Tim Hudson -- are still valuable commodities on present-day pitching staffs.

Sizing up Jordan Lyles' hot start for Rockies - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
Jordan Lyles was a 2008 supplemental first-round draft pick by the Houston Astros, who were in the midst of a string of franchise-stunting amateur dra

Write it up: Collin McHugh's success story - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
Bob Levey/Getty ImagesCollin McHugh has been in some kind of zone in his first two starts of 2014.Houston Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is one of the m

Ausmus catches up with former batterymate Sparks | tigers.com: News
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus spotted Steve Sparks through the crowd of reporters at his pregame media session, and he tracked down his former teammate for a chat.

New Nolan Ryan book details why he didn't end career with Angels - chicagotribune.com
Buzzie Bavasi has long been blamed as the man responsible for letting Nolan Ryan leave the Angels in 1979.

Altuve proud to draw praise from Vizquel | astros.com: News
When he was growing up in Venezuela, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve idolized Omar Vizquel, a fellow Venezuelan who played 24 seasons and won 11 Gold Gloves as a shortstop.

Baseball Prospectus | Painting the Black: Rites of Springer
The Astros' slugging prospect is not slugging at all. Is it a phase, or does Springer have fatal attributes? - Keywords: Houston Astros, Prospects

Not Too Thrilled With the Astros? (Is Anybody?) | Houston Press
Is it already time to write off this season? The Houston Chronicle had a major revelation Wednesday: The folks running...

What the Heck, Bobby?: Tweet of the Day
Brandon Meredith with a major league stach.

What the Heck, Bobby?: An Interview with Corpus Christi Hooks OF Preston Tucker
I first talked to Preston Tucker last May in Lancaster and saw him again later in the season. I don't know if Preston has changed since we first met or if he just feels more comfortable talking with me ... probably a little bit of both. But I definitely sensed a change in him. When we spoke last weekend in Corpus Christi, I got an impression of confidence that I hadn't seen before, a sense that he belongs and he knows that he belongs. Not cockiness by any stretch of the imagination. Just quiet confidence.

Astros County: Your Neighborhood Astros Blog & Grill: A Real-Time Review of Out of the Park Baseball
A minute-by-minute review of Out of the Park 15, by Astros County.

Astros County: Your Neighborhood Astros Blog & Grill: NFL.com Draft Profile: Carlos Rodon
We are offering you a parallel universe in which an NFL.com scout gives a profile of possible 1-1 picks in next month's June Draft.

Astros County: Your Neighborhood Astros Blog & Grill: NFL.com Draft Profile: Brady Aiken
We are offering you a parallel universe in which an NFL.com scout gives a profile of possible 1-1 picks in next month's June Draft.