Move it on Over

Since interest here has dwindled, I'm pretty much blogging on MySpace now. Check out my page over there for pictures of Houston's new cathedral.

Owls to Omaha again!

The Rice Owls have made it the College World Series again. :)

June 9, 2008, 1:33AM
Zornes' homer helps Rice beat A&M in baseball playoffs

By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

It was easy to understand how doubt crept in at some point this year for Rice junior catcher Adam Zornes. Injuries compounded the Owls' annual sluggish start to the season, and the compressed schedule limited their opportunities to stabilize their shaky defense.

But the Owls' struggles with consistency never impacted their ability to perform in the clutch. In fact, all the obstacles strewn along their path bolstered their resolve and prepared them for the adversity they faced Sunday night against an equally resilient foe.

With Texas A&M seeking to force a third and decisive Game 3 of the Houston Super Regional, Zornes lined a two-run homer off Aggies closer Travis Starling in the eighth inning to lift Rice to a 6-5 victory at Reckling Park and clinch the Owls' third consecutive berth in the College World Series, which opens Saturday in Omaha, Neb.

Way to go Owls. And how 'bout Coach Wayne Graham?!

College baseball regionals

Well, the mighty Rice Owls have done it again!

June 2, 2008, 1:52AM
HOUSTON REGIONAL
Rice lands spot in next round
Owls eliminate Longhorns despite making six errors

By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

There were moments of nerve-fraying drama mixed with an abhorrent defensive performance, but top seed Rice managed to overcome both as well as bitter rival Texas.

If questions lingered regarding the Owls' toughness, they were answered Sunday night.

The Owls committed a season-high six errors and twice allowed Texas to rally before stabilizing and producing a 7-4 victory in the Houston Regional final at Reckling Park.

Way to go OWLS! It's always sweet to eliminate the 'Horns, though I do think it's wack that the NCAA keeps grouping all the Texas teams together so we can't all get to Omaha. Meanwhile in College Station:

June 2, 2008, 1:49AM
COLLEGE STATION REGIONAL
Ray does it all as UH stays alive
Freshman sets up a winner-take-all game against A&M

By JOSEPH DUARTE
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

COLLEGE STATION — They might want to start calling Jared Ray "The Bondsman."

He bailed out the Houston Cougars not once, but twice Sunday.

Ray, a freshman righthander, got the final two outs to pick up the save against Illinois-Chicago. A few hours later, Ray tossed the first complete game by a UH pitcher this season, as the No. 3 seed Cougars stayed alive in the NCAA Tournament with a 4-3 win over top seed Texas A&M in the College Station Regional.

Jake Stewart delivered the game-winner with a RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning in the nightcap, sending the Cougars (42-23) to a winner-take-all rematch with the Aggies (45-17) at 6:30 p.m. today at Olsen Field. The winner will play Rice in a best-of-three super regional this weekend at Reckling Park.

Go Coogs! Getting both UT and A&M out early to generate an all-Houston super regional?! Brilliant!

At the Juice Box

So Albert, his roommate Michael, and Michael's daughter Shae came over Saturday for a baseball outing . . . it was a great game with an exciting finish, plus we got bobbleheads (my first one actually)! From Astros.com:

HOUSTON -- For Astros reliever Doug Brocail and outfielder Darin Erstad, a pair of veterans with more than 27 years in the Major Leagues between them, it was a first.

"In this game, you're going to see a lot of different wins. That's a new one, I hadn't seen that," Erstad said after his throw to the plate was in time to nail Philadelphia's Pedro Feliz to complete a game-ending double play that preserved Houston's 4-3 victory Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

Erstad's throw to catcher Brad Ausmus gave Brocail his second save on a night the right-hander allowed two hits and a walk. Brocail also threw the ball into center field, thinking a pickoff was on, to allow both Phillies runners to advance. But after walking Jimmy Rollins intentionally, Brocail induced Shane Victorino to fly to left to start the double play as Philadelphia's Chase Utley waited on deck for an at-bat that wouldn't be coming.

"By far," Brocail said when asked if it was the strangest save he'd seen. "I don't know what else magic show I've got left, but we'll take it. I flubbed up, I thought he [Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada] was saying, 'Bring it' to second, next thing you know I'm thinking, 'Please hit him off the back of the helmet at least,' and honestly, I thought either we were going to go extra innings, or I was going to get booed like a banshee."

Instead the sellout crowd of 42,660 roared as the Astros celebrated in walk-off fashion.

"I felt like a 4-year-old child running out to high-five Erstad," said Brocail, 41. "It's rejuvenating. I'm the oldest man on the field, and I felt good in how we're playing. Our guys are busting their butts day in and day out, they're packing the stadium, which helps. It's awesome. I hope it continues."

Astros manager Cecil Cooper had sent Erstad in the game for Carlos Lee to start the ninth.

"That's what he does, this guy's a Gold Glover at first base and the outfield," Cooper said of Erstad. "He made a terrific throw and Brad made a great tag. They made it look easy, but it wasn't easy."

Erstad planted his feet and made a one-hop throw to Ausmus.

"I've made that throw plenty of times," Erstad said. "You just put the work in and kind of auto-pilot. Obviously in a big situation, a lot of times you try to throw the ball too hard, so I just tried to stay smooth and fortunately, I hit the right spot."

The Phillies were certainly impressed.

"I sent him; I thought Erstad had a bad arm, I questioned how good his armr was," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "You need a [great] throw in that situation, and they got it. It's a tough way to lose a game."

Said Victorino: "Nine out of 10 times you're safe on that play. He made a great play. Everything had to go right, and it did. I guess the next time, I'll have to hit it farther."

Across the street all was quiet. Probably since we got there so freakin' early to watch BP - and ended up waiting for them to open the doors. Here's a few more from before the game.










Oswalt bobblehead packaging


The lady in front of me appeared to be logging into her work account and doing some energy trading during Phillies batting practice.

The 6pm start time made for some cool shadows on the field in the early innings . . .


Ryan Howard batting.


Berkman aka Big Puma at the bat.


The crew.


Train rolling after the big win. Note the Phillies fan in red with his 2 boys in Astros jerseys, hehehe.

Your Houston Astros

I haven't blogged much about baseball this year so far . . . I got pretty disgusted with the whole mess, to tell you the truth. I must have "misremembered" it's my favorite sport. :P

Anyway, the Astros are kickin' butt lately. Yesterday they had their biggest rally in 8 years as they overcame a six run deficit to beat the Giants in San Fran.

Lance Berkman couldn't explain it, and neither could manager Cecil Cooper. There's something special going on, and the Astros can feel it. Touch it. Sense it.

When they don't get you early, they get you late. As ace Roy Oswalt put it earlier in the week, if the pitchers keep it close, the cavalry is coming sooner or later.

On Thursday afternoon, Chris Sampson didn't keep it close, but it didn't matter. The cavalry showed up anyway to produce an 8-7 victory over the Giants after the Astros spotted San Francisco a six-run lead at AT&T Park.

With a solo home run by Carlos Lee and a three-run homer from pinch hitter Darin Erstad against reliever Tyler Walker, the Astros mounted a four-run rally to tie it at 7 in the eighth. Then Berkman drilled a leadoff home run into McCovey Cove for the go-ahead run in the ninth, becoming only the 16th opposing player and first Astro to send a shot over the right-field wall and into the water on the fly.

"This is amazing," Cooper said after the Astros claimed their 11th victory in their last 13 games. "I'm just hanging along for the ride. They just keep doing it, keep playing at the end. They don't quit."

They sure don't. The Astros now have 13 come-from-behind victories this season.

"They get down and keep going," Cooper said. "I don't know how to explain it. There's great chemistry in the dugout; everybody's yelling and screaming for each other. It's just unbelievable. The only thing I can say is this spring we talked about it not being about one individual (and being) about all of us.

"That's what it's been. They've all contributed. Every time you punch a button, somebody does something. That's how you win."

Meanwhile Berkman is at or near the top of the stats leaderboard.

GO 'STROS!!

R.I.P. Robert Rauschenberg

Port Arthur native and pioneering artist Robert Rauschenberg has passed away at age 82. I remember going to the Museum of the Gulf Coast (before it had its own building) as a teenager and being inspired that such a famous artist had come from little ol' P.A. The Beaumont Enterprise has some links to more info and photo galleries.

Is it time to sell my Jeep?

Those of y'all that know me, know I love my Jeep. We've been through alot together over the years.


Here we are in Ft Lauderdale Christmas 1998.


Snowstorm in the Fenway, Boston 2006.


Padre Island, TX 2007.

[sigh] But . . . my trusty '97 Wrangler is getting up there in years, and recently the maintenance costs have exceeded the dollar value of the vehicle. I can't afford (nor do I want) to get a new car, but I can't afford these repair bills in the thousands either!

What to do???

I may just go back to the mode of transit I used pre-Jeep: