Summer Baseball

Among the regulars, name the Astro with the highest batting average?

Commentary is not happy this morning. When I bought my car, I got the super duper extended warranty coverage where your rental is covered when you leave your car for major service. I had to take my car in Tuesday morning to the dealership and they called me today telling me that they haven’t even looked at my car and they wanted me to bring back the rental and pick up my car and bring it back next week. That’s ridiculous. I told the service rep to have his supervisor call me. That’s not what I paid for. Ridiculous.

Trade with Mexico is critical to the Texas economy. Sticking a tariff on imported good from Mexico will damage the Texas economy. That’s a no-brainer. Texas’ GOP leaders, not surprisingly, are silent on this. Pitiful. Like someone said yesterday, this will help Dems in Texas in 2020.

Is H-Town City Council Member Dwight Boykins announcing for Mayor tomorrow?

Ok, here is who we have at The Yard this summer. Commentary is not really impressed. Check this:

B’More, Brewers, Blue Jays, Pirates, Mariners, Angels, Rangers, A’s, Mariners again, Rockies, Tigers, Angels again, and Rays. It doesn’t get any better in September. Oh, well. #TakeItBack!

Michael Brantley of course leads the team with a .330 batting average.

We are in Oakland this weekend.

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Pay Attention

Where Commentary sits at The Yard, you have to be in another zone to get smacked by a line drive foul ball. That being said, if you are seated in field level where a line drive foul ball could cause damage, pay attention. I wasn’t there last night. I hope the little girl is OK.

I am sure there will be more discussion on expanding the netting at The Yard. If it ever reaches Section 132, I am outta there. That is all I have to say and no question today.

There is a frontpage story on the Battleship Texas being moved from the San Jacinto Battleground, most likely to Galveston. Look at it this way. At least they are not going to move the San Jacinto Battleground.

Speaking of battleships, remember when Commentary put out this a couple of days ago?

Ok, sure. Next time Trump mocks the late Sen. McCain, and we know he will, Meghan McCain is going to want folks to go after Trump.

Now that the 86th Texas Legislative Session is history, Commentary is going to be interested to see who decides to run in the Democratic Party Primary for State Senate, District 19.

I met up with State Rep. Christina Morales before the game yesterday. She was wearing an Astros jersey that her staff had given her. On the back it read Desk Three. That is where she sits on the House Floor. Cool. That only works for single digits. Of the nine single digits desks, the only other one from the H-Town area is Rep. Sarah Davis with the blonde hair with Desk Two.

Remember when Kaz Matusi played for the Astros and he had an anal fissure and had to, pardon the pun, sit out for a number of games. We all thought that was a weird injury. Carolos Correa will be out for four to six weeks because he fractured a rib getting a massage. What?

We had a disappointing 6-4 homie and doubled our homie losses to 8. We have the fifth best record in MLB, have a 7 ½ game lead, have the day off, and begin a 7 game West Coast roadie tomorrow.

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In Uniform

Skipper A.J. Hinch picked up win number 411 as an Astro skipper. How many losses does he have as our skipper?

Just when you think you have seen it all, you haven’t.  The fella who is a City Council Chief of Staff over at H-Town City Hall and who has been collecting a paycheck but not showing up for work, showed up in his military uniform and addressed City Council – surreal.

The Cubbies were at The Yard last night, plus we had Dollar Dogs and we only had 31,030 show up and it sounded like half were Cubbie fans. What is up with that? Dynamic pricing?

We are waiting to see if H-Town Council Member Dwight Boykins will get in the race for H-Town Mayor this Saturday.

We are also waiting to see of H-Town Council Member Amanda Edwards runs for U.S. Senate.

Commentary doesn’t have much to say today.

Do date, Skipper A.J. Hinch has 293 losses as our skipper of course.

37-19. Can’t argue with that.

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Bill Buckner

With 2,715 career base hits, he ranks 66th in all-time career base hits in MLB. His 498 doubles has him tied for 65th all-time. Who am I talking about?

Commentary tweeted this, minutes after the Legislature adjourned:

Moments before Texas State senate adjourned sine die without confirming SOS, four vetoes by Governor of Senate Bills announced- all SBs carried by Dems. #TXLege

Commentary has said it before. Former Secretary of State David Whitley brought this on himself. Bush league political strategy laying out his voter purge before he has had a confirmation hearing. Dumbarse move for sure.

Here is from an NBC News story:

WASHINGTON — Meghan McCain told Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar not to invoke her father, the late Sen. John McCain, on the campaign trail.
Klobuchar, D-Minn., recounted a story in Iowa this weekend in which the Sen. McCain, her longtime colleague in Washington, seemed to compare President Donald Trump to various authoritarian leaders.

“The arc that we are on, this arc of justice, started the day after that dark inauguration,” Klobuchar said. “The day when I sat on that stage between Bernie and John McCain, and John McCain kept reciting to me names of dictators during that speech, because he knew more than any of us what we were facing as a nation. He understood it. He knew because he knew this man more than any of us did.”

While it was the first time Klobuchar recited that particular anecdote, she has regularly praised McCain in speeches and interviews. The senator visited McCain while he was battling cancer at his Arizona ranch and described him as a “mentor” after his death.
Meghan McCain, a co-host of The View, tweeted on Monday that Klobuchar should be “respectful” and not bring her father up in political speeches.

“On behalf of the entire McCain family (Senator Klobuchar), please be respectful to all of us and leave my father’s legacy and memory out of presidential politics,” she said.

Both McCains have been critical of Trump, who still sometimes mocks and criticizes the former Arizona senator even after his death.

Ok, sure. Next time Trump mocks the late Sen. McCain, and we know he will, Meghan McCain is going to want folks to go after Trump. Since we all know GOP leaders will stay cowardly silent like they always have, it will be Dems like Sen. Klobuchar who will step up and defend John McCain’s honor.

Bill Buckner, who is no longer with us, had 2,715 career base hits to put him at numero 66 all-time and 498 doubles for a tie for numero 65.

I wasn’t one who got off on his Game 6 blunder in the 1986 World Series. Remember, we had just gotten beat by the Mets in 6 in the NLCS, so I wasn’t rooting for them. I also didn’t want the Red Sox to break their curse. I always thought Buckner got a bum deal.

Buckner also played for the Cubbies and they are at The Yard this evening.

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The State of H-Town’s Growth

At 36-16, the Twins have the best record in MLB. What was their record last season after 52 games?

My Dad’s a World War II vet. He was also a paratrooper and jumped behind enemy lines. I asked him the other day how it felt when they jumped and were getting shot at on their way down. He said he was only thinking about how he was going to find his unit in the darkness when they landed.

He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, known to some WWII historians as the Ardennes Counteroffensive in eastern Belgium in December of 1944. When I asked my Dad about it, he tells me it was cold, so cold that the water in his canteen froze.

After V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 1945, my Dad signed up to fight in the Pacific Theatre. He was on a ship on the way over when the Japanese surrendered so he was diverted back to the states. Amazing.

Last night I walked in on him watching a WWII documentary.

This is the last day of the 86th Texas Legislative Session. Yesterday, RG got a House Resolution congratulating him on his retirement. Nice job, RG!

Speaking of, someone needs to put together a betting pot on who will be on this Session’s Texas Monthly’s top Ten Best and Worst Legislators list. Commentary has actually paid a bit of attention to #TXLege 2019 this go around. Here is who I think Texas Monthly will consider. On Best, you have to figure Public Ed Chairs Rep. Dan Huberty and Sen. Larry Taylor, House Appropriations Chair Dr. John Zerwas and Senate Budget Chair Jane Nelson. You have to have Rep. Senfronia Thompson. Speaker Pro Tem Joe Moody? Maybe Reps. Diego Bernal, Oscar Longoria, Chris Paddie, and Dade Phelan? Rep. Mary Gonzalez? Sen. Carol Alvarado because she gets stuff done that she wants, and I am biased. Rep. Poncho Nevarez because I like him, he tells it like it is, and he has great tweets. Sen. Brian Birdwell because of his work on TABC Sunset and dealing with booze during a session is always challenging. Rep. Sarah Davis with the blonde hair and the Honorary House Dem Caucus Member, had the best remarks opposing SB 22? Sen. Kel Seliger because he has a pair, but he won’t because they didn’t let him bring anything up. Dr. Greg Bonnen, because he is effective and honoring him also honors his brother.

For Worst, Rep. Jonathan Strickland only because he auditioned for it every day, he wanted it, so there, you can have it. Sen. Bryan Hughes because he was the designated bad bill sponsor this session for the GOP. Heck, he drew the short straw so to speak. Sen. Angela Paxton because, well, if I need to explain, then you should be added to this list regardless if you are in the #TXLege. Rep. Candy Noble because she wouldn’t defend her very bad bill.

The H-Town Mayor tweeted this yesterday:

The state of our city and our economy is strong. Tens of thousands of jobs have been created in our region is just one year, and our unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1981 – Houston is open for business!

Why didn’t he mention how many jobs were created in H-Town?

There was a story this weekend about cities in the USA and Texas who are growing the fastest including San Antonio, Fort Worth, Austin and Frisco, Texas who make the USA’s top ten, but not H-Town. Commentary is not really surprised. Here is part of the story that can be found in the Chron:

By contrast, growth in Houston, which just a few years ago seemed poised to take over Chicago’s position as the third-largest city in the U.S., has hit a snag with fewer and fewer people moving there.

Houston added just over 8,000 residents, placing it seventh in growth among other Texas cities like Austin, Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio.

For five consecutive years from 2011 to 2015, Houston remained in the top three cities that had added the most people. But now the Bayou City — known for its sprawl and elastic economy — has fallen behind a trend that began in 2016 when Houston first showed signs of slowing down. The city recorded four consecutive years of averaging more than 30,000 new residents between 2011 and 2015.

Potter says the substantial change in Houston growth is perplexing.

No demographic breakdown is available for the city population data just released, so there’s no way to know the ages, races, ethnicities or genders of San Antonio’s or Houston’s newest residents.

Here is the entire read: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/City-s-population-growth-largest-in-nation-12940401.php.

We are just not growing as fast as the region is. I wonder why? Housing costs? Our schools? It is a fact.

The Chron E-Board this weekend hit the HISD Trustees for voting against the Teach for America contract. They put a political hit on Trustee Diana Davila and here it is:

Some blame politics. If Davila runs for re-election, she’ll face an opponent, Judith Cruz, a TFA alum. Like her colleagues, Davila is vulnerable given the board’s infighting and district’s disarray. She may be trying to shore up support from the teachers’ union.

Ouch!

Here is the entire E-Board take: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/What-Houston-lost-when-HISD-board-ended-Teach-For-13897510.php.

Trustee Davila tried to hit back and tweeted to E-Board honcho Lisa Falkenberg and asked about diversity on the E-Board. Falkenberg replied that they have two Latinos and two African Americans on the E-Board.

The Chron E-Board diversity thing isn’t going to work anymore. Oh, well.

I wonder who the other Latino or Latina is?

The E-Board today also weighed in today and said the Battleship Texas should be moved. Here is part of their take:

The trickier question involves the ship’s final berth. It’s not likely to be the Houston Ship Channel — and, in fact, shouldn’t be. (Battleship Texas Foundation honcho Bruce) Bramlett likes to tell the story of a little boy who came aboard the ship, noticed the San Jacinto Monument nearby and exclaimed, “No wonder the Texans won!” The story may be apocryphal, but it illustrates the historically misleading proximity of the two monuments.

Here is the entire take: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/End-that-sinking-feeling-about-the-Battleship-13895458.php.

I guess it is going to be stolen from us in broad daylight.

Commentary has very little respect for Chuck Todd of “Meet the Press.” I switched channels when I saw he was fixing to interview Sarah Sanders yesterday morning. Just wasn’t in the mood to hearing a bunch of lies. Don’t folks like Todd understand what they are doing to their profession when they bring on folks like her.

Same goes Chris Cuomo and others at CNN when the bring on Kellyanne Conway.

The Twins were 22-30 last season after 52 games of course.

We are 35-19 and considering Jose Altuve, #SpringerDinger, Collin McHugh, Aledmys Diaz, and Max Stassi are dinged up, that ain’t bad as the Cubbies visit this afternoon.

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Distorted is Distorted

The Red Socks are in town for the weekend. They are 2018 World Series Champs. Who won the 2018 World Series MVP?

The thing about the distorted U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi video that Fox News and Donald Trump are putting out is that anyone with halfarse vision and hearing can tell that it is clearly distorted. Only a moron would suggest that it is the real deal. Guess what? We are dealing with a whole lot of morons.

On the so-called war of words between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump. It is not. It is a war of truth versus lies.

It didn’t take long for the Houston Firefighters and the H-Town Mayor to work things up again.

Have you gotten everything you wanted out of #TXLege? It is all over on Monday. Hope you got what you wanted.

I was watching the other day and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick gave a shout out to Sen. Carol Alvarado and said she had a good session. Is that a good thing?

Steve Pearce of course who had three dingers and eight RBIs was the 2018 World Series MVP.

Over the next six days, you can check out the 2016, 2017 and 2018 World Series Champs at The Yard.  Pretty cool!

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

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Battleship Texas

After 50 games, we are 33-17. In our 100 or more win seasons of 1998, 2017 and 2018, what was our record after 50 games?

It looks like Commentary is going to be wrong. It looks like the Battleship Texas will be moved and most likely to Galveston. Supposedly more folks will visit the ship in Galveston. It apparently has no historical significance to the San Jacinto Battlegrounds we were told. I don’t know about that. They both were involved in battles. It is a money thing. It loses money at its current location and it will pay for itself in Galveston. Oh, well.

When the courts say City of H-Town elections matter, from the Chron today:

The Texas 1st Court of Appeals has struck down an appeal from a Houston businessman who contested the city’s 2017 pension bond referendum, appearing to end the legal challenge that began almost a year and a half ago.

Mayor Sylvester Turner’s office had denied former housing director James Noteware’s allegation that the mayor misled voters into approving the $1 billion bond sale with a “materially misleading ballot description.”

Here is the entire read:
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Appeals-court-sides-with-city-in-lawsuit-over-13876495.php.

It looks like beer-to-go at craft breweries is going to happen. I guess that is a good thing.

In 1998, after 50 games, the Astros were 31-19, in 2017, 34-16, and in 2018, 32-18 of course.

Last night we hit into a triple play and the White Socks had a grand salami against us. Not a good night.

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Playing the Chron E-Board

Justin Verlander lost a no-no in the seventh inning last night. Mike Fiers of the A’s tossed a no-no earlier this season against the Reds. When was the last season where a no-no was not tossed?

To follow-up on last week’s Chron E-Board take on Prop B that Commentary called hilarious. The E-Board is getting played by the H-Town Mayor. Remember when the E-Board said this last week:

But no one can deny that the people have spoken. And despite firefighters’ loss in court this week, the popular will of Houston voters provides powerful incentive for Turner, who is up for re-election, to negotiate generously with firefighters this time around.

Yeah, sure. The H-Town Mayor has no acknowledgement or respect for the 60% of H-Town voters who supported Prop B. Here is from the Chron today:

The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association on Tuesday asked Mayor Sylvester Turner to enter arbitration to settle its ongoing labor dispute with the city, a request the mayor shot down as he called instead for a return to collective bargaining.

The union’s request came less than a week after a state district judge ruled Proposition B unconstitutional and void. The charter amendment approved by voters last November granted firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank and seniority.

Turner made clear Tuesday that he does not intend to accept the union’s request.

“The city of Houston is willing to return to the table for collective bargaining which would be the regular course of business,” the mayor said in a written statement.

Immediately after last week’s ruling, Turner said he would like to negotiate a pay raise for firefighters “that the city can afford,” a call he repeated at his State of the City address Monday.

It is very safe to say that the Chron E-Board is being played by the Mayor. Can someone please step forward and make them aware that they are being played? Chumps, to put it kindly, chumps.

GOP Rep. Jonathan Strickland killed a major bill yesterday on a point of order. The billed killed was a priority of the GOP Governor, GOP Lt. Governor, the GOP Senate Finance Chair and the GOP House Appropriations Chair. Rep. Strickland is being targeted by Dems. Don’t worry, the State GOP will pour money into Strickland’s campaign in 2020 because the GOP is a racket.

BTW: Late last night, the bill that was killed was added to another bill in the form of an amendment.

The Oreo cookie incident in Congress is not surprising. It starts at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

There is a difference between baseball and fast pitch softball. Read this from the Chron:

When Texas pitcher Miranda Elish threw 429 pitches over four games on consecutive days to help the Longhorns win their NCAA softball regional last weekend, the question arose: How much is too much?

Pitch count isn’t as significant in the sport as it is in baseball, two former Olympic softball pitchers said.

In baseball, pitch counts are monitored more closely, from Little League to high school to the majors.

Little League pitchers across the U.S. and high school pitchers in Texas are limited in the number of pitches they can throw per game based on their age. Those numbers range from as few as 50 pitches per day for 7-year-olds under Little League rules to as many as 110 in a game for 17-year-olds under University Interscholastic League rules covering the state’s high schools. Based on the number of pitches thrown, pitchers are required to rest for a certain amount of time before they can take the mound again.

Here is the deal. Throwing underhanded is a lot easier on the arm than throwing overhand or sidewinder style. Throwing underhanded is more normal like. Throwing overhanded or sidewinder style is a bit abnormal.

Got it?

In 2005 of course, a no-no was not tossed.

Our record in May is 15-4 and our homie record for the season is 18-4.

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A Week Left

Today is my Mom’s BD. She left us nearly two years ago.

We now have an eight game winning streak against the White Socks. When was the last time they beat us?

The H-Town Mayor went Sean Spicer on us and tweeted this yesterday:

Looking forward to my 4th State of the City speech before the largest audience @GHPartnership has ever had for this event…

I was tempted to retweet and post a photo of the National Mall, yuk, yuk.

There is only one week left. Commentary is talking about the Texas Legislative Session. I am saying that is probably a good thing.

Just an observation. I watched part pf the SB 22 (the anti-Planned Parenthood bill) debate Friday. I thought GOP Rep. Sarah Davis with the blond hair gave the best speech against. Just saying.

I kind of listened some to the Texas House debate on SB 29 yesterday, the bill that would have prohibited cities and counties from hiring lobbyists to lobby the state legislature. The bill’s sponsor and supporters were making a dumbarse argument that taxpayers didn’t have a say on cities hiring lobbyists to protect their arses when the legislature is in session. They have local elections, don’t they? The bill was rejected, and the lobbyists lived happily ever after.

From the Chron today:

Get your dancing shoes, or baseball cleats, ready because “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” is coming to Minute Maid Park.

On May 22, fans will have a chance to be part of a segment of “Ellen” but only if they have a ticket to the game and can commit two hours to the show. The entrance for the segment taping will open at 3 p.m. and remain open until 3:45 p.m., unless capacity is reached earlier.

Those chosen for the segment won’t be able to leave the plaza on Crawford (between Left Field Gate and Center Field Gate) until taping is finished. Look for “Ellen” entrance signage.

All participants will receive the Yuli Gurriel “Swing” Bobblehead once taping is complete. Snacks and water will be available for purchase, and the segment will be shot outside.

Here is the entire article: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/article/Want-to-be-on-The-Ellen-DeGeneres-Show-13865027.php?src=hp_totn.

I have tickets.

We last lost to the White Socks 3-1 September 21, 2017, 16 months ago of course.

We still have the biggest lead in MLB – 8 1/2 games.

 

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#TXLege Elections

The Astros are on pace for a third straight 100 win season. How many other times has an MLB club won 100 or more games in three consecutive seasons? BTW: No team has ever had four 100 or more win seasons in a row.

Even though the voter suppression SB 9 might be dead in the #TXLege, I have to hand it to the GOP consultant who has been assigned to delay the blue wave in the Lone Star State. Here is what was added at the last minute to an election filing fee bill last week on the Texas House Floor:

SECTIONA2.AASection 181.005, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: (c)AAA political party is entitled to have the names of its nominees placed on the general election ballot, without qualifying under Subsection (a) or (b), if the party had a nominee for a statewide office who received a number of votes equal to at least two percent of the total number of votes received by all candidates for that office at least once in the five previous general elections.

It is pretty obvious. The bill is expected to get final Senate approval today. The Green Party will now get ballot access in the Lone Star State. The GOP Senate sponsor admitted yesterday that Green Party candidates hurt Dems. So, here is what will happen. To avoid Dem takeover of the Texas House next year, GOP operatives will likely recruit Green Party candidates to file in swing districts hoping to syphon off Dem votes. They will devise backdoor mechanisms to get them their filing fees and funds for other basic campaign needs. Dems are just going to have to work harder.

On my take Friday on the press not being invited to the Firefighter cadets swearing in, Steve Houston sent me this:

The fire cadets specifically requested that press not be notified and they did not want politicians present. Their friends and family were invited, many in attendance according to a few of them on social media.

With all due respect, they are being paid by taxpayers, so press and others like politicos and the public should have been made aware and allowed to attend.

BlogHouston put this out yesterday on the Chron E-Board’s hilarious take on Prop B and their editorial Op-Ed take on GoT:

[WB10] Consider this nonsense just another exhibit in the case that the Houston Chronicle should shutter its editorial board and redeploy the resources to the newsroom (and investigative). Think how much more good work the newspaper’s news and investigative teams could do with the salaries represented by two staffers who are apparently employed to watch and argue with each other about a TV show.

Just saying.

Let’s see. Tiger wins the Masters last month. He then goes to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue a couple of weeks ago. He misses the cut this past weekend at the PGA Championship. You know what they say about karma.

The Philadelphia Athletics (1929-31), San Luis (1942-1944), B’More (1969-71), The ATL (1997-99), and the Yankees (2002-04) are the only teams in MLB history to put together 100 or more win seasons in three consecutive years of course.

We won 10 in a row, but I still felt bad about losing yesterday at Fenway.

We begin a 10 game homie this evening with four with the White Socks, then the Red Socks visit for a three game weekend series, the Cubbies are in town for three that includes a 1 pm start on Memorial Day. It is a key homie for sure.

#SpringerDinger is a bit dinged up. Jose Altuve might be coming off the DL this week. Aledmys Diaz is also a bit dinged up.

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