DYING FOR BASEBALL

The two images above are both baseballs. The one on the left is a generic brand, typical of what you played with as a kid in the neighborhood, or at Little League, or even at school. 10 for $1 in the bin at the local sporting goods store. The ball on the right is an official ball used by Major League Baseball. That's the ball the pros use - the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cubs, and yes, even the Astros. These balls are a little pricier at the ol sporting goods store - about $10 for one.

Here is an image of the same 2 balls (not necessarily in the same order as above) where the labels don't show. Looks pretty much the same, right? That's because they're BASEBALLS!!! That's what baseballs look like. ALL OF THEM! And they are something that about every single one of us has owned, if not dozens of them, in our lifetime. And yet people lose their freaking minds trying to get their hands on one of these balls.

I wrote a blog about a year ago "I Got It, I Got It" about a fan flipping over the railing of the 2nd deck at a Texas Rangers baseball game and landing on the people 30 feet below in the lower deck. Why? Because he was trying like hell to catch a foul ball. The fan could have died and taken someone with him for a $10 baseball. Fortunately then, no one died.

Here's a video of a woman ripping a baseball right out of a little girl's hands.....and is freaking proud of it - turning to her friends and high-fiving.

It's just unbelievable the mentality people have. IT'S A BASEBALL!!!!!!

In my blog last year, I mention how there is fan interference all the time. You pay good money for those front row seats right on the field, $40, $45 or more for one ticket. Bring a family of four and that's $160 to $180 easy just on tickets. And that's not including all the $9 beers, $6 sodas, $5 peanuts, $7 hotdogs, $5 cotton candy, that you bought. Then you interfere with a ball in play 'cause you just got to have that $10 baseball - A BASEBALL - and you get kicked out of the game. Even worse when you interfere and don't get the ball.

Well, last Thursday night at the same stadium where the man fell from the 2nd deck last year, Rangers Stadium in Arlington, the man you see in the picture above, flips over the railing trying to catch a baseball that was tossed to him by Rangers centerfielder Josh Hamilton. He continues falling head first, between the railing and the wall in front of him, about 20 feet, hitting his head on the concrete ground. He didn't die immediately, but did later. The little boy in red, behind the man's legs, is his son. It was just the man and son at the game.

Here's the video if you want to see it. VIDEO
It doesn't show much more than what you see in the picture above. They show it at about the 58 second mark.

Very, very, sad story. A little boy now gets to grow up without a father because of a $10 baseball. Sure, accidents happen, but come on man, it's a baseball! We don't have to risk our lives for these things. I've got about a dozen of them right now. If you need one that bad, just let me know.

ASTROS VS. RAIN

The Houston Astros professional baseball team is quietly going about a milestone season this year, as the franchise that started in 1962, celebrates their 50th season. With a little over half of the 2011 season in the books, this year is turning out to be THE WORST of the 50. In the previous 49 seasons, the Astros have never hit the dreaded century mark in the loss column. The worst they have done, to this point, is 97 losses, which they've done 3 times (1965 - 1st year in the Astrodome, 1975, and 1991 - the 1st year a scrawny little kid name of Bagwell played for them). With 83 games played this year, and 79 still to be played (ugh!), the Astros (29-54, worst in the league) are on pace to lose 105 games this season.

The Astros, unfortunately, do not have exclusive rights to 2011 milestones here in the 4th largest city in America. Weather-wise, 2011 is going down as one of the driest on record in the Houston area, and much of Texas. The U.S. Drought Monitor has 5 classifications to indicate the severity of droughts, much like the Saffir-Simpson scale used to indicate the intensity of hurricanes. Southeast Texas, including the Greater Houston area, is currently in a D4 drought. That's right, it's the worst one on the scale.

In 2011, the official rain gauge at Bush Intercontinental Airport has registered 7.88 inches of rain. That's since January 1st! And 5.05 inches of that fell in the month of January. The "normal" amount of rainfall we can expect in this town by July 2nd is 24.39 inches.

How do I tie rain, or the lack of it, to the Astros? Glad you asked. The Astros season started on April 1st. In the 83 games they've played since, they have a league low 29 wins. In that same time span (since April 1st) Houston's official rain gauge has seen something wet in it on 23 days. So for the season, I guess you could say the Astros are leading rain 29-23. Granted, some of those rain days measured just a trace, but hey, in a D4 drought we'll take what we can get.

In the month of June there were 8 days the rain gauge had something in it. June also saw the Astros win just 8 games. With the immediate future of the Astros looking pretty bleak, and the drought showing no signs of letting up, I'm wondering if July may be rain's month to take it to the Astros since the weather can and usually does change, but the Astros, not so much.

QUESTION: Which will there be more of in the month of July?

                     (A) Astros wins

                     (B) days of rain

Sheesh!! When does football season start?

Oh, that's right. There may not be one.

PROSPECTS, SCHMOSPECTS

For the first time in a very, very long time, certainly the first time in the Drayton McLane era (1993 - ), the Houston Astros have become sellers at the Major League Baseball trade deadline, and big sellers at that. In the last two days, the Astros have traded, not one, but two of the most popular icons in team history, Roy Oswalt and Lance "The Big Puma" Berkman. Why? Because the Astros are not a very good baseball team and in the business of baseball, in order to try to turn things around more quickly, you sometimes have to trade away players, good players, in return for what people in the business call, prospects. These are usually unproven players, Minor League players, who have yet to make their mark. Every player who has ever played the game has been a prospect. Sometimes they turn into great players, Hall of Fame players, sometimes they're just mediocre, and sometimes they stink.

There is no exact science in determining how a prospect will do so it's always a gamble when you trade away proven stars for them. But the reason it's done is a numbers game. If you trade away a proven player, the goal is to get as many unproven players or prospects as you can in hopes of at least one of them turning into a star player. Teams are more willing to give up multiple unproven players for someone that is proven, that they know has had success in the game. This helps the team that isn't doing so well build their organization back up a little quicker and the team trading for the proven star gets someone who will help them immediately, likely to help them in a playoff run. And just like baseball, sometimes you hit a home run doing this, but you're just as likely to strike out.

Since Drayton McLane bought the Astros in 1993, they have been one of the better teams in baseball. What helped them get to that point was a trade they made 3 years prior, at the deadline, with the Boston Red Sox, who were in the middle of a playoff race and were in need of a late innings relief pitcher to give them much needed help in that area. The Astros were a bad team in 1990 and they had such a reliever, Larry Anderson, who was having a very good year for the lowly Astros. Boston was willing to give up a minor league prospect, an unproven, skinny little 3rd baseman that was still two levels away from being in the Majors. That scrawny little guy went by the name of Jeff Bagwell. Bagwell, of course, went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year in '91, was NL Most Valuable Player in '94, a 4-time All-Star and went on to hit 449 home runs (34th most All-Time), in his 15 year career with the Astros, and who in my opinion, should be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame next year, his 1st year to be eligible.

Now, if Boston had known this kid they had was going to do all of that, they would have never dealt him for a relief pitcher, especially a relief pitcher who pitched just 25 innings for the Sox, including 3 innings in the playoffs where they got swept. Anderson was a free agent after that season and never played for the Red Sox again. But they were in a playoff race and had a need to strengthen their team. Bagwell wasn't ready for the Majors at that time and couldn't help them, Anderson was ready and could help them now. And that's how and why things usually work at Major League Baseball's trade deadline. Teams need players who can help them now and trade away players who may only help them down the road.

As I mentioned, the Astros were a good team for most of the 90's, when McLane bought the team, and on into the 2000's, where they finally made it to their first ever World Series. So they've always been a team looking to trade for a player who could help them now every time the trade deadline rolled around. A great example would be 1998 when the Astros gave up 3 unproven prospects (Carlos Guillen, Freddy Garcia and John Halama) to get one of the greatest pitchers the game has ever seen, Randy Johnson. Johnson came to the Astros and helped them to the most wins in a season they've ever had (102), by going 10-1. Unfortunately, the Astros lost in the playoffs and Johnson signed with Arizona the next year. Carlos Guillen went on to be a 3 time All-Star, Garcia was a 2 time All-Star, and they both could have helped the Astros in the early 2000's. That makes it look like it was a bad trade since Johnson only pitched 13 games for the Astros while these other players had very productive years for the next several years (John Halama sucked), but the Astros needed help in '98 that they couldn't get from them then.

Here in 2010, though they're about 3 or 4 years late, the Astros find themselves in a position they found themselves in when they got Bagwell. Instead of being buyers like they have been the last decade or so (Johnson, Carlos Beltran, etc), the Astros are in a position to sell proven players for prospects. And since they haven't tried to sell for prospects the last 3 or 4 years like they should have, they find themselves with not a whole lot to offer - except for the big stars. Enter Oswalt and Berkman. Unlike past icons, Biggio and Bagwell, where Drayton was determined that they spend their entire careers in Houston at any cost, he's finally come to the realization that in doing it this way, the cost is losing baseball games and having a bad baseball team. So for the first time ever, Drayton McLane is trading away his proven players and rolling the dice on prospects.

The first shot fired was Oswalt being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for a 2nd year Major League pitcher, J.A. Happ. Though Happ has a full season already under his belt, it's still much too early to tell what his career holds. They get another player that they immediately flip to Toronto to get Brett Wallace, a highly touted unproven prospect. He may be making his Major League debut for the Astros very shortly. They also get a 19 year old shortstop, Jonathan Villar, who is likely several years away from helping the Astros, if he ever does. That's the thing, you just don't know. 3 unproven prospects for one proven star. The Phillies get that proven star to try to help them make the playoffs now. These other guys can't help them now, but they might be able to help the Astros down the road.

The second shot fired was a day later when the Astros trade All-Star first baseman, Lance Berkman, to the New York Yankees. At the time of this writing it was still unclear who the Astros would be getting in return but rumors are it will be 2 minor league players.

So the Astros trade away 2 players and get 5 in return. Yeah, it's 2 big name players for 5 no-names, but that's the way it works since it's such a gamble with unproven players. You now have to hope that at least a couple of those no-names can turn into big names and you're on your way to rebuilding your team and becoming good again. If you strike out, it's going to take a little longer. Hopefully your scout team earns their money. Maybe you strike gold and get another Jeff Bagwell. It sucks that it works that way sometimes, and you always hate losing your favorite players, but that's just the nature of the game. 21 years years after the fact, I'm still bent the Astros let Terry Puhl go.

Maybe I should call my proctologist.

I GOT IT, I GOT IT!!

Imagine you're going to the game and you've scored some prime seats, field level, right behind your favorite team's dugout. A few rows back but still great seats. It's the 5th inning and you've just come back from the concessions. You sit down with a fresh beer in one hand and a bowl of nachos in the other and you think to yourself, "something's missing." That's when it hits you. No, not that you forgot something and no, it wasn't a screaming line drive bouncing off your melon. What hits you is a man....a man who has fallen on top of you.....from the upper deck!!! Right out of his front row perch and into your lap.

This is what happened Tuesday night at a game between the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz was batting and hit a pop foul into the stands along the 1st base line. A man in the front row of the 2nd deck of seats was reaching over the railing trying to catch the foul ball. The man ended up flipping over the railing and fell 30 feet, landing on fans in the field level seats below. The fans that got hit only ended up with minor injuries, but the man that fell had to be taken out on a stretcher and to a nearby hospital. He ended up with a fractured skull and a broken ankle. The game was halted for about 16 minutes.

Now, let's try to figure out what happened here? A man nearly fell to his death over a $9.95 baseball. At least that was the going price at Academy the last time I checked. Can probably get them cheaper somewhere on the wide world 'net, but we'll go with 10 bucks. So, a man nearly dies for $10. I mean, it's a baseball! Something that everyone of us has played with or owned, dozens of times over. Granted, maybe not with the Major League Baseball label on it, but it's still a baseball. They're all pretty much the same. White, round and hard with red seams. It's not like it's something that's very limited and hard to come by. It's not a 16th century sunken Spanish treasure or the Ark of the Covenant or something from Michael Jackson's estate going for outrageous money in auctions. It's a freaking BASEBALL!!

I guess a safe bet would be to assume that alcohol was involved some how, but if you don't know by now, and you soon will if you keep reading this blog, alcohol doesn't have to be in the mix for people to do the stupid things they do. No word on if this man had been drinking or not. On one hand, I'd like to think alcohol was involved so that at least there'd be an excuse. On the other hand, if he was drinking, this could lead to normal people, who don't have their heads up their butts, not being able to enjoy a beer at a ballgame because of some douchebag moron who tried to kill himself and others for a baseball.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if alcohol was NOT involved because it doesn't take much to make people lose their minds. And something free will do it every time. Just show up at a game on bobblehead day if you don't believe it. If you get to a baseball game early enough for batting practice, the outfield seats will be full of people waiting to catch a homerun ball. And I get that. I mean, it is kinda cool to catch a big fly from a Major League player. But I don't get all the people hanging over the rails begging the players in the field shagging balls, to throw them a ball. Again, it's a freaking baseball!! These aren't gold nuggets.

Before the game starts an announcement is made telling fans not to interfere with a ball in play. If you do, you run the risk of being escorted out of the building. This, of course, doesn't stop people from interferring. Any ball hit down the lines, whether fair or foul, you'll see people leaning over the rail trying to grab the ball. So you spend $140 for 4 tickets for you and the family for those prime seats along the rail, $10 for parking, $8 each for a couple of beers, $7 for nachos, $5 for chili fries, $5 for cotton candy, $10 for a couple of sodas, all before you even get to your seats. That's damn near $200 out of pocket before the 1st pitch is thrown, and you get ejected in the 1st inning 'cause you just had to have that $10 baseball.

Now, I've been to quite a few baseball games in my short time on this planet. Not once have I ever left with a baseball. I've come close a couple of times. Once was, in fact, the last game I went to a few weeks ago. Field seats down the 3rd base line about 8 rows back. A screaming liner goes right over my head that I didn't see until the last second because everybody is always standing up and walking around instead of watching a baseball game. The other time was back in the old Astrodome. This time it was a soft liner into the stands and the guy sitting right in front of me hops up, rushes to the aisle and down about 4 rows to grab this ball. He got it but he bowled over 2 people, they hit the ground and beer goes flying everywhere. A few words were exchanged and the guy just came right back to his seat. Screw it, he got his free baseball.

I just don't get the mentality. To lose your mind over something as petty as a baseball. For this man Tuesday night, he could have lost more than his mind. I mean it's bad enough when stupid people do stupid things to only hurt themselves, but to be minding your own business and having a guy fall on top of you from 30 feet above? I guess raining cats and dogs just wasn't good enough.

Come on people!!! IT'S A BASEBALL!!!!