10 Reasons why the Texas Rangers winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

The fall of the Red Sox made me kind of in a daze at the end of the season. I was going to have the Sox be the LAST of the Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game series.

Not sure if you heard... the Sox aren't winning the 2011 World Series.
Probably won't win the 2012 nor 2013 either.

So in that post collapse confusion, I realized that I NEVER did one for the Rangers.
That would the BACK TO BACK AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPION RANGERS whom I gave virtually no respect to.

I didn't pick them to win the Division... I picked the Angels.
I didn't pick them in the Division Series... I picked the Rays.
I didn't pick them in the ALCS... I picked the Tigers.

So maybe I have learned my lesson.

They are back in the World Series.
Would seeing them WIN the World Series be good for the game?

Let me count the ways...

10 Reasons why the
Texas Rangers
winning the 2011 World Series
would be good for baseball

1. The celebration of Ron Washington would be complete

Washington has had a remarkable 2 seasons. He overcame the drug problem to become the first AL manager since Joe Torre to win back to back pennants. And he did it with a fun likable, running in place in the dugout, windmilling style.

Oh yeah, he was portraying in Moneyball by the great "that guy" Brent Jennings. (He played Harrison Ford's ill fated partner in Witness.) The difference between Washington's Rangers and Beane's A's? The Rangers actually went to the World Series. But how cool would it be to win a World Series and be a character in what will certainly be an Oscar nominated movie?



2. Nolan Ryan and his influence could finally put an end to pitch count nonsense.

The Rangers lost Cliff Lee and somehow their pitching staff got DEEPER.

C. J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison, Alexi Ogando, Neftali Feliz, Scott Feldman and Mike Adams might not be as sexy as the Phillies staff. But Texas has played in the last 2 World Series and not Philadelphia. You weren't supposed to be able to put a strong staff together in Texas. But magically that went out the window when Nolan Ryan took over the team.

Pitch counts were flushed down the toilet. Pitchers were allowed to get out of their jams. And guess what? As the Joba rules and babying of pitchers have left a wake of broken down pitchers, Nolan Ryan's method has made the Rangers a pitcher team.

Gee whiz, I wonder which school of thought should be adopted by more teams!




3. Josh Hamilton... An American Bad Ass needs to be a Champion.

The ultimate Roy Hobbs story needs its grand climax. He's already battled his demons. He's already reemerged in Cincinnati and then in Texas. He already beat drugs to become the MVP and slay the Yankees. He's already asked the Rays for forgiveness.

He's a great American story of wasted and found abilities. Put a ring on that finger and roll credits!

4. The final haunting of Nelson Cruz

Cruz is on a home run tear. Tonight he became the first person ever to hit 6 homers in a single post season series. I may have calculated his career ALCS OPS wrong, but my math has it coming out to 5 bazillion.

If this run goes into the World Series, this slugger will shine on the biggest stage and torment the Mets, A's and Brewers... all teams that had him and dealt him away.


5. It would be a celebration of the Rangers star studded but pennantless past.

When the Wild Card era began and media attention was placed solely on the Yankees and Red Sox, how many MVPs played in the Bronx?

Alex Rodriguez who won the award twice.
How many in Boston? That would be 2, Mo Vaughn and Dustin Pedroia.

How many in Texas? Juan Gonzalez won it twice. Pudge Rodriguez won it once. A-Rod picked up one in Arlington as did Josh Hamilton. That's more than Boston and New York combined in that same stretch.

Jeff Burroughs won it before. Ruben Sierra and Rafael Palmeiro could have won it. Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins, Bert Blyleven and of course Nolan Ryan logged great years in Arlington. As did the Richie Zisks, Oddibe McDowells, Julio Francos and all the other players in the Rangers colorful past.

For all the Geno Petrallis out there, a Rangers title will be for you!



6. A pro like Darren Oliver deserves a ring.

Did you know Darren Oliver was part of the first ever Rangers playoff team in 1996? In fact as a starter he pitched with a lead into the 9th inning of Game 3 of the Division Series against the Yankees. New York came back to win that game, but if Oliver and the pen held on, they might have won the Series.

That was a long time ago. Jeter was a rookie then.

Did you know that Darren Oliver has appeared in every post season since 2006? This is his 6th October in a row. He's logged in 17+ years in the big leagues and has no World Series ring to show for his troubles.

That should change.



7. Endy Chavez deserved a ring when he made that catch in 2006!

Endy Chavez's place in baseball history was ruined by events he had no control over. If Carlos Beltran clears the bases in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, Chavez's catch, robbing Scott Rolen over a tie breaking homer, would be remembered as one of the great moments in recent baseball history.

He would be a New York icon, along the lines of Dave Roberts in Boston.

Instead his catch is remembered fondly and included in highlight reels, but not an all time moment. How could it be? The Mets didn't win the game.

An overdue World Series ring would be a nice consolation prize for not becoming an immortal.


8. Michael Young would be rewarded for staying.

Michael Young was good as gone this past off season. There was no room for him in the crowded infield and a deal with a team like Colorado looked inevitable. In March, I made the case for the Rangers to keep him. He responded with 213 hits, best in the AL, a .338 average, 106 RBI and 299 total bases. And after 11 full seasons in Texas (after being dealt as a minor league for Esteban Loaiza) he has played more games for the Rangers than anyone else in history, had the most at bats, scored the most runs, compiled the most hits, doubles and triples.

With 2061 hits and a few 200 hit seasons left in him, is 3,000 out of reach? He's an all time Ranger. People who are so great for one team for so long should win a title with that team.

How much would he HATE being in Denver now?


9. The Cowboys would have the longest title drought in Dallas!

The Mavericks won this year... the Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999. The Cowboys haven't won the Super Bowl since January of 1996 when they beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. Between December 1996 and now, they've won one playoff GAME.

For fans in Dallas, they have had time to embrace more than football. And for the rest of the country who hates the Cowboys, there must be some delicious joy in knowing that the Cowboys are 4 Rangers wins away from being the symbol of Dallas sports futility.

(I wonder if Dallas fans would trade the Stanley Cup, NBA title and World Series ring for a few more Cowboy playoff wins.)



10. Could Texas become the next superpower franchise?

I keep hearing about how the Northeastern franchises have a stranglehold on big name players and media attention.

Well isn't everything bigger in Texas? At least the World Series has been going through Texas more often than New York, Philadelphia and Boston these days. (Or Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta for that matter.)

But why talk about the Rangers like they are some small market team? Dallas is the 4th biggest metropolitan area in the country. You are a big market, Texas. Start acting Texan!

Spend big and intelligently and the Rangers could be in the playoffs every year and make a few more trips to the World Series. And if the Red Sox are in flux and the Cubs, Dodgers and Mets are a mess and the Phillies get older, then guess what? There could be a period where Texas embraces the Rangers and they can become a national brand like never before.

A title will give them substance. Why not have them be an answer to big Northeast baseball. Have it become a regional rival. Hell, if Dallas and Pittsburgh could become football rivals, why can't Texas and New York in baseball?

Superpowers spread throughout the country is how baseball will improve its popularity. Might as well do it in the heart of football country!

Now Atlanta fans don't have the best reputation in the country. They seemed to be jaded by the 14 consecutive post seasons as good seats were available for playoff games!





So there you have it. The Rangers are in and just ask the Tigers, they mean to win.
The National League champ should be put on notice. There could be a NEW America's team in the Dallas area.

And that might not be so bad.



If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
CHICAGO WHITE SOX

CLEVELAND INDIANS
DETROIT TIGERS
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
NEW YORK YANKEES
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
TAMPA BAY RAYS

The Tom House 1979 Topps Card is worth a salute

Today the staff at Sully Baseball salute Tom House and specifically his wonderful 1979 Topps Card.

The card is a work of beauty as only Topps could do.

First of all, Tom’s look is working big time. The glasses show he is a smart guy (who later really did earn a PhD in psychology) but the porn stache shows it is the 1970s all the way. (The Larry Wilcox blond hair helps too.)

Clearly shot at spring training, he is styling in the Mariners double knit pull over pajama like uniforms.

And you’ve GOT to love the trident hat. I’ve always been a fan of the classic trident logo without the star. I like the current “S” logo, so I am not saying they should go back to the trident. I’m just saying it is a shame that we never saw a post season game with the trident hat.

And the best part of all… he’s not releasing the ball. I know this was a posed, staged shot… but did they have to use the one where he is clearly not going to let go of it? It’s not like he is showing us the logo. It’s a pitching pose… and as forced and awkward as you will ever see.

This bothered me at age seven. “Why isn’t he releasing the ball?” I kept thinking.

Tom House himself had a career that was more fascinating than the numbers on the back of his card would suggest.

He had a few good years as a left handed reliever for the Braves in the mid 1970s, but his big league playing career was over after the 1978 season with the Mariners. In fact the stats on this Topps card are the final tally of his 8 seasons.

As a member of the 1974 Braves, he caught Hank Aaron’s 715th homer on the fly. He saved 11 games and pitched to a 1.93 ERA over 102 2/3 innings, all in relief that year, his best in the bigs.

He also admitted to experimenting with steroids back in the 1970s, but stopped because his fastball didn’t improve. He’s been one of the most honest people NOT named Jose Canseco on the topic.

House has been an influential coach for many pitchers and was singled out by Nolan Ryan in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech as a great influence.

The “Father of Modern Pitching Mechanics” coaches for USC and has written many book and made several videos about pitching mechanics.

I wonder if he teaches to release the ball in those videos.

The Texas Rangers - A film by Clint Eastwood

The Texas Rangers story this season has unfolded like a movie... but not just any kind of movie.

Specifically it has been a Clint Eastwood film.
I'm not talking about the Spaghetti Westerns, the Dirty Harry films or even the Clyde the Orangutan movies.

I'm talking about the respected Clint Eastwood films of the 1990s and 2000s.
You know, the ones he churns out about once every 8 months. The ones where, even if you didn't like them, you'd think, "Well, at least it was well made."

Bear with me, but the story of the 2010 Texas Rangers would be an ideal film for Clint not only to produce and direct but also to star in.

It is a story like Unforgiven or Million Dollar Baby where Clint is the grizzled old timer brought in to do what he was born to do... and paired up with a partner his age and a young whipper snapper.

Think about it!
You have Nolan Ryan leaving his ranch to save the Rangers.
You have Ron Washington and Josh Hamilton overcoming their drug past.
You have a Rangers team that is filled with cast offs from other teams giving each other antler signs.

And they beat the Yankees! It seems that every baseball movie, with the exception of Pride of the Yankees and The Scout, has the Yankees as the bad guys. Even the Bad News Bears had the evil little league team called the Yankees.

It adds juice to seeing them win the pennant at the end.

Rent your tuxedo for the Oscars, Clint... the movie is tailor made. The script would practically be a Mad Lib.

And let this blog post be one of two things:

1) My pitch, in case anyone at Clint's Malpaso Productions reads my blog.

or

2) A way for people to see I predicted this movie before they even rolled cameras.


The film stars...

CLINT EASTWOOD as NOLAN RYAN

Yeah, he doesn't look like Ryan (as Ryan has clearly discovered the Rawlings All American Grill). But Clint has Ryan's imposing presence. He's the legendary cowboy whose background makes everyone stand at attention. He's the old school hero who wants nothing to do with these crazy new ideas. You can imagine him responding to the concept of pitch counts with a quiet, "Say what?"

MORGAN FREEMAN as RON WASHINGTON

Sure he's older than the real Washington, but this is Hollywood. Stockard Channing played a teenager in Grease for Christ's sake! Besides he can play the instant respect card when he arrives in the dugout. And he can play the troubled side when his cocaine use comes out. Plus let's face it, he could narrate the hell out of the film. Give it the ole Shawshank Redemption - Million Dollar Baby treatment.

MATT DAMON as JOSH HAMILTON

Clint has used Matt in his last few films, and why not? He's awesome. He doesn't really look like Josh Hamilton, but who cares? He can play the many layers of Hamilton. Ryan will inevitably get Hamilton pumped up, reminding him not to throw away his gifts and chance to be a great player. The Rangers are his third team and best shot at redemption. And Clint is big on redemption. Plus, when Washington has the cocaine problem, it can be Hamilton, the young player, who reaches out and helps him. When he stands by his manager, it will bring a lump to the throat like Jimmy standing by Coach Dale in Hoosiers.

HILARY SWANK as CLIFF LEE

Let's face it. Hilary is dying for a third Oscar... and Clint loves her. She's already won an Academy Award playing a woman pretending to be a man. Why not push it all the way? She'll just play a guy! And just treat it as if it is normal. By the end people will be saying, "I completely forgot it was a woman playing Cliff Lee" and BAM! She'll have a third golden guy for her collection.

And there are the supporting roles.

ADAM ARKIN as CHUCK GREENBERG

He's the investor who lures Ryan out of retirement to save the team. He has to visit Ryan at his cattle ranch and no doubt steps his expensive shoes in some cow pies. He has to deliver the inevitable "We need you to come back" speech and tell him he can run the team HIS way. Then later in the film they'll cut to him a lot clapping.

JESSICA LANGE as RUTH RYAN

It's a shame Sondra Locke can't play this role, which will inevitably be thankless. Ruth, Nolan's wife, initially is skeptical about Ryan's going back to the Rangers. She realizes how it will be his last bit of youth sparked again and agrees. Then later in the film they'll cut to her a lot clapping.

GIOVANNI RIBISI as JON DANIELS
Ribisi would be spot on as the super young GM who works well (and shows respect) to Nolan Ryan. And along the way teaches Ryan that the young kids may have a few good ideas in their head. He looks concerned during a lot of the ball game scenes and gives Nolan Ryan someone to growl to.

NATHAN FILLION as C. J. WILSON

The left hander has a great season pitching the Nolan Ryan way... and let's face it. He looks like the star of Castle. And why would Fillion turn down a role in a Clint Eastwood film?

MICHAEL PENA as BENGIE MOLINA

The actor from Crash worked with Clint in Million Dollar Baby. He comes over to the team in mid season and gives the pitching staff a boost... plus when he hits for the cycle and later steals a base in the playoffs, it can be a comical moment.

RYAN KWANTEN as MICHAEL YOUNG

The Aussie does a nice job with an American accent on True Blood, and he's in shape enough to play the versatile Young in the film. Plus he's a nice looking man.

JAIMZ WOOLVETT as MIKE MADDUX

OK, he looks NOTHING like Mike Maddux. But damn it, Woolvett was GREAT as the Schofield Kid in Unforgiven and proved he could handle himself in a scene with the likes of Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman. He should be in the cast, damn it!

TIMOTHY BOTTOMS as GEORGE W. BUSH

The former owner of the Rangers who dabbled in politics will show up from time to time. No, you can't put Will Farrell in this movie. Besides, Bottoms played serious Bush in a 9/11 TV movie and silly Bush in "That's My Bush." He can handle the cameo.

So, come on! You can picture it! Even the poster can say

ACADEMY AWARD WINNER CLINT EASTWOOD

ACADEMY AWARD WINNER MATT DAMON

ACADEMY AWARD WINNER MORGAN FREEMAN

ACADEMY AWARD WINNER HILARY SWANK

ACADEMY AWARD WINNER JESSICA LANGE

IN A FILM BY CLINT EASTWOOD

(WHO HAS 3 MORE OSCARS NOT COUNTING THE FIRST ONE WE MENTIONED WHEN WE LISTED CLINT IN THE CAST!)

It smells like Oscar bait.

I demand a producer credit.

Should Felix Hernandez win the Cy Young even with a losing record?

King Felix Hernandez won against the Yankees last night in dominating fashion.

He threw 8 innings of shutout ball, striking out 11.
He is second in the league with a 2.51 ERA. He had thrown more innings than anyone in the American League.

He has one of the lowest WHIPs, is second in strikeouts, and according to Baseball Reference is among the league leaders in a bunch of categories I don't understand.

First in Adjusted Pitching Runs and Adjusted Pitching Wins.
Second in Base Outs Runs Saved and Base Out Wins Saved.

I don't know what the hell those mean, but they sound impressive.

One thing stuck out at me looking at his line score:
His record in 9-10.

This brilliant season and he is still sporting a losing record. I know it isn't his FAULT. He plays for a lousy Mariners team that is on pace to go 65-97. Frankly going double digit wins for a team like that is impressive.

I think he should be a Cy Young front runner. Is he the hands down winner?
No... Cliff Lee, who LEADS a lot of those categories I didn't understand and a few others that I do, needs some consideration. (Good for him for getting out of his Mariners exile.)

David Price has had a great year. So Has C.C. Sabathia and Clay Buchholz.
Jon Lester looked lke a great candidate before the Blue Jays thumped him last night.

But King Felix should be mentioned as certainly a top 3 candidate.
And only his record might keep him from consideration.

It is similar to when Nolan Ryan led the National League in ERA and strikeouts as well as a bunch of those categories I mentioned before... but played on an Astros team with a woeful lineup.

He finished 8-16 and a distant 5th in the Cy Young voting. Steve Bedrosian won the Cy Young... but Ryan should have won it.

Look beyond the wins and losses for King Felix, Cy Young voters. Maybe learn a few new stat templates.

Even if you don't understand them, they should be impressive.

Hey Texas! You want to win dressed like THAT?

I wrote back on June 21st that I am not buying the Texas Rangers.

I've seen too many Rangers teams over the years look damn good until Arlington Texas turns into a kiln and suddenly the pitching staff turns into Shrinky Dinks.

And they finished the first half of the season on a 4 game slide including a sweep by the lowly Orioles.

However, they are making short work of my Red Sox since the All Star break.

They are up by 6 games in the loss column over the Angels.
They picked up Cliff Lee who should give the team a boost (not to mention the bullpen a rest).

They COULD win this Division.

And let's say Cliff Lee wins a pair of games in the Division Series and Colby Lewis or someone steals another game. (As of now the Rangers would play the Rays in the Division Series and have home field advantage.)

And what if they make it to the ALCS for the first time and their powerhouse line up propels them past the Yankees and into the World Series.

And then let's say the 2010 Texas Rangers does the unthinkable and takes out their National League counterparts.

Let's say they do it... and win the World Series.

Do they REALLY want to be crowned champions in these dull uniforms?

Look at them!

Just "TEXAS" on each uni? Really? OK, fine if you want to wear the road grays or dark blue top with Texas, that's fine.

But the HOME jersey with just a boring "TEXAS" across the chest? No "RANGERS"?

That's the most dull uniform decision since the Oakland A's just printing "OAKLAND" in block letters across their jerseys in the mid 1980s.

Now the Rangers have had a checkered past in their uniforms. They have a few entries in my "Most Forgettable Uniforms of the past 30 Years" entry.

And their two main uniform designs before this one are not my favorite.

This uniform with the wild west "Home on the Range" font never did anything for me...

Even someone as bad ass as Al Oliver couldn't make this uniform look good.

Plus, name one memorable moment that happened in these unis that call for nostalgia.

Can't do it, can you?

Nolan Ryan looked awesome in the 80s and 90s throwing no hitters in his Rangers uniform...

Unfortunately he also looked like a Dodger! Those threads are just a little too much like the L.A. home unis for my taste.

So I am clearly not advocating going back to THOSE styles.




This alternate uniform worn by Mark Teixeira in 2006 is cool.

The "T" to the side reminds me of the old English D for the Tigers but it isn't the same font or color scheme.

Plus I am a sucker for the sleeveless jerseys.



But the best home uniforms they ever had were from their only Division Title years, 1996, 1998 and 1999.

The red hats. The red piping. The cool wild west font.

Sure it feels a little like the Red Sox uniforms, but the all red motif sets it apart.

Plus they WON in those uniforms. They had 3 MVPs. And they fit the incredibly juiced up bodies of those Rangers clubs.

Bring those back for the second half of the season. Tell Selig it will help sell more jerseys. There's no way he could say no to THAT!

So come, Rangers. If you want to BE a champion, it helps to LOOK like one.

Nolan Ryan's Turf

I am glad to see Nolan Ryan is back endorsing products again... this time he is an apathetic pitchman for Lowe's Hardware and Scott's Lawncare.

I found one thing to be a little odd. He was looking for stuff to grow grass and talked about how he played on some great turf.

And of course what team did he play for longer than any other team in his career?

That would be the Houston Astros... who of course played on Astroturf.

If the Lowe's Guy was such an expert to have people wanting his autograph, you'd think he'd at least ask Ryan if he wanted to see any of the primo artificial lawns that they have in the back.

(These are the things that pop into my head while watching a Padres/Dodgers blow out late at night.)

I miss the Houston Astros

I really do… I wish the Astros were still around.

But alas the Astros are no more and probably never coming back.

Now wait a second Sully, you might be saying. The Houston Astros are still here! Yeah they had a disappointing season last year, but they have a new manager in Brad Mills and play in a winnable division.

Heck, the Astros are celebrating their 45th anniversary! They aren’t going away.

Yes, there is a team called the Houston Astros still playing… but they aren’t THE ASTROS!

You can miss something that hasn’t really gone away.

I miss Harrison Ford. I know he’s still alive and making movies, but I miss the cool “Han Solo/Indiana Jones/John Book/Rick Deckard/Dr. Richard Kimble” star who I haven’t seen in over a decade.

The Astros used to be one of the truly unique teams in baseball… and I would argue that their unique identity is long long gone.

They were an antidote to baseball tradition.

Teams like the Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs and Tigers were teams of the past. They embraced tradition when I was growing up. They played in traditional ballparks, wore the same uniforms that they had in the 1930s and had deep roots in their fan base.

The Astros looked to the future.

Once they changed their name from Colt .45s to the Astros, they turned their back on the wild west and became the outer space team.

Their logo was other worldly.





Their stadium looked like a UFO (or maybe the ship from Lost in Space.)

Even the grass they played on was other worldly.

(It’s not called Reds-turf or Pirate-turf.)


And of course there were the uniforms… the bad ass orange uniforms.

I personally loved them, but even if you hated them, there was no mistaking who was playing.

You would never turn on the game of the week and think “Which team with bright orange uniforms are playing?”

Besides the aesthetics there was a certain style to Astros baseball. They were not a slugging team. Save for the occasional Bob Watson or Glenn Davis, they lacked a masher and survived with line drive hitters like Jose Cruz.

But they were a pitching team.

Growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s who was more intimidating than J. R. Richard or Nolan Ryan on the mound?

They were a futuristic, other worldly, innovative bad ass pitching franchise.

And they were super cool.

And now what the hell are they?

Do they have cool futuristic uniforms anymore?

No, they have generic looking uniforms... with both script AND pinstripes.

Come on, Stros!

Pick either pinstripes or script.

Both pinstripes and cursive script looks silly.

And the Orange motif is gone! Their alternate uniform is RED!

Oh that's original.

They play in the same division as the Reds and Cardinals... way to pick a color that sticks out.

And they have moved out of their old dome into a new stadium which seems designed to create a phony aura of tradition about it.

The quirks are so forced and fraudulent that it is appropriate that the place was originally called Enron Field!

When baseball fields have quirks and irregularities, it should be because the park is adapting to its neighborhood.

The Green Monster is in left field at Fenway because Lansdowne Street is right behind the wall.

The houses on Waveland existed in Chicago before Wrigley Field was built.

Even in the new ballparks, the strange angles and features are there because of geography, whether it be the boats in McCovey Cove or the warehouse beyond Camden Yards.

But the quirks of the former Enron Field are all forced.


Is the slope in center field (AKA Tal's Hill) and the flagpole in play necessary?






Is there any reason for an old fashioned train carrying oranges to come across the left field wall?







Do the left field "Crawford Boxes" jut out for any particular reason?

Not really, and they have turned Houston into a hitter's haven and no longer a place for great pitchers!





And doesn't the free floating Citgo sign over the left field wall seem like an attempt to create a "Fenway" type atmosphere?








I find all of this forced traditionalism by the Astros to be sad. It is as if they are screaming "Look at us! We're an old school team too!"

No you are not! The Astros had an identity and I think it made them a truly unique team.

And I miss that team.

And I don't think I am alone.

This weekend, my wife, parents and other members of our family went to Knott's Berry Farm for my twin sons' 5th birthday. In the parking lot, I saw a guy with a Houston Astros hat. I asked him if he was a fan and he said "Big time."

We talked a little about the 2010 prospects for the team (which we both felt were grim.) At the end of our chat I asked "Do you wish they went back to the orange uniforms?"

He responded "You bet. Those were the REAL Astros uniforms!"

I bet he misses the Astros too.