2023 Houston Astros Thread

[Gut Wagon 8,065]

22 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

NO doubt about it.  He's streaky I think we've seen in 1.6 years so far in the bigs. IF he gets hot in September and October it's great. If he remains an auto out then the rest of the guys better be ready to go and you cannot have Maldy in there as an auto out along with Meyers or Julks in the funk they are in.  

A sharp slider thrown just off the outside corner at the knees is obviously one of the very toughest pitches to handle. Unfortunately, for some guys it's also among the most tempting. Altuve spent a decade trying to prove they're hittable and generally failing. Now Pena's taken up the quest.

I doubt such problems are fixable during the season, but every day over the winter he should be looking at hundreds of low-and-away sliders in the cage. At some point, for a young guy with athletic ability that pitch has to get easier to recognize and resist. 

 

[tx 3 putt 76,875]

1 hour ago, Scraps said:

#FreeYordan 

he’s already on deck staring at the mound 

[kevwun 15,769]

I hope he kicks the person who tells him he's not playing today in the balls.

[henrygandorf 29,189]

10 minutes ago, Gut Wagon said:

A sharp slider thrown just off the outside corner at the knees is obviously one of the very toughest pitches to handle. Unfortunately, for some guys it's also among the most tempting. Altuve spent a decade trying to prove they're hittable and generally failing. Now Pena's taken up the quest.

I doubt such problems are fixable during the season, but every day over the winter he should be looking at hundreds of low-and-away sliders in the cage. At some point, for a young guy with athletic ability that pitch has to get easier to recognize and resist. 

we got a team full of righties that can't resist this pitch.  nobody is going to hit it.  we just need bregman to teach guys how to pick it up. 

yainer got better quickly and now teams go up and away to get him out.  pena still can't leave it alone.  meyers and maldonado are lost causes.  they try to work chas with it, but they need to make sure it breaks, otherwise it ends up in the rf seats.

[tx 3 putt 76,875]

 

[Gourmand 7,774]

13 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

I think Tucker was out

no he wasn't and it really wasn't that close. the crying from that dolt Dave Raymond is classic Arlington.

[Huckleberry 32,850]

2 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

no he wasn't and it really wasn't that close. the crying from that dolt Dave Raymond is classic Arlington.

His foot isn't touching the plate in that image. This picture is almost the exact same moment. 

But as I said, it don't make a shit because the Astros deserved the win. 

[wood 11,225]

His foot touched the front edge of the plate then popped up. It's clear in the shot from the 1B side. There's certainly nothing that clearly shows he was out. Let the bitches cry.

[Wulaw Horn 19,068]

4 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

His foot isn't touching the plate in that image. This picture is almost the exact same moment. 

But as I said, it don't make a shit because the Astros deserved the win. 

This is the worlds second dumbest use of replay (the dumbest being calling a guy out who slides and his body comes up fractionally an inch off second base on his slide. 
for 120 years we were all fine with the idea that he is there way before the ball and sliding over the base. Anyone arguing that’s an injustice or he should be out is a loser and misses the point of replay. 

[Gourmand 7,774]

4 minutes ago, wood said:

His foot touched the front edge of the plate then popped up. It's clear in the shot from the 1B side. There's certainly nothing that clearly shows he was out. Let the bitches cry.

Correct.

 

3 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

This is the worlds second dumbest use of replay (the dumbest being calling a guy out who slides and his body comes up fractionally an inch off second base on his slide. 
for 120 years we were all fine with the idea that he is there way before the ball and sliding over the base. Anyone arguing that’s an injustice or he should be out is a loser and misses the point of replay

Exactly. I've watched it numerous times on MLB.TV replay from both broadcasts and Tucker  easily beat that throw home with the HPU right on top of it and immediately signaling safe. His heel clearly caught the edge of the plate as he crossed it and then popped up. The idea that any objective observer would expect that play to be reversed based on all the available evidence is asinine. Dave Raymond is a tool and sucks at his job. 

 

[Scraps 13,561]

Whats funny is if you actually pay attention to when the tag hits tucker he may have already had his 2nd fucking leg sliding over the plate

[WBT 20,561]

14 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

This is the worlds second dumbest use of replay (the dumbest being calling a guy out who slides and his body comes up fractionally an inch off second base on his slide. 
for 120 years we were all fine with the idea that he is there way before the ball and sliding over the base. Anyone arguing that’s an injustice or he should be out is a loser and misses the point of replay. 

Or guys could just learn how to slide

[Scraps 13,561]

[henrygandorf 29,189]

8 minutes ago, WBT said:

Or guys could just learn how to slide

i'm just happy he didn't dive and try to get it with his hand and break his wrist or some shit.

[runthebone 7,967]

26 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

This is the worlds second dumbest use of replay (the dumbest being calling a guy out who slides and his body comes up fractionally an inch off second base on his slide. 
for 120 years we were all fine with the idea that he is there way before the ball and sliding over the base. Anyone arguing that’s an injustice or he should be out is a loser and misses the point of replay. 

Yeah, I hate that shit.

[henrygandorf 29,189]

36 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

"the astros have been playing good baseball."

no, not really.  the astros have been playing average baseball and found ways to win games, while finding ways to blow others.  we're 13 over, and that's fine, we're banged up.  tampa and texas are coming back to the pack a bit.  it's just a weird year.

chas and bregs and tucker are playing good baseball.  other guys have had their moments.  winning the first game was key, because we're only 2 back.  split the next 2 and we're still 2 back.  if we had lost last night, that 2 would be a 4, and that would be frustrating.

starting yesterday, we have 3 weeks of rough scheduling.  then the final 6-7 weeks has a lot of winnable stretches.  just get fucking healthy. 

[Halohal 498]

I'm enjoying the rough up feathers from the Rangers 

[Wulaw Horn 19,068]

9 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

"the astros have been playing good baseball."

no, not really.  the astros have been playing average baseball and found ways to win games, while finding ways to blow others.  we're 13 over, and that's fine, we're banged up.  tampa and texas are coming back to the pack a bit.  it's just a weird year.

chas and bregs and tucker are playing good baseball.  other guys have had their moments.  winning the first game was key, because we're only 2 back.  split the next 2 and we're still 2 back.  if we had lost last night, that 2 would be a 4, and that would be frustrating.

starting yesterday, we have 3 weeks of rough scheduling.  then the final 6-7 weeks has a lot of winnable stretches.  just get fucking healthy. 

I think I counted line 26 hard games- 15 easy games and easy games and the rest pretty meh. YMMV. I counted yanks and Red Sox as hard I think. 

[henrygandorf 29,189]

1 minute ago, Wulaw Horn said:

I think I counted line 26 hard games- 15 easy games and easy games and the rest pretty meh. YMMV. I counted yanks and Red Sox as hard I think. 

a lot of those hard games are front loaded.

you also have to consider the deadline.  some of those shit teams will be shittier in a week.

[wood 11,225]

33 minutes ago, Scraps said:

Whats funny is if you actually pay attention to when the tag hits tucker he may have already had his 2nd fucking leg sliding over the plate

This. Exactly what I was thinking last night. The tag took forever to get there, even after he got the ball. I was also thinking they might have had a shot at getting him if they'd let the throw go through to the plate, but I dunno.

Edited July 25, 2023 by wood

[Scraps 13,561]

Lmao internet wins again

[rvm96 1,643]

47 minutes ago, Scraps said:

 

Wonder if they were bidding against another team or going back to school.

[HtownHorn 14,671]

1 hour ago, Gut Wagon said:

A sharp slider thrown just off the outside corner at the knees is obviously one of the very toughest pitches to handle. Unfortunately, for some guys it's also among the most tempting. Altuve spent a decade trying to prove they're hittable and generally failing. Now Pena's taken up the quest.

I doubt such problems are fixable during the season, but every day over the winter he should be looking at hundreds of low-and-away sliders in the cage. At some point, for a young guy with athletic ability that pitch has to get easier to recognize and resist. 

 

I mean the Astros have a HOF that could never lay off it, so Pena has a lot of work to do.

[Halohal 498]

Is the lineup out yet...

[WBT 20,561]

Astros owner Jim Crane buys $24M historic River Oaks home only to tear it down

Spoiler

Astros owner Jim Crane buys $24M historic River Oaks home only to tear it down

John Everett/Houston Chronicle

DIANE COWEN
, 
STAFF WRITER
Updated: July 25, 2023 12:48 p.m.
Comments
One more historic River Oaks mansion — this one a Regency neoclassical style designed by renowned architect John F. Staub — is gone, taken down by wrecking balls that turned a once-grand estate into a clean slate.

Purchased by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane last year, the home at 2124 River Oaks Boulevard was designed in 1938 by Staub, one of a handful of early residential architects whose elegant style set the tone for how wealthy Houstonians would live in the early 20th century.

Stephen Fox, an architectural historian, fellow of the Anchorage Foundation of Texas and an adjunct lecturer at Rice University and the University of Houston, said the home was one of the defining images of River Oaks, with a quarter-circle portico that gave it a dramatic presence when viewed from the street.

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The lot where a house previously stood, photographed Sunday, July 16, 2023, in the River Oaks neighborhood in Houston.Jon Shapley/Staff photographer
"The destruction of River Oaks’s historical heritage is demoralizing, especially when landmark houses are replaced with architectural mediocrity," Fox said of the ongoing loss of homes there. "The city’s Archaeological and Historical Commission can create historic districts, which offer the highest level of protection to historically significant buildings in Houston. However, the Commission is not likely to do this unless there is substantial neighborhood support." 

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This Chronicle file photo shows the home at 2124 River Oaks Boulevard as it appeared in 2002. The home was designed in 1938 by architect John F. Staub in Regency style with a curved front porch with pairs of columns. 

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Giles Kibbe, general counsel and senior vice president for Crane Capital Group and the Houston Astros, said that the home was torn down because its basement had flooded four times; the house was not up to code; and that it had suffered disrepair from not being lived in for 20 years. He added that they salvaged and donated what they could, with extensive and careful removal of interior and exterior elements such as flooring, lighting, doors and ironwork.

Fox noted that late additions that weighed the house down could have been removed by the new owner, preserving the original portion and creating new additions for any extra space that's wanted.

Billionaire financier Fayez Sarofim had owned the property from 1994 till last year, when Crane took ownership; Sarofim and his wife, Susan, used it for entertaining purposes. 

THE BID: Guess the price of this Houston mansion once owned by Texans QB

The house, on a 3.27-acre lot, was originally built for oilman Claud B. Hamill and his wife, Marie, at a cost of around $100,000, according to a story published in the Chronicle in 1938 — a far cry from the home's current value. HCAD lists the its 2023 market and appraisal value at $24,131,373. While the original house was considerably smaller, later owners added onto it — including a swimming pool, tennis court and bathhouse — making its size at the time of demolition at 16,537 square feet. The home's 2022 property tax bill was $454,479.

When the Hamills hired Staub, their only stylistic request was for the elliptical, colonnaded front porch, a Neoclassical feature on an otherwise Regency style home. Architecturally, Regency style is often seen in early 19th century homes in England.

Houston architect Howard Barnstone, who died in 1987, included the house in his 1979 book, “The Architecture of John F. Staub: Houston and the South.” He lauded the subtle curves in the portico, repeated elsewhere in the home. Simple, decorative ironwork on second floor balconies reflected a style you could find throughout London and the home's roof was a combination of mossy green and gray terra cotta tile arranged to look like weathered cypress.

Adding to the home's description, Fox noted that the white painted brick facade contrasted with the intense green of its broad flat lawn. The home and its grounds were featured on the River Oaks Garden Club's annual Azalea Trail a number of times during the 1950s, he said.

The Hamill mansion wasn't the only Regency style home designed by Staub. Others were created for Hugh Roy Cullen, Stephen P. Farish, Dan J. Harrison and James O. Winston.

RIVER OAKS HOME: Old Hollywood style home in River Oaks hits the market for $9.85M

Staub, a Tennessee native, came to Houston in 1919, sent by New York architect Harrie T. Lindeberg to oversee the construction of a handful of homes. When they finished, Staub stayed and launched his own firm since the oil boom and the opening of the Houston Ship Channel brought great wealth and a demand for his services.

His first commission was in 1924 for a Colonial Revival home in Broadacres, but he also designed homes for prominent family names — Wiess, Cullen, Farish, Welder, Fay and Elkins — in neighborhoods such as Shadyside, Broadacres and River Oaks, where he also lived.

Lindeberg may have sent Staub to Houston, but it was the Hogg family who helped him make his mark on the city. After Mike and Will Hogg and their friend Hugh Potter developed River Oaks, Staub designed at least two homes a year there. Ima Hogg hired Staub to design her own home, Bayou Bend, now a house museum and part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Staub believed that homes should be an expression of those who lived in them, and created structures that were scaled-down versions of mansions that could be found in the Hamptons or in Connecticut. Many remain, but several have been demolished through the years.

While it was one of the older homes in the neighborhood, 2124 River Oaks Boulevard did not have City of Houston Protected Landmark Status, so could be torn down by simply getting a demolition permit.

The lot where a house previously stood, photographed Sunday, July 16, 2023, in the River Oaks neighborhood in Houston.Jon Shapley/Staff photographer
When asked about the loss of yet another grand River Oaks home, David Bush, executive director of Preservation Houston, seemed exasperated.

"River Oaks Boulevard has lost a lot of houses," Bush said of the exclusive street that starts at Westheimer and ends at River Oaks Country Club, where the clubhouse also was designed by Staub. "So yeah, it’s a big loss."

Could have paid for 2/3 of another Montero contract

[HtownHorn 14,671]

32 minutes ago, wood said:

This. Exactly what I was thinking last night. The tag took forever to get there, even after he got the ball. I was also thinking they might have had a shot at getting him if they'd let the throw go through to the plate, but I dunno.

Nah, that throw was going to be a dribbler by the time it got to home, Tucker would have already been tackling Diaz.

[Guadaloopy 10,960]

39 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

I mean the Astros have a HOF that could never lay off it, so Pena has a lot of work to do.

This is the Biggio legacy and it is our burden to bear.

[Wulaw Horn 19,068]

1 hour ago, henrygandorf said:

a lot of those hard games are front loaded.

you also have to consider the deadline.  some of those shit teams will be shittier in a week.

For sure. The meh (like Padres) can also go either way. You could see them a motherfujer when we play them or they could be 123 Cancun. 

[Guadaloopy 10,960]

1 hour ago, Wulaw Horn said:

This is the worlds second dumbest use of replay (the dumbest being calling a guy out who slides and his body comes up fractionally an inch off second base on his slide. 
for 120 years we were all fine with the idea that he is there way before the ball and sliding over the base. Anyone arguing that’s an injustice or he should be out is a loser and misses the point of replay. 

We need a rule change about breaking the plane of the base, with the base extending infinitely in the vertical direction, especially at home plate.  Looking for that fraction of a second where an otherwise safe runner briefly loses contact with the bag is maddening and not in keeping with the spirit of the game.  You beat the ball or the tag to the bag, you're safe.  

[wood 11,225]

38 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

Nah, that throw was going to be a dribbler by the time it got to home, Tucker would have already been tackling Diaz.

Yeah I was wondering if it had enough on it.

[Gourmand 7,774]

6 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

For sure. The meh (like Padres) can also go either way. You could see them a motherfujer when we play them or they could be 123 Cancun. 

Let's hope they're a motherfujer this weekend vs Arlington

[Macklemore 2,876]

Someone needs to print this Tweet and stick it in Dusty’s face all day until he comes up with tonight’s lineup. Maldy sucks when it comes to DEFENSE in addition to being an abortion at the plate and the facts below prove it.

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Macklemore

[Mitch Hedberg 2,090]

2pm and no news I take means Yordan is not getting activated? 

[kevwun 15,769]

Dusty rambled about Wednesday or Friday at the earliest yesterday.

[WBT 20,561]

27 minutes ago, Guadaloopy said:

We need a rule change about breaking the plane of the base, with the base extending infinitely in the vertical direction, especially at home plate.  Looking for that fraction of a second where an otherwise safe runner briefly loses contact with the bag is maddening and not in keeping with the spirit of the game.  You beat the ball or the tag to the bag, you're safe.  

You're only safe when touching a base is pretty integral to the spirit of the game imo

Edited July 25, 2023 by WBT

[smwhorn 482]

6 minutes ago, WBT said:

Your only safe when touching a base is pretty integral to the spirit of the game imo

Have to agree with this take (other than, of course, the your vs. you're).  If the catcher had gone down low and the runner tries to jump over the tag but misses the plate, he would still break the plane.  If he gets tagged before he goes back and touches the plate/base, he's out.

Regardless, Tucker was safe.

 

[Guadaloopy 10,960]

3 minutes ago, WBT said:

Your only safe when touching a base is pretty integral to the spirit of the game imo

I don't necessarily disagree, except that running through first base is a thing.  If there are tweaks like that to make the game better, I'm in favor of that.  I think that calling a runner out because their foot pops up for a microsecond after sliding safely into a bag makes the game worse and should be fixed.  There are ways to do it.

[Gourmand 7,774]

16 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Dusty rambled about Wednesday or Friday at the earliest yesterday.

Which means he wont play until August

[Gourmand 7,774]

 

[Guadaloopy 10,960]

4 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

Which means he wont play until August

Which is next week.

[Wulaw Horn 19,068]

1 hour ago, henrygandorf said:

a lot of those hard games are front loaded.

you also have to consider the deadline.  some of those shit teams will be shittier in a week.

For sure.

[Wulaw Horn 19,068]

34 minutes ago, Mitch Hedberg said:

2pm and no news I take means Yordan is not getting activated? 

He needs to come back and play today so he can take off tomorrow with half the team so they can get that day and Thursday off since it’s an off day. It’s science. 

[Guadaloopy 10,960]

12 minutes ago, smwhorn said:

Have to agree with this take (other than, of course, the your vs. you're).  If the catcher had gone down low and the runner tries to jump over the tag but misses the plate, he would still break the plane.  If he gets tagged before he goes back and touches the plate/base, he's out.

Regardless, Tucker was safe.

 

Also... home  is the only base that isn't raised.  If home is raised like the other bags, this isn't even a discussion.  There should be some kind of allowance for the fact that home plate is essentially 2D.  

Tucker was clearly safe in any person's real-time view of the play.  It wasn't close.  Stupid technicalities enabled by technology suck for the game.  Replay is intended to overturn obviously wrong calls, not nitpick reasonably correct calls.

[Guadaloopy 10,960]

The strike zone is a volume bound by intersecting planes.  There is no reason you can't do the same for a "safe zone" above the bases.  The safe zone extends 6 inches above the bag, bounded by the edges of the bag.  That would end all of this silliness. 

[wood 11,225]

10 minutes ago, Guadaloopy said:

Also... home  is the only base that isn't raised.  If home is raised like the other bags, this isn't even a discussion.  There should be some kind of allowance for the fact that home plate is essentially 2D.  

Tucker was clearly safe in any person's real-time view of the play.  It wasn't close.  Stupid technicalities enabled by technology suck for the game.  Replay is intended to overturn obviously wrong calls, not nitpick reasonably correct calls.

Yeah I find myself thinking this kind of thing a lot when watching plays being reviewed in all sports, esp football. It starts to be a lot like a fucking court case, and that's stupid.

They should have a time limit on reviews, too, in all sports. If it's not obvious in something like 45 seconds that the call on the field is incorrect, then shut it the fuck down and move on. If you can't see anything wrong in a short period of time with the benefit of hindsight and 16 replay angles, then the call stands.

Edited July 25, 2023 by wood

[Mitch Hedberg 2,090]

No Yordan. Same lineup with Julks in Meyers out. 
Crane bet the under on total wins to pay for that house he tore down

[Js1 85,296]

27 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

 

Well it ain’t the one with Yordan 

[Scraps 13,561]

Lame as fuck

[Guadaloopy 10,960]

1 minute ago, Scraps said:

Lame as fuck

 

[tx 3 putt 76,875]