Tagged: walk-off win

“Put out to pasture…

…or, How Kylie Feels About Being Mathematically Eliminated.”

That’s a title I recently used for a short story, minus my name of course.

I can’t lie.  I will always, always love my boys, win or lose.  But nothing hurts like being officially eliminated.  Last year it didn’t matter because they sucked so bad that the playoffs weren’t an issue.  We all started this year out with big hopes and were very disappointed very quickly when things came out of the gate without the requisite “bang.”  After the All-Star Break, things turned around.  These last few weeks were like a honeymoon with a team finally playing as a cohesive unit and winning games.

And then the hurricane came.  Drayton didn’t believe that it would come our way, and the suits in charge took too long to make a decision.  Men whose families and property were in danger were expected to play games at a hostile “neutral site.”  We were no-hit and our momentum destroyed in Miller Park, which might as well have been Wrigley Field.

We should have played somewhere like Arlington, for example, but complaining about that won’t get us back into the race.  Nothing will.  I just wish our playoff fate didn’t depend on other teams’ failures.  We could win every game left in the season and still not make it.  I really hope they have a fanfest.  I can’t stand to let it end this way, especially without having tickets to the last two games.  It just kills me to have come so far, accomplished so much without really accomplishing anything.

In the long run, which is what is important anyway, we have accomplished so much.  We have improved significantly since last year, which was a year of epic disappointment.  We had a good draft, signed our players, and made some very important deals.  The Randy Wolf trade looks ten thousand times better than it did when it was made, and as much as I hate LaTroy Hawkins, he’s been a boon to the team.

This is different than watching the Rockies in the World Series.  That was just sad because they lost all their momentum and tanked.  The Astros regained their momentum, but unfortunately, outside circumstances stopped them in their happy tracks.

I hate that nobody on any of the major networks gave us credit.  All the Wild Card coverage on ESPN was focused solely on the Mets and the Brewers.  Just because it would have been difficult does not mean it would have been impossible.

I love Brian Moehler.  Seeing his interview now on FSN makes me want to cry because he sounds like he’s going to cry.  This is what these guys live and breathe for.  The only analogy I can make in my own life is like working towards my degree and having someone snatch the diploma out of my hands on graduation day.  It’s heart-wrenching.

I love my boys.  Win or lose, they’re still my boys.  I will always love them, and I am so proud of how far they have come and how far they have fought and will keep fighting, because I know they will not give up just because it’s over.

How better to go down than with a walk-off?  We’re Texans.  We ain’t ever giving up.  We’re going out with a bang, damnit.

I love you, Astros.

♥

Live Bloggage: 26 September 2008, Braves @ Astros

I know I said I was live blogging Sunday, and I will.  But I decided since I had nothing better to watch tonight I would also live blog this game.  So here I am, live blogging.  Go ‘Stros!

6:59 PM: I love Brownie and JD.  “Tragic number.”  Damn straight.

7:01 PM: THE ROOF IS OPEN?!?!?!  Awwwww!  I wish I were there 😦  Last open-roof game I was at was the Rockies games.  Oh, and I prepared my ice cream and brought it upstairs to the fridge in the study where the HD TV is so I can just get up, get it and not go downstairs!  YAY!

7:03 PM: You know, it’s mathematically possible.  We could do this.

7:05 PM: Josh Anderson is batting lead for the Braves… I have his rookie card.  I miss him 😦  And they miked the 3B umpire!

7:07 PM: I don’t understand why baseball players can wear jewelry.  Every time I’ve played sports they’ve actually checked us.  I love cross necklaces as much as the next guy–I have one–but having them swinging free during the game seems risky.

7:09 PM: Good job, boys.  Why does Brian Moehler always wear that mock turtleneck?  Justin Miller rule on his neck or something?

7:11 PM: Seriously, the Astros are WINNING and the stadium’s half empty.  As Jay Bruce reminded me on Tuesday, there kind of was a hurricane, but I mean, really.  Most of the city has power back, and gas is easy to get now.  I don’t understand.

7:12 PM: I’m not sure if I love Kaz Matsui.  Loved him with the Rox, but he seems to get hurt all the time.  In any case, he got the first hit on the first pitch of the game… yay!

7:13 PM: DAMN!  Michael Bourn tried to bunt Kaz over and the Braves botched it, so he made it to second and Kaz scored!  1-0 Astros.

7:16 PM: Only one run, but we got some good wood on the ball every time, so hopefully we can make it happen again!  Go ‘Stros.

7:19 PM: “White is the official color of the Telestrator Union.”  I LOVE JD.  What am I going to do in the offseason when I can’t hear his voice every day?  And Brian, why did you walk Brian?  And Joe West umpire man, you sure were right about the hurricane screwing our schedule.

7:21 PM: DP=good.  And apparently Joe West is a singer.  Didn’t know that.  They actually played part of one of his songs.  It was… entertaining.

7:27 PM: I really need to see Bull Durham.  Every couple of games the media crew quizzes the team about it.  I wanna know what they’re talking about.  And they’re getting us really cool close-ups of Campillo’s hand as he holds the pitch.

7:29 PM: WIGGY!  I LOVE YOU!  2-0 ‘Stros.

7:36 PM: I could do without the really annoying reporters that they send into the stands to talk to people, like the guy who caught Wiggy’s homer.  They can go away.

7:39 PM: I really wish our playoff destiny depended more on our successes than other teams’ failures.  And I hate that nobody is mentioning us in the NL Wild Card race.  I mean, honestly.  Mathematically…

7:43 PM: Michael Bourn gets an infield hit.  OH yeah, I’m lovin’ it.

7:46 PM: I can see a huge star outside my window at about 25 degrees to the southwest.

7:48 PM: DAMN.  That was awesome.  Lance flied out to the warning track in center and Bourn scored from second.  He’s freaking fast.  I need to find a video of that and link it tomorrow. 3-0 Astros.

7:49 PM: While the Moveable Type system was posting the last update, Geoff Blum GRDd into the bullpen!  YAY!

7:51 PM: And Hunter doubles Geoff in!!  4-0 Astros.

7:54 PM: Whoop whoop!

7:56 PM: Bye-bye no-hitter.  It was fun while it lasted 🙂

8:03 PM: Crap, loaded bases.  Crap crap crap.

8:04 PM: CRAP!  4-2 Astros.  Wiggy could have made that play but someone still would have scored, so that’s not a humongous deal.  I still love Josh Anderson.

8:06 PM: Why would you put Chris Sampson in when it’s hurting him to pitch?  That’s STUPID!  In any case, he’s in the bullpen, not quite in yet, but Brian’s having a tough time in this inning.  Oh, and try dipping Chips Ahoy cookies in coffee and then freezing them.  YUM.

8:08 PM: Somebody wrote “ILY” in the dirt along the first-base line.  Kinda cool.  I wonder who it was.

8:11 PM: JD makes a good point.  Humberto Quintero loves to throw to first, and he made it this far without throwing to first.  And then he tried to pick off Omar Infante.  Three innings, I’m proud, Q.

8:19 PM: Took Campillo out and Carlyle kept the inning scoreless.

8:23 PM: WOW, Kaz Matsui just made a fantastic play when the ball bounced past Brian.  Good job, Kazuo.

8:24 PM: Immediately followed by a brilliant Michael Bourn play!  Good job!!

8:32 PM: I love the Little Pumas.  They’re so cute.  I wanna be one.  Go Big Puma!

8:34 PM: Damn, Casey Kotchman robbed the Puma!

8:36 PM: According to JD, there was another successful proposal during Kiss Cam! YAY!

8:43 PM: Bye bye Brian.  He touched his cap and should have actually removed it and tipped it, but oh well.  I love the guy.  Bringing in a lefty–Wesley Wright?

8:45 PM: Nope, Tim Byrdak.  Why do I always forget him?  And why does he always wear those goggles that Tulo often feels the compulsion to wear?  I don’t know.

8:48 PM: Oh my God, y’all.  I’m SO TIRED.  I almost fell asleep in Astronomy today, which is my favorite class, and we were watching a film about Antarctica!  It was so interesting but I’m SO DAMN TIRED!

8:51 PM: Haha, Wiggy ripped one for Jose Cruz and he ducked down and they were both laughing and everybody did the “CRUUUUUUUUUUUZ” in the stadium.  Sweet!

9:00 PM: I love Doug Brocail.  He seems like a geniunely nice man.  Speaking of nice men, Dan posted the cutest picture I have ever seen in my entire life of Matt and Jackson Holliday.

9:08 PM: Oh, Joe West the umpire man was singing along with “Deep in the Heart of Texas” during the 7th inning stretch.  I love this whole microphone idea.

9:12 PM: GAWD Miguel Tejada is so slow.

9:15 PM: Miggy just broke the NL record of 31 GIDP in a year, and last I saw Roy had the ball in the dugout and was writing on it in red Sharpie.

9:22 PM: Oh, fudge.  4-3 Astros.  Why did we trade Josh Anderson for crapola Oscar Villareal again?

9:27 PM: GOSH I wish I could read lips so I could tell what LaTroy Hawkins (aka Mr. I-Threw-At-Luke-Scott) was saying to Dewey Robinson.

9:28 PM: The Yankees gave $1 million to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike relief.  JD had it right… “If they keep that up, we’re going to have to stop hating the Yankees.”  Dang I hate the Yankees.  And thank God that only one run scored in that disastrous inning.

9:31 PM: Oh that was weird.  Lance barely tapped it halfway between the mound and the plate and Bennett and McCann both think the other is going for it, so nobody gets it and Lance makes it to first.  Sweet.

9:35 PM: Oh sh!t.  Brewers are winning.

9:41 PM: I love watching José Valverde pitch.

9;49 PM: OH CRAP!  4-4 tie.  DAMN IT.

9:50 PM: Well, the umps met and decided Brandon Jones was out, so at least there are two outs instead of just one.  A weird play.

9:59 PM: Still tied.  I would really like a walkoff win so that I can go to
sleep.  I’m so exhausted.

10:03 PM: I LOVE YOU DARIN ERSTAD.  5-4 Astros!  He kept trying to get out of the huddle but he couldn’t haha.

And that’s the end.

♥