And I will love you like I used to.

It is hard not to fall completely in love with Ron Santo, who brings a passion and despair to his color commentary for the Cubs which is simply unprecedented in professional broadcasting. Just now, as Jerry Hairston worked on stranding two more Cubs runners in the top of the seventh against St. Louis, he was nearly speechless. After Hairston checked a swing on a low and outside pitch, Pat Hughes, play-by-play guy, asked, "Did he swing?" Ron answered listlessly, "No." Then silence. Then a quiet, "C'mon, Jer." Then more silence. Hairston then looked at strike three, and Ron expectorated a quick, "Jesus!" before catching himself.

This is a game that the Cubs are currently leading by two runs. But this is the same man who said last night, in the top of the ninth, that the Cubs needed some more insurance on their 7-1 lead over the Reds.

...

So, yes, while I have been neglecting writing about the Astros, it is true that I've been listening to the Cubs on the radio, but I promise, I solemnly swear, it is only after the Astros have finished up for the day, and only because even Cubs baseball is better than no baseball at all. But tonight, thanks to mlb.com, I caught a peach of a game between Houston and Milwaukee, in which Roy Oswalt threw 96 pitches in a complete game, 74 of them for strikes. Between this outing and last Friday's blowout against the Reds, which I initially missed but was able to catch on archive for the first time ever without someone spoiling the result for me beforehand -- there are a few advantages to living in the Midwest, one of which is that no one ever talks about the Astros score unless they happen to be playing the Cubs.

I am trying not to take it personally that Oswalt seems to be pitching the best he has since 2001 now that I have left town. This morning, my new boss was rhapsodizing over last night's White Sox/Twins game, in which Brad Radke threw 50 pitches, 42 of them for strikes, before he gave up a home run ball in the fifth inning. Meanwhile, Orlando Hernandez was reportedly in trouble every single inning, and managed to squeak out of it each time without giving up a single run. I thought to myself: Roy Oswalt can pitch that well! And then I thought: I prefer watching a pitcher get out of trouble, like Roger Clemens against the Braves on Monday night.

This weekend, I'm meeting up with former colleagues J. and T. in St. Louis, where I will see poor Roger Clemens go up against Mark Mulder, who is starting to look quite good in Cardinal red. Can't the man catch a break? Can't he go head-to-head with, say, Paul Wilson of the Reds?

...

Ron Santo is now bitching about the lack of Kleenex in the broadcast booth. I am sorry, Astros fans. This beats one of Milo's painful interviews with Yvette the promotions gal by a country mile.

...

I was startled to hear, over and over again tonight, that the Astros have the most stolen bases in the National League right now. I guess I haven't quite shaken the Jimy Williams years -- no complete games, and no running game. It would be a shame to waste Willy Tavares' speed, it is true. But Jason Lane has just as many.

Oh, Jason Lane. Every time he hits a home run -- and he has the most hits on the club right now, by the way -- I think about the fact that he's 29 years old now, and only just getting his start as an everyday player. You understand the Astros' reasons for not bringing him up sooner -- there was Hidalgo, there was Beltran, there was Craig Biggio who had to go somewhere -- but every time Lane gets a hit or swipes a base, I get the feeling that there is a great career that is never going to reach its full potential, because the Astros waited too long. I hope he is not too bitter.

...

Also, as much as I'm enjoying the running game, I can't help but be a little wistful for the hitting game of yore. I can't help remembering when a one-run lead didn't fill me with despair.

...

Speaking of Craig Biggio, I am increasingly reconciled to his continuing place in the starting lineup. Part of it is distance; talking with my new boss about Biggio's career, I am forced to acknowledge his increasingly certain HoF numbers. And the other part is the news this weekend that Biggio had just tied Ted Williams' career hits record (he has now, of coursed, passed it). Granted, Williams lost more than six seasons to the military, but really: anybody whose career can be mentioned in the same sentence as Ted Williams is a better player than I deserve to watch.

Craig Biggio, it is official: I apologize for everything mean I have ever said about you. I am sorry. You go ahead and keep playing for Houston until you get to 3,000 hits, if that's what you want. I will ask them to find a place for you.

Comments

[gfoxcook]

Your entry can be likened to a drink of water after a hot, hot sweaty day working outdoors here in Houston (like I just came home from)! Thanks for finally getting around to making another entry, it feels like ages (well, okay, half a month or so) since the last one.

- What did Ron Santo have to say about Nomar?

- Hey now! No Milo bashing. ;_;

- stolen bases = fun, yes. As for Jason Lane... he may not have been happy about the past two seasons, but they WERE just two seasons. Two seasons in a full career (in baseball, at least) are a drop in the bucket. Also, I've heard some people claim that Jason Lane is better off getting to sit and watch the big league pitching and get a few starts here and a few late-inning appearances and ABs there, and kinda learn all he could learn in "stealth mode," so that now he's got a major advantage against these NL pitchers. IOW, people have said that had he just been thrown into the water (like say Luke Scott this year), he might not be doing as well this season... as he is now. So who knows. We can't rewind time and do things differently and find out what would have happened. All we know is that he's not yet 30 and he's doing well and his career is taking flight. Many don't even get that, so... I'm sure he's happy (at last).

[Nancy]

Santo is special. Careful, he might convert you.

[Awrr]

I think the best part about Jason Lane is that he's never gotten snappy with the media about how he's been strung around by the Astros. Even this spring when he was finally guaranteed a starting spot, he was guardedly optimistic but still just happy to be playing at the major league level. It makes me even happier to see him mashing up here and does add to the sadness that he wasn't able to do it when he was seemingly ready a couple years ago. What a guy.

It's a shame you have to be watching Cubs games. I feel for you. Better than nothing but Mets games though, for the poor Astro fan saps that are stuck in New York (thankfully not me).

It's good to have you back!

[Sarah]

I'm with you on Jason Lane -- so happy for him that he's finally playing full-time, in a position to CONTINUE playing full-time, and doing so well. Every time I've heard him or read a quote by him, he just seems like an all-around good guy, and very humble. It's about time he got his due.