Longtime Astros play-by-play man Bill Brown doesn't call as many games as he used to, but whenever he is in the booth, it's like listening to your super-knowledgeable favorite uncle call balls and strikes — he's no homer, but it's not hard to guess who he's rooting for. Although frequent partner in the booth Alan Ashby is a not too distant second, nobody gives better deadpan baseball talk, whether the two are discussing the Astros' pitching rotation, front-office moves, the latest MLB gossip or, best of all, when the game grinds to a standstill and their banter wanders off on a tangent way past left field. However, the second the Astros make an exciting play, the nine-year-old baseball fan in Brownie instantly comes out and no one in Minute Maid Park — or listening at home — could be more excited.