Okay, I bet you guys are all worried about next season. About how the Astros starting rotation, after Roy Oswalt, is pretty sucky looking. Just like this season. But there’s no need to fear. Jason Jennings is here to save the day.
No seriously. Richard Justice wrote that. It seems the Jennings injury came at just the right time for him to get surgery and be healthy and ready for spring training, at which point he will be the perfect number two pitcher behind Oswalt, and just ahead of the number three starter Woody Williams.
I think I know what caused that fire that damaged the KGOW transmitter: Justice was smoking some dope before his first show, and well, things got a little out of control. There’s just no other way to explain things. Jesus Ortiz is making more sense than Justice.
Just what is it that Justice sees that leads him to think Jennings is capable of being a number two starter? Or that Woody is capable of being a number three? Really. I’m serious here. Just what is this being based on? It sure isn’t their performance this season. Or last. Or the season before last.
Albert Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing time after time after time and expecting different results (sort of like my waking up every morning just knowing Ashley Judd’s going to be next to me). So Justice must be insane because he’s wanting the Astros to do the same thing with the starting rotation next season that the team did season. And he’s expecting that things are going to be different. Though there’s absolutely no evidence to support that conclusion.
None.
It’s true that the Astros are in a difficult situation come next season. The free agent class for starting pitching is not good. The best on the market is Curt Schilling. But Schilling seems set on pulling a Wade Boggs and ending his career in Tampa Bay. (Besides, I don’t think Curt is Drayton’s type. Not only does he have injury issues, but he likes to shoot his mouth off to the media, and Drayton generally doesn’t like big mouths – not even Rocket shot off his mouth like Schilling). Kenny Rogers makes Jason Jennings look healthy (plus there’s that whole lack of media friendliness thing). Maybe Drayton can beg Rocket to come back. Eric Milton is on the market, and ex-Astros farm hand Freddy Garcia will probably be available for real cheap because, well, he’s got health issues. Josh Fogg will be available, and his numbers don’t look back considering he’s currently pitching for the Rockies, but that’s what the powers-that-be thought about Jason Jennings.
So, in a way, I can sort of understand why Justice writes as he does about Jennings. But really, Jennings and Williams aren’t top of the rotation pitchers. I’d put Wandy Rodriguez and Chris Sampson in the two and three spots before I’d try Jennings and Williams again.
Oh well, at least not everyone at the Chron is drinking the kool-aid. Brian McTaggart continues to be about the only person at the Chron writing about baseball who appears to be more interested in facts. And he says to dump Jennings. But maybe that’s because he doesn’t have a radio show like everyone else.
Enough, this has just been away of avoiding the real issue. The real issue that the Astros lost. Again. To the lowly Washington Nationals, a team that was supposed to be one of the worst teams in the majors this season, yet the ‘Stros just found a way to lose three of four to them. Last night’s loss was by the score of 7-6, with the Astros making a late run. And to make things better, the Astros slid into fifth place. And after last night, the Nationals have a better record than the Good Guys.
So, Jesus, do you still stand by your prediction of the Astros reaching the World Series? This team is even worse than I predicted, and I thought it was going to be bad.
The Astros should have an easy time of it this weekend seeing as the last place Pittsburgh Pirates are in town for three games. But the Astros haven’t had much luck with the Pirates this season, starting with Brad Lidge blowing the first game of the season to the Pirates.
Don’t worry though. This long nightmare is almost over. There are only 34 games left. I love baseball. I’ve sat through Devil Rays/Rangers games before, in Tampa, and yet even I want this season to end.
So I can’t even imagine how you people out there are holding up. – John Royal
This article appears in Aug 23-29, 2007.
