Houston Astros Page 28 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Nationals Bunted In The Winning Run From First Because The Astros Played Defense Like Morons
I had to watch the video below twice just to make sense of how mind-bogglingly terrible the Astros were on this play. After Roger Bernadina led off the 11th with a single, the Nats were simply hoping to have Kurt Suzuki bunt him over to second. But that's when the Astros went to work, and just look ...

San Francisco Giants Almost Give Game Away In One Of The Worst Ways Imaginable
It's the bottom top of the ninth, and San Francisco is protecting a 2-1 lead over the Astros. Two out, 1-2 count, man on second. The Giants' Santiago Casilla gets Chris Snyder to swing and miss. Ballga—woops! The ball got away from Hector Sanchez and so he quickly airmails it to first base, pulling...

Did An ESPN Anchor Need To Apologize For An Astros "Trailer Park Day" Joke?
Car seats are used to safely secure children inside of automobiles. They are not baseball gloves and should not be used for such a purpose. When SportsCenter showed the highlight of a Houston Astros fan attempting to utilize such a device for exactly that, an exasperated Bram Weinstein asked, "Is ...

Ron Paul Gets Inducted Into Congressional Baseball Hall Of Fame, Wears Hideous Jersey
We can thank Meredith Shiner, of the Capitol Hill paper of record—Roll Call, for this snapshot of bold decision maker Ron Paul....

Child At Astros Game Catches Foul Ball In Popcorn Bucket
Glove? Who needs a glove? What you see in the video below is proof that it's possible to catch a baseball with butterfingers....

Carlos Lee Couldn't Get To The Ball, So He Tackled An Umpire Instead
Charlie Manuel's profane stare-down with Bob Davidson wasn't the only hilarity involving an umpire during today's Astros-Phillies matinee. Way back in the bottom of the first, Jimmy Rollins led off by bouncing a ball down the line, where it rolled just beyond the reach of Carlos Lee, whose next move...

"Here's Our Resident Nerd, Picking His Nose"
The backlash against advanced statistics in baseball by so-called "purists" can get tiresome, but there's no denying a few of the stereotypes about those dealing in the numbers game sometimes hold true. Here's a shot of Astros Director of Decision Sciences (seriously, that's his job title) Sig Mejd...

Rick Ankiel Threw A Strike From Center Field
Houston's Jordan Schafer had 22 stolen bases last year, so he's not slow. But even he wasn't about to tag up and test the arm of Rick Ankiel, who showed the Astros' prudence to be warranted by hitting the catcher on the fly. Perhaps it wasn't strictly a strike (unless Larry Vanover was working the p...

What The Astrodome Looks Like After Sitting Untouched And Rotting For A Decade
The Eighth Wonder of the World hasn't been used since the rodeo moved next door to Reliant Stadium in 2003. There are fanciful plans for the Astrodome, still preserved in time and set up for a football game of a team that doesn't exist—luxury hotel, movie studio, etc. But for now it's still just a s...

ESPN Combines Pirates And Astros Into Something "Other" That Might As Well Give Up
It's one thing to have no chance. Quite another to not even have the chance to show the world you have no chance. ESPN has since made a correction, but they probably had it right the first time. [HardballTalk]...

ESPN's Keith Law Interviewed For A Job In The Astros' Front Office
According to the estimable Ken Rosenthal, Keith Law of ESPN—last seen around these parts ragging on Moneyball—interviewed with the Houston Astros for a position (Rosenthal mentions scouting director) in their front office. Law just tweeted, "My day just got a lot more interesting."...

"The Eighth Wonder Of The World Essentially Crumbling Before Our Eyes": What Happens When Teams Leave Their Stadiums
Ryan Holeywell at Governing.com decided to check in on Houston's Astrodome, which has become a blighted mess:...

For The 2013 Season, The Astros Will Go To The AL West And Basically Everyone Will Go To The Playoffs
MLB's owners unanimously approved the sale of the Houston Astros from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane today, and included a $65 million price cut in the deal. The Astros will leave the NL Central and join the AL West for the 2013 season, and, to the relief of symmetricists everywhere, each league will h...

Waitress Says Minor Leaguer Groped Her, Actually Said "Do You Know Who I Am? I Play For The ValleyCats"
Right, maybe we have glorified athletes too much in this country when a Short-Season A ballplayer feels empowered enough to pull the old "Do you know who am?" That's what one member of the Tri-City ValleyCats (a Houston Astros affiliate) allegedly told a waitress after grabbing her chest and behind ...

Astros Outfielder Arrested For Allegedly Smoking Weed In Front Of A Cop
In 30 games as the Houston Astros centerfielder this season, Jordan Schafer hit .245 with one home run and six RBI. In one night as the driver of a 2008 Land Rover in Tampa yesterday, Schafer hit one joint and kept additional marijuana "in a plastic container and in three peanut butter cups."...

PNC Park's Acoustics Are So Good That You Can Hear A Home Run Hit The Empty Bleachers
In tonight's epic showdown between the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates, Carlos Lee hit a two-run dinger in the top of the first. What tipster Trey A. pointed out was that "I've never heard a HR hit the outfield bleachers before. But yet again, I've never watched a Pirates game."...

Astros Announcer Pauses, Reflects, Remains Completely Baffled By The Foreign Concept Of Reggaeton
We will admit that we didn't really expect the broadcasters of the NL Central's most insipid ballclub to be familiar with the collected works of reggaeton superstars Don Omar or Daddy Yankee. (Though, come to think of it, "Dame Mas Gasolina" describes Octavio Dotel's career well.)...

This Young Astros Fan Was Not Bashful About Flipping The Reds Off Last Night
The Houston Astros averted their 75th loss of the season last night in no small part because of some leftfielder named J.D. Martinez's two-RBI double to left in the seventh. This was an overwhelmingly awesome moment for one excitable boy fan who flipped a double bird....

The First Rounder Who'd Rather Play For The Long Island Ducks Than Sign With The Astros
The Astros are high on UConn outfielder George Springer, who they took last month with the 11th overall pick. How high? He's got some wondering if Hunter Pence isn't now expendable. But the deadline to agree to terms is August 15th, and Springer spent his weekend on Long Island, meeting with the GM ...

Hockey Player Misses Five Minutes Of Game Time With Broken Face, Returns In Time For Season-Losing Goal
Your morning roundup for May 29, the day after death told the world that the puffy-faced Grandma Bandit was actually a man....