Thursday, April 23, 2020

'Rona-Free Hot Links, Vol. 13

*Alex Bregman is over $1.2m for the Houston Food Bank.

*Everyone's buddy, mine included, Ed Tom Bell wrote this, and it's really good.

*Chandler Rome caught up with Former Astros Great/Current Kia Tigers Great Preston Tucker, as his season is about to begin. Related: ESPN was talking to the KBO about broadcasting games, but the KBO understandably balked at ESPN's offer of $0.

*Michael Bourn owns three apartment complexes in Houston. He waived rent in April, and will do it again for May.

*On July 2, 1994 Jeff Bagwell played RF for his first and only time. He went 1x3 with a home run and a walk in a 5-4 win over the Cubs.

*The ten greatest offensive seasons in Astros history, according to fWAR:

1. Craig Biggio - 1998 (9.3)
2. Alex Bregman - 2019 (8.5)
3. Jeff Bagwell - 1997 (8.0)
4. Jeff Bagwell - 1999 (7.8)
5. Cesar Cedeno - 1972 (7.8)
6. Jeff Bagwell - 1994 (7.8)
7. Jeff Bagwell - 1996 (7.7)
8. Lance Berkman - 2008 (7.6)
9. Jose Altuve - 2017 (7.6)
10. Alex Bregman - 2018 (7.6)

*Alex Bregman is the most-hyped Astros SS prospect of the last 20 years.

*McTaggart: How trading Roy Oswalt sparked the Astros' turnaround.

*Richard Justice: 2005 Roy Oswalt is one of the great underappreciated seasons of all time.

*MLB.com has the Astros' prettiest swing of franchise history and it's...Terry Puhl?



*GQ: Jason Isbell's Redemption Songs.



*The BBC on Eliud Kipchoge: The humble home life in rural Kenya behind athletic success.

*Vice: The man who deleted his past before he was found dead.



*Pitchfork: How a new age hustler sold the sound of the world.



Each day is better than the next.