Monday Morning Hot Links

Charlie F. Morton shoved, Stassi continued his campaign for 2018's Most Valuable Backup Catcher, and Reddick ended his homestand on a high note as the Astros beat the Padres 4-1. They're 8-2 to open the season for the first time since 1972.

*Morton threw 6IP, 4H/1R (0ER), 7K:3BB. 67 of his 101 pitches were for strikes. He's pitching with gratitude:
I feel really fortunate to be part of this staff. I come to the park each day and I look at the wall over here - just the pitching staff that I'm on - I feel very fortunate to be part of it.

Will Harris, Joe Smith, Brad Peacock: 3IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:1BB. 26 of their 34 pitches were thrown for strikes.

*Springer-Bregman-Altuve-Correa: 1x14, 5K.
5-9 in the lineup: 5x15, 5K, 4RBI.

The Astros struck out 10 more times, giving them six 10+ K games in their first ten. The 2017 Astros recorded their 6th 10+ K game on May 4, the 29th game of the season. Yesterday was also Houston's first game of the season without drawing a walk, something they did nine times last year. So to combine those two things, the last time the Astros struck out 10+ times and didn't draw a walk was September 9, 2016 against the Cubs. The last time they did that and still won the game was August 23, 2015 against the Dodgers, two days after Mike Fiers threw a no-hitter against the 2017 Silver Medalists. Hinch:
We didn't do a lot this series, offensively, but we did enough to win the series. So I think you can't complain too much about how you win as long as you win. It wasn't our best series offensively, but (Stassi's home run) was a big swing on a day we didn't have a ton going. Any opportunity we had was really just that inning, and we took care of it with two big swings by Stassi and Reddick.

*Jexas has your Padres series recap.

*Jake Kaplan writes in The Athletic that the Astros are following through on their plans for Brad Peacock.

*At 657, the Astros have the longest run of consecutive days over .500.

*The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee writes that the Padres are trying to beat the Astros now and be the Astros later.

*With Stassi's 3-run home run and Brad Peacock recording his first career regular-season save, Brian T. Smith says that February 2013 trade with Oakland is looking pretty good.

*The rotation has now made it through two starts, collectively:
Verlander: 11.2IP, 10H/3ER, 14K:3BB - 2.31 ERA/1.11 WHIP
Keuchel: 11IP, 12H/4ER, 7K:5BB - 3.27 ERA/1.55 WHIP
McCullers: 10.1IP, 11H/4ER, 17K:4BB - 3.48 ERA/1.45 WHIP
Cole: 14IP, 7H/1ER, 22K:3BB - 0.64 ERA/0.71 WHIP
Morton: 12IP, 7H/0ER, 13K:5BB - 0.00 ERA/1.00 WHIP

That'll play. Richard Justice says the Astros' elite starting pitching sets them apart in MLB.

*George Springer was subbed out early with leg soreness, but Hinch said he was "completely fine."

*The roof was open, for some reason, so the 52-degree first pitch was the coldest in Minute Maid's history. But it's nothing like what they'll face in Minneapolis tonight, where it'll be 36 degrees with a wind chill of 29 at 7:00pm. Verlander, who is scheduled to start tonight's game, on pitching in the cold:
Throwing strikes is difficult, especially quality strikes. You just have to remind yourself it's worse for the hitter. It always sucks, but it's hard to feel the ball. It's like a cue ball. You just deal with it.

Why the schedule has the Astros going to Minneapolis in the first half of April is puzzling, to say the least. Springer:
The whole city's indoors, except the part we have to be in.

Wut wut pic.twitter.com/vRJyrjd65D

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 9, 2018

*Buster Olney says that Carlos Correa is the least likeliest Astro to sign an extension with Houston, given "his age, position, and power."

*Hunter Atkins says that Derek Fisher's speed is his best asset.

*Next Sunday's Astros/Rangers game will be on Sunday Night Baseball.

*I'm short on time, so go over to What the Heck, Bobby for minor-league stuff.

This looks pretty cool in the Astrodome. pic.twitter.com/qUfteS1uLC

— Mike Acosta (@AstrosTalk) April 8, 2018

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros were off yesterday. We are ten days away from Opening Day, nearing the end of the most interminable offseason ever. FanGraphs has given us a gift, however, and there will be more on this later, but their first Playoff Odds projection has gone live.

The Astros, as of the projections, are at:
96.3% to win the AL West
98.7% to make the playoffs
60.1% to win the ALDS
36.3% to win the Pennant
24.5% to win the World Series

World Series odds as of this morning:
Houston: 24.5%
Chicago: 13.4%
Los Angeles: 12.3%
Cleveland: 12.1%
New York: 11.6%
Washington: 7.6%

God bless us, everyone.

*Check out Jeff Sullivan's pre-season explainer on the 2018 Strength of Schedule.

*Mike Lupica says GMs are looking for their own A.J. Hinch.

*Sports Illustrated made their prediction: Nationals over Yankees. Oh and be sure to check out the sweet two SI covers that feature the Yankees (of course) and the [squints] Angels.

*The Astros as a team are excited for Jose Altuve. Justin Verlander, on Altuve's extension:
Even in my short time here, I've easily seen what he means to that city and how that city has embraced him. In this clubhouse, I think everybody is ecstatic for him. This is a very unique clubhouse...it seems like family; everybody gets along so well. I think everyone is so excited for him and his family and truly, truly happy to see somebody like Jose be able to sign a contract like that. 

*Hunter Atkins writes that, if Jay Bruce can steal a base on the Astros' catchers, the rest of the league is probably going to try.

*Jenny Dial Creech: Alex Bregman is living his best life.

*Eno Sarris has a good look in The Athletic ($) on the two adjustments that J.D. Davis made this offseason.

*Jonathan Mayo has a Q&A with 2017 1st Round pick J.B. Bukauskas, in which he talks about getting ready for his first full season of pro ball and working on his changeup.

*There will be a free event - Domecoming - on April 9, where you can go inside the Astrodome before the renovations start. Registration starts today.

*Jesse Rogers talked to Ted Barrett about life behind the catcher.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*Split-squad day! In one game the Astros beat the Mets 8-7. J.D. Davis, Max Stassi, and Kyle Tucker each hit home runs. Hector Rondon allowed 4H/4ER, 1K:1BB in 0.2IP. Tony Sipp retired all three batters he faced.

In the other game the Marlins put it on the Astros, winning 11-0. Derek Fisher was 1x1 with 2BB. Frankie Tuesday allowed 3H/3R (1ER), 1K:1BB in 1.1IP; Will Harris allowed 1H/3R (2ER), 0K:1BB; James Hoyt got tagged for 4H/4ER, 0K:1BB in 1.2IP.

*The Astros are calling Kyle Tucker "Ted."

*Verlander threw 20 of 28 pitches for strikes and struck out four batters. Verlander:
I felt great. I don't think I could ask for any more out of Day One on the mound...Everything wasn't quite midseason form. There's a reason it's called midseason form, though. Overall, Day One, very pleased. 

*In The Athletic, Jake Kaplan writes that Justin Verlander uses Spring Training to refine his curveball.

*Yuli Gurriel was experiencing some soreness in his wrist, so he got sat down. Hinch:
He came out a little sore during his work today...It's still February. We don't know a ton. It wasn't a 911 emergency as much as it was precautionary reasons.

In that link we find a note from McTaggart on how happy Altuve is for J.D. Martinez.

*The Chronicle's Bruce Webb writes that Houston is spending $105m to turn the Astrodome into nothing at all.

*Hanley Ramirez says the Red Sox are going to "step on everybody's neck."

Spring Training Opening Day (Wednesday) Hot Links

*Today marks the day of the official return of the Got Dang Astros. Pitchers and Catchers will be reporting so hard today y'all.

*UPDATE: Today

Tomorrow. #NeverSettle pic.twitter.com/N21CyhCQhQ

— Houston Astros (@astros) February 14, 2018

*In honor of the opening of Spring Training let's cast our minds back to the 2000 Astros and the Most Terrifying Spring Training Ever.

*Five things to watch at Astros Spring Training, by the Houston Chronicle.

Astros County's Five Questions for the Astros During Spring Training:
1. Did you get hurt?
2. How are you feeling?
3. You good?
4. Need anything?
5. Would you like to take a nap?

*The Astros would like to see Derek Fisher win the LF job. Fisher:
Every year I've gone in with the same mindset and I'm going to do it the same this year. It's just to compete and win a job. I know in years past it hasn't been that way, but I'm still going to continue to do what I've been doing, as far as picking the brains of the guys I get to be around every day. This team we bring back is pretty close to the team we had last year that everybody is going to remember forever.

*Harris County commissioners voted to approve a $105m plan to renovate the Astrodome.

I haven't lived in Houston for about a minute now, but I'm also a history/museums guy, so the plan to do something with the Astrodome makes me happy. But I can also understand that $105m could be better spent...I don't know, just bobbin' for brussels sprouts here, maybe improving infrastructure, or maybe something to do with flooding. Both sides have an equal chance of convincing me they're right, but only if they're the last person to which I speak.

*Brian T. Smith writes about how the Astrodome renovation can be a win-win.

*SI released their Top 100 MLB Players of 2018. On the 100-51 list:
#71: Dallas Keuchel
#69 (nice): Alex Bregman
#66: Josh Reddick

Or the #50-21 list:
#27 George Springer

*You can't read it unless you're a subscriber (and I'm not, yet, at least until they beef up the Astros coverage, or take me away in a Euro-Bourne Mercedes Terror Van x300, or, you know, hire me), but the Angels are committed to a 6-Man rotation.

Guess we'll wait and see where Altuve, Correa, Verlander and Good Son Kenneth Giles land....

*Yu-Who?! FanRag gives the Astros the Best Rotation in Baseball nod and now we will all die within a week.

*Good job, Hooks, who are giving $113,000 to Little League and youth programs among the communities hardest hit by the first landfall of Harvey:

Refugio Little League Board of Directors would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to the @cchooks organization for your generous donation. Every child in Refugio who wants to play Little League baseball/softball will play for FREE this year. This is a huge blessing to our community. pic.twitter.com/XKagQhJXKx

— Refugio Little League (@RefLittleLeague) February 14, 2018

*Before You Go:

🤔 I can think of a reason. https://t.co/Pt3nTunBNK

— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) February 13, 2018

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*Ken Rosenthal's story about the possible availability of Collin McHugh has been unlocked. Oh, and there's now a Houston branch of The Athletic, and Jake Kaplan is providing Astros coverage, starting with a Q&A with A.J. Hinch.

*In yesterday's Hot Links, Good Friend Link provided an article in the comments about the shady world of the MVP Sports Group (Chris Devenski's new representation) founder. Now here's Deadspin with a report on a lawsuit filed against the owners of ACES, who represent Josh Reddick and Brad Peacock.

*Somehow the new Spring Training facility still isn't completely ready.

*Joe Musgrove has been reunited with a high school teammate in Pittsburgh.

*Bud Norris signed a deal with the Cardinals, and he's very excited.

*Harris County Commissioners are the only vote remaining before the Astrodome gets a $105m revamp.

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

*Mike Fiers threw very well - he didn't give up a home run in a start for the first time all season (last night was his 10th start of the year). Fiers, 1st inning: 3H/2ER, 1K:2BB, WP. Fiers, 2nd-6th innings: 2H/0ER, 7K:1BB. Astros win 7-2.

*A.J. Hinch:
It was a great performance by Fiers. He came into the game having been told he's out of the rotation. He gets back in the rotation and comes out and puts up a performance like that. He controlled the first inning, which was key, and really dialed it in from then on to the end of his outing. Really proud of him. 

*The Astros have 21 wins in May. It's the fifth time in franchise history they've had at least 21 wins, and a win today would tie the franchise record of 22 (twice). These 21 May wins are equal to or greater than the total number of wins for the Marlins, Phillies, and Padres.

*On this six-game winning streak, the Astros have 71 hits.

*Jose Altuve was 4x5 with 2RBI. While he's hitting .320/.383/.510 in 2017, his home/road splits are striking:
Home: .237/.278/.364
Road: .439/.521/.720

Altuve:
I realize that I'm playing better on the road. I don't know why, but I think it's just coincidence. It's not a reason why I'm doing that. I'm just trying to be the same player...and help my team.

*Josh Reddick, who drew five walks in all of April, drew three walks last night. It's the 2nd time this season he's had a 3BB game (May 4 vs. Arlington), and the 4th time in his 835-game career.

*Alex Bregman batted 9th for the third time in his career and went 2x3 with a home run and 2RBI.

*Joe Musgrove was placed on the DL with a sore shoulder. Given that it's retroactive to Saturday, it's possible he only misses his start today. David Paulino will start today against the Twins, instead. Musgrove:
For now, we expect to make that start. It doesn't feel like anything too serious. But it's enough to where I can't throw comfortably and I can't go through a normal delivery.

25 minutes ago the rotation was Keuchel/McCullers/Morton/Musgrove/Fiers. Now it's Keuchel/McCullers/Fiers/Paulino/Peacock. Life comes at you fast.

*FanGraphs: The Mostly-Legit Marwin Gonzalez

*Lefty reliever Reymin Guduan was promoted to Houston from Fresno and will join the bullpen.

*Kyle Tucker and Jason Martin were promoted from Buies Creek to Double-A Corpus Christi yesterday. Tucker was hitting .288/.379/.554 as a 20-year old in High-A. AC Favorite Dean Deetz and Alejandro Garcia were promoted to Fresno.

*Houston Press: Don't celebrate anything yet

*The preservation/revitalization of the Astrodome can move forward.

*Read this article from the New Yorker about Kip Litton: Marathon Man

Saturday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros and Collin McHugh went to an arbitration hearing over the difference of $500,000. McHugh wanted $3.85m, the Astros wanted to pay him $3.35m. 

*Luhnow: "If we can avoid getting off to a bad start, I think chances are good that we're going to be seeing baseball in October here."

*Luhnow thinks the depth added to the roster will help the team overcome the inevitable downturns.

*Baseball America released their Top 100 prospects for 2017, complete with five Astros:

-Francis Martes (#15)

-Kyle Tucker (#19)

-David Paulino (#51)

-Franklin Perez (#54)

-A.J. Reed (#72)

*Nolan Ryan at 70.

*Former Astros prospect David Rollins is playing roster roulette...again.

*A state senator from north Houston will introduce a bill for Harris County voters to approve the plan to renovate the Astrodome. 

Cheatin'-ass Cardinals: Sunday Morning Hot Links

*82 days after Rob Manfred said that MLB was "in the last ten yards" of their investigation into the Cheatin'-ass Cardinals, new details into the Cardinals' breach into Ground Control have been unsealed by a federal judge. Among those details:

-Chris Correa broke into Ground Control 48 times.
-He had unlimited access to Sig Mejdal's email account for 2.5 years
-He tried to get into the accounts of Bo Porter, Brent Strom, Colin Wyers, and three minor-league players.
-Correa accessed the Astros' trade notes 14 times leading up to the trade deadline.
-Correa is the one who leaked the information to Deadspin, which is pretty freaking stupid, seeing as how that's how the Astros realized they'd been breached, and what led to Correa's prison sentence.

It's a damning list, even for a guy already in federal prison. But the Cardinals need to be held accountable, and Manfred/MLB have looked like they're just hoping everyone will forget. Still, Barron and Kaplan write that a decision on the Cardinals' punishment could come this week.

*The Astros have five players on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list:
-Francis Martes (#20)
-Kyle Tucker (#35)
-David Paulino (#54)
-Derek Fisher (#83)
-Forrest Whitley (#84)

Martes, Paulino, and Whitley are starting pitchers, which is perhaps the reason the Astros didn't pull the trigger on Jose Quintana or Chris Archer: the answer might be in-house.

*About a quarter of the way down in David Laurilia's Sunday Notes column at FanGraphs, Mike Elias discusses Francis Martes.

*Nick Cafardo writes that the Astros remain a possibility for free agent catcher Matt Wieters, which makes no sense to me.

*Somehow the Astros don't have a first baseman ranked in FanRag's 1B fantasy baseball rankings... But Brian McCann (#6) and Evan Gattis (#10) got in the catcher rankings.

*The Astrodome is now a State Antiquities Landmark, which means it cannot be torn down. Take that, you non-preservationists with no regard for history. Brian T. Smith writes that Houston needs to figure out a way to honor its legacy.

*This columnist points out that the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches is less than four miles from the local landfill and that, when the wind blows out of the northwest, you'll know.

*Vice Sports: How self-assessment runs the hot stove

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

*I wrote about how everyone needs to just shut up about the Astros not drafting Kris Bryant.

*Corpus Christi Hooks president Ken Schrom was teammates with both Tito Francona and Joe Maddon.

*Rangers Assistant GM Thad Levine has been tapped as the next GM of the Minnesota Twins. Levine would be the 2nd assistant GM under Jon Daniels to go on to a GM job of another team. With A.J. Preller getting suspended for 30 days for tampering with medical records, let's see if there is a dastardly culture of corruption sullying the game fermenting with the Ramgers.

*The Astrodome is now a stop on the Red Line of the Metro Light Rail.

*Thankfully no one remembers that the White Sox won the World Series in 2005.

*The Klubot set up the rest of the series with his dominant performance last night.

*Larry Doby's legacy is alive and well in Cleveland.

*FanGraphs: The payroll disparity between the Cubs and Indians.

*Vice Sports: Who would win a series between the 1908 Cubs and the 1948 Indians?

*The Indians' star-studded dynasty that never was.

*The Blue Jays will likely extend Qualifying Offers to the Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

So the Astros want to make this moderately interesting, huh? I mean, okay. Finish strong, I suppose. Alex Bregman made the greatest comeback since Lazarus, coming off the bench and into the game to immediately knock an RBI single off Felix, tying the game in the bottom of the 6th - an inning that saw the Astros score six runs on their way to an 8-4 win over Seattle.

The Astros are 2.5 GB of the WC2 with two teams between them and October. There are four games left. FanGraphs: 2.3%.

Springer:
This team isn't going to quit. We're going to go down fighting. 

Wait...

Felix, on that 6th inning:
I was still making good pitches. The curveball was down, and it just blooped. I was fine. They just got lucky.

*Bregman:
I knew that there was a possibility of it, but we weren't certain. When I went up and got loose in the bottom of the fourth inning, it felt good, and Skip asked if I was ready, and I said, 'Yep.' And that's kind of how it happened.

Bregman was headed to Florida for ABs in the Instructional League. That flight has been canceled.

*Jandel Gustave got his first career MLB win. Hinch:
We wanted to squeeze as many outs out of guys as we could, which is dangerous this time of year. A four-run lead feels like a one-run lead this time of year and obviously our bullpen's been beat up a little bit.

*Over the last two games, Yulieski Gurriel has hit into five double plays. Part of this could be Gurriel's adjustment to a Major League schedule, which is different compared to Cuba or Japan. Gurriel:
Here, there's not a lot of rest - you're always on the go. I try to relax any chance I get, prepare my body, (get a) massage. But really, there's not a whole lot of off time once you're playing every day.

*Today is your last chance to see Tal's Hill. Tal's kind of butthurt about it:
I've been expecting it. I thought it was inevitable with the new ownership and management. I thought it was a very distinct feature of the ballpark. I liked it. Everybody's got their opinions. I sort of sense it was popular with many of the fans, and players and mangers you get different viewpoints. 

*A $105m parking project got the green light to save the Astrodome.

*The Astros are one of four teams known to be setting up private workouts with Lourdes Gurriel.

*Some agents have serious concerns about the next CBA - the current one, the one with the qualifying offer, etc., expires on December 1.

*Longtime Minute Maid groundskeeper Mike Richardson passed away suddenly during Monday night's game. The Astros held a moment of silence prior to Tuesday night's game.

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

It defies logic. There's no reason a team can lose this many games - this many one run games - to another single team over the course of a season. I don't know how to explain it, so at this point I'm not even going to try. But if you had "Tying run gets on 1st because of a Ken Giles Strikeout/Wild Pitch (cough passed ball cough) followed by RBI triple" then you are a sadist because there is no way to plan for that kind of heartbreak.

Giles:
It was my responsibility to shut the guys down and I didn't do my job today. I take full responsibility for that. I didn't make the pitches when I needed to.

Hinch, on waiting for disaster when playing the Rangers:
We have a lot of intensity in our competitiveness. We have a lot of winning players. To follow the narrative of 'There's doomsday coming' is just not going to be accepted, it's not going to be how it is. They came out and beat us by putting together a really good ninth inning against a really good pitcher and no more than that. We can't replay the games that we've faced these guys, but to concede or to think that something bad is going to happen is garbage.

And that's where you're wrong, A.J. Hinch. Something bad is going to happen. To not be at least aware of it is to fix your fence and hope that a gaggle of ghosts think your house looks nice. If you're not willing to concede that there is some sort of spell at work here between Euless and Houston, then you're missing something.

Hinch:
I've seen and been in some tough ones. This one's pretty hard. We had every chance to win the game and obviously strange things happen when we play these guys.

*This guy was escorted out of Minute Maid, saying in very NSFW terms what we're all thinking.

Hey but Altuve busted out of his slump with a three-hit night. Considering the Astros only had four hits, that's pretty good.

You know who hasn't busted out of a slump yet? George Springer, who is 1x14 with 5K:3BB on this home stand.

WC1/2: Toronto/Baltimore
Detroit: -2
New York: -2
Seattle: -2.5
Houston: -4.5

*FanGraphs: 4.5%.

*Lourdes Gurriuel, Yulieski's younger brother, will hold a showcase today in Panama. And Yuli wants Lourdes in Houston:
Of course I would love for him to sign here. But there's a lot of variables that go into it and a lot of things can change. But yeah, selfishly, I would love for him to sign here. 

*That'll do it for Lancaster's season. The JetHawks were eliminated last night in a 7-2 loss to High Desert...the...Rangers affiliate. /throws computer out the window.

*Here's Ken Hoffman with an update on an actually-viable Astrodome reclamation proposal.

*For the 7th straight year the Hooks' umpires locker room was named the best in the Texas League.

*These two Astros fans...

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*The Masked Marvel posted another Depth Charts look.

*20-year old pitching prospect Jose Rosario died in a motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic on Sunday. He had signed as a free agent in December 2013 and spent the last two seasons between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League. Astros International Director Oz Ocampo:
Jose was a beloved member of the Astros' Latin American program. He will be remembered as a long, lanky-framed pitcher with tremendous ability, an outgoing personality and an ever-positive disposition. He was a true student of the game and was constantly looking to learn and improve his abilities.

*The Hardball Times takes a wide-angle view of the 2010-2013 Astros in The Art of the Tank. Jeff Luhnow should drop a mixtape called "Tha Blueprint."

*Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail appeared on the always-fun always-reasonable Dallas Morning News podcast, and said this:
The Houston Astros have a ton of talent as far as arms, and I mean a ton of talent...But I will tell you...and I'm not taking a shot at Houston...the arms that I saw, and the arms that we (the Rangers) have on paper, and the guys we saw face us at the Double-A level last year...we have just as much, if not more pitching, as the Houston Astros.

*Despite only being $250,000 apart, the Astros are willing to let Jason Castro go to an arbitration hearing. He filed for $5.25m, the Astros filed for $5m.

*The Astros are handling Trim Evan Gattis' case like it will also go to an arbitration hearing.

*Per MLB Pipeline, A.J. Reed is MLB's Top 1B prospect:
With his penchant for making consistent hard contact and waiting out pitchers reluctant to challenge him, Reed could claim Houston's first-base job as soon as he proves he can hit advanced left-handers. 

*And in the Top 2B prospects list, Tony Kemp ranked #8.
Kemp saw some time in the outfield last year and played there in college, so that might be his best ticket to reaching Houston.

*The Harris County Commissioners Court will vote today on the first step of renovating the Astrodome.

*You should really read Rob Manfred's Q&A with Jeff Passan.

*Marie Mahoney - the only Houston native to play in the AAGPBL (the league which inspired "A League of Their Own") passed away Sunday at the age of 91.

Friday Morning Link Dump

It's 108 days until Opening Day

*Jed Lowrie feels as though Minute Maid Park is "tailor-made" for him, what with that seven-foot tall right field wall. 

*Jeff Luhnow, on 3B:

Matt Dominguez has a chance to be a very good player. Two years ago he proved that. Last year, he slid back a little bit. We're going to give him every opportunity to win that job, but we also have to protect ourselves as an organization. Marwin is still with us, and Marwin could end up being our third baseman.

*Jose Altuve is one of the Washington Post's Breakout Stars of 2014.

*The Astros Caravan will be from January 20-23 with stops in Houston, Brownsville, Austin, and Corpus, and FanFest is on January 24. 

*Rough day to be a former Astros pitcher in the A's organization: Fernando Rodriguez was DFA'd and Jorge De Leon was released.

*They started cleaning The Astrodome.

The Rodeo and the Texans walk into a bar...

The Rodeo and the Texans came up with a spiffy little 37-page plan to demolish the Astrodome and turn it into a greenspace entitled the "Astrodome Hall of Fame."

Said plan would conveniently be enacted in time for Reliant to host the 2017 Super Bowl.

Let's cast our gaze back all the way to May 2013 when the New York Times' Jere Longman wrote a love letter to the Dome, and then threw this nugget in there:

As Houston sought the 2017 Super Bowl, Roger Goodell...did not call for the wrecking ball. But he said in March that additional parking for nearby Reliant Stadium could be "a very positive change" in Houston'd bid.

So the Commissioner of the NFL would very much like to see *something* done to the Dome to help with parking for one game. Good plan, bro.

Astrodome to National Register of Historic Places

Late last week, the Astrodome was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  What does this mean? Kevin Bass Stache has the skinny...
----

In case you missed the news, the Houston Astrodome was listed recently in the National Register of Historic Places.  What’s that, you ask?  The NRHP (for short) is a list of historically significant sites, structures, or districts deemed significant by the federal government.  These are not just “old buildings,” either.  The St. Louis Arch and Martin Luther King Jr.’s gravesite are both NRHP listed properties.  These sites can qualify for inclusion based on multiple factors, including architectural design or an association with a famous person or event. 

So, why the Astrodome?  From a cultural standpoint, the Astrodome was a very important structure in the latter half of the 20^th century.  It’s easy to write it off as just a sports stadium where the Astros and Oilers played games, but dig a bit deeper and you’ll see it hosted many important cultural events (including boxing matches, Evil Knievel, the Republican National Convention in 1992, Elvis Presley, “The Battle of the Sexes,” etc.).  Aesthetics also likely played a part in why the structure was nominated.  It was built in 1965, which was the height of Modernist design, and it was a very unique looking design.  It’s sometimes hard to grasp now, but the Astrodome was important enough to be dubbed “The Eighth Wonder of the World.”    

Now, what does NRHP nomination mean for the Astrodome?  The short answer is we don’t really know yet.  Properties listed in the NRHP are eligible for tax breaks if the owner(s) tries to rehabilitate the structure and that’s a big incentive.  If Harris County, for example, were to sell the site to a developer or group, that might help convince them to try and repurpose the Astrodome in some way.  Of course, I write “might” here because it’s a popular misconception that being listed in the NRHP prevents a structure from being torn down.  Demolition is still a very real outcome here. 

Still, if you’re a fan of the Astrodome, this announcement is a good thing.  The recognition, and PR generated, helps gives the structure another lifeline.  If you’re not a fan of the Astrodome, this probably isn’t the news you were looking for since it buys a little more time.  Summed up:  There’s still is no resolution and all options are on the table.  Stay tuned. 

Houston rejects the Astrodome

Today Harris County voters decided against Proposition 2. Proposition 2 would have issued $217m in bonds to turn the Astrodome into an event and exhibition center.

What does this mean? Harris County commissioners have said that, if the bond failed, then the Astrodome would likely be destroyed.

The math has, thankfully, been done already. The $217m bond issue means that Harris County taxpayers would be responsible for $8 per year. $8 to save the Astrodome. $8 to save the 8th Wonder of the World.

$8 is basically a #4 from Whataburger per year. It's two trips to Starbucks a year. If you sacrifice a 20-piece Chicken McNuggets meal a year, you save the Astrodome.

A quick aside: I was not born in Houston. I was born in England, so I can't become president, which is bad news for you because I would be a pretty good president. But I first became aware of baseball while I lived outside of Lubbock, Texas. We had a satellite dish, and I distinctly remember being six years old and watching the Astros/Mets NLCS in 1986 because screw the Rangers. And I remember being profoundly sad when the Mets won. My dad was/is a preacher, so we moved around a lot, and we moved to Indiana. The Cubs, Reds, and Braves were the teams I could watch in our time in Indiana - all National League teams. One summer I got $5/game to score and chart Reds games for STATS, but I wasn't exactly dedicated.

My grandparents lived in Houston, and my cousins and I (I'm an only child) would go to my grandparents' house for a month every summer. They took us to an Astros game and thanks to Baseball Reference I can tell you that the game we all went to was July 19, 1994 and the Cardinals - F the Cardinals - one-hit the Astros in a 10-0 win over Houston. Andujar Cedeno got the only Astros hit of the game.

The summer between my 8th and 9th grade year we moved to Pasadena and I started my freshman year at Sam Rayburn High School. I thought that, at any point, the color of my shirt would get me killed by somebody in a gang because it's Houston right?. I stared at a KeyMap of Harris County in an effort to look like I belonged because I knew that the House of Pies was awesome. And I also spent a lot of my time watching the Astros at the Astrodome.

I have been to exactly two NFL games. I've never been much on the NFL, but my dad and I were given tickets to an Oilers game. It was December 10, 1995. Chris Chandler started the game but was injured and a rookie quarterback named Steve McNair took over, making his first actual appearance at QB, and led the Oilers to a 24-17 loss to the Lions.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to be Ring Lardner or Jerry Maguire when I grew up, so I joined the newspaper staff. I was the Sports Editor for the Sam Rayburn Speaker my sophomore year. This was a couple of years after the Strike. The Astros invited area high school newspapers to send a representative or two to the Astrodome for a "press event." I met and interviewed Shane Reynolds and Chris Holt. Darryl Kile may have been there. Reynolds definitely was. I stood in the locker room of the Astrodome and asked some asinine questions that I can't remember and wrote in the Speaker about how baseball was awesome and the Astros were awesomer.

It was around this time that I also began to develop an appreciation for music. Given the country of my birth, I was all about The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. I was the out-of-town kid who liked BritPop. My aunt would send me CDs of Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene, and Blur - the latter of which was playing in a small club in Houston (I can't remember which). But no band dominated my time like U2. I could have gone to see Blur when I became interested in going to concerts, but I wanted U2 to be the first band I ever saw live. So I skipped Blur (at Numbers, maybe?) so that the first concert I ever spent my own money on was U2, at the Astrodome. I made my boys Randy, Chase, and Jake to go with me to the Astrodome on November 28, 1997 (I didn't even have to look it up - I have a bootleg of the show) at 5pm. Predictably, we walked around for a few hours until Smashmouth opened - Rage Against the Machine opened for U2 the show before, in San Antonio, so I got cheated because Smashmouth sucks - for U2. It was magic.

One time I took a date to the Astrodome for an Astros game. I can't remember the date - and by that I mean the girl and the actual date of the game. I couldn't remember where I parked, which is something that stays with me to this day - I always take a picture of where I park at the airport - and we walked around until 12:30am until I eventually found my 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco. We didn't go on another date.

When I went off to ACU I didn't come home all that much in an effort to show that I was a legit College Guy. No showing up my freshman year to impress the chicks who were still in high school for me! But in 1999 I came home for Fall Break. So hell yes my dad and I went to Games 3&4 of the NLDS. Game 3 was the Walt-Weiss-Can-Go-To-Hell game, and Game 4 was the last major-league game ever played at the Astrodome.

When my wife, who is from Baytown and also not the girl I took to an Astros game in high school, and I lived in Abilene we went back to Houston in 2005 to let Hurricane Katrina "refugees" use our cell phones - because it was the weekend and our minutes were free - try to call their relatives and loved ones to tell them that they were safe.

The Astrodome means a lot to me. It helped me adjust to a new, freaking huge city. The Astrodome is where I took girls. The Astrodome is where I saw my favorite band of all time play live for the very first time. The Astrodome is where I interviewed Shane Reynolds. The Astrodome is where my wife and I went to try to help people adjust to a new, freaking huge city after their old, freaking huge city was destroyed by a hurricane.

And for $8, Harris County voted to tear it down.

Astrodome Groundbreaking

Courtesy of Tim Pool we get this wonderful image of the groundbreaking of the Astrodome on January 3, 1962:

The New York Times on the Astrodome

Ooooh, look at the BIG CITY paper casting its gaze towards Houston! The New York Times' Jere Longman wrote an essay about the Astrodome.

So it was despairing to hear that the vacant Astrodome might be torn down and its site paved over as Houston prepares to host the 2017 Super Bowl. Demolition would be a failure of civic imagination, a betrayal of Houston’s greatness as a city of swaggering ambition, of dreamers who dispensed with zoning laws and any restraint on possibility.

Click on through to read the whole thing, it's well worth your time. Also, screw Roger Goodell.

If the Astros don't bring this back then I don't know what

I had totally forgotten about this until an Unnamed Friend of Astros County reminded me of it. Anyone else remember the song they would play at the Astrodome?

Astrodome deadline date set at June 10

CultureMap Houston has an article up indicating that a hard deadline of June 10 has been set for proposals on the future of the Astrodome.

At a Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation (HCSCC) board meeting on Wednesday, after approving a top-secret non-disclosure agreement recently requested by the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies for its Astrodome plan, board chairman Edgardo Colón set a deadline of June 10 for private developers to submit proposals for the iconic dome's future.