Foamer Night

An Astros blog

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Oh, I remember the Foamer Nights well. The Red Rooster and Toy Cannon were my favorites although Bob Watson hit the most “Foamers”. I was in college and before Stros management got smart we would get a box and take back to our seats as many as we could carry. We would sell them for $.25 and would pay for the beers on the way home. Those were the days.

John, commenter on this 2009 Houston Chronicle post

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The triple that George Springer hit last night seems indicative of what he can do as a player when going full bore. He showed great strength to push an inside 96-mph fastball to right field, and he flashed the speed to convert that line drive into a triple when the KC right fielder flailed at he sinking liner and whiffed. George thundering around the bases makes a real impression. 

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Comercial Pepsi (Richard Hidalgo)

Comercial de televisión de Pepsi producido y transmitido en Venezuela con el jardinero derecho de los Navegantes del Magallanes Richard Hidalgo como protagon...

Richard Hidalgo catches a crapton of Pepsi cans that get shot at him from a vending machines...while wearing a PEPIS baseball jersey. Hang around for the big twist at the end and special appearance from Poochie at the end.

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Glad we got a better Carlos than that Carlos Beltraitor

Random Facebook commenter on a Carlos Correa home run video who apparently still holds a grudge

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As for the sprint itself, Springer logged a remarkable top speed of 21.43 mph. To put that into perspective, it's faster than the top speed reached by both Reds speedster Billy Hamilton during his last triple, as well as that reached by speedy Twins prospect Byron Buxton on his triple Monday night.

http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/131040782/statcast-tracks-springers-mad-dash-home

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Correa's first MLB double

6/10/15: Carlos Correa clubs the first double of his Major League career, an opposite-field line drive in the 3rd inning

Correa hit this ball SO hard, and to the opposite field. The outfielder had no idea how quick that ball would come screaming up on him.

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Lance McCullers’ training regimen

with Cuban pitching guru Orlando Chinea:

A few days a week, McCullers—who worked with Chinea through high school and reunited with him this winter after a rough 2014 season in the minors—pushed 4,000-pound cars in a parking lot, between 100 to 150 meters in distance, for lower body work. Days ended with McCullers standing over a tree trunk and swinging an ax 400 times into the wood, alternating horizontal and vertical swings with 30 reps, an exercise to maximize the shoulder’s structural rotation. “He’s stronger now,” says Chinea. “More explosive. His adjustments and improvements over the last few months—unbelievable.”

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This was the most Astros-est inning ever, topped with a Carter strikeout!

The Internet's visual storytelling community. Explore, share, and discuss the best visual stories the Internet has to offer.

via Reddit 

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“Softest hit pitchers by exit vel: Sale 84.42 MPH Kershaw 84.5 Keuchel 84.8 McHugh 85.4 Jimmy Nelson 85.5 Arrieta 85.7 http://t.co/HgimfhCa68”

It’s nice when data backs up intuition, and it’s even nicer to see two Astros starting pitchers on this list.

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Everyday Altuve

When I lived in Seattle, I created a blog called Everyday Ichiro. The idea was that Ichiro’s output was so diverse and singular that it was worth the effort both to watch him every day but also to chronicle his output in a regular, even daily, fashion.

Jose Altuve has assumed that mantle. This year, as last, his output is every bit as dynamic and fluid, in a style all his own.

On the heels of a home run evening yesterday, he punched holes in bizarre and fascinating ways in this day game against Oakland. 

Let’s have a look:

1st at bat - He punches an 0-2 curveball, a foot outside and high, past the first baseman. Meaning that he hit a sharp ground ball as far “oppo” as is physically possible at a time when most hitters are trying simply to hang on. 

2nd at bat - With a man on second, Altuve delivered a return of Drew Pomeranz’s serve as a line drive off the keyster, which met rear end and bounced jauntily above the back of the mound while Altuve danced to first base for his second single of the day, moving Jake Marisnick over to third base with no outs and Springer up. Then he stole second base on the first pitch.

3rd at bat - Offering at two curveballs that bounced around home plate does not prove fruitful.

4th at bat - grounder to short for an out.

5th at bat - in a high-leverage situation in the top of the ninth (man on first, potentially a sac bunt situation) Altuve drills a sharp grounder straight at third baseman Brett Lawrie. The runner on first was on the move, however, and Lawrie made the poor decision to try and get the force at second. Marisnick beat the throw, which never made its relay over to first. Altuve made his hay by making contact with the hit and run pitch, opening the opportunity for chaos on the bases.

Just for the fun of it, he came around to score on Evan Gattis’ heroic mash to center field that he delivered from out of a fastball at the beard.

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What is really in the Astrodome time capsule?

There’s a time capsule buried under the Astrodome. They say there are some kind of diplomatic whatnots from twenty countries this and that, but I know better. Here’s what’s REALLY inside the Astrodome time capsule:

Mickey Mantle brand knee brace with built-in flask-holster.

Map leading to Roy Hofheinz’s lost storeroom filled with priceless trove of life-sized clown dolls.

One half of the secret formula for AstroTurf.

Abandoned prototype of the failed and ultimately extremely dangerous Atomic Bat.

10 crates of handguns left over from 1964′s “Actual Colt .45s” giveaway day.

20 palettes of pure grit.

Extra sideburns.

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There is a lost time capsule buried in the Astrodome

The whole mysterious story here.

Supposedly, according to the Chronicle, “The Astrodome capsule contains mementos from 20 consulates, as enduring symbols of those countries. But what condition the capsule is in is anyone's guess.”

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Oso UnBlanco

No longer the proprietor of a big blank in the home runs column, Evan Gattis achieved the end to which he has engineered his peculiar and -- in cases such as this, highly effective -- swing. 

We don’t think much about the term “swing.” It’s so innate now that we apply it universally, to every player no matter the style (bunts of course being the exclusion). Gattis, of course, stretches the poetic bounds of the word, with less a swing than a gathering of tension and a catapulting forward projection. A release, maybe, a launch, an unleashing...hardly the stuff of front porches, playgrounds and dance halls.

Let’s contrast with, say, our recently highly successful shortstop, Jed Lowrie. Jed’s righty swing is like a cordial introduction between bat and baseball, with a brief but satisfying conversation, followed shortly by an easy, natural farewell in the backstroke. The results of these rendezvous have, of late, yield glowing results. 

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Kevin Costner attends Astros game, (kind of) reveals his favorite baseball movie, calls a homer

I enjoyed this mid-Astros-game interview with Kevin Costner more than I would have expected. He very ably articulated both why his great baseball movies are great (though I don’t include the perfect game one in there) and the allure of the mid-season cruise and the late-season charge. In his care, words become experience, sentiment become sensation, and he called a dinger.

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