A Tribute to the 2004 Houston Astros
well, it was quite a year wasn't it? everyone, including myself, thought the Astros had no chance of making it into the playoffs. if you read the newspaper on the morning of august 15, you would have seen that the Astros were in a tie for 7th place in the NL wildcard race. they then won 36 of their final 46 games to propel them into the playoffs. a decisive win over the Braves in game 5 of the NLDS got that monkey off the backs of many of the Astros, not only beating the team that had knocked them out of the playoffs 3 times before, but winning their first postseason series in franchise history. unfortunately, the all-around production that got the Astros into the NLCS was not always present against the Cardinals, thus resulting in a game 7 loss to the team with the best record in baseball. and now, a salute to some of my favorite Astros:
Andy Pettitte
although i didn't really get to see him pitch much due to his injury, i'm sure he contributed a lot to our young bullpen behind the scenes. even if he didn't...he brought us Roger Clemens :P
Phil Garner
here's a photo of our manager getting tossed for being an idiot. j/k not really. i may have disagreed with a few decisions that Garner made over the course of his period as interim manager, but the Astros did go on that hot streak under his management. i suppose i wouldn't mind having him promoted to full-time manager next year.
Morgan Ensberg
though not as productive as last year, Ensberg was still a solid third baseman and i thought he deserved some acknowledgement here
Adam Everett
i always liked this young talent. he'll be a good everyday player at shortstop. s'too bad he got injured in the middle of the season :
Brandon Backe
this kid grew up in Galveston, TX idolizing Biggio and Bagwell. his dream: to play for the Astros...as an outfielder. yup, he was drafted as an position player but was converted to a pitcher in 2001. with Miller and Pettitte out for the season, Backe stepped up big time as a starting pitcher late in the season (which is why i picked him for my fantasy playoff team :P). talk about a bright star for the future. oh yeah, and that pic? a curtain call after he hit a home run at Minute Maid. rather attractive, eh ladies?
Brad Ausmus
this guy defines toughness. in this pic, Ausmus got bulldozed by Scott Podsednik in a play at the plate, giving him a concussion that kept him out of a few games...but he held on to the ball. he may not produce a lot of offense, but he is one of the best catchers in the league. not only is he great with the defense, but he works so well with pitchers. it's a shame that that sort of thing doesn't get noticed more. trust me, the Astros' bullpen would not be what it is without Brad Ausmus.
Jeff Kent
former NL MVP, this guy is a huge part of our lineup. he has the most beautiful right-handed swing i've seen. that walk-off HR he hit in game 5 of the NLCS was possibly the greatest moment in Astros history that i've witnessed.
Roy Oswalt
the only 20 game winner in the NL. what more needs to be said? i feel sorry for Oswalt though...his best season as a starter, and he'll probably lose the NL Cy Young Award to his teammate...
Roger Clemens
another hometown boy. wait, make that 42 year-old man. i don't even have to say what having the 2nd greatest pitcher of all time (in my eyes) on our team did for us. you may have gotten the loss for game 7, but we couldn't have gotten that far without you. hope to see you back next year.
Lance Berkman
as a former Rice Owl, he's probably the smartest guy on the team :P an All-Star through and through, he showed the world why he was named to the Home Run Derby, finishing second after knocking ball after ball out of Minute Maid Park. this guy is the future center of our offense.
Carlos Beltran
if you don't know who this guy is by now, you've been living under a rock. i was excited when we got the best player on the trade market this year, and boy did it prove worthwhile. Beltran was no doubt the hottest player in the playoffs this year. there's nothing he can't do. he can hit for power, steal bases, flash the leather, you name it. i'm almost sad that he broke so many postseason records...because now he has the full attention of the world. as a free agent now, you can bet he'll have hundreds of millions of dollars thrown at him. i hope he's grown to love Houston enough to stay here, but as long as he doesn't end up with the freaking Yankees, i'll be mildly happy.
Brad Lidge
and to think, i was disappointed when we gave away Billy Wagner and Octavio Dotel. i had no idea Lidge would become one of the best closers in all of baseball. so many wins were dependent on this guy...especially during the playoffs. every gameplan involved getting into the 8th with the lead for Lidge. without him, the Astros don't make the playoffs.
Craig Biggio
one of the original Killer B's. Biggio has to be one of my all-time favorite players. i love the way he comes to play everyday. how could you not want a guy like this on your team? he began in 1988 as a catcher, spent the majority of his career at second base to preserve his legs, but then moved to the outfield to make room for Jeff Kent. don't worry Biggio, we'll get your name off of that "Most Games Played without a World Series Appearance" list. you deserve it
Jeff Bagwell
speaking of deserving it...this guy defines Killer B. this guy was my idol growing up, folks. i still have his rookie cards, an autographed ball, a personalized autograph on a cocktail napkin, and a plaque of his set up in my room. there's no way this guy cannot get into the Hall of Fame, especially once he hits his 500th home run. there's also no way this guy doesn't take us back to the NLCS to get that elusive 4th win. here's to you, Bagwell, the greatest Astro of all time.
thank you once again for a brilliant season. we'll get em next year.
Houston Astros fan 4 life
