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Celebrating the Astros: World Series giveaways this weekend
Apr 5, 2018, 7:32 am
The celebration will continue this weekend. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
The big homestand for your World Champion Astros continues this weekend with probably the two most important giveaways of the season: the replica trophy on Friday and the replica ring on Saturday. If you haven’t made it to the initial home games this season you can start planning to attend this weekend and score some sweet memorabilia.
If you plan on finding your way out to the games this weekend you should take my advice and get to a parking lot early for tailgating. My friends and I showed up at 2 p.m. for a 7 o’clock game on Tuesday for an afternoon of fun. We got a corner spot at Franklin and Chenevert, set up a canopy, lowered the tailgates and set up the cornhole boards. We drank beer for about four hours before heading in for pre-game ceremonies. Because of that we didn’t have to buy more than one $13 beer.
I had a great time in the middle of the week with a non-capacity crowd at fever pitch. Every Astros hit was an eruption that rocked the building. I can only imagine what I missed at Monday’s home opener. What I didn’t miss was the ring ceremony before the game. I watched as the Astros showed what a class act they are by giving rings to the organization’s only two Hall of Fame players, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. It was touching to see the reactions of the players as they accepted the jewelry that serves as an individual trophy for their accomplishment. Saturday, you can get your own versions of what they took home that night. These are the best giveaways so the crowds should be large. Get in line early enough to grab your souvenirs because each one is limited to the first 10.000 fans.
It’s a weekend series with the Padres, so there is potential for a lot of offense from the home team. Everyone loves offense. The weather might not be perfect outside but that’s no reason shun a day downtown enjoying the great amenities of Minute Maid Park, neighboring bars, or your own personal tailgate party.
If you find that you can’t make it out to the Friday or Saturday games, there are other opportunities to get souvenirs related to the World Series. Sunday’s game will give the first 10,000 fans a commemorative poster. Wait a week and you can get a George Springer World Series MVP Bobble head on April 14. Wait three weeks and you can get a Jose Altuve MVP bobble head on April 28.
No matter what you do, now is the time to go to an Astros home game. It’s a long season where anything can happen. Better that you see a game now and take advantage of some great home crowds and free stuff.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.