Every-Thing Sports
Let's discuss the best ways to watch the return of the Astros
Jul 21, 2020, 9:32 am
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images.
MLB is returning to live games with their pandemic-shortened schedule on Thursday, July 23. The rest of the league will play on Friday, July 24, including your Houston Astros. Fans won't be able to be in attendance at the games, but there's no doubt in my mind many will be tuned in. After all, there's very few live sports we have to watch that will hold our attention.
Sure there are other live sports to watch, but do they really hold a candle to one of the big three? UFC has held some entertaining fights. I've seen some decent boxing matches as well. My son has gotten us into racing since watching Ford vs Ferrari. The Korean Baseball Organization is pro baseball, but it comes on at like 3am. So now that we're getting one of the big three back, how do you plan on watching?
Small gatherings
Some people will gather together to celebrate. I know for a fact that Cobos Que will be open and serving his mouth-watering BBQ. There's going to be some good food served and I suggest you make plans accordingly. For the few places that are allowed to remain open, I'm sure folks will either sit and eat, or order to go. Several friends have said they will gather to watch together as well. Whatever you choose to do when it comes to gathering, please be responsible. Mask up and practice social distancing.
Flying solo
There will be many more who will choose to watch the game alone and/or in the comfort of their own homes. This is my go-to move. I describe myself as an antisocial extrovert. I can be around people and seem like a people person, when in reality I'm fighting off my anxiety because I'm around other people. This is also the safest move since the city is back on red alert. Order food to go or have it delivered. Pour your favorite beverage. Sit back and enjoy the Astros inside your own four walls.
Drinking Haterade
With success, comes detractors. Add that to the fact that the Astros were hit hard by MLB for cheating, and you have fans of other teams ready to watch the Astros just to see them fail. Hell, there are even members of the media that want to see them fail! Sure, they cheated, got caught and took it on the chin. But they weren't the only ones. They cheated and deserve the venom spewed their way. The holier-than-thou attitude by others is what truly gets me. With the shortened season and no fans, some are actually angry that the Astros won't get the treatment they deserve. When you allow that level of hate to consume you, you deserve to be miserable.
Indifferent
Another segment of society will be totally indifferent. They'll watch if it's on and there's nothing else holding their attention, or maybe catch some highlights. These are the ones that don't really care if MLB comes back or not. I'd love to see a Venn diagram of those in this category and their overwhelming love for football and/or basketball. MLB has done an awful job of appealing to the younger audience. Their dwindling audience is getting older and older. Disposable income is growing with the demographic they're failing to reach. This is why MLB has fallen to third among pro sports and is in danger of falling further.
Much talk was centered around the league and players publically arguing over money. Now that they've gotten things settled and are set to return, they can focus on the issue at hand: seizing the moment. The NBA is set to restart their season around the same time. The NFL is on target to open training camps as well. MLB has an opportunity to grab a hold of their moment in the spotlight to get a foothold on a segment of the sporting world. The Astros hold a special place in the hearts of their fans because of their recent success. I could see this season paying off big time for them. Having two aging pitchers and another coming off major surgery favors them. I'm ready to see what this team can accomplish. 60 games is plenty enough time to determine a champion. Let's sit back and enjoy the Astros season. Who knows, it may be one of their last title runs given the state of the roster...
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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.