The Houston Astros are BLAZING!!!

The Astros are so hot in so many aspects of the game (and organization), it seems a bizarre anomaly that they got swept by the Cards recently. Whether they are pounding out 14 runs in Washington or sweeping a four game road series in Pittsburgh, including a double header, they are suddenly reminiscent of last year.<br>
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Roy Oswalt and Roger Clemens are proving to be the best starting pitching duo in Astros history, and Brad Lidge is already one of the best closers in baseball. The young guys are getting timely hits and suddenly the averages are rising. Willy Taveras is a freaking blaze of light, a true speed demon, and even Brad Ausmus seems capable of cranking out the occasional timely hit. <br>
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Lance Berkman's ACL? He injured it playing in a charity flag football game last year? Hard to tell now, isn't it? True, you don't swing a bat with your leg, but his dominant performance of late at the plate signifies the heat this team has attained.<br>
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Even on a PR front, Astros management and players scored huge in recent visits to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland. Suddenly the baseball nation knows Morgan Ensberg's story and admire is steely resilience and positive outlook on life and the game. Suddenly radio talking heads like Jim Rome are glorifying the Astros' team chemistry and just all around feel-goodness.<br>
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Yes, the Astros are hot and they appear to be back. We Astros fans are riding the high tide right now, but it is still early. Anything can happen, for better or worse. <br>
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Can the bats stay at least warm until October? Will Pettite's elbow hold up? Will the middle relief corp be able to avoid crucial breakdowns down the September stretch? Will the younger guys like Taveras, Lane and Burke be able to deliver some offensive production under pressure as the season winds down and the stakes continue to rise? <br>
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Or does this team need a veteran bat to all but ensure the thieving of the NL Wild Card berth? <br>
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Tough calls all around, but you gotta be enjoying baseball right about now if you are an Astros fan. <br>
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Yep.<br>
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Grande, what exactly IS Mo Ensberg's story? I was listening to an interview he gave on 760, he was talking about how he never got picked first in anything, he always had to scrap his way in, and then he was going to talk about when he was held at gunpoint and I had to get out of my car. By the time I turned the radio back on the interview was over and the guys kept going on and on about what a great guy Mo is and how a lot of the 'Stros (Biggio, Bagwell, Berkman, Lidge, Ensberg, etc) are classy. I'm like, WTH did he say, damnit, I missed it! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :lol --><img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>
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Yeah, anyway, GO STROS!!! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :rock --><img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/rock.gif ALT=":rock"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/AndreaJB/astros02cos-1.jpg"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p204.ezboard.com/bsanantoniospurs62937.showUserPublicProfile?gid=manufanandrea>ManuFanAndrea</A> at: 7/23/05 1:53 pm<br></i>