Happy Birthday - 3/9

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today ~

CF Jim Landis (80)
Obtained in a trade with the Indians in January 1967, Landis spent just that one season in an Astros uniform, hitting .252 in 50 games before being traded to Detroit.  A five time Gold Glove winner and one time All-Star, Landis' best season at the plate was 1961 when he hit .283/.362/.470/.832 for the White Sox.

LHP C.J. Nitkowski (41)
Originally drafted by the Reds in the first round in 1994, Nitkowski came to Houston in a December 1996 trade with with Detroit. Nitkowski pitched only one season for the Astros in 1998 before being traded back to Detroit in January of 1999. While with Houston, he was 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.207 WHIP in 43 appearances.

LHP Gary Wayne Franklin (40)
A 36th round pick by the Dodgers in 1996, Franklin came to Houston as a Rule 5 pick from Los Angeles. In two seasons for the Astros in 2000 and 2001, he had a 5.94 ERA and a 1.860 WHIP in 36 games before being traded to Milwaukee for Mark Loretta.

1B/3B Aaron Boone (41)
Drafted by the Reds in the third round in 1994, Boone signed with Houston as a free agent in December 2008 and appeared in only 10 games for the Astros at the end of 2009 after recovery from open heart surgery in March of that year. Boone retired in February 2010 and became a baseball analyst for ESPN. He is probably best remembered for hitting a walk-off home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS in 2003, thus sending the Yankees to the World Series.