Happy Birthday 7/5

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Jesse Crain (33)
Originally drafted by the Twins in the second round in 2002, Crain signed with Houston as a free agent on December 31, 2013 in order to bolster the Astros bullpen. Alas, he is recovering from biceps surgery and remains stranded on Weiland Island.

Manager Marquis Donnell "Bo" Porter (41)
Porter was announced as the 21st Manager in Astros franchise history on September 27, 2012. He inherited a rebuilding team that had lost 213 games in the prior two seasons. His current record as manager is 87-163. As my friend Beth would say, "Bless his heart."

One former Astro with a birthday today ~

OF/1B Curt Blefary (died January 28, 2001 at 57)
Obtained in a trade with Baltimore on December 4, 1968 and traded away to the Yankees exactly one year later, Blefary played in 155 games for Houston in 1969, hitting .253/.347/.393. Blefary was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1965 while playing for Baltimore. He also sported a rather spectacular unibrow.

Observations from the Fan Forums at Fan Fest, Part 2

In the first part of a series of ruminations from the Fan Forums at Fan Fest, new WTHB addition Nance shared her take on what Director of Player Development Quinton McCracken and Assistant GM David Stearns had to say. Today, we hear from Bo Porter.

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Bo Knows or What the Heck, Bo? – Fan Fest Part II by Nance @Bbfanlady

Bo Porter, Manager – Bo had a lot to say. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him and found him very personable when I met him during one of the Caravan stops. Last year is in the rear view mirror. His job is to create an atmosphere for players to play to their potential. His players last year gave all each day. It was a year of evaluations. He was looking for guys to win championships with and to see what they had. Last year Altuve, Castro, Dominguez, Carter, Cosart, Oberholtzer, Keuchel, Clemens, Peacock, Zeid and Fields formed a core group moving forward to this year.

Porter is excited about the transformed bullpen. They wanted to find guys who could help on and off the field to mentor the young guys which will speed up the learning curve for the rookies.

He said that losing guys is tough but it is justifiable to lose guys like Lyles with the number of young pitchers coming up, and though they lost some defense in Barnes, Fowler and Grossman are both switch hitters.

Porter said young guys need somebody to lean on that is not a coach. Veterans are essential to serve as mentors. He has a lot of new coaches and seems happy with the staff. Trembley to the bench is a valued asset with his prior managerial experience. Listach is a good infield coach and will help Altuve, Villar, and Dominguez. Brock will help with the base running development of young players and will help young outfielders. Cardinals pitching success is reflection of Strom’s pedigree. Bo and Strom have interacted a lot and have sat down with Castro because of the importance of catching to pitchers. [Note from Jayne: Links to further information on the members of the coaching staff can be found here.]

Bo said he learned he had more patience than he knew he had. He learned what a thin line it was between winning and losing a ballgame. Last year he had information about, but didn’t really know the players. He had to find out what the players could do and sometimes made decisions based on having to learn what a player is capable of rather than what the game might have dictated. Makeup is important to see if prospects will live up to their talent. Sometimes he left guys in situations to see how they responded rather than pulling them. Bo is excited to see Folty, Springer, and Correa in big league camp during spring training because getting them around major league players will help their progression.

One of the meaningful events for him as a manager occurred during the Tigers series. Jim Leland came over afterwards and told Bo that the Astros did not lose because they were out managed. The Tigers just had the better team during those games.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is not intended to reflect direct quotes from the forum participants. Content is based on what I “heard”. I apologize in advance if my hearing was impaired.

Fan Fest Recap

Reid Ryan said Saturday that for fans their connection to the players and the organization begins at the ballpark. Fan Fest was an excellent demonstration of that for the Astros. Ryan, Jeff Luhnow and Bo Porter were out talking and mingling with Houston fans and even spent a little time chatting with we lowly bloggers.

            Across the board, the Astros are presenting a unified front and that front is centered on building Houston not only into a championship team but into an organization that grows as large and renowned as the city itself.

The always amiable Ryan admitted that for a team with over fifty years of history in the city and MLB, the Astros have a surprisingly little footprint. Bringing not only winning teams, but former stars back into the fold is one of Ryan’s solutions to revitalizing the Houston franchise. He would like to have an “alumni association” of former players, such as J.R. Richard, to be able to interact with fans. This association would also double as a way for the Astros to give back to former players, allowing them to make additional income. It isn’t a leap either to make the connection that once the team starts honoring its former players, the fans will become more connected to them too.

Ryan also acknowledged having an Astros Hall of Fame and museum, located at Minute Maid Park, on his mind.

Ryan is working on getting the concessions streamlined with even better food and shorter lines.  He doesn’t think fans should miss a whole inning waiting in line for a hotdog….or sushi?  They are currently in talks with Aramark and other vendors to find a solution that works well for both the park and fans alike.

            Bo Porter sounded focused and sure-footed going into his second season at the helm. Porter recognized the experience and opportunities to evaluate his players during his first season was invaluable.

He added that he strongly believes the biggest mistake any organization can make is to “misevaluate its own players.”

When asked about his role in making sure that these young players become not only good baseball players, but good men who make smart life decisions, Porter said that his job is to be a mentor.  He wants his players to come to him with anything that might be on their minds. His goal is to help guide them to become good husbands, fathers and citizens. 

            Jeff Luhnow reiterated that even with as many ranked prospects and winning minor league clubs as the Houston system currently holds, that the Astros would stay aggressive on building the farm system. The Astros actively pursued pitchers throughout the off season and Luhnow is very pleased with the re-additions of Qualls and Albers. In fact, not one person all day forgot to mention their excitement over those two pitchers’ returns. Dexter Fowler drew much enthusiastic conversation from everyone as well.

Fan Fest this year ran like a well-oiled machine.  Player autograph sessions were organized and seemed to move pretty fast.  The always-interesting fan forums were moved into the Diamond Club dining room instead of being held in the stands where the sound system left much to be desired. Batting practice, bullpen sessions and running the bases drew throngs of eager fans.

If the success of Fan Fest is indicative of the care and attention that the Astros front office is putting into the “fan experience” and the non-stop work that Luhnow and company are putting into bulking up the rosters, then we can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store! Something special has indeed begun at Minute Maid Park.

~ Buca Morris and DeAnna Williamson ~

Astros 2014 Fan Fest - Hearing from Reid Ryan and Bo Porter

Saturday marked my third year to attend Astros Fan Fest as a part of the blogging community. Or as I like to call it, Fan Feast.

The meal started with an appetizer of Astros President Reid Ryan as he addressed a group of Season Ticket holders to start the day. He talked about the success of the farm system in 2013 and how the depth of the system will lead to the Astros' sustained success, "We're making a commitment to build this thing to last."

That was followed by a general discussion of the ballpark itself and the fan experience, including the opening of the roof for more games, the reconfiguration of the concession stands for increased efficiency (and the addition of more local foods), the use of former players in a variety of ways to enhance the fan experience and the all-out effort to get the games back on TV. (At this point, everything hinges on the judge's decision following a February 4th court date. No firm plans can be made until then.)

Ryan declared that he has been listening to fans, "We want to make this ballpark what you want it to  be." When he mentioned taking down the signage out of left field, there were cheers and applause.

A Q&A followed and the tenor of this one as opposed to those I've been to in the past couple of years was much more upbeat. The season ticket holders in attendance seemed satisfied with Ryan's answers and encouraged by the direction the team has taken with fans. All in all, a solid appetizer ... tantalizing the palate and stimulating the appetite for more.

Reid Ryan - Fan Fest 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The bloggers event took place a bit later in the day. The entree arrived and it was Reid Ryan. (Well, it won't be the first time I've had the shrimp cocktail appetizer and the broiled shrimp entree.) Ryan covered many of the same things in his introductory remarks with the bloggers that he had addressed with the season ticket holders, but then branched off into a few other subjects.

Ryan indicated that the Astros have about a year to make a decision about their future Spring Training home. 2016 will likely be the final year that the Astros hold Spring Training in Kissimmee as they would prefer to move to the east coast of Florida (to the Palm Beach area) and make their new home a two-team facility. The State of Florida offers financial incentives to teams making their Spring Training homes there, but the team has initiated talks in Arizona as well, just in case.

Ryan then opened the floor up for questions and one of the things that came up was another possible move. The company that owns the AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks team is looking to sell the club. Ryan would love to have the Astros back in Round Rock, but the reality is that the Rangers have that facility locked up for the next five seasons. According to Ryan, all options are on the table and the situation should clarify itself more by the end of this season.

In conjunction with this, I asked if there were any plans for moving the Astros Advanced A team out of the California League. Ryan acknowledged that there were some challenges with the league: old ballparks, weather conditions and the logistical difficulty of moving players in and out quickly, but he went on to say that the Astros are not actively looking to move, but they are always looking to improve the situation for the Astros system.

It became obvious, when Ryan was asked about the fan experience, that he is passionate about giving Astros fans a special experience, "We want to do things that are unique, that say Texas, that say Houston." In renegotiating the concessions contract, he wants to go more local while keeping core items available and adding more craft beers. He's looking for the in-game entertainment to be much more than a series of sponsorship opportunities, helping fans better learn the players personalities and having interactive entertainment that will "build to a crescendo" and actually become a part of the home field advantage.

Ryan has a lot of ideas, but many of them have had to take a backseat as the team tries to get a TV deal worked out and addresses some of the other more pressing immediate issues. And some of his other ideas will have to be deferred due to the current layout and configuration of the ballpark. He described Minute Maid Park as landlocked and noted, "We're going to re-look at all the real estate in the building." An Astros history museum and Astros Hall of Fame are a couple of the things he'd like to tackle, eventually having an Astros Hall of Fame weekend.

Ryan would like to reach out to former players more, whether it's honoring them in an Astros Hall of Fame or creating an alumni association that will create more opportunities for players to connect with the fans through appearances, speaking engagements, etc.

Speaking of which, Ryan found it  a "bitter pill to swallow" that Craig Biggio came so tantalizingly close to getting into the Hall of Fame this year, but fell just short. One of my favorite comments from Ryan came during this discussion, "We fly under the radar in Houston. I look at that as my job, to do a better job [to promote Houston]." Ryan is someone who does feel our pain when Houston gets snubbed or ignored. He gets it. And he wants to tell the world what is unique and wonderful about Houston and Texas. There was a lot of meat in that entree ... a Nolan Ryan All-Natural prime cut of beef.

Bo Porter - Fan Fest 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ryan was followed by a side dish of Astros Manager Bo Porter. Porter looked relaxed, loose and ready for the season. When I first met him at last year's Fan Fest, he was so much more intense. He's still intense and passionate, but he seems to be having more fun with it all.

The first thing that Porter had to say? "When you get to this time of the year, when you get to the Fan Fest and all the players are around, Spring Training can't get here fast enough." He didn't have much in the way of prepared remarks, mainly addressing the off-season transactions made to shore up the bullpen, anchor the rotation and to give the team a dependable on-base guy for the top of the order.

Seeing as I write from a minor league perspective, I asked Porter what a minor leaguer invited to Spring Training can do to stand out in the crowd of 60+ players in major league camp. He noted that all of the coaches get to see the players as they rotate through the various stations in Spring Training and that he will make sure that all of them will get a quality playing experience so that they can be fairly evaluated.

I also asked Porter his thoughts on instant replay. It turns out that he's a fan of the move. Not only will it help overcome obvious bad calls, it should help the pace of the game by eliminating most arguments, "But I think managers are still going to argue," he said. "A lot of times we go out to argue, we actually already know what the call really is, but we're arguing to protect our team."

Terri Schlather of Astros County and The Crawfishboxes asked Porter what he knew now, one year in to managing the team, that he didn't know going into last season that will help him going forward. Last year, he explained, he needed to do a complete player evaluation, not just their skill sets but their make up and how they handled failure. According to Porter, "This year, as I fast forward, I know our players that we have on the roster. I know their make up. I know their DNA. I know their skill sets which will allow me to challenge the team better."

Porter is encouraged by the roster he has been given to work with this season, and he has great hope for improvement on the field in 2014 and for the sustained success of the organization.

A little side dish of Bo Porter is quite satisfying. I don't know about you, but I'm too full for desert (Jeff Luhnow) right now so this Fan Feast is over for the time being. An account of the bloggers' chat with Jeff Luhnow will be coming soon!

Happy Birthday - 7/5

Manager Marquis Donnell "Bo" Porter (41)
Porter was announced as the 21st Manager in Astros franchise history on September 27, 2012. He inherited a rebuilding team that had lost 213 games in the prior two seasons. His current record as manager is 31-55. As my friend Beth would say, "Bless his heart."

One former Astro with a birthday today ~

OF/1B Curt Blefary (died January 28, 2001 at 57)
Obtained in a trade with Baltimore on December 4, 1968 and traded away to the Yankees exactly one year later, Blefary played in 155 games for Houston in 1969, hitting .253/.347/.393. Blefary was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1965 while playing for Baltimore. He also sported a rather spectacular unibrow.

Why Bo Porter's Motivational Techniques May Actually Work

Much as baseball drills and repetitions are used to create muscle memory, Astros Manager Bo Porter is using full immersion motivational techniques in Spring Training to re-set player's mental habits. From motivational signage in the clubhouse to 'Stros Win celebrations following on-field drills to clubhouse music to Family Feud tournaments and more, Porter is pulling out all the stops to keep his players motivated, focused and even more importantly ... loose.

In the business world, I have often rolled my eyes at some of the motivational efforts that employers utilize from time to time, mainly because a once-a-year team-building exercise has a tendency to fade quickly into the rear-view mirror once the reality of cubicles and TPS reports and malfunctioning printers set in. I'm luckier than most office workers in that I have an actual office with an actual window and a great deal of autonomy, but it still boils down to the fact that office work is not exactly what I would call fun. I may have a good work atmosphere, fun co-workers and a three-hole punch that I am almost as possessive of as Milton's red Swingline stapler, but I don't wake up every day wanting to go to the office more than anything else in my life.

Baseball is different. Don't get me wrong. The players work extremely hard to get where they are. Running, weight training, throwing sessions, hitting sessions, trying to maintain a proper diet under difficult circumstances. And unless they got a big fat bonus, they often have to work two jobs during the off-season to give them a little financial breathing room. They come into baseball with the odds stacked against them ever making it to the big leagues. They have to compete for jobs with other players who have become their best friends. They get paid next to nothing in the minors and frequently either live with complete strangers or share an apartment with three or four of their closest friends and no privacy. They have to be ready to pack up and move at a moment's notice. They suffer through the monotony of long bus trips, hoping that stinky feet and boredom are the worst problems they face on the ride. They live knowing that they could be one injury away from the dream ending.

And all of that carries over to big league camp when you have such a young, inexperienced group of players vying for jobs. For some, it is their last chance to make an impression. For some, it is the best chance of their careers if they do impress.

So with all that on their plates and on their minds, it is way too easy to forget why they want to play this game in the first place. Despite being in grown men's bodies, the best players often play with the joyful abandon of little boys. Sometimes a reminder that baseball is, after all, a game is in order.

The main reason that I think Porter's techniques may work well to keep the clubhouse loose and productive is because I've already seen a version of it work elsewhere. When I visited the Lancaster club in California last August, I was immediately struck by something that I hadn't seen elsewhere. Manager Rodney Linares and his staff encouraged the players to have fun. Don't get me wrong, they were working hard during pre-game workouts, but they were also having fun and were encouraging each other with applause and whoops of approval when anyone made a good play. Kike Hernandez cracking jokes; George Springer doing a little funky chicken dance; outfielders leaping crazily for batting practice balls, trying to outdo each other; a tip of the cap from Erik Castro as acknowledgment of applause after a good play; Telvin Nash running the bases in "stealth" mode. A club that had recently suffered several personnel cuts was upbeat and full of energy and enthusiasm.

Erik Castro - August 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

That night the JetHawks won the game in extra innings. Erik Castro got the walk-off hit against High Desert who led the season series 2-9 at the time. You would think that Lancaster had clinched a play-off berth as Kike Hernandez, Drew Muren and others drenched Castro with a Gatorade bucket and Jonathan Meyer and Chris Epps leaped atop the scrum in a wild on-field celebration. That team didn't need a refresher course on how to have fun. And that team, which never led the division at any point during the second half, kept having fun. All the way to a wild card berth. And all the way to the California league finals. And all the way to a League Championship. They never quit having fun.

JetHawks Win! - Lancaster 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

I think that is what Porter is trying to do with the Houston team. He wants them to work hard and give maximum effort, but he also wants them to remember the pure joy that a 10-year old boy feels playing the game that he loves. He wants them to support each other in good times and bad and never quit having fun. Nobody really thought that the Lancaster team had a chance in hell of pulling out a Championship title. Nobody, that is, but the people on that team. If Bo Porter can instill that attitude in his players, the Astros are going to open a few eyes in 2013.

As for me, it's back to work. I'll just live vicariously through my minor league players and wait for Hawaiian Shirt Day.

Proper Preparation Produces Peak Performers

This will be new Astros Manager Bo Porter's mantra for his players from Day One. Proper Preparation Produces Peak Performers. This is what we heard from Porter as various members of the blogging community talked with him at last Saturday's Fan Fest. I wanted to include some of the actual audio from that Q&A because I was struck by how the recorder picked up Porter's punctuation of his words, fingers firmly tapping the table for emphasis.

Proper Preparation Produces Peak Performers.

This response came in connection with a question posed by Terri from the Tales from the Juice Box blog about fundamentals, about doing the little things right. According to Porter, the little things aren't necessarily so little, "I'm a firm believer that anything that can cause you to lose a baseball game is major."

He went on to elaborate on the importance of mental as well as physical preparation by the players:

And you get the feeling that Porter has prepared himself well for this opportunity. Every answer he gives comes quickly and emphatically. He is a man who knows what he wants and has thought long and hard about the best way to get there.

When I asked Porter if he had any prior relationships with any of the Astros minor league coaching staffs, he brushed the question aside as unimportant. What matters to him are the relationships and cohesion going forward, "When minor league camp opens, I will address the entire minor league camp, the players, coaches, staff, the support staff." He will make it his business to establish a relationship because he contends, "One of the problems than can exist is ... a disconnect from the major leagues to the minor leagues. We're not going to have that here. It will be completely one family. We're all in this thing together. And from the minor leagues to the major leagues, it will be the Houston Astros way."

Aside from preparation by the players, Porter will want to see their competitive natures emerge at Spring Training as well, "One of the best things when you talk about our organization, where we're at right now, is the fact that there's a lot of opportunity. And with opportunity comes competition. And I think competition is one of the best things for competitive athletes. If you can't compete against each other, how can you compete against another team?"

Porter asserts that he will do everything in his power to prepare these players for success, including his embrace of data produced by the Astros Analytics Department, "We would be foolish not to take advantage of all of the material that's made readily available to us that can help the outcome of games." But he is also a realist, "At the end of the day, it may turn out that the player's not good enough. And if the player's not good enough, we need to find another player and that's the reality of the business that we're in."

When all is said and done, I think it will become evident that Porter's mantra is meant for him as much as it is meant for the players. And I think he is just fine with that because he's been preparing for this opportunity for a very long time. Proper Preparation Produces Peak Performers.

Bo Porter - Fan Fest 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Season Ticket Holder Q&A with Astros Manager Bo Porter

Bo Porter makes for a formidable presence and a good quote. On Thursday evening, Porter participated in a Q&A with the season ticket holders at Minute Maid Park with Bill Brown moderating. The discussion ranged widely from how he picked a college to his involvement in selecting a coaching staff to his thoughts on women in baseball, but it was one of his first remarks that received the biggest applause, "My number one goal is to bring a championship to this City."

When Porter talks about bringing a championship to Houston, it doesn't smack of empty platitudes. When he says, "Most people don't fail because they aim too high. Most people fail because they aim too low," it doesn't come across as cliche because he speaks with a thoughtful gravitas that inspires respect. It is obvious to me that he has thought about all of these things long and hard.

He knows that there are many obstacles lying ahead, but he feels well-suited to take them on through his abilities to teach and to motivate. "You want to make sure you take advantage of every teachable moment possible," said Porter. He wants to arm the young players with not only information, but an understanding of how to use that information. Porter understands that at some point during a 107-loss season, losing became a mindset. He wants to change the way the players think.

He spoke of Clemens as being not only a great pitcher, but a great teacher and feels that he will be a "huge benefit to our pitchers from a mental standpoint."

He spoke of plate discipline. "One of the biggest maturations for a young player is understanding their strike zone, not the strike zone."

He spoke about the DH as a benefit when it comes to a pitcher's development because the game situation no longer dictates when a manager has to take out the pitcher.

He spoke of the aggressiveness he wants in a third base coach, "Don't tell me you didn't know [if the runner would be safe]. Send him and find out because if you don't send him, you'll never know."

He spoke of pitchers being coddled in the minors in regards to pitch counts, his distaste for the quality start stat, his discussion with Jon Singleton about decision-making and learning from mistakes and his support for Brett Wallace. "Brett Wallace is our first baseman."

The most well-received answer, though, had to be Porter's reply to a question about when the Astros would once again be competitive. He did not hesitate, "If we had a game tonight, I will tell you that we will be competitive. When you say, 'Is your team competitive?,' to me, what that equates to is that they play hard every night." He went on to assert that, if he told the players who have been here in Houston working out to suit  up for a game that night, they would be ready to play. "The message has been delivered. They will be competitive right now." Bill Brown's one-word response, "Wow."

At another point during the Q&A, Porter stated emphatically, "I promise you we will deliver a championship to this City." I wouldn't bet against either him or the sheer force of his formidable will.

Astros Friday News Dump

Winter league play is quickly coming to a close so the news on that front is starting to grind to a halt, but there was a lot of news in Astros-land yesterday. In case you missed any of it, here you go.

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

The WBC provisional rosters were announced and we have a few Astros representing. The final rosters are not due until February 20th so there may be changes. The first round of the Classic starts on March 2nd and more info can be found here.

RHP Rhiner Cruz - Spain
OF Fernando Martinez - Spain
LHP Xavier Cedeno - Puerto Rico
RHP Murilo Gouvea - Brazil
RHP Chia-Jen Lo - Chinese Taipei
OF Che-Hsuan Lin - Chinese Taipei

Gouvea has already gotten his feet wet in WBC action. He was an integral part of the Brazilian team's upset as they knocked Panama out of the qualifying rounds back in November. According to Brian Smith of the Chronicle, Jeff Luhnow acknowledged that Fernando Martinez' chances to make the Astros opening day roster are probably going to be hindered by his participation in the WBC. And if you've forgotten who exactly Che-Hsuan Lin is, he was picked up off waivers from Boston and then later designated for assignment to Oklahoma City in order to make room for RHP John Ely.

Several other former Astros and former Astros farm hands are participating in the Classic, including Wandy Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada for the Dominican Republic, Nelson Figueroa and Carlos Beltran for Puerto Rico, Kaz Matsui for Japan, Ryan Rowland-Smith for Australia, Ben Zobrist for the U.S.A. and Jimmy Van Ostrand for Canada.

RICK ANKIEL SIGNING AND NON-ROSTER INVITEES

It was also announced yesterday that the Astros signed Rick Ankiel to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The 33-year old pitcher turned outfielder is expected to compete for an OF position on the opening day roster. The other non-roster invitees who were announced yesterday were:

LHP Kevin Chapman
LHP Sergio Escalona
RHP Chuckie Fick
RHP Edgar Gonzalez
RHP Josh Zeid
OF Trevor Crowe
OF Jake Goebbert
OF Marc Krauss
OF Che-Hsuan Lin
OF George Springer
C Rene Garcia
C Jason Jaramillo
C Carlos Perez
C Chris Wallace
IF Brandon Laird
IF Jose Martinez
IF Delino DeShields, Jr.

Don't get too excited about the participation of Springer and DeShields; they are not expected to vie for roster spots. It is noteworthy that Kyle Weiland isn't included on the list which probably means that he hasn't progressed as far as the team would like in his recovery from surgery. There are no other real surprises for me on the list; however, I think the inclusion of Josh Zeid and Jake Goebbert signals a nice vote of confidence for the pair.

I have updated the Off-Season transaction list to make note of the Ankiel signing.

SEASON TICKET HOLDER EVENT WITH BO PORTER

I attended a Season Ticket Holder event with Bo Porter yesterday evening at Minute Maid Park. I plan to write up some of my thoughts on that event as time allows, but I did want to convey to my readers that I was able to elicit a very important promise from Porter. He assured me that he will not come up with nicknames by simply adding a "y" to the end of a name. He proclaimed himself to be "a first name kind of guy."

Also, I met Bill Brown and he really is as genuinely nice and gracious as he seems to be during the TV broadcasts. He reported that he's been doing his homework on the American League since November and, more importantly, let me try on his World Series ring!

KEVIN COMER INTERVIEW

And last but not least, this was a good interview with Kevin Comer that talks about his whirlwind first pro season and the trade that brought him to the Astros.

Tweet of the Day

Jarred Cosart ‏@JarredCosart

Hey @astros fans Houston is changing. Hop on board with the movement. Welcome Bo Porter. #future #onamission