"What goes around comes around" could have been the theme of the "Talkin' Baseball" session at the end of Fan Fest Saturday. Moderated by Alyson Footer, it featured J.R. Richard, Larry Dierker, Enos Cabell and Jim Deshaies in "A Look at 50 Years." Part of the season-long celebration, fans were given the opportunity to ask questions of these former Astros stalwarts, but most of us just sat back and listened as they spun a web of baseball gold.
Jim Deshaies started it with a masterful look at an incredible three days in September 1986 in which JD struck out the first 8 batters the first day, Nolan Ryan and Charlie Kerfeld threw a 2-hit shutout the next and, as predicted by Alan Ashby, Mike Scott eclipsed the others with the no-hit clincher on the third. "Freaking Ashby's a prophet," JD proclaimed.
Dierker talked about his no-hitter, those who missed it as they were in line for free beer, great plays by Cruz and Cabell to keep it alive and being shunned in the dugout as no one wanted to jinx him. But his favorite memory was the end of the 1999 season. Winning in the last regular game of the season to clinch, while also honoring the Astrodome Team of Honor as the team prepared to move to the new stadium, was described as being glorious in every aspect. He recalled everyone drinking champagne and smoking cigars afterwards and stated simply, "For me, that was baseball heaven."
J.R. Richard is a man of few words, but often stole the show with those few. In response to a fan who said, "I used to come to the games all the time just to watch you pitch," he responded, "Well, that was a good enough reason."
The best J.R. stories came from others. Enos Cabell described refusing to hit against J.R., "No, I was smarter than all the rest of the guys." Bruce Bochy took Cabell's turn at bat and ended up with a broken toe on the first pitch. Dierker talked about liking to hit, but bailing out of the batter's box as J.R.'s first pitch went behind his head. And J.D. reminisced about an Old Timer's game in which Joe Garagiola only lasted about seven pitches trying to catch J.R.
Enos Cabell spoke of his hatred for the Dodgers, "We hated the Dodgers ... We'd rather have a fight with them before the game than play the game." And of playing in the 70's, he said, "All of our games were 1-0, 2-1 or 3-2, and if you went to the bathroom, you missed it... Back when we played if J.R. and Dierker and those guys didn't pitch shutouts, we'd tell them 'we're gonna get you one run; that's it, so you'd better pitch your ass off.'"
But Cabell addressed the Astros' future as well as the past. In his position as Special Assistant to the GM, he is in the loop as far as what is needed and what the front office is trying to accomplish. He talked about getting back to more emphasis on pitching and defense, and having two or three guys that can hit 20-25 home runs rather than relying on just one big home run hitter. "We're trying to get back to a better mix," he said, "because it's going to last longer." Dierker added, "My sense is that we're trying to get back to something that's like the baseball we remember before the home run derby started." They both want to get back to an "exciting kind of baseball."
As the Astros organization honors its past, it is nice to see that they are looking at borrowing from it as well. An emphasis on pitching and defense with a well-rounded, balanced team of players, would go a long way toward bringing excitement back to Minute Maid Park.
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