Feeling Sorry For Kershaw?

 

I really like the style and ability of  Clayton Kershaw. I love to watch a true power pitcher perform is magic on the mound. And this season has seen him put together one of the most dominant seasons in the history of the game. He was so impressive, I expect he will be named league MVP as well as the Cy Young winner for the year. His stats led to him being compared favorably with Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson.

I saw both of those men pitch in person, even paid for Standing Room Only to see Gibson pitch in the the Astrodome in 1968. They were both impressive. But the thing that keeps Kershaw separated from their stratosphere is his inability to win in the playoffs. Tonight was the last game of the season for Clayton and the Dodgers because the Cardinals beat him again to clinch the series and a trip to the LCS, just as they did last year. This game tonight was a chance for Kershaw to take the next step in chiseling out a place in history. Leading in the 7th, Kershaw gave up a 3 run home to Matt Adams and went on to lose the game. He did not put the opposing team away. When the money was on the line in their day, Koufax and Gibson were deadly during the post-season.

I hope Kershaw gets to a World Series and does well, but for now, I kinda feel sorry for him. A little.

Fun Day for Houston Sports Fans--The Long and Short of It!

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It seems that being a sports fan in Houston is too often an exercise in futility. But today was one of those heartwarming day for Houston fans.

The long of it--JJ Watt! The huge man is so fun to watch because he never quits, never takes a play off. And his hard work turned out to be so important today. With the Texans behind 10-7 and having just turned the ball over for the third time, JJ stepped into the path of a flare pass and intercepted it on the 20 yard line and he was off to the races. He returned the INT for 80 yards and the go ahead touchdown. It sparked the team to go on to a 23-17 win and a 3-1 record. So satisfying.

The short of it--Jose Altuve! He is so diminutive that you can hardly believe he even belongs in the major leagues. But he entered Sunday with a 3 point lead on Victor Martinez of the Tigers for the batting title. He could have taken the day off and forced Martinez to go at least 3 for 3 to overtake him. Many times over the years men in his situation would have taken the day off. But not the little man with the huge heart. He demanded to play and went 2 for 4 and ended up winning the title by six points! He is the first Astro in team history to win the batting title. Jose Altuve is the 2014 Batting Champion! So satisfying.

Little Big Man in Houston!

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When the Houston Astros left the National League for the 2013 season and going forward, I refused to renew my season tickets. I am so much a traditionalist that I will not embrace the Designated Hitter. Combine that with the fiasco of the lack of a television presence in the broad Houston market, and I have hardly seen any Astros' action, except on the newscasts and ESPN highlights.

Today I learned that last night Jose Altuve, the second baseman for the Astros collected his 200th hit for this season. That is only the second time in team history that a player has reached that plateau! Only the iconic Craig Biggio has achieved that feat. Biggio's team record is 210, which should be within reach of Altuve.

Jose is only 5' 4" tall, so he is literally the little big man in Houston! Congratulations on the milestone, Mr. Altuve!

Watt a Football Player!

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There was a lot of conversation about the wisdom of signing J. J. Watt to a long term contract when the Texans had him under their control for at least 2 more seasons. I know there is a need to manage the salary cap so that there is continuity on the team, but I was one who believed that Watt is worth whatever you pay him, and that it would be better to have him a happy camper with no issues of contract in the way to possibly distract him.

The Texans stepped up with a big payday for Watt just before the season started. We will never know if J. J. without a long term deal would have responded, but we found out Sunday in the opener for the new season that J. J. Watt is not going to stop working hard just because he got his money. He was a tremendous beast against the Redskins. He blocked an extra point, recovered a fumble and had lots of pressure on the quarterback.

Watt is so much fun to watch. I hope we get to have this great player on the Texans for many years to come!

2014 Houston Thoughts Before the Season Starts

--> I wish I was confident in the possibilities for the 2014 season for the Houston Texans. The new coach seems to be all business, but I am afraid he is unimaginative and perhaps will play not to lose instead of playing to win. That may only be true because he is a realist and does not have a lot of confidence in the abilities of the team.

The offense has some exciting talent at running back and wide receiver in Arian Foster and Andre Johnson, and perhaps DeAndre Hopkins. But the offensive line is suspect and there is not a lot of suspense at quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick has experience and good stats when in the red zone. But he has a consistent problem with turnovers, fumbling in the double digits in many of his seasons in the league.

The defense has some truly exciting players in Watt and Cushing and Clowney. But the defensive backfield looks like it will be a sieve against the long ball.

I am anxious to see how the team does against the Redskins tomorrow in the opener. Hopefully by this time Sunday night I will have my spirits lifted about this season.