Competition in the Air

Right now there is extreme competition going on in at least a couple of realms. One is the NCAA basketball world. March Madness is just beginning and will infect the country for the next three weeks. The jockeying for a place in the 65-team tournament field is important to the athletes and to the institutions for which they play. The players will gain fame, and in many cases, fortune based on their performance in the pressure games against the best talent. And, of course, the colleges and universities that play in the tournament get to share in the revenues generated by the spectacle. Talk about competition!

And in the spring training camps for the major league baseball teams there is a lot on the line for the young players and the marginal players trying to make a roster. The money for a major league player is substantial, but for a minor leaguer, it is much more difficult to make ends meet. And for the younger guys, there is the worry that their talents may not allow them to fulfill the dream they have had for as long as they can remember.

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The Astros L Train

Minute Maid Park has train that runs atop the wall behind the stands in Left field. It maybe time to give the train a new name. If Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman, Jason Lane, Mark Loretta, and Mike Lamb all deliver as we hope, I will gladly get on the L train and ride it to the playoffs.

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Chris Sampson Update

I have been pulling for Chris Sampson all Spring. He had a bad outing last week and I was concerned it may have cost him a spot on the big league roster. But yesterday he had five innings, giving up one run on three hits against the Indians. It looks like he will make the team. Will he be the fifth starter or in the bull pen?

Phil Garner has some tough decisions to make, and this is one of them.

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Too Early to Tell

The Astros are in the midst of spring training. So far they have won four and lost three. Of course, spring training won/loss records do not amount to much. It is finding a few pieces to the roster puzzle that can make the picture a bit more clear. Morgan Ensberg is hitting a bit, Chris Burke is not. Brad Lidge has had 2 good outings and one bad.

The fact is, it is too early to tell how things are going.

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