I understand that the Stros’ public relations department wants centerfielder Willy Taveras to be the National League Rookie of the Year, but why does the Chronicle lap up such nonsense with unqualified support?
As noted in this previous post, Taveras did reasonably well this season jumping from Double A ball to the Major Leagues, but he remains a decidedly below-average player in the most important aspect of baseball, which is creating runs so that your team can score more than the opposition and win games. Taveras generated 13 fewer runs this season than an average National League hitter would have generated in the same number of plate appearances (“RCAA“).

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Kevin Whited and I have been shaking our heads this week over the barbs that have been being flying to and from the Stros’ front office. The Stros’ front office hasn’t been involved in this kind of flame war since the days when the late Stros owner John McMullen teed off on former Stros general manager Tal Smith and Mr. Smith responded with a defamation lawsuit against Mr. McMullen.
This all started when former Stros General Manager Gerry Hunsicker was passed over earlier this week for the Philadelphia Phillies general manager position. Mr. Hunsicker grew up in the Philadelphia area and his tenure with the Stros coincided with the club becoming one of the most successful teams in Major League Baseball over the past decade, so he was thought to be the favorite for the Phillie job. Thus, it definitely raised some eyebrows that he was passed over for the job, particularly in favor of a 68 year old.

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Blogging is a big light today as I make some blog site upgrades, but I wanted to pass along a couple of interesting items on former Stros general managers.
In this remarkably frank article, Chronicle Stros beat reporter Jose de Jesus Ortiz uses the occasion of former Stros general manager Gerry Hunsicker losing out on the Phillies’ GM job to take a serious whack at Mr. Hunsicker’s credibility. Entitled “Hunsicker Must Prove That He’s Trustworthy,” the article relates how Stros owner Drayton McLane and current Stros GM Tim Purpura became disenchanted with Mr. Hunsicker’s alleged manipulation of media accounts of various Stros transactions, including the following:

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The White Sox’s four-game World Series sweep over the Stros generated the lowest television ratings on record for the Series, and resulted in the Fox television network not meeting its ratings guarantees to sponsors. The World Series averaged about 17.2 million viewers and drew a record low rating of 11.1 (A rating point represents approximately 1.1 million homes), which is a 30% decline from the 25.4 million viewers and 15.8 rating that the Boston Red Sox-St. Louis Cardinals Series averaged last season.
Frankly, the numbers aren’t particularly surprising. Neither the White Sox nor the Stros have a national fan base such as Fox enjoyed in last season’s Series with the Red Sox. Moreover, the Stros’ Roger Clemens — who pitched a total of two innings — was the only well-known star in the Series. Finally, comparing ratings from recent Series with those of even more than five years ago can be a bit similar to comparing apples and oranges. The increase in television entertainment choices has diluted ratings for all special programs such as the Series, reflected by the fact that the ratings for this Series were still 50% higher than the prime time average of NBC, CBS and ABC combined this season. Interestingly, Fox was still able to charge $350,000 for each 30-second commercial spot this season, which was up from $330,000 it charged last season.

Well, for Stros fans, the end of the 2005 World Series certainly did not turn out not to be as fulfilling as the ride to get there.
Nevertheless, the past two days have been a ton of fun and filled with exciting, nailbiting baseball. This was not your typical World Series sweep as each of the four games went down to the wire and could have literally gone either way. The White Sox are the better team overall and clearly deserve to be World Champions, but the Stros certainly made them earn it.
Interestingly, the first 24 innings of the Series generated more runs than expected from these two relatively weak hitting and strong pitching clubs — the Sox scored 17 runs and the Stros 13. However, the final innings of the Series reverted to the expected form — the White Sox scored a total of 3 runs in their final 18 innings, yet won Games 3 and 4 because the Stros scored only 1 run on 6 hits (four singles and two doubles) in their final 19 innings. In the end, the Sox slightly superior bullpen depth and better overall hitting performance in the Series was the difference.

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Blogging will be on the light side today because I didn’t get home last night until quite late, . . er, make that early.

As you prepare to watch for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series tonight, take a few minutes to review the previous posts set forth below that chronicle the Stros’ improbable and highly enjoyable run to the club’s first World Series:

The first off-season moves, including the logic behind letting Jeff Kent go;

After nine years, Stros General Manager Gerry Hunsiker resigns and Mickey Herskowitz provides historical perspective on the Stros’ GM’s;

The Stros lose out on Carlos Beltran and why they were wise to let him go;

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“2005 World Series Preview.” Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Well, the 2005 edition of the Fall Classic is shaping up be an interesting one. The Stros and the White Sox are two good, but certainly not great, clubs that are built around solid pitching staffs. The Stros (89-73) struggled to get into the playoffs, while the Sox (99-63) pretty much cruised for most of the season, only to falter during the final month before turning it on in the last two weeks to win their division. The Stros have run up a 7-3 playoff record while engaging in two pressure-packed series with the Braves and then the Cardinals, while the Sox are 7-1 in the playoffs after polishing off the defending World Series champion Red Sox and then the Yankee-killing Angels in surprisingly easy fashion. The Sox won 10 more games than the Stros during the regular season, but the Stros have the better record over the past four months and the hitting-challenged Stros actually hit better than the White Sox. Nevertheless, both clubs rely primarily on stellar pitching that is based upon some of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. Consequently, expect a low-scoring series involving tight, well-pitched games in which runs are precious and home runs decisive.

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So, it’s the Stros versus the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series. Houstonians know Chicago well, as the Cubs are fierce National League Central Division rivals of the Stros, most recently responsible for knocking the Stros out of a 2003 National League playoff spot on the final weekend of the regular season. We long-suffering Houstonian sports fans in general — and Stros fans in particular — tend to remember those things for awhile.
However, the rivalry between the Stros and the Cubs pales in comparison to the rivalry among Chicagoans between supporters of the Cubs and White Sox, a rivalry that cuts across generations and class lines. Former Chicagoan (and Cubs fan) Larry Ribstein recently passed along the following excerpt from a John Kass-Chicago Tribune article that describes the Cubs-White Sox rivalry from the perspective of a Cubs fan:

As per your offer asking Cubs fans to beg for a chance to sit with you in your seats at Sox Park: I’m absolutely astounded that you think any Cubs fan would want to sit amongst greasy pork-butchers, filthy plumbers and inebriated truck drivers watching the laughable White Sox.

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Roy O — simply the best pitcher ever developed within the Houston Astros system — brought home the bacon. The Stros are going to their first World Series.
Since moving to Houston in 1972, I’ve been following the Stros for the past 33 years, the last 20 as a season ticket holder. Both of my teenage sons are lifelong Houstonians who have been attending Stros games with me since they were toddlers. Immediately after Jason Lane clutched that final out, my boys and I hugged each other and laughed about our experiences over the years with the Stros as we watched the players celebrate on the Busch Stadium field.
That special moment made every one of those Stros games that I have watched during the past 33 years worth every minute.