Daily Archives: July 31, 2004

Stros tread water in Cincy

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First, the Stros blew the suspended game from last night to the Reds in 13 excrutiating innings 3-2, but then they came back to salvage Saturday afternoon’s game, 8-0.
The completion of the suspended game was pure agony. 13 innings, four hits, only one extra base hit (a double) against the worst pitching staff in the National League. Watching bowling or billiards would have been much more exciting than enduring that travesty.
And despite Darren Oliver‘s five inning, one hit, no walks, 6 K performance in replacing injured Andy Pettitte in Saturday’s regular game, the Stros had scored only 2 runs through eight innings in that affair. There is no better indictment of the Stros’ main problem this season — hitting generally and hitting with power particularly — than scoring just 4 runs in 21 innings against this Reds pitching staff. The last time I looked, the Reds’ staff had a negative 63 RSAA, which means that they have given up 63 more runs this season than an average National League pitching staff has allowed.
Beltran cranked a three run yak and Lamb followed with a two run toaster to run the score up in the ninth inning of the Saturday afternoon game. But make no mistake about it: If the Stros cannot score more than 4 runs in 21 innings against this Reds pitching staff, then the wildcard playoff spot will likely be out of reach for the Stros in about another week.
Roy O goes against Cincy’s most reliable starter this season — Paul Wilson — in Sunday’s rubber game. The way the Stros are struggling at the plate, I recommend highly that you keep the clicker close so that you can check out the golf tournament at frequent intervals.

John Edwards’ vision through the prism of John O’Quinn

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In this American Spectator piece, New York Sun columnist William Tucker relates to his past interview with famed Houston plaintiffs’ attorney John O’Quinn in interpreting fellow trial lawyer and Democratic Party vice-presidential candidate John Edwards‘ world view:

When it came to defining his core vision, here’s what Edwards said:

“Tonight, as we celebrate in this hall, somewhere in America, a mother sits at the kitchen table. She can’t sleep because she’s worried she can’t pay her bills. She’s working hard trying to pay her rent, trying to feed her kids, but she just can’t catch up.
It didn’t use to be that way in her house. Her husband was called up in the Guard. Now he’s been in Iraq for over a year. They thought he was going to come home last month, but now he’s got to stay longer.
She thinks she’s alone. But tonight in this hall and in your homes, you know what? She’s got a lot of friends.
We want her to know that we hear her…
So, when you return home some night, you might pass a mother on her way to work the late shift, you tell her: Hope is on the way.”

Let’s look at what’s going on here. First and foremost, we’ve got a lonely woman. There’s a passing reference to Iraq and her husband, but that’s basically to get him out of the house and out of the picture. (Remember, these are the same people who brought you the welfare system, also designed to get men out of the house and out of the picture.)
She has no friends, no relatives, no religion, no community, nothing to rely on. Her husband? Well, he doesn’t even seem to write anymore. And so she sits by herself at the kitchen table, waiting for someone to come along.
What a beautiful vision of America — a nation of lonely, isolated women, in dire need of help, abandoned by everyone, waiting for some handsome trial lawyer to come knocking on their door.
Hope is on the way.

Read the entire piece. Hat tip to Michael over at Southern Appeal for the link.

Stros-Reds’ game suspended

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Bags singled home the tying run during a deluge in the top of the sixth inning and a third rain delay forced the umpires finally to make dinner reservations and call a suspended game between the Stros and Reds on Friday night in Cincy.
The game will resume Saturday at 11:30 a.m. with the score tied at 2 and two Astros on base in the top of the sixth. The regularly scheduled game for Saturday will follow, with Andy Pettitte seeing how many pitches he can throw in that one. The bullpen better be ready today.