Climbing Tal's Hill » Steve Finley http://climbingtalshill.com A Houston Astros Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:02:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 He was the greatest player of all time http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/12/30/steve-finley-was-the-greatest-player-of-all-time/ http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/12/30/steve-finley-was-the-greatest-player-of-all-time/#comments Sun, 30 Dec 2012 22:52:56 +0000 Greg Thurston http://climbingtalshill.com/?p=5262 This year’s Hall of Fame ballot is loaded with former Astros. In addition to Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, there are a few players who didn’t spend their entire careers in Houston. First-timers on the ballot include Roger Clemens, Kenny Lofton, Woody Williams, Curt Schilling, and Steve Finley. Bagwell and Biggio both deserve to be [...]

He was the greatest player of all time - Climbing Tal's Hill - Climbing Tal's Hill - A Houston Astros Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> This year’s Hall of Fame ballot is loaded with former Astros. In addition to Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, there are a few players who didn’t spend their entire careers in Houston. First-timers on the ballot include Roger Clemens, Kenny Lofton, Woody Williams, Curt Schilling, and Steve Finley. Bagwell and Biggio both deserve to be in the Hall. Hopefully they will get enough votes this year and be inducted together. Clemens has a resume that no pitcher can match but the cloud of suspicion of PED use could delay his election to the Hall.

(more…)

]]> http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/12/30/steve-finley-was-the-greatest-player-of-all-time/feed/ 0 Rebuilding can be fun again http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/08/12/rebuilding-can-be-fun-again/ http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/08/12/rebuilding-can-be-fun-again/#comments Sun, 12 Aug 2012 17:06:11 +0000 Alex Sandoval http://climbingtalshill.com/?p=4383 Okay so I don’t want to be a buzz kill after the last two nights of thrilling victories, after all wins of any kind are appreciated right now. The issue is that,  winning a couple of games, no matter how dramatic, shouldn’t wipe away the weeks, even months, of poor baseball. I remember the early [...]

Rebuilding can be fun again - Climbing Tal's Hill - Climbing Tal's Hill - A Houston Astros Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> Okay so I don’t want to be a buzz kill after the last two nights of thrilling victories, after all wins of any kind are appreciated right now. The issue is that,  winning a couple of games, no matter how dramatic, shouldn’t wipe away the weeks, even months, of poor baseball. I remember the early 90s and just how exciting it was to see Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Caminiti, Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley all grow up together. There were frustrating moments and other times when all you could do was shake your head but it was all pointing toward something. The current group of Astros don’t have that same feel nor should they. Houston is rebuilding, no doubt, but the middle of the Stros order the last couple of nights were comprised of Steve Pearce, Scott Moore and Brian Bogusevic.

Ben Francisco celebrates with third baseman Scott Moore: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

I know that middle of the order will change and probably quickly but it’s still hard for me to accept at times. Fernando Martinez is up and that’s great and soon enough Jason Castro will be back from rehab which should make me a bit more happy. I’m probably over analyzing things and crying over spilled milk a little too hard yet I feel like more change is needed. I understand Jimmy Paredes isn’t up because he needs more time in the outfield and Matt Dominguez probably needs another month to improve his hitting but the fact journeymen are hitting 4-5-6 make me want to see them now. Couldn’t Paredes learn how to play the outfield in Houston, given he probably could bring more pop to the lineup? Couldn’t Matt Dominguez work on his bat at the big league level, considering he could probably win a gold glove now?

Friday night, during the broadcast, the idea was floated that Brett Wallace would play a lot of third because Moore hurt his knee, at least I believe that was the reason given. So why not simply bring up Dominguez now and let Wallace play 1st? Okay, so Wallace is no longer thought of as the 1st baseman of the future so playing him at 3rd makes sense but the reason given last night didn’t make sense. I’m sure Dominguez will be up in a couple of weeks, if not sooner, and my whining will be for naught. I trust Jeff Luhnow has a plan and it’s in full swing but the fan in me is screaming for something more immediate. If the Astros are going to lose then lose with their young guns blazing just like they did over 20 years ago. Again, my complaining sounds more like whining than anything else but I’m pretty frustrated and the last few ingredients to shut me up are playing at AAA when they should be in Houston.

]]> http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/08/12/rebuilding-can-be-fun-again/feed/ 0 Jordan Schafer looking to reboot his career with the Astros http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/02/21/jordan-schafer-looking-to-reboot-his-career-with-the-astros/ http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/02/21/jordan-schafer-looking-to-reboot-his-career-with-the-astros/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:30:37 +0000 Alex Sandoval http://climbingtalshill.com/?p=3215 As players start to arrive in Kissimmee, the first signs of spring training are evident. Many of the Astros’ players have some sort of retribution in mind after setting a dubious franchise record that I’m sure I don’t need to repeat and in other cases, hope to achieve the expectations that have eluded them, to [...]

Jordan Schafer looking to reboot his career with the Astros - Climbing Tal's Hill - Climbing Tal's Hill - A Houston Astros Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]> As players start to arrive in Kissimmee, the first signs of spring training are evident. Many of the Astros’ players have some sort of retribution in mind after setting a dubious franchise record that I’m sure I don’t need to repeat and in other cases, hope to achieve the expectations that have eluded them, to this point. Jordan Schafer represents the faction of players that are looking for a second shot to achieve something other than just a link with stats on baseballreference.com. Schafer was a top prospect with the Braves, for that matter all of baseball, just a few seasons ago. Jordan, unfortunately, hasn’t been able to live up to that potential but when the Astros, in need of a true leadoff man, acquired him as part of the Bourn deal last July, it opened the door for his second shot, in a very pressure free environment. The Astros have gambled on Jordan that he’ll take that second shot at success and thrive however now it’s up to Schafer to take advantage of this new opportunity and leave those failed expectations behind him. (more…)

]]> http://climbingtalshill.com/2012/02/21/jordan-schafer-looking-to-reboot-his-career-with-the-astros/feed/ 0