Astros Weekend Links

Baseball is back! A four day break for the All-Star Game is just too long and if you’re like me you were hungry for some real baseball. Unfortunately, Bud Norris and the Astros bullpen were unable to slow down a red hot Mariners team. But there was a silver lining in the 10-7 loss. Brandon Barnes went 5 for 5 and hit for the cycle.

Here are a few links to get you caught up on the latest Astros news, including the latest Bud Norris trade rumors.

"MLB teams value their farm depth much more so now than they did in the recent years.  Teams don’t want to give up the type of Major League ready talent that the Astros desperately need, but they are willing to deal players in A or AA ball."

Whiskers on a ‘stache

"Alex Speier reports that the Red Sox are interested in Bud Norris more than rentals like Garza and Ervin Santana (though Santana is reportedly unavailable anyway). Boston has inquired on Norris, according to Speier, but finds the asking price to be too high at this time."

MLB Trade Rumors

"SNL Kagan predicts CSN Houston will be unable to strike carriage deals until 2014 with Suddenlink, which services the Kingwood area and dozens of other markets across the five-state area, and 2015 with DirecTV. No projection was given for U-verse, and SNL Kagan said a deal with Dish Network is “unlikely,” given its current stance on subscriber fees with regional sports networks."

Houston Chronicle

"Come draft day, I didn’t really know where I was going to go. But I was talking with my agent and when he let me know that the Astros were thinking about taking me with the first pick of the second round, I was beyond excited and very thankful."

What the Heck, Bobby?

"It was the subject of a book called, “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”  Guess who lost.  My brother and I were there for all 16 nerve-racking, soul-crushing innings."

Austin Film Festival