Baseball season is here, and IN PLAY LOSE is curious about the season opener tonight simply because it may be the only time all year the Houston Astros are not in last place. Then again, they could lose to the Texas Rangers at Orange Juice Park tonight, drop to last and stay there all season, which is a far more likely result.
Here is
the 2012 Astros in a nutshell. (The best part of that video is when Nats' announcer F.P. Santangelo is literally rendered speechless at what he has just seen.) They finshed 2012 with a record of 55-107, a robust 42 GB the Cincinnati Reds. And the 2013 version may be
even worse, if that is possible. The 2013 Astros have a team payroll lower than what the Yankees are paying Alex Rodriguez (which also speaks as to why the Yankees are a mess this year, but that is for another blog). The Astros have also switched leagues and been dropped into the AL West, which looks like it could be the toughest division in baseball this season, what with the
über-loaded
California Los Angeles Angeles of
Garden Grove Anaheim, the talented-if-neurotic Rangers, the sneaky A's and what looks to be a resurgent Mariners team. (Yeah, I know.
I'll believe it when I see it.) It's not outside the realm of possibility that the Astros could challenge the 1962 Mets' 40-120 for the worst record in modern day history. I don't have any ill will towards the Astros, and I applaud the
return to their traditional colours, but this team is gonna be jawdroppingly bad this year. Patience, maalox, and strong drink had better be in large supply in Houston this year.
There will be plenty of good seats available.
