Results tagged “migueltejada”

With one year under his belt, Astros manager Cecil Cooper is ready for the 2009 season to begin. After a rough first half which saw the Astros at 6-12 to start the season, Cooper and his team got hot after the All-Star break to go an best 42-24 while just missing a Wild Card birth by 3.5 games. We can all thank Hurricane Ike and Bud Seling for that. Houstonist caught up with the Astros skipper at Thursday's Baseball Writers Association of America Awards Dinner to talk baseball. Coach, with spring training just right around the corner, how exciting is it for you this time of the year? Well, it's extremely exciting. We want to make a stronger showing than we did a year ago and we think we have a chance to do that. It's pretty exciting to get there (spring training) knowing that I'll pretty much have the same team that I had a year ago and we'll be familiar with each other knowing we can just go out and play baseball. What was the difference between the first half and second half of last year? It was a rough start, but the team rebounded for a strong second half finish. Well, I think number one, they got used to our style of doing things. Then I think everybody's role was really determined a little bit better and then I thought the biggest key was that Carlos Lee got hot and Roy Oswalt became the Roy Oswalt that we all know and love. The interview continues after the jump.

It's that time of the year again, Houston. This year's mid-summer classic will take place in historic Yankee Stadium as two Astros and two Houston-area products will be showcasing their talent at the 79th All-Star game in The Bronx.

Astros first baseman, Lance Berkman was named National League Player of the Week, presented by Bank of America, for April 20-27. The Texas native continued his torrid 2008 start by putting up massive numbers. Berkman hit .455 (10-for-22) with four homers and 12 RBI, which lead the league.

Since last week, Miguel Tejada's age jumped to 33 from 31 when he admitted he lied about his age when he was 19 so he could improve his chances of playing big league baseball. But the age change doesn't seem to be affecting him; he's playing like he's a rookie with fire and something to prove. The newest Astro shortstop is punishing the National League with a .360 AVG and 19 RBI and his defense as been quite a pleasant surprise.

Oh, man was it an ugly road trip, 2-5 to be exact. But don't be so hard on them, they did face All-Star pitching in Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Greg Maddux and Carlos Zambrano, that's no walk in the park. But now it's time to put that in the past and focus on the now. Your Houston Astros return to Minute Maid Park tonight for their 2008 home opener.

The Houston Astros 2008 season got off to a rough start Monday night as reigning NL Cy Young winner Jake Peavy bested the Astros 4-0 on the mound and at the plate.

A week after the pitchers and catchers arrived, the Astros' position players are due in Kissimmee today. Some, including Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, and Kaz Matsui, have already arrived to get a jump on the rest of the team. Others, like focal point Miguel Tejada, arrived on time today. Like we did with the pitchers and catchers, we'll take a look at the guys out in the field and see where things lie.

The Super Bowl is on Sunday, and naturally we'll be watching the game (and the commericals), but the real news around town is the up-and-down season the Rockets are having. They win with T-Mac, they win without T-mac, they definitely lose without Yao. If Rick Adelman can get everyone on the same page,they could still be formidable in the playoffs. Otherwise, we're looking at another five-and-out in the first round. On to the links:

It was weird. Sunday rolled around, and there wasn't a Texans game to watch. So we just chilled and ignored the TV for a change; what else were we going to do? Watch the Cowboys' game? What are we, Jessica Simpson? Between the Astros trades, the Texans resurgence, and the Mitchell Report, there was a lot to blog about this week. Everyone grab your number 2 pencil for the review:

The revamping of the Astros roster is starting to look more and more like an episode of Extreme Makeover. Today, the Astros announced that they've reached an agreement with the Baltimore Orioles for former MVP shortstop Miguel Tejada in exchange for (deep breath): Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate, and Lou Costanzo. Patton, Sarfate, and Albers are all young pitchers with some major league experience; Patton was the Astros' most experienced and highest-rated...

The Texans pleasantly surprised us yesterday. Here we were all ready for another defeat, and suddenly Sage "Best Backup QB In The League" Rosenfels makes us feel all better. The picture that accompanies the top link today captures the feelings of many Texans fans today, we'd imagine. But there's more than just football going on this time of year; read on and see! - The lovely and talented Stephanie Stradley at AOL Fanhouse has a...