Dear _____________,

Dear Mr. Pettitte,

Sorry that you lost today. You didn't deserve to, you tried really hard and pitched your ass off, for the most part. I've always had a soft spot for you for some reason, and I hope the rest of your season goes better than the first half has.*

Your friend,
Danyah

P.S. * But since you play for the Astros, I wouldn't hold my breath.

* * * * *

Dear rest-of-the-Astros,

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? What's that? You say, 'we don't know'? As in, you don't know what you're doing, perhaps?

Well, that much is very evident.

Get a freakin' clue.

Not friends,
Danyah

* * * * *

Whew.

I feel better.

Okay, on second thought, not really.

Today was such a dismal waste of a decent pitching performance by Andy Pettitte. I suspect that what I feared has started to occur--now the Astros are starting to get uncomfortable (yes, hello! half the freakin' season is over, guys!) and are starting to press a bit. Errors and gaffes of all sorts abounded in the game today. Even Jim Deshaies, in the ninth inning, upon learning that Justin Verlander only threw 99 pitches through 8 innings, burst out with, "That's it? They deserve to lose!" It was a very spontaneous remark, you could tell, and therefore all the more, well, telling of his opinion of their current play. Others in the blogosphere are starting to mirror that opinion.

I’ve thought for a while now that things weren't so rosy in Astroland. But I hate to express such pessimism, for I always fear that it might reflect a fair-weather attitude, my being spoiled by success. And I do despise fair-weather fans, especially those who only buy tickets for the playoffs. But I also have been forced to reflect on the current season and the pervading slump. In my little Pollyanna universe, true fans stick with their club through thick and thin. But when does it become a risk and reward conflict? How much of my life do I want to spend watching a game that, at present, depresses me?

I just don't know the answer today.