Same old, lame old

Ah well. Another loss with Clemens on the mound. Yep, looking shut-outerish again (hee!).

I'm glad I'm in the acceptance phase of my grief about this season.

Especially seeing as how it's not likely to change any time soon.

I can live with the Astros not making a trade before the deadline. The mob majority seems to think we need to get Miguel Tejada from the Orioles, and most are willing to give up Jason Hirsh to do it.

Me? Not so much.

I think Tejada's probably a cheater (he certainly has the Rafael Palmeiro/Jason Grimsley stain on him), and his work ethic is questionable. I also was not impressed with his off-season grumblings about the Orioles--that stuff never plays out well in the media. And to give up our best pitching prospect, who is 11-2 at AAA with a 2.08 ERA and 106 strikeouts (and is on a 40-something-inning streak of not giving up a run)? PUH-lease! I agree with some people that the Astros take too long to bring up their prospects, but the same fans seem willing to forfeit the future just because it's not getting here as fast as they'd like.

I don't get it.

On the other hand, I had a depressing thought yesterday while watching the game. (Well, actually I had a few depressing thoughts, one of which was how bad Adam Everett really can look at the plate. His strikeout in the fourth, with Luke Scott at third and only one out, was pretty mind-boggling. The pitch he swung at for the K was so far out of the zone that I swear he shut his eyes. I love watching him play short--his athleticism and grace in the field are mind-boggling in the best way--but I'm starting to agree a bit with those who view him as one of the black holes in the offense. Even considering runs saved, I'm starting to question his overall contribution. And I hate that.)

Um, right. Back to the other depressing thought. You know, everybody--right now I don't feel like linking to all of the citations I've read, but we're talking coaches, managers, players, and most of the blogosphere--seem to feel that the Astros are a much better team than they're showing at the moment. "Not playing up to their potential," they call it.

But. . . what if they are?

What if for the last two years, they were playing way BEYOND their potential? Maybe they're just not that good, you know? Maybe the last two years were the "magical seasons" in more ways than one.

Talk about depressing.

[UPDATE: Okay, okay, okay! Now I feel sufficiently chastised for questioning Adam Everett's value. My bad!]