No
teams are more interested in the “space race” this upcoming baseball season than
our very own Phillies and the Houston Astros. And this space race has nothing to
do with a manned mission to the moon, but rather achieving enough space between
the division rivals to ensure a first place record in their respective
divisions.
Whereas the Phils goal of “the sky’s the limit” seems more
than feasible given the NL East opponent defections, it would surprise no one if
the famous line, “Houston, we have a problem” is repeated often this coming
summer. The problem is located not
on another lunar landscape but in a city made famous not by its solar winds, but
its city winds. It is well known as
Chicago, the Windy City.
As the
Phils look across the eastern landscape and see retreat in Atlanta and Florida,
and rebuilding in Montreal and New York, the Astros see a team in the central
time zone that has as much rocket power as anyone, even if they don’t have the
original Rocket. Yes, the Chicago Cubs hope to make the Astros rocket launch a delayed one at best, and a canceled
one at worst.
As we prepare for spring training and a season that
promises to be “out of this world” it looks at first glance as if the space race
will be launched not from San Francisco, Los Angeles or Miami. Nor will the
manned mission to the series probably take place in Miami, Atlanta or St.
Louis.
No, instead with the Hubble telescope providing almost unlimited
vision into the outer reaches of a spring and summer star watch, it says here
that the Phils, Astros and Cubs are the teams most likely to reach for the stars
this year, and achieve them. Lets
examine this “space race” and see who is most likely to enjoy the celestial
landscape come October.
The
Phillies “space race” is likely to be a smooth one if all hands on board stay
healthy and focused. With a five man armed crew of Millwood, Wolf, Milton,
Padilla and Myers, the Phils are more than prepared for any potential space
rocks that may attempt to alter its course.
In fact, no team in the East
has a greater group of launching pad boosters than the Phils and these launch
pads are named Thome, Burrell, Abreu and Lieberthal. This four-man booster
system is guaranteed to create fireworks at takeoff and an explosion that should
assist the smaller but quicker propulsion systems of Byrd, Rollins and
Polanco. If the Bell engine is
repaired as advertised, and if the new Wagner delivery system saves as much fuel
as in the past, this newest Phillie Project should reach the brightest
constellations of the playoffs this October.
No team has greater
experience in space travel than the Astro (nauts) from Houston. Emanating from
the Space Capital of the World, the Rocket himself will be the newest star
attraction to this otherworldly crew.
Roger Clemens has taken a non-stop flight from New York with a one-way
ticket to the playoffs. Along for the ride is his trusty co-pilot, Andy Pettitte, and this veteran crew of post season celebrities promises to make
Houston’s journey an eventful one.
As leading characters in this exciting
voyage, Clemens and Pettitte have banned forces with a reputable team of trusty
cockpit mates. Astro fans should fear no meteor showers with a helm of Redding,
Oswalt, Miller and Robertson to assist Captains Clemens and Pettitte. And if any further assistance is needed,
Privates Dotel and Hernandez offer a most welcome refueling station to assure a
safe landing.
As talented as this crew appears, this Houston space
odyssey would be incomplete without mention of the Powerful B-Force that offers
fellow Astro (nauts) plenty of megawatt power. Bagwell, Biggio and Berkman produce runs
to rival the Phil’s famous launching pad group, and Kent and Ensberg make the
B-Force even stronger. Only the
possible defection of Richard Hidalgo due to cost over runs will keep this
spacecraft from traveling at warp speed into the outer reaches of space.
This
potential spatial speed bump may be all that’s needed for the Baker Bunch to
make the latest space trip a three craft race. It takes no Martian landing
imagination to envision the Cub Combustion Crew finishing first in a close
encounter of the first kind. They
are that good.
When Colonel Greg Maddux officially joins the flight crew,
this super sized ship will have enough octanes to land the team straight into
the Out of this World Series. Forget the curse, forget the lack of a proven
finishing kick, this team is well suited to dodge the meteor showers of an
expected Astro-bash.
Reporting for duty with Maddux are First Officers
Prior, Wood, Clement and Zambrano with Petty Officer Borowski in reserve. This
group provides lightning bolt acceleration and enough skill to avoid the common
solar flairs that affect teams playing predominantly in the
sunlight.
Captain Baker finds comfort in the universal appeal that his
team commands, and this popularity is well deserved. From Lee to Alou, this
group has demonstrated a staying power guaranteed to make the “space race” a
three team battle. Of course, no
mention of the Cub Club would be complete with the mention of the “other
worldly” performance of the top star, Sammy Sosa.
Indeed, Sosa has achieved almost
every award in this universe but longs for the ring around Saturn, otherwise
called a World Series ring, and his trip will be complete. With crewmates like Patterson, Gonzalez
and Farnsworth, this trip may be his most successful yet.
As the
solar winds slowly sweep the wintry month of January into oblivion, February
marches forth with talk of Rovers, Explorers, and Lunar Landings. Yet, in the distant reaches of the land,
from the shores of Philadelphia to the rolling hills of Houston, there is a much
different space talk at work.
It is
the talk of quick takeoffs and smooth landings. It is the talk of unchartered
territories and cloudless skies. The talk can be heard in the Windy City, the
City of Brotherly Love, and in the heartlands of Texas. It is the talk of three
teams, with one goal, and one vision… the vision of victory.
Lost in
space is not an option for these teams, and the latest version of the space race
promises to fix its gravitational pull on baseball fans throughout the suddenly
limitless universe.
Columnist’s Note: I welcome
suggestions, questions and comments. Please send them to connectthedots@earthlink.net and
I will respond! CD from the Left Coast