Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. Last week, I mentioned the heavy rain we received and the hassle of our flooded home. The upside of the rains is the benefit to the wildflowers this month. If you have never been to the Texas hill country, April is a great time to visit. The weather is pleasantly warm (usually) and the bluebonnets are on display. As the month goes along, the vibrant blues are joined by the bright red of the paint brushes and the yellows and pinks of other flowers. But for my money…the bluebonnets are worth viewing.

A sea of blue...

Here is the mixture that begins later in April...

Much was written before the 2013 season about the anticipated ineptitude of the Houston Astros. I was more than a little surprised that the Astros won on opening day against the big bats of the Texas Rangers. Of course, until last night…that was the only game that the Stros won. Houston is on pace to set an all time record for strikeouts. But of course, Chris Davis is on pace to hit 120 HRs as well. Basically, one week does not make a season. When Bo Porter was hired to be Houston’s manager, he was an unknown to me. I did not know him as a player or have any idea of what kind of manager he would be. I think we got a pretty good glimpse of what sort of manager he will be Monday night. Each manager expects their hitters to have a plan in each at bat. For each hitter there is a different plan. The Yankees and Red Sox have made a living of plate discipline. If you don’t throw strikes, they don’t swing. This must be what Porter is trying to impart to his young team as he removed JD Martinez from the game on Monday night for swinging at the first pitch. Monday night, Porter and Martinez sat down and had a long discussion. Martinez admits that Porter is the most direct manager that he has ever played for. By removing Martinez, I think Porter got his team’s attention. While there will continue to be struggles this year, if Porter can get his team pulling on the same end of the rope…it is a huge event for this young team. Tuesday night saw the Astros explode on Seattle. The 16 to 9 thumping of Seattle was their 2^nd win and was exactly what this group needed. Of course, I suspect that the pitching rich Mariners will provide more resistance the rest of the series, the victory is significant. The high strikeouts don’t bother me as much if you mix in the long ball. The Astros had to know what they were getting when they added Chris Carter and Carlos Pena. Hopefully for Astros fans, Tuesday night was a sign of things to come and not an anomaly. And hey...they have as many wins as Toronto, with much less pay roll.

Don’t look now but Justin Upton is comfortable in Atlanta. I have listened to several ex players discuss Upton the past few years. It seemed like the DBacks were just not happy with Upton. Despite his early success, there always seemed to be trade rumors. The guys on the MLB channel felt that once Upton was removed from the situation in Arizona that he would be able to realize his full potential. I remain somewhat skeptical, but since I have the Braves as my fantasy pitching staff this year, I am very hopeful that I have finally picked a great staff. I suspect that the Braves and Nationals battle for supremacy of the NL East all season. I know the Reds and Giants will have something to say, but I really think one of these NL East teams will be in the WS this year. Maybe those predictions of Upton for MVP are not so outrageous?

Did you happen to see that Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) returned from a torn meniscus after 12 days? Wow…that really is crazy. Of course, when discussing someone named Metta, crazy is a good word. When reporters asked Artest about his quick return, his answer was…”I am just too sexy for my cat”. Wow…this is one very strange guy...but of course we knew this!.

I think any real football fan recognizes the name of Johnny Unitas. He was truly the beginning of great QB's known for clutch play. I read this week that there is an argument brewing within the Unitas family over which QB should play John Unitas in the upcoming movie, "Unitias We Stand". Joe Unitas has chosen Joe Flacco and John Jr. and others think that Peyton Manning is the logical choice to play Unitas. John Jr. went as far to say that Flacco is goofy. I have nothing against Joe Flacco and have to give him props for winning the super bowl last year...but, Peyton Manning would definitely be my choice. After watching Manning in his Colts helmet all those years, I don't see how anyone else would be better. Who would be your choice to play Johnny U?

I saw today that the Lions are putting Jason Hanson into their ring of honor. I have nothing against kickers, but wonder if any kicker is worthy of a spot in a team's ring of honor? Maybe it is just me, but special teams are called such for a reason. It helps to have a good kicker, but to put them in the ring of honor? I figure that our Gab's Lions fans will definitely weigh in on this...

I am going to "borrow" something from SI today. Do you remember the spot that they use called signs the Apocalypse is upon us...

Did you grow up riding a bike? I know that I did. It was a great form of transportation and also provided great exercise. Hyndai engineers have developed something called E4U. This "egg" goes up to 20 mph. I think someone at Hyndai needs to be slapped. Actually, I have a better idea. We should send fired basketball coach Mike Rice to Hyndai to be the research and development "coach". Maybe he can motivate them to research in a different area...

                                                                                        The music sucks too...

I am sorry that my post got up late today. I fell asleep writing m blog and had to finish this morning...

That is all I have today, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey...

It's probably not a good idea to be chewing on a toothpick if you're talking to the president, because what if he tells a funny joke and you laugh so hard you spit the toothpick out and it hits him in the face or something.

A funny thing is if you're out hiking and your friend gets bit by a poisonous snake, tell him you're going for help, then go about ten feet and pretend YOU got bit by a snake. Then start an argument about who's going to get help. A lot of guys will start crying. That's why it makes you feel good when you tell them it was just a joke.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own...

Even though this could have been the promising first year of a reorganized respectable second-tier conference, the WAC as we used to know it seems pretty much dead.  All the football members have left or are leaving apart from Idaho and New Mexico St. 

As recently as 1995, the top three WAC teams of this year, Louisiana Tech, Utah St., and San Jose St., all competed in the Big West.  Nevada, UNLV, and New Mexico St. were also in that conference, and Boise St. joined (along with Idaho) in 1996.

Which got me thinking… since there won’t be a WAC, why can’t there be a Big West in football again?  I can’t think of a good reason.  In football, the Big East is doing so much expanding from the area near the Mississippi River all the way to Boise and San Diego, so that can incorporate these teams while the rest of the conference can keep operating as it is already, with some possible quality expansion in other sports.

These were the teams in the WAC in 1995:

Air Force

BYU

Colorado St.

Fresno St.

Hawaii

New Mexico

San Diego St.

Utah

UTEP

Wyoming

Boise St. and San Diego St. are actually going to be in the Big West in other sports, and Hawaii is already there.  I imagine Utah St. and San Jose St. (which appear to be headed to the Mountain West) could be brought back with just the foundation I’ve mentioned so far.  BYU left the Mountain West to become independent in football (WCC in other sports, which makes less sense than the Big West would), but no currently-AQ conference has offered them a spot, and they’re naturals to be playing the likes of Boise St. and Utah St., both of which they’ve played this season. 

The East-West alliance along the lines of the previously-discussed MWC-CUSA idea didn’t work out because of all the existing obligations (essentially schools could then leave without buyout fees and without paying the conference shares of post-season revenue), but all those problems aren’t here since administratively, it would still really be the Big East. 

Louisiana Tech is a definite for the Conference USA, but that’s fine because they were too far to the East for the WAC anyway.  The Big West football conference did extend into Arkansas and Louisiana briefly (including Louisiana Tech and UL-Lafayette, then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana).  There is a bit of a central region in the Big East as well that could provide the anticipated mega-conference some flexibility, so they’re not completely out of the question later.

The Big East has already announced plans to include Memphis, Tulane, SMU, and Houston.  With the quality Western teams available, I would think Memphis and Tulane would be playing in the true Big East (by which I mean teams that would be in the Big East in other sports and in the Eastern division in football), but SMU and Houston would be good opponents for them as well.  If only one of the four goes out West (in the even both Cincinnati and Connecticut find other conferences), then SMU and Houston could still be permanent opponents.

The only teams left from a couple of years ago (to make up the core of the true Big East) will be Connecticut, Cincinnati, and South Florida.

So this is what I’m thinking as far as alignment...

Click here for chart and remainder of blog.  I discuss possible bowl ties and talk more about the Mountain West.

Memorial Day weekend is an important time for Americans. We strive to thank those who have fought for our freedoms and protected everything that we hold dear. It is also a time for families to come together and celebrate the kick-off of the summer season. And finally, it is a great weekend for America’s pastime, with the first two months of the season coming to a close and the real meat and potatoes of the playoff push officially starting here.

So with that in mind, Happy Memorial Day to all and let’s talk some baseball!

-          When a player has the albatross of being trade bait hung around his neck, it can be a bit much. But when said player is having the best season of his career, it makes the bait all the sweeter for the big fish to bite on. Such is the case with the Houston Astros and Wandy Rodriguez. The Astros are playing tremendous baseball, especially considering where they were a season ago, but in a division with the Cardinals and Reds, they don’t have any true designs on postseason baseball. Rodriguez is tremendous asset to them, but knowing that he’s currently enjoying a 4-4 record with the fourth best ERA in the majors at 2.14, and the best strike-out to walk ratio of his career, the Astros may consider trading the 33-year-old at the deadline in order to continue their rebuilding process. Rodriguez does have a $13 million guarantee for next season and a $13 million option with $2.5 buyout in 2014, so Houston will need to find the right trade partner, but when he is performing the way he is, it makes swallowing that contract a bit easier.

-          Without checking first, can anyone name the major league leader in the hits category? Josh Hamilton? Derek Jeter? Nope, it is Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants who has stroked a cool 69 base knocks through 47 games to start the 2012 season. With 22 of those being for extra bases, which helps lead to a .531 slugging percentage of the Giants outfielder, the Giants are definitely getting more bang for their buck when they trades lefty Jonathan Sanchez to Kansas City for the Melk Man.

-          It is Memorial Day weekend and the Orioles are in first place. I just had to say it out loud because it just didn’t feel right.

-          Has there been a team in baseball that has shown more of an ill-effect from an off-season loss than the Milwaukee Brewers? At 19-27, the Brewers stand over the lonely Cubs in the National League Central race, this after winning the division by 6 games a year ago. The loss of Prince Fielder can be felt throughout the line-up, but you can tell the presence Fielder had in the clubhouse is missed more. The Brewers lack the leader to step forward and pull them out of the funk they are in and it is readily apparent that Ryan Braun is not the leader the club needs.

-          On one last note, the Red Sox and Rays got into it on Friday night when they exchanged hit batsmen, with Dustin Pedroia and Luke Scott getting plunked in the game. Scott took exception when he got hit, the second time this season by a Red Sox pitcher and started toward the mound. Perhaps this was due more to Scott’s outspoken comments during the offseason where he called out Red Sox fans for taking over opposing ballparks and their general rudeness. He also stated that he was happy to see their faces when his Orioles eliminated Boston a season ago. Either way, one of these teams is going to use this as fuel for the remainder of the season, but there is no doubt that the Red Sox and Rays will continue to be a drama fueled rivalry for the remainder of the season.

P.S. – Hey Look, Jared Saltalamacchia is a big dude and you aren’t getting around him, Wolverine sideburns or not.

*Thank you to Baseball-Reference.com for the stats!

Another week of baseball means another week of news across the small markets of the league. This week, I thought I would do something different and skip the lengthy introduction paragraph full of filler and skip right to the tidbits.

Sounds like a plan, right?

-          The Baltimore Orioles continue to defy the odds and are leading the tough American League East division with a 13-8 record. So how do a middle-of-the-pack hitting squad and middle-of-the-pack starter’s ERA pace a power division like the AL East? Simple; the bullpen is 5-2 with a sparkling 1.94 ERA. They are paced by the trio of Luis Ayala, Jim Johnson, and Matt Lindstrom who have yet to surrender a single run as a group.  Buck Showalter’s group will need to get some more offensive out of JJ Hardy, Nick Markakis, and Mark Reynolds (27 K’s in 57 AB’s!) if they want to stay in the playoff hunt for the season, but it looks like Baltimore is serious about taking advantage of the extra wild-card spot in 2012.

-          The high-spending, and under-performing Angels released 38-year-old Bobby Abreu this week in order to make room for Mike Trout. So where does Abreu land? This blogger thinks he would be an excellent fit with the hitting challenged Pittsburgh Pirates. Jose Tabata is showing no signs of learning how to hit major league pitching, so bringing in the professional Abreu would serve wonders in the development of Tabata, Andrew McCutchen, and Alex Presley.

-          Quick, without looking, can you name the major league ERA leader? The honor belongs to soft-tossing Joe Saunders of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The very same Saunders that sat on the free agency pile all winter only to go back to the team that non-tendered him in the first place. He is pacing MLB with a 0.90 ERA and has a solid .186 batting average against. Sometimes cast-aways bite the hook again and turn into a big fish.

-          Looking down the top 10 in the batting average category is almost a who’s who of Major League Baseball. You have perennial MVP candidates in Matt Kemp, David Ortiz, Josh Hamilton, Derek Jeter, David Wright, Paul Konerko, Jose Altuve, Buster Posey, and hot-hand David Freese. Wait, did I say Jose Altuve? Yep, the Houston second baseman is 8^th in the league in average at .359 and is sporting a solid.958 OPS to start the season. With his combination of speed and bat control, he has been a solid fantasy baseball sleeper for teams that took the chance on him.

Thanks for reading this week and keep enjoying the baseball!

As sports fans, we'e often inundated with throwback jerseys. It is an unending marketing scheme that was cooked up by some executive somewhere who knew that fans would shill out a few extra bucks to get their hands on the jerseys their grand-pappies wore.

However, I'll give Major League Baseball credit over the NFL. While the NFL trots out these god-awful jerseys in colors that don't even correlate to the teams on the field, Major League Baseball has a huge history to draw upon, including numerous relocated teams.

With perhaps the best throwback to hit the field in 2012, the Houston Astros will honor their 50th season in Major League Baseball, and last in the National League, by honoring the 1962 Houston Colt .45's, the name the team originally entered the league under.

It is interesting to note that Major League Baseball initially refused to allow the Astros to use the Jersey with the famous Colt .45 pistol emblazoned upon it. Apparently they were a little uptight about the appearance of a fire-arm on the jersey. Bud Selig and his cronies eventually caved and allowed the jersey to ride as shown, but it just goes to show you how far we've fallen when a jersey worn for two games trips over the P.C. meter.