Stairway to Heaven
As the Houston Astros make their way home for Game 3 of the World Series tonight, I can think of no more perfect pop culture title reference than the 1971 Led Zeppelin tune. Arguably, it is the greatest rock n roll song of all time. Consequently, the spacemen find themselves 3 games away from what could be the first world championship in Astros' franchise history. If all keeps going according to plan, a home sweep by the Astros would give them the championship in front of the home town crowd on Sunday. Difficult, sure. Especially against these Los Angeles Dodgers. Impossible? Hardly!
In the midst of all of this, your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis, continues to be a silent hero for the team. Though he was not apart of the home run parade that the Astros used to win Game 2 in extra inning dramatic fashion, his infield pinch hit single for Justin Verlander in the 7th inning was certainly an eye opener against the hard throwing righty in Brandon Morrow. The fact that the Astros were able to break it open against a stellar Dodgers bullpen to tie up the series is sheer proof that they will not go quietly into the night. And will, as Dylan Thomas so eloquently said in a poem once, rage against the dying of the light.
Perhaps that light is actually shifting the Astros' favor. The difficulty they may encounter in trying to seal the deal this weekend in Houston does not equate to an impossibility. They certainly have all the pieces to do so. From top to bottom, this entire team has been resilient all season long. That's not about to end in the World Series, even if they are facing a top notch team in the Dodgers. My #BearSquared buddies, Gattis and the BMac, Brian McCann, are going to continue being key pieces to the puzzle.
In fact, Infield Chatter did a very nice piece on the both of them just yesterday. I recommend you readers giving it a watch in the tweet below:
Gattis should, at the very least. Even when McCann retires in a couple of years, El Oso Blanco can serve as the veteran backstop to help lead this team. He can mentor one of the minor league guys like Garrett Stubbs, who can serve as backup for a few seasons. Meanwhile, when not behind the plate, he should be the DH anyways. I recently wrote a piece with House of Houston about how Carlos Beltran should retire as a player and take over bench coach duties with the departure of Alex Cora. Cora is about to head to Boston to be the new skipper for the Red Sox next season. Beltran would be the perfect heir for bench coach, as i highlight in my article.
This would be a great move for a few reasons:
Let's take pride in this, Astros fans! Our boys are just that much closer to baseball glory. And we are all going to enjoy every minute of this!
In the midst of all of this, your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis, continues to be a silent hero for the team. Though he was not apart of the home run parade that the Astros used to win Game 2 in extra inning dramatic fashion, his infield pinch hit single for Justin Verlander in the 7th inning was certainly an eye opener against the hard throwing righty in Brandon Morrow. The fact that the Astros were able to break it open against a stellar Dodgers bullpen to tie up the series is sheer proof that they will not go quietly into the night. And will, as Dylan Thomas so eloquently said in a poem once, rage against the dying of the light.
Perhaps that light is actually shifting the Astros' favor. The difficulty they may encounter in trying to seal the deal this weekend in Houston does not equate to an impossibility. They certainly have all the pieces to do so. From top to bottom, this entire team has been resilient all season long. That's not about to end in the World Series, even if they are facing a top notch team in the Dodgers. My #BearSquared buddies, Gattis and the BMac, Brian McCann, are going to continue being key pieces to the puzzle.
In fact, Infield Chatter did a very nice piece on the both of them just yesterday. I recommend you readers giving it a watch in the tweet below:
They really do seem to feed off of each other as far as executing was is needed to be done as a catcher. Yes, stopping the run game has been a big weakness for the both of them over the course of their respective careers. That's not lost in all of this. However, giving what they both can do with the bat, and framing and game calling as best they can, these two should remain in the organization for a little while.Here’s the story of @Astros look-alike catchers, and good friends, Brian McCann and @BulldogBeing (Evan Gattis). #EarnHistory pic.twitter.com/YAuPVmE4ZQ— Infield Chatter (@InfieldChatter) October 26, 2017
Gattis should, at the very least. Even when McCann retires in a couple of years, El Oso Blanco can serve as the veteran backstop to help lead this team. He can mentor one of the minor league guys like Garrett Stubbs, who can serve as backup for a few seasons. Meanwhile, when not behind the plate, he should be the DH anyways. I recently wrote a piece with House of Houston about how Carlos Beltran should retire as a player and take over bench coach duties with the departure of Alex Cora. Cora is about to head to Boston to be the new skipper for the Red Sox next season. Beltran would be the perfect heir for bench coach, as i highlight in my article.
This would be a great move for a few reasons:
- The organization does not have to go through a lengthy vetting process.
- Beltran can still make around the same amount of money, perhaps even slightly less, and it would not dip to far into the pocketbook of the team. Some money can even be spared to help sign one of the core guys.
- Guys like Gattis and Tyler White can have a more viable presence and role with the team. Their collective bats would boost the offense even more than it is already. Not to mention, they are both fan favorites!
- Beltran is an undeniable presence as a leader, but his playing days need to be behind him. Otherwise, his stats could take a further hit and lessen his HOF chances.
Let's take pride in this, Astros fans! Our boys are just that much closer to baseball glory. And we are all going to enjoy every minute of this!
Original Photo Credit: LG Patterson of MLB Photos via Getty Images
What I would give to get this bear a World Series ring!
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