How about those Astros

I am not a true baseball fan. Actually, I do not easily get hooked on anything, although I enjoy most every kind of sports. An amazing thing happened last weekend as I turned on the TV. Astros were playing the Atlanta Braves. It was the bottom of the 8th inning with Astros batting. Our home town 'Stros were down 6 to 1. Bases were loaded. Then Lance Berkman hit a grand slam home run. Just like that it was 6 to 5. Then came another hit when the ball grazed the far wall above the yellow mark making it a solo home run. The game was tied. The Astros almost won on the 9th when a home run was called a foul ball because it missed the mark on the far left side by few inches, if any. So, they continued to play for 18 innings. I was hooked. (It reminded me of the game between Astros and Mets in 1986 that had gone on for 16 innings. I had watched that in a hotel room TV in one of those business trips. Unfortunately Astros had lost that one.)

Astors were running out of players. 43-year-old Roger Clemens came to pitch as a reliever. He was also at bat to pinch hit for a sacrifice base run. At the bottom of the 18th, rookie Chris Burke hit a home run. Astros won 7 to 6. The players ran out to the field like a bunch of kids. Roger Clemens lifted up the young rookie on his shoulder. It was heck of a game, coming from a not-so- hooked-on-baseball guy like me.

Now Astros are off to St. Louis. Go Astros!