Rome Pilgrimage Day 1/2: Travel and Orvieto

Travel day(s)!

This is one of my many paradoxes.  I love traveling, but I hate traveling.  By that I mean, I love exploring new places.  But I hate the process of getting there.  In particular, I am not a big fan of flying, which is somewhat ironic given my graduate studies.  So, as usual, I was a nervous wreck last night and this morning, barely getting any sleep.  I think part of the problem is that I have a strong strand of the pioneer gene, or whatever they call it.  National Geographic did an article on this.  Some people are hard-wired to explore new things.  This is what has helped humans advance so far.  At the same time, I am a home-body.  So while I like to experience new things, I do not like doing new things.  Make sense?  No, of course not.  It’s similar to how I love going to baseball games, but I also hate it because of the big groups of people.  So every time I go to a game, I am an amazing mixture before going to it of wanting to for the game but dreading the crowds.  Baseball games and travel: I both want to and don’t.

We had early Mass, 5:00, and left the seminary at 6:00.  Of course we are only a few minutes away from the airport, so I was through security and everything by about 6:40.  This for a 9:40 flight.  Lots of time to “bond” with my brother seminarians.  As expected, the flight to Detroit was quick and painless.  This lead to a somewhat lengthy layover in Detroit including lunch.

We got off without a hitch from Detroit.  I had upgraded to what I suppose is the equivalent of business class.  More leg room, free drinks.  I was only two rows from the main door.  I was also fortunate that there was no one sitting next to me, so I was not squished.  The only problem was, I could not sleep on the flight.  Just could not get comfortable.  So instead I read a little and watched some movies.  I started with Wind River, which is intense.  Then I watched about half of Moana.  I only turned it off because I tried to sleep.  After I couldn’t sleep, I turned on a documentary called “Score” I have been wanting to watch about film music.  It was definitely good, though weird there was no mention of James Horner or John Newton Howard.  Oh well.

When we landed in Amsterdam, we only had about 45 minutes to run to the other side of the airport and make it through passport control.  That part was interesting.  When I got to the agent, he didn’t say a word.  I gave him my passport, he didn’t say a word, just flipped a couple pages, stamped it, and handed it back.  Thankfully, we all made it to the airplane in time.

It was under a two hour flight to Rome from there.  The most interesting part was coming in over Italy, being able to look down and see the coastline.  As we descended, I had a great view out the window of the Italian landscape and the Apennine Mountains in the distance.  Again, no major concerns.

Once we landed, we eventually were met up by our travel guide (our “Italian Mama”) and the bus.  It’s never fun to get off lengthy airplane rides for a lengthy bus ride, but alas it was about two more hours to Orvieto.  There we had some free time to walk around (there’s not much to see, or I was too tired to see anything).  I did find my way into a church dedicated to Sts. Andrew and Bartholomew.  Then it was time for lunch.  I had the local delicacy, roasted pork sandwich.  It was good, though the pork was cold.  Then more waiting outside in the cold (I stupidly left my jacket on the bus).  Finally, we started our tour of the tour of the Duomo.

From the bus, not the airplane, but you get the idea

Rose window with Agnus Dei

Sts. Andrew and Bartholomew Church

Their rose window from inside

Gensis

Old Testament

New Testament

Last Judgment

It is unusual, an Italian Gothic church.  It was built in commemoration of a Eucharistic miracle.  In the 13^th century, a priest had doubts during Mass.  During the consecration, the host bled on the corporal.  Since the pope was nearby, a commission quickly began and proved authenticity.  Today, the corporal is in the Duomo, though it is only exposed a few days a year to preserve it.

The outside is beautiful, and one can easily see the church is dedicated to Mary.  I found especially interesting pieces at the bottom of the spires depicting, in order, Genesis, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Last Judgment.  Inside it is rather empty, but the highlights are the side altars.  On one side is a side altar covered in frescoes from the Renaissance (partly done by Fra Angelico).  On the other side is the chapel of the corporal.  When we entered the Duomo, we were told that, for whatever reason, it was actually exposed today.  What a treat!  And that was where we were having Mass (and I was the acolyte!)  It was truly a blessing. 

Eucharistic Miracle Chapel

They love their Christmas trees (always outside) and Nativity Scenes (always inside)

After Mass, we were all tired and made our way back to the bus.  Next up was another two hour ride to our hotel in Assisi.  Despite our “Mama” telling us not to sleep until after dinner, I think most of us could not help it.  Dinner was good, a buffet at the hotel.  Now, I am ready for sleep.

Tomorrow: touring Assisi.

My Vocation Story Part 3 (Houston)

I've been very busy and it's been awhile, but I will pick up where I left off: starting seminary in Houston.

What is seminary like?  It’s been said there are two things you don’t want to know how they are made: sausages and priests.  It’s not quite that bad.  The first thing to say for sure is that each seminary is different.  Yes, there are some things that are universal, like classes, daily Mass, Morning and Evening prayer, but the particulars are unique.  Something as simple as daily or weekly schedule can vary widely.  For instance, in Houston, we had class Monday through Thursday with Friday as a formation day.  In Milwaukee, our formation day is Wednesday.  (Formation day basically means instead of regular classes, we have classes based on things like prayer or Mass practice.)  In Houston, we had Mass at 11:30.  In Milwaukee, we have Mass after Morning Prayer (around 7:15).  Of course there are other differences, but those are just a few examples.

By the way, in seminary we talk of four "pillars of formation."  These are: spiritual, human, intellectual, and pastoral.  There are debates over which is most important, but really a balance is needed.

My two years at St. Mary’s in Houston were a great formation experience.  The people were great, to begin with.  At St. Mary’s, rooms were, more or less, dependent on class.  So, First Theologians all lived on the same floor, for example.  Our Pre-Theology class was the first significant class in a long time, so we were kind of guinea pigs. Unlike other classes, we were spread out amongst all the others.  This ended up being a fantastic grace for me, because I lived with the Third Theologians.  They immediately accepted me and made me feel welcome.  I still remember the first Saturday I was there I was about to go out and get some dinner.  One of those men invited himself along.  While at first I was put off, after all, I am very independent, it ended up being the best thing.  It immediately pulled me out of myself.  By the way, everyone of course goes through adaptation issues when they enter seminary.  For me, the most difficult thing was living in community.  I had lived by myself, more or less, for 10 years.  It had only increased my natural self-dependency.  Now, all of a sudden, I lived on a floor with about 15 other men, sharing a bathroom with a handful of toilets and three showers.  Forget independence, now your life is controlled by another.  I became so close to that class that when they were ordained the following year I joked that my class was leaving me.

 The seminary is really beautiful

Our philosophy classes were not at the seminary but rather at the nearby University of St. Thomas (as might be expected, they were extremely Thomistic, not a bad thing for a future priest).  This meant that the Pre-Theologians carpooled four days a week.  Whether we wanted to or not, this forced us to become close.  Thankfully, I was part of a great group of guys.  Each one pushed me to grow in some way.

What kind of philosophy classes?  That was the question that they were still working out (as I said, guinea pigs).  There were kind of two groups of classes.  On the one hand, there were the historical philosophy classes (Ancient, Medieval, Modern Philosophy).  Then there were the thematic philosophy classes (Metaphysics, Philosophy of God, Philosophy of Man, Epistemology, etc.).  Most people expected that they would be easy for me.  Alas, philosophy is a very different field of study from history.  For the most part I figured things out, but it was not easy.  At the same time we had a few classes in theology and liturgy, as well as Spanish.

I have often said this, and it is very true: the most important book I read in Pre-Theology was Joseph Ratzinger’s The Spirit of the Liturgy.  This book gave me a completely different look on the Liturgy.  On top of that, I became involved in the Schola.  Our Schola leader/Liturgist was one of the most important people in my formation.  Between Ratzinger and Schola, I began to understand that the “normal Catholic” idea of Liturgy was way off what it should be.  I had only gone to the Latin Mass once before joining seminary, and I did not like it because I did not understand what was going on.  Even in seminary, the first time I went I was turned off.  But then I started learning about the theology behind it, and realized how rich it was.  This was a hugely important part of my Pre-Theology formation.  I wanted to make sure that, if I were to be ordained, I would do Liturgy the right way, not necessarily the way people have become used to.  Schola, by the way, was hard work.  We met at least twice a month for two hours.  It was well worth the work, since we sang at least two Sundays a month and some other major Liturgies.  Again, hard work, but fulfilling.  Beyond the work, I was able to be around some of the best people I have ever known.

Read this book

Overall, my years at St. Mary’s were good years.  That being said, I gradually realized that I was not meant to be in Houston.  I have written already on this blog a longer account of my discernment process.  Essentially, by the end of my first year, I was on the fence.  That summer, I went to a summer long formation program in Omaha called Institute for Priestly Formation.  Long story short, a lot of guys love IPF.  I liked parts of it.  At the beginning there is an eight-day silent retreat where you meet with a spiritual director every day.  This was great.  The rest of the summer is basically classes on various aspects of priestly spirituality.  It is heavily based on Ignatian Spirituality.  A bit too heavy, in my opinion.  By the July 4^th holiday, at least, I was ready to go.  The best parts of the summer, outside of the retreat, was getting to know seminarians from all over the country and being able to visit a few Midwestern spots.  That Independence Day, I stayed a few days in St. Louis at their beautiful seminary and was able to attend a few Cardinals games and Cahokia National Park.  I took a day trip to see the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, as well as the surprise find of their amazing basilica.  I was also able to go to an Astros game in Kansas City, one of my favorite ballparks.  Oh yes, then of course Omaha is the home of the College World Series (unfortunately the Aggies just missed it).  So it wasn’t a lost summer.  There was lots of baseball.

 St. Louis Cathedral: perhaps most beautiful church in US

Dyersville Basilica

There was another importance of this summer.  I was reminded of how much I liked the Midwest.  This was very influential on my discernment for a new diocese.  Having family from Wisconsin, I looked into the dioceses there.  Through my own research, as well as the encouragement of some of my friends, I began to focus on Madison.  I was able to visit that Christmas, and immediately felt comfortable.  That Spring, I sat on my big secret.  The funny thing was, a rumor began to spread in the seminary that I was to be sent to Rome for Theological studies.  I let it go, to throw people off the scent.  I figured a false rumor would keep people from finding about my plans to leave before I was ready to make it public.

I have to say that this decision, which could have become a major issue, was handled very well.  The diocese assured me of their support and did not “out” me before I was ready.  The same for the seminary.  Thankfully, those involved in the discernment process know it is just that: a process.  Men need time to think and pray about it.  It should be up to the individual to make their discernment public when he is ready.  Any kind of discernment decision should never be made public by someone else.

I was officially accepted to the Diocese of Madison on Holy Saturday.  I was able to finish out the school year before the transfer was official.  It was a bit awkward for some people, especially those who thought they should have known earlier (even if it was none of their business).  And, as with any big decision, some people took it personally.  But, on the whole, the transition went well.  After finishing in early May, I was able to stay around and attend a few ordinations for my “classmates.”  The first week of June, I officially moved to Madison and spent the summer at St. Bernard’s Parish in Madison, my new home parish.  It was a great experience, completely welcoming.

Justice League Review(ish)

I have been debating whether or not I would write about Justice League, and I have been in just enough arguments about it that I have to say something.

I really liked Justice League, and quite honestly I don’t get most of the grumbling about it.  One person I know (I won’t use names to protect the “innocent;” let’s call him Jean-Luc Picard) said that it’s worse than every Marvel movie.  This is just plain absurd.  I assume he meant the MCU, so not the Spider-man and X-Men movies (since it’s definitely better than at least Spider-man 3, Amazing Spider-man 2, X-Men Last Stand, Origins: Wolverine, Days of Futures Past, and Apocalypse).  So I figured I’d come up with a quick summation of how it compares to the MCU movies (yes means JL is better, no means the MCU movie is better):

Iron Man (maybe the best of the MCU, so no)

The Incredible Hulk (yes)

Iron Man 2 (absolutely)

Thor (yes)

Captain America (yes)

The Avengers (it’s pretty close, but slightly no; then again I’m not a huge fan of this movie)

Iron Man 3 (yes)

Thor: The Dark World (definitely)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (solid no)

Guardians of the Galaxy (no)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (easily yes)

Ant-Man (probably not)

Captain America: Civil War (definitely not)

Doctor Strange (no, but close)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (heck yes)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (no)

Thor: Ragnarok (since I saw these within a week, I can definitively say yes.  Many will disagree, but here’s my difference: I feel like MCU movies are now “an episode in a show I like” as someone else said, so I felt coming out of it like “eh, ok;” whereas I came out of JL excited)

At the same time I’m really tired of the Marvel vs. DC thing.  Can’t we like both?  So I’d rather talk about it compared to the other DC movies.  My rank of the newer DC movies, starting with the Nolan Dark Knight trilogy because, even though they aren’t technically part of the new universe, they still kicked off the whole thing and are close in tone.

1.      Wonder Woman

2.      The Dark Knight

3.      Justice League

4.      Batman v. Superman

5.      Batman Begins

6.      Man of Steel

7.      The Dark Knight Rises

8.      Suicide Squad

Obviously I rate it pretty highly.  Why did I like it?  I’ll try to make this brief.

First, the casting was perfect.  I really liked each of the characters and thought the actors portrayed them very well.  Probably the weakest was Cyborg, but even then Ray Fisher was very good.  They worked well together, too.  It seemed as though they were enjoying each other.  Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa were great additions.  As we have already seen, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot continued to be great as Batman and Wonder Woman.

The action was great.  The first Wonder Woman scene was as good as anything in her movie, and she continues to be the biggest surprise to me (I did not follow WW before BvS, but since she has become one of my favorite superheroes.  The flashback scene was fantastic (spoiler alert: with the Green Lantern we did have the whole crew in the movie!).  The fight scene on Themyscira was great.  And the fight scenes with the whole league together was great to see them fighting together.  I even liked the whole Flash not wanting to fight thing.  It was also great to see Aquaman showing how he can even kick butt on land (and smile the whole time).

I loved how Danny Elfman integrated his Batman and Williams’ Superman themes, plus the Wonder Woman theme making it more orchestral.  One of my biggest complaints with the Nolan trilogy was how they got away from heroic music for a more atmospheric tone, and I hated that they extended that into Man of Steel and BvS.  Elfman has not done much great in the past decade, but this was like riding a bike for him.

Speaking of tone, I am glad that they have moved away from taking it too seriously.  My biggest complaint about Man of Steel was that they made Superman dour.  It was completely against character.  Batman, please go dark, Superman, he is supposed to be hopeful.  They trend started with Wonder Woman and was thankfully kept in Justice League.  Some of the comedy was a little off, but overall it was a welcome change.

There are some others, but I’ll stop there.  To deal with a couple of problems:

There’s the distinct tension between what Zack Snyder did and what Joss Whedon did.  It is unfortunate what happened in real life with Snyder and why he had to step down.  Whedon’s stamp was maybe a little too strong (see my comment about comedy falling flat).  That being said, I hope this is the end of Snyder in the DC movies.  He does some things very well (graphics, action) but these movies need more well-rounded directors.

Ok, Steppenwolf was a bit of a throw away.  I have two counters to that.  First, he was not as bad/forgettable as virtually every Marvel villain not named Loki.  Second, in a way I am glad he took a back seat since the focus was rightly on the league and how they came together.

Some people say it was a bit too rushed, and I slightly agree.  When I heard this was to be the shortest DC movie, I was hopeful.  They all have been a bit too long.  Unfortunately, the two hour mandate from the studio was too restrictive.  There seems to be a number of important scenes, mostly character development, that was cut.  I have heard that they are planning to release a much longer “Snyder-cut,” and I am very interested to see that.  Like BvS, I think it will only help make it better.

I know that there are other issues with the movie people have brought up, but I think they aren’t the big or other people have addressed them better.  Regarding the CGI’ed out mustache, I didn’t really notice it.  Overall, I thought the movie was fun, the actors were great, and they looked like they were having fun (ok, maybe not Affleck, but whatever).  I loved seeing the league working together.  I am very hopeful with what the final scene after the credits seems to be setting up.  I really hope Warner Brothers won’t nuke the whole thing because it’s “a bomb.”

My grade: 8/10

Houston Astros: World Champs

I should be sleeping right now, but I can't.  The Houston Astros have won the World Series.

Let me say that again, the Houston Astros have won the World Series.

Houston Astros: World Champs.

It's doesn't make any sense.  I have been waiting for this moment for 35 years.  I never thought it would happen, but it was a dream.  Now it's reality, and yet it feels more like a dream.

The Houston Astros won the World Series.

It is hard for me to describe what this means to me.  I have often said, and people usually take this as a joke, that baseball was my first love.  It's not really a joke.  And the Astros have always been my team.  Yes, my brother will point out that for a time I was a Mets fan, for reasons I don't really know (probably because he hated them so much when I was young that I had to like them).  And yes, I was a Red Sox fan, roughly from the time we lived there (mid-90s) until around the time of their second World Series when I realized it wasn't fun anymore.  And yes, I was even a fan for a few years in the 90s of the Padres, solely because of my favorite player Ken Caminiti.  But it's always been the Astros.

I recently had someone at the seminary ask me in complete bewilderment how I could like a sports team so much.  My answer was simple yet complex: passion.  I don't like to say this much, or even admit it, but I am a very passionate person.  I tend to go all in, or all out, on things.  And my first passion? The Astros.

And now they are World Champions.

I keep saying that because at some point it will sink in.  I grew up with the mediocre Astros.  I was not quite old enough in 1986, so for me the Astros were the late-80s, early-90s mix of minor talent and hangers-on.  I grew up with the likes of Billy Hatcher and Kevin Bass and Craig Reynolds and Jim Pankovits.  I also grew up with Nolan Ryan, the only answer for a generation of baseball fans in Texas to the question "who is your favorite player?"  We moved away in the mid-90s, so I missed some of those years, but we came back just in time for the longest stretch of sustained success in team history: the late 90s and early 00s.  But they never could get past those annoying Braves, which explains why I still hate them.  Then, in my first year in grad school, they somehow jumped the hurdle and made the World Series.  Of course, they ran into that mix of losers known as the White Sox and were promptly swept.  My only consolation to this day is that it was the closest World Series sweep in history.  They could have, and should have, won every game.  In some ways that made it worse.

When people talk about how amazing it was the Astros got to this place, they often mention the three years in a row of 100 losses and how that was tough to be a fan then.  Certainly it was, but for me the worst years were the years between the World Series and those 100 loss seasons when the team was directionless.  That's when it was really hard to watch.  Sure, they had my favorite player Lance Berkman.  And Roy Oswalt.  And later Hunter Pence.  But you also had to suffer through all of the over-the-hill veterans who commanded a ton of money and were awful.  Those were the Tadahito Iguchi and Carlos Lee and Carlos Pena years.  At least when they decided to scrap the team and rebuild from the bottom up, there was the feeling that they had a plan.  Still, it was hard to watch a glorified AAA team take the field.  But those years brought us this success.  Without it, there is no Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers, Alex Bregman, etc.  Heck, there's probably no Jose Altuve and certainly no Dallas Keuchel, who were given all the chances in the world to grow, chances they would not have had on contending teams.  (I'm not going to sully this celebration by bringing up a certain first baseman who was also given many opportunities and failed miserably each time.)

2015 was a tease.  They weren't ready to be successfully, but they were.  I can still remember sitting in the stands in my first playoff game, the Astros up late on the Royals, everybody sure that they were going to advance.  I still remember the slow bleed that turned into the most crushing loss I have ever witnessed in person.  It still hurts, though slightly less as I type this.

Last year was a disappointment.  But yet, there was still hope for the future, because we were in good hands.

Everybody knows that, thanks to Sports Illustrated, 2017 was supposed to be the year.  Even still, I tried to temper my expectations.  Even after they got off to the best start in franchise history, even as the offense set records and put up numbers not seen since the Ruth and Gehrig Yankees, I knew that in the playoffs, anything can happen.  Rarely does the best team win, it's usually the hottest.  And plus, as everyone kept reminding us, even with Keuchel and McCullers, the Astros still didn't have that "ace." 

We all know about the hurricane.  We know how the front office gave the city hope with the last second trade for Justin Verlander.  They made the playoffs, but still had a mountain to climb.

The Red Sox series brought hope.  Maybe the bats will show up, unlike the Biggio and Bagwell days.

The Yankees series brought a roller coaster of emotions, and huge questions about their performance on the road.  I cannot tell you how many times I knew they would lose, because that's what this franchise did.  And yet, they hung on.

And what can you say about the World Series?  Epic.  Classic.  Heartburn.  Exhaustion.  Deemed over multiple times.  Huge momentum swings, if that's even a thing.  Records shattered.  Loss of sleep.  Crushing loss.  Immense joy.  Numbness.

The Houston Astros are World Champions.

Thank you Jim Crane for being bold, taking a huge chance, and looking beyond immediate success, something many of us can learn from (I'm looking at you, politicians).

Thank you Jeff Luhnow for having a plan and sticking to it, even when fans and others couldn't see it.

Thank you A.J. Hinch, though I doubted you in the ALCS, you figured it out.

Thank you George Springer for reminding me why you're my favorite.

Thank you Jose Altuve, even if you did turn into Bagwell in the World Series.

Thank you Alex Bregman for having the greatest defensive performance in the World Series since Brooks Robinson.

Thank you Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, Brian McCann, and even you Marwin Gonzalez and Josh Reddick.

Thank you Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Charlie Morton, Brad Peacock, et al.  Somehow you outdueled that "unhittable" Dodgers staff.  I will even try to thank you, Ken Giles.

This one is for all those guys who never quite put it together.  Cesar Cedeno, Jose Cruz, Alan Ashby, Glenn Davis, Kevin Bass, Mike Scott, J.R. Richard, Larry Dierker, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Caminiti, Mike Hampton, Moises Alou, Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Billy Wagner, Wandy Rodriguez, and a host of others.  You all lit the fire and kept it burning.  The young guns finished the job.

I still cannot believe it.

The Houston Astros have won the World Series.

Astros September Review and Playoff Preview

Record: 21-8 (101-61) 21 games up

Average: Josh Reddick (.391)

Doubles: Marwin Gonzalez (11)

Triples: Cameron Maybin, Josh Reddick (1)

Home Runs: Brian McCann, George Springer (5)

Runs Batted In: Alex Bregman (18)

Stolen Bases: Cameron Maybin (4)

Walks: George Springer (15)

Strikeouts: Carlos Correa (21)

On Base Percentage: Josh Reddick (.459)

Slugging Percentage: Josh Reddick (.594)

On Base Plus Slugging: Josh Reddick (1.053)

Wins: Justin Verlander (5)

Losses: Chris Devenski, Dallas Keuchel (2)

Earned Run Average: Justin Verlander (1.06)

Saves: Ken Giles (7)

Innings Pitched: Justin Verlander (34)

Hits: Dallas Keuchel (27)

Earned Runs: Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers (10)

Home Runs: Dallas Keuchel, Brad Peacock, Justin Verlander (4)

Walks: Dallas Keuchel (12)

Strikeouts: Justin Verlander (43)

Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched: Justin Verlander (0.647)

September was a big change from the low point of August.  The Astros finally got almost completely healthy (the notable exceptions of McCullers and the loss of Marisnick).  Speaking of Marisnick, I'm really bummed about his injury.  He may not have the biggest numbers, though this year was his best, but I love his presence on the team.  It seems like every time he plays he makes a difference.  I think he will be missed in the playoffs, though hopefully he can return if they advance far enough.

The Astros were able to wrap up the division fairly early, and so most of the month was about getting guys right for the playoffs.  Verlander had a heck of a month, almost reminiscent of Randy Johnson in 1998.  Correa was slow to getting back from injury, but really started to heat up towards the end of the month.  Altuve cemented another 200 hit season and another batting title (do people outside Houston recognize that he is the best hitter in the game?  Will he get his much-deserved MVP?).  The final two series saw the offense finally start to click, something that will hopefully carry over into October. 

It was great to officially knock out the Rangers, in commanding style, and to win 3 out of 4 against the Division Series opponent on their home turf.  Of course, records go out the window and anything can happen in the playoffs.  With Verlander, Keuchel, Peacock, and presumably McHugh, I think the rotation will be okay.  I also really like where the offense is right now.  That means the bullpen will be the key to a long playoff run.  If Devo, Harris, Musgrove, Giles, and company can pitch like they did in the first half, I like our chances.

Overall Grade: A-

Playoff Predictions:

AL Wild Card:  Yankees over Twins

NL Wild Card: Diamondbacks over Rockies

AL Division Series:     Indians over Yankees (3 games)

                                    Astros over Red Sox (4 games)

NL Division Series:     Diamondbacks over Dodgers (5 games)

                                    Nationals over Cubs (5 games)

AL Championship Series:       Astros over Indians (7 games)

NL Championship Series:       Nationals over Diamondbacks (5 games)

World Series:              Astros over Nationals (5 games)

MVP:                          Carlos Correa

Award Predictions:

AL MVP:        Jose Altuve

NL MVP:        Paul Goldschmidt

AL Cy Young:            Corey Kluber

NL Cy Young:            Max Scherzer

AL ROY:        Aaron Judge

NL ROY:        Cody Bellinger

Astros August Review

Record: 11-17 (80-53) 11.5 games up

Average: Alex Bregman (.345)

Doubles: Yuli Gurriel (8)

Triples: Alex Bregman (3)

Home Runs: Jose Altuve (6)

Runs Batted In: Alex Bregman (20)

Stolen Bases: Jose Altuve (7)

Walks: Alex Bregman (9)

Strikeouts: Derek Fisher, Jake Marisnick (24)

On Base Percentage: Alex Bregman (.395)

Slugging Percentage: Alexa Bregman (.584)

On Base Plus Slugging: Alex Bregman (.979)

Wins: Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh (2)

Losses: Mike Fiers (4)

Earned Run Average: Collin McHugh (2.94)

Saves: Ken Giles (5)

Innings Pitched: Dallas Keuchel (35.2)

Hits: Mike Fiers (36)

Earned Runs: Mike Fiers (27)

Home Runs: Mike Fiers (9)

Walks: Mike Fiers (16)

Strikeouts: Brad Peacock (36)

Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched: Charlie Morton (1.200)

Wow, this was a bad month.  I predicted it would be the worst month of the year (hopefully it will be) but I did not expect this bad.  They started with three losses in a row to the Rays, followed by winning two out of three against the Blue Jays.  Then came the worst stretch of the season, with five losses in a row on the road including a sweep to the terrible White Sox.  It was only slightly better in the second half of the month, only because they didn't have any prolonged losing streaks. 

It's hard to pin it on any one thing.  Certainly injuries played their role, as the Astros are clearly missing Correa in the middle of the order.  In a lot of ways, the second half as been the opposite of the first half.  When they get good pitching, they can't hit.  When they hit, the pitching is terrible.  The bullpen certainly hasn't helped.  Overall, it's been difficult to watch.

The only real bright spot this month was Alex Bregman, who really lifted the rest of the offense.  Even Altuve had a bit of a slide.

Then, of course, there is the human side.  Hurricane Harvey has been a staggeringly horrific disaster.  It is understandable that the players have been effected as well.  It's hard to play a game when you're wondering about your family.

We must continue to pray for those affected by the hurricane.  As much as we can love and enjoy baseball, we can never forget that life goes on in other ways.

The final day of the month brought two surprises, one curious and the other potentially huge.  In the mid-afternoon, the Astros signed Cameron Maybin off waivers from the Angels.  It will be interesting to see where he slots in with the outfield, though rosters expand so that won't be an issue.  I suppose after the months Derek Fisher and Jake Marisnick had, they can use improvement.  He and Altuve are the league leaders in stolen bases, so they will have more speed on the paths.  He already made fans by tweeting "I'm ready to serve you, on & off the field."  Then boom went the dynamite.  Minutes before the end of the waiver trade deadline at minute, the Astros traded three of their top 11 prospects to the Tigers for Justin Verlander.  This trade had been rumored since before the initial trade deadline, but there were a lot of hang ups over prospects and money.  They were able to get it done, and didn't give up the top-top prospects to get him.  Hopefully this will solidify the rotation.  At least he brings postseason experience.

Oh, and Correa is expected to return either Sunday or Monday.  McCullers should be back shortly thereafter.

September outlook:  After a three-game homestand against the Mets, the Astros head out on a potentially killer roadtrip to their friends out West.  In the middle of the month, they return home for the final nine home games of the season against the Mariners, White Sox, and Angels.  The final seven include a three game trip to Arlington and four in Boston to finish it off.  There are a lot of playoff or potential playoff teams on this schedule, adding to the difficulty.  A more-or-less healthy team should be able to manage it ok.  Predicted record: 15-14.

Overall Grade: D