John G. Zimmerman/Sports Illustrated  (C) 1966 Time Inc.

Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of the first time in which the Houston Astros team appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. Readers back then saw Sonny Jackson and Joe Morgan depicted on that front page.

Jackson was an explosive shortstop who would set a record among NL rookies for stolen bases with 49, and was the Astros batting leader with .292. Jackson would remain with the Houston franchise during five seasons since 1963, when it was named the Colt .45s. By the way, on June 21, 1966 he would hit an inside-the-park home run off Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton; four days later, he achieved the same feat against Cardinals hurler Ray Washburn. On August 19, he got yet another inside-the-park tater off Milt Pappas from the Cincinnati Reds. All were hit inside the Astrodome.

Morgan would bat .285 in that ’66 season. He played for the Astros until 1971, for a comeback in 1980. Obviously, his best moments were lived playing for another team.

The Astros have been depicted on the SI cover in a total of 12 occasions, between full-page pictures and smaller mentions. Only one player has appeared twice in an Astros uniform in a full cover, and not precisely for the happiest reasons: J.R. Richard, one of the best Astros pitchers ever. We will talk about him in another post.

In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy the excellent history section from our friends at AstrosDaily.com.

As a writer, we must weigh in the good and the bad in equal terms when it comes to tell the story of a baseball game or team, trying to give readers a picture as objective as possible. But honestly, there are very few things we can talk about when it comes to today’s game in which the Cincinnati Reds beat the Astros 6-4 in 11 frames; thanks to solid shots by Ryan Freel and Austin Kearns; both going yard twice in the contest. The Reds swept the 3-game series at Minute Maid Park.

Let’s see. Fernando Nieve pitched on very short notice, when Roy Oswalt realized he wasn’t able to get on the mound today. Despite giving up shots to both Freel and Kearns, it wasn’t too bad in the end: five innings and two runs allowed.

Today’s game was very close at moments. Chris Burke sent it to extra innings with a double in the eighth; tying the game. In the tenth, Cincinnati got a lead with an RBI two-baser by Felipe Lopez, but Burke once again doubled.

In the eleventh inning, Cincinnati squeezed and battled every at-bat, abusing Dan Wheeler and Russ Springer. And as a result of that, Freel hit the decisive 2-run tater.

While the Reds got the most of every offensive opportunity, Houston got caught in its own desperation, without being selective at the plate. And in that game of wearing pitchers out, Cincinnati got the most of today’s contest.

While Roger Clemens gets ready for his first Minor League stints with his son Koby, his teammates back in Houston keep on confronting those problems that have chased them lately: inconsistent pitching and wasted opportunities.

Let’s take a look at the Rocket first; he’s practicing with Lexington, but Koby won’t be on the battery with him whenever he pitches in actual games. Instead, Koby will play third base. There are columnists accusing Clemens of lack of professionalism and being a diva, but fans don’t seem to care. The Astros Minor League teams have seen ticket demand rise beyond expectations, and many games in which Clemens is scheduled to start have been sold out. The Astros are offering at the Major League level (shameless plug coming up) the Roger Returns package. The Houston Chronicle is polling readers to see if they consider Clemens as the biggest sports hero to come out of Space City, USA. Ever.

Back on Earth, trouble for the Astros doesn’t seem to end. Two consecutive losses at Minute Maid to the Cincinnati Reds, keep on piling more numbers for the "L" column in the standings. The ‘Stros are 2-8 on their last 10 contests. On Friday night, Wandy Rodriguez was clubbed mercilessly by the respectable Cincinnati offense, in a first inning to forget. At least, the Dominican-born hurler is pledging to do so. The game ended 14-3, with 8 runs as Wandy’s responsibility.

The following evening, we attended the Bronson Arroyo show. The pitcher-hitter-for-average-singer went 3-for-3 with 4 RBI and pitched six outstanding innings; becoming orchestra man and the spark plug behind his team’s victory with a 7-5 final. Andy Pettitte went through serious trouble once again. It was well said by a scout to The Sporting News, it seems like Pettitte doesn’t have any tricks left in his bag. The only thing that Arroyo didn’t do was to get his guitar and start singing.

Houston had a chance to stage a rebellion in the ninth, but it was suffocated by Cincinnati relief. We are writing minutes away from the start of the rubber game. Let’s see how it ends, and if the Astros can ever get their groove back. It’s hard, but not impossible.

We couldn’t get to the conference call with Roger Clemens, the phone
lines were busy. And there were enough reasons for that: if there is a
baseball player on the face of this Earth that still creates buzz as no
other, he is certainly the Rocket.

It was a very busy day for us: after Newsday stuck
with their story, we were still waiting for a sign from Astros brass.
And it appeared as a media alert sent by email from the Media Relations
department. It sure was in short notice, the conference was scheduled
for 11 AM Central Time, and the message got to us approximately 1 hour
and 15 minutes before that.

We immediately approached our sources, which confirmed us the
proceedings. Well, they never denied it in the first place. But they didn’t confirm it either until this morning. We never
used the word "denial", just like other media outlets did. Those early reports of a deal were considered "premature". They were approximately 18 hours too early.

This is a day in which the baseball universe is most certainly revolving around the Rocket. Some people might be emotional about this, some others might express they are not pleased with what they consider "diva antics". But very few are staying quiet about it.

Our MLBlogosphere has been a place for discussion, and everyone has an opinion. For our very own take on this subject, you’ll have to wait for early next week, when is our moment to step up to the plate on astrosdehouston.com; the Astros official site in Spanish.

I’ll just tell you this is one very exciting moment to be involved with
this organization. It was sure a lot of work for Astros employees at
Union Station, a hectic day all along, but it felt great to be able to
spread these good news.

Did anyone remember there was a game being played this afternoon? Thought so. I have to admit, I didn’t watch it in its entirety. Too much of a Rocket blast for that.

Now, I’ll give you some quotes from today’s press conference. Keep on smiling, Astros fans.

Randy Hendricks, Clemens’ agent: "There was no deal done yesterday
which is what we?ve told everybody, and it?s true, but I got a hold of
Tim early in the evening and said ?why don?t you come by my house I
think we can talk about this deal.? We got done about midnight, and I
talked to Roger real late and told the other three teams that were
involved, Boston, New York and Texas. They did a terrific job and it
was a tough decision for Roger, and I?ll let him explain in his own
words why he made the decision. The deal was done at midnight like I
said, and we have more steps to go before Roger is on the mound".

Drayton McLane, Astros Chairman and CEO: "I love to talk about being a
champion, winning and being the best. And I know of no one that
represents that better than Roger Clemens. About an hour ago, I called
Commissioner Bud Selig and was telling him of the agreement we reached
late last night, and he congratulated me. He said ?I think that?s great
for Major League Baseball. He has grown up in Houston, he is loyal to
the fans in Houston, and that?s what?s great about baseball."

Roger Clemens: "Well, like I just told Drayton and Tim, and like I told
Randy when he called me late last night, the ball is in my court now.
This is a difficult decision on my part for a number of situations. I
have to now take the next step to get my body ready to come back and be
effective, win games, and do what I?m used to doing, and that?s being
extremely competitive at a high level".

"There were times that I told Deb that I just wanted to step away from
it all and continue to enjoy working at the foundation and in the
community and watch my buddies here work on this team. You know, here
we go again. I?m going to give it a shot. Not necessarily that I know I
need to or want to, but I?m committed. Again, it?s about winning. I
just kept coming back to the guys I went to battle with, and last time
I checked we were in the World Series last year. It?s the same team, if
not better. I know I?ve got my work cut out, like Tim said, and I?ve
got to do it step by step. I can get into a game situation and my body
not respond the way I want it to. I push my body hard, but I still need
to get some competitive and stressful innings in. Again, I don?t think
I would have taken on this challenge if I didn?t constantly hear from
my teammates. They were talking to me and encouraging me that they
thought I could do it, and that?s the deal. I?m going to get out there,
and fortunately I?ve been working out pretty hard the last couple weeks
and I?ve been staying away from the comments and things like that".

"I?ve got deep roots in the Boston tradition and I left nothing in the
bag when I was in New York. But the bottom line was  the winning and
success we?ve had here the last two years- I had the opportunity to
come home and seized that moment, worked hard at it, and I?ve had some
great teammates work side by side with and we achieved some goals.
There is the same talent, or better in that locker room and they know
it. The games I?ve been able to catch and see, we haven?t had the best
of breaks go our way this year. So hopefully that will turn around and
we?ll have a good time with it."

Reporter: Will it be emotional for you on June 22, and what will that be like for you?

Roger Clemens: "I?m sure it?ll be emotional for me my family, but I
hope to have taken all the steps to be prepared and ready for that. For
me, that?s still a long way off. I don?t want to have any setbacks and
I want to make sure I?ve pushed myself hard enough to be ready for that
date everybody has talked about".

"If I asked Drayton to come in the clubhouse and do arm exercises with
me, he?d be there. (laughing). He usually is there, and he?s standing
over me asking me ?are you ready to be a champion?? He?s the most
positive man I?ve ever met. I know he has to have some bad days, but
I?ve never seen them. He?s always positive, his commitment to winning
is obvious, and not just in my sense of being here. It?s obvious what
he wants to do, and he pushed us to the point and helped us get to the
World Series last year.

I would hope that everyone?s goal is to get to
back there. You just have to win 11 games once you get to the playoffs,
and I think this team is capable of doing that. I think we?re a
playoff-caliber team. To have the opportunity to pitch with Roy Oswalt,
who I?ll be real surprised if he doesn?t win 20 games again, and with
Andy Pettitte, he?s the reason I was able to come home and play. I?m
looking forward to it; the ball is in my court, that?s all I can say. I
have to go out and do it and get ready so I can be a part of this".

Here’s the press release. Soon Clemens will participate in a conference call for all media. We’ll try to get you some quotes from that. In the meantime, here it is

ASTROS SIGN CLEMENS

Seven-time Cy Young Award winner, 11-time All-Star returns for third season with Astros, 23rd year overall

HOUSTON ? The Houston Astros announced today that the club has signed right-handed pitcher Roger Clemens to a minor league contract. The one-year contract is valued at $322,000. The announcement was made by general manager Tim Purpura.

Clemens is tentatively scheduled to make three minor league starts prior to making his Astros debut. It is the club?s intent for him to make his first start at the Class A Lexington Legends (Lexington, KY) on June 6, tentatively followed by a start at the Double A Corpus Christi Hooks (Corpus Christi, TX) on June 11, and a third minor league start at the Triple A Round Rock Express (Round Rock, TX) on June 16. Clemens is tentatively scheduled to make his first start for Houston on June 22 at Minute Maid Park vs. the Minnesota Twins. His one-year Major League contract will be valued at $22,000,022.

                                                                                                                                                                  

Clemens, 43, will return for his 23rd Major League season. He is 341-172 with a 3.12 ERA (1632ER/4704.1IP) in 672 career games (671 starts), and his 341 wins rank ninth all-time, two away from eighth-place Tim Keefe (according to the Elias Sports Bureau). The winner of an unprecedented seven Cy Young Awards, Clemens was 13-8 with a career-best 1.87 ERA (44ER/211.1IP) for the National League champion Astros in 2005.  His 1.87 ERA led the Majors and he also earned his 11th career All-Star selection last year, pitching one scoreless inning in the Midsummer Classic in Detroit.

In two seasons with Houston, Clemens is 31-12 with a 2.43 ERA (115ER/425.2IP) in 65 starts. He has appeared in eight playoff games during his two years with the Astros (seven starts) and is 4-2, including a win in the 18-inning NLDS Game 4 vs. Atlanta, in which Clemens pitched three scoreless innings in relief, his first relief outing since July 18, 1984 with Boston.

?Roger has been a tremendous boost to our rotation and our ballclub as a whole over the last two seasons,? said Purpura.  ?We are obviously thrilled that he has decided to continue his career with us, and we look forward to watching him perform on the mound again this season in an Astros uniform.  Roger Clemens is a true living legend and has had a great impact on our success over the last two seasons.?

Clemens earned his seventh Cy Young during his first season with the Astros, a 2004 campaign in which he finished 18-4 with a 2.98 ERA (71ER/214.1IP) in 33 starts.  His 18 wins ranked tied for second in the NL that season.  Clemens ranks second all-time with 4,502 strikeouts, trailing only Nolan Ryan on the career list.  In addition to being the active leader in strikeouts, he also leads all active pitchers in wins (341), innings (4704.1), complete games (118), shutouts (46), and starts (671).

Clemens also earned the Cy Young in the American League in 1986, 1987 and 1991 with Boston, 1997 and 1998 with Toronto, and 2001 with New York.  He became the second Astro to win the Cy Young Award, joining Mike Scott in 1986.  According to the BBWAA, Clemens is the first player in history to capture eight BBWAA awards, as he won the American League Most Valuable Player in 1986 to go along with his seven Cy Youngs.  He is the oldest pitcher in history to earn the Cy Young and he is one of only four pitchers (Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Gaylord Perry) to win the Cy Young in both leagues.  Clemens is the only pitcher to win the Cy Young with as many as four different teams.

Additionally, Clemens joins Christy Mathewson and Lefty Grove as the only three pitchers in Major League history to have twice as many wins as losses at any point after recording their 250th win.  Clemens? .665 career winning percentage trails only Grove all-time among pitchers with 300 wins, and his 20 seasons with a winning record while starting at least 15 games in all are the most in baseball history.

What will happen with Roger Clemens in the end? Nobody knows for sure. Right after Newsday published a report that the legendary Rocket was about to return with the Astros for a third season, our phones went wild. We tried to confirm the news but it just wasn’t possible.

Tim Purpura immediately dismissed those reports, and told journalists there wasn’t an agreement yet. Clemens’ agent, Randy Hendricks, immediately followed. However, Newsday is sticking to its story, and insists two people close to the negotiations assure them Clemens has made up his mind and he will be an Astro once again.

The Astros organization is known for taking such announcements very seriously. When you get something out of top management, it is not a mere rumor but a done deal; that’s why they quickly went to tell us it was premature to talk about a decision from Clemens. We all just have to wait and see.

Clemens has already many advantages in Houston he will not find anywhere else, and on top of that list there’s being close to his home; something he has enjoyed for the past two years. He has already said no to the Rangers, and we heard that from Tom Hicks himself. Time keeps on running, and we’ll keep on following the story, to see what will happen in the end with the stellar hurler.

Now let’s talk about tonight’s game.

It certainly feels great to see the Astros overcoming an adverse deficit, and to see how Andy Pettitte, finally, rolls with the punches, and rises above trouble. An explosive seventh frame was needed by the Astros to beat St. Louis 6-3.

After Lance Berkman opened the scoreboard in the first with an RBI single, Yadier Molina evened the score with a double in the second. Pettitte kept going on the mound without big issues, until he granted two consecutive homers in the fourth frame, to Scott Rolen and Juan Encarnacion.

However, those were the last runs the Cardinals would score in the whole game; Pettitte was able to get himself together, allowing no runs in two more episodes, for a total of 3 runs and 7 hits given up in a total of six frames, earning the win.

His Cardinals counterpart, Anthony Reyes, was also doing a great job, until the seventh. The Astros staged a rebellion and turned the tables on the redbirds. RBI Singles by Mike Lamb and Orlando Palmeiro were just the start; and Craig Biggio provided his fireworks show with a 2-run homer off reliever John Hancock.

In the ninth, Brad Lidge got the ball after an efficient outing from Dan Wheeler. Lidge got his 14th save of the season with a 1-2-3 inning. That’s definitely something newsworthy, after everything the Astros closer is going through.

There’s still a lot of things to do, in order to finally say the long and tedious slump is over. But it is undoubtedly a great step forward.

There aren’t many good things to talk about the Houston Astros these days. Last night, Taylor Buchholz, one of the reasons to remain optimist about the ballclub, had a very rough outing in which he was beaten by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bad news seem to spread uncontrollably: the offensive mainstay is day-to-day, starting pitching is been unpredictable, the bullpen is not looking good; and Brad Lidge is still trying to get in touch with himself.

"We are playing crappy baseball", Phil Garner said to beat reporters covering the series at PNC Park. He is so right. I confess that it’s even harder for me to write about a funk like the one the ‘Stros are going through; and not because of my fanaticism. I try to hide it very well for ethical reasons.

It’s that you start sounding like a broken record: singing the blues day after day, when things never seem to change. The only hope you get to keep, is that the Astros have gone through situations worse than this one, that have caused drastic measures, and things have improved. It seems that the weather gets tough, and Management keeps its hand on the wheel, in a move seen by some as plain stubbornness; in the end, it turns out as a vow of confidence in your available resources.

Will this time of uncertainty end? Time will tell. It all depends on how long Berkman stays out of play. He tends to thrive when he returns from a DL stint. The Astros also rely on a rotation, which in fairness, hasn’t been too shabby. However, with Andy Pettitte’s inconsistency, youngsters such as Buchholz, Fernando Nieve and Wandy Rodriguez are carrying the heaviest burden.

You only get to hope the machine gets up and running, the way it should be. All pieces must fit perfectly.

Tonight’s result is especially frustrating: despite Fernando Nieve’s outstanding pitching, the Astros weren’t able to bring the runs home; and the Washington Nationals prevailed in the end, with a 4-1 score.

Nieve showed great stuff, pitching shutout baseball until the fifth frame, when Damian Jackson went yard with a solo shot. Morgan Ensberg tied the game with a tater of his own, his 15th of the season; however, his teammates couldn’t muster a reaction to Ramon Ortiz’s delivery. Ortiz gave up a run in seven innings. Gary Majewski and Chad Cordero did their part from the ‘pen.

In the end, Fernando granted 2 runs off 3 hits, fanning 2; but the offense wasn’t able to respond; so Nieve got his third loss this year, against barely one win. Russ Springer’s comeback after serving a suspension due to the Barry Bonds incident was a bitter one: home runs by Daryle Ward and Alfonso Soriano were the insurance the Nats needed to get the "W".

The Astros left 6 men stranded, and didn’t have many chances of setting up a rebellion. What a contrast to last night’s game; the lack of support to Nieve is the worst note in this D.C. evening; a good ballgame in the end, that lasted 2 hours and 8 minutes.

It was a good start for this particular Astros road trip; and they truly needed it, after a not-so-hot home stand: a 10-3 beating of the Washington Nationals, once again driven by (Lisa, I know how much you like this), explosive hitting.

Willy Taveras went 3-for-5; Craig Biggio was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI; and Lance Berkman jacked a 2-run homer off Zach Day in the first inning; giving Wandy Rodriguez a lot of support. Wandy went back to his good old ways, allowing three runs in six frames; and the bullpen was once again a stable base, with outstanding performances by Dave Borkowski, Trever Miller (do not adjust your monitors) and Dan Wheeler, who pitched a shutout inning each.

Day wasn’t able to keep Astros lumber out of sync during the 3.2 innings he pitched, leaving after that with a possible arm injury; however, it was a nice beginning for a change, so needed to erase so many doubt around the Astros and its faithful; and hopefully, to put an end to the long funk.

Taylor Buchholz’s stellar performance today, earning the first complete game shutout by an Astros pitcher since Kirk Saarloos back in July 25, 2002; was a superb ending for the first three games of the Lone Star Series between Astros and Rangers this season; undoubtedly it became a sample of Houston’s strengths and weaknesses.

On Friday Roy Oswalt gave up three runs scattered in six innings and a third; and an offensive reaction was needed. It finally came in the eighth, sparked by a three-run double from Adam Everett. Brad Lidge had the chance to return to the closer’s sole; and despite the fact a Gary Matthews, Jr. lead-off single was a prelude of trouble once again for the battered pitcher, consecutive strikeouts to Michael Young and Mark Teixeira and a pop-up from Hank Blalock indicated that Lidge was once again in his game. The final was 5-3 Astros.

The next evening became a new struggle for Andy Pettitte, who hasn’t been able to return to his top form. While Kevin Millwood tied the Astros offense up, Pettitte had to deal with full bases in every inning, for a total of 5 runs conceded in 6 frames. Millwood and relievers Ron Mahey and C.J. Wilson combined for a shutout and a 6-0 score. Millwood never let an Astro runner past first base.

On Sunday it could have been just enough to calm any anxiety, seeing Buchholz shaking off his recent funk, getting the shutout and only giving up six hits for a 5-0 final. Morgan Ensberg and Jason Lane provided the powder with a pair of two-run homers in the sixth and eighth frames.

"If we come out of it and play good ball, we’ll call it a phase," Phil Garner told mlb.com. "If we can’t do better than this, then I hesitate to go where that will lead us. But we certainly haven’t played sound defense, we haven’t really hit the ball and we haven’t pitched well.

We hope this is the end of such a phase. It will be tough to prove it, though; with road stops in Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and St. Louis. (Yup, the Cardinals).