I must confess you, it wasn’t easy at all for me to watch the press conference in which Craig Biggio announced his retirement. It wasn’t because of the fact itself, fairly predictable. I guess it was a general thought that the second baseman would call it quits as soon as he reached 3.000 hits.

The hard part was because of the huge amount of sentiments found in this event. Looking at the Great Biggio with tears in his eyes, finding it very hard to express his words, alongside his sons thanking the organization and its fans for so many years of great memories.

The sentiments expressed by Drayton McLane and Tim Purpura were sincere and totally honest. I have no doubts about that at all. McLane and Purpura might have their virtues and flaws, but no one can accuse them of not loving their team.

When we wrote a piece for astrosdehouston.com on Biggio and his 3.000 hits, we tried to sum up his career; and beyond his numbers, and trust me, there are plenty of them, and quite remarkable, we find the intangibles, those things which made Biggio unique. His class on and off the field, his dedication to worthy causes, the respect he always showed for everyone.

I remember the first time I had to interview him, 3 years ago. I must tell you, I think I showed myself as professional as I can be, but it was extremely difficult for me to calm my nerves and making questions for someone who at a time I found unreachable for me, I won’t be embarrassed and tell you he was a childhood hero to me. Despite the fact I had to rephrase my questions several times, it was a pleasure for me, and he was always a gentleman and understood the fact I was a rookie reporter.

Craig Biggio will always be remembered as a baseball gentleman, and alongside that other great example named Jeff Bagwell, gave the Astros the unique identity they have today.

Now there will be a day in 2008 in which we won’t find Biggio and Bagwell on the field anymore. A fact of life, inevitable as it can be, but no less sad.

I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to post this earlier, since we had some server issues here at MLBlogs, but here it is:

Franchise icon is in his 20th season with the Astros

HOUSTON, TX ? In a press conference held this afternoon at Minute Maid Park, longtime Houston Astro Craig Biggio announced his retirement, effective at the end of the 2007 season.

The 2007 season is Biggio?s franchise-record 20th with the club, as he made his Major League debut on June 26, 1988.  In 2,798 career games, all with the Astros, Biggio has hit .282 (3,014×10,699) with 286 home runs and 1,156 runs batted in.  The career franchise leader in hits, he reached the 3,000-hit plateau with a 5-for-6 performance on June 28 of this year vs. the Colorado Rockies.  He ranks 24th all-time with 3,014 career hits.

The 41-year-old Biggio is also the Houston franchise career leader in games played, at-bats, runs scored, doubles, extra-base hits, and total bases.  On July 2, Craig Biggio became the 27th player all-time to reach the 1,000-extra-base hit plateau with a first-inning double.  Biggio is also the 13th player all-time with at least 3,000 hits and 1,000 extra-base hits and one of only two middle infielders on that list (Cal Ripken, Jr).

Biggio also ranks sixth on the Major League career list with 661 career doubles.   His 661 doubles are the most for any right-handed hitter in history, and Biggio is also the only player in MLB history to reach all of the following milestones: 600 doubles (661), 250 home runs (286), 2,700 hits (3,014), and 400 stolen bases (413).

Biggio was in the Opening Day lineup for a franchise-record 19 consecutive years from 1989-2007, and his seven selections to the NL All-Star squad are the most in Astros team history.  In 1992, he became the first player to make the All-Star team at both catcher (1991) and second base (1992).  Biggio received five NL Silver Slugger Awards (catcher ? 1989; second base-1994-95, 1997-98) and earned Rawlings Gold Glove Awards in four consecutive seasons from 1994-97.

Biggio has also spent the majority of his career taking an active role in the Sunshine Kids Organization, raising almost $2.5 million for the organization through the Sunshine Kids Celebrity Golf Classic.  He was the winner of the 1997 Branch Rickey Award, presented annually by the Rotary Club of Denver and the MLB Players Alumni to the player, manager, or executive who unselfishly contributes to the community.  Biggio also received the 2005 Hutch Award, given annually by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.  The award is presented in honor of the late ballplayer Fred Hutchinson, who died of cancer at the age of 45, to a Major League Baseball player who ?best exemplifies Hutch?s fighting spirit and competitive desire.?

In 1998,  Biggio helped lead the club to the second of three consecutive NL Central titles, hitting a career-best .325 with 51 doubles, 20 home runs, 88 RBI, and 50 stolen bases, joining Hall of Famer Tris Speaker as the only players in the 20th century to collect 50 doubles and 50 steals in the same season.  Biggio followed that campaign with 56 doubles in 1999, becoming the sixth player in Major League history with consecutive 50-double seasons.  Additionally, Biggio holds the modern record (since 1900) for times hit by a pitch with 285.

The Astros have made six postseason appearances during Biggio?s career, including NL Central Division Championships four times (1997-98-99-2001) and consecutive NL Wild Card berths in 2004 and 2005.  The 2005 Astros won the franchise?s first NL Championship and advanced to the World Series, where Biggio became the player with the most career games (2,564) before appearing in his first Fall Classic.  During that 2005 postseason, Biggio led all players with 18 hits and 11 runs scored while hitting .295 (18×61).

Additionally, Biggio holds the National League record with 51 career leadoff home runs and ranks second all-time in the category, trailing only Rickey Henderson (81).

It’s the end of an era. Today, at  3 PM Central Time, Astros legend Craig Biggio will announce his retirement. Here’s the press release from Astros media.

MEDIA ALERT

ASTROS INFIELDER CRAIG BIGGIO TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE AT 3 PM TODAY (TUESDAY, JULY 24) AT MINUTE MAID PARK

WHO:                   Craig Biggio, Houston Astros

                              

WHAT:                Press Conference ? Major Announcement

WHEN:                TODAY

                                Tuesday, July 24, 2007             

                                3:00 p.m.

WHERE:             MINUTE MAID PARK

                                Press Conference Room

                                **Media should enter through the South Home Plate gate on Texas Ave.

(Media Entrance)

We’ll give you all our thoughts and perspective right after the conference.

If there’s something that can be said about the Astros in this recently concluded first half is that they have been inconsistent, in every level and aspect of the game. Hitting, pitching, defense, you name it…

In this sea of uncertainty, there’s always something consistent. And in this case, I’m saddened to say it’s Carlos Zambrano.

You might remember that last year, if there’s something the Venezuelan hurler did quite well, is dominating the Astros. He did it at Minute Maid, in a brilliant game… for him. For the Astros, and for us, never hiding where our heart is, it became a sleep-inducing ordeal.

Today was more of the same. Two key errors, and Zambrano goes for 6.2 innings in which he disposed the Astros at ease, allowing 3 hits and going for the partial shutout, striking out 7.

Zambrano makes a bold case for a NL Cy Young award. In the meantime, what else can we talk about, when a man dominates a ballclub in such a consistent way…

Thank you Craig Biggio

http://www.theageofstrife.com/images/bidge.swf

Stole this from Crawfish Boxes.. Hope Joshua and Thomas understand…

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You might have been wondering why we have been away from blogging and talking Astros. We have avoided the issue for quite a while now, and if we have talked about it, it was in some veiled mention, so discreet you wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t aware of it.

In my country, Venezuela, we’re living things that have made us reconsider our position as a country and as a people, that are making us rethink our way of assuming life and seeing facts. Our colleague Ismael Granadillo has explained the situation quite well for us in his blog.

We are not indifferent, because we know that this fight students, journalists and the owners and staff of the RCTV network are having in Venezuela is fundamental for keeping basic liberties which we are entitled to as human beings, and are not a gracious concession made to us by the State. Those are rights we must fight for and is the State’s duty to respect.

Freedom of speech is something as basic as the right to life itself. And despite the fact our Government has tried, in a thousand ways, of denying reality and show the international community a totally different outlook, each and every day there are more people and institutions who are aware of what’s really going on.

You will understand that we’re still doing our work but as of now, our mind is a bit far from the diamond.

However… We remain here and doing our work in the best way we can. Most of our work these days is behind the scenes, but rest assured we’re fine and doing our job.

—–

What’s happening with the Astros might be one of the most disappointing points of this Major League season. We are saddened to see performances such as those by Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence going a bit under the table because of so many losses.

The questions are now going back and forth, and this situation makes us wonder whether this is a lost season for good or if there are reasons to keep hopes up for a comeback that might put the Astros on a fight for the pennant once again.

If there’s something that has not worked this year so well has been pitching. If we saw last season that hurlers helped mantain wins despite the team’s lousy hitting performance and lack of clutch, this year the story has been totally different. With an erratic Woody Williams and a struggling Jason Jennings, the starting cast looks a whole different than it was on 2006.

The bullpen hasn’t been of much help either. Once considered a mainstay of the team, it has not been quite cooperative. Just take a look at this recent series against the Texas Rangers.

So what to do? This is no doubt a state of flux. Whether start thinking about 2008, or start dealing aggressively to see if the Astros can get a second chance.

This is no easy task. We don’t envy Tim Purpura for a second.

The Astros have been in trouble. We already know this and we have discussed it ad nauseam. But if there’s something they badly need to get that selfesteem back up, is something like this series is turning out, winning two against their 2005 World Series rivals.

First, it was Chris Sampson, who excelled in 6.2 innings; and now we’re pleased in seeing Jason Jennings pitching in a solid fashion Saturday afternoon.

Despite the fact Jennigs wasn’t able to earn a much-deserved win due to a late reaction from the White Sox, he did an amazing job, something he badly needs after all his trials and tribulations ever since he got to the Astros.

Brad Lidge is also back as closer. It looks like the circle is now complete and has bounced back from his problems present ever since late last year. Are things falling into place? We’ll have to wait and see a bit more for the answer to that.

Many of you might be wondering if this blog will change its name from "The Space Race" to "The Pence Race".

That’s because we have illustrated our posts for the past few weeks almost exclusively with pictures of the Astros rookie. Some of our more casual readers, who are not exactly daily followers of the goings-on at Minute Maid Park, might ask themselves if this hoopla around the newcomer is justified at all or not

We have now confirmed that (God forbid us from sounding big-headed) we were right in focusing that much towards the young outfielder. Pence has been recognized as NL Player of the Week, in a tie with Diamondbacks closer Jose Valverde.

Pence has batted an astonishing .591 average, a product of 13 hits in 22 at-bats, driving in 5 and scoring 9, while rotating between the fifth and sixth spots in the lineup.

The idea behind Pence’s arrival was that of giving the team a much-needed dose of energy. And that has been the case so far. This kid plays with so much drive and intensity, and that has been recognized by his more experienced teammates, and by those who see him play each and every day. He’s enjoying every moment of his stay in the Major Leagues, and you can see that. And luckily for us, that feeling has been rubbing off on everyone else.

May this be the first of many recognitions in The Show for him.

There isn’t any way to sugarcoat this. Rangers beat the Astros, and beat them bad. Woody Williams can say he lost because he didn’t pitch well, not because his teammates didn’t support him offensively. Well, they didn’t but it wasn’t the main reason for the loss.

There are things looking good about this ball club and some others that don’t quite fit in. It’s true that Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee are carrying the team. Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta are also doing their part. Now, should Craig Biggio stay as lead-off? His OBP is terribly low, and it all points out to him being in a lower position in the order. Of course he has to stay as a starter, being 30 hits away from 3.000.

Now, we don’t know what might happen in the very near future when it comes to more shuffles and changes. It’s only a matter of wait and see. Things are not as bad as they were a few weeks ago. But this isn’t precisely the time for staying put.