Houston Astros

Tony Campana slide combines best of Superman, Pete Rose and Sam Fuld

The hiring of Theo Epstein as club president and Jed Hoyer as GM failed to turn the Chicago Cubs into a World Series contender in one season. Not a surprise, but the Cubs owning the worst record in the majors heading into action Wednesday still is a big downer for fans hoping the winds of change would bring something better, and sooner.

At least there's Tony Campana. He's a holdover from the previous administration, but Campana has batted .306 with a .359 on-base percentage (that could be better) and 12 stolen bases. Campana optimistically boasted in spring training that he could steal 100 bases if given the chance. Perhaps he could. But his speed has made him fun to watch. Like here, after an errant pickoff attempt against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night:

"Uh oh," goes Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper. But never fear, Len! Campana's acrobatic (and remarkably lucky) slide somehow eludes the tag of infielder Matt Downs at third base. The ninja move from the government was part-Pete Rose, part-Superman, part-Sam Fuld.

He doesn't touch him with the glove. Amazing.

A year ago after Fuld got off to a hot start at the plate and made some astounding diving catches in the outfield, the Tampa Bay Rays hastily put together a superhero cape giveaway day in Fuld's name. The rest of Fuld's season wasn't as super, but that shouldn't stop the Cubs from stealing the idea and getting Campana a cape of his own. Or tights. Big red boots?

It's either that or give out free haircuts in the Moe Howard-bowl style to honor the legacy of Pete Rose. (A cape is better.) Oh, by the way, the Cubs stranded Campana at third and lost 2-1, their eighth straight defeat.

Love baseball? Even like it a little?
Follow @AnswerDave, @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk on Twitter,
along with the BLS Facebook page!

• Wed May 23, 2012 2:48 pm EDT
• Big League Stew
• David Brown
• Comment

Astros GM Jeff Luhnow works ballgame as usher

Long before he became GM of the Houston Astros — before he even worked in Major League Baseball — 45-year-old Jeff Luhnow performed several jobs that others would be satisfied to call careers. Engineer, management consultant, technology entrepreneur. Man of many hats, all of them fancy.

On Tuesday, after a little more than five months as the second-most powerful man in the organization behind new owner Jim Crane, Luhnow changed jobs again — to ticket-taking usher at Minute Maid Park for a game against the Chicago Cubs.

Sure, the Astros are outperforming most preseason expectations, but didn't Crane expect to have Luhnow running the show for at least a year or two? Actually, the job change isn't permanent, as Alyson Footer reports in her blog, it's part of a program the team is running called "Share the Experience." It's like "Undercover Boss" without the disguises and sneaking around. Luhnow even wore a name tag that said, "Jeff." (Along with a button that says, in English, "I speak Spanish." And he does. He was raised in Mexico City.)

You might be wondering: Was his entire experience like the 30-second video snippet? Did every fan passing through the south Home Plate Entrance on their way to their seat fail to recognize Luhnow during his two-hour shift?

Almost nobody did.

Fans barely batted an eye as Luhnow scanned tickets and greeted fans with a friendly "enjoy the game." He fielded not a single question about who he's selecting in the upcoming draft. No one asked him who's starting the second game of the doubleheader in Denver on Monday. In fact, Luhnow was recognized exactly once, by a regular at Minute Maid Park who puts up the "K" signs in the outfield at just about every game.

Luhnow and other Astros executives doing this sounds like a sound exercise for the company. Even if it's a bit of a publicity gimmick (you're welcome!), it makes Luhnow come off very well. How can you not like this guy when he says empathetic things about ushers such as:

"It's exhausting. And I only did it for two hours. They're here all night."

While in college at Penn and Northwestern business school, Luhnow also nurtured other passions by playing fantasy baseball — another sign that he's a regular guy. In 2003 at age 37, Luhnow transitioned into a data analysis job with the St. Louis Cardinals. By 2005, he was overseeing their drafts. Two World Series rings and several minor-league championships later, the Astros named him GM. And then demoted him to usher. Just for a game, though.

Big BLS H/N: Zachary Levine of Ultimate Astros

Love baseball? Even like it a little?
Follow @AnswerDave, @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk on Twitter,
along with the BLS Facebook page!

• Wed May 23, 2012 11:15 am EDT
• Big League Stew
• David Brown
• Comment

Surviving the American League Week 7: Yu Darvish

In light of the Astros pending switch to the AL we try and numb the pain by explaining a topic each week. We look next at Japanese-born Texas Ranger Yu Darvish.

• Thu May 24, 2012 EDT
• The Crawfish Boxes
• By AstroB

Astros Player Performance Rankings - May 24, 2012

Ranking of Houston Astros players by wOBA, Game Score, Shutdowns, Metldowns, UZR and DRS.

• Thu May 24, 2012 EDT
• The Crawfish Boxes
• By Timothy De Block

This Week In Astros Pitching

A brief recap over last week's pitching performances for the Houston Astros.

• Thu May 24, 2012 EDT
• The Crawfish Boxes
• By conroestro

Thursday's Three Astros Things

Talking Houston's nice homestand, new uniforms and revisiting the Jeff Keppinger trade.

• Thu May 24, 2012 EDT
• The Crawfish Boxes
• By David Coleman

Astros Minor League Recap May 24th, 2012

A look at Luis Ordosgoitti's strong outing yesterday, and a recap of the Astros minor league action.

• Thu May 24, 2012 EDT
• The Crawfish Boxes
• By conroestro