There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.”
— “Coach Finstock,” from “Teen Wolf”
Predicting the 2013 Houston Astros Opening Day Roster

We’re 10 days from opening day and, while battles are still being fought for some positions, most of the dust has cleared and players have begun to emerge as favorites for a coveted 25 man roster spot. Below, I have listed the players I believe will make the 2013 Astros team with a few short sentences as to why. I have also listed a few players at the bottom who will likely not make the team.
Above: Manny Sanguillen baseball card using a 1974 Topps template.
Happy birthday to three time all-star, Panamanian baseball great, & BBQ proprietor Manny Sanguillen! He turns 69 today.
Whenever I slid, I always dusted myself off. Because if you look like you’re safe, the umpire thinks you’re safe. If you slide and then look at it him like, ‘What is it?’ He’ll say, ‘You’re out!’ So looking safe is a big part of it. One time, I slid into second, Ozzie Guillen was covering the base. It was a real close play, but I just started wiping. The ump goes, ‘Safe! Safe!’ Ozzie yells, ‘Why?’ The ump says, ‘I don’t know!’”
— Former Kansas City Royal Willie Wilson on the art of stealing bases, from “Grand Theft Baseball.”

