43rd Street Melody

The following lyrics were written for use during a youth-led worship at Gethsemane in Houston in the summer of 2009, I think.  The lyrics were actually "penned" while driving on 43rd Street in Houston, thus the title.  The idea for the refrain came from a worship experience Jim Holmlund had one time.

Surprisingly, I still remember the melody and will try to record and post it in the future.

43rd Street Melody(The Three Day Weekend)

On Friday, Precious Friday... Jesus died on the cross
On Friday, Precious Friday...Jesus died for our sins
On Sunday, that Third Day... Our Savior rose again
1...2...3

Now is the time to rest in His grace
Now is the time to listen
Now is the time for all weary hearts
Now is the time to worship

Now is the time to sing praise to Him
Lift up our voice in thanksgiving
Now is the time to make joyful noise
Now is the time to worship

On Friday, Precious Friday... Jesus died on the cross
On Friday, Precious Friday...Jesus died for our sins
On Sunday, that Third Day... Our Savior rose again
1...2...3

Now is the time to gather as one
And fix our eyes upon Him
Now is the time for old and for young
Now is the time to worship

Now is the time to sing "Hallelujah"
The time to sing "Christ is Lord"
Now is the time to sing praises to you
Now is the time to worship
Now is the time to worship

On Friday, Precious Friday... Jesus died on the cross
On Friday, Precious Friday...Jesus died for our sins
On Sunday, that Third Day... Our Savior rose again

Here Comes J.D.(Martinez)

Please note, I wrote the song posted above "Here Comes J.D." after the 2010 season when Martinez was in the Astros farm system.  The song's melody is from "Here Comes Jesus", a tune in the public domain.

UPDATE:  J.D. Martinez drove in a run Thursday night against Texas; however, he went 0 for 4 and his hitting streak was ended.  The Tigers won to extend their win streak to seven games heading into Friday's game at Minute Maid Park.

After one more game in Arlington against the Rangers on Thursday, hot-hitting J.D. Martinez and his Tiger teammates are on their way to Minute Maid Park to face the Astros.  Martinez, who started his career with the Houston organization, is currently on a 14-game hitting streak for Detroit.  During the streak, Martinez is 23 for 56(.411) with six doubles, six home runs and 17 RBI.

Martinez's strong performance has been a big part of an upswing by Brad Ausmus' Tigers.  Detroit has won six straight games to move into first place in the AL Central.

Steve Moss is Back in the Atlantic League

Outfielder Steve Moss, who spent parts of the last three seasons with the Sugar Land Skeeters, has returned to the Atlantic League after a stint in the Mexican League.  Moss, 30, played 18 games for Toros de Tijuana after beginning the season with the Skeeters.  Moss has recorded 152 in a Skeeters' uniform.

Moss joins the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.  The Blue Crabs host the Skeeters from July 4-6 in Waldorf, Maryland.

Nannini Going to Kansas City

Mike Nannini's comeback to baseball will continue with the Kansas City T-Bones.  Nannini, who started the season with Amarillo of the American Association, was picked up by Kansas City's entry in the same independent league shortly after being released by the Sox.  Nannini last pitched for Amarillo on Tuesday, June 10.

Update: I didn't dig deep enough.  It turns out Nannini made his debut with Kansas City on Tuesday, June 17 at home against Sioux City.  He pitched six innings for the T-Bones and gave up six hits and two runs.  Assuming four days of rest are in play for Nannini, he would be in line to go again Sunday at 5:05 in Kansas City against Laredo.

Nannini Released by Amarillo

For those of you following the comeback of pitcher Mike Nannini, he was released by Amarillo of the American Association Saturday.  Nannini is attempting a professional comeback after being away for almost six years.  He made five starts for Amarillo, posting a 5.68 ERA in 25 1/3 innings.

I will update you if Nannini is picked up by another team and continues his comeback.  If you know something about Nannini's status, please leave a comment below as I'd be curious to know where he is headed.  Thanks.

Jason Lane and his 0.00 ERA Back to El Paso

After pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings over two outings for San Diego in his big league pitching debut, Jason Lane was designated for assignment and consequently outrighted back to AAA El Paso by the Padres. The move was necessitated to make room on the Padres' roster for Andrew Cashner, who had been on the disabled list.  Lane rejoins the Chihuahuas in El Paso where they are currently on an eight-game home stand.

#TexasPadres Headed to Minute Maid Park Tonight

The Padres push into Texas reaches Houston tonight when the organization's AA affiliate, the San Antonio Missions face Corpus Christi at Minute Maid Park.  For Padres fans in the Lone Star state, today's game is a great chance to see several Padres' prospects in action.  The contest also provides a perfect opportunity to represent the #TexasPadres.

If you are going to the game in Houston, show your Padre Mania, whatever form that may take, by tweeting a picture of it @Royal_Worm using the hashtag #TexasPadres.  I will do my best to retweet your enthusiasm.  If you need a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing, here you go:

Missions and Chihuahuas Gear-  Wear the gear of one of the Padres' two Texas-based affiliates to the game tonight.  Take a picture of yourself and tweet it.  It's quick, easy and effective.

Jason Lane works on so Many Levels- The former Astro and Chihuahua recently made his big league pitching debut with the Padres.  Wearing his jersey at MMP= a #TexasPadres home run AND strike out at the same time.

Don't Forget your Texas baseball History-  The Padres have had other affiliates in Texas during their history.  If you show up at the game in Amarillo Gold Sox(1976-82) or Beaumont Golden Gators(1983-86) gear, you will fit right in with the #TexasPadres.

Johnny Baseball-  #TexasPadres is guaranteed to win Twitter tonight if someone finds Padres' draft pick Johnny Manziel at the ballpark in a Padres cap and records the occasion for posterity.

Rice Owls are Welcome- The starting pitcher for San Antonio tonight, Josh Geer, pitched in college just down the street at Rice University.  In addition, the Padres selected Rice's Zech Lemond in the third round of last week's draft making him the newest #TexasPadre.

If You Can't Make it to Houston, Don't Worry- If you can't make it to Houston because you are in El Paso, San Antonio, or even, Forney(I'm talking to you, Josh Geer fans), you can still add to the #TexasPadres fun. Just grab your most convenient picture taking device, and you are in business.

Former Rice Owl to Start at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday Night

A former Rice Owl is scheduled to start San Antonio's game Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park against the Corpus Christi Hooks.  Josh Geer, who won 12 games for Rice in 2005, has made 12 starts in 2014 for the Padres' AA affiliate.

Geer was drafted in the third round by the Padres after the 2005 season.  He reached the majors in 2008 and 2009, and appeared in a total of 24 games(22 starts) for San Diego over those two seasons.

In 2005, with Rice, Geer was the Most Outstanding Player of the Minute Maid Park College Baseball Classic.  He allowed just one unearned run over eight innings against Texas A&M in an Owls victory on February 12, 2005.  Geer also made one Major League start at Minute Maid Park as a Padre in 2009.

Cougars will Face Longhorns in Super Regional

Houston clobbered LSU 12-2 in the final game of the Baton Rouge Monday night.  The game was the Cougars' second straight win over the Tigers and set up a Super Regional showdown against Texas this weekend at a site to be determined.  Texas(41-19) beat Houston(48-16) at Minute Maid Park in the two schools' regular season meeting.

UPDATE:  This weekend's Super Regional will be hosted by the University of Texas.  The schedule of games is a follows:

Friday, June 6- 3 pm(Austin Time); Longhorns win, 4-2
Saturday, June 7- 1 pm(Austin Time); Longhorns win, 4-0

Padres fans in Houston, You Can See some Prospects Next Week

Houston-based fans of the San Diego Padres will have a chance to sample a large helping of the club's future prospects next Tuesday(June 10) at Minute Maid Park. The Padres will continue carving out their niche in Texas when theirAA affiliate San Antonio is takes on Corpus Christi in Houston on Tuesday at 6:10 p.m.

Ten of the Padres' top 30 prospects(according to Baseball America's pre-season rankings) are currently on the Missions' roster.  Here is an alphabetical look at the prospects coming to Houston next week.

Asencio, Yeison, 24, OF(#24).  Asencio plays mostly right field for the Missions.  He has 14 extra-base hits in 212 at bats so far in 2014.

Barbato, Johnny, 21, RHP(#30).  A sixth round pick in the 2010 draft, Barbato is San Antonio's closer.  He has recorded 15 saves to this point in the season.

Campos, Leonel, 26, RHP(#21). Campos is being used exclusively out of the bullpen by San Antonio.  He started the season at AAA El Paso, but struggled at that level.

Fuentes, Reymond, 23, OF(#20). The speedy outfielder started the year with El Paso at AAA.  He has 13 stolen bases through 51 games in 2014.

Hedges, Austin, 21, C(#1). San Diego picked Hedges out of high school in the second round of the 2011 draft.  He has thrown out 41% of those attempting to steal against him this season.

Jankowski, Travis, 22, OF(#17). Jankowski was a first round pick in 2012 while he was helping lead Stony Brook to the College World Series.  He is currently on the disabled list and hasn't played since late April.

Liriano, Rymer, 22, OF(#6). After missing 2013 with injury, Liriano is producing for San Antonio.  In 213 at bats, he has 23 extra-base hits(10 home runs), 34 RBI and an .829 OPS.

Oramas, Juan, 24, LHP(#18). The Mexico native has just returned to San Antonio after two months in the El Paso rotation.  He pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed two hits in his first start back with the Missions.

Portillo, Adys, 22, RHP(#28). Like Campos, Portillo is hanging out in the bullpen.  He has struck out 35 batters in 28 2/3 IP.

Spangenburg, Cory, 23, IF(#11). Spangenburg was the 10th over-all pick in the 2011 draft.  He has been on the disabled list since mid-April.


 

Nannini's Comeback Continues in Laredo

Based solely on the box score, Mike Nannini had the most effective start of him comeback to professional baseball Tuesday night in Laredo.  Nannini allowed only seven hits and one run(on a 2nd inning home run) in six innings.  He upped his record to 3-1 in his fourth start of the year.

Breakdown of Nannini's performance:

He faced 26 batters and threw 79 pitches(55 strikes)
Allowed seven hits(one infield hit)
Six ground ball outs
Seven fly outs
Two infield pop outs
Three strikeouts
One walk

It appears Nannini's next outing should be Sunday in Lincoln, Nebraska or Monday in Amarillo vs. Laredo.

Lane Completes Trip from Constellation Field to the Majors

UPDATE:  Lane made his MLB pitching debut Tuesday night in San Diego, and he shut down the Pirates.  He faced 10 batters and retired them all.  He struck out three and induced four ground outs and one infield pop out over 3 1/3 innings in his relief appearance.  He flew out in his only at bat.

Jason Lane became the third player in Skeeter history to reach the Major Leagues AFTER playing for the Sugar Land team.  Lane, who had made 11 starts for San Diego's AAA club in El Paso, had his contract selected by the Padres and is in the bullpen for Tuesday night's game against the Pirates at Petco Park.  This article from the Padres website has all the details about Lane's promotion.

Two other players have made it back to the big leagues after playing at Constellation Field.

Scott Kazmir, currently in Oakland's rotation, made 14 starts for Sugar Land in 2012 before getting a chance to return to affiliated baseball with the Cleveland organization in 2013.

Ryan Langerhans, currently back with Sugar Land, played four games with Toronto in 2013 after spending part of last season with the Skeeters.

Sidewalk Ordinance Vote Deadline Extended

NOTE: The deadline to cast your vote concerning what OFHA should do in regards to the City of Houston's Sidewalk Ordinance has been extended to the evening of Monday, June 2.  If you haven't cast your vote yet, please read the information below and use this link to make your opinion heard.

I delivered a hard copy of the following to the neighbors on my block in Oak Forest Friday.  OFHA's vote on the sidewalk ordinance question has begun and will run through May 29.  Each residence of Oak Forest is eligible for one vote, whether people living at that residence are OFHA members or not.

Here is a link to the vote.

Dear Oak Forest Neighbor,

Thursday night, I went to the special meeting of the Oak Forest Homeowners Association. In the name of an informed neighborhood, I decided to share with you what I learned.

The topic of the meeting was the city’s sidewalk ordinance which requires a sidewalk to be built whenever a house is torn down and replaced by a new house.  There is a provision within the ordinance which allows a subdivision to opt out of the requirement.  This provision can be utilized if the board of a subdivision’s home owners’ association makes a proclamation that the subdivision does not want sidewalks.

The meeting was attended by two city of Houston workers. They explained the basics of the ordinance and answered questions about how it applies to residents of Oak Forest.

THE VOTE

At the conclusion of the meeting, OFHA representatives announced that an online vote would be held between now and May 31** to decide what the board would do concerning the ordinance and its provision.  

The vote is scheduled to take place online at www.ofha.org   (Perhaps I misheard. As of Saturday night, there in no link of the OFHA website. Therefore, I'll put the direct link to the vote here again.) There will be one vote allowed for each residence in Oak Forest.  Membership in OFHA is NOT REQUIRED to cast a vote, only an address in the subdivision.

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS?

When I first heard about this meeting, I was baffled by the need for it.  Having lived in this neighborhood and on this block for 15 years, I have grown accustomed to sidewalks in Oak Forest(at least in this part of it- I live in Section 17).  The ordinance makes sense to me, and I see no need to opt out for this part of the subdivision.

However, to prepare for Thursday’s meeting, I drove around in some other parts of Oak Forest Thursday morning.  It was an educational trip.  I discovered, as many of you reading this may already know, that especially east of White Oak Bayou, Oak Forest doesn’t have many sidewalks. In this aspect, the two sides of the bayou, while both part of Oak Forest, are two different neighborhoods.

WHAT HAPPENS IF OFHA OPTS OUT OF THE ORDINANCE?

This action will allow new homes to be built anywhere in Oak Forest without a sidewalk.  Two benefits of this action are that those parts of Oak Forest that don’t have sidewalks will be able to maintain their character.  Also, it will allow builders in the area to work without the encumberance of needing to build a sidewalk.

It should be noted that any individual can still build a sidewalk if they so decide, even if the OFHA opts out.  I got the vibe from discussion at the meeting that in a section of OFHA like mine that already has sidewalks, new homes would likely need to be built with sidewalks, so that the “sidewalk character” can be maintained.

WHAT IF OFHA DOESN’T OPT OUT?

If the status quo is maintained all new construction will need to be completed with a sidewalk.  There would be two main downsides to this action.  As new construction continues, neighborhoods could end up with a patchwork of areas with sidewalks and without sidewalks, since only new construction would have the concrete.  Additionally, the cost of the new sidewalk incurred by builders could affect the price of homes.

I hope this information is helpful to you.  Since I was able to go to the meeting, I wanted to share it with you.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this information.  I will do my best to share what I know.

**Contrary to what was announced at the meeting, the vote is now scheduled to end May 29. I have contacted OFHA to clarify the reasoning for the change. I'll will post that when I find out.

Sincerely Your Neighbor,

Mike Tauser

tauser@sbcglobal.net

Cougars Live Another Day

The Houston Cougars overcame a 4-0 deficit after seven innings to drop LSU in Sunday's night (potential) Championship game of the Baton Rouge Regional.  Houston scored four runs in the top of the eighth to tie the contest.  They then tallied a run in the top of the 10th for their first lead of the game, and held on for a 5-4 victory.

The win forces the regional into a deciding contest Monday night at Alex Box Stadium.  Houston(47-16) faces LSU(46-15-1) for the third time in the regional at 7 pm(Baton Rouge time).