As we approach Jul 4th, the Astros have a big lead in the AL West, something I did not see happening this year, now there is a long way to go and admittedly the AL West is a weak division. But we just swept the Phillies and only allowed them 1 run in 3 games. Joe Espada is doing it with mirrors though, we have had a ton of injuries and frequently I don't recognize some of the names in the starting lineup or the pitchers. So I guess it's not surprising that the Astros have zero players on the AL All-Star team. That's OK as long as we keep winning. Next up is Chicago ...that will be a big test.
It's a bit strange seeing sports stars younger than I, like Dave Parker, leaving us. I liked those Pirate teams of the 70s with Roberto Clemente for a couple of seasons, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, Bill Mazeroski, etc. I thought they had won a couple of World Series in that decade so I looked it up: 1971 with Clemente but not Parker, whose rookie year was 1973; 1979 with "Pops" Stargell and Parker. I think the '79 team was the "We are Family" team.
You never know where talent is going to come from, not every top pitcher (Paul Skenes) played at a top NCAA program won a Natl'l Championship, etc....just take Tarik Skubal...who knew. Skubal attended Kingman Academy of Learning in Kingman, Arizona. He played college baseball for the Seattle Redhawks of Seattle University, which was the only NCAA Division I school to offer him a scholarship.[1] Skubal missed most of the 2016 season and all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Despite the injury, he was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 29th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign, opting instead to return to Seattle.[2] Skubal had a combined 21–7 record as a starter for the Redhawks.[3] In 2018, he led the team with 106 strikeouts and 56 walks, pitching 80 innings in his final season in Seattle.[4] The Detroit Tigers selected Skubal in the ninth round, with the 255th overall selection, of the 2018 MLB draft,[5][6] and he signed with the team with a $350,000 signing bonus.