'Juiced': Say 'Thanks, Bags' in Person

The chillier this week's Ice Capades were, the nicer it's been to remember that baseball is around the corner. Before the Express defend the Pacific Coast League Southern Conference pennant, resulting in a heartbreaking loss to Tucson in the PCL Finals, they'll face the team that came within a half-game of edging eventual World Series champ St. Louis in the NL Central but flopped on the last day of the season. The Astros. What can you say? Kissimmee should be interesting to say the least. Tim Purpura and Phil Garner have to figure out a new outfield, offensively improved (uncertainly) and defensively diminished (significantly). Then there's the rotation. Jason Jennings and Woody Williams aren't bad, but not quite Andy and Roger either. And whoever starts this game for Round Rock is probably the odds-on favorite for spot No. 4 or 5, promise. In 2005 this exhibition brought 12,201 out to the Double D, the seventh-largest crowd in franchise history. Hard to say who Garner might start this far out, but with any luck it'll be a great chance to see Roy O pitch at the Diamond without being on a rehab assignment. 7:05 Thursday, March 29. If you can't make that, the Express have thrown in games against AA counterpart Corpus Christi at home March 31 and at Whataburger Field under the bridge April 1. Before that, annual whistle-stop PR campaign Astros Caravan rolls through Monday, Feb. 5 with now officially retired all-everything Jeff Bagwell getting above-the-title billing. Woody Williams, Purpura, Jason Lane (who likely needs the spring of his life to stay on the club), and the one and only Milo Hamilton join him. "Play ball!" ... you can almost hear it now. Holy Toledo!