ASTROS WIN NL PENNANT!!!

From the Houston Chronicle:

ST. LOUIS -- Finally. After 44 years of waiting.

The Astros reached the team's first World Series with a 4-2 NLCS series victory after dominating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 in Game 6 tonight.

Houston fans have watched the Astros get close many times, moving within one victory of the World Series in 1980 and again last year. The 1986 Astros also came close, although that club didn't have the NLCS lead the 1980 and 2004 Astros lost.

In the franchise's 44th season, Roy Oswalt and Co. provided the ending nobody could have expected in June. They gave the city of Houston the celebration it expected Monday night, last year and in 1980.

On this wild night of celebration, the Astros owed it all to Oswalt. He took their dreams, hopes and gritty resolve and pitched his teammates into their first World Series with help from Craig Biggio.

Click here for the rest.

Okay, so Tom DeLay was booked today, which was very amusing, but really only routine--nothing to see here, folks; move along. On the other hand, my hometown's professional baseball team is going to the frickin' World Series for the first time in the club's history!!!!! I'm blown away, especially because they were playing for shit during the first half of the season--I mean, really, they were below .500; this is the most amazing season resurrection I've ever heard of. Okay, there was something like it back in 1914, but who cares? I didn't get to see the game because I was at rehearsal, which isn't so bad because I would have been too wound up to really enjoy it, but, man. I'm blown away.

Onto Chicago! Those White Socks don't stand a chance.

Here's an essay I wrote about the Astros and baseball in general a couple of years ago.

Here's a pic, courtesy of the Chronicle, of the celebration:



Did I tell you I'm blown away?

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