Hm, so Russ Springer left the Astros and joined the Cardinals... I hope we'll still be able to get some good guys. :( "A lot of times, fans don't realize how close of a family it is," Oswalt said. "Especially with starters. We have five starters on our team, and they pretty much do everything together. Pitchers and hitters are totally different. Hitters have 15 guys to hang out with. It's different with five starters. We always hang out together. It creates a family environment. But I realize the business part of this game." Brad Ausmus had also been exchanging calls with Pettitte, so the news that the lefty signed with the Yankees did not come as a complete shock. Still, Ausmus, who was paired with Pettitte and Roger Clemens exclusively for the last three seasons, is sad that Pettitte is switching uniforms.
"I'm disappointed, because I'm losing a teammate I'm extremely fond of, and we're losing a bona fide big-league, big-game star winning pitcher," Ausmus said. "He was probably the biggest big-game pitcher I've ever been associated with." Ausmus said he had an empty feeling when he first heard the news. "It was similar to the feeling I had when I got traded away [from the Astros in 1999], because I didn't want to leave Houston," Ausmus said. Ausmus also realizes the Astros probably aren't done dealing, and he hopes the club lands a solid starter to take Pettitte's place. "A lot of things can happen," he said. "There's still a lot of offseason left. [Pettitte's departure] thins out our starting pitching immediately. I'm always a proponent of starting pitching, because it's the key to success in baseball, during the long season and a short postseason." http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061208&content_id=1758624&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061209&content_id=1758821&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou It all came down to the option year, according to Hendricks. "[Pettitte] told me if he made it through '07 and wanted to play in '08, he wanted an option to do it again on his terms and just say, 'I don't have to go through this again,'" Hendricks said. "I put that to both teams. At the same time, I told those teams -- and we've said it publicly now -- if he's hurt and unable to play, he would not exercise that option. "Apparently, the Astros would not accept that at face value, and the Yankees did. That's the difference ... I went to the Astros on numerous occassions and asked if they had any give, if they had anything new. They made their decision. We wish them well." http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061209&content_id=1758820&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou Hm... until next time... - Charlie 1 <3 K1w1! | 
