The upcoming Houston series

[Malike]

Fixed it for ya.

Even better!

[CA-ORIOLE]

I think I get it. The expectation should be to pound the crap out of Houston. I'm sure the Red Sox and Yankees of old didn't come into OPACY cautiously optimistic.

[Sanfran327]

I think I get it. The expectation should be to pound the crap out of Houston. I'm sure the Red Sox and Yankees of old didn't come into OPACY cautiously optimistic.

Right. I don't see anything wrong with that mentality as a fan. I just don't think you have to be a giant douche bag about it in another team's stadium among their fans.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Right. I don't see anything wrong with that mentality as a fan. I just don't think you have to be a giant douche bag about it in another team's stadium among their fans.

Right, I am a little worried about he bad juju though. Roy could mitigate that with an obligatory "sky is falling against Houston" thread.

[isestrex]

This upcoming series carries a lot of pressure. The Astros are 1-6 against the AL East. These are simply MUST WIN games if only because if we don't get wins against this team, the rest of the league will.

I'm very nervous about this upcoming series.

[CA-ORIOLE]

This upcoming series carries a lot of pressure. The Astros are 1-6 against the AL East. These are simply MUST WIN games if only because if we don't get wins against this team, the rest of the league will.

I'm very nervous about this upcoming series.

Ok, that's good. Not as good as Roy, but good.

[notfast]

[Lester Freamon]

This upcoming series carries a lot of pressure. The Astros are 1-6 against the AL East. These are simply MUST WIN games if only because if we don't get wins against this team, the rest of the league will.

I'm very nervous about this upcoming series.

I wouldn't describe myself as feeling nervous but, this could be a great opportunity to pick up some games. While we play the Stros (who, btw, play a night game Monday night in ANH while the O's are off) the Yanks host Cleveland, the Rays travel to the Tigers and the Red Sox travel to Texas. Very tough match-ups for our main competition (Toronto is visiting the defending World Champs).

Here's hoping for the best...

[Tx Oriole]

Of course not. But we should pound them to dirt.

So? They're still [expletive deleted].

Set the bar high.

Yes but if a team gets arrogant about a lesser opponent they can lose quite easily. I don't want the players or coaches to think the Stros are a pushover. Play them

like they are the Yankees. IMO

[Tx Oriole]

I think I'm going to attend Wednesday's game. Anybody else going?

Hello Austin. Wish I could. Enjoy the game.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Hello Houston. You have a problem.

[Tx Oriole]

Let me explain my stance just a little bit. I'm not trying to be cocky or arrogant, I am just extremely confident in our team. I think we're stumbling a little bit on takeoff at the moment, but we're still well above .500 and right in the thick of things. If I had to pick a division winner today, I'd feel good picking us. I think Buck will find the winning combination for the pitching staff, and I think we have the best group of two-way position players right now (Detroit, NYY, and LAA are obviously formidable as well).

But there's more.

I'm no longer in "glad to be here" mode. Last year was a great season, and so much fun to follow the team as they broke their losing streak. But I was oddly comfortable with losing the ALDS because I was still pretty happy with where we got considering it was from out of nowhere. This year, we're proving it's not a fluke, and I can smell blood. I think we should have that mentality as a collective fan base. I don't think we should be ignorant about it (I don't think expecting a sweep in HOU is ignorant, but feel free to disagree), but I think this team has proven that they belong in the conversation, and I'm not worried about a 2005-esque meltdown with Buck and DD at the helm.

So yeah, any given Sunday and all of that: totally valid points. But I'm not going to be a humble fan anymore. That doesn't mean that I'm going to go around an point my finger in other fans' faces and declare myself the winner before we ever play (that's what a message board for my team is for), but amongst ourselves, I think it's okay to set the bar high and hope our team hits the next gear.

If that all sounds a bit contradictory, maybe it is. But I still want three wins in Houston.

We all want to see the O's sweep. I just don't wAnt to see the Stros being taken

lightly.

[OriolesFaithful]

I'm pretty nervous about this series. We lost series to the Twins, Padres, and Mariners so it's not like we have a history of smashing the little guys (although the Twins and Padres are around .500). Add to the fact that the Astros have won four in a row (and likely will be five in a row) and it's not the perfect recipe for a sweep.

However, championship teams are the ones who take care of business. If the O's want to win the division and eventually the 'ship, they need to not only take this series, but sweep it.

[CA-ORIOLE]

If anybody is using the Angels series as a baseline, I've been watching a lot of it. It's far more about the Angels being pathetic than the Astros being good.

[isestrex]

If anybody is using the Angels series as a baseline, I've been watching a lot of it. It's far more about the Angels being pathetic than the Astros being good.

You re-watch games from a month ago? A lot? <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h367/isestrex/Emoticons/huh.gif" border="0" alt=" photo huh.gif"/></a>