The Astros are going to the World Series. I'm going to Japan.

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around that one. It's eight in the morning, about ten hours after Cardinal catcher Yadier Molina popped out in the bottom of the ninth to assure the Houston Astros of their first ever World Series appearance, and I'm still a bit stunned. As a long-suffering Houston sports fan, it really is hard to believe.
 
Especially after Monday night's game. When Pujols hit that monster homer in the ninth inning to send the series back to St. Louis, I really thought the momentum had shifted in the Cardinals' favor and that this would wind up as another one of those painful Houston sports memories I mentioned last week.

But not this time. Roy freakin' Oswalt is the man.

Now the Astros go on to face the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. The White Sox have had their share of suffering as well; their last World Series appearance was 1959, three years before the Astros (who were then known as the Colt 45s) even began playing. Although both teams would certainly like to win the World Series, the fact is that the 'Stros and the Chi-Sox are just happy to be here. Both teams are going to have fun, and for that reason I expect a loose, celebratory World Series. I really don't care who wins at this point. As far as I am concerned, the Astros have already won. 

Anyway, on to Japan. I'm not looking forward to the long flight over, but I am looking forward to seeing a country I've always wanted to visit and seeing my brother, who's been living and teaching English there since April of last year. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and I will try to post them on this site once I return Halloween evening.

(Retroblogged on August 23, 2015.)