Larry Dierker Chapter meeting recap – 6/15/2024
Members of the SABR Larry Dierker Chapter attended the Sugar Land Space Cowboys game on June 15, 2024, at Constellation Field. Here are some memories shared by Chapter Secretary Gloria Rubac, VP of Communications Patrick Petty, and Chapter President Joe Thompson.
Joe Thompson
On Saturday, June 15, over twenty chapter members and friends gathered together at Constellation Field for a night of lively conversation and what turned out to be a great night of baseball for the Space Cowboys.
The big league club has been decimated with pitching injuries this season. Another injury occurred earlier that day when Justin Verlander was scratched because of neck discomfort. He has since landed on the IL. Because of the Astros pitching struggles this season, I have thought a lot recently about who the club had on the farm and so as I drove to the game that evening, I was hoping to see some of the future Astros pitchers at the AAA level. I had heard of names like Jake Bloss and Jose Fleury of course but I was particularly interested when I heard that pitching prospect Misael Tamarez had entered the game in the Top 3rd.
Tamarez did not do as well as I had hoped. After picking up a strikeout to end the third and retiring the first batter in the fourth, unfortunately, his night went a little sour when he then gave up back-to-back homers to the next two batters. He settled down and only gave up one more hit until he was replaced in the sixth by Ray Gaither. I asked chapter member Chris Chestnut what he thought of Tamarez and he said what I was thinking. He was not really impressed. I am not sure if Tamarez will be someone that the Astros can count on in the future, but from what I saw on Saturday, the young pitcher still needs a lot of work.
Patrick Petty
What I enjoy about going to games at Constellation Field is the smaller crowds, more intimate setting, and even the wacky between-inning entertainment reminds me of the beauty of the game of baseball. In this environment, it’s easier to pick up the little details and nuances of the game that are often lost when attending a major league game.
One of these little things that stood out was Pedro Leon’s aggressive base running, advancing from 1st to 3rd on a single in the bottom of the 7th which helped spark the Space Cowboys breaking the game open with a big rally. When I noticed this, I smiled, as like many of you I learned to appreciate the game and the little things that don’t show up in the scorebook from my father. I only see my parents a couple of times a year now, but I found it fitting that I there was no better way to celebrate Father’s Day than to be at the ballpark noticing the little things that he taught me to appreciate.
Throughout the rest of the 7th inning, as the hits kept coming, it was as if the greatest hits of baseball memories with my dad started playing in my head: being at the 1995 ALDS, sitting through a brutal Mets doubleheader in 2012, taking in a game at the Arizona Fall League in 2021, with each memory (and Space Cowboy run) bringing a bigger smile to my face. It was a great day at the ballpark with another reminder of the beauty of baseball.
Gloria Rubac
What a great trip to Sugar Land! The dinner, the drinks, the company, and the game were excellent! The only problem was the popcorn; it was awful. It was stale and had no flavor. Come on, Cowboys—popcorn is as American as baseball and a part of the game.
Since we were playing the Oklahoma City Baseball Team, formerly called the Oklahoma City Dodgers, I called my brother in Oklahoma City to see if there were any OKC players I should check out who were going to be the next Dodger superstars. Everybody over at his house for dinner said “No!” My brother’s wife grew up with baseball as her dad played for the Dodgers with Jackie Robinson back in the day. So his house was full of baseball fans when I called. I did find out why they are no longer called the Dodgers. The LA Dodgers did not want them to! Now that I think about it, none of the minor league teams have the same name as their parent.
The funniest part of the game was when the Space Cowboys had the bases loaded. I told the man next to me, “We need a little excitement and I think the next batter will hit a grand slam.” Turns out he did so we all had a good laugh at my prediction. It was great that the Cowboys won the game!
The game was really long, probably because both teams used a whole lot of pitchers. As a kid, I was always angry with my mom when we went to the baseball games of the Oklahoma City 89ers, and the Astros AAA team when I was in school. She always wanted to leave before the game was over. So, back then I swore that when I grew up, I would always stay at games until the very last out. There were just two of us SABR members left when the game was finally over close to 11 pm, but we both enjoyed it until the very last out!