Rookie Brandon Backe will start the first game of the National League playoff series against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight.
Manager Phil Garner had this to say about his rookie:
“Sometimes young people get so wrapped up in what’s going on that they lose sight of the bigger picture,” Garner said. “But Brandon’s been on a big stage before, though not this big, as a starting quarterback in the high school playoffs in Texas. He knows something about this. He’s gotten a little better each time out.”
Sportswriters in other states might scoff at a manager suggesting high school football playoffs might in any way prepare a pitcher for the pressure of the playoffs in the big leagues.
Here in Texas, of course, we take our football seriously. The great baseball fans of St. Louis will surely outnumber the folks who saw Backe play for the state championship in football, but it’s hard to imagine they’ll be much more intense.
Go ‘Stros!
(Update) The Cardinals will start former UH pitcher Woody Williams. How’s that for a local connection?
