The 2005 World Series: Longhorns style

With the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox taking part in the first-ever World Series to be played in the state of Texas, TexasSports.com thought it would be interesting to bring some information about both teams to the forefront from a unique Texas Baseball perspective.

Carson Kainer's top-10 favorite things about the 2005 Houston Astros
One of the Longhorns' biggest Houston Astros fans, Carson Kainer was put to the test by TexasSports.com to come up with his top-10 favorite things about the 2005 Astros. Here is what the long-time Jeff Bagwell fan said.

10. Reuniting The Killer Bs
Carson was thrilled that the Killer Bs of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio were able to play again together this season after it looked like Bagwell's season was done in May following shoulder surgery. Carson says watching Bagwell rejoin the team in September and take part in the World Series is a thrill.

9. Houston's Veteran/Young Team
The backbone of the Astros lies within their veterans such as Bagwell, Biggio, Brad Ausmus, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, but the success was also due in large part to the younger players such as Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, Mike Lamb, Willy Taveras, Chris Burke and Eric Bruntlett. Carson thinks that the team's ability to overcome the age gaps on the roster was one of the most remarkable things about the season. In fact, the age gap is so large, that 20 years separates the Astros oldest player (Clemens, 43) from its youngest (Taveras, 23).

8. The Astros' Playoff Beards
Although they were recently shaved in favor of goatees prior to Game #3 of the World Series, Carson supported the Astros' playoff beards, which were grown by the majority of the team. Unfortunately, Biggio couldn't grow one to save his life.

7. Willy Taveras' and Morgan Ensberg's Breakout Seasons
Taveras had as good of a season as any rookie in the National League. He hit .291, scored 82 runs and swiped 34 bases while patrolling center field, which all adds up to a Rookie of the Year campaign according to Carson. Meanwhile, Ensberg had an MVP-type season, hitting .283 with 36 home runs and 101 RBI while playing gold-glove caliber defense at third base.

6. Roger Clemens' Major League-Leading 1.87 ERA |
One of the most impressive things about the Astros season was Clemens' major-league leading 1.87 ERA. Despite turning 43 this season (which is older than White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen), Clemens pitched as well as ever, posting the lowest ERA of his 22-year career. Carson thinks the former Longhorns great deserves to capture his Major League record eighth Cy Young Award this season for his performance.

5. Roy Oswalt's National League Championship Series (NLCS) Performance in Game 6 against the Cardinals
Oswalt pitched the Astros to their first World Series in franchise history with his performance in Game 6 of the NLCS over the St. Louis Cardinals. Oswalt allowed only three hits in seven innings, struck out six Cardinals and was named the NLCS MVP.

4. The Astros Rebound from a 15-30 start to the season
The Astros became only the second team ever in MLB history to make the playoffs after being as many as 15 games under .500 at any point during the season. The Astros posted the best record in baseball after their 15-30 start, and they advanced to the World Series despite finishing second in their own division. Sound familiar? That's because the 2005 Longhorns finished third in the Big 12 and still won their sixth national title last June.

3. Lance Berkman's, Brad Ausmus' and Chris Burke's Home Runs in Game 4 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Atlanta Braves
Carson says watching Berkman hit the grand slam in the eighth inning to cut the Braves lead to 6-5 was awesome, and seeing Ausmus hit a two-out homer in the ninth to tie the game was also stunning, but Burke's 18th inning home run to end the game and send the Astros to the NLCS was the icing on the cake (see below).

2. Chris Burke's series-clinching home run against the Braves in Game 4 of the National League Division Series at Minute Maid Park
Burke's homer off Braves pitcher Joey Devine in the 18th inning of Game 4 of the NLDS was historic for many reasons. Not only did the home run put an end to the 18-inning game, the longest ever in postseason history, but it was only the fourth series-clinching home run in MLB history. I don't think that's what Hall of Famer Ernie Banks had in mind when he uttered the famous line, "Let's Play Two", but it sure felt like two games.

1. The Astros first-ever World Series Appearance
The Astros ended the franchise's 44-year World Series drought with their 5-1 win in Game 6 of the NLCS, the longest wait in MLB history for a franchise to reach their first World Series. The Astros appearance in the 2005 Fall Classic ranks as Carson's best thing about the 2005 Astros Season, and he hopes they can bring home the team's first title as well.

Bibb Falk: Remembering the Black Sox
Taken from The Press Enterprise, Sept. 6, 1988
Bibb August Falk was born in Austin, Texas, in 1899. In midsummer 1920, he joined the Chicago White Sox. Before the tumultuous season was over, seven of his teammates had been kicked out of organized baseball -- for good as it worked out -- for "throwing" the World Series the previous autumn. The affair became infamous as the "Black Sox" scandal. Falk went on to become one of the American League's leading hitters of the 1920s; in 1924, he challenged Babe Ruth down to the last few games for the batting title. In 1988, Bibb Falk was the last man living to have played major league ball with the members of the Black Sox. He was interviewed that year by Press-Enterprise Editorial Page staff member Tom Willman in conjunction with Sam Blair, and recalled:

"When I was playing college ball, I played at the University of Texas. I signed out of college and went straight up there to the White Sox. Yeah, but I got a break, you see. I joined 'em in June of 1920 and at the end of the season, the Black Sox scandal blew up and they all got kicked out. And that gave me a chance the next year.

No, I wasn't sure that they weren't goin' to send me down to the minors for the rest of that summer, because I wasn't going to play much there. The manager, Kid Gleason asked me if I'd like to go down, and I said no, I'd like to stay up here the rest of the season. So I joined them in June. And I was with them in July, August and September.

No, I was a pitcher and a first basemen in college. Yeah, they made me an outfielder up there. Because they lost their outfielders. They lost Joe Jackson and Happy Felsch and all that, and they had to rebuild their outfield and I was a pretty good hitter.

That's right. That's right. The scandal broke the last week of the season. It was right there in Chicago. We had two or three off days in the last week, and it broke during those off days, see. And we had another three-game series to go play the St. Louis Browns.

Oh yeah, hell yes. There was a lot of talk all summer. It wasn't just during the World Series that it was pulled. There was a lot of rumors then that somethin' was goin' on because, hell, Cicotte and Williams, the two best pitchers in the league were gettin' beat, and all that stuff, and then the White Sox started losin' the games when they were pitchin' and everything, and then they started looking around, and it took all summer to get some information. And they finally got Cicotte and pressured him and he broke down and told the story.

No, I even asked Cicotte one day, "What's all this rumor stuff about the World Series?" And he said, "& &Scaron;There ain't nothing to it."

That's what he told me. (Laugh). And then later on he's the guy that broke down and told the story. And so that's the only time I ever asked anybody.

The guys who got kicked out? Oh, they were all good players.

Fiesch, the center fielder, covered a lot of ground. And he was a pretty good hitter. Better than average. Of course, he had Joe Jackson over on one side of him, and he was the best hitter there was. Jackson, he wasn't so smart. He was getting' paid to throw the World Series, and he hit .370. (Laugh).

Yeah, he wasn't a very educated man. He had a good natural hitting ability. He was a fair fielder and had a good arm. But that's all I know about him.

Cicotte? Well, he only won about 25 or 30 games. (Laugh). He had a spitball. He threw it a lot, yeah.

Lefty Williams was a good pitcher, he won 20 games that year they was in the World Series. (Laugh). Well, he wasn't a kind of smilin' guy. But I didn't have nothin' to do with any of those guys. I never, see I was just a young rookie and I didn't try to talk to 'em and hold a bunch of conversations or try to be friendly or nothin'. I just went along and kept my mouth shut. They treated me all right because I wasn't hurtin' em.

Swede Risberg was a good shortstop. He was just a fair hitter. And he seemed to be a popoff guy, from what I could tell sittin' on the bench. He'd be hollerin' a lot, talkin' all the time.

Buck Weaver was the best in the league at that time at third base. McMullin was the utility infielder. I don't remember much about him. I didn't see him play very much.

Chuck Gandil was their first baseman. They suspicioned him of being the go-between between the gamblers and the players. They said there were a lot of rumors goin' on, and after the 1919 season was over they collected a lot of information on him ... I don't know how they got it. And the next year they had so much dope about him that they didn't invite him back. So he wasn't there when I joined the team.

Oh, hell yes. They should have won the World Series that year, 1919. And the next year they should have won the pennant, the league championship. But we finished second."

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics