Perks, and cool opportunities

In starting Astros County over a year ago, I didn't know what to expect. I figured that I would be reading everything I could about the Astros, anyway, why not compile stories, offer some opinions, leave the Hard Math to the Crawfish Boxes, and go about my business. Comments that you, citizens, leave are very nice to read, and in many cases keep it going. I thank you for not jumping all over me for abandoning the minor league review midway through Lexington (those are time consuming, and they felt like a job. And I already have one of those.)

But something came along last month that may very well turn out to be one of the coolest perks of running Astros County. And it's found here.

In short, Jeff Polman contacted me about managing the 1977 Houston Astros in a Strat-O-Matic replay of the enters 1977 season with other managers. Who are these other managers?

YANKEES: Joe Sheehan, late of Baseball Prospectus
ROYALS: Rany Jazayerli, of Rany on the Royals
RED SOX: Josh Wilker, of Cardboard Gods
INDIANS: Joe Posnanski, of Sports Illustrated and the one and only JoeBlog
TWINS: Howard Sinker, of the Minneapolis Star Tribune
WHITE SOX: Keith Scherer, baseball analyst for the defense
ORIOLES: The Eutaw Street Hooligans
RANGERS: Evan Grant, of the Dallas Morning News

DODGERS: Larry Granillo, of Wezen-Ball
PIRATES: Pat Lackey, of Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke?
REDS: Amanda Cross of Red-Hot Mama
EXPOS: Jonah Keri, of Jonah Keri
PHILLIES: Daniel Rubin, of the Philadelphia Inquirer
CARDINALS: Mike Metzger, of Stan Musial’s Stance
CUBS: Scott Simkus, of Strat Negro Leagues reknown
ASTROS: Me

So what will happen with this? I turned in a lineup vs LHP/RHP and a 6-man starting rotation, with a closer, and Jeff will simulate the games, writing up recaps for Play That Funky Baseball. And I'll link back to the site each morning, because I want to, and I think it's cool. And even though the 1977 Astros went 81-81 (17 games behind the Wezen-Ball Dodgers), the possibility of facing Joe Posnanski in the World Series might break my mind.

If this is something you're not interested in, just...uh, read past it.