Roy Oswalt launched his web site, royoswalt44.net, a couple of months ago, but he just recently added a new element -- merchandise.

Oswalt is offering hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts and youth clothing that feature his personal logo, "RO44." He also has a number of items available bearing the logo of his soon-to-be-opened restaurant, Homeplate Fish and Steakhouse.

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Not only are the items reasonably priced and pleasing to the eye, but he's giving every bit of the money he makes off the merchandise to community/charity efforts in both his hometown of Weir, Miss. and his second home, Houston. The recipients of the proceeds will be revealed at a later time.

Click here to check it out the gear.

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Rising Stars Game

You were first introduced to catcher Jason Castro last Spring Training when he was invited to Major League camp, and it's likely you'll continue to hear about the former No. 1 draft pick as he makes his way through the Astros' player development system.

Castro, who spent the majority of the '09 season at Double-A Corpus Christi, is currently playing in the Arizona Fall League. He'll be the lone Astros representative to participate in Saturday's Rising Stars Game, which will showcase the best of the best in the AFL.

The game will be broadcast to a national television audience on MLB Network, and a live feed will also be available at MLB.com, beginning at 7:15 p.m. CT. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has the rest of the details in this story, including information on who will call the game from the booth and other noteworthy tidbits.

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Wanted: A local angle?

Speaking of broadcast booths...

Every October, I wonder why local television announcers are not part of the national postseason broadcast. Imagine how much the broadcast would be enhanced if the networks included announcers who watched every single game a team played that season, beginning with Spring Training. They could certainly provide insight you just can't get from play-by-play and color announcers who don't have as much background and anecdotal info as the local guys.

It's not unheard of to have a third broadcaster in the booth during the regular season, so why not do this during the playoffs? At the very least, they could invite a local guy in to do three or four innings.

Radio announcers call postseason games, but the TV guys are left in the cold. They travel with the team through the playoffs, but they have absolutely no role. I always thought that was a shame. Imagine in '04 or '05 if Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies alternated time in the booth with the national announcers. They could provide the same tremendous insight as they do during the regular season. And, if nothing else, at least Willy T.'s last name would be been pronounced correctly.

Just a thought.

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Bourn autograph session

When I hear about a convention geared toward all things male, I can't help but picture a bunch of Al Bundys sitting on the couch, drinking beer out of a can, belching and telling stories about the four touchdowns they scored in a single game in high school.

But apparently, there's more to the "Guy Expo" than just lounging around and talking politics and sports. This weekend's event will take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center and promises, simply put, the best of what men like.

Sports will obviously be involved, and the Astros will be well-represented. We'll have a booth set up at the Guy Expo, and our very own Michael Bourn will be signing autographs on Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. CT. Former Houston flamethrower J.R. Richard will precede Bourn with his own hour of autographs from noon to 1.

Click here for more information.

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My blog about Twins closer Joe Nathan using Twitter to respond to a column written about him prompted questions from a few of you as to how many Major League players Tweet.

There are plenty of bogus accounts out there using the names of ballplayers, so MLB.com's Mark Newman has compiled a list of verified accounts. Currently, Roy Oswalt is the only Astros player with a Twitter account. He hasn't done much with it, but he's planning to being more active in the near future.

The "Lance Berkman" account is bogus.

Click here for the full list of legit accounts.

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The list of golfers continues to grow as the Astros put the finishing touches on their Alumni Golf Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 17 at Wildcat Golf Course.

The participants, as of Tuesday:

Larry Dierker, Kevin Bass, James Mouton, John Edwards, Phil Garner, John Hudek, Bill Heath, Enos Cabell, Xavier Hernandez, Eric Anthony, Brian Williams, Mike Jackson, Jim Deshaies, Alan Ashby, Jeff Bagwell, Shane Reynolds, Doug Drabek, Roger Metzger, Art Howe, Scipio Spinks, Glenn Wilson, Billy Smith.

New manager Brad Mills has also expressed interest in participating, and barring any last-minute meetings (which are pretty common after a new skipper is hired), he plans to be there.

If you'd like to participate in the tournament, you can sign up by calling 713.259.8979 or registering online here.

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When I visited the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks last season, two players in particular from that team piqued my interest -- catcher Jason Castro and right-handed reliever Chia-Jen Lo, both of whom are among a small handful of prospects expected to appear in the big leagues in the next year or two.

Both are currently playing in the Arizona Fall League and the Lo, a 23-year-old native of Taiwan, was named the AFL's co-pitcher of the week last week after posting a three consecutive scoreless two-inning stints in the first two weeks of the season.

Overall, Lo owns a 1-0 record and a 3.45 ERA over 10 1/3 innings, having allowed seven hits and two walk while striking out 10 over six appearances.

The Astros currently have seven players in the AFL -- click here for a brief rundown of each.

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Congratulations to outfielder Jason Michaels, who will be inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame next year. He hopes to be in attendance at the UM football game this Saturday against Virginia, when he and the other inductees will be introduced to the crowd during halftime.

"I'm ecstatic," Michaels said during an interview with the Miami Herald. "It's a tremendous honor."

Read the full story here.

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Thanks to everyone who turned out for our event at Lucky's Pub last Thursday, and I look forward to scheduling the next one in the near future. Congrats to Brian Flores (below), who won the Miguel Tejada autographed ball. Brian then gave the ball to his friend, who in turn handed it over to his two young sons, Isaac and Ian Salazar. A win-win.

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The Astros hosted their annual softball game for Houston media last Friday at Minute Maid Park, and while I didn't participate, I was on hand to take pictures of various reporters, producers, radio hosts, camera operators and writers embarrassing themselves enjoying a fun day on the field.

790 talk show host Charlie Pallilo 

Game ends, good sportmanship ensues. Then everyone headed to the Diamond Club for hot dogs, nachos and other artery-clogging delicacies.  

This is Jen Vogel, host of the Astros reality-based show "Here's the Pitch!"

FS Houston's Kevin Eschenfelder to a teammate: "This is an RBI situation. Being from Pittsburgh, you might not understand what that means." Ba-da-bum.

Kevin then shows off his mad pitching skills.

Not surprisingly, FS Houston's Patti Smith was one of the better players. She played a mean second base and had a couple of pretty impressive hits as well.

I call this one "Honorary Bat Kid." That's MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, taking inventory.

Representing the under-30-and-therefore-the-least-likely-to-pull-a-hammy contingent was the Chronicle's Zachary Levine.

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If you followed my tweets through the past season you might have noticed my occasional light-hearted comments regarding Lance Berkman and his stance on the whole social networking phenomenon.

While Berkman -- known around here as Puma -- understands the basics of Facebook and Twitter, he has no desire to participate. Considering he's a traditional meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, I fully believe him and respect his stance.

But while Puma might be a lost cause, it wouldn't shock me if more and more Major League players jumped on the bandwagon in the not so distant future and started Tweeting.

Right now, a handful of players already have Twitter accounts and many are active contributors. Twins closer Joe Nathan is one, and his recent entries have piqued my interest as I'm starting to realize how much control players could have over their own press -- if they choose go that route. Count me as one who hopes they do.

Nathan, whose Twins were eliminated from the Division Series by the Yankees, had a couple of bone chips removed from his elbow soon after the conclusion of the season. Normally this would be a routine, controversy-free storyline. But because Nathan's blown save in the Division Series contributed to the Twins losing, and because he is obviously an All-Star closer and one of the Twins marquee names, the surgery drew quite a bit of attention.

That part is par for the course, and Nathan, by all accounts, understands that. But when a local columnist took special liberties with his commentary, Nathan didn't hesitate to counterpoint -- through Twitter.

In a column suggesting the Twins trade Nathan, the columnist offered his take on how Nathan was feeling, physically, during his fateful playoff appearance. Here's how it read:

"Actually, this latest series turned irretrievably to the Yankees when Joe Nathan, a closer to whom the Pohlads gave a four-year, $48 million contract, choked in the ninth inning of Game 2 on Friday night.

"Nathan didn't fail because he was cheap talent. He failed because he couldn't breathe."

From what I could gather from Nathan's tweets, he didn't take exception to the "choke" comment. Rather, he didn't like the author's unauthorized (and might I add, inappropriately dramatic) take on why he blew the save in that ninth inning.

Thanks to Twitter, Nathan was able to give his side of the story.

Tweet 1:

"just read the reusse column. just to clarify:i am there to talk to reporters in good times and bad and i never talked to him once."

Tweet 2:
"to continue from previous message. he has no idea what i was thinking about out there. other than that i feel ok after a successful surgery"

I find all of this fascinating. In the past, Nathan would have had no way of expressing a counterpoint. Now, he not only has a medium by which to express his side of the story, but he can do it in a nano-second, reaching thousands with one click of the mouse.

Over the years, I've heard players grumble about being misrepresented in the media. Sometimes, it was a simple matter of their quotes sounding a lot worse in print than it did when they said it. In those cases, that was their own fault.

But many, many times, authors either get the facts mixed up or paraphrase what the player is saying -- and totally get it wrong.

In the past, there were few ways to rectify this, unless the reporter/columnist in question agreed to print a retraction. That almost never happens. So most of the time, players simply had to brush it off and move on.

Until now. If players do indeed buy into the social networking craze like the rest of us, this could be a very good thing for not only the player, but also for the fans, who don't always get the full story.

I cannot wait to see where this is headed, and how this affects the way reporters and players co-exist. Managers, too. Did you know Tony La Russa just started Tweeting?

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Programming note: Manzella special on FS Houston Sunday

FS Houston will be airing a special "Spotlight" feature on Astros infielder Tommy Manzella that documents the moment he was called up to the big leagues from Round Rock to the end of the season. The show airs at 10 p.m. Sunday night on FS Houston. 

Narrated by Patti Smith, edited by Max Majia and with video contributions from Mike Orta, FS Houston went to Round Rock the last day of the season and followed Manzella from the moment he stepped off the field at Dell Diamond through his first game at Minute Maid Park. Who did he call first?  What did he think of first after finding out?  What did he have to do to physically get himself to Houston?  How did he handle the crush of people offering congratulations?

They followed Manzella through his first game day, beginning with his intial arrival to the ballpark through the end of his first homestand. They also talked with GM Ed Wade, Assistant GM Ricky Bennett, Triple-A manager Marc Bombard as well as with Manzella's family -- his dad, Tommy Sr. and sisters Monica and Mindy.  Manzella talks of his mother, Carol, who died a year ago after a six-year battle with ovarian cancer.

Friendly reminder that I'll be at Lucky's Pub at 801 St. Emanuel (four blocks from Minute Maid Park) on Thursday, watching Game 2 of the World Series and raffling off the signed Miguel Tejada baseball that nearly took my head off in July.

If that alone isn't enough to entice you to join in on the fun, the good folks at Lucky's are offering half-price pizzas to anyone who shows up in Astros apparel, plus many happy hour drink specials that will apply all night.

I'll be there at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game starts around 7:30 p.m. and we'll raffle off the ball sometime after that.

See you there!

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Once I learned that Brad Mills was hired as the Astros manager,I reached out to two good friends who have covered the Red Sox for parts or all of the last decade and asked them simply, "What do you think of Brad Mills?" Here's what I received back:

Friend No. 1:
"Mills is a genuinely nice guy and he did an amazing job turning the Sox into such a well-run machine. He's so efficient at everything he does. He's not a great quote but he's friendly and respectful. He's the ultimate taskmaster."

Friend No. 2:
"Tremendously organized. Probably the most organized coach I've ever been around. He had basically every day of Spring Training plotted out weeks in advance of camp, with charts on where everyone is at all times.

"He was a big help to Francona on the bench, helping pitchers with pickoff moves, etc., and aligning the defense, etc. He had great communication skills with the players and has been Francona's confidant since their days as roommates at Arizona.

"I've never heard anyone say a bad word about Brad Mills. And being around Francona on the Red Sox bench for the last six years can only help from an experience standpoint."

Two things stood out to me from these responses: 1) both said Mills was incredibly organized and 2) Friend No. 2 pointed out that Mills is good at aligning defenses. And can I just say, hallelujah on both counts. The Astros are already better off in '10 than they were in '09, and they're more than five months away from playing a game that counts in the standings.

I've heard from many of you over the last couple of weeks, and please allow me clear up a few misconceptions: coaches are responsible for much, much more than what you see them do during an actual game. Scouting reports need to be scoured. Spray charts need to be studied. Pitchers and catchers need to be prepped. And on and on and on.

Positioning has been an issue with this team for a long time -- too long. Just hearing that Mills had a lot to do with aligning the Red Sox' defense makes me feel like the Astros are on the right track. It seems like such a small thing, I know. But it's not. It's huge. Manager and coach pregame preparation can make all the difference between and winning and losing seasons.

Here's what Red Sox manager Terry Francona said about his now former bench coach:

"I've probably taken it for granted that everybody is where they're supposed to be because he's so good at it. We'll certainly have to make some adjustments. But his gain far outweighs any adjustments we have to make. Millsy embodies so much of what is good in baseball. For him to get an opportunity, it sure is nice. It sure is exciting for all of us."

I have no idea what kind of manager Mills will be and until he's actually sitting in the hot seat, none of us can make the judgment. But he was impressive during his press conference on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to seeing how he guides this team through a challenging transitional period.

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On another note, I haven't seen the press conference room at Minute Maid Park this packed since Roger Clemens unretired for the 97th time a few years ago. When I saw Drayton McLane in the hallway a few minutes before the press conference started, I jokingly said, "Congratulations on getting this over with before the World Series." He laughed and said the Commissioner called him three times -- twice Monday and once Tuesday morning. "He said, 'You have until 5 p.m. (Tuesday) to get this done,'" McLane recalled. That was the deadline -- hire a manager by then, or wait until after the World Series. The former reporter in me was thankful this thing was over and done with.

I'm sure most of you have watched the press conference on TV or online in some capacity. Sound bites are nice and photo opps are fun, but that doesn't give you the full experience. Here are some images from Tuesday's presser, some of which you won't normally see just by watching from afar. Enjoy.

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The media waited inside the press conference room, but outside, Mills and several members of the front office chatted casually before entering the room. Kudos to Mills (seen here with assistant GM Ricky Bennett) for acting naturally as three or four photographers snapped close up photos.

A little to the left of Mills stood owner Drayton McLane and GM Ed Wade.

PR director Gene Dias (middle) gives the gentle, "OK, we're ready" signal, which is a nice way of telling the group, let's go. Time to start the presser.

The normal order of speakers at a major Astros press conference is 1)Wade; 2)McLane and 3) whoever they hired/signed. This announcement was obviously a big one, hence, the packed room. That's Larry Dierker in the front.

Mills came across very well at the press conference. When he was asked to hold up the jersey again, he held up the front instead of back. "The name on the front is more important than the name on the back," he said. Good move.

Once each speaker has answered questions at the podium, the formal part of the presser is over and it's time for "one-on-ones." TVs like this because it gives more of a personal touch. Beat/print reporters like this because they need more quotes than just what is said during the formal part.

Reporters headed in three directions -- most went to Mills, some went to Wade, some went to McLane. It's a media free-for-all.

Once word spread that hitting coach Sean Berry and Mills are friends and neighbors in California, Berry became a media target. Berry happened to be in town for a Make-A-Wish golf tournament (which was rained out Monday and rescheduled for November).

Nothing like a press conference to bring a couple of former Astros greats to the ballpark. Left, Enos Cabell. Right, Larry Dierker.

Photo opp No. 477: Mills checks out the field at Minute Maid Park. Photographers document every move while trying not to step on anyone.

Mills and Wade have a chuckle while getting situated:

Tal Smith (left), Mills, Wade

Then McLane joins in.

Side view.

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The Astros are offering a 25 percent discount for their 'Stros Under the Stars sleepover on Halloween night for fans who sign up between now and Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT.

The event, which takes place this Saturday, is the first-ever Astros sleepover and will offer a host of activities, including playing catch in the outfield, throwing in the bullpen, touring one of the clubhouses and running the bases.

The Astros will show game 3 of the World Series on the big screen in center field. Dinner will be provided by Chick-Fil-A. Click here for complete details, plus instructions how to register.

Through my years as a reporter for MLB.com, I always claimed -- only half-jokingly -- that if a foul ball was ever headed in my direction in the press box, my priorities would be, in order: 1) my computer; and 2) my face. The logic was simple: my face will heal. Without my computer, I cannot do my job, and therefore, I'm useless.

I've had some close calls over the years, but none as close as the one I encountered this year when the Astros were playing the Dodgers in Los Angeles, just after the All-Star break. Miguel Tejada fouled off a ball that spiraled at a high rate of speed -- right toward me. I was looking at my computer screen at the time, so my reaction was slightly delayed. The ball bounced onto a ledge, just in front of my computer, and rattled around a bit. I finally picked it up off the floor and proudly held it up, pretending that I caught it on the fly.

(I was somewhat surprised at my initial reaction -- I totally abandoned the "computer first" theory and focused on not being pummeled. So much for that.)

Anyhoo, I carried the ball around with me for a couple of months and at the end of the season, I decided to ask Miggy to sign it, with the intention of giving it away. And now, I'm ready to do just that.

I'm going to be at Lucky's Pub this Thursday (Oct. 29) watching Game 2 of the World Series, and, with the help of my buddy Sean Pendergast, I'm going to raffle off the Tejada ball.

I've really enjoyed the communication with a lot of you through Facebook and Twitter and my blog, but now I propose some real face time. I'm hoping you'll come out to Lucky's to watch the World Series and, if you're so inclined, talk a little Astros baseball. Feel free to ask questions, talk about the team, vent, complain, laugh, cry, scream...just don't throw things at me.

I'll be at Lucky's (801 St. Emanuel St., approximately four blocks from Minute Maid Park) at 6:30 CT and will hand out raffle tickets for the Tejada ball, which we'll give away later in the evening, during the game. There is no cost for this "Astros Night Out," other than your bar tab. No strings attached. No loopholes. Just a fun night out to watch and talk about baseball, and win free stuff.

Hope to see you there!

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Every year it seems as if the Astros play more road games on the weekends than home games during Spring Training. And when they were home on the weekends, it rarely coincided with spring break, which obviously is the most popular time for families to travel to Florida to take in some Grapefruit League baseball.

The Astros released their spring schedule on Friday, and there's good news -- the Astros are home parts or all of four weekends.

They'll play a split squad with the Nationals at home on Saturday, March 13 (with part of the team traveling to play the Cardinals), and on Sunday the 14th, they'll host the Braves.

The following weekend, they're home against the Blue Jays (Friday, March 19), Yankees (Saturday, March 20) and Mets (Sunday, March 21). They'll also be home the following weekend, hosting the Pirates (Friday, March 26) and Rays (Saturday, March 27).

Not a bad schedule, especially for those of you whose spring breaks fall in the middle of the month.

Astros Spring Training tickets will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 23 at 9 CT and can be purchased either online at astros.com, at the Osceola County Stadium box office (for home games only) or by telephone and in person at Florida Ticketmaster outlets.

Ticket prices for all but three games remain the same as 2009 -- $22 for Dugout Box Seats, $20 for Outfield Box Seats. $18 for Upper Reserved Seats and $15 for Outfield Reserved Seats. For Yankees, Cardinals and Phillies -- tabbed "premium games" -- the ticket prices will be $25 for dugout, $23 for outfield box, $21 for upper reserved and $18 for outfield reserved.

Season tickets may be purchased now by calling (321) 697-3201. Season ticket prices are $436 for Dugout Box Seats, $398 for Outfield Box Seats, $360 for Upper Reserved Seats and $303 for Outfield Reserved Seats.

2010 Houston Astros Spring Training Schedule (subject to change, all times TBA)
Friday March 5 at Detroit
Saturday March 6 vs. Atlanta
Sunday March 7 at Atlanta
Monday March 8 vs. Toronto
Tuesday March 9 at Mets
Wednesday March 10 vs. Florida
Thursday March 11 at Washington
Friday March 12 at Toronto
Saturday March 13 vs. Washington (SS)
                             at St. Louis
Sunday March 14 vs. Atlanta
Monday March 15 OFF
Tuesday March 16 at Yankees
Wednesday March 17 vs. Washington
Thursday March 18 at Detroit
Friday March 19 vs. Toronto
Saturday March 20 vs. Yankees
Sunday March 21 vs. Mets
Monday March 22 vs. St. Louis
Tuesday March 23 at Pittburgh
Wednesday March 24 at Mets
Thursday March 25 at Philadelphia
Friday March 26 vs. Pittsburgh
Saturday March 27 vs. Tampa Bay
Sunday March 28 at Florida
Monday March 29 at Pittsburgh
Tuesday March 30 vs. Philadelphia
Wednesday March 31 at Atlanta
Thursday April 1 vs. Detroit
Friday April 2 vs. TBA at Minute Maid Park
Saturday April 3 vs. TBA at Minute Maid Park