I see bloggers do this all the time – they have you ask them questions and then they answer them. I figured since it was an off day it would be fun. Tell me if you like it and if you do, we’ll make it a regular thing. Keep in mind the questions don’t have to be Astros related at all.

Here goes…

1.  How is David Carpenter doing? Well, by stats alone he’s now 0-2, thrown 17 innings for Houston with 18 hits, 5 earned runs, 1 home run, 1 walk and 15 strikeouts. Oh, and he got his first SAVE on Sunday night against the Giants! I’d say Mr. Carpenter is doing quite well as a middle reliever (and one time closer) here in H-town.

2. What is the number 1 key to the Astros success, in your opinion? I have to pick one?!?! Okay, if it’s just one, then right now, the key is the farm system. I’ll explain it the way my Italian mother does. If you want to cook a great meal every night, you use up the pantry and produce items you have in your kitchen. If you keep cooking every day without replenishing your supplies, then your meals will start to go downhill, simply because you don’t have the right ingredients to pull from to make anything. Eventually all you have left is a can of pork and beans, and really, who wants that for dinner? The key to making great meals is being smart about what you buy at the grocery store and when you go. Baseball is exactly the same. The key to having a great team is making sure you’re smart about who you draft, who you trade for and how often you replenish your farm system. If you aren’t smart about those 3 things, you become the 2011 Astros, but if you are, you have the ingredients for success over the long haul. And by the way, the drafts and trades made this season have gone a long way to replenishing the “Astros pantry.”

3.  Now that I have my ticket for ( our trip to ) Forks, can I count on you to hold my hair? #notAstros Friends don’t let friends do bad things to good hair. I may not hold it back, as that’s a serious fun girls’ trip and I might not have my wits about me, however, I’ll pack hair ties so yours is firmly secured should you find you need it. (As if that’s in question!)

4. Do you think we can get the Rangers to move to Houston from Dallas? Dear heavens, I hope not. It’s bad enough that MLB is threatening Astros fans with the thought of a move to the AL and all the ickiness that the designated hitter brings to baseball, but Rangers in Houston? I’d rather you moved to Dallas. And by the way, the Rangers play in Arlington.

5. What is the weeone’s actual name? Sabrina. She’s named for the Audrey Hepburn character. That’s right, folks, I love the classics. I mean, Bogart, Hepburn and black and white, it doesn’t get much better than that. Someone please pass the popcorn…

6. Do you think that Jim Crane will ever be approved by MLB as an owner? The question of the season, I suppose. Well, here’s the deal, it was originally reported that his approval would “sail through.” When that didn’t happen, it was blamed on the Dodgers/McCourt debacle and the owners having more pressing matters. But then when the vote was delayed AGAIN (2 weeks or so ago) it was said that there were delays in due diligence and MLB was still looking into the numerous minority owners. Seriously? I think that MLB was okay with the EEOC complaints against Crane as they were well investigated and dealt with previously, but the allegations of war profiteering aren’t sitting well. The last thing Major League Baseball, America’s pastime, wants to be associated with is someone who has participated in war profiteering. I think it’s less likely by the minute that Jim Crane ever becomes the Astros’ owner. There are other names being floated, but at this point there is no indication that any of them are serious

7.  When will the sale of the Astros be done? I’m starting to believe that will happen when hell freezes over. It’s going to depend on if Crane’s approved or not and when that decision happens. If Crane doesn’t get approved I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if Drayton took his time before seeking out another buyer. I would hope that if there IS a sale of the Astros, that it would come before 2012 begins so the new owner can make decisions that will effect the 2012 season.

8. Who are the Astros going to bring up? If they don’t bring up Wallace, Johnson or Figgy, does that mean that they aren’t in the picture for the Astros rebuilding? If they don’t bring them up, what should we as fans think? Partiularily Wallace, who we received in a trade last year, by now he should be an everyday player or being playing in the big leagues? is it him or just not the right fit/situation for him with the Astros? This one gets the longest question award. First of all, Figgy’s not in the system anymore. Nelson Figueroa was released by the Astros on August 18th. There are some obvious and expected call-ups. We’ll see the return of Jordan Lyles and JB Shuck and possibly Brett Wallace. Brett’s been hitting pretty well down at AAA. If we don’t see him or Chris Johnson or JR Towles called up (who I think are likely), I think it’s more about wanting to test other players than a statement about their long term position with the Astros. They’ll get their chance again, even if it’s not until Spring Training. Remember, with rebuilding, nothing is certain, so EVERY position will be up for grabs come Spring Training 2012…no one is “safe.” It’s kind of fun, isn’t it?

9.  Not a question, but Congratulations to Kim and Brett Myers on the arrival of their fourth child today! The 8 pound, 4 ounce boy has been named Kace Ryan Myers. 

So folks, there we have it. You asked, I answered. If you liked this and want me to do it again – let me know in the comments! Thanks for playing -

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.