I can understand rancor, which by the way may be a little strong "bitter, rankling resentment or ill will; hatred; malice" towards a player who talks trash about his own team, complains, doesn't try ect... What I think gets under the skin of Lidge supporters is that people seem to be implying in their posts that they blame Lidge for his problems and that he "deserves" to go away. From your post I felt you were implying that you were more dissapointed than pissed... more let down than angry. I think people who fall on the side of Lidge also feel that way and everyone probably has more common ground than we think. Everyone gets into an argument when people complain and bitch about a player and a manager like the player isn't trying his best. I won't say Lidge didn't blow a save and that he was a "good" closer last year. There were certainly better closers... there were also worse closers and whatever you or anyone else says he did not cost us the playoffs. You could point to a lot of games we lost he never even played. If any one of those games had been won we would have been in too. I do like him, having met him I can also claim I like him as a person as well as a player and competitor and I hope he can come back. I hope you are all proven wrong... but not because of you or because it is better for the astros but for him. He deserves to do well. He deserves to be a winner and be the best again because that is how he plays and that is how he handles himself. With class, dignity and humility. That is the kind of player that deserves our support when he stumbles as well as when he succeeds. You can claim dissapointment and you can say you don't trust he has it anymore, fine and I might agree with you... but I don't know how you can claim anger. A player like that deserves the chances he gets because his attitude and his natural ability demand it. If he had a low eighties fastball and a weak change-up he would be with Carlos H. But he has the stuff... and I don't think last night did anything to disprove that. I still believe he made good pitches and 99% of the time he gets that save last night with the pitch he threw to Nady.