OlDog, to me the suffering stopped last season. The Astros played some very competitive baseball and should've ended up with mid-70s wins. As George Brett used to say, all teams will win 50 and lose 50. It's what you do in the other 50 that make the difference. (Math whiz, he was not.) I think the Astros played just under a .500 team last year, so following the progress, I'm looking forward to 80+ wins this year.

In another post (and maybe this belongs in that post), Barzilla gave a great analysis that showed mid 70's is expected. I don't like those types of studies fundamentally, as it can't predict the team you'll end the season with, nor can it predict the changes the teams you play against will have. Still, it outlines where improvements certainly will need to be made, and if the Astros are close to contending, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see improvements in those areas as the season goes on.

So yes, I'm excited, and I can't wait for baseball to begin tomorrow!