--As he waits for Dr. David Lintner to read the MRI results and examine his injured right shoulder on Feb. 21, C Toby Hall is bracing for disappointing news.
"I'm a realist," he said. "So the feeling, the burning feeling, it's kind of those things that I've never had to really go home and ice at home. I've never had surgery before. It's all new. You hear different things from different people. That's one of the disappointing things. It's one of those things coming into camp I felt pretty good about the whole situation." Lintner, who also works for the Houston Texans, wasn't expected in the Kissimmee, Fla., area until the night of Feb. 20 because he spent most of the week in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine.
--Manager Cecil Cooper, who makes it a policy to have a meeting with all of the players in camp, began meeting with the young infielders on Feb. 20. On Feb. 19, he finished off his meetings with all of the new pitchers and every catcher except for injured Toby Hall.
"I'm going to wait .. until all this clears up, whatever we decide to do with (Hall)," Cooper said.
--C Lou Palmisano was reminded by manager Cecil Cooper that LHP Wesley Wright, a Rule 5 pick who made the club last spring, is an example that Rule 5 picks will be given serious considerations in Astros camp.
"If you can go back to our history, last year we had a guy in camp just like you," Cooper told Palmisano, a Rule 5 selection from Milwaukee (via Baltimore). "Wesley Wright, he made our team. We asked a lot of Wesley last year." Wright took advantage and remained with the club all season.
"We kind of started to feed him in real slowly throughout spring," Cooper said of Wright. "And he grabbed it at the end of spring and he was running with it. By the time we got to midseason, Wesley was one of the main cogs in it."
--LHP Mike Hampton will open the Grapefruit League for the Astros on Feb. 25 against the Nationals. RHP Roy Oswalt will start the second game before heading off to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.
--RHP Doug Brocail was limited to a light bullpen session Feb. 20 because of tendinitis in his right shoulder. The rest of his pitching group threw live batting practice sessions.
"We just kind of gave him an easier day today," manager Cecil Cooper said. "He didn't throw to live hitters. He just threw on the side here a little light 'pen."
--Veteran RHP Russ Ortiz was impressive during his live batting practice session Feb. 20, manager Cecil Cooper said. Ortiz, who missed last season recovering from arm surgery, is in camp on a minor league contract.
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- Healthy catchers (Humberto Quintero, J.R. Towles and Lou Palmisano) fighting for two spots on the 25-man roster.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Just tell them you only need half a spring training because you only play eight innings." -- OF Darin Erstad told OF Carlos Lee, who busted up laughing and asked if he could use the line as part of his excuse for reporting to camp two days late.
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