HOUSTON (AP) - Houston Astros pitcher Brandon Backe tends to be excitable and manager Phil Garner hopes that doesn't change on Wednesday night.
Backe is set to start in Game 4 of the World Series against the Chicago White Sox.
``Get that energy level going and put it to good use,'' Garner said. ``We're not worried about him burning out now, (he has) the next month all winter to get over it.''
Backe is unapologetic about showing a lot of emotion on the field.
``I really love baseball,'' he said. ``I'm just showing my emotions out there. Maybe it's a little sometimes unprofessional, I don't know. I just act the way that I act.''
His last action was in Game 4 of the NLCS, when he allowed two hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 2-1 win over St. Louis.
Garner said he was ``nitpicking'' early in that game and that he settled down and did well later.
``The adrenaline gives you incredible strength and stamina,'' Garner said. ``Getting amped up shouldn't cause him to wear down. As long as you learn to channel your mind, let your body amp up, because you can throw it harder, make better pitches, and you shouldn't get tired.''
Backe credits catcher Brad Ausmus for his improvement.
``He's been a great help to me, just being so young and pitching and the things that he's taught me each and every day I go out there,'' Backe said.
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DON'T PLAY IT AGAIN, BUD: Despite missed calls by umpires during the playoffs, baseball commissioner Bud Selig says instant replay won't be used by baseball. It is used by other sports.
``I'm a football fan. Those football games last interminably,'' he said. ``It would not be something that I think would work. The human element in this sport has always been a part of it.''
Selig also said that negotiations for a new steroids agreement with the players' association are ongoing. Union head Donald Fehr told a Senate committee on Sept. 28 that he hoped there would be an agreement by the end of the World Series.
``We're having discussions,'' Selig said. ``It's very constructive.''
It remains unclear whether owners will be able to vote at their Nov. 16-17 meeting in Milwaukee on the proposed sale of the Washington Nationals. Selig has been talking to the bidding ownership groups.
``They're more interviews coming this week,'' he said.
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SCARY START: For White Sox general manager Ken Williams, trading for Scott Podsednik was a bit of a risk because he gave up a proven power hitter and run producer in Carlos Lee when he made the deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.
But Podsednik's ability to start Chicago's offense as a speedy leadoff hitter and his game-winning homer in Game 2 have made the move more than worth it.
Podsednik has problems with a groin injury that slowed his stolen base output in the latter stages of the season.
``My biggest fear was injury,'' Williams said.
But what scared Williams most was the way Podsednik went after a fly ball the first day he pulled on a White Sox uniform.
``The very first ball hit in spring training and Pod goes into the wall all feet and legs,'' Williams said. ``I went, 'You've got to be kidding me.'''
Podsednik escaped unscathed and the trade turned into one of the best of Williams' regime.
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DOME SWEET HOME: Astros hitting coach Gary Gaetti knows a thing or two about the advantages of having a roof overhead during games.
Major League Baseball ordered the roof of Minute Maid Park open for Game 3, despite opposition from the Astros.
Gaetti played for the Minnesota Twins when they won the 1987 World Series over St. Louis. The Twins played in the Metrodome, which was the first time a World Series game had been played indoors.
They won all of their home games in the series with the help of raucous crowds.
``The noise is comparable,'' Gaetti said. ``The advantage we have here is not the advantage we had in the dome. In the dome, opponents tended to lose the ball in the roof and lights. That's not the case here.''
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WORKING TOGETHER: Eight families affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will get new homes courtesy of Major League Baseball and Habitat for Humanity.
The groups are teaming to build the homes during the Houston portion of the World Series. The houses represent all the teams who made the postseason.
Volunteers from Habitat for Humanity, current and former players, league executives and other celebrities will help build the homes.
Eric Benet, Michael McDonald, Wynona Judd and Terry Dexter performed a new single ``Heart of America'' in conjunction with the event before Game 3.
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DIVINE HELP: Sister Damian Kuhn can be found in Section 116, row 35, seat 31 when the Astros play in Minute Maid Park.
``I'm sitting in what I call my Seventh Heaven,'' she said Tuesday. ``It could not be any better.''
A little divine intervention sought by one of the team's most devout fans certainly couldn't hurt, as Houston trailed 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
``A lot of people are praying on both sides,'' noted Sister Damian, an 85-year-old Catholic nun who lives across the street from the ballpark and faithfully attends Astros games. Her religious order, the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, has operated a school at the site since 1873. Three-hundred girls now attend high school there.
``I'm just thanking God I'm part of this,'' she said.
Sister Damian, as she is known, is a celebrity of sorts at both the school and the stadium, where Astros owner Drayton McLane for several years now has provided her a pair of tickets.
``We have a good chance, God willing,'' she said of her beloved Astros, who are making their first World Series appearance in their 44-year history. ``But remember only one team can win. I have had a lot prayers answered and I've had a lot of prayers not answered. But I always have said: God's will be done.''
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SHE'S FINE: Craig Biggio's wife is doing her best to play down an altercation with a fan in Chicago at Game 2.
Biggio said a man slapped his wife, Patty, at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday night. Security apprehended the man, and the Biggios asked that no charges be filed.
``It was an unfortunate incident that seems to have been blown out of proportion,'' Patty Biggio said in a statement. ``It was dealt with appropriately by security. We think it is time that everyone put the situation behind them and focus on enjoying the World Series.''
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EXTRA BASES: When Astros closer Brad Lidge came out of the bullpen for pregame warmups, a small but spirited group of fans stood and cheered for him. Fans are working to make sure his confidence remains high in the wake of Podsednik's homer on Sunday night that gave the White Sox to a 7-6 win in Game 2. ... ``Desperate Housewives'' star James Denton mingled with fans in the bleachers before the game on Tuesday. ... Matthew McConaughey was also at Game 3. Wearing an Astros T-shirt signed by Roger Clemens and baseball cap, he said he's been a fan for 20 years.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
