Came across a roda this evening: capoeiristas practicing their art in a public square. They jumped! They kicked! They pulled their punches! It was beautiful.
Capoeira was apparently developed by Angolans enslaved in Brazil as a form of self-defense which, due to its being banned, became aestheticized into an improvisational two-person dance which skirts, on the one edge, violence, and on the other, love.
The Astros have been in even worse shape, using three starters with less than two years of major-league experience. Signing Clemens to go with right-hander Roy Oswalt and left-hander Andy Pettitte again gives them a legitimate Big Three once again. If Clemens, after several minor-league tuneups, proves anywhere near as good as he was last season, he will give the team precisely the lift it needs.
The Astros have been in even worse shape, using three starters with less than two years of major-league experience. Signing Clemens to go with right-hander Roy Oswalt and left-hander Andy Pettitte again gives them a legitimate Big Three once again. If Clemens, after several minor-league tuneups, proves anywhere near as good as he was last season, he will give the team precisely the lift it needs.