Though he had asserted a desire to remain with the Astros, Beltrán signed a long-term contract with the New York Mets on January 9, 2005.

Though battling bone spurs in his throwing knee, LeCroy was asked to fill in during a May 25, 2006, game against the Houston Astros at a time when Washington's starting catcher, Brian Schneider and backup Wiki Gonzalez, were out with injuries.

Though they would produce some very memorable and lasting songs, Arlen and Mercer were not given strong material to work on.

Though Catherine was vexed at the number of French officers streaming to the Turkish standard, there were several under her own, such as the Prince De Nassau ; ;

Though, taken individually, the big rooms were, or seemed to be, square, the apartment as a whole formed a triangle.

Though the spread of this type of decoration in the Aegean has not yet been precisely determined, it seems to appear first in the Cyclades, which were among the leading exporters of pottery throughout the century.

Though the makeshift airports were ready, the York State Guard flyers proved unable to keep any kind of mail schedule.

Though they are often heard clairaudiently, as if a voice were speaking them, in other cases they are apprehended visually as symbols: a slope to signify the name `` Hill '', for instance.

Though the proportions were always important in Greek art, the appeal of the Greek sculptures eludes any explanation by proportion alone.

Though the prokaryotic cyanobacteria ( commonly referred to as blue-green algae ) were traditionally included as " algae " in older textbooks, many modern sources regard this as outdated as they are now considered to be bacteria.

Though a world championship match between Karpov and Fischer was highly anticipated, those hopes were never realised.

Though simple and compound walls were often used, Great Houses were primarily constructed of core-and-veneer walls: two parallel load-bearing walls comprising dressed, flat sandstone blocks bound in clay mortar were erected.

Though the resolution is historically significant, Hideaki Uemura, professor at Keisen University in Tokyo and a specialist in indigenous peoples ' rights, commented that the motion is " weak in the sense of recognizing historical facts " as the Ainu were " forced " to become Japanese in the first place.

Though there might be blocs of opinion, sometimes enduring, on important matters, there were no political parties and likewise no government or opposition ( as in the Westminster system ).

Though Antlia was technically visible to ancient Greek astronomers, its stars were too faint to have been included in any constellations.

Though from vastly different backgrounds, within three months Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell were married on 29 December 1812.

Though most of the early Waldorf schools were teacher-founded, the schools today are usually initiated and later supported by an active parent community.

Though the marriage was annulled, Nin and Pole continued to live together as if they were married, up until her death in 1977.

Though a law-breaker, he gave the public what they were denied by strident, self-appointed arbiters of morality.

Though there were few initial changes to the service, usage increased and the network became profitable.

Though the anticipated benefits to traffic flow were not as large as hoped, pedestrian injuries dropped dramatically and foot traffic increased in the designated areas ; the project was popular with both residents and businesses.

Though there was much argument in the past, it is now generally accepted that brochs were roofed, probably with a conical timber framed roof covered with a locally sourced thatch.

Though witnesses against them were numerous, the evidence cited was nearly all hearsay or outright fabrications.

" Though apparent to very few historians at the time, these defeats were the beginning of the decline of Europe as the center of world politics.

Though some trade restrictions were lifted on the north to alleviate economic isolation for the Turkish Cypriots, further negotiations have not been a priority.

Though for a time they seemed poised to break through in Europe, international fame eluded them.

Though his party won only three seats, it gained others later through by-elections and seemed poised to win, at least, official opposition status in the coming election.

Though those peaks gave way significantly after 1992, the ' 57 Chevy has held its value and now is poised to exceed the previous peak.

Though the unified reign of the First Qin Emperor lasted only 12 years, he managed to subdue great parts of what constitutes the core of the Han Chinese homeland and to unite them under a tightly centralized Legalist government seated at Xianyang ( close to modern Xi ' an ).

Though they were very close friends for a while, it was ultimately the differences in worldview and personality that led their friendship to strand.

Though their influence declined, the clan remained close advisors to the succeeding Emperors.

Though the rich usually led fashion, the increasing affluence of early modern Europe led to the bourgeoisie and even peasants following trends at a distance sometimes uncomfortably close for the elites — a factor Braudel regards as one of the main motors of changing fashion.

Though no state conditioned ratification of the constitution on a bill of rights, several states came close, and the issue almost prevented the constitution from being ratified.

Though by the close of the 1989 season the team boasted a powerhouse bullpen in the AL Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen ( set franchise record with 23 wins in ), two time All-Star Mark Gubicza ( 15 game winner in 1989 ) and 1989 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Tom Gordon ( won 17 games in 1989 ), the organization felt they were still missing a few pieces that would give the divisional rivals Oakland Athletics a run for their money.

Though seemingly herbivores, witnesses reported that the creatures were fearsome, and were known to attack canoes that were steered too close.

Though he is initially an enemy of Shang-Chi, the two become close friends over time.

Though many believe the shotgun is a great firearm for inexperienced shooters, the truth is, at close range, the spread of shot is not very large at all, and competency in aiming is still required.

Though his reach was close, and the ball mere inches away from the end zone, it was still not enough to score.

Though UFO sightings have occurred throughout recorded history, modern interest in them dates from World War II ( see foo fighter ), further fueled in the late 1940s by Kenneth Arnold's report of a close encounter, which led to coining of the term flying saucer, and the Roswell UFO Incident.

Though he spent much of his life in Athens, Xenophon's involvement in Spartan politics ( he was a close associate of King Agesilaus II ) has led to him being closely associated with the city.

" Though as rector he prevented students from displaying an anti-Semitic poster at the entrance to the university and from holding a book burning, he kept in close contact with the Nazi student leaders and clearly signaled to them his sympathy with their activism.

Though Bering seems to have been primarily interested in landing in North America, his recognised the importance of secondary objectives: the list of which expanded rapidly under the guidance of planners Nikolai Fedorovich Golovin ( head of the Admiralty ); Ivan Kirilov, a highly-ranked politician with an interest in geography, and Andrey Osterman, a close adviser of the new Empress, Anna Ivanovna.

Though still rated fourth, by the late 1940s ABC had begun to close in on the better-established networks.

Though the politicians were close to making an end to the conflict, the war would prove to have a momentum of its own.

Though they only met twice during the first series, the mad Dr. Anton Arcane and his obsession with gaining immortality became Swamp Thing's arch-nemesis, even as Swamp Thing developed a close bond with Arcane's niece Abigail Arcane.

Though Malick paid close attention to period detail, he did not want it to overwhelm the picture.

Though most predicted a Milwaukee cakewalk, the 76ers kept the game close before falling, 80 – 74.

Though they bear Priscillian's name, four describing Priscillian's trial appear to have been written by a close follower.

Though heralded as a fighter that could do everything ( fast supersonic dash, slow carrier and short airfield landings, tactical strike, and even close air support ), in the end it involved too many compromises to succeed at any of them.

Though scientists have not created Maxwell's demon, they are coming surprisingly close.

Though located in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh International Airport is within close proximity of Beaver Falls, and is easily accessible by way of I-376 ( former PA 60 ).

Though West Berlin held close ties to the West German Federal Republic of Germany, it was legally never part of it.