Spot on. There is no way in hell news of lower ticket prices and outside food allowances would generate ANY interest outside of Houston. So you say the whole franchise, top to bottom, is being evaluated, including the name. Fans get in a tizzy and actually start talking about the Astros. And we're still talking about them! And they're talking about them on PTI?! Smart, smart move. You're getting free PR. You come back next week, next month and say the name won't change, but ticket and beer prices still will. That's a win-win right there. And two more things: 1) AL move aside, which wasn't his doing in the first place, Crane has shown he's listening to the fans, or at least making smart moves for the organization that fans will appreciate. Getting ride of Wade and Tal and bringing in guys from another team with a proven track record of success, dumping bloated contracts and rebuilding the farm, lowering ticket prices, lower beer prices, allowing food into MMP and possibly changing the uniform and colors (I like them how they are though but I know a lot of fans don't...I'd be curious to know how many) 2) If this was some giant conspiracy to drive fans away and move, you don't go lowering prices at the same time. You raise them. --- I wonder if eventually Crane will look into bringing in the Skeeters into the minor league system. We know Drayton was dead set against it. Personally I don't see how it would draw business away from MMP. But it would be cool to watch our up and coming talent right in our own backyard.
Owner change, FO changes, league change, uniform change, name change... You guys won't even be able to recognize this team by 2013.
Everyone talking about a team that went what, 56-106(?) and isn't expected to do any better this season is exactly what he wanted. Create controversy......over nothing. We'd still be talking about the Astros this time of year....no would else would. I first found out about the news about the price cuts and name change mention, on a local news site in East Texas.....where they never mention the Astros.
Is that really a good way to generate publicity though? By making anyone with any kind of history with the franchise immediately distrustful and those who don't casually dismissive of it as a stupid idea? How does that meeting go? "Hey guys, we just came off the worst season in franchise history and traded just about every notable player on the roster and we're moving to the AL to play fake baseball and eliminate five decades of history with the teams we used to compete with(Phillies, Mets, Giants, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals) so we can play a bunch of teams that the fanbase has little to no interest in. What moves should we make to win the fans back?" "What if we made huge price cuts from tickets to hot dogs? I don't recall any team in recent memory doing this, so it would generate some good publicity and the fans would love it. Everyone likes spending less money for the same thing." "That's a great idea. But what if during the press conference we also announce we're willing to change the name of this 50yr old franchise? Everyone will loathe it, and will completely overlook all the good things we announced!" "That is a great idea. This is why we're the best." It's like a little play.
Pretty surprised so many people ACTUALLY think he'd change the name. This is a brilliant PR move, as others have said. Just look at the presser, everything he reduced or changed was a major gripe under prior management...dude is listening to the fans. Once fans respond with the expected negativity, he'll just leave it alone. There is an Astros related thread about 7 pages long in late Jan and it doesn't involve a FA signing...mission accomplished. Get ready for orange and blue to be back in 2013.
You forgot the part where in two weeks he will come back with, "Well it is obvious that you Houstonians are passionate about your baseball. It is quite apparent that you love your Astros and I can't wait to build a team that will make the great city of Houston proud. Obviously, based on your feedback, the name Astros will stay. I look forward to hearing more from the fans as we continue to get back on the right track." Some may see right through this, but I guarantee most of the city will eat that right up and in two months no one will even remember that he suggested changing the name. They will just remember that we have an owner that listens to the fans.
Yeah, either way it's repugnant.(and familiar) Whether to get beneficial publicity or if there is ACTUAL consideration, this reeks of something that should never be the accepted norm/business as usual...esp.under the circumstances. Acceptance of the status quo is acquiescence to an erosion of principles/ethics. Okay. If you can't dig that, remember how Drayton treated us at times?...like rubes. At best, this is more of the same.
exactly. great, people in Philly heard the Astros are considering changing their name. awesome. what great publicity. i'm sure hats and merchandise are flying off the shelves. meanwhile, the fan base immediately distrusts the new regime. bad timing.
you know what...i still don't know specifically what the promotions are. you know...the ones designed to bring fans back to the ballpark. yeah, i no there are some lower ticket prices somewhere in the building, but i haven't looked at specifics at all. it was a whisper in comparison to what that press conference generated.
When you're as bad as the Astros are, both in terms of baseball prowess and media-attention, any publicity is good publicity.
Isn't there a saying that any publicity is good publicity? It's definitely better than being ignored.
I disagree with this. I see this said all the time, and it's way too general. Depends entirely on audience and message and what you're trying to accomplish. This buzz that pissed people off over names didn't move any more seats for next season's games. It made a fanbase already steamed over a league move distrust the current regime even further.
Max, may I? I had the priviledge of meeting Crane, Postulous and the new GM guy - whatever his name is last week - corporate function. I won't share a lot of details, but new GM guy? VERY impressive. I wish everyone wringing their hands over the name change could have spent the same time with him because, wow: impressive. So there's that. Also, I can tell you that they told us: among the top 3 complaints among season tickets holders was the inability to bring in outside food, which actually kind of shocked me. Anyway, less than a week later, what do the Atros announce?... My point is: these guys ARE listening. So whether he threw the name thing out there as a cheap way to drum up some talk about a team not worth talking about, or he is legitimately considering it, I feel confident in saying that he WILL hear the backlash and that name won't change. Their model is the Texans. If you know anything about the Texans' model, their PR function, and the way the engage with the community, is revered within the sports industry. That's who they're taking a lot of cues from.
don't touch me there. I think very highly of Postolos. I did when he was with the Rockets too. Sharp guy. And I am appreciative of the fact I can bring a bottle of water in for me and my kids when we go to a game. I do agree...the name isn't changing. But the presentation from Crane to this lifelong fan so far sucks. It reminds me of the Cosby Show episode where he talks about the importance of presentation...he says if you serve a great steak to someone that's fantastic..but if you serve it on the inside of a trash can lid, it doesn't go over real well. When you tell a 50 year old fan base you're considering a name change on the heels of a league move that already was not well received, I think it's time to realize the press conferences are probably better handled by someone other than the owner. I nearly filed an EEOC complaint against him yesterday.
Ever so slightly perspective shift: he did NOT mention it at the press conference. He didn't even mention it at the initial post-conference round of questions. It was at a *second* round of questions where, after being asked, he suggested the name change. I would guess it was certainly something on his radar; I don't think it was him seeking publicity. But I would counter that he wasn't exactly serving it up and I would guess, being a PR person myself, that it wasn't intended to go public just yet. If he felt strongly about it, he wouldn't have buried it. On the flip side, getting it out there and hearing the backlash may end up being a blessing in disguise. Waaaaaaay back when I was contending you don't hold unwarranted press conferences to announce hand-shake deals, etc., because you say stupid things that give sports commissioners much-needed leverage? This is why. You can drill messaging into anyone - but the longer they're exposed to a press corps that will continue to ask questions as long as you stand there and answer them, the greater the chances they'll veer off messaging and say something stupid. But, like I said, might end up being a blessing in disguise.
