wouldn't it be ironic if the texans and rockets end up w/ the 1st pick of the draft..

msn --

you said $35 to get in. try this...i have two boys and my wife. if we went and sat in the cheap seats we'd get in for $15. its $1 for children...$7 for adults...and because the younger is not yet 2 years old, he gets in free.

$15. 4 people in the game. 3 tickets. i can pay to park at reliant for $15.

 

roy o got a bulldozer.

 

You know, farm equipment signing bonuses could probably be a lot cheaper than cash signing bonuses!

 

how would it be ironic?

 

Man for a moment I thought you were a Boston Red Sox fan. There are no such things as curses. The Astros had a great season last year. Would you be saying the same thing if the Rockets won the WCF and the astros and texans tanked ? Injuries happen in sports all the time. This Rockets season was an anomaly I am sure they will bounce back next year and be the team we all want them to be. Dont blame it on the Astros!!

 

The initial post in this thread makes absolutely no sense. This place has gone mad. The Texans did take a step back last year...the Rockets, on the other hand, are light years ahead of where they were 3 years ago (not based on record). We went from an overated "superstar" PG that can't play halfcourt offense and a SG that didn't fit with him to a top 5 NBA player in Mcgrady with Yao about to enter his prime. In the long run, the '05-'06 season is going to have an asterisk(sp?) next to it, IMO.

The Astros have definitely been the city's favorite for the last few years, and it'll probably stay that way until the Texans really establish themselves. Unfortunately, I think NBA popularity has hit a low, so the Rockets may be 3rd on the list until it gets to playoff time.

 

The Unit wanted 4 years Drayton would only offer 3.

Randy said over and over that he loved his time here period.

As far as sitting in the upper deck for 7 bucks well thats great I personally don't want to sit up there but I will give them credit for keeping it (at least the tickets affordable in the upper deck)

As far as Clemens I hate that attention seeking jerk but I certainly don't want to lose him and the pressure of public opinion would have been put on Clemens if the Astros offered him arbitration. He will probally come back and Drayton will end up looking good.

The Astros low balled Kyle (as a free agent) they traded Hampton because they did not want to pay him as a free agent or at that point extend him. The deal with Pettitte (the hometown discount) almost fell apart because Drayton "did not like the wording of the contract" The blockbuster trade with San Diego was a cost saving move and I can go on and on. Not to mention all the potential free agents that we could of signed that we did not and then we had to give up young talent in the middle of the season to swing a trade for a player of similar stature that we could of had as a free agent.

Jeff Kent we could of kept it was a team option.

Billy Wagner got traded because he spoke the truth about Drayton. Do you think we could of used him in the 2004 playoffs in the bullpen instead of say Dan Micelli?

My point is valid, Gerry Huntsicker and his staff is the reason we have had so much sucess not Drayton.

If he was willing to go that extra mile like Les is than I think we would be champions!

 

its amazing how many talk about mcgrady like he doesn't have a back problem. if mcgrady is cured 100%, yeah the rockets are in great shape, if he's not, they are screwed. and no one has any idea what the situation will be.

 

Sorry man, but you are just flat-out wrong about Randy Johnson. Everyone knew from the second we traded for him that it was going to be a rental situation.

Care to discuss how he let Berkman, Biggio, Bagwell, Hidalgo, Wagner, et al. get away in free agency as well? And his lowball offer for Kile? $1 million less than Colorado's.

Hampton was not traded for contract reasons either. Ask Biggio's wife why he was traded (I think that's the right player).

 

Randy said over and over that he wanted to pitch in LA, Anaheim, or Phoenix to be close to home. I don't have to use "period" to somehow underscore my point, because I'm right.

$6 million per is "lowballed" for a guy who had ONE good season? OK.

They traded Hampton because he informed them he would not return after the 2000 season. They traded him so they could get *something* instead of nothing in the deal. Did you like having OD in front of Wagner?

Not aware of the story here, but based on your track record above, as far as the lack of accuracy, the burden of proof is on you.

Bringing DBell over Cammy was to save money?

Oh, but please do. I'm still waiting for an example that's accurate.

Why don't you mention some specifically, and how it would have worked.

Where does he play? Lane replaced him in the lineup. Compare their numbers and you tell me if it was a good move. Kent's money helped pay Clemens $18 million.

BTW, it's not "could of", it's "could have", or at least "could've".

Wags would have pitched Miceli's innings? I think our closer did a pretty fine job in '04.

I respect your opinion and your right to have one, but I disagree. I believe your point is completely unsupported by the facts.

Of course Hunsicker and staff are the hugest part of the success! And Drayton hired him. And Drayton helped that staff wisely spend. So, Drayton has very much been a part of it. McMullen had some pretty good GM talent as well, but things didn't go nearly as well. Perhaps you don't remember those days.

What extra mile? Les has a SALARY CAP! Every team in the NBA spends nearly the SAME amount of money!!! How on earth can you compare the two? Do you not see this amazing disparity between the two scenarios?? Additionally, as someone pointed out, the Astros have won while the Rox are losing!! We just went to the WS for cryin' out loud?

I'll say it again (because I'm right): both owners have done a damn fine job within their respective constraints.

 

texans:

1. big unit never ever never said he wanted to pitch in houston again. he ultimately said arizona was home...and that's where he wanted to be;

2. every team in MLB raised prices over the same period of time. you can't single drayton out on that one. almost all of those owners play in parks that include some level of public financing...most employ public financing which is far more burdensome than the hotel occupancy/rental car taxes that financed MMP;

3. drayton has signed free agents and traded for players. he's also kept key components and paid lots of money to do it. their payroll is 8th in the league right now, if i remember correctly, at about $94 million. if they end up coming to terms with Roger, that payroll will likely go over $100 million;

4. Drayton bought the astros in 1992. he hired Tal Smith in 1994. Tal was not with the team when Drayton bought the team. he hired him and immediately gave him the position he still occupies today. he also hired Tim...and Gerry;

5. the Astros are a fantastic organization. they have not always been that way. they have brought in the sorts of quality players that have allowed them to be competitive. they have brought in the scouts and coaches at lower levels to fully develop talent. they are, without a doubt, among the best organizations in all of MLB. and they've been recognized as such. none of that was the case under previous ownership with this franchise.

 

Look guys, I don't know about you, but I won't give a **** if the Rox suck for a year IF the 'stros win the Series. Sure it will suck, hard, but it's just the sports gods way of evening out things (God must be from Boston, though).

 

LOL!!! Clemens, Pettitte, Wilson, Kent, and others all say hi.

If you weren't angry when they went up at the Dome, it's disingenuous to be angry now. That's what it has to do with it. And btw, if you are a resident of Harris county, there is NO TAX BURDEN on you for the stadium.

The scouting was totally redone by Hunsicker, who was hired by Smith AND McLane.

As others have all pointed out, you're dead wrong on this one.

So you just dislike him. That's your entitlement, but his track record speaks for itself.

Now, this point is just stupid. I guess since the importance of the game is 10% that the cost of running the venue also goes down by 90%, right?

 

I will give the Astros credit for keeping most of there players that they develop.

As far as Hampton banging Biggio's wife who cares tell those guys to be real men and figure it out.

Yes yes yes the unit wanted to go to one of those teams and that's why Seattle traded him at the deadline but after his time here he wanted to stay and that's a fact.

If you belive a bullpen with wagner in 2004(no matter what his role was) would not have gotten us to the world series you are crazy. Garner kept putting that fat ass Micelli out there and he kept blowing games.

I was in Atlanta for games one and two last year and I told those braves fans that the game was over when that fat loser came in.

 

Yawn.

 

If the Rockets get the #1 pick, I hope they pick Vince Young.

 

If it's such a fact, then prove it. The burden of proof is on you, my friend. He said all kinds of nice things about the clubhouse and esp. Ausmus, but he also said he wanted to play at home. Everyone but you remembers this, so prove it. No excuses--prove it.

Right, I'm crazy. Or perhaps I remember Wagner's postseason record.

 

1. the unit thing is NOT a fact no matter how many times you say it. try this:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1998/11/30/johnson_dbacks/

Johnson, who lives in nearby Paradise Valley, chose the Diamondbacks over the Anaheim Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers because he wants to play close to home and he thinks Arizona is making moves to quickly become a contender.

"We tried to weigh all the factors -- how competitive the team would be in the future, where his family would be comfortable," said Johnson's agent Barry Meister. "Money was a non-factor because everything was pretty comparable. He made the decision late, late, late last night, slept on it, still felt that way in the morning, and we called the other clubs."


2. wagner would not have accepted any role with the astros OTHER than closer. the astros weren't gonna pay for that when they already had a reasonable substitute. that's smart.

3. dan micelli sucked in the playoffs. so did wagner, frankly. micelli wasn't the closer, however. he appeared in 74 regular season games and had a 3.54 ERA that season. he failed to perform in the playoffs...agreed. but again...so did wagner. he's 0-4 in 5 post-season games with a 7.71 ERA. by the way..it was St. Louis who shelled Micelli...not Atlanta.

 

The bottom line is Drayton has done enough to turn the Astros into a winner which they were not when he bought the club so he gets credit there but I belive in my heart of hearts that he has not gone as far as he needed too for us "to be champions" as he always says.

Yes this is a business but you have a responsability to the city when you own a sports team and the facts are he bought the Astros plus hotels in the area for 90mil and now they are worth in the hundreds of millions.

At the same time his porfolio has jumped to over 1.3 billion.

Maybe it's just me but I really got sick of hearing him b**** about losing money and now that he is making money hand over fist he tries to spin it like he is hurting.

Anyway Go Texans, Rockets, Astros and 1836!