All "smart" teams also make financial mistakes... mostly not intended. The Red Sox signed Carl Crawford. The Cardinals extended an injured Carpenter and resigned Berkman for $12 million (for a season where he only played 32 games). The only way you're immune from not having contracts potentially backfire is to take the Marlins strategy of now refusing to sign anybody big (after the Reyes/Buherle/Bell debacle), even though they have more young major league talent than the Astros and could ensure they start winning now with some established vets (who are high priced).
So why do people b**** about them here so much? This is a business and fans here seem to think Crane is made of cash. He took a loan to buy the club. The Astros viability as a club will be a reflection of Crane's ability to make money from it and it's not looking too good right now.
at this point people b**** about everything...even things that are true in most other markets/ballparks/franchises. Look through pictures of ballparks across the country both today and the ones we dub as "classic" from the past...there are signs all over. Fenway is a national treasure, and there are signs everywhere.
You're asking the wrong person. Ask the people who b**** about something that is present in nearly every other ballpark in the league.
fact that altuve is our three hitter isnt alarming...if you put high contact guys in front of players that (historically) have gotten on base on a good clip--fowler, its not a bad setup. carter has been alarmingly bad so far, but our rotation isnt terrible, nor is our bullpen. i think we lose 90 games this year
The Royals have a 90 million dollar payroll. The Rays and Pirates have close to a 80 million dollar payroll. We have a 45 million dollar payroll after giving big money to Feldman. We are 26th in the league in both hitting and pitching. The Astros have the worst run differential in baseball already. I don't know what they are doing in not bringing up any one and everyone. If they suck can it really hurt. We will find out they just weren't good enought.
I'm a little more optimistic about this year's team. I think the Astros lose only 90-95 games this season.
Plus, there is no doubt that when the team returns to being successful, the fans will pack MMP. This town will financially support a winning team, when it is here. Not necessarily the case in other cities
Big difference between the Astros and the Rays is that Tamps isn't going to truly support the Rays even while they are very good. Put that team in Houston and MMP would be rocking on a consistent basis. Too many northerners in Florida who are already Yankees/Red Sox fans, and no matter how the Jays do those fans aren't switching allegiance. If the Astros get to the point the Rays finally got to several years ago, there will be much more local support and money to keep the team together and add where needed (assuming of course, that a TV deal gets worked out. With no TV deal, none of this is ever really going to matter)
True... I was more or less comparing what the perceived "small" market teams do when they're losing vs. winning. (Rays winning = re-sign guys... Royals losing = always trade them). But the Rays will still spend as needed, and will never overspend in order to compete. The Rays also, apparently, have one of the largest TV followings in baseball... and would draw a lot better if they actually played in Tampa (as opposed to playing in St. Pete). It would be like the Astros playing all their games in Galveston, and wondering why nobody goes to the games every night, even when the team is good. In the end, the Astros are going to need to be GOOD to re-sign free agents, and possibly go after additional ones... but if this rebuild doesn't work, guys will be traded (in their primes, and before their primes).
I'm pretty sure all the "small market" cities would rabidly support a winning team... Kansas City and Pittsburgh are much better historic baseball towns than Houston, and Pittsburgh had a run of sell-outs to end last season (something they hadn't done in forever). Only Tampa, as you mentioned above, would struggle regardless... and that's because they don't play in Tampa. I also don't think the fans in Houston will come back right away... but its too big of a market to not notice when a team is doing well.
Interest in this team is at an all-time low. The same people who posted here when the forum first opened are the same ones left. That is truly "sad times".
Not really his point. I think we'd all love it if the GARM was the same people who posted here when the forum first opened. We had pleasant conversations about baseball last year despite the ****tiness of the MLB team. When this forum became the one with the active CSN thread is when it went downhill and right around the same time a local rag had a story about how it was all the big bad Astros fault the Rockets weren't on TV.
Sure... but there are going to be a good number of people who are now either angry or apathetic towards the Astros after the ownership change, and the implementation of "sucking royally to rebuild" plan. I actually can't really fault some of them... I myself dislike paying MLB prices the last 2-3 years to watch a team with less than AAA talent. I hated the signs, and any other attempts by the new cash-poor owner to extort more money from the fans. I understand better days are ahead, and I'm willing to give the FO the benefit of the doubt on "most" issues ().... but the average Astros "fan" who may have supported this team a ton over the last decade, is more than likely pissed off or just doesn't care about the team anymore. I'd rather welcome any and all conversation about a major league team that doesn't really deserve much attention what-soever (until some more of the potential "future" get promoted). I agree the "idiots" need to be squelched every step of the way... but when people start criticizing long-time posters for stating their negative opinions or dissent with the team, THAT IMO makes it more like the GARM than anything else (where there's people who attack anybody who mentions a Lin mistake, despite a ton of them, or there's people who attack anybody who defends the coaching job Mchale has done).
The team, as it stands today, will most likely lose over 100 games. Whether this ends up being the case depends on how aggressively they call up help from the minors and unload dead weight on the roster. IMO, its too early to tell.
