I hear you about the Yanks/Sox thing. At first blush, my thought is the NLC would have been easier than the ALC at the time--but the Astros and Cardinals weren't too shabby then, either. Additionally, even the Cubs and Reds had a strong year or two in there. The Brewers never had a real chance until the last couple years.
Yeah it was the Marlins in 97. I'd be more than happy to see a move to the AL for strictly personal reasons. I'd like to see the AL teams make their way to Houston.
Brewers were in the AL East for many many years... along with the Tigers. (Now neither of them are) I guess that's why I associate them with the Yankees/Red Sox.
I know this has been said before....but contract Tampa out of the league and this "problem" (ok, it's not a problem) is solved. So is the problem of having a franchise playing ridiculously good baseball in front of paid attendance that's less than 10,000.
It's sort of a win-win no matter happens. It's a win if they are moved since it would mean more Yankees and Red Sox and other prestigious AL Teams. Some pitchers will be less hesitant about joining the Astros since they don't have to bat like in the NL. It's a win if they aren't moved since that means that they don't get the short end of the stick of this situation. It's a tradition of having the Astros in the NL, and it would not be as much of a rivalry if the Astros and Ranger were to meet up so many times.
who are those other prestigious AL teams? the royals? indians? this is all East Coast media gobbledycrap. I don't give a rip about having the Red Sox come into town again and the Astros organization bending over to play Sweet Caroline to a bunch of bandwagon jumpers. I'd prefer that not happen ever...again.
Pitchers generally prefer pitching in the NL, because their ERA's have often decreased substantially. There are a lot that actually look forward to hitting.
I just hate it when MLB feels like they can dictate what happens to Houston because we are an "inferior" market in the eyes of many... even when compared to Dallas, who has a much more limited baseball history in comparison. I feel this all goes back to the supposed chummy relationship Selig and Mclane have had, which really hasn't benefitted the Astros all that much. We followed his slot salary draft demands, while other teams got away with paying whatever they wanted. We also were told to open "our" roof for the World Series, when if it was any other regular season game, it would have been closed due to the weather. I also doubt they'd be telling NY or Boston to open their roof (if they had one). They aslo didn't dictate Arizona's roof during the 2001 WS.
There is one positive, and one positive only to playing the Yankees/Red Sox, and that is 50% of those games will be nationally televised (and easier to find illegal streaming for those games). Of course for me, that doesn't actually add games for me since I get the vast majority of Braves games, and I get Cubs games on WGN.
I don't think that contracting that whole team is fair to the organization/owners/staff that has completely changed the mindset and turned that place around. They should move them... preferably to a western location so that they have another team to put in the AL West. Move Detroit back to the AL East, then move Texas to the AL Central. Don't even out the leagues.... and if you really want to, move the Dbacks to the AL West.
If they're going to attempt to pressure Crane and hold the approval of the sale over his head, they better get hopping: http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastro...f-astros-to-crane-expected-to-come-on-aug-18/ Sale approval Aug. 18 As expected, the sale of the Astros to Jim Crane is on the agenda at the Aug. 17-18 owners meetings. A person familiar with the MLB agenda said the owners’ approval of the $680 million sale should come on Aug. 18. Current owner Drayton McLane said he hasn’t seen the agenda but hopes and expects the sale to get resolved at the meetings.
yeah, i'm pretty sure olney, et al. would be rubbing it in everyone's faces had they got something right.
Maybe they did it not in words, but through the art of seduction. A coquettish wink, a rakish nod, a lascivious glance....
