Understood. My only point is that those casual fans aren't sheep - they simply don't care. The point of sports, for most fans, is to be entertained. If the owner does something that doesn't change their entertainment, then not caring about is perfectly rational - it doesn't mean they are sheep or can't think for themselves or anything else.
That is not what I'm saying at all. My posting was about how Crane, Selig and the rest of MLB consider the Houston fanbase to be nothing more than stupid sheep that they can treat any way they see fit without fear of consequence. Hence this bogus move to the AL. That alone shows how little regard they have for the feelings of those long suffering baseball fans who have supported this team in good times and bad for the past 50 years.
Then please accept my apologies. If I sounded offensive to you it's because I am OFFENDED. EVERYTHING about this offends me: the cover story that Crane had no choice but to move the franchise, the blatant extortion by Selig and MLB, Crane selling us out for $70M, the move to the AL West, the cavalier disdain for those Houston fans (like myself) who grew up with the Astros, the insulting handouts MLB deigns to send our way such as "featuring" the Astros on opening night - all of this I find offensive and insulting. This whole episode far surpasses anything that b*stard John McMullen ever did and I simply cannot help how I feel. I have never been so outraged as I am now and believe it when I say that as a native Houston sports fan for over 50 years, I may have seen plenty from all three pro sports franchises to be outraged about but this tops them all.
Exactically. I think everyone will do well to keep this reality at the forefront of their mind when discussing sports.
Hillboy, I can tell you that the Astros were/are not happy about it. They've accepted it - but it was not what they wanted; not by a long shot. Unfortunately, they had no choice, at least in terms of wanting the sale to go through. This was a Selig power play all the way. He was not going to uproot the Brewers and lose the Cubs. Further, while they made the most sense, FYI - Selig owns a home in Arizona so he wasn't going to ruffle any feathers there, either. No sale of the Astros - to Crane, to you, to me - would have been approved without the team agreeing to the AL move. And holding the franchise hostage with an apathetic owner being forced to hold onto a team he no longer wants to own would have been... 50 millbillionity (made up word) times worse.
I definitely understand Crane not wanting to call MLBs bluff. $65M, the chance to finally acheive his dream of owning a team (in his city no less), and the potential damage an ongoing fight could have caused. If MLB dragged its feet long enough, maybe new buyers emerge, Drayton doesn't extend the agreement again, the guys they wanted might have been hired by other clubs, the old regime might have continued to make decisions that they weren't fully on board with. Who knows how different the draft might have went.
We are in the AL, we can groan about it if we want, we can blame whoever we want . . .But . . .We are in the AL As for the direction Crane has the team going Personally I love it right now, if we continue to manage the draft well in addition to having more $$ to spend on foreign talent than any other team, we could have a top 2 or 3 overall farm system as quickly as next year. There are no guarantees with that, but the more "great" prospects you have the better chance that some of them make it. Here is the big question when it comes to Crane . . . . Let's say Castro hits .280 and does a decent job behind the plate this year, and looks like he can be a decent mlb catcher Let's say Wallace finally puts it together and hits .290+ with a great obp and modest power, say 20 HR Let's say Altuve steps up his play just a little, and is a legit all star not just a guy who is representing us because we have to have a rep (and all this guy has ever done at any level is hit, hit, hit) Let's say the SS crop in the minors (and there are a few of them) have great years at their respective level, and it seems likely that at least one of them is going to be ready by 2014 to produce Let's say Carter takes to his new home park well, and hits 30+ HR Let's say Bud Norris finally puts it together for a full season, and has an era in the low 3's, and looks like a legit middle of the rotation guy for a good team Let's say Lucas Harrell shows last years second half wasn't a fluke, and posts a full season era in the low 3's Let's say one of the other young starters (Lyles, White, Peacock, maybe Cosart) shows the ability to be a legitimate reliable major league starter Now, with all of that we still might lose 100 games, but if all of that (or something similar) were to occur, would Crane be willing to ante up for a true ace type for the top of the rotation, and a legitimate big bat in the OF or 3B, in which case 2014 could be the year we make a major move up the standings board OR, would he still say that because we aren't drawing big time attendance they can't afford to sign big contracts?
If all that happens, I don't see us actually losing 100 games. The glaring needs on this team, even if our young players show promise are the top 2 spots in the rotation, CF, and the bullpen.
There's a very obvious reason for (re)building the system: it's barren and you simply can't survive with a dry pipeline. But there's a less obvious reason that is nonetheless equally important: when you are finally 1 or 2 players away, you need to have enough in your pipe to pull the trigger on a trade and still have bullets left in the chamber. The Astros believe they have infused their system with quality – and the results bear that out (ESPN last year ranked them 27th; this year 4th). But there was undeniably also a quantity aspect to it. That’s one of the reasons they weren’t terribly discerning in acquiring similar-looking players (ie powerful 1B/DH types likes Singleton and Carter). Flood the system, see who floats, deal the glut. I’ve been fortunate to have access to this regime, top down – and I believe not only in their conviction but their confidence. Listen to the way Luhnow pitches an “organizational” overhaul; he doesn’t just mean players: strategy, instruction, development – they are doing things differently across every avenue. And yes, when the time comes, he has been empowered to make moves to improve the team. I’m excited. The guy spent six years in the Cardinals’ system. They had four players in BA’s top 50 (including two in the top 6) – and Luhnow was there when they drafted/signed each one of them. Do you realize they’ve had one losing season since 2000? In that 13-year stretch, they’ve won a World Series, been twice more, and were a game away last year after losing the best hitter in baseball, if not of all-time. The franchise is finally back on track.
I agree, but my question is not about Luhnow, it's about Crane. Do you think that if, at the end of 2013, the team has the looks of a team that has a lot of good major league pieces in place and was closer to being good than what most think it will be, would Crane be willing to fork out big bucks for a couple of major pieces, say a true Ace and a legit bat? I've heard him say several times that when the revenues will support adding payroll then he will add payroll. I do not think they should be spending big money at the major league level right now, but I do think that at some point when we are getting close to being good, the final pieces will need to be added with some spending. When we get to that point attendance/revenues will not be very high, it will likely take adding those pieces to make the team really good which will increase the revenue. I fear the cycle might not come to completion without spending before the crowds swell, and wonder if he will do so
I think his and our timing might not mesh, in terms of defining "close" - but yes: if they're close, he'll sign-off on the team making the necessary moves to take the next step. If his only motivation was profit, he could have signed medium free agents this year and continued trying to put band-aids on the organization's gaping wounds. The fact he's willing to take a bath for many years to build this right should overrun and trample any idea that it's strictly a cost-cutting move.
I sure hope you are right, cause they seem to be doing a great job with the overall system, and if some of these guys pan out, and especially if a Correa or Singleton become a legit superstar, then adding a couple of big pieces in a couple of years could start another run like the early to mid 2000's, and man those were some fun years!
I have to agree that the new way of running things is incredibly refreshing. Anyone else remember the "Astros-type player" nonsense that Purpura kept running? Looking back, it seems "Astros-type player" meant low-OBP, no-defense hack machine with a good attitude, high K rate, and decent power. sooooo do not miss those days.
no joke man...it says a lot that those of us (who endured that patchwork and misery of the end of the drayton regime) welcome this new era with open arms, which we know is likely to include several more years of non-competitive baseball.
Abandoning the Astros would feel like abandoning a family member. I can't do it. Way too connected. I think if they had changed their name, I would have been gone....had they rebooted entirely like that, I wouldn't be able to make sense of a connection with them. But instead they did what I expected and went to their traditional look in order to reach out to idiots like me who can't quit them. I swear, the change to blue/orange was like a love letter personally addressed to me.
I'd be pissed if it was 70K...but 70 million...that's a lot of change. I don't think he wanted to move to the AL, because if he did, he would have played that hand a lot sooner. I think he tried to wait it out and when he realized the writing on the wall, he tried to make the most of the situation. The casual fans probably don't care, some of the hardcore fans have been appeased by the new/old look, and most everyone else of the die hards will not care the team is in the AL in a few years when hopefully they are playing much better. Which leaves you all by your lonesome. Life's too short to be that pissed about a sports team.
