1. Your collapse is predicated on ignoring the farm system, which isn't necessarily a requirement of being competitive. 2. The last window was really more or less 1994-2006, 13 years because you had a 2nd generation of prospects (Berkman, Oswalt, Pence, Lidge, etc) coming in just as the first (Biggio, Bagwell, Hampton, Reynolds, etc) were getting older/pricier. I don't think we know enough about what the team or MLB will look like in 2025-2030 to really worry about what happens at that point.
Yeah I was talking with a friend about that last night. I have a very bad feeling that I won't be supporting the Astros for a long time. The MLB should have never let this guy in.
Right, because it was so much more enjoyable when we were making huge splashes in free agency under Uncle D. Oh how I miss the days of landing such coveted players as Pedro Feliz and Bill Hall. I could give 2 ****s what the owner says, as long as he is doing something that has been long overdue....rebuilding the dumpster fire that was the 2007-2011 Astros.
Not ignoring... just not stocking it with as high-ceiling guys as when the team is struggling. I hope Crane isn't the type of owner who starts funneling less money into the farm once he starts raising payroll. I wasn't 100% serious about the post in terms of what is definitely going to happen... just pointing out how even with the best farm system/overall system, MLB teams are still going to be largely cyclical. Hell, even the Red Sox and Yankees finally are coming back to the have nots as they've hit a down cycle with their farms and the high priced "stopgaps" are no longer as reliable.
wow...just wow... http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/houston-astros-owner-fans-write-check-10-million-215556552--mlb.html
I realize this comes off inflammatory because that's how it's being spun...particularly given that headline. But he's saying they have a process that includes not paying for mediocre players to come make the current roster mediocre.....there is a real incentive with the new draft rules to rebuild by sucking. Much moreso than before.
Really? It confirmed exactly what I and others have been feeling about him ever since he took Selig's hush money to move the team to the AL. I took it as just another big ***** You to all of those fans who supported this team for over 50 years. To me, it just vaulted him past Rick Perry in the position of "Leading A**hole in the state". In my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd live to see another Astros owner who could top John McMullen in sheer "dickness" toward the city's baseball fans. How wrong I was...
I think you need to stop coming into the Astros section of the BBS...it's taking years off your life!
Drayton never had a problem bringing in free agents when it was the right time. Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Jeff Kent, Doug Drabek, and he shelled out money to Bagwell and Biggio to keep them here for their careers. The Astros also had one of the top payrolls in baseball when they had Clemens and Pettite. I'm giving it a few more years to judge if Crane will become a good owner, but right now he sounds like an jack ass.
Hey I agree, but I'm afraid that we may be constantly be rebuilding under Crane. I guess I'll just have to give it another couple years to find out....
Just based on the vibe I get from what he's said. I'll just have to wait thru a couple more 100 loss seasons to find out if Crane actually tries to keep players who have breakout seasons or if the Astros just trade them away for prospects.