I know people that worked in the front office with Jeff Luhnow, and not people out the outskirts. My point is I know and am friends with people that directly reported to Jeff Luhnow, and they did not have a problem with how Luhnow operated as a leader to his employees. He was passionate, and expected a lot but treated his employees very fair from everything I have been told. His problem was that the media treated him like garbage when he was losing - and he never respected them, and they did not respect them. He felt that after he proved he was good at his job, that people hunting for him could not get him. He ran the Astros like a start up business, and didn't see that everything he did was under a microscope. So all of his flaws were laid bare. So yeah, some of it is his fault - winning and innovation trumped all. As far as the scope of this goes - once he refused to cooperate, he was done. He knew it too.
Yes and no. Consider that the Dodgers, Yankees and Brewers were all known cheaters doing things similar to the Astros in the same time frame as the Astros. Also, Beltran was cheating long before he was on the Astros, and had cheated with the Rangers. The Astros did bring in Beltran and Cora, and it was known that they were cheaters within the game - but it was something largely accepted in the league. Luhnow was cut throat and wanted to win and wanted innovation above all else. However he treated his employees overall well and he is FAR from the only executive and the Astros are far from the only team that was cut throat. The Dodgers, Yankees and Braves come to mind at that same time. Nope. Cheating was rampant. The Astros were a big offender but there were others. Fiers was angry at not being on the post season roster and complained to the media and at that point the league couldn't sweep it under the rug. What players had their lives ruined? What fans had their lives ruined? Also keep in mind that Drellich was an ******* to the Astros and the team was an ******* back. There is ZERO love lost, and even if this scandal had never broken, there was serious bad blood there. Also, if what the Astros did is SO TERRIBLE - why is that the guys were know knew (Hinch/Cora/Beltran) are all now in management of some of the biggest baseball organizations? Why did the Yankees throw 300 million at Cole? Why did Correa have a number of teams want him? Why did Springer get a big deal? Speaking of Cole, he cheated with the Astros AND Yankees - he actually modified the ball.... that is major cheating, yet no one talks about it? Because it is RAMPANT.
Isn't this what an org is supposed to do, put winning 1st and foremost? If not why even bother keeping score?
Great post, so thankful a single minded person like Luhnow didn't listen to simpletons like Drellich and forged forward with his vision of nothing matters but the W/L's and building a dynasty. He did things to build this franchise that the media can't ever understand. Why do you think Crane didn't a guy like Sig or Petula to carry on Luhnows vision? Do you think Brown has that single mindedness in his DNA? Because if he does the media won't dare mess with him due to his minority status, kinda like how they've treated Dusty.
Crane has a number of times said that in business where there will be a close and important relationship (like a GM) that he has to believe in and trust his guy. There has to be a proper fit. Brown fits that - someone that will listen to Crane and other decision makers, but also do everything he has to do to win. So yes, I believe Brown had those qualities. I don’t think he was against Luhnow protégés, I think it came down to which guy he believed in, and that was Brown. If it wasn’t Brown, it’s possible we would not have one or an interim one, because Crane made it clear he wouldn’t settle.
FWIW Dep’t: The Rays are playing their spring training games at Tropicana Field after their complex in Port Charlotte, Fla., was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian. An announced crowd of 2,531 was so quiet on Thursday that the Tampa Bay hitters could hear the PitchCom device in the helmet of Twins catcher Tony Wolters and knew what pitch was coming from Kenta Maeda. It didn’t help as Maeda worked two scoreless innings . . .
