Money is not going to be the same. His family will be happy no matter where he plays because they will have so much money they can live wherever they want. Sad to say, but he will get much more endorsements being in New York. NY is more like PR(weather aside) than Houston with more Puerto Ricans in NY than in actual PR. Puerto Ricans have grown up idolizing the Yankees and any baseball player would love to have the chance at playing with this organization in center field. You can bring up the no state income tax, easier lifestyle, etc. in Houston, but New York is where he will make the most money and get the most prestige. Also, playing for the Yankees, he won't have to carry the team and won't be as pressured to do so night in and night out. Even tho I detest the Yankees and all of NY sports teams, I do not believe Beltran will come back to Houston. I personally hope he stays. Beltran will definitely pick Houston over Chicago IMHO. NY is a toughy to turn down.
Agreed. Carlos sees like a family/culture guy. NYC's Puerto Rican influence is a lot bigger than Houston's. If he were Mexican then maybe it would be a different story, but Houston can't compete on the Puerto Rican aspect.
You have to want to be in the spotlight. Im not sure Beltran wants to be in the spotlight. Some people absolutely hate it. There's a price for all that noteriety - unbelievable scrutiny. If Boras is the agent, he's gone.
Playing for the Yankees to Puerto Ricans is a big honor. The Yankees are like the Puerto Rican National team to them. It's just about every PR dream to play for the Yankees. In Houston he IS the spotlight. He is under scrutiny in Houston now. In NY he will be scrutinized but can deflect that scrutiny with the other ALL-STARS the Yankees have. He won't be relied on to carry the team night in and night out. In Houston, he will be expected to do what he did this year and when he doesn't produce, it will be more ugly for him than if he doesn't produce for the Yankees. We will see what Beltran is made of as a person when he makes his decision to stay or go. If he goes, it won't be just for the money but if he stays, it will show that he's not a quitter. He would be a man determined to finish what he started just like Bags, Biggio, and other Astro lifers. I just don't know if he was in Houston long enough to become a Lifer.
Absolutely false. Houston fans are nowhere near the fanatics New Yorkers are - especially when it comes to baseball. For the most part, Houstonians are very laid back sports fans. Every once in awhile, a team will capture the town's imagination like the team this year but no one will ever boo Carlos Beltran in Houston - it's not that kind of town. He has absolutely 0 pressure here Name 1 really good Astro player that has been booed. You won't find one. The minute Beltran gets into a prolonged slump, the NYer's will be on him like savage dogs. In NY, People live and breath baseball.
True about NYers living and breathing baseball and yes they will be absolute A@!holes! BUT...... As fast as they turn on someone, they can easily love them in a NY Minute. Also, Yankee games are ALWAYS sold out regardless. Beltran staying in Houston and not producing may not produce boos like in NY...but guess what tho.... Houston fans will just stop showing up to games as we have seen over the years. Thats the difference between Yankee fans and Houston. New Yorkers will give you the opportunity to redeem themselves and will always show up to the games. Houston, will stop going to the games when the team isn't doing so great.
Absolutely true. That's why he won't have pressure. Houstonians are fair weather fans. If you love attention, there's no better place to be in the east than NY or Boston, maybe even Philly. If you don't love attention, Houston is a great place to just play.
If you don't love attention, you play on a sunday afternoon in the park. Sorry, but when you are in the major leagues, you play for the best organization and the best team. It's the reason why you play the game.
Roger Clemens couldve easily played for the Yankees or the Redsox. Pettitte couldve played for the Yankees. You think Yao Ming would ever want to go to NY? Doubtful. he just wants to be left alone. What about Barry Bonds? Would he go to NY? People choose different teams for different reasons- hometown, less spotlight, family life, loyalty. Some people are just more reserved and hate the limelight. Some people like Texas or Florida because of the warm weather. It doesn't mean they're not as good. When Albert Pujols becomes a FA, I do not think he'll be bolting for NY.
ummm... last time I checked... Roger and Andy DID play for the Yankees and won rings with them. They already accomplished everything they wanted in baseball. The last thing they wanted to accomplish was win won for the home team. They had already made their money, made their mark on baseball, got their rings, and secured they position in baseball history. When you are a young talented baseball player growing up watching the Yankees, with your family and the people you grew up watching the Yankees, have the chance to play for them, make millions of dollars doing it, having the prestige of being part of this historical organization, playing aside the best team money can buy, secure more endorsements, and adding to your legacy and mystique, who are you going to pick? Houston over the Yankees? If Beltran was older and already made his money and mark in history, than I'd say he may choose Houston. But right now, he's so young and has the world at his fingertips. It's too tempting not to touch right now.
I'm not a big baseball fan but... can anybody name ONE PLAYER that Steinbrenner has sought after but didn't get because of LOYALTY? Please tell me one player? And don't even compare Yao Ming to this like he really had a choice on where he would want to play for. Baseball gurus, please tell me ONE player the Yankees have aggressively pursued in the last 7 years that turned down a Yankee offer. The Yankees is the EVIL EMPIRE! So let's see if Beltran will join the darkside! Please Beltran don't turn to the darkside! Use the FORCE!
I think that he'll assess the team after he cleans out his locker. Big questions: Who will replace Kent at 2nd? (can't have both Kent and Beltran) Will Roger come back? Will Andy regain his pitching form? Will there be guys that can contribute offensively? defensively? I mean I would hope Carlos would sort those things out before he makes a decision.
Anyone who thinks he'll come back to the Astros next year is a blind homer fan who can't face reality. Why would he wanna come back to a choking franchise who's never accomplished anything in 43 years except win 1 playoff series, ooh big whoop. I'd be glad for you to pull this thread up later and laugh at me when he resigns but he wont. Nice knowin' ya, Carlos, it was fun.
He stays. I'm well aware of Boras's past, and wish he wasn't Carlos's agent. But my gosh, look at how the city embraced him and how he played. I was at games 4 and 5 of this NLCS and the atmosphere was outstanding. He is a part of the Astros family now and will be remembered as the guy who won the 1st postseason series in club history. He also reportedly loves it here, and I know Drayton is prepared to offer him a very good contract. Of course the Yankees are a problem, but he doesn't strike me as the type of guy that wants to be in New York(from all reports wants privacy and little traffic) and call me crazy, but his name on the back of an Astros jersey has looked "right" all season. But the main reason I feel this way is I was there for 3 of the 5 home playoff games and I saw how the city and the fans(myself included) treated him and the team, and I'm sure he saw it too.
blah....Beltran shows he wants to play in NY....yuck! http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-4/109842700979110.xml Just down right disgusting!!! Beltran can't hide his interest in Yankees Friday, October 22, 2004 BY BRAD PARKS Star-Ledger Staff ST. LOUIS -- The guy from the Houston radio station just wanted one bite. He wanted Carlos Beltran saying something that sounded like he wanted to sign with Houston during his winter of free agency. And from the somberness of the losing locker room after last night's National League Championship Series Game 7, Beltran just wouldn't give it up -- which might tell you a little something about where he's going to end up after all. First the radio guy asked Beltran to tell "the city of Houston" what it felt like to be an Astro. "It was a great experience for me," Beltran said. "I'm just looking forward to seeing what's going to happen for me." Then the guy asked if having all this success in Houston made the Astros the odds-on favorite. "This is going to be a team I'll consider when the season is over," Beltran said. "We'll have to see what happens when my agent and the owner get together." Then the guy asked Beltran to talk about "all the positives" of staying in Houston. "The fans were great," Beltran said, politely. "The team we had was great, too. But when the season is over, I'm just going to go back to Puerto Rico and consider every team that has an interest in me and try to pick the best one." And on the dance went. It wasn't until someone else asked about, oh, you know, playing center field at Yankee Stadium, that Beltran cracked a smile. "That's something," Beltrain said. "I would like to see if that's going to happen. I don't know if the Yankees have an interest in me or not. That's something we'll want to see in the off-season." And when he was asked if he thought he looked good in pinstripes, the smile cracked even wider. "I don't know," Beltran said. "What do you think?" Houston, in general, and the folks at KeepBeltran.com specifically, sure seem to be getting increasingly antsy about that very possibility. They're pledging money to the Keep Beltran Fund -- a fund that will be giving to Beltran's charity of choice if he re-signs with the Astros -- and the money just keeps getting bigger. It started with a single $25 pledge. Then it grew to a couple of hundred dollars. Now it's up over $10,000 in just a few days of pledge-taking. The site says the effort is to "keep Carlos from being picked up by some big-money baseball empire." And you can guess which "big-money baseball empire" they have in mind. "We might not win a bidding war with the Yankees, but if we all band together we can offer him something much more valuable," the site says. "Your small pledge will make a big statement about how much Houston loves Carlos and all that he brings to the Astros." Beltran's supremacy over the past few weeks of this postseason has not only brought out their desperation, it's turned the volume way up. In 12 games, he hit .435, broke a single postseason record with 20 runs scored, and tied a single postseason record with eight home runs. He has driven up his value, by conservative estimates, by about $15 million or $20 million in the past few weeks. He was already, at age 27, one of baseball's premier five-tool players. And now that he's proven he can produce in the clutch? Most baseball people seem to think his agent, Scott Boras, could push the bidding as high as $90 million for six years. All of which has kept the people at KeepBeltran.com on edge -- and, perhaps, all the more open to the kind of torture one anonymous poster wrote the other day. "Welcome aboard, Carlos," wrote someone posting as George Steinberenner. "We're fitting up your pinstripes right now."
Winning world titles in NY is an expectation. If you don't you're a goat...if you do, you're just another guy who did what he was supposed to do. You're following the ghosts of men with names like Ruth and Gehrig. Win in Houston, and you define a franchise. You become the very face of the franchise for posterity. Money won't be the issue.
He is amazing, when he wants to be. Why doesn't he play like this in the regular season? I think he leaves, and I wish he would stay, but you can not blame him for looking out for himself. Carlos, thanks for putting the team on your shoulders (at least offensively) and for getting us very close. I hope you stay, but good luck if you leave. DD
