The Yankees and Angels are complete opposites in the baseball world. If the Angels can win it then just about anyone can.
You seem to have forgotten Milwaukee, SD, and Detroit. All those teams together are close to a THIRD of the majors. Well...$68M is pocket change? Odd. BTW...even Steinbrenner has sent an edict to his GM to CUT PAYROLL. The economics are such that many teams are looking to reduce their expenses.
Once again, you get it wrong. What I did say is that Drayton is never going to spend signficantly MORE than what he is spending now. I think he is doing a fine job as far as owners go. And no, I don't agree that problem number one is that Drayton won't spend more. I think that problem number one is that MLB is set up in such a way as to prevent owners from spending more unless they don't mind losing bags and bags of money every season.
You said that Novak could not expect more out of his home town team because that would mean they'd win a championship and only the Yankees and other teams do that, presumably big market teams similar to the Yankees. You're basically implying that the Astros can't win a title and we can't expect to strive towards being better than they've been. There's quite a large gulf between winning just one playoff series and winning the World Series.
And I contend that the Astros are good enough to where they should win at least one playoff series. Part of the problem is Hidalgo and his fat contract. But had we let him go into free agency, people would have complained and said that Drayton is too cheap to keep his players. Of course, at the time, nobody had a clue that he would tank as bad as he has.
Disney is looking to sell the Angels and AOL is looking to sell the Braves as "nonproductive assets." That is Latin for..."we're losing our ass on these ventures."
Hey knuckleheads, quit arguing and read this latest version on the article. Looks like we might know by tomorrow HOUSTON -- The Astros are in "serious negotiations'' with free agent second baseman Jeff Kent's agent, Houston owner Drayton McLane Jr. told a television station. "The negotiations have been going on for the past three days, and it could go either way,'' McLane told KRIV-TV in Houston on Monday. Kent has until Thursday to accept the Giants' arbitration offer. "Talks have intensified with the Astros, as well as other teams," said Jeff Klein, the agent for the former NL MVP. "There could be a decision in the next 24 hours, but that by no means is certain. There are additional players who have surfaced to express interest the last couple of days. We're just going to proceed comprehensively with people." Klein said Kent had some interest in the Astros because he respects general manager Gerry Hunsicker and "he likes the lineup, (Minute Maid Park) and he owns a ranch in Texas." The Red Sox are also looking at Kent as a possible free-agent addition, the Boston Globe reported in Tuesday's editions. The Globe did not cite any sources in its report. Kent's ranch is near Spicewood, northwest of Austin. Kent is the only second baseman in major league history with 100 or more runs batted in for six consecutive seasons. He led the National League last season in extra-base hits and in multi-hit games. The Astros already have a solid second baseman in Craig Biggio. If signed, speculation has Kent moving to third base or taking over at second, with Biggio moving to the outfield. The Red Sox were also willing to give outfielder Cliff Floyd $24 million over three years, the Globe also reported. But Floyd turned down the offer and isn't happy about being offered salary arbitration. He has threatened to accept the arbitration by Thursday's deadline, and that could drastically overload Boston's payroll next season. The Red Sox may have to wait to see what happens with Floyd before they become aggressive with Kent, but they have had talks with Klein, and have considered how he would fit on the club, the Globe reported. Todd Walker became Boston's regular second baseman Thursday when he was obtained from the Cincinnati Reds. Walker replaces Rey Sanchez, who became a free agent after not being offered arbitration. Boston also acquired Jeremy Giambi on Sunday in a trade that sent right-handed prospect Josh Hancock to the Philadelphia Phillies. Giambi can play first base or the outfield. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
The Astros teams that made it into the playoffs have been very competitive and good enough to go all the way. Something just goes terribly wrong in the playoffs though. Crap.. So F'in frustrating. The memories are coming back up and I should just go and wipe some tears.
Agreed...but that isn't Drayton's fault or Gerry's fault. The fault lies with the players who hit well over .300 all season and then hit .100 in the playoffs.
EXACTLY. we're very, very lucky to field a competitive team every year. of course we want the best but see problem number 1 as to why it's not possible for every team to get any player they want all the time.
While I do like to bash McLane at every chance, that is true. We may not having any McLane arguments, if Ward and Hidalgo had panned out.
