I think of the Rays who had top 4 picks 8 times in a span of 10 or 11 years. I think of the Nationals being tanking for 2 players considered generaitional talents. We are playing young guys. We've run out of room in the minors, and we need to know what these guys have. Altuve & Castro look like ML regulars. Carter was a starter for the AL West champions just last year. Our bullpen has a lot of talent, just a matter if they can harness that talent. Our concept seems new, but it really isn't. We are just the biggest market to go this route.
so were you joking or not? for my small print, I will say that your fine print is bull****. either play the race card, or don't. and the suggestion that hiring Porter is a PR blow job is also unadulterated bull**** and an insult to Porter.
Now you are confusing me. You originally had only the first sentence on this post, then you edited to add the second part. Why do you think Porter will be hated? Most Astros' fans agree with the rebuilding strategy. Porter will only be hated if he does (what fans think) are stupid things. e.g. consistently use 3+ pitchers in a single inning, play journeymen veterans over rookies, make strategical mistakes. I guess a lot of fans hated Brad Mills because he was white.
they will hate him because the team will suck. i think he was hired in part because of jim crane's percieved past. i do not think its a big deal, stop trying to start an argument. IT WAS A JOKE
yes i do think porter was hired in part because he was a minority in part because of crane's past. do i care? no, i think its funny because the hate of the team sucking will be taken out on him. an unintended consequence that is ironic. nothing more
Of course it was mostly a PR move although Porter is the real deal as a manager. His hiring was supposed to provide Crane and Co a bit of PR cover although Crane flushed that away when basically told all of the ALastrosheep to F off last week. BUT, he's also being set up to be the fall guy if/when this team does not start winning in the manner that so many here assume to be a given. My gut tells me he's got until 2015 to make some noise in the AL West or he's a goner which would be a real shame.
if you guys don't think crane wanted to hire a minority given the intial perception of his problems at his company you are crazy
thank you hillboy, its chalk full of irony. some people just hate to discuss race in any form and go full blast either way when you do
If so, it was a pretty bad one. However, after following your posts for many years, I can buy your explanation. Next time, use Rick Perry because he is a REAL joke.
I don't think fans will hate Porter because the team may suck. I do not think Porter was hired because he is black. He seemed to be the best candidate that was willing to take the job. I am not trying to start an argument, I am simply commenting on YOUR posts. If you don't want discussion, don't make comments.
And why not? They did it to Cecil Cooper and Brad Mills when those teams disappointed. Porter will be no different - it comes with the territory. It's all about wins and losses. While Porter is saying and doing all of the right things, he's been given chicken ***** to compete with and unless he can magically turn this train wreck into winners, the ALastro sheep will turn on him as well.
I think he got hired because he was the best man for the job. I think if they were looking for just a black guy, and one that could take the fall later, they just would have promoted Dave Clark.
Cecil Cooper and Brad Mills made mind-boggling decisions during games. That is why they were ultimately hated. Cecil Cooper actually had a winning record as manager...
That may have applied to Cooper and the old regime who was still trying to capture some last chance desperate glory. Mills was fired because the new regime wanted to handpick their own guy. I think Porter has one of the safest jobs in baseball. No expectations, no controversial veterans, no egos (except his). He's like the Lou Brown of real life baseball.
Perhaps in years past (30s, 40s, 50s, 60s) this was true but certainly not now. Based on what I have seen over the past couple of decades, the ticket buying fans will only support losing IF there is a promise of winning coming soon. When that doesn't happen, the manager is the one who pays the price.
We can disagree on this, but as long as Porter doesn't make mind-boggling decisions as juicystream aptly pointed out, I don't think Porter will be hated during this rebuilding period. Are you going to hate him if the team loses 95+ games the next 2 years?
I don't understand how a losing team is supposed to provide a "promise of winning coming soon..." unless the Astros are going to be showing minor league highlights of Carlos Correa, Rio Ruiz, Lance McCullers, and whoever they pick #1 this year on the big screen at MMP every game. Crane/managment knows Houston is a front-running town, and there aren't enough die-hard baseball fans here to support this team no matter what... and yet they're still comfortable rebuilding in this manner (and I, for one, feel this IS the right way to rebuild... no matter what Gammons, or any other pundit thinks). If Bo Porter is professional at his job (ie - no personal incidents, no blowups to the media, no clashes with players/management), then its his job to keep until he proves incompetent while having viable weapons around him.
This also suggests Luhnow and his staff are puppets - but they've given no indication, having talked Crane into more or less taking a 2-4-year bath while they rebuild things, that they don't have the owner's complete trust. The Astros did an exhaustive managerial search. Guys like Biggio were prominently involved. To suggest Porter was hired for any other reason beyond his credentials is, frankly, an insult to Porter.
that's the only plausible explanation, right? either we think precisely the way you do, or we are crazy. bull****. bring up in a context that's not utterly bat**** ridiculous and I'm happy to.
