I love how the standard of "perception among the masses" is measured by those losers that actually have time to sit on hold long enough to hear their own voices on the radio. Among people with brains in their heads, pretty much nobody has ever thought the Astros were "racist".
Wherever the team wants to direct the money. Which we really aren't privy too. I'm sure Jim Crane wants to make money, but I don't think that is his only focus. Unfortunately, they will never open to books up to us, so we'll never truly know what is going on.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Houston">#Houston</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> owner Jim Crane to @<a href="https://twitter.com/randyharvey">randyharvey</a>: "I will spend the money when I have the money. I'm not going to spend money I don't have."</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/315847700476215296">March 24, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>That's about the fifth version of <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Houston">#Houston</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> explaining low payroll since October. Each time, explanation has been downgraded.</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/315847899445592065">March 24, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Crane said <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> lost money last 5 years. Told WSJ they'll make profit in '13. Told @<a href="https://twitter.com/randyharvey">randyharvey</a> Stros won't spend what they "don't have."</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/315848552733614080">March 24, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>$25 million <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> saying they'll "spend money" when they have it vs. holding "powder" for future use is two completely different worlds.</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/315850789451075585">March 24, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 'Taking ownership of Astros becomes source of contention' Spoiler
Crane's "official" explanation of being forced to move to the AL is pure bull*****. In my book, if you are being extorted to do something against your will you don't take a $65M kickback. Crane's offering price for the Astros was huge. Now, do you HONESTLY believe that the MLB owners would have flushed away that much money simply because Crane refused to move to the AL? In what universe does this exist? Was there a lineup of multi-millionaires ready to step in and buy the Astros had Crane refused the move that I somehow missed? This line of thought boggles the mind - that MLB owners would pass on all that dough simply because a prospective owner balked at a league change. Now, if you are willing to swallow that fairy tale, then you will believe just about anything Crane & Co. see fit to put out there.
Where the hell did this discussion come from? The Astros, like all other teams, aren't getting black players because the pool of potential players started drying up when black athletes started choosing football and basketball over baseball. Simple as that.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Based upon this every Astros & MLB fan needs to hold Crane's feet to the fire in '14. BS now, but TV increases then <a href="http://t.co/gYqZ2orxgt" title="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/harvey/article/Taking-ownership-of-Astros-becomes-source-of-4379573.php?t=d497c82945d8ff4dd2&t=d497c82945">houstonchronicle.com/sports/harvey/…</a></p>— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) <a href="https://twitter.com/BizballMaury/status/315869895025909761">March 24, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Sources indicate Astros are not out of debt compliance. That's pretty amazing given Crane was leveraged to make sale. Hmm. Paying down debt?</p>— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) <a href="https://twitter.com/BizballMaury/status/315871973093801984">March 24, 2013</a></blockquote>
So the Astros trading away their veteran players with big contracts automatically means we are not spending $$? They are doing in the right way, farm up. The Marlins, Expos, Padres, Royals, Pirates, etc. have done it for years, but when the Astros do it it makes headlines? Are we MLBs new punching bag? Peter Gammons can suck my texas d!ck, damn Red Sox packer
i love how you can't have a reasonable discussion about race. just put me on ignore if you're so bothered Thank's for taking it to the extreme. AnotherBrother has no brain according to you and are the first person to use "racist"
I'm kind of worried about Crane's comments. I have a feeling even when our prospects come up Crane will never bring our payroll to $100 million like Drayton did when we had a squad.
Never once does Maury Brown (or Peter Gammons or any other national baseball writer) make any suggestion as to what Astros should be doing differently other than vaguely saying, "their payroll is too low." Ridiculous. I saw that twitter string...and Mike Meltser finally got Maury to acknowledge that he wouldn't go out and spend money on free agents for the Astros this year, either.
Only time will tell. On the one hand, the Astros never won anything of significance when the payroll was close to $100 million, and they paid for it by being cheap in the draft/international signings. On the other hand, I don't want him to adopt Jeff Luria's model (Marlins owner) where he's found that he no longer wants to spend $$$ ever again after it backfired last year, even if the city just built a ridiculous stadium for him.
Crane's a baseball guy and competitive. They bought this team with an assload of debt. They're clearly working on that now, which times well given where they are in rebuilding. I have very little doubt that he'll add pieces when they'll matter...right now, they wouldn't.
Agreed. Again, I'd love to see what Gammons, et. al. suggest the Astros SHOULD be doing right now. Overpay for a star pitcher on a team that will still lose 90+ games? Overpay for a hitter that will be well past his prime when the Astros young guys are ready to contribute? They have to give this rebuild a chance to grow. Now, if the young guys they develop turn out to be role players at best, then they'l be forced to go out and get a stud someway/somehow. The one thing I'd like from the farm is to have more stud starting pitchers lined up. Right now, I don't see a for-sure one. Folty has promise, but far from a sure thing... McCullers likely will be a bullpen guy in the big leagues.... Tropeano is probably the one guy who's on track to be a for sure #1 or #2. History has shown that most prolonged bad teams can develop young position players pretty well... but the thing that gets them to go from a bad team to a contending team is bringing along some elite starting pitching. That's the major difference between the Royals/Pirates poor rebuilds and the Nationals/A's/Reds successful rebuilds.
NiTro isn't on track to be a top of the rotation guy. He would have my vote as the most likely pitching prospect to win 100 major league games, but probably as a middle of the rotation guys. With the pitching available this year, and possibly getting Rodon next year, I expect to have quality to go with our quantity of pitchers.
I don't like the God awful signs in left field, I don't like how new ownership has treated long time Astros like Stretch, Dierker or others... I don't like how the new owner is combative and runs his mouth and the Astros should have made a major leverage play for Jorge Soler when we are going to keep such a low payroll.... but there is absolutely no reason to spend money right now, we will still suck and if will only knock us down in the draft. Gammons didn't say the Astros strategy is stupid or not in the best interest of the Astros, he said it isn't fair (baseball is never fair), so I don't care what he says. As for the criticism of being cheap, lets see what happens when we are loaded in the minors and ready to compete. Crane sounds like a guy tired of defending his decision to rebuild and is getting defensive.
