thems fightin' word dude! texas is better than all other states combined! you are just jealous cause you probably live in rhode island or north dakota. if texas is "crap" than call me a fly cause im all over it.
What is exactly the problem with the Yankees owner? They run a great business. They spent loads of money for putting the best team possible. They did everything possible in order to win. They won a lot. They are one of the most famous and richest clubs in the world. Wouldn't you want your club to be like Yankees? If you are Yankee fan, why would you be against your club winning so much and being the best club on the land?
Les Alexander is the only Houston major sports team owner in my life time that seems to be willing to spend money in order to bring free agaents in. That's more than I can say for the likes of Bud Adams and Hunsicker/McLane and really that's all I can want out of an owner. All this talk about loyalty is ridiculous in the real world. The NBA is big business and there's enormous pressure to produce quick, immediate results in order for that busness to succeed. The Rockets have missed the payoffs four straight years severely underachieved last season, and are moving into a new arena next season and you expect the Rockets' owner to make a decision based on loyalty??? Get real. Whether you like it or not, in a business where your product must win in order to produce a profit, you just can't make decisions based on past performance. People looking for loyalty in sports need to get a time machine back to the 50's and 60's when the sports weren't such big business because fewer people cared and there was less paraphanalia to be purchased. Otherwise wake up and see the world in whch yo live. Or f you see it and don't like it, atleast understand that it is not going to change.
Just wanted to point out that this is not true. There are large LARGE chunks of the world that have no idea what the New York Yankees do. When you talk about most famous clubs, you need to be talking about a more popular sport. Manchester United in soccer for example. They're probably the most known club in the world.
I can find a link for you if you want me to. I did read a report ranking Yankees as one of the top clubs in the world (counting franchise value, worldwide exposure etc etc), alongside the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Los Angeles Lakers. I forgot the ranking but Yankees were at least in top 5-10. BTW, Houston Rockets weren't even in the rankings, if I remember correctly.
I'm mad at Les for lying. At least own up and admit that you fired Rudy. As for raising ticket prices, other teams lower theirs when they are losing. And threatening to move the team, I've never heard about teams like the Knicks considering moving. I want my team to be an institution.
If you want your team to be an institution then I suggest you move to Chicago, Boston, or New York. As much as I hate to admit it, Houston is a terrible sports town, maybe the worst in the country..................maybe second worst to Atlanta that is. For as long as I can remember you rarely had sellouts for the Astros, Rockets, and Oilers (excepting the grace period following the Rockets' two championships when you could have sold the Rockets to a Nepalese monk). Because of the lack of fan support, the owners have hostorically not spent a lot of money on the teams and that means no championships. To quote Yoda, no championships leads to no tradition and no tradition leads to a poor sports city.
Couldn't it be that Les thought it would be the right thing to do to keep Rudy with the organization in a less stressful job and continue to pay him for it. Rudy: "Les, the stress is killing me, I need to take some time off and retire." Les: "Well if you're sure. I still want you to still be a part of the Rockets organization in a different level and will pay you accordingly for it. You've done a lot for this franchise and still want you to be a part of something big." Les the Saint.
Only one coach in NBA history ever kept his job after four lottery seasons!!!! What makes Rudy better than those others who got canned? Two championships 10 years ago? Time to move on!
Ditto. Rudy would have been given one more year with Yao from me though.............that is unless Les thought he really did have a good shot at Brown or Riley.
Les also fired Turbo initially. Nobody messes with Turbo! Les did do the correct thing and bring Turbo back on board, after fan response.
There are several problems with the Yankees owner, he's unpleasant, disrespectful to coaches and players, often making unwarranted comments in public(eg - badmouthing Derek Jeeter, etc.) Yes the Yankees are successful, but they aren't a team. They are a group of prize gems, that are bought, and later sold. I may be a little sentimental, but I look at sports like entertainment, like a... sport. When the Rockets won it all those were guys, some of which went to college in Houston, that were together for awhile, that were unwanted by other teams, that really came together as a unit, and formed a real team. Not some farm where the owner buys the most expensive studs on the auction block. The Yankees are allowed to spend that kind of money because they will get it back. Their cable contracts are huge, in addition to all the other little deals that they have. It's why other baseball teams in the league can't spend that kind money. I understand if people like the Yankees, because they do win, but it doesn't happen with the class, dignity, and team spirit that the Rockets won with. Because for the fans it is still a sport, and not balance sheet, I'll stick with a classy organization that really cares about it's personel even if they win fewer championships than others.
Name one mens' pro team in HOUSTON that has won a championship?! Name one? I can. The Rockets. Now, maybe, just maybe, it took a no-nonsense type of owner that loves winning over "nice guy" politics. This is something that Houston has used for the last 35 years in sports. What has it gotten us? You can keep Bud Adams style ownership. Same with the Astros management. Is it a coincidence that we never won a championship in Houston (besides Les's team) because we were so concerned with being "polite?" I think not. Les knows what it takes. And what it takes is not "easy and nice." Think about it! Business is about winning. By the way, I don't feel you think of the Rockets as "entertainment." I think you see them as "family members." For Les (or any owner) to see the Rockets as "family members" is a good way to NEVER win a championship. Now, being too much of a hands-on ower is just as bad. But, that's not the case with Les. I love the fact that he's nippnig this "golly gee-wiz, nice guy crap" in the butt.
If I was Les, I would also fire Rudy. Les gave Rudy a checkbook and Rudy gave almost 100 million dollars to Cato, Moochie and Motay. 100 million for those three scrubs borders on insanity, irresponsibility and is almost criminal. I don't know the full story behind Hakeem leaving. I do know that Rudy had Matt "freaking" Bullard playing in the fourth quarter over Hakeem. I do know that Rudy never slapped Mobley's hand when you would wave Dream out of the post and go into one of his 1-on-1 ego trips. Tell me, if Mobley would wave a franchise icon out of the post, what did you expect him to do to a raw chinese rookie (Yao)? Over the years, Rudy had a hand in eliminating Elie, Clyde and Hakeem. He brought Barkley in and allow him to dominate the team. There is a reason, that Barkley was traded from the 76ers and the Suns. He gambled on this current collection of selfish, egotistical and immature players. He allowed this collection of knuckle heads to run the asylum. You reap what you sow.
This is a naive an unbalanced thread and should be treated as such. Heyp's oneside piece amateurish and does not deserve reasonable response or discourse. If you want to get "desired" discussion - paint the completely unbiased pictured. Get the freak off Les' butt.
Actually I think our championships were won with the fairly nice guy mode. That's why I value those championships so much. I wasn't saying that Les is like George Steinbrenner, just that I wouldn't want to model the owner of any team that I liked after him. I wasn't saying Les was bad. I was saying Steinbrenner is bad. I would have liked a little more honesty in Les' dismissal of Rudy, but I don't think it ranks at the bottom of sports classlessness either. Someone pointed out the success of the Yankee teams, and after having lived in NY city for quite a few years I know that I would never want teams like the Yankees. If Les did turn out to be like Steinbrenner, I'm not sure I would still be a Rockets fan.
i don't like Steinbrenner, but i like the way he spends money. If only the astros had an owner like that. Remember in basketball the cap is right around 40 million so when owners go over the cap it isn't too bad
