We all know that Uncle Drayton only kept Ausmus around to bring in the ladies ! I cant say I didn't like Brad cause he seems like a great guy and a true pro but when I think about him leaving I'm happy cause he's a horrible hitter and is no longer the catcher he use to be. Does he deserve his own tribute thread ? I guess to all the ladies who thought he was hot and those fans that really liked him. Does he deserve a " I will hit into a double play every time I have the opportunity " thread ? Absolutely !! Thanks Ausmus for your class and timely Home Runs
What a great way for Ausmus to end his career (with the Astros at least)...a game winning home run. And he deserves to go out like that. A stellar catcher...but a sub-par batter. And unfortunately, like Bidge and Bagwell before him, his age started to catch up to him and he could really no longer mask his defficiencies at the plate with what he did behind it. Still, I couldn't imagine or wanting anyone else catching for the Astros during the time he was here. Here's hoping one day we see him in the Astros dugout as a coach. And to all those who say good riddance, who do you suppose is going to fill his void? I doubt they go after anyone in FA when the starting rotation needs to be addressed. Which leaves Q or Towles...that's a little worrisome.
I think that Ausmus has a good mind for the game. One day he will make a very good manager. We really should do whatever we can to keep him on as some kind of coach.
a stellar catcher? please. he was above average at best. I like Ausmus, and I understand he was a good person. But he was a HORRIBLE batter, not sub-par, seriously, he was one of the worst offensive players EVER, and I'm not being facetious, statistically he was disgustingly bad. I could imagine about 20 different catchers I'd rather have than him. Just because you are slightly above average at your position doesn't mean you are given a pass for complete and utter failure at the plate. Look at Adam Everett and Micheal Bourn. as for who will replace him? hopefully Castro will soon. but even if it's Q or JR, and they reek their usual suckage at the plate, it doesn't mean we should feel blessed for having Ausmus here.
He was one of the best defensive catchers in the league during his prime...and I stand by that statement. But if you want evidence here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Ausmus And why must every position's players abilities be defined by what they due behind the plate. Fact is he was a major league ballplayer for 15 seasons, 10 with the same team. If he was simply average on defense and one of the most horrible hitters ever, then he wouldn't have lasted near as long.
fact also is that Adam Dunn has been playing for a long time also, and he's the polar opposite of Ausmus......... so is Adam Dunn legendary? thats my point. ausmus was good at one thing, horrible at another and far from a Houston legend.
Well I never said he was a legend. But he's put in enough service for this team to have deserved to end his career in Houston the way he did today.
I gladly take my hat off to Brad, his career and his contributions to the Houston Astros. I know there are 'haters' out there, but the Astros are'nt the Yankees and can't afford a 300 hitter at every position. Brad more than justified the positive legacy that I believe he leaves behind and I will always be a fan. I hope he will continue on with the Astros as a coach. Sweet job with the last game homer too
Yup, Ausmus' 1886 games at catcher over 16 seasons clearly are comparable to Dunn's 1130 games at OF/1B/DH.
Who is putting him in the same category as those guys? This is just a tribute on a message board. It's not like he's putting up a statue of Brad or something. You need to calm down, man. It's a thread on a message board. I see more and more Landlord Landry arguing in every thread over trivial things
Vernon Maxwell was one of the worst volume 3 point shooters ever. A very inefficient chucker overall, Rafer-type terrible. And an unpredictable hothead who at one time gave up on the team. But he played great defense and made a couple clutch 3's that a lot of people remember. Thats enough of a legacy for a lot of people. Speaking of Maxwell, the OP was trying a "tinman" approach of exhaulting a player from some of the great Astros teams. Ausmus played a decade worth of baseball for the Astros. Its not like we don't know what Ausmus is or isnt already. Ausmus isnt a "legend" in my opinion, but recognizing him for length of service to the team isnt any kind of sin against Houston sports.
I agree with you 100%. he was a good man, and a decent catcher, and I am happpy for him for getting a homer yesterday. but the stigma of his GIDP's and almost guaranteed non-productive outs, time and time and time and time again were so frustrating that it out wieghed anything good he brought to the table. good for brad, even better for the astros that hes gone.
Haven't, and won't, read this entire thread, but you are way, way off my friend. An absolutely stellar catcher. One of the best of his generation. Catching is NOT throwing out runners and it is NOT "game calling". *sigh* I've had to repeat this so, so many times to slide-rule nerds who don't know a blessed thing about actually getting behind the dish and receiving a pitch. I hope the present company is excluded. It's how you set up the target, and when. It's how you receive the ball. If you move your mitt too much or too quickly, you're far less likely to get corner calls from the ump. It's the footwork behind the plate; it's blocking sliders in the dirt with thighs and chest protector instead of trying to backhand them with the mitt. Keeping the ball in front of you. Knowing every hitter in the league like damned encycopedia. Knowing your pitcher's mechanics and challenging them on the mound with it. I've heard more than once of Ausmus telling a guy he was under his curve or his arm slot was dropping too low. MLB pitchers absolutely rave about pitching to Ausmus. Clemens, in his late 2003 contract negotiations with McLane, asked, "you're bringing Ausmus back, right?" But, nah; I won't believe what bunches of catchers have told me about how to catch and who's great at it (Matheny is another one). I won't believe actual ML pitchers. I'll believe a guy on an Internet BBS who wants to throw batting average and CS numbers and claim victory. He was a lousy hitter. He was one of the best defensive catchers of his generation. You can disagree, as is your God-given right, but you'd be wrong.
Let me add that, unlike Justice's pretty decent article, I can't group Ausmus with Biggio and Bagwell. If you can't hit, you're half a player. But if one is discussing defensive prowess only, Ausumus was elite among the elite. Ausmus had two, not one, highly improbable, exciting clutch HRs in his Astros career. One (the 2005 9th inning shot) was obviously bigger than the other, but bonus points to the guy who can list his other big clutch HR. Ausmus was a GIDP machine late in his career, but not so much earlier--but he still couldn't hit. I remember a huge argument over whether his offensive liabilities were made up by his defense. My answer was, it depends on the rest of the lineup! And it depends on another factor: what are the other options? This year, our other options were Towles and an injured Quintero. For whom, realistically, should they have traded? Whom should they have signed? For all the melodramatic snivelling and b****ing about Ausmus, it was Towles who was an utter disaster at the plate this year. I was really excited to see what he would do in a full season, and what a let-down. I hope he turns it around in 2009.
for someone preaching about baseball, its rbi I liked ausmus, never had a problem with his lack of offense as much as some other defensive stallwarts/offensive liabilities because we always had a pretty good pitching staff who always said he helped them through difficult situations. now that's value
Couldn't have said it better myself. Ausmus will be missed by a lot of people...especially the Astros pitching staff. I'd love to see him back in an Astros uniform as a manager some day. He's going to be one of the best ever.
