uh, yes. that's my opinion. not asking you to agree with it, just giving my opinion like everybody else in this thread. actually, maybe i'm wrong. can you tell me who the biggest travesty of a ballplayer i've ever seen is? also, can you please tell me who i think the best pitcher of all time is and who i'd want up with the bases loaded with 2 outs down 2 in game 7 of a world series? also, somebody recently asked me who i think the purest shooter of all time in the nba is...can you answer that for me? i don't want to give the wrong answer.
Then you haven't seen many ballplayers. Or perhaps you don't know what you're looking at. Or maybe you only watch the half where your team is batting. Cute! Actually, if you'd like some help arriving at opinions that are better-informed and less stupid, I'm sure there are several of us here who'd be glad to help.
I never said the beltran trade....shouldn't have happened, just that John Buck wouldn't have been part of the deal, if it were up to me. Buck is no world beater, but more servicable than anything we've had here since 04.
Wow, so much we look at these days are only offensive numbers. Ausmus meant much more than that. Like msn said earlier, Roger Clemens wouldn't have re-signed if Ausmus wasn't here, who knows how good Roy O would have been and how many runs would of scored when Brad Lidge threw a slider in the dirt? Many people won't admit it but I bet they're glad Ausmus was behind the dish when it was a one run game with the tying run on 3rd -- I know I was and when he wasn't I scream at the TV to put him in. I bet Q or Munson would have been terrified to call a slider with the tying run on and the go-ahead bearing down on you. I'm old enough to remember Brad's first stint in Houston and when he went to Detroit, I was disappointed. Glad the Astros got him back not long after that. I recognize that Ausmus pissed me off most of the time when he was at-bat, but I don't think a lot of people appreciate defense. In his prime, he was always in contention for the golden glove award with Mike Matheny. Pitching and defense wins games is a cliche but it's a cliche for a reason. Ausmus prepared for games like very few catchers. He knew each teams lineup up-and-down and knew the scouting reports for hitter. THAT'S a huge part to playing catcher in the bigs. I would gladly take a Brad Ausmus over a Brian McCann any day. McCann is an excellent hitter but subpar battering mate. Brad Ausmus isn't a Houston Legend by any means, but he should be shown some respect and appreciated for the work he's done with the Astros.
cardpie.....just forget it, if you don't 'root for the good guys' then you aren't a true fan. if you are an above average position player, with a good heart......you don't have to do anything else. you'll be a houston astro legend because you were nice. and even better, all your gidp's, flyout's to 2nd base, and completely clutchless plate discipline throught your entire tenure as a houston astro will be magically erased if you hit one clutch homer in the playoffs.
Who said that? Mischaracterizing the other argument is a sign that one doesn't have much confidence in his own. Now, this always puzzled me about Ausmus. He made a living framing the strike zone; one would think he could at least draw a walk. The HR doesn't erase anything--I agree with you. But it's one of our great memories, and anytime Ausmus is brought up among Astro fans you're going to hear about it. Just like you'll hear about Game 6 anytime Hatcher's name is brought up and Coneheads anytime Kerfeld's name is brought up, and the no-hitter whenever someone says, "Kile", or the 18th inning Burke blast... We're not saying that HR redeems him as an offensive player (because it doesn't); it's just a moment we're likely not to forget. Ever. (And I haven't forgotten his division-clinching blast in 1997, either.) Say Ausmus was horrible at offense; you'll get no disagreement from me. Say his defense doesn't make up for it, and that's very debatable but I get where you're coming from. Say he was merely "above average" defensively and you don't have a leg to stand on, however. That's just categorically incorrect. And, only one guy is calling Ausmus a "legend". A "legend" he ain't. The only thing "legendary" about Ausmus is how often I had to listen the ladies talking about certain anatomical features.
How did you people let this little bit of idiocy go? Landry...try looking up what the Astros did in 2 of those seasons. Please explain to me how the Astros get to the same spot or better with worse defending players at those positions? Oh, that and explain how we get Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens without Brad Ausmus which also greatly helped us get to the NLCS in 04 and the World Series in 05.
The John Buck who hit .224 with an OBP of .304 this year? The same John Buck with a liftetime average of .234 and a lifetime OBP of .298? Or is there a different John Buck?
idiocy? please. easy as pie. The Astros could have easily got the the same spot with 3 guys that actually got on base, and produced more runs. simple as that. probably why guys like burke and lamb were given more opportunities then they should. of course it's hypothetical, but not as looney as suggesting that those 3 guys(taverez, everett, ausmus) are the reason we got that far. you guys are ethier enamored with Brad so much, your memory has become distorted, or you're just misinformed. Brad Ausmus isn't the reason Roger and Andy came to Houston. It was first Andy, then Roger, both wanting to pitch for their hometown. Roger came more because of Andy than Brad, and even more so because of 20 mill per, and yes, I do know about the first year hometown discount. I'm sure Brad being here was an incentive, but highly doubtful it was any sort of deal breaker, if so, then why was Andy and Roger not even offered arbitration in 07? Brad couldn't keep em here then? oh yeah, like most players, money was a bigger issue.
even if its true about molinas ability to catch righties.......which I haven't heard before (not saying it's not true) lets use your logic...... Molina hasn't been in the majors for 10 years because he's garbage.
Yes I do, what does that have to do with anything? He plays in the more offensive minded American League and (to prove I really do know), the central division. Buck would not have been much of (if at all) an offensive upgrade the past 4 seasons than Houston's catchers. Buck did have that stellar .182 caught stealing prcentage this year (not to mention the 7 errors). I am not arguing that Houston catchers haven't been offensively inept from 2006-2008 (Ausmus did hit .250+ with a .350+ OBP in 2005). I just don't see that John Buck would have improved this team 2005-2008.
Because the question he was answering was better alternatives to Houston's catchers--which include Q and Towles.
fine, I conceed the John Buck argument, Although facing the NL central instead of the AL central 2005- may have favored Buck more. Bengie Molina.
For 2 or 3 years when he had a blazing arm, he was one of the best defensive catchers I've ever seen.
Caught 99 games in Toronto in 2006. Lower career OBP and actually hits into a higher percentage of DPs. Doesn't take walks much at all and doesn't always feel comfortable behind the plate. I admit that I liked the guy. But I've seen the guy too often during his years out of the Angels and he just looks so disinterested. Like what MSN said, Ausmus prepared for games in ways that Schilling couldn't imagine. Also with what Kaleidosky said about the AIM thing, he used to be very open about how he prepares for games and very open to speaking with his fans. Let's just say his SN used to end with the number "11." My old SN still has him in my friend list. He was also a class act and a family man. I would not blame him one bit for deciding that he wants to stay close to home. How could anyone blame him for that? But back to the preparation. He knows the exact spots that hitters seem to miss. His time spent on films and videos are beyond what professionals could imagine. If he wanted to be a mentor or an assistant coach for the Astros, there would be no doubt that McLane would hire him this instant. His knowledge of the game and how he made the most of his athletic ability was beyond 99% of the league. There are reasons why he was entrusted for so many suicide squeezes. He knows his ability and knows what to do when the situation tightens up. His defense is based on pure textbook fundamentals. How to stay in front of a pitch and the angles of pitches relate to that.
