I can watch an Astros game, but other teams I really cant watch a whole game. Only positive out of this offseason is Dierker is gone.
Get real? I'm so sick of people predicting injuries for players. Alou injured himself one year for us running on a treadmill where he had an accident. Other than that, he had been rock solid for us. According to some, Dream should be on the IR right about now for Toronto but it hasn't happened. Quit trying to pre-determine injuries....that is garbage. Vinny wasn't getting any playing time and had a falling out where he was before the Astros. As a starter, the guy can flat out play the game as he proved for us. Pitching is overrated if you can't score runs. If we don't make up that batting and RBI production some how, then we may be expecting more than we should hope to expect from our pitching staff. If you want to talk about possible future injuries, then what about the pitchers going down? Injuries are part of the game. When I see other ballclubs making moves that clearly improve their squad and the Astros signing mediocre players while losing some clearly productive players, then my hopes for next season clearly are dampened...just as Bags and Wags are b****ing about the same thing now.
Does anyone think that the Elarton trade might have caused Billy to turn this offer down? He was one of the more outspoken players against trading Elarton for Astacio...and it's not like Astacio has done much to prove Wagner wrong in being upset.
Drew-I pretty much agree with your 4 points. I am sick and tired of the owners crying wolf on being broke and then paying salaries that are outrageous. Until some sort of cap is established teams like the Yankees will continue to dominate and clubs like the Astros will travel further down the economic slope. I could not even imagine the Astros trying to sign a free agent Jason Giambi type player due to the payroll restarints put on by Drayton Mclain which in all honesty are pretty darn good. Something has got to give and as history has shown us it will be the fans who take it in the shorts.
ROCKSS Bagwell makes around 17 million. He is the Astros Giambi-like contract. If he wasn't on the team the Astros COULD (not that they would) sign a high priced F.A. Surfguy Alou missed 36 games in 2000 and 26 last year, including a number of games during their losing streak the last 2 weeks of the season due to a calf injury. I would hardly call that rock solid.
I dont care what Alous injurys were. He was there for the wins, Alou always brought his A game. Astros are going to miss him. And Castilla as well. Get prepared for another peice of **** year.
whatever, unless you are the Yankees...every team can say the above...woe Baseball in general!~ woe the future of baseball!
rejecting 3 yrs at 25 mil wow.. i think we shoudl ahve signed alou.. if we could have gotten hi m for the 3 yrs 27 mil the cubs paid him.. no matter what the injuries he hsa stil been one of the bestplayers i n the league the last two years
I have a question: Why should anyone pay Billy Wagner "Mariano Rivera" money when Rivera has 4 more rings and countless more postseason saves than Billy Wagner? Rivera had 5 saves this postseason. Wagner had one blown one. I say trade him. Make Dotel the closer.
In the playoffs with the Astros, Alou was 3-26 with 1 RBI (as was most of the team). He didn't bring his "A" game there. 4 of the past 5 years the Astros made the playoffs (2 of those years without Alou), so I don't know where you get the phrase "another piece of $#%^ year". The Astros have been one of the winningest organizations the past 8-10 years and continue to have one of the top farm systems in the game. There is no reason to think they won't win next year. It would have been nice for them to keep Alou, but 27 million over 3 years is a bit pricey.
I'm guessing he won't make it past spring training. Would you trade him to Colorado for Juan Pierre and Mike Myers?
People keep forgetting that Jimy Williams is a SUPER manager. Who have the Red Sox had over the past couple of years? Nomar and Pedro.... thats about it. He simply took a mediocre team at best and made them into to playoff contenders (and the '99 ALCS). I think that many people forget how far our pitching took us last year. I recall SEVERAL games where we didnt have jack for run production. Our lineup isnt as horrific as some people think: 1B Jeff Bagwell 2B Craig Biggio SS Julio Lugo/Adam Everett 3B Chris Truby/ ??? OF Lance Berkman OF Richard Hidalgo OF Daryle Ward C Brad Ausmus/Gregg Zaun Starting Rotation: Reynolds, Miller, Oswalt, Hernandez, Miliki Bullpen: Wagner, Dotel, Villone, Brocail, Cruz, etc.... Not a bad team to work with. I think Jimy Williams will make a big impact with this team, and we will contend for the NL Central.
Hell yes. I think Wagner has turned himself into PRIME trade bait. Dotel can close, and I would be content with him in the role. Trade Wagner.
That's not really fair to single out Alou for lack of production in the playoffs. The fact is none of the Astros have done anything worth a damn in the postseason. It's fine if you didn't want Alou back...but don't expect everyone to feel the same way. I personally like what Alou brought to our club over what Wagner has done for us. I think Dotel would make just as good a closer and provide good middle relief. The fact is the Astros chose Wags over Alou and that's all that matters. At least they didn't p***y foot around and string Alou along...they were pretty clear for a while that they wouldn't be resigning Alou. Why is it the Astros always go for keeping the white guys long term(Biggio, Bags, Wags) but the rest of the human race.....is it's time to let them go? Maybe that's an unfair observation on my part....hehe. Surf
<B>I'm guessing he won't make it past spring training. Would you trade him to Colorado for Juan Pierre and Mike Myers?</B> HELL yeah... Daryle Ward would be pissed though.
Yep...we let some white guys go...but we still only keep the white guys long term...except Jose Cruz of course . I'm just farting around....I know the Astros management aren't only cracker lovers....hehe.
If you reread my post (which you quoted) I said that Alou was 3-26 with 1 RBI ( as was most of the team ). My other point was that the other poster said that "Alou always brought his A game". At playoff time, that wasn't true. If he had said that Bagwell always brought his "A" game I would point to Bagwell's playoff failures.
Well probably all the hitters dont bring A games to playoffs. But i bet if Dierker had a brain we would of won the braves series very easily. Alou was the most consistent player we had, he did it all. Who knows if Berkman will perform good? Hidalgo did well one year and last year he got a contract which now he isnt anything to what they thought. Astros management have made soooooo many mistakes every year and this year they made a couple again.
Yeah, we should have kept home boy Randy Johnson and let that whitey Richard Hidalgo walk. I hate these racist Astros front office clowns!!!
