It’s still early in their off-season, but following the Astros’ hideous 55-106 year (a whole year dubbed one of the darkest moments in Astros history by one blogger), there hasn’t been a lot of good news so far for the ‘Stros.
Not the uniform we expected him to be wearing
First there was new Astro Jordan Schafer, acquired in the Michael Bourn trade with the Braves, getting busted on a felony marijuana charge. Schafer was reportedly driving in Florida with some friends when he pulled up next to an un-marked police vehicle, smoking a joint with his windows down. There really aren’t words to express how irresponsible, terrible and frankly stupid this whole thing is. Bad enough to be busted on felony drug possession, but to be caught because you’re driving under the influence of illegal drugs really takes the cake.
And it’s not Schafer’s first run-in with drug charges. He was suspended for 50 games in 2009 for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. The Bourn trade was already heavily ridiculed, and that drug arrest definitely doesn’t help matters any.
Shortly after that awful story came the news that the Astros, following a season when they posted the worst record in major league baseball and among the worst hitting and pitching stats, would be making no changes to its coaching staff. Everyone, from manager Brad Mills to bullpen coach Jamie Quirk, stays. Count on the Astros to look at the league’s worst record and decide to stand pat.
I can have sympathy and understanding for the fact that this team was pretty miserable from day one and that it only got worse when the Astros decided to sell everybody that anyone would take. But to think the coaching staff deserves no blame and no accountability is astonishing. Pitching coach Doug Brocail and hitting coach Mike Barnett are new, so I understand sticking with them (even though I think we have ample evidence that neither should have ever been hired). But, really, isn’t two years of watching Mills’s completely inept in-game management enough to convince you he wasn’t the right guy? How anyone can look at how he manages a game and decide the Astros need another year of that escapes all reason.
He could still be MLB's most controversial owner
And now the most recent news, which will be getting much, much more coverage and conversation in the coming days and weeks — a deal appears imminent that will move the Astros to the American League. The Houston Chronicle Astros Blog reported recently that MLB has been trying to work out a deal with prospective owner Jim Crane to move the Astros to the AL in exchange for $50 million to help Crane and his team of investors purchase the Astros.
So, keeping score — Crane gets $50 million and the Astros lose their familiar rivals, have to deal with the abomination that is the DH, and probably have to deal with a terrible AL West schedule that includes many late games that are bad for fans, bad for players and bad for television revenues.
If this is true, that’s a pretty bad first step for Crane. Nothing he’s doing is making me very optimistic.
Reports are that MLB’s concerns about Crane’s past business dealings have been easing as they have tried to negotiate this deal. Funny how those concerns go away, isn’t it?
Follow me on Twitter just in case some positive news accidentally happens @Astros290
Of all of these awful things, moving to the AL would be the worst. Mills will eventually be gone, but moving to the AL might be permanent. Awful. I don’t understand why the Brewers can’t just go back to where they came from, move the practically rivalless Royals to the AL West, and be done widdit.
I agree. And the Royals have a better rivalry with the A’s than with anyone in their current division. If someone in the midwest should be moving out to the AL West, it’s KC.
Its simple why the Brewers can’t go back. Bud Selig is the former owner of the Brewers. He’s always wanted to have his beloved Brewers in the NL from his days as a Milwaukee Braves fan. His #1 goal in life was to get the Brewers into the NL. Almost as soon as he became commish (1992)…what did he do? He started looking for a way to get the Brewers into the NL. In 1995, he “expanded” the NL and then used that as a chance to move his own team from the AL to the NL. In doing so, he screwed up the divisional balance and has been waiting for an opportunity to fix his mistake without sending his brewers back. This is the perfect storm opportunity for him. A central division team in the NL being sold, that as a Texas team has a “natural” rival in the Rangers, an AL west team with an new owner who has some “issues.” He can claim its marketing by creating a rivalry between the Astros/Rangers, while claiming it will help balance out (leaving out his mistake) the leagues and divisions and give him a reason to further force more “interleague play” (15 teams in each leage means interleague will have to be year-round), he can also justify his extra wild card he’s wanted and he can use the “issues” with Crane as the hammer to force Crane into agreement. Selig is and always will be a selfish screw-up of a commish. Its not about what makes sense (like moving the D Backs instead of the Astros or the Brewers back to the AL), its about him getting his way with his team where he wants them:IN THE NL.
Excellent coverage of this, Austin! Moreso than Miss Toot and McNugget on the Team’s OFFICIAL Website!!!
Got my reply-back letter from the Astros last week, and it basically was just a ‘Thank You for your Support, and will take your Comments into consideration’ blah-blah-blah note. Makes me glad I’m now in a National League Town (Denver), and will now root for them more than my ‘Former’ Home Team.
This deal is as good as done, and just needs to be pushed-through at the Owners Meetings. In my opinion, Unkie knew about this before he even struck a deal with Crane, and they had to keep it ‘under cover’. Case in point, why is it now that McNugget talks about the $50 Million, and didn’t mention a peep of this Months ago? Same with Miss Toot. But, in her case, she refuses to say anything about it, just that back in June it was all “heresay”, but looks what’s happening now?!
Not to mention, the other Houston Media Outlets (mainly Randy McIlvoy) are just throwing this under the rug until Spring Training starts in late February.
This whole thing (including Schafer and the two Tri-City Players who are accused of groping a waitress) has been handled piss-poor by the Organization, and just shows that they only care about one thing…making Money! Especially when they’re ‘celebrating’ the 50th Anniversary of the Franchise Six Months before the actual Date! Should be REAL interesting come time for the Team’s Winter Caravan in a couple of Months…if they have it. As someone on the Chronicle has stated, maybe we can return our Astros Items to them during then, or before. #OccupyMinuteMaid
“So, keeping score — Crane gets $50 million and the Astros lose their familiar rivals, have to deal with the abomination that is the DH, and probably have to deal with a terrible AL West schedule that includes many late games that are bad for fans, bad for players and bad for television revenues.”
Sincerely,
the Harold Camping of the Astros
How does that put me on par with Harold Camping?
I saw the word “abomination”.
Ah. That was a little hyperbole, just something kinda playful and also expressing my very real disdain for the DH. I think it has no place in baseball at the pro level.
Oh I don’t mind. It was the worst season ever, and is turning out to not end until the 2012 season starts.
What If? (Marvel Comics)…. the Astros deal falls apart.
Commissioner Selig puts together (colludes) a plan for a “White Knight” buyer surreptitiously funded via a mysterious AL East owner(s)… in exchange for luxury tax exemptions (Larry Bird-esque). When this happens the franchise in Tampa Bay decides this is THE back-breaker and moves to SLC… a western venue. Now one problem solved becomes two problems.
This was “left” out of the Astros ’11 post-mortem:
BWallace LHB 115g 336ab 5hr .259avg .369slg .703ops
BBogusevic LHB 87g 164ab 4hr .287avg .457slg .805ops
added bonus: neither have been arrested as of yet
Haven’t actually done my post-mortem yet, but thanks for sharing. Very good numbers.
Jim Crane hasn’t even owned the Astros for a single day and he’s already the worst owner in Astros history. This guy (and his 50 partners) are going to be a DISASTER as owners. If Crane doesn’t care about the fans now, he’ll NEVER care about the fans. He’s just going to sit up in his private suite and count all his money.
If this was New York or Los Angeles or Chicago, a guy with Crane’s skeletons wouldn’t have had ANY chance to be approved, but thanks to Houston’s god-awful media, no one said anything until it was too late. Screw you, Richard Justice and the Houston Chronicle.
Been a fan of Stros for years don’t know about you guys but I think the GM should be the first to get the Ax. I mean in all the years of watching the Stros never did I see the GM tank a season, especially by selling of household names in order to save a buck. If we move to the AL I say the town should boycott the games. We the taxpayers paid for the stadium. ED Wade needs to go back up north, Stros need to stay in the NL, and if Crane doesn’t watch it he is going to become more hated than Bud Adams in Houston!
To be fair, I don’t think he was just getting rid of the good players to save a buck. They were also trying to build for the future. They got a lot of prospects, some of them pretty good looking, so we’ll see how it pans out. I’m hoping it goes well. I don’t think they tanked the season JUST to save money (though it was a factor with the sale of the team). But I agree that Wade should get the ax. He’s been terrible and with his long track record with what he did in Philly, there’s no reason to believe he’ll magically get better. He won some Astros fans over with his Pence trade only to destroy it less than a week later with his Bourn trade. He is probably the worst GM in baseball.
Not “probably” the worst GM,, he is the worst GM in MLB.
Bud Selig…brings his Brewers to the NL, screws up the NL Central, then decides to ship us off to the AL so that his Brewers don’t have to deal with all that is awful about it. To hell with Houston and the 4th largest market in the country, he says.
2011 a Poignant Year for Texas BB (shorter remembrance)
started jonesing bad in Feb/March
couldn’t find a pre-season Astros game (as always)
watched the Astros opener… pretty much summed their entire season up
watched Josh Hamilton injure himself in an APRIL game
the guy fell off the railing (sad)
longhorn BB came up short once again (Augie’s almost done)
incredible joy about rangers season, cautiously optimistic playoff chances
finished a fifth of JB two nights ago (after game 6)
I don’t when I’ll want to watch another game
I had trouble enjoying the best world series since I vaguely remember anything about reds-red sox as a tot. My fav up till this one was 1990 reds-As (Eric Davis HR). Just because.
Maybe it’s time for the fans to just stay home. Not because of the players but because of the ownership (current & future), the league (Selig and his cohorts), and the management (Wade and the rest of the clowns masquerading as professional baseball people). If a baseball is hit in an empty MM Park and nobody sees or hears it, did it happen? Having followed the Astros since inception, this has got to be the height of incompetence, stupidity and greed. Wgat a sad chapter in the history of the team and Houston sports franchises.
The Astros are joke! I’ve been a fan for about 30 years. Not too many bright spots along the way. If they move to the AL I will not watch them anymore, oh wait they never come on ESPN anyway. If i lived in the area i would definitely boycott the games. Hit’em where it hurts, their wallet. Seems like they have been rebuilding for 30 years. Should have built the team around Pence.
Well it’s finally happenied. Houston is getting repaid for the Bagwell trade with the Bourn trade. What a dumpster fire of a deal. I guess it had to happen sooner or later.
As for the AL, I’ll wait to see how this plays out but I’m getting less optimistic by the minute.