Wednesday Morning Hot Links

The best sports month of the year has finally kicked off. Playoff baseball is live, conference college football has begun, NFL football is in full swing, the NBA and NHL start their seasons, even the Tetris World Championships are in October. This, of course, is not even taking into account the cooler temperatures and my birthday. We don't deserve this month.

If you didn't watch the NL wild card game last night, you missed out on something extremely enjoyable.

The Astros hit the cover of Sports Illustrated this month, and here's the featured article detailing the Astros and the construction of their October-ready roster.

Each postseason team is going to need an X-factor. Who is the Astros X-factor going into this postseason?

The odds of having a historically memorable World Series matchup is actually quite high this year.

Rays or A's: does it really matter who the Astros play in the ALDS?

CBS Sports seems to think so.

Tags has what I assume is his final guess (but who knows at this point) at the Astros ALDS roster.

Will Harris was sneaky great all year this year. An excellent sign heading into the coming weeks.

The Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writer's of America have named their award winners for this 2019 Astros team.

Why is Mattress Mack betting so much money on the Astros this year?

Expectations are high for the Astros this year, so let's take a trip down memory lane and remember the top ten other Houston teams with high expectations with succeeded/failed.

In Astros legal news, Drayton McLane is taking Jim Crane to court because he claimed the Astros tanked purposefully to harm Comcast SportsNet Houston.

Also in Astros legal news, it did not go well for Jeff Bagwell in his case against his landscapers that he stiffed.

Baytown Hat Co. is selling half Cowboys/half Astros hats that are disgusting and I hate.

It turns out red meat may not be bad for you after all...

Domino's is now looking for Australian Garlic Bread Testers. So if your dream job may be that, you best act fast.

Monday Morning Hot Links

Good morning everyone and happy Monday to you all. Let's talk sports. The Astros beat the Angels again yesterday afternoon 3-1 and continued to stay up 1.5 games on Oakland. Correa and Marwin brought in our only runs as Framber Valdez was dominant again allowing 1 run in 5 innings with Peacock, Rondon, and Osuna doing their job as well. Jack Baer has your full recap here.

Astros-A's tonight. One team will want it. One team will not. Springer will be back in the lineup tomorrow, despite some incorrect rumors swirling about the Internet. The Crawfish Boxes has your series preview here.

ESPN Senior Writer Tim Keown spent ten days inside the Astros clubhouse. It is very good and is the link you should read if you only have time to read one.

I know this was touched on yesterday's Hot Links, but this dang Verlander receipt makes me angry simply because $10.00 Cranberry Juice should be absolutely illegal.

A.J. Hinch is the Coach.

We!

Got!

More!

Stares! (just not in chronological order)

I also suggest watching everyone else's dugout stare on Twitter. And if you want EVEN more Dugout Stare content, I am working on a side project involving this viral movement that I hope (fingers crossed) I can get out by the end of the week. Stay tuned.

Somebody made a big 'ol Astros cornmaze.

Fresno clinched a playoff birth on Saturday night, which is the first time the team clinched at home.

Speaking of Fresno, Kyle Tucker did it again.

Brian McCann hit a home run in Corpus Christi yesterday.

Apparently Yankees bloggers believe they match up well against the Astros.

A lady got out of a ticket because she wrote the heck out of this poem.

Most vanilla ice cream doesn't have vanilla, cream, or milk in it but I truly do not care because it tastes good.

On This Day In Baseball History

In 1982, Rickey Henderson broke the single-season stolen base record with his 118th stolen base.

In 1999, Vladimir Guerrero's 31 game hitting streak ended, the Expos franchise record.

In 2007, Drayton McLane fired manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura.

In 2015, the White Sox wore really bad collared jerseys. Like, really bad.

History Lesson: The Astros, Phil Nevin, and the 1992 Draft

Today we get to unveil the latest in our History Lesson series, an effort in which we try to write too many words about every interesting episode in Astros history. Do to the length of the piece we have put it on a separate page. So here is the link to 2800 words about the Astros, Phil Nevin, Derek Jeter, and the 1992 draft.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Win your coolerwater by knowing all the things with these lincs.

*George Springer will be on the SVP & Rusillo show on ESPN Radio at 2:15 Central.

*Josh Zeid had LASIK surgery because he couldn't see what Jason Castro was calling for during night games on the road.

*While the Astros are expecting an update on Carlos Correa's leg by "midweek," Jeff Luhnow is expecting him to miss "significant time."

*The God-awful stretch the Astros' offense endured over their last six seasons games is "going to be the nature of how our season goes," says Luhnow. That said, "Everybody needs to step up. We do believe in the players we have, but the patience isn't going to last forever..."

*Here's an update on the Crane/McLane lawsuit.

*The Astros are following the progress of 39th Round pick Brad Antchak in his summer league.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

This whole thing is on a need-to-know basis. And this is what you need to know:

*Lucas Harrell asked for a trade but did not demand one, according to Jeff Luhnow, who also said that it would have been tough for Harrell to make his way back to Houston. 

*Brady Rodgers: The next Bud Norris? (Link also has good info on Tommy Shirley, Luis Cruz, and Preston Tucker.)

*Sigh. Judge Isgur will rule within two weeks where Crane's fraud lawsuit will be pursued. 

*Getting booed in Houston really hurt Carlos Beltran's feelings.  

*Nice profile on Conor and Cavan Biggio from Notre Dame's student newspaper

Drayton asks judge to throw out lawsuit

Former owner Drayton McLane asked a federal judge to throw out Jim Crane's lawsuit accusing McLane of fraud and conspiracy related to the CSN Houston debacle, and then took a shot at Crane, noting "back to back 100-loss seasons."

No plausible reading of the purchase and sale agreement would call for (McLane) to guarantee the network’s success on television when the performance of the team on the field is abysmal.

 Oho! That's all well and good, but let's not forget that the first time the Astros lost 100 games was in 2011 when Drayton was still owner, selling the team to Crane.

Let's also not forget that it was Drayton who approved the signings of Carlos Lee and Woody Williams, forfeiting the Astros first two draft picks in 2007. And let's not forget that Drayton didn't want to spend the money to sign Derek Dietrich (3rd Round) or Brett Eibner (4th Round), meaning that the first Astros pick to actually sign was the 171st overall pick Collin DeLome.

Let's also not forget that it was Drayton's refusal to even mention the word "Rebuild" after 2005. Let's not forget that it was Drayton who ran off Gerry Hunsicker, leading to the tenures of Tim Purpura and Ed Wade. Let's not forget that Drayton approved the trades of Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman, Hunter Pence, and Michael Bourn, beginning the rebuild himself.

I can get on board with Drayton trying to get a fraud lawsuit dismissed. I can't get on board with Drayton acting as though he had no part in the current state of the franchise.

Some thoughts on this Astros lawsuit

So by now you know that Jim Crane is suing Uncle Drayton, Comcast, NBC Universal, you, your mom, the neighbor's dog, and Jimmy Kimmel for fraud, alleging that the above parties misrepresented the value of the RSN that was a part of the deal.

If you remember, the price that Jim Crane paid - $680m (before the AL discount) - included the Houston Regional Sports Network, of which the Astros control 40%. David Barron reminded us at the time that, at least in 2002, the Astros' portion of the HRSN was valued at $213m. NESN said that the Crane group bought their part of the RSN for $93m. 

But CSN Houston wasn't paying the Astros its rights fees for most of the season, because of the mess with the (lack of) carriage deals. Crane said last week:
We now face a situation where either we accept millions of dollars in loss each year, with the damage to this franchise and this city for next 20 years, or we fight back. I did not buy this team to have a low payroll and be mediocre. We bought this team to win championships and we bought part of this network so our fans can watch the games.

Comcast responded:
It appears that Mr. Crane is suffering from an extreme case of buyer's remorse, and aiming to blame the network's challenges on anything but his own actions.

And Drayton released a statement:
This was one of the most complex and scrutinized transactions of my business career. The accusations that have been reported are hollow and appear to be an attempt to recreate the facts.

So of course everyone is going to stick to these positions. And we're going to hear about it, because this is the media we're talking about. Might as well get ready for only hearing about the Astros in terms of the lawsuit.

But there are a couple of things to which I keep coming back:

*There are two possible resolutions here: (1) Either Jim Crane didn't do his homework on a $680m deal or (2) Drayton McLane tried to screw Jim Crane.

Neither is a fun scenario. Remember Drayton didn't like Crane for backing out on a deal to buy the team in 2008. But the choice seems to be between Crane being dumber than Drayton or Drayton screwing Crane, which in turns screws the baseball team we all like more than the other baseball teams.

What's the best-case scenario here? Probably that this will result in a highly entertaining Old Rich White Guy Slapfight, with David Barron refereeing, and the Astros getting a new carriage deal worth so much money that the Dodgers and Rangers weep with despair as the Astros buy All The Players. Worst-case is that Crane loses in court, and we fans are stuck with a payroll hovering around $2.13 an hour plus tips.

Fraud, huh?

Tom Kirkendall tweeted out a link to a statement the Astros made this evening regarding a petition that Jim Crane and the Astros filed today...

The Petition asserts causes of action for fraud as to McLane Champions, LLC and R. Drayton McLane Jr; negligent misrepresentation as to all Defendants; breach of contract and declaratory judgment as to McLane Champions, LLC; and civil conspiracy as to all Defendants, relating to and in connection with the purchase of Houston McLane Company, LLC and its equity interests by Jim Crane and the current ownership group in 2011.

The Defendants are listed as Drayton, Comcast, NBC Universal, and Jon Litner - the Group President of the NBC Sports Group.

The reason for filing today, according to the statement, is that the statute of limitations would expire today, and they filed to preserve their rights.

This is, um, big.

Forbes' Billionaire list

Just a quick heads-up, Drayton McLane is ranked #831 on Forbes' Billionaire list (#279 on the U.S. list), valued at $1.8 billion. Our new fearless owner is not on the list.

When Drayton almost moved the Astros to Virginia

Maybe you remember, maybe you don't. I had to spend some time taking some hate-filled trips down Memory Lane to get the full story in my mind of when Drayton almost sold the Astros to D.C. businessman Bill Collins, whereupon he would move the Astros to northern Virginia.

On October 18, 1995 owner Drayton McLane confirmed the possibility that he had discussed the possibility of selling the team to a group headed by telecom magnate Bill Collins "on three occasions" with the expressed intentions of relocating the franchise to Virginia. Collins had previously attempted to buy the Pirates, Expos, Mariners, and Giants.

The AP report said that "dismal fan support is forcing McLane to consider a sale simply to protect his personal fortune." Among Drayton's claims:

1) He personally lost $65 million in the three years after buying the team from Dr. John McMullen
2) McLane could lose $20 million in 1996.

McLane told the AP:
"I have visited with Bill Collins but it is premature to draw any conclusions from our talks...If we had just been able to break even, this would not be an issue. We have to face reality. I'm not sure whether Houston can be a baseball town in today's financial situation with the game."

This prompted Mayor Bob Lanier and Harris County officials to meet with Drayton the following week. Lanier:
"I think the community needs to help him, and I want to help him as best I can...If we want to keep the Astros, if they are important to this community...it just comes down to people buying season tickets."

Drayton gave the city two weeks to demonstrate the fan support necessary for Drayton not to sell the team, and keep them in Houston.

Yet within that two week window, ESPN and the Washington Post both reported on October 27, 1995 that Drayton had agreed to sell the Astros to Bill Collins for $150 million. George Barton, of the Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority, was quoted as saying "an agreement has been made. There has been a handshake." Denials were made, and "vigorously."

While NL officials were qualifying the deal as in its infancy - McLane hadn't been given permission to even start negotiating - he was still at least asking for permission. (Interestingly enough, in the previously linked NYT story, the Astros had just interviewed Gerry Hunsicker - the Mets' assistant vice president of baseball operations - for the open GM job.

On November 7, we got an update. McLane was alleged to demand the sale of at least 25,000 season tickets to keep the Astros in Houston (who averaged approximately 19,000 fans in the strike-shortened season). McLane's attendance goal was between 30,000-35,000.

Mayor Lanier and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels created a committee to study the possibility of building a new stadium downtown, but Eckels didn't sound optimistic:
"I have no idea what is going to happen. I'm hoping to talk with him before making a decision."

McLane met with two U.S. Representatives and complained further about "losing money:"
"The question is: Do the people of Houston really want to support a major-league baseball team? And if not, the team should go elsewhere."

McLane wanted serious improvements made to the Astrodome, but said in late October that a retractable-roof stadium would be the most ideal option for the team.

Negotiations dragged on for almost a year. 48 of the 81 home games at the Astrodome saw attendance over 20,000 as the Astros finished 82-80, 2nd in the NL Central.

Early on September 13, 1996, McLane told the AP:
"We made a lot of progress in the last two days, so we hope we could reach some agreement in the next three days. I'm very confident that we can. But if we can't, we would move forward."

He told the Chronicle that he wanted $20m - payable over three years - to cover his estimated losses  until financing for the stadium was approved. This was double what Judge Eckels was willing to pay. If this was not agreed to, McLane would resume negotiations with Bill Collins.

Later that day McLane and Houston/Harris County officials struck a deal to keep the Astros in Houston for 30 years in a downtown stadium.

A November 1996 referendum passed in Harris County with only 51% of the vote (out of over 775,000 votes, it passed by under 17,000 votes) to construct a $265m stadium downtown - which was enough to keep McLane happy, and keep the Astros in Houston. McLane said:
 "This will keep baseball here well into the next century. This is something we had to have to be competitive and I'll be happy to tell the other owners that we're moving forward in Houston."

And that, friends, is how Uncle Drayton held Houston hostage until they agreed to build him a shiny new stadium, on which construction began on October 31, 1997 and Enron Field opened on April 7, 2000.

Let the piling on commence

Yesterday the Astros traded a shortstop who has never played more than 97 games in a season, and has a career 6.1 WAR. In his career, the shortstop has missed time due to:

Wrist surgery (2009)
Sprained shoulder (2010)
Nerve damage in shoulder (2010)
Mononucleosis (2011)
Sprained right ankle (2012)
Peroneal nerve damage (2012)


In addition to this 28-year old shortstop who, in five seasons, has played in a total of 353 games, the Astros traded a 28-year old reliever who was 2-10 in 2012 with a 5.37 ERA/1.45 WHIP, and a 4.22 FIP who walked 4.35 batters per nine innings, and had a 7.31 ERA on the road. From June to August 2012, this reliever - who can throw it hard, but not accurately - had a 6.94 ERA and blew four saves.

In return for a 28-year old injury prone shortstop, and a 28-year old shaky reliever, the Astros received:
25-year old RHP Brad Peacock, the A's #4 prospect by John Sickels, and Baseball America's #2 A's prospect.
26-year old 1B/DH Chris Carter, their #9 prospect, who hit 16 homers in 260 PAs for the A's in 2012.
21-year old catcher Max Stassi, who is coming off of 2011 shoulder surgery, but signed with the A's for a 1st Round bonus.

But, given the reaction, you would think that the Astros just traded Jeff Bagwell to the Red Sox for Larry Andersen.

Ken Rosenthal spilled his turnip blood yet again last night, wringing his hands over the Astros' payroll. Rosenthal:
And as the Astros continue their teardown, it's certainly fair to ask how low can they go, how many games can they lose before they become an embarrassment to Major League Baseball.

(As an aside, last night's column looks an awful lot like Rosenthal's November column on the Astros' payroll - right down to the rhetorical question about surviving the AL West.)

Yahoo's Jeff Passan - who by all accounts is a very stand-up guy - took to Twitter last night, doing a pretty good Darren Rovell impression about the Astros payroll (minus the Twitter Polls and random instances of ALL CAPS). Even Buster Olney got in on it, blabbering about combined executive salaries totaling more than the Astros' payroll (or something like that). He also pointed out that Bud Norris, who is Chief Rainmaker now, will make as much in 2013 as Zack Greinke will in three weeks.

What would The Media say if the Astros had signed Josh Hamilton? Or Zack Greinke? "What are they DOING? Why won't they rebuild?" Oh, but that's just what Rosenthal has been pushing for going on four years now.

Rosenthal, who might very well wear a bow-tie on television this season to benefit the Astros, is now making a pretty severe about-face in regards to the Astros and their rebuilding plans. On June 4, 2012, Rosenthal thought the Astros should explore trading Jose Altuve.

Or how about this Rosenthal nugget, from June 2011, on trading Hunter Pence: They would save money. They would increase their inventory of young talent. They would kick-start a rebuilding process that is long overdue.

How about May 2010, when Rosenthal said the Astros were creatively bankrupt for not dealing Berkman and Oswalt, and asked "How many games must the Astros be behind for owner Drayton McLane to concede?"

Or September 2009, when Rosenthal said: "Frankly, it doesn't matter who the next manager is until the Astros realize they need to tear down and build back up again."

Or another September 2009 column, when Rosenthal wrote: "The Astros' next manager must navigate a tricky balance — the team is starting to infuse youth but also includes a number of declining veterans. McLane refuses to permit a complete overhaul, limiting his franchise's upside."

June 2009: "Trading players such as right-hander Roy Oswalt, shortstop Miguel Tejada and closer Jose Valverde could bring the team desperately needed young talent. Yet, McLane has passed on such opportunities numerous times before."

May 2009: Much as owner Drayton McLane hates to concede, he needs to understand that A) his team is going nowhere and B) his farm system ranks last in the majors, according to Baseball America...Trading closer Jose Valverde, shortstop Miguel Tejada and catcher Ivan Rodriguez would be a start. But Oswalt — even a declining Oswalt — could bring the most significant return.

So for almost four years, Rosenthal has been hammering the Astros about rebuilding. And when they finally do rebuild, he hammers them for being "an embarrassment."

I mentioned one of the above quotes to Rosenthal on Twitter, and he responded with:
There is a difference between what I suggested and completely gutting the team. You can thread the needle, too.

GOOD GOD I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS. No, you can't thread the needle. The Astros tried to thread the needle from 2006-2010 and look where it got them. One season where they almost made the playoffs, and a cumulative record 27 games under .500. Not bad enough to get a Top-Five draft pick. Not good enough to keep Phil Garner, Cecil Cooper, Brad Mills, Tim Purpura, or Ed Wade.

Let's take three teams, shall we? Let's pick three teams and decide which is the embarrassment to baseball:

Team A: Being investigated by the SEC for fraud thanks to its' horrific stadium deal, and roster malpractice. Spent $107m on 2012 payroll, only to finish 24 games under .500, last in their division.
Team B: Can't decide if they actually want to rebuild, and as a result, have a beautiful ballpark to go along with 20 straight seasons under .500.
Team C: Slashed payroll

This is rhetorical, but Team A is obviously the Marlins; Team B is the Pirates; and Team C is, of course, the Astros.

The Astros are looking for a Baseball Operations Analyst. Click the link, and look at the preferred requirements: MBA, experience in economic modeling, investment banking.

I do not regularly look at baseball jobs. I'm happy in my own job (even if I'm going to have to work an extra two hours today to make up for this rant.) But I'm guessing "Baseball Operations" and "Investment Banking" backgrounds do not typically collide.

This has become a mantra about the Astros, but for what will likely not be the last time: This front office does not care what anybody else thinks. They would prefer it if their front office did not think like anybody else.

This is going to be a rough season for the Astros. There are so many Unknowns that the only Knowns are that:

1) Attendance will be down.
2) Losses will abound.
3) 2013 will see a $20m investment in the farm system and another #1 pick.
4) The rebuilding will continue.

Luhnow, quoted by Rosenthal:
“I know it’s frustrating for fans that want immediate results at the big-league level. But this is the best chance we have to accomplish our result as soon as possible. We have to be consistent about that message.”

I'll take a few horrific seasons to return to the days when the Astros were a force in baseball. I'll accept it if it means that the National Media doesn't mail in a column about "OH THEY'RE GONNA BE BAD WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO?" every six weeks. I will not stand by 81 wins to be The Goal, or twenty seasons of half-assing a rebuild.

Would you?

Biggest difference between the 2012 Astros and 2003 Tigers?

Phil Garner took the opportunity of talking to David Barron to rip the Tigers (whom he managed in 2000 and 2001), and Drayton McLane.

On the Tigers:
“Not only were we not very good, we had some guys who were not very good people. We needed to change things, but ownership resisted. When you get to this point, you have to clean house, and you have to hope that as you get younger, you improve your talent pool."

On Drayton:
"I always got a kick out of Drayton (McLane) comparing himself to Atlanta. The Astros always did things right at the major league level, but Drayton cheated the minor league system. You need an owner committed to the minor league system and an owner who understands that this isn’t an exact science.”

BOOM! That's a fired shot right there - but also a solid, solid point.

Drayton didn't want to move, either

File this under "News That Was Relevant Eight Months Ago" (also likely "Stuff That We Already Knew"), but I never posted this anywhere back then, and I think it's still at least worth a mention now.

Back in October, before Astros-to-AL and the sale of the team were official, I sent this letter to Drayton McLane, Bud Selig, and Jim Crane. Never heard anything back from Crane or Selig, but about a week later, I received this in the mail from Temple, TX:

If you can't read the text, it says:

"Thank you for being a terrific fan of the Astros. I agree with you, but I probably will not have any say in the decision to move the Astros to the AL West. Obviously, there is an imbalance of 16 teams in the National League, and only 14 in the American League and this is a problem that they have been working to resolve for several years. I hope that they will choose another scenario, but we will just have to see what happens. 

Thanks for your support and we are grateful to have you cheering for the ASTROS!"

Make of that what you will, but credit where credit is due - at least Drayton (or his secretary) took the time to respond.

 

 

 

Wade was just following orders

Jerome Solomon has an article up about Ed Wade:

It says something about his character that Wade still won't criticize former Astros owner Drayton McLane for basically gutting the franchise and not giving Wade a chance to put together a competitive ballclub.

Wade didn't call the plays; he just ran the offense.

"It behooves one to follow the directives of the owner," Wade said.

Drayton didn't want Jeter

Yeah, we're back to this for now - because otherwise we'd be talking about Ryan Braun, and I just don't want to do that.

Phil Rogers had a little note this morning about the 1992 draft, and that Phil Nevin pick:

According to the guy that we spoke to, the Houston Astros were poised to select Jeter with the first overall pick in the 1992 draft. Their area scouts in Michigan had been all over him for years and scouting director Dan O'Brien Jr. was sure that the high school shortstop was the best player in the country.

Unfortunately for them , Drayton McLane wanted them to take a college player who could get to the Astrodome quickly. And because McLane had just purchased the team from John McMullen, his word was the only one that counted.

How did the four teams behind the Astros whiff on Jeter? Because the Yankees called his parents and said they'd take him with the #6 pick. So when the Indians, Expos, Orioles, and Reds called Jeter's family they said that he was intent on going to the University of Michigan. And then the Yankees called.

Phil Rogers saw Drayton in the French Quarter, on his cell phone

Here's a story from the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers, on Drayton McLane's tenure as owner of the Astros.

Among the things Rogers notes:

*You thought Selig put the squeeze on the Astros? That's nothing (apparently) compared to Drayton's wife:
Selling the Astros was widely seen as a concession from McLane to his wife. He's 75, none of his children was interested in taking over and, well, the timing was right.

Apparently, Minute Maid sucks:
Minute Maid Park is a great place to watch a game but not a great place to play one. The hitter-friendly dimensions make it a challenge to develop pitchers there.

Surely there is some data to back that up...

Qs, As with Maury Brown

Many of you are familiar with Maury Brown, founder of the Business of Sports Network (AC links here), mainly because he has been outspoken about Jim Crane for the past several months. In addition to his own site, he is a contributor to Baseball Prospectus, Forbes, and has been referenced for material by the New York Times, Time, USA Today, and a bunch of other publications with which you are already familiar. He also has a tendency to rile up Astros fans, so Maury was good enough to answer a few questions for us...

AC: You were perhaps the most prominent media member outspoken against the ownership of Jim Crane, while most were content to just sit back and let everything play out. What was the motivation behind the exposes on Crane?

MB: Looking at ownership background is something that I've done for over a decade, and doesn't include current owners, but them historically. My look at Crane was only different in the fact that he had been part of several bids (Astros, Cubs, Rangers, and then back to the Astros), and he'd always been portrayed as "unapprovable". I never fully understood that, so I went looking deeper. From there, it became a matter of seeing what had transpired to his businesses and how that fit in with owning an MLB club. I said this for my Forbes piece, but I passionately believe owning a sports club is different than any other business as they are a community asset. The local team instills great emotion in the fans, who have a vested interest. Myself and others, when looking at what had gone on with owners in the past, and now with Frank McCourt, was to say, 'Has baseball, and the fans of the Astros, really addressed everything they need to about who is the steward of the club, or has what has occurred something that can be explained away and was part of the past?' All, I'm sure, are hoping it's the latter.

AC: How would you address the (ad nauseum) comments that, if you're critical of a team, you must certainly hate them?

MB: Blind allegiance is something that's never healthy. Being critical of one aspect does not mean you are critical, as a whole. I've spent many hours researching the history of the Astrodome, the Colt .45s, and the Astros. Judge Hofheinz is one of the most incredible people in the history of, not just baseball, but sports as a whole. So, the "Astros" will continue on in history. Good and bad aspects are parts of all things over time, and that holds true of sports clubs depending on where you look at a snapshot. I certainly don't hate the Astros. If anything, I tend to be more caught up in the moment of what's happening in terms of some of the club's history that's going to be stopped (read: the move out the National League). Fans have a large interest in their local and regional teams. I often write what I do because they matter most.


AC: Who should Astros fans be mad at: Bud Selig, Jim Crane, Drayton McLane, or someone else?

MB: I don't know if "mad" is the right word. In the cold reality of business, there was a seller (McLane) and a buyer (Crane) and there were $680 million reasons for the deal to go through. Mr. McLane has been a perfect member of baseball;s ownership fraternity, and with it, the league surely wanted the sale to work out for all involved. But, I mentioned the situation with McCourt prior and that cast a pale over the owners. If you think about it, owners have run into problems after coming into the league, but few have had the problems Crane had in his background before being approved. McLane had been saying, "Don't trust this guy" after backing out of the sale in 2008, and here he comes saying, "He's great" when the money in the sale is so large. In the end, I'm not going to pass judgement on how Crane runs the Astros. He hasn't had enough time at the helm to be judged one way or the other. But, there are certainly a lot of people paying closer attention to him than some others that have been approved this early on. I believe that's a good thing for the Astros and fans of the team.

AC: On Twitter you said that you wanted to see the Astros get back to being a great franchise. When, do you think, were the "Glory Years" of the Houston Astros?

MB: It's a great question as "glory years" for the Astros comes in a couple of different forms for me. Certainly the creation of the Harris County Domed Stadium, later christened the Astrodome, is something that is one of the greatest feats in the history of sports business. It was full of so many firsts that are now commonplace... roofed facility, luxury suites, in-stadium restaurants, even the colored seating was revolutionary. In terms of the team, I so vividly remember that 18-inning, 7-6 win over the Braves in the postseason of 2005. That team "felt" as if it had all the parts, and the club was riding high. So, it's a little of both. The recent sell-down over the past couple of seasons to get player payroll more manageable for the sale from McLane to Crane was discomforting. It put some front office people in a difficult position, and, as last season clearly showed, it didn't help the Astros in the standings. But, there's a new regional sports network that will infuse the Astros with additional revenues. If the money is used wisely in free agency and wrapping up key talent, while player development is done soundly, there's no reason that the Astros can't be back in the thick of it sooner rather than later.

AC: Astros fans are obviously pretty upset about getting moved to the Kids Table, I mean the American League. As you cover the business side of sports, what's the financial impact of the Astros moving to the AL?

MB: I think the move to the AL, financially, is not as bad as it's being portrayed. I've spent hours speaking to those that are involved in television rights deals, and while this deal has a wrinkle (the Rockets and Comcast being partners with the Astros in the RSN), the fact is while having games starting later due to West Coast games can be partially off-set by saying, look at all the day games in the Eastern Timezone that the Cubs play. And while it's never good to say that the visiting team is a large part of the attendance and TV draw, the fact is, the Astros will be seeing more of the Yankees and Red Sox and as much as there is a large quarter that loathes them, television and attendance numbers will likely be up -- way up -- when they come to Houston. The biggest downside is having to pay for a DH, which often comes with a healthy price tag in the free agency space, and yes, having the late start time for games being played on the West Coast. The biggest thing for the fans is the loss of nearly 50 years of NL history. Coupling that with what Bud Adams did to the Oilers name, and it's just "one more thing". The one thing everyone can agree on is, good or bad, well.... 2013 is going to be a very, very different year for the Astros.
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UPDATE: I know many if you are upset with me not asking about the Character issue. Fact is, there were things Maury Brown would discuss, and things he would not. His sources about Crane's character were not open for discussion, and I was okay with that. Sorry to disappoint you with this free service, I sincerely hope that you were not put out too terribly much.

Big thanks to Maury Brown for taking the time to answer these questions.

The Case For/Against Ed Wade

It's now been 24-36 hours since we found out about the dismissal of Ed Wade. How about a point/counterpoint?

Juvenile Court Clerk

Once Jim Crane was officially approved as the new Astros owner, he hinted very strongly that changes would be made, and quickly at that. Most correctly guessed that the dismissal of Ed Wade would be one of those changes. After all, Houston had just wrapped up the worst season in franchise history while essentially fielding a team of nothing but rookies and role players. On top of that the farm system, while improving, was still considered one of the poorer in baseball. But I argue that the cause of our dereliction wasn't Wade, but McLane and his bipolar approach towards team building.

When Wade joined the organization in 2007 the writing was already on the wall concerning the decline of the franchise, but McLane had not yet found his reading glasses. Wade was tasked with rebuilding the farm system while keeping the parent club competitive. Oh, and payroll, despite being burdened with the Carlos Lee contract, was being cut at the same time. And Eddie tried. His first big move was trading our increasingly expensive demoralized closer Brad Lidge for a promising young outfielder named Michael Bourn in the first of his multiple deals with the Phillies. Then it is widely assumed that McLane directs Wade to trade half of our AAA team for Miguel Tejeda, who promptly ages faster than Robin Williams in Jack.

The next of Wade's major deals came when Houston surprisingly found themselves in a pennant race in the second half of the 2008 season. In moves that were almost universally laughed at at the time, Wade turned two non-prospects into Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins, a solid SP and setup man for the stretch run. After just missing the post season, McLane decides it's time to tighten the purse strings a little more. Unable to resign Wolf, Wade is forced to find 40% of the starting rotation for less than $3M. Then, faced with the ever injured Kaz Matsui's latest injury, Wade turns AAAA IF Drew Sutton into fan favorite Jeff Keppinger.

And this pattern continued for the next couple years. Though he struggled filling holes through free agency on a bargain basement budget, he continued to find value through waiver claims and under the radar trades. Matt Lindstrom, Jose Valverde, Wesley Wright, Alberto Arias, Wilton Lopez, Jason Bourgeois, Nelson Figueroa, Matt Downs, Enerio Del Rosario, and Lucas Harrell were picked off other teams scrap piles and have provided decent, not great, but decent value to the Astros. He turned Kevin Cash, a non-factor, into Angel Sanchez, a serviceable infielder. Felipe Paulino became Clint Barmes, and now a supplemental draft pick. Pedro Feliz became David Carpenter.

Finally given the green light to go all in on a rebuild, Wade traded Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman, Hunter Pence, and Michael Bourn over the past two season. While early indications are mixed on these four deals Houston has received some interesting pieces in return. Names like Jonathan Singleton, Jimmy Paredes, Jonathan Villar, Mark Melancon, Domingo Santana, Brett Oberholtzer, Jarred Cosart, and Paul Clemens should give Astros fans something to look forward to in a couple seasons when they join recent draft picks like George Springer and Mike Foltynewicz and young major leaguers J.D. Martinez and Jose Altuve.

In all, Wade was given a nigh-impossible task that became increasingly difficult as his time with Houston went on. Ownership interference and uncertainty will make even the best GM look silly at times, but I think when the Astros are atop the AL West, Ed Wade's fingerprints will be evident on the team.

The Constable

Where do you even start with building a case against Ed Wade? I completely respect the Juvenile Court Clerk's opinion that Drayton bears a large burden of the responsibility, but the firing of Ed Wade simply had to happen, even if it means that Jim Crane will be paying him for the next two seasons. Attendance is dwindling, fans are irate about the move to the American League, and, oh yeah, the team just had its worst season in franchise history, finishing 50 games under .500. The change just simply had to be made. Jim Crane just finished up a six-month process that saw his credibility challenged. Ask your average Astros fan what they know about Jim Crane, and you'll likely hear a response that has to do with allegations of racism.

Jim Crane has to get the fans' collective minds off of that, and off of the AL move. He has to make this franchise his own, and you don't start off on a $610m investment by leaving the previous owner's GM in place.

Ed made some solid moves. Picking Brett Myers off the scrap heap. Getting what he did for Hunter Pence. But Ed Wade made some indefensible moves. Signing Myers and Wandy to those long-term, expensive extensions. Kaz Matsui, Bill Hall, Miguel Tejada (yeah, he was an All-Star, but for a team that did not need to acquire a shortstop who aged two years in one Jeremy Schaap interview). Already writers and bloggers are trying to figure out which GM they'll be able to make fun of now. Wade never had a chance, his reputation was sealed, as a bumbling, middle reliever-lover, who was around simply to please the Phillies.

Wade started the rebuilding project, but when most feel like Michael Bourn was the better player of the Bourn/Pence tandem, and when Wade looked like he crapped the bed on the negotiations, it didn't exactly inspire confidence in his ability.

Could Ed Wade get the job done? Eventually, maybe. The Phillies certainly reaped the benefits of Ed Wade's beginning. But Wade was a polarizing figure who needed to go so that Crane could start to reinvent the franchise into one that could more adequately meet the extreme challenges the Astros are now facing. Drayton deserves to share the blame, but he's gone, too. So it is with Wade.

The hell is an Evergreen Provision?

Zach Levine just tweeted:

Ed Wade said that because of an evergreen provision, his deal was guaranteed through 2013, not 2012.

UPDATE: Zach Levine has the story:
Former Astros general manager Ed Wade had a provision in his contract that guaranteed his 2013 salary in addition to his 2012 figure, he said Monday morning a day after his firing was announced by the Astros. In conjunction with the evergreen provision that triggered the renewal of his deal for what would have been a sixth season in 2013, his dismissal leaves the Astros on the hook for two years of his salary in addition to that of their new general manager.

So...what the hell is an evergreen provision? The "evergreen" term indicates, according to the HOA Law Blog, that the contract could - in theory - last forever.
When the board receives a proposed contract with an evergreen provision that automatically renews the contract (they're called evergreen provisions because the contract could virtually last forever), the board has options.
First, the board could just say no. Most vendors will relent and agree to a more reasonable termination provision. If the board is putting a contract up for bid, tell the vendors upfront that you are not going to agree to an evergreen termination provision nor an extended term of contract, and that the board wants the ability to terminate the contract for cause.

Investopedia says (though obviously not in the context of baseball):
...Rather than go through the process of approving allotments every year, a company can adopt what is known as an evergreen option provision, which provides for an automatic allotment of equity compensation every year.

These types of provisions are highly discouraged:
Rather than agreeing to an evergreen provision, suggest that both parties mutually agree upon additional one-year increments in writing, at the end of each term. If the other party insists on an evergreen term, negotiate a reasonably conscribed no cause termination clause. This will significantly reduce the risk associated with inadvertently rolling into an additional year, as you can simply exercise the “out” clause and terminate the agreement.

Hooray for Drayton! The Astros are giving Ed Wade a two-year paid vacation!

Olney: Wade isn't entirely to blame

Buster Olney's (Insider-only) column this morning addresses how Houston gets back to relevance.

He links back to Houston media quite a bit, but does warn this:
There are a lot of industry-wide questions about the direction of the organization, about what kind of owner Crane will be, and until that becomes clearer, some folks who have alternatives may choose to wait rather than join the Astros.

And on Wade's legacy:
(For many years) Houston was among the small handful of teams that honored the slot recommendations from the Commissioner's office, and in recent years, owner Drayton McLane drastically cut the Astros' budget. Wade wasn't given a lot to work with and has had some dead money to work through, and the sudden shift to austerity is the root cause for the disintegration of the franchise. (Note, Richard Justice says Wade's legacy is complicated).

Let's be clear about something, and remember this carefully, because we Astros fans are a little too close to the situation to be completely objective: these positions (GM and, potentially, manager) are not exactly the most attractive positions in baseball. Why? I don't think it needs to be explained but let's take a look at the challenges the incoming front office will be facing:

1. Depressed, angry fan base.
2. Transition between leagues.
3. Weak major-league roster, comparatively.
4. The fruits of Ed Wade's labor in trades/draft, won't be realized for at least two more years...if at all.

And that's just off the top of my head. Buster Olney talked to a "really smart executive" (yes, that's exactly how Olney described them) who said that the Astros were 4-7 years away from respectability. That's a really long time in my view, but it should tell you how far the franchise has fallen from being the toast of the National League. And even when they were the best team in the NL, the Astros weren't doing anything to keep them in that position. It's like they tried to out-Marlin the Marlins, and failed so, so miserably.

This is Drayton's legacy. Does the fall of the franchise - and the time it will take to rebuild it - outweigh the "glory years?" In my estimation, yes. Would you rather be in a solid band for 15 years, or a one-hit wonder? As of 2012, the Astros' "glory years" were a one-hit wonder.

Through this whole regime change, remember this sad fact: If the Astros are, as the super smart wonder executive says, 4-7 years away, what GM would want to step into that situation? Only two GMs in franchise history - Spec Richardson ('67-'75) and Gerry Hunsicker ('95-'04) - were given 7+ years at the helm.

This is an era in which GMs aren't given a whole lot of time to make their mark. Brian Sabean (1996), Billy Beane (1997), and Brian Cashman (1998) are the only GMs to take their places prior to 2000. What aspiring GM would want to take on a (potential) seven year project?