Monday Morning Hot Links

And now that football season is over, it is time for baseball. Nothing happened yesterday.

I bet. https://t.co/S7jk83vHqa

— Lance McCullers Jr. (@LMcCullers43) February 5, 2018

*Richard Justice has the five reasons the Astros will (and won't) win the 2018 World Series.

*Bartolo Colon, Texas Ranger

*Coming off a 4-1 home defeat to Cardiff City, Leeds United fired their manager after 35 games in charge. Whomever takes over next will be the 10th manager since April 2013.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

*Richard Justice thinks the Astros should try to sign Adrian Gonzalez. Or Matt Adams. Or Lucas Duda. Or Curtis Granderson. Or anyone who is apparently old and left-handed. If those are the only two requirements, might I suggest that Luhnow call my agent (my wife).

*Jose Altuve is one of nine finalists for the Dallas Morning-News' Texan of the Year.

*Never forget.

2017 Ninja Award, Best Performance of a Curveball in a Leading Role. Lance McCullers (24 straight Curveballs to send the Astros to the WS). 🏆😷 pic.twitter.com/5kwMPi2pUQ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) December 17, 2017

*Looking for something for that special Astros fan in your life? Might I recommend Astros Strong, published by the Chronicle. It's a wonderful ride back through the season that ended with, wait for it, yes, a World Series championship. Filled with articles, recaps, and interviews from the 2017 season, I really enjoyed reading it. And it's a good way to remember just how crazy Game 2 was. Maybe I've read it a couple of times. Okay, sure, it's in the bathroom right now. Get it in print or on Kindle.

*Check out this podcast with Corpus' Myles Straw.

*Cole Hamels donated his 32,000 square-foot mansion plus 100 acres of land to a camp for kids with special needs. You don't have to like him, though.

*The Gun Hunters of Hurricane Harvey.

*Deliverance from 27,000 feet.

*Can baseball turn a 27-year old into the perfect manager?

Wednesday Morning Hot Links

Reminder that none of this actually matters, except as a distraction from how terrible things are in Southeast Texas. Thoughts and prayers to Rangers GM Jon Daniels and the Rangers' season ticket holders in their time of struggle and grief. 

Rangers got a bunch opposite-field broken-bat hits but ultimately outplayed the Astros last night. The Astros fell to 79-52. Boston and the Angels won, so the Astros lead on the AL is 4.5 games with a 12-game lead on the division. There are 31 games remaining. 

*JJ Watt is Tim Riggins' beautiful son that he adopted with his life partner Brandon Walsh. Donate to his charity benefiting hurricane/flood relief. Or the Astros' charity. I don't care which one you donate to.

Ok, this might be the most Texan thing ever pic.twitter.com/55cFh4MbzB

— Rott (@Political_Rott) August 29, 2017

*Mike Fiers, Evan Gattis and Shifts crapped the bed last night, but the Astros didn't get Zambrano'd so that's cool. With the win, the Rangers' Wild Card chances improved to 8.0%. Joey Gallo has exactly the right perspective on the entire situation with the big picture view here:
These are the games that are most fun. Everybody going up there and you don't think anybody is going to get out. You are wondering when this game is going to end. It's a lot of fun when the offense is swinging like that. I am glad I could be a part of it, honestly.

Jeff Banister:
First of all, for both of these teams, especially with Houston and their situation, all parties [with] heavy hearts for what's going on back home. For these guys, a little bit of the unknown with their families and reality is we wanted to go out and put together the best game we possibly could with a lot of energy. I felt both teams did that.

Welcoming our guests to Tropicana Field with a smile. #ForHouston pic.twitter.com/VxRes6CYiR

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 29, 2017

*A.J. Hinch thanked the fans who were at Tropicana Field last night.

#Astros manager AJ Hinch: Where we play is the least of our concerns.

🎙️ https://t.co/vxEJz1Qnwf pic.twitter.com/4Q47fnJyCw

— MLB Network Radio (@MLBNetworkRadio) August 29, 2017

*Mark Feinsand, who is now apparently working for MLB.com, writes that the Astros are trying to focus despite the fallout from Hurricane Harvey, that punk-ass bitch. Bregman:

We've been locked in on it non-stop since the moment it happened until now. We'll continue to be focused on it.

Springer:

I just hope that everybody stays safe and that everybody understands there's a lot more to life than this game. This game doesn't mean much, anymore. It's all about your families and helping a city that just got pounded. There's a lot of people that have been affected by the storm. It's sad to see. It's tough to sit here knowing that that's where I live; that's my city. It puts it into perspective.

Keuchel, dropping some wisdom:
[These games] might be really important to the Rangers here in the next month or so [Ed. note: *shakes head vigorously*] But at this point, I know that a lot of guys' minds are so far away from baseball that it might be more beneficial to have canceled the games and scheduled a couple of doubleheaders than to have actually played them.

*DURRRR swapping home series is unprecedented! says an idiot, while not understanding that what happened to Houston is also unprecedented.

*The Dallas Morning-News' Kevin Sherrington, a real G, says the Rangers should have taken a moral high ground in the proposed series switch. But at least the Rangers' season ticket holders aren't compromised. Thank God for that. Peep this close from Sherrington:
Both sides are guilty, but as the club representing the more fortunate area of the state, it was up to the Rangers to do right. Houston has already demonstrated it's the better team this season. The Rangers should have proven they were the bigger one.

*Les Alexander, the greatest owner Houston has ever known, has upped his donation to relief to $10m.

*The A's will donate $1 for every ticket sold to their series against the Astros from September 8-10 to Harvey relief efforts. The $99 received just might buy a case of water from a Houston-area Home Depot. 

*The Rangers donated $1m to Harvey relief. That's cool. I hope they don't make the playoffs. Don't forget that their prospects sexually assaulted at least one other prospect.

*Here's a rundown of where/what/how you can donate to hurricane/flood relief.

*The Astros don't have any other uniforms with them, so they'll wear grays and Sunday alternate unis until Hobby/Intercontinental opens.

*Oh but wait here comes Bob Nightengale to try to break up the fight. God bless the vanilla moon-face, killing the Astros:
This is no more than an inconvenience. A tiny, minuscule nuisance involving millionaire ballplayers in a $10 billion business. Complain about your hardship staying in a five-star resort this week while one of the most destructive storms in the nation's history has ravaged the fourth-largest city in the country, with people still being rescued from rooftops, 30,000 taking refuge in emergency shelters, and hundreds of thousands still without power, and nearly a half-million people expected to apply or federal assistance?

Nightengale is standing at the edge of a fight yelling "Guys, no!" and clapping very hard. Like a drum major. This is the equivalent of saying, "Houston, you're already f***ed, so let Southwest Arkansas have their way and just shhhh it's about trust." Jump off a bridge. "It's only baseball, people." Nightengale screams, the guy who wrote a column about how baseball isn't actually about baseball.

*MLB.com scrubbed Richard Justice's Astros/Rangers column.

*Carlos Correa could return to the St. Pete Astros this weekend against the Mets.

*Fresno's Jack Mayfield was apparently hit in the face last night.

*Astros prospects will play for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Pitchers Dean Deetz, Riley Ferrell, Josh James, Framber Valdez will join catcher Jake Rogers, infielders Yordan Alvarez and Nick Tanielu, and outfielder Kyle Tucker. His brother, Preston, has played for the Astros. Maybe you've heard of him.

*The Cardinals' Matt Carpenter, who went to Elkins, is donating $10,000 for every home run he hits the rest of the season. The Cardinals will match it. He got one last night.

*Kelvin Sampson and UH are doing a bang-up job with their clothing drive.

*The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is holding an emergency blood drive at Alpha Omega Academy in Huntsville today.

Monday Morning Hot Links

*Well. Okay. The Astros completed their sweep of the Dealey Plaza Rangers yesterday with a 7-2 win. It's their 10th straight win and the Astros are 13.5 game up in the division. Since getting swept by Cleveland the Astros are 12-1.

*It's the first series win against the Rangers since April 10-12, 2015 May 2017. It's the first sweep of the Rangers since the Astros did it in Grand Prairie from July 7-9, 2014.

*The Astros are 21-6 on the road, and the win yesterday eclipsed the 2012 Astros' road win total (they went 20-61).

*A.J. Hinch:
This team continues to show up every single day with a great will to win and we take the aggressive approach and have done a lot of damage. 

*Shin-Soo Choo:
I don't think there is anything wrong. Houston just played better than us for three games...We don't have any problems, they just played better than us.

*George Springer hit two home runs, now leading the team with 16. He has hit seven home runs in his last eight games. Over the ten-game winning streak, Springer is hitting .435/.480/.913

*Brad "The Revelation" Peacock got a win as a starter for the first time since September 2, 2014, throwing 6IP, 4H/2ER, 9K:1BB.

*Richard Justice: Everything is clicking for the Astros.

*What was thought to be a one-start absence for Joe Musgrove is now two starts, as he will not pitch tomorrow (Tuesday) night against Kansas City. David Paulino will make his second start. Hinch:
He's responded well to the treatments. He's feeling better than when we put him on the DL, but we're going to push him back continually and just see where it fits later in the week.

*Luke Gregerson is totally lost on the mound, writes Jake Kaplan, noting that Gregerson has allowed a .320 batting average when the Astros are up by one run. Gregerson:
I felt great in Spring Training. The ball was coming out of my hand the best it's ever felt. Then for something like this, where I can't get that timing back, I don't know what it is.

*ESPN's David Schoenfield is the only one at the Worldwide Leader showing the Astros any love, noting that the Astros are the 7th team in the Divisional Era (since 1969) to win 41 of their first 57 games. Of those, the 1998 Yankees, 1984 Tigers, and 1986 Mets won the World Series while the 1970 Reds and 1974 Dodgers lost in the World Series. The 2001 Mariners make me sad and I don't want to talk about it.

*Buster Olney apparently felt obligated to tweet about the Astros this morning, noting that the Astros reached 25 games over .500 in the fewest games since the 2001 Mariners.

*Nick Cafardo notes that Jose Quintana's trade value is cooling off in light of his struggles this season.

*Potential trade target Justin Verlander left his start yesterday with tightness in his groin. [Insert Kate Upton joke here].

*Watch Quad Cities' Yordan Alvarez hit a ball into the dad gum Mississippi River.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links: Are You Kidding Me

*The Astros' Win Expectancy for that game yesterday, down six runs in the 8th inning, was 0.8%.

*The Astros, as you likely know by now, in what shall forever be known as the Memorial Day Miracle, scored 11 runs in the 8th inning then three more in the 9th, just for gits and shiggles. This is the most Astros runs in an inning since July 18, 1994 when the Astros scored 11 in the 6th and beat the Cardinals 15-12. The team record for runs in an single inning is 12, against the Phillies on May 31, 1975.

*The Masked Marvel took a very close look at the 8th inning.

*As a franchise, the Astros were 0-659 when trailing by 6+ runs to start the 8th inning. Now it's 1-659. It was the first time the Twins have allowed 11+ runs in an inning since July 2007.

*Beltran, who was 4x5 with a homer, walk, and 3RBI:
We have shown that, no matter how far behind in the game we fall, we're going to try to preach good at-bats and I think that's what we did. We were able to put good at-bats out there and got good results. 

Reddick, who was 1x5 with a double, walk, and 2RBI:
I don't think we ever think we're down and out of a game. Yeah, it was frustrating the way they swung the bats against us and they took a huge lead. But we know what we can do. We've seen it before. 

*Correa, who shrugged off the BS 8-minute rain delay in the 8th:
It was definitely fun to be able to score all those runs in the eighth inning and have fun out there....Obviously, it showed we have the confidence in each other and be able to bounce back and be able to come through.

*Twins reliever Ryan Pressly, who is definitely NOT former Astros Great Alex Presley:
It was embarrassing. We have to get people out. We have to continue to grind and put this one behind us. 

*Brad Peacock threw 4.2IP, 4H/4ER, 8K:1BB. Weird: Peacock retired all nine batters in his first time through the order. Jordan Jankowski came in and promptly gave up two homers in 2.1IP, 5H/4ER, 1K:1BB, and was sent back to Fresno immediately after the game. Peacock:
I felt better than I did my last one. They put some good at-bats together there in the fifth...Kind of mixed results, but I felt like I threw the ball pretty well.

*Astros reached 20 wins in a calendar month for the 9th time in franchise history, and since some of you asked, the Astros have a chance to tie the franchise record with wins tonight and tomorrow:
Aug 1998: 22
July 2005: 22
Aug 2001: 21
Aug 2008: 21
May 2017: 20
Sept 2004: 20
June 1979: 20
July 1976: 20
May 1969: 20

*David Paulino is likely to come up to Houston.

*Richard Justice is back on the Astros beat, apparently, and talked about how amazing Monday's win actually was.

*The Chron's Hunter Atkins: Marwin's improved plate discipline is the reason he is basically Ted Williams.

*A.J. Hinch is just letting the Astros play.

*For those of you that care, Theo Epstein gave the commencement address at Yale.

*Mike Trout is out for 6-8 weeks, and that sucks.

*What do you think about Buster Posey just letting Bryce Harper walk out to the pitcher?

*Reminder that C.J. Nitkowski is a douche.

Thursday Morning Hot Links

*The Astros enjoyed a 3-run 5th inning as well as a couple of Correa extra-base hits on their way to a 4-2 win over the Braves. All four runs were scored with two outs.

*Correa:
We have, what, 34, almost 35 games now? I don't think we need any more tests. We're very confident and playing really good baseball. I think we have a great team, and we're going to be able to be successful if we keep doing what we're doing. 

*Joe Musgrove was better today, allowing just a pair of solo homers in a 6IP, 4H/2ER, 4K:3BB outing. Luke Gregerson pitched a perfect IP, Harris loaded the bases but prevented any runs from scoring, and Giles threw a perfect 9th inning.

*Alex Bregman was 0x4, snapping a 10-game hit streak.

*The Astros' 23-11 record is the best start in franchise history.

*But now everyone's all excited about the four-game Astros/Yankees series. Richard Justice wrote about how the Astros are preparing for this series. Altuve:
It's hard to not think about the future when you're winning a lot. But we have to stay humble and play day-by-day. I think we have a bright, bright future. Right now, it's just a cool experience playing with these guys. 

Anthony Castrovince: Astros/Yankees an October preview.

Beltran:
It's a huge series. They're playing well right now, we're playing well right now. They feel good about themselves, we feel good about ourselves. So it's going to be a fun one. 

*Newsday says it's another measuring stick for the Yankees. Brett Gardner:
I'm aware of what kind of team they have, but I think we have a good team too.

Joe Girardi, on Houston:
Really good team. They swing the bats, they pitch well, very athletic. They're playing extremely well. I think it's an exciting series. Seems like we've had a lot of those lately. 

*Dallas Keuchel gets the start tonight against Michael Pineda. Keuchel, vs. the Yanquis, career:
Five starts, 38.2IP, 25H/7ER, 36K:5BB

*Josh Beckett talked about his new role as a pre- and post-game analyst for Root Sports SW.

*Luke Gregerson is auctioning off The Eagle and donating the profits to St. Jude.

*The IFC show Brockmire had a bunch of baseball writers on the show, and Jonah Keri is a literal giant.

*UH kicked 2017 1st Round draft prospect Seth Romero off the team.

PreStros Report: Games of May 10

Fresno was mercifully off.

So was Corpus.

Salem busted off a 5-run 2nd inning on their way to a 7-2 win over Buies Creek (20-13). Hector Perez suffered his own walks and from an Anibal Sierra error in a 1.2IP, 2H/5R (1ER), 3K:5BB outing. Sebastian Kessay allowed 2H/0ER, 3K:2BB in 2.1IP with two inherited runners scoring. Elieser Hernandez threw 4.1IP, 3H/2ER, 9K:1BB. Howie Brey struck out the final two batters of the game. BCA was 1x12 w/RISP and left 10 LOBsters. Christian Correa was 3x4 with a double. Jason Martin was 2x4 with a double. Kyle Tucker had an RBI double.

Bowling Green had three big innings to put the whoop on Quad Cities (16-15) 10-2. Cuban lefty Cionel Perez, who earned his first domestic win in his last outing, got roughed up for 7H/6ER, 1K:2BB in 1.2IP. Randy Cesar was 2x4 with a walk; Spencer Johnson was 2x4 with an RBI.

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Dallas Keuchel needed 78 pitches to get through seven scoreless innings against the Phillies, striking out six and walking none, leaving the game with a 4-0 lead. Then the Phillies got eight runs thanks to a suicide squeeze and a grand slam off James Hoyt. Astros lose, 8-4. But Keuchel finished up his Spring Training with 17IP and no earned runs allowed. 

*Sports Illustrated asked rival scouts to break down each American League team. And the Astros section is basically a gaggle of unicorns pooping rainbows and sprinkles onto a field of leprechauns making clover angels.

*A 2014 bullpen session helped remake Dallas Keuchel. (Note: I was very nervous about Keuchel's Spring Training in 2014. But you already know that, while you can't handle my Hot Takes, you also should probably reconsider my opinions.)

*Hinch, on closer:
We have a really good bullpen that can mix and match in a lot of different ways. I understand the intrigue. I don't play fantasy baseball, so I don't have to worry about the save.

*Quinton McCracken has overseen the resurgence of the Astros.

*Despite getting sent to Triple-A camp, Michael Feliz is still in the mix for the final bullpen spot.

*Chris Devenski is working his way out of his past and up the ladder of the Astros' system.

*Richard Justice talked to the Dallas Morning News about the Astros and Rangers.

*Downtown Houston is closer to becoming Craneville, what with Jim Crane opening two new Italian restaurants near Minute Maid Park later this summer.

*ESPN's MLB survey has some Astros on the list, though not very high.

*Triple-A baseball may be coming to San Antonio

*The forgotten Oklahoma team that nearly broke college basketball.

*This Saudi Arabian dude brought his four gold vinyl-wrapped cars to London.

*How an A&M-Corpus grad student organized one of the unlikeliest human smuggling rings in Texas history.

*Before you go, watch Jose Altuve launch a home run.

Jose Altuve launches one pic.twitter.com/nZ4K0TXVOj

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 30, 2016

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

And here we go...

*Beyond the Box Score has the offseason strategies for each of the five AL West teams here.

*The Astros will split up $2,271,169.85 between players, coaches, and staff, thanks to making the playoffs.  According to McTaggart, the Astros voted to give out 53 full shares (worth just over $36,000 each), with 8.5 partial shares, and nine cash awards. We are still waiting to find out if we received a cash award.

*Richard Justice makes his predictions for free agency and major trade candidates. In short: the Giants and Cardinals sign all the free agents, the Astros trade for all the relievers.

*Fresno's Tony DeFrancesco was named Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year.

*Tracy Ringolsby has a profile of former scouting director Bobby Heck.

*The Marlins are considering adding Barry Bonds as a hitting coach.

Monday Morning Link Dump

*Richard Justice: The Astros are an absolute joy to watch

*Collin McHugh and spin rate - with a shoutout to our old friend Daren Willman

*Dallas Keuchel had not allowed 2+ homers in a game since July 2013. "I came out pretty bad," he said.

*Here's the Quad Cities paper on how they're so good on the road (17-5 this season)

*The Astros and Tigers had themselves an anthem showdown

*Bud Norris was so sick last week he lost 14 pounds and his parents came to stay with him.

Monday Morning Hot Links

Really nervous about this Rangers series, you guys... on to the links:

*Baseball Tonight asks "Are these guys for real?" which is the new "Houston, you have a problem"

*Richard Justice says the Astros themselves believe they're for real.

*Dallas Keuchel, on the 2015 Astros:
The whole tryout period is over. We're past that. We're on to the winning phase.

*Lookout Landing has 52 excellent notes about a 7-6 loss to the Astros.

*Quinton McCracken is going to Corpus for a few days.

*Evan Gattis says this is the most fun he's had on a team (remember it wasn't three weeks ago that Gattis was getting booed in Houston, so let's be grateful he has a short memory).

*George Springer discussed that outfield-assisted inning-ending double play in the 3rd inning.

*ESPN's Christina Kahrl looks at the Astros' power surge, and likes what she sees.

*Ken Rosenthal's video talks about the Astros' grooming of Carlos Correa.

From Astros County

*The Masked Marvel asks if the other four scrub AL West teams aren't just beating each other up.

*I looked at the last ten years of 18-7 teams (hint: there aren't many)

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Alright alright alright. It's Draft Day, which means that thousands of American boys are anxiously awaiting the call to find out if they're being sent to Vietnam. We'll have full coverage of that over the next few days, but for now...

*ESPN lists the Astros' playoff odds at 4.1% - which is actually higher than the Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Rays.

*An oral history of the Cardinals' 2009 draft.

*The Economist, on the economics of baseball (as it relates to Singleton's deal).

*Richard Justice, on the Astros and three years of drafting 1-1.

*JJO on Nolan Ryan's involvement with the draft.

*Asher Wojciechowski's return from injury is on hold after a flexor muscle strain will send him back to Weiland Island for a couple of weeks, though Luhnow says it "isn't a big issue."

*Jeff Luhnow: "You need to hit on 1-1. It's critical because it's a big investment."

*Jason Castro: Union Man

*After allowing 10ER in 1.1IP last Sunday, Mark Appel won't make his next start for another week.

Thursday Lunchtime Hot Links

Here's what you knead two no:

*"We got our butts kicked, in every aspect of the game, by the Houston Astros." - Alex Gordon

*Richard Justice has Luhnow's back.

*MassLive's Ben Shapiro puts Springer in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation.

*You'll be able to watch tomorrow night's Civil Rights Game on MLB Network

*Tony Kemp, despite getting 17 hits in 26 ABs earlier this month, doesn't like the spotlight.

*Quad Cities is moving to a more-regular rotation.

*Tyler Kolek is your 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year.

*J.J. Cooper looks at Carlos Rodon's workload.

*This guy thinks the Astros should trade Altuve to the Yankees for David Robertson, Mason Williams, Kelly Johnson, and Gary Sanchez.

Justice to MLB.com

We have our first big move of the Winter Meetings! Mark Berman says that Richard Justice has left the Chronicle after 11 years to be a columnist at MLB.com.

Justice: Brad Mills is safe

In Richard Justice's retrospective on Wade's career, we get this little nugget (that somewhat bucks conventional wisdom):

Jim Crane and George Postolos had to decide, not whether Ed Wade had done a bad job, but whether they could hire someone better. They decided they could and that’s why it appears Wade will be fired Monday. (Manager Brad Mills is safe.)

That's quite a parenthetical note, but Justice goes on...

Wade and Tal Smith may be the most visible departures, but if they’re the only changes, Crane and Postolos will be making a huge mistake.

For whom is that intended? Mills? Heck? Gottfried? Given the speed with which Wade and Smith were dismissed, I doubt that's the end of the axe-wielding.

12 minutes into the new regime and there's a short list of GM candidates

Richard Justice's breathtakingly fast article on the new ownership of Jim Crane already (and, fairly, it should be added) questions the longevity of Ed Wade:

General manager Ed Wade appears most vulnerable, but Crane and Postolos have steadfastly refused to comment on his status until after they actually took over the club.Among those believed to be under consideration if a change is made is Tampa Bay Rays general manager Andrew Friedman, a Houston native. Former Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker and Texas Rangers executive A.J. Preller also appear to be under consideration.

Justice confirms Astros tried to change Team MVP

OH NOES! The Astros got their feelings hurt by the local BBWAA naming Hunter Pence Team MVP (something first mentioned in the Crawfish Boxes podcast). And Richard Justice took the BBWAA to task for it (still trying to determine if he's actually being serious):

When the Astros learned Pence had been voted MVP, they were anguished. Not angry, but anguished. Wade typically ordered them “to take the high road” even though voters hadn’t.

I suggested they refuse to participate in the banquet. But they wouldn’t do this because it’s a fundraiser for Minute Maid Charities.

More:
And to the little men who voted for Hunter Pence: You had your laugh. You made your statement. Please enjoy it. Your time is just about up.

Now a word about Carlos Lee. Whatever you think of the guy, he goes out there every single day, plays through pain, through losing, never complains. He has gotten a bad reputation around here because the Astros gave him $100 million. But it’s ridiculous to hold him accountable for someone else’s mistake. He is and has always been a two-tool player. That is, he hits and hits with power. If the Astros decided to give him five-tool money, that’s on them.

I have absolutely no problem with Hunter Pence winning Team MVP. Even in departure, he did what Carlos Lee could not do: provide a return (in Singleton, Cosart, and Zeid). And if the local voting chapter wants to make a statement about the team, that's their prerogative. The purpose of the media is to give feedback on the team, and that's what they did. If their "time is up" for giving said feedback, then what the hell is the point? Aside from tossing softball columns and blog posts about how great a guy Carlos Lee is, of course.

Tal and Ed were anguished that something as virtually meaningless as Team MVP went to a former Astro. I just wish they seemed more anguished about a 56-106 team.

Justice chimes in

Richard Justice chimed in today on the news of the $50m discount:

If MLB believed there were other bidders willing to pay $680 million, it almost certainly would have sold the team to one of them.

Now Crane is asking McLane to reopen negotiations. My guess is that request will not sit well with McLane even if $630 million is more money than he could get if he put the team back on the market. If it’s true that Crane wants a discount, McLane may be the one who walks away this time.

Astros fall from the top? Unprecedented.

Richard Justice looks at the factors that turned a pennant-winning team to a 100-loss team in a matter of six seasons. Unprecedented!

...Unless you count the Diamondbacks, who won the World Series in 2001 and lost 111 games in 2004. Or the Orioles, who won the World Series in 1983, and lost 107 games in 1988. Or the 1976 Reds, who won the World Series and lost 101 games in 1982. Or the Tigers, who won the World Series in 1984, and lost 103 games in 1989. Or the Marlins, who won the World Series in 1997, and lost 108 games in 1998. Or the Athletics, who won the World Series in 1974, and lost 108 games in 1979. Or the Pirates, who won the World Series in 1979, and lost 104 games in 1985. Or the Mariners, who won 116 games in 2001, and lost 99 games in 2004.

Is it amazing that the Astros were THISCLOSE to winning a World Series game in 2005, and they are where they are in 2011? Yes. But it's not unique to baseball. Teams go through smart periods, and they go through dumb periods. The Astros were dumb from 2004-2007 (and maybe still are). It happens.

Feeling bad for Jim Crane

Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane is getting pissed, and it's hard to blame him.

If you're a loyal, or even a not-so-loyal, Astros County reader, you'll note that we have linked to every story Maury Brown has published, be it through the Biz of Baseball or Forbes, on updates on the sale of the Astros. None of these reports - none of any report - have been favorable. (That's not a criticism of Brown. He's basically been the sole writer to bring Crane's previous activities to prominent light.) At best, Crane is a bad American, profiting unfairly from The War. At worst, he's a horrible person: petty, dishonest, racist, domestically violent.


There hasn't been a single person - other than Drayton - who has come forward on Crane's behalf to say, "You know, there's more to the stories you've been given."

Crane couldn't take it anymore. And frankly, who could blame him? I would gouge someone's eyes out if they went to the press on me with a lot less.

Everything from Crane's past: the EEOC, the war profiteering, the domestic disturbance allegations that prompted Crane to speak out to the Chronicle, has been covered before. Every single item that has come up about Crane's past was a matter of public record, whether it was in the Chronicle or the Houston Press. That this is the first time Bud Selig has heard of these allegations, and that he "needs more time" to do his due diligence indicates - to me - two things:

1. Crane was never taken seriously as a prospective owner of the Cubs or Rangers, or the Astros in 2008. Or else all of these issues would have been taken care of.

2. Selig is taking his role as Baseball's Morality Policeman very seriously, thanks to the problems initiated by the McCourts and the Wilpons.

I understand the desire to keep baseball clean and pure, or, in a state that is completely impossible to maintain. If Crane can't come up with a good explanation for any allegation, then it's a different story. But perhaps the reason that Crane hasn't given so much as a middle finger to the press is because he couldn't. He has no official role in baseball until Selig approves his sale. And it's bad form to run your mouth before you've been approved, or rejected.

Do I want the Astros to have a crook running the show? Absolutely not. But he at least deserves a chance to get a chance to talk to Selig.

Richard Justice says this will infuriate Bud Selig. And frankly, I really don't care if it does. Crane should be allowed to answer every single one of these allegations, because what plays out in this episode is not confined to his, or his family's, life with Selig's decision. It's going to come up any time Jim Crane's name is mentioned.

There's something up with Crane

Richard Justice has been enjoying a fine run of articles and columns lately, and today's post on Crane's approval process has raised Justice's eyebrows:

You can read the delay in the approval process any way you like, but as someone who has known Selig for almost 30 years, it’s not insignificant.

Perhaps it really is as simple as completely vetting all the investors. But it could also be that MLB just can’t reach a comfort level with Crane.

In his heart Drayton McLane has to know this too. If he hasn’t begun to shop for another buyer, he’s at least thinking about the possibility. I’m not sure what has changed in the last couple of weeks, but something clearly has.