Friday Morning Hot Links

*Game 3 will feature Yu Darvish vs. Lance McCullers. FiveThirtyEight's simulations give the Dodgers the nod 51-49. So we might as well just walk into the sea. Or, if the Astros can win three straight at home starting, I don't know, tonight, then we go parading.

Bregman on Darvish:
I think the guys in this room are familiar with him and his stuff. We're going to take the fight to him.

Darvish has changed his arm slot since getting traded to the Dodgers, and Hinch is well-aware:
There's more unpredictability around game plans and approaches in the postseason than ever. You can go in saying this is how he's thrown you in the past, and he can pitch you completely different. We saw that with Tanaka in New York. 

Darvish vs. Astros, 2012: 8IP, 7H/2ER, 11K:2BB
Darvish vs. Astros, 2013: 35IP, 15H/11ER, 52K:12BB
Darvish vs. Astros, 2014: 18IP, 20H/11ER, 20K:5BB
Darvish vs. Astros, 2015: N/A
Darvish vs. Astros, 2016: 16IP, 15H/6ER, 19K:7BB
Darvish vs. Astros, 2017: 12IP, 8H/4ER, 12K:4BB

*I was on SportsRadio 610 yesterday and said that, if you were okay with Hinch continuing to run Springer out in the leadoff spot, then following that logic you should be okay with Hinch continuing to let Giles pitch in high-leverage situations. Hinch agreed:
I did say Giles did play a pivotal role, not in giving up the run [Ed. Note: runs] but in the outs he did get. That's part of my job that I feel good about. I think Ken Giles is going to get another save in this series. I think he's going to get some really big outs. I think when the crowd is standing in this ballpark over the next couple of games, if we can have the lead and he's the right matchup, he's going to get the last out. He's done it awfully well this year.

*The roof will be closed for tonight's game, but may be open tomorrow and Sunday thanks to a poorly-timed cold front. Seriously, if it's going to be 85 on October 26, you may as well just accept that autumn doesn't exist anymore except in fairy tales and books from the days of yore, and just pray the roof can stay closed. Bregman, on playing at Minute Maid Park:
We're happy to be playing in front of our home fans. And there's something special when we play at Minute Maid Park in front of Houston people. 

McCullers is perfectly happy with the roof closed:
That's how we play most of the games here. We're very used to it. I definitely think it's part of our home-field advantage. We play 60 or more like that...which is...why a lot of the guys want it to stay the same. 

Brian McTaggart notes that, if the outside temperature is under 55 degrees, the roof stays closed. Forecasted low in Houston on Saturday and Sunday? 38 and 49, respectively.

*So TMZ had a report yesterday saying that A.J. Hinch was involved in an altercation in the team's hotel bar in Pasadena (California, though I'm sure there have been plenty of altercations in hotel bars in Pasadena, Texas). TMZ:
We're told he was having some drinks - when some hotel guests came in and started talking trash about the Astros. Sources say Hinch "snapped" and unleashed on the other patrons - cursing and yelling in the middle of the bar. One witness tells us the incident turned physical and cops were called to separate the two parties. 

Hinch disputed that account to the Chronicle:
There was no altercation. It's a shame I get asked about some nonsense and fabrications and non-stories, and I have to respond to it on a national stage.

I mean, obviously no arrests were made, but the cops were called. If Hinch (or someone else there in the hotel bar) just says, "Don't you have a Giants fan to curb-stomp?" or "Yeah, I remember my first beer," and waives them off then the police don't get called. But the cops did show up. So something happened, just not enough to warrant (get it?) any action. Regardless, this is the day Hinch truly became president.

*After playing soft 80s rock for the Astros workout at Dodger Stadium, the Astros had the Dodgers working out in complete silence.

*Alex Bregman has been talking to Carlos Beltran a lot this postseason.

*The OC Register's Bill Plunkett wonders if the Astros took the momentum of this series.

*LA Times' Bill Plaschke says Game 2 was Roberts doing what he's done for two years now.

*Jose Altuve was named the Sporting News' Player of the Year. Can't wait for here in about two weeks when we can all go crazy about the AL MVP voting.

*Dallas Keuchel's Gold Glove streak will come to an end. No Astro was selected as a Gold Glove finalist. But Ben Zobrist - who played all of 65 games at 2B - is a 2B finalist!

*Vice: The Alternate Histories of the Craziest World Series Game Ever

*Jayson Stark took to Facebook with some crazy stats about Game 2 (no team in MLB postseason history had ever hit home runs in the 9th, 10th, and 11th innings).

*USA Today: George Springer will not be silenced.

*Joel Sherman: What Aaron Judge can learn from George Springer.

*Well this isn't creepy at all: A new facial recognition app will allow fans to receive a clip if they appear on television this weekend.

*Today is the 26th anniversary of Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. John Smoltz and Jack Morris reflect on it.

Bryant Gumbel compares Jim Crane to Donald Sterling

Yep, this is exactly how I was hoping we'd get to spend an off-day: with teams trying to out-racist each other.

So Bryant Gumbel said on NBC's Meet The Press last night that Jim Crane has the "same kind of tortured history" as dumbass Clippers owner Donald Sterling. The quote:

I don’t want us to sit here, singling out the NBA, because they are not necessarily the exception to the rule. I mean baseball, for example, has an owner down in Houston who has kind of the same tortured history as Donald Sterling, in that his company was sued for discrimination and wound up paying a settlement, and has said sometimes attributed to him that are inopportune.

Gumbel is referring to an Equal Opportunity Employment Commission report from the late 1990s that fined Eagle Global Logistics (Crane's former company) for...

*Failing or refusing to promote African-Americans.
*Demoting females from managerial positions
*Maintaining a hostile work environment against African-Americans, Hispanics and females with respect to terms, conditions and privileges of employment.
*Failing to adequately investigate incidents of sexual and gender harassment.

The case was settled out of court for $9m.

Maury Brown wrote a piece before the sale of the team to Jim Crane that also referenced a 2000 Houston Chronicle article which had this nugget...

Eagle President Jim Crane told his subordinates not to hire blacks because "once you hire blacks, you can never fire them." On other occasions, Crane explained the reason he wanted to keep blacks out of the company was that his top managers are bigoted and they would mistreat the minorities, "giving them no choice but to sue Eagle."

The Astros responded with a strongly-worded rebuttal, of course.

I'm not interested in getting into a racist-off with Donald Sterling. Obviously the Crane thing isn't a good thing. For the sake of being a good person, as well as for the public perception of the franchise - which I don't know if you've noticed, but it's not so great - I wish it had never happened.

Let's let Jerome Solomon sign this off and we can spend the rest of the day whittling a to-scale sculpture of Collin McHugh:

Attempts to compare Jim Crane to Sterling shows ignorance to Sterling's ridiculousness and Crane's record. It's comparing apples to racists.
— Jerome Solomon (@JeromeSolomon) April 28, 2014

Black Friday: Things fall apart

Oh Jeez. Every Bad Thing is happening this afternoon. Let's unpack this.

*Matt Albers has been placed on the 15-Day DL, and Jose Cisnero has been called up to replace him.

*Jesse Crain has developed bursitis. That early May return isn't going to happen, since he won't be able to throw for at least another week. 

*2013 1-1 pick Mark Appel has been sent from Lancaster back to Kissimmee for Extended Spring Training, but not because he's injured (as we wondered yesterday morning).

"It's a little unsettling and the results aren't what we expect," Luhnow said of Appel's adjustment to pro ball. Appel was top 2013 pick.
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) April 25, 2014

There is no timetable for his return. Now remember a couple of things: this is Appel's first full season, and the piggyback system isn't exactly standard operating procedure. Mike Foltynewicz developed some elbow discomfort last season, and Rudy Owens complained about how his arm hurt earlier this season in regards to the tandem pitching plan. Also, Appel had the whole appendicitis thing in late January, and didn't get a normal Spring Training. Were he to have these numbers (6.23 ERA in 13IP) in March, would we be as nervous?

Regardless, this is a pretty stunning move. It's obviously good that Appel isn't injured, but the Astros aren't willing to let him get injured in order for him to become adjusted to a four-to-five day rotation. Due to injuries and call-ups thanks to how much the Astros sucked in 2013, the tandem system didn't last much past May. I wonder if the Astros are going to keep Appel in Kissimmee until a similar situation arises and Appel can get his strength up and adjust to a "more regular" schedule at a place where we're not writing about his every pitching appearance.

*How about some good news? Delino DeShields is healing up, and is expected to be "better" in the next 7-10 days.

Dallas Keuchel noticed a startling velocity drop

I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the coming days, but Dallas Keuchel's velocity was way down today in an 8-1 loss to the Marlins at Jupiter.

Jose de Jesus Ortiz asked Keuchel if he was suffering from dead arm. Keuchel said he felt good.

"For sure, for sure," Keuchel said when I asked if there was a steep drop in velocity today.
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) March 18, 2014

"Obviously I could tell throwing the fastball and (for) the guys it was just like a beach ball coming up there today," he said.
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) March 18, 2014

So how bad are we talking? His fastball was sitting at 84mph today.

Given that his fastball averaged 89.5mph last season, and he didn't have a month in which his fastball averaged under 89mph in 2013...? It's a concern, and something to keep an eye on.

UPDATE: Apparently I missed the boat on this, and I've heard from a few SOURCES that it's not uncommon for this type of velocity drop to happen around this time in Spring Training. Whatever. There's not enough to write about, anyway, so we might as well trump up some potentially useless piece of information. 

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.

CSN Houston files for bankruptcy...in July

Okay, we're only now starting to piece this together, although former Astros beat writer Brian Smith says it was a "poorly kept secret." (Which means, all of you "sources" on the Astros County payroll are hereby fired).

The Dream Shake - SBNation's Rockets blog - posted about the possibility of CSN Houston's demise back in July, quoting a source in response to David Barron's Chronicle story indicating that CSN Houston "has been a bust," and wouldn't likely get a carriage deal until 2015 . 
A Rockets source indicated that CSN Houston might not last that long. In fact, he noted that without a deal with the majority of carriers in the next year, the network might go under for good.

So yesterday (Friday, September 27) the affiliates of Comcast/NBC Universal filed an involuntary chapter 11 bankruptcy petition against CSN Houston.

First things first, and I am qualified to report on this because I took the LSAT in college as I, at the time, wanted to be Bob Sugar, and I'm decent at Googling things : Involuntary Chapter 11 Bankruptcy comes when a company is facing financial distress and its creditors force the company into bankruptcy. Even is CSN Houston doesn't consent, they can be forced into bankruptcy by Comcast/NBC Universal.

Barron says the petition came as a surprise to the Astros, who responded late last night with their own strong-to-quite-strongly worded statement:
Comcast has improperly filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition in an attempt to prevent the Astros from terminating the Media Rights Agreement between the Astros and Houston Regional Sports Network. HRSN failed to pay the Astros media rights fees in July, August and September, and we have invested additional money in order to keep the network viable through our season...

Despite not receiving our media rights fees, our objective has not changed. We will continue to work toward obtaining full carriage so that all of our fans are able to watch the Astros games while making sure that the Astros are able to compete for championships.

So the Astros haven't been getting paid by the network the Astros (and Rockets) created, and have been using their own money keep the network alive. That's...not good, right?  But all may not be lost for the CSN Houston. This law office's guide to bankruptcy indicates that this can be the beginning of a successful strategy"

Involuntary bankruptcy petitions can be useful in those situations where you simply don’t know what happened. One of your best customers suddenly goes belly up without notice. Typically, creditors suspect foul play, which may not always be the case. Rather than just letting the company dissolve and disappear, creditors often find an involuntary bankruptcy petition a useful tool in conducting an “autopsy” of the debtor’s business. While creditors may or may not ultimately see a distribution from the bankruptcy, it can be insightful to have an organized and open examination of the debtor’s business and financial demise.

CSN Houston will remain on the air through what will likely be a lengthy process, broadcasting Rockets games for those of you who actually get CSN Houston. Add this to the long list of to-do items to get the Astros back to national, and even, local relevance. 

Oh this is not good news for CSN Houston

Everybody wants everybody else to blink on this CSN Houston carriage deal. All it takes is one agreement! they say.

Back in May, Awful Announcing posted some thoughts on the CSN Houston impasse, noting that CSN Houston is asking for $3.40/subscriber in any carriage deal, more than the Yankees/YES get in their carriage deals.

So what's a fair market price? Well, considering that Fox Sports 1 (which debuts tomorrow morning) is getting...wait for it...23 cents per subscriber. And that's because DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Dish Network, and Cablevision didn't want to pay the 80 cents per subscriber that Fox wanted.


And I think it's pretty safe to conclude that, if you live in the blackout zone and want to watch Astros games, you should probably look into MLB.TV and one of those IP scrambler things...

Jarred Cosart made an oops

Jarred Cosart was scratched from his start for the Hooks tonight for "not conforming to organizational policy." He's slated to start on Sunday instead.

This could be absolutely anything, so it's hard to speculate. Greg Rajan notes that it likely wasn't Twitter-related, so that leaves...um...just about anything else.

Jeff Bagwell apparently went to rehab

Okay, so you remember the whole Rachel Brown/Dr. Michael Brown thing, right? They're getting a divorce - he's a douche and is allegedly violent; she's been "seeing" Jeff Bagwell for a while now, one apparent reason for Jeff Bagwell's divorce from his wife. Well, today was the first of two days of hearings related to the divorce of the Browns' divorce, relating to their children.

Her relationship with Bagwell came up, where it was acknowledged that they have taken several trips together, intend to move in together at a future (unspecified) date, that they're in love, and one day hope to marry.

Then, almost as a throw-away line at the end of the recap:
She confirmed that she accompanied Bagwell when he recently left a rehabilitation facility where he was being treated for alcohol abuse before he completed the program.

/Slow whistle...

Okay, some updates. And, hey, I know. This sucks. It's not fun to talk about. It wouldn't be fun to talk about with anyone, much less one of the Greatest Astros of All Time. Still, it seems as though Bagwell did not complete the course of treatment in rehab.

Former FO member sues Astros

Mark Berman is reporting that Charlie Norton, former director of baseball research/pro scouting coordinator, is suing the Astros for breach of contract/wrongful termination.

According to the lawsuit, during a meeting on Dec. 16, 2011 that included Norton, Luhnow told those who were there, "everyone here and around are signed through next year and can have comfort that they have a job for a year." The lawsuit also states Luhnow made similiar comments on Jan. 3, 2012.

Berman:
Nine days later the Astros fired Norton and according to the lawsuit the reason given was "not for cause, but as set forth in its termination letter, due to an elimination of your position as the club's director, baseball research and analysis."

Norton's attorney:
"It's our contention that they did not have the ability to terminate Charlie for restructuring reasons for which they ultimately did terminate him."

Livan Hernandez is in some financial trouble

Via Native_Astro, we get this story from the Washington Times about Livan Hernandez' financial problems:

Hernandez owes SunTrust Bank $469,387.22 from a line of credit and promissory note, according to a summary judgement entered against him in October.

Meanwhile, Hernandez has guaranteed a rotation spot to open the season...
"I can not give many details," Hernandez told the El Nuevo Herald in remarks translated from Spanish. "But, yes, I will be in the rotation."

He has to be in the rotation to pay off The Man From SunTrust

Update on Jim Crane

Zach Levine comes in with an update on the Jim Crane situation, who had a "brief editorial meeting" with the Chronicle.

In the link we find:
*The Astros-to-AL move has picked up steam, but there hasn't been any mention of compensation for the move.

The possibility of realignment was brought up before the sale was announced in a May press conference, but was sort of left alone. After a "small contingent of owners" met in Chicago in August, realignment talks lit back up.

Crane:
“We’ve been asked at times to make an offer. We said we have a contract in place; we want to honor that contract and that’s what we want to execute on. We don’t want to change that. If you’d like us to consider something, give us something. We haven’t gotten that yet.”

*If November 30 comes and goes without Crane being approved, he would likely just leave it alone, but left the door open to a renegotiation.

*Also, Levine mentions a person familiar with the MLB's side of the situation:
...the primary issue delaying the sale remains past claims of unfair hiring practices and war profiteering by Crane’s shipping logistics companies.

Lots to consider here...

Here comes a completely unsolicited defense of Jim Crane!

We mentioned earlier about how there seemingly wasn't anyone out there - besides Drayton - willing to say how Jim Crane wasn't a bad guy.

That's not true, anymore! Greg Dykeman, an attorney with Strong Pipkin in Beaumont wrote a completely unbiased, unsolicited letter to Jim Crane (and to the Chronicle) in an effort to uphold his name.

About those pesky allegations:
“At no time during this lawsuit and investigation was there ever any belief or evidence that you personally had any involvement with or were even aware of the scheme by the responsible employees. All indications were that this was an isolated incident and you had no knowledge of their actions.”

Justice, on Crane

It's telling about this season that the only real updates we've been posting in September have to do with Jeff Bagwell's side piece and Jim Crane.

Richard Justice has a post up about Jim Crane, and the delay of his approval. Your money quote:

If Selig has questions about Crane’s character, it’s going to be very hard for him to be approved.

I see a duel in someone's future

Maury Brown has a pretty good theory on the recent non-events in the sale of the Astros:

Crane and his sources could say that it’s the unwillingness to jump to the American League that ultimately doomed the sale. The league will say it’s a number of issues, but not say one way or the other on the jump from the NL. Hypothetically, Crane could have an out. His character ultimately wouldn’t be the reason for the deal not going through. In other words, Crane would save face.

With no one being able to come to a solid conclusion on just what is holding up the sale, it's certainly possible that it's all a way for Crane to back out, save his (and his investors', and Bank of America's) $680 million and go home. And we're back to Drayton.

Maury Brown brings it again

Maury Brown brings more pain to Jim Crane in his latest post on what the external hold-ups might be. Hint: Selig might just be trying to fracture the investment group:

While there’s been plenty of talk that MLB could reject Crane as an owner, what is becoming a larger issue is Crane being able to hold his ownership group together. The large group that has investments as low as $25 million in the deal, could become fragmented over time. For MLB, instead of rejecting Crane, the deal could whither on the vine.

Read it all. Now.

Maury Brown: No vote on Crane until November

Maury Brown said this morning that Jim Crane might not come up for a vote until November:

Yes, the league can hold the vote via conference call, but they have more pressing matters to deal with right now.

Those close to baseball say that the Dodgers bankruptcy, the Mets legal battles surrounding the Madoff ponzi scheme, and the labor negotiations around the new CBA are pushing the Astros sale into the backseat as resources are spread thin.

But, back to Crane, everyone close to the matter agrees that Crane’s background continues to be the wild card in getting the deal done. Rogers’ idea of Kenny Friedman may be a reach, but the idea that some other individual that would become the managing partner is something worth considering as the process continues to drag on.

At this point, it doesn't really matter when it happens - but Drayton should probably already be coming up with Plans B & C.

Mike Jacobs more fun to deal with than Jim Crane

So Bud Selig and the other owners didn't even talk about Jim Crane and the sale of the Astros. They did, however, talk about a guy who got suspended for using HGH.

Selig:
"we have a program in place and it did what it was supposed to do. We don't duck the issue."

Nope, the issue they are ducking - however - is the future of the Astros, which they are apparently still thinking about. Selig had no comment on that, but due diligence is being done.

Preposterous.

If Jim Crane doesn't get approved, he has Forbes to thank

The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers has a note on Jim Crane's prospective purchase of the Astros:

Crane still appears on track to be approved as the Astros' new owner. However, one source said Major League Baseball staffers are investigating one allegation raised in the story, with an outside chance it could complicate the transfer.

MLB long ago vetted Crane, who was involved in attempts to purchase the Cubs and Rangers, and excused him in almost all of the cases Forbes raises. But at least one element of the story surprised Selig's staff, requiring additional legwork.

The source denied Crane is under additional scrutiny because of the troubles of the Dodgers' Frank McCourt and Chuck Greenberg, whom Nolan Ryan and their other partners bought out within his first year of owning the Rangers.

Steve Greenberg dismisses Crane allegations

Steve Greenberg, the guy who arranged the sale of the Astros to Jim Crane, is dismissive of the allegations against Eagle, and by extension, Jim Crane.

Steve Greenberg, McLane’s adviser on the sale, said he was not aware of anything that “would in any way be a concern to us with respect to approval, but we’ll leave Major League Baseball to do their work.” He added, “The last thing I need is to bring a guy to baseball who will be rejected or have serious problems.”