Astros (Houston, Hidalgo, Aubrey: credit, layoffs, buy)

[HoustonRonnie]

And they're of and running, backwards, again. Hey Uncle Drayton: either sell it or spend some money, cuz this team sucks again.

Just sayin'...

Ronnie

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by HoustonRonnie

And they're of and running, backwards, again.

Wrong. Dead wrong. What you're seeing is redirecting a franchise that has been running backwards for five seasons back into a forward direction. When they traded away Oswalt and Berkman, the Astros turned a page that needed to be turned right after the '05 World Series.

I'm feeling lazy, and something I put out a few months ago is applicable here so I'll just cut-n-paste:

Originally Posted by me @ someplace that is not city-data

They (Houston fans) get no respect or credit because they don't deserve it, by and large. They don't deserve it because they're some of the least knowledgeable fans in the country. They latch on to individual players like they're married to them, and would just as soon watch the same old guys play until they're over 40 and past the productive stage of their careers, just because they helped the team get to the playoffs years ago, than embrace the next generation of talent.

What you're seeing right now is the result of Uncle Drayton obliging this sizable portion of the fanbase. It's not that he didn't spend money. He pitched loads of it to Biggio when he was playing just to get to 3,000 hits, whatever the cost to the franchise not just in salary but in wasting prospects at second base. He's still forking it over to Carlos Lee. He sold the rest of the farm for an aging Miguel Tejada. Hey, people here wanted big names instead of accepting that a youth movement was necessary.

And finally, it's starting.

Go Astros

[HoustonRonnie]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Wrong. Dead wrong. What you're seeing is redirecting a franchise that has been running backwards for five seasons back into a forward direction. When they traded away Oswalt and Berkman, the Astros turned a page that needed to be turned right after the '05 World Series.

I'm feeling lazy, and something I put out a few months ago is applicable here so I'll just cut-n-paste:



What you're seeing right now is the result of Uncle Drayton obliging this sizable portion of the fanbase. It's not that he didn't spend money. He pitched loads of it to Biggio when he was playing just to get to 3,000 hits, whatever the cost to the franchise not just in salary but in wasting prospects at second base. He's still forking it over to Carlos Lee. He sold the rest of the farm for an aging Miguel Tejada. Hey, people here wanted big names instead of accepting that a youth movement was necessary.

And finally, it's starting.

Go Astros

Gotta love true fans, and you are one. But... meh, I don't buy it.

Just sayin'...

Ronnie

[Cassino]

At least the Aeros are in the playoffs!

[danmedic]

This team reminds me a lot of the early 90's Astros. Nobody liked the youth movement then either, but now, 20 years later, no one can dispute the talent that poured out of it. Bagwell, Biggio, Caminiti, Finley, Gonzalez, Hampton, Harnisch, Portugal, Wagner, Lofton, Garcia, Abreu, Hidalgo, and others....

Granted, not all of them stayed here, and there were definitely mistakes made, but you can't name me a single major league organization (in any sport) that hasn't made personnel mistakes.

It's going to be an interesting season.....

[piyf]

Originally Posted by Cassino

At least the Aeros are in the playoffs!

Who?

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by danmedic

This team reminds me a lot of the early 90's Astros. Nobody liked the youth movement then either, but now, 20 years later, no one can dispute the talent that poured out of it. Bagwell, Biggio, Caminiti, Finley, Gonzalez, Hampton, Harnisch, Portugal, Wagner, Lofton, Garcia, Abreu, Hidalgo, and others....

Granted, not all of them stayed here, and there were definitely mistakes made, but you can't name me a single major league organization (in any sport) that hasn't made personnel mistakes.

It's going to be an interesting season.....

I thought about this the other day, but while I don't mind the team sucking IF there was a wholesale youth movement, I don't consider Bill Hall at $3mil as the starting 2nd sacker part of the solution. Or maybe 30-somethings like Nelson Figueroa (36, actually) taking up a warm spot in the rotation or never-beens like Michaels or Ingrett taking up OF spots that would have gone to good draft picks if Uncle Drayton was into signing them for decent money...ah, but I digress.

So, basically...yawn and when do Aeros playoff ducketts go on sale.

[jfre81]

Bill Hall is a one-year stopgap, and $3M isn't that much anymore. It's a move made necessary by having wasted/traded possible longer-term solutions at 2B over the last couple years. Sure I'd rather have had Ben Zobrist there - despite his struggles since a strong 2009 season - than Hall. But five years ago Drayton was delusional enough to think the team was one acquisition away from going back to the World Series and somehow came up with the idea that said acquisition was Aubrey Huff. With nobody to come up and fill a spot, you're stuck with retreads like Hall.

They really should have traded Oswalt and/or Berkman back then, when they had the kind of value that would make teams part with some of their best prospects.