I heard an interview with Beltran on 610am tonight. In it he said that he'd be willing to sign with the Astros now, if they promised him that they would make the necessary moves it took to win. He followed that up with "I'm tired of losing.". I guess that puts the monkey on Drayton & Hunsicker's backs. If they don't resign Beltran, it'll (imo) prove that Drayton has no intention of truely fielding a World Series caliber team.
I missed the interview but thats very interesting. This has nothing to do with Drayton's intentiobn of fielding a world series caliber team; it has everything to do with Jeff Bagwell and his 17 million dollar albatross of a contract hindering us.
This may be more of a case of "saying the right thing" then true intention... I mean, when asked that question, he's not going to tell a Houston reporter, "hell no... I don't plan on signing here at all..." But, it is at least somewhat encouraging... we MAY have a chance. (of course, if I was him, I might be inclined to goto a place where he can get more $$$... AND... have a better chance to win... but that's just me.)
Yeah I heard that too. Just think the kind of stats Beltran could put up in MMP for a full season. Even if the Astros make him an offer it would be hard to turn down the Red Sox and Yankees. Both are world series contenders and both play in hitter's parks.
And both would offer contracts THRU THE ROOF for this guy. The Astros couldn't bank on a hometown discount to keep this guy now... and there's no doubt he (and his agent) want a little of the BIG spotlight, after suffering for all those years in KC.
Signing Beltran can be catch-22 situation. The sky is the limit for Beltran but at the same time his contract could hinder Astros from filling other holes in the club or adding quality depth. I hope they have a creative accountant.
nick.. true.. it could also be a case of he doesn't want to be traded again in the next week... for the 2nd time this year..
You forgot Adam Everett, Ensberg (if he can find last year's swing), Lamb, & Lane. They're not where Berkman & Beltran are, but they've shown enough to look very promising for the future. Not to mention our starting pitching & Carlos Hernandez. If Hernandez returns to full health, we could have one of the best starting 5 rotations in all of baseball.
Oops. I forgot all about Chris Burke. He was hitting .329, with 12 HR's, 38 RBI's, & 23 SB's in New Orleans.
I don't think Drayton doesn't want to win, I'm a critic of his, I've always thought he just couldn't afford to win. This season, he's gone above and beyon though, the team has just seriously let the city of Houston down. Resigning Beltran is important, a young star like that with Berkman, Pettitte, Miller, Oswalt, and Lidge are some good blocks to start building on. The problem is that we are humstrung with Bagwell's huge contract. The money Bagwell makes could be split up to buy 2 or 3 reasonably good players.
It's reasonable, and probably more likely to believe that if there were no "hometown discounts" involved, the moves this team would have made would not look like they are going above and beyond. For being the wealthiest owner in baseball Drayton is a cheapskate.
I thought you would have responded to that much earlier. You can't let these people put that "snake oil salesman" on too high of a pedestal.
I've long been a critic of Drayton McLane, but I have to give credit where it is due, he went all out this season and tried for the brass ring. Unfortunately the offense has sputtered since after the first month of the season, and the team is at this point hoping to make the post season. This is one of the worst things to happen to the franchise (unless McLane sells the team). This looks like the Drabek and Swindell debacle all over again. The difference this time is that the team can't hit to save its life and the bullpen sucks. As long as McLane owns the team I do not see him going all out ever again. He will point to this and say that he tried and the team just didn't do it. Many of you will highly disagree and others might agree with my comments. For those of you who love this type of thing flame away.
I don't see it that way. The two hometown boys fell in his lap. I seriously doubt he would of done anything if those two guys didn't fall in his lap. Bagwell, Wagner, Berkman, and Hunsicker publically questioned his intent in one way or another. The way I see it.. Wagner scolded management in that now famous interview while he was by his locker. He said, "the Astros had a chance, management didn't go out to get a starter." Wagner knew that his days were numbered after that interview. The media and fans started to call Drayton out. The guy cares nothing about winning. He cares about one thing. For those that are going to come to Drayton's rescue, SAVE THE BS ABOUT DRAYTON HAVING THE RIGHT TO MAKE MONEY. The guy has a brand new playground because of the taxpayers. We have a right to win a CHAMPIONSHIP! THE GUY HAS BEEN MAKING MONEY SINCE THE ASTROS PLAYED IN THE ASTRODOME. HE IS SUCH A CROOK!
Screw him for not losing money! Of all seasons, this one is not the one to call him a crook. He brought in Clemens, Pettitte, and Beltran, what more do you want?
I am calling him a crook because he lies about losing money. I am not crediting him with going out and getting Pettitte and Clemens. I give the two hometown boys the credit for coming back home!
