In an interview, Nolan Ryan says he had really hoped that he would've retired as an Astro. So what do you make of this? Is it lip service? Regret for going into the HoF as a Ranger? Or is he simply making reference to the time he had to leave the team because of the contract issue?
Not sure why that link doesn't work anymore. Here ya go: http://mlb.mlb.com/shared/video/emb...0&height=504&content_id=31562963&property=mlb
I doubt you are even old even to remember nolan ryan either way. I don't understand why kids always have opinions about things they never seen or experienced themselves. I'm 44 and I barely remember the nolan ryan days.
McMullen basically chased him out the door, he was asked to take a pay cut, while the Rangers were offering him literally 2x what the Astros were. That's why he is a Ranger in Cooperstown
He's a Texan at heart, but there is no question that he wanted Houston to be his final destination when he signed (of course, I don't think at the time he was expecting his career to be only halfway through). He only left the Astros as a player because John McMullen decided he was no longer worth $1M. Turns out he was worth $2M to the Rangers. He only left the Astros as a member of the front office because he was offered a promotion by the Rangers.
Don't know what you mean about "halfway". He played 22 years in the big leagues, with 8 of them being an Astro, before he finished off his career with a mere 4 years as a Ranger.
I think he's saying that when Ryan originally signed with the Astros, he was 33 and probably thought it was his final destination near the end of his career. As it turned out, he was only half way through his MLB career at that point as he ended up playing 14 more years. (side note, he actually played a ridiculous 26 full years in the bigs, 9 with Houston, 5 with the Rangers)
Major hit the nail on the head. Ryan at the time was expecting his 4 year deal with the Astros to maybe be it. [rquoter]Ryan felt Texas wouldn’t be able to be competitive in the negotiations, then eliminated the Yankees and Brewers because he thought he ought to make his home permanently in the city he selected, and he preferred staying in Alvin, 30 miles southeast of Houston. Ryan himself says, “I don’t know what my potential is, but I’m 33 years old and I’ve got to figure that whatever it is, I reached it somewhere back on down the road. If they expect me to be 25-5 for them, they’re not thinking straight. [It's always they; Ryan is keeping distance until the Astros let him know he is blood, not just money.] I’ve got to feel they’re paying me on what I already did.” “The only way this wouldn’t be it is if I was winning 15 to 18 a year and they wanted me and I was enjoying it,” Ryan says. “I don’t expect it. I’m in a pay bracket where they don’t keep you around just because things are going well. I’ll tell you — the amount of pitches I’ve thrown, I’d be surprised if when I’m 38 or 39 I’m still throwing in the 90s.”[/rquoter] http://grantland.com/features/a-look-back-tony-kornheiser-1980-profile-nolan-ryan-sports-magazine/ That is all from an article in 1980.
Can you imagine an athlete saying those things today in a contract year? He basically said "I hope they pay me for what I did before, because I expect to be pretty mediocre going forward".
you are right that I was not old enough to remember his playing days, but he never showed much interest in Houston before he was chased out of Texas.
I don't know what you are talking about. Ryan grew up and lived in the HOUSTON area. When he became a free agent in 1979 he chose to come back to HOUSTON. He would have gladly stayed in HOUSTON if McMullen hadn't insulted him with a ridiculous offer. Ryan was still pitching very well his last year with the Astros. I remember thinking at the time that forcing Ryan to leave was stupid. Ryan was a Houston boy that became one of the most famous pitchers of all time, and the Astros were just kicking him to the curb.
