Or maybe it’s your definition of “logical”, I’m not sure. But while first-year manager Bo Porter continues to fire up his players and general manager Jeff Luhnow oversees year one of a complete organizational overhaul, many longtime Astros fans continue to criticize the club’s impending American League debut. MLB commissioner Bud Selig said Tuesday he [...]
Posts under ‘Baseball’
The Hall of Fame and guilt by association
John Royal hits on one of the least admirable traits of Hall of Fame voters. There are some voters out there once again claiming that Jeff Bagwell used ‘roids, and these same folks are claiming that Craig Biggio used them as well. How do they reconcile these statements with the truth that there’s no evidence [...]
Biggio on the ballot
Former Astros great Craig Biggio will make his debut on the Hall of Fame ballot this year. Ballots for the 2013 Hall of Fame class will be issued this week to media members; candidates will officially be announced Wednesday. Results will be disclosed Jan. 9 for a controversial list of names that will include first-timers [...]
RIP, Marvin Miller
Marvin Miller, whom Red Barber said was “one of the two or three most important men in baseball history, along with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson”, has died at the age of 95. It is impossible to overstate Miller’s impact on Major League Baseball. While some — including Hall of Fame voters — have long [...]
Mills and Clemens
Enjoy your paid time off, Brad Mills. General manager Jeff Luhnow and owner Jim Crane see no reason to wait until the season ends to begin the search for the next Astros manager after Brad Mills was fired and replaced by interim skipper Tony DeFrancesco. Some candidates might not become available until after Oct. 3 [...]
Why I hold the Hall of Fame voting process in contempt
This story has the best distillation of why the Baseball Writers Association of America should have had the Hall of Fame voting privilege taken away from them years ago. Former BBWAA president Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer didn’t need a jury to help him with his decision. “I wasn’t going to vote for [...]
Clemens cleared
The saga ends. A federal jury today acquitted baseball superstar Roger Clemens on charges of lying to Congress about the use of performance enhancing drugs in a stinging rebuke to a four-year campaign by legislators and federal prosecutors to turn the legendary pitcher into a cautionary icon for baseball’s doping scandal. The 49-year-old Houstonian, winner [...]
Calling a ball a ball and a strike a strike
Bobby Valentine says that’s the way he wants it. A day after being ejected, Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was still steamed about umpiring, and said technology should be used to eliminate human error in calling balls and strikes. “I want a ball called a ball and a strike called a strike. Figure out [...]
Retire #50!
I was enjoying this story about JR Richard, was was inducted into the Astros Walk of Fame at Minute Maid on Friday night, until I got to these paragraphs: The Astros have been more liberal than most teams in retiring numbers, and the list of pitchers so honored includes Larry Dierker, Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott [...]
More replay for MLB, please
They’re thinking about it, but don’t rush them. Major League Baseball currently is exploring the expansion of instant replay with the World Umpires Association, and no timetable has been specified for any adjustments to the current policy. The owners and the MLB Players Association agreed in collective bargaining last year for a new Basic Agreement [...]
No, San Antonio will not be getting an MLB team any time soon
You are right to be skeptical. It’s a development that has become as predictable as yellow pollen in the spring. A Major League Baseball franchise, struggling financially, seeks a new stadium deal, a new location, a new life. In the midst of resulting contention, options are explored. Such as relocating to another area. San Antonio, [...]
Two wild cards are one too many
I don’t care for this. Major League Baseball expanded its playoff format to 10 teams Friday, adding a second wild card in each league. The decision establishes a new one-game, wild-card round in each league between the teams with the best records who are not division winners, meaning a third-place team could win the World [...]
No more Not-Stros
Glad we got that settled. New owner Jim Crane ended a week of speculation and rare attention on a national level and anticipated backlash among Houstonians, saying he would not change the name of the club – a possibility he floated last week. “You asked for change and we added several fan friendly initiatives last [...]
The Houston Not-Stros
Oh, hell no. Even more drastic changes could come next year, when the [Astros move] to the American League. Possible transformations include new uniforms and logos, changes to the playing field and “Tal’s Hill” in center field, and even a re-evaluation of the name “Astros,” which the team has used for the last 47 years [...]
MLB labor deal calls for more use of replay
This overview of what’s in the proposed collective bargaining agreement for Major League Baseball has the following interesting tidbit: MLB wants to expand replay to include fair-or-foul calls, “whether a fly ball or line drive was trapped” and fan interference all around the ballpark. Umpires still must give their approval and it’s uncertain whether the [...]
Skeeter mascots
Meet Swatson and Moe, the mascots of the Sugar Land Skeeters. I guess when your franchise is named for a winged pest, your options for cuddly anthropomorphic representations are somewhat constrained. Be that as it may, the Phillies Phanatic comparison works pretty well for them. What do you think?
Ron Santo elected to Hall of Fame
Long overdue. Ron Santo, a nine-time All-Star who amassed 342 home runs and five Gold Glove awards, has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Golden Era Committee, it was announced today. Santo was the lone candidate to garner the necessary 75% of votes cast by the 16-member Golden Era Committee, [...]
Sports Authority will not impede Astros move to AL
One of the odd side stories that came out after MLB officially approved the sale of the Astros to Jim Crane was this contention by attorney Kevin W. Yankowsky of Fulbright & Jaworski that the Astros’ lease at Minute Maid Park required them to be in the National League. At the time, Sports Authority Chair [...]
MLB approves Astros sale
It’s official. Jim Crane’s $610 million purchase of the Astros from Drayton McLane was unanimously approved by Major League Baseball’s owners this morning. All that remains is a formal closing of the transaction, which likely will take place early next week. At that point, McLane’s 19-year ownership of the club will end. As we know, [...]
Astros almost to the AL
It’s happening. Prospective Astros owner Jim Crane and his group of investors have reached an agreement with Major League Baseball that would shift the franchise to the American League, two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed Friday. One person familiar with the situation said the transfer of the team from Drayton McLane to Crane [...]
Good enough to do it twice
I confess I did not follow the World Series very closely this year. I caught a few bits and pieces of games, including the latter innings of Game Six, but for the most part missed them. My first thought after hearing about how it turned out was “Gosh, I wonder who the last team to [...]
Astros to the AL update
I remain puzzled by this. Major League Baseball is discussing with prospective Astros owner Jim Crane possible compensation for agreeing to move the team to the American League. Three people familiar with the negotiations said on Thursday that MLB has broached the subject with Crane, who in May reached an agreement to purchase the team [...]
Will the feds get another shot at Clemens?
Probably. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton is considering the possibility that putting Clemens on trial again would subject him to double jeopardy. Walton, who declared a mistrial on July 14, has ordered both sides to submit their arguments in writing and has scheduled a Sept. 2 hearing. Attorneys and scholars who have reviewed case transcripts [...]
Judge declares mistrial in Clemens case
You’ve got to be kidding me. The judge declared a mistrial Thursday in baseball star Roger Clemens’ perjury trial after prosecutors showed jurors evidence that the judge had ruled out of bounds. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said Clemens could not be assured a fair trial after prosecutors showed jurors evidence against his orders in [...]
Der-ek Jet-er!
Clap-clap-clap clap clap. After Derek Jeter fouled off consecutive full-count pitches in the third inning on Saturday, the Yankee Stadium organist tickled the ivories to the tune of “Let’s-Go, Yank-ees!” Impulsively, the 48,103 fans who made up the sold-out crowd responded by chanting “De-rek, Je-ter!” On a picture-perfect afternoon in the Bronx, the Yankees and [...]
MLB needs to stand by all of its players
A brief history of baseball’s other color line. There is no Latin American Jackie Robinson, no single Hispanic ballplayer who lifted his people onto his back and crashed through baseball’s racist barricades. But there always has to be a first, and many of the game’s historians point to two Cubans, Rafael Almeida and Armando Marsans, [...]
MLB realignment?
Well, this is interesting. A simple form of realignment being seriously considered has been raised in the labor talks between Major League Baseball and the players’ association, according to four sources: two leagues of 15 teams, rather than the current structure of 16 teams in the National League and 14 in the American League. According [...]
Start ‘em young
Jordan Lyles, whom the Astros hope will be a big piece of their future, has arrived. The Astros took an injury to lefthander Wandy Rodriguez as a cue to summon Lyles to make his first major league start tonight against the Chicago Cubs. At 20 years, 7 months and 12 days, Lyles will be the [...]
Astros sold
With everything else that’s been going on I’ve only been peripherally aware of the ongoing sale of the Astros to a new owner, which is now official. Jim Crane stood behind the microphone Monday afternoon at Minute Maid Park, in his first moments as the new owner-to-be of the Astros, and spoke from his heart [...]
RIP, Bill Gallo
The great sports cartoonist Bill Gallo has passed away at the age of 88. Bill Gallo, treasured cartoonist and columnist for the New York Daily News, passed away Tuesday at the age of 88 due to complications from pneumonia. Gallo, a New York institution, worked for the newspaper for seven decades and was perhaps best [...]
A night with the Skeeters
I learned a couple of interesting things from this Richard Justice column about the forthcoming Sugar Land Skeeters minor league baseball team. Among them: You may think you know what a Skeeter is, but you don’t. If you’re wondering what a Skeeter is, don’t. “It’s not a mosquito,” [team president Matt] O’Brien said. He will [...]
Bike to the ballpark
From the CTC email list, this is very cool: Bike to the Ballpark – May 1 Play Green Week at Minute Maid Park runs today through Sunday, May 1st. Throughout the week, the ballclub will be raising awareness of green initiatives. Join the Astros on Sunday, May 1st for the first-ever Bike to the Ballpark! [...]