I'm Officially A Fan, Least Favorite Astro, Favorite Astro

Take My Franchise, Please
For the last few years, I've preached that Drayton McLane ran the Astros into the ground. His short sightedness cost the Astros dearly. They reached the pinnacle under the McLane regime when they reached the World Series. What McLane failed to realize the farm system is the backbone of an organization that can't hope to match the dollars of the Yankees and Red Sox. McLane refused to pay bonuses to newly minted draftees. What ensued was the destruction of the Astros minor league system.

McLane has since publicly admitted the 'stros are on the market. The lead candidate to own the local 9 is Jim Crane. Forbes recently valued the Astros as the 14th most valuable Major League Baseball franchise at $474 million while McLane paid $117 million in 1992.

Least Favorite Astro
In what has become a time honored tradition of mine, every year I pick my Least Favorite Astro and hope nothing but ill will on him despite any detriment to the team. Why? I don't know. Maybe I'm just mental that way. In the past years I've hated Ken Caminiti, Craig Biggio, Wandy Rodriguez, Carlos Lee, Willy Taveras and so on. This year we have the first time repeat Astro I hate....Congratulations Wandy Rodriguez...you suck twice as hard as any Astro I hate.

Favorite Astro
Michael Bourn. He can't hit for power. He doesn't drive in runs. What he does is play defense (two time Gold Glove winner) and gets on base. In the game I've watched, he plays hard and he plays with heart. I can't ask for anything more.

Hunter Pence is my second favorite Astro.

Minor League Whiff

It's a well documented fact that the Astros farm system stinks. Not much relief for the big league team sits in the pipeline.

I've complained many times about it before but I'm not beating a dead horse.

I'm about a month behind on my subscriptions (longer in some cases). In the June 7, 2010 edition of Sports Illustrated, an article entitled Wave of the Future features the upcoming draft. The article also describes how many clubs now view the draft as an efficient less inexpensive way of building a team than free agency.

It's obvious owner Drayton McLane knows trucking and grocery distribution. He doesn't know squat about baseball. He disdained paying rookie signing bonus put the club in its current crisis. Instead of smartly paying cheaper bonuses, McLane authorized terrible contracts for veterans like Carlos Lee and the Kat. That's all old news.

Until this article though, I didn't realize how badly the Astros missed out on the draft. I just thought a couple of top picks didn't sign. Scouting lower round talent also lead to the current state of disaster. According to the article, in 2007 the Astros didn't sign 4 of the top 11 picks and in 2008 they missed out on 6 of the top 25. Folks that is a 28% failure rate.

To miss out on 28% of top draft picks shows the incompetence fostered by McLane. The number becomes more staggering when you factor in the players signed but not to make the big leagues. Living up the Quest for Futility, the Astros record for moving players to the Majors is just as abysmal at the season record. Actually the season records looks magnificent compared to the number of players promoted to the Majors. Of 243 drafted players in five drafts, the article states only three played at least a day with the big team. That number is up to four or five now with the promotion of Julio Castro. The success rate of drafted players sits at 1.65%. The
article contrasts that with the Red Sox and Rangers. Both teams produced double digit players in the Major Leagues from those same five drafts.

Drayton McLane managed to destroy one of the more competitive baseball teams in short time. The rot of the club starts up top with the owner and permeates down the depths of the minor league system. McLane believed the Astros could remain competitive only by signing free agents and not stocking the farm system. Now the Astros are crippled by overpaid players and the minor leagues are crippled by loss of trying to undersign players.

The Astros are now just a sad state of affairs.

So Many Things Wrong That Satire Doesn't Do Justice

There are just so many things wrong with the Astros that I don't even feel like doing satire or sarcasm. The ineptitude of the organization seems to plummet to new depths.

The latest mistake involves the firing hitting coach Sean Berry and hiring Jeff Bagwell as his replacement. I'm so jaded about any move now that I think it is just a desperate publicity stunt by Chief Astros Clown Drayton McLane. My jaded guess sets off alarms that McLane thinks fans will go to games just to see Bagwell. Former fan favorite, All-Star and MVP Bagwell will bring a few more fans into the stands. Right? When the product on the field stinks, hire a new coach or manager. Everybody goes to see coaches and managers fill out line ups, give instructions and make hand signs to base runners.

For a while I thought only Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence were untradable. I stand by my stance on Bourn but if Pence can bring in a couple of AA prospects they better think long and hard about it.

Roy Oswalt will probably bring in the biggest haul. The question remains how much can Oswalt actually bring in. I'd like a three prospects for one starter trade but I'm not sure he will bring that. It is obvious Oswalt wants out and teams will lowball the Astros. They will probably have to keep a big portion of his salary too.

Lance Berkman might fetch a prospect and a box of cleats. Used cleats.

Anyone else? The Astros are stuck with Carlos Lee. Wandy Rodriguez might get them some discarded hot-dogs and used drink lids.

The bottom line is the Astros are one of the worst teams in baseball and this will probably be the worst team in Astros history. They are stuck with a top heavy payroll concentrated on a few players. Even if they can move Oswalt and Berkman, the return won't really much and they will also be stuck with the majority of each player's salary.

To bad the owner can't be fired.

Shaky Start But Back On Track

The Astros started June with a dubious start. For the first ten games, the listlessly won eight games and lost only two games.

The Astros needed a tough road opponent to help get back on track. The schedule makers smiled on the Astros though. A trip to the New York Yankee loomed. The Astros started the nosedive they needed in New York losing all three games.

In Kansas City, the Astros looked to continue the new losing streak but screwed up and won the middle game. They managed to drop two of three. While I'd prefer a clean sweep, losing is the name of the game and two of three isn't bad.

In an unanticipated match up by fans outside the Houston or DFW areas, the Astros tried to avoid embarrassment in beating Interstate-45 rival Texas Rangers. The Astros didn't fail to deliver. The Rangers swept the Astros to keep the new losing streak intact.

The Astros have lost 26 games which is completely unacceptable. They've blown all chances of breaking the all time and modern records for losses in a season. The only goal left for the team is to set a franchise records. I still can't find a losing streak record. The franchise record for losses in 64 and setting a new record seem attainable.

First order of business though is returning to the worst record in the Major Leagues. Currently the Pittsburgh Pirates hold a half game lead on the Astros. Catching the Baltimore Orioles will take some work. Currently the Orioles maintain a lead with only 19 wins.

Dammit! A Two Game Win Streak!

After the Astros rolled over for the Gnats, the Astros have embarrassed themselves for two games in a row.

First was choke game down the stretch with Lance Berkman knocking a walk off single two nights ago.

Then they refuse to lose and take a 5-1 win in the third game. I listened to the game at work and am perplexed with this sudden urge to win. Wandy Rodriguez tried to give up a lead but he had no help. He loaded up the bases but the Gnats still wouldn't take the bait. Even the umpire tried to help out with a probable phantom call on catcher interference. The Astros refused to lose though.

They will give it one more shot this afternoon against the Gnats. After that the Chicago Scrubbies come to town. I'm in a bit of a quandary. While I prefer the losing Astros, I despise the Cubs. This is the one series I'm rooting for the Astros to win every game.

Plodding Along Astros

Thus far through for May the Astros have won a grand total of six games. If it wasn't for the little hiccup in St. Louis they'd have a better record of futility.

The sweep of the Cards was down right embarrassing. The team once again lost sight of the goal of futility and won. That's not what the season is about. This season is about reaching into the gutter and seeing how low they can go.

Right now the Astros are neck and neck with the Baltimore Orioles for worst record in Major Leagues. Outstanding!

First the bad news. This week they waived infielder Kaz Matsui. Houston Chronicle blogger Bernard Fallas applauds the move as an easy decision.. I disagree. Matsui was at team leader. He needed to stay in order to maintain the losing attitude in the clubhouse. The duty of how not to play baseball now falls on Carlos Lee.

Despair not Astros fans. I did a recent check of National League team stats on ESPN. What I found wasn't surprising at all. The Astros are dead last in every offensive category that ESPN tracks. LAST! How great is that? That is completely unselfish play by the team. Everyone isn't contributing and that makes for a truly bad team. Keep up the bad work Astros! It can only get worse.

In other news, Roy Oswalt reportedly asked for a trade. I think I understand where he's coming from. Tired of the team not giving their worst effort, he wants off the team and move on to a contender. I believe Oswalt is only going through the motions of being terrible. Fearful of team retaliation if he plays well, Oswalt wants off the team and to play where the pressure isn't so great to lose.

Good Luck, Roy O! You definitely deserve better than the Astros.

Off To A 1-6 May!

Since April 27th, the Astros have gone 1-10. After absolutely embarrassing themselves with a 9-2 run, the Astros returned to the ways of losing.

First a sweep at the hands of the Reds. In that series, the Astros put up an astounding eight runs but allowed an even better sixteen runs in the three game series.

Feeling feisty, the team then decided to lose in bigger fashion to their old nemesis the Atlanta Braves. What followed was an amazing lack of run production while giving up plenty of runs. The Astros probably felt they competed to hard against the Reds so the were determined to lose in convincing style to the Braves. Even the first game was to close for comfort by losing 4-2. The team bounced back from that close call by losing 10-1 and 7-1 to make sure they left Atlanta without a win.

Feeling great about the losses, the Astros carried over the momentum from the Atlanta series and lost in convincing fashion to the Diamondbacks 9-1. Ros Oswalt then followed up the series opener with perhaps his worst performance of the season in losing 1-0. Fortunately his teammates were there to kick him down and put up zero runs. That's what great teammates do. When one player struggles, they rally to the cause and do the best they can to succeed.

Perhaps deflated by the LULAC protest on Cinco de Mayo, the Astros won the game 4-2 over the Diamondbacks.

Undeterred, the Astros rebounded from the win to drop the next two games. They lost the Diamondback finale and for good measure batted a 7-0 shut out to the visiting San Diego Padres.

In off the field news, Carlos Lee said he wants to play out the remainder of his contract and then retire. My guess is he feels he won't be able to duplicate the lack of effort in the future and wants to get out on the bottom of his game as his play declines with age.