SB Nation Houston - Houston Franchise Needs Some Help (In More Ways Than One)https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46691/houston-fave.png2011-07-05T12:39:56-05:00http://houston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/18582852011-07-05T12:39:56-05:002011-07-05T12:39:56-05:00Astros Rumors: Wandy Rodriguez Potentially To Be On Deadline Block According To Anonymous Executive
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> are off to a 0-4 start, and that coupled with preseason predictions of doom and gloom has already got some executives thinking about a Houston fire sale. With the lack of available arms on the market this season, one name that could make sense for other teams, <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings110405" target="_blank">according to ESPN's Jayson Stark</a>, is Astros LHP <span>Wandy Rodriguez</span>.</p>
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<p>• Two early names the same exec nominates as potential pitching targets, just based on the probabilities their teams will be selling by July: Wandy Rodriguez and <span>Mike Pelfrey</span>.</p>
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<p>Of course, this ignores a few facets of reality. One of which is that the Astros just signed Rodriguez to a long-term extension before the season. Even if Houston did change course and want to trade him, they've effectively lowered his trade value by attaching him to the 3 year/$34 million contract. Then there's the fact that Rodriguez got off to a terrible start last season and didn't look good in his first start of this year either, so if that continues, his trade value will only further erode.</p>
<p>It's an idea with a decent amount of sentiment behind it: the Astros probably should be looking to trade Rodriguez given where their club is positioned. But they have been bucking conventional wisdom for quite awhile now, and it's pretty unlikely that they'd give Rodriguez a new contract just to trade him five months later.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/4/6/2332876/astros-rumors-wandy-rodriguez-potentially-to-be-on-deadline-blockRivers McCown2011-07-05T12:38:34-05:002011-07-05T12:38:34-05:00Houston Franchise Needs Some Help (In More Ways Than One)
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">It's not often that we get two articles which dovetail so nicely with each other on the same day. Both Ken Rosenthal and Richard Justice opined Tuesday on the state of the <a style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> and made some very solid points. Let's run through the points that each of them makes.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">First, Rosenthal tackles the Astros sale and transfer to new owner Jim Crane:</p>
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<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 15px; list-style-type: disc; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The Astros will be sellers at the deadline, shopping <span>Wandy Rodriguez</span> and <span>Michael Bourn</span> among others. Expect <span>Brett Myers</span> and <span>Jeff Keppinger</span> to also be shopped.</span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 15px; list-style-type: disc; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The untouchables are <span>Bud Norris</span>, <span>Jordan Lyles</span> and <span>Hunter Pence</span>.</span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 15px; list-style-type: disc; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Ed Wade may get fired, but it won't be right away. Crane will take his time to evaluate the system and see what Wade's leadership skills. Andrew Friedman will almost certainly be one of the main targets once a decision has been made.</span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 15px; list-style-type: disc; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Crane and George Postolos also figure to bring a more statistics-driven model to running the franchise.</span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 15px; list-style-type: disc; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Sadly, though, all these wonderful changes won't happen right away. That jerk Frank McCourt's bankruptcy craziness is what's putting off Crane's confirmation as the new owner. Also got some interesting notes on how the voting process goes. It apparently doesn't have to take place in a meeting with all the owners present, but can take place by mail. Unfortunately, the McCourt situation is wreaking so much havoc that they can't even take a vote that way. That pushes back the timetable on the confirmation from mid-July to August. </span></li>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">As for Justice, he tackles the other end of the spectrum, discussing how the franchise got into the current situation. He calls Drayton out for playing "Sweet Caroline" during the <a style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> series, but rightly points out it wasn't the 20th lowest point in his tenure as owner. However, the whole experience this weekend (and this year) has been pretty terrible.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Justice has never stopped harping on Drayton for running off Gerry Hunsicker, but that was much more of a turning point for this organization than just the firing may look like. At that point, Drayton started asserting more control over things, including new GM Tim Purpura. A guy like Hunsicker had enough experience to resist Drayton's influence, but Purpura wasn't. That led to things like <span>Woody Williams</span> and Carlos Lee signing and the dearth of the 2007 draft.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><a style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;" href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/7639479.html">Justice also put it best at the end of the article</a>: </p>
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<p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" id="id2419614" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText">Why the Astros decided to play the other team's fight song speaks volumes about the people in charge. I began getting emails almost immediately. Why would they play <span style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText Italic"><em style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText Italic">their </em></span>song in <span style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText Italic"><em style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText Italic">our</em></span> ballpark?</p>
<p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" id="id2422729" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText">They also served lobster rolls in the stadium club, and I wonder why they didn't honor Tip O'Neill and John Havlicek.</p>
<p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" id="id2422734" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText">It's not the most important thing on earth. Maybe the Astros were just thankful to have more than a few thousand people in the stadium regardless of whom they were cheering.</p>
<p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" id="id2422739" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText">But it's one of those little things that serve as a reminder of how out of touch these people have become. They are out of ideas. They are out of imagination. They just need to go, and the sooner the better.</p>
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<p style="outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;" class="Text-TextRagRight1P0Indent HoustonText">I couldn't put it better myself.</p>
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https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/7/5/2259779/houston-franchise-needs-some-help-in-more-ways-than-oneDavid Coleman2011-06-29T11:39:20-05:002011-06-29T11:39:20-05:00Report: Astros Sale 2-3 Weeks Away
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<p>According to <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/RandyMcIlvoy/statuses/86100377564491776">this tweet from KPRC’s Randy McIlvoy</a>, the proposed sale of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> to Jim Crane could now be two to three weeks away. McIlvoy said he talked with Drayton McLane about the move and that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> bankruptcy is causing that timeline.<br>
That means the sale will be completed just before the trade deadline, which could severely limit the time Ed Wade has to get returns on <span>Wandy Rodriguez</span>, <span>Hunter Pence</span> and the rest of the team.<br>
Crane agreed to buy the team back in May, but has been slowly moving through the process to get approved by Major League Baseball. Forbes has brought up numerous concerns about his former company, Eagle Global Logistics, and a spotty record with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. Add to that a charge that <span class="caps">EGL</span> was selling goods to the armed forces at drastically increased rates and <span class="caps">MLB</span> may have needed to thoroughly vet Crane this time around.<br>
On the other hand, since Crane has been involved twice before in attempts to buy teams, he’s a known commodity to Bud Selig’s crew. The problems now may all stem from Frank McCourt’s messy divorce and public contests of strength with Selig.<br>
Either way, it sounds more and more likely that Crane will be approved by the trading deadline. Stay tuned…</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/29/2250525/report-houston-astros-sale-2-3-weeks-away-jim-crane-drayton-mclaneDavid Coleman2011-06-21T10:59:09-05:002011-06-21T10:59:09-05:00Could Investigation Of Crane Come From Something Off The Board?
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<p><a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/06/20/mlb-is-taking-a-second-look-at-jim-crane/" target="new">Craig Calcaterra</a> and I both brought out our jump to conclusion mats about <a href="http://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/20/2232361/astros-sale-jim-crane-forbes-mlb" target="new">MLB’s new investigation of Jim Crane’s past</a>, thinking that it was likely that the war profiteering charges spurred the effort. Not so fast, says Maury Brown: <a href="http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5288:its-possible-mlbs-qsecond-lookq-at-jim-crane-might-be-something-not-yet-reported&catid=26:editorials&Itemid=39" target="new">there were other charges that were leveled by just one source that could be the underlying cause of the investigation</a>:</p>
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<p>It’s possible, but I suspect it’s something else.</p>
<p>In my interviews with <span class="caps">MLB</span>, I brought up an aspect that I had from a single source, but could not confirm. I ran it by league executives to see what they had to say.</p>
<p>The response was surprise. In subsequent conversation, they could not corroborate what I had been hearing after doing further investigation after I broached the subject.</p>
<p>It’s possible that this is what Rogers is referring to – <span class="caps">MLB</span> looking into the matter, not finding anything, or they could be looking further to make absolutely sure it is nothing of concern. As of publication, multiple attempts to reach out to <span class="caps">MLB</span> on the subject have gone unanswered. And, it should be noted that when the topic was mentioend to a representative of Mr. Crane, the reply was, “There is nothing known of, nor considered about it.”</p>
<p>On what the matter is, it should be noted that is not some insidious issue. It does center on business and very clear rules that baseball has around the type of business.</p>
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<p>Oh no! Jim Crane bet on baseball!</p>
<p>We’ll bring you more on this story as we get it, but it doesn’t seem like the new charges are too serious. It does bring yet another shady hand of the Crane industry to the forefront though, and while I’m sure <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> fans are tired of hearing about it at this point, the fact that there is always more to this story has to give them reason for pause when considering just how much they really want Crane owning the team.</p>
<p>Maybe Drayton McLane wasn’t really so bad.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/21/2235241/astros-sale-jim-crane-forbes-claimsRivers McCown2011-06-20T07:00:54-05:002011-06-20T07:00:54-05:00MLB Investigating Forbes' Claims Against Jim Crane
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<p><a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2011/06/14/why-jim-crane-could-become-baseballs-most-controversial-owner/" target="_blank">Maury Brown's Forbes profile of Jim Crane</a> continues to haunt the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Astros</a> owner-to-be. While Major League Baseball was aware of most of the accusations, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune <a target="_blank" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/sc-spt-0619-notes-rogers-baseball--20110618,0,326324.column?page=2">notes that one of them has MLB staffers scrambling to do research</a>, and that it has an 'outside chance' of complicating the sale:</p>
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<p>Despite an unflattering profile in Forbes Magazine, which details a long history of employment complaints from minorities and women, Houston businessman Jim Crane still appears on track to be approved as the Astros' new owner. However, one source said Major League Baseball staffers are investigating one allegation raised in the story, with an outside chance it could complicate the transfer.</p>
<p>MLB long ago vetted Crane, who was involved in attempts to purchase the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cubs</a> and <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rangers</a>, and excused him in almost all of the cases Forbes raises. But at least one element of the story surprised Selig's staff, requiring additional legwork.</p>
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<p>Very interesting. Don't worry though, the source claims it has nothing to do with the recent foibles of Frank McCourt. Of course it doesn't. </p>
<p>I think it's pretty easy to infer that the war profiteering accusations are the ones that MLB did not know about, since Brown pointed that out already in his piece. I really doubt it matters and think that Crane will be approved either way, but Houston fans can't be too thrilled with all the accusations. </p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/20/2232361/astros-sale-jim-crane-forbes-mlbRivers McCown2011-06-15T09:12:30-05:002011-06-15T09:12:30-05:00Maury Brown Rips Houston Media Over Handling Of Jim Crane
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<p>Following his detailed step-by-step recounting of Jim Crane’s more sordid issues in the recent past, including war profiteering and the discrimination lawsuit his company faced, <a href="http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5277:expanded-thoughts-on-why-jim-crane-may-become-mlbs-most-controversial-owner&catid=26:editorials&Itemid=39" target="new">Maury Brown has wondered aloud just why the Houston Chronicle doesn’t have much interest in reporting on Crane’s backstory</a></p>
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<p>The story on Forbes is mostly interesting for one thing: it’s amazing that myself, and Richard Sandomir of The New York Times (see Bias Case May Pose a Problem for Bidder) are really the only two that have reported on past dealings with Crane’s global-supply chain company and their discrimination and war-profiteering pasts.</p>
<p>Sports sections in the Houston market have been devoid of the report. Whether it’s a matter of just feeling it was not newsworthy or not, it should be noted that Champion Energy, a Crane Capital company, and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> are very large Houston Chronicle advertisers.</p>
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<p>Connecting the dots and jumping to conclusions isn’t something I’m fond of, and obviously we don’t have both sides of the story. But this looks bad for all parties involved. I was a little curious yesterday as to why Brown’s reporting had cited The Chronicle and yet The Chronicle had never brought their own public record into the light. That, also, is not a good look for the paper.</p>
<p>Want another bombshell? How about the fact that even <span class="caps">MLB</span> itself did not know about the instances of war profiteering:</p>
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<p>If Crane were in line to own the Astros (prior), <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a>, and now on the cusp of owning the the Astros (again), surely <span class="caps">MLB</span> knew of all of this.<br>
Maybe.</p>
<p>I conducted several interviews with executives within Major League Baseball for the Forbes article. The issue of discrimination was known, but aspects such as the war profiteering, were not. That was concerning given Crane’s multiple attempts at ownership prior. The explanation was that deep due-diligence work does not begin until an exclusive arrangement is reached between owner and potential buyer.</p>
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<p>Now of course, that’s not to say that Crane will fail in his attempt to buy the Astros, but after recent high-profile instances of owners like Fred Wilpon and Frank McCourt letting their personal problems drag franchises down with them, it would not be surprising if <span class="caps">MLB</span> started to take Crane’s bid under a little more scrutiny. I wouldn’t count on it, and I would even go as far as to speculate that the fact that <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/selling-astros-drayton-mclane-jr-return/" target="new">the purchase price was so large</a> was to help cover Crane’s past with a little more capital, but it’s certainly a possibility.</p>
<p>Tweets (ugh, I know, but I don’t have actual phone numbers here) to the Chronicle’s baseball department seeking comment were not immediately returned. Astros.com beat writer<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/brianmctaggart/statuses/80995566552756224" target="new"> Brian McTaggart declined comment</a>.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/15/2225063/maury-brown-jim-crane-astros-sale-chronicleRivers McCown2011-06-14T10:51:48-05:002011-06-14T10:51:48-05:00Forbes' Profile Of Jim Crane: Not Flattering At All
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<p>Maury Brown, who runs the <a href="http://bizofbaseball.com/" target="new">Business Of Baseball</a> website, has a cameo in Forbes Magazine today to talk about <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2011/06/14/why-jim-crane-could-become-baseballs-most-controversial-owner/" target="new">the sale of the Astros to Jim Crane</a>. While there aren’t any incredibly surprising new stories here, there are some very unsavory details added to stories that were already discussed before. For instance,<a href="http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/2000_3213912/eeoc-report-assails-eagle-hiring-practices.html" target="new"> take the discrimination case against his company, Eagle Global Logistics</a>:</p>
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<p>Crane told his subordinates not to hire blacks because “once you hire blacks, you can never fire them.” On other occasions, Crane explained the reason he wanted to keep blacks out of the company was that his top managers are bigoted and they would mistreat the minorities, “giving them no choice but to sue Eagle.”</p>
<p>Witnesses also said Crane did not permit the company to advertise job openings because he did not want to create a paper trail of unhired qualified minorities.</p>
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<p>Thats uh, that’s not a good thing at all. His company also engaged in some good ol’ fashioned war profiteering:</p>
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<p>A further matter that will sure to raise eyebrows, Crane’s Eagle Global Logistics has settled war profiteering charges with the Justice Department. All told, <span class="caps">EGL</span> was sued four times by the Department of Justice.</p>
<p>In August 2006, Eagle paid $4 million to settle a civil lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice alleging that the company had inflated the costs of military shipments to Iraq.</p>
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<p>While neither of these things is a particularly good reason to think that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> will be under bad management, it definitely does show a side of Crane that should give fans some doubt about how happy they are with the sale of the team to him.</p>
<p>For the record, Richard Justice<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/richardjustice/statuses/80647783719239680" target="new"> thinks Crane will be approved 29-0 by his fellow owners</a>.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/6/14/2223401/forbes-profile-of-jim-crane-not-flattering-at-all-astrosRivers McCown2011-05-24T06:36:55-05:002011-05-24T06:36:55-05:00Selig Expected To Give Support To Crane As New Astros Owner
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<p>According to Richard Justice at The Houston Chronicle, <a href="http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2011/05/24/justice-crane-has-passed-test-with-selig/" target="new">Jim Crane met with Bud Selig on Monday.</a> I’m assuming Selig gave a soliloquy along the lines of “if you act like Fred Wilpon or Frank McCourt, I will murder you,” to which Crane nodded. Justice reports that Selig is expected to give his blessing to Crane’s purchase of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a>.</p>
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<p>Selig met Crane for just the second time Monday and is expected to support his $680 million purchase of the Astros. Selig already knew plenty about Crane before their meeting and never would have allowed the sale of the Astros to get this far if he weren’t comfortable with him.</p>
<p>I’ve known Selig for almost 30 years, and if he thought there was an ounce of racism or sexism in Crane’s bones, he never would allow him to own a major league baseball team.</p>
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<p>It’s pretty obvious that the sale would never have gotten this far if Crane and Selig didn’t see eye-to-eye, so this is more of an affirmation of that than an actual update. New ownership is coming to the Astros. Look for the discrimination charges Crane’s company faced to continue to be a background piece when the official vote comes up, but not really anything that can stop the sale from taking place.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-astros/2011/5/24/2187294/bud-selig-jim-crane-astros-saleRivers McCown