Final Score

Bud Selig 3000 over My Heart 0

I've got nothing to add to everything that's been said in the last twenty-four hours about the Astros going to the American League.  Even though I knew it was coming, I am numb and I am tired and there is really nothing left in the tanks right now.  So, talk amongst yourselves and be good to each other.  We're all we've got right now.

Soapbox - Demonizing Jim Crane

It seems that demonizing Jim Crane is all the fashion on twitter, the blogs and the fan sites these days.  "Run him out of town on a rail."  "Tar and feather him."  What many people seemed to have missed is this.  THE ASTROS WERE GOING TO THE AMERICAN LEAGUE WHETHER JIM CRANE BOUGHT THE TEAM OR NOT.  The die was cast a long time ago.

Drayton McLane has always done everything that Bud Selig told him to do.  He closed the roof during the World Series in 2005.  He allowed a home game against Chicago to be played in Milwaukee in 2007.  Heck, it's only been the last couple of years that McLane has paid over slot in the draft.  With that in mind, do you really think that, had the deal with Jim Crane fallen through, McLane wouldn't have agreed to appease Bud and make the move?  Do you really think an owner that would allow "Sweet Caroline" to be played during a game against the Red Sox IN MINUTE MAID PARK really gives a big whoop what the fans think?

Well, you say, Jim Crane didn't have to agree to the move.  Of course he did.  If he wanted to buy the team, he had no choice.  Bud Selig has the power and he wasn't ever going to let the ownership deal come to a vote unless Jim Crane agreed.  You can call it extortion.  You can call it morally bankrupt.  You can call it unfair.  But Bud Selig never had any intention of approving Jim Crane OR ANYONE ELSE unless they agreed to the AL move.

That doesn't mean that you don't have a right, as an Astros fan, to be angry or frustrated or upset or depressed (although if you never sent a letter or e-mail or made a phone call protesting the move, maybe you don't have that right after all).  I've already been through the 5 stages of grief.

But there were only going to be two possible outcomes to this situation.  Either Jim Crane was going to be approved and the Astros would go to the American League.  Or Drayton McLane was going to retain ownership and the Astros would still go to the American League.  So, the real choice is do you want an owner who knows and loves baseball or an owner who has become totally disengaged and doesn't care anymore?  Those were your only two choices, thanks to Bud Selig - that's who you should be demonizing.

Jim Crane hasn't even been approved yet.  Other than getting George Postolos involved, we really have no idea what his plans are.  How about we give him a little time and see what happens.  He may turn out to be a terrible owner.  He may turn out to be the best owner the Astros have ever seen.  I suspect that he will fall somewhere in between, but let's at least give him a chance.  The good news is that the Astros can finally emerge from the purgatory they've been in since May and we should be able to see some real direction.  At least I hope so.

Finally, for those of you who intend to abandon the Astros over the move to the American League, I have a little unsolicited advice.  You're only punishing yourself.  Baseball will go on with you or without you and despite Bud Selig.  If you liked Jose Altuve, Bud Norris, J.D. Martinez and Jordan Lyles yesterday, you'll still like them tomorrow.  If you love Houston today, warts and all, as I do, you will still love Houston tomorrow.  Give it a chance.  But, Mr. Crane, no more "Sweet Caroline" please.

Off Soapbox ----------->  Exit Stage Right

Houston to the AL? The Five Stages of Grief

DENIAL

When rumors first started floating around a few months ago that Bud Selig wanted the Astros to move to the American League West, I pooh-poohed the whole idea.  "That's a ridiculous idea.  Nobody's going to go for that," I thought to myself and continued about my everyday life.

ANGER

And then I read this post from Greg Lucas.  Not only was it becoming more likely that a move to the American League would happen, but Astros fans were going down quietly.  As I drafted this letter to Bud Selig and Drayton McLane, I started thinking about my lengthy history as an Astros fan, all of my memories, the importance of history and tradition in baseball and I started getting truly pissed off.  I don't particularly enjoy the feeling that I am getting kicked while I'm down.

BARGAINING

The last couple of weeks I've been rationalizing.  Surely Jim Crane isn't stupid.  He didn't get to be as wealthy as he is by doing something as dumb as alienating the fan base from day one.  He's just playing Bud Selig for a fool until he gets approved and then he'll tell Bud what he can do with the American League.  After all, Crane is a baseball guy.  He played the game.  He understands why this is such a big deal.  Doesn't he?

DEPRESSION

The last few days ... damn, this isn't looking good, is it?  Yeah, I'll sign the on-line petitions but it's too late.  Everybody should have gotten up in arms about this months ago.  The machinery is in motion.  Nobody can stop it.  It's just one last FU from Bud Selig before he supposedly retires and goes back to whatever part of hades he calls home.

ACCEPTANCE

Yesterday, I went to MMP with my sister.  We were renewing our tickets and wanted to upgrade our location.  We told our account guy that we wouldn't renew for 2013 if the Astros go to the American League, but I was lying and I knew I was lying.  I don't know if he knew or not.  And then today, I get a tweet from @sciaastro asking if I've seen this New York Post article.  I think the writing is on the wall so I am bracing myself for a change that I never thought would happen.  But am I going to turn my back on these young men that I follow on this blog?  Can I say goodbye forever to Jake Buchanan and Dallas Keuchel and Chris Wallace and Kody Hinze and Austin Wates and so many other players that I've been watching and pulling for?  No.

It will still be the same basic set of players.  It will still be Minute Maid Park.  It will still be Houston.  It will still be my Astros.

This and That

There has been a lot going on lately and I wanted to make sure nobody missed out on some of the recent postings.

First, please look over the Astros MiLB Lefty Starters info and vote in the poll for the WTH 25-Man Roster.

Next, you might have missed this contact info and sample letter to Drayton and Bud about the contemplated move to the American League.  I encourage everyone to write, e-mail, fax, etc.

Also, farmstros has posted a list of players eligible for the Rule 5 draft and I posted a recap of what Rule 5 says as well as a link to the Professional Baseball Agreement so you can see for yourself.

Finally, Appy Astros has been kicking it today with information about voting on some of the Astros MiLB players for play/game of the year and some great info on Outfield Assist Leaders in the Astros minor league affiliates.

A Letter to Drayton and Bud

This is a letter I'm sending off today.  Feel free to use all or part of it in any letters or e-mails you might send.

September 26, 2011

Mr. Drayton McLane

501 Crawford Street

Houston, TX  77002

Mr. Allen H. Selig, Commissioner

Major League Baseball

245 Park Avenue

, 31^st Floor

New York, New York  10167

Dear Sirs:

Let me cut to the chase.  Moving the Astros to the American League is simply a disastrous idea. 

First of all, there is the tradition.  Houston is about to celebrate its 50^th season as a club, all of those years as a National League team.  Before that, Houston had history as a farm town for the Cardinals, also a National League team.  We’ve had rivalries throughout the years with the Dodgers, the Phillies, the Mets, the Braves and the Cardinals that are a part of our history as a team.  We all have those memories and we cherish them.  Baseball is nothing without history and tradition.

Secondly, if anyone actually believes that attendance will go up at Minute Maid Park in conjunction with such a move, I think that he or she is seriously deluded.  Yes, you may pack them in with the one time a year that the Yankees and Red Sox come to town.  But if you really think that the Angels, Mariners, A’s and Rangers are going to draw as well as the Cardinals, Cubs, Braves, Dodgers, Mets, Giants and Phillies, I think that you are dead wrong.

Next, television viewership will go way down … partly because people in Houston would rather see an Astros-Cubs matchup than an Astros-A’s matchup, but mostly because of the number of games played on the West Coast.  But even then, I would stay up to watch an Astros-Dodgers game or an Astros-Giants game, but not one at Anaheim or Seattle.

Finally, there is no rivalry between the Astros and the Rangers, and Astros fans are not interested in creating one no matter how hard the Astros marketing department has tried to create one.  Nobody that I know cares a flip about the stupid boot.  And I would hate for our players to have to play more games in that non-roofed oven in Arlington.

If a change must be made, the Diamondbacks are the logical team to move to the American League.  At 14 seasons, they are a very young franchise.  I know that this would likely result in moving the Astros to the National League West, but I think most fans can live with that.  We won’t be wild about the additional West Coast start times, but we have history in the NL West and, if a move must be made, that would be the more palatable option for the fans.

Many Astros fans feel strongly about this, but after the last season or two, we are simply numb.  We understand the need for re-building but we haven’t forgotten the mistakes that brought us to this place.  We’re excited about the young players coming up through the system and we know, at least intellectually, that things will indeed get better.  But to push through this move to the AL right now smacks of kicking the fans while they’re down.  We should be rewarded for our patience, not punished for supporting a team in transition.

I will leave you with this quote from Ken Burns:

“Nothing in our daily life offers more of the comfort of continuity, the generational connection of belonging to a vast and complicated American family, the powerful sense of home, the freedom from time's constraints, and the great gift of accumulated memory than does our National Pastime.”

Please don’t take away our memories.

Just Say No to the American League

Greg Lucas tweeted an article today that told us Drayton McLane has received virtually no letters (or presumably e-mails) objecting to the possible move of the Astros to the American League.  If you are against this move, which you should be if you have been an Astros fan for any but the shortest amount of time, here is the information on contacting the Astros via e-mail, snail mail or phone:

https://secure.mlb.com/help/email.jsp?c_id=hou&primarySubject=Send%20Feedback%20to%20the%20Astros&secondarySubject=None&dest=fanfeedback@astros.mlb.com

Mailing Address:
501 Crawford St.
Houston, TX 77002
Phone Number:
(713) 259-8000

In addition, here is an address, phone and fax number for Bud Selig.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball

Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner

Address: 245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

City: New York, State: NY Zip Code: 10167

Phone: 212-931-7800

Fax: 212-949-5654

UPDATED TO ADD:

Courtesy of @CockroachMLB via twitter, here is Jim Crane's office address.

Mr. Jim Crane
Crane Capital Advisors
4409 Montrose Blvd. Suite 200
Houston, TX  77006-5859

Also, courtesy of @KeepHoustonInNL on twitter, an on-line petition to Bud Selig has been set up here.

UPDATED AGAIN TO ADD:

Here's another petition to sign.
If you do not think that the Astros should be moved to the American League, please take a moment to phone, fax or e-mail.  Thank you!