59-79 seems like a respectable record based on the preseason expectations. Jim Crane continues to just confuse and frustrate me.

Supposedly Porter complained to Crane about Luhnow earlier this year. When that happened, this was inevitable. Don't complain about your boss when he's about 20x more valuable than you are.

(09-01-2014 12:15 PM)At Ease Wrote:  Supposedly Porter complained to Crane about Luhnow earlier this year. When that happened, this was inevitable. Don't complain about your boss when he's about 20x more valuable than you are.

Here's my problem with firing Bo Porter: Shouldn't you have throughly vetted the man 2 years ago to know if he believed in you mathematical voodoo? Talk about terrible timing. If Porter had turned down the Astros, he'd be the manager of the Washington Nationals right now.

And immediately following a high point for the Astros in winning back the Silver Boot (OK, it was winning it back from the Rangers, who are now the worst team in baseball, a game behind Colorado and 5 games behind the Astros).

I thought Porter was what the Astros needed when they are rebuilding. He is enthusiastic so he can keep the young players going through the hard times until the rebuilding turns the team around. Luhnow and Crane blew it big when they did not sign the top pick of the draft. I believe in the sabremetrics but I thought they need Porter to inspire the players.

I am rapidly becoming disgusted with Luhnow! The draft picks fiasco. His handling of Appel's promotion angered both Porter and current teammates. Now this. How is the team to continue progressing with constant change?

If Crane is behind this, and after the draft picks fiasco, he will be inheriting Ol Bottom Aline's title from Adams!

(09-02-2014 07:18 AM)jhruzek Wrote:  I am rapidly becoming disgusted with Luhnow! The draft picks fiasco. His handling of Appel's promotion angered both Porter and current teammates. Now this. How is the team to continue progressing with constant change?

One of the reasons Porter should be gone is how he handled the Appel issue. That should have quickly become a non-issue. Instead, it seems Porter couldn't understand that a #1 pick gets special treatment. Welcome to the real world.

(09-02-2014 08:03 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 07:18 AM)jhruzek Wrote:  I am rapidly becoming disgusted with Luhnow! The draft picks fiasco. His handling of Appel's promotion angered both Porter and current teammates. Now this. How is the team to continue progressing with constant change?

One of the reasons Porter should be gone is how he handled the Appel issue. That should have quickly become a non-issue. Instead, it seems Porter couldn't understand that a #1 pick gets special treatment. Welcome to the real world.

I'm friends with Jarred Cosart and though he was not one of the pitchers who complained, (Feldman and Keuchel were the guilty parties) he completely understood why guys were mad. Porter has to have the back of his players to keep a clubhouse. I can't blame Porter for how he reacted. Baseball has stupid unwritten rules, but I still understand Porter backing his guys.

Best decision I made was dropping my season tix three years ago!

(09-02-2014 08:24 AM)Mademen Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 08:03 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 07:18 AM)jhruzek Wrote:  I am rapidly becoming disgusted with Luhnow! The draft picks fiasco. His handling of Appel's promotion angered both Porter and current teammates. Now this. How is the team to continue progressing with constant change?

One of the reasons Porter should be gone is how he handled the Appel issue. That should have quickly become a non-issue. Instead, it seems Porter couldn't understand that a #1 pick gets special treatment. Welcome to the real world.

I'm friends with Jarred Cosart and though he was not one of the pitchers who complained, (Feldman and Keuchel were the guilty parties) he completely understood why guys were mad. Porter has to have the back of his players to keep a clubhouse. I can't blame Porter for how he reacted. Baseball has stupid unwritten rules, but I still understand Porter backing his guys.

What I'm trying to figure out is why the clubhouse guys care about what is going on in the minors. They should be worried about doing their damn jobs, because many of them weren't doing their jobs very well.

Appel's performance in AA suggests the promotion wasn't a bad idea.

It seems like the only complaint regarding the handling of Appel should be that he started the season at Hi-A instead of AA. The whole AA thing seems to be working out OK, some pitchers have a problem with the Cal league, just like plenty of hitters have problems when they leave the Cal league. And for some pitchers, their struggles are mental, not just because the league is hitter-friendly.

(09-02-2014 08:51 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 08:24 AM)Mademen Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 08:03 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 07:18 AM)jhruzek Wrote:  I am rapidly becoming disgusted with Luhnow! The draft picks fiasco. His handling of Appel's promotion angered both Porter and current teammates. Now this. How is the team to continue progressing with constant change?

One of the reasons Porter should be gone is how he handled the Appel issue. That should have quickly become a non-issue. Instead, it seems Porter couldn't understand that a #1 pick gets special treatment. Welcome to the real world.

I'm friends with Jarred Cosart and though he was not one of the pitchers who complained, (Feldman and Keuchel were the guilty parties) he completely understood why guys were mad. Porter has to have the back of his players to keep a clubhouse. I can't blame Porter for how he reacted. Baseball has stupid unwritten rules, but I still understand Porter backing his guys.

What I'm trying to figure out is why the clubhouse guys care about what is going on in the minors. They should be worried about doing their damn jobs, because many of them weren't doing their jobs very well.

Appel's performance in AA suggests the promotion wasn't a bad idea.

If I recall correctly, it wasn't the promotion that bothered the players - it was bringing Appel, a struggling Class A minor league pitcher, to the big league park for a bullpen session.

(09-01-2014 11:40 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  59-79 seems like a respectable record based on the preseason expectations. Jim Crane continues to just confuse and frustrate me.

I like how they fire the coach yet don't have a plan for his successor. Good luck in finding a legitimate replacement when you show lack of stability in the job....

(09-02-2014 08:54 AM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 08:51 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 08:24 AM)Mademen Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 08:03 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 07:18 AM)jhruzek Wrote:  I am rapidly becoming disgusted with Luhnow! The draft picks fiasco. His handling of Appel's promotion angered both Porter and current teammates. Now this. How is the team to continue progressing with constant change?

One of the reasons Porter should be gone is how he handled the Appel issue. That should have quickly become a non-issue. Instead, it seems Porter couldn't understand that a #1 pick gets special treatment. Welcome to the real world.

I'm friends with Jarred Cosart and though he was not one of the pitchers who complained, (Feldman and Keuchel were the guilty parties) he completely understood why guys were mad. Porter has to have the back of his players to keep a clubhouse. I can't blame Porter for how he reacted. Baseball has stupid unwritten rules, but I still understand Porter backing his guys.

What I'm trying to figure out is why the clubhouse guys care about what is going on in the minors. They should be worried about doing their damn jobs, because many of them weren't doing their jobs very well.

Appel's performance in AA suggests the promotion wasn't a bad idea.

If I recall correctly, it wasn't the promotion that bothered the players - it was bringing Appel, a struggling Class A minor league pitcher, to the big league park for a bullpen session.

It was both. They thought Hader should have been promoted first (which he was pretty soon after). Then they had a problem with the kid coming to MMP to get a tutoring session from the MLB pitching coach while he was on his way to Corpus. He came to the ballpark early in the morning to try to avoid running into MLB players. Apparently, Porter wasn't happy because he wasn't notified it was going on. Granted, he wasn't involved since all they need was Strom, the pitching coach, but he felt like he should have known what was going on.

(09-01-2014 04:46 PM)75src Wrote:  Luhnow and Crane blew it big when they did not sign the top pick of the draft.

After discovering his potential physical infirmity?

(09-02-2014 10:44 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(09-01-2014 04:46 PM)75src Wrote:  Luhnow and Crane blew it big when they did not sign the top pick of the draft.

After discovering his potential physical infirmity?

I think both sides made mistakes when it came to that. Aiken is taking a big risk because they let emotion get in the way. $5 million is more than likely going to be more money than he would get if he reentered the draft next year. The Astros look foolish for losing all that talent over $1.5 million. Now, would Aiken have signed the original deal after everything that happened? Who knows? But, from how it was described, the Aikens weren't even negotiating at the deadline, so they may have said no to the initial $6.5 million anyway.

(09-02-2014 09:04 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  It was both. They thought Hader should have been promoted first (which he was pretty soon after). Then they had a problem with the kid coming to MMP to get a tutoring session from the MLB pitching coach while he was on his way to Corpus.

The idea that management has some kind of duty to consult with the current MLB players regarding the evaluation and promotion of their potential replacements seems ludicrous.

(09-02-2014 08:58 AM)Lumberjack99 Wrote:  I like how they fire the coach yet don't have a plan for his successor. Good luck in finding a legitimate replacement when you show lack of stability in the job....

Pretty limited number of MLB managing jobs in the entire universe. There is currently 1 opening and probably hundreds of assistants, minor league managers, etc. who aspire to manage a MLB team. I doubt that will be a problem.

(09-02-2014 10:48 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(09-02-2014 10:44 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(09-01-2014 04:46 PM)75src Wrote:  Luhnow and Crane blew it big when they did not sign the top pick of the draft.

After discovering his potential physical infirmity?

I think both sides made mistakes when it came to that. Aiken is taking a big risk because they let emotion get in the way. $5 million is more than likely going to be more money than he would get if he reentered the draft next year. The Astros look foolish for losing all that talent over $1.5 million. Now, would Aiken have signed the original deal after everything that happened? Who knows? But, from how it was described, the Aikens weren't even negotiating at the deadline, so they may have said no to the initial $6.5 million anyway.

Yeah, my sense is that while the result looks bad for the Astros, they were being pretty rational. Time will tell the ultimate outcome, but I don't think they were simply stupid.