GArner or Purp????

[vega51]

yes, i know, is a very difficult question, maybe is a tied but lets see.

[redbaron]

MacLane is dumber than either of them and Purpura comes in as #2. Garner didn't put this pitiful team together.........Drayton and fat boy did that.

[vega51]

Lets see, Purpura:

He lets Springer go, instead we get White.
He lets Beltran go, instead we get Taveras.
He lets Pettitte go, instead we get Woody.
That move also makes Purp trade for a pitcher and gives a number 1 prospect, another starter and a regular CF for a number 3 starter.
Instead of signing Bengie Molina he re-signs Ausmus.
By not re-signing Pettitte Clemens goes.


If we had a good GM this could be our team right now:

1. Burke 2b
2. Beltran cf
3. Berkman 1b
4. Lee lf
5. Pence rf
6. Ensberg 3b
7. Bengie Molina c
8. Everett SS
9. Pitcher

Rotation:

1. Oswalt
2. Pettitte
3. Clemens
4. Hirsh
5. Sampson

Relievers:

1. Wheeler
2. Qualls
3. Lidge
4. Springer
5. Miller
6. Borkowski


This team would win our division but, our GM has done a very bad job.

[vega51]

Instead, this is our team:

1. Biggio 2b
2. Lamb/Loretta/Ensberg 3b (so we move ensberg from 6 to 2)
3. Berkman
4. Lee
5. Pence
6. Scott
7. Ausmus
8. Everett
9. Pitcher

So, from the 6 spot to the 9 we are very, very weak, plus the leadoff hitter.

So over half of our lineup are easy outs.

Rotation:

1. Oswalt
2. Jennings
3. Woody
4. Wandy
5. Sampson

Our relievers, White over Springer.
Mohler

OUch, not a good team.

Now, i will not blame MacLane because he show he was going to spend money problem is Purp spend it the wrong way.

[redbaron]

You forgot to mention that we could have kept Jeff Kent if not for Biggio sucking up to Drayton.

[vega51]

right, but i think that was on hun's watch and probably one of the reasons he left.

[chandler44]

You also forget that Beltran wasn't going to play for Houston, Houston was stupid enough to be suckered in and allowing him to hold the team hostage. Besides, if they had signed Beltran by some miracle, do you really think they would have given Lee $100million just a couple years later? I'm thinking no.

[vega51]

beltran wanted to play for the astros.
Second, yes, I think Astros would spend the money on a guy like Lee, management has shown they will spend the money.

[chandler44]

It's pretty obvious that he used Houston to up his price where he really wanted to play - NY. If he had 'wanted' to sign with Houston, he had plenty of chances and they offered him a more than fair deal. He wanted the money and he wanted the spotlight. No big deal. Houston should have realized that from the getgo instead of chasing after him like some love struck teenager. I really don't care what he might have told you, the media, or anyone else when he was trying to save face in front of Astros fans, his actions made it pretty obvious he was NEVER going to sign for Houston. I was naive enough to fall for it at the time, but in retrospect, I see it now.

And I highly doubt they would have signed Lee had they gotten Beltran. I know they wouldn't have kept both AND Clemens. I can't see them with a payroll over $120 million. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd bet a shiny nickel that I'm not.

[vega51]

he wanted to play for houston, he liked the players especially berkman.

And yes, they would had spent the money to get Lee and go to the WS with Clemens and Pettitte.

I believe this owner has shown he is willing to spend money trying to win especially with Bagwell's contract finishing this year.

[chandler44]

Like it's been pointed out, if he truly wanted to be an Astro, he would have signed the very good offer on his plate. He never did, hence why he didn't sign. He waited til the last minute to spring a bunch of silly demands on the Astros that Boras knew they'd never get to match. Boras played the team for a bunch of fools, which is his job. He got a lot more money out of NY because of it.

But, we've argued this ad nauseum, so this dead horse has been kicked enough. I don't care if he liked Berkman and wanted to marry him, his actions say enough for me. No sense in arguing back and forth about it anymore because in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter and NEITHER of us will ever know who's truly right or wrong.

[vega51]

nope, a player want to have CONTROL of his life OVER the club, he did not wanted to play if a no trade clause was included.

[chandler44]

Gotcha. We all know that Houston would never offer a no trade clause to a player and would lose a good player like Beltran over something that wasn't that big of an issue, because after the 2008 season he couldn't have been traded anyhow without his consent.

[vega51]

right, and what about those next 3 years he can be traded? Those don't count??

Why all stars get that clause and beltran can't???

Sorry, but that is a big deal and management screw them up.

[vega51]

especially when he JUST lived the odisea of reading EVERY DAY he was going to be traded from KC to half the cities in the U.S.

So, believe me, Beltran did not wanted to live that again for the NEXT 3 years.