When you look back at the Houston Astros 2011 season, there are many things that come to mind. I think about the lost chances, the bad baseball, the crazy number of rookies, the fan-crushing trades, but the one continuous thread throughout the 2011 season was the will they / won’t they roller coaster about Jim Crane & Co. being approved as the new owners of the ball club.

The first time we were told officially of the sale was back in May when Drayton McLane had a press conference to announce he’d made a deal with Crane and his group of investors. Bud Selig didn’t want that press conference to happen.

Little did we know that day that the approval of Crane would hinge not on his professional and personal history, but his willingness to give Selig what he’d long wanted: an even number of teams in each league. And so the waiting game and the guessing game and the game of political power matches had to be played out and an agreement to move the Houston Astros to the AL West in 2013 had to happen before the MLB owners would unanimously vote to approve Crane.

It was a hard pill to swallow, but with Crane as the new owner came the chance to really begin rebuilding and the hope of future for the Houston Astros. It didn’t take Crane long to put his stamp on things as he removed both President Tal Smith and GM Ed Wade from the organization.

It’s only fitting then that in the favorite moments of the Astros season that this be included. I know it didn’t happen until the season was long over for this team, but it was the culmination of a year of what ifs and hopefully gives my favorite baseball team a rebirth.

Click the photo to watch the video of Crane’s press conference.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

Houston Astros fans spent the past four years making jokes about the Astros being a Phillies farm team as Ed Wade traded away talent for talent with his former employer, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Turns out, his heart never really left Philadelphia. Only a few weeks after being dismissed from the Astros GM spot, Wade has landed himself a new gig….with the Phillies. First Richard Justice tweeted he was hearing it was likely, then Jim Salisbury tweeted that Wade was headed for and indeed landed a job as a scout with the Philadelphia ball club.

Shocked? Nope. Laughing? Absolutely.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

This is the only place we should find Evergreens

Here’s what we know about Houston Astros GM Ed Wade getting fired:

- Ed Wade was informed on Wednesday that he was out of a job. During that conversation, he reportedly spoke highly of several members of the staff, including Brad Mills. I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed with a guy who talks up the people he believes in whilst the door is hitting his arse and forcing him out. Well done, Ed.

- Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM, although George Postolos has said Dave is not a candidate for the permanent position.

- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle is reporting that Brad Mills is safe, although he says it parenthetically in a post from last night. Take that as you’d like.

- Because of an “evergreen clause” in his contract, Ed Wade is guaranteed his salary not just for 2012, but also for 2013. I am ridiculously jealous of his two years of paid time off and ridiculously irritated that Drayton McLane allowed the worst contract clause ever to be in this man’s contract. No GM should have an “automatic renewal” clause!

-There has still been no formal announcement regarding the flattening of Tal’s Hill. I’m holding out hope and if there is no word soon, I’ll be organizing a candlelight vigil to protest the putt-putt centerfield.

- The Astros are now the 7th MLB club that will fill the role of General Manager this offseason. I suppose that means change is in the air, but it also means a lot of great candidates already have jobs. Never fear, the list of ideas for GMs floating around is quite impressive. I’m heading up the Andrew Friedman or Kim Ng bandwagon, but don’t rule out a return by Gerry Hunsicker or a move to the South by  Thad Levine or AJ Preller of the Rangers.

Today’s announcement of Smith and Wade being fired will not be the last changes in this organization and in my very humble opinion they signify that the new ownership is aware of how deep the problems with the Astros organization run and are willing to address them. Let’s hope they do it right.

Late last night (or early this morning depending on where you are) many Astros’ fans dreams came true when George Postolos, new team CEO and president, announced that Ed Wade is no longer the General Manager of the Houston Astros. Also gone from the front office? President of Baseball Operations, Tal Smith.

Apparently there was no need for a fireside chat today between Crane and Wade.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports:

In a statement released by the club, team president and CEO George Postolos said assistant general manager David Gottfried will serve as interim general manager but is not a candidate for the permanent position.

“With the change in ownership, we would like a fresh start in baseball operations,” Postolos said in the statement. “We have told Ed Wade and Tal Smith that we are making a change. We recognize their dedication to the Houston Astros. We thank each of them for their significant contributions and many years of service to the Astros, and wish them our very best as they pursue new opportunities.

“The search for a new general manager begins immediately. We are searching for a candidate who has the knowledge, skills and experience to build a winner and a strong commitment to player development in order to sustain success. Our goal is to consistently compete for a championship, and we know the first step towards that goal is to develop one of the top farm systems in baseball. We will hire the best candidate available to achieve our goal.”

Tal's Hill in Centerfield at Minute Maid Park

So now that we can officially starting talking GM names, who is on YOUR short list? Mine, not surprisingly is topped by Kim Ng and Andrew Friedman as I’m sure many others are as well. Both Ng and Friedman have a fantastic baseball experience and understand all of the implications of the word “rebuilding” and I think it’s time we had someone in Houston that got it.

My one lingering question…since Tal Smith is gone, do we get to flatten out the damn hill?

Perhaps now Ed Wade needs to HAVE a Fairy Godmother more than he needs to BE a Fairy Godmother.

Word on the street is that the new owner of the Houston Astros, Jim Crane, will be sitting down in the coming days (perhaps tomorrow) with General Manager, Ed Wade, to have a little fireside chat. I suddenly have an overwhelming desire to break into the offices at Minute Maid Park and disguise myself as a rubber tree plant sitting in an unnoticed corner. What I wouldn’t give to be in that meeting!

I would imagine the conversation will go something like this:

Crane: So, Ed, this team sucks even more now than when I originally put this deal in place.

Wade: Well, Jim, my hands have been tied. I haven’t had the financial resources that a club like this needs in order to put a winning team on the field and the Phillies were only willing to give me so much for my trade possibilities.

Crane: Guess what? You’re not going to have any additional financial resources now. Money going out cannot be more than money coming in. I’m a businessman, Ed.

Wade: I’m a baseball man, Jim, and perhaps that’s why we don’t see eye to eye on how to go about this rebuild.

Crane: Okay, then go find a team that sees things your way and I’ll find someone to be the GM of the Astros that sees things mine.

*Ed Wade leaves Minute Maid Park and the scene fades to black*

Did you like that little dream sequence of mine? Now before you think I’m all anti-Ed Wade, I’m not. He’s done some great things in Houston and I firmly believe that when this team is good again, we will see his fingerprints on that team. However, he hasn’t done enough. He abandoned the farm system and let it get raped of talent without replenishing until this past year.

Ed Wade is not the right guy at the right time. It’s time to put a fresh face on certain spots in the Houston Astros front office and the GM role is one of them.

Who else do I think will go? I can’t imagine that Bobby Heck will be around that much longer. It’s hard to justify keeping a Head of Scouting that managed to put together the absolute worst farm system in baseball. We’d all love to think we can be really bad at our jobs and still keep them, but generally, that’s not the way the real world works.

Tal Smith is polishing his resume up a bit now as well, I’d suppose. Although I really don’t care if he stays or goes, I’d really like that darn hill in center field that’s named for him to get flattened out. I’m a bit tired of MMP being the putt-putt golf course of Major League Baseball.

There’s a long line of people that would like to see Pam Gardner gone, but alas, with Crane’s EEOC problems, the likelihood of him firing a woman from the front office isn’t that high. So, sadly we may have to listen to them play “Sweet Caroline” the next time the BoSox are in town, *sigh*, although I AM in favor of serving lobster rolls.

Of course, Mr. Crane could fire Pam Gardner if he brought in a woman GM. Hey Kim Ng….watcha’ doing for the 2012 season? Houston could use your stellar baseball wisdom.

Everytime a deadline comes along this season, the Houston Astros have managed to get it done under the wire and give themselves a boost for future years. Last night was no exception. Just as the the 11:01pm CDT signing deadline passed us by, the Astros announced they had reached deals with both George Springer and Jack Armstrong. Whew. I’d been waiting all night for that. Apparently so had Ed Wade, as he said “With two minutes, 15 seconds left, we finally got our first-round draft pick signed. Literally.” I almost did a little fan girl “squeeee!” at that news.

According to multiple sources, Springer received a $2.525 million bonus and Armstrong, $750k. Springer, who was selected #11 overall and was reportedly the “Astros’ guy” from day one of the draft process this year, is a 22 year old out of the University of Connecticut. He’s a big-hitting, centerfielder that’s fast. The scouts say he’s a five tool guy with serious potential for the majors. I say he’s the kind of injection into the farm system the Astros need.

As for the Astros’ 3rd round pick,  Jack Armstrong, the 21 year old, 6’7″ pitcher spent time on the mound at Vanderbilt where he went 9-1 with 2.65 ERA and 17 SOs in 17 innings. Not too shabby. He most recently pitched in the Cape Cod league trying to get the cobwebs off after some injuries. He is the son of  former MLB pitcher, Jack Armstrong, Sr. Again, this is the kind of talent that’s been missing in the Astros organization for quite some time.

I’m pretty sure everyone who follows the Astros as closely as I do was holding their breath leading up to 11pm. But probably no one was as determined about signing these two picks as Bobby Heck. In the press conference last night Heck was definitely happy about how it all shook out.

“Obviously this was a contentious day, but at the end of it we got our two guys we set out to get, George Springer and Jack Armstrong.” When asked if the two new guys would get on the field this season, Heck was confident that they’d be able to get both guys some playing time soon. So we’ll all get the chance to see what these two new additions can do.

Heck called deadline day, “another step forward,” and I couldn’t agree with him more. I’ve been railing on the naysayers of late, reminding them of the awful state that the Astros farm system had become. Well, I think the tide has turned. Between the talent acquired through the Hunter Pence trade, and signing their picks from the new player draft, the Astros just went a LONG way to giving themselves a boost for the future.

And as Heck said last night, “Well, the 2012 draft has finally begun.”

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

In a year where we’re used to losing streaks, Astros fans are getting a taste of how the other half cheer. For the second night in a row, the Astros found a way to take down the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals, splitting the four game series. I’m as shocked as you are.

With the trade deadline looming and rumors of trade talks for Hunter Pence sending fans into a nervous frenzy, the boys from Houston still found a way to pull it out. Twice.

Wandy Rodriguez had a strong start on the mound allowing only 5 hits and 3 runs while striking out 6 batters in his 7 innings pitched. The bullpen was in good shape last night as well as Sergio Escalona held the Cardinals to no hits or runs in the 8th and Mark Melancon did they same in the 9th getting the save.

Carlos Lee found that elevation he’s been missing again with a single homerun in the 6th while Bourn, Pence and Bourgeois all doubled. The hit parade was out in force with 9 hits that they were able to turn into 5 runs – enough to take the Cards 5-3. And with Michael Bourn and Jason Bourgeois both adding to their stolen base count, the offense was as solid as we’ve seen it this season. Will it carryover into Milwaukee? That remains to be seen, but a litte success can go a long way to instilling confidence.

Brad Mills opted to sit Brett Wallace again last night, making many question what the heck he’s doing. When the club acquired Wallace last season as their everyday first baseman, we all thought he’d play everyday. Um, apparently not. HoustonCounterplot has a great take on Brett Wallace’s Day Off, so take a minute to read his thoughts. I agree with him 110%.

Meanwhile, the trade rumors abound. Each time there’s a slight new piece of information or anyone thinks there might be some movement my twitter feed explodes. The latest rumors? The Astros are still shopping Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez and Michael Bourn. The one everyone wonders about – Hunter Pence is being pursued hard by the Phillies and the Braves. Astros GM Ed Wade has a history of sending Houston talent to Philadelphia, so the scuttle tends to lean that way, but nothing’s final until there’s a deal, so hold tight Astros fans…the next 72 hours might be bumpy!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

My Constant Expression Until July 31, 2011 at Midnight

Remember Junior High School? Remember the rumor mill back then? You never knew who to believe and what to trust. People would tell tall tales just to get their name in circulation or to look cool or “in the know.” The run up to MLB non-waiver Trade Deadline is Junior High School all over again…and it’s going to be the death of me!

The biggest rumors involving the Astros are around Hunter Pence. There seems to be a bit of a split personality going on with fans, myself included. On one hand we all understand that Hunter is valuable and if the Astros could get a really great deal that helped build up the farm system and give the team a future that it is the smart thing to do.

But, my heart doesn’t want the Astros to do the smart thing. My heart thinks that the club should remember that Hunter’s one of the few things drawing fans to Minute Maid Park this season and to lose him would be devastating. Fans would be irate and I’m certain the outrage would be bigger than it was when MMP thought it was the home of the Red Sox a few weeks ago. Ed Wade, Hunter’s only 28 and at least with him we know what we’ve got. Prospects don’t always pan out!

Do you see what’s happening to me as the trade deadline approaches? I’ve developed multiple personality disorder over what I think should happen! I’m not sure my blood pressure can take 9 more days of this. We’ve lost Jeff Keppinger to the Giants, which was sad, but at the same time exciting since that trade led to the promotion of Jose Altuve from AA Corpus Christi and the hype around that kid has been big. It seems the rumors surrounding the Braves going for Pence have subsided, but MLB Trade Rumors has been reporting that the Phillies are hot after a right bat and that Pence might just be the bat they’re after.

I suppose all I can do is sit and wait and guess. I’ll keep my eyes on twitter and the rumor sites and watch my moods fluctuate with the updates. I will keep reminding myself that it can’t get any worse in Houston and that whatever trades are made, the Astros will live to play another day and I will live to cheer another day. But just in case, could someone have 911 on speed dial for me?

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about the Rays coming to Houston for a series witht the Astros? Will Ed Wade and Andrew Friedman have an uncomfortable passing in a hallway where Friedman wonders if he’ll be offered Wade’s job come the end of the season, and Wade wonders if he’s looking at his successor? Wow, I wish I could see that happen. *awkward*

The second thing that comes to mind? Epic battle of the JuiceBox teams. I wonder if leaving Tropicana Field to play at Minute Maid Park makes the Rays feel more comfortable or  like they’re cheating on their home juice? I’m hoping they feel out of sorts. I’d bet the Astros are too, but that’s pretty unlikely given that the Rays have got to be one of the most underappreciated teams in baseball.

The Rays are 41-34 (.547) and only 3.5 games back from the Red Sox in the AL East right now. They’re in striking distance and certainly have a lot more to lose in Houston than the hometown team. So who will we see and what do we expect over the next three days?

Friday, 7:05pm CDT

James Shields (7-4, 2.40 ERA) takes the mound versus Wandy Rodriguez (5-3, 2.88 ERA). Wandy is HOT right now. He hasn’t allwoed a run in the last twelve innings he’s pitched since his return from the DL, so he a force to be reckoned with right now. Seven consecutive quality starts ain’t too shabby. Shields is coming off a complete game that resulted in W so he’s nothing to sneeze at right now either. This should be an exciting battle of pitching. In addition, the Astros will welcome Hunter Pence back into the lineup which should bolster the hitting that we saw two nights ago in Arlington.

Saturday, 6:05pm CDT » Continue reading “Battle of the JuiceBox Teams”

It's time for Astros' GM, Ed Wade, to start wheeling and dealing.

As the trade deadline looms – it’s less than six weeks away – I’ve been thinking about what I’d do if I were Ed Wade. Eddie, are you listening? Now, the Astros are in an interesting situation since we’re not sure who the technical owner of the team will be at that point and whether Jim Crane will be calling the shots or if Drayton McLane will still be looming in the hallways. I’m going to assume for the sake of my sanity that Crane’s in charge when the decisions are made.

The Astros have only a few players that would bring any real value in a trade right now. I figure the most worthwhile, in no particular order, are Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, Jeff Keppinger, Clint Barmes, and possibly Brett Myers. So who would I keep and who would I trade? The decision is quite easy for me.

KEEP

I wouldn’t mess with Hunter Pence. Yes, he’s worth a lot in a trade deal especially with how he’s played lately, but the thing is, the young guy you know is better than the young guy(s) you don’t know. Pence is only 28 and we know he’s good, so why would they trade away good future performance for the hope of prospects who may or may not perform someday? Hunter’s a crowd favorite, a leader on the team, and invaluable to this club right now. The smart thing for the Astros to do is to offer Pence a hefty long term contract. Lock him in. They should make Hunter one of the players they build the future team around.

» Continue reading “Eddie Can You Hear Me? What Astros I’d Trade.”