Goodbye Drayton, goodbye National League; one of you will be missed
"Sure, he destroyed 50 years of baseball tradition in Houston. But, at least he left us with the worst team in franchise history, and we built him a brand new stadium.”
These were the sentiments of my buddy Dan after the news of the finality of Drayton McLane’s sale of the Astros.
So Long Senior Circuit
It has not been 50 but actually 90 years that Houston has been a National League city; it was a farm club for the St. Louis Cardinals beginning in 1921. Along with the hometown minor league Buffs, Houstonians rooted for the Cardinals before Houston became a major league city. The association with the National League will be ending at the end of next season, as Major League Baseball is forcing the new ownership of the Astros to move to the America League as a condition of approval of the sale.
To get to fifteen teams in each of the leagues, which was a pressing issue for some reason, the most logical thing to do was move the Milwaukee Brewers back to the American League. They had begun life in that league and remained there until 1998. But, Commissioner Bud Selig, who had long owned that team, managed to push the Astros to the junior circuit to keep his hometown team where he felt they belonged. That the ‘Stros roots in the National League were decades longer it did matter. Nor did it matter that there is another NL club just 80 miles from Milwaukee, while Houston is all alone in its section of the country. St. Louis is the closest NL club, 650 miles away.
I am going to miss the National League. I have never liked the DH, another big fat guy, invariably juiced up until the last year or two. I like the purity of the NL in that you play, you play, no part-time positions. I like the fact that base-stealing, sacrifices and pitching changes are much more part of the strategy. (And, no, I do not buy the bogus argument that there is more strategy in the AL). The biggest factor for me, and probably most Astros fans, we have been following these teams are entire life. I scarcely pay attention to the AL. In a couple of years, I will have learn about Anaheim, Oakland and Seattle.
Another argument is that we will get the Yankees and the Red Sox on a regular. Who cares? It will mean more fans with harsh accents at MinuteMaid rooting for the opposing team. I’ll travel to Yankee Stadium or Fenway if I really want to see those teams. More games with the Rangers is supposed to be a good thing. Along with everyone I know, I was perfectly content with a home-and-home series with them. I cannot imagine traveling to Arlington for more summertime games. My last visit was 3:05 start in May, and was miserable under the blistering sun until we got access to a suite. But, I will get to see the Rangers more frequently than the Cubs, Cards, Reds and Dodgers that I have been watching my entire life.
Uncle Drayton
Hypocrisy, ignorance and pettiness are three words that come quickly to mind to describe Drayton McLane as an owner. A recap of McLane’s tenure helps illustrate this. It is from memory, and there are likely some mistakes. Plus, all is slightly clouded by my adherence to morning sports talk radio for much of my information in recent years: John Granato, Lance Zerlein (who appears to have retired), and, to a lesser extent, Richard Justice, who has seemingly been Jedi-mind-tricked by Bud Selig.
Ignorance. When he purchased the Astros, McLane proclaimed that he did not know much about baseball. There was too not much during his tenure to dispel that notion. Soon after buying the club, he made a splash by signing big-name free agent pitchers Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell. Both were coming off recent good years and both had strong ties to Houston. Both, unfortunately, were busts. I give McLane credit for trying, though.
During the 1990s, the young talent that McLane inherited lead by Biggio and Bagwell started to blossom. It culminated in the 1998 season with a record 102 wins, added by the stretch run signing of Randy Johnson. Credit due to McLane, even if Johnson was more comfortable in the land of white trash and meth, er, the Phoenix era. I have to give credit to McLane for later allowing Biggio and Bagwell to finish their careers in Houston.
After agreeing with Oilers owner Bud Adams in the early 1990s about the need for upgrades to the Dome, McLane changed his position, and said the ‘Stros needed a new stadium. Like was done in other cities, he threatened to move unless the tax-payers bought him a new ballpark where he would receive nearly all of the revenue. Like elsewhere, the fan-base capitulated. McLane might have already been a billionaire by then.
The new ballpark was, and is, terrific – an intimacy, great sight lines from nearly everywhere, a broad concourse around the main level – a far cry from the dump that was the Dome. I don’t give McLane credit for the design. That goes to HOK, the architects that were responsible for the design of the nearly all of the new ballparks since the one in Baltimore. It could have been even better. I blame McLane for the goofy aspects of it: the train, the flagpole, the hill, the closeness of the Crawford Boxes. I would have like a more modern design, not the fake retro, which you sense is very much McLane.
Seemingly ignorant of the fan experience, McLane also neglected the concessions until the last few years. Astros concessions were long epitomized by Sherriff Blayock’s Nachos, a horrific concoction that was not only pricey for what it was, but bore a name that legions of fans goofed on. Beers were expensive and limited in choice. In this, McLane seemed to exhibit that Southern Baptist abhorrence of alcohol consumption in public. Overall, the lame concessions bore the mark of someone from Temple, Texas with strong ties to Wal-Mart. Things have gotten better, and concessions are actually pretty good now, thanks largely to Marty Price, the VP of Operations whom I have gotten to know.
The team sputtered somewhat until another duo of hometown pitchers made it here. This was complete luck, rather than due to any of McLane’s efforts. Houstonian Roger Clemens wanted to play for the ‘Stros and he brought along his buddy and teammate, Andy Pettitte from Deer Park. Those two plus the surrounding cast, most of who were signed by GM Gerry Hunsicker (1994 to 2004) was ready for the big stage. In 2005, the ‘Stros finally beat the Cards and advanced the World Series, the only one in franchise history.
Pettiness. Gerry Hunsicker, who rightly received the majority of the praise for building the organization into one of the best in baseball, was eased out in 2004. Nolan Ryan, from nearby Alvin and the most popular figure ever in Houston baseball, was somehow allowed to leave the organization. Not only did he take the AAA franchise he owned in Austin, just 180 miles from Houston, to the Rangers, but he also turned out to be an excellent baseball executive. Somehow, he took the Rangers, arguably the very worst AL franchise over the course of its forty years in existence, to the World Series two years in a row.
Hypocrisy. McLane was known for bandying about the organization the phrase, “what have you done to be a champion today?” Closer Billy Wagner was traded not long after he had the impertinence to publicly state the widely known truth, that McLane did not want to spend enough to win. One part of that pound foolishness was not signing top picks and letting the farm system lapse into complete disarray.
When he did try to have a champion, and became actively involved, often going around his GM, he usually screwed up. I don’t blame him for the inability to re-sign Carlos Beltran after his tremendous playoff performance. He tried, but there was no way that Beltran was not going to play in New York. But, defying logic and common sense, he did not re-sign Jeff Kent or Andy Pettitte, both of whom who played for well for playoff teams immediately afterwards. He did sign Carlos Lee for even more money than either of those two, though.
Nah, Nah, Nah, Hey, Hey, Hey Goodbye
At the end of the McLane tenure, we are left with the worst team in baseball, one with likely the worst farm system in baseball, and one that is about to change from a league the city has had a strong association with for 90 years. It would not be fair to call McLane’s tenure a complete failure. The team has had a good amount of success while he was the owner, even if he was not primarily responsible for that success. The stadium is great, even if built at public expense.
Drayton McLane is now gone. He will not be missed.
Published on November 23, 2011 .
These were the sentiments of my buddy Dan after the news of the finality of Drayton McLane’s sale of the Astros.
So Long Senior Circuit
It has not been 50 but actually 90 years that Houston has been a National League city; it was a farm club for the St. Louis Cardinals beginning in 1921. Along with the hometown minor league Buffs, Houstonians rooted for the Cardinals before Houston became a major league city. The association with the National League will be ending at the end of next season, as Major League Baseball is forcing the new ownership of the Astros to move to the America League as a condition of approval of the sale.
To get to fifteen teams in each of the leagues, which was a pressing issue for some reason, the most logical thing to do was move the Milwaukee Brewers back to the American League. They had begun life in that league and remained there until 1998. But, Commissioner Bud Selig, who had long owned that team, managed to push the Astros to the junior circuit to keep his hometown team where he felt they belonged. That the ‘Stros roots in the National League were decades longer it did matter. Nor did it matter that there is another NL club just 80 miles from Milwaukee, while Houston is all alone in its section of the country. St. Louis is the closest NL club, 650 miles away.
I am going to miss the National League. I have never liked the DH, another big fat guy, invariably juiced up until the last year or two. I like the purity of the NL in that you play, you play, no part-time positions. I like the fact that base-stealing, sacrifices and pitching changes are much more part of the strategy. (And, no, I do not buy the bogus argument that there is more strategy in the AL). The biggest factor for me, and probably most Astros fans, we have been following these teams are entire life. I scarcely pay attention to the AL. In a couple of years, I will have learn about Anaheim, Oakland and Seattle.
Another argument is that we will get the Yankees and the Red Sox on a regular. Who cares? It will mean more fans with harsh accents at MinuteMaid rooting for the opposing team. I’ll travel to Yankee Stadium or Fenway if I really want to see those teams. More games with the Rangers is supposed to be a good thing. Along with everyone I know, I was perfectly content with a home-and-home series with them. I cannot imagine traveling to Arlington for more summertime games. My last visit was 3:05 start in May, and was miserable under the blistering sun until we got access to a suite. But, I will get to see the Rangers more frequently than the Cubs, Cards, Reds and Dodgers that I have been watching my entire life.
Uncle Drayton
Hypocrisy, ignorance and pettiness are three words that come quickly to mind to describe Drayton McLane as an owner. A recap of McLane’s tenure helps illustrate this. It is from memory, and there are likely some mistakes. Plus, all is slightly clouded by my adherence to morning sports talk radio for much of my information in recent years: John Granato, Lance Zerlein (who appears to have retired), and, to a lesser extent, Richard Justice, who has seemingly been Jedi-mind-tricked by Bud Selig.
Ignorance. When he purchased the Astros, McLane proclaimed that he did not know much about baseball. There was too not much during his tenure to dispel that notion. Soon after buying the club, he made a splash by signing big-name free agent pitchers Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell. Both were coming off recent good years and both had strong ties to Houston. Both, unfortunately, were busts. I give McLane credit for trying, though.
During the 1990s, the young talent that McLane inherited lead by Biggio and Bagwell started to blossom. It culminated in the 1998 season with a record 102 wins, added by the stretch run signing of Randy Johnson. Credit due to McLane, even if Johnson was more comfortable in the land of white trash and meth, er, the Phoenix era. I have to give credit to McLane for later allowing Biggio and Bagwell to finish their careers in Houston.
After agreeing with Oilers owner Bud Adams in the early 1990s about the need for upgrades to the Dome, McLane changed his position, and said the ‘Stros needed a new stadium. Like was done in other cities, he threatened to move unless the tax-payers bought him a new ballpark where he would receive nearly all of the revenue. Like elsewhere, the fan-base capitulated. McLane might have already been a billionaire by then.
The new ballpark was, and is, terrific – an intimacy, great sight lines from nearly everywhere, a broad concourse around the main level – a far cry from the dump that was the Dome. I don’t give McLane credit for the design. That goes to HOK, the architects that were responsible for the design of the nearly all of the new ballparks since the one in Baltimore. It could have been even better. I blame McLane for the goofy aspects of it: the train, the flagpole, the hill, the closeness of the Crawford Boxes. I would have like a more modern design, not the fake retro, which you sense is very much McLane.
Seemingly ignorant of the fan experience, McLane also neglected the concessions until the last few years. Astros concessions were long epitomized by Sherriff Blayock’s Nachos, a horrific concoction that was not only pricey for what it was, but bore a name that legions of fans goofed on. Beers were expensive and limited in choice. In this, McLane seemed to exhibit that Southern Baptist abhorrence of alcohol consumption in public. Overall, the lame concessions bore the mark of someone from Temple, Texas with strong ties to Wal-Mart. Things have gotten better, and concessions are actually pretty good now, thanks largely to Marty Price, the VP of Operations whom I have gotten to know.
The team sputtered somewhat until another duo of hometown pitchers made it here. This was complete luck, rather than due to any of McLane’s efforts. Houstonian Roger Clemens wanted to play for the ‘Stros and he brought along his buddy and teammate, Andy Pettitte from Deer Park. Those two plus the surrounding cast, most of who were signed by GM Gerry Hunsicker (1994 to 2004) was ready for the big stage. In 2005, the ‘Stros finally beat the Cards and advanced the World Series, the only one in franchise history.
Pettiness. Gerry Hunsicker, who rightly received the majority of the praise for building the organization into one of the best in baseball, was eased out in 2004. Nolan Ryan, from nearby Alvin and the most popular figure ever in Houston baseball, was somehow allowed to leave the organization. Not only did he take the AAA franchise he owned in Austin, just 180 miles from Houston, to the Rangers, but he also turned out to be an excellent baseball executive. Somehow, he took the Rangers, arguably the very worst AL franchise over the course of its forty years in existence, to the World Series two years in a row.
Hypocrisy. McLane was known for bandying about the organization the phrase, “what have you done to be a champion today?” Closer Billy Wagner was traded not long after he had the impertinence to publicly state the widely known truth, that McLane did not want to spend enough to win. One part of that pound foolishness was not signing top picks and letting the farm system lapse into complete disarray.
When he did try to have a champion, and became actively involved, often going around his GM, he usually screwed up. I don’t blame him for the inability to re-sign Carlos Beltran after his tremendous playoff performance. He tried, but there was no way that Beltran was not going to play in New York. But, defying logic and common sense, he did not re-sign Jeff Kent or Andy Pettitte, both of whom who played for well for playoff teams immediately afterwards. He did sign Carlos Lee for even more money than either of those two, though.
Nah, Nah, Nah, Hey, Hey, Hey Goodbye
At the end of the McLane tenure, we are left with the worst team in baseball, one with likely the worst farm system in baseball, and one that is about to change from a league the city has had a strong association with for 90 years. It would not be fair to call McLane’s tenure a complete failure. The team has had a good amount of success while he was the owner, even if he was not primarily responsible for that success. The stadium is great, even if built at public expense.
Drayton McLane is now gone. He will not be missed.
Published on November 23, 2011 .
