Astros looking to add, Roy and Coop aren't BFFEs

[OregonStrosFan]

Baseball insider: Astros will add, not subtract

Astros looking to add folks:

According to one of the top executives and most respected men in baseball, the Astros are not in the mode to trade any of their players, most notably Roy Oswalt.

***"Mr. McLane will be more prone to adding to his team rather than trading his present players away." The executive added, "I read your blog and whoever told you Houston will continue moving Oswalt just wasn't correct." 

"Mr. McLane believes in his management team," said the source. "And his players are someone who he believes in as well. I doubt that you'll see [the Astros] ever trading players just to save salary."

Roy and Coop ain't BFFEs

The source, however, did not deny that there are rumblings that Oswalt and manager Cecil Cooper have had problems with each other recently.

[jbm]

It's groundhog day

[Astroholic]

Motherfucker.  PAM!!!!

[Andyzipp]

Awesome...so Tal Smith is talking to the media.  Perfect.

[ferret]

Baseball insider: Astros will add, not subtract

***"Mr. McLane will be more prone to adding to his team rather than trading his present players away." The executive added, "I read your blog and whoever told you Houston will continue moving Oswalt just wasn't correct." 

Jerome Solomon got a hold of the Roy "story" and added it to the low attendance story and, now that McTaggart is gone,  is taking up the slack at the Chron, that or he smells read meat.   Today's story Link postulates

"There hasn’t been much fun had at Minute Maid Park this season. That, as much as the economy, is why...(attendance is down.)"

Losing or the economy?

change in attendance as measured by percentage of available seats sold compared to latest (March) city unemployment rates

Houston -12.2 /6.5
St Louis -4.5 / 9.4
Milwaukee -1.1 / 9.0
Chicago -3 / 9.4
LA -4.3 /10.6

I think it's the losing.  Then there's the thing about Roy.  Solomon wrote

"both seasons since his 30th birthday Oswalt has gotten off to slow starts. There wasn’t anything wrong, he says, it just took awhile for him to get going."

except Oswalt admitted he has had lower back pain for the past several years. He had a cortisone shot in ST in 2007 and in 2008 a shot in early July.

"All the grumbling and rumors about Oswalt being available in a trade and Oswalt not willing to accept a deal to the White Sox, are enough to give Astros fans a giant headache."

Not really, because anyone who follows the Astros could have told you, that the Astros aint trading Roy, even before ESPN Insider got the story

further he says "When legitimate sources put out word that a player is willing to entertain trade discussions, there is a problem."

Maybe Solomon will pick it up as he goes along but cell phone calls into the wilderness are hardly "legitimate sources" if the team has no intention of trading Oswalt.

[Andyzipp]

Jerome Solomon got a hold of the Roy "story" and added it to the low attendance story and, now that McTaggart is gone,  is taking up the slack at the Chron, that or he smells read meat.   Today's story Link postulates

"There hasn’t been much fun had at Minute Maid Park this season. That, as much as the economy, is why...(attendance is down.)"

Losing or the economy?

change in attendance as measured by percentage of available seats sold compared to latest (March) city unemployment rates

Houston -12.2 /6.5
St Louis -4.5 / 9.4
Milwaukee -1.1 / 9.0
Chicago -3 / 9.4
LA -4.3 /10.6

I think it's the losing.  (snipped)

Actual unemployment has little to do with the fear of the economy.  So while I agree the losing is the biggest part, lots of people are squirreling money because of the fear.

[Ron Brand]

Solomon is a low-rent JdJO wannabe. If he's picking up the slack there's gonna be a whole lot of slack laying around.

[Astroholic]

further he says "When legitimate sources put out word that a player is willing to entertain trade discussions, there is a problem."

Maybe Solomon will pick it up as he goes along but cell phone calls into the wilderness are hardly "legitimate sources" if the team has no intention of trading Oswalt.

His legit source is JdJO.