Blind faith or support isn't the issue. The irrationality of people whining about Tim Purpura just two months after the Astros made the World Series for the first time is the issue.
Like it or not, Purpura was general manager of the Astros for the 11 months proceeding that first World Series berth. The team may have borne Hunsicker's imprint, but it bore Purpura's as well.
Purpura was in charge when Beltran left and the Astros promoted Taveras to take his place. Purpura was in charge when Kent left and the Astros moved Biggio back to second to take his place.
Purpura was in charge when the Astros decided to give Lane the full-time started job in right field. Purpura was in charge when the Astros signed Oswalt through 2006 and Berkman through 2010.
Purpura was in charge when the Astros did not acquire another bat when Berkman missed the first month and Bagwell missed the middle four months of 2005. Purpura was in charge when the Astros stuck with starting Ensberg full-time instead of reverting to a platoon when Ensberg struggled in April.
Purpura was in charge when the Astros kept the team together after a 15-30 start and did not make a move when they had reached the wild card lead by the trade deadline. Purpura was in charge when the Astros beat the Braves and the Cardinals to get to the White Sox, and he was in charge when they got swept when the offense shut down.
If you want to deny Purpura credit for having anything to do with the Astros winning the pennant, fine, but then it's irrational to complain and fault him for anything he did last season while the Astros made that playoff run. You can't deny him credit on one hand and then bitch about him on the other hand.
And it's irrational to complain about this off-season so far, since we're only half-way into it. If opening day rolls around and you want to piss and moan because Bagwell can't play and Berkman is at first base and Luke Scott and Chris Burke are sharing left field, fine. If you want to complain because Clemens signs somewhere else and the back of the rotation is Astacio and Rodriguez, fine.
But I'd rather that the Astros go into next season with the team as presently constituted than do something stupid that would cost the team in the long run, like trading away a valuable commodity or signing middle-of-the-rotation pitchers and bullpen help to contracts approaching $10 million per year.
And I'm realistic enough to understand that not every good free agent signing or trade out there was a missed opportunity that the Astros could've converted were Purpura not incompetent. Every time any desirable free agent goes on the market or sexy trade rumor is dangled, somebody here will post a "how come the Astros don't get him?" thread, as if there aren't 29 other teams in baseball vying to build their teams too.
Regardless of the opinions on Purpura or the impatience expressed in here, on talk radio and in the pages of the Chronicle, none of us, from McLane to Purpura to Garner on down to the biggest whining fan, will know until opening day precisely what the roster is going to look like, and we're not going to know until next fall whether it worked or whether it fell short.
The day somebody comes in here with a report that there was a good trade or signing on the table for the Astros and Purpura somehow blew it, I'll be willing to concede that it's something more than whining. Until then, that's all it is, so don't expect people to be sympathetic to it.
