Mclane on rumors

[pravata]

Mclane was on 610 this morning.  Right off the bat Granato, who had been dismissive of all idiot callers so far, asks Mclane, "why did you order Lidge to be traded?"  Mclane responds, very slowly, in a low voice, probably the kind of voice my cousins are used to when he was on the Texas Ag. Board, "that is the most ridiculous (voice dropped and growled on that word) thing I've ever heard."  Pinwheel should stay the hell away from Union Station for a while I think.  He appears to be persona au gratin.  

As for Roy.  "Things got complicated".  He hedged on whether the Astros offered or the Orioles inquired.  He also said that "Berkman, Roger...were mentioned in trades"  "GMs get to talking" was his out. He said that he and Purpura talked to Oswalt 4 weeks ago, sounds like around the Break.  And they both talked to his agent.  The plan, he says, was to talk to Oswalt about an extension after the Deadline.  So that should happen.  Mclane said "with all respect to Roger and Andy, Roy is the ace of this team".

[ybbodeus]

I listened to it, too.  Do you think John was simply playing devil's advocate?  I almost NEVER listen to 610, so I don't know what his position is on much.  I was flipping around trying to find a traffic report and "COming up, Drayton McClane," so I hung in there.  

To someone unfamiliar with John's approach, he came across as pretty accepting of the Pinwheel line.  I would think he needs to be pretty pro-Astro brass, since his and fimsy 51's jobs are pretty much predicated on keeping the stros and sprockets happy.

[MusicMan]

I heard the interview, and thought Grocer acquitted himself very well.

See, the Oswalt thing, as he said, is complex & harder to refute - every freaking name on the roster comes up at some time.

"Did you order Tim Purpura to trade Brad Lidge?" is very black and white, yes/no, no room for error.  Pinwheel got caught with his pants down on this one, and I think you're absolutely correct.  No more lunches with McLane for Dick any time soon.

[jbm]

I like McLane and think he is a competant owner/businessman.  IMO, it sounds like he trying to straddle line of doing what he needs to do for the franchise, while at the same time not make it tougher to sign Roy.  

If Roy doesn't come around and say something positive, instead of acting like an aggrieved martyr, McLane should be a little less touchy with his comments regarding Roy, IMO.  Something honest such as "Roy has indicated he might not sign with us, and we are just doing what any responsible organization would do: exploring our options for the future of the club."  Maybe Roy will realize that the club is more important than his ego.

[JGrave]

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I listened to it, too.  Do you think John was simply playing devil's advocate?  I almost NEVER listen to 610, so I don't know what his position is on much.  I was flipping around trying to find a traffic report and "COming up, Drayton McClane," so I hung in there.  

To someone unfamiliar with John's approach, he came across as pretty accepting of the Pinwheel line.  I would think he needs to be pretty pro-Astro brass, since his and fimsy 51's jobs are pretty much predicated on keeping the stros and sprockets happy.

He was being sarcastic.  He said all day yesterday that he never believed Oswalt was offered and couldn't understand why that was being said.

[Bench]

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No more lunches with McLane for Dick any time soon.

So you think. But I bet Ricky is imagining such a lunch right now. And it's not even lunch time! Ha.

[HurricaneDavid]

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But I bet Ricky is imagining such a lunch right now.

And WRITING about said lunch, of course.

[Taras Bulba]

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I heard the interview, and thought Grocer acquitted himself very well.

See, the Oswalt thing, as he said, is complex & harder to refute - every freaking name on the roster comes up at some time.

"Did you order Tim Purpura to trade Brad Lidge?" is very black and white, yes/no, no room for error.  Pinwheel got caught with his pants down on this one, and I think you're absolutely correct.  No more lunches with McLane for Dick any time soon.

The whole "McLane ordered Purp to trade Lidge" thing shows how sadly litte Pinwheel understands how businessmen think.  I have no doubt that Drayton has many faults, but being a dumbass is not one of them.

[JGrave]

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I heard the interview, and thought Grocer acquitted himself very well.

See, the Oswalt thing, as he said, is complex & harder to refute - every freaking name on the roster comes up at some time.

"Did you order Tim Purpura to trade Brad Lidge?" is very black and white, yes/no, no room for error.  Pinwheel got caught with his pants down on this one, and I think you're absolutely correct.  No more lunches with McLane for Dick any time soon.

The whole "McLane ordered Purp to trade Lidge" thing shows how sadly litte Pinwheel understands how businessmen think.  I have no doubt that Drayton has many faults, but being a dumbass is not one of them.

He said in all his years of owning the team, he has never ordered someone traded.  They discuss players and the team's options but he has never ordered someone to be traded.

[ybbodeus]

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I listened to it, too.  Do you think John was simply playing devil's advocate?  I almost NEVER listen to 610, so I don't know what his position is on much.  I was flipping around trying to find a traffic report and "COming up, Drayton McClane," so I hung in there.  

To someone unfamiliar with John's approach, he came across as pretty accepting of the Pinwheel line.  I would think he needs to be pretty pro-Astro brass, since his and fimsy 51's jobs are pretty much predicated on keeping the stros and sprockets happy.

He was being sarcastic.  He said all day yesterday that he never believed Oswalt was offered and couldn't understand why that was being said.

Thanks.  That's what I was looking for.  I also heard the bit about Saban's being too busy to eat with W over the weekend.  John made some ocmment about how the President had never invited HIM to have dinner.  My thought was, "He would if he saw your bride."  Then I remembered that this was a somewhat different president.  Even then....she'd probably turn W's head around....the one on his shoulders, that is.

[No? in Austin]

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He said in all his years of owning the team, he has never ordered someone traded.  They discuss players and the team's options but he has never ordered someone to be traded.

That's because Gerry Hunsicker and Tal Smith have telepathic capabilities.  Tal Smith's nickname is Professor Xavier, Hunsicker was known as Radar O'Reily.  Any way, they never had to hear McLane order anything, they knew.  Oooh boy did they know.

Right Billy Wagner?

Purpura is working on it, but still needs to refine the skeels.

[ybbodeus]

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But I bet Ricky is imagining such a lunch right now.

And WRITING about said lunch, of course.

And has already written about what was SAID at said lunch before it's even lunchtime...[EDIT]well, now I guess it IS lunchtime, which means he isn't completely lying (in his mind).

[WulawHorn]

Granato and Zeirlein both seem to know what they are talking about.  Granato was completely sarcastic, as he often is, in making a point. Neither guy puts up with a lot of bitching about the astros ownership or GM being cheap or not doing anything.  Callers get a lot less leeway then with CP or the afternoon drive time suckwads. That's why the morning show is possible to listen to- they will tell a caller that they are full of crap from time to time.

[Andyzipp]

Speaking of CP...J.R. House should start every game the rest of the way for the Astros at catcher.

Every game.

[astro pete]

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That's why the morning show is possible to listen to- they will tell a caller that they are full of crap from time to time.

And when they don't, Granato eggs the caller on while in the background you hear nothing but laughter.

[CJM]

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Speaking of CP...J.R. House should start every game the rest of the way for the Astros at catcher.

Every game.

Yet there are people that will praise him for being a "good" host.  Before the trade it was Zobrist that needed to be playing for the big club- even though Palillo had never seen him play a game.

[Lefty]

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Speaking of CP...J.R. House should start every game the rest of the way for the Astros at catcher.

Every game.

You caught that too?

He's repeatedly said that he knows how to run the minor league side of things better than the Stros, using nothing more than a list of birth dates & stat lines.  Thought he was going to stain his pants when he talked about Zobrist getting called up in TB (while not once mentioning the differing circumstances surrounding both clubs).  Disingenuous at best, fucking idiotic at worst.

[MusicMan]

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Speaking of CP...J.R. House should start every game the rest of the way for the Astros at catcher.

Every game.

You caught that too?

He's repeatedly said that he knows how to run the minor league side of things better than the Stros, using nothing more than a list of birth dates & stat lines.  Thought he was going to stain his pants when he talked about Zobrist getting called up in TB (while not once mentioning the differing circumstances surrounding both clubs).  Disingenuous at best, fucking idiotic at worst.

Versus Granato this morning, who in response to the caller whining about Zobrist said, "Yes, Houston's AA players can start in Tampa Bay."

[WulawHorn]

The funny thing about the guys that bitch about Astros development is that they don't understand the baseball clock.  AT ALL.

The astros don't bring guys up, as a rule, unless they think they are ready to thrive at the big league level. This enables them to bring up more mature players ready to produce.  These producing players are then slotted salary wise at low numbers, leaving flexibility.  Then, the guys hit their prime around 27 years old and are either non arbitrartion eligible or just getting into it.  6 years from the time they are called up they are then free agents, and the Astros have received the benefit of their most productive years at reasonable pay.

In other words, the astros don't waste time and money by letting a kid learn (i.e. suck) at the big league level if they can help it.  This makes on the field sense and it makes dollars and cents sense as well.

But no by all means, lets bring up Patton right now so that when he is coming into his own in 2 or 3 years he's arbitration eligible (and struggles before then) and then a free agent in the peak of his career.

Note- nowhere am I saying that the astros won't bring up a guy young- just they better know he is going to be a stuf ala Oswalt.  Even Berkman probably spent a year more in the minors than some other organizations would have let him.  He was a star from more or less the get go, and then the astros waited one more year to pay him the big money. Smart thinking.

[seib22]

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The funny thing about the guys that bitch about Astros development is that they don't understand the baseball clock.  AT ALL.

The astros don't bring guys up, as a rule, unless they think they are ready to thrive at the big league level. This enables them to bring up more mature players ready to produce.  These producing players are then slotted salary wise at low numbers, leaving flexibility.  Then, the guys hit their prime around 27 years old and are either non arbitrartion eligible or just getting into it.  6 years from the time they are called up they are then free agents, and the Astros have received the benefit of their most productive years at reasonable pay.

In other words, the astros don't waste time and money by letting a kid learn (i.e. suck) at the big league level if they can help it.  This makes on the field sense and it makes dollars and cents sense as well.

But no by all means, lets bring up Patton right now so that when he is coming into his own in 2 or 3 years he's arbitration eligible (and struggles before then) and then a free agent in the peak of his career.

Note- nowhere am I saying that the astros won't bring up a guy young- just they better know he is going to be a stuf ala Oswalt.  Even Berkman probably spent a year more in the minors than some other organizations would have let him.  He was a star from more or less the get go, and then the astros waited one more year to pay him the big money. Smart thinking.

Not to mention, starting the options clock as well.

[JGrave]

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Speaking of CP...J.R. House should start every game the rest of the way for the Astros at catcher.

Every game.

You caught that too?

He's repeatedly said that he knows how to run the minor league side of things better than the Stros, using nothing more than a list of birth dates & stat lines.  Thought he was going to stain his pants when he talked about Zobrist getting called up in TB (while not once mentioning the differing circumstances surrounding both clubs).  Disingenuous at best, fucking idiotic at worst.

Versus Granato this morning, who in response to the caller whining about Zobrist said, "Yes, Houston's AA players can start in Tampa Bay."

Granato gives Justice the business too.  When he's just pulling shit out of his ass, Granato and Lance usually call him on it.  They don't make fun of Granato with the "Uncle Drayton" comments for nothing.

[matadorph]

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The funny thing about the guys that bitch about Astros development is that they don't understand the baseball clock.  AT ALL.

The astros don't bring guys up, as a rule, unless they think they are ready to thrive at the big league level. This enables them to bring up more mature players ready to produce.  These producing players are then slotted salary wise at low numbers, leaving flexibility.  Then, the guys hit their prime around 27 years old and are either non arbitrartion eligible or just getting into it.  6 years from the time they are called up they are then free agents, and the Astros have received the benefit of their most productive years at reasonable pay.

In other words, the astros don't waste time and money by letting a kid learn (i.e. suck) at the big league level if they can help it.  This makes on the field sense and it makes dollars and cents sense as well.

But no by all means, lets bring up Patton right now so that when he is coming into his own in 2 or 3 years he's arbitration eligible (and struggles before then) and then a free agent in the peak of his career.

Note- nowhere am I saying that the astros won't bring up a guy young- just they better know he is going to be a stuf ala Oswalt.  Even Berkman probably spent a year more in the minors than some other organizations would have let him.  He was a star from more or less the get go, and then the astros waited one more year to pay him the big money. Smart thinking.

Not to mention, starting the options clock as well.

Unless you're referring to the rule about five years of major league service, I think your understanding of options isn't quite correct. By definition a player on the 40-man roster but not on the 25-man active roster is considered to be on "optional assignment" and can be moved back and forth between the major-league club and the minors as many times as the club wishes for that year. That counts as one of his option years. However, if a player is placed on the active roster the following season and not the 40-man roster, that doesn't count as an option year. Once a player accrues five years of MLB service the team must get his permission to option him to the minors (assuming he has options left), but that's not the same thing as a ticking clock that never stops. A player can go an entire career and still have options remaining.

[HudsonHawk]

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A player can go an entire career and still have options remaining.

I'm pretty sure Jeff Bagwell has options left.

[seib22]

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The funny thing about the guys that bitch about Astros development is that they don't understand the baseball clock.  AT ALL.

The astros don't bring guys up, as a rule, unless they think they are ready to thrive at the big league level. This enables them to bring up more mature players ready to produce.  These producing players are then slotted salary wise at low numbers, leaving flexibility.  Then, the guys hit their prime around 27 years old and are either non arbitrartion eligible or just getting into it.  6 years from the time they are called up they are then free agents, and the Astros have received the benefit of their most productive years at reasonable pay.

In other words, the astros don't waste time and money by letting a kid learn (i.e. suck) at the big league level if they can help it.  This makes on the field sense and it makes dollars and cents sense as well.

But no by all means, lets bring up Patton right now so that when he is coming into his own in 2 or 3 years he's arbitration eligible (and struggles before then) and then a free agent in the peak of his career.

Note- nowhere am I saying that the astros won't bring up a guy young- just they better know he is going to be a stuf ala Oswalt.  Even Berkman probably spent a year more in the minors than some other organizations would have let him.  He was a star from more or less the get go, and then the astros waited one more year to pay him the big money. Smart thinking.

Not to mention, starting the options clock as well.

Unless you're referring to the rule about five years of major league service, I think your understanding of options isn't quite correct. By definition a player on the 40-man roster but not on the 25-man active roster is considered to be on "optional assignment" and can be moved back and forth between the major-league club and the minors as many times as the club wishes for that year. That counts as one of his option years. However, if a player is placed on the active roster the following season and not the 40-man roster, that doesn't count as an option year. Once a player accrues five years of MLB service the team must get his permission to option him to the minors (assuming he has options left), but that's not the same thing as a ticking clock that never stops. A player can go an entire career and still have options remaining.

Yes.  You are correct.  Thanks for clearing that up.