ESPN.com Hometown Bum

[David in Jackson]

Their choices:  Who is the Hometown Bum for the Astros?

 Enos Cabell
 Tommy Helms
 Eric Anthony
 Jose Lima
 Dave Smith

Who's your choice (Doesn't have to be listed)?

One that immediately comes to mind for me is Roger Cedeno.

[bubba]

Doug Brocail-  definitely over-paid, under-performing,  perhaps through no fault of his own.

[HurricaneDavid]

Derek Bell anyone?

It was before my time so I don't know much about him, but how is Dave Smith on the list?

[austro]

Dave Clark?  Noe may want to nominate Denny Walling.

I'd prefer a list of hometown heroes.  They're not necessarily the greatest players in team history (although in my case two of them are), but those that somehow mean the most to your experience.  For me:

Bagwell
Biggio
Spiers
Howe
Doran

Next tier:

Berkman (rising)
Cruz
Puhl
JR

Wierd list, I know.

[Bench]

Quote:
Derek Bell anyone?

It was before my time so I don't know much about him, but how is Dave Smith on the list?

Derek Bell played pretty well for the 'Stros, but that doesn't keep him from being a dick.

There's a lot on that list that I guess I just don't know the story to justify them being there.

Greg "Flounder" Swindell comes to mind as well.

[bubba]

I remember Drabek being a disappointment as well, not as much as Swindell, but for more cash.  I was very excited about both acquisitions at the time, but neither paid great dividends.

[OldBlevins]

How about Pete Incaviglia?

[Craig]

The two that always pissed me off the most were Bob Knepper and Jim Clancy.

[Fredia]

went to fan fest in mmpus brocal was there.. he had security and the items had to be "approved" before he would sign them. it was like a wtf. who is this superstar? he sure acted like one

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Quote:
The two that always pissed me off the most were Bob Knepper and Jim Clancy.

At least Knepper was a lefty and had a few more-than-adequate seasons with the Astros. Clancy was a shit-bird bum who never did usesful fucking thing once he got here. I'm still pissed.

[toddthebod]

And it's also hard for me to look at Lima as a bum.  First, he did have a 20 win season.  Second, even when he was serving up the shit, he was still one of the most accessible players to fans that I have ever seen.  Did he suck balls?  Yes.  Was he a bum?  Not in my mind.

[Bench]

Quote:
And it's also hard for me to look at Lima as a bum.  First, he did have a 20 win season.  Second, even when he was serving up the shit, he was still one of the most accessible players to fans that I have ever seen.  Did he suck balls?  Yes.  Was he a bum?  Not in my mind.

Agreed. Also, Lima has one of the most fantastic autograph signatures I've ever seen. He probably spent a long long time honing that.

[pravata]

Drayton Mclane Jr., has to be.  He let Nolan Ryan go to Texas, he stiffed Daryl Kile, he paid too much money to Jeff Bagwell so that the Astros didn't have any money to field a decent team, he refused to negotiate for Carlos Beltran, he made Gerry Hunsicker leave but not before making him trade Billy Wagner, and running off Jeff Kent. He kept Roger Clemens from ending his story book career in Boston by refusing to let him be traded.  Now he won't sign Roy Oswalt and Craig Biggio. He makes Brad Ausmus hit with nerf bats.  Plus, the Astros are playing in a dank, antiquated ball park, that hardly nobody goes to and it sounds like a morgue in there.

[xxx]

my vote is Chris Holt and Mitch Melusky

[S.P. Rodriguez]

Quote:
Drayton Mclane Jr., has to be.  He let Nolan Ryan go to Texas, he stiffed Daryl Kile, he paid too much money to Jeff Bagwell so that the Astros didn't have any money to field a decent team, he refused to negotiate for Carlos Beltran, he made Gerry Hunsicker leave but not before making him trade Billy Wagner, and running off Jeff Kent. He kept Roger Clemens from ending his story book career in Boston by refusing to let him be traded.  Now he won't sign Roy Oswalt and Craig Biggio. He makes Brad Ausmus hit with nerf bats.  Plus, the Astros are playing in a dank, antiquated ball park, that hardly nobody goes to and it sounds like a morgue in there.

I think you just broke my sarcasm meter.

[Astroholic]

Senior Smoke comes to mind.  My vote will always go to D. Bell.  He might of had decent RBI numbers, but man could that guy hit into a beautiful double play.

[pravata]

Quote:

Quote:
Drayton Mclane Jr., has to be.  He let Nolan Ryan go to Texas, he stiffed Daryl Kile, he paid too much money to Jeff Bagwell so that the Astros didn't have any money to field a decent team, he refused to negotiate for Carlos Beltran, he made Gerry Hunsicker leave but not before making him trade Billy Wagner, and running off Jeff Kent. He kept Roger Clemens from ending his story book career in Boston by refusing to let him be traded.  Now he won't sign Roy Oswalt and Craig Biggio. He makes Brad Ausmus hit with nerf bats.  Plus, the Astros are playing in a dank, antiquated ball park, that hardly nobody goes to and it sounds like a morgue in there.

I think you just broke my sarcasm meter.

The line about the nerf bat may have saved your warranty.  That's what blew the roof off then the rain got in.

[utastro]

David "Stormy" Weathers! or Mike Gallo!

[pravata]

Hipolito Pichardo.

[Lefty]

Redding

[hostros7]

i really didn't like Kent Bottenfield.  Not just because he was overweight,but because he sucked....and coming into the season he was supposed to be free-agent acquisition to bolster our rotation.  

Now, he is a promising country and wastern singer:
 KBott

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Quote:
i really didn't like Kent Bottenfield.  Not just because he was overweight,but because he sucked....and coming into the season he was supposed to be free-agent acquisition to bolster our rotation.  

Now, he is a promising country and wastern singer:
 KBott

He still sucks. That first song from the website was awful. The overwrought string arrangement was painfully cheesey. The lyrics banal. Probably go over big in St. Louis. I'm gonna quit underestimating that crowd.

[xxx]

Quote:
my vote is Chris Holt and Mitch Melusky

how could I have forgotten Jay Powell.....

[homer]

Hidalgo

The Chronicle typists

[David in Jackson]

Quote:
i really didn't like Kent Bottenfield.  Not just because he was overweight,but because he sucked....and coming into the season he was supposed to be free-agent acquisition to bolster our rotation.  

Now, he is a promising country and wastern singer:
 KBott

who knew?   I'd rather listen to LimaTime, though

[OldBlevins]

Quote:
Drayton Mclane Jr., has to be.  He let Nolan Ryan go to Texas, he stiffed Daryl Kile, he paid too much money to Jeff Bagwell so that the Astros didn't have any money to field a decent team, he refused to negotiate for Carlos Beltran, he made Gerry Hunsicker leave but not before making him trade Billy Wagner, and running off Jeff Kent. He kept Roger Clemens from ending his story book career in Boston by refusing to let him be traded.  Now he won't sign Roy Oswalt and Craig Biggio. He makes Brad Ausmus hit with nerf bats.  Plus, the Astros are playing in a dank, antiquated ball park, that hardly nobody goes to and it sounds like a morgue in there.

Don't forget how he gave Larry Dierker a brain seizure.

[Arky Vaughan]

Quote:
Derek Bell anyone?

Absolutely.

[strosrays]

Quote:

Quote:
Derek Bell anyone?

Absolutely.

I don't know.  I kind of liked it how D-Bell self-immolated when he got to PIT, and then just sailed away.  There are worse ways to go.

Anyway, he reminded me of Phil Plantier, who came over from SD with him.  Young hitter, was going to be the LH power bat the team had been searching for so long.  He was traded back to SD for next to nothing by mid-season.

Or, for that matter, Eric Anthony.

[Phil_in_CS]

Speaking of Lima and  big busts

[pravata]

Quote:
I don't know.  I kind of liked it how D-Bell self-immolated when he got to PIT, and then just sailed away.  There are worse ways to go.

Kind of classic, reminds me of Kirk Douglas' final exit in The Vikings.

[Limey]

Quote:
Speaking of Lima and  big busts

HALLO!

[Limey]

Quote:
Who's your choice (Doesn't have to be listed)?

One that immediately comes to mind for me is Roger Cedeno.

On the basis that this is ESPN, so that the bum in question has to have been good enough to have been heard of:  Derek Bell, hands down.

Worst Astro I ever saw?  Dave Clark

Best pilot you ever saw?  You're looking at him!

[don_mynack]

Quote:
Senior Smoke comes to mind.  My vote will always go to D. Bell.  He might of had decent RBI numbers, but man could that guy hit into a beautiful double play.

Bell? Yes. Senor Smoke? No. link

[Astroholic]

To me it means what Smoke did (or did not do) for the stros, not what he did for the 84 Tigers.

[Astroholic]

I actually looked up Smokes career stats and they don't look that bad when he was with the stros.  Just seems to me he sucked.

The Link

[Bench]

Quote:
Speaking of Lima and  big busts

It's odd to look at her and just presume he gave her herpes too.

[No? in Austin]

Quote:
Noe may want to nominate Denny Walling.

Nope.  Walling was a very good bench/role player.  Even had a few good years as a platoon third baseman (with Phil Garner).

Now, Bob Scanlan... that was a bum!

Difference was that Walling was also an asshole and Scanlan was a pretty nice guy.  If we were voting for biggest a-hole to don the blood and mud uni, then Walling for sure.

[das]

classic.