Author: Chip Bailey
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MMQB: Luhnow’s guys, predictions and opinions
So maybe it’s just this simple: Jim Crane and Jeff Luhnow want their guys in the key positions. That means players, coaches, managers and the stat geeks alike. If you joined the organization before Luhnow, the key for you is adaptability. Can you hang with the plan, the numbers and the philosophy? Clearly, players like…
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FREE blog weekend II: It’s time . . .
Tom Lawless got his first loss as Astros’ manager Saturday, a loss that was snatched from the jaws of a win. Needing one win over the last few weeks to avoid a fourth consecutive 100-loss season, Chad Qualls struck again, this time with his sixth blown save of the season. So, as the team streaks to…
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FREE blog weekend: Maybe Crane was right and how ’bout that Carter?
Nothing better than a day off after a new manager gets two wins under his belt and the Astros ponder their future. Maybe, just maybe, Jim Crane was right? While it wasn’t an outright prediction, Crane suggested last spring the Astros could be a .500 team in 2014. At 61-79, if you factor in 12…
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Starting over: Astros’ mid-week questionnaire
Some basic mid-week questions after a feel-good win in the first game for what’s-that-new-manager’s-name? Should we circle the September 1 date on the calendar with a big red marker as the day things changed for the better for the Astros? What are the odds that the Tom Lawless–Adam Everett combination gets the Astros’ manager/bench coach job in 2015?…
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The Astros’ puzzle: A winter of decisions
The new manager search may be the latest headache for Jeff Luhnow, but the roster puzzle may be his biggest this winter. It could be akin to trying to stuff 40 marbles into a 10 oz Mason jar. Even as the roster stands today, there are 44 players that will need to squeeze into the 40-man…
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Porter gone, let the rants and raves begin
Bo Porter probably won’t be grilling hot dogs and hamburgers with Jeff Luhnow today. Indeed, there was more than just smoke with the recent Porter-Luhnow rumblings. Porter has been fired by the Astros, less than two years into his tenure with the rebuilding organization. Bench coach Dave Trembley is also gone. Corpus Christi manager Tom…
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Astros: Reputability and integrity must precede on-field respectability
It’s time now for another episode of your story: As the Astros’ Turn. Geez, can we all just talk some baseball? Whether or not Carter should be hitting third or fourth? Who should have pitched the ninth? Who should be called up Monday? Whether the team will non-tender this guy or extend that guy? The…
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MMQB: Post road trip observations
Some random thoughts after an eight-day, four-city road trip. Mine, not the Astros. Road trips aren’t everything they’re cracked up to be. The so-called glamour of the MLB player is not necessarily all glamour. I crisscrossed the country last week, from northern California to Albuquerque, then Greensboro and Charlotte, NC. Eight days, multiple cities, hotels,…
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