An Astros Rant
C'mon everyone! Grab your pitchfork and let's go get Jim Crane! Quick, let's turn on the man who wants to save us from the ownership of Drayton McLane!
We've been clamoring for the exit of McLane for years and now that it has happened there is a huge cost. Let's be clear: I'm not for the Astros move to the AL. It's obviously a stupid idea. Starting in 2013 we will watch games out of our time zone, have a DH and will have to be reminded that Nolan Ryan still harbors ill will towards our organization very frequently. Arizona moving the the AL West doesn't make sense even though they don't have 50 years of history in the NL. And Milwaukee moving back to the AL doesn't make sense because Bud Selig moved them to the NL in the 90s creating the 16-14 split we hear so much about.
So before you turn your back on the Astros and yell about Jim Crane being an idiot remember who the real idiot is here: Bud Selig. Bud is using political bullying to force the Astros to the AL. Jim Crane doesn't have much choice in the matter. If Crane would say no to the deal we'd be moving the AL and Drayton would still own the team. Imagine that nightmare. Bud Selig created the unbalance in the leagues to move his team out of the AL and is now pushing a team out of the league they've been in since the dawn of time just so he can keep all of the owners happy.
The situation is ideal my fellow Astros fans. I don't want a DH. I don't want to play the Rangers on a consistent basis. I don't want to make the move. And I am angry about all of this. BUT this move is the result of Drayton's horrible ownership and Selig's horrible commissioning. Don't turn your back on your beloved Astros, don't turn your back on the new owner who promises change, don't hate the organization because the organization is the victim here just like us. (Yes, Crane did receive a couple million for moving the team but they took money off of the price because Crane thought he was buying a NL team. Selig said the team was going to move no matter who bought it and Crane is still paying over 600 million for the franchise.)
I know a lot of us in Houston are angry. But don't hate the Houston Astros. Houston sports has been through so much this year (see: Yao's foot, Matt Schaub's foot) but don't hate the team when the blame really belongs on Drayton McLane and Bud Selig.
