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As I take my blog “in-house,” so to speak, I am inclined to be a little more interactive. So if you ask me a question there is a better chance you will get an answer. It was hard to keep up with all the comments on the Chronicle site this summer.
I read many, many, many opinions about Astros players on the Chronicle blog. Most of them betrayed some lack of perception WHICH is to be expected when you don't know the inside story. That said, there are ALSO differences of opinion all the time among people who are on the inside. As long as the Astros are paying me to organize and host alumni events, I must be a team player. I will offer my opinion, JUST as I would if they asked me, but I won't criticize the decisions they make. Because I am ON THE OUTSIDE now, I can't fully understand anything they do. People inside the organization know things that I don't know, and those things could change my mind about a free agent or a trade. Plus, they know what they have in the pipeline and when they can expect help from below. I don't.
But even on the outside looking in, what SEEMS CLEAR is that this winter will be the first major challenge for Tim Purpura. The situation with Craig Biggio could have a ripple effect that Tim will have to address. There will also be other contingencies to consider. For instance, when they acquired Preston Wilson, they wanted to play Lance Berkman at first base all year long. This was a good plan, but the reality of the slumping offense forced Lance back into the outfield. They knew that option was available before spring training.
So now: Ensberg or Huff? More Lamb? Which young pitchers should be groomed for the rotation and which for the bullpen? What if both Roger and Andy don't come back? Who WILL BE the back up catcher and who WILL BE his back up at triple A? You have to try to prepare for everything you can imagine, knowing that something will happen that you can't imagine, and also that you can make adjustments during the season. Everyone but George Steinbrenner has to roll the dice on some contingencies. You can't be perfectly prepared to replace every top player you have unless you're Daddy Warbucks.
Even if you do have a good veteran player to back up the better regular players you can have a problem, beyond the price of the talent. Good veteran players who are not old don't want to sit on the bench JUST in case someone gets hurt. They know they could start for another team, which would allow them to make more money. This is a chemistry problem and it's worse in the American League, where bench players play a much smaller role.
THIS IS A GOOD START for now. Let me know what you think and I'll respond to as many of you as I can. Email me at larry@larrydierker.com. |
