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30 October 2009

Astros County: Alyson Footer calls out Chron's Jesus Ortiz

AT LEAST ONE COLLEAGUE of Chron baseball reporter/McLane PR man Jesus Ortiz apparently isn't impressed with his work either. Astros County posts the details.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ Jesus Ortiz"> 10/30/09 05:42 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

30 June 2008

What’s Wrong with Richard Justice, Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Cecil Cooper and Carlos Lee, to Name a Few (Houstoned Ballz)

Want to know what "the great minds running the Astros think"? John Royal says all you need to do is read Richard Justice and Jesus Ortiz to find out (Houstoned Ballz).

Cory Crow has more (Lose an Eye, It's a Sport).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ Jesus Ortiz, Cecil Cooper and Carlos Lee, to Name a Few (Houstoned Ballz)"> 06/30/08 08:59 PM | Technorati |

24 November 2006

Good news, dumb lede

Drayton McLane's cheerleader Jesus Ortiz reports good news for Astros fans:

The Astros have called a press conference for 4 p.m. today to announce the signing of slugging outfielder Carlos Lee, bringing optimism to Lee's new teammates.

It continues to amaze that professional reporters and editors produce such work for a major newspaper.

The big story is the signing of Lee, and THAT should have been the lede -- not the mental state of Lee's new teammates, as determined by one Jesus Ortiz.

UPDATE: The Astros also reached a deal with pitcher Woody Williams.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/24/06 01:35 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

29 October 2009

Ortiz: Drayton, my Drayton!

ASTROS OWNER DRAYTON MCLANE'S REPUTATION has been taking a justified hit of late, over everything from front-office/coaching instability to high concession prices to incessant meddling to poor results on the field to the bungled attempt to hire top managerial choice Manny Acta.

Fortunately, McLane's PR man at the Chronicle Jesus Ortiz (who poses as the baseball beat reporter) has had the owner's back for years. Here's the latest effort, which emphasizes that McLane is a "proud man" who really is in tune with fans' pain.

A better sports section would force rewrites of this sort of source-worship posing as beat reporting.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ Ortiz: Drayton, my Drayton!"> 10/29/09 05:49 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

02 August 2006

Mr. McLane is swell! (cont'd)

In a remarkably short column today, Drayton McLane Astros beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz takes his cheerleading for owner Drayton McLane to new extremes:

If Drayton McLane's ownership of the club hadn't made Houston such a rabid baseball town by spoiling the community with its most consistent winning era, folks would hardly care what was happening on the fifth floor at Union Station.

[snip]

If you give McLane a chance, he'll sell you on his sincere desire to do what is best for the Astros. In intimate settings, he comes off as a grandfatherly sage, a giant of a businessman who knows leadership is paramount.

"Change and new challenges are good," he said Thursday.

McLane is as competitive as any of his players, and the few mistakes he has made in baseball have been done with the best intentions.

And if you think we're apologizing for McLane, you should have listened to his disappointed tone on the other end of the phone late Monday night when he believed the Chronicle was putting words into Oswalt's mouth.

That's just embarrassing.

The editors of the sports section really need to have a visit with Ortiz, to help him get this fawning over the Astros owner under control.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/02/06 11:33 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)

27 January 2007

Houston Baseball Dinner

Last night my husband and I attended the Houston Baseball Dinner at the Hilton Americas, and I was amused at whose table was next to ours -- the Houston Chronicle's. My best friend wasn't there, but David Barron was, Richard Justice was at a front-row table, and Bad Sports' favorite MLB beat reporter Jesus Ortiz was sitting at the presenters' table.

Chron Editor Emeritus Jack Loftis gave a long speech introduction as he presented an award, and in it he credited the Chron's editorial board with helping the baseball stadium referendum eke out a victory in 1989 by 16,000 votes. Maybe the Chron's Glenn Davis can convince the current ed board to cheerlead for a downtown soccer stadium!

Anyway, it was a fine event. The Hilton Americas is a lovely hotel, and the Lanier Grand Ballroom was very attractive. The city of Houston built a very nice hotel!

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/27/07 10:19 AM | Technorati | Comments (7)

11 January 2007

The appetite was the problem

Jesus Ortiz is gushing about former Major Leaguer Richard Hidalgo:

A product of the Astros' famed Venezuelan academy, Hidalgo is hungry again.

Wasn't part of the problem that the guy basically ate himself out of the league?

Overweight guys with bad knees really don't make for the best National League outfielders.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/11/07 05:52 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

21 July 2007

Jesus reacts to the word of his god

Jesus Ortiz leads off his latest blog post as follows:

I spoke with Drayton McLane at length Saturday, and hearing him made me feel optimistic for fans of the Astros.

That's the sort of hard-hitting material that we expect from Drayton McLane's PR man on the Hearst payroll.

UPDATE: And here's the PR as it appeared in the big newspaper today:

McLane isn't perfect, and he's the first to admit it. But at a time when his franchise is undergoing its worst two-year stretch since his first season in 1993, it's important to remember that this is the man who helped make Houston a baseball town. He deserves patience as he attempts to put the franchise back on the right track.

Drayton McLane is swell! And he must love having a PR guy on the Chronicle sports staff.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ Jesus reacts to the word of his god"> 07/21/07 09:17 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

30 June 2006

Chron: Garner can appeal after all!

Remember how Astros beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz was (really really!) insistent that Astros manager Phil Garner couldn't appeal his suspension?

Apparently, Garner doesn't read the Chronicle:

Astros manager Phil Garner, who was supposed to sit out Friday's game after getting suspended for his action's in Monday's loss to Detroit, was in the dugout, awaiting a review from Major League Baseball.

[snip to cut out the unrelated crap that a Chron editor should have cut]

Although there is no formal appeals process for managers and coaches, Garner will be allowed to challenge the suspension during a conference call with Major League Baseball officials.

Ah, so Ortiz's insistence that Garner couldn't appeal was wrong.

But some good has come of all this. Brian McTaggart has apparently found Jose de Jesus Ortiz's missing apostrophe key!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/30/06 10:24 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

01 October 2006

Mr. Cunningham is swell!

Chronicle sportswriter Jose de Jesus Ortiz decided to suck up to his boss today, in a column about postseason baseball awards:

Long and Meritorious Award — Houston Chronicle Deputy Managing Editor Dan Cunningham.

In his 17 years at the Chronicle, Cunningham has lifted the Chronicle's sports section into one of the best in the country.

Well, Mr. McLane AND Mr. Cunningham are SWELL!

But if he's such a great editor and runs such a great shop, why did that garbage make it into a column about postseason baseball awards?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/01/06 08:38 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)

08 December 2006

Andy's gone

The Chronicle's Jesus Ortiz reports that the Houston Astros have disregarded Richard Justice's advice and let Andy Pettitte get away:

Andy Pettitte has chosen to re-sign with the New York Yankees, reaching a one-year $16 million deal with a player option for another $16 million in 2008.

If he gets hurt, he won’t take his option.

“I had offered the Astros $14 million and an option,” Randy Hendricks said. “But they wouldn’t take it. Both teams know that if Andy gets hurt, he won’t take the option. The Astros flat turned me down.”

[snip]

The Astros could be not be reached for comment.

Astros GM Tim Purpura was probably too ill to talk.

BTW, is anyone else missing Gerry Hunsicker about now (despite Jesus Ortiz's assurances that the current Astros brain trust is swell)? Further to that question, the H-Town Sports guys take a closer look at that Garland deal that never happened.

Richard Justice blasts the Astros' brain trust on his blog here.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/08/06 03:33 PM | Technorati | Comments (3)

13 September 2006

Mr. McLane is swell! (cont'd)

The Chronicle's Astros beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz says not to despair about this season, because his favorite guy is on top of things:

In defense of the Astros, though, I guarantee you Mr. Drayton McLane cares about the fans' input. Rest assured he will provide a better team next season. Also, remember that McLane's payroll is nearly $106 million. Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi, whom many Astros fans now want to manage Houston next season, might lead the Marlins to the wild card with a payroll at about $15 million.

Mr. McLane is SWELL!

Mr. Ortiz's constant fawning over him should be embarrassing to the good folks who put together the Chronicle sports pages, though.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/13/06 10:08 AM | Technorati | Comments (2)

03 September 2006

Mr. McLane is Swell! (cont'd)

It's time for another installment of "Mr. McLane is swell!" in which we track Chronicle baseball beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz's bizarre crush on Drayton McLane, the owner of the team Ortiz is supposed to cover objectively.

Last time we checked in on Ortiz, he had written one of the shortest columns we can ever recall seeing on Chron.com, all of it pretty much an Ode to Drayton (Oh Drayton, My Drayton!).

Today's effort isn't quite as good (or bad, depending on your standards), but it's worthy of excerpt:

It would be an understatement to say Astros owner Drayton McLane was dejected when Carlos Beltran chose the New York Mets over a return to Houston. His sadness was evident on that call he placed to a reporter's home at about 2 a.m. Jan. 9, a little over three hours after he learned Beltran had chosen the Mets.

After about 15 minutes, McLane's spirits were lifted and he ended the call with this prediction: "We'll find a way. We'll be a champion. We'll get to the World Series."

McLane's Astros found a way last year, and they're awakening just in time to find a way again this year. Here's a prediction: If they win the wild card and set up their rotation right, they'll cruise to their second consecutive NL title and subsequent World Series berth.

McLane is as competitive as any of his players, committing millions of his fortune to maintain the Astros as one of the premier teams in baseball. For that reason, it was laughable after the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline when folks predicted McLane could not get a multiyear deal done with ace Roy Oswalt. Oswalt's the perfect McLane type of player: supremely competitive, measured in his words, dedicated to his craft and understanding that he's representing his family's good name on the mound or in the community.

Beltran is the same way, which is why McLane desperately wanted him.

Mr. McLane is swell!

Mr. Ortiz is not, at least as sports journalism goes.

As far as the bolded excerpt -- the Astros just finished a week in which they swept a bad team, and lost two of three at home to a good team (the Mets). Their closing schedule includes St. Louis (twice), Philadelphia (twice), and Cincy, all teams ahead of them in the playoff chase. 15 of their remaining 25 games are on the road. That's not a recipe to climb over the five teams ahead of them in the wild-card standings.

There will be no playoffs, NL title, or World Series berth this year, as your Bad Sports podcasters have been saying for weeks now. Maybe a more realistic (albeit still unlikely) goal would be .500, which has been elusive for most of the season.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/03/06 04:19 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

15 May 2005

Mr. McLane is swell

At what point does a sports columnist cross the line into less-than-objective worship of the people he's supposed to be covering?

I ask that in all honesty. I'm not entirely sure. But this homage to Drayton McLane seems excessive:

But this isn't about McMullen's legacy. This is about McLane's word. He values his fans and his commitment to them.

McLane, one of the best owners in baseball, is the man who made former Astros manager Jimy Williams rewrite the lineup card for the final game of the 2003 season.

More than 30,000 fans had bought tickets in hopes of watching a game with playoff implications. That game was meaningless in the standings, so Williams was going to give some of his stars the day off. To McLane, the game wasn't meaningless because fans had bought tickets. He saw the lineup card and had Williams put the stars back in.

Fans had paid to watch Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman, not September callups. McLane wanted the fans to get some of their money's worth. Only Craig Biggio remained out of the starting lineup that day.

Drayton is swell (or is that Mr. McLane to the admiring scribe?) -- and he probably appreciates that reminder appearing in the city's only newspaper when quite a few fans are beginning to wonder if it might have been more swell if he had locked up a few more hitters, some relievers, a Major League caliber catcher, and a functional first baseman in the offseason.

Normally, I wouldn't pick on a single instance of this sort of cheerleading, but Jose de Jesus Ortiz has been less than a diligent, skeptical journalist before with regard to Drayton McLane. Is it possible that sometimes journalists can get too close to the people they cover regularly? Please feel free to enlighten me in the comments.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/15/05 09:49 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)

24 November 2006

Both assertions cannot be true

Earlier this week, Chronicle columnist John Lopez wrote the following:

When the offseason began and the Astros' front office held meetings trying to determine which players would be worth the expense, the list was narrowed to four. Soriano was at the top, a clear No. 1 target. Next came Jermaine Dye, a restricted free agent, then Aramis Ramirez and [Carlos] Lee.

Today, Drayton McClane cheerleader Jesus Ortiz posted the following to his blog:

Tim Purpura has worked his butt off negotiating to land Carlos Lee, who actually was the Astros' top target this winter even though some teams considered Alfonso Soriano better.

Both of these assertions cannot be true.

I wonder whose version is right?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/24/06 01:46 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)

22 July 2006

Mr. McLane is swell!

We've made light of Chron Astros beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz's fawning over Drayton McLane before.

But this is so good (bad?) that it almost seems like a spoof:

By the way, happy 70th birthday goes out to Astros owner Drayton McLane. I spoke to Mr. McLane today, and he was busy at work in his office in Temple. He said he was very disappointed with the loss Friday night.

We're planning for lunch on Wednesday in Houston, and Mr. McLane wants sincere suggestions about how to fix the Astros.

I guarantee you Mr. McLane is just as frustrated as the fans. He has put his energy and money — a franchise record $106 million payroll this year. Send me your thoughts, and I'll give them to him.

In all honesty, I strongly believe Astros fans should feel blessed Mr. McLane owns the team.

Really? In ALL honesty? It was kind of hard to tell until Ortiz clarified.

Mr. McLane is swell!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/22/06 05:32 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

07 December 2006

Chron: Trade complete; Chicago Tribune: No trade

Drayton McLane cheerleader and Chron Astros writer Jesus Ortiz excitedly announced this morning that the Astros were putting the finishing touches on a big trade:

The Astros are set to announce the acquisition of Jon Garland from the Chicago White Sox in a trade that will bolster the starting rotation and place him behind ace righthander Roy Oswalt.

The deal was close, according to Tal Smith, the Astros’ president of baseball operations. It will be announced shortly at Walt Disney's Swan and Dolphin Resort this morning.

[snip]

The rumor at the winter meetings is that Willy Taveras and Taylor Buchholz will be sent to the White Sox for Garland, but Smith wouldn't divulge the players the Astros will send to Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox are flatly denying the rumor:

White Sox officials strongly knocked down a report Thursday morning that they were close to trading 18-game winner Jon Garland to Houston for pitcher Taylor Buchholz and speedy center fielder Willy Taveras.

The Houston Chronicle reported on its web site that the trade was close to completion, but Sox general manager Kenny Williams said he had no trade to announce before leaving the winter meetings.

"We have nothing going on," Williams said.

Williams admitted the Sox were "close to about four or five things, but they didn't materialize for us for various reasons."

Well, they can't both be right. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: The Tribune apparently nailed it. In his latest dispatch (actually, a rewrite of the earlier story, at the same link -- VERY ANNOYING), Jesus Ortiz admits the deal seems to be off, but supplies lots of new rumors (rumors being what we expect in quality newspapers!):

Just hours after the Astros were extremely optimistic about landing Garland, it appeared as though the Astros’ trade talks for Garland hit a serious snag and possibly even died.

[snip]

There are plenty of rumors circulating in the lobby at Walt Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort, including one that the trade may have stalled because of medical concerns over one of the players the Astros offered.

SI.com reported that the deal fell through because Taylor Buchholz failed a physical. The White Sox might have shied away from the deal because of questions about Buchholz, but it is not true that he failed a physical, according to Buchholz.

If you don't have facts, print rumors. If you don't have enough rumors, print rumors from another news organization.

Gotta love that Astros beat reporting from the Chronicle.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/07/06 11:56 AM | Technorati | Comments (1)

14 July 2006

Huff pays dividends, Ensberg to DL, Justice on Gaetti

Aubrey Huff plays third base (instead of Morgan Ensberg) in his first game with the Astros and pops a homer.

Morgan Ensberg finally decides he's hurt and should be on the disabled list.

Richard Justice decides that a blog post AND a column defense of fired hitting coach Gary Gaetti are in order. Some columnists/reporters are way too close to their favorites (see also Jose de Jesus Ortiz and Drayton McLane).

Tom Kirkendall posts some thoughts on Sean Berry as the new hitting coach.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/14/06 08:48 AM | Technorati | Comments (1)

31 March 2007

We've got nothing, but we'll have something Sunday. Maybe. Tune in!

I've got nothing tonight.

But here's H-Town sports on the latest Astros moves (they even know how to use an apostrophe correctly, something that mystifies about 65.2% of bloggers):

Scrap Iron continued to defy logic, intelligence and rational thought by incorporating Wandy Rodriguez in the Astros' Opening Day rotation (at the #4 slot, no less). Jesus Ortiz, clearly excited by the inclusion of a non-white on the 25-man roster, determined that Wandy was "markedly better" on Saturday, allowing only ten hits over six innings to the mighty KC Royals.

How long before Wandy's bounced, and a Round Rock pitcher (and Hunter Pence) are on the Astros roster?

Make your predictions in the forum. Those are separate wagers. The person who's closest (on either) gets drinks on me at Byzantio.

Oh, and Ethan and I will be doing the Bad Sports thing Sunday. So call in and talk to us.

Stream us here. The number to call in is there also.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/31/07 11:46 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

28 June 2006

Chron: Garner can't appeal. He can't. He really can't. Garner can't appeal.

Astro's skipper Phil Garner can't appeal his one-game suspension, according to Major League officials.

And for anyone who is reading-challenged or perhaps brain damaged, Chronicle sportswriter Jose de Jesus Ortiz makes that point over and over:

Theres only one problem with Garners assumption, however: only players can appeal suspensions, according to former Astros star and general manager Bob Watson, MLB's vice president of on-field operations.

He doesnt have the right to appeal, Watson, a Houston resident, said via cell phone from New York. Coaches and managers dont have that right. Only players have the right to appeal. He can make a request of (MLB executive VP of administration) John McHale to hear his side of the story, but they dont have the right as the players do to an appeal.

In case anybody missed it, Garner can't appeal his suspension. And Bob Watson's a former Astros star and GM and lives in Houston! And Ortiz's apostrophe key is apparently not working.

Are there any editors in the sports section?

UPDATE (06-29-2006): To answer my own question, apparently so. They pulled the story I linked completely (whitewash!) and replaced it with this story. That's why I furl everything I link on Chron.com. You never know when a story will just vanish.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/06 10:12 PM | Technorati | Comments (4)

20 August 2006

Not so proud today

A couple of weeks ago, Chronicle baseball beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz found someone other than Drayton McLane to lavish praise upon:

Former All-Star slugger Jesse Barfield always told his sons, Josh and Jeremy, that as long as they listened, they'd have a chance to make it in the majors and possibly be better players than he was.

The sons listened. And these are some proud days in Spring for Jesse and Marla Barfield, parents of San Diego Padres rookie Josh and New York Mets draftee Jeremy.

Unfortunately, Jeremy Barfield's success story is overshadowed today by this news that KTRK-13's Kevin Quinn reports:

A high school baseball star from Spring headed to the big leagues is soon to be charged with assaulting his father.

Jeremy Barfield is the 18-year-old son of Jesse Barfield, a former Major Leaguer who tried to make a comeback and play for the Astros in the 90s. Harris County sheriff's deputies arrested Jeremy Barfield at his parents' home Sunday morning. They say he pushed his father down the stairs.

The family lives at an address in Spring in an area known as Spring Creek. Officers responded to the Barfield home Sunday just after 8am, finding Jesse Barfield suffering from a head injury which they believe he sustained during his fall. It's unclear just how far the elder Barfield fell.

Investigators say the father and son had been arguing because the son was late for church.

Jesse Barfield was taken by ambulance to Northwest Memorial Hospital. His condition is not known.

How unfortunate. Here's hoping the elder Barfield recovers fully, and quickly.

UPDATE: KHOU-11 had an interview with elder Barfield and wife tonight. Barfield looked fine. Both were saying their son is a good kid, and this was a misunderstanding and shouldn't be a big public affair.

Umm, didn't the family member who called the police make it a public affair?

UPDATE (08-21-2006): Today's Chronicle story indicates "family members" notified authorities, which doesn't really clarify the matter. While it's possible the notification came in the form of a conference call, that seems unlikely.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/06 06:38 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

21 November 2005

World Series appearance should boost Astros' value, revenues

The Houston Business Journal's Jim Greer reports that the Astros' successful season should boost the franchise's value:

The afterglow from the best season and first National League baseball championship in the 44-year history of the Houston Astros will likely swing the ballclub further into the black.

"Every revenue stream will be affected and should be affected in a positive way," says Dean Bonham, owner of the Bonham Group, a sports marketing consulting firm based in the Denver area.

Bonham believes that more revenue will flow to the Astros via radio, the Web and television. In addition, sales from sponsorships, merchandising and concessions stand to gain before the 2006 season, or after it starts, according to Bonham.

"It certainly should help the season-ticket sales, and ticket sales next year," says Astros owner Drayton McLane.

The Astros could see their attendance go from 2.8 million in 2005 to 3.1 million next year, with their base of season-ticketholders jumping from approximately 18,000 to 22,000 season-tickets sold, according to Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, an affiliated publication.

Look for the Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz to write a column that explains that Drayton McLane really lost millions this season, and stands to lose more next season.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/21/05 08:49 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

31 July 2006

What about the Astros' pitching?

The Chronicle's Drayton McLane baseball beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz offers up some conventional wisdom in an article on Astros' trade efforts today:

Astros owner Drayton McLane and Purpura have explored and listened to several trade scenarios in an attempt to upgrade an offense that has been the main reason the team has fallen seven games under .500, six games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the National League wild-card race and 9 1/2 games behind the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals.

The offense didn't blow the big Clemens lead yesterday, and as Tom Kirkendall pointed out in his last review, blaming the Astros' performance solely on the offense isn't quite right:

Now through 60% of the season (7-9 in the last 10% of the season; prior periodic reviews here), the Stros have not won more games than they have lost in any of the five 10% segments of the season after the first one. The club's hitting overall remains almost precisely National League average (team RCAA is -2 -- 10th among the 16 NL teams) and the pitching staff continues to toil at well below National League-average level (RSAA of -20 -- 13th in the NL). As noted in previous posts, the Stros' trend of average or below National League-average hitting over the past half-dozen seasons means that the Stros need extraordinary pitching to contend for a playoff spot, and the club received just that in the past two seasons. Unfortunately, this season, the Stros pitching staff is a bit below National League average and, thus, the Stros are currently just that -- a slightly-below National League-average club.

Unfortunately, they seem slightly below average in most areas of the game, and it's reflected in the standings.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/31/06 07:49 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)

12 December 2006

Astros to acquire Jennings?

Ken Rosenthal reports on FoxSports.com that the Astros have a deal for Colorado pitcher Jason Jennings:

The Rockies will receive center fielder Willy Taveras and right-handers Jason Hirsh and Taylor Buchholz for Jennings and right-hander Miguel Asencio, major-league sources said.

Jennings, 28, will replace left-hander Andy Pettitte in the Astros' rotation. Pettitte, 34, signed a two-year, $32 million free-agent contract with the Yankees last Friday.

The Astros, who still could re-sign free-agent right-hander Roger Clemens, paid a steep price for Jennings, a pitcher with a 4.74 career ERA and only one season of more than 12 wins.

The quality of the players going to the Rockies will increase the pressure on the Astros to sign Jennings — a free agent at the end of next season — to a long-term contract.

Taveras, 25, will fill the Rockies' void in center field. Buchholz, 25, and Hirsh, 24, are considered two of the Astros' top pitching prospects.

Chris Burke, 26, likely will take over for the Astros in center, and the trade could accelerate the rise of the Astros' top position prospect, Class AA outfielder Hunter Pence, to the majors.

According to the talk radio stations, the Astros have scheduled a press conference to announce a deal. That seems like a lot to give up for Jennings, if that is indeed the deal that will be announced.

Interestingly, Astros beat writer and Drayton McLane cheerleader Jesus Ortiz, who posted a report last week of a trade that ultimately never took place, has yet to post anything on this deal. You'd think McLane would have given such a good PR guy a heads up!

UPDATE: Astros general manager Tim Purpura just confirmed the terms of the deal in the press conference.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/12/06 04:30 PM | Technorati | Comments (2)

04 November 2005

Is anybody at the Chron sports department on speaking terms?

Earlier in the week, Tom Kirkendall called attention to a story by the Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz that appeared clearly to be a hit piece on former Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker on behalf of either Drayton McLane or one of his lackeys in the Astros organization:

The first time I knew Hunsicker's days were numbered with the Astros was when he flirted with the New York Mets for their vacant general manager's job after the 2003 season. A report in the Newark Star-Ledger stated that Hunsicker wanted out of Houston because he had been overruled when he wanted to hire Tony Peña instead of Jimy Williams as manager after the 2001 season.

The morning that report ran, I was awoken by Astros brass furious [note: McLane and his lackeys sure know who to call when they want something in print, don't they? -klw] because they believed Hunsicker was trying to take credit for discovering Peña.

For the record, Purpura, not Hunsicker, was the one pushing for Peña.

Asked about the report, Hunsicker declined to comment. I told him I was running something about it with or without his comments because folks in his front office were offended by the inference. Whether it was true or not, Astros officials distrusted Hunsicker and believed he was the biggest leak in the franchise.

The same reporter is known for carrying water for McLane, so his hit piece on Hunsicker was hardly a surprise, even if it's not exactly the sort of fare one expects from a quality newspaper.

Today, Richard Justice responded on his blog by blasting the current Astros regime for its shoddy treatment of a longtime scout:

The Astros have laid off a scout who worked for the organization for 15 years. He was part of one of the most productive player development systems in baseball. He was only informed this week, which is late by baseball standards. Most organizations have filled their jobs for next season.

Later in the blog post, Justice takes a not-so-subtle shot at Tim Purpura in response to a reader's question.

Watching the sportswriters at the Chronicle take little shots at each other is almost as entertaining as reading sports reporter Emily Davis recall her experiences as a Beaumont six-year-old. Not quite, but close.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/04/05 07:05 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)

14 July 2009

Linkpost: 07/14/09

Here's our latest roundup of local blog posts that we've found interesting. Enjoy!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/14/09 07:55 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)

21 January 2006

Is diversity just for those other teams hiring coaches?

It's interesting to watch the Chronicle's sport columnists dance around the issue of minorities in sports management roles, and the performance of local teams in that regard.

[Read More]

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/21/06 11:04 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)