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 Peņa 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 Peņa.
For the record, Purpura, not Hunsicker, was the one pushing for Peņa.
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 | Houston Chronicle | Print | Comments (0)
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