Justice turns his attention away from the Texans to chime in with a plan to secure the Astros for future generations:
-Give GM Ed Wade a five-year extension and give him the freedom to reshape the roster and the organization. If there's any doubt he knows what he's doing, check out the 2008-2009 Phillies. Ed Wade acquired the core of those teams.
-Tear up Brad Mills' two-year contract and give him a five-year deal.
-Give scouting director Bobby Heck a five-year contract and make him baseball's highest-paid at his position.
-Go back to Temple and let these guys do their job. Telephone Tal Smith and Ed Wade three times a day. Show up for news conferences and speeches. But, give them some freedom to succeed and to fail.
I'm fine with, and in favor of, Ed Wade and Bobby Heck being given an extension. And while I support the Brad Mills hiring, let's hold off on his extension. Preemptively handing out extensions has been something of a problem in the recent past for the Astros. Let's give him some time to see how he does, and then we can talk about extensions.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
