The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Brookover has a good piece on what happened with the Pence deal, and the perceived favoritism towards the Phillies from Ed Wade.
There's so much in the article that we're not even going to pull anything - you should read it for yourself.
There is a little throw-away line that deserves some attention, for Astros fans:
A baseball source indicated that the Astros' annually shrinking payroll will continue to plummet even after Crane officially takes control of the team.
Before you get all worked up, remember that part of the plummeting payroll will include Carlos Lee, who could make up to 30% of the Astros payroll, coming off the books after Crane takes over. If Crane has indicated that payroll will continue to shrink, it means the youth movement has begun, and stupid free agent signings has ended. Which is good news all around.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
