Last night I had the opportunity to appear on the Crawfish Boxes season-ending podcast, and had a rip-roaring good time. Over the course of the conversation (and we'll provide the link once it's available), it came out that the Astros engaged in some dubious PR in reference to the Houston-area chapter of the BBWAA. David Coleman wrote a post this morning detailing it:
This year, my friend and other members of the chapter voted for Hunter Pence as Astros MVP, which is why he was announced as the winner last week. Before that announcement, though, shenanigans ensued.
According to my boss and friend through Mr. Hartman, there are Astros officials who called him (and presumably other writers) to get them to change their vote so it would be less embarrassing that a Phillie won Astros MVP. This brilliant plan predictably did not work...
...Until this team can get away from these kinds of bone-headed decisions and get back to being a first-rate organization, things are going to be pretty grim. Grim enough to vote a guy as team MVP even though he hasn't been there for 55 games.
If this is true, and there's no reason to think that it is not, then the Astros are - as previously mentioned in the title of this post - a stupid, and petty organization. Think of all of the things wrong with the Astros. And then think that this is what they are spending their time on. This is the kind of bullcrap that makes me ashamed of my favorite team, and makes me not want to support them anymore. It won't happen, of course, and I suspect Drayton, Tal, and Pam Gardner know that this is the case for whatever fans still care about this train-wreck of a franchise.
I suppose that, for me, this episode sums up everything that's wrong with this team.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
