Bud Selig

The Screwball Economics of Major League Baseball

As another season begins, MLB faces an unsustainable future - and you're picking up the tab.

The Astros: Out of Their League?

The Houston Astros take on a new season in a tough division with things all-new — uniforms, owner, manager, team and rules — not to mention a new/old mascot. And road trips to Dallas.

One Man's Baseball Bucket List

The thought of baseball season is depressing for some people, primarily because the Astros are going to be so damn bad. But that doesn't bother me. I'm a baseball addict, and while the Astros will be bad, it's not really going to matter because I'll be watching baseball -- and thanks to Comcast Spor ... More >>

Jim Crane and Charlie Finley: The Future Through The Past

A man buys a baseball team. He alienates the fans. He trades away all of the veterans with big contracts and attempts to build a team through the farm system. There's the threat of a forced move to another league. The other owners not wanting him in their club. And the commissioner treats him like a ... More >>

Looking Forward To The Astros In 2013

With 2012 coming to an end, let's kiss this lost year of the Astros goodbye and take a look at what's coming in 2013. The key word is "new," as in new uniforms, new logos, new TV network, new broadcasters, new players, new manager and coaches, and on, and on, and on. 5. Welcome to the American Lea ... More >>

MLB: 4 Season Win Total Bets You Can Still Get Down on Before Friday Morning

Happy Major League Baseball Opening Day! Oh, what's that? You say I missed Opening Day? It was actually last night when the St. Louis Cardinals helped christen the Miami Marlins' new ball park (and new name and new uniforms and new manager and...) with a 4-1 win? Oh, I'm sorry, that was the domesti ... More >>

Some Modest Suggestions for Bud Selig, MLB Commissioner For Life

Yep, we're still stuck with this bozo​In case you missed the news last week, Bud Selig's contract to be the commissioner of Major League Baseball has been extended another two years -- this coming after Selig had announced several years ago that he was retiring at the end of his current contra ... More >>

Colts 19, Texans 16: The Day The Sports Gods Reminded Houstonians To Know Our Role

Oh, there goes gravity​For months, it seemed as though the Texans were the average Houstonian's sports salvation. Never mind the Astros' status as the worst organization in baseball and a Bud Selig-forced move to the American League after 50 years. Never mind that the Rockets, after cleverly ... More >>

Chron's Richard Justice Leaves for New Job

Richard Justice leaves the Chron.​Richard Justice, the Houston Chronicle sports columnist who might have the highest profile at the paper, is leaving after 11 years to write for MLB.com, the online service of Major League Baseball. "MLB.com made me a great offer. It's a place of such energy," ... More >>

So How Much Do You Really Know About the Astros and the DH?

​There has been a strange uproar over the Astros' possible move to the American League. There's been whining over start times, bitching about Bud Selig, and much, much discussion about the designated hitter not being real baseball. And while people are upset, it needs to be noted that the As ... More >>

Astros To The American League: The Logical Argument To Stop The Move

​Ever since the Peter Gammons tweet on Wednesday about the Astros sale to be approved in November as well as the Astros being moved to the American League, there's been a firestorm of anger and panic emitting from what few Astros fans remain. Yesterday, one group even started an internet peti ... More >>

Rejected Dejected: Astros Waiting Around For MLB To Do Something About Jim Crane

Somebody finalize this deal already​It's known as the Rejected/Dejected shot. The camera focusing on the batter as he walks back to the dugout after having just struck out, usually on a called strike. It's one of those shots that best captures the emotion of the game and helps to bring the v ... More >>

The Astros Curse: They Are The Damned

The Astros have been damned​The following is based on true facts, but names have been redacted to protect the innocent, and not so innocent... The Houston Astros are a bad baseball team this season. They're beyond bad. They're beyond awful. They're closing in on worst team in MLB history b ... More >>

11 Modest Suggestions For Jim Crane

​After the Astros lose to the Chicago Cubs this afternoon, the 2011 MLB season will be one-thirds complete. And while it was expected the Astros would be bad, being the worst team in the National League was not expected -- an injury-depleted Minnesota Twins are the only thing keeping the Astr ... More >>

So You Want to Own a Baseball Team? Baseball Financing 101

​There are a lot of stories coming out about how the Astros are going to face a long climb to respectability. About how all of the team's problems can't be solved by spending money. About how we're just going to have to be patient while Jim Crane's baseball people rebuild the mess left behin ... More >>

Les Miles for President (Also, 5 Winners and 5 Losers From This Weekend)

Everyone's talking about Les Miles, and not in a good way​"In the game of life nobody -- repeat, NOBODY -- is playing with more house money than Les Miles." -- Me on Twitter just after LSU's 16-14 win over Tennessee As Homer Simpson would say, it's funny because it's true. The truly funny th ... More >>

Mark Cuban: With Nolan Ryan Out, It's Now Up To You To Save The Astros

Mark Cuban: Houston needs you, desperately​My dream for the Houston Astros was destroyed very, very early on Thursday morning when Nolan Ryan and his business partner, Chuck Greenberg, won the bankruptcy bidding for the Texas Rangers. I've written before that I was hoping Ryan's bid would lose, an ... More >>

Game Time: Jim Joyce Cheats History And Disgarces Fu Manchu Wearers Worldwide

The freeze-frame is blurry but decisive: One blown call​"It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the [bleep] out of it....I just cost that kid a perfect game." -- MLB Umpire Jim JoyceI'll admit, this is new territory for me. I mean, in my nearly nine months of writing here on Hous ... More >>

Drayton McLane: The Myth That He's Not Cheap

Scrooge had his good points, too, but he still was Scrooge​There was an item written over at Chron.com sports last week that I wanted to address -- yeah, I'm a little late, but I just read it. It was written by one of their fan bloggers, and in a decent post about some of the reasons why the ... More >>

Game Time: Sifting Through Mark McGwire's Bullshit

​At this point, using the word "courageous" to define any of the performance-enhancing drug users of baseball's Steroid Era that "come clean" about their transgressions is a bit disingenuous. "Courageous" would be their giving back all of the money that steroids helped them make. So if you're look ... More >>

Which Houston Team Has The Dumbest Front Office?

​Richard Justice actually had a decent blog post the other day. In it, he attempted to evaluate which of Houston's big three sports franchises was the smartest -- sorry Dynamo fans, he didn't include them because he says the team hasn't been here long enough, and I won't include them because I con ... More >>

The Astros And The Freedom Of Speech

​Athletes aren't exactly known as the brightest of people, especially baseball players. A recent Wall Street Journal report shows that of the current players on MLB rosters, there are only 26 college graduates (and that total includes managers like law school graduate Tony La Russa).So when on ... More >>

Hard Economic Times Coming To Sports Franchises

The NHL doesn't have a team in Houston, so I'm pretty confident that most of you don't follow the league, and don't have any idea about some of the severe financial problems facing many of the southern teams.  The NHL has intervened in Phoenix in an attempt to find new ownership for the club.&n ... More >>

A-Rod's Steroid Bust: How It Really Went Down

Alex Rodriguez did an Andy Pettitte yesterday and admitted to taking steroids. Though he wasn't facing any legal jeopardy, it's probably for the best that he did this as Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Andy Pettitte were all able to easily go on with their careers after their admissions whereas w ... More >>

A-Rod's Steroid Bust: How It Really Went Down

Alex Rodriguez did an Andy Pettitte yesterday and admitted to taking steroids. Though he wasn't facing any legal jeopardy, it's probably for the best that he did this as Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Andy Pettitte were all able to easily go on with their careers after their admissions whereas w ... More >>

Top Ten Houston Sports Moments of 2008

10. I never really followed the Houston Comets, who folded several weeks ago. By the time they came on the scene I was getting pretty sick of professional basketball. So I never became invested in the team, and I can't feel any real loss behind their demise. Still, unlike the Rockets and Astros ... More >>

Top Ten Houston Sports Moments of 2008

10. I never really followed the Houston Comets, who folded several weeks ago. By the time they came on the scene I was getting pretty sick of professional basketball. So I never became invested in the team, and I can't feel any real loss behind their demise. Still, unlike the Rockets and Astros ... More >>

Turkeys of the Year

DA Chuck Rosenthal flies off with top honors

Ten Reasons Drayton McLane Might’ve Rejected Bud Selig’s Plea to Get Out of Town

Astros-Marlins: John Whitmire Falls for Drayton McLane's Bull

Astros-Cubs: A Tired Houston Team Only Gets One Hit

We Now Present... Steroids, The Musical

Cantinflas and Fence Hoppers

Astros-Marlins: How Did Roy Oswalt Become Woody Williams?

Steroids, Baseball and Roger Clemens: Rocket and Brian McNamee Appear Before Congress Today

Steroids and Baseball: Is Jose de Jesus Ortiz on Drugs?

Congress and Steroids: Um, Yeah, Nice to See the Politicos Follow Baseball

Bud Selig and Steroids: Today’s the Day, or Something

Roger Clemens Juiced? Wake Me When It’s Over

Coming Attraction: George Mitchell's Report on Steroids in Baseball

Steroids in Baseball: For Every Action, There Is No Action

Astros Get Miguel Tejada in Return for Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate and Michael Costanzo

Mitchell Report on Steroids in Baseball To Be Released Tomorrow

Cecil Cooper Made Permanent Manager

Jesus Breaks the Story...Four Years Later

Not Bad for One of the Whitest Teams in Baseball

Perchance to Dream

Play Ball

The greatest in the game come to Houston

Best Sports Columnist

Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle

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