One of the surprises of the season for the Astros was the performance of lefthander Randy Wolf. Acquired from the San Diego Padres for a minor leaguer, he had a better-than-expected season for the Astros. Still, they chose not to offer him salary arbitration and have instead brought back Mike Hampton.

Yes, the same Hampton who was originally unloaded years ago due to salary concerns. I guess Drayton McLane figured that now that Hampton's near retirement and has a history of arm and shoulder problems, now was the time to get him.

What is it with Astros management trying to save money by acquiring players who are either never-will-bes or longshots?

McLane picked the wrong industry to get into. Hard to believe that a man who supposedly is worth a few billion dollars seems very reluctant time and time again about going out and getting good, quality talent.

Continue reading "Somewhat disappointing off-season for the Astros"

So, there's this Oakland County, Michigan law enforcement officer who's a professional acquaintance of mine. Nice guy, former Marine. Definitely not a guy you'd want to mess with. "James" has a friend who works in the Detroit Lions front office. Here's what the friend told James: a few years ago, the Lions contacted Bill Parcells about coaching the Detroit Lions. After all, who better to resurrect the toothless Lions than the Big Tuna? After all, Parcells has won two Super Bowls as a coach, went to a third and very nearly took the New York Jets there.

Then came the problem, and it stemmed from Parcells' famous complaint coaching the New England Patriots: he didn't like being expected to cook the meals but not allowed to buy the groceries. So, according to this front-office person for the Lions, Parcells told Old Man Ford that he wanted total control over football operations.

Continue reading "How the Detroit Lions almost had Bill Parcells"