Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7...162&ATT=49

Despite Drayton McLane's reputation for frugality, the Astros do spend a lot (at least some seasons), and aren't very good. Their minor league system is pretty bare of position players now that Pence is up.

Trading Hirsch for Jennings, letting Biggio bat leadoff in an effort to get him to 3000 despite his total inability to get on-base in the past two season, signing scrubs like Woody Williams and expecting them to make serious contributions = justified firings to me.

I don't see this team being better than mediocre for the next season or two, though. There aren't really any big ticket, fate-changing free agents available this offseason, and with the exception of Troy Patton, I don't think they have much developing within.

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

Seems like bizarre timing to me, seems like this should have been done at midseason, or at end of season. With 40 games left and 2007 declared dead a long time ago, this shakeup makes little sense.

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

Seems like the GM should have been fired immediately after the Lee signing/Jennings trade, and the coach should have been fired immediately after the opening day lineup.

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

Unless Cecil Cooper (fave player in my Milw years, ages 3 to 7) is a viable candidate for the managerial job. In which case a 40 game audition is a smart thing for the owner to do.

Personally I have not heard much about Coop as a coach/manager so I doubt it's really his turn after this year, but it could be an idea as to "why now".

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

Purpura and Garner are both idiots. Interesting that they got pink slips so soon; I was sure that the Astros would continue to employ their services for many years to come.

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

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Purpura and Garner are both idiots. Interesting that they got pink slips so soon; I was hoping that the Astros would continue to employ their services for many years to come.

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FYP

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

Meh, just because they are gone doesn't mean that the anemic farm system will suddenly repopulate. They still have about 10,509 problems.

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

[ QUOTE ]
Meh, just because they are gone doesn't mean that the anemic farm system will suddenly repopulate. They still have about 10,509 problems.

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Yeah, and to add to this, the Pirates replaced Cam Bonifay with Dave Littlefield. Most times inept organizations have no clue who to hire.

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

I wonder how many assistant GM's will turn this position down before they find a new GM. O/U at 4.5?

Re: Astros Fire Manager Garner, GM Purpura
 

The only reason I can figure the timing for this was they retired Bagwell's #5 jersey yesterday, so, maybe Drayton wanted the guys to be there for it (ie: no distractions). I mean, the season is done with anyway.

Also, you are selling Timmy Poo-Poo short. He didn't trade Hirsh (a cheap young pitcher) for Jennings. He traded Hirsh (cheap young pitcher), Bucholz (cheap young pitcher) and Willy Taveras (cheap young player who "filled" two holes: leadoff and CF) for a fat ass who over-paid, injured, unproven older guy who just so happens to be an alum of the same university as Drayton McLane. Baylor.

Tim Purpura is absolutely ATROCIOUS as a GM, and will never see a GM job or possibly even assistant GM job anytime soon or likely, ever again.

Garner...has been a complete idiot this season, but I'm actually surprised Drayton sent him packing as well. Garner has been way better at him job than Purpura (and Purpuras is far more important), although him being better at him job is like two midgets arguing about who is taller.

I think Garner fruited out this season because he had a heapload of mediocre players and got shuffle-happy with his lineups, defense, and pitching. As Joe Morgan would say "he wasn't consistent." And since we know "consistent" = "good" then there was no way the Astros could be good this year.

Quite a shame, for me, as a fan, because this division (NLC) in this year is basically the easiest way to the playoffs in recent history. I mean, a team should legitimately be able to "buy" their way to the playoffs in this division. Easily.

Cliff Notes: Thank God they are doing something about the inept powers-that-be.