Astros know fans are caught in the middle
Also Monday, Crane’s frequently battered public image took a hit with the disclosure that the team no longer will support the Black Ties and Baseball Caps gala, sponsored for more than two decades by the Astros Wives Organization to benefit the Houston Area Women’s Center.
While debate raged over the Astros’ charitable priorities, questions continued about management’s post-Postolos direction and its impact on the franchise’s top problem: gaining viewers for Comcast SportsNet Houston, the regional sports network it owns with the Rockets and NBC Sports Group.
Things began looking up by week’s end, with Reid Ryan coming on board as Postolos’ successor, the announcement of Crane’s pending purchase of the Corpus Christi Hooks minor league franchise, promising developments on a new minor league complex in Florida and new alliances that could bolster the Astros’ sagging presence in South Texas.
Saturday, Crane ended the week with a moment close to his heart, joining players and civic leaders to dedicate new baseball fields at Ingrando Park on the city’s southeast side.
On the field, meanwhile, the Astros went 2-4, highlighted by a slapstick, slapdash collision between players that cost them a chance at a rare win at Pittsburgh on Friday.
And now, a new week beckons with its own problems on and off the field, principally on the TV front, as financial pressures regarding CSN Houston could require a new cash infusion from the Astros, Rockets and NBC with no guarantee that it will attract new subscribers.
First, though, Crane spent time Friday going point by point through the week’s developments with reporters.
1 Regarding Postolos: Crane said he felt the former Rockets executive “wanted to step down and move along. We had discussed it a few times, and I just felt it was time for him to move on and he wanted to go back to his consulting business. It was a mutual situation.”
1 The Wives’ Gala/ Women’s Center brouhaha: This became, in effect, a matter of consolidation and control for the Astros Foundation as reorganized under the Crane regime.
“We want to raise enough money to have impact on a few things: not a hundred things, but the few things we want to focus on,” Crane said. “The first was community baseball and renovating the city parks.
“We were focused on that, and we told the folks at the Women’s Center that it’s a great cause — I’ve given them money — but we couldn’t be all things to all people and that we were going to focus on events that put money in the Astros Foundation we will do things that will have a big impact.”
Crane said the Astros Foundation will focus, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, on youth baseball, support for the military and military families and cancer research.
“We’ll do them really well, and we’ll raise a lot of money,” he said.
1 The Ryan hire: Reid Ryan’s arrival, and the letter of intent that Ryan signed on behalf of Ryan Sanders Baseball to sell the Hooks to Crane and the Astros, could bolster public perceptions not only in Houston but across Texas, where the Astros face perilous times holding on to fans because of their recent struggles and because of the limited distribution of CSN Houston.
“This is a good spot for him,” Crane said of Reid Ryan. “Nolan is doing really well up north (as CEO of the Rangers), and we hope to put a little pain in his shorts over the season.
“The bottom line is that this sets Reid apart from his dad to prove this is something he can do. Nolan and I had this conversation. It’s great to have your kid in the business, but now he can prove himself as Reid Ryan. His dad is a very famous guy, but Reid is the kind of guy who stands on his own, and I think you will see him stand alone in the position and do a good job.”
Ryan said the sale of the Hooks will provide stability for both parties in the transaction.
“People in Corpus are Astros fans,” he said. “When my dad took the job with the Rangers, quite a few of (Hooks fans) said ‘Don’t switch us.’ They wanted to stay with the Astros. Plus, there was real fear in the market that the Astros might move and go somewhere else.
“We’re making sure that we’re taking care of Astros fans and Hooks fans by having the Astros own the club and be there for the long term. It’s better for the game of baseball, and it’s the right thing to do.”
Reid Ryan’s presence also gives the Astros a potential toehold in the Big League Weekend event that Ryan Sanders sponsored in March in San Antonio, which drew about 75,000 fans for two Rangers-Padres games. Ryan said he hopes the Astros will be involved in the series next year.
1 Other incentives: Crane said that a plan to build a ballpark in The Woodlands or north of The Woodlands that could become the Astros’ Class AAA affiliate “is still in play, but we have to secure a piece of property and get a stadium built, so there’s some work to be done there.”
He said the team was “well on the way” to reaching an agreement to move its spring training base to West Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., in conjunction with the Toronto Blue Jays. State officials have agreed to assist in the development, and Crane said the teams will work with Major League Baseball on additional funding.
1 CSN Houston: Crane on Friday said that the network, which is available in only about 40 percent of Houston’s 2.2 million TV households, is running low on funds and that the partners face “tough decisions” on budget issues while distribution disputes continue.
That could include, potentially, a cash call from the partners that could result in different ownership shares, should one or more parties not meet the call for more money, or, perhaps, a redistribution of the Crane ownership group’s shares depending on the outcome, if necessary.
Crane and CSN Houston general manager Matt Hutchings remain optimistic about the potential for a series of meetings involving officials with Suddenlink, DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse with Mayor Annise Parker. Monday’s meeting with Suddenlink CEO Jerry Kent and COO Tom McMillin is the first in that series.
“The mayor can pull things together,” Crane said. “We’re hopeful she will express the city’s concerns that this deal is not done and that we can get people to the table and get things done.”
1 On the field: The Astros entered the weekend with just 11 wins this season, and Crane acknowledged that more victories “would keep everybody happy. We’re focused on that right now.”
“We thought we were going to be a little better, but starting pitching has let us down a little. If you look beyond the big team, there has been significant improvement (in the minor leagues). That does not make our Houston fans happy with the (standings), but that will transcend into wins.”
The Astros, Crane said, “Are still on the plan, and we’re going to keep with the plan.”
david.barron@chron.com