Thanks, jon, that was actually a really interesting article. I can definitely see both sides of the Astros coin.... they have a lot of potential and I think if they are run properly they can actually compete in a future that is closer than a lot of people would agree with.
At points, I agree with the players that being treated as "a number" or "a statistic" can be infuriating, but at the same time is is hard to sympathize with people who are making six figures to play a game that I loved to play as a child. Maybe this has something to do with being in the military and always being treated as a number by anyone above the squadron level, but if Astros management can turn the team into both a moneymaker and a competitor while using this outlook, then more power to them.
I've never been a fan of the "I'm on the inside and don't like the way things are run" quotes under anonymous quotes.... if you really cared about what you believed in, then you wouldn't be anonymous, but I get that it can probably be very frustrating for people who feel like they are commodities rather than human beings. I also think that this is something that one must deal with if they go into any part of the entertainment industry, of which baseball is a part.
Will this line of thinking work out for the Astros??? I think it could, in the long run. It likely won't have the quick turnaround of a team like the Colts in the NFL...baseball just doesn't change that quickly. But if they do it correctly, I think the Astros could set themselves up for a long run of success in a region that is longing for a wining team.