"Nolan Ryan Stripped of Power" - Randy Galloway

[Kaisersoze]

I think the Texas sports media is just looking for a story. It's been a very uneventful off season and these guys need to manufacture news.

No doubt, and that is the majority of this. But that said, something is odd about this situation if Ryan isn't commenting and diffusing the whole thing.

This organization has always done things very effectively in these situations. Even when they shot Chuck Greenberg, it was a one day story because they had everything worked out prior to the announcement and everyone said the right things, including Chuck.

This one doesn't look smooth at all, though the Galloway types are obviously trying to hype it into something bigger than it is. There still is something odd about this whole thing though.

[incrediculous]

It's just you.

Ok good. Lol

[starving]

Yeah, I suppose it's pretty easy for the big oil men to buyout minority stakeholders to stabilize front office politics. They've done it before, and they've indicated they intend to keep the young brain trust in place.

Is it just me or is it starting to look like Nolan doesn't play well with guys who haven't played pro ball?

I think this idea has merit. Nolan Ryan is the dream frontman of the 'good ole boy network' and a group of city-mouse, Ivy League, Northeastern Jewish kids (Daniels, Greenberg, Levine, etc) aren't going to be his prefered inner circle. I'm not saying Nolan is prejudiced, but Nolan and the young stats guys couldn't be any more different.

...and here's the thing, Daniels, Levine, and even Greenberg earned their way into the boardroom through hard work and intelligence. The Daniels group is who built this franchise. JD did the Teixeira trade, he and his team are scouring over stats and scouting the pacific rim. It's annoyed me constantly the last few years when baseball laypeople attribute the success of the team to Ryan. I don't think JD even cared so much about that, but it made me mad on his behalf.

Nolan, as much as I do value him, is in that room because he had a rocket arm and still has a markee name.

[Doug]

I think this idea has merit. Nolan Ryan is the dream frontman of the 'good ole boy network' and a group of city-mouse, Ivy League, Northeastern Jewish kids (Daniels, Greenberg, Levine, etc) aren't going to be his prefered inner circle. I'm not saying Nolan is prejudiced, but Nolan and the young stats guys couldn't be any more different.

...and here's the thing, Daniels, Levine, and even Greenberg earned their way into the boardroom through hard work and intelligence. The Daniels group is who built this franchise. JD did the Teixeira trade, he and his team are scouring over stats and scouting the pacific rim. It's annoyed me constantly the last few years when baseball laypeople attribute the success of the team to Ryan. I don't think JD even cared so much about that, but it made me mad on his behalf.

Nolan, as much as I do value him, is in that room because he had a rocket arm and still has a markee name.

One small problem with your scenario is that JD and his guys are not stat guys. They use them but they trend towards the scouting end of the spectrum. As Nolan does.

[Grove Rat]

I'm just curious here but did I hear these moves were actually made at the end of November but are just now coming to light?

[Flounder1]

I think this idea has merit. Nolan Ryan is the dream frontman of the 'good ole boy network' and a group of city-mouse, Ivy League, Northeastern Jewish kids (Daniels, Greenberg, Levine, etc) aren't going to be his prefered inner circle. I'm not saying Nolan is prejudiced, but Nolan and the young stats guys couldn't be any more different.

...and here's the thing, Daniels, Levine, and even Greenberg earned their way into the boardroom through hard work and intelligence. The Daniels group is who built this franchise. JD did the Teixeira trade, he and his team are scouring over stats and scouting the pacific rim. It's annoyed me constantly the last few years when baseball laypeople attribute the success of the team to Ryan. I don't think JD even cared so much about that, but it made me mad on his behalf.

Nolan, as much as I do value him, is in that room because he had a rocket arm and still has a markee name.

Some very good points, but I think you might be missing that Nolan is a very astute businessman who earned his way into the boardroom through hard work and intelligence, too. It could be argued that the guys you list didn't really "earn" everything. They earned a lot, but were handed opportunities others of equal capability did not have because they had money to attend expensive schools.

Where did JD, Greenberg or Levine get their money to go to those expensive Ivy League schools? The schools that opened doors for them? Did their Daddies give it to them? The government?

Nolan could have sat around telling tales of his pitching exploits to his grandchildren after his baseball career was over. He could have put his money into AT&T stock and let it grow while he watched sunsets on his back porch. But, he did not do that. He created banks, restaurants, two minor-league baseball clubs and a vertical meat packing and distribution business. I don't think there is a corner of business he has not touched and excelled at. He not only created those businesses, he created them from money he earned from hard work starting in the little leagues. He put his own dollars on the line. Those young guys are using corporate money. There is a difference.

(BTW, I thought those Nolan Ryan beef sausages I tried were really good.)

The real fear, I think, is how do you keep this interesting to the young guys as they gain more success?

[Kaisersoze]

One small problem with your scenario is that JD and his guys are not stat guys. They use them but they trend towards the scouting end of the spectrum. As Nolan does.

The other problem with that scenario is that Nolan isn't a rube or an Anti-semite.

[Flounder1]

The other problem with that scenario is that Nolan isn't a rube or an Anti-semite.

LOL. Yeah, the old bigotries of the left never die, do they? Next thing you know they will be using the "R" word. LOL.

[Kaisersoze]

LOL. Yeah, the old bigotries of the left never die, do they? Next thing you know they will be using the "R" word. LOL.

I have a lot of friends that would be quit happy hearing that antisemitism has been defined down (in this case) to "worked together extremely well for five years and took a team to two World Series until there was hint that there may or may not be a power struggle".

[starving]

I specifically indicated that I was not suggesting Ryan held any prejudice about this. Nice straw-man KS. It's what I expect from you.

My point was to paint the disparate perspectives held by a country boy and northeastern intellectuals.