Justice: Astros have a very bad day, and that’s being kind

It’s not Rainbow Guts throwupback uni-day already…is it?

Manny Acta was the guy they wanted. The Astros liked everything about him. His presence and personality. How he forged relationships with players. His ability to run a game.

I said from the beginning that there was no right answer in this search for a new manager. Manny Acta would have been terrific, but then so would Phil Garner, Bob Melvin, Tim Bogar, Jim Fregosi and a dozen or so others.

But the Astros settled on Manny Acta. Ed Wade and Tal Smith went through the list and the interviews and decided he should be the guy to lead the Astros through an important period in their history.

There’s no use surgarcoating what happened these last 48 hours. Drayton McLane refused to offer Acta a three-year contract. He offered two, and even when the Cleveland Indians offered three, he held firm.

This is the first time McLane has ever attempted to hire a manager or general manager that was being sought by other clubs, and he wouldn’t get into a bidding war.

...Why he decided to draw the line at three years is absolutely amazing considering the millions he has thrown at has-beens Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz, etc. It’s a funny time to get religion. I wish he’d taken a similar tough line when negotiations began with Carlos Lee, but that’s another story.