In Houston, Zachary Levine reported new Astros Owner Jim Crane "ended a week of speculation and rare attention on a national level and anticipated backlash among Houstonians, saying he would not change the name of the club -- a possibility he floated last week." Crane in a video message to season-ticket holders said, "You asked for change and we added several fan friendly initiatives last week and we hope you like them." He added, "One thing that we are not going to change is the name. We received strong feedback and consensus among season ticket holders and many fans, and we will not change the name Astros. The Houston Astros are here to stay" (CHRON.com, 1/30).
JAY TAKING: In Toronto, Richard Griffin notes the Blue Jays held their 11th annual State of the Franchise event at Rogers Centre last night, and "much of the anticipated fan angst was absent" from the "large turnout of 900 or so fans." The only "hard news" was that team President & CEO Paul Beeston is "considering the possibility of laying down grass" at the ballpark. Griffin notes the support for GM Alex Anthopoulos "has changed out on the streets." The honeymoon "is not yet over, but you can see it from here" (TORONTO STAR, 1/31). Also in Toronto, Dean McNulty writes Blue Jays fans are "mad as hell," but for the "most part, they appear willing to keep on taking it" (TORONTO SUN, 1/31). MLB.com's Gregor Chisolm wrote Beeston last night "was his usual upbeat self and riled up expectations surrounding his team by stating that within the next five years, he believed the Blue Jays would make the postseason at least two or three times." He said, "As we go forward, I think you're going to see, that five years from now we better be in the postseason. The month of September better start meaning something to us because that's what you want and that's what we want" (MLB.com, 1/30).
BUSINESS JUDGMENT: In Boston, Andrew Mooney writes the Red Sox' "newfound thrift is an encouraging sign; it simply means they view this year’s free agent crop as either not suited to their needs or, more likely, wildly overpriced." Some have taken the Red Sox' "inaction as an indication that they’re being passed by in the American League arms race." Mooney writes, "So be it. Of the high-profile deals negotiated this offseason -- Yu Darvish, C.J. Wilson, Albert Pujols, and Prince Fielder come to mind -- my guess is that none of them will deliver even close to a fair return on their lengthy, bloated contracts." By all "rights, the Sox should outspend most other teams, as they have the financial resources to do so." It is just "not good business to do so every offseason" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/31).
QUIET OFFSEASON: Pirates President Frank Coonelly said at last month's PirateFest that it "was 'likely' the 2012 payroll would exceed what it was at the end of 2011, when it was about $52 million." But in Pittsburgh, Bob Smizik writes, "Since then it has been mostly nothing but a few minor league signing. All this in a free agent market for pitchers that has been buyer friendly" (POST-GAZETTE.com, 1/31).
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD: In Philadelphia, Alex Lee noted nearly six weeks away from the first Spring Training game, the Phillies "already have sold 100,000 tickets for games at Bright House Field, putting them on target to match last year's number of roughly 157,000." Phillies VP/Ticket Sales & Operations John Weber said that "that doesn't mean there aren't still tickets available" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 1/30).
