Astros Exec Advisor Nolan Ryan in his new position is "in more of a consultant's role now than a prime decision-making spot," according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. When Ryan is "not serving as a sounding board" for Astros Owner Jim Crane, he will be "dispensing advice to his son," Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan. The Ryans share a "mutual passion for baseball, their distaste for losing and their vision for the franchise." Reid Ryan said, "Sometimes you don't know what you're getting into until you get there. I took the job last May and as I started going around town, I saw there's a pride with the Astros. People are tired of losing." Crasnick noted Reid Ryan has "won high marks for his attention to detail, lack of ego and communications skills." He has "fostered a more inclusive, upbeat environment than his predecessor, George Postolos." Meanwhile, Nolan Ryan after resigning as Rangers CEO is "all about looking forward to the salvage job that awaits in Houston." He "refuses to paint" Rangers President of Baseball Operations & GM Jon Daniels "as a villain in what was clearly an uncomfortable arrangement." He instead "suggests they were part of a dynamic that was set up to fail." Nolan Ryan said, "When I came into that situation, I was dropped in J.D.'s sandbox. He had his organization and his group of people, and all of a sudden -- boom! -- Nolan Ryan was there. It was a dimension they didn't anticipate. It probably wasn't handled properly with my coming in." For those "who wonder" if Nolan Ryan and Astros GM Jeff Luhnow can "find a harmony that eluded Ryan and Daniels, the two men talked everything through with Crane before the Astros brought" Ryan aboard. Luhnow: "I was very comfortable with the value added that Nolan could provide and he was very comfortable with the approach that we were taking. So far it's been a wonderful fit. I can't see any downside to it, to be honest" (ESPN.com, 3/19).
