Friday Liftoff Links

While the Astros were getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates I was putting together these links that probably won't do much for your depression during these rough times.

Getting Approved For Ownership

Why Jim Crane Could Become Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner - SportsMoney - news on the business of sports - Forbes
Maury Brown dives into Crane's past and uncovers some interesting nuggets about Cranes dealings in previous ventures.

Expanded Thoughts on Why Jim Crane May Become MLB's Most Controversial Owner
Maury Browns expanded Thoughts on Why Jim Crane May Become MLB's Most Controversial Owner

Marlins Deserve New City, Not New Ballpark
If you were wondering if Jim Crane could see a snag in the approval process due to his checkered past, I doubt it becomes an issue. Especially when you have people like the Florida Marlin owners voting.

Astro Dealings

RedHawks' David Carpenter successfully switches from catcher to pitcher | NewsOK.com
Looking back, the move has worked out beautifully for David Carpenter.

Astros County: The Only Astros Blog That Matters: All you sonsabitches are uneducated
A rant by AC on a tweet by Brian McTaggart and I have to agree. McTaggart works for MLB.com not the Astros if he feels people are making the wrong assumptions maybe he should write an article about it and give us the good stuff.

On The Success Of One Bud Norris - Baseball Nation
Jeff Sullivan takes a look at the step forward made by Houston Astros starting pitcher Bud Norris.

Other Baseball Stuff

11 random observations about 2011
The Astros top the list, with some interesting stats on the pitching staff.

Simple stats to evaluate teams, players - The GM's Office by Jim Bowden Blog - ESPN
Most Major League Baseball teams have their own statistical systems that blend complex formulas, algorithms, sabermetrics and old-school statistics. Bowden comes up with his own statistic.