funny...

Puppet regime ahead in Houston by John Heyman, SI.com
While the Pirates at least appear to have a clue, the Astros just completed one of the most pathetic GM searches in baseball history by hiring Ed Wade, a proven failure.
Everyone who has ever worked could tell you that the best person often isn't the one hired. But what's remarkable about this search is that Houston interviewed a succession of retreads (plus a few logical young candidates who were spurned) and managed to pick the worst of the retreads. Not easy to do.
Wade's record as a GM in Philadelphia wasn't just poor, it was putrid. In a recent interview with Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Wade cited his two great regrets as trading Curt Schilling and firing Terry Francona. But that is really the tip of the iceberg. As GM he gave Pat Burrell a $50 million extension, Mike Lieberthal multiple extensions and David Bell a $17 million free-agent deal. He also engineered what has to be one of the all-time worst two-steps, by trading Scott Rolen for Placido Polanco, then swapping Polanco for Ugueth Urbina.
Wade didn't make the playoffs once in eight years in Philly, while Schilling, Francona and Rolen have won four World Series titles between them since leaving Philly.
But take heart, Astros fans, Wade -- who is known to some co-workers as "the biology teacher'' for an abject lack of charisma -- is merely signing up to play puppet to club owner/head puppeteer Drayton McLane. Wade's greatest qualification appears to have been that he once worked as the p.r. director for club president Tal Smith, and will say "yes'' to Smith and McLane.
"The idea normally is to hire someone to lead,'' one competing GM said. "They hired someone so they can direct him.''
If that was the Astros' goal, they probably got the right guy.