I never said that Biggio was not the face of the Astros, and I agree with the next poster that he likely saved baseball in Houston. I just disagree that any one player's interests, even Biggio's, should rise above the interests of the entire organization. They work for the Astros, not the other way around. I also completely disagree that "if you want to remain among the consistently elite teams in baseball", then you must play your legends until they drop. That's honorable, but ridiculous. If Bagwell cannot return in 2006 as a productive player, then Berkman goes to first and Baggy either pinch-hits, finds another team or retires. If Biggio's slide becomes such that he's no longer the team's best option at 2B, whether or not he's ready to retire or has reached the 3000 hit plateau, then you play Burke everyday and let Biggio decide what he wants to do. I personally think that the time has already come for Biggio's role to diminish, but there are obviously plenty of others who disagree with me. I disagree that icons like these two "are above normal rules," and I think that there are plenty of Biggio/Bagwell lovers who would disagree with you on that as well. Unfortunately, I think the powers-that-be in the Astros organization (read: Drayton), agree with you, and therefore it appears we will likely see Biggio rolled out to 2B in a wheelchair before we see him removed from the everyday lineup against his will.
Biggio has always struck me as a guy who wouldn't insist on playing everyday if it hurt the team. I think if he comes out next year and his productivity is significantly worse than expected, he'll gladly take on a Spiers type role.
I've weighed in on Biggio/Burke before, and don't want to rehash. There's zero chance at this point that Burke will replace Biggio at 2B this year, and not much chance for next season. Biggio is still a productive hitter, and hasn't regressed at all over the past few seasons. The post-ASB number comparison is a valid one, though, in light of Biggio's history. He posts better numbers before the break year after year, and then loses effectiveness traditionally as he gets tired and the season drags on. Every year we say we're going to give him more time off and keep him fresh, but how do you pull a proven bat out of the lineup in the middle of a pennant or wild card race? It's good in theory, but very tough for a manager to do in practice.
Exactly what I meant by "pride" won't let Biggio or Bagwell get "embarassed" by playing when it is obvious they should step aside. Bagwell, even the last two years with that terrible shoulder, still produced at an average level for 1B (25-30HR/90-100RBI). With this surgery, I think he already is at peace with the fact that if he cannot become that type of hitter again, his career is essentially over. Biggio is in a very similar situation. There is a younger player out of position waiting in the wings (Burke just like Berkman in LF for Bags), but until Craig quits consistently hitting above the league norm for his position (15-20HR/90-100RS) I don't think the Astros would have a legitimate reason to remove him from the lineup, unless a Bagwell-type injury forced Burke in, and he subsequently became entrenched. Still, I think both players take too much pride in what they do to let things become uncomfortable for everyone involved. When the time is right, both will know it and move on. For Bagwell, it has come...for Biggio, IMO, it hasn't.
