Welcome to LarryTheGM

For years I have been frustrated by most sports "reporting." In the information age websites and sports channels were pushing "BREAKING NEWS" that was 12 hours old and came with little or no analysis of what it meant or why it happened. The analysis of my teams - the Houston Astros and Texas Longhorns- was often so bad that I knew what was being said was incorrect at best or plain stupid at worst.

Disclaimer number 1- I am opinionated. I like to think I have data behind my opinions but if you want wishy washy analysis, this will not be the place for you. Those who know and love me put up with my opinionated nature- no, they sometimes seek out the one person they KNOW will give them an opinion. I am not always right. I am just more right than most of what you will read in sports media.

For years I have done deep drills into sports topics that have interested me. Most of my analysis is of my beloved Astros. I have prepared roster analysis, trade recommendations, CBT salary analysis, line-up and player usage analysis, statistical deep dives, and basically any topic regarding a major league baseball team you might possibly want. Briefly, in 2019, I published several articles for a Texas sports website that did not stay in business. I have called into or chatted with several podcasters about the Astros. One of those podcasters named me "LarryTheGM" in 2017 and it has stuck ever since.

I am so committed to this task that the 2020-2021 offseason I wrote a detailed analysis of what I would do if I were the Astros GM for myself. This blog will be where those thoughts are compiled going forward. I won't publish the stuff I have done over the years with the exception of perhaps a refresh on my analysis of the looming CBA.

Disclaimer number 2- I am an engineer. My analysis will be based on lots of numbers. Do not be overwhelmed by the numbers because, unlike most engineers, one of the things I do best is tell you what the numbers MEAN or what actions should be taken based on the numbers I provide. I try VERY hard to give you ways of thinking about the numbers like my heat maps. (Don't worry about what that is yet. You will soon find out.)

The situation in College Football is my other area of current interest. I am a graduate of the University of Texas. I love my Longhorns but it is time for them to rise from the ashes of the good to resume their place among the great programs. My approach is different in college football. I am more of a fan and I also am very interested in the overall structure of the sport.

Disclaimer number 3- Do not waste my time with your fake outrage about trash cans, sign stealing cheating, horns down, or other uneducated takes. If you are so uninformed that you actually believe your team is perfect and did not cheat, you probably will not enjoy this blog. This is a fact based zone.

Please feel free to give me feedback on these articles. I would love to hear if they help you in any way.