Astros Sign Pitcher Tatsuya Imai

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here seven nineties, Cole Thompson. Well, how about we started
off the new year with a new signing from your
Houston Astros. Welcome on into space C Saturday right here
on Sports Soox seven ninety Cole Thompson. Rock with you
until one o'clock for starters, ladies and gentlemen, wherever you

(00:21):
might be listening, wherever you have already broken your new
year's resolutions, Welcome into twenty twenty six. This is gonna
be your best year. This is gonna be my best year,
this is gonna be Frankie's best year. This is gonna
be everybody in the city of h Town's best year.
Cause your Texans are only a quarter away, I mean
a game away being in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
They're three games away from being in the Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Your Cougars are sitting at ten to three, spending money
like no one's business in the transfer portal. And of course,
your Houston Astros made one of the biggest signings so
far to begin twenty twenty six seven one three two
p one two five seven ninety. If you want chime
on in throughout the day on any subject matter, We're gonna.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Talk college football. We're gonna talk some NBA.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
We're gonna talk some Houston Cougars, We're gonna talk some
Houston Texans, and we're gonna talk some Houston Astros.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Which is where we begin.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Well, it only took all the way up until the
very last midnight hour for the Astros who make a
big time signing one that was a splash move that
I think caught everybody by surprise, and I mean everybody
in the city, everybody around Major League Baseball. You listen
to anybody who covers this sport or is fully entrenched
in what is the Astros organization, they will tell you,

(01:32):
we knew we're gonna get a picture. We knew we
were gonna go out and bring in somebody who was
going to elevate that rotation to replace Romber Valdez. But really,
we're gonna get Tatsuna Emai. We're gonna get the KBO star.
We're gonna get the dude who absolutely is throwing gas
and has even been compared to one mister uh Yoshnovu Yamamoto.

(01:54):
Sign me up for that immediately, deals worth fifty four
million dollars over a three year span. If he can
hit a three million dollars incentive for throwing one hundred
innings in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
That will make it to a twenty one million.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Dollar deal of a base salary on top of three
million angue aav. And so there's a lot of things
that we got to go into detail when it comes
to this move. Let's start off with some of the positives.
Number one, this is a massive upgrade for your rotation.
I think right now, when you look at where the
Astros were going into this upcoming week, you like their rotation.

(02:28):
It's fine, nothing to complain about. I'll tell you what
you really loved if you were able to go add
in a starting pitcher between Christian Havier and Hunter Brown.
And the conversations that I had spoken to with some people,
they said, well, we know that Hunter Brown is gonna
be the Ese, which is why we're willing to let
from or walk, but we got to get somebody in
here who can play that number two role. Well you
got that in Tatsuya Emi, who may only be here

(02:51):
for one year. He's got three opt outs after every season.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
But the dude is a dude.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
I mean, straight up, guys, if you want to get
somebody who's gonna throw straight heat down the middle and
make everybody look foolish at the plate, especially when he
throws his vulcan changeup, which, by the way, go on
to YouTube right now and watch someone Tatsui Emei's pitches.
The ball drop ratio right before it gets to the
plate is god worthy.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
It is so fantastic.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Ninety four miles per hour average pitch speed for his fastball.
Upper ninety is when it comes to his second fastball
pitch eighty six mile hour slider that generated a forty
six percent swing and misrate according to MLB dot com.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
He also does a good changeup.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
It's mostly used against lefties, hovers anywhere between eighty one
and eighty five miles per hour, forty one percent swing
and misrate. And then get throw in the Bulkan curved
which is a mix of a splitter and a changeup.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
That's game over.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
So five pitch arsenal for a dude who absolutely killed
it the last few seasons when he.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Was playing over at Japan.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Fifty eight and forty five record three fifteen ERA, nine
hundred and seven strikeouts in nine hundred and sixty three
innings pitched since twenty twenty three, that era has hovered
at two eighteen and he's evers nine point five strikeouts
per nine endings. So automatically, you are getting so much better,
so much better when it comes to just your starting pitching.

(04:10):
Number two, the dude made it clear that he wants
to be creating his own pathway to the majors.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
That was really important.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
So sevenin if you want to get on this, when
you look at the japan market and when you look
at the international player pool, there are certain teams that
you just automatically assume that guy is going there. For
Los Angeles. For Japanese players, it feels often like it's
the Dodgers, and why wouldn't it. You got yosh Nambu Yamamoto,

(04:39):
you got Shoheo Tani, you also have you also have
Rookie Sasaki, and every single one of them had at
least some experience playing in a similar league. And the
beauty is if it wasn't there, okay, well then you
go to Seattle. Seattle has a very rich Japanese culture.
It makes it feel like home. And if it's not
there at San Francisco, and if it's not San Francisco,

(05:01):
every once in a while you'll see a move get
made either on the East Coast, whether they beat to
Boston or whether they beat in New York. But you
know that those are the teams that often are gonna
be bringing in Japanese players.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Well.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Tatsuya Emi made it clear.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
In his interview with Dice K Matsuzaka, and I know
that it's gonna be hard for you to can find
on YouTube, but he wanted to create his own pathway.
He didn't want to lean on somebody else on how
to direct him how to be a major league pitcher.
He wanted to go be a part of a challenging
process of learning how to be in an American clubhouse

(05:34):
while also being a part of a contending team. So automatically,
the dude has something built internally in him that's like
a switch. If you turn it on, good god, it's
going to be so impactful for your team. And if
it's turned off, well, you just gotta find a way
to turn it back on and lo and behold day
you go.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
Problem solved.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
The third thing is and this is why Astros fans
should love him. That same interview with Dice Matsuzaka, anybody
hear what he had to say, I'll spoil it for you.
He said that his entire goal was to beat the Dodgers.
If that does not fire you up, getting a guy
who could easily join forces with the galactic empire known
as the La Losers, and In said says, no, I

(06:15):
want to beat them. No, I want to go into
their backyard. I want to mollywop them. I want them
to have to bend the need of me with my
vulcan curve, with my four pitch arsenal, being a part
of a team that has all the integrity in place
to be able to make a run in the playoffs.
By golly, why the hell would I want to join them?
I want to beat them. As an Astros fan, you

(06:35):
should be running through walls right now. You should be
losing your mind. You should be beyond excited. You should
be waiting to figure out what jersey number he's gonna have,
how much his trading.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
Card is going to cost.

Speaker 1 (06:46):
Because that's somebody who is part of this culture, somebody
who understands, hey, guys, it's easy to go join forces
with the team that already has everything built. I want
to be the reason that we knock them down a
peg that psycho level mentality, and that's what is needed
for this city. And the fourth and most important thing,
it gives you options with your rotation. You can have

(07:07):
him I be your number two. I guarantee you that
when opening day comes around and we see the starting rotation,
it will be Hunter Brown number one. Number two will
be my number three will be Christian Hobvier. I guarantee that,
no questions asked. But it gives you flexibility on what
you want to do with the rest of your club,
and that's probably the most important part. You don't know

(07:27):
what you're gonna get in Spencer rag Getty because you
don't know when he's gonna be coming back. You don't
know what you're getting in Mike Burrows, remember as was
just traded for him coming on in for Pittsburgh. Really
really good two pitch. Arsenal feels like a guy that
maybe could be a long term reliever, maybe a stop
gap starter, maybe a six guy in the rotation, or
he could just be a number four. And that's a
really good thing to have. You still have Jason Alexander Stove,

(07:49):
JP Franz, Ryan Wise remember him, brought him over from
the Korean Baseball League. Yeah, he's a Party nine. Your
squad at this point still have aj Bluebaugh, still have Golton, Gordon,
Ronoo Blanco, Hayden was Nesky.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Both of them are expected back by mid season.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
So now you have options, not only for your team
to be able to utilize kind of an entire bullpen
situation of who do I want up, who do I
want down? Who do I want to make in these
trade market deals. But I don't have to pinpoint and
say we gotta go after this guy. I don't have
to just simply go tag it target this side pitcher. Now,
because I went out, I got to do it can

(08:25):
be a number two. I went on and got to
do it can be a number four. I went on
and got two guys who could probably be quality middle relievers,
maybe even stop gap starters. I got some young guys
on the way up. I got two guys coming off
of season ending injuries. I got two guys that could
be back by mid season. We got to feel pretty
good about where our rotation is. And it's big because
if you're losing from Bravade's kids not coming back here,

(08:46):
like we knew that when he threw his last pitch
out in Los Angeles. That was it, Like it was
a fond Swan song, farewell, best of the lucky, your
future endeavors can't wait to face off against you in
the postseason. Hopefully we get to kick your keyster like
that was the mentality of when you see when the
season ended. But now you're adding in another dude who

(09:07):
can elevate your team and put you in a better
position to be able to now make a run back
of the playoff.

Speaker 2 (09:14):
Because at the end of the day, that's all this
is about.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
That's all this is about making a run back to
the World Series because last year you had it locked up.
Last season, going into the month of September, you were
still a playoff team. You were still viewed as one
of the better teams in the American League. Despite having
some struggles in August and unfortunately injuries started a stockpile.
The Mariners got really hot, even the Rangers a little
bit got hot. The Athletics got a little bit hot,

(09:37):
and you found out of the number two spot, and
now you're out of the playoff picture, and it sucks.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
It's the reality.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
But that kind of a new fire underneath I think
Dana Brown, underneath Jim Crane, and it's a move that
just fits the bill for what Crane likes to do
with these kind of opt out deals, these kind of
let's see what's the bargain bin move. I mean, well,
let's see what's kind of the flashy move that could
elevate us but won't put us so deep in terms
of Sarikat space. And by the way, they are gonna
have to make some other moves because this is a

(10:05):
move to where when you look at all the numbers
and tangibles added on in if he hits with bonuses,
we're looking at a thirty million dollar picture. But it
was clear that when the market said, hey, the guys
that gonna get seven years, one hundred ninety, Hey the
guy's not gonna get a five year, one to fifty
million dollar deal. This is gonna be about a twenty
five to thirty million dollar picture, depending on what incentives
you throw in there, depending on what you want an

(10:26):
angle aav what's gonna be the asking price frontloaded into
the contract versus the back end of the contract. All
those little things, it to me signaled that the ass
shows were in business.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
And what's crazy is I never thought it.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
Would be for him, Like I thought tasiya Emi was
gonna easily be a part of the Dodgers, or maybe
he would go to the Angels. I thought the Mets
could have made a play for him with code I
singa out there.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
It makes too much sense.

Speaker 1 (10:52):
But the Asstros making this move are signaling two major things.
Number One, they dead. They're looking that twenty twenty five
six is a season where we're just gonna go ahead
and have a soft rebuild. We're gonna go ahead and
trade away some assets, but we're still gonna keep Carlos
Korea and keep Altube and maybe we're gonna keep it
Yainu Diez and you're not not going anywhere, but we're

(11:14):
gonna establish a new corps and two or three years
from now will be competitive. No, they're same with tatsuya
Emi coming on in. We're going to win the American
League West. We don't care about what is Seattle doing.
We could care less about what the young core of
Las Vegas or whatever the hell you want to call
them right now is doing out in the Bay, I
mean out in Sacramento, because they don't truly have a home.

(11:35):
We don't care about the Angels because they suck. We
certainly don't care about the Rangers because they're a joke
of a franchise. They had to buy their way to
a championship, and it's clear as day that it was
a one and done fluke and that they're never gonna
be good again. All that, they're ready to keep their
momentum rolling. And number two, they're changing some things up.
They are going out of their way to put themselves

(11:56):
in a market with the Japanese market, to go after
players in the JP for the Pan League. And that's
big because of the more and more you see from
guys in the KBO in the Japanese League, what they're
doing at the plate, what they're doing on the mound,
how consistently they're able to put up massive numbers.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
It benefits you. I mean, Chayla Roan brought.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
This up on his podcast recently that there's a reason
why the Astros were very interested in naming it dyke
In Park.

Speaker 2 (12:23):
You know where Dykan is located in Japan.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
There's a market there and now they're going to explore
that avenue and create a new home for players that
maybe two or three years ago you wouldn't consider getting
a guy like Tetsuya Emi does this for you and
it puts you in a better position in the rotation.
It puts you in the better position when it comes
to position, when it comes.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
To flexibility on your mound.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
It also is an expensive contract that it may end
up benefiting everybody involved because if he pitches well over
one hundred innings, he's gonna opt on out, but maybe
you sign him to a long term deal at that
point and you win or he doesn't, but it still
is a pretty decent contract to where he opts in
next season and he got a guy that can be
your number two for the next two years and number three.
It's signaling that we ain't done yet all things that

(13:07):
you love, that this is as much as an a
move that you can get to go into twenty twenty six.
And then she excited you as a NAS shows fan,
like you should be waking on up knowing that spring
training is right around the corner, and I get to
see one of the better pictures from the Japanese League
be in my ballpark once every five days. I get

(13:28):
to see that, I get to pay money and I
get to go into there and I get to know
that he is going to deliver, and even if he
struggles a little bit, I still know he's going to
deliver because guess what, he got better every single season
that he was playing overseas. He got better every single
time that he was in the MPB League. He was
considered an ACE level pitcher over the last two years.

(13:49):
And now he's a part of Houston and he doesn't
have to be your number one, and you can compete
for that number two spot if you really want to.
But ladies and gentlemen, I'm telling you right now that
guy's going to be your number two. That guy is
your replacement. And the Astros they're just gearing right back
up for another run in the playoffs. Seven to one
to three, two one, two five, seven ninety is the number.

(14:09):
What's your thoughts on the Tatsuya Emi signing. I would
love to get you guys involved on the calls without
to be able to go ahead and have you follow
me on Twitter at mister Cole Thompson. Take a quick
time out when we come back, let's talk a little Texans.
They face off against the Colts on Sunday. But I'm
looking at the bigger picture. Ray, I see you on
the phone line. We'll get to see in a minute which

(14:29):
order of teams would I like to play when facing
off against the Texans in the wild card round. I'll
explain my number one team that you want to play
if you're the Texans. When we come back right here
on a Space City Saturday, Sports Talk seven ninety Space
a Saturday. Rolling right along here on Sports Talk seven ninety,

(14:50):
it's Cole Thompson, Rockerman You until one o'clock. Your astros
add in another starting picture with Tatsuya Emi. Four teams
remain in the College for Ball playoff semi finals which
start next week, and your Texans looking to guarantee a
home playoff game, which is a little bit out of
their control, but still they got to win against the
Indianapolis Colts to make that happen. Seven two on two,

(15:13):
five seven ninety. Let's got to the phone lines. Ray,
good morning, what's up my man?

Speaker 4 (15:17):
Hey, good morning? How are you doing?

Speaker 1 (15:19):
I'm great?

Speaker 5 (15:19):
How are you?

Speaker 1 (15:19):
Dude?

Speaker 4 (15:20):
I'm done a great, long time call. I just haven't
had time to really call in on the Saturday show,
even though I listened a lot. But I'm going to
rick up a few points about the Texans and I'll
hang up and listening. Future take is on it. I'm
I saw consensus this morning as people. I don't know
where this is coming from. Where people are saying that
the Texans want to see might want to see Baltimore

(15:42):
over the Bills or the Jags. I'm not there. I'm
not there the Ravens. I am worried about playing the
Baltimore Ravens, especially if they're healthy and Derrick Henry is
starting to come on now. If Lamar Jackson comes back
tomorrow and he shows that he is the old Lamar Jacks,
I'm worried. I'm absolutely worried. And I'm saying the Ravens

(16:03):
because I don't think there's no way Pittsburgh beats in
them all. They had their chance last week to knock
them off and they blew it against Cleveland. But I'm worried.
I'm absolutely worried about playing that team. Had the game
been out here in Houston, then I would feel a
little better, which I think the seedings is crap, and
that's that's a story for another day. But I am

(16:25):
absolutely worried that that team is going to be a
healthy team. And that team was a team that was
the consensus super Bowl pick in the preseason by a
lot of analysts, and they just have not been healthy
this season and that's been the problem. If they are healthy,
I like our defense, but I am worried about this
game and I ain't up to listening to see what

(16:47):
you have to say about it. Okay, have a good day.

Speaker 1 (16:50):
Appreciate it, Rayan. Okay, let's start off with the first
thing that you said when it came to the Baltimore Ravens.
I get where you're coming from. I do, especially because
of the LA because of the Derek Henry thing.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
Here's the problem.

Speaker 1 (17:04):
I watched this Texans defense shut down Derrick Henry the
first go around in Baltimore, where it was a forty
four to ten beat down and Dereck Henry was fully
healthy like that.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
That's the thing.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
No, you didn't. You didn't have Lamar out there. Cooper
Rush definitely could have been better if it was Snoop Puntley.
Maybe it would have gone from a forty four to
ten game to forty four to twenty.

Speaker 2 (17:25):
But you still were gonna win.

Speaker 1 (17:27):
You're still gonna win by double digits because you did
everything possible to make Derek Henry one dimensional and I
got it. Henry was off to a slow start. Right now,
He's number third in the NFL and rushing yards, He's
number two in the NFL and rushing touchdowns. He's number
five in the NFL in yards for play. Dude is
just still built different than everybody else out there. But
if you're telling me that I am putting all my
faith in Lamar Jackson being at one hundred percent and

(17:48):
Derrick Henry, I'm sorry. I gotta push back on that one.
I do, I really do, And it's not because if
I don't see your scenario, what I see is right
now just not an area of where there is one
elite trait that would be able to make this a
competitive battle. Because Lamar is a not going to be
one hundred percent. He's coming back off of a back
injury and he's missed two games. You're relying so heavily

(18:11):
on Derrick Henry still that if you shut down twenty two,
you're gonna have to force the football to be thrown.
And your secondary is playing lights out right now. It's
number two in the NFL and takeaways only behind the
Chicago Bears, who, by the way.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
That's not a good defense.

Speaker 1 (18:24):
I'm sticking tired of hearing from Bears fans, Oh, well,
we lead the NFL and takeaways. You also are giving
up over and over twenty seven points per game. Like,
sit down and shut up a little bit. Be humbled
bout your big daddy, which is the Houston Texans. That's
all I'm saying. On the other point that you made,
I'm still nervous. I'm a Texans fan because of Yes,
I think there are some limitations to this team. I

(18:46):
think that the injuries that are surrounding other teams, that
you get healthy at the right time, they can easily
beat you. But here's the beauty about what is this playoff.
I've said this multiple times. Find me a team that
you are legit scared of to beat anybody in the league.
Now I'm not saying I mean everybody in the league,
not anybody, because anybody would be like a narrative of oh,

(19:07):
I don't think X team could beat X team because
of this. But I also could use that same narrative
and say the team that I just was talking about
losing to, that team would beat this team by ten points.

Speaker 2 (19:16):
And so it's matchup differentials.

Speaker 1 (19:18):
Find me a team that right now you see top
to bottom in the AFC. That will beat everybody because
for years what we've had the conversation of is well
you get the Patrick Mahomes effect.

Speaker 2 (19:31):
Dude is just different. You can't bring him down.

Speaker 1 (19:33):
The officials love him and they basically give him every
single call like he is the bachelorette handing out roses
every single week. Here, Patrick, you get another one, and
this one's for fifteen yards. Here, Patrick, you get another one,
and this is for ten yards in a first down. Here, Patrick, let's.

Speaker 2 (19:49):
Give you this one.

Speaker 1 (19:49):
And then what we're gonna do is go disqualify a
player because if he hits you too hard, you don't
have him. In the playoffs. You also don't have right now,
Lamar Jackson in the playoffs. Baltimore has to win. Like
that's the point here. If it's a tie at the
end of the game, Pittsford's going to the playoffs. If
it's a win, you're not getting Patrick. I mean, you're

(20:10):
not gett Lamar Jackson full speed. You're not getting Joe
Burrow in the playoffs. Which again, Joe Burrow in the
playoffs is night and day different than almost any other quarterback.
Doct for my money, I could say him and Josh
Allen over the last two I mean over their last
two playoff appearances might be the best qbs in the
AFC just from playoffs. I'm not talking about from the

(20:31):
regular season. I'm not talking about from you know, certain matters.
I'm talking about just for playoffs. Those are the two
most intimidating players on the field, at least of the
quarterback position.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
One's not in the other one. I just mentioned Josh Allen.

Speaker 1 (20:43):
He's playing on a team that has so many blakented holes,
and I think you're throwing all the rest that are there.
The Denver Broncos only seem to find success when they're
playing from behind offensively, which means that their defense has
to give up a few explosive plays to make it
at least a ten point game. The Jacksonville Jaguars, until
proven otherwise, still have Trevor Lawrence as their starting quarterback.

(21:06):
And I know, I know I have been very hard
on Trevor. I have been probably a little bit too mean.
I probably have not been given his flowers where they're due,
and I won't so shut up.

Speaker 2 (21:19):
I'm not doing it. I refuse to until I see
him in.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
A playoff game, him single handedly with a playoff game,
not the Jaguars, him seventy yards two minute offense, Gotta
drive down the field, touchdown moment, not selling for a
cam littlefield goal. Gotta see it until I do. I
don't believe, and I'm okay with dying on that take.
You look at the Bills, holes everywhere on the offense,

(21:43):
holes everywhere on the defense, and they're not gonna be
playing at home. They're gonna be traveling on the road
three straight weeks. The Chargers, their offensive line is a turnstile.
You got five and a half sacks last week behind
to Neil Hunter and Sheldon Rankins and Will Anderson Junior.
If you met up with them, if you could just
force Justin Herbert to make some interceptions or some really

(22:04):
bad rush throws, you're gonna win that game by ten.
You just are. And then the New England Patriots, and
New England feels like the team that you could make
the best case for. He got a proven coach that's
been in the playoffs. You got a lot of talent
that came on in that was able to elevate the
status of what was New England's overall Aura, and he
got a quarterback that's playing like an MVP.

Speaker 2 (22:25):
I mean, you had all those things together.

Speaker 1 (22:26):
That feels like a recipe for a direct shot down
to Santa Clara. But as much experience as you have
as the head coach, you have no experience for the quarterback.
He's never played in a situation where he is gonna
have his back against the wall in an elimination game.
You know who has been there, justin Herbert Josh Allen,
Trevor Lawrence, Che's, C J Stroud, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers,

(22:52):
bow Knicks has even been there. And bo Nix was
awful in that playoff game last season against Buffalo. He
was pathetically bad. I don't know if it's gonna get
much better, but all of them have at least experienced
in that standpoint in a winn go home situation. I
can't say that with Drake May. I don't know what
he's gonna look like when he's playing under pressure. I
don't know what he's gonna look like having to go

(23:13):
take on Will Andersond, Neil Hunter, or better yet, let's
switch it up with another team just for fun. Aj
Epanessa and Joey Bosa. I don't know what he's gonna
look like. I don't know what he's.

Speaker 2 (23:23):
Gonna look like.

Speaker 1 (23:23):
If Khalil Mack is closing the gap and coming down
on him, I have no idea. I have seen all
the other quarterbacks do that before. So in my opinion,
the AFC is wide open because of number one, there's
no team that right now feels like there's such stars
Spangled awesome ahead of everybody else. Number two, they don't

(23:44):
have a weak point, and number three matchups will dictate
if you move on. If you told me that the
Texans lose in the first round of the Baltimore Ravens,
I would absolutely be shocked. If you told me that
the Texans lose tomorrow and then they become the number
six seed and then they have to take on either
the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Denver Broncos, and they just
don't have a good offensive game plan and unfortunately that

(24:06):
leads to an early demise in the playoff on the road.
I could see that.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
I could because of right.

Speaker 1 (24:12):
Now, there's not a team that I just feel like
is so better than everyone else to where you're telling
me that, I can't believe that this team is gonna
beat this team. Why, what's your reason? Because I don't
have one right now. I think every team in the
AFC could beat up on every team in the AFC,
and that's what makes it so challenging. Like if you

(24:34):
told me on the flip side, who are the contenders
in the nfccene, I could probably rattle off three. And
I feel really good about two, the Rams and the
Seahawks because I do think that at some point the
injuries that have been stockpiling on up for San Francisco
are going to catch them. They may win today against
the Seahawks and they may get the number one seed,
but I just feel like that they don't have enough
juice to be able to make it all work. I

(24:55):
don't think that Chicago's gonna get the job done this year.
I don't believe in either of the NFC South teams,
and I just do not see it with Green Bay.
I don't so like I see Seattle and Los Angeles
as two teams that can probably beat up on everybody,
including each other in the AFC. I don't feel that way.
It's all gonna come down to who matches up with who,

(25:17):
Which is why it's important to get that number five seed.
In my opinion, at least get the number five seed,
or pray to God. The upset of all upsets occurs
out in Duval tomorrow and we see as the Texans
are now sitting at twelve and five, the Jaguars sitting
at twelve and five because you're five and one in
the division, and there four and two. Sorry Jacksonville. Once again,

(25:40):
Cole Thompson was right. Trevor Larreant ain't the dude. He
ain't winning a crap. And now the Texas get the
host a playoff game against more than likely that same
Jacksonville Jaguars squad, which has the right coach and has
a good foundation in place. But you're asking me to
believe that sixteen can get the job done when I
haven't seen it throughout the playoffs. Seven one three, two
one two five seven. Let's take quick time out. Let's reset. Now.

(26:03):
I'm going to power rank the teams that I believe
the Texans should want to face off against in the
wild card round. I will tell you number one may
be surprising. We'll be back here on Sports Talk seven
ninety space Saturday show right after this. It is space

(26:23):
a Saturday right here on sports Stock seven ninety. Cale
Thompson rock with you until one o'clock. Your Rockets take
the court tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. Patt Thomas will
be on the call. I think it's Adam Clinton, maybe
Adam Wexler. It's one of the atoms. Texans. They get
a win, Titans lose. Titans get a win. They won

(26:44):
the Division. Oh and four teams are in the College
Football Playoff, none of which are Indiana, I mean, none
of which are Alabama, Ohio State, or Georgia, just like
we all predicted at the start of the year seven one, three,
two two five, seven ninety. Okay, so Texans sitting at
eleven and five. Bottom line, they do not control their
pathway of hosting a playoff game this year, which honestly

(27:06):
I'm okay with. Maybe I'm crazy to say that, but
I really am okay with it because I've seen the
story play out far too many times when it comes
to Aliabam. I mean, when it comes to Texans and
wildcard round seasons.

Speaker 2 (27:19):
You play at home, you win the game. Everyone's excited.
Look at how well we played, Look at the job
that we just did.

Speaker 1 (27:27):
We went up there, we were an underdog and we
kicked the crap out of that team, and we showed
that we're better. And you did You're really good. Cleveland
had to learn a lesson. Los Angeles had to learn
a very hard lesson. You are nowhere near the same
stratusphere as Houston. But then comes around too and you're
always playing against the number one seed, and this year
you wouldn't, So that is a change. You'd be playing

(27:48):
the number two seed if you were to be winning
the AFC South, because you'd be the number three seed.
But you find a way to get killed. You keep
it close and interesting for a half. Then comes the
third quarter and all hell breaks loose. So change the narrative.
Play on the road three times, or at least twice,
and be battle tested enough to understand that if we

(28:10):
can go into any environment, we can certainly win a
super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (28:13):
I would like to see something different.

Speaker 1 (28:15):
That's just mean parsonally, But they don't control their pathway
to the postseason. Tennessee could win tomorrow, pull off the
upset of all upsets. Cam Ward goes off. He makes
me look like an idiot on one hand, but a
genius on the other because if cam Ward is great,
then that means that Trevor Lawrence probably sucked. Therefore, it
cancels each other out. And I'm still the smartest man

(28:37):
in Houston. Like it's perfect that way. Sorry, that's up
working out for me great, But then Houston would get
the division. There's five opponents that the Texans could be
facing off against inroalment six my apologies, six opponents. I'm
going to rank them in order of how I feel
confident that they would win that first round game. So

(28:57):
the Texans are not going to get the number seven seed.
It's almost mathematically impossible for them to get the seventh
seed because if they were to get the seventh seed,
that would mean Denver would have to lose, which means
Los Angeles had to win, Buffalo would have to win,
and then Jackson would have to win, and Houston would
have to lose. A lot of things that go wrong.
So worst things that they could be is the sixth seed.

(29:18):
The first scene that I do not want to face
in the first round, and this is just me personally,
it would be the New England Patriots. I just wouldn't
And again, they could drop all the way down to
the number three seed if they were to lose and
then Jacksonville.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Wins that game. I just don't want to face.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
Off against New England round one. I don't know what
to expect. I don't know if it'll be a Monday
night game. I don't know if it will be a
Sunday night game. I don't know if it'll be a
matchup to where maybe my team is not fully healthy.
But I'd much rather face off against New England in
the second round kind of get a good gauge of
what to expect from Drake May because much like CJ.
Stroud in his first year in the playoffs, nobody knew
what to make of him as a rookie, and that's

(29:56):
why he was able to throw for a franchise record.
That's why he had a t twenty fifth three to
five touchdown interception ratio. That's why you had a complete
percentage around sixty six percent. Nobody knew how to defend him,
and I just don't want to take that risk round one,
especially with the coach like Mike Rabel, another defensive whiz
that will understand how to put pressure on your quarterback
and make your team one dimensional. So that would be

(30:17):
number six on the bar. Number five would be the
Jacksonville Jaguars. And I say that because I just don't
know if I entirely trust Houston to be able to
get that win at home.

Speaker 2 (30:33):
I'm going to get that one on the road.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
It's easiest, it's easy to think of. But I do
think that there is a reason why Jacksonville at least,
and I'm not going to get into the credit, but
there's a reason why they've been able to turn the
corner just enough.

Speaker 2 (30:46):
Maybe it's because of the passing attack.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
Maybe it's because of what you see with that guy
in uh In Traves etn run in the football, better
defensive metrics, whatever it is. I could see a scenario
where they would make this a fourth quarter game, and
going into the fourth quarter if you're trailing, it would
be a little bothered out of me. It would now
one of the four teams I think that you actually
can't beat, and I think that you would beat emphatically.

(31:08):
Number four is the Buffalo Bills. They've already beaten Buffalo
this year. The difference between Buffalo and you, and remember
Buffalo would have to lose a game and you get
the number three seed. So you'd be hosting them at home.
You've already played them in your backyard, so automatically that's
a major win. The other thing is that you've been
able to dismantle Josh Allen, to throw him off of
a rhythm.

Speaker 2 (31:28):
Eight sacks seven in the second half.

Speaker 1 (31:30):
You took away the rushing attack that was James Cook
outside of one massive play. So you got to feel
pretty content when it comes to that. And the defense
as a whole is very hit and risks. All I
need from CJ. Stroud is a couple of touchdown passes
like we saw against the Chargers and lo and behole,
We're gonna win that game. He seed Saturday number four,

(31:52):
number three would actually end up being the Baltimore Ravens.
It wouldn't. And I put that there because of what
Ray called in for for memorial. He has a point.

Speaker 2 (32:04):
It still is Lamar Jackson like.

Speaker 1 (32:06):
At the end of the day, it still is a
two time MVP that has been killing it at times.
When it comes to his accuracy, He's tough as all hell.
He plays through adversity. He's gotten better and better and
better every single season he's played against the Texans in
the postseason he's beaten the Texans in the postseason, and
he's been damn good on certain drives, killer drives, and

(32:28):
then you throw in Derrick Henry, and Derrick Henry for
the last few years has not been a Texans killer
the way that we once envisioned, but he still last
season was able to put BTA on you when you
face off on Christmas Day.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
Anybody remember that game because I was sitting in the press.

Speaker 1 (32:42):
Box and I remember looking over at another colleague and saying,
we're here for a Beyonce concert, and this is the
halftime show. Because when you watch the way that Derrick
Henry played and he ran for one hundred and forty
seven yards, he average five point five yards of play,
that to me ultimately shows why he is a is competitive.
So I put him a number three with the Baltimore Ravens.
At number three, you'd be facing them on the road,

(33:05):
M ANDT Bank Stadium, cold atmosphere, Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews,
Drrick Henry. They still could have. Your number number two
would be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh has a defense that
can at least make things challenging.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
They have no offense, they don't And the.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Thing about Pittsburgh is you're going up against a forty
one year old quarterback that you could probably knocked out
of the game with one major hit by Will Anderson
Junior or Daniel Hunter. Game over, lights out, goodbye, done deal.
You feel good about it. On top of that, you
also would be able to, I think, go toe to
toe with their defense. You have a better pass rush,
you are better in run support, you were better in

(33:43):
reds done efficiencies, you are better than third don conversions.
They're good in every category. You're great in every category.
So all I'm asking for is that this could be
like a ten to seven game, but ten to more
than seven, you're winning that one outright. I have no
fear whatsoever facing off against Pittsburgh. They're a dried up
team that no longer has an identity, that certainly will

(34:03):
be lucky to call themselves a ten win roster this year. Yeah,
they're gonna be eighteen plus years underneath Mike Tomlin with
a winning record, but at some point, winning a record,
winning in the regular season and not getting a playoff
win almost a decade a little challenging when you go
to the playoffs like every other year. So Pittsburgh is
number two, and I left one open. I did this

(34:24):
on purpose. Number one is Denver. I want to face
off against the Denver Broncos. Now it's very challenging to
do so. You would have to get the number seven seeds.
So all the other crazy Shenan against about to happen.
But as much as I do not believe in the
Jacksonville Jaguars, I really do not believe in Bonix. And

(34:44):
I'm not saying that Bnick is a bad quarterback, and
I'm not saying that bo Nicks can't find a way
to be able to pull off a win. I'm not
saying that Bonnicks is a guy that you can't build
your franchise around. But constantly, what has been the story
surrounding Denver this year?

Speaker 2 (34:57):
What's it been?

Speaker 1 (34:59):
It's always just the comeback, close calls, skating by the
skinny your teeth. Week one, twenty to twelve victory over
the Tassy Titans. That's a Titans team that has three
wins on the year. They're competing for the number one
overall pick. They're not gonna get it, but still you
catch my drift. Back to back losses to the Indianapolis

(35:20):
Colts and Los Angeles Chargers. Both games were close. Twenty
one to seventeen went over the Philadelphia Eagles. Need to
come back in that one thirteen to eleven win over
the New York Jets on the road in England.

Speaker 2 (35:33):
Need to come back in that one.

Speaker 1 (35:35):
Thirty three thirty two win over the New York Giants.
You were down by double digits and three possessions going
into the fourth quarter and needed a miraculous comeback by
b Nicks to guarantee you a win.

Speaker 2 (35:51):
The Dallas Cowboys. I'll give you that one. That was
a good win to Houston Texans.

Speaker 1 (35:56):
If CJ. Stroud is not getting knocked down in that game,
that's a loss. I'm just calling it as is right now.
CJ plays in that game, with how well the defense
was delivering, with how much you were able to put
pressure on Bnix, and outside of a twenty six yard
run on a fourth down, you felt pretty dang good
if you were the Houston Texans in that game. CJ plays,
it's out fifteen points, it's probably twenty and twenty is

(36:18):
more than eighteen. So you win that one ten to
seven victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Ooh, scared of
that one twenty two to nineteen win over the Kancaae Chiefs. Eoo.
That one's freaking overtime win after a comeback by the
Washington Commanders, and you just skate by because they go
for it. On two, they go for the two point conversion.

(36:39):
Squeak by that one, twenty four to seventeen win over
the Las Vegas Raiders. That one you were in control,
but the under cash in at the last second. Thirty
four to twenty six win over the Green Bay Packers,
that was a back and forth battle. You lose the
Jacksonville Jaguars, and with no Patrick Mahomes, with no starting
offensive personnel, multiple linement out, multiple defensive players out, they're

(37:00):
not really a high profile spark interest offensively. It takes
you down to the two minute warning to beat the
Kansas City Chiefs, and I'm supposed to be intimidated by that.
I get that you're playing in Mile High I understand
that that game is gonna be on the road, and
I understand that would be against the number two seed
in the AFC, which means on the number seven seed.

(37:21):
Onn't supposed to be a one and done in the playoffs.
I get that, but I'm looking at the Texans and
I'm looking at their defense. Everything good that we see
from Texas from Houston's defense, we see from Denver and
vice versa. Both have elite quarterback playing, both have great
pass rushes, both have great exceptional linebacker playing.

Speaker 2 (37:39):
They do a lot of things right.

Speaker 1 (37:42):
I look at the Texans offense, I say to myself,
there are some faults. There are, but I do think
that they are as polished when it comes to converting
on third down and moving the sticks. I do think
that I would take Nico Collins over Courtland Sutton. I
do think I would take my tight end Dalton Schultzer
Evan Ingram, and I sure as hell would take CJ.

(38:02):
Stroud over bow Knicks because if that game unfolds with
a healthy roster going into Week nine, the Texans are
fighting for the number one seed, and frankly, if I'm
a Texans fan and I'm a Texans player, I'm a
little pissed off because we gave that game away. We
gave away the game against Jacksonville, we gave a game,
the game away against Tampa Bay. I would say that

(38:24):
we gave the game away against Los Angeles. But Los
Angeles is also a really good team. So like, I
give you the bull again on that one. You certainly
gave the game away against against Denver. You bring down
bow knicks, you have your starting quarterback out there, you
want to win, you know you're gonna win, and you
can just come up short.

Speaker 2 (38:40):
So long and behold.

Speaker 1 (38:41):
You may call me crazy, I am a dreamer and
the great words John Lannet Lennon. I'm not the only
one who believes this, but I'll tell you if I
am a Houston Texans fan, I'm salivating at the opportunity
to face off against the Denver Broncos. I would love
nothing more than to play Denver, and honestly, I wouldn't
lose sleep over playing Denver. Seven three two, one two
five seven ninety is the number to get on and

(39:03):
let's get back into the Ashros conversation. Tetsu E. Mai
is coming to Houston. Could that signal one player on
the way out. We'll discuss that on Space Say Saturday
next right here on Sports Talk seven ninety Space Day Saturday.
Rolling right along here on Sports Talk seven ninety, Cole
Thompson rock with two until one o'clock college football playoffs.

(39:27):
Four teams moving on to the semifinals in Ohio State,
Georgia and Alabama ain't in it.

Speaker 2 (39:33):
The Texans needy win.

Speaker 1 (39:35):
They do that. They're in the playoff at twelve and five.
They're gonna win, and the Titans will also gonna win.
They win the division and your Rockets they take the
court tonight against the Dallas Mavericks seven one three two
one two five seven ninety. Let's get back to the
Astros conversation. Tetsu EMI's here at a three year deal. Help, Yeah,
that's awesome. I'm excited, like it is only three days

(39:55):
into the new year, and I have a bright outlook
on what is going to be twenty twenty six Astros Baseball,
and everybody should because if you just landed a player
that nobody thought was possible to ever come through Crush City,
it's awesome when it comes to that stuff. However, there
still are some holes that need to be filled for
the Astros, and a move like this kind of hinders
a lot of the money and allocations left on the

(40:17):
open market to where you can go out and spend
in free agency.

Speaker 2 (40:21):
So what does that mean? That means you're gonna have
to make a trade.

Speaker 1 (40:25):
That means that you are going to have to move
off of somebody to go ahead and free up some
space to then get somebody else in here. And that
leads back to the big conundrum that we've been having
for a while on what is the best course of
action for this Astros club when it comes to making moves,
And it really comes down to two names. It's Eastside
Partisans Christian Walker. Christian Walker's contract is going to be

(40:46):
really hard to move, not because of he can't end
up being a good power hitter and he won't be
at least I would say above average defensively. It's just
it's a lot of money for a thirty six year
old that is coming off a career low year in opbops.
Swing rate, strikeout rate went up. Everything that you didn't
want to see for a contract that you want to

(41:08):
be moveable. It's not there so automatically that hurts you
in that standpoint, But then you have the ESTCAC Perettas conundrum.
And the conundrum is Perettas is damn good NA want
him go. I don't want him to go anywhere. He
needs to be locked in for the long term, and
I think that everybody in the city feels that way.
I think everybody in the organization feels that way. I

(41:29):
think that everybody around baseball knows that there is an
X factor with the Astros having a guy that can
pull the ball into a short portion left that gives
you thirty home run potential and certainly twenty double twenty
to twenty five double potential, even though he can't run
to save his freaking life.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
You're you're in a stop gap here because of your money.

Speaker 1 (41:51):
Is allocated towards two veterans, one of which you just
traded for from Minnesota to come back to your city,
and now he's going to be your permanent third baseman.

Speaker 2 (41:59):
The other one is only locked in at second base.

Speaker 1 (42:02):
Like I continue to go back and forth with my
conversations of all right, do we go ahead and put
Hoseal two bay in left field? Do we let them
dh and then move your down to outfield, And everything
just comes right back to square one, which is it's
probably gonna end up being Hoseal two b at second
base in twenty twenty six. It just his And so
now you gotta ask yourself the question, what could I

(42:23):
get more for? Because the thing is that once you
added the guy like Tetsuya Emi, it's showing that you're
gonna be competitive.

Speaker 2 (42:30):
You have to make moves that are going to.

Speaker 1 (42:32):
Keep you competitive, not just for twenty twenty six, but
as long as Emi wants to be a part of Houston,
because then the same thing goes for Hunter Brown. As
much as you're able to pay a lot of money
to go bring in Emi on a three year, fifty
four million dollar deal with the twenty twenty one million AAV,
that's gonna be the starting price for Hunter Brown. And
I'm gonna tell you right now, his agency with Scott

(42:53):
Bors is gonna laugh you off. He just his not
with a picture like that, who's top three and high
in Sai Young moting last year, Like, You're just not
gonna get that. So you have to be able to
continue to build, and you have to do so by
sometimes moving off a player that you thought was untouchable.

Speaker 2 (43:11):
And that's where the paradous conversation comes in.

Speaker 1 (43:14):
Now, I'd be real if there's any way that you
can get a deal done to bring in maybe a
lower tier prospect with high upside for the New York
Mets to go land Christian Walker because they got a
hold at first base. They can tell you whatever they
want about Jorge Polaco learn how to play first. He
ain't playing first like Marcus Simon will play second. I

(43:34):
don't know if you're gonna move Polaco to third and
then Brett Batty you'll put him out for trade flyers,
or you keep Baity at third and Polanco does like
a designated hitter role with Mark Fientos, or he learns
how to play in the outfield. But regardless, he's not
playing first base like he will not be there long term.
They need a premier guy to replace Pete Alonzo. That
would make sense for the Mets. You go bring in

(43:56):
some prospects, you free up some salary cap. It allows
to spend some money on to Now maybe you go
add in a guy that can play a little bit
of a two way spot, like not Nick Allen because
of again you're not worried about that.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
But still other other names that are.

Speaker 1 (44:08):
Being made That would be one the other one that
would be really intriguing to me, and it would cost
you a lot.

Speaker 2 (44:14):
It just would.

Speaker 1 (44:16):
But if Alex Bregman doesn't side with the Red Sox,
each parettes is a pretty good complimentary piece at third base.
So if you moved Parretti to third, could you make
it move for one of their outfielders. You would have
to packet something else in it, because I remember I
was hearing some forms of people like the Chris Boobach
deal that was supposed to go through a Kansas city
Jake Myers, and I asked them, It's like, hey, was
it just Jake Myers?

Speaker 2 (44:35):
And they laughed at me.

Speaker 1 (44:36):
And they said, cool, dude, it's Chris Boobage. That's Jake Myers.
Get you had at your keyster and start they gets straight.
It's gonna cost you more to land on will you're
a breath.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
Than just the zac parretes.

Speaker 1 (44:47):
It can't be like a hey, we'll take this player
for this player deal and we'll call it a day. No,
they're gonna want more, and so what else could you
give in terms of rotational pitching, depth pitching that would
elevate your squad to feel comfortable of having Christian Walkerby
in every day first baseman. But the biggest concern here
is you gotta move about one of them, because I

(45:08):
think that you're at a point when you have all
these veterans in the infield and all these guys who
have constantly proven to you time after time after time
after time after time they're everyday players.

Speaker 2 (45:19):
It's not gonna sit right, they have to sit.

Speaker 1 (45:21):
It's not going to be a good conversation to have
with somebody who knows that they're good enough to play,
who knows that they're good enough to be on the
field every day, that they're sitting two days in a row.
And the way to solve that issue is by getting
rid of one. So something is going to have to happen.

Speaker 2 (45:41):
You feel really good going.

Speaker 1 (45:42):
Into twenty twenty six about where the Astros are because
you're just laid it in an elite pitcher from the
Japanese League. And by the way, he is an elite pitcher,
Tatsuya Emi coming on in. If he's anything like he
was playing out in Japan, he is going to be
one of the top twenty pitchers in baseball this time
next year. He will. But you have money that you
need to spend, and you don't have money currently in

(46:03):
the shotgy cap to be able to add in other players.
The best way to do so is to move off
of either Christian Walker or Esock Predes and It kills
me to say this, but the move to make is
probably Esock preanes. It gets you more value in return,
and unfortunately it would be a one and done, fantastic
season to what you feel really promising about him. But unfortunately,
because of the holes that you have, he's the odd

(46:23):
man out. Seven one three two one two five seven
ninety take quick time out. When we come back, Let's
talk more about Tatsuya Emi coming to Houston. The Astros
get themselves a study replacement for from Bervaldez. What does
this do for their rotation? And how good is the rotation?
Now I'll explain next hour one in the books. Hour
two ahead right here on Space SA Saturday, Sports Talk

(46:45):
seven ninety. Here's seven nineties Cole Thompson, hight. Let's get
this show on the road, Space C Saturday. Right here
on sports Soock seven ninety Cole Thompson rocking with you
until one o'clock seven one to three, one two five
seven ninety. Texans tomorrow win playoff bounded twelve victories, maybe

(47:07):
even a division title if somehow the Titans can pull
off the upset. Rockets take the court tonight against the
Dallas Mavericks and astros make the signing of all signings
to kickstart your new year off on.

Speaker 2 (47:20):
A high note.

Speaker 1 (47:21):
Tatsuya e Mai headed on over for Japan to be
the replacement and Air a pairent of Frober Valdez three years,
fifty four million dollars and it hasn't opt out after
every season. So seven one three, two one two five
seven nineties. Let's go out to the phone lines as
we start our number two, Billy, what's up my day?

Speaker 2 (47:39):
To happy afternoon to you?

Speaker 5 (47:41):
Hey, happy happy New Year? Uh So, how long is
it appropriate to say Happy New Year?

Speaker 6 (47:46):
Like two weeks?

Speaker 1 (47:47):
I give you until I will give you until Monday,
because I think that becomes so it's like it's different
because of.

Speaker 2 (47:53):
Like when is the New Year?

Speaker 1 (47:54):
If it's on a weekend, like probably by the time
you get to the Monday afterwards, it's like I didn't
see you before hand, that's fine.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
But it's like if like news is on a Monday.

Speaker 1 (48:03):
And then you're off the entire week afterwards, if you
come back and tell me on a Friday, Happy New Year,
you're wrong, Like it's on space off a time.

Speaker 5 (48:10):
Yeah, I just don't want to hear it in February. Anyway, Uh,
you know, am I that signing is amazing. Uh, it's
it's great that we got a new sponsor for the
naming rights of the stadium, and all of a sudden,
you know, we're we're into the Japanese market. Coincidence, I
don't know, Uh, but it's great that they've jumped in
that market. They needed to. They've been in the Latin

(48:32):
American market for a long time. They had a lot
of success, So let's jump into other markets. But there's
another guy that I'm going to be watching real closely
in spring training because and I know everybody hates team.
Everybody wants him gone. It's the Colors, And I'm sure
you knew that everybody wants him gone. He's useless, he's
washed up, he's this, he's that. Well, let's go to

(48:52):
what he really is. At one time, he had a stuff.
Now I know he doesn't have that a stuff anymore.
A lot of injuries, a lot of his But he's
only thirty two and he's in a contract here. He's
got a lot of incentive to stay healthy and to
pitch in this rotation and to be productive. If he
wants his career to continue, and you know as well

(49:14):
as I do. It's happened hundreds of times. You get
a guy who never does nothing, never does nothing, never
does nothing. Then a contract here comes on and all
of a sudden, he's an all star and if he
does anything like that, that fifth starter spot or fourth
starter spot, whichever one you want him in, all of
a sudden got real tough, real tough, and you've already
got eight legitimate starters. Now is that enough?

Speaker 3 (49:35):
No?

Speaker 5 (49:36):
And I think Dana Brown learned that last year. It's
not enough. You can never have enough pitching. But we
got through. If this team was healthy last year. Legitimately
you're a playoff contender and a World Series contender if
they're healthy and the pitching held us in it. Back
to mccullors, that's a guy who could absolutely anchor the
rotation and he can be a guy that can give

(49:59):
you one hundred and fifty hundred and sixty gains if
he's healthy, and he could be huge for us this
next year. And all I hear is get ready to
get rid of and get rid of him, And that's
because everybody's looking at the past. Then I'm looking at
the fact that this is a contract year. So that's
the guy that I'm gonna be looking at a lot.
I'm gonna go back and look at see if I
can see some videos on you. I from what I

(50:20):
can tell, the guy's got movement like crazy.

Speaker 2 (50:23):
Oh brother, I'm I'm tany right now.

Speaker 1 (50:25):
Go look at his vulcan change it will It will
bring you such joy. You'll feel like that you were
nine years old again watching like back to the future
for the first time. Like that's that's what you're gonna
see when can see that vulcan curve.

Speaker 5 (50:37):
I can't wait to see this guy pitch. I plan
on being there for the first game. But no, I'm
very excited about this team. And as far as the
grades are concerned, you know, do they really really need
to make a trade now. I understand that there's a
hole in the catcher spot, but if you get Sanchez
to be Sanchez again, and I think he was just

(50:58):
pressing last year, that's my opinion. I think the same
thing about Christian Walker. I don't think he's washed, still
a gold glove first baseman, but he showed some signs.
I think he just pressed. There's a lot of expectations
here in Houston. We expect a championship and that's a
lot of pressure. No, not everybody handles that pressure well,
So do you really have to make a move? Bryce

(51:18):
Matthews can play second. You got Nick Allen who can
play second. You've got guys who can move around the infield.
And I think, if I'm not mistake in Paradius has
played a little outfield, not a lot, but you've got
moving parts. You've got some pieces that can mix and match.
Spotto was very good last year about getting guys into
the right position at the right time. Move out to

(51:39):
me down to the fifth slot in the lineup. You
got to do that, please, But do you really have
to make a trade or can you go to battle
with what you got and be a contender? I personally
think you can and you know so that's where I'm
gonna leave her out there. Great show is always guy,
Great Kim. I'm very excited about hearing you this year.

Speaker 4 (51:56):
Thank year.

Speaker 1 (51:56):
Appreciate you, Billy, I appreciate you happening here two too.
Sometimes when you get a lot of when you get
a lot of info, Frankie like you gotta go back
in your brain, likes you Where do you want a pinpoint?

Speaker 4 (52:07):
Too.

Speaker 1 (52:07):
Okay, So let's let's go back to the mcculors thing.
So I understand Billy's point. I do you got a
picture that's been around the system, and at times he
has shown you that he still has some juice left
in the tank. I am giving him through spring training
to prove that he can be a part of the
active forty man roster and then the twenty six man roster.

(52:28):
I am not guaranteeing him a spot in the rotation.
And if he's going to tell me that I need
to be in the rotation or I want to be
released in my contract if he does not deliver, rather,
thank you for everything that you have done for the city.
Thank you for helping the ass Shows win a World
Series in twenty seventeen. Thank you for all of your
accolades that you have provided and being a quality rotation arm.

(52:50):
If you are not good enough to be in my
rotation and you don't want to be a bullpen arm,
take a hike. That that that that's just the bottom line,
because if I'm trying to win a championship and I
can't leave a spot open for you, So that's number one.
I do think that there are some trades that need
be done. But I do think that there are some
things that we got to look at. Like I understand
not giving up entirely on Hayesus Sanchez right now. I

(53:12):
thought for sure he would be gone. That's just me
because of the way that he performed in Houston. What
you were promised when you got him from Miami was
a power hitting left handed bat that was at least
gonna give you a little bit of torque to get doubles.

Speaker 2 (53:26):
They have to be home runs, they have to.

Speaker 1 (53:28):
Be all of these long balls of four hundred and
fifty feet. But you also were expecting a guy that
was gonna drive the ball and not swinging miss soften.
His swinging miss rate went up, his power went down,
his constant hit rate went down, ops went down, OPB
went down. And so that's frustrating. But maybe you could
attribute that a little bit toward what was the coaching

(53:51):
staff around you, and with a brand new hitting coach
coming on in, and with the brand new Auflets coach
coming on in and all these other little details. Yeah,
maybe that ends up painting out for you and a
prominent light. Maybe that's a good thing. I don't know,
but I'm willing to take the risk to figure it
out with him because of the power is a selling
point and he was a stud in Miami. I think
the same thing goes for your Diez Yiner two years

(54:13):
ago was viewed by many in the public eye as
a top seven catcher in baseball. And I love that
good behind the plate, doesn't miss a lot of balls,
has a lot of power, gonna hit a lot of doubles,
driving some runs. Pretty good overall consistency when it comes
to plate discipline too, not a large swing in this rate.
So much like him, I want to bring you know,
I want to bring him back for another year. Before

(54:34):
I go ahead and sell. What I will say is
I need to bring in some competition. Number one. I
just need to bring in some competition because Victor Carrotiti's
not on the contract right now. So regardless of if
it's like a jonah Heim or I want to go
make a move for like a Danny Jansen, you got
to bring in somebody because if you have to have
a second catcher, And Sayzar Salazari, like it's cool that
he can make it to the active roster, but do

(54:56):
you remember when he was here, Like how many times
he actually played. I think he had like seven played
appearances over his month and a half long stay or
two months stay. It was bad, like he was just
a guy on a betch and it was a wasted
roster spot.

Speaker 2 (55:10):
The same thing goes for outfield. I don't think that Jake.

Speaker 1 (55:13):
Myers is still gonna be a part of the opening
day roster. If you told me gun to head right now,
where do I think Jake Myers lands. It ain't in
Houston for twenty twenty six. You're gonna run it out
with Zach Cole, but you gotta have at least somebody
in line to.

Speaker 2 (55:25):
Compete with Zach Cole.

Speaker 1 (55:27):
Because Cole had a really good finished to twenty twenty
five when he was called on up and he had
some power and he did some good things defensively, and
it feels like that he could be Jake Myers on
a much more stapfle contract. But that doesn't mean that
I'm going to automatically give you priority over everything else
and you're gonna be the dude that gets the contract.

Speaker 2 (55:45):
It's just not gonna be that way. So that's number two.

Speaker 1 (55:49):
The third thing is I still think that you need
to make a trade on the infield because of all
these players, to some degree have earned the right to
say I deserted to be playing it every single day.
Christian Walker's been in the majors for a dozen years.
He deserves to be playing in the majors every day. Yeah,
one bad season, I get that, and that's why I'm
not ready to give up on him entirely. He's still

(56:10):
finished with a team living in home runs RBIs. He
still had the highest lugging percentage. He also let the
team strikeout, so that's a big deal. But he did
a lot of things that were the end of the
season that maybe signaled it was a bad first year.
It's a one and done fluke. But I also want
Esach Paretes in my lineup, and Essach Paretes proved last

(56:32):
season by his on field play that he's in everyday.
It's third baseman, and if he's not gonna play third,
then you gotta try him at second. The problem trying
him at second is hose Al Tube is an everyday
player and he doesn't deserve to be sitting out either.

Speaker 2 (56:44):
So you can't put him in left field, and you
can put him at.

Speaker 1 (56:47):
DH, but doesn't that hurt.

Speaker 2 (56:48):
You're on Alvarez who's coming off an injury.

Speaker 1 (56:50):
You'r a fluke play away from him being on the
il for sixty plus days and hurting the middle of
your lineup. So there's a conundrum when it comes to
that first base, third base position and the entire infield
because of what you have missing Bryce Matthews, you throw
him into the mix as well. That's another guy who
you think is ready for the majors, but at the
same time, is their home for him at the majors. Like,

(57:11):
you're caught in cross heres of just a ton of
convolution and uncertainty when it comes to setting up a
standard for your future, and all this adds up to
be a really souring moment because if you want to
feel pretty confident on where you are on the infield,
and you don't have that right now. So there's moves

(57:34):
when it comes to a lot of things that you
want to see that ston't even be made. Is I
guess the best way I would put it, like, I
would love to be able to go to work, come home,
hang out with my dogs, be able to do my
live streams, be able to go get a workout in,
be able to go take my wife out to dinner

(57:54):
and still get seven hours of sleep. I don't have
enough time in the day. And that's kind of the
nature with the Astros. You would love to be able
to keep Eastside Parredes and and Christian Walker and Jose
al Tuve and Peyga and Korea and Alvarez, and I
feel like that everybody would be on the same page,
and they wouldn't. And because of that, now you see

(58:15):
them ending up having a hole and you still have
holes in the rotation. I mean, you show have holes
in the bullpen, and you still have holes in the outfield.
And eventually there are players that you look at and say,
they're not meant for the miners, they're meant for the majors,
and they're not meant to be sitting on the bench
every other day because of they have a hot streak going.

Speaker 2 (58:34):
And so that's the conundrum that you were put in
right now.

Speaker 1 (58:37):
It sucks because of Yes, on one hand, adding back
in Carlos Carrea was such a good move because of
now you're getting a leader in the clubhouse, and you're
getting a guy that could play third base, a position
that he has wanted to move to since before his
time leaving Houston. But that now puts a wench or
a wrench into the plan of what you want to

(58:58):
do with Pares. And you also have that major contract
for Christian Walker that I don't think many people are
interested in adding.

Speaker 2 (59:04):
The easy play would be.

Speaker 1 (59:05):
Get rid of Christian Walker, move Parretes a third, and
then again, as Billy mentioned, move out to a down
in the lineup, have al two. I mean I have
Paya one partes to your Don three Korea four. Probably
you could make your HOSEL two A five. I don't
think you'd complained about that that much. And long and behold,
you still have a pretty good one through five to
begin your rotation every single week. But that's not the

(59:27):
way that the game is working right now. And unfortunately,
when you look at contracts, that's going to be the
deciding factor for a lot of these guys. And the
contract is not looking very promising to move off of
a Christian Walker. Where's looking really promising to move off
of an Essac Parredes seven one three, two one two
five seven ninety Take quick time out, All right, now,
let's get in tatsue my conversation Astros three year fifty
four million dollar deal. How big of a win is this?

(59:50):
I'll explain next right here on Space Day Saturday, Sports
Talk seven ninety. All right, Space Day Saturday. Rolling right
along here on Sports Talk seven ninety, Cole Thompson rock
with you until seven one o'clock. That would be seven Frankie.
Can you imagine us doing eight hours of radio NonStop.

(01:00:10):
I would never go to the bathroom. I just would
sit here in this chair. Order door dash. I think
you go pick it up during the life of the
commercial breaks. Be fantastic, but have a good time seven one, three, two,
one two five seven nine. If you want chim on in.
Texans win tomorrow, they get to twelve victories. If the
Texans win and the Titans win, they also get to
host a playoff game next week. We have no idea

(01:00:32):
where the playoff game is going to be and what
time the playoff game is going to be. Four teams
are into the college football playoff semifinals and spoiler no
Ohio State, no Alabama, no Georgia, just like we all
predicted at the start of the year, and the Astros
have made a massive signing to kickstart twenty twenty six
on the right now, Tatsuya e Mai heads his way

(01:00:52):
down to Houston from the Japanese League seven one three
two one two five seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
Okay, let's start with Emi.

Speaker 1 (01:00:59):
This is a massive deal and I want everybody, everybody
to just ask yourself a question. Did you think this
was possible? Did you did anybody see the ass shows
going overseas and landing one of the premier players from
the MPB, Because I can tell you right now everyone
I spoke to, Nope, everyone that I had spoken about

(01:01:20):
where this Where was this marketing going to be? Not Houston?

Speaker 2 (01:01:24):
If anything, I heard.

Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
At least a little bit of Texas, But I heard
nothing about the Astros being on board. So credited Dana Brown,
and I will give a shout out to one person here,
Dan Matthews, my co host on the Morning Drive with
Dan and Cole that you can listen to six to
ten every single day, Monday through Friday. He didn't say
that the Astros were going to make that surprise January move.
This would qualify as that surprise January move. So I'll

(01:01:46):
give him a compliment because if you did call this,
he was the only person that even came close to
saying that this was going to happen.

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
I guarantee you he did not.

Speaker 1 (01:01:54):
Think that I see you hemm was going to be
the move. So the scene that the askers are doing
things different automatically is just great, I think for the
sport and great for the future of the organization in
the clubhouse on moves that can be made in the future.
Now let's move on to the big thing. Number One,
elite pitcher is coming to Houston to a place. A
damn good pitcher from Bervaldez is not coming back and

(01:02:15):
be gonna be in an Asher's uniform this time next year.
He'll be somewhere else, whether it be Chicago, whether it
be New York, whether it be San Francisco.

Speaker 2 (01:02:22):
But we knew that he was on borrow time.

Speaker 1 (01:02:24):
So you go out and.

Speaker 2 (01:02:25):
You add in a pitcher who is going to add.

Speaker 1 (01:02:29):
In incredible consistency on the mound. Over his time in
Japan in the MPB League, he posted an er that
roughly hovered around three point one five. In eight seasons
with the Lions, he's fifty eight and forty five, nine
hundred and seven strikeouts, nine hundred and sixty three and

(01:02:50):
two innings pitched. But you got to remember that over
the last few years he's gone from being good to
a lead Like imagine what we see when it comes
to the conversation from with Hunter Brown, Like hunder Brown
was really good when he was coming on up, but
he had some miscues and then he got even better,
and then last season he kind of peaked and got
to elite status, top ten pitcher in baseball. And if

(01:03:10):
you want to argue that he's not a top ten
pitcher in baseball, that's cool. I'm not gonna take your
opinion seriously, I'm just not That's what you got with
Demi last year ten and five record career high low
one point nine two ERA career high in strikeouts with
one hundred and seventy eight in one hundred and sixty
three two thirds inning pitched. And he also was combined
for a no hitter with the Lions throughout the last

(01:03:31):
two seasons. So just to prove that this was not
a one time fluke, you get a guy who's posted
an ERA back back years under three and struck out
more batters per inning in each of his season Before
twenty twenty four. He went ten and eight two thirty
four ERA one hundred and eighty seven strikeouts, one hundred
and seventy, one hundred and seventy three innings pitched, all

(01:03:53):
fantastic numbers, and I he comes to Houston to be
a number two. The second thing that is really important
about this move is that he might want to take
some risk here, and I love that. You know, I
don't always like to be around people who are, you know,
very mild mannered and kind of just go through the
mundane things in life. And if you do those things,

(01:04:14):
that's totally cool, but that's not my lifestyle. I'm somebody
that wants to be in the nuts and bolts. I
want to take some risk. I want to put myself
out there. I'm somebody that's not able to be in
a normal job. Like if you throw me into a
nine to five desk, you might as well just throw
me to the wolves. Like I'm telling you, it would
not be pretty for me. And I'm just gonna be
completely honest. I don't know how long I would be

(01:04:35):
to be able to survive. You would have a better
shot of sending me, probably to the looney bin than
you would have a nine to five job. That's just
the way my brain works. So I resonate with a
guy like Keimai, because what was the conversations we were
hearing about him throughout the entire process of where he
want to go. Well, he's got to go to a
team that has a big Japanese culture. He's got to
go to a city that embraces the Japanese culture, because

(01:04:57):
it would be easy for him to be able to
transition to major LEA leagues and have some support inside
the clubhouse. And I love the fact that he has
said no, I don't want to do that. Most people
said the Dodgers and the Angels, some that's in San Diego.
Seattle was brought up, the New York Mets were brought up,
Boston was brought up, because if all of them at

(01:05:18):
least have some bit of Japanese culture or an impact
on Japan in their clubhouse, that would elevate the situation
to make him feel more comfortable. The Astros don't really
have that. They had Kakuchi for a half season, and
then remember they had Kasmotsui, who, surprisingly, I don't know
how many of you guys know this. Kasmotsui was Emei's

(01:05:40):
manager in the MPB League, so a former Astro that
knows the culture and knows the lay of the land
of Houston. Was kind of helping him probably get some
advice on why Houston's a great place to go. But
they don't really have a big time Japanese Japanese impact
outside the fact that now they're working with Dikan and
Dykin's had poor records is in Japan, and that's why

(01:06:01):
the stadium is named after it. He wants to be
the pioneer that changes the way that we go about
finding players in Japan and opening up international borders that
will end up helping out a team for the long haul.
So in that standpoint, he's not afraid to take some
risk and put himself as a priority and kind of

(01:06:22):
be the face for Houston when it comes to international
talent overseas in Japan and Korea. And I love that,
I absolutely do. The fourth thing is dude has some stones.
I mean straight up. In an interview with Dice k
mont Suzaka, former picture for the Boston Red Sox, he
was asked why go to Houston, Why not go to
Los Angeles? Why not go to the Padres, why not

(01:06:43):
go to Seattle? And he made it clear, guys, I
don't want to be like Shohil Tani and Roki Sasaki
and Yeshiya Yeshamoto Yamaimoto. I don't want to be like them.
I want to beat them. I want to kick their ass.
I want them to be a little bit know that
they're on my level playing field. I want them to

(01:07:04):
know that they're gonna have to go through me and Houston.
How does that not rill you up if you're a
Nastros fan. His hatred towards that team that buys championships,
that make sure that they're able to add in every
single player that has ever existed on the free agent market,
and they made a ploy for him. He said, no,
I don't want to go to you now. I want

(01:07:24):
to be the reason why you're humbled a little bit.
I want to be the reason why you are not
going to be a three peat champion. And I'm going
to do that in Houston. A team that can beat
you in the postseason, a team that has proven time
and time again when they face off against you, it's
a one possession battle and it's not particularly close. So
I love that and I love that mentality, and that's

(01:07:46):
type of picture that you need for that mentality and
the fit and probably most important factor of adding an
EMI to this roster. It gives you flexibility with your
rotation guys. It truly does. The Ash's added Mike Burrows,
He's gonna be here for the long haul because if
he's on a very team friendly contract, he doesn't even
hit arbitration for like the next three years. He's a

(01:08:07):
free agent in twenty thirty two. He can be your
number four, your number five. You gotta love that. The
second thing is you also have guys Expenser Arra Geddy
and Atlantic Colors Junior. They're fighting for reps in the rotation.
He brought in.

Speaker 2 (01:08:22):
Ryan Wise from the KBO League.

Speaker 1 (01:08:24):
That's a really, really really smart signing for just the
terms of what is the contract and how much better
the contract could end up being elevated to. You have
Colton Gordon, you still have aj Bluby, you still have
Jason Alexander, guys that have had starting experience in that
number five role but also have been out of the bullpen.
You have run Up Blanco coming back from injury. He
should be back by July or August. Hayden mis Nesky

(01:08:47):
the third piece of that deal for Kyle Tucker from Chicago,
and he actually really did feel like a quality number
five starter is also coming back from Tommy John surgery.
And that's to say that you already have Christian Haavier
and Hunter Brown locked up in the one three spot.
So a move like Tatsuya Emi is elevating not only
your rotation at the very top, but it's giving you

(01:09:10):
flexibility to say, this guy's only good for an ending
in a third, this guy's only good for two innings,
this guy could be a long term reliever. Thus, so
expand their markets and kind of take a risk. And
by the way, the contract's actually really promising because it's
very front heavy and incentive Leyden And if you're wanting
to pay that price, which could get up to almost
thirty million dollars, which is expensive for the Astros, that

(01:09:32):
means that he probably delivered on his end. But on
the back end, let's say he doesn't have a good season.
Let's say his ZRA is around like three point sixty
five and he doesn't have as many strikeouts and he
doesn't get to one hundred innings pitch because he's dealing
with injuries. Well, then he's going to opt into his
deal for the next season.

Speaker 2 (01:09:50):
And it's only going to be twenty one million dollars.

Speaker 1 (01:09:53):
And twenty one million dollars might seem like a lot
of money to you and me, but for a picture
of his caliber, when there were rumors that he was
gonna get an eight year, one eighty one ninety million
dollar deal or a five year, one forty million dollar deal,
the annual asking price compared to those two is sensational.
It's a very very very good deal on both sides,

(01:10:15):
and at the end of the day, everybody kind of wins.

Speaker 2 (01:10:19):
So I think that when you look at this deal,
you gotta be.

Speaker 1 (01:10:22):
Pretty impressed with how the Ashers were able to navigate
the waters and get a guy like he might to
go ahead and snuff up some major contracts, maybe not
as big as he envisioned, but still pretty big to
where he thinks that the Ashers are the best place
for him. Seven one three two one two five seven
ninety James Kleine, what's up, dude?

Speaker 7 (01:10:42):
Yeah, I guess with the signing of this Japanese picture
that Justin Burley is not coming back. I I guess.

Speaker 1 (01:10:48):
I wouldn't say it's impossible. I mean again, I can
tell you right now James Justin was not gonna sign
until probably February, so he still may come back, but
it it does feel like that if there's an offer
on the table between him and Detroit, which I think
of the only two teams seed to pitch for anyways,

(01:11:11):
I would lean Detroit right now. Doesn't mean it won't happen,
but I would just lean Detroit.

Speaker 7 (01:11:17):
I would prefer that he didn't come back because we
got enough pitching already. What we need to do is
some outfielders. Now, whether Japan's got some outfielders beginnings, we
have to make a trade, but we need to get
an outfolded.

Speaker 4 (01:11:27):
With a bat.

Speaker 7 (01:11:28):
That's our main concern right now.

Speaker 1 (01:11:29):
I think I'm not gonna fight you back on that one, James.
I appreciate the phone call seven one three two two
five seven ninety. Here's the beauty about what is the
apt that is Twitter, which, by the way, if you
aren't following me at mister Cole Thompson on X, you
know you know it's great. I'm calling it Twitter. It's
gonna be Twitter for all for the end, all be all.
I don't care. I know that the app has been
already been there for like two years, but it's Twitter

(01:11:50):
at mister Cole Thompson at Sports Sucks seven ninety. If
you at me over there, I'll answer your question live
on air if you don't want to call into the show.
So Joe, I got your answer for I'll talk about
what is the astros plan of the players that you
want to see traded? Who are the names that are
on Joe's market? Next right here on Space Saturday, Sports
Talk seven ninety, Space Saturday. Rolling right along here on

(01:12:17):
Sports Talk seven ninety, Cole Thompson, rockman chew until one
o'clock seven one three, two, one two five, seven ninety
is the number to get in on Texans win tomorrow.
They get twelve victories on the year. It's Titans also win.
They get the division for a third straight season under
the Meco Ryans. The College Football Playoff has four teams
moving on to the semifinals, and spoiler Alabama eight one

(01:12:38):
of them, and neither is Ohio State and neither is Georgia.
And two of those are absolute shocks. Probably the Alabama
one isn't. And the Rockets play against the Dallas Mavericks tonight.
You can listen to the call right here on Sports
Talk seven ninety. Definitely Matt Thomas. I think it's Adam Wexler.
Don't quote me on that. And if it isn't Adam Wexler, okay,
that's Adam Clinton. So I solved the problem for you.

(01:13:00):
Seven two five seven ninety Joe, you messaged me on Twitter,
which is awesome. Which why should be following me at
mister Cole Thompson. Everybody in Houston should be doing that
right now. But I go to the guest line first
and then I go to Twitter. So John on the
northwest side, John, how's your Saturday?

Speaker 3 (01:13:15):
I am I did?

Speaker 1 (01:13:16):
Happy New Year?

Speaker 3 (01:13:18):
Oh, thank you? Co Happy new Year to you man.
It's pretty good man. You know I'd say every new year,
I say, where the Lord let me wake up to
another whole new year and maybe some new goals. I mean,
I'm sixty eight years old. You know what I'm saying,
only as a.

Speaker 2 (01:13:32):
Should feel, John, that's the rule in my in my book.

Speaker 6 (01:13:34):
Okay, Well that's the problem.

Speaker 3 (01:13:37):
Cold. I feel like I'm thirteen my body and everything,
But don't gone my gray head, tam me, I'm sixty eight.

Speaker 1 (01:13:42):
Well yeah, that's why you go on to the straw
and you buy the hair dye and problem solved, everything
will be good at that standpoint. Then you look at
your thirty You don't look like a thirteen year old.
It probably look like a thirty two year old. But
still you'll take thirty two over over eighty.

Speaker 3 (01:13:55):
Oh, I can't do that fake thing cold. I just
got to go with the color of my hair. But listen, man,
I love you, shall always do even during the week.
Don't look what I wanted to tell you. Man, Look,
I can't do it, man, I can't do it. This
thing about if Dana Brown trade Kristin Walker or my
other boy dad, either one of them not. Yeah, I

(01:14:19):
am not gonna be happy with him. Listen, man, I
don't care if you Miles, I like minds he came around.

Speaker 4 (01:14:25):
I don't care.

Speaker 3 (01:14:25):
If you got to trade him whoever you got to trade,
you keep your offense. If you got to give Avarez
two days off, you got to give a two a
two days off to fit them in, which would be
appropriate because the help and age anyway, And I love Avaret,
but he can't. He can't stay healthy. He'll be glad
to get two days off that two ay shure too,

(01:14:46):
But listen, man, we cannot trade No. Twenty five thirty
run thirty home run hitters away. I don't care that
Christian Walker was slow last year. A lot of players
when they go to a new team, it's like, but
he finished real good. There's no way I'm doing that.

Speaker 6 (01:15:04):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:15:05):
When the Astros beat the Dodgers in twenty seventeen, that
was one hell of a series we saw, and the
Dodgers had great hitters and all the Astros players was
hitting too. You need that offense because when the game
is over, they're looking at the scoreboard. Man, I'm not
doing that.

Speaker 1 (01:15:23):
Another thing I want.

Speaker 3 (01:15:24):
To tell you, Cole Listen, man, we don't want to
see Baltimore man in the playoffs the last two You don't.

Speaker 2 (01:15:32):
We don't know, Okay.

Speaker 3 (01:15:35):
We don't because our offensive line is not ready for
that pass us if Baltimore from what I heard recently
that their defense is healthy. CJ gonna be running the
rest of his life. This offensive line is not ready
for them anybody else. I don't mind playing Denver. We
lost to Denver about three points.

Speaker 6 (01:15:56):
Drive was out. We can play with them.

Speaker 3 (01:15:57):
We can play with Buffalo, play with all of them.
I do not want to see healthy Lamar in the playoffs.
I never forgot remember he ran up out with stadium
when he scored them touchdowns.

Speaker 6 (01:16:10):
I think they beat us thirty three to three.

Speaker 7 (01:16:11):
Man, I'm don't well to see them grow.

Speaker 1 (01:16:15):
I don't blame it. I don't blame you, John. I
appreciate the phone call. Happy to hear to you, my brother.

Speaker 7 (01:16:20):
Thanks.

Speaker 1 (01:16:20):
So listen, I'll start off with one and I'll go
to the other. But in my brain right now is
the Astros thing. Okay, So with the Astros, John, I
agree with you. I don't want to see Christian Walker
trading because I still believe and maybe I was just
because I was a big Christian Walker fan when he
signed on the deal. Like, I loved the signing at
the time. I won't even try to sugarcoat it. I

(01:16:41):
thought it was one of the best signings of the
entire offseason by any team because of just what was
the ability to hit doubles And honestly, it wasn't even
the home run power. It was the doubles and the
extra base hits that Christian Walker had when he was
a Chase Field playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks. That's that
was what sold me on him, and then the gold
Glove defense. I also love the addition of Esac Prees,

(01:17:01):
and I love what Parredes did for that lineup because
of what most people don't seem to understand that I
viewed as probably the biggest selling point was he was
so good at working pitch counts in his favor that
everyone's sitting behind him three four or five six hitters,
they could see what the pitcher was throwing because they'd

(01:17:23):
mix up a bunch of arsenals, so and you'd see
a fastball, you'd see it off, you see a slider,
you see another off pitch. You'd see where the kind
of where his like his overall zones were of where
he was trying to hit and the targets, and that
really benefited I think the ashs when it came to
being on base. But it's like me when I was
working six different jobs to try to be able to
afford this lifestyle that I live. We'll also trying to

(01:17:46):
make it back in a radio full time. At some point,
you gotta let something go. It's it's just a nature
of life, or you get burnout and you become.

Speaker 2 (01:17:55):
Bitter and it ends up being a bad recipe.

Speaker 1 (01:17:57):
For you because of it's not good for your mental health,
to your physical health or whatever it is. That's the
ASTROS right now. When it comes to this infield conundrum,
it's not good because if yeah, you can give two
days off for al Tuove, but you also need to
be able to have a contingency plan in place some
what do you want to do with Alvarez?

Speaker 2 (01:18:14):
Alvarez is going to be a DH.

Speaker 1 (01:18:16):
There are gonna be days to where the left handed
bat is going to be really important in the lineup,
and you can't just say we need to give a
day off for al Tuove. I think the same thing
goes for Christian Walker, and the same thing goes for
Parades and Carlos Korea is signed back here. So you
find yourself in an area of everyone deserves to play
because of their timing, everyone deserves to be on the
field because of their overall experience, but there's not enough

(01:18:41):
areas for you to have that. Like a Bryce Matthews
sitting and waiting in the wings as a backup as
a backup middle infielder is not a bad idea because
if he hasn't earned his right to be on the
field full time. So in my opinion, that's a win,
that's a massive win. But that's not where we are
in life. There are moments where you have to realize
it's easier to have one great thing going for you

(01:19:04):
and a couple of side things than trying to make
six things that all could or couldn't work be balanced
out together. And the Astros right now could have a
really good infield if they just put Escac Parretes at
first base, or if they just put Christian Walker at
first base and the hitting turns around. But I don't
see a scenario we can keep both and keep Carlo's
Korea and keep Bryce Matthews on the active roster without

(01:19:25):
making him move for him and having hose out to
Bay round.

Speaker 2 (01:19:28):
I just don't see it.

Speaker 1 (01:19:29):
And it's frustrating because if I agree with John, I
don't want to see Christian Walker go, and I sure
as hell don't want to see Esac Pretes go.

Speaker 2 (01:19:36):
I don't.

Speaker 1 (01:19:37):
But at some point you had to have the hard
conversations in life it ain't working for you yet, make changes.
It happens in every single day life, and it's gonna
happen here too. Seven one three, two, one two five
seven nineties Scott river Oaks puts on your.

Speaker 6 (01:19:49):
Mind, dude, what's going on?

Speaker 4 (01:19:51):
Man?

Speaker 6 (01:19:52):
Yeah, I agree with you on the Astros and field stuff.
My prediction with that is, I think they're going to
go into into the season with uh the infield intact
and I think once if, hopefully if Walker can improve
his play a little bit, he might create a little
bit more value for himself. Sure more, maybe things are working,
and then you never know. Injuries knock on wood, hopefully
they don't happen, but as we've seen they can't happen.

(01:20:14):
Take over a team and then you'd be glad that
you had the depth that you weren't anticipating needing. But
that actually isn't why I called. So I am a
Houstonian through and through, huge Astros, Rockets Texans fan, but
I actually called to talk about a school that I
attended for one year before I unfortunately parted my way
right out of it about fifteen years ago, turned everything

(01:20:34):
of everything around since then. That is the old Miss
Rebels in the Georgia Bulldogs. But this weekend, man, just
to give you some insight from an old Miss Van
and how freaking good this feels. I mean, you know
it was a slap in the face to our pride.
It hurt that a coach would tell us that he's
going to leave to go to our rival because he
doesn't think we're good enough.

Speaker 2 (01:20:54):
And that's why he did.

Speaker 1 (01:20:55):
That's one hundred percent way he did. Like I mean,
like people can go phrase however you want. He said,
even an eleven to one year not good enough for me. Bro,
that's what he said.

Speaker 6 (01:21:03):
Yeah, And not only did are we proving him wrong?
We beat Georgia, who's been in this situation time and
time again. Who's the only one by the way, I
guess that was the difference in the game. We've played
Georgia twice this year, once with Lane Kiffin, lost once
without Lane Kiffin. That's when we beat him. I guess
that was the difference in the game. To win that
game felt so good. And you know, he is punching air.

(01:21:27):
And the reason I actually even called in because I
was driving around and I was, you know, looking at
some stuff on Twitter and Pete Golding just had a
press conference and he doesn't know if the assistants from
LS are going to be left back. Yeah, and let
me just say that that part of this story that
no one's actually really talking about. So do you know
both Organ, Both of Organ's coordinators are taking head coaching jobs,

(01:21:50):
not assistant coaching jobs, head coaching jobs with the transfer
portal opening right now, and no one's even talking about it.
Why because Dan Lanning and those coaches haven't heegrity. There
are adults in the room when still dealing with eighteen,
nineteen to twenty year old kids. Lane Kiffin is bad, dude,
I guess did I know that as an Old Miss
fan beforehand? Sure, he really made an effort to try

(01:22:11):
and make it seem like he turned his life around.
He's a bad guy. He wanted to join the broadcast
of the Old Miss Georgia game because he's a narcissist.
He needs everything to do bout him. Ye Ole Miss
winning that game was not in Lane's plan and he
doesn't know how to handle it right now because he's
gonna make himself look like an idiot. The fact that
he's not let you have now in college football with NIL,
you have general managers. It's all transactional. You don't need

(01:22:33):
those assistants there time and time again just to help
you in the transfer portal. They can do that from Oxford.
He's a bad guy. I think they're gonna beat Miami,
obviously I'm biased, and if they don't, it's a they
have a very real shot to do it. It's not like
it's nearly as big one upset as it would be
against Georgia, and then who knows what can happen from there?
You're in the National Championship. Hotty Toddy can't can't turn

(01:22:55):
a hoe into a housewife.

Speaker 4 (01:22:56):
Scream you in.

Speaker 1 (01:22:58):
I appreciate Scott. We gotta see a quick time out
when we come back. I'll answer that, but before we do,
I just want to say to Joe's question earlier that
he tweeted at me, should the Astros trade Myers and Walker?
We have Cam and Cole waiting in the wings, Paraties
at first, Bryce at second two A and left. All right, Joe,
here's the problem. I do not see l Twov playing
left field. If you want to make a move to
left field, Bryce Matthews, I think would have to be

(01:23:19):
the guy. Should you trade Myers and Walker, I would
do that before I let go Parentes. I would move
Paredtes to first base, and then you got a permanent
right fielder with with a Cam Smith playing there and
then you'd have Jesus Sanchez go over to left. That
to me feels like the easy plan you bring in
a fourth outfielder in terms of depth. But I don't
know if that's gonna happen. If you're asking me what
I do believe is gonna happen. Walker will be here,

(01:23:41):
Paredes won't A two A sad and second base seven
seven ninety. I want to get to Scott's comments on
Ole Miss because of there are some things I have
about this game, and there's things about the college football
plaoff that I want to talk about. We'll do that
to close out space, say Saturday another space, stay Saturday
just comes and gones right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (01:24:01):
All right, Space Saturday.

Speaker 1 (01:24:03):
Concluding right here on Sports Talks seven ninety, Cole Thompson
rocket with you for a few more minutes seven one
three two one two five seven ninety, last chance getting
in on the phone lines. Texans. When they win tomorrow,
I'm calling it now. They will beat the Colts, will
finish the season twelve and five, and at the Titans
can pull off an upset over the Jaguars, they get
a third division title. You also have Katsu Tatsui am

(01:24:27):
I signing with the Astros on a three year, fifty
three million dollar deal, and four teams move on in
the College Football Playoff semi finals, none of which are Georgia, Alabama,
or Ohio State, just like we all predicted at the
start of the season.

Speaker 2 (01:24:40):
Okay, so I want to get to Scott's.

Speaker 1 (01:24:42):
Point here, the beauty of what is the college football Playoff,
especially in a twelve team model, even though I completely
disagree with it, and Scott, I'm just gonna let you
know right now, I'm a college football siko.

Speaker 2 (01:24:53):
I knew about every single week that was made.

Speaker 1 (01:24:55):
And I love the fact that will Stein and tash
du Poi are going to other universities and they're sticking
around in the staff because of their coach is giving
them the opportunity and having the integrity too. But the
beauty about the college football Playoff is you always can
expect the unexpected, and I think that's.

Speaker 2 (01:25:13):
Always going to be the case.

Speaker 1 (01:25:15):
And now we're starting to realize that that bye week
is actually more hurtful than helpful to teams. Indiana is
built different than anybody I have seen this year, and
as an Alabama grad who grew up in a household
phill of Hoosier fans. I can tell you watching that
game with my dad and seeing the smile on his
face protrude as the Crimson Tide, a team he has

(01:25:36):
had to hear about for the last fifteen years. For myself,
my brother, and my mother who became a part of
the tribe and part of the klan when we decided
to go there for college. It brought pure excitement in
my face because if he gets to experience that. But
that was the only team in the last two years
with buys in the first round that has advanced to
the semi finals. And maybe that says a lot about Indiana,

(01:25:59):
but it also a lot about what the value is
of the bye week. I can tell you right now
that Ole Miss is a good team. Georgia felt like
it was a great one and in that Old Miss
game that Scott was talking about that they actually lost
in the first round with link even on the staff,
that felt like the moment that turned to where everyone
was paying attention to Georgia as the team to beat

(01:26:20):
in the college football playoff.

Speaker 2 (01:26:21):
But the beauty about what is the.

Speaker 1 (01:26:23):
Playoff is expect the unexpected and your superstars have got
to deliver. And we got a performance from Tradad Chambliss
that will go down in not only Sugar Bowl history,
but will go down to make him a folklore in
Oxford forever. The way that he played in the third
quarter on just three straight plays, finding a way to
get up connection, evading pressure, and looking like freaking Johnny

(01:26:46):
Manzil against Alabama in twenty twelve, that is what won
you the football game.

Speaker 2 (01:26:52):
And I can tell you right now, Scott, I'm with you.

Speaker 1 (01:26:54):
I believe that because of there has not been a
player this year who has shown you.

Speaker 2 (01:26:59):
That they can go to hotel.

Speaker 1 (01:27:00):
There's having a player that Miami has faced off against
like trade Ad Chandlers. I think that Miami is going
to lose that game and almost is going to go
to the National Championship. But back to the Indiana point
of this whole thing, and it goes back to the
Lang Kiffin thing. Lane Kiffin's gonna face a lot of
pressure going into bat rooms now, and the reason why
is because of what Kirk Signetti's done. And this is
gonna be the norm for every single major institution in

(01:27:21):
college football. Every single person that signs on and says
I'm gonna take over X program. Well, Kirk Signetti took
over the most losing his program in college football history.
And in two years he has two losses, one of
which was to the national champion and one of which
was to the national champion runner up in twenty twenty four.
He's yet to lose the game this year, and they're
on a warpath to go their way and hoist up

(01:27:43):
their first national title in program history. And you know
what the scary thing is is that Lane Kiffen leaves
a team like Ole Miss, which I will say on
paper is a better job. You can go ahead and
argue with me all you want, but I think the
LSU is the premier job in college football. Won't run properly.
I can't fault my that. But Scott brought up a
point in today's nil in today's roster reconstruction in the

(01:28:05):
portal News, you can have advantages at any single location
in the sport.

Speaker 2 (01:28:09):
So what does that mean?

Speaker 1 (01:28:11):
Now You're going to a place like LSU where the
expectation is we're gonna win ten point, we're gonna win
twelve games, we're gonna win the SEC title. Oh and
by the way you think that we're gonna give you
time to build. Kirk Signetti did this in a year
at the losing his program in college football history. That
now puts a clock on every single person that goes

(01:28:32):
to a major institution because you have resources that Indiana
doesn't have, You have branding that Indiana doesn't have. And
it didn't matter to him because guess what, he just wins.
And if you don't believe me, google him. So Lanth
could be facing a little bit of pressure and he
may not be able to deliver it to his end
of the bargain. That does it for ust here on
Space City Saturday. We will see you next Saturday, and
I will see you all come Wednesday on the Morning

(01:28:55):
Drive with Dan and Cole.

Speaker 2 (01:28:56):
Have good Saturday, good rest of your weekend. Pace,

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

Kingdom of Fraud

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Astros Sign Pitcher Tatsuya Imai

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

Kingdom of Fraud

All Episodes

Astros Sign Pitcher Tatsuya Imai

Stuff You Should Know