The Christian Walker Fan Club

Originally aired on Feburary 14, 2026. On this episode, Cole Thompson diagnoses the Rockets, speculates on what the Texans will do with Titus Howard, and accuses Amy Adams Strunk of wanting to be an Oiler. All of these and more with your sports talk therapist, Cole Thompson.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Anybody else's get told you know what, obdiously to take
it out of the house.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
I don't want to be in your life.

Speaker 3 (00:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
I know it's supposed to be the day that we
celebrate and manufactured orchestrated Hallmark Holiday, but I hate you.
Get the hell out of here now. My wife did
not say that to me, but she did say, yeah,
go ahead to your show. You can talk later. I
guess I gotta work until one o'clock. Anyways. All right,
let's get the show on their own space A Saturday
with Cole Thompson Happy to have you right here on
Sports Talk seven ninety eleven to one to two hours

(00:29):
rockem Chew as the Rockets prepare for the second half
of the season. Following the All Star break, the number
three Cougars play host to the Wildcats of Kansas State.
Can watch that game on Peacock and you boys get
ready to go ahead and enjoy Denmark taking on the
United States. United States up won nothing currently in the
Hockey Olympics as they try to go ahead and improve
the two and oh before they take on Germany to

(00:50):
close out the weekend. You know the number seven one three, two,
one two five seven to ninety if you want to
get on in on the guest line. They anybody to
pay attention to what happened last night in the Rising
All Star Game, Like, and I'm asking this out of
curiosity because I feel like now more than ever, we're
not getting told information on things that probably don't carry
a lot of impact, but still we're not hearing much.

(01:14):
Like I remember going out to dinner last night. I
had a dinner thing for my wife's friend and we're
sitting down and I'm in the middle of having a
bite and I look up and I'm starting to see
Team Mellow get prepared to play Team Anthony for starters.
I didn't realize it was a fourteen tournament kind of
situation where you had Rivers out there, and then you
had t Mac out there, and then Vince then Mellow,

(01:35):
Like like, I didn't know that was gonna be what
you were talking about. But still I'm in the middle
of that. I'm like, I didn't realize that on Friday night,
not only was this gonna be like kind of a
round robin tournament, but that they didn't promote this anyway whatsoever,
And like, maybe this is just me kind of going
ahead and try to be annoyed at where we are
with all Star games these days, especially because of how

(01:57):
much they say, oh, it matters, and it's like, no,
it doesn't, not even a little bit doesn't actually matter.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
But still they try to tell you all the idea
that this is gonna be a fun game.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
It's not end up seeing I think Team Mellow win
twenty five twenty four was a team Team Vins won
twenty five to twenty four after Team Mello won against
Team Team mac Reache for drop nine points in the
first game.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
All right, sorry, it's back to my main point.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
It's a signal that right now the NBA is going
into the second half of the season.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
I want to get your opinion on this.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
So seven one three, two one two five seven to
ninety Rockets currently sits at thirty three and twenty their
second in the Southwest Division. The four and a half
games back of San Antonio overall in the Western Conference
standings to no when's surprise, they also are sitting in
the fourth place spot, still a game and a half
over the Los Angeles Lakers and a game back of

(02:43):
the Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile, San Antonio has moved up to
number two behind Oklahoma City. So here's the things that
I just gotta ask you. What are the non negotiables
you need to see from the Rockets going into the second.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Half of the season. They're gonna come on out.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
They'll face off against the Charlotte Hornets on the nineteenth
in Charlotte, a surging Charlotte Horn's team that is actually
playing with fight and quiet literly getting on fights in
the court whenever they get the opportunity to. But that's
at the point here. What are the things that you
need to see going in the second half of the season.
I got three for you, number one. Who is your
number three?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
I constantly say.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
This every single day that we do the morning drive
with Dan and Cole from six to ten. You know
you're gonna get points out of alpu ching Gun. You
know you're gonna get points out of Vin Durank Kevin
Durant's averaging twenty five point eight points, alpen ching Gun's
averaging twenty point seven. And then after that, you have
a constant changing carousel of dudes that you think could
end up being a quality third option, especially when it

(03:38):
comes to the offensive side, and it changes every night,
And I understand that's cool because it says that you
got a lot of debt. Yeah, you feel really good
about what Aman Thompson can be or what Jabari Smith
can be. Tarry Easton playing out of his mind to
kind of close out the month offt I mean to
close out the first half of the season. Read Shepherd
off of the bench, adding in more value, he's been
awesome off the bench. Like I think that you know

(03:59):
where his best role is at this point, serving as
a six man, and right now he is probably the
only player that you can trust to give you twenty
five minutes of actual non starter time. But the problem
is that the next night you watch them go back
to playing like they did two weeks ago, or you
watched them go back to looking as they did when
they were rookie. Yeah, you have twelve points from am
and Thompson. The night before he has fifteen points. But

(04:19):
before that against Charlotte, well he had eight and he
shot less than thirty five percent for the field, and
he didn't make a three pointer and he was a
liability defensively.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Jabari Smith Junior another one.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Jabari looked awesome to close out the last three games
against Oklahoma City and the two against the against the
Clippers twenty two points, thirteen points, sixteen points. He was
fifty percent from the field. In one game, he was
thirty nine percent forty one percent. In the Charlotte game,
he did seventy percent and dropped seventeen Like dude was
killing it.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
But before that.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
Eight eight eleven only had four rebounds, only had three assists.
And I understand that you want to be at some
point you're a team that you can that can trust that, yeah,
things will go your way.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
I want to know that there is a.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Consistent number three to where you're allowed to give Kevin
Duranan off night, because right now it feels like if
KD doesn't drop twenty five, you're probably gonna lose. If
KD doesn't have a double double, you're gonna lose. If
Albern shing dun is not close to a triple double,
it is gonna be a long day for you. Like
that's how it feels. And I don't want to live
in that world if I am a Rockets fan, because
I feel like that if I just have one stable

(05:28):
structure standpoint, I'll be good. I'll be fine.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
So I want to see who's gonna be the number three.
My bet is it's gonna be Jabari Smith.

Speaker 1 (05:35):
The way he closed out the last four games, averaging
around fifty percent of shots, doing really well defensively double
digit when it comes to the rebounds.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
I think there's a lot to like about him. But
it may be wrong.

Speaker 1 (05:46):
It maybe Iman Thompson, it may be Tari It may
be somebody that we're not talking about right now that
just comes to life and like basically gets the shot
of adrenaline like the like like shred V from the
TV show The Boys, Like hold, can you watch that
show The Boys a little bit? Okay, do you know
what I'm talking about? Like that like that, like this
the drug that they inject into the end of the athletes,

(06:07):
like into into watch his name.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
Stuff like that.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Yeah, yeah, it's like something V Like that's what I
need to see from one of the Rockets players, like
inject the crap out of him and let him become
just like a superstar and he's averaging like a double
double per night. Like if you give me that, then
you know what. I don't care who it is. It
could be Onman Thompson, it could be Read Shepherd. We're
all good in that standpoint number two, I want to know,
what are you gonna do when it comes to the

(06:32):
minutes of Kevin Durant, Katie has had almost zero low
management games, and we're playing in a season where eighty
two games is a lot, and like, let's just be real,
I'm gonna go on a rant, probably like in ten
minutes or so about where the NBA is and how
it's a joke and how there's so many things about
it that just make me so frustrated. Not the Rockets.
I want to, like this abudtantly clear to anybody out there,

(06:54):
Not the Rockets. They're they've been actually really good about
the standpoint physicality, playing to the final whist, so they're
not faking through injuries.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
I got any of that.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
But the NBA has just gotten on my last nerve
for the way that we act and answer to the
call a lot of times. So throw that out there.
But still, Kevin Durant has had almost no low management days.
Ye kind of come to a point where you gotta say,
we gotta give him a night off. Okay, well when
is that night coming off? More specifically, what are we

(07:23):
gonna utilize is this against a team that we feel
like that we need him for Are we gonna have
him play fewer minutes?

Speaker 2 (07:27):
Because right now he's averaging over thirty six minutes a game.
Like you get to.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
The second half of the season, you're gonna have to
have him play thirty or twenty nine or twenty six
or anything along those lines. So I'm very intrigued to
see what that role is going to be moving forward.
And the only way that you can get there is
by trusting what you see from question number one. You've
got a number three that can step on up and
be a quality number two any single night. Alpra Jen

(07:52):
Noon needs a night off. Okay, no problem solved, But
I don't think that you can be playing thirty seven
minutes anymore the entire second half and then feel like
that you are good enough.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
For the playoffs. Built for the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
Kevin Durant has missed three games the entire year, and
two of them were because of things that were not
basketball related.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
You're gonna need to give him some nights off.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
You're gonna need to go ahead and put him to
the wayside just a little bit. So what is gonna
be his minute counts, because that will help you transition
into what is point number three? I think this is
the most important one that I want to know as
a Rockets fan on how to prepare for the playoffs.
Because the Rockets are going to the playoffs, They're gonna
be a top four seed.

Speaker 2 (08:30):
I don't worry about that.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
And I understand that us here at the station, Matt
me Ross, Dan, both of the Clay I mean, both
the Adams. Everybody gets frustrated about this, and it's because
of this should be a team that we're talking about
meeting the standard of being one of the best in
the Western Conference, and.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
It feels like, Okay, there's a bunch of rosters.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
And then there's OKC above all of you, and the
Rockets are like right here. Like if there's a movie
shark Tail, where Martin Scorsese's character is playing in a
poper fish he's trying to explain where Oscar, who's played
by Will Smith, and it's like, partially the Rockets are
not where Oscar is below whale poop, but like that's
the way that some of the people in the station
are acting. My point here is are you closer to

(09:11):
the Spurs or are you closer.

Speaker 2 (09:12):
To the Lakers?

Speaker 1 (09:14):
I am fully convinced at this point with how well
Wemby has played with how while Dylan Harper has played
with how while they're utilizing their minutes, the bench time,
everybody kind of cohesing together, the darn Fox trade all
coming together, this is a team that is going to
be able to give Oklahoma City a run for its money.
I still think that Oklahoma City is the best team

(09:34):
currently in the Western Conference and the best team currently
in all of the NBA, even though they're dealing with
injuries and the SGA situation is now going to be
looking even more bleak because he's not expected back immediately
when we come out of the All Star break.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
But still, I think San Antonio.

Speaker 1 (09:51):
Has proven they got the bigs, they got the physicality,
they can play defense, They're great shooting, they have second
chance opportunities, they don't miss a lot of rebounds. You
gotta respect them a little bit, and it pains me
because of in the state of Texas. The only thing
I want to respect is the city of Houston and
h Town Sports.

Speaker 2 (10:06):
That's it.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
But you have the respect, I think, just enough of
where you are when it comes to San Antonio and
their progress. They have killed it this year, and they've
done it the right way, just the exact same way
that the Rockets have in my opinion, But are you
closer to them or are you close to the Lakers?
The Lakers, I don't believe in whatsoever they take nights off.
They look like crap when it comes to defense. There's

(10:30):
no life whatsoever offensively outside of Luca and every once
in a while Austin Reeves, the trio of Austin Reeves,
Lebron James and Luca. This was such an interesting stat
that I found out today they've played ten games together.
Like it's so much of a reminder like the Texans
when you said, well look at what you're gonna with
Stefan Diggs and Tank Dell and Nico Collins, and it's

(10:52):
like they played four games together before it was done.
Like that's the Lakers in my opinion, And I don't
trust them defense to get it together. And I don't
think that when you have your two bigs of Rui,
Hachi Mora and DeAndre Ayton playing down low, that's gonna
go into a seven game series against a Nikola Jokicic
against a Kadie and an oppera sheng Goon against the

(11:13):
two gigantors that are chet Holmegrim and Isaiah Hartenstein, and
then you throw in whatever you got with Wemby an
insert second player here.

Speaker 2 (11:22):
They're gonna last.

Speaker 1 (11:23):
Like I could easily see a team upsetting the Lakers
that they were to get the sixth seed.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
Like I could eat.

Speaker 1 (11:29):
I meant, if they were to get the four seed
and the Rockets were to get the five seed, I
could see that being a clean sweep. Like I do
not believe in JJ Redick's roster whatsoever. They didn't do
enough of the trade deadline. They're, in my opinion, a joke.
They're an absolute joke, and the only reason why we
give them any respect is because of what that logo
means and the history.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
Well, here's the thing about history.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
You gotta continue to give me a reason to give
you the praise, or you're just gonna go fall into
the path where we're non existing. You're extinct, you don't
belong in the same category. And right now I think
that that's where you are when it comes to Los Angeles.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
But what are the Rockets?

Speaker 1 (12:03):
Are they closer to the Lakers where they're not gonna
be good? Download Defensively, they're gonna be a liability allowing
too many second chance opportunities to score. They're not gonna
be able to get to at least forty percent from
field goal range. They're not gonna be sitting around thirty
eight to forty two percent and three point range. They're
gonna struggle at the free throw line. And you're gonna
be so codependent on your stars having to be the

(12:24):
X factor and the first, second, third, and only option
that ultimately you find yourself in a position where, yeah,
you may win the first round, but you're nowhere near
what Oklahoma City is, You're nowhere near what Denver is,
You're not where.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
San Antonio is. It's gonna be a quick series, one
and done.

Speaker 1 (12:43):
And yeah, you made some moves in the offseason, and
yeah you went out, you spent money to go bring
in Kevin Durant, and yeah, you made sure that you
were able to go ahead and afford some guys like
Dori and Finney Smith and then bring in some depth
with Josh Koge.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
But long and behold, here's where you are.

Speaker 1 (12:56):
You're a team that did the first thing that was
necessary of getting an x F playmaker.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
But then forgot about the rest of the roster.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
And if you don't show me that you've done enough
to be able to combat what is not make you
move to the trade deadline. You are closer to the
Lakers than you are the Spurs. If you're closer to
the Spurs, you can go into a seven game series
against Denver, against stan Antonio and punch your ticket to
a Western Conference championship.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
If not, you're gonna be.

Speaker 1 (13:22):
One and done when it comes to a playoff round win.
You'll beat whoever in the first round, and then it'll
be a quick exit in the second. Seven one three, two,
one two five, seven ninety. The phone lines are open, James,
we see you take a quick time out.

Speaker 2 (13:34):
Let's get to some ass shows, Talk, Pictures, and Catchers
have reported.

Speaker 1 (13:37):
Most of the roster are reporting, and East sac Peredes
is still a part of the program.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
Will he be on Monday?

Speaker 1 (13:44):
My thought's next right here on a space day Saturday
Sports Talks seven ninety. I usually don't ask you what
to play, Frankie, because it's just music. It's supposed to
set the stone, the tone for the rest of today.
You know what the goal song is for the United
States and hockey.

Speaker 2 (13:58):
Don't you no what is?

Speaker 1 (14:00):
It's free bird. At some point I'm gonna need to
hear some free bird.

Speaker 2 (14:05):
Don't tell me what.

Speaker 1 (14:05):
I'm not gonna look at the screen. You're just gonna
play it. At some point, I'm gonna need you to do
me a favor. Two, I'm gonna need you to have fast
forward it all the way up to where the guitar
soul happens. I don't care about the lyrics, I don't
care about the building. I just need to hear the
guitar soul. And we're gonna let that play throughout the
rest of the segment right here on a space safe
Saturday Sports Talk seven ninety co rocket with you until
one o'clock. Yes, if there is one thing I do

(14:26):
in the city besides make you all fall in love
with college football the way that I do, I will
make you want to see an NHL team come to
Toyota Center and have it be the Arrow's Return, or
we can call it whatever else and change the college
teams up to you, guys. I don't really care, but
we're gonna get hockey back here and we're gonna make
the sport be beloved in the city.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
Rockets.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
They return next week to take on the Charlotte Hornets
on the road for the start of the second half
of the season, and the Cougars. Number three Cougars take
on Kansas State, who may or may not fire Jerome
tang Out after today tip off at three pm for
two to seven. You can watch the game on Peacocker
listen on nine to fifty seven one three two one
two five seven nine.

Speaker 2 (15:07):
Let's go out to the guest line, James, good morning.
What's up, dud.

Speaker 4 (15:12):
Yeah, you said you want to request what you want
to see the Rockets.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
Dude, you are one thing that you need.

Speaker 4 (15:17):
Yes, yeah, I want them see I want to see
him play four solid quarters instead of having that one
quarter where the team comes back or they don't score
any points or the defense has gone south. I'd like
to see four solid quarters for a game. That'd be
that'd be pretty awesome. And then i'd like them to
stop their turnovers.

Speaker 2 (15:34):
And you're not wronging anything. You're saying you're not.

Speaker 1 (15:39):
And this is like the weird part is like I'm
looking at it from the respective of what you are
as a team versus what you can be. So what
you are as a team is you're a flawed but
still very dominant when you want to be roster offensively,
that's able to hang up one hundred and twenty points.
The problem is defensively you are just a liability and
you don't have that enforcer the way that you did

(15:59):
last season when it came to Dylan Brooks, and we
could argue this for a while about what was the
right move?

Speaker 2 (16:04):
Do you keep dB?

Speaker 5 (16:05):
Well?

Speaker 1 (16:06):
dB was not gonna be bad here. If you want
a KD like that, just it like and they knew that.
And unfortunately, when you spend money to go get yourself
an enforcer, you got to give up something that you
probably don't want to. And the Phoenix Suns kind of
arm wrestled you and made scream uncle and said we
want one of your better defensive players. And you're like,
how about you take Jabari Smith. No, we don't want

(16:27):
Jabari Smith. Okay, well we're already taken one young gun.
You gotta give us a proven event, all right, Dylan
Brooks out the door, Happy trails. We're gonna miss you here,
and they do. It's very clear that they do. And
that does play in A James's question, at least when
it comes to the status of playing four quarters because
of he's not wrong, there's like.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
Two quarters per night where they look elite.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
I mean like if you just say, hey, game is
twenty four minutes long, it's only gonna be twenty four
and you get to pick which two it's either gonna
be the fourth quarter and the second quarter or the
first quarter in the second quarter, and you look elite.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
And it's just that line.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
Rockets are probably sitting as the number two seed in
the Western Conference. Like they definitely don't blow a couple
of games against the Pelicans, against the Clippers too. I
mean at Culppers a couple of weeks ago, they're better
offensively or more consistently offensively, So you out all lot together,
it's like, okay, that's a probably that's a pretty big win.
So I get playing four consistent quarters, I just don't

(17:29):
know if it's gonna happen.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
And then when it comes to the turnovers.

Speaker 1 (17:32):
Yeah, it was so interesting to watch them play a
couple of weeks ago, I mean last weekend against Oklahoma
City and an Oklahoma City game. They were fine, but
they didn't have as many turnovers and they were able
to keep things interesting to where even though they were
down by double digits, and yes there was no Williams,
and yes there was no SGA because if you didn't

(17:53):
get the ball over on a high rate lo and behold,
you were able to get back in the game. So
I mean, like, yeah, I could. I could see both
of those being reasons. I won't fight back if that's
where you are. When it comes from as for being
more physical around the boards, brother, this is the team.

Speaker 2 (18:07):
Like you get to a point and argue this.

Speaker 1 (18:09):
A lot with college football, and I argue this a
lot when it came to the Texans. The Texans need
to run the football more right, and I need to
go ahead and work out for an extra forty five minutes.
We know these things, but like like we know these
are things that are gonna happen or that should happen.
Here's the question. I don't have enough time in the
day to go for a two and a half hour workout.

(18:30):
The Texans don't have the running backs in the room
to be able to move it down the field at
an efficient click.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
They just don't.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
And so when you add that together, what the point
is here is that this is who you are as
a team. The Rockets don't have the bigs and the
physicality to be able to win around the boards the
way that you want them to. This is who you
are as a roster, so you gotta go ahead and
figure out a way to make it work.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
That's where we are. Seven one, three, two, two five
seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
Okay, Frankie, let's go out to West Palm Beach and
talk to Carlos Korea Korea. Yesterday I met with the media,
talked about now playing for Team Puerto Rico, talked about
bad Bunny actually willing to pay his price, which I mean,
we can have a huge discuss on that one in
a minute.

Speaker 2 (19:08):
But he also talked about the infield.

Speaker 1 (19:11):
Eastcac Parrees, as of eleven twenty five on a Saturday morning,
is still a member of the Houston Astros. There is
only four positions in the in the infield for everyone
to play, and East sac Prees has earned the right
to call himself a starter and in my opinion, probably
should be starting almost every single day if given the
opportunity to. And so now we're in a long gym.

(19:34):
What do you do with second base? What do you
do with first base? In Christian Walker, what do you
do now with third base having Carlos Correa there, Jeremy
Pang is not going anywhere and he's gonna be your
starting shortstops. So what is the right course of action.
Carlos Correa's answer, A lot of.

Speaker 6 (19:48):
The players are learning to play the outfield. We have
a lot of people that you know, potentially it could
be used later on for trades and all that. I'm
not a GM, but I know that twenty four fielders
can play at a time. So you gotta make you
gotta make some moves and put some people in the outfield.

(20:10):
I mean, you gotta have death also in case somebody
gets hurt and you need their guys, or in case
somebody gets an off day. But it's a good problem
to have when you have a lot of time into players.
There's a lot of options, a lot of things you
can do as a as a GM, and that's what
data has right here right there in this week.

Speaker 2 (20:26):
It's frustrating, that's all it is.

Speaker 1 (20:28):
And that it goes bad to being frustrating because yes,
you do have a lot of options. And that's why
right now, going into Monday, when everyone is supposed to
be down in West Palm, I think the escich predates
will be there because if there's not a deal on
the table that I'm looking at and saying, Yep, gotta
go make that, Yep, gotta go do that. There was
one person, there was one person I wanted to let

(20:48):
go of escac Preadies, and it was pretty simple. All
I wanted was, will your Ray you back for the
Boston Red Sox. You traded him to go get Christian Basquez.
It helped you win a World Series title. It did,
but Basquez is no longer part of the team for now.

Speaker 2 (21:05):
We could talk about that in a second. But the
thing is.

Speaker 1 (21:08):
Is that William bray You has panned on out to
become one of the better left handed outfield bats in Boston, and.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
He's not playing daily. We're in Houston.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
He would and yeah, we can talk about well, Joey
Liperfido is back. Yeah, Joey Liperfito is back. That's great,
water's wet. They're equal in my eyes right now. Until
you prove otherwise, buddy, that you can be up here
at a consistent rate, You're gonna be driving in runs.
All you are is a dude that is fighting for
a roster spot, and I wish you the best. I
really do you still win the USA cacucha trade because

(21:38):
of guess who's back in Houston and guess who helped
you get over the hump? Both things occurred, and Joey
Liperfito now is part of Houston to help them probably
get to a level of where maybe they'll be the favorite.

Speaker 2 (21:48):
So when the American League West, we don't know those things.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
But still regardless, William Brady was the only option I
wanted in love in the outfield, and he could play
left field, he could play right field. And now you're
go get estack parents and you're saying, well, what are
the options of it, Well, Pittsburgh they need a third baseman.
Who are you looking at at Pittsburgh's lineup and saying, yep,
totally want to bring those guys in.

Speaker 2 (22:10):
Most people say Brian Reynolds.

Speaker 1 (22:11):
I would get that, but Brian Rewinds is expensive for
the next three years, and he has struggled to have
a good second half the last two years offensively, at
least hard pass. Well, what about a picture unless you're
getting Bubba Chandler, who is going to be a stud
I don't see that they're being a picture.

Speaker 2 (22:29):
That's available. Will Joey Bart stop?

Speaker 1 (22:31):
If you want to say Joey Bart, I will end
up hanging up on you immediately. If you call in
and say Joey Bart's name, I will do somebody tests me.
I dare you to do it just for fun. It's
a Saturday, We're in the off season period of almost
all sports. Call in and say I think Joey, but
I will hang up immediately. That's what Pittsburgh has to offer.
And there's not a team out there right now that
I'm looking at that is in a competitive market to

(22:53):
where you think that you're going to upgrade in terms
of your roster but still be able to win the
trade for east Pares.

Speaker 2 (23:01):
That's just it.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
So you're in a conundrum because of On one hand,
there is no right answer.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
He should be playing daily.

Speaker 1 (23:08):
The only way that that could happen is if you
have Jose al to of a DH, which means you're
not on Alvaus has got to go to left field
and est Soac parrettes play second where he's barely played
it before.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
That's probably the only way it works.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Or each Pretties is DH and then you're don Alvarez
goes to left field, which is something that they don't
want to do. That's just where you are as an
organization right now. So at some point there has to
be a move made. It just needs to occur. And
the frustrating part is that you still need to walk
away a winner. The good news is that, let's just
say you don't trade away a Let's just say you

(23:43):
don't trade away eat SoC Predes before the start of
the season.

Speaker 2 (23:46):
You're gonna have.

Speaker 1 (23:48):
One of the best in fields in baseball because I
think Christian Walker's bouncing back, I really do. I think
that he is going to be better offensively. On top
of that, I think that he is still a gold
Glove gold Glove first baseman. You know that Al two
bay is gonna still be the reliable hit machine at second.
If I get Jeremy Panning at two point, oh what
we saw in twenty twenty five, sign me on up
for Manchester Silver Slugger season. But whatever the hell he

(24:10):
wants on the dotted line and Carl's Korea, moving to
third base maybe the best thing for his career. So
Carl's Korea, what are your thoughts on where you stack
up around the American League West.

Speaker 6 (24:21):
I think we're we have a great team, and we're
the team to be there. That's how we always feel.
Last year was just a tough year in terms in
terms of help wise, and that's what we were attacking
that this year head on, and we're more intentional about
the way we prepare and the way that we are
ready before we go to practice and before we go
to games. So and staying health it's gonna be the key,
the key thing for us as a team. And after that,

(24:43):
you know what everybody can do whenever it's a difficuel potential.

Speaker 1 (24:45):
I stand on this, not only but oh my god,
I'll tell you a second on the next part. Not
only were the Astros going to win the American League
West if they had like ten fewer injuries, you go
five fewer injuries, they still make the playoffs. Like if
you have fifteen viewer injuries, they're fighting for the number
one seed in the American League. Injuries are gonna be

(25:07):
a big deal this season. You stay healthy, you're gonna
be on the field. You're gonna be able to have
one of the better one through six lineups. Which is
interesting to see how you can go ahead and man
play that when it comes to certain matchups. If you
don't try away eastac parredes, where do you want so
and so on?

Speaker 7 (25:21):
What hole?

Speaker 1 (25:22):
Where do you want so and so in this spot?
How do you want to go ahead and set up
left to right batting, the positionings, all these other little
things and tidbits I think are going to be really fun.

Speaker 2 (25:29):
But still.

Speaker 1 (25:32):
You're gonna be a team that I think is fully healthy,
competing alongside almost anybody in the American League for not
just first place, but I would say at least second
like you will have an opportunity to get the first
round by I think you should. You should be in
the divisional round almost immediately. Now, I'm not sold that
Seattle is gonna be able to duplicate their success, despite
the fact that they weren't idiots and they made some

(25:53):
decent moves, like I don't know, going out and adding
in a Brandon Donovan very smart move one I think
everybody in hush and would have loved to have seen
seven one three, two one two five seven ninety I
guess because of right now, Finland that lost yesterday, Yes,
this is hockey talk, get used to it.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
Lais and gentlemen that lost yesterday to Sweden. They just
I mean that.

Speaker 1 (26:14):
No, my bad that lost earlier this week to Slovakia
has scored eight goals.

Speaker 2 (26:19):
They have scored eight.

Speaker 1 (26:20):
Goals against Italy and the last two were just basically
flicker our wrists, like we don't care.

Speaker 2 (26:24):
Can we just end this?

Speaker 1 (26:25):
Like I'm basically saying, it's like when you play a
college football game, have a running clock in the second half. Guys,
just have a running clock Inainst Italy. Like this has
gotta be over, like we do not need to see
any more goals be given on up and this poor
kid's reputation seven one, three, two, two five seven ninety
Christian Walker, are you buying the stock that he's gonna
have a breakout season?

Speaker 3 (26:43):
I am.

Speaker 1 (26:43):
I'll tell you why next right here on space say
Saturday Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (26:47):
Okay, come on, guys, you gotta pull him like you
like y'all. Let listen.

Speaker 1 (26:51):
De Vali fon Donni I believe is your name. They
gotta pull you, buddy. That It is nine to nothing Finland,
and that's after pulling Damien Clara who started the game.
He allowed thirty six shots on goal, six goals, so
they got into the third period and say, you know what,
We're gonna go to the backup. You gotta go to
the third stringer like this is. This is brutal, guys,

(27:13):
like I feel for both of you. There's sixteen minutes
left in the in this game. And then we got
cute the United States taking on Denmark two ten first
puck drop Space a Saturday Sports Sex seven ninety Colton's
Rogo two unti one o'clock. You also have the Cougars
taking on the Wildcats of Manhattan, Kansas State. Watch a
game on Peacock. You can also listen to the game

(27:35):
on nine point fifty. Pitchers and catchers have reported down
to West Palm Beats. Most of the roster has too.
We'll get into that in a moment. And of course
the Rockets have Alprin Shingoon playing for Team World and
then they return next Thursday to take on the Charlotte
Hornets to meet the second half of the season. You
know that number seven one three, two one two five
seven to ninety. Happy to have you on the show,

(27:57):
Christian Walker.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
Now you go. If you listen daily, or at least
listen enough, have probably.

Speaker 1 (28:04):
Heard about one of our cohorts here being the president
of a fan club for one player that has started
to lose a little bit of gusso.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
But it's just like that that last cigarette. You can't
quit it.

Speaker 1 (28:18):
I don't know what it is. It takes it forever
to break. Eventually you come around and you realize it's
not meant for me. But he's the president of the
Jake Myers fan Club. Well, I have decided to take
on the role of being the president of the Christian
Walker fan club. He's going to be back next year,
and I can prove this on multiple reasons. But before

(28:39):
we do any of that, let's go out to West
Palm Beach and here from Christian Walker.

Speaker 2 (28:43):
Twenty twenty five not a good year. It'll be the
first to tell you.

Speaker 1 (28:46):
Went two thirty eight batting average, a career high in strikeout,
in plate appearances, dead leave the team at home rounds
for twenty seven, which was one more than he had
last season, to Arizona, did finish with eighty eight RBI,
four more than he had last season. Area sona walk right,
ran down, ops went down, slugging dropped mightily, and you

(29:06):
would think that that would probably be something to worry
about going into the year. Walker pros pro not gonna
even put that in his mindset.

Speaker 8 (29:17):
It's baseball. It was you know, it was a tough
first half for sure, I'm not gonna deny that. But
and I think the second half things started, you know,
falling back into place. And yeah, it's it's hard to
sit here and say maybe why or what. I don't
think it was any of you know, the situation. I
think for me, it was just about my swing. I
had a hard time repeating some moves. Spent a lot

(29:39):
of time in the cages over the course of the
season in this offseason just trying to figure some things out.
But uh yeah, yeah, I feel feel like myself and
I'm excited for another season.

Speaker 2 (29:49):
So here's the thing. We've seen this before. We're Christian Walker.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
Now most of you haven't because of you probably just
thought of the dude from South Carolina that played down
in Arizona. I never thought anything of him during his
career before he signed a three year deal to go
to be the nation's first basement long term. But in
twenty twenty one, not a good year for Christian Walker. Fact,
in my opinion, was probably one of his lower seasons

(30:13):
that we have noticed. Bat On almost every single level
ten home runs, forty six RBIs.

Speaker 2 (30:20):
He only had two hundred and eighteen at bets.

Speaker 1 (30:22):
He only played in fifty seven games because of injury,
but still, batting average was low under two forty opb
was low under three hundred, Slugging was low four fifty
nine ops was yeah. He had a zero war. He
did not offer much about anything else. He was fine defensively,
but not much. Twenty twenty one forgetful year, Well here

(30:43):
comes twenty twenty two.

Speaker 2 (30:44):
Can anybody tell me what happened? Number one?

Speaker 1 (30:46):
Stay fully healthy, big time winning that standpoint. Number two
and probably the bigger standpoint that we look at. He
killed it at the plate, changed his approach when it
came to timing, did a good job of laying off
of off speed pitches, and everything seemed to sort of work.
Tripled his home run counter from ten to thirty six,

(31:08):
went from forty six rbi to ninety four RBI. The
walk rate was doubled from thirty eight to sixty nine.
He took more pitches. His strikeout weight ran up, but
naturally it went up because if you played more games,
but it only went up by twenty strikeouts.

Speaker 2 (31:27):
He had more stolen bases.

Speaker 1 (31:29):
He had a lower batting average, but by one point
he had higher OPV, had a double higher and sliding
percentage went to an eight H four OPS and he
had a five point one F four.

Speaker 2 (31:42):
Oh and he still played elite defense.

Speaker 1 (31:44):
So you change your approach in the offseason, you learn
some errors of what you did wrong, and on top
of that, you work on some things with your new staff,
because they made some changes with Arizona that season, and
then that was where they went onto the World Series
that offseason. Change the manager, but so everything else they
can't change around it.

Speaker 2 (32:02):
So still.

Speaker 1 (32:03):
Then the Astross, this dude kind of the exact same thing,
bringing a new hitting coach, bringing some new staff members,
have him work on a couple of things that you
need to change with his approach to the plate, like
all the little details that you're looking for.

Speaker 2 (32:15):
Oh and doesn't he still play a pretty decent glove
at first.

Speaker 1 (32:19):
I'm not saying it's gonna be a gold glover every
single game, but he's still able to go ahead and
hold his own. So you're saying that you add that
in like he did in the off season. Between twenty
twenty one and twenty twenty two where the Rangers, I
mean with the with the Diamondbacks, we're able to finally
make somewhat of a run oh lo and behold, yeah,

(32:40):
I think they're gonna be pretty dang good. So EI
think the Christian Walker, if you take any bit of
the approach that you learn from his time out in
Arizona and he takes that to Houston, Well, now we're
talking about a guy that is.

Speaker 2 (32:50):
Probably not going to be hitting in the forehole. He's
going to be hitting in the five Okay.

Speaker 1 (32:54):
We like that a lot because that shows you that
the managerial staff and the coaches are saying, you got
to earn your way back to being the power hitter.
Despite leading our team in home runs. But on top
of that, he was more consistent and more confident hitting
in the five hole. Look at his home run totals,
look at his strikeout rate, look at his OPB last year,
look at the pitch counts. How he was able to

(33:15):
work in his favor, all little details that we talk
about when it comes to guys who are in slums
and are really struggling at moments to kind of figure
out what they want to be offensively. Walker fixed all
that or at least played up to a certain par
when not asked to be in the cleanup spot. I
think at this point, you throw in an offseason where
he's been able to change his approach, you probably feel

(33:38):
pretty confident that his role is only going to get
better with time. And so I think that when you
look at add all those pieces together, knowing that you
bring in a Carlos Carea and you still have in
the East sac Parides, and you also have a healthy
yord On back and Josel Too's gonna be hitting ahead
of him, or we're talking about a team right now,
that again put him in the fire the sixth home

(34:01):
on the compete with yannri Giaz for where he belongs
to the top half of the batting order.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
Yeah, I like his chances.

Speaker 1 (34:07):
I do.

Speaker 2 (34:08):
I like to believe that he is going to have
a resurgent year and again, give everyone a mulligan.

Speaker 1 (34:14):
If we give so many people around society mulligan's in life,
can't you, as an Astros fan, give him one more
shot to prove you wrong. Because we're all idiots. From
time to time, every single person says something moronic. There
will be a lot of people who I think are
going to be sitting back and asking themselves, I, you
know what, I was probably a little bit wrong on
how I felt about Christian Walker. And if you don't

(34:36):
want to take my word for it, here was Christian
Walker talking about the corrections he made late in last
season to put himself in a better spot to be
competitive to close out twenty twenty five.

Speaker 8 (34:47):
I think I was starting my swing from a better spot.

Speaker 3 (34:50):
I think.

Speaker 8 (34:52):
My posture early I had a hard time controlling my
forward movie and my leg kick.

Speaker 1 (35:01):
It was.

Speaker 8 (35:02):
It was very forward and very crashy and pushy, and
it messes when my postures not in a good spot
in my back path because weird things and it you know,
I'm not going to say it was it was a
bad thing. It was just something that I wasn't used
to and it's something I couldn't quite figure out. So
as I moved into the second half, I noticed I
think my launch position being a little bit more consistent,

(35:22):
more repeatable, and something more cohesive with hitting balls in
the air and making good decisions. You know, feeling very
downhill it speeds things up. It's hard to make good decisions,
it's hard to feel on time. So so you know,
just just just launching from a more consistent position and
giving myself a better chance.

Speaker 1 (35:42):
Christian Walker in the second half, higher batting average, higher
f four, more home runs, more doubles, more RBIs than
how he had in the first half fifteen we one
two fifty batting average for eighty eight s, seven seventy
nine ops, one WRCs plus. He already made some changes.

(36:03):
He makes some more. We're not talking about an All Star.
I don't want to get your hopes to that level.
But we are talking about a guy that you are
not gonna be complaining about when he's got to go
to the play and you gotta run around second and
two outs.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
That's all I'm saying you. If we can get to
that level, I mean, like, let's be right, we can
get to that level.

Speaker 1 (36:19):
As a society and say, okay, cool, he's a part
of now the solution, maybe not the X factor like
when we signed him to be here, No harm, no foul,
Because that's why you go out.

Speaker 2 (36:29):
And you add in a guy like a Carlos Carreo.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
That's why you have an est SoC pretes, that's why
you still have hose Al tub and that's why you
are banking on still believing that Jeremy Payne at the
top of the lineup can get stuff done. Seven one three,
two one two five seven to ninety est sac Parredes
trade rumor has started once again. There is a team
to where it makes sense on paper if they are
willing to do what the astros are asking for. I'll

(36:53):
explain who that player is and the team when we
come back right here on a Space Aday Saturday sports
Sack seven ninety zong.

Speaker 2 (37:01):
Come on here in it all day.

Speaker 1 (37:04):
It's gonna be like a seven to one in victory
over the Danish.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
Kill him. They should have beaten the brakes out of
a Latvia.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
Just play this song no stop, but the guitar solo.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
Ring true for like an hour and a half.

Speaker 1 (37:18):
I promise you not only will everyone in Italy be
so annoyed with us, but they'll score like nine goals
during that span. Space Say Saturday with Cole Thompson, Rock
with show God Frank, Yes, you found a way to
get it at the perfect light location.

Speaker 2 (37:31):
Ah. I will argue this is one of the best
guitar solos of all time.

Speaker 1 (37:35):
I'm not supposed to bring up music, but when music
is brought up like this level.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
You have to comment on it. You just do.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
It is a shot of adrenaline. It just get It
makes you so had. How can you be upset listening
to free Bird? I guess the best way to put it, Frankie,
do you ever get.

Speaker 2 (37:52):
Up listen to the song?

Speaker 3 (37:53):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (37:54):
No, exactly. I took my niece for a walk yesterday.
I never get to see her.

Speaker 1 (37:58):
She's five months old and we're in the stroller and
she's listening to her lullaby stuff and her dad's not
paying attention. So I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna
switch out the phones and I made her listen to
Freeber to get prepared for today's game.

Speaker 2 (38:12):
She is going to be a huge, huge, huge.

Speaker 1 (38:15):
Supporter of the United States Hockey as they go ahead
and find a way.

Speaker 2 (38:19):
To improve it. Two and zero over the Danish. Also
the Rockets.

Speaker 1 (38:22):
They'll be back in the All Star Break taking on
the Charlotte Hornets with the shot to gain ground as
the number four seed in the Western Conference, and the
Astros will have an entire lineup down in West Palm
Beach come Monday for the start of spring training. Seven one, three,
two five, seven ninety ah, Frankie, you just knew how
to get me in a good mood. If the Astros

(38:45):
are gonna trade east side predes to the Milwaukee Brewers,
they're gonna get one player and one player only in return.

Speaker 2 (38:50):
I'm sorry, Like, that's where it is.

Speaker 1 (38:51):
So if you guys aren't paying attention, Boston moves out
of the way and they say, you know what, we're
not willing to give you William Brady were Aaron Duran
unless you want to pay a little bit more, and
we don't want to pay a little bit more than
just giving Esaparada.

Speaker 2 (39:04):
It's cool.

Speaker 1 (39:04):
We're gonna bring in Caleb Durman, We're gonna bring in
a bunch of other infielders, and we'll make this work
in some type of Kirkland brand. We don't really care.
We'll figure it out like with nuts and bolts and
tape it together infield until you want to play hardball
with us.

Speaker 2 (39:20):
Okay, well, we're gonna move past you.

Speaker 1 (39:22):
The Pittsburgh Pirates had some moves I actually did like,
and then they said we're gonna go bring in Marcelo Zuna,
which means at this point the only thing that we
can go after is a third baseman, and we need
to give you basically a Brian Reynolds or nobody else's
that's what you're getting in terms of a deal. Oh,

(39:42):
we'll throw in Joey Bart if you throw on a
pitcher for us. Okay, well that's a deal. So now,
because of Milwaukee, which is so interesting because they're the
team that every single year finds a way to win
the most games in the National League. They out hit
their card like there's ever been eighteen that out hits
its coverage every single time.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
It's Milwaukee.

Speaker 1 (40:04):
They are quiet lily in the Tampa Bay Rays of
the National League. Well, here they are once again finding
an opportunity to go make a move and get an
East sac Parades. But the Astors are gonna want something
in return. They need South Freelick. If they're not getting
South Friedlick, this is not a move I want to make.
It isn't South Frielick last year had two eighty eight
batting average. He was had twelve home runs, sixty three

(40:25):
RBIs very good in the outfield, played multiple positions, mostly
in right, did see some reps in left, and you figure, okay, well.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
That solves one problem.

Speaker 1 (40:35):
Because of Joey Lo Brafito can be a guy that
you trust as a corner outfielder and allows you to
maybe move off of a Jake Myers in some type
of position if you get a prospect in return, and
Freelick can come and be competitive alongside camp Smith for
the long term as two of your younger, more promising
players in the organization.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
He's only twenty six years old. That's where he is.
Here's my thing.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
They're gonna try to not give up him, and I
reget it. Garrett Mitchell's hurt right now. You have a
cuebe badou in Blake Perkins in your minor league system.
Christian Yellott at this point is only gonna be a
DH so they're not gonna want to give him on up,
and I can get behind that, but at this point
you're not getting anyone else.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
Freddy Pearl has gone their starting pitcher.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
Their number one picture is gonna be Jacob Misarowski, who
may end up being better or as talent as Paul Skeins,
so eventually he'll be traded. Your number two is gonna
be Quinn, Priester and Brandon, which is probably your number three.
None of them entices me. None of their bullpen entices me,
and you don't need bullpen help. William Conturrez is not
leaving any time soon. That is probably the one player

(41:44):
that they will pay for and as the one player
that they want to be the cornerstone of their franchise.
You don't need Bryce ter Ring, even though he would
be awesome in this infield. In fact, he'd be probably
the best in this infield. Joey Ortiz is a depth piece.
Monasterio is now off to Boston alongside with Durbin, and
you're not gonna go bring in like a Luis ran
Kifo who they just signed to a one year deal.

(42:05):
So there's one player that you want, and much like
when it comes to the status of Boston, you have
what they want.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
Like, Frankie, what what TV show is?

Speaker 1 (42:17):
Is it the Mandalorian that gen Carlo Espinoza Espasiito's in
Ye yeah, and he's like, you have something I want?

Speaker 2 (42:24):
Like that's what the astro should be.

Speaker 1 (42:26):
That's what Dana Brown should be acting like, is like
that general dude who is quite literally Gustavo Fringe on
Sicco mode and the Mandalorian.

Speaker 2 (42:35):
You have something I want? Okay? Cool? I want Salfrelick.
I'm not moving at hell.

Speaker 1 (42:40):
You want know what Giancarlo Espasido did when he played
Gustavo Fringe. He didn't accept mediocrity number one, and he's
sure as hell did not accept smaller deals. Go full
Gustavo Fringe. When it comes to Brewers, you want Esaparentez.
I want Salfreelick.

Speaker 2 (42:56):
That's it. And if there's any other phone call that's
being made, go do this and hang up.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
Oh you're let try it again, Frankie here here, I'm
gonna offer you h Bryce, all right, we're done playing games?

Speaker 3 (43:10):
All right?

Speaker 2 (43:10):
How about Joe yr Okay, I guess how about quick
pre again? Hang up on them, because.

Speaker 1 (43:18):
If you are the Astros, you have what is necessary
for their offense and for their interior, I mean for
their infield. You want to what's not necessary for me
to get rid of Eastie paries unless I'm getting what
I want to return. And I would love soft Freelick.
He'd be great in the outfield. He's solid, defensively, great speed,
and the best part is you can set your lineup

(43:39):
properly with him in it. You can because if he's
going to hit either seventh, eighth or ninth where East
I Parades is probably gonna be hitting in the top three.
So it allows you to better your lineup for.

Speaker 2 (43:50):
The long term. But if you're not gonna get that
deal done.

Speaker 1 (43:53):
You hang up on Milwaukee and if I hear of
anybody saying, well, they're talking some some other people, you
better have the proven life tinted bat that is going
to be at the bottom of the lineup that will
add incredible value offensively to your team. One hour down,
one in the book, one more in the books. Let's
go talk some Texans. There is one move that needs
to be made before anything else can occur. I'll tell

(44:14):
ya what it is. As we are less than four
weeks away from free agency, starting right here on Space
Aday Saturday Sports Talk seven ninety I really now want
to go to a.

Speaker 2 (44:22):
Concert inside of a.

Speaker 1 (44:26):
Fast food joint immediately, Frankie, did you see this recently?

Speaker 2 (44:29):
No Jimmy Eat World.

Speaker 1 (44:31):
Last night in the middle of an Arby's in Arkansas
performed an entire six song set.

Speaker 2 (44:38):
There is now nothing more I want than to.

Speaker 1 (44:40):
You wanna what if you if you give me yellow
card inside of an Arby's, or better yet, inside of
a Long John Silvers.

Speaker 2 (44:48):
I will spend fifty dollars on food to go there.
I will gladly do that.

Speaker 1 (44:53):
That should be for any crappy fast food place that
nobody pays attention to.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
And yes, you are the weird one. If you you
like Arby's, you are.

Speaker 1 (45:01):
I'm not gonna sit here and get into arguments about
you're just giving it a bad No. Arby's is terrible,
you know it is. I know it is the only
thing that's good there in the curly fries. But if
you're a terrible restaurant or a fast food joint, get
a popular nineties band to play there. I promise you
you will sell out that place and you will actually
get a profit for the month.

Speaker 2 (45:19):
I promise you.

Speaker 1 (45:20):
Just have the people from up top go ahead and
be willing to pay the twenty thousand dollars to have
the perform inside of an Army's or inside of a
Long John Silvers or what's another crappy restaurant that's a
fast food joint?

Speaker 2 (45:31):
Frankie, what do you got off the top.

Speaker 3 (45:32):
Of your head?

Speaker 2 (45:33):
Not? Oh, Jack in the Box? Okay, I like Jack
in the Box.

Speaker 1 (45:36):
Maybe that's maybe that's my Arby's, and you know what,
I'm okay with that being my Arby's. But so fine,
we'll throw on Jack in the Box, get Yellow Card,
or go get a We the Kings or something along
those lines from like two thousands pop punk bands.

Speaker 2 (45:50):
You bet your you bet like crazy. I will be there.
I will be the first person in line.

Speaker 1 (45:56):
I will order two hundred dollars worth of food simply
because if you pulled off off what I asked you
to do, it is a space. Say Saturday right here
on Sports Talk seven to ninety, we're in full off
season mode. So Frankie and I are gonna be talking
about some other things coming up in a minute, because
I gotta pick his brain. If you guys don't know,
Frankie Western Moorland is probably the best utility card that
we have at iHeartMedia, because if not only is he

(46:18):
able to produce sports shows, but the man is able
to talk to your ear off about everything that you
could ever imagine when it comes to movies. And I
gotta pick his brain on some of the things that
are coming out in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (46:27):
So we'll get to that.

Speaker 1 (46:29):
We also will get to what is going on down
in West Palm Beach as the Astros. They are reporting
all today for the start of training camp that begins
on Monday. Cougar's number three in the country. For Tita
Center three pm tip off, they will take on the
Kansas State Wildcats. Jerome Tank still is employed. I have

(46:51):
no idea how, but he is. You can listen to
that game on nine to fifty. You can watch the
game on Peacock. And of course the Rockets return from
the All Star break. They will take off the Charlotte
Hornets next Thursday out in Charlotte for the start of
the second half. The number is seven one three two
one two five seven nine. If you want to get
it in on the guest line Texan's free agency. This

(47:11):
is gonna be a really, really intriguing off season for
a lot of reasons.

Speaker 2 (47:16):
Now, let's start off with number one.

Speaker 1 (47:18):
Going off a twelve and five season can only go
up from here if you expected to and you were
right there.

Speaker 2 (47:24):
I got to be wrong. You were right there. I understand.

Speaker 1 (47:28):
If you're still it is February fourteenth, on a day
of love, on a day where you're supposed to be
chilling with your significant other, you're screaming into a pillow.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
It should have been us. It should have been us
in the Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (47:37):
I can get that because the way that the Patriots
basically laid down and died against Seattle, you.

Speaker 2 (47:44):
Think that you should have gotten past them.

Speaker 1 (47:46):
But if you think that there is still room to
where it's only going to be up from here, it
starts by killing it in free agency, and we are
less than twenty eight days away from free agency starting.
Then afterwards you go to the draft. After that you're
able to go bring in nine players. Know what that
number is gonna change because it's Nick Cassario. He's not
gonna keep every single pick. And then you'll begin in
the off season workouts and try to go ahead and

(48:06):
run it back in point twenty six. There's one question
that needs to be answered before you go anywhere else
this offseason. And it's not on the defensive line, and
it's not on the coaching staff, and it's not on CJ.
Strouds fit your option, and it's not on the extension
for Will Anderson Junior. They're all things that I absolutely
think need to be addressed, but those are not the
number one things.

Speaker 2 (48:27):
The number one thing is figuring out what are you
doing doing with Titus Hoard? Is he a garter? Is
he a tackle?

Speaker 1 (48:33):
And I know that everyone will go ahead and say, well, Cole,
you're probably putting way too much stock into this. You
understand this is an offensive line that can be a
constant revolving door, and if he is the best fit
for one side, that's awesome. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (48:46):
I get all that.

Speaker 1 (48:46):
I do. I do. Here's the thing, I don't care.
I don't care what is your conversation on it. I
don't care what you guys are saying. When it comes
to he can play both, I don't want him to.
I wanted to play one and I want to play
one at a high end level. It's awesome that he
can play both right tackle and left guard. But when

(49:07):
you're constantly having a revolving door, you want to know
what that does. It hurts the rest of your offensive line.
It does, and it helped you out a little bit.
But still, Arianta Ersery was a very solid left tackle
prospect in year one. I think his numbers would have
been better if he had a constant force at left
guard when it came to Titus Howard, but TIA's Howard

(49:29):
had to start the year off at tackle, because if
you figured that Lake and Tomlinson would get the job
done and you were waiting for Trent Brown to come
off of the injury report, Trent Brown gets healthy, Lake
and Tomlinson's cut, you see a much more improved version
of ariontae Ersery playing at left tackle because if he's
got a good running bat next to him, and so
if you have him playing there the entire start of

(49:50):
the season, it's like trand at Shambla said, oh, miss,
I probably would have said that he's in New York
City for the Heisman Trophy presentation, like, yeah, it's beneficial,
but probably talking about ariantae Ursri being one of the
better prospects of the twenty twenty five draft class if
you have a veteran standing next to them and next year.
As of right now, I think that the Texans are

(50:11):
going to go out and draft somebody to be a
Day one starter at pick twenty eight.

Speaker 2 (50:16):
They trade on up, maybe they move on back, and
they have now.

Speaker 1 (50:18):
Three second round selections, but one of their first picks
is going to be someone on the offensive line that
you believe is gonna start. And the last thing I
want to see happen is once again, Oh, you think
that Titus Howard is going to be better suited playing tackle,
So you go bring in like a mingumal pregnant from USC,
or you bring in Iona from Penn State, and they

(50:39):
end up saying, all right, we're really steady, we're getting
some continuity, and then oh, well, now we have an
issue at left guard, Titus, we need you to move
back there. Blake Fisher, go ahead and take some reps
at right tackle. It throws everything off. It just does,
especially for a young player that's trying to get their
chops in the NFL and trying to understand just the
basics of how to run an offensive line. So is

(51:00):
Titus Howard gonna be a guarter a tackle? That's priority
number one, and whenever you do that, you stick with it.
I have no problem with him playing either spot. I
personally think that he was better at guard than he
was a tackle. The numbers would say he was a
better pass protector at tackle than he was at guard,
but they would say he's a better run blocker at
guard than he was a tackle. So either way, I

(51:21):
don't think there's a problem there. But once you figure
out what you want to do with him. Let's just
say you're at right tackle. Now, you know that you're
gonna have to bring in three offensive linemen in some
capacity free agency in the draft that all are interior,
but it allows you to also know what you have
to spend. If you think that Titus Howard is better
suited on the right side playing on the outside, then

(51:42):
it means you're gonna have to spend a little bit
more on bringing in a guy like a Caid Mace.
I think that that becomes a priority signing for you.
So it's not just asking a dude to go switch
positions and stay there long term.

Speaker 2 (51:53):
It's about you knowing what you have to spend on.

Speaker 1 (51:56):
Because if I'm throwing Titus Howard at guard next season,
I'm saying you're gonna be on the right on the
left side with arionte Ursery.

Speaker 2 (52:02):
I would love to make a move for Kid May's.

Speaker 1 (52:04):
I would love to see the organization go after a
Tyler Linderbaum, which they should have done from the get
go when on the clock a pick number fifteen and
twenty twenty two.

Speaker 2 (52:13):
I'm not over that yet. And you know what, I'm
okay with not being over that. That was the right pick.

Speaker 1 (52:16):
Everyone knew it was the right pick. Somehow, I'm the
only person sitting here still talking about it. But regardless,
you're probably not gonna afford him, but you don't have
to afford him. You can be a little bit more
team friendly when it comes to your cap space. If
you have Titus Howard playing at right tackle, now you're
gonna have to spend money on a veteran offensive lineman,

(52:37):
and that could come with ed.

Speaker 2 (52:38):
Ingram returning on a three year deal.

Speaker 1 (52:41):
Fox Sports is reporting that they think he's gonna get
thirty million angle, I mean thirty million dollars for three years,
so that's ten million Anglly.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
If you look at spot Rack, they think he's.

Speaker 1 (52:49):
Gonna be about a twelve point five thirteen million dollar
offensive lineman.

Speaker 2 (52:52):
Okay, if you want to pay that, so be it.

Speaker 1 (52:54):
But still you're bringing them veterans because if you're saying,
the young gun is going to have to have a
security blanket around him. So that's why it's so important
to figure out what you want to do with Titus Howard.
If Tyas Howard is a guard, you can go spend
some money on free agency to bring in a tackle.
You can bring back Trent Brown, and then you see
some of the mock drafts Blake Miller, who was fine
the first two years of Clemson.

Speaker 2 (53:15):
But killed it last season in a year that he
was actually.

Speaker 1 (53:18):
Not supposed to kill it because everyone else for Clemson
was terrible. He ended up being like the bright light
on Matt Luke's offensive line. Still, that's a guy that
you can bring on in and say, you know what,
we think that he is going to be our long
term answer at right tackle and we'll figure out the
rest of the way. It allows you to go spend
some money on it into your guard, but you don't
need to spend big like say a Zion Johnson from

(53:39):
the Los Angeles Chargers and long behold. Now your offensive
line is pretty much in a good spot going into
next offseason on paper. So the Tightust Howard thing is
the first and only question I want answered by Nick Cassio.
When we go into the next couple weeks, there'll be
the combine in in and out Bliss where he'll be there,

(54:02):
and I would love to know do you have a
plan in motion for him? And honestly, I don't think
that he cares. I don't because if he just wants
to do whatever is best for the team, and that's
what you want a guy like him in the locker
room for. But I think at the same time, you
would love to be able to say, this week you're
playing guard, and next week you're playing guard, and then
for the next two seasons you're gonna be playing guard

(54:23):
for us so.

Speaker 2 (54:24):
Long as you're under contract.

Speaker 1 (54:25):
Like I just think that that would be what you
want to hear because it makes life so much easier
for you to prepare. It makes life easier for you
to prepare when it comes to the practice structure, knowing
the playbook and being able to build a rapport in
the path you know in the game.

Speaker 2 (54:39):
That's just my two cents on it.

Speaker 1 (54:41):
So whatever TIMEUS Howard plays, you got to know what
his position is when you go on a free agency the.

Speaker 2 (54:47):
Second and that is solved.

Speaker 1 (54:48):
A lot of the other issues can be sold when
it comes to the next couple months of going after
guys in the open market and going after guys when
you're on the clock.

Speaker 2 (54:55):
With your first four picks inside the top seventy.

Speaker 1 (54:57):
Seven one three, two, one two five se I do
want to talk one more thing about the Texans. I
also would not be myself if I did not make
fun of the Tennessee Titans. Titans did something stupid. They
did something really stupid. Frankie, have you seen how stupid
they are?

Speaker 2 (55:12):
Don't worry.

Speaker 1 (55:13):
We'll tell you how stupid they were in a second
when we come back right here on sports Stock seven ninety,
Space City Saturday, just say you miss Houston.

Speaker 2 (55:19):
Amy, just do it. It's okay, You're not the Oilers.
You're never gonna be the Oilers.

Speaker 1 (55:26):
It's sad at this point. It's really sad at this point.
And this is Space City Saturday, right here on sports
Stocks seven ninety. Cole Toms and Rock with you at
a one o'clock Cugar's take on the Wildcats of Kansas
State nine to fifty. You can listen to the game
three o'clock tip Josh watch game on Peacock. Rockets return
from the All Star Break, heading on out to Charlotte

(55:47):
to take on the Hornets as they look to be
a better team in the second half, and the Houston
Astros have reported now to West Palm Beach for the
start of pitchers and catchers. Everyone will be on campus
at West Palm Beach come Monday seven one, three, two, one, two,
five seven ninety good god, Amy autums struck.

Speaker 2 (56:09):
Okay, have you guys seen it? So anybody he doesn't know.

Speaker 1 (56:13):
Earlier this offseason, the Titans said they were going to
go ahead and redo their logo. They were probably gonna
get rid of the flame and the sword looking thing
and the way that it was the built tea and
they're like, you know what, We're gonna go a little
bit more sleek.

Speaker 2 (56:26):
It's gonna be a lot nicer.

Speaker 1 (56:28):
We're gonna go ahead and have this be exactly what
we're looking for in terms of, you know, a new era.

Speaker 2 (56:35):
Of Titans football.

Speaker 1 (56:36):
New stadium, new coach, new culture, new quarterback. Everything is
gonna be new. Have you guys seen the logo? It
got leaked last night, Frankie, have you seen the logo?
Uh for what the Titans new logo? No?

Speaker 2 (56:49):
Okay, let me see that. So the Titans new.

Speaker 1 (56:52):
Logo, they get rid of the flame. Automatically, it loses
browny points for me. Logo should be cool. There should
be a reason why I want a weird on a hat.
There should be a reason why I want to dot
it out and about it's dumb logo.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
It looks it's just a circle. They clean up the tee.

Speaker 1 (57:08):
It no longer looks like a sword, so automatically more
brownie points, losing for me. And here's the best part.
They change the color scheme. They changed it the love
You blue. They changed the h Town blue with the
red amy. It's sad at this point. It really is
just go say that you want to be the oilers,
the tests the oilers. Just go back doing that if
you really want to, because I'm sorry. All you're doing

(57:30):
is you're living in the past. All you're doing is
realizing that you had things good down here with Bud.
And then Bud said, ouh of the season, I gotta
do it my way so long, and behold, we're gonna
go up and move to Memphis, and then we're gonna
go move to Nashville, and then we end up going
to the super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (57:43):
And that was our one highlight moment.

Speaker 1 (57:45):
And ever since then we have been a sad sack
of mediocrity, being run by incompetent people constantly time and
time and time and time and time and time.

Speaker 2 (57:53):
And time again.

Speaker 1 (57:54):
And now, just for good measure, why do we go
ahead and add back in you know, the good old times,
you know, the times when we were good at football,
when people respected us. Well, they actually respected you when
you hire when you had Mike Rabel and then you
fired him. They actually respected you when you had a
really good GM and John Robinson and then you fired him,
and it felt like that you were the one that
really want to get rid of the AJ Brown deal.

Speaker 2 (58:15):
So this seems to be back on you, Amy. I'm
just throwing it out there. This is what you settled for.

Speaker 1 (58:21):
Like, if you're a Titans fan, are you excited now
to go where those colors were? It's just like we're
stealing from Houston again. Oh well no, you know we
own the rights to it. No, but but you're just
basically trying to be the Houston Oilers. That's all you're doing.
And remember they'll happened the last time you try to
be the Houston Oilers. He got beat by Case Keenum.
Like Case Keenum went into your building and he said,

(58:42):
uh uh, we're not doing this and he beat the
brakes off of you.

Speaker 2 (58:45):
You want to happen the second time that.

Speaker 1 (58:46):
You went into there and you wore the uniforms, your
quarterbacks stunk, and you gain the.

Speaker 2 (58:50):
Number one overall pick.

Speaker 1 (58:51):
So how about we just retire everything with the oilers,
or if you want to go ahead and bring back
the oilers mantra, give it to the city of Houston,
where it absolutely below. But it's a sad attempt of
you guys just trying to stay relevant. This is low
I mean, Amy, I knew it was bad. I knew
it was dirty. I knew it was low down, really
bad up there. I knew things were going south. You've

(59:12):
shown me that basically you are quite literally living in
the past and can't wait to hopefully bring back nostalgia
and make a quick buck because you're not winning on
the football field with this logo. I'm sorry, Frankie, Like
it just is bad. It just like, why are you
trying so hard to be the Oilers? Why it makes

(59:34):
no sense to me. Let's go out to William on
the phone line seven one three two five seven ninety William,
Good morning, what's.

Speaker 2 (59:39):
Up, dud Oh?

Speaker 3 (59:41):
How you doing today? I'm enjoin your show. I'm out
here stretching my legs and getting me a little exaside
and uh tell ya, I just want to come in.
I just want to come in on the uh the
statement you had made early. You keep you keep saying
that the Texans should be in the super Bowl. This
is their time, and uh, why would you make a
statement like that that they should be in the super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (01:00:03):
Oh, I don't think that they should have been in
the super Bowl. And I think they would have lost
in the super Bowl. I genuinely do, William. I think
that they would have gotten killed by by Seattle. But
I'm saying that after you have a three interception, I mean,
you have a five turnover game from your offense, and
you watch how poorly I mean New England played. There's
a lot of people who said, I c J. Stroud
doesn't have two of those three and two of those
four interceptions. You're beating that team in New England and

(01:00:25):
then you're beating up on Denver the following week. I'm
not saying they should be and I'm saying that that's
what fans are thinking because of oh my god, if
we didn't have those bad, bad turnovers, we would have
been here and they would.

Speaker 2 (01:00:35):
Have been home.

Speaker 3 (01:00:37):
Okay, so you said the Texans belletee the New England.
Did you did you New England game? I did.

Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
I did watch the New England game, and I think
that New England did not win that game. I think
the Texans lost that game and gave it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:50):
To New England.

Speaker 3 (01:00:52):
No, okay, the Texans have a great defense right events
in the NFL. Yes, okay, the new offense.

Speaker 5 (01:01:04):
On that defense they did hoot, wait a minute, oh
how many points.

Speaker 3 (01:01:09):
That the Texan.

Speaker 2 (01:01:12):
Uh? Sixteen?

Speaker 3 (01:01:14):
Okay, what defense was better that day?

Speaker 7 (01:01:18):
Uh?

Speaker 5 (01:01:18):
Technical?

Speaker 1 (01:01:19):
Technically, technically, if we're gonna be fair, William, if we're
gonna be fair on this one, are we talking about
two yards giving up?

Speaker 2 (01:01:26):
Or we talk about just the overall points given on up?

Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
Because that's because that's a fair statement here, William, if
we're gonna be real, twenty one points is a lot
having short field position and also being able to be
inside of your red zone twice because of CJ. Stroud
coughed on up and not having to drive it ninety
nine yards down the field like the Texans trying to do.
You could argue that that that that the Texans defense
had a better day.

Speaker 5 (01:01:47):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Stat wise, also, the Texans defense gave up fewer yards,
They allowed fewer first downs they were bet they allowed
fewer third don conversions.

Speaker 2 (01:01:56):
They also had more sacks.

Speaker 1 (01:01:57):
They also held them to an average of two two
point two yards of play running, they only allowed them
in the red zone one time, and they also.

Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
Forced four turnover let mean three turnovers. So I get
your point.

Speaker 9 (01:02:09):
I do.

Speaker 1 (01:02:10):
I do. But if we're talking about just straight up
who played better defensively outside of the points, give it
on up.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
The Texans played better.

Speaker 3 (01:02:18):
Okay, okay, I'm swifting back to the punta back. Yes,
who you think have a better upside? Dreg may.

Speaker 2 (01:02:30):
See. This is really interesting, William. And I'm glad he
put me on the spot like this. I am, I'm glad.

Speaker 1 (01:02:34):
I'm glad because here's the thing. I thought that we
overrated CJ. Stroud after year one, and I got ridiculed
in the city. I said, let's put him at number eleven.
Let's put him a number twelve and prove that he
can do it again. And everyone said, you're an idiot.
He is number five. He is right there with Josh
Allen and Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson and you don't

(01:02:56):
know ball. And I said, let's come back and readdress
this next season. So I still believe that CJ. Stroud
is a top half quarterback in the NFL. I believe
that I believe that Drake Day is better. I believe
that Drake May right now is better. But I do
think that Drake May was given the easiest schedule in
the NFL. I believe that he was given an easier

(01:03:17):
pathway in the postseason. I believe that he had an
offense that asked him to do a little bit less
and he was able to thrive in that. And I'm
not taking anything away from him, but I never believe
that he should have been in the conversation for the
MVP with Matthew Stafford, and I'm very glad that they
give it to the right guy. If you're asking me
in a three year period, who do I think is
going to be better? I will say right now Drake May.

(01:03:38):
I would if you're asking me to start a franchise,
I would say Drake May, and I don't think there
would be much pushback on that one. But I don't
know if Drake May is going to be that that
that that much better than CJ.

Speaker 2 (01:03:48):
Stroud.

Speaker 1 (01:03:49):
Will find out more next season when he plays a
first play schedule against a tougher division, against more qualified teams,
as they also.

Speaker 2 (01:03:58):
Will now be tested. But I would say right now. Yes,
I would go with Drake May Okay.

Speaker 3 (01:04:03):
Thank you for your time and I hope to talk
to you again. I love the show.

Speaker 2 (01:04:07):
William, You're welcome on here any single time. I did
you really are that's fun. Listen, this is what the
off season is.

Speaker 1 (01:04:13):
Guys, you call in, we can have a dialogue back
and forth, we can have a good conversation. We're not
going to agree on everything or almost anything. I'm going
to say some things that are going to piss you off.
You're gonna say some things that are going to drive
me crazy. But I'm gonna let you have the opportunity
to come on the show. I love interacting with you.
This is therapy for me. This truly is hearing your questions,

(01:04:35):
your concerns, your problems.

Speaker 2 (01:04:38):
I want to hear about it.

Speaker 1 (01:04:39):
And I'm sure that you have a ton of them.
When it comes to the likes of free Agency, I'm
sure you have a ton of them. When it comes
to what are the astros going to do at West
Palm Beach, I'm sure you got a ton of them.

Speaker 2 (01:04:48):
When it comes to the rockets, and that's what we're
here for. Before we take a quick time out, I
do think that.

Speaker 1 (01:04:52):
There is one thing I need to see this offseason
get done before anything else other than the than the
Titus Howard move. So Titus Howard's pretty easy. Titus Howard is, Hey,
you're playing right tackle. Cool, We're gonna go bringing some guard.
Hey you're playing left guard.

Speaker 5 (01:05:07):
Cool.

Speaker 2 (01:05:08):
We're gonna go target a right tackle, or we're gonna
go after a center like that. That's easy.

Speaker 1 (01:05:14):
Max Crosby's gonna get traded this offseason. I do not
think he's sticking around in Las Vegas. I need Nick
Cassira to get a deal done with Will Anderson Junior.
Now Will is up for a new contract, the season's over,
negotiations can begin with him in his camp and Nick
Cassio about getting stuff done. What they want, years of control,
angle's salary, guaranteed, money paid up front, all these things. Now,

(01:05:36):
before that deal can get done, they probably gotta do
some restructurings with guys like Titus Howard. Probably would be
smart to extend a guy like Christian I mean to
extend a guy like as he's Alshaira and Dalton Schultz.

Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
But still this move needs to get done because here's
the problem.

Speaker 1 (01:05:49):
Guys, nobody cares about what your stats are. They care
about what the asking rate is.

Speaker 2 (01:05:55):
That's it.

Speaker 1 (01:05:56):
People all the time go bring up that Dak Prescott
is the most overpaid quarterback in the NFL, and I
would not push back entirely. I think Dak's a good quarterback.
I think he's probably in that top ten range. I
would probably say that you would maybe think he's a
little bit better than TJ. Stroud, Maybe not much, but
maybe a little.

Speaker 2 (01:06:15):
Still.

Speaker 1 (01:06:16):
The reason why Dax's getting paid is because if Jerry
Jones waited far too long to get anything done and
everyone else got paid ahead of him, so the move
went to the highest bidder for a guy that is
still in his prime and is still giving you quality
play on the field out in Arlington. It's not Dak's
fault that he is the highest paid quarterback in the NFL,
or is making as much as he is.

Speaker 2 (01:06:37):
It's not. It's the fault of ownership not getting ahead
of these deals.

Speaker 1 (01:06:42):
If Will Anderson Junior is gonna get a forty five
million dollar contract, which they do think is possible, it's
only happening because the Max Crosby signs a deal beforehand,
Detroit could be going after him.

Speaker 2 (01:06:54):
New England should be going after him.

Speaker 1 (01:06:55):
There's a bunch of teams out there that could afford him,
and they'll do everything in their power to get a
contract in play, because why wouldn't you Why would you
not want to go make sure that you are paying
your best player defensively once they're signed on, because then
they're just a rental at that point.

Speaker 2 (01:07:09):
So whoever brings on in a guy like a guy like.

Speaker 1 (01:07:14):
Max Crosby, they don't want to pay that next is
that that asking price will be the next asking price
for Will Inderston Jr. On top of a couple extra million.
That's the starting range. Well, in the hell of a
year last year, he's going to get better. It's another
season inside Tomko's defense, he's more cotton, he's more consistent.

(01:07:36):
Everybody knows that there is only going to be more
growth with him. I think that it's clear as day
that you're watching a player that is going to compete
alongside with Miles Garrett, with Max Crosby, with the best
in the NFL to be considered a defensive Player of
the Year candidate.

Speaker 2 (01:07:52):
You're inning, you're out.

Speaker 1 (01:07:54):
Those players are worth the price, So you got to
make sure you get ahead of the deal before it's
too late. The last thing I want to say is
there be two or three defensive ends that sign a
free agency, these lucrative contracts, and then here comes billing
interests people and say, well, we would have signed this,
but then they got paid X, Y and Z. Therefore,

(01:08:14):
now we're going to demand this amount of money. We
don't have that type of money in the budget, and
we're gonna have to go ahead and figure some things out. Great,
we'll figure things out after this season when his price
is even gonna go up even more.

Speaker 2 (01:08:26):
Seven one three, two one two five to seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:08:28):
Okay, Frankie, you were telling me that there are things
going on in the world of cinema that we need
to discuss. You're gonna talk about on your show tomorrow.
I want to pick your brain on this year's Oscar nominations.
Apparently you've told me that they've already been announced. Sell
me on which movie is the best. We'll do that,
we'll talk a couple of other things. Phone lines open
sets seven one three, two one two five seven ninety.

(01:08:50):
Thank your calls right here on a space today Saturday
Sports Talk seven ninety. What up, Frankie, what up, what
movie is going to win Best Picture at the Oscars
this year?

Speaker 2 (01:09:01):
Uh?

Speaker 9 (01:09:02):
You know, to me, it's a toss up between one
battle after another, okay and Sinners probably.

Speaker 1 (01:09:12):
So Sinners really is that good of a movie to
where people are not just over hyping it.

Speaker 3 (01:09:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:09:17):
No, I got a chance to see it for the
show that I do, and I can see why people
like it. There's a lot of like technical craft that's
really good, and it is an entertaining movie, so.

Speaker 1 (01:09:31):
A plot structure standpoint, it actually is a very good movie.
It's not just about vampires taking on people.

Speaker 9 (01:09:36):
Well, it starts off with you know, it's these brothers
that are trying to get together as a juke joint.

Speaker 2 (01:09:43):
It's the nineteen thirties, and Michael B. Jordan plays both right.

Speaker 9 (01:09:46):
Yeah, one of my favorite things with somebody said somebody
finally got a part from Michael A. Jordan. But yeah, no,
that's actually a really cool thing. You know how they
did that to where you can have him in a
scene with him elf, They had like some cameras all
around him to do that. But the the really interesting
thing with it is it starts off and you know

(01:10:08):
they're just trying to set up a juke joint. R. Yeah,
a juke joint, and you know it's just gonna be music.
But the whole the thing shifts on the fact that
their younger cousin can play the blues so well.

Speaker 3 (01:10:21):
So that's what it is.

Speaker 1 (01:10:22):
So he's the younger cousin, he's not just a kid.
They found it like at like at a shop somewhere
to play. That's right, Okay, cool, that's right. So they're
they're related.

Speaker 9 (01:10:31):
And so basically the way they set it up at
the beginning of the movie is there are some people
that can play music so well that kind of the
past president future come together.

Speaker 2 (01:10:43):
It's a kind of a trippy thing.

Speaker 9 (01:10:45):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:10:45):
I'm gonna watch the movie this weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:10:47):
Next Saturday, I am going to have a full progress
report of what I thought of it, report card, dissertation,
and I will tell you where I think it belongs
in the rankings of Oscar winners. I don't know much
about the Oscars this year. I think I've seen like
three movies in the last two years, I mean the
last year and a half in the theaters. It's been
a while.

Speaker 2 (01:11:07):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:11:07):
It's because I don't work enough or if I work
too much, but I work again on Saturday right here
on Spurs Sports TX seven ninety space Saturday seven one,
seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (01:11:16):
You can call into the show. Cool with you?

Speaker 1 (01:11:18):
All right, We'll talk more about Oscar stuff in a minute,
but let's go out to John on the northwest side.

Speaker 2 (01:11:22):
John, good morning, my friend. How are we?

Speaker 3 (01:11:25):
Oh?

Speaker 8 (01:11:26):
Man?

Speaker 5 (01:11:26):
You know you always have a good show.

Speaker 6 (01:11:28):
Man.

Speaker 5 (01:11:28):
I tried not to call it in too much. You
probably tired of hearing my body.

Speaker 2 (01:11:33):
Why would I be tired of hearing your voice? John,
You're fantastic.

Speaker 5 (01:11:36):
Well, thank you, man, I appreciate that. Listen, man, you
know I'm gonna say it is he Oh William Tickley,
you know, uh William, don't worry about uh who's the
best team? Because we both lost and you lost the
Super Bowl. You lost a big game.

Speaker 1 (01:11:50):
You've got more embarrassed than the Texans did. You got
way more embarrassing than Texans did.

Speaker 5 (01:11:55):
Yeah. Yeah, I mean maybe next season, William, we'd get
a chance to show you how much better we are
against your patriots.

Speaker 3 (01:12:02):
But this is what I wanted to say.

Speaker 5 (01:12:03):
Cole. Listen, man, I love Korea for what he did
for us in the past. You know yesterday is yesterday
and today is today. You know, Korea Correa quit us crying.
Offered him millions of dollars, but he wasn't enough. He
run on out of here. He want to go collect
all the millions he can collect. He wanted it so

(01:12:25):
bad that he signed with a sorry team named Minnesota Twins,
Cold up Day in Minnesota and all that. But he
wanted the money so bad that he signed with them.
He knew that was a sorry team all along. So
you got your money, Korea. Now you're hiling from way
over in Minnesota. Ascos, come and get me. Okay, we

(01:12:47):
came and got you. You know who came and got you.
Because you've been a good player here. You have to
win a well series. We brought you back home, you
and your wife so she can see her family. But
if anybody ought to be shout to where it's an
echo about moving and playing anywhere, it's you, Korea. It's you,
you the one. Because you quit us.

Speaker 3 (01:13:08):
We've been law to you.

Speaker 5 (01:13:09):
We didn't ask you to leave.

Speaker 3 (01:13:11):
You quit us.

Speaker 5 (01:13:11):
Now we're supposed to bring you back in here and
kater to you and just let you have your old spot.

Speaker 3 (01:13:17):
We replace you.

Speaker 5 (01:13:19):
We replace you with a really good player at third base.
Now it's your back, and I'm happy your back. But
you're the one that should be volunteering to move in
the outfield because we got a good player on third base,
and we got pin you. We got all these good players.
You know, I could if Correa was that much better

(01:13:40):
than Perelli's, then maybe I could see it. But Correa
is a good player, and Parelli's is a good player too,
And Pearellius hits about thirty home runs. Correll on a
good day might hit thirty home runs. But the point
is that both of them are good players. If anybody
needs to be moving and volunteer to go to the

(01:14:00):
ifield because we saved we got you out of that
snow cold weather, brought you back to Houston, you're the
one that needs to be moving and saying, hey, i'll play,
I'll play ifield, I'll play anywhere. You won't look at
as two bay. Our two by could have got way
more money when it was time for him to get paid,
but he was lawyer. He stayed home. He wasn't about

(01:14:22):
getting getting all the money in the world. He was
happy to be here. He didn't leave but you did.
So now you come back here, you think we're supposed
to get automatically give you your spot. It's not fair
to these other players, because these other players came here,
Piretti's and Walker and Pene. You told Penie before you left,

(01:14:42):
it's his team. Hell, nobody expected you to come back,
you know. But it's not fair to Perelli than them
that they have to move from the third base, move
from their position just because you came back and you
won the World. Serious, it's not fair to those guys' career.

Speaker 2 (01:15:00):
I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:15:01):
I appreciate the phone call John, I do. Here's the
beauty about what I love about John. John's gonna speak
as mine. He's still gonna call in on Monday. I'm
very excited to hear from him and how his thoughts are.
But John, that was your worst take in a while. Brother,
that's bad. Listen, listen. I understand not wanting to bring
back Karrea. I can get behind that he left us,

(01:15:24):
he didn't want to sign. I can get behind all
those things. I really can't. Money talks and Miney not
talk enough for the tip for the Astros. But I
am not putting him in the outfield. No way in
hell am I putting him in the outfield. And I
love Zach Paretes, and you know as well as I do.
I don't want eat Prez getting trade anytime soon.

Speaker 2 (01:15:40):
He's he needs to be around Houston until we win
a World Series down here.

Speaker 1 (01:15:46):
He needs to be the X factor, needs to be
in the two hole, needs to continuously see his plate appearances.
But if I'm saying right now, I'm either playing Carlo's
Korea in left field and letting East Soak Perettes play third,
or is playing elsewhere and Carlos Correa is playing third,
I'm taking the ladder. I am. I can't put a

(01:16:07):
dude in the outfield like that, thinking that is just
gonna transition with these It's not why you brought him here.
And this is where again you can go back to
the whole premise of the the at the beginning of
the conversation, why the hell is he in an ashtrow?

Speaker 2 (01:16:19):
He's naster because you had.

Speaker 1 (01:16:20):
To bring back somebody to fill that Voyd what you
were trying to be competitive and win. Right now, I'm sorry,
Like yeah, Buyer's remorse. In some people's mind, it's a
great clubhouse, locker room leader. That's awesome, but he's a
third baseman like he is, and I'm not having him
switch positions. Sean, come on, man, you better than that.
I know you're better than that. I know your takes

(01:16:42):
are smarter than that. It's why I let you call
in all the time. And I have no problem whatsoever.
That's your starting third basement. And the thing is, it's
like you bring up points because of like, yeah, Easa
Prai is a third I can still see that. But
somebody's calling in before and said, hey, we got to
go ahead and move Christian Walker and let him play

(01:17:03):
first base, and I'm like, no, no, cars Kar is
not playing first, he's playing third. Like we can walk
warp warp that in And if you don't want to
believe me, Joe a Spotty yesterday even said has there
ever been a conversation that maybe you could try Christian
Walker or one of your corner out infielders, And before
the reporter could finish the conversation, he went, no, no,

(01:17:25):
we're not trying that.

Speaker 2 (01:17:26):
So, like it's not even up for debate right now, John,
it just isn't. I hate this. I don't want to
lose Parredes.

Speaker 1 (01:17:33):
I'm horrified that he's gonna end up being better than
what is currently on the roster. I think he is
a top ten third baseman, but sometimes you got to
look at the lesser of the evils, and the lesser
of the evils is east Op. Parrete is not playing
here unless yourd On Alvareze is seeing more reps than
the left. And I hate the fact that Jordan's not
seeing reps and the left because guess what if he
played left field, we'd be fine seven one thirty two

(01:17:55):
one two five seven nine. To take quick time out, Adrian,
we see you on the phone lines. We'll talk other
things astros before we get on out of here. I
gotta talk to Gordy. Maybe I should do a three
hour show, Frankie, would you be cool doing a three
hour show on Saturdays? I can dig it, bro Okay,
maybe we'll talk into doing that. I enjoy doing this
by myself. I like, I just enjoy working.

Speaker 2 (01:18:13):
I don't know why I am.

Speaker 3 (01:18:14):
I am I the.

Speaker 2 (01:18:15):
Weirdo here that just enjoys working. I got an Olympic spot.

Speaker 1 (01:18:17):
I also I want to break down with you, so
we'll do all that as we close out another space
City Saturday right here in Sportsox seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (01:18:23):
All right, let's kill two birds with one stone.

Speaker 1 (01:18:25):
Frankie, this is again Spacey Saturday, Rady or in sports
Soox Haven ninety cole Tons are rocking with you for
a few more minutes. I don't know how long I have.
We'll play it by year. We'll figure it out, Frankie,
don't tell me. I just want go ahead and try
to figure this all out together. And that way we
get two things going at once. Rockets, they come back
after the All Star break, head on out to Charlotte,
take on the Hornets Astros down in West Palm Beach
for the start of spring training. And if you want

(01:18:46):
to listen to your Cougars, number three, Cougars should be
number one. Nobody should argue that. Take on the k
Kansas State Wildcats. You can hear them on KPRC or
watch them on Peacock tip Off at three pm, seven one,
three two.

Speaker 2 (01:19:01):
Adrian, good afternoon. What's up my friend?

Speaker 3 (01:19:06):
What's happening? Captain?

Speaker 2 (01:19:07):
How are you doing?

Speaker 5 (01:19:09):
Ah?

Speaker 7 (01:19:10):
Three hour show would be awesome for you, Yes awesome,
especially on things like.

Speaker 3 (01:19:15):
This, Yes awesome. We love this.

Speaker 2 (01:19:19):
Thank you, Adrian.

Speaker 7 (01:19:21):
There you go, Gordie, there's the first application for him.

Speaker 5 (01:19:25):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (01:19:26):
Jake Myers and Lance mccullor's I'm sorry are gonna be
the weaklings that hold this team if they make this staff.
Jake is a defense specialist, blah blah blah. If he's
so good, why can't we drop him off somewhere? Lance,
you look better in HTB commercials than you do on

(01:19:46):
the mouth.

Speaker 3 (01:19:46):
Patna.

Speaker 7 (01:19:47):
Hate to be the one to bring the reality to you,
but not on this team. Promber, you're back with AJ.

Speaker 5 (01:19:55):
Have a good time.

Speaker 3 (01:19:56):
AJ.

Speaker 7 (01:19:57):
You better get a psychiatrist than that dugout because we
allready know as far as this rotation, if it stays healthy,
it's gonna be sick. I look forward to two cy
young talkers or two cy young applicants out of.

Speaker 5 (01:20:15):
This kitchen staff.

Speaker 7 (01:20:16):
Rest of y'all, Happy Valentine's Day.

Speaker 2 (01:20:20):
Pay Thank you Adrian. Yeah, okay, I agree with him
on one thing.

Speaker 1 (01:20:25):
I am not putting any stock on length for color
strenor in any way, shape or form until you proof
set now. He will be a part of the organization.
He will be a part of the rotation. He will
be a part of the pitching staff. He will, but
you gotta show him that you're fully healthy and not
just remind everybody it's coming close to an end. Jake
Myer's gonna be really interesting because I don't really know
how to feel about it right now. Well, we see

(01:20:46):
a resurgent because if I'm gonna give Christian Walker cup pass,
I kind of have.

Speaker 2 (01:20:50):
To give Jake Myers pass like a little bit.

Speaker 6 (01:20:52):
I do just like enough.

Speaker 1 (01:20:54):
So we'll figure out and see what goes on with
that one. Frankie, have you heard of this sport? I
don't know what it's called, but basically, it's like getting
two heavyweight fighters and they stand like thirty yards apart
and they do the Oklahoma drill.

Speaker 2 (01:21:10):
Have you seen this sport? No? Okay, So here's what
it is.

Speaker 1 (01:21:13):
It's like two dudes who are like two hundred and
thirty pounds and they're like built like they would mac
truck you into oblivion, like you, specifically, maybe me, they
would just knocked down, but you specifically, they would just kill.

Speaker 2 (01:21:25):
Like your body would not be around anymore.

Speaker 1 (01:21:27):
And they go at full speed into each other from
thirty yards apart, no helmets, and it's just basically we're
just gonna knock you out. Whoever gets knocked out lose
the fight. Put that in the Olympics, like that should
be at this point a full on summer Olympic game
of let's see who has the strongest calves I mean

(01:21:47):
in the world that can just withstand a hit coming
at forty miles per hour, Like, just do.

Speaker 2 (01:21:52):
That, because you know what you watch these people.

Speaker 1 (01:21:56):
Number One, clear as they they do not care about
the longevity of the lives. They're very content understanding I
may be around like front for another five years and
this will be fine for me. Number Two, they feel
like the epitome of laying it on the line for
your country. Like I'm saying, like today the United States,
you want to see them beat up on Denmark. They'll

(01:22:17):
come to a point where it's like, hey, you know what,
I may take this one off. They can get a goal.
It's not a big of a deal. These people probably
are so psychotically dysfunctional on the head that they're like,
the only thing that matters to me is donning the red,
white and blue, and if I'm gonna go out, I'm
gonna go out in a blaze of glory by beating
the brakes off of somebody from Greece, from China, from Japan,

(01:22:39):
from Germany. We're gonna go ahead and prove that why
we may not be the brightest bunch, we are still
the strongest bunch.

Speaker 2 (01:22:47):
Sit down, shut up. I'll look at that.

Speaker 1 (01:22:50):
I'm wearing the gold medal while you are just still
laying in a pool of blood. Like that needs to
be in the Olympics, Frankie, that would be entertaining. That
would need something that I think everyone would get. We
could sit down, we could go back. We can just
go ahead of them on Like I'm watching the jump
hill right now, getting prepared for United States versus Denmark,
and it's like, yeah, it's cool. Maybe they're gonna crash,

(01:23:10):
maybe they won't. Here's what I do know for a fact,
I would be fully convinced watching two dudes, we would
have a great and men together. Men as a society
would love nothing more than to go to a bar,
sit down, drink a couple of cold ones, and watch
as the United States and Russia two guys that are
built like fullbacks, like Mike Auslot just basically lowering the

(01:23:34):
shoulder and saying I'm stronger than you in any way,
shape or form like that is like peak male culture
where it's a bonding experience. And if you put in
the Olympics, I probably it will be as big as
the World Cup is like every four years. We will
not care about anything other that whoever is representing the
United States in this four man trio, I mean quartet

(01:23:56):
that is going to obliterate Russia, China, Germany, England and
everywhere else. And this has been another space a Saturday
with Cole Thompson right here on Sports Tax seven ninety.
I will see you all on Monday. We'll recap a
bunch of things that happen in free agency and in
spring training, and we'll talk about the United States hockey

(01:24:17):
team because they're gonna win today.

Speaker 2 (01:24:18):
Bye bye,