An Astros Numbers' Game, All Aboard The G-Wagon From Milwaukee, Texans Top 5 Things To Watch At OTAS

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam raised my earl
Nolan got a multi byt with the magnificent roller coaster
ride that is Houston Sports Chill late down for the

(00:24):
only homegrown afternoon team is Talking Your Teams.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
A Welcome into a Tuesday edition of the program Sports
Talk seven ninety. I was about to say wex that,
you know how I know it's Monday even though this
is not Monday. It is definitely Tuesday, but it's our Monday.
Because we were off yesterday, I forgot to turn the

(00:56):
volume down on my Matt Thomas console headset here and
so I blew my ear drums out. That man is
so deaf it's insane. I can't believe how deaf is he.
He turns it all the way up. I don't know
how it does so easy. What a great day to
be back here on the air.

Speaker 4 (01:12):
Hope you guys enjoyed your additional hours this weekend provided
for you and did the best with it and honored
those that needed to be here on a Memorial Date
weekend now in the past, look forward to our next holiday,
which is not too far off in the future, whether
you take yours this summer vacation or not.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
Flag Day, June fourteenth, coming up.

Speaker 4 (01:32):
Yep, on a Sunday, like every year, right, No, I
don't know anyway, We have Astros Baseball for you coming
up this evening. They have the Athletics in town, all
the way in from West Sacramento. They just wrapped up
their first win in twelve games, did the Athletics, and
the Astros just wrapped up the front end of a

(01:54):
three team visit to this ten game homestand three wins
in four games against the Mariners, four wins in seven
games against the division leading Mariners so far this season,
and the last swing of the bat for the Astros
the most dramatic and hopefully helpful, with Christian Walker walking
off the Mariners on Sunday into the off day after

(02:18):
seventeen consecutive days with a scheduled game that was played.
They went ten and seven over that stretch. They obviously
closed the gap inside the division. They continue crushing at
home now at eighteen and ten still with two against
the A's tonight and tomorrow afternoon, and then four games
with the Rays which will wrap up their season series

(02:39):
the Rays. Well, they enjoyed the Astros so much last week.
They haven't lost since. Hopefully they'll lose before they get
to town and the Astros can take care of them
as well. We're a couple minutes out from our first
guest you did not hear, and I appreciate those before
us mentioning it. Josh Hater is set to join the
A team here on a Tuesday in advance of tonight's

(02:59):
game in just a couple of minutes, so hopefully he
will shed some light on why this season has been
so good for him and Brian A. Brave and Brian
King and Steven Okert and Caleb Word and Sean Dubin
and what makes up their current bullpen. To a man,
they have been sensational this entire month and honestly for

(03:20):
the entire season. The majority literally this is a mathematical term,
the majority of the runs allowed by the Astros bullpen
have been scored off of bullpen arms that do not
currently pitch for the Astros, that are not currently on
the team, some aren't even in the organization anymore. In
the group they head into tonight and we'll see about

(03:40):
the rest of the week because they're still figuring out
rotational things. How well things go for them tonight Hunter Brown,
who missed the Mariners series, now is a chance to
keep things rolling tremendously well. A lopsided start to Hunter
Brown's season, now, how can I say that? What could
possibly make that make any kind of sense is He's
set to take them out tonight day Dyke and Park.

(04:01):
It's only his fourth start of the season at Dyke
and Park. Seven of his first ten were road starts.
He's been almost unhittable at Dyke and Park through his
first three starts, allowed only eight hits, as there is
under one at home and again. If that continues tonight,
the Astros will push to four games over five hundred
for the first time this season. This week begins more

(04:24):
on field work for the Texans. Couple of OTAs this
week and next. Their mandatory mini camp is now at
least in the what's in the rearview mirror and not
that far back. They'll do that in mid June, the
only mandatory mini camp they have, and then we won't
be far off from them getting together for season number three.

Speaker 3 (04:42):
For CJ.

Speaker 4 (04:43):
Stroud, the NBA postseason continues. The finals might see three
to one on both sides. After tonight, the Indiana Pacers
will attempt to get there tonight at home. The Oklahoma
City Thunder got there last night on the road, barely
avoiding how having the series go back to ok se
tied at two games a piece. Quite obviously, we'll get

(05:05):
things started with. Astro's discussion could have been even better.
There are a lot of baseball games of the course
of one sixty two you'll look back on and say, man,
they went out and out played that other team for
such a good portion.

Speaker 3 (05:18):
Of that game. Let's go ahead and win that one.

Speaker 4 (05:20):
They have two of those games that probably stand out
more than any others, and unfortunately they both have come
against the Seattle Mariners. One of those games where they
had the five to nothing lead and the six to
four to ninth inning lead that Brian Abrady could not
close out, and similarly on this homestand he was there
when they couldn't quite get it done. But I'm not
gonna tell you all these great things about the bullpen,
and I act like that was not a good weekend,

(05:42):
a not a good month, and not a good season
for the Astros bullpen, which has quite obviously been unbelievably
successful and tremendous all season long. That's a pretty good setup.
Timing works out. Josh Hayter set to join us here
on the A team. Josh, you got Adam and Adam
this is the team here on your flagship home for

(06:02):
Houston Astros Baseball.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
How'd you feel about this weekend?

Speaker 4 (06:05):
I always feel like the relievers have a different viewpoint
of how the weekend ended. Everybody's running out of the dugout,
throwing the bubble gum and spraying water on Christian Walker,
and you start sprinting from the bullpen.

Speaker 5 (06:19):
No, we jump up and down in the bullpen and
just yeah, I just enjoyed the moment. And then when
we get back inside we kind of jump around.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
You know, Well, we've been here in Houston obviously long enough,
certainly during this golden age of Astros Baseball where those
celebrations have included the bullpen, because some of those are
postseason moments. You're in year two back with the organization
this year obviously looking for some more of those. You're
just about two months into the season. The bullpen as
a whole has been fantastic. What do you think about

(06:50):
the group that you guys have out there.

Speaker 5 (06:53):
We got a silent group. I think a lot of
us we just love to learn. We love to get
as much information as we can from each other. And
you know that's ultimately as a ballplayer, just continue to
learn and and just try and advance ourselves and and
just leaning on one another. I think that's ultimately at
the end of the day, if we can all do that,

(07:14):
become a solid group and you know, be the foundation.
You know, that's uh, that's what's what's gonna you know,
push us along through this long season.

Speaker 4 (07:24):
We have well since you mentioned that, and looking back
to the group you have out there this year versus
last year. Later in the year, Brian King joined a lefty,
but this year Brian King's been there all year. Bennett
Seuss is now healthy, Steven Olkerk joined the team, has
been healthy and very good. All of them have been
very good. That's four lefties in the bullpen. That seems
quite rare.

Speaker 5 (07:45):
Yeah, I mean you typically don't see many lefties in
a traditional set up in a bullpen. Whether that's just
because teams don't think lefties can get right he's out
or or whatever that situation is. I know a lot
of teams would carry more left East when we didn't
have the three battle rule, but ultimately we got guys

(08:05):
that can get both sides out. We got guys that
attacked the zone and and third strikes and attack with
their best stuff. And I think when you had that,
whether it's left or righty, you're just gonna give yourself
the best chance an opportunity to keep you know, passing
the ball along.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
Talking to Josh Hater here on Sports Talk seven ninety so,
how long did it take you to kind of ingratiate
yourself to the rivalries because we're coming off you guys
taking three out of four from Seattle, and I feel
like they're always this seems like this is what they
do every single year. They're right there at the top
of the division right around the end of May, and
then the Astros inevitably kind of rise to the top.

(08:45):
In your first season, was it was there any of
the Al West rivalries that stood out to you more
than any others as you as you're now well into
year number two here in Houston.

Speaker 5 (08:57):
Yeah, I mean, I feel like the fan base is
what makes they we know, we have the silver Food
up soars with with Texas. But you know, the Mariners
is another one that you know they got a solid
team as well, and you know when they play football,
and that's that's ultimately what you want in a division,
right you don't want lopsided divisions. You wanted to wear

(09:20):
It's a pretty good race, uh, down to the wire,
and that's when you know the mid the mid the
end of the season games really mattered. Typically how they
set these schedules up is you kind of finished the
season out on the division teams where it makes things interesting.
And yeah, like I said, it's the fans. It's the

(09:40):
fans that make these robberies better because you know they're
into the games. They're into it every pitch, and as
a player, you feel that.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
Okay, this is a little bit of a personal question,
but I feel like it's gonna be easier for you
to answer here. In year two. Do you feel or
did you feel a lot of pressure coming here last
year with the big contract and with the winning tradition,
and now it's year two. Do you feel any less
of that or am I completely off?

Speaker 5 (10:06):
I would say I put a lot of pressure on
myself more than anything. You know, when you come to
a new team, new organization, you kind of want to
make an impression. I think that's just the nature of it.
I wouldn't say that's something that I really wanted to
do personally. I wanted to come in and play the
game that I know how to play, and just taking

(10:28):
one pitch at a time. You know. I think last
year I just came in and tried to be too perfect,
didn't want to mess up, and uh, you know, my
mess ups actually were amplified. So this year, just you know,
go back to the same the same thing that I've
always done, Uh, taken one pitch at a time, execute
my pitches and uh, you know, not trying to be perfect,

(10:50):
just try and use all my pitches and execute through
the zone. And I think that's ultimately what I've been
able to do and kind of keep the game slowed down,
not really trying to speed it up. And when you
do those little things, the big things and you know,
the bigger picture ends up happening. So yeah, that's that's
just one of my key takeaways, not trying to do

(11:11):
too much, not try and be you know, don't try
and get too big in the moments.

Speaker 4 (11:18):
Josh Hader joining us here on the a team, similar question,
but totally different vibe to it is a little easier
in year two you've only known three organizations? Is it
easier here now versus then coming to Houston with your wife,
with your son, getting everybody family wise used to calling
Houston home.

Speaker 5 (11:36):
Yeah, I mean my wife grew up in Texas, so
it's it's always been nice to come back. I would say,
it's it's nice coming to a team, in an organization,
in a city when it's you know, going into into
the season, not really in the middle of it. So
obviously San Diego is the only the only spot we

(11:57):
really went to that we kind of uprooted and you know,
picked up in the middle of the year. But I
would say just these cities, especially Houston and the fan base,
it makes it enjoyable to be around, and uh, you know,
it's just fun to play for a city like this.

Speaker 4 (12:14):
All right, quick scouting report on the back end of
the bullpen. Who's the nastiest? How does Brian King get
everybody out without super velocity? And as Steven Okard hiding
the ball very well from hitters because it sure looks
like it.

Speaker 5 (12:29):
Look it's just these guys, they know what when they're
at their best. What works, and you know, obviously exception
is definitely key key in this game. But you know
these guys are they just have confidence. They they know
what they have and they attack with their best stuff.
And I think, you know, confidence in anything, any sport
you do or whether it's like whatever, you know, you're

(12:51):
just gonna be that much better. You're gonna just feel
at ease, and it's gonna make things a lot easier
to to do. So, you know, I think these guys
just have ultimate confidence and they know they know what
to do, and they know this game. They don't got
to do more than they have to to to execute
their pitchons and be good at this game.

Speaker 4 (13:10):
Is the word for your bullpen as the game gets
the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth inning.

Speaker 3 (13:15):
Chill? Is that an accurate word for the group that's
out there?

Speaker 5 (13:19):
Yeah, we do like to chill, that's a fact. Yeah. Man,
I just think we've got a good group. We like to,
you know, just talk shop and and just you know,
enjoy each other's company. And like I said before, like
just try and get whatever we can from each other.
And you know, that's for the long ears, that or

(13:40):
for the long season we have ahead of us. That's
just that's what makes it fun to build those relationships.

Speaker 3 (13:47):
So this is a two parter and it involves your
entrance when you come into the game here in Houston.
I love the fact that you kind of open that
up to the fans to have them vote on it.
Were you happy with the final voice and were you
feeling a little bit more pressure in that regard since
Ryan Presley had such an iconic entrance and then you've

(14:07):
kind of taken that to another level as well.

Speaker 5 (14:11):
Look, I I just enjoyed good music, and uh, obviously
I kind of gave him selection, but Wayne is always
number one. Uh, He's a guy I've always listened to
since I was younger, So that was that was an
easy decision for me obviously. Uh the walkout scene, that's
all that's all done in house. Through are our many

(14:31):
of people, and they absolutely crush it. And obviously with
uh with Presley, Johnny Cash and the way they did
that entrant with the lights off and everybody throughout their
phone lights. I think it's just it had the entertainment
aspect of the game and and it gets the fans engaged.
I think ultimately, That's what we want is to uh

(14:54):
everybody to be in in it together and then enjoy
the moment. I think it's uh, it's special how baseball
can u Us obviously has a little bit of graphics
and entertainment and that aspect of things.

Speaker 3 (15:07):
That is Josh Hater he is the Astros closer. He
joins us here on Sports Talk seven to ninety. You've
got the Uh, well, I'm just gonna call them in
the athletics because there's no other way to refer to them,
just real quick on that. What do you think that's like?
Having been in the majors for a while and seeing
a team like that, that's kind of in a vagabond situation.

Speaker 5 (15:29):
Man, it's tough. It's tough to watch, and they they
got a couple more years to deal with it as well. Obviously,
those guys, you know, they don't really have control of
where they're going to be playing at, so uh, they
just kind of gotta do what they gotta do. And uh,
you know kind of you know, with with the cars
they got dealt. But uh yeah, I mean when you

(15:51):
get to that, when you get get caught up from
triple A, you don't really want to go back to
a minor league park, right and I think the third
level and the third deck it makes a difference, and
it's it's tough to see, but hopefully they get it
figured out.

Speaker 3 (16:05):
Astro's a game and a half back of Seattle. They
just took three out of four, and Josh Hater a
big reason why they are rolling as the way they
are right now. Josh, we really appreciate the time. Good
luck the rest of the season, and hopefully we can
catch up soon.

Speaker 5 (16:20):
Yeah, appreciate you guys.

Speaker 3 (16:21):
Take care all right, Josh Hater here on your home
for Astros Baseball Sports Talk at seven ninety. We will
return in just a few.

Speaker 1 (16:30):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety Blue.

Speaker 6 (16:34):
Jean bab.

Speaker 3 (16:37):
El back at it here on a Tuesday edition of
the A Team Sports Talk seven ninety x ac Cole
Thompson with you post Memorial Day twenty twenty five. As
the year continues to fly by, thanks again to Josh Hater,
Astro's closer joining us last segment. If you missed any
or all of that, not only will we post that shortly,

(17:00):
but we'll also have a replay of it later on
in the show. So three out of four from Seattle,
and it probably should have been a sweep, don't you think,
I mean, is that safe to say? Is that fair
to say?

Speaker 4 (17:14):
No, it's not, because it's just unfortunately we're talking about baseball.

Speaker 3 (17:17):
I mean I brought it up in the opening segment.

Speaker 4 (17:19):
They could very very very very very very very one
more very easily be six and one against the Mariners
and in first place, but baseball keeps that from happening.
Brian Obray, who has pitched almost two months this year,
He's given up runs in only two games. Both of
them are against Seattle. Both of them were losses because of it,

(17:40):
when they could have, as you said, should have been wins. Yeah,
those are the kind of games I really do lean
on using the words should It's not like you started
Hunter Brown and you didn't win. It's more like you
had the lead with four outs to go, six outs
to go, five outs to go, three outs to go.

Speaker 3 (17:57):
Those are the ones you really do count.

Speaker 4 (17:59):
It's like an NBA game where you're you know, it
doesn't really matter how it started, it doesn't really matter
where you are. If there's a couple of minutes left
in the game, you've got a multi possession.

Speaker 3 (18:07):
Lead, it's over. You gotta win.

Speaker 4 (18:08):
It's what it's like in baseball when you get to
that point, even though it is not timed. You have
to get the outs, and until you get them, they
just can keep hitting and hitting and hitting. And that's
kind of what Seattle did the first time they beat
Houston in one of those games, because the Astros were
up by five, and then they were up by two
and the ninth and they did not win the game.
This weekend that unfortunately, they did not close out not

(18:29):
quite as horrific to stomach. But the other three were awesome.
They were good eats. He tasted great, and certainly the
game yesterday probably or Sunday might have stood out the most,
and that you were facing yet another top flight Mariner starter.
You caught three of them this weekend. Kind of got
a break maybe that George Kirby was making his first

(18:49):
start of the year and it looked like it. The
Astros got much more done off of him than they
normally do. Brian wu is fantastic, and you got stuff
done against him. The Luis Castillo experience is a little
bit different this year. He's not quite Ace level, but
he's certainly front end of the rotation level, and they
found a way to scratch out those three runs after

(19:12):
he was spotted an early lead, after the Astros continued
to trail until they got it to three to three.
You wondered if it was going to be your day
or if it was going to be their day. If
you were going to be facing Andre's Muno's late in
the game, needing to hand him his first earned run
aloud of the season. Oh, you got the lead, and
some Mariners type said, why wasn't Munos in that game
late to prevent the lead from going to Houston? They

(19:35):
didn't use him, and the Astros went out there and
it was Christian Walker with his third hit of the
day over the fence on a walk off.

Speaker 3 (19:45):
So we always do this, We over analyze, we try
to make narratives, whatever you want to call it. But
you even asked Josh Hater that and you even talked
about this in the open is that is that the
thing that gets him going? Because it's not like that
was his only hit. He was actually a big part
of He's like a major part of why they won

(20:05):
yesterday's game, and he's he's looked better of late, even
if he's not getting the production you would like. He
has hit the ball hard, he's a lot of the
times where it hasn't gone his way. It's just tough
luck all over again.

Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yeah, I've even though it's barely been two months, not
even quite two months, I'm already kind of done with that.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (20:26):
Either you get the results you don't. And I am
a big believer in what the analytics are telling you
big picture, longer term, and sometimes even two months isn't
long enough term. If your hard hit percentage is at
a place that suggests you should be doing this, if
your ball's your batting average on balls and play is
way lower than the contact suggests, if your hard hit rate,

(20:48):
your line drive rate is at a point that suggests
you can't be hitting two twenty anymore.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
Well, he is.

Speaker 4 (20:55):
And it's because somebody the other at bats are zero's,
they're empty, back to the dugout, and nobody else is
moving because there's still a few too many strikeouts, a
few too many opportunities where you're up quite obviously because
you're batting clean up again, or you're batting fifth, which
he's done a little bit of lately. He's got two
homers in his last fifteen last fifteen games. He has

(21:17):
ten hits in his last fifteen games or thirteen games
last fifteen days. His batting averages last thirteen games has
won ninety six. His ops is five fifty five. I'm
not gonna say he's looked better here?

Speaker 3 (21:29):
Is that?

Speaker 4 (21:29):
The one I'm fine with not being the uh what
most people are on the X platform when they're saying, well,
this series is over now that Oklahoma City won a
game in Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (21:40):
You can call this one in the books.

Speaker 4 (21:42):
I told you back in November that Oklahoma City was
gonna win this division or win this Western Conference. Well,
nobody cares if you're wrong. It doesn't matter. Nobody's gonna say, oh,
look at this hot take. It's not even a hot take.
So I'm okay not saying yes, this is where Christian
Walker's turning around. I firmly believe it. You can put
my stamp on it. He is ready to roll. He

(22:02):
gets okay, I'll let him show me. And what's worse,
it's less him. When you look at your four or
five hitters with jord On Alvarez out, they're basically the same.
Now for the season, Jiner Diaz and Christian Walker's season
numbers are unfortunately both poor and almost identical, and that's
what's kind of holding this offense back. They continue to

(22:25):
rise in Major League Baseball in terms of batting average,
and pretty much everybody covering the team, including those in
both respective radio and TV booths. That's their thirteenth consecutive single.
That is their twentieth straight hit. That is a single. Yeah,
that's all they keep getting over and over. So the
batting average keeps going up, and they're slugging keeps staying low,
and their run scored keeps staying low, and they're ops

(22:46):
because of it keeps staying low. And yet the big
home run came two. They won the game because they
got a huge extra base hit which would have been
a homer and more than just Diyke and Park, because
it would have gone even farther than the early rows
of the Crawford boxes for Walker.

Speaker 3 (23:02):
Who hit the one late for the Mariners, that was
like exactly hit in that very corner of the Crawford boxes,
and you just kind of groaned at it.

Speaker 4 (23:11):
I mean, that was more of the It went in
only because you were at dyk In Park. It wasn't
a shot out there. That you're like man anywhere else
and you kind of drift back and there's room for
you to catch it.

Speaker 3 (23:23):
And that was Sunday, Friday night, Friday night, I can't remember.
It felt like it was late in that game, and
it was just again, like I said, eye roll inducing,
grown inducing, whatever you want to call it. But for
all those that take place against the Astros, the Astros
have hit a number of those themselves, and that's how

(23:44):
Christian Walker's was. Although it was a laser and it
was no doubt, it was just a low trajectory.

Speaker 4 (23:49):
Yeah, the late home run in Friday's game was unfortunate
because it went off of the outside of the foul
pole down the line.

Speaker 3 (23:59):
That's the one I'm thinking about.

Speaker 4 (24:00):
But it was a shot, and it's you know, the
majors or the American League's top home run hitter.

Speaker 3 (24:04):
He's what's kind of carried their offense along.

Speaker 4 (24:07):
Astros did a great job against the top of the order,
not letting him do much damage. That was pretty much
the only damage. And obviously it came right after the
triple and that's where the game, the only game they
lost this weekend, well fell.

Speaker 3 (24:18):
By the wayside.

Speaker 4 (24:19):
We'll get the best of X, which again spans the
globe of social media nonsense, excitement, hilarity, or anything else
that you might have suggested. Got a couple of suggestions
over the weekend. So what that next?

Speaker 6 (24:31):
Best of X?

Speaker 3 (24:32):
Here on the A Team, next the.

Speaker 1 (24:35):
Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 7 (24:42):
Did you all see this putting out between five and
fifteen posts.

Speaker 3 (24:46):
Four hundred people were arrested for things that they said
on social media.

Speaker 8 (24:50):
History repeats itself type bangles succeed.

Speaker 6 (24:55):
Never doubt that.

Speaker 3 (24:56):
You're the one to puss with. No one build belea. Yes,
nothing's gonna have a top.

Speaker 8 (25:04):
You know you're the best posting every single day. You're
the best of the breaking the entire Internet.

Speaker 4 (25:18):
A lot of good stuff out there on the X platform,
on snapface book, Graham and all the other goodies out there.
We treat them to the U treat those to you
each and every day at two thirty, and obviously we
dip in there all throughout the four hour program and
we'll get over the course of the afternoon. So not
completely relegated to this only there might be other places

(25:38):
for something we found on social media, or something you
told us about on social media that deserves a little
Looksie usually in the comments, so we can get to that.

Speaker 3 (25:48):
Also have say what come in your way?

Speaker 4 (25:50):
A little bit later today, Levi noted incorrectly we would
have our signature segment at four thirty off Good, Bad
and Ugly that has been shelved considering it. It is
not Monday, so it's not very often I will intentionally
combine politics and sports on this program, but I can't

(26:13):
help it when it's such an obvious match. I don't
know if you can guess this, but I'm going to
hope that you can. If I said a politician put
out his list of the all time NBA starting five
and five behind them, a first and second team based

(26:35):
on their positions, do you know who that politician would be?
My first gay I would bring to the show. My
first guess would be not the obvious one. I don't
know what you're saying.

Speaker 3 (26:49):
It's not me.

Speaker 4 (26:52):
I know he's involved in a lot of things that
seem like how can he have time to be involved
in these things? He did not post on any of
his social media, But the reason I would get about
the NBA's all time greatest players in his mind, the
reason I would guess or his Helper's mind.

Speaker 3 (27:06):
Who I'm going to guess is because he has made
multiple references to the specific game of basketball in the past,
and that's Barack Obama. It's not Barack Obama. Okay, I'm
out of guesses. You should know this.

Speaker 4 (27:17):
Actually, it isn't even hard to guess, is it local?
It isn't when once was but he wasn't a politician.
Then he was a basketball player. Then in the NBA.

Speaker 3 (27:29):
Oh Jesus, should be easy. It's not Bill Bradley.

Speaker 4 (27:33):
No, that far ago. We were working in this town
when he was drafted by the Rockets and then didn't
play in the NBA. Played basketball. He's played in the
Big Three, and now he's going to be running for
governor again.

Speaker 3 (27:49):
Drafted by the Rockets, but didn't play in the NBA,
I mean, and not for this team.

Speaker 4 (27:55):
I do think he might have snuck in a game
or two elsewhere, well, you certain summer league and some
I hope I can make the team, but I won't.

Speaker 6 (28:04):
Now I'm blinking.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
I like I said, I think it would be that hard.
He played three NBA games.

Speaker 4 (28:10):
I thought there was a Sacramento that's where he played them,
not none here. Rocket sixteenth pick in the twenty twenty
twenty twelve NBA Draft, right after they took Jeremy Lamb
and before they took Terrence Jones.

Speaker 6 (28:25):
Is the Iowa State guy, isn't it?

Speaker 4 (28:26):
Yes, the Iowa State guy, the Iowa State guy. I
love that terminology. Boy Houston loves Iowa State guys lately. Yes,
I mean this is fifteen years ago, almost lately. He's
an American former political candidate and former professional.

Speaker 3 (28:40):
Basketball power Royce White. Yes, it is Royce Alexander White. Okay,
Royce White. That doesn't surprise me at all.

Speaker 4 (28:48):
Now, He's obviously knows the game fairly well, and it's
been around a lot of the players he was talking about.
But I just happened to come across it today and
thought it was interesting for a number of different reasons.
Starting five. One of the main reasons is you are
my co host, and our listeners love you, do they
so our starting five by position all time. I'm going

(29:08):
to assume the word cherry was auto corrected. I don't
know what he's typing all the time that Curry would
get auto corrected to cherry, but I'm pretty sure he
knows Steph's net last name is not Cherry. His starting
five is Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Lebron, James, Kevin Garnett,
and Steph Curry. Now, he also offered a second five,

(29:32):
second five by position again Shack, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird,
Kobe and Pistol Pete. Now, I wasn't necessarily going to
bring this to the show without comments, because usually that
helps to paint the picture of what's really happening here,
and lucky for us, he responded to some of them.
He said, I could be convinced Kad could be in

(29:54):
there over Larry Bird, but a very hesitant Katie is
my guy small forward, I guess, yeah, Garnett over Duncan,
First team, second team and Magic not even the top
two point guards. Royce says Steph is number one by default.
Pistol Pete better shooter, just better in my opinion. But
the good one for us here is Lucas says no,

(30:16):
A Keem yeah, and Royce answered, he goes, damn see,
I knew doing this would be impossible. I hate top
five for that reason. Right there, The one name alone
throws a monkey wrench in all basketball top fives. A
Keem was so good it's actually scary. But Shaq is
the biggest and most dominant human I've ever seen play,
And he had Shaq as the second five center.

Speaker 3 (30:38):
Well, if he's the biggest and the most dominant, why
does he have him second behind Wilt? Who's the biggest
and the most dominant.

Speaker 4 (30:43):
I said, I've seen, he qualified it. He put a
little aster. This was his commentary.

Speaker 3 (30:49):
I seen. He obviously saw Shack play. He's not old
enough to have seen Wilt play. Are you have you
ever read Wilt's comments about Hakeem?

Speaker 4 (30:58):
I'm sure there exceptionally complimentary.

Speaker 3 (31:02):
Yeah, since he was so good at complimentary complimenting anybody
who wasn't Wilt Chamberlain. Which which chapter of his book
is a keem in? I don't know what is mixed
in between the one where he's with all of the
women and the other one where he's with all the women.
Chapter one, All the Women, five hundred pages.

Speaker 6 (31:19):
Chapter two.

Speaker 3 (31:20):
My thoughts on the NBA eight pages. You know what
my favorite part is, And I'm completely doing this Cliff's
Notes version. He's like all those head fakes, I wouldn't
have gone for those. Yeah. I bet David Robinson thought
the same thing. And Shaq and Alonzo and d fed
for a fell for Yoo's head fakes. I mean, come on, Will,
it's okay to recognize that other people were good and

(31:41):
played against not plumbers like you. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (31:45):
I thought it was interesting, Russell, because it's not your
typical group, and he didn't give a bunch of back
and forth on everybody, and we could argue about just
almost every single one of them, but a very reasoned
And that's kind of why those things they do generate
converse because they're incredibly difficult because there's it's also.

Speaker 3 (32:04):
Too exactly, and I do like how he put it
out there.

Speaker 4 (32:06):
Very few people put pistol pete there, I think for
a number of different reasons. But if you watch him
play basketball against the competition he was playing against when
he was at the height of his play, both in
late Noor in his college career and early in his
NBA career, you could see it. Now he didn't turn
out to be one of the all time NBA great players,
quite clearly, but man, this as a brief as his

(32:26):
career of excellence in the NBA was.

Speaker 3 (32:28):
It's rare that.

Speaker 4 (32:29):
He gets recognized by anybody, but props to at Highway
Underscore thirty For those that.

Speaker 3 (32:34):
Have gotten he has always been in White's handle. Yeah,
he has always been a bit of a like an
enigma slash. I mean, I don't even know how to
you're talking about Royce. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (32:48):
Yeah, He's been at odds with a lot of different
groups of people for a lot of different issues. And
that's before he became a politics He's.

Speaker 3 (32:57):
Also been at odds with various forms of travel.

Speaker 4 (32:59):
If honestly, it was, in my opinion, it was not
handled very well by his bosses and it was turned
into something it did not need to be.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
Might have never resulted.

Speaker 4 (33:11):
They could have gone a totally different route, and we
still might have ended in the same place, with him
not fitting in here or not playing here and not
really being in the NBA. I do think that's a
definite possibility. But I don't think it was handled well
by either side, very well while he was briefly a
part of this organization, nonetheless, but again, try not to
give you all the something we could have an entire show.

(33:34):
I saw this on social media today. Yeah, I know
so much goodness.

Speaker 3 (33:38):
Yeah, and I will as we get to Yeah, I'll
get to something else that I saw that wasn't necessarily
like the origin wasn't social media, but there sure were
a lot of people noticing it over the weekend, and
that took place at dyk In Park. We'll get to
that next.

Speaker 1 (34:00):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety eight.

Speaker 3 (34:11):
Gun, it is the eight team Sports Talk seven ninety so.
Something I noticed a lot over the weekend. It was
Star Wars weekend, Right, that's the Ballyard. Yeah, like Jeff
Blum's Christmas. He's a huge Star Wars guy. And you
probably noticed this if you were in the ballpark or

(34:32):
if you saw anybody on social media who happened to
notice this. Astros were very petty this weekend. Do you
know what I'm referring to? No, So, when the Mariners
lineup was put up on the big huge boy. By
the way, what's the nickname? At this point, it feels
like it's gotten bigger and bigger the big screen. There's

(34:54):
no nick. There's like a hispanic reference to it, kel
borde Grande. Is that what you're trying to Yeah? Is
that what it is? I don't think that's what it is. Anyway, whatever,
they would have somebody up to bat instead of their
picture next to their name was a Star Wars character

(35:15):
that was not necessarily flattering, like Joba the Hut, for example,
that would be the picture for Dylan Moore. Well, shouldn't
it to have been the picture for Big Dumper. Maybe
that's what it was. Yeah, you know what I think
cal Rawly was. He's a catcher, and that is his
actual nickname. He's fat. That's what you're saying, he's fat.

(35:36):
I'm saying that matches his nickname. Wex thinks he's fat,
that's what he's saying. He's the same as ds M.

Speaker 4 (35:43):
M uh huh No, no, except as he's having a
really really really really good offer, he actually.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
Is like he I gotta give credit wards. Honestly. That's
why this is impressive to me. I think Seattle is
a legit good team. I like when the Rangers were
having that season, it seemed like they were a good team.
But everybody's either come back down to earth, you know
the one, or they're hurt or they're just not as effective.

(36:14):
Like give Seattle this, even though they have not won anything,
even though they've basically been third place behind the other
two during this run, they're probably more consistent overall from
season to season than the Rangers.

Speaker 4 (36:30):
No question about it. Consistency. If that's what you're applauding
them for they have.

Speaker 3 (36:34):
It's gotten them nothing to speak of.

Speaker 4 (36:35):
Absolutely nothing. A postseason victory over the Jays is what
it's gotten them.

Speaker 3 (36:41):
Congrats, yes, but I just I thought that was funny
that of all the things they could have done with
a Star Wars themed weekend.

Speaker 4 (36:48):
They have one player who's been awesome offensively and it's Raleigh.
He's been one of the six or seven most productive
American League hitters this year.

Speaker 3 (36:56):
He's been unbelievable. But for the man the.

Speaker 4 (36:59):
Astros really tried, They really went after Jorge Polanka, and
they missed out on him.

Speaker 3 (37:04):
And look what he's doing. I mean, I don't know
that they were ever.

Speaker 4 (37:07):
Gonna get to that amount that he was given by
the Mariners, but he busted out of the gates with
a ridiculous twelve eighty four OPS and he hit eight
homers in April. Anybody aware of what he's done in May,
the month we're currently in. If you're not, I'll tell
you he's got a homer this month, yep, just the

(37:28):
one in his fifty eight at bats.

Speaker 3 (37:30):
His OPS is four.

Speaker 4 (37:30):
To seventy five and he's hitting one fifty five this month,
which is about to conclude easy on the They really
missed out on him and his one good month because
that's why he was a free agent. Julio Rodriguez not
having a good offensive year. He hadn't been awful, but
he's not having a good offensive year. And you could
say the same about every single other player on their
entire offensive roster except for probably Dylan Moore and obviously

(37:53):
Cal Roley.

Speaker 3 (37:54):
They're built on pitching. They're still built on pitching.

Speaker 4 (37:56):
They haven't elite closer, they're not fully healthy, just got
George Kirby's first start. They're not sure how long Logan
Gilbert is going to be out. He's in that area.
Could really be as bad as we think. Is this
really gonna be a season ender? They don't believe that
it is. But he's obviously out for a significant portion
still to come of this season. But they've got plenty

(38:18):
of answers there, and they still actually have prospects they
could bring up that are elite level prospects. You never
know if it pans out, but yeah, I think it's
pretty clear as we've gotten to tonight, is Game fifty four.
There's two more segments of fifty four games remaining after tonight.
It's I think it's clear that these are the two
best teams in the division. You know, the Rangers stumbled

(38:38):
their way through the White Sox after their first meeting
of the season with the Astros, I don't think they're
gonna be able to keep their starting pitching doing what
they've done so far. You know, Jacob mcgram Tyler Maylee
Malley and Nathan Ivaldi have been awesome, but I don't
expect that to be a season long domination from the
three of them, And then everything else is a question mark.
Saeman's not hitting still hurt. Berger has come back and

(39:03):
started playing a lot better. Peterson's on the IL. I
just don't think they're going to be able to compete
with the Mariners and the Astros. As long as the
Astros can get out of this stretch before Arragatty returns,
they're going to be guessing to a certain extent. It's
probably not the right word, but you get my drift.
When they're done with Brown, Valdez and mccullors each trip

(39:28):
through the rotation, I mean, probably Gusto's getting more starts.
Probably Gordon's getting more starts, probably Walter's getting more starts.
If they can just get to when Spencer Arrageddy gets
back and hope he can pitch, well they'll be okay.
But you just saw this this series. Five innings out
of their starters pretty much all they got for three
straight days, four, four and a third and then five.

(39:51):
That is impossible to continue with in the long term,
even with days off.

Speaker 3 (39:57):
Yeah, I look, I'm I am first and foremost. You're
on Alvarez. I'm like waiting for how do I say
this delicately.

Speaker 4 (40:07):
Waiting for him to have an injury that's clear and
needs this and he'll be back then. Because that's not
an Astro's comment, that's a Jordon comment. What's wrong with
your hands?

Speaker 3 (40:18):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (40:19):
Do you need surgery? Nope, You're not gonna play for
a month though that's correct. I mean that's not normal.

Speaker 3 (40:26):
Do you know why? And this is it's not it's
what you're saying is accurate. That's not a Astros thing,
but it is Astro's like in that, well, this is
the first month of Jordon not playing for what we
don't really know is I don't care if we know
or not.

Speaker 4 (40:41):
I just know he hasn't had surgery and he's not
playing for a month with sore hands.

Speaker 3 (40:47):
And this is not like the first time. Sounds like
Kyle Tucker. No, it doesn't sound like Kyle Tucker at all.

Speaker 4 (40:52):
It sounds like somebody either hasn't figured out what's wrong
the first time or this time, or it's permanent or
option three.

Speaker 3 (41:02):
It's a break and they need to let it heal,
and they don't want to tell us that like Kyle Tucker,
because that's exactly what happened last year.

Speaker 4 (41:09):
Yeah, I just I don't see it that way at all.
And I know we kind of go round and round
about these things. This has literally happened to the exact
same player with the presumably the exact same injury, and
they dealt with it the exact same way. And I
don't feel like they were lying then and I don't
feel like they're lying now. And it's very unfortunate because
this why would it ever go away if you're not
repairing it? What's the problem? There's something there.

Speaker 3 (41:32):
When it was his knees, you did repair it and
the exactly that's normal. Yeah, that's an hour.

Speaker 4 (41:37):
We will hit on the Texans Top five off season
What to watch when we return.

Speaker 1 (41:44):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong
Houston sports guys named Adam talking your team.

Speaker 5 (41:54):
He's so.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler d A Team.

Speaker 3 (42:05):
It's straight up three o'clock on a Tuesday edition of
the program, which means it's hour number two of the
A Team here on Sports Talk seven to ninety and
now on Space City Home Network with the simulcast. A
lot of astros conversation in that first hour, as we
caught up with Astro's closer, Josh Hater. You will hear
a little bit more from him in the five o'clock hour.

(42:26):
You'll also be able to hear that interview posted on
Socials sports Talk at seven ninety dot com and the like.
We'll also gonna hear from Joe Aspota coming up this
hour at the bottom of the hour. As the team
coming off a three out of four against the team
ahead of them in the division, they're only a game

(42:46):
and a half back going into tonight's opener against the Athletics,
which is good because the Athletics, after they had that
cute little run where they looked like they might be
somewhat competitive, have completely torpedoed back down. You know there's
teams that fall back to Earth. They've torpedoed. Yeah, they
I know, but I can't couldn't help myself. You had
to look at the numbers.

Speaker 4 (43:06):
Well, the first part of this losing streak, they were
just every game was a blowout. They won a couple,
and then they started their losing streak of getting crushed.
And then the rest of the losing streak essentially was, oh,
they lost a one run game in extra innings, then
they lost a one run game, then they lost a
one run game, then later on they lost another one
run game, then they lost another game in extra innings.

(43:28):
Five losses of the seven of the eleven were one
run games or extra innings. And then they won a
one run game against the Phillies. They also played the Phillies, Dodgers,
and Giants. Those all three of those teams going to
the National League playoffs.

Speaker 5 (43:43):
Yes, so.

Speaker 4 (43:46):
I don't think they're quite falling off the map. They're
completely tossed aside. But I already said at last hour,
they're not among the top two. The other three might
be more similar, and the top two might be similar.
We'll see if the Rangers can keep up. But the Rangers,
the Angels, and the A's are the second tier of
this division. And if the Astros are gonna win every

(44:08):
series on this homestand which they've started by winning three
out of four against the Mariners, they're taken tonight and tomorrow,
and then they're taking three out of four against.

Speaker 3 (44:16):
The Race, that's what they should do. I agree.

Speaker 4 (44:18):
It's what I said before this home stand started. It's
gonna look even better because in order mathematically to win
these series, you've got to win two more games than
the other team each series. Otherwise you didn't win the series.
You got a four game series, well you gotta win
three or more. Well you got another four game series,
or you gotta win three or more and you got
a two game series. But you can't win the series

(44:38):
unless you sweep them. That's eight and two or better.

Speaker 3 (44:41):
Unfortunately, during this stretch, the same stretch, I mean, the
Mariners are gonna be at home for Washington and the
Twins for six in a row, and then after that
they've got three more at home against the crappy Baltimore Orioles.

Speaker 4 (44:56):
Suddenly, Yeah, Also, what will be new to the A's
after they played their last seven at home, they'll be
playing in front of more than twelve thousand fans because
this is one of those as we mentioned with Josh
Hater and Arago, it's one of these teams that is
essentially playing every game not as a true ah. This

(45:17):
is our home. Our fans love us here in West Sacramento.
They love us here at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Not
only is it not a home field, it's a minor
league or spring training caliber ballpark. Their biggest crowds of
the year are in the twelve thousands in West Sacramento.
All of their largest crowds of the year, by twice

(45:39):
that much, if not more, are when they're playing in
somebody else's major league home ballpark.

Speaker 3 (45:46):
And they'll see that tonight and tomorrow afternoon. And by
the way, I know that Seattle has been leading the
division for much of the year, but just take a
look back at when they were making their hay before
they started opping a bunch of games here lately. It
wasn't exactly against stellar competition themselves. They had a like

(46:09):
I said, this division competition right, well, some of it was.
They took two out of three against Miami for example.

Speaker 4 (46:15):
I'm just saying they came to town eight games over
five hundred, they were thirteen and five against this division.

Speaker 3 (46:21):
Right, that's all of it.

Speaker 4 (46:22):
That's all of the Obviously, they then played the best
team in the division that isn't them, and they didn't
win the series.

Speaker 3 (46:27):
Right, It's that's what's crazy. It was they came in
and had a nice little cushion, and now they've left,
and you know, down four to three, they lost a
little weight less cushion. Like cal Rawly.

Speaker 4 (46:38):
I'm sure he probably lost a couple of LB's playing
in the heat indoors do.

Speaker 3 (46:43):
By the way, I know we make jokes and his
nickname and all that kind of stuff. He does not
look He looks slimmer than last season.

Speaker 4 (46:49):
He definitely looks like somebody you would want to send
home and challenge Jose Altuve, Like that wasn't even a
challenge field it at home and wait and wait almost
and there's Roley. He's in the picture now and he's out.
I mean, Maldonado might be slower, that's about it. Of

(47:11):
all the people this sent I don't mind challenging one
any of the Astros' arms, even Cam Smith, but probably
not with him in that situation with the ball coming
from left field.

Speaker 3 (47:21):
Nice play for the Astros, though, You're right, but you
were talking about the division wins, like, yeah, after the
Miami series, you know, he took two out of three
from Miami and these are home games, by the way,
swept the Angels into two game home series, and they
went to the Rangers and took two out of three,
which is something the Astros couldn't do, although they took two,
but it was a four game series. But then they
took two out of three from the Athletics. Then they

(47:43):
lost three all three games at home, by the way,
against Toronto, lost two out of three to the Yankees,
and then they start that little four game skid. But
they lost two out of three to the White Sox
before they came here to Houston, and then they lost
three out of four. This is why I just don't
trust them. I know that the Astros have their issues
and it's not the same and it's not just written

(48:04):
in the stars that the Astros are going to cruise
to yet another division championship. But if they do or
if they don't, let's say I don't think it's going
to be because the Seattle Mariners are just so awesome.

Speaker 4 (48:15):
Yeah, the word cruise doesn't apply anymore. They haven't cruised
to a division to anybody in three seasons. Yeah, the
last two years they've they've won it late late, late
in the season. They took two out of three from
the White Sox, lost three out of four to Houston
against the rest of the division. Like I've said, they've
lost one series to a division team all year.

Speaker 3 (48:34):
It was this one. Yeah, I screwed that up. They
took two out of three. They didn't lose two out
of three, but they all the games against the White
Sox that they scored in. That's true, That is absolutely true.

Speaker 4 (48:48):
And how about just what the Astros and the Mariners
pitched pretty well, Like the Astros obviously put it on
them in the first game, getting to those nine runs,
but then you had typical games, just like the first
time these two teams met. Those first three games, three
straight one run games, and again the Astros are up
five to nothing in the eighth inning. You figure that
one wouldn't be a thirteen overall run scored in that game,

(49:10):
but their bullpen fell apart. These three games after the
opener five to three, to two to one, five to three.
Expect six more games like that. Now they won't see
Seattle for a little bit of time here. All of
their games come much much later in the season. Like
every team in this division, they close the season with
a series against each of those four a series prior

(49:30):
to that. The only other time they will see them
quote unquote second half of the season is the first
series in the second half of the season.

Speaker 3 (49:39):
How bad do you feel? And of course I don't
expect you to feel bad at all. I feel pretty good.
How bad do you feel for the Athletics that they
get to face Hunter Brown coming off his last performance
where you know he is? That was by far his
worst performance of the year, his only bad performance of
the year in my opinion. But like I just I

(50:00):
feel like he's going to absolutely feast on this lineup tonight. Yeah,
it's gonna be mad.

Speaker 4 (50:03):
Brought it up earlier, just as his work at home.
He obviously started in the opening series of the season,
Game two against the Mets went six and gave up two.
He pitched against Toronto in April, went seven, gave up none,
and then he pitched against Cincinnati went five and two
thirds gave up none. Those are only three home starts
so far this season. This will only be his fourth

(50:24):
home start and we're fifty four games into the season.
He's allowed runs and only one of the first three.
He's been sensational all the year, even more so when
pitching at Minute May Park. I mentioned going into the break,
it is work week on the field practiced as much
as it is sure Texans OTAs this week and next

(50:45):
their mandatory mini camp coming up on June eleventh. Most
of the other NFL teams are at the same phase
of their offseason, meaning they will also meet with the media,
which means Panthers head coach Dave Canalis met with the
media today as they have begun their work and he
mentioned that they will be coming to town early for
the preseason matchup against the Texans so they can get

(51:07):
in some workouts joint workouts with Bryce Young's Panthers in
advance of a game that I don't know that either
he or CJ. Stroud will play in this upcoming year.
I don't think we're gonna see a whole lot of
preseason football for CJ.

Speaker 3 (51:21):
Stroud, even in a new offense.

Speaker 4 (51:23):
And that's kind of a combo of two of the
things you will be hearing from us about tomorrow and
Friday when we cover Texans OTAs in the am, and
we'll get back to you here on the A team
starting at two o'clock those days or after the game tomorrow,
I should say, their offensive line and a new offense,

(51:44):
what is it really gonna look like?

Speaker 3 (51:45):
I don't mean, how are they playing?

Speaker 4 (51:47):
I don't mean are they pushing around Daniel Hunter, Will
Anderson Junior, Sheldon Rankins and other people they're probably not
even gonna work out against tomorrow yet. I mean, who
is it who's attempting to win the left tackle job,
which I think is one of the few positions they
probably don't even have a competition for, and that's unfortunate.
Who's gonna be the right tackles? Are they going young

(52:09):
or even younger? Or is Trent Brown get in there?
And obviously the interior line with Titus Howard being a
part of it, is the biggest question mark of all
because they have less to work with there that they
know about. And obviously all this kind of falls into
folds into that other portion of the answer or the
other thing to watch for. What does it look like
when they actually put eleven on the field. What kind

(52:30):
of groupings are we going to see in Nick Cayley's
new offense. You know what is he I'm a little
bit excited to see him on the field. Saw him
a little bit last year. Wasn't really focusing on it
when he was here at a joint practice running the
offense for Matt Stafford a little bit when the Rams
were here, he obviously was part of their offense, but
he wasn't the OC.

Speaker 3 (52:51):
And he will be here, and what is it gonna
look like?

Speaker 4 (52:53):
What's the communication like with him and Bill and Gerrod
and CJ. And how will things kind of you know,
out of the huddle, who's doing what? Those are two
of the five things. Got a full show today. We'll
get to the other three items that we'll be watching for,
reporting on, and obviously conversating on. Remember tomorrow's show comes

(53:13):
after two Astros games. Tonight they've got the athletics. Tomorrow,
they've got the athletics.

Speaker 3 (53:19):
That's it. It's done.

Speaker 4 (53:21):
Nice two game series and tomorrow and afternoon start we'll
be coming to you live from Carbock Brewing. Like to
take the show out there when we can. Tomorrow will
be one of those days, so you can come and
see us.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (53:41):
It is the eighteen it's Sports Talk seven ninety eight
Tuesday edition of the program. As we are counting down
the hours to the Astros resuming their schedule with that
massive two game series against the vagabonds known as the Athletics,
Hunter Brown on the Hill tonight and looking forward to
seeing him bounce back after like I said last segment,

(54:02):
probably his well it was, it was his worst performance
of the season, but like he's been so fantastic that
the bar is so ridiculously high every time he goes
out there. I just, you know, would like the Astros
to take a game in which he's starting against a
club that's absolutely not even in the vicinity of their
ballpark when it comes to competition. So the Texans and

(54:27):
the top five things to watch this offseason, OTA starts tomorrow,
bright and early. How early are you going to get
their WEX before they allow us to So nine point
thirty is when you can start maybe maybe taking video,
but not the whole time.

Speaker 4 (54:43):
It just depends when they let us in the gate.
But yes, they're schedules, who have us viewing by nine thirty?

Speaker 3 (54:49):
Are you going to be like that old Mervin's commercial.
There's a modern reference where you're like, open, open, open.
Probably not. I didn't think so, Demico. Ryan's gonna speak afterwards.
And it's just the first look at what this team
might be this season. I don't even I hesitate to
even say that because it's just so.

Speaker 4 (55:09):
And again, these are off season things to watch. I'm
not trying to tell you I love what this looks like.
Or man, this one on one matchup between Kamari Lassiter
and Jayden and Higgins is something to behold. Get a
load of this video that the team will send out
because it was during a non shooting portion. But who's
actually gonna line up? You know, who are the five
guys if we get to that point tomorrow and I

(55:29):
think we will, that are literally gonna line up in
front of the ones.

Speaker 3 (55:33):
You know who's gonna be in front of C J. Stroud?

Speaker 4 (55:34):
Who's he taking snaps from? Presumably he's taking snaps from
Jared Patterson. I can't even give you a presumably on
who lines up next to him. I believe one of
the guards left guard will Titus Howard. They brought in
all these veterans at Ingram and Laken Tomlinson among them. Well,
probably they're battling with Juice Scruggs for the other guard spot.
Who's first when they start, because while Jewice Scruggs has

(55:58):
been here, those guys have more NFL experience. None of
them have any experience in Nick Cayley's offense. Juice is
known by his new offensive line coach a little bit
more because Cole Popovich has been here for the last
couple of years, just not as the lead offensive line coach.
So I don't know that there's much of an advantage
one way or the other. The truest real I don't

(56:22):
know what it's gonna end up as because each of
the three players have a different story, is what they're
going to do at the other tackle spot. I don't
want to dismiss the left tackle spot because I think
it's going to set itself up to need a change
during the year. But Cam Robinson is going to be
the number one tomorrow and for the foreseeable future, basically

(56:42):
until they get him on the field and say, I
don't know about this, but he's their left tackle and
he's going to be their left tackle until somebody outplays
him or they realize they can't have him out there anymore.
Maybe the new coaching and maybe this new offense will
get him back to playing at at least an adequate level.
And I think as a Jaguar for much of his
career he was an adequate tackle. He was not a

(57:03):
very good tackle last year or the year before. He
was significantly worse this year with both Jacksonville and Minnesota.
So you're getting them at the wrong time. But the
other tackle spots I think really truly totally up for grabs.
They spent the last two second round picks that weren't
Kamari Lassiter on a right tackle, Tay ORSII this year

(57:24):
and Blake Fisher the last year. One of the two
of them will absolutely have a chance to win that job.
And probably, and I don't know this yet, Trent Brown,
the other veteran tackle they added, will be battling with them.
I don't think they're going to have Brown and Robinson
battle each other for the left tackle spot and two

(57:45):
very inexperienced players battle each other for the right tackle spot.
I think they'll split the two vets in that way,
but I would say it's totally wide open, and this
will just be our first opportunity to see how they
put them out there. Who actually is I don't know
leading the races a little early to even say that,
but what do they want to look at at this
point in time and when we get through the next

(58:06):
couple weeks of OTAs and mandatory mini camp, which is
again mid June June eleventh. The Texans have always had
what I would call exceptional attendance at OTAs.

Speaker 3 (58:17):
This year is going to be no different.

Speaker 4 (58:19):
Honestly, some of the players who otherwise would not have
been here and sometimes have been for injury. Larrynie Tunseels
one of the players would very rarely not be on
the field during these sessions, let alone not even be
out there or even with the team, But he's also
been coming off of a surgery or coming off of
an injury and is not battling for a job. It
could be some veterans this year in that position and

(58:41):
anybody else recovering from injury. Aaron Wilson was on Sports
Sunday this past weekend talking about Joe Mixon not at
one hundred percent means they'll probably get even more looks
for Pierce, Woody, Woody Marx and anybody else they want
to see at this point in camp, which is probably
all of their offseason program prior to training camp, but
specifically to the five things to watch. That's number one,

(59:04):
it's your number one. It's Nick Cassario's number one, America's
number one.

Speaker 9 (59:07):
C J.

Speaker 4 (59:07):
Stroud's number one, it's Nick Cayley's number one. If we've
seen it once and we've seen the opposite once, c J.
Stroud with reasonable protection and c J Stroud without reasonable protection.
One is the guy who maybe isn't among the top
fourteen quarterbacks in the NFL, as we discussed last week,

(59:28):
and the other one quite obviously is among the best
eight or nine quarterbacks.

Speaker 3 (59:32):
I phrased, it is way too lenient. You've seen one
with adequate protection, and then you've seen one with awful protection,
and he almost got killed all season. That's how I
look at it.

Speaker 4 (59:43):
I mean the bar the high end adequate, how about
good protection, how about top flight protection? How about he's
not getting again the sack numbers and the only thing
anybody ever talks about. You can get sacked three times
in a game that you got hit three times, and
if you get sacked three times in a game all

(01:00:03):
year as fifty one sacks. But if it's not a
game where you're getting hit eleven times and they got
eight tackles for loss, which means they spent the entire
day in the backfield.

Speaker 3 (01:00:13):
It's different. It's totally different to how you are.

Speaker 4 (01:00:16):
That's three plays of the sixty that you're gonna have
on offense, not fifteen that are completely blown up protection.

Speaker 3 (01:00:25):
Yeah, and it was one of the things that was
so frustrating about the Texans losing that game to the
Chiefs because they were getting after Mahomes, even though if
you looked at just the sack numbers, you wouldn't have
necessarily said that they were. I mean again, that's just
looking at a box score. You watch that game, you
know they got after him. But yeah, I just I
don't want him running for his life. I'm not saying

(01:00:47):
that you can't. You know, every quarterback has an internal clock,
and every quarterback has an I guess external clock. When
you're talking about you know, just the amount of time
that you're able to stand in that pocket or have
to you know, run up in the pocket or whatever.
You got to do to make the play. That's the problem. Though.
He was making those plays for whatever reason, more often

(01:01:10):
than not his rookie year than he was last year.

Speaker 4 (01:01:13):
His play of the year, maybe arguably the play of
his career, considering it was in the postseason, was off
a bad snap and he was running for his life
and there was Zavier Rudge was forty yards down the field.

Speaker 6 (01:01:25):
He hit him all.

Speaker 3 (01:01:26):
Because if you if, if that play ends, like pretty
much every other play had ended under those circumstances. In
twenty twenty four, for CJ. Stroud, we're having probably an
even worse conversation about both the offensive line and CJ.
I mean, I got done talking on Friday about how
much I can't stand how people just lazily say, oh,

(01:01:49):
sophomore slump. That's just as bad to me as looking
at sack numbers only and then determining what the offensive
line play is and what the quarterback plays. It's just
so disingenue. Did just say a sophomore slump?

Speaker 7 (01:02:01):
Well, how many times are you looking at this where
it's actually a sack that's being allowed by the offensive
line in a sack to where a quarterbacks holding it
for seven eight nine seconds and then taken down.

Speaker 4 (01:02:10):
They did a lot more of that Ladder mentioned this
past year, and that's a little surprising knowing how much
he would have known about Well, I don't have time
to do that. I don't have time to pretend like
I have the time to do that. And I do
think he held the ball. I thought he held the
ball a little bit too much in his initial season,
but I thought he held the ball too much more
this past season, all while knowing he wasn't gonna have
a lot of time.

Speaker 3 (01:02:30):
So I didn't think it was a particularly good match.

Speaker 4 (01:02:32):
And while I do disagree with the sophomore slump turn, Similarly,
I can't act like I didn't see things that you
know they can be a product of poor offensive line play,
and I totally recognize that. But the better you are,
the more clearly above average player processor athlete that you are,

(01:02:53):
the less you, I think fall into those things, And
are you succumb to it? You know, Pat Mahomes isn't
what people would call fast. They wouldn't call him even nimble.
He's just got good footwork more often than not, although
he throws off platform all the time. But he has
a really good feel for when is the last moment
when do I have to either move or get rid

(01:03:15):
of the football? And I don't think we're quite there
yet with CJ, even though he's shown plenty of plays
where it's there, just the full picture of it for
two seasons.

Speaker 3 (01:03:25):
I don't think it's automatic.

Speaker 4 (01:03:26):
I don't think it's a very top trait for any
of the quarterbacks that are in the league in their
first two seasons, their first thirty four or so games,
which is all he's had here or less because he
missed a couple of games his rookie season. But that's
why it's number one on the list. It's pretty much
a given he's going to be awesome. Maybe gets a great,
great line play. They don't have a great offensive line

(01:03:47):
from a personnel standpoint, so I'm not expecting that yet.
But at some point they have to build this line,
and a Fisher's a part of that build. If ursery
is a part of that build, if Howard is still
playing at a high enough level that maybe these are
guys that start this year and next year and the
next year, maybe we can get to the other top
five items and not all offensive line.

Speaker 3 (01:04:07):
We'll try that next.

Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
The age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:04:17):
That way through this second hour of the Tuesday edition
of the show, first hour of our simulcast right here
on Space City Home Network, the A team WEX and
AC along with Cole each and every weekday afternoon from
two to six pm table the Texans Conversation briefly over
the course of the offseason, got plenty of other things
that are inactive moments right now, and that includes your

(01:04:38):
Houston Astros. Game five of this ten game homestand tonight
took three or four from the Mariners over the weekend,
had the much anticipated and well deserved off day yesterday,
took ten out of the seventeen games played in consecutive days.
With this, I'm sure date yesterday circled by many people.
I think Joe Spata and the pitching coaches and obviously

(01:05:01):
the individual pitchers did a pretty remarkable job of navigating
their way through those seventeen games, and that it would
have been difficult anyway had they not lost multiple starting
pitchers during that time and worked through getting a couple
of other guys back from injury in the bullpen.

Speaker 3 (01:05:19):
Mentioned it earlier.

Speaker 4 (01:05:19):
Their bullpen as it's currently constructed is incredibly successful so
far in twenty twenty five. From Bennett Sussa, Sean Dubin
to the fourth back end of the bullpen and Caleb Ort,
they've all been outstanding.

Speaker 3 (01:05:33):
Really really unbelievably good this season.

Speaker 4 (01:05:37):
So talking to little Astros Baseball, Joe spot Him made
his weekly visit earlier today to the Matt Thomas Show
with Ross.

Speaker 3 (01:05:43):
Wanted to give you a little bit of that.

Speaker 4 (01:05:44):
You know, you can always catch the interview in full
via Sports Talk seven ninety dot com, or for those
of you that have already and have long since already
had the iHeartRadio app available to you on your old
phone device, you got Sports Talk seven ninety number one
on your presets, you subscribed to all of our podas
cast you also, we'll see these interviews that take place
here on our airwaves right there in the palm of

(01:06:05):
your hand, so you can catch it in full there.
Wanted to give you a little tidbit of Joe's conversation
today Hurt on Sports Talk seven ninety beginning with the
bullten being the backbone of this team.

Speaker 10 (01:06:14):
I think you know that's that's been you know, one
of our strength this season has been our bullpen and
everybody contributing, and everybody's getting big innings, getting you know,
some of some of these guys four out, some of
them are going there for two hours for two innings.
Credit to those guys they've been they've been really good,
preparing themselves very well, getting rested and like you mentioned,
getting some quality start from some of our guys and

(01:06:36):
then piecing it together with with a few others. But
I thought this run was pretty good. And now we
you know, we're getting uh a few mondays off here
after six in a row, so it should be it
should be good.

Speaker 11 (01:06:47):
You know, I was gonna ask you about your thoughts
about the six man rotation, but really your sixth guy
is a guy that you've bounced backwards and forwards to
the bullpen and starting rotation.

Speaker 3 (01:06:56):
It's Ryan Gusto.

Speaker 11 (01:06:57):
Is that kind of the plan at least for the
foreseeable future to you, Sam as a swing guy?

Speaker 10 (01:07:01):
You know what, right now we are, we we're talking
things through. You know, we do have these off days
coming up. Gusta has done a really nice job being
that swing man. But you know, obviously we really like
when he goes out there and give us, give us,
you know, strong five innings. But he's also a piece
that we could use in the bullpen and and and
give us you know, strong six out six, you know,

(01:07:24):
you know, more than two innings of work. So we're
trying to figure it out what's going to be our
next move here moving forward against the age. And then
we got four, uh four against Tampa.

Speaker 11 (01:07:34):
So you win three or four against Seattle, and look,
a division can't be won or lost in late May.
But the reality is if you had to drop three
or four, you'd probably felt pretty sick to your stomach.
Winning three or four kind of changes the morale of Hey,
we survived this. We've had Jordan gone for a long
period of time. Our starting rotation is a mess because
of injuries at this point, and hell, we're a game

(01:07:54):
and a half out. You really couldn't ask for much
more at this point.

Speaker 10 (01:07:57):
No, Yeah, the the effort was was there. You know,
these guys, they they newly important stuff this series, even
though he's in May. But anytime you could win series
against team in your division, you know you're gaining you're
gaining some games, you're gaining some ground, and you're carrying
some momentum and you don't want to be too far
away from from these teams once, you know, June July

(01:08:19):
come comes around. So so I thought, we we show
up and we play very well. We got some big
hits when we needed to, and are pitching again doing
a fabulous job keeping us, keeping us in it.

Speaker 11 (01:08:29):
Speaking of your don I know you're probably getting tired
of AST basically every day, but just any update there.

Speaker 10 (01:08:35):
He's going to run the basis today, he's going to
do some outfield defense. We want to keep them, you know,
in gain shapes of once, he tells us, So you know,
I'm ready to go. He you know, we feel like
he's strong enough physically, you know, lower half h so
he can uh start playing right away. But you know
he's going to come in here today. He's going to

(01:08:55):
hit again off the machine and then and then we
judge from there.

Speaker 6 (01:08:59):
How about seven hits from Cam Smith in the series.

Speaker 11 (01:09:02):
Looks like he's really blossoming at the plate.

Speaker 5 (01:09:04):
Yeah, he is.

Speaker 10 (01:09:05):
He had made some some adjustments. He's starting to gain
some confidence. You know, success bring some confidence to your game,
and he's starting to. He started to feel good about
where he's at. Offensively, He's done a nice job in
right field, you know, we knew that this guy is
going to be a really, really good player, but our
job is just kind of moving him along, help him

(01:09:29):
through this process. But he's starting to, you know, drive
the ball, getting some I've got some big hits for us,
you know, excited to have him. He's he's you know,
he's been he's been really good for us. So you know,
we'll keep him going. We'll keep an eye on things
and we'll keep him going.

Speaker 11 (01:09:47):
So, Joe, if you weren't the manager of this team,
and you and I were sitting at the bar having
a beverage, and I said, our favorite baseball team is
going to put a left fielder out there has ever
played left and a right fielder has never played right before.

Speaker 3 (01:09:57):
You're gonna be like, oh, how this is how bad
going to be?

Speaker 11 (01:10:00):
First of all, Cam is fielding his position beautifully, and
then Al two Bays throw Friday night which got at
the base runner a BYuT like thirty feet. I mean,
all things considered, I mean, it could have gone a
lot worse. And I'm not trying to jinx anything here,
but my goodness, especially with Camon right field, you guys
are not missing any beat out there, at least defensively.

Speaker 10 (01:10:20):
Well, we're having that beer at the bar and we're
talking about this, this.

Speaker 3 (01:10:24):
This particular situation.

Speaker 10 (01:10:26):
I'll tell you that I had no doubt that these
guys can do it, because you got to take in
consideration the athlete that you're dealing with, the mindset off
the player, the work ethic of of the guys. So
I had no doubt that these guys are going We're
going to have some success and figure things out. And
we you know, we're not there yet. They continue to
work and get better, but I had no doubt that

(01:10:47):
both of these guys have the ability and the mindset
to make disadjustments.

Speaker 3 (01:10:52):
Gotta love it from Joe Spot talking about Jordan Alvarez
right before that comment about the outfield and their defense, and.

Speaker 4 (01:10:58):
I'm excited to haven't have him. He's done some really
good things for us. It's understated as you could possibly
be about one of the three or four most feared
hitters in the American League for the last several seasons,
which the Astros have been playing without. They now have
a little bit better record since he went on the
IL and missed all these games then they had prior

(01:11:21):
to that, only by a game or two on any
given day. But they looked like the same team pretty
much all season long, and a few other guys are
hitting a little bit better because of what Pain has done,
because Peretis really finally had a good road trip with
what he did in Tampa and prior to that, brought
it back home. He's been sensational offensively at home. Maybe

(01:11:41):
you'll have a few others kind of fall into place
if and when Jordan is out there. But Jordon Alvarez
is not in the starting lineup today. It is not
a surprise. It is not breaking news. Mauricio Dubon Bat's
ninth again. He's playing second. Jose al Tuve is the
designated hitter today and Jake Bat's fifth, Jander Diaz Bat's

(01:12:03):
sixth chas McCormick makes a start in left field.

Speaker 3 (01:12:06):
I'm old enough to remember when Jake was the automatic
nine hole hitter.

Speaker 4 (01:12:09):
Well, they have one three hundred hitter in the lineup today.
His name is Jake Myers.

Speaker 3 (01:12:14):
Like is I don't even wanted to call I don't
even want to call it a coming out party he's had.

Speaker 4 (01:12:21):
He is crushing singles like you would not believe. This
month of May. Absolutely destroying singles. This month of May,
he has seven extra base hits and twenty one singles.
But he's hitting three point fifty this month with a
nine to forty one OPS.

Speaker 3 (01:12:37):
That is elite stuff. Elite, almost as elite as a
free throw mergent like SGA. He responded to that nickname
as the Western Conference Finals continued over a holiday weekend.
You'll hear from him next.

Speaker 1 (01:12:53):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:13:04):
It's a Tuesday edition of the program Sports Talk seven ninety.
Space City home network WEXAC with you as the Western
Conference Finals rapidly approaches its conclusion, at least from the
standpoint of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tomorrow night can punch
their ticket to the NBA Finals.

Speaker 4 (01:13:23):
Finally had the need for a last two minutes report
in that series four games in.

Speaker 3 (01:13:28):
Yeah, well it's not yet been released, that's true, although
at least it was. I mean, this is by far
the closest game of the series, and that's not even
doing it justice. That's kind of the joke. I mean,
good grief. I love Anthony Edwards and he's been awesome,
but collectively the Thunder are doing what they finally are

(01:13:51):
supposed to do. At least if you watch the.

Speaker 4 (01:13:54):
Blown out by forty or win a close game four
to write the ship.

Speaker 3 (01:13:58):
Well, that's the thing. There is that oberation, like.

Speaker 4 (01:14:01):
They're five wins away from becoming the first team ever
to lose by forty in the posts.

Speaker 3 (01:14:05):
And win a championship. Yep, maybe they'll blow a three
one lead in the finals. Oh wait, only one team
did that, the greatest point guard of all time, according
to Wilt Chambers. I mean, you know, Royce White. They
finally did what they're supposed to do. So we've talked
about this ad nauseum during the regular season, during the playoffs,

(01:14:25):
and here in the conference finals specifically SGA not surprisingly,
lots of free throws in the three wins, only four
in the one loss that you mentioned, the forty point blowout.
I mean, those are the facts.

Speaker 4 (01:14:40):
You could probably hear the look on my face if
you're not watching us on Space City Home network. Man,
how come he didn't get any free throws in the
game that you were down by thirty in the first half.

Speaker 3 (01:14:48):
I don't get it. That's so weird. Maybe he shouldn't
have been down by thirty.

Speaker 4 (01:14:51):
Whereas minutes down to yes, or was it competitive no,
And last night's game, he had how many free throws
going into the fourth quarter of very very very close game.

Speaker 3 (01:15:01):
The answer is six.

Speaker 4 (01:15:02):
And how many free throws did he shoot in the
final fifteen seconds of a game his team was leading
by by being sent to the free throw line off
from an intentional foul in order for the team losing
to try to catch up.

Speaker 3 (01:15:13):
Okay, the answer is also, nobody is confusing him with
say Steven Adams when it comes to free throws. That's
not the same thing. This is an end of the game.

Speaker 4 (01:15:21):
We're losing. They let him inbound the ball. To Shay
Gillis is Alexander, you have to foul. You have no
chance to win otherwise. So they fouled him and he
went to the line three separate trips. He made five
of six. Yeah, just like the final They had win
game otherwise unless they fouled. And hack of Steven Adams
very very different. I'm pretty sure hack of ninety percent

(01:15:42):
free throw shooters don't exist.

Speaker 3 (01:15:44):
Yeah, Well, that's the problem. He goes to the line
and he hits them every single time, and so he's
gotten the free throw merchant Moniker. Well, I'll say this
about SGA you might not like that style of play,
you might not like what he does. I like the
guy personally. I think he's one of the good dudes
in the NBA. And maybe this answer will further that cause,

(01:16:06):
or maybe you'll hate him even more after you hear this.

Speaker 12 (01:16:08):
In terms of the label, I don't care, never cared.
I said this before, like I've shot more for those
in a season than I did this season. I think
because we're on the top, every one, radar's looking more
noticeable than now.

Speaker 5 (01:16:20):
People care about it. But I kind of seen it
as a.

Speaker 3 (01:16:22):
Common see that sounds like something that's a that is
a manner of answering this kind of criticism, like wex Well,
I'm just gonna go the numbers. I've shot more free
throws in the past. Well, he has not shot more.
He didn't shoot more than thirteen free throws in any
game prior to the Conference finals. This is his third
time in four games he's shot fourteen or more free

(01:16:44):
throw so he's it's been even more pronounced to his
suit to a degree. He already top out at seventeen
attempts forty games. Okay, fifteen okay.

Speaker 4 (01:16:52):
And you know he did miss one of the six
late and I'm I don't want to stray from this topic,
but what we're talking about actually created a much bigger
social media topic.

Speaker 3 (01:17:02):
So it's a foul merchant.

Speaker 4 (01:17:04):
And so the fans are saying that we sitting here
in Houston have full knowledge of this exact situation, because
it's not particularly different what was happening, how the person
was playing, and how the perception was around the league
from the fans. With James Harden, now we can see
a difference at how it's being officiated. And he, James,

(01:17:28):
like Shay, was on the best team, the number one team,
the team that had the number one seed, the team
that ran away with the Western Conference number one seed.
Now they might not have been in quite the same
situation because I do think Golden State is a championship
worthy opponent, much more so than the Minnesota Timberwolves are,

(01:17:50):
because they'd obviously already done that, been there, done that,
and had championship level players. The Timberwolves have been to
the conference finals twice as decided underdogs, and it's shown
both times, so it's not quite the same on their end,
But yeah, quite obviously, James at this stage of the
postseason was not receiving the same kind of officials treatment

(01:18:10):
that Shay does. And in my opinion, James's foul drawing
was we probably have to change the rules because he's
not doing anything wrong. The defenders are getting caught doing
things we can't ignore because this is what the rules are,
and these are fouls.

Speaker 3 (01:18:29):
Shae is flip flopping his way all over the place,
and he's offensive fouling. Yes, like James Harden with the
rip through and all that kind of stuff that's not
an offensive foul.

Speaker 4 (01:18:39):
Like, rewrite the rule they have to put in place
for what Shay's doing. What would it sound like you
need to stay on your feet. We need to now
have you fall down when someone breathes on you.

Speaker 3 (01:18:49):
How about not forearming everybody in front of you that's
trying to defend you.

Speaker 4 (01:18:54):
Yeah, there's definitely a play from last night's game that's
making the rounds and from an earlier game in this series,
you know, basically prior to Jade McDaniel's shove and last
night when Anthony Edwards was simply trying to defend him
and they meet and he falls to his left like
he's been bulldozed by Draymond.

Speaker 3 (01:19:15):
Green, Okay, Edwards is like, what do you want me
to do? Right? But here, Okay, I said this last week,
and this is what I think this comes down to.
And it's not just it's not just this matchup, but
I said, look, I think the Rockets are actually going
to be, if they aren't already defensively, the best equipped

(01:19:36):
to challenge it's kind of coming into play, like with
the Warriors, this is the standard in the Western Conference,
and there's like one team that might have the personnel
to do something about it. Now the Rockets don't have it.
James Harden offensively clearly, that's the problem. That's what this
whole offseason is going to be about. Whether or not
they address it, how they address it. Do they do
anything but defensively? I don't think, I mean, unless you

(01:20:00):
want to point to the Nuggets because they took them
to a longer series, I don't think there's anybody in
the West at least that going into twenty twenty five
to twenty six is going to be equipped to deal
with this individually and then just collectively as a team
to defend the juggernaut that is the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Speaker 4 (01:20:20):
That's befitting of a team that finished right behind him
in the standing is a big fitting of a team
that beat them as many as any team did in
the Western Conference playoffs during the regular season, they beat
him twice, Minnesota beat him twice, Denver beat them twice.
But I do think Denver belongs in that same conversation.
I don't know that it changes the outcome of the series. Well,
but Denver played most of the series with Michael Porter

(01:20:42):
Junior having only one usable shoulder, and they played the
final game of the series with Aaron Gordon having one
usable leg.

Speaker 3 (01:20:49):
But my thing is, look at these scores. Thunder one
fourteen eighty eight, thunder one eighteen one oh three, thunder
and then finally it's a close game. But the other
gaming in which they lost was also lopsided to me,
even though it shouldn't, that's going to affect how officials
are calling this either way, and I just don't want
it to get to a point where the Rockets are

(01:21:11):
best equipped to play the thunder. Is it gonna matter though,
because he's going to be such a merchant. Well, they're
also an awesome free throw shooting team. The Rockets are not.
Maybe that will change this offseason we'll see, all right,
We've got the four o'clock hour coming up next. We'll
get back into some Texans conversation when we return.

Speaker 5 (01:21:31):
The A teen.

Speaker 1 (01:21:33):
On Sports Talk seven ninety two, lifelong Houston sports guys
named Adham talking your team.

Speaker 2 (01:21:43):
So, Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team.

Speaker 3 (01:21:57):
Our number three here on Sports Talk seven nineties, Space
City Home Network. It is the A Team. Wex Ac
and Cole Thompson with you. Is the four o'clock hour
gets underway. Got a little bit of conversation in about
the NBA postseason just makes me. I'll say this, because
I know that we differ on this. Wex the last

(01:22:19):
three off seasons, for sure. It's not to say that
I didn't miss the Rockets when the season was over,
but I didn't have that came up short in the
playoff feeling that, you know, post season indigestion, that fans
get where they want more. We didn't want that to
end then, and especially with the way that this first
round series went with the Warriors, I just I needed

(01:22:42):
that to keep going. So I'm looking at you know,
what's happening with the thunder given what I just said,
and I really do believe that it's not just a
homer take. I think the Rockets right now, with all
things considered, and a lot a lot of things can
happen in the West, but I do think they're the
best to equip to get give the Thunder a run.
I would have liked to have seen what would have

(01:23:03):
happened if the Rockets had matched up against the Timberwolves,
because again, say they beat the Timberwolves, say it goes
the distance, whatever, But you're in the conference finals against
the Thunder. Don't you feel like they would have given
them a better run than so far what we've got
a three to one lopsided lead.

Speaker 4 (01:23:19):
I think it's probably similar in the way that looking
at next year you're asking me about this particular, I
kind of think it'd be the same. I mean, I
know they beat them a couple times, and they certainly
can play with them. What happened to the Timberwolves in
Games one and two very easily could have and did
happen to the Rockets.

Speaker 3 (01:23:37):
Oh, they're in it, they're playing well, we're at the half.

Speaker 4 (01:23:39):
Things are Oh and then they got blown out, sgay
and they just couldn't stop them. They gave up seventy
points in the second half, got outscored by thirty. That's
what happened to the Wolves. The West was the Rockets
and the Wolves at two and at six, so they
beat the three steeded Lakers. Lakers aren't probably going to

(01:24:01):
be better next year. They'll just be older, even though
obviously Luca will be there for a whole year to
learn JJ Reddick's system.

Speaker 3 (01:24:08):
Now have you seen how well Lebron's mcl' sprain has recovered.

Speaker 4 (01:24:12):
Lebron can dance, and Luca is thin. I've seen both
of those things already. This offseason still suck. They're not
gonna suck. They're just not going to be more equipped
to do more than they did this year. They're going
to be the same, probably or worse, unless something dramatic
happens and another team is coerced into Could you maybe
help the Lakers out for absolutely no reason whatsoever, the

(01:24:34):
fourth seeded team that the Nuggets and the Clippers got together.
Are the Clippers going to be better next year for
some reason? Now, they should be comparable. You know, Norman
Powell's probably the same player. If Leonard's healthy at the
end of the year, and Harden's healthy at the end
of the year and they play the count, they're probably
about the same.

Speaker 3 (01:24:51):
And then you get to six. Why are they're all season?

Speaker 4 (01:24:55):
But it doesn't matter if he was there all season,
they were at full strength, at their best when it
mattered most the postseason. I don't think they're any better
if he played an extra fifty games together. That's just
they were in a good spot when the playoffs got there,
and they played a good series. They just lost in
the seventh game. But the Rockets and the Walls, I
do think are different. I do think there's a chance,
and Anthony Edwards is still the biggest reason why for them,

(01:25:16):
and it's who Anthony Edwards isn't on the Rockets roster why.
It's the biggest reason for Houston. Edwards has not had
a what I would call a good series. I think
it's silly to say he's gotten out played for the
second consecutive year, even though it's true. I think the
player he's playing against in both of these series is
clearly better than him, is clearly in a better position
to be better than him, and is almost assuredly going

(01:25:37):
to outplay him. Now his team can still win. Last night,
it's a great example. He had a second five to
thirteen performance in this series and wasn't a tremendous distributor
even though he threw a bunch of passes. Well, his
other three non star teammates, if you take out he
and Julius Randall, well, they did score a ton of points,
and they weren't all off of Anthony Edwards being Okay,

(01:25:58):
well they're taking me out.

Speaker 3 (01:26:00):
I'm gonna give it to them.

Speaker 4 (01:26:00):
He did play passively, but I don't mean passing the ballively,
I mean passively, and he's he was not an offensive fact,
a big enough offensive factor for the second time in
this series. His points per game are way down, his
shots per game are way down, And I don't think
a player that's that good clearly better than anybody the
Rockets have. Anthony Edwards offensively is clearly better than any

(01:26:24):
player they have, And I don't think Oklahoma State or
anybody is capable of taking that player out any dividing
advising any game plan to do that. But the point
I'm making is the Rockets in the thunder, the Rockets
and the Wolves, I mean, those are the two teams
in the West I look at as the likeliest the
most opportunity, even without trades, to get better next year,

(01:26:48):
to be even more of a factor against the thunder
should they meet them, more so than you know, the
seven and eight seed that's Golden State and Memphis or
anybody else that missed the postseason.

Speaker 3 (01:26:57):
See what you just said about the Lakers, that applies
to the Warriors. Actually, your three best players are just older.
And then are you going to get anything of value
in return for Jonathan Kamingo when you eventually trade him,
Because I feel like that's your only way to improve
your team this year.

Speaker 4 (01:27:12):
I mean, a trade with him is likely a sign
in trade. He's probably they haven't made it official, be
a restricted free agent. They probably realize he's really really good,
but they've never been able to maximize that. And I
think they've made their decision to move on him. Yeah,
but doing it in the best way for their team.

(01:27:34):
We'll offer him the money, we'll see what happens, we'll
see if there's a way to make everybody happy, and
we'll move on and we'll get something out of it.

Speaker 3 (01:27:40):
But no, I think they're missing. The thing is they're
missing exactly that.

Speaker 4 (01:27:43):
And this is why for the last several years, probably
going back to about five years ago. I think the
West was like, man, this is ridiculous, totally unfair. How
did Golden State on this run of championships, the golden
era of Golden State basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:27:58):
They have the second pick in the draft. There's the
top of the draft. They landed most have done James
decisions with them.

Speaker 4 (01:28:05):
They landed James Wiseman. Oh my god, this is this
is Dallas. But all three of them didn't pan out. No,
I know that we're very lucky us these people around
the NBA that don't root for that stupid team.

Speaker 3 (01:28:18):
But I mean, again, going back to the Rockets, that's
where it's so pivotal that whatever move they end up making,
and one of those moves could be not making a move,
has to be the right decision, because otherwise nobody wants
to see the road to the finals go through Oklahoma

(01:28:38):
City every year. Nobody wants to see any road go
through Oklahoma City for any.

Speaker 4 (01:28:42):
Reason, certainly not if you're in a car and look
at to go some more fun. How do you feel
about what.

Speaker 3 (01:28:47):
What's the best thing about Oklahoma City? Nothing?

Speaker 4 (01:28:51):
What do you think about what Sean said earlier today
on the Indianapolis Colts Punters show. I think this offseason
might be the craziest ever. It's a total hyperbole. Is
it doing a service to the job that he does? Okay,
where do you find some I kind of agree?

Speaker 3 (01:29:08):
What before I answer that? What's your favorite free agency
acquisition period? Major League Baseball, NFL or the NBA. Honestly,
it's it's the NBA, me too, because because it feels
like something happens every year.

Speaker 4 (01:29:24):
It definitely feels like something happens every year. And when
you're twenty two starters in the NFL, get Daniel Hunter, Okay, great,
he's gonna be awesome. And what's it going to do
for the team. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:29:37):
Maybe nothing.

Speaker 4 (01:29:38):
Maybe they'll go ten and seven again exactly as they
did the year before.

Speaker 12 (01:29:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:29:41):
And in baseball maybe when it's show hey, maybe because
this passed off season? Who was the show?

Speaker 3 (01:29:48):
Hey? Was Wan Soto? I mean, I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:29:52):
Are the Mets any different than they would have been
if they spent fifty million on some other regulations?

Speaker 3 (01:29:57):
Myers is a better everyday player right now.

Speaker 4 (01:29:59):
I'm on social media. You know he's been okay, and
I know it's much more than just this year. But
it's like the Yankees didn't add him, they did add
Max Freed, they did add Paul Goldschmidt. They spent differently
and less, and Aaron Jones has gotta be cycling on whatever.
A dulles Garcia is usual. Aaron Judge's pretty good. So

(01:30:20):
you put Giannis on a new team next year. You
put you know, any superstar level NBA player on a
new team this offseason, and there are usually three or
four that happened every offseason. Well, that's twenty percent of
your starting lineup. That's forty two minutes of the two
hundred minutes you're playing in any postseason game that you're
giving to this one player.

Speaker 3 (01:30:40):
It changes so much, so fast. And I think because
Jannis Damian Lillard getting hurt is it feels like it's
being not ignored. But like, if he doesn't get hurt,
what's the I guess, what's the motivation from Millwaukee to

(01:31:00):
even do anything? Because even though they're not gonna win,
he can't could just answer your own question, yeah, but
he can't. His people can't realistically say, HASH don't feel
like it's competitive anymore, So I need you just ship
me out of town. I mean people, Yeah, sure he can.
He knows James, they know it.

Speaker 4 (01:31:18):
If he knows it and they know it, well, then
why don't you try to I just see all these
in that same decision. I know we can't. Damien was great,
Damien's hitting a lot of shots. Damien's still a very
good player. But how many years together? As we both
get older. Dame would be thirty five next year. It's
just would be his third season next year. Their postseasons
together have been very limited in terms of Damien being

(01:31:42):
hurt in both instances.

Speaker 3 (01:31:44):
And they're not winning right, They're gonna win more next year.
And I'm seeing all these people. Oh, he's a loyal guy.
He doesn't want to leave. Look at the strong relationship
with Doug Rivers. Listen, if you're staying in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
because of Rivers, maybe I don't want you on my
team because your brain's not functioning that properly. So I

(01:32:08):
know the answer is yes.

Speaker 4 (01:32:09):
And I'm looking around at all fifteen players that landed
all NBA spots the last couple.

Speaker 3 (01:32:15):
Of years, none being Rockets.

Speaker 4 (01:32:17):
He's just pretty much he and Steph they're the only
lifers with their organization.

Speaker 3 (01:32:23):
Did the season happen that right.

Speaker 4 (01:32:26):
Getting there, But he hasn't been with Denver as long
as those two have been with their respective teams.

Speaker 3 (01:32:30):
I thought you were talking about making you all.

Speaker 4 (01:32:31):
Jason Tatum's not quite that far along in his time
with the Celtics. But most of the other guys have
been on multiple teams. Some of them been on many
many teams, like KD made it obviously a year ago,
Anthony Davis on team number three.

Speaker 3 (01:32:43):
So Lebron on team number twelve. Do you count Cleveland twice? Yes?
I mean it's two different eras, it's the same franchise. Yeah,
but come on, like that's he left it once and
then he returned to it, And I mean, it's two
very different air eras. But it's it's why can't it
be time for Giannis to say it? Then move on?

(01:33:08):
It's what everybody else does? I feel like that's the
guy that I want now if they are going to
make a move, and now it's about okay it, does
Giannis want to come to Houston above all the other options?
And most importantly, what is Houston giving up to get him?

Speaker 1 (01:33:25):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:33:36):
Tuesday edition of the Eight Team Sports Talk seven ninety.
It's gonna be June before you know it, WEX and
that means the return of Spencer Arraghetti and Jordan Alvarez.
I think we got a tweet about that earlier. Somebody
agreed with me as it pertains to the you know

(01:33:58):
it's arguing about that, Like, no, this is the exact
same thing. Why not just be honest and transparent. Just
say Jordon is going to be out for X amount
of time. Then you don't have to answer questions every
day about why he isn't in the lineup. Did the
same thing with Tuck last year. Why do you not
agree with both me and Anthony.

Speaker 4 (01:34:16):
Lewis so one thing I didn't point out earlier that's different,
Like do you remember when Kyle got hurt?

Speaker 3 (01:34:24):
Do you remember when Jordon got hurt? No? But this
is but what we're talking about is the same principle, right,
My principles.

Speaker 4 (01:34:33):
Were like, so Kyle almost stayed in the game, was
strongly considering with a broken leg, but realize that I
probably can't push off or get to first, So okay,
I'll come out of the game, and then he's in
the dugout next couple of that's it's fine.

Speaker 3 (01:34:51):
A couple of days. We'll get him to the eye
if we need to. Eventually, we're having internal conversations about it.
But Jordon was like, why is he what's wrong with him? Oh,
it's good, some hand Issu's got some inflammation.

Speaker 4 (01:35:01):
We're going to retroactively put him on the IL on
the fifth and date it back to the third tonight.

Speaker 3 (01:35:06):
It will be the twenty third game.

Speaker 4 (01:35:08):
He's unavailable for not quite a month's worth of games,
so getting awfully close retroactive again to May third.

Speaker 3 (01:35:16):
You said June will be here soon enough, next week. Yeah,
it's unfortunate. I'm sorry, Anthony. I just I didn't see
it happened, so I just don't think it's the same.
How does when it happened.

Speaker 4 (01:35:30):
Like if he swung the bat and oh my god,
look at how he dropped the bat. Something obviously happened there.
You can clearly see that something's wrong.

Speaker 3 (01:35:37):
Okay, here's the deal. I mean, I don't really mean this.
I think you know that.

Speaker 4 (01:35:40):
I know what I am saying, and what I said
earlier is there's no obvious he did this, and we
saw it happen, and now they're just not telling us
the severity of it. What happened with him is maybe
already happened to him, But I don't know because the
last time it happened, we got such little information, and
that was from the manager, Dusty, that was from the

(01:36:03):
general manager, and it was from the player that we
were wondering on a daily did he say left this time?
Did he say it was his right hand this time?
Like during the same injury. We couldn't even get it
straight from anybody in the organization because you have three
different people talking about it. And in this case, Jordan,
I think has briefly spoken to some of the everyday

(01:36:26):
beat writers Chandler, Matt Brian McTaggart.

Speaker 3 (01:36:29):
Before he's decided not to talk to anybody.

Speaker 4 (01:36:31):
But you know, they said he's been requested by the
media a couple of times, has declined. But I do
think a short conversation was held with those three, or
at different times with each one of those three, so
to get a little bit of where he is. But
even what we heard from Joe Spot a little bit earlier,
he was gonna run the bases and he's gonna, you know,
he's gonna do some outfield work. Well, I hope he
can do that his hand's hurts. That's just keeping him

(01:36:52):
in shape, like Joe said, And what kind of work
is he doing in the outfield, because we know when
it hurts. I don't think it hurts when he catches
a ball that was hit three hundred feet from him
and he puts his glove activities. It hurts him when he
picks the ball up out of his glove and throws
to third base. It hurts him when he swings. Just
like the last time this happened, he could not swing

(01:37:14):
the bat with the kind of force that he needs
to be a top flight major league hitter, which we
all now believe is something that probably was an issue.

Speaker 3 (01:37:21):
For way before May third. Will you grant me this?
I will if we do find out that it is
some sort of break or long term injury that was
clearly known, but then they just decided not to say
anything for whatever reason, Will you apologize?

Speaker 4 (01:37:38):
I hate it because it only matters for the stuff
that doesn't matter. It's why you're mad at them. Why
can't they just do it right? Why can't We're not
coming back any sooner? If they tell the truth or lie,
it's irrelevant. Well, if you know that it's a break
in his hand.

Speaker 3 (01:37:55):
You can at least prepare everybody involved, including me and you.
How about him prepare for what's inevitably ahead versus Hey,
what's going on?

Speaker 4 (01:38:06):
So look at these two situations. He will pretend here
for those of you just tuning in who got off
of work early today, who.

Speaker 3 (01:38:13):
Are sitting in her a cablical who.

Speaker 4 (01:38:15):
Can't get off work earlier today, and have the iHeartRadio
app fired up with Sports Talk seven ninety number one
on your presets. This is a hypothetical heard at four
twenty two pm on the A team on Sports Talk
seven ninety. Jord On Alvarez has a broken hand. Everybody
now knows it in hypothetical preparing for it accordingly. Kyle
Tucker broke a bone in his leg, and they can

(01:38:37):
all prepare for it accordingly. So the astros know this
in both cases, and in Kyle Tucker's case, Now that
Dana Brown and Jim Crane and all the assistant gms
and all the circle of trust guys know that Kyle
Tucker's going to miss months with a broken leg.

Speaker 3 (01:38:53):
They know it. We don't. This is what happened.

Speaker 4 (01:38:55):
They knew it the whole time and what did they
do because now they have that information to accommodate for that,
they signed Ben Gammel, they've signed Jason Hayward. They didn't
do anything if in fact that's what you're saying. And
now they've had a month without Jordon. I don't know
what you're gonna do. If you think he's only out
a month, maybe he's out even longer because he's not
about to come back.

Speaker 3 (01:39:15):
He's not coming back this series.

Speaker 4 (01:39:18):
Maybe he's coming back this homestand I don't know, And
I don't know again, what could you do?

Speaker 12 (01:39:22):
You?

Speaker 4 (01:39:22):
Could you call up somebody from the miners. Could Shae
Whitcomb be here? Could now that Jacob Melton is back,
could he be here? Does it even matter? You don't
have in order to put him anyway, because they don't
have any trouble filling out a lineup with who they're
trying to get at bats for. They're trying to get
at bats for Jake or Zach Decenzo, he barely plays,
and they're trying to get bats for Cam Smith, who
everybody else currently is healthy, and so they're all all
out there. There's no players to go get, like Hunter

(01:39:45):
Renfro DFA this past week. Well, it's because his ops
is under five hundred. Is that who you want, Kevin
Pillar DFA? Is this the player you want? Because Jordon's
out so long. I know they don't have tremendous options.
But the information, all this lack of information or exact
information doesn't change the timeline, which is really the only

(01:40:05):
thing that matters.

Speaker 12 (01:40:06):
David.

Speaker 3 (01:40:07):
What you're saying about, in what you're saying about the
stuff that matters versus what doesn't matter, it's, unfortunately, for
the purposes of this conversation, very accurate. But throw that away.

Speaker 4 (01:40:17):
Let me be with you, guys, you and Anthony, let
me be I'm throwing it away. The value in doing
what they're doing, the value in operating the manner in
which they do, the lack of information from the only
person who probably has it, the athletic trainer or the
people on that side of things.

Speaker 3 (01:40:34):
Or the player, Like, what's the value in that?

Speaker 4 (01:40:38):
Is this some Bill BELICHICKI in belief that we're gaining
some advantage on the opposition because Oakland came to town
yesterday and they thought, uh, oh, what are we gonna
do if you aorred On Alvarez returns and we don't
even know if he might. It's not relevant. It doesn't matter.
They're not changing their rotation. They're not doing this is
one hundred and sixty two game season. Teams don't work
like that. It's not a once every week we're gonna

(01:41:00):
lie about Tom Brady's shoulder injury and he's gonna go
out there and play.

Speaker 3 (01:41:04):
It's not like that.

Speaker 4 (01:41:05):
The value in it, which is what you where you
come from on all this, I'm with you. I don't
think it brings much sense logic to the table that
I don't see the reasoning behind. Somebody in the organization,
through multiple leadership groups, has said this is how we
want to handle it, and I don't understand the value

(01:41:25):
in doing it that way. There doesn't seem to be
any It's a choice you can make and there's nothing
against the rules, and you're not forced to divulge information
like the other leagues force you to do the NBA
in the NFL now, so you can operate this way.

Speaker 3 (01:41:39):
I mean, there's an injured list, but that's pretty much it.
Could the Spurs rest a healthy David Robinson today in
order to rig the draft lottery.

Speaker 4 (01:41:48):
That would be tougher they could do it and incur
fines and it still might be worth.

Speaker 3 (01:41:52):
What's the problem with his back? Nothing, He's fine. Could
he play? Yeah? So why are you sitting him? Because
we want Tim Duncan. Oh, okay, that's how it will go.

Speaker 4 (01:42:03):
Well, if Jason Kidd was their head coach, he would
have said all that publicly and gotten the team fined
like he did when they did that this past year.

Speaker 3 (01:42:09):
But he's not very bright.

Speaker 4 (01:42:11):
Well, that's the other thing we haven't even brought to
the table because it's it seems so obvious, but if
you don't give it any thought, maybe it doesn't immediately
come to mind.

Speaker 3 (01:42:21):
The Mavericks. You know what they did this year, right,
they got all Mavericky? Well what did they do this year?
They handed Luca to the Lakers.

Speaker 4 (01:42:30):
And who's playing in the Eastern Conference Finals?

Speaker 3 (01:42:35):
Not the Lakers or the Mavericks, Well, the Eastern Conference file.
I'm sorry, yes, Well, in a minute, we'll get to that.
Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 7 (01:42:42):
You're southwest, your deep southwest home for your Dallas sports.

Speaker 3 (01:42:47):
Who's playing in the Eastern Conference Finals? Mav or, the
Nicks and the Pacers. Dragon. I know there's some answer.
I'm supposed to be saying here.

Speaker 4 (01:42:55):
The Eastern Conference Finals are a matchup between Dallas Mavericks
guard Jamison and Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle. I mean,
best coach the Mavericks have ever had in the Eastern
Conference Finals far, And how did they get rid of him?
Stupidly and erroneously? And we all said it at the time,

(01:43:15):
how did this fizzle out? How could you let this
happen a little bit different with Jalen because I can
fully remember and acknowledge it many times.

Speaker 3 (01:43:23):
I thought the Knicks did him a favor. I was wrong.

Speaker 4 (01:43:25):
I thought this was too much money to play for
a secondary star. He's a lead star. There's no question
about it. He's a number one in every sense of
the word. And he, like Luca and Rick, are going
to do their finest work elsewhere.

Speaker 3 (01:43:37):
And the Bartway Junior, I'll tell you that much. They
were all together all right. When we come back, we
will get to our signature segment. Every single Tuesday, we uh,
we ask ourselves say what? And this time it hits
a little close to home. We'll explain when we return.

Speaker 1 (01:43:55):
The ad on Sports Talk seven ninety This is Adam
and Adam sweekly charged through mind bockling moments that make you.

Speaker 7 (01:44:06):
Go, Okay, what what what time?

Speaker 5 (01:44:13):
Type?

Speaker 8 (01:44:14):
What are you talking about?

Speaker 3 (01:44:16):
On a Tuesday? Pay what odin?

Speaker 1 (01:44:19):
I didn't now say what?

Speaker 3 (01:44:25):
All right? Every Tuesday around this time we look around
the sports landscape and we say say what Only this time.
I don't think WEX even knows this story. I don't
know this story.

Speaker 4 (01:44:41):
Good opportunity to hat tip a lot of people involved.

Speaker 3 (01:44:45):
Oh my gosh, the massive undertaking that it takes to
put on an event like Buzzfest, from start to finish
and clearly well in advance of the event itself is
I mean, you really can't put it into words. So
first of all, shout out to everybody at our sister station.

Speaker 4 (01:45:07):
Are we allowed to go Heart Media Houston, the buzz
all the hosts and everybody involved with all of their shows,
Elliott and everybody behind the scenes, the sponsors that are
obviously a huge part.

Speaker 3 (01:45:17):
Of making this all happen. Are they a brother station
because they're FM? And where am That's my question?

Speaker 4 (01:45:22):
I think every station that's in a cluster is referred
to as a sister.

Speaker 3 (01:45:26):
We're all sisters. Yeah, here at the Mothership.

Speaker 4 (01:45:28):
And clearly the bands play vital role in the day
long concert festival.

Speaker 3 (01:45:34):
Yes, and all but one of the acts provided interviews
one of.

Speaker 4 (01:45:39):
The So if you wanted to interview Pod, there would
be multiple people that probably would say, yeah, I'll do it,
or I'll do it, or we'll I'll do it together,
right Chavelle, probably similarly, and then Marilyn Manson, how would
that one go?

Speaker 3 (01:45:59):
Okay, I'll be Marilyn Manson and you be the people
that call him to get an interview. We man, this
has been awesome having you here again. This is phenomenal
for us.

Speaker 4 (01:46:08):
Uh, We've got Teresa, she's gonna she's sitting down there
waiting for you. Won't take much of your time immediately.
As soon as you get there, we'll knock it out
and you'll be on your way. Just need this interview
that you know, it's just part of the deal here.
How's that gonna go?

Speaker 3 (01:46:23):
No? And that's how he would have sounded. Just awesome. God,
he was awesome, all right. Puts on a good show.
He does put on a good show. You should have
been there, But he's there for you should have been there.

Speaker 4 (01:46:34):
I'm in an error. I fumbled the fact that you
were always next year.

Speaker 3 (01:46:42):
So I'm sending pictures of manson like five feet from
my face to Wex and Cole, and Wex is responding
with where were you at?

Speaker 4 (01:46:53):
Cole is responding with why he's destroying us in the
Friday team draft pica.

Speaker 3 (01:46:59):
I don't know what that is those activities.

Speaker 4 (01:47:01):
I'm responding with a picture of one of the three
places that sells food for you to put in your
refrigerator in pantry that I visited Saturday and Sunday.

Speaker 3 (01:47:10):
He went to three grocery stores, all the usuals. We
hit them all this. What did you forget twice? We
didn't forget anything.

Speaker 4 (01:47:16):
This, We buy this from that place, We buy this
from that place, these things from that place.

Speaker 3 (01:47:20):
And discount. I mean, what was the third option?

Speaker 4 (01:47:24):
None of them needed We didn't need a lot from
any of the places.

Speaker 5 (01:47:27):
All right.

Speaker 4 (01:47:27):
There's one right by the house, and there's one that's
more specializes in people that live by themselves or people
that only have two people in the household.

Speaker 3 (01:47:37):
A lot of portions like that, much smaller place. And
then there's one place to sell socks. They do sell socks, clothes, sheds, mattresses,
trampolines and food. Yes, all right. So all of that
is to say, Buzzfest was this weekend and it almost
got shut down. What happened, dude?

Speaker 6 (01:47:54):
Say what?

Speaker 3 (01:47:55):
So this is a little bit of a convoluted story,
but I'll make it brief. Our boy Arcover at Ram Shirts,
big fan of his and the work that he does.
He does the good Morning T shirts. He's done a
number of themed shirts for the teams here in town,
and he does kind of a grand theft autoed version

(01:48:15):
of a picture of Teresa on a T shirt and
it's for charity. All the proceeds go to charity and
that kind of thing. And so I was wearing that
because you know, I'm a supportive husband and I gotta
get a shirt of my wife. What does ours GTA
shirt look like? That's a good question. So anyway, he
met up with me before the show because he wasn't

(01:48:35):
gonna be able to attend, but he wanted to give
her some more of these shirts and then some tanks
to hand out at the event. Now, she told me, hey,
you're not gonna be able to get that in because
you don't have a credential, And of course my first
response was, I'm your husband, Why don't I have a credential.
But I wasn't gonna go there because she was already
stressed enough and it just wasn't worth that kind of fight.
Smart So I was like, all right, I'll bring it

(01:48:59):
to the game. I'll call you, you can get the hand
off whatever. Of course I call her, she doesn't pick up.
That's not a surprise at all. So I'm like, well,
who could I call? It would definitely answer their phone
right this second. The former Sports Talk seven to ninety
producer and employee Alex Middleton always answers his phone when
I call him, so I'm like, some time on the stage,

(01:49:20):
Oh yeah, So I have you heard my Alex before
I go, Hey, I got this bag. I need you
to come grab it because you have a credential. That's cool,
and man, I'll come over right now and get it.
So he comes over, and I told the people that
are checking in the tickets, this is the back entrance.
This is behind the stage, but it's an official entrance.
I'm like, hey, here's the deal. We can't bring that in, okay,

(01:49:40):
Well can I give it to somebody that's credential. Sure,
So Alex walks over to the admittedly closed gate, and
I just toss it up over the gate to him
on the other side, and then he goes back to
the stage area and I go to walk inside. Don't
think anything of it, because everybody saw what I just did,
and even one of them said, hey, it's not a

(01:50:01):
big deal, you know, protocol hahaha, that kind of thing.
Small talk and ray. Then so I scam my ticket,
I go inside, and I forget about the whole thing
because there's no sirens going off, you know, no cops
swarm me, that kind of thing. Good. Apparently it was
not a good thing that I did that, because security
was reviewing footage of me walking throughout the venue trying

(01:50:24):
to figure out who I was and what was in
that bag. And the only way I found out about
this is that the basically the director of the Woodlands Pavilion,
her assistant, walks by and sees me and Alex chatting
it up a little bit later that afternoon and goes, hey,
can I take a selfie with you two? I go why, like, thinking, okay,
if you want to take a selfie with Alex, like
this is his event, she goes, well, I just want

(01:50:45):
to send it to my boss. So I can give
her a hard time. I go, what are you talking about?
She goes, you two are very famous. I go, what
do you mean? Well, this almost got shut down today
because of your little stunt? I go, what are you
talking about? When you threw that bag over the gate,
we didn't know it was in it, and so we
thought maybe it was a bomb. We thought, yeah, T

(01:51:06):
shirts contra band, That's what they thought it was. So
it was this whole thing where like Buzzfest almost got
shut down, and I would have been I mean I
probably would have left and never come back, or been
taken out and never come back.

Speaker 4 (01:51:20):
Really would I have spent the last two hours and
forty minutes without you?

Speaker 3 (01:51:24):
No.

Speaker 6 (01:51:24):
I was gonna say, were you gonna be in jail
this weekend?

Speaker 5 (01:51:26):
No?

Speaker 3 (01:51:26):
You know, I was talking to Eddie Martini, our president,
and he goes, man, it would have been funny, Like
wanted me to be in jail at least way possible. Yeah,
that was like, you know, if I ended up in jail,
the story would have gotten a lot better. But just
trying to do something nice for the fans. Yeah, and
they like a lot of people got these shirts and
they were happy. But I was like I know, I like,
I feel bad about this because I stressed out a

(01:51:48):
lot of people and didn't even know it. I'm just
I'm basically a guest. I'm not really working for those
that aren't aware.

Speaker 4 (01:51:53):
There are a lot of times where you know, football games,
basketball games, whatever, people who are credentialed, Super Bowls, et cetera.
There'll be a picture of all the credentials and all
the letters that might go on that you can get
through here here you're here, and those will be posted
a lot of the entrances, the elevators and everything.

Speaker 3 (01:52:10):
Here's where you're allowed to go.

Speaker 4 (01:52:11):
I wonder if there was there a picture of you
that got circulated among the security staff.

Speaker 3 (01:52:15):
I don't know, but I said, have you seen this man?
Our guy in promotions? Marvin? I said, hey, can you
take me to the director so I can personally apologize
in person That guy in promotion is not the photo
Obamber Skinner, not Skinner, the other guy in promotions. Yeah,
so Marvin's apparently he got the worst of it initially.
But I apologize to Kelly and it was all good.
Great great event at Buzzfest sold out this past weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:52:40):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:52:51):
It is the eighteen Sports Talk seven ninety Space City
Home Network, five o'clock hour, right around the corner, and
we will get back to the Texans conversation. The top
five off season what to watch list, that's the official
name that WEX has given this list. And we've done
nearly three hours of the show and we've gotten through

(01:53:12):
exactly one of those items. That's a failure on my part,
but it's especially a failure on your part, WEX for
being honest, so I will continue failing for another thirteen minutes.
It's fine. We are in agreement and it's not agreeance.
It's not making up words. We are in agreement that
the NBA All Star Weekend is absolute trash, correct, could

(01:53:35):
be better. That's the diplomatic way of saying you agree.
AI says, it's a noun that refers to the act
of agreeing or the state of being in agreement. It stinks, okay,
Agreeance is not a word. No matter what you looked
it up on right there with your little idiot box.
What site did you go to? Marion Webster's Miriam Webster

(01:53:57):
should have and it is available to me. But I
went with your friend over to Ai first before I
went anywhere else? Is it Grock or Groke? That's on
my telephone device which I'm not currently using. Why don't
you ask that? See what that that guy says about this?
That's not Look, I don't care how many times you
play it. It's not a word. It doesn't matter who

(01:54:19):
says it to me, if I have an accent, or
if Snoop says it like it's you know GPS, It's
not a word. I gotta get you. I gotta get
him on my GPS. I'd be fun if the panel
was not in agreeance with Tim's position going forward. Who's
it gonna come down to a vote? AnyWho? Yeah? They
all start a weekend could be better. So uh. Future

(01:54:41):
Rocket Jiannis attent Tokumpo thinks he has the solution.

Speaker 4 (01:54:46):
It took me a minute I saw this post from
him because he's been actually very active this postseason while
awaiting this meeting. It was pretty easy when's it was
very very easy to tell the five I've Team USA.
He quote posted a tweet a post from somebody who

(01:55:07):
put together these two teams, advocating an all Star game
format that now is Team USA versus Team World This
was some caricature of some players, which the USA one
was very very easy. Anthony Davis, kd Lebron, James Steph
and Jason Tatum. They all played together just a short
while ago, and they put the rest of the world

(01:55:28):
to sleep like babies.

Speaker 3 (01:55:30):
I guess because of Steph.

Speaker 4 (01:55:32):
Curry was a little bit more difficult, but not super difficult.
To figure out who the five Team World players were.
Jokic was easy. He looks like Jack Nicholson or easy.

Speaker 3 (01:55:44):
Four cards that all read ha on them, so when
you read them together, ha ha ha ha.

Speaker 4 (01:55:50):
Wemby was pretty easy to figure out. Also, skin and
bones on the outside.

Speaker 3 (01:55:54):
Looks like his career is gonna be over in five years.

Speaker 4 (01:55:56):
Shay is a headband where and that one was very easy.
Giannis is in the picture. He was very easy to
figure out. He's very unhappy. He's screaming. The other person
in the picture wasn't an automatic. I know who that
is now, I know who should be on the team.
And that didn't even help me until I said, yeah,
that must be Los Angeles laker Luka Doncic.

Speaker 3 (01:56:17):
He doesn't have a crew cut he is wearing it
looks like he's wearing a headband he has. He's wearing
his shirt like someone like me would wear to show
off the guns. Well, it's a jersey, but it's not
like everybody else's jersey. It's his undershirt rolled up above
his shoulders. He does show off the guns. That's what

(01:56:39):
I do all the time, you do, except for right
now when I'm on TV. Okay, well, also it does
have red hair well, and his arms are way too defined.

Speaker 4 (01:56:48):
Now let's get back to the actual conversation. Yeah, it
seems kind of obvious. They've talked about it before, it
has been done before in other sports. It's become an
actual competition, as we saw this past.

Speaker 3 (01:57:00):
You're on the ice.

Speaker 4 (01:57:01):
That does seem like this is a very easy and
reasonable idea. There are enough talented players to represent both
sides of this, much like they do in the Ryder Cup.

Speaker 3 (01:57:11):
Yeah, go for it. By the way, though, I still
think that like Shaye Gilgess, Alexander via the world because
he's Canadian. It's just so, it's so, I'm sorry, he
should be an asterisk. He's not from America, Yeah he is.
He's from North America. The Northern Mexico shares a continent

(01:57:34):
with the US and Canada, So he's North American.

Speaker 4 (01:57:39):
Did you see the potential news on that very same topic.

Speaker 3 (01:57:45):
We're gonna buy Canada finally.

Speaker 4 (01:57:47):
Of representing your country. They came to light over the week.
I'm not sure has to do with Jamaica and the
Houston Rockets.

Speaker 3 (01:57:57):
Oh, I don't, I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:57:59):
It believed that Jamaica is recruiting several players who have
some Jamaican heritage to play for their teams and FOBA tournaments,
potentially the Olympics.

Speaker 3 (01:58:11):
That would include both a Man and US R. Thompson.
Were they born in Jamaica. No, they have Jamaican family background,
but I thought you had to be.

Speaker 4 (01:58:26):
You don't have to do one or the other, but
it would open the door to clear the way for
you to play for a country that you do have
a connection to, like I got.

Speaker 3 (01:58:37):
You remember the original Dream Team Obviously Hakeem was not
on it, but he became a naturalized citizen between the
years of nineteen ninety two when they played in nineteen
ninety six when he joined Dream Team two and were
the number fifteen jersey, which I had. It was the
champion edition of it. But I mean, look going back

(01:58:59):
to the pile of what we're talking about, which is
to try and make NBA All Star Weekend not suck.
I think that this is as decent an idea as
we've seen. It certainly beats us stupid skills competition.

Speaker 4 (01:59:12):
No, there's no East versus West, there's no there's no
real passion for it. And I think we could clearly
see that over the years, old versus young, there wasn't
much there.

Speaker 3 (01:59:22):
There's not There's not gonna be much there is.

Speaker 4 (01:59:24):
Interesting if you look at Team USA as it's depicted there,
I mean, Jason Tatum isn't ancient, and I guess Anthony
is also not playing this year ancient, but just the
I mean Lebron and KD and Steph I know they
just played for the Olympics. I get that, and so
they certainly could play in an upcoming All Star Game
this very next year, I suppose, But man.

Speaker 3 (01:59:44):
We can't.

Speaker 4 (01:59:45):
These are the the olds, the oldest heads of all.
They're all making up the Team USA side of the
All Star Game. I hope we have some younger capable talents,
but it's all about pride. Dude care enough. Look, they
care enough to represent their country, so to speak. An
exhibition game on Sunday night before they reconvene with their
own teams.

Speaker 7 (02:00:04):
I'll say this about the Four Nations. What's up the
Four Nations? This past year was awesome? And the buy
in that you saw from the fans, like I went
to the Maple Leaf to watch USA versus Canada. If
you have that same buy in, it ends up actually
being the best.

Speaker 6 (02:00:19):
Version of an All Star game you can ask for.

Speaker 4 (02:00:21):
Now, they can do it in a much different way
because of their player makeup and the countries that they represent.
It's obviously a little bit different in the NBA, and
I also think because it's a huge deal.

Speaker 3 (02:00:34):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (02:00:34):
It was all there. The passion was absolutely there. I
wouldn't even question it on the NHL side. I didn't
question it before they played the games. You certainly couldn't
question it after they played the games. You saw what
it meant to both the groups of players and clearly
their respective fan bases from their countries. That's one thing
that clearly is not going to be a part of this.
American NBA fans aren't going to care. No, even if

(02:00:59):
they care, also doesn't mean anything. It's one night exhibition game.

Speaker 3 (02:01:03):
Yeah, but it's if they do care, it'll be for
like this year, maybe another year or two, and they'll
get bored of that too. What we need is stars
in the dunk contest. That's what we really need here
or more. Mac McClung, you choose.

Speaker 1 (02:01:19):
The eighteen. On Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 2 (02:01:21):
Ninety, Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen.

Speaker 3 (02:01:39):
It is the eight team Sports Talk seven ninety, Space
City Home Network Football at five on a Tuesday edition
of the program, we are, I mean a little over
twelve hours away from OTA's beginning Tomorrow. Wex will be
there at five thirty am with his notebook ready, notebooks ready, y,

(02:02:04):
that's for sure? Are you gonna unload the notebook tomorrow?
I think we'll be able to be Rachel McAdams, I
don't know. I know she was in a movie called
The Notebook. Oh my god, there's no way. You think
I've seen that, right?

Speaker 5 (02:02:17):
You have?

Speaker 3 (02:02:17):
I think you have? Why would I watch The Notebook
because Rachel McAdams isn't it.

Speaker 4 (02:02:22):
She's starred in comedies. I've seen those, but.

Speaker 3 (02:02:26):
We're watching because she's in it. Can you please name
them so we can get back to football? Well, obviously
wedding Crashers and Red Eye. I have actually seen three
Rachel McAdams. I've seen, not a comedy, not a comedy,
Mean Girls. There you go, those are the three. Okay,
now I'm going to say something controversial about her since

(02:02:47):
we're on the subject. Yeah, football at five McAdams blonde.
Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls is the best version of
Rachel McAdams. And I don't even necessarily prefer blondes obviously.

Speaker 4 (02:02:59):
I mean, and I would tend to agree. I don't
know about that means she's had blonde hair.

Speaker 3 (02:03:03):
She does look good on Red Eye though, and she's
kind of like a like an auburn color there.

Speaker 7 (02:03:08):
I completely disagree. I think Winning Crashes is her best look.

Speaker 3 (02:03:13):
Brothers down again. So the sock that I've been wearing
all day and sweating in was shoved into my mouth.

Speaker 7 (02:03:24):
By the way, islet Fisher in that movie still top
ten normal character very because she was very hinged.

Speaker 3 (02:03:32):
She was not unhinged in any way. I'm just in
your belt anymore.

Speaker 6 (02:03:36):
A belt beltless.

Speaker 4 (02:03:39):
Yeah, so texas Ota, Yeah, they will be out there
this week. We have a couple of media opportunities tomorrow
and Friday, we'll do the same the following week. Mandatory
mini camp follows the week after that. They got three
preseason games as training camp wears on one of those
threes here in Houston against the Panthers. Panthers, via their
head coach today when he met with the media, indicated

(02:04:00):
they would be visiting Houston a couple of days early
so they could get some joint practices in together. So
Bryce Young and CJ. Stroud will be practicing on opposite
fields against first units of their respective teams they would
actually play against.

Speaker 3 (02:04:15):
They're not gonna see each other a lot, mean, but
that's what.

Speaker 4 (02:04:17):
They do out there, so that'll be good to see
them up against another team. I always think that is
the way to go, at least once during training camp
because you script it all. The players are way more
protected in this setting than they.

Speaker 3 (02:04:32):
Would be during a game.

Speaker 4 (02:04:34):
You can get the same amount of work at the
same level of intensity, I believe, rather than subjecting them
to gameplay, which means Saturday night's home preseason game against
the Panthers will likely not include a lot of starters,
nor should it so I'm a big proponent of this.
I'm glad Tomko has been to try to do this
each year. Sometimes it's worked out a little bit better

(02:04:54):
than others, but hopefully this one will.

Speaker 3 (02:04:56):
They'll be on the field tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (02:04:57):
I said there were five things worth watching even at
these early stage of the offseason, and kind of one
and one A, which is two of them was said earlier.
The offensive line and how they line up, literally, what
they're going to put out there in front of CJ.
Stroud to get training camp or at least offseason workouts
started with so many new faces here. They will have

(02:05:17):
a minimum. I think they will have it a minimum
three new starters. It's possible they could have as few
as two, and as possible they got it as many
as four.

Speaker 3 (02:05:27):
Injuries could obviously push it all the way up to five.

Speaker 4 (02:05:29):
They're gonna have a new offense, and they're gonna have
a new offensive coordinator.

Speaker 3 (02:05:32):
That's one in one A.

Speaker 4 (02:05:33):
The offensive line, what they're actually gonna look like tomorrow
in terms of positions and battles, not literally what they
look like. Are they mauling people and do they understand
the offense? We're not there yet, and Nick Kaylee being
the new offensive coordinator and everything that goes into what
we might see on a first day or two of
mini camps with the whole team out there, very close
to the whole team out there. But there are other items,
And I think the next thing on the list is

(02:05:55):
kind of see where these two new guys from the draft,
Jaden Higgins and Jalen Knowle fit into the overall group,
because I think there's four tiers of Texans wide receivers,
none of which, unfortunately include Tank Dell. Currently, there's a
tier of Nico Collins and Christian Kirk their vets, they're

(02:06:16):
going to play, they're going to be a big part
of the snap count if healthy, of this year's offense.
Both of miss significant time last year with different injuries,
obviously in different places. But those two guys are pretty established.
We know what they're gonna provide for this offense. We
know what they're going to be for CJ.

Speaker 3 (02:06:32):
Stroud.

Speaker 4 (02:06:32):
The next tier, whether it's next in line or just
another group, is the guys that were here last year
with CJ. Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchi. Essentially, they saw
tons of field time with him at practice as the
year wore on. For different reasons, they both saw a
ton of field time with him and you know, a
lot of snaps unrewarded with targets for Xavier Hutchinson, a

(02:06:54):
little bit lower count from Metchi. Then you got the
other tier of the rookies, Jalen knowl Are, yeah, Jalen Noel,
Jayden Higgins, maybe there's some Daniel Jackson into the mix.
Then you got all the other guys, and half of
them were here last year. Xavier Johnson and Johnny Johnson,
Jared Wayne and the other half are all newcomers, free
agents that don't have much of a chance to make

(02:07:15):
the team as a wide receiver. Quite honestly, Justin Watson
and Braxton Barrios, those are four very different. I don't
need to see anything from Christian kirk and Nico Collins.
I know Nico is going to play at a Pro Bowl level,
and I know Christian kirkiff healthy, is phenomenal in the role.
They'll ask him to play the same role they've asked
him to play in Arizona and Jacksonville. But I don't

(02:07:38):
know where Jayden Higgins and Jalen Nole fit into this
because of how similar they are to both of those
two players and body type. I don't mean they're gonna
play that way. But I mean, they've got two players
that could literally replicate all the steps your ones and
twos could literally be the exact same person wearing a
new number. You go from twelve to eighty one, you
go from thirteen to eighty two, same dimensions, and they

(02:08:00):
really should play those positions. If Jadon Higgins was without
Nico Collins in a year or two, I'd expected to
play like Nico Collins now. Finding out if he can
do that here and how they make that happen and
really give themselves an advantage if you have now two
number one caliber, two top receivers, two big red zone
slot or slant receivers that cannot be covered, and are

(02:08:23):
they simply replacing Hutch and Metch I think ultimately that's
why you've drafted them.

Speaker 3 (02:08:30):
But how soon does it happen or does it happen
at all?

Speaker 4 (02:08:33):
Not gonna have an answer tomorrow, but I want to
see those things tomorrow and Friday in there.

Speaker 3 (02:08:39):
So those two you mentioned and Mitch John, Mitchi's the
odd man out if you make that kind of move.

Speaker 4 (02:08:50):
I'm not sure that that's the case He's I think
drafting two receivers makes it very difficult for me. Again,
they signed Justin Watson. If it's a numbers game, are
you keeping if you're keeping six, and obviously Dell's not
one of those six. Are you keeping Watson even though
you've seen him be not used a whole lot in
Kansas City over Hutch or Metch because you you Nick Cassarrio,

(02:09:14):
you've seen him, You've seen those guys for two three
years plus. They're I think it's a stupid way to think,
but I can't ignore the how gms think.

Speaker 3 (02:09:22):
Well, I didn't draft Justin Watson.

Speaker 4 (02:09:23):
I gave him a couple hundred bucks as a signing bonus,
and we brought him in.

Speaker 3 (02:09:26):
I drafted Metch and traded up for him. I drafted
Hutch and he meant something to us. The trading up
for him is the part where they wouldn't.

Speaker 4 (02:09:33):
It's also so many years ago, and then I knowbody
else maybe is a value because he can be your
return man. I don't know that you carry seven wide
receivers with one of them as your return man, but
they have done that in the past with Steven Simms
off injury though, did Teresa know who when he's been
visiting Houston restaurants with Alex. Did Teresa know who Burrios

(02:09:55):
is already?

Speaker 9 (02:09:56):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (02:09:56):
She she is very well versed and that stratosphere. She
should definitely. Alex was busy last night handing out awards
part of the AMA.

Speaker 3 (02:10:06):
I don't know if Braxton joined. I presume he said,
I'm gonna go ahead and stay here. I think I'm
done with awards shows of all kinds. Oh wow, that's unfortunate. Well,
I mean, what's the best one? They're all the same,
and I'm talking sports too, so suck.

Speaker 7 (02:10:23):
I mean, I'll just be honest. The Tony's is always
fun for me. But Chris Gordy I like Broadway, so.

Speaker 3 (02:10:29):
Assume me on that you and Chris Gordy.

Speaker 4 (02:10:31):
In spite of that, I'll ask for your opinion on
how I teared the wide receivers and what do you
think they think? We know the top two From a
roster standpoint, there's no Nico and Kirk are not in
any kind of jeopardy. The two rookies aren't in any
kind of jeopardy either. They're making the team barring injury.
But how do you segment five to six and all

(02:10:53):
the players that are coming back versus the other players
they brought in. I think that is a huge thing
to get determined. Probably doesn't get determined in full until
they're at their last cuts, obviously, but this is very
similar to many many years of Nick being here. Now
is they have too many wide receivers every single campaign
and this will be no different.

Speaker 3 (02:11:13):
Yeah, I was about to say this is on brand
if if nothing else, Like, I guess you're just not
used to seeing it feels like they drafted fifty this year.

Speaker 4 (02:11:20):
Well he does it before. It's it's why what he
said is unfortunate as it was, and how he delivered
it when he acted like he doesn't know what best
player available is and who drafts like that. He signed
players this offseason like you would if you had no
idea who you were drafting, if you went into the
draft saying these are the players we like.

Speaker 3 (02:11:41):
They play all these random I don't know who's going
to be available.

Speaker 4 (02:11:43):
I'm going to take them if they're there because I
really really like them. I'm not going to pass on
them because I signed Braxton Barrios or Justin Watson. That
would be dumb, and I'm glad he doesn't do that.

Speaker 6 (02:11:53):
Do you know what.

Speaker 7 (02:11:53):
The Watson signing reminds me of the bench Coronic trade
last year, like everyone trying to find a for him
and then eventually you just see him get cut. Yeah,
very similar in that he'll probably find another home in
the in his case, like he had so many.

Speaker 3 (02:12:10):
I think he had a.

Speaker 4 (02:12:11):
Ton of opportunities with all the changes they made in
Kansas City every year, all those veterans in and out,
some of the injuries they had, even back to to
the end of the Tyreek Hill days. He could have
at any point become a bigger part of what they
were trying to do, and it just didn't happen. Doesn't
mean he's not an NFL player, but you're putting him
into a situation where I just think the numbers game

(02:12:32):
says he's not going to be here when it's all
said and done, and Scronic ultimately was moved. He's an
NFL player. He played for the Steelers after he played here.
He was an NFL player on the field quite a
bit for the Rams before he got here. So that's
one of the other areas certainly worth watching. The old line,
the fact they have a new OC and obviously their
wide receiver group as a whole.

Speaker 3 (02:12:51):
Is it you sensing a theme here at all? That's
one side of the ball versus the other.

Speaker 4 (02:12:56):
I'll get to a couple of items on the d
offensive side when we continue here.

Speaker 3 (02:13:02):
On the eighteen, the eighteen.

Speaker 1 (02:13:05):
On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:13:16):
Do you know what Maryland does?

Speaker 5 (02:13:17):
Right?

Speaker 3 (02:13:19):
What he does? Know what Maryland does?

Speaker 5 (02:13:22):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (02:13:22):
I said, Maryland crab cakes and football. That's what Maryland does.
Sack sandwich. Right. And then that sock that I had
been in on sweating in all day was We only
went back to.

Speaker 4 (02:13:34):
This because you guys are listening so closely. We appreciate
that people give us some feedback on some of the
off topic items.

Speaker 5 (02:13:41):
Right.

Speaker 3 (02:13:41):
Hot route gif, hot route, hot route dude, I was
all stay in high school and put the ball wherever
I want. I'll make it rain out here. Man Bradley
Cooper was so good in that movie. Who knew what
he had, what kind of range he did? Like just
what you said there, Man Bradley Cooper was so good
in that movie. He's good in every movie. Bingo, Yeah,

(02:14:02):
but that's not that's like a bit roll.

Speaker 7 (02:14:04):
Okay, But Will Ferrell, just even for the cameo, is fantastic.

Speaker 3 (02:14:08):
I you know this is not gonna be received farewell.

Speaker 4 (02:14:13):
Like his scene at the house, the meat loaf scene, yeah, Chazz,
not so great. Now his funeral I gotta admit that's
pretty awesome.

Speaker 3 (02:14:24):
But how okay? How do you see the girl come
downstairs and say I gotta go and then they make
out and he's like, sure, babe, he's trom do what
you gotta do.

Speaker 4 (02:14:36):
Yeah, there's two parts of that scene and the funeral
scene when there's a he's with a girl in both
of those scenes, like the rest of it.

Speaker 3 (02:14:43):
You don't like the part where he's like, I mean
he want even for Will. It was a little bit
come on. He's screaming at his mom to make the
meat loaf in the middle of the day. How can
you not like everything about that? Telling him to pick
up his bleeping skateboard while he's trying to think of it.
Help con vince Luke Wilson's brother to stay here on earth. Wow?

(02:15:06):
Remember the voicemail message, he's Jeremy whatever whatever? All right? What? Uh?
We had something before the break before.

Speaker 4 (02:15:17):
I teased that there were a couple of items that
weren't offense real late with the Houston Texans. We'll get
to that as we continue here in case you missed it,
but also wanted to share with you some of the
thoughts of Astros manager and ex She's the Astros closer
he heard from Joe Spotted earlier.

Speaker 3 (02:15:33):
Josh Hayter joined us earlier on the show from.

Speaker 4 (02:15:38):
The Astros clubhouse, getting ready for another night at home.
It would have been better if he called us from
the bullpen. I actually am taking some liberties. I only
know of one thing for certain with our guests so far.
We get an Astros player to join the station each
and every Tuesday. Sometimes that falls at one thirty, or
sometimes it falls at two five, Sometimes it falls at

(02:15:58):
two thirty. I can only say for certain that one
of those appearances took place while that player is getting
their haircut.

Speaker 3 (02:16:05):
I don't know the.

Speaker 4 (02:16:06):
Specific Chames Hater's visits with us earlier today, but our
conversation with him. If you want to catch it at
full you know how to do that right there on
the iHeartRadio app or on our site at sportstock seven
ninety dot com. On the app iHeartRadio, you gotta have
sports talk. You got to have sports sook seven ninety
number one on your presets the portion of it here
if you missed it earlier, begins with our conversation about

(02:16:28):
the bullpen and its depth, just absolutely crushing it.

Speaker 5 (02:16:32):
We got a silent group, I think a lot of us.
We just love to learn. We love to get as
much information as we can from each other. And you
know that's ultimately as a ballplayer, just continue to learn
and and just try and advance ourselves and just lean
on one another. I think that's ultimately at the end
of the day, if we can all do that, become

(02:16:54):
a solid group and you know, be the foundation. You know,
that's uh, that's what's what's gonna you know, push us
along through this long season.

Speaker 4 (02:17:02):
We have well since you mentioned that, and looking back
to the group you have out there this year versus
last year later in the year Brian King joined a lefty,
but this year Brian King's been there all year. Bennett
SEUs is now healthy, Steven Olker joined the team, has
been healthy and very good. All of them have been
very good. That's four lefties in the bullpen. That seems
quite rare.

Speaker 5 (02:17:23):
Yeah, I mean you typically don't see many lefties in
a traditional set up in a bullpen. Whether that's just
because teams don't think lefties can get righty's out or
or whatever that situation is. I know a lot of
teams would carry more lefties when we didn't have the
three batter rule, but ultimately we got guys that can

(02:17:43):
get both sides out. We got guys that attacked the
zone and and third strikes and attack with their best stuff.
And I think when you have that, whether it's left
you or righty, you're just gonna give yourself the best
chance an opportunity to keep you know, passing the ball along.

Speaker 3 (02:18:00):
Josh Hater here on Sports Talk seven ninety, so, how
long did it take you to kind of ingratiate yourself
to the rivalries Because we're coming off you guys taking
three out of four from Seattle, and I feel like
they're always this seems like this is what they do
every single year. They're right there at the top of
the division right around the end of May, and then
the Astros inevitably kind of rise to the top. In

(02:18:23):
your first season, was it was there any of the
Al West rivalries that stood out to you more than
any others as you as you're now well into year
number two here in Houston.

Speaker 5 (02:18:34):
Yeah, I mean I feel like the fan base is
what makes the rivalry. We know we have the silver
food off forwards with Texas, but you know, the Mariners
is another one that you know they got a solid
team as well as you know when they play gootball.
And that's that's awesomately what you want in a division,
right You don't want lopsided divisions. You wanted to where

(02:18:57):
it's a pretty good race down to the wire, and
that's when you know the mid the mid the end
of the season games really mattered. Typically how they set
these schedules up is you kind of finished the season
out on the division teams where it makes things interesting.

Speaker 3 (02:19:14):
Do you feel or did you feel a lot of
pressure coming here last year with the big contract and
with the winning tradition, and now it's year two. Do
you feel any less of that or am I completely off?

Speaker 5 (02:19:25):
I would say I put a lot of pressure on
myself more than anything. You know, when you come to
a new team, new organization, you kind of want to
make an impression. I think that's just the nature of it.
I wouldn't say that's something that I really wanted to
do personally. I wanted to come in and play the
game that I know how to play, and just taking

(02:19:46):
one pitch at a time. You know, I think last
year I just came in and tried to be too perfect,
didn't want to mess up, and uh, you know, my
mess ups actually were amplified. So this year, just go
back to the same, the same thing that I've always done, Uh,
taken one pitch at a time, execute my pitches and uh,

(02:20:08):
you know, not trying to be perfect, just try and
use all of my pitches and execute through the zone.
And I think that's ultimately what I've been able to
do and kind of keep the game slowing down, not
really trying to speed it up. And when you do
those little things, the big things, you know, the bigger
picture ends up happening. So you know that's that's just

(02:20:28):
one of my key takeaways. Not try and do too much,
not try and be you know, don't try and get
too big in the moments.

Speaker 3 (02:20:34):
So this is a two parter and it involves your
entrance when you come into the game here in Houston.
I love the fact that you kind of open that
up to the fans to have them vote on it.
Were you happy with the final choice and were you
feeling a little bit more pressure in that regard since
Ryan Pressley had such an iconic entrance and then you've

(02:20:55):
kind of taken that to another level as well.

Speaker 5 (02:20:57):
I just enjoy good music, and obviously, yeah, I kind
of gave him selection, but Wayne is always number one.
He's a guy I've always listened to since I was younger,
so that was that was an easy decision for me. Obviously. Uh,
the walk out scene, that's all that's all done in
house through are our media people, and they absolutely crush it.

(02:21:18):
It had the entertainment aspect of the game, and it
gets the fans engage. I think ultimately that's what we
want is to uh, everybody to be in in it
together and enjoy the moment. I think it's it's special
how baseball can also obviously as a little bit of
graphics and entertainment and that aspect of things.

Speaker 3 (02:21:40):
Which do you prefer, Well, you're on the spot, go
between their two Presley, Really, I did not expect you
to say that it's it's less intensive or involved. I
guess I mean it's more involved by the fans.

Speaker 4 (02:21:56):
I mean I can appreciate how they also the game
operations crew, on the marketing team and everybody involved creatively
that they it's it's different and it's hard to make
it different with some of the things they have.

Speaker 3 (02:22:08):
But the fire aspect of it, Hey, I mean it's
really really good. Well that's why I definitely. I mean
I think Ryan Press was especially because it was first.
It's pretty awesome. See you said unique. Use the word unique.
They're all somewhat unique. Like, think about it.

Speaker 4 (02:22:26):
If let's just say the Dodgers had an awesome closer
if they did, which they don't.

Speaker 3 (02:22:32):
They don't, and back when they got to the World
Series against the Astros, they had a really not awesome
closer for them. He was pretty good unless he was
pitching his Oh my god, there it goes. That's how his.
Your stadium can only do so much, oh the Dodgers. Yeah, yeah, because,
unlike what Matt Thomas would have you believe, Dodgers stadium sucks.

(02:22:53):
It's not good, it's overrated, and it's old.

Speaker 4 (02:22:57):
What about if you were if Kyle Tucker just knocked
in four runs with a home run in the bottom
of the eighth inning and then ex closer was coming
in at Wrigley Field at three forty five in the afternoon,
you think that would be awesome.

Speaker 3 (02:23:10):
No, because it's in the middle. It's like when I
went to WrestleMania on the West Coast and the Undertaker
came out and the sun was still up. Not fun.
It's supposed to be dark out here. You couldn't bump
that match. A little bit later on the card, Vince, Well,
he's no longer in charge anymore, and.

Speaker 4 (02:23:29):
It's somebody else's fault. No, both of them are awesome,
and you'll take it. If Josh is out there killing it.
He as the back end of the bullpen. Thirteen for thirteen,
each of the guys at the back end of the
bullpen has been have been unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (02:23:44):
In case you missed it, we hit that.

Speaker 1 (02:23:46):
Next the eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:23:59):
It is the eight Teams, four Talks seven. We have
to we can't talk about that anymore. Now we're back
on the air. We have to talk about things that
Cole brings to the table because they're things that we
haven't talked about yet. Well, this is one of them.

Speaker 4 (02:24:11):
Or things we need to devote more time to. We
like to expand the possibilities for in case.

Speaker 3 (02:24:16):
Case you in case you missed it, or in case,
we didn't talk about it enough. That's the name of
the segment.

Speaker 7 (02:24:20):
Hey, wex we didn't talk about it enough. What do
you want to talk about with that defense? With the
Texans going into ot S.

Speaker 4 (02:24:25):
Two things, three things, Actually I'm very exciting.

Speaker 3 (02:24:30):
One simple, I think CJ.

Speaker 4 (02:24:33):
Gardner Johnson is essentially the Stefan Diggs edition of the offseason.
And I mean this word in a loose positive way.
I think Stefan was an extremely loud presence for the team.
It's not yelling at everybody, but after practice is always
talking to people. Before practice is talking to people, big
voice in their locker room, very meaningful in a positive way.

Speaker 3 (02:24:54):
I think CJ.

Speaker 4 (02:24:55):
Gardner Johnson in a little bit different way is going
to be similar to them. Secondly, mostly I think this
is or half and half. This is a big second
year for a host of their second year players for
different reasons. The two guys in the secondary it's a
big second year so they can say, yeah, last year
was no fluke, this year is going to be at

(02:25:16):
least as good, if not better. Caitlyn Block and Kamari
Lassiter for Blake Fisher and Kate Stover, and these are
their four top picks from the twenty twenty four draft.
Huge Cad Stover needs to be the Texans' best tight
end this year, I think, and if he's not, then
Brevin Jordan needs to be.

Speaker 3 (02:25:37):
Well. Why can't Brevin Jordan be the top one?

Speaker 4 (02:25:41):
It's possible, I think for the future of this team,
because I don't know that if Brevin Jordan in the
final year of his contract being the best, I mean,
it's good for this year. I don't know if it
means anything for next year if he ends up moving on.
So that's why I put it on Stover. And for Fisher,
I already put him in a position battle he should
expect a good player would expect to start at right

(02:26:04):
tackle for this team in Game one and all sixteen
games that follow plus playoffs. That's what Blake Fisher needs
to think, and he needs to go out there and
prove that. It's great you brought Trent Brown in, but
I'm going to show you we don't need him. And
it's great that you drafted Tay Nursery, but it's not
yet time for him to be a starter on this team.
One of us will be the left tackle next year,

(02:26:24):
but right now, that right tackle position is for me.

Speaker 7 (02:26:27):
A top sixty pick should absolutely think going into year
two they are ready to start.

Speaker 3 (02:26:33):
No questions asked, and he has starting experience at the
position we're talking about, which isn't always the case.

Speaker 4 (02:26:40):
Yeah, yep, So at least those are two items. There's
one more thing we'll say we got. We got all
multiple weeks the off season training activities to get into
some more of that. So yeah, a couple or those
are a couple more things. We'll be watching tomorrow and
Friday and the week after and the week after at
Texans offseason workout some miniicamp.

Speaker 6 (02:27:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (02:27:00):
So, speaking of the Texans and speaking about wide receiver,
how about a former wide receiver getting a pre I
Guess posthumously honor towards his accolades.

Speaker 5 (02:27:11):
He had.

Speaker 7 (02:27:11):
Marius Thomas, who was a signature player in the Denver
Broncos run to winning Super Bowl fifty with Peyton Manning
and is one of the greatest wide receivers ever played
in Denver, will be inducted into the Ring of Honor
this upcoming year. Thomas died on December ninth, twenty twenty one,
just days after a thirty fourth birthday, after what a
medical examiner revealed as complications due.

Speaker 6 (02:27:33):
To a Caizar disorder.

Speaker 7 (02:27:35):
Was traded the Texans towards ACL was only year for
that one season before eventually closing out his curve with
the New York Chets, best known for being one of
the big accolades for not only Peyton Manning, but getting
that win over the Pittsburgh Seelers in overtime with Tim
Tebowas's quarterback.

Speaker 3 (02:27:49):
November fourth, twenty eighteen.

Speaker 4 (02:27:52):
Scrolling back through my phone, Texans at Broncos Damarius Thomas
return game to Denver.

Speaker 3 (02:28:00):
It was awesome.

Speaker 4 (02:28:02):
The amount of love his family was all on the
sidelines was obviously where I was for pregame stuff. You know,
he brought the team out onto the field. Initially it
was very we knew about it was. You obviously knew
who he was, You knew how he got here, you
knew what he meant to them. But seeing it all
unfold like that, it meant a lot to him, It
meant a lot to his family. It showed that it
wasn't just he plays for our team kind of thing.

(02:28:24):
This was a massive outpouring of support, signage, cheering, everything,
and it was emotional for him and his family.

Speaker 5 (02:28:31):
It was.

Speaker 3 (02:28:32):
It was just.

Speaker 4 (02:28:32):
Really indicative of what we ended up seeing here and
what we've now seen multiple times from the Broncos family.
One of the good dudes. Yeah, in a super unfortunate situation.

Speaker 7 (02:28:44):
That was the way that most people described him around
the league, one of the good dudes.

Speaker 3 (02:28:48):
Well, and I'm ashamed to admit I had forgotten this
happened because I saw I saw the release earlier today
the Broncos, and I was like, oh, yeah, Like I
had just forgotten that that happened, Probably because he was
such a good dude. You never heard about him for
all the wrong reasons.

Speaker 7 (02:29:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:29:04):
Never been more heartbroken. I love you, DT. One of
the signs I took a picture of that day.

Speaker 4 (02:29:09):
Dear DT, I don't care what Houston says, You'll be
a Bronco forever. It was, And I remember some of
the other wideouts coming out with him, they know him
for only a short period of time. DeAndre Hopkins is
there with his family, talking to them, hugging them all
this stuff like, these are the kind of players you
want around, and it meant a lot in Denver in

(02:29:30):
a very brief time here in Houston. Similarly so, being
honored very correctly by the Broncos.

Speaker 6 (02:29:36):
So I'll give you guys both.

Speaker 7 (02:29:38):
They presempt honor as members of the SEC this year.
Because of now, Texas has fully established itself as a player.
But one of the big negatives around the SEC that
has always existed is the fact that they only play
eight conference games, and now with college football playoff expansion
likely moving to sixteen teams, there is a conversation going

(02:29:58):
on on the autumn at A qualifiers that just means
that four teams from the SEC get a bid. Now,
the reason why this is so important is a SEC
meeting meetings are going on in Destin, Florida right now
and Texas A and m athletic director trev Alberts was
asked should we play eight or nine league games?

Speaker 6 (02:30:17):
His response, I, personally.

Speaker 7 (02:30:19):
If we can get to the college football playoff selection,
I think nine SEC games make sense, but it doesn't
make sense if we're not guaranteed playoff spots. So again,
the whole conversation surrounding will the SEC move to nine
games in conference determines if they will have four automatic qualifiers.

Speaker 4 (02:30:39):
It's an additional loss for half your league. You're going
to enter the postseason conversation with an additional loss, you're
playing a conference game. I even Carl Ravish knows that's
how math works.

Speaker 3 (02:30:51):
So it's I can understand what they're doing.

Speaker 4 (02:30:54):
I'm not sure that it is as big of a
deal as they think it is, though, Like no automatic qualifier,
but let's give him a ninth game. Okay, so there's
an additional loss for two potential playoff teams one or none.

Speaker 3 (02:31:11):
Right, Well, Like, here's the thing.

Speaker 7 (02:31:14):
If you get rid of the automatic qualifiers and say, okay,
four SEC teams automatically are going to the playoffs, You're
gonna be upset as a college football fan when now
you have to welcome six SEC teams in. So the
actual automatic qualifier, when you're looking at it from a
sixteen team perspective, is limiting the amount of teams are
gonna be welcomed into the SEC. And the other thing

(02:31:35):
that's really important here that drives me nuts. Why is
Tony Pattiti, who destroyed the PAC twelve to welcome in
four teams from the West Coast not getting thrown under
the bus the exact same.

Speaker 6 (02:31:44):
Way as Greg Sankie. It's a joke.

Speaker 9 (02:31:47):
This is why Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan Boyle, who is also
the Democratic ranking member of the House Budget Committee, is
talking about collusion. One of the few things he's done
is a Democrat that I agree with. I mean, this
is like the least shocking news ever.

Speaker 4 (02:32:05):
Former weekly guest on one of my previous radio programs
just announced he's officially running for the governor of Alabama
in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 3 (02:32:16):
Thomas Tubberville. Yep, since we're talking about the SEC.

Speaker 9 (02:32:19):
He's a great American and I love him and he
os me more importantly.

Speaker 1 (02:32:25):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:32:33):
You know, I have not derailed today's show nearly enough.
I feel like, for the first day back after a
holiday weekend, I haven't done anything that could have, you know,
contributed to a liner like the one we just heard.
So I'll get on that for the rest of the week.
Final segment of a Tuesday edition of the show Sports
Talk seven to ninety Space City Home Network, it is
the A Team Astros and Athletics Tonight Hunter brown Back

(02:32:57):
on the bump. I'm gonna go out on a limb,
and I'm trying to be like diplomatic about this, not
over the top. He's gonna get about twenty strikeouts tonight.
I'm gonna go take the under.

Speaker 4 (02:33:14):
Okay, he's got zero double figure strikeout games this year,
but you're going with twenty like almost no.

Speaker 6 (02:33:22):
He said twenty trillions, so.

Speaker 3 (02:33:24):
Right, just those hyperbole missed that.

Speaker 6 (02:33:27):
Sorry, no, no, and he means twenty trillion.

Speaker 5 (02:33:29):
What a.

Speaker 3 (02:33:31):
What's a good number?

Speaker 5 (02:33:32):
Though?

Speaker 3 (02:33:33):
You took the under? What's a what's a good Vegas number?
For tonight nine and a half?

Speaker 4 (02:33:37):
I was, well, there's totally a separate topic, but it
makes my same point, and it came up many many
years ago with Mike Hampton among others.

Speaker 3 (02:33:46):
Hey, man, get the guys out, doesn't matter how but
I what matters when there's runners on second, third, nobody
out and you can get three punch outs. I get that.
I like the strikeout, though for the sake of art.

Speaker 4 (02:34:01):
I'd be much more interested in he's gonna hurl his
fifth game of the season where he doesn't allow any runs.

Speaker 3 (02:34:07):
I'll tell you what I don't want is to see
stupid Brent Rooker send one over the fence. I don't
like that very much.

Speaker 4 (02:34:14):
He's not having an awesome year, but he's been pretty good.
And Lawrence Butler, on the other hand, has not had
a good year at all. He has had some moments
against the Astros in the past, and they likely have
the rookie of the year Jacob Wilson, who's been bumped
up in the order. He bats second. Soderstrom kind of
came out from nowhere. Their top four hitters are what
you're most concerned about, probably and Dujar as well. They

(02:34:35):
got some new blood also with the team a little bit.
Their offense has quite obviously been the best part of
their team, and Hunter Brown hopefully can manage his way
through that. I think the Astros, even with their clear
struggles on offense so far this season, put a couple
runs up against their lefty who they don't get to
see very often. They're still way down and how often

(02:34:57):
they've seen a left handed starter or bats against left
handers period.

Speaker 3 (02:35:01):
Their lineup tonight is kind of right handed.

Speaker 4 (02:35:04):
The first nine batters in the Astros order are right
handed batters.

Speaker 3 (02:35:07):
The first nine, yes, but there could be substitutions along
the way. One because there ain't no way says our
Salazar's plan or the other guys left handed, well, Kroten,
he could show up. They have a right handed bullpen
or the other guy? What other guy? The left handed bat? Yeah,
they have the one that won't tell us what's wrong. Well,
he's not on the roster.

Speaker 5 (02:35:28):
I know.

Speaker 3 (02:35:29):
I'm very upset about it. I'm way more upset about
this than Kyle Tucker. You know why because last year
when this happened with Kyle Tucker, you had him and
Bregman and others in the lineup.

Speaker 4 (02:35:43):
Now you have others in the lineup that don't have
those names. Now I've got Walker and Jiner, Cam and
tonight Chaz.

Speaker 3 (02:35:52):
Are you excited about Chaz?

Speaker 4 (02:35:54):
I think he's in a bad spot. We brought it
up the other day, like, all, when's you ord On coming? Well,
when he comes back, they have an option, just takes,
says ourselves, our back off the roster.

Speaker 3 (02:36:04):
He hasn't played the lick so very easy.

Speaker 4 (02:36:07):
At some point they're probably not going to carry this
exact same roster all season long. I don't think Bryce
Matthews and Jacob Melton really truly make much sense for
this team right now. Although Melton is a left handed bat,
neither one of them are doing anything of significance triple A.
Matthew's just returned from his concussion. A Melton missed a
chunk of time with injury, But chas McCormick's, he's a

(02:36:29):
defensive replacement. That's pretty much it. The only time you
send him up there to pinch hit is when you're
actually sending him up there to bunt.

Speaker 3 (02:36:35):
So basically what you're saying is, we're never gonna see
twenty twenty two Chaz ever again. Not with the Astros.
We won't you just but what if we had said
that about Jake Myers for the past like five years.

Speaker 4 (02:36:51):
It was pretty clear, even probably before Joe A. Spada,
they almost always as an organization felt like they had
belief in Jake much more so than they have in Chazz.
And Chaz had a season of excellence. It's not hyperbole.
He was an excellent offensive player, a killer of left

(02:37:14):
handed pitching, and an overall super plus offensive player who.

Speaker 3 (02:37:19):
Also was an extremely good defender.

Speaker 4 (02:37:22):
And plays all three outfield positions at a very high level.
And it always felt like, well, we're gonna give Jake
Myers a chance. We're gonna give Jake Myers a chance,
and it's paid off.

Speaker 3 (02:37:31):
Just because we're on the subject of him, his catch
in game it was five, I believe, of the World
Series against the Phillies at what do they call that place?
The Bank?

Speaker 4 (02:37:42):
Yeah, real newto thought. He homered off Presley, no question
about it. He was in total disbelief that that was
not over the fence, and then even more disbelief that
McCormick climbed the fence to catch it.

Speaker 3 (02:37:54):
Top ten Astros highlight of all time. Definitely defensively, No,
you have to factor everything in. And the only reason
I even ask this is because given what game it
was in, what it meant you're going back home up
three to two. Yeah, I have to say yes.

Speaker 4 (02:38:15):
And yet I'm gonna sit here in my brain and go,
well what about this homer and this homer and this homer.

Speaker 3 (02:38:19):
Well that won him the game that was on. There's
just so many like the home run in the next
game definitely ranks ahead.

Speaker 4 (02:38:25):
Of that, The timing of it being in the bottom
of the ninth inning, all those things that against that Chea,
it meant a whole lot. It's a pretty big one.
I think the play a couple of years prior, one
year prior White Sox Divisional Series, they strike him out,
throw them out, graveman to Marty.

Speaker 3 (02:38:43):
To Carlos Marty to call the awesome hey Jake made
on the play that injured him in that series. He
didn't catch that, No way. I thought he did catch him.
I don't think so. Are you sure? I'm not sure,
but I don't think so. Now I need to know.
I just wanted like, because yeah.

Speaker 4 (02:39:01):
It's definitely one of the top defensive plays this team's
ever made, so it's hard to say can't be top
ten postseason moments.

Speaker 3 (02:39:08):
I think the fact that he like grabbed onto the
grating or whatever it was right there the mesh. It's
a chain link fence, I mean, because the degree of
difficulty wasn't as even necessarily the most It was pretty high,
but it was a pretty high yet and the moment
was as high as it gets. Yeah, well you will
get nothing and like it, JT. And then you'll get
nothing and like it in that World Series.

Speaker 4 (02:39:31):
So yeah, but I do think he's he's up against
it here, you know, So they trade him. Well, if
al Twove is an outfielder and camp Smith's not leaving
the team and Jake's hitting three hundred and Jordan's still here.

Speaker 3 (02:39:43):
So I guess I ask again, do they trade him,
but the follow up is obvious and rapid. Who wants him?

Speaker 4 (02:39:50):
They've been making I would assume you've been making phone
calls every day this season or every day that's appropriate
this season, and you've probably been met with we're just
gonna wait, and when you dfa him or send him down,
we'll be there.

Speaker 3 (02:40:05):
That's where major League Baseball is a lot like the NFL. Well,
why would we give you anything of value for this
guy that you're gonna cut loose?

Speaker 4 (02:40:14):
I mean maybe it'd be the equivalent of it could
be of Nick trading a seventh round pick for Joe Mixon.

Speaker 3 (02:40:20):
Now you're talking to Loveland, which I think the seventh
round pick. I gotta trade this.

Speaker 4 (02:40:24):
I think Dana is looking at his twentieth rounder and saying,
maybe we can maybe we can do something with this.

Speaker 3 (02:40:29):
Twenty rounds. It used to be fifty.

Speaker 5 (02:40:32):
Stop it