Cam Smith, Chandler Rome, Chirs Gordy & No AC? What A Show!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham raised.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
My Earl Nolan multed by.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
The magnificent roller coaster ride that is Houston Sports. He
Chill Lage down for the only home grown Afternoon team
is talking your teams. Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are
the A Team eighty.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
It is Wednesday here on the A Team, halfway through
series number one of this two city road trip for
the Houston Astros and for some halfway through your work week,
for some more than halfway through your work week on
this holiday week, Adam Wexley, Cole Thompson and in for
a couple hours with us this afternoon. Chris Gordy talked
talking about everything that's gonna get us to July fourth.

(01:03):
Astros dub last night, Astro's general manager visit to the
Sean Salisbury Show this morning, so we will hear from
Dana Brown this segment, and we'll let you hear a
chunk of that interview a little bit later. You can
always find it at Sports Talk seven ninety dot com.
The Astros and yord On Alvarez will not see each

(01:23):
other on the field for an undetermined amount of time,
and we had a chance to get into that briefly
yesterday as Dana met with the media there in Colorado
and updated everybody, which kind of felt like they already
updated everybody, just not with their words. When the Astros,
which they now do, put out an updated injury situation

(01:46):
for all of their players on the injured list, and
they did that in yesterday's game notes, long before Dana
met with the media, and it said Jordon Alvarez was
headed to Florida to take it bats Sunday. Yesterday was Tuesday.
I don't think it takes that long to get there,
but it gave a little bit of a why hasn't
he already seen live BP, Why isn't there He saw
twenty five pitches today, so I guess there would be

(02:09):
an update, guessed right, and there was, and unfortunately, as
that might have indicated, certainly was not a positive one. Specialists,
more specialists, not the first specialists, but hand specialists are
who he is going to see next where that is
and Brown did not say, but they should have an
update hopefully for us as soon as they have it

(02:29):
sometime today or more likely tomorrow, as they get ready
to get to Los Angeles and take on the other
one of the fifty win teams they've not seen yet.
That's it. That's all that's left. There's five to fifty
win teams in Major League Baseball. The Astros are one
of them. They've played each of the other three other
than the Dodgers and crushed them, winning all three of

(02:49):
those series seven out of the nine games. There's pretty
much no other way to slice it. The numbers are
all there, the wins and losses are all there. The
players on the injured list don't seem to knock this
team down. You're listening to right here on Sports Talk
seven ninety one of the five best teams in Major
League Baseball again, the Houston Astros.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
It's crazy.

Speaker 5 (03:16):
Anyway.

Speaker 4 (03:18):
What's wild to me is, I mean, you're right, with
all the injuries and everything they keep encountering that they
can overcome this. I mean, last night was a little
bit too close for comfort against the bad Rockies team.
But the most important thing is just find a way
to win, and that's.

Speaker 6 (03:33):
What they for comfort. It's major League baseball.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
I know.

Speaker 4 (03:36):
But the Rocky sock I mean, you know they beat them,
they did, But Josh Hater, you know, I guess look
he wasn't gonna be perfect all year.

Speaker 6 (03:44):
Then he would have given up a two run homer.

Speaker 4 (03:45):
It's fine, probably just have more runs than the other
team at the end of the game. That's all you
asked for. But it's it's just amazing. And yes, the
Mariners lose, and so it's a seven game lead in
the AL West. It's just it's insane. It's even more.
And say was reading some of the Mariners fans tweets
last night, Wax, I went down that rabbit hole where
they were going, Look there, they're peaking at the wrong time.

(04:07):
We're gonna peak at the right time. And we're still
the Asters to play most of their games at home.
Wait till they go on the road more, and then
they're gonna lose more games. And it's like, God, you
sound like psychoats try to convince yourself for this, but
it is. It is wild. And I keep looking at
the Tigers and yeah, they look pretty darn good.

Speaker 6 (04:24):
Today, but against the National against the Nats.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
But I keep saying they're gonna hit a skid, right,
They're gonna they're gonna hit a skid where they lose
some games.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
They are only five and five in their last ten
games as they pull away from everybody in their division.
The Guardians, Twins and Royals are in an absolute freefall,
all three.

Speaker 6 (04:43):
Of them, even though the Royals beat the Mariner.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
Shit, they're bad. The Guardians Twins are bad.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
They're just they None of them should be under five hundred,
and they rapidly got their three games under. Is the
second place team in the way better than the American
League West? Apparently there's one team above five hundred in
the Central. They're two teams under five hundred in the
Astros Division. Spin it any way you want, and the
Rangers should be above that mark. I beg to differ.

(05:11):
Why should they be above that mark? Because their run
differential says they should be.

Speaker 4 (05:15):
They're more. They're a talented team. They're a talent enough
team that they should be at least a five better team.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, in my opinion, they've not done exactly what the
Astros have done. They've wasted their good pitching. Yes, now
Mally is hurt. They're hoping that Evaldi gets up to speed.
He obviously returned last week, but only through three innings.
I imagine they love what they have from Jacob de Grom.
Do they want him throwing one hundred and seventy five

(05:41):
innings this year. I mean, because that's where he's headed,
and I don't know that he's going to be able
to last. I would love it for him and for
baseball to have the best players able to stay healthy
for a full season. It's something he hasn't been able
to do. But they have had unbelievable pitching. When ever,
you look at the Astros and where are they in
the rankings, Well, the Rangers are usually just slightly ahead

(06:02):
of them overall in era, and they are currently. They've
had really really good pitching and their offense is starting
to come around, even though they still haven't done anything great.
Just these last ten games again, the Astros are getting
further away from everybody in their division. Last night they
got a Grand Slam and a five run inning, and
we're able to hold onto that the rest of the way.

(06:25):
Colton Gordon didn't quite throw batting practice in Colorado, but close,
and the bullpen did what they usually do, They keep
it where it needs to be.

Speaker 4 (06:34):
He was due for a letdown, Like Colton Gordon had
been pitching above his head recently, so it's like he's
due for a letdown somewhere. It happened in Colorado. I
wish he could have gotten that one more out in
the fifth and could have set them up for the win.
But but yeah, I was kinda out with him. Brandon Walter,
Ryan Gusto. I mean, all these guys, I'm like, eh,

(06:55):
just keep us in it. That's where I am. Keep
us in it.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
And that's what they've done, and hopefully the bigger questions
don't include them. Like it's September, it's October, and you
just threw fromber Valdez and Hunter Brown in games one
in Game two? Now what the Astros are still faced
with that, But they have three months until they get
to October, the rest of July, the rest of August,

(07:18):
the rest of September. Not sitting here saying they need
to go out and get a pitcher, but it is
a question they do need to answer.

Speaker 6 (07:24):
Who gets the ball next?

Speaker 3 (07:26):
You know, Lance McCullers is obviously in the rotation, and
we'll get a start to hopefully bounce back from his
most recent start.

Speaker 4 (07:32):
Yeah, it's the Dodgers, you feel that.

Speaker 3 (07:35):
I mean, the Dodgers are okay, They're not like this
unbelievable juggernaut of an offense.

Speaker 6 (07:39):
They're they're very good.

Speaker 4 (07:41):
Put Friday Night over under home runs.

Speaker 3 (07:45):
He's faced the Reds and they've run him. He faced
the Cubs, the Cubs and they ran him like it
doesn't really matter who the other team is.

Speaker 6 (07:55):
I guess that's right, and just on.

Speaker 4 (07:57):
Good against everybody else though for the most.

Speaker 6 (07:59):
Part, he's been very good.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
Colton Gordon now on the season, which is why I
don't think really much has changed for his entire season.
If you step up to the plate against Colton Gordon
and your name is I'm a major league ballplayer, you
hit three zero two. He is allowing a three too
two batting average. He throws tons and tons of strikes
and most of them are hit able, and even Colorado

(08:22):
was doing that yesterday, and that's kind of been what's
been his issue. He's been remarkable in not giving gifts away.
He does make teams earn it. He's now throwing forty
five and a third major league innings. He's only watched
seven batters, and the same thing is pretty much true
for Brandon Walter. His numbers are just beyond believe. Twenty
nine and two thirds, thirty strikeouts, two Walks, who had
who Walks in twenty nine and two thirds innings for

(08:44):
any major league pitcher at any level with any pedigree
is insane.

Speaker 4 (08:48):
Take that because if they're gonna earn it, make them
earn it, But don't give him the free passes.

Speaker 6 (08:52):
So as of right now, he's actually the answer.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
If you went to a game three tomorrow, Brandon Walter
is getting the ball. Brandon wall Welter is getting them
all for the Houston Astros. Hopefully we will see somebody
that isn't currently in uniform for the Astros return in
the next thirty days or so, but it's probably no
sooner than that. We'll get you set for Hunter Brown
going to the bump tonight for the Astros. But I

(09:15):
did mention Dana Brown visited with the Sean Salisbury Show
as he does each and every Wednesday here on the
station nine thirties usual stop, and clearly the conversation on
your Don Alvarez and why not that's the most important
thing going on with the Astros right now and unfortunately
not good news. Described a little bit to the media
yesterday and then asked again about the situation from a

(09:35):
where did things stand from how he was telling you
how I feel. Where did things stand from what the
imaging said? His answer to that question about what they
really you know, was he one hundred percent as things
moved forward?

Speaker 7 (09:49):
Did you guys with the imaging? Was he one hundred
percent before he took live VP? Was he clear to
one hundred percent by the doctors?

Speaker 5 (09:58):
Yeah? I mean he felt good.

Speaker 8 (10:00):
I mean, if anybody was at the ballpark on Saturday
and they saw him hit the ball all over the place,
he was hitting rockets, and so you know, we were very,
very optimistic, and you know, we were, you know, so
optimistic that we got him down the Florida on Sunday
and so we were going to start their lives. And
then on Tuesday morning, you know, he still felt some

(10:22):
pain and the most important thing right now is to
just get him back healthy.

Speaker 5 (10:26):
You know, the team is playing well, and so.

Speaker 8 (10:29):
You know it's been a little you know, tough to
deal with because we we meet this guy back in
our lineup.

Speaker 5 (10:36):
But you know, we picked him up really well.

Speaker 8 (10:39):
And you know, let's try to figure out now what
the specialist says that he's going to see UH today,
But you know, let's be hopeful.

Speaker 3 (10:51):
Good question I have a question for you, Gordy. When
you hear that immediate answer to what Sean asked him,
and I'll remind you of the question so you hear
it as phrased and stop it after his answer.

Speaker 7 (11:01):
Did you guys with the imaging? Was he one hundred
percent before he took live VP? Was he clear to
one hundred percent by the doctors?

Speaker 8 (11:10):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (11:11):
I mean he felt good.

Speaker 8 (11:12):
I mean, if anybody was at the ballpark, he said yeah,
as his first word didn't sound like he was saying
yes to the question though, right, yeah.

Speaker 4 (11:21):
Because his answer was he felt good, that's why he
was taking VP. It wasn't necessarily Yes, we did one
hundred percent imaging. Everything is clear, the thing is healed.
Let's go.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
Should there be concern when this sounds very similar to
all the things that they said prior to the last setback,
when they felt like he was telling him, I feel good,
I'm not having any pain, I'm not having any soreness.

Speaker 6 (11:43):
I think it's time to pick up a bat.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
They picked up the bat then, and then, and remember
at this time they hadn't done imaging that even said
he had a fracture, it was rather still just the
muscle strain at that point it sounds similar. I don't
want to put words into Dana's mouth, but it was,
you know, talked about at length throughout the interview, and
I'm still not certain that there was imaging behind He's

(12:07):
one hundred percent, he's fully healed, And maybe there can't
be with this particular situation, although there certainly would seem
to be if you're giving us the sixty percent and
eighty percent healed numbers, Yeah, well how about the one
hundred percent?

Speaker 4 (12:19):
Well, and I don't know, Like I've had a fract
I've had a fracture in my hand, in my arm
and all this. You get X rays, but you know,
like I'm not a professional athlete, but I wasn't going
back to the doctor every week. Hey, let's get another
ex ray. Where is this? They're like, look, it's four
to six weeks, and you let it heal. So when
you feel comfortable, you can start writing again. You can
start swinging up just out.

Speaker 3 (12:35):
Of curiosity, not to out you or your employer. What
were you making at the time out money? Uh huh,
A little lesson on eight figures. You're on your way
to making twenty seven million next year. Did you think
if you got healed quickly enough. No, I do understand
there is a difference and they have access to different things,
so not to pick it all apart, but it is
interesting how they've gotten to this point. Interesting listening to

(12:56):
Jeremy Pania last night from Colorado explaining his situation and
it seems very similar. And I do not want to
paint a picture that it's super easy, just do an
image and boom, you have a one hundred percent answer
to the problem. That is clearly not the case. It's
not anything that only occurs with this team. It occurs
with every team. It just takes in a lot of

(13:18):
information and a lot of additional work to make sure
you get the right answer headed to a specialist and
data even indicating not the first hand specialist that Jordon
Alvarez has seen. That is certainly one of our conversation
topics this afternoon. One of his teammates is going to
join us from Colorado at three thirty. That is Cam
Smith very much looking forward to that conversation as the

(13:38):
Astros cleanup hitter will join us at three thirty. Here
This afternoon, Wednesday brings our signature segment at four thirty
Wednesdays BS A lot of things on the table there
to thirty of course best of X and a host
of other things. On the NBA front is they continue
to work their way into actual dotted lines being signed
by players moving from one team to the other. Your

(14:00):
Houston Rockets continue to catch a lot of positive feedback. However,
there was one voice that said otherwise, we'll share that
with you as well. Here as we get started on
a Wednesday, Gordian for Clinton on the A team The.

Speaker 2 (14:15):
Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (14:27):
Back at you here on the eight team with Chris
Gordian for AC WEX with you, Cole with you, and
plenty on the board to discuss you want to jump in,
certainly on the Astros where things stand with their two
very probably their two most important offensive players both sideline
Jeremy Pania and Jordan Alvarez one three two one two
five seven ninety here to join us on the program
here on this Wednesday afternoon. Following last night's six or

(14:48):
five victory over the Colorado Rockies, Hunter Brown has continued
to I think set the pace in the American League
and certainly in the running for the award that's given
to the best pitcher in the league Cy Young Award,
though he has not been able to pick up the
number of victories that kind of go with it, and
I am hopeful that Major League Baseball writers slash voters.

(15:09):
I do understand that last four starts for Hunter Brown,
he is zero and zero. The Astros are four and
zho because he's given up four runs total in his
last four starts. They just were unable to push past
the opposition in their two extra inning victories and their
two other one run victories. The Astros have scored just

(15:31):
enough to win each of his last five starts. The
Hunter Brown starts the last five the month of June,
where he was the best.

Speaker 6 (15:42):
Pitcher in the American League.

Speaker 3 (15:43):
Maybe he gave up zero or the team allowed zero, three, two,
two and one and did not score more than five
in any of those games and won them all all
close games. They won another one run game last night.
They continue to set the pace in Major League Baseball.
And all this for Hunter In his case, he hasn't
thrown over one hundred and one pitches period in a

(16:07):
game this year. His month included two starts where he
did not get out of the sixth inning. Another one
where he finished just six innings and two others where
he went seven innings. I think they've done as good
a job as they can reasonable with whatever else is
going on with his team on a daily basis, Well,
yesterday we had to use these guys, and we're going

(16:27):
to another three starters after you that we aren't expecting
to pitch deep into games, but they haven't. I don't
think let it impact how they've used him, and I
think that's smart, not for his long term future, his
short term future twenty twenty five. If they're going to
do something in the postseason, I think it's pretty obvious
they need to win almost every time.

Speaker 6 (16:47):
Those guys are out there.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
Pointed this out yesterday, and I know Brian McTaggert did
the same with yesterday's win. When the Astros don't start
their aces, there's still two games over five hundred somehow,
aj Bluebaw, Jason Alexander Colton, Gordon, Ryan Gusto, Lance McCullers, Junior,
Renel Blanco, Hayden Wiznski, Spencer Arraghetti. Those guys have gotten

(17:10):
the other fifty two starts. Those guys, you heard those names, right,
And this Astros team with the offense that they have,
which is middle of the packet best.

Speaker 6 (17:20):
They're twenty seven and twenty five.

Speaker 4 (17:23):
The only other team in the American League that has
two pitchers in the top twelve in ERA is the
Royals with Bubick and Lugo. Everybody else, I mean, it's.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
The Yankees are probably close with Rodon is thirteenth, so
he's close.

Speaker 4 (17:38):
But yeah, I mean it's it's interesting. I saw a
show earlier today they were debating All Star and I
think scooball gets in because of his his cache. He's
carrying over successive last year name recognition and all that
that people look at. Oh he's got ten wins. Oh
he's got one of the best ras in the American League. Yeah,
that should be your starter for the All Star Game. Like,

(17:58):
I think people are using the airy Over effect, and
then you got the Yankee effect with Max Fried and
obviously he's having an awesome year. So I not facing
the Blue Jays, I get that as well. But to
your point, I mean, Hart Brown, like it's one seventy four,
yarra and next it's two thirteen, Like it's not even close.

Speaker 3 (18:14):
Yeah, he's been incredible, and since you're on it, our
pal over at the Athletic Kenny Rosenthal put his All
Star team together. It includes both of those pictures you mentioned,
all three of them, Schoogle, Brown and Max Freed, Chris
Bubich you also mentioned, I know the White Sox need
an All Star, so Shane Smith made it as one
of the seven American League starters along with de Gram

(18:36):
and Crochet, with those that you mentioned, plus fromber merely
netting notable omission status. I don't think Chris Bubich would
make the team if it were me over from ber Veldez,
and just that one move is all that's necessary. I'm
i connsider he and say how can you leave him out?
How can you do this without giving you a solution

(18:58):
that is a very easy, simple solution that I would endorse.

Speaker 4 (19:01):
And if we go, if name Cachet is part of
the All Star thing, which it is Fromer's got way
more name.

Speaker 6 (19:06):
Ring, why is it?

Speaker 3 (19:08):
I don't know, popularity contest fans? Why is it a
popularity contest for people inside the game, the managers, the commissioner,
the players.

Speaker 6 (19:18):
Why why want getting to that?

Speaker 4 (19:21):
Do you want ratings on the All Star game? Guy
out there, nobody's.

Speaker 6 (19:25):
Ever heard of the players want ratings.

Speaker 4 (19:28):
No, but I'm just you know, you want names. Frober
is the name, but it'll be criminal, Wax. Frober's having
one of his best statistical seasons ever, it'll be criminal
if he's not not out there.

Speaker 3 (19:39):
Well, all Star selections are still a handful of days away.
There are more starts for all of those pitchers to come.
His two seventy two era would be a career best.
Never had any ri quite this low, though It's been
under three two other times each in the last three years.
So it's essentially what I keep trying to promote with

(20:01):
some backlash. There is no such thing in the big picture.
Good Fromber. The terminology, the phrase, the words, the name
should not exist. He's Fromber and he's awesome. That's all
there is to it. Been one of the five best
starters in the American League for the last two years,
the last three years, the last four years, the last

(20:23):
five years. How good does he have to be to
feel the need to add the word good in front
of his name.

Speaker 4 (20:28):
That's because because when it's bad Fromber, it's so uncharacteristic
that you're going.

Speaker 3 (20:33):
On around to have a bad Max Free gave up
four runs yesterday? Do we call him good Max Freed
and bad Max Freed? Maybe in New York, maybe nowhere
he's really good. We don't use the word good without
saying during those roller coaster seasons like twenty twenty three, right,
he posted a three forty five e R, which for

(20:54):
him was below par for the league.

Speaker 6 (20:56):
It was fine.

Speaker 3 (20:57):
He just wasn't an unbelievably awesome best in the league pitcher.
But when you have a two eighty two ARA the
year before, a two ninety one ERA the year after,
you're a league leader in innings pitched and batter's faced
and home runs for nine innings, I'm I don't nobody
else around the league does it.

Speaker 6 (21:13):
It's only here in Houston.

Speaker 4 (21:15):
Good fromber He's also been the only guy to have
that moment where he got went off script and everybody went,
what the hell you doing? Get back on script? And
what we were trying to do here?

Speaker 3 (21:25):
This baggage from one game. He's gonna go to the
Mounds this weekend.

Speaker 6 (21:30):
It's gonna make his.

Speaker 3 (21:31):
One hundred and fifty third career start for the Astros.
But one of those previous one to fifty two still
hanging on too well.

Speaker 4 (21:38):
Post and his postseason starts haven't been the best as
of late. That's that's another part of it.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
I guess he's a pretty good postseason pitcher overall. Oall, Yes,
he bolted out of the gates as an elite pitcher,
but you're accurate. His last two postseasons versus his first
three postseasons are dramatically different. If you want to tell
me good and bad fromber post season, I'll take that
last four postseason starts and he was six seven and

(22:05):
two in his first nine.

Speaker 6 (22:07):
Yeah, he was unbelievable. He was the leader of the team.
He would well.

Speaker 3 (22:11):
I recognize some other pitchers that were still in uniform
for this team, maybe not pitching as well as they
have at other points in their careers. Which brings me
to this last note, this segment, because again, during the summer,
the Wexler research time has an opportunity to put a
little bit more nose to the grindstone kind of opportunity.

Speaker 6 (22:28):
They do more work.

Speaker 3 (22:29):
I'll put it simply like that, And I thought it
would be true, and I had them look it up,
and it absolutely is true. There's only one pitcher with
more than forty five innings pitched this year that does
not have a win, and he's approaching seventy innings pitch
this year, and he pitches for the Giants, and he
just had a second child. It's JV Wow, not a

(22:53):
brand that lost every one of his starts. And I'm
not even saying he's been awful this year, but he
can't buy a victory with a opportunity to keep playing
and get to three hundred wins. He's been sitting on
two sixty two since his last win with Houston, thirteen
starts into the year, he's on five and that team's

(23:16):
starting a crater right. They absolutely are starting to create.
And you wonder if even after the Devers acquisition and
they I think they're four and ten since they acquired him,
which is not what they expected. You wonder what they
will be thinking if and when they're in this position,
they'll be in up position when they get to the deadline. Here,
like everybody else, there are always sellers and there's always

(23:38):
teams that realize it a little too late they should
have been. We'll see where San Francisco fits in Best
of X always always there for us.

Speaker 6 (23:46):
That comes your win next The Age.

Speaker 2 (23:49):
On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 9 (23:54):
Did you all see this should be putting out Between
five and fifteen posts.

Speaker 5 (23:59):
Four hundred people were arrested for things that they said
on social media.

Speaker 3 (24:02):
History repeats itself type bang.

Speaker 6 (24:06):
You'll succeed. Never doubt that you're the one who for
no one building you're the best, best. Nothing's gonna ever.

Speaker 3 (24:16):
Top You know you're the best of it, posting ever
single day.

Speaker 6 (24:21):
You know you're the best of it.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
Breaking the entire internet. Nope, internet still works. Hasn't happened yet,
each and every day. Halfway through our number one, we
eat you with the best of social media, the best
of X And I asked Chris Gord, are you're sitting
in today? Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, Lebron James just set

(24:46):
down for a basketball chat at least their Mind the
Game podcast the other day.

Speaker 6 (24:50):
It's been some interesting things from that.

Speaker 3 (24:51):
I sat down and watched a little bit of it,
and obviously I've seen some other clips from the conversation,
and very very unsurprisingly, there's been a lot of quote
tweets from it and replies to it. Before I tell
you who from I'll ask you this, Do you like
how active Kevin Durant.

Speaker 6 (25:11):
Is on the X platform.

Speaker 4 (25:14):
I don't have a problem with it. I think it's
I think it's actually funny when he goes at fans
who try to roast him.

Speaker 3 (25:20):
So Mind the Game dropped and people listened to it,
and Roger said, Hey, Katie, Onmind the Game, you spoke
about the concerns of small guards defensively, how underrated or
overrated it is have five switchable defenders or is it
to more effective to have a scheme with one to
two main rimm deterrens too funnel to with how great
offensive players are now? And he quote tweeted that and

(25:41):
gave a basketball answer. I think both schemes are effective.
I also believe offenses are too good to only show
one look all game. The great teams can execute both schemes.
Being a versatile unit is key in my humble opinion.
So that if I ask you that same question, do
you like how active he is on social media? You
certainly would offer the exact same answer. That's really good, helpful, fun, introspective.

(26:04):
This guy wants to interact and he's giving you his viewpoint,
just like he did on the podcast.

Speaker 6 (26:07):
The answer would be the same, yes.

Speaker 4 (26:09):
Yeah, but that's not what makes headlines.

Speaker 3 (26:11):
Well, what makes probably would make headlines is the NonStop
responses he's been on all day the rest of the day,
telling people things about their basement, how unhappy their mom
probably is with them not accomplishing anything in their lives,
and the like, which I can read for you if
you'd like, please do well. He in part of this

(26:32):
podcast in between the wine glasses, you could see him
talking about he felt like his Thunder teams James and
Russ and Surge, etc. Helped put the Thunder in a
position to succeed today and deserves a little credit. And
someone said, what we prepared. You're insane, You're a great player.

(26:53):
Don't do that, Katie Russ harden Era. You had zero
to do with the twenty twenty five championship. Of course,
KD Tray five responded, we went to the finals. Thunder
fans in the organization weren't new to the situation. Why
this is where you answer my question? Are you with
random fan or are you with KD.

Speaker 4 (27:15):
I think we will look back years from now and
go how in the hell did a team with three
Hall of famers not close out of finals?

Speaker 3 (27:22):
But what does your franchise reaching the finals with no
players that are still on the court, no coaches still
on staff. There have that much separation between the last
year you were together, even just Katie and Russ together,
versus the first year of or this first year of
them winning a title. I'll give you Sam Presty existed

(27:43):
in the organization. It was calling the shots at both times.
Is that some sort of credit to like, I'm totally against.

Speaker 6 (27:51):
What he says. They have nothing to do with it.

Speaker 3 (27:54):
The organization knows how Sam Presty knows how to put together. Yes,
Sam Presty knows how to put a team together. I mean,
I guess if that's where he's coming from, because that's
the thing. And I've been super harsh on Presty over
the years. So I think he kicked away an opportunity
to win, and Kevin Durant would already have three or
four rings at this point in time, in my opinion,
if it hadn't ultimatum James Harden and then when he

(28:15):
said no, he's under contract, you did not have to
move him off of your Western Conference championship team. But
he chose to do that, and then it took him
all this time to get back. But to his credit,
both then and now, which I can't take away from him.

Speaker 6 (28:30):
I don't think he's a bad GM.

Speaker 3 (28:32):
I think it was an awful decision from a very
very very good GM, arguably the best GM.

Speaker 6 (28:36):
In the NBA.

Speaker 3 (28:37):
Who's drafting the best talent from the time he started
to the time we're at now, it's him and honestly
isn't even close. Not even that the Rockets haven't done
a very good job, but they drafted those three in
successive years. They personally drafted again very very high in
the draft, and then they I mean, it took something
to get something, and maybe the Clippers thought SGA was

(28:57):
going to be unbelievable but had to something up and
they're the ones that got him, kind of a reverse Harden.
And they obviously were the team that outside the top
ten drafted Jalen Williams.

Speaker 6 (29:08):
He was an All NBA player.

Speaker 4 (29:09):
There was a debate for a while on who was better,
Maury or Presty, and I think time has shown Presty,
I think.

Speaker 6 (29:16):
Has I'm glad time's there.

Speaker 3 (29:18):
And I loved Daryl as much as the next guy,
but he put together a championship caliber roster that's undeniable,
right and he did a phenomenal job drafting outside the lottery,
sometimes way outside the lottery. Clinton Capell who's back among
those and other second round picks, and how they He's
more of a I think this is how we can
win in the league, and I think he was right.

Speaker 6 (29:40):
They just didn't win the title.

Speaker 3 (29:41):
And now everybody plays the same way, like I don't
like the Steph Curry changed the league. Where the Steph
Curry imitators, there aren't any nobody plays like him. Everybody's
imitating what the Rockets did with their roster and how
they played basketball. Threes are valuable, dunks are valuable, layups
are valuable. Mid Range shots unless your elite are in

(30:02):
are awful, And that's where the league has gone. Now
they're they're moving back in the other direction a little bit.
But everybody followed that plan eventually except Popovich's Spurs.

Speaker 4 (30:12):
Yeah wow. So, I mean, look, he may favors defense
over over everything, but it would be wild. A few
years from now, wex to look back and go it's
sir fell Stone, the greatest GM in the history of
the Rockets. He's got a pretty good resume so far.

Speaker 3 (30:26):
The greatest GEM in the history of rock of the
Rockets is still around the facility and just saw him
the other night when they had their draft party.

Speaker 6 (30:32):
Yeah it's Rudy Tom Jonavan.

Speaker 4 (30:34):
Yeah, that's true. Until they get the two.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
Rings and whoever helped them not rig the lottery but
just happened to land the number one pick in both years.

Speaker 4 (30:46):
You have to be a point how they've hit on
all these pieces? Have hit hit, hit hit well.

Speaker 3 (30:51):
Are you certain they hit on their two major moves
this offseason? Are you sure they hit on dfs? Are
you sure they hit on Kevin Durant. I'm not going
to ask you about their their string. I mean time
will tell enough to see it gets hurt and missus
half the season. It's you know, it wasn't a bad move.

Speaker 6 (31:06):
It just we don't know that it sucks. So what
do you think about it as we sit here today?

Speaker 4 (31:09):
I think it's great. I'm on board with all the
moves they made so far.

Speaker 3 (31:14):
Any concern about the age of the team. Obviously the
rotation got significantly older with both players they're both older
than the significantly older.

Speaker 6 (31:21):
Than the two players they replaced.

Speaker 4 (31:23):
I think that's why you're now three deep at center.
I think that's you're going for depth. I mean, look
at the two teams that just played the title. What
they went nine deep? Right, the Thunder and the and
the Pacer.

Speaker 3 (31:33):
Kids and kids and kids on kids on kids and
who got hurt a kid Tyrese Haliburton.

Speaker 4 (31:38):
I would look, I'm fine with half the season every
other night going to out of Center and Kevin Durant's
street close. It sucks for the fans that are there,
but like, this is a team that need that needs
to be healthy for the postseason. I don't give a
damn about a regular season title. I don't care about
the one seed. I don't care about any of that.
I care about Durant in April. That's what I care about.

Speaker 3 (32:00):
Everybody feels the same way. I think Kevin Durant feels
the same way I think the roster of players, management, everything.

Speaker 6 (32:05):
Just think about this. Not to paint a dreary picture.

Speaker 3 (32:09):
The Rockets have spent a ton of money this offseason,
and they're gonna spend a little bit more over three
years whenever they come to an agreement with Kevin Durant.
These are the players they have signed to play basketball
for the Rockets this upcoming season. Aaron Holliday, Jeff Green,
Clint Cappella, Dorian Finney, Smith, Kevin Durant, Fred Van Vliet,
and Jayshawn Tate, who's the youngest of the bunch, who's

(32:32):
not way over thirty, who's not in their mids. Just
Jashon Tate who played zero minutes in the postseason because
he was hurt and his he's probably I should have
added Steved Adams, thank you. It's probably their thirteenth best player,
fourteenth now somewhere in that range, and I value what
he brings to the team, but he's not going to
be on the court ever, unless you're managing injuries.

Speaker 6 (32:52):
They are now.

Speaker 3 (32:53):
A lot of those players are already here, so they
just got a year older, but they were old.

Speaker 6 (32:57):
This is not I don't I don't call this a
young team now.

Speaker 3 (33:00):
Their core is young, but the roster of players that
will at some point be contributors is not.

Speaker 4 (33:05):
But you really, I think he's gonna look to Jay Chante,
Reed Shepherd, Jabari, those guys you're gonna help the have
to help carry us through the regular season. Agreed, You're
gonna play a ton of minutes stur in regular season
because maybe not so much of the playoffs, but you
need to just help us eat minutes.

Speaker 3 (33:21):
I'll spare every body of the some of the comments
from KD although one of them did read shut up Drew.

Speaker 6 (33:28):
Nobody cares.

Speaker 3 (33:29):
All we can't read on the air, No, we cannot.
But if you'd like, that's the newest Houston Rocket, Kevin Durant.
Hopefully we'll be introduced sometime in the very near future.
As we continue here, we will get back in on
what did actually happen today in the NBA and what
everybody is talking about today in the NBA. It's probably
not what you think.

Speaker 2 (33:55):
The ade on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 3 (33:58):
Ninety said, what people are talking about in the NBA
is something you might not expect. And while it could be,
is this really the year that in season Lebron James
gets moved? Is that really how the Lakers view him
as and the rest of the league views him as.

Speaker 6 (34:16):
An expiring contract?

Speaker 3 (34:18):
But they're also talking about the fact that, despite a
very poorly executed search for their next head coach, totally
reasonable hire, the New York Knicks set to hire Mike
Brown as their head coach for this upcoming season. You
look at the Eastern Conference after Cleveland. Pretty easy to
say that New York should be considered next in line

(34:39):
and a line of very underwhelming combatants. But I did
say this yesterday, Gordy, wonder if you would agree. Well,
I totally respect the work done by Mike Brown. I
do think he's a good NBA coach. I think he's
probably better than a handful at least of coaches, not
just the young ones, but many of who've been around
a long time.

Speaker 6 (34:57):
But this is just a different coach.

Speaker 3 (35:00):
I don't think the Knicks have upgraded by going from
Tom Thibodeau. I guess I can understand we can't continue
with this voice, so we want a new one. But
I don't look at their respective careers and the talent
that they've had around them, and their exits from each
of their previous stops and think I like Mike Brown
more as an NBA coach than Tom Thibodau.

Speaker 4 (35:22):
You could have done worsier.

Speaker 6 (35:23):
Yes, yes, it's a perfectly reasonable higher.

Speaker 4 (35:25):
But my whole thing is you went through this whole
song and dance to hire Mike Brown, Like I mean.

Speaker 3 (35:29):
Well, that's what the song and dance part is. Okay,
we need a coach. There are twenty nine people that
are essentially off limits. Everybody else on earth is available.
We can interview anybody else we want, like former NBA
head coaches.

Speaker 6 (35:44):
We could interview James Barrego. We can interview Taylor Jenkins.

Speaker 3 (35:47):
We could interview Steve Nash and make him a two
time New York Area basketball head coach.

Speaker 6 (35:52):
We can interview Mike Brown.

Speaker 3 (35:53):
There's lots and lots of perfectly reasonable available without asking
for permission.

Speaker 6 (36:00):
They are giving up draft compensation to do so.

Speaker 4 (36:02):
That was the thing your list started with all currently
employed coaches.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
Had they not done that, nobody would look at this
as some sort of horrible plan.

Speaker 6 (36:11):
They don't have a plan. They don't have Well, they
landed on Mike Brown. It's totally reasonable.

Speaker 4 (36:15):
I almost wish they would have gone to Don Staley route,
just to see how that played out.

Speaker 6 (36:19):
I wanted it so bad.

Speaker 4 (36:20):
I think pretty good.

Speaker 3 (36:21):
Since you bring it up, do you believe that will
happen in the next ten years?

Speaker 4 (36:26):
A female head, Becky Hammon was destined to follow Pop.
I just thought that that was gonna happen, and then
she went to WNBA route, and then Pop wouldn't give
up coaching. Almost died he wouldn't give up coaching finally did.
I thought we were that close five six years ago.
So I don't know.

Speaker 6 (36:42):
Her path makes more sense.

Speaker 3 (36:43):
She spent time on an NBA bench, She's with an
organization that I think has shown some good, some bad
off that coaching tree and making their way through the NBA.

Speaker 6 (36:52):
That path made perfect sense.

Speaker 3 (36:53):
I don't think I would sit here today and say
I think she's a better head basketball coach than Don
Staley though Don Staley's not sitting on an NBA bench,
She's not working with NBA players, She's working on future
w NBA players. And like I'm saying, a hundred total
respect for her abilities as a coach, and don't doubt
that it could translate to the NBA and why she's

(37:16):
absolutely deserved both.

Speaker 6 (37:19):
Of her opportunities.

Speaker 3 (37:20):
She's been spoken with before with a head coach opening
and now again by the Knicks. I tend to think
it will happen also, And it's pretty easy also to
note this. We don't talk about it probably as much
as we could. Go look at the NBA benches, go
look at the NBA Finals. There's an NBA assistant coach
on Rick Carlisle's bench, She's coached in the WNBA, she's
coached women's basketball's on the Pacers bench for several years now,

(37:43):
and been in the NBA for several years. And there's
lots of female coaches in the NBA, and I just
wonder if that's not the better path, if that's truly
your goal.

Speaker 6 (37:51):
I think most coaches want to be head coaches.

Speaker 3 (37:53):
I don't know that every female or male coach wants
to be one specific head coach. So I don't even
know if Don Staley buyers to be, say the New
York Knicks head coach.

Speaker 4 (38:02):
How about this, The year is twenty forty. Adam Wesler
is bringing his grandkids to Toyota Center as the Rockets
get ready to play a team coached by Caitlin Clark
NBA head coach.

Speaker 3 (38:14):
Well, I would need an extremely talented and capable assistant
coaching staff because during the eighty two game season, she's
probably gonna get ejected twenty six or seven times. I mean,
I know there's former players that were hot heads on
the court because there were stars and then they went
into coaching. Do you remember how good they were? Larry
Bird was a good one. Isaiah Tomas awful, Magic Johnson awful. Yeah,

(38:35):
and there's a host. I mean, I don't know where
we viewed Jason Kid because he was a super Clyde
Dreschler was never an NBA coach and never on an
NBA bench, So I'll leave him out of this college
coach college. Yeah, I'm that doesn't factor in. I don't
think am I bringing my kids there to enjoy the game?
I would imagine it's a totally reasonable higher. I doubt,
very seriously, she's going to move into coaching. She's in

(38:59):
a position that pretty much nobody else in WNBA history
has ever been in. She's gonna make so much money
she'll never have to go into coaching to make more.

Speaker 4 (39:07):
Right, I should more likely be the commissioner of the WAA.

Speaker 3 (39:11):
Like, look who coaches like the best players don't need
Jason Kidd made a nice chunk of change, Steve Nash
made a nice chunk of change. But now you're also
making incredible money as a head coach. I mean, Emay's
making eight figures, as others are, So it's a great path.
It's a great way to continue making awesome money. And
for most of them, like Emy, there wasn't this unbelievable
track of hundreds of millions of dollars. So I don't

(39:33):
need to. I just went through NBA travel and lifestyle
for fifteen years. Do I want it for another fifteen years?
I mean, you may love the game, but I don't
know if you love it that much. I don't know
if your family loves it that much.

Speaker 9 (39:45):
What I will say on the Don Staley situation, that
is the one coach who, regardless of how you feel
about the transition, her track record speaks for itself.

Speaker 6 (39:53):
She goes to the NBA, she's gonna have success. In
my opinion, I.

Speaker 3 (39:56):
Would only push back on that because there have been
countless other male coaches that have had success that I
wouldn't want coaching my NBA team. I don't want Geno
Rima coaching my NBA team. I didn't want Mike Zewski never.
I thought those were Every time it was brought up
and the Lakers almost did it, there's no way to me.

Speaker 6 (40:13):
Not your best option.

Speaker 3 (40:14):
Yeah, but he's coached the Olympic team, He's worked with
these guys. Yeah, for a couple of weeks, there's nothing
but superstars. What about Dan Hurley? I don't think I
don't want him as my NBA coach. I want an
NBA coach. Gop sit on the bench for a little bit,
go be an assistant coach. I think that's where the
best coaches almost always come from, male or female at.

Speaker 6 (40:33):
That this level.

Speaker 3 (40:34):
You know you could apply that on the college football
side more often than not. I mean there's you know,
Nick Saban obviously as an NFL head coach Urban he
fits both ways. Though we'll get to Urban in a minute.
But Nick Saban did what I'm saying. He spent time
on an NFL sideline as an NFL assistant coach, so
he wasn't coming from out of nowhere with no knowledge.

(40:55):
I'm just really good in college. Of course, you hire me,
things will be great. He did have the background for
it to a certain extent. You know, Bobby Petrino obviously
a colossal failure and other issues, but just the coaching
side of colossal failure. Urban Myers has his own issues,
but he's a great example of why I would hesitate
to do it. He's an example in and of himself
because it was all of his own doing. But what

(41:16):
he tried to do was coach college football before NIL existed.
At the NFL level. He was coaching players who had
to listen everywhere he said, and he gifted scholarships to
and felt like they were beholden to him. So he
was a miserable person to them. And then he got
to the NFL where they're like, it doesn't work here,
and he did it to the organization as well. An
hour in three to go, we begin with discussion about

(41:38):
your Astros. More from Dana Brown this hour, and a
visit from Cam Smith.

Speaker 6 (41:42):
Now thirty minutes.

Speaker 2 (41:43):
Out the age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (42:01):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam talking your team's
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen a.

Speaker 3 (42:15):
Three o'clock has arrived, our number two of the four
hour ride, taking you a little bit closer to Astros
and Rockies this evening, another seven to forty start.

Speaker 6 (42:23):
We'll get into Astros.

Speaker 3 (42:24):
On deck at six thirty is the attempt to get
to five hundred on the road and a fifty second
win in their eighty sixth game.

Speaker 6 (42:33):
Tonight.

Speaker 3 (42:33):
Wex and Chris Gordy here with you, along with Cole Thompson.
Gonna have a visit from Cam Smith. In a little
less than half an hour from a Colorado he is
batting cleanup for your Houston Astros on a pretty regular basis.

Speaker 6 (42:46):
I think Joe A.

Speaker 3 (42:47):
Spotta continues to do all things considered marvelous work with
what he has available to him. With better than a
dozen players on the Astros current injured list, there's a
lot of things that have to be juggled on a
pretty regular basis.

Speaker 6 (43:03):
The lineup is among them, not just.

Speaker 3 (43:04):
For injuries, but for players who would have otherwise been
other positions in the order. Well, they can't be there anymore.
He's agreed with me that Christian Walker is a bottom
of the order hitter and worked out splendidly yesterday. Walker
coming up len I Sarbi single had three hits on
the day cam Smith in the four hole is probably
what you'd expects, some good, some.

Speaker 4 (43:25):
Backing in Colorado, though Walker's bat was going to wake up.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
Anywhere well, I will, as always, one day of good
swings means almost nothing to me. I hope it means
something to Christian mentally, and maybe there is more to come.
But we've seen days that are good. We just haven't
seen weeks that are good from Christian Walker. They've been
able to win without that when without Jordan. They have
now won two of their three games played completely without

(43:51):
Jeremy Pangea been out since leaving Friday's game with the
rib fracture.

Speaker 6 (43:56):
He's on the ten day IL.

Speaker 3 (43:57):
We mentioned that Jordan Alvarez was shut down from what
was going to be some swings and some work at
the ASTROS West Palm Beach complex, instead flying to see
a hand specialist. He has already done that once and
at least once according to Dana Brown, and now we'll
continue to do that until they can get a better
answer on why when he swings this many weeks away

(44:19):
from what we thought was what we knew as an injury,
is he still feeling soreness and has to be shut down?

Speaker 4 (44:25):
Yeah, it's just the words set back in the ASTROS.
It's just been it's been used too much the last
two two plus years. It feels like, and again it
just goes back to the mecal staff. Why is this
not getting caught the first time? Why are we not
doing what was supposed to be done early so that
we don't have setbacks later? Look, those happen from time
to time. Oh we missed this. We missed that, but

(44:47):
like to have two blunders like this in a year
from last year with Kyle Tucker and the bone bruist.
Now you're on in the hand. Oh there was a
break in there. We didn't know. It's just it's it's
two massive injury. If this happens to Sezar Salazar and
Jacob Melton, we're not saying anything. But it was Kyle
freakin Tucker and you're on freaking Alvarez, you're too All

(45:09):
Star candidate. It's like it's a big deal. And I
look at the training stuff and go, guys, what are
we missing here? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (45:15):
I wonder if people would see them a little bit differently,
just in the results phase. The results angle of it.
Not diagnosing Kyle Tucker properly, while annoying, did not impact
his season.

Speaker 6 (45:30):
I don't think in any way.

Speaker 3 (45:31):
He never tried to come back too soon, He didn't
have a recurrence of the injury. Now, well, they never
seemed certain to at least acknowledge or wanted to publicly
acknowledge that there was a break as opposed to a bruise.
So as we know, nobody is out for two months
or seventy nine games with a bruise. It may have
been misdiagnosed, It may have been missed, but he was.
He never did anything because of the misdiagnosis that forced

(45:54):
him to miss more time. If the first day they
took him out of the lineup when he tried to
limp into the batting or limp into the at the
plate because he thought he could play through it, If
they took an MRI, took the scans necessary and it
showed a fractured bone in his leg, his timeline would
have been exactly the same as the timeline he was

(46:14):
actually on.

Speaker 6 (46:15):
Is that not accurate?

Speaker 3 (46:16):
Yeah, you're probably right now. This one seems very very different.
It seems like there's having a trouble diagnosing exactly what
is wrong inside the hand. And that's not necessarily that
a mistake has been made. But more to the it
isn't as easy as everything else. All these things in
math adds up math you can work the problem. In medicine,
it's a little bit different. But were there things that
were done incorrectly? Were there sequences of things that were

(46:38):
done incorrectly in terms of how often imaging was done?

Speaker 4 (46:42):
And Jordan could have worsened it by taking swings with
the break in.

Speaker 6 (46:45):
There no question about it.

Speaker 3 (46:47):
Now, if they did all the scans and every time
they said, well it comes back clean, it comes back clean,
it comes back clean, and he keeps going out there
because he's gotten that so called clearance and they just
haven't found the problem. It doesn't necessarily mean they're doing
something wrong. They're getting the information that they should be
able to believe in and it turns out it's not
or they just haven't been able to find it not

(47:08):
I don't know if it's for a lack of looking.
That's the part of the questioning you often get. We're
gonna hear from Dana Brown in full coming up to
kick off the four o'clock iurb, but wanted to share
some more of what he had to say earlier this
morning here on Sports Talk seven ninety. His weekly visit
with the Sean Salisbury Show nine thirty on Wednesdays is
usually when he stops by. You mentioned the word setback,
he gets into what caused this latest setback.

Speaker 5 (47:29):
No, I think it was just the soreness in the hand,
and so that's really what calls the setback. I mean,
Jordanian is grinding through this, you know, every single day
he's trying to get through this, and so he felt
really good, and you know, he was even excited about it.
You know, he was in a good mood. He was smiling,

(47:50):
and you know, he was very happy, you know, because
he feels like he's missing out on all the fun
that's taking place here, you know, being seventeen games up
in first place, the guys are you know, playing well,
and so he's missing out on a lot of good
fun and so he wants to get back. And you know,
so I think it was the soreness, and we're in

(48:14):
a combination of the soreness in us not wanting to
push him to the point that we're going to jeopardize
him for the rest of the season because we know
that we're gonna need him. Look, we're we're playing well
without him right now, but we know when push comes
to shove, we're gonna need Jordan Alvaretz. So whenever he
has any whenever he has any soreness, we're going to

(48:36):
push back and we're just gonna make sure that this
guy is really, you know, completely healthy. And so, uh,
he felt good enough to hit, and so that's why
we put a bat in his hands.

Speaker 6 (48:50):
Again, trying not to go overboard.

Speaker 3 (48:51):
Every time I hear the two non doctors describe it,
the GM and the player felt good enough to pick
up a bat, so we wanted to get him out there.
There's got to be more. I don't think it would
be handled that way. You can't listen to not doctor
Alvarez when he's talking to doctor Brown and say this
is the course we want to take, unless the doctors
have said, look, here's the problem, where one hundred percent

(49:13):
certain there's nothing else there. When he tells you you
can play, he's got clearance from us. When he tells
you can swing, he's got clearance from us. And I
just don't think that's the that's the manner in which
they have gone. It will be game number fifty four tonight,
one third of the season that he will miss since
this injury occurred, or at least they put him on
IL for it, and naturally they're fifteen games over five

(49:36):
hundred without him during this time period.

Speaker 4 (49:38):
It's the same. I was just looking at the standings
from a year ago at this time, and you know
it's where the Mariners were kind of controlling the West,
and the Askers were making that move starting to close
that gap. But I just never in a million year
so have to be sitting here fifty plus wins, approaching
the All Star break. I mean, this is it's insane.
You're playing with house money. You've done a fantastic job

(50:00):
to build up this lead. And again it's every night
somebody Cooper Hummel comes up big. It's it's they're doing
a great job, a different guy stepping up. But it
starts with the pitching staff. They've been great.

Speaker 3 (50:10):
It does start there. They had to get a big
hit in last night's game. They got one, just one,
one four run. Homer did it for them. It got
him to the sixth run. They did not score after
that against what, for the most part this year has
been a very poor bullpend Lately, they've now actually gone
out there their last fifteen point one innings fifteen and
a third of shutout or no earned run baseball.

Speaker 6 (50:30):
And that was on display yesterday.

Speaker 3 (50:31):
As they got to Colton Gordon and they put an
additional run on the board. Then Hater was out there
with the two run lead and gave up the home run.
And we talked about it briefly in the opening hour.
Last year I think was correctly assessed as a down
year for Josh Hater his first year under contract with
the Astros, while they had thirty four saves and the
are of three to eighty was I thought pretty indicative

(50:54):
of the way that he pitched not nearly as successfully
this year, far more hits, allowed for more walks, allot.

Speaker 6 (51:00):
Just that was accurate.

Speaker 3 (51:01):
He did not have a spectacular season, which is for
the most part what his career was made of.

Speaker 6 (51:05):
Outside of twenty two first month.

Speaker 4 (51:08):
I mean, it was like he middle of season, he
started to settling to a groove and started to be
good Josh Hader.

Speaker 3 (51:13):
And would you take any of those months above the
three months of this year, And that's kind of where
I'm coming from.

Speaker 4 (51:20):
You're right.

Speaker 3 (51:21):
There were better months ahead for him and at different
points in the year. But he had a five to
twenty three ar July of last year. He had a
six to seventy five ERA last year in the final
month of the season. His other months were obviously very
very good. The difference this year before the last handful
of outings was he was almost untouchable regardless of the
situation he's in, whether it's a save situation or not.

(51:44):
That he slowly started pitching to the situation he was
actually in. I've got a three run lead, Well they're
gonna score. I got a two run lead, they're gonna
score again. If I have a one run lead, I'm
good to go. They're not gonna put any runs on
the board over the last handful of outings. The homer
allowed yesterday a lot of homer five outings before that,
another homer two outings before that, another homer two outings

(52:04):
before that. He's given up four of the season six
home runs in his last eleven outings. Is that a
shift in any way? Is that a little bit less successful?
Or could I just say, yeah, yesterday gave up a
home run in Colorado. His last four appearances hitless and
in the last seven wins, how many at last seven
Astros wins, how many of those do you think Josh

(52:27):
Hater has saved four?

Speaker 4 (52:29):
Six oh six? Wow, that's insane.

Speaker 6 (52:32):
He's been incredible.

Speaker 4 (52:33):
Yeah, I mean, statistically his third best season of his
career RRA wise, but save wise, he may have a
career best this year.

Speaker 3 (52:43):
Yeah, he's getting it done. Obviously, a brave is getting
it done. Back to the brief comment we talked about
the All Star rotation and group that Ken Rosenthal would
put together. It included Brian a brave, It actually included
five Astros.

Speaker 4 (52:57):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (52:58):
The topic we will revisit over the core of the day.
A few more days of voting for those that are
in it no Astros, and a few more days beyond
that for the actual selections for the players that will
make their way to this year's mid Summer Classic. On
the Major League Baseball side, a little bit more from
Dana to come this hour three point thirty visit from
Cam Smith. Also on the way, a shift back to
the NBA conversation and the Western Conference, specifically, when we

(53:21):
come back.

Speaker 2 (53:23):
The age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (53:28):
Wext cole Chris Gordy with you on a Wednesday edition
of the Eight Teams. We get a little bit closer
to the July fourth holiday, a little bit closer to
the first meeting of the season between the Dodgers and
the Astros, the last of the current fifty win teams
that the Astros have not yet faced. They've taken care
of the Phillies, the Cubs most recently, and the Tigers
before that, to the tune of seven wins and nine

(53:48):
games We'll try to match that or better against the
Dodgers this weekend. First things first, got the Rockies this
evening and tomorrow afternoon. Took care of business last night
with a six to five victory. Went to the break
and said, NBA Western Conference, aside from Houston, which we'll
talk more at length during your visit here today, anything

(54:09):
stand out or what is what stands out most to you,
Gordy in the Western Conference so far this off season
among those that are trying to catch Oklahoma.

Speaker 4 (54:20):
City, Denver made some interesting moves.

Speaker 3 (54:24):
So pro Porter out Cam Johnson in Yeah, I think so.
In light of the fact that gave a first round
pick up to move Porter out, I think that would
be the thought from everybody else that they've done better.

Speaker 6 (54:36):
Their numbers are remarkably similar.

Speaker 3 (54:38):
I called Cam Johnson one of the least known, very
good players in the entire NBA. Was part of good
Phoenix teams, was part of losing Nets teams, but continued
when asked. The more they asked him to do, the
more he was capable of doing. And I think in
Denver I agree. I think that edition is good. I
think the Jonas Valanchoonis edition is good. I don't know
that they're going to get from Bruce Brown this goal

(55:00):
around what they got from Bruce Brown last go round.
But I agree, I think the two teams that were
already the closest to Oklahoma City, Houston and Denver, got
even closer. Would you suggest they are ahead of Minnesota
in catching up with the Oklahoma City Thunder even though
Minnesota has been to the conference finals back to back years.

Speaker 4 (55:20):
That's a good question. Yeah, I don't know. I still
love jokicch. I mean, I think he's he should be.

Speaker 3 (55:27):
Like if I told you that the Thunder aren't going
to the NBA Finals next year. Okay, so now I
have to tell me which Western Conference team is. Would
you pick the Nuggets the Rockets if I didn't let
you pick the Rockets?

Speaker 4 (55:38):
Oh yeah, I well could be Minnesota. But I don't know.
I just did the jokicch. I feel like he's due
to get back to one.

Speaker 3 (55:46):
More so earlier today I mentioned it seems like super
positivity locally and I think nationally the same thing. Rockets
have hit a home run. I don't know why they
haven't slam dunk to this offseason. They've hit a home run,
They've scored a touchdown. We love those analogies. Most everybody
thinks that. Earlier, I saw a comment from John Hollinger,
former NBA EZECH and longtime NBA media members since, and

(56:10):
he was talking about the Rockets editions and the team
that they're gonna put on the floor this year, and
he said, well, I don't think they have any wings.
And Zach Lowe was doing the podcast with him and said, well,
what's Tar East and what's Dorian Finney Smith?

Speaker 6 (56:21):
You know what are these these players? You know where
would you put them?

Speaker 3 (56:24):
Amn Thompson, He used those three names specifically, and he said,
if I was building a team from scratch, I think
all those all three of those players would be fours.
I don't understand how that's possible. And if you're building
a team from scratch and you consider them fours, that
is a very very very different philosophy than the one
of the team that has those three players. If you

(56:46):
have Steven Adams, Andrew Barr Smith Junior, and Alprin Shongoon,
who are clearly parts of your rotation, one of those
guys ever playing for almost never. Now, I'll admit Dorian
Finney Smith defending ones and twos is probably something he
will do less of than he has over the rest
of his career. But that's what Tarry Easton will do.

(57:07):
That's what a men Thompson will do. I look at
a men and tari and while I'm totally fine with
not locking guys into positions, we don't care about it anymore.
Nor one cares if you have or if you're a one, two, three.
I get that, but that's exactly where they will be playing.
There's a spot on the court we refer to as
the wing. That's where these threes will be all year long.

Speaker 4 (57:28):
Yeah, my head hurts trying to think of that. I mean,
because I grew up, it was you're a point. Of course,
you're a two, you're a three. I mean, that's that's
how it was.

Speaker 3 (57:36):
And when you literally grew up and played basketball, your
first coach said, you are the point guard.

Speaker 6 (57:41):
Your number is one.

Speaker 3 (57:43):
Right, you are the other guard because they didn't know
you probably couldn't shoot yet, you probably couldn't get the
ball to the basket, right, you're the two. They gave
you numbers. They lasted a long time. You played basketball
in junior high and high school. Essentially you still had
those numbered positions, and for our era, that carried.

Speaker 6 (57:59):
All the way through to the NBA.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
Hey, like, Mike, what are the Rockets doing twin towers?
That's that's bold a, Keem and Ralph on the court
at the same time, that's two fives.

Speaker 6 (58:09):
What are they gonna do? Right, We're way past that now.

Speaker 4 (58:11):
Well, in the league went through the you know the
nineties is the center was the dominant piece and all this,
and then we started to get into a little bit smaller.
But then we had freak athletes like Yannis who's the
size of a center or four that can play point
guard and it just throws everything off Lebron the hybrid
that could play any positions. So yeah, it's so you

(58:32):
need to almost erase that from your memory and go,
this Rockets team is just gonna have five good players
on the court at all.

Speaker 6 (58:38):
Times, and that's what they look at.

Speaker 3 (58:40):
I don't think there's any question how you put that
is exactly how they view things. You know, it continues
to be said Chris Mannix was part of his podcast today,
said he again continues to hear internally from the Houston team,
so that being shared by everybody, and they're the ones
who I don't know if this is something to push,
whether they believe it or not, but it's certainly has

(59:00):
been said many times before, and I've heard the same
thing inside the building. Their viewpoint of reed Shepherd doesn't
really match everybody else's.

Speaker 6 (59:06):
It's much much, much higher.

Speaker 3 (59:09):
And even in some of the comments that Kevin Durant
made that weren't Rockets specific, he questioned how it would
work for small guards.

Speaker 6 (59:16):
It brought it up earlier defensively, can it happen?

Speaker 3 (59:20):
Fred van Vlietz a quote unquote small guard, A big, burly, physical,
strong small guard reach Shepherd is I think, stronger than
people think, but not like that will reach Shepherd as
great as he might be offensively, if that comes to pass,
will he get taken advantage of defensively? Even with a
great defensive team like Houston is.

Speaker 4 (59:39):
See he in the time it was so limited the
time of Kentucky, but he was an underrated defender like
he could defend at Kentucky. So I almost wonder like
is he gonna be got? Maybe he never becomes a superstar,
but I think he can excel as a ball handler.
He's a good pastor, he's a willing passer, he's got
great court vision. He can hang out on the wing

(01:00:01):
and just knock down threes if that's what you want
him to do. So I'm gonna be really curious to
how they use him because it the holes opened up
playing time minutes are there for him this year. I'll
just be curious how they're gonna use him. Do you
think he's better suited as Hey, Fred van Vlietz, come out,
you're the backup point guard, Go run the point, or hey,

(01:00:23):
earn your minutes out as a shooter, just hang out.

Speaker 3 (01:00:26):
Well, he has to be the point guard. Yeah, he
could be the shooter, but he's not gonna share time
with Fred. He's not gonna be on the court with Fred.
You can't that tiny.

Speaker 4 (01:00:32):
I'm saying, when Fred comes out, he is the back.

Speaker 3 (01:00:34):
Und honestly for whatever work he put in last year,
or for where he was drafted, or for where Holiday
is in his career.

Speaker 6 (01:00:42):
I mean it's good.

Speaker 3 (01:00:43):
I think it's gonna be tough for Aaron Holiday this
year to deal with what's going to happen, because he
very well might outplay Read Shepherd in practice, much like
he probably did last year.

Speaker 6 (01:00:52):
At times.

Speaker 3 (01:00:53):
He obviously earned those minutes last year ahead of Reach Shepherd,
even for the brief moments that you got in the
postseason read. Shepherd's playing ahead of him no matter what. Yeah,
at the beginning of the year, for the first month,
for the first two months, three months, however long, he's
playing ahead of him, even if he hasn't technically beat
him out right, Yeah, he has to be the backroup
point guard.

Speaker 4 (01:01:11):
And what if he gets awesome? I mean he was
a pick, Like you know, it's just another piece of
this team that can make him that much more dangerous
if free shepperd could use to grow and develop. And
what we think he could be.

Speaker 6 (01:01:23):
What you know, gets awesome? What does that look like.

Speaker 4 (01:01:28):
Knocking down threes?

Speaker 3 (01:01:30):
Like, yeah, because we don't know what his minutes will be,
we can know what his percentages might be.

Speaker 4 (01:01:36):
I know this lob dunks all day when Capella's out there.

Speaker 3 (01:01:39):
I mean, so a two man game at the end
of a thirty point blowout Reid and Clint.

Speaker 4 (01:01:45):
Yeah, well, I almost think like in good minutes, like
off the bench, him knocking down if he if he
can develop that three point shot, he's gonna play good minutes.

Speaker 3 (01:01:54):
He did start three games last year. A lot of
people have circled in referenced those games many times over.
He only shot fifty two percent from three point land
in those three starts one hundred and nine minutes of basketball.
In a game where he started, he launched twenty five
threes and he.

Speaker 6 (01:02:09):
Made thirteen of them.

Speaker 3 (01:02:11):
His numbers pretty much other than that were awful. His
numbers the rest of the season were very bad. He
got off to a bad start. He was what happened
last year, it's what's gonna happen this year. Remember read
Shepherd at the beginning of last year, when he was
getting minutes, when he got playing time, he was terrible.

Speaker 6 (01:02:25):
They benched him, they sent him to the G League.

Speaker 3 (01:02:27):
He really never became a part of the and he
thought they had the rest of the year. I think
as this year has come about and they're you know,
Kelly Eco yesterday, Daniell Lerner today, they continue to say
similar things about what their belief is the Rocket's next
moves will be. As they look at this roster, Jock
Landell's not going to be a rocket, and it may
be just a simple wave to avoid the guaranteed money.

(01:02:48):
When that deadline hits on the seventh and searching for
a path out of town for Cam Whitmore, which I
think is a shame. I get it, and he's going
to blow up if he goes to a team that
can play him. Hopefully he earns those minutes there, which
he just simply could not do here quite obviously, did
not earn the trust of the coaches or didn't outplay

(01:03:08):
the players in front of him. For a team that talented,
it's not really even a shot at him. This team
won fifty two games and clearly thought they could win
a postseason series against Golden State without using him. He's
too talented to allow that to happen again, even on
a talented team.

Speaker 6 (01:03:25):
And I don't know where he might be headed.

Speaker 3 (01:03:26):
And I do think it's a shame because I think
the role for him here how they've set this year's
team up, could have been much much larger. But it
just doesn't look like he's going to be here next year.
And if he goes to a team that stinks like
if he had been drafted seventh or eighth or ninth
or tenth rather than twentieth to a very good team,
a sending team, those minutes probably would have been there

(01:03:47):
the last two years and they'd be a whole different
story about how they view Cam Whitmore, Well, how do
you view Cam Smith? Let's talk about it next with
Cam Smith. Cam Smith from Colorado, as the Astros and
Rockies get together tonight, he joins us on the phone.

Speaker 1 (01:04:04):
Next the eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:04:13):
Jump right back into it here on the A team
Adam Wexler and Chris Gordy here with you today. Take
a trip out to Denver, Colorado, Rockies and Astros tonight.

Speaker 6 (01:04:22):
Guests joining us from there.

Speaker 3 (01:04:23):
That is Cam Smith, Astros cleanup Hitter, Cam Smith.

Speaker 10 (01:04:27):
Cam.

Speaker 3 (01:04:28):
Does that sound awesome that I say, Cam Smith, Astros
cleanup hitter.

Speaker 10 (01:04:34):
Yeah, it does sound pretty sweet.

Speaker 3 (01:04:37):
Doing a lot of things this year, and I'll start
with that everything is seemingly new, new cities, new ballparks.
Has that part of it all beyond the baseball been
fun for you to you know, you're basically seeing the
country in the form of seeing all the new ballparks
when you get to these new cities.

Speaker 6 (01:04:52):
What's that all been like for you?

Speaker 10 (01:04:54):
Absolutely, I'm seeing all these new cities, like you said,
and going to each new ballpark. You know, I come
out side and the Doug got and take videos that,
you know, everywhere I go, just because it's my first time,
so just soaking it all in. Yeah, Like the new
cities are beautiful. We are changing time zones a lot,
but you know, we're seeing all these cool ballparks. So
it's been a great time.

Speaker 3 (01:05:15):
So when you get out to the ballpark today, do
you take your phone out there to right field and
take a video of Hey, hey, this is where I
caught the ball up against the wall I'd never played
at before.

Speaker 10 (01:05:25):
Yeah. Me and Dubon like to talk about, you know,
cool plays that we get a chance to make because
you know our team, it's no secret we're a very
sound defensive team, and me and Dubon specifically like to
talk about it because I think we like to compete,
you know, in that in that part of the game.
So yeah, it's just fun going out there making cool

(01:05:46):
plays like that.

Speaker 4 (01:05:47):
Talking with Astro's rookie Cam Smith and Cam you know,
growing up obviously as a shortstop and mainly as an infielder,
I think we're all still just so impressive. How good
of a right fielder you've become. I got to think
some of those reactionary skills because when you're in fielder,
you've got to be reactionary. You got to react so
quick and in the outfield, eh, you're going to get

(01:06:08):
a nice jump, but you know, sometimes you can kind
of take your time. Whatever is it? What's that transition? Like,
I mean, explain to us how you go from being
so reactionary and getting the ball so much to right
field You might play in anywhere ball didn't even come
your way.

Speaker 10 (01:06:23):
Yeah, and it's even games where balls don't come my way.
But it's having daily conversations with Jason Bell and Dave
Clark to kind of get me comfortable and make it
feel like I've been playing outfield for a while now.

Speaker 3 (01:06:37):
When you think about it, do you think you're playing
good right field? Are the things you say in a year,
I'll be better at this, or you know, later in
the season, I need to be better at this.

Speaker 6 (01:06:46):
How do you feel about it?

Speaker 5 (01:06:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 10 (01:06:49):
I think there's always stuff I can improve on. And
those are conversations I have with Jason Bell and Dave
Clark after each game. So there's just little things that
you know, you guys may not note, but I noticed
it and they notice it as well.

Speaker 3 (01:07:03):
You have groups of players that you're obviously with a
little bit more than others, and you already brought up
Mauricio du Bond's name. It seems likely that to fit
inside this clubhouse is for everybody. Everybody seems to fit in,
no matter where they've come from, how long they've been
here and things like that. Are there certain players that
made that a little bit easier for you?

Speaker 10 (01:07:24):
Yeah, honestly, everybody. Everybody has been a great leader for
me individually. You know, obviously I'm coming in here twenty
two years old, but each and every every one of
those guys, the veteran guys, they're coming up to me
in any situation that I may need, you know, somebody
to lean on, somebody to talk to about it. They're
always willing to, you know, guide me through each and
every day. So that's that's why our team is social special.

(01:07:46):
It's not just one guy. Everybody's a leader.

Speaker 4 (01:07:49):
We just finished the college baseball season cam and finished
up in Omaha, and obviously there was a lot of
storylines made of what you did just a year ago
with Florida State and the great success you got had
and you know, this week, I see you know that
they just announced the Futures Game roster, and my mind's
just blown that you completely blow past that. Like, you know,
in a normal world, Kam Smith is going to the

(01:08:11):
Futures Game in two weeks sitting, gonna show case what
he can do. I mean, you even you have to
be surprised with how quickly this rise has come, and
you almost have to take a step back and just
kind of soak it all in.

Speaker 10 (01:08:22):
Right. Yeah, yeah, I'm very I'm very happy with Bryce Matthews.
You know, he gets a chance to play in that
Futures Game. I've always known about that. You know, it's
a big game. It's the minor league All Star Game.
So I'm very happy for Bryce Matthews. And I was
just given the opportunity by the front office and Joe

(01:08:42):
a Spota to you know, be on this roster and
and kind of, like you said, skip that level. It's
not how I wrote it out, but but God works
in crazy ways.

Speaker 4 (01:08:52):
Speaking of you got to go against your your former
club last week with the Cubs that were here in town.
I mean, look, you could say all the right things
and it didn't mean a little extra I gotta think
it meant a little something extra special, right doing what
you did in that series.

Speaker 10 (01:09:08):
Oh, definitely, inevitably. I think there's an emotional connection with
the team that drafted you, so playing against them on
another team, there's definitely emotions rise and the moments get bigger.
So yeah, I would say it's felt a little more
special that weekend.

Speaker 3 (01:09:26):
Chris just brought up to your college baseball experience, Cam,
and I'm curious over the time that's spanned from the
draft to where we are today, if there have been
conversations between you and James Tibbs. You're drafted back to back,
you both go to really good situations. You've already both
been traded in a pretty large deal to new situations
which also look very good. I mean, were you all

(01:09:48):
talking about your situation back then, and were you the
person that he called to say, Man, what's this like
going to a new organization?

Speaker 5 (01:09:55):
Yeah?

Speaker 10 (01:09:56):
Yeah, he actually was talking to me immediately when when
I got traded to the Astros. He was just he
was like, hey, give me a call so we can
talk about it. I know, you know, it's not a
normal situation, but let's sit down and talk about it.
He's like a brother to me, so we have those close,
close conversations and you know, We had the same conversation
when he got traded to the Red Sox, but both

(01:10:18):
of us are very excited for a new opportunity.

Speaker 4 (01:10:21):
Cam. We all enjoy the Astro social media team Julian Morales.
They do these videos where they'll interview you guys, favorite
TV show, favorite this, and all that. And you were
probably of one of those videos recently. I think you
said something the effective Oh, I didn't really watch TV,
so it just got me thinking, you're traveling with the team,
you're on the road. What is Cam Smith doing late
at night in his hotel room when you're not sleeping?

(01:10:42):
Are you watching something or you just are you reading?
What do you do?

Speaker 5 (01:10:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 10 (01:10:47):
No, I give that question a lot. I really just
like to relax any time I can. We're at the
ballfield about pretty much the entire day. I would say
from one pm to ten thirty is when I'm at
the ballfield. When I get off the fit, I'm just relaxing.

Speaker 3 (01:11:03):
Obviously, family is a big part of all of this
for you. Not this is a journey here, but the
journey while you're here. Know about the moment you shared
with all of them in the clubhouse, with your new
baseball family. But over the last couple of months, have
you been around them a lot more than than I mean,
maybe people realize have you had a chance to have
them along for this? I know your mom obviously was

(01:11:23):
in town with you very recently. Has it been good
for you from your internal family, not just your baseball family.

Speaker 5 (01:11:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (01:11:32):
Yeah, they haven't got too many chances to, you know,
to show up and see me play. But they went
to the Tampa Series, they were just at the Cup Series.
They plan on going to the Miami Series as well,
so you know, I'll see them here and there, and
it's always good to see them, all right.

Speaker 3 (01:11:47):
So the list of things that have been accomplished by you,
I'm sure you have those set aside. This was, but
I'm thinking more and curious more. What are the cool moments?
What are the things you've already kind of set aside?
And I'm gonna remember this and that forever.

Speaker 10 (01:12:04):
Definitely Opening Day, obviously, my first major League baseball game,
I'll never forget that I had the very largest amount
of family there. I had everybody on my side, all
the veteran guys talking to me before the game on
how to go about it. That's just something that you know,
any any baseball player never forgets.

Speaker 3 (01:12:25):
Your teammates chasing you out to center field after a
walk off memorable.

Speaker 5 (01:12:30):
That as well.

Speaker 10 (01:12:31):
That was my first one, so that's another special moment.
I say those are top two.

Speaker 3 (01:12:36):
Do you like the emotions that come out when you
have a big RBI hit or a big moment or
a walk off because it doesn't look like you try
to hold it in at all. It's just natural, which
to me from looking at athletes, that's what they should
all do.

Speaker 10 (01:12:52):
Yeah, no, it's it's just natural. I guess like you said,
it really just just comes all out of me at once.
That's just a fun part of this game.

Speaker 6 (01:13:02):
Well, you're showing that you're having fun. We're glad you're
having fun.

Speaker 3 (01:13:05):
I know our listeners and viewers are glad you continue
to have fun, and hopefully there's more fun on this
road trip. A tip to trip to Dodger Stadium, Awaits
and everywhere else in Major League Baseball. Look forward to
having you back here at dyk In Park next week
in advance of the All Star Break, and certainly, Cam,
we appreciate spending some time with you this afternoon.

Speaker 10 (01:13:22):
Absolutely, thank you for having me.

Speaker 3 (01:13:24):
Cam Smith Astro's rookie right fielder, clean up hitter more
often than not.

Speaker 6 (01:13:29):
Back out there again tonight against the Rockies.

Speaker 3 (01:13:31):
Catch quick break a little react to Cam Smith when
we come back.

Speaker 1 (01:13:36):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong
Houston sports guys named Adam talking your team. Adam Clinton
and Adam Wexworth are the A Team.

Speaker 5 (01:14:27):
Yeah, I mean he felt good.

Speaker 8 (01:14:29):
I mean, if anybody was at the ballpark on Saturday
and I saw him hit the ball all over the place.
He was hitting rockets, and so you know, we were very,
very optimistic, and you know, we were, you know, so
optimistic that we got him down the Florida on Sunday
and so we were going to start their lives. And
then on Tuesday morning, you know, he still felt some

(01:14:51):
pain and the most important thing right now is to
just get him back healthy. You know, the team is
playing well, and so you know, it's it's been a
little you know, tough to deal with because we we
meet this guy back in our lineup, but you know,
we picked him up really well, and you know, let's
try to figure out now what the specialist says that

(01:15:13):
he's going to see uh today.

Speaker 5 (01:15:16):
But you know, let's be hopeful.

Speaker 7 (01:15:19):
Hey, and no doubt about that. But Dana and you
said that he felt good. Jordan felt good and was
in hitting rockets like you said, and felt good. But
where was the percentage of through through the images and
what the doctor said, because you know, I think it
was last week or the week before you mentioned he's
eighty eighty five percent. Where was he as far as
the healing and the structure part percentage wise of health

(01:15:44):
not just how he felt. Doctors and you guys say, okay,
we're looking at these images.

Speaker 2 (01:15:48):
He's good to go.

Speaker 7 (01:15:49):
How close to one hundred percent?

Speaker 4 (01:15:51):
Were you?

Speaker 5 (01:15:52):
Yeah, we felt really good, so excuse me post, so
really close to one hundred percent. But the whole big
thing is the hand is a very complex, you know,
part of the body. You know, Urine hits the ball
extremely hard, you know, swinging that bat.

Speaker 11 (01:16:10):
He uses a heavy.

Speaker 5 (01:16:11):
Bat, and so you know, these things sometimes could take
time and you have to allow this guy, you know,
to heal. He felt good enough, he felt good enough
to you know, swing a bat. He felt his hand
was healthy, and a lot of this it's.

Speaker 8 (01:16:29):
According to how he feels, and he felt well, and
so we gave him some swings here in Houston, and
you know, then we said, look, we're going to send
him out to Florida to get some lives and then
maybe a quick rehab in sugar Land and then's get
him back to the big leagues. And and that was
that was the goals. And so you know, that was sideline.

(01:16:54):
You know, you know when he when he started to
feel the soreness again, and so now he's going to
see specialists and we need to get we need to
get to.

Speaker 4 (01:17:02):
The end of this.

Speaker 7 (01:17:03):
Okay, Dana with this when this happened originally and if
the swelling went down and you guys were rolling through
the early parts of this, we're talking about now he's
seeing a specialist with this setback and you're shutting him down.
Is this the first time he's seen a specialist, not
an orthopedic, but a specialist with this.

Speaker 11 (01:17:21):
No, he's seen he's seen three specialists. So, uh, we've
we've had guys on this. You know, this is as
I mentioned, this is more of the complexity of the
hand itself.

Speaker 5 (01:17:33):
And so you know he's he's getting the best of care.
You know, it's it's like anything else, You've got to
figure out what this problem is and I think, you know,
we're digging deep, you know, to get to the bottom line.
And I feel like, you know, this specialist that I'm
actually looking forward to see, you know what this is

(01:17:57):
going to this Diagnosi's going to be Dana.

Speaker 7 (01:17:59):
Is this is to say setback the structure wise one
with the hand or is it more a threshold of
pain thing for jordan which was and have you imaged
him since he felt as like yesterday? Is there an
image or is the specialist the next thing? And was
is it him? Did the pain bothered him or did
you is it was it visible to see that something
was a setback?

Speaker 6 (01:18:19):
Not just the pain.

Speaker 5 (01:18:20):
No, I think it was just the soreness in the hand.
And so that's really what calls the setback. I mean,
Jordanian is grinding through this, you know, every single day
he's trying to get through this. And so he felt
really good and you know he was he was even
excited about it. You know, he was in a good mood.
He was smiling, and you know, he was very happy,

(01:18:44):
you know, because he feels like he's missing out on
all the fun that's taking place here, you know, being
seventeen games up in first place the guys are, you know,
playing well, and so he's missing out on a lot
of good fun and so he wants to get back,
and you know, so I think it was the soreness,
and we're in a combination of the soreness in us

(01:19:07):
not wanting to push him to the point that we're
going to jeopardize him for the rest of the season
because we know that we're gonna need him. Look, we're
we're playing well without him right now, but we know
when push comes to shove, we're gonna need Jordan Alvaretz.
So no doubt, whenever he has any whenever he has
any soreness, we're going to push back, and we're just

(01:19:29):
gonna make sure that this guy is really, you know,
completely healthy. And so, uh, he felt good enough to hit,
and so that's why we put a bat in his hands.

Speaker 7 (01:19:40):
So he felt good enough, and you guys image wise,
felt good enough that this wasn't any further risky as
well it had happened, but you felt good enough to
say he can he can hit ninety five. Let's throw
him out there against Live VP. Both sides from you
guys and him combination togethers It wasn't just jordan On
both sides felt this correct.

Speaker 5 (01:20:00):
That is correct. We felt good enough from you know,
our last imagy and from jord On based on what
he's telling us. Look, I feel really good. And so
we're like, okay, let's uh, let's ramp it up, let's
get going. And so you know, we were not anticipating
him to feel that soreness on Tuesday morning, uh, to

(01:20:23):
cause a setback. But you know, make no mistake, We're
gonna allow him to get completely healthy before we run,
Before we run him out there because you know, things
are well now, but we're gonna need him down the stretch.

Speaker 7 (01:20:37):
And this your done thing with this When you say
shut him down, Dana, like what you've done for me,
it almost feels is it bigger? And you know I'm
always trying to get to the bottom and ask it.
You've been always transparent with us as well as you
can be, knowing what you know. But I do got
to ask, is there any part of you that's concerned,

(01:20:57):
like fans are, that this is that we've seen a movie,
that this is a season inning injury.

Speaker 4 (01:21:04):
Any concern in.

Speaker 7 (01:21:05):
Your mind or and your gut that we're that we're
concerned about that no.

Speaker 5 (01:21:09):
Not at all, because of how he feels.

Speaker 8 (01:21:13):
And because of what we've seen on amaging. And so
now the next move is to see the specialists, because
part of this is, like, you know, he wants to
make sure that.

Speaker 5 (01:21:24):
Everything is fine as well. He really doesn't want to
feel any soreness, and so you know, sometimes getting the
you know, opinion of another doctor can get you over
that hump when you you know, maybe there's something that
you have to fight through or something like that, but
you know, ultimately he's dying to get back and you know,

(01:21:46):
to feel the soreness. We just want to make sure.

Speaker 7 (01:21:49):
And if this is an extended injury data whether it's
it's been extended now obviously a little different than you
guys and all of us expected, and probably him and
working at it to try and move forward to when
you can get it. Let's say it's extended in thirty
games or whatever it's to the month of July early
into August. How important and how much more emphasis is
gonna be on and plus not knowing now about his

(01:22:11):
future this year until you see this new specialist, how
important will it be and how much more aggressive will
you be to go get a power left handed bat
at the trade deadline.

Speaker 5 (01:22:22):
Yeah, let's this is where I would say, I would
think that that's more of a hypothetical. Let me figure
out and let this organization figure out what the next
specialist is going to say. It may not be that bad,
you know what you're describing, because I just don't feel
it that bad. I think we should allow you know,
him to see the specialists and we may get good news,

(01:22:45):
you know, in forty eight hours.

Speaker 7 (01:22:47):
So, right, is that is that the times I would Dana,
when is he seeing the specialists?

Speaker 5 (01:22:51):
Yeah, it's been a specialist today. It's supposed to take place,
So we should get like some answer in the next
forty eight hours or so. And well, you know, because
all of our doctors are going to view it, including
the specialist, and of course they'll all get together and
talk through it. But we're, you know, before we get
into what we do or how will we pivot. I

(01:23:13):
would say, that's what this specialist give us his opinion.
Get that opinion from the specialist, and then we need
to take it from there.

Speaker 6 (01:23:21):
Sounds good.

Speaker 3 (01:23:22):
Extended cut with Dana Brown here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:23:28):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:23:35):
All right, everybody. I hope you are sitting down, and
I hope you're paying attention. If you're stated in the
front seat of your vehicle on the left side where
the steering wheel is, and you're pumping the brakes and
gas pedal and you're doing everything you should do. But
I have some injury news as it relates to your
Houston Astros. I want you to relax, calm down, serenity. Now,

(01:24:01):
this doesn't mean anything. I actually explained this very scenario
earlier this week, just not for this particular player on
how the injured list works in Major League Baseball. If
you put somebody on the injured list, there's a ten
day and there's a sixty day for position players.

Speaker 6 (01:24:18):
Sixty day IL.

Speaker 3 (01:24:19):
Takes you off the forty men roster, which means you
just have to find your way back onto it, which
is very easy to do.

Speaker 6 (01:24:24):
You just have to take somebody else off of it later.

Speaker 3 (01:24:26):
But you only have forty spots, and if you're not
going to be playing for extended period of time or
you've already served that extended period of time, when you
go to the sixty day IL, because you have to
clear a roster spot. If you're on the ten day IL,
you take up one of those roster spots and you're
presumably going to be back in a short period of time.
The Astros have made a roster move with your Don Alvarez.

(01:24:46):
According to Brian McTaggart, Matt Kahara, and Chandler Rome, he's
going to the sixty day IL. This is not alarming
in any way, not after we got the news from
Dana Brown earlier this week that he had a setback,
because this is not related to anything like that other
than the obvious fact that he's hurt.

Speaker 6 (01:25:08):
But it is.

Speaker 3 (01:25:08):
Relevant in that they had to do this because they
needed a spot opened up on the forty man roster
because somebody else is going on the IL because they
are now not able to play. That's Luis Ski or
may right hamstring strain. He goes to the IL, and
one of the other random infielders they signed during spring

(01:25:29):
training to see if maybe they could help this club
is now an Astro. Zach Short, who's been playing all
season at Triple A with sugar Land Space Cowboys, gets
a lot of walks, doesn't do a whole lot else.
He is now a part of the Houston Astros as
they get set for the remainder of this series and
the remainder of their West Coast trip. Jordan Alvarez I

(01:25:51):
mentioned this earlier. This will be game number fifty four
that he's missed. He's basically been there for sixty days.
This is procedural only, and it is of no consequence
to get him back on the forty man roster when
he is ready to play, however long it might take.
It's the same thing now for Luis Garcia or Christian
Xavier or JP Frantz or any of those pitchers, and

(01:26:14):
now it's just him too. They will have plenty of options.
Luis ki Orme is on the forty man roster, Zach
Schwartz now on the forty man roster, Taylor Tremmel, Cooper Hummel,
They're all on the forty man roster, and a host
of others. There's going to be plenty of spots available.
But they've actually had to make several moves like this.

(01:26:35):
This is the same move they made with Spencer Araghetty,
not related to his timeline in any way, merely related
to he needed to be off the forty man because
they were at forty the max and needed a spot
for a player they needed to be healthy and active.
It just points out the obvious currently Luis ki Ormey,

(01:26:57):
Jeremy Pania, Sean Dubin, Brandon, Zach Melton. Excuse me, Milton's
first name is what Jacob Jacob Melton, Zach Decenzo, Chas McCormick,
reneal Blanco, Hayden was Nesky, yourd On Alvarez, Spencerrighedti Pedro Leone,
Christian Javier Louis Garcia JP France. They're all on the
Astros injury list. It's a long list, and that's how

(01:27:20):
you run out of forty men roster spots because not
everybody is on the sixty day because they don't need
to be, and thus they're still on.

Speaker 6 (01:27:27):
The forty man roster.

Speaker 3 (01:27:29):
So a procedural move was made by the Astros and
now Zack short is their additional infielder. Shay Whitcombe was
already their initial additional infielder. Jose Altuv and Mauricio Dubond
likely are going to get the Lion's share of the
work at second base and shortstop Altuve and Dubon, respectively,

(01:27:50):
while Jeremy Pania is out and your other two options
now I just told you. That's who they are, Shay
Whitcombe and Zach Short. For those that don't know anything
about Zach Short, I don't blame you. Mentioned him only
a few times during the offseason and that he was
just being given an opportunity here where he had kind
of had an opportunity with his previous outfits, and there

(01:28:12):
have been several for Zach Short. He's played Major League
Baseball for the Tigers, the Mets, the Red Sox, and
the Atlanta Braves to the tune of a one to
sixty seven batting average over his two hundred and nineteen
games going all the way back to twenty twenty one.
Utility infielder, much of his work's been done at shortstop,

(01:28:32):
but if needed, he can play second base, he can
play at third base, and the Astros probably will need it,
and that's why he is here. They've got the Rockies tonight.
They have Hunter Brown on the mound. We kind of
ran through some of what Hunter Brown has been up to,
which is leading the league and setting the pace. Doesn't
carry the hardware into the season like Spencer or excuse me,

(01:28:54):
man I am struggling. Tark Schooble, does he doesn't bring
maybe some of the extended success that Max Freed does,
and he wasn't in a major trade this offseason, going
from an awful outfit to a great outfit like Grrett Crochet.
But Hunter Browns outpitched each of those other three American

(01:29:14):
League pitchers to a small degree so far this season,
and an opportunity to extend to that. He's got a
one to seventy four era that continues to go get down.
Has not been able to pile up a lot of
wins personally, but the team has. They won each of
his last five starts. To win tonight pushes the Astros
even further above five hundred. The Mariners lost last night,
so the lead they hold going into play tonight was

(01:29:35):
already at seven games. The Mariners are only three games
over five hundred right now, and the Astros are seventeen
games over five hundred. The Royals were one of the
worst teams in baseball in the month of July so far.
In the month of June, excuse me so farther one
to oh in July, they went to Seattle and had
that series get underway, and they did so with a

(01:29:56):
victory last night. Randery Roserain and his third homer in
two days, but not enough. Same two teams get together tonight.
Logan Gilbert gonna make another start for them. I haven't
really mentioned who the Rockies are throwing against the Astros tonight.
Not pitched a whole lot this year. Austin Gombert only
making his fourth start of the season. Probably a pitcher

(01:30:16):
that wishes he could pitch anywhere, but with the Rockies
a nice place to make money, a nice place for
he and his family to live, and his influencer wife
to be. But five years in Colorado has done a
number on his numbers, and the Astros will see a
pitcher who in fourteen and two thirds innings is given
up eight hits, has a one forty three era. Beginning

(01:30:37):
of last night's game, when you were facing a very
similar pitcher in terms of what the numbers are, they
got off to a slow start, and then he stopped
finding the strike zone, and then runners got on base,
and then Victor Carrottini took care of business. The long
ball matters, and there will be more tonight. We've talked
a lot about rookies in the American League, obviously for
good reason. With Cam Smith This will probably be maybe

(01:30:59):
our only conversation about rookies in the National League. Hunter
Goodman crushed, crushed to baseballs in last night's game. First inning,
first pitch he saw from Colton Gordon, ninth inning, last
pitch he saw from Josh Hater, both well over the fence.
A player would have been nice to also miss in
this series, as he had just come back into action,

(01:31:20):
but one of the very very very very few bright
spots for a Colorado Rockies team that clearly is the
worst team in baseball, you'd like to take advantage of
them when you can. And the Astros also got a
little bit of take advantage situation from Christian Walker. For
every player in Major League Baseball, best career ops at
Coors Field among active players, it's Christian Walker. Christian Walker

(01:31:45):
had three hits last night. He's not having a very
good offensive season. His career ops at that ballpark, plenty
of games played there since he was with the Diamondbacks
ten sixty six fourteen career homers there in just forty
five games. Two more games of course field tonight and
tomorrow afternoon. If you were unaware. Two ten first pitch

(01:32:06):
that will boot us off the air. We extended postgame
coverage coming for you beginning after the game and run
until seven o'clock back over at Carbach Brewing.

Speaker 6 (01:32:14):
Ross will be over there for that.

Speaker 3 (01:32:16):
He and Chris Gordy will take care of the broadcast
in front of that starting at ten o'clock, same location
over at Pizza and Pint's location tomorrow. It's Brandon Walter,
and I didn't say this earlier, even though I knew
it to be true.

Speaker 6 (01:32:30):
Thirty strikeouts and two walks.

Speaker 3 (01:32:32):
Yes, that absolutely is the best figure in Major League
Baseball for anybody who's pitched over twenty five innings, actually,
anybody who has both of those numbers. I hope that continues,
because I guarantee you he's not coming out of the
starting rotation. If it does, and he is, a would
become a real viable option in the postseason, the same
way that you say Kakuchi did. When you say Kakuchi

(01:32:54):
was added by the Astros last year, they basically were
in dire straits. We have to have somebody we can
give the ball to every fifth day for the next
two months and can give us six innings five innings.
We're not going to make it to the finish line
if we don't get that. And they thought with his
pitch arsenal that maybe both of his teams, Toronto and
Seattle didn't really utilize him properly, didn't have him throwing

(01:33:15):
certain pitches as often or in these locations or with
their sequencing, and they definitely unlocked something because he was
so good. He emerged to me pretty much out of
nowhere as a real true playoff starting pitcher option, And
had the Astros come back in game.

Speaker 6 (01:33:30):
Two, he would have pitched Game three.

Speaker 3 (01:33:32):
He would have pitched the deciding send us to the
next round a game and someone is in a very
good position to do or I don't know who it is,
I don't know what position they're in, but that third
spot in the rotation clearly is not handled by anybody permanently.
Could be Raghetti, could be, mccullors, could be, Walter could
be an acquisition. But a team with fifty one and
thirty four that doesn't have an obvious number three. Kudos

(01:33:56):
to Dana and the performers, and obviously Jos and the
pitching coaching and every part of the staff. Remarkable work
done by them. Signature segment time on a Wednesday has arrived.
Wednesday's BS is next, we go to college football.

Speaker 2 (01:34:12):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:34:19):
A little help over the hump with some Wednesday BS, two.

Speaker 3 (01:34:23):
Adams and a whole lot of bit stealing, bit.

Speaker 1 (01:34:26):
Stealing with dump bit Steelers, better known as the eighteen, done.

Speaker 3 (01:34:33):
This from time to time on our Wednesday's signature segment.
Wex and Cole here with you. Yes you heard in
the open what BS stands for? Bit stealing all around
this great station of ours, The Shawn Salisbury Show, the
Matt Thomas showed in the night Cap Space City Saturday, of.

Speaker 6 (01:34:47):
The Works, the Douggpike Show.

Speaker 3 (01:34:48):
But sometimes BS is also what you think it stands for.
That's what we're doing today, just some nonsense, some nonsense
found all over the interwebs. And Cole, you do some work,
like all of the work, great work for our friends
over at SEC unfiltered, No that I do. So if
you want to know anything about college football, if you

(01:35:10):
haven't already been listening to Cole here on the eighteen
these last couple of months, you can also go there
as well. Plenty of great information constantly being sent your
way and obviously shared with us here on this program,
which we appreciate very much in that line of work,
Does it require you to be up to speed on
the fan bases of the respective sixteen schools in the SEC?

Speaker 2 (01:35:32):
Dumb?

Speaker 3 (01:35:33):
I know every single every once in a while, Are
you attached to catch a feed of a message board
to some of these social media outlets for each of
those fan bases?

Speaker 6 (01:35:42):
You mean, am I paying attention to everything going on
tech SAgs? Absolutely?

Speaker 3 (01:35:46):
That would be one instance, but that's not where I'm
headed today, not entirely. If I asked you to rank
the fan bases in the SEC based purely on their toxicity, oh.

Speaker 6 (01:36:00):
I've I've seen this clip already.

Speaker 3 (01:36:01):
The criteria being loud and ignorant and interjecting themselves and
things they don't involve them or including not winning anything
of relevance very often. It only lists fifteen teams, though,
because it comes from an account not related to Auburn
called Tiger Vibes. Tiger Vibes has ranked the other fifteen
SEC fan bases merely on their toxicity under the parameters

(01:36:25):
I just gave you. Probably goes without saying the schools
deemed less toxic at the bottom of the list related
to the quality of the football programs to a certain degree.

Speaker 6 (01:36:38):
So naturally Alabama's like what fifteen or fourteen? No, it
would be the other way around. The good teams are
near the top.

Speaker 9 (01:36:43):
Oh, the good teams are going to okay, So Kentucky
and Vanderbilt are sitting at the very bottom of.

Speaker 3 (01:36:47):
The They are the teams in fourteen and fifteen slot.
Missouri clearly is turning the corner. And Eli's doing some
fine work, not only with this football team but with
his needling tactics, which I love.

Speaker 6 (01:36:58):
He's great.

Speaker 3 (01:36:59):
He's got some of the best one liners going, even
in this conference where there's lots of coaches who do that.
He's pushing lane for top twel definitely, so his team
needs to continue winning, so it matters. Those are the
three teams at the bottom and the top twelve. Even
as if I start at twelve or I start at one,
I do think there are some very interesting surprises. Georgia

(01:37:22):
is only in LSU fan base eyes the twelfth most
toxic university fan base in this conference.

Speaker 6 (01:37:32):
Twelth is low. It's not as bad as you want
to make it out to be.

Speaker 9 (01:37:34):
Like, I'm an Alabama grad and I've gone to Athens
multiple times, and I've always been welcome there with open arms,
but definitely not as bad hostility. Here's the problem.

Speaker 3 (01:37:43):
For them to be this good for this long now
and current. Is it just they don't have to do anything.
We're awesome and we don't have to say anything about it.

Speaker 9 (01:37:52):
It's the brand of we know we're good, We're not
gonna show about it the way that Alabama does, or
the way that when LSU wins something and they actually
can back it up with two national championships.

Speaker 6 (01:38:02):
That's the difference between them, all right.

Speaker 3 (01:38:04):
So they come in at twelve. The other Tigers are
in at eleven, Texas presumably for their lack of length
in the sec they just got there. I think this
will rapidly rise LSU fan base's list very very quickly.

Speaker 6 (01:38:20):
Owe you for the same reason. Is it nine Mississippi State?

Speaker 3 (01:38:24):
They must have some extended history because there's no way
that fan base is at all toxic over the last
how many years?

Speaker 6 (01:38:30):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (01:38:30):
Non toxic about what they're annoying literally annoying.

Speaker 10 (01:38:36):
Man.

Speaker 9 (01:38:36):
I went depth sitting inside of those stands two years
in a row.

Speaker 6 (01:38:40):
From the cowbells. That's a good thing. It's a terrible thing,
do something else. Team stay the cowbells.

Speaker 3 (01:38:45):
And they're loud, and they're loud, and they're proud about
being terrible because of the only but like the worst
part is that.

Speaker 6 (01:38:51):
They aren't terrible.

Speaker 9 (01:38:52):
Like every three or four years when you had Dan
Mullen and Mike Leech running the show, you got a
nine to ten win season out of it. But it's
also most of the time. When you saw Dan Mulling
get the opportunity to go to Florida, he immediately high
led down.

Speaker 3 (01:39:06):
To Gainesville, South Flora or South Carolina, Florida on Arkansas
precede them. That's five through eight. I don't think much
needs to be said about those groups. Kind of makes sense,
not necessarily out of line. I feel like where they are,
what their fan base is like that seems to make sense.

Speaker 6 (01:39:21):
So we get to the top four in South Carolina
real fast. They are ruthless.

Speaker 9 (01:39:25):
You say anything negative about them on Twitter, I promise you.
They are coming in your comments section for months and
they're bringing up they're bringing receipts.

Speaker 3 (01:39:32):
So would it be negative if like, what would you
say right now that that would uh, it would needle them,
that would make them mad? That Sellers just not going
to the Heisman Trophy presentation immediately.

Speaker 6 (01:39:43):
I mean, are they blindly this guy's the greatest thing ever?

Speaker 9 (01:39:46):
Yes, blindly because he also is a floor He's from Florida,
South Carolina, so he's a homegrown talent that decided to
stick on stick on with blindly saying that about the
quarterback that was on the field for them all season
last year, played great football and does deserves Heisman hype.
But that's worse than fine Baum's comments about blindly saying
that about Arch. Now Arch one hundred percent see Archs

(01:40:08):
blindly saying it. I'm sorry, Like I think that the
difference is that Sellers has earned that.

Speaker 6 (01:40:13):
Yes, exactly.

Speaker 9 (01:40:14):
But what I'm saying is like if I say Leonoris
Sar is gonna have a good season, now he's gonna
a great season. No, he's gonna have a good season.
They will pull up that tweet come November. When I
said he throws for thirty one hundred yards, he throws
for thirty two.

Speaker 6 (01:40:27):
You were wrong. You're an idiot.

Speaker 9 (01:40:28):
Go ahead and jump off a cliff. That's South Carolina fans.

Speaker 3 (01:40:31):
First of all, everything about what we've said so far
is why college football is awesome. Yes, I don't think
fan bases shouldn't do some of these things. They absolutely should.
There is some blind rooting to all of this. They're
your guys. You need to promote that. That's fine. But
in the top four, Lane Kiffin's team at Ole Miss Tennessee,

(01:40:53):
Alabama at number two, and Texas A and M at
number one, one's correct. One out here is essentially being
out and ignorant and interjecting themselves in things that don't
involve them and or including not winning anything of relevance
very often. So why is Alabama at two? Then Alabama
is not properly put at two.

Speaker 6 (01:41:14):
It's not. I'm sorry.

Speaker 9 (01:41:15):
Now Tennessee belongs at two because Tennessee is also a
cesspool of misery on social media.

Speaker 3 (01:41:20):
Well, Tennessee in this era, most recent the hypel era,
this is a very good football team.

Speaker 6 (01:41:24):
Oh, it's great football team.

Speaker 3 (01:41:26):
But what is it that they have accomplished here over
the last I don't know how many years.

Speaker 9 (01:41:29):
They've beaten Alabama in their backyard twice. That is the
most bigges accomplishment they've had. They have yet to win
a road game against They haven't won a road game
against Florida in the swamp since two thousand and one,
and they haven't won a road game with Josh Hype
and conference play yet.

Speaker 3 (01:41:42):
All right, final few seconds here. If I told you
this list was made by Bama Bros. Or Hotty Toddies
or the volunteers or any other SEC school other than
LSU or A and M, would they have an M
at number one?

Speaker 6 (01:41:59):
Also? Yes, A and M.

Speaker 9 (01:42:01):
When they get a signature win against any team, whether
they're unranked or ranked, they celebrate like they have won
the national championship, which they have yet to do since
nineteen thirty nine.

Speaker 3 (01:42:11):
If this was Aggie's anonymous, who would they have number one?

Speaker 6 (01:42:16):
In that they can themselves in LSU one hundred percent?
They hate LSU.

Speaker 9 (01:42:20):
They think the LSU does not deserve the crowd that
it does, and they continue to bring up the seven
overtime game, which was the most scored game in the
history of college football, where Jimbo's nephew got knocked out.

Speaker 6 (01:42:30):
Who's Jimbo's nephew? Exactly? Exactly?

Speaker 9 (01:42:33):
That is that you know more that it was Jimbo's nephew,
that you know is actual made That is how you.

Speaker 6 (01:42:38):
Know that that was I mean that was more for
listener benefit. I don't know who it is. I have
no idea who it is. I know I got sucker
punch by an LSU fan.

Speaker 3 (01:42:46):
Thank you Tiger Vibes for Wednesday's BS.

Speaker 1 (01:42:51):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:42:57):
Couple of new pieces of information for you here before
we get to the top of the hour five o'clock,
we'll bring a visit from Chandler Rome of the Athletic
covering the Astros in Major League Baseball as weekly visit
plenty to discuss on that front. Astros will trot this
nine player group out tonight with Hunter Brown on the
mound as expected. At the top of the order one

(01:43:18):
through four remains unchanged perretis Myers Altuve and Cam Smith
Altuve again playing second base. The rest of the lineup,
this is what Joe can do to try to piece
it together, taking advantage of that career ops of better
than a thousand at cors Field. Christian Walker is now
batting fifth and playing first base. Janer Diaz is, as

(01:43:40):
has been the case much of this year, catching for
Hunter Brown, so he'll bat sixth. Cooper hummerl is a
THETT left fielder that seventh, Shay Whitcomb the opportunity to
be their designated hitter. He'll bring his zero average into
the ball game tonight. It's played very sparingly in his
multiple call ups and send doowns this year. And of course,
whereas to Dubon is starting at shortstop again, he will

(01:44:02):
beat ninth. So work cut out for them. Sure they're
playing the Rockies. Rockies have one really good offensive player
and he was on display last night. I'm going to
take the under on Hunter Goodman Homers. He hit two yesterday.
I say it's less today. He's back in the lineup
and doing the catching for Austin Gomber again, Gomber only

(01:44:25):
making his fourth appearance of the season. Now news that
is breaking but obvious, even so much as that I
told you this a couple of days ago.

Speaker 6 (01:44:35):
It was down to happen, and now it has.

Speaker 3 (01:44:38):
What would you say if I told you the new
Lakers starting center. It's the only player in NBA history.
Persham's to average fifteen or more points since sixty percent
are better from the field in the postseason, the history
of the league is the only player to do it.
He's now the Lakers starting center. Currently carries career averages

(01:44:59):
of sixteen point four points, ten point five boards, and
shoots fifty nine percent for his career, which began in
twenty eighteen. That sounds pretty good, doesn't it. Paying this
player thirty four million dollars next season somehow still seems
like this is a player they've been searching for. Do
you feel the same way when I tell you his
name is DeAndre Ayton, former first round pick. Played in

(01:45:23):
the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns, sent packing, I
guess would be a proper way of saying it when
they traded into the Portland Trailblazers. And now I go
to the unfortunate but seemingly inevitable when player's tenures were
sour times or the team soured on him and something

(01:45:45):
beyond just the numbers of the basketball just did not
go well. And it was pretty clear his time in
Portland was like that, especially since they didn't even want
him back even though he was under contract, and they
just bought him out and he made a bunch of
money to not be there anymore and become a free
agent clear waivers and have the opportunity to sign wherever

(01:46:06):
he wanted, and the inevitable part of it is somebody
that covers the team will have all these, according to sources,
about all the negative things that went on there, but
went on reported throughout his entire tenure there. But now
that they's gone, let's tell you about him now. And
it begins a via the Athletic via Jason Quick, and

(01:46:26):
Jason's been covering the Blazers for a very very long time.
He notes a sign that hangs inside the office of
their head coach, Chauncey Billips says you can have bad plays,
but not bad ways, and a quote from Larry Brown
who said that Larry Brown was the coach for the
Pistons when Chauncey was there. So clearly the article is

(01:46:48):
going to start running through the bad ways of DeAndre Eighton.
We already know that he and his previous coach, Monty
Williams and Phoenix didn't see eye to eye, and there
were instances of where he was just flat out benched
and taken out of the lineup in key moments, in
big moments, in playoff moments. But also this one adds
tardiness to team flights and practices, skipping rehab appointments, things

(01:47:10):
that were seen in full view of fans when they
happen at games, tantrums so to speak, which I don't
think are of great negativity.

Speaker 6 (01:47:19):
That they happen.

Speaker 3 (01:47:20):
It's not not the end of the world for me
if a player gets upset does something. But when it's
not seeing eyed eye with the coaches or any of
those other things I mentioned, it definitely sounds like, all right,
it's played out here, it's time to move on. All
that being said, you have the Lakers maybe bungling the
Dorian Finney Smith situation. It appears that his way out

(01:47:42):
the door was opened wide when he just didn't believe
that they handled things very well or quite frankly, it
can be viewed any way you want. Maybe they don't
want him, didn't want him back. If they didn't want
him back, all right, and he didn't see it that way. Nonetheless,
he was available to the Rockets. The Rockets said, for
fifty three million dollars over the next four years, you
can play with us, and so he is and he

(01:48:03):
will be. And that's what else have the Lakers really done? Now,
the Lakers did sign Jake Larevia. I'm not sure that
many people know much about him, but I can see
how that makes some sense. He's gonna get more playing
time there, and I will certainly need to do some
of the things that they're now losing. They're obviously a

(01:48:23):
year older and now DeAndre and fills a role they
clearly had Austin Reeves had turned down his extension. Lebron
James is not necessarily a long term Laker based on
this contract he signed. Could any of this possibly be
making the Mavericks look good? In that Luca's there, it's
clearly his team. We already knew it would be his team.

(01:48:44):
It has nothing to do with the relationship to day
he gets traded there.

Speaker 6 (01:48:47):
It's his team.

Speaker 3 (01:48:48):
Lebron's too far along in his career to not be
the guy. Of course, he is the current guy, and
he it is his team before that trade gets made,
but it's made for a reason. It's made so your
future is it's Luca's team, But that happens immediately when
he gets there because of all the other things that
go with it. It's not just his team in theory,
it's his team in that you're not building the team

(01:49:09):
around somebody else, You're building the team around him. And
are we seeing any difficulties in building the team around him.
If Dorian Finneysmith isn't back a player who's fit with
him before, if Austin Reeves maybe doesn't want to be
their longer term, does he feel like he doesn't fit
with him because of the obvious I mean, he was

(01:49:30):
out there as their playmaker alongside Lebron James talking about
Austin Reeves, someone flirting with a triple double on most
every night when given the thirty plus minutes of ball
handling duties and running the offense duties, and that clearly changes.
I don't think this is a negative. It's just a fact.
Lukadacci's just a ballhog. That's no better way to say it.
He commands the ball, He's going to have the ball.

(01:49:52):
The offense is going to run through him unless he's
taking his five minutes off while not being on the
bench and he's just watching from a corner, which does
happen on occasion because he's got to catch his breath.
But that does impact some of the other guys in
some of their decisions. It's probably a very good winning situation,
Luca is that good? But is there any internal player
related pushback on this? And I don't know if I'm

(01:50:14):
going way too out on a limb or trying to
connect dots that don't belong next to each other. But
this is the It's a first for Lebron. He is
clearly older, so things do change. But going into a year,
in a contract year, he doesn't do that. It opens
the door when the season moves forward. When you're two
months in, three months in, four months in, and you're
hitting the deadline, well, there's only a couple months left

(01:50:36):
on the deal. Is he actually truly somebody that teams
are making calls on where it could go somewhere? Does
he want it to go somewhere? Are there deals that
could be made? Does he want to say, look, we
made this deal and we tried to win, and after
one chance, one opportunity, one partial season, I already.

Speaker 6 (01:50:57):
Know it's not gonna work.

Speaker 3 (01:50:58):
I already want to move on for whatever I have
left in my career. And he doesn't have a tremendous amount.
Much like Durant, the end is near. Durant could play
three more seasons. He could play two more seasons. Lebron
James could play three more seasons. This could be his
final season. I think he knows the obvious, and I
think we all see the same. The Lakers aren't awful,
but they don't strike anybody as a Western Conference champion threat.

(01:51:22):
There's too many teams that are better than them currently today,
and I don't think anybody sees any moves that's going
to moves that will change that for the Lakers to
jump ahead. We'll switch gears, dog a little baseball next.
Chandler Roam of the Athletic joins us.

Speaker 1 (01:51:37):
Next the A team on Sports Talk seven ninety. Adam
Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 3 (01:51:51):
It's five o'clock, but no football at five today. Here
on a Wednesday on Sports Talk seven ninety, Colorado and
Houston getting it tonight to Coors Field, second game of
a three game series.

Speaker 6 (01:52:02):
We talked a little baseball a little earlier in the week.

Speaker 3 (01:52:05):
Chandler Rome joins us from the Athletic, covering the Astros
and Major League Baseball. But a very interesting last couple
of days for the Astros, their two most important hitters
and Jordon Alvarez and Jeremy Pania continuing to work through
their respective injuries. Jeremy Payna with the team there in
Colorado on the ten day il hit by a pitch

(01:52:25):
on Friday and a small fracture in the rib, and
yord On Alvarez, as you mentioned earlier, this afternoon, shifted
to the sixty day il merely a procedural move which
I explained a couple segments ago, and an unknown future
immediate future as he deals with his hand injury.

Speaker 6 (01:52:41):
Chandler, as far as you know, with the.

Speaker 3 (01:52:44):
Situation of seeing an additional hand specialist for Jordon Alvarez,
are we kind of back in that same gray area
of them just simply not knowing why he isn't healthy.

Speaker 4 (01:52:56):
Yeah, I mean I think that's all. That's all.

Speaker 12 (01:52:58):
That's the only way you can take it. Really, you know,
I think they're at a point now where his season
seems to be in peril. I'm not saying he's out
for the season, but it certainly does not sound like
something that is going to be great news.

Speaker 5 (01:53:14):
Now.

Speaker 12 (01:53:14):
Look, they could go to the he could go to
the specialist and get encouraging news and you know, there's
no surgery involved, and it just calls for more rests
and it calls for you know, more just kind of recovery.
But let me remind you the last time, let me
remind you kind of the timeline of how this happened
the last time. He hasn't played since May second. He
took VP at Dyke and Park Live VP on May

(01:53:38):
twenty ninth. They told us on May thirty first he
had a fracture, and then he only swung on the
field again this past Sunday, so he went a month
after the setback. After they revealed the fracture, he went
a month between swinging. So let's say there is good
news here and that you know, hey, it's just you know,
it's a it's in a tough spot, like we just

(01:53:59):
have to do different ways to treat it and everything,
like are you looking at it? Another month before he
swings a bat again, And then you start to get
in August and the calendar starts to shrink, So they're
running out of just days, they're running out of time.
And I know that's weird to say in July, but
they are. And I assume we'll know more tomorrow. I assume,
you know, he's seeing the specialists either right now or

(01:54:20):
saw him earlier today, so presumably the astros will have
some form of an update tomorrow. But yeah, everyone's just
kind of been waiting see mode. But the mood here
yesterday was not the greatest.

Speaker 3 (01:54:31):
Yeah, unfortunately it's left a lot of people, but probably
Dana Brown included ourselves in playing a little bit of
a role we shouldn't be playing, which is that of
a doctor. And you know, listening to how Jeremy Pania
assessed things last night, you were there as he was
talking about his situation, I feel like I'm hearing similar
things I don't want to hear, like, well, I'm feeling
good and i feel like I can do this and

(01:54:51):
I'm gonna go do that, and we're gonna hold off
on that as in it's merely related to how his
rib feels, just like how it related to Jordan was
telling them how his hand feels.

Speaker 6 (01:55:00):
Versus.

Speaker 3 (01:55:01):
We can medically assess the situation with scans, MRIs, whatever
means necessary and actually say here's when you should do
this activity.

Speaker 12 (01:55:13):
Yeah, but I mean I'll I guess I'll give the
astros a little bit of a break.

Speaker 6 (01:55:17):
You know, it does.

Speaker 12 (01:55:18):
They can do all that, they can make all the
scans and put all the timelines out there, like it
still does depend on how the player feels, like if
he still has pain, if he still has, you know,
trouble swinging, or Jeremy Penion was having trouble breathing this
weekend because his ribs were in such bad shape. You know,
like you can put all the timelines and do all
the scans you want. If there's still pain, and if
there's still things that are prohibiting them from doing things

(01:55:40):
at one hundred percent, then they're not going to play.
So it seems like the Jeremy Pagna news is a
little bit more encouraging. And again, I do not blame
anyone that hears or reads anything about Astro's injuries and
automatically discounts the information. I don't blame them at all.
But with the way this one is playing out, you know,

(01:56:01):
Jeremy Panion told us like he was working out in
the weight room on Saturday, like doing some med ball stuff,
went down there in the fourth inning of that game
and felt good and felt good enough that Joe Spot
had him in his original lineup on Sunday, took some
swings and obviously, you know, they went for more imaging
and saw what they saw. So in these situations, often

(01:56:22):
actions speak louder than words. And the fact that Jeremy
Panna is on this road trip is an encouraging sign
in and of itself, because if he wasn't here, then
I think we'd be talking about something a little bit differently.
They don't usually bring guys that are long term injuries
or guys that aren't going to be around for a while.
These you don't bring them on the road. The fact
that Jeremy Payne is here is a little is probably

(01:56:45):
an encouraging sign. But again it's a wait and see
sort of thing. It's going to be a pain tolerance thing,
and the Ashlers just have to keep finding ways to
do what they've been doing.

Speaker 3 (01:56:55):
Yeah, I think at this point, I do hope people
understand this. All these years covering this sport in particular,
now it's nothing. Not much of it medically is super exact,
and this is the timeline and this is when you'll
be back. And we saw it here and the imaging
showed us there. It's not quite as simple as that.
Sometimes it's a little bit easier to explain. Other times
it's a little bit more cloudy on why maybe this

(01:57:16):
was seen then versus previous scans, but that is all
part of it. We had Cam Smith on the show
a little bit earlier. He's coming off of a weekend
against a team that, yes, it's his former team, although
it was for such a brief portion of time. You
guys asked him in the clubhouse before the series began,
and he explained playing against them, and yeah, yeah, I
got friendly faces over there, there's no bad blood. We

(01:57:37):
asked him today, did it feel a little bit special
or was there something to having the kind of series
that he had, and I think quite naturally said yeah,
it meant something. And his season has continued to progress,
both defensively and offensively, to the point where consideration for
Rookie of the Year is a real thing if things
continue the final couple months.

Speaker 12 (01:57:56):
Oh yeah, he's certainly in the mix now put he
probably put himself in the mix, if not with that
CUB series, with the series in Sacramento where he went crazy.

Speaker 4 (01:58:04):
So he's in the consideration.

Speaker 12 (01:58:06):
It's gonna be it's gonna be hard for him to
catch Jacob Wilson. If Jacob Wilson hits three fifty all year,
then he's gonna run away with the thing. But Cam
Smith is certainly you know up there him, Carlos Narvaya's
or the Red Sox Jacob Wilson of the A's. There's
a couple of pitchers that have been plucked them been
pitching well too, that are rookies. But everyone will remember
that if Cam Smith does win Rookie of the Year,

(01:58:28):
the Ashers get a draft pick in next year's draft.
But if he doesn't win Rookie of the Year, he
still retains his PPI eligibility for the net for his
pre r V years. So he finished his top three
in MVP voting next year, then the Astros we get
a pick in then in the next year's draft. So yeah,
it looks like he's coming into his own. It helps

(01:58:50):
that they the Astros have had a softer schedule of
what I say that they just played the Phillies and
the Cubs, but you know, he feasted on the on
the A's and Sacramento. Hitting a course field is always fun.
Hitting a course field against the Rockies. This year's Rockies
is much more fun. So he's getting He is doing
what he should do against pitchers that pictures that are

(01:59:12):
less talented than him. So and he's holding his own
in situations where you know, you would think he would
struggle a guy of his lack of experience a guy
of his age. He's doing he's he has never looked
overmatched up here at all. Like the numbers may have
not been there. Sometimes there's been some struggles, there's been
some slumps, but never once has he looked just completely overmatched.

(01:59:33):
And I think that's all you can really ask for
out of him.

Speaker 3 (01:59:35):
A really strong month of June and hopefully more of
the same coming here in July. Chandler Room joining us
here on the eight team from the Athletic covering the
Astros and Major League Baseball a few other items as
they move forward, and Dana Brown continues to say the
same thing he said for months, and you've reported the
same He said it this morning with Sean Salisbury show
about the left handed bat and their pursuit of one,

(01:59:56):
and that it was really unchanged with the Jordon Alvarez situation.
Pointed this out a few times and curious how you
see it. If Cam Smith and Jake Myers and Jordan
Alvarez and Jose Altuve are everyday players and you're adding
a left handed bat, where's the left handed bat playing
in the field or in the lineup? And his Jose
Altuve on his way to playing a lot more second base.

Speaker 12 (02:00:20):
Well, I think a better answer to that question will
come after we know more about Jordan Alvarez. I'd made
this point earlier today on Crush City Territory. If Jordon
Alvaz is out for an extended period of time, or
if his season is in jeopardy, then I would not
be surprised to see a lot more Jose al Tuve
at DH. He's already dhing. He's already DHD more than

(02:00:43):
any point in his career. His numbers as a DH
this year or his OPS numbers as a DH are
about seventy points better than either when he's in a
left field or he's at second base, and it gives
them some more flexibilities and things to the problem is
they need the dhip in some time for Victor Karattini
to give at least some balance. They didn't need that
tonight they're facing a left handed starter. But there's a

(02:01:07):
lot of different ways they could go. You know, I
mentioned this a couple of weeks ago. Cam Smith is
going to reach some workload He already has reached a
workload threshold that he's never played this much baseball in
his life. And I mean you would hope that he
doesn't wear down. You would hope that he's able to
be the stamina and the conditioning is there. But I

(02:01:28):
mean they're asking him to play almost a seven to
eight month season when that's not the case of Florida State.
It's not the case in the minor leagues if you
don't play this deep. So the issue to see how
he handles that. You know, if if that fatigue or
if that workload starts to wear on him. There's certainly
a platoon situation that you could have in the right
field with him. Jake Myers, he has been a revolution

(02:01:51):
this year. He's been great offensively. Can they count on
that to sustain I don't know. Left field, they'll always
be kind of rotating some guys there, especially I'll see
we's gonna see more DH time things like that. So yeah,
they need a left handed bat. And the other thing
is like I think no team is more like prime
to just go get a rental because you look around

(02:02:12):
this team like there's no real position where you're like,
all right, they got to go get somebody with some
team control that can help them the next couple of years.
Like everyone on the position player side is basically locked
up aside from Victor Carrattini going in the next year,
So I would envision it be a rental left handed
platoon kind of bat for the outfield. They can find

(02:02:33):
a set. If they can find someone that can play
some second base, that'd be great too. But that's kind
of the profile they're looking at right now.

Speaker 3 (02:02:41):
It's certainly an interesting situation. Real quickly ten seconds. Does
it say anything that Jose Altuve is playing second base
tonight and Shay Whitcomb is the dh uh?

Speaker 12 (02:02:52):
Not really, just because this is a massive This is
a massive ballpark, and I think, to be honest with you,
they they think out too. I don't know, to be honest,
I assume it was never going to play outfield here, right.
I think they wanted to get I think they wanted
to get share with them in the game. I think
his defense leaves a lot to be desired, but so
does the L two vay, So you're kind of just

(02:03:12):
they're hoping that Hunter Brown can just strike a bunch
of dudes out, not allow some balls and play, which
he's been pretty good at doing that all year.

Speaker 6 (02:03:18):
Been very good at doing that.

Speaker 3 (02:03:19):
Finished off another spectacular month begins July on his ledger
this evening, Chandler, appreciate the time, enjoy the weather and
the game, and we'll talk to you again soon. All right,
thank you, Chandler Rome of the Athletic covering the Astros
in Major League Baseball. Come back a few things on
those strows and other items around the sporting world when
we come.

Speaker 1 (02:03:37):
Back the A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:03:45):
Great conversation as usual with Chandler Rome and catch all
his work right there on the Athletic or, as he mentioned,
the Krush City Territory podcast, which he is cranking out
over the course of this year. He had Tyler and
oftentimes Josh Reddick are there for you for additional info.
So a good listen and watch. I kind of took

(02:04:06):
this information in one certain way, and I wonder if
I am not a loan When Seam Serania notes that
the Dallas Mavericks have landed somebody else to help them
win this upcoming season and maybe beyond. But that person
is not a player, nor is he the head coach,
but rather an assistant coach. Now to Jason Kidd, Frank

(02:04:29):
Vogel finalizing an agreement to join the MAVs as lead
assistant coach under Jason Kidd. My first and only thought
is how long until he takes over for Jason Kidd.
The next head coach of the Dallas Mavericks is Frank Vogel.
That's what this tells me.

Speaker 6 (02:04:46):
Now. They were reached out to by the New York Knicks.

Speaker 3 (02:04:50):
Because they indicated they had interest in interviewing Jason Kidd
for what was then their vacant head coaching position, and
the interest was not mutual and there were no discussions,
and they Mavericks said no. And he remains Nico Harrison,
as weird as they got here, as odd a path
as they've taken, and noting that when he talks about

(02:05:10):
their path and their vision, it's total nonsense because you
don't make the Luka Doncich trade with the knowledge Cooper
Flagg is replacing him, because you don't have that knowledge.

Speaker 6 (02:05:19):
I hope it.

Speaker 3 (02:05:21):
Just worked out that way. Otherwise they'd be putting together
a team that's extremely well suited to win big. If
everything is perfect and they add a star, well at
some point during their respective contracts, that's probably going to happen.

Speaker 6 (02:05:37):
Anthony Davis is going to be there.

Speaker 3 (02:05:38):
For a bit, Kyrie Irving assigned a three year extension
they'll currently hurt, and Cooper Flagg is going to be
under contract for probably the next seven years at a
bare minimum. Well, he didn't know all that was going
to happen. Did know that he had Luka Doncic around,
a great defensive team that played in the NBA Finals.
Chose a different path. Nonetheless, all of this screams. I mean,

(02:05:59):
I guess I should have applaud them instead of having
such a negative, wet blanket vibe to it.

Speaker 6 (02:06:03):
But it's the Mavericks. It's okay. That's the vibe I
get from this. I think he's a good coach.

Speaker 3 (02:06:08):
I think he's been let go multiple times unnecessarily interesting
that he was still available and did not seem to
be pursued by others, and now he's there on the
Mavericks bench.

Speaker 6 (02:06:20):
It's good coach. It's gonna do nothing but help the team.

Speaker 3 (02:06:22):
I think on the short term, I just don't view
Jason Kidd as a great head coach. And maybe I'll
be proven otherwise. Maybe others do, and certainly the Mavericks do.
But that's that's what I would say about it. Still
curious about what the actual timeline is for Kyrie Irving
and when he makes his return. People keep pointing to,
you know, the eight to twelve months typical rehab time,
and maybe in eight to ten months when we get

(02:06:43):
to February, he's back playing basketball. And if he's playing
at the level he once played at most recently played at,
and Anthony Davis is capable of playing all of the
games at that point in the season moving forward, that's
probably a team that's no worse than ten. I'm kind
of okay with the D'Angelo Russell ad because you gotta

(02:07:04):
puts somebody out there. You know, you might want to
convince him not to take a billion ill advised long
shots on the Knights where he's not flaming hot, because
he's not a great player. There's a reason why he
keeps moving along. He does have some skills that they lack,
and so I totally get the move. But they need
they need Kyrie quite obviously, just how to figure out

(02:07:25):
how to get there to when he is healthy enough
to be the guy once again, and I don't think
they'll be too far away from that. But what he
is when he returns, it will continue to be a
question that goes without saying with every player at that
stage of their career, you know, the rocket side of
things with the age that I was talking about earlier,
I don't know that I would you say it the

(02:07:46):
same way, But it does matter that a big group
of players that are likely to contribute for this team
are not on the right side of this age scale.
Now they're leaning on Alfred Shangoon and leaning on him,
and Thompson and leaning on Jabari Smith Junior and leaning
on and possibly leaning on Reed Shepherd. But it's just
not quite the same as it was with what they

(02:08:06):
were doing last year when your I mean, I'm not
saying they traded a huge part of the team and five.

Speaker 6 (02:08:11):
Young guys moved on.

Speaker 3 (02:08:12):
One guy young guy moved on also your leading scorer,
and the usage rate was quite high. So that does
impact what they're gonna do. The usage rate for their
new look team that should be the highest. Well, that's
being replaced by Kevin Durant. Kevin Durantz. On the other
side of things, Kevin Durant's not playing eighty two games
for the Rockets next year.

Speaker 6 (02:08:32):
I don't want him to and.

Speaker 3 (02:08:33):
I don't expect him to, and it also is not
a big deal if he doesn't, and when he doesn't,
it matters if they get him through the season healthy.
It could go for many of their players. The same
thing goes for Steven Adams, The same thing goes for
Tarry Easton and any other player that's dealt with something
that could potentially give them problems moving forward. I think
people were very curious about how the Rockets handled Adams

(02:08:54):
last year brilliantly. Maybe at the time there seemed like
there was a reason, but I didn't mind one bit.
Even as the team was clearly trying to win regular
season games, trying to make their way up the standings
put themselves in the best playoff position, they still played
it smart.

Speaker 6 (02:09:13):
It didn't have to work.

Speaker 4 (02:09:15):
Nothing you do with.

Speaker 3 (02:09:18):
Game management and load management and minutes restrictions, none of
that's a guarantee. Most of it is guesswork, and most
of it is not even one hundred percent abided to
by by the coaches. Oh, he's on a twenty five
minute restriction tonight, all right, I'll get him his eleven
twelve minutes of the first half, and I'll plan to
get him as eleven twelve minutes in the second half. Oh,

(02:09:38):
the game's tied, there's three minutes left. That's gonna put
him at twenty seven minutes. Well, guess who's playing twenty
seven minutes tonight? The player we need to win. Having
guys sit entirely is the only way to ensure it.
Having the back to backs be just a one time,
one game played. It was smart and it's all you
can do. You can be smart, It doesn't mean the

(02:09:58):
result will be the one that you want. It worked
out for them Steven Adams for the most part, once
he came back, even with the games missed, there weren't
a lot of instances where now he's gonna need to
continue to miss time. And once he fully came back
and he was a fully part of the double big,
there weren't weren't any reasons to have him back out
of the lineup, and you played as a healthy team
among your rotation players in the postseason. It was only

(02:10:19):
seven games long. You did have two players hurt, neither
win the rotation. When you're talking about Jay shn Tate
and Jock Landell, I don't know that it would have
made much of a difference, And I know Landale did
make an appearance in the series ill advised and that
he had re injured it. But if they play there,
if they play the way they should, they really don't
need him and he won't be back, and he's also
been replaced. And that's where you know what they did

(02:10:42):
with Clint Capella. I still can't believe a playing time
situation wasn't better for him. I think the Rockets probably
gave him as good a deal as he was gonna
get anywhere. But unless they're already planning on lots of
games off for the two players in front of him,
then I'm not sure what his impact on the team
will be when everybody's healthy. It's great intro team standpoint,

(02:11:05):
brilliant team standpoint, fantastic individual standpoint. Just a little curious
on his end what might else have might have been
out there? Also in that he signed relatively quickly. Not
a great free agent class of players period, and it's
great for Houston to have a player of that caliber back.
He's missed quite a few games over the last couple
of years. Nothing that's too alarming is again, he's the

(02:11:26):
third string center on a team that has two currently
healthy bodies in front of him. He probably will get
mixed in for getting a look at certain lineups. He's
too good of a player to be used or unused
like Jock Landell was. In my opinion, I think they
will want him out there for a couple of random

(02:11:47):
games here and there, so they can see what it
looks like, so they can have him on the court,
so they can run pick and roll with him, so
they can see what his version, if it is a
double big lineup, looks like, and how they operate with it,
and what they might not real he can do.

Speaker 6 (02:12:01):
For this team.

Speaker 3 (02:12:02):
I don't I don't have to look at the other
twenty nine teams and say this. I think it's true
best third string center in the NBA, probably by a lot.
And again, from a standpoint of how much depth this
team has. You're talking about these veteran players, Jay Sean
taking again about three million. You're going veterans minimum on
Aaron Holliday and Jeff Green, and they're at the end

(02:12:26):
of the bench. The young two way players we hope
to develop, they don't exist. This team will not have
any players like that. We won't be watching what this
player is doing in the G League. What was this
player gonna get brought here on a two way deal,
and is he gonna spend some time with the Rockets
unless they have a rash a rash of injuries. They

(02:12:48):
just don't have them. They don't have any room for them.
And that's fine. This is not a developmental team anymore.

Speaker 4 (02:12:54):
Now.

Speaker 3 (02:12:54):
Cam Witmore obviously would have been one such player, and
he would have been anywhere near the end of the bench.
And I say would he's still a Rocket, But continue
to hear things coming out of the building over there
in downtown Houston that suggests the likelihood that he remains
a Rocket. Is low too talented a player to probably
be going into a third season of inactivity, And for him,

(02:13:15):
I definitely hope it works out somewhere else. If it does,
even at the Rockets detriment, there's only so much you
can do.

Speaker 6 (02:13:21):
Guy could have helped you in the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (02:13:22):
But if he's not better than anybody on the court,
or less trustworthy than anybody you already have out there,
he's not.

Speaker 6 (02:13:27):
Going to play.

Speaker 3 (02:13:28):
And that's the same situation it appeared that he was
going to be heading back into this year, even with
the moves that were made. You know, once you locked
it in with Dorian Finney Smith. Essentially you said two
players out, two players in those minutes are gone. Those
minutes are now earned by those two players, So still
not sure where the other opportunities might have been. As
we've done throughout the week, I believe we still have

(02:13:50):
a couple more tickets to give away. We'll do that
in the final segment of the show. We'll mention the
specifics about those tickets coming up when we hit you
with in Case You missed It?

Speaker 6 (02:13:59):
That is next.

Speaker 2 (02:14:01):
The a team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:14:07):
Hit that time in the show final hour of the program,
halfway through where we hit you with in Case You
missed It mentioned we'll have tickets to give away. That'll
be for the Psychedelic First their show on the twelfth
of July over at the House of Blues.

Speaker 6 (02:14:21):
Tickets are on sale now over at ticketmaster dot com.

Speaker 3 (02:14:23):
You've been listening to the first half hour of this hour,
and continue to listen during this upcoming in Case you
missed It segment, you'll know the answer to the question
we'll ask to give those tickets away to start next segment.
One thing from me is kind of a cool note.
You remember a handful of years ago, the Astros made
a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks to land stud superstar

(02:14:47):
lead us to a World Series appearance. Pitcher Zach greenke
I do Well Corbyn Martin was one of the players
sent in that direction. Corbyn Martin, a local sy ranch
tech A and M, made a sparkling Major League debut
with the Astros in twenty nineteen, has battled loads of
injuries since then. Has not pitched in the major since

(02:15:09):
twenty twenty two, part of the Orioles organization, not so
coincidentally with many of the former Astros executives there.

Speaker 6 (02:15:17):
He was just.

Speaker 3 (02:15:18):
Called up by the Orioles, so likely to pitch in
the Majors in the next day or two or three
in Texas because the Orioles are in Arlington for the weekend,
hopefully for him for the first time.

Speaker 6 (02:15:32):
Since twenty twenty two. What else do we have in
case you missed it?

Speaker 9 (02:15:36):
So, the Astros are a team that many people believe
there's probably gonna make a move at the deadline.

Speaker 6 (02:15:40):
Now what is that move is the big question? Left
handed back or a pitcher.

Speaker 9 (02:15:45):
ESPN's David Stonefield says they just go after a pitcher
and not just any pitcher a former say young pitcher
Sandy al Contra. Now they believe, according to this article
by David Schoenfield, the Cubs and the Astros will show
the most interest in adding in the Miami Marlins pitcher

(02:16:06):
because if he has multiple years of roster control, this
is not a rental option. You get him past twenty
twenty five. When he is at his peak, he is
one of the top fifteen pitchers in the major leagues. However,
he's yet to get back to that cy young forum
since coming off with Tommy John surgery a season ago,
and has vastly struggled out in South Peach's pass offseason.

Speaker 3 (02:16:25):
Yeah, you're only good as your last appearance. Let's take
a look at Sandy Alcontras last time out on the
mound for the Miami Marlins on the road at the
Arizona Diamondbacks. Six innings, seven runs, ten hits. And that's
kind of a downer to what he had done the
rest of the month. He had been bad most of
the year. He just hadn't kind of clicked for him.

(02:16:45):
His first four starts in June were much better. The
kind of stuff the Marlins were like, awesome. People will
want you again, even at your very high rate. Not
sure what the number will be with those two arbitration
years twenty six and twenty Like Cole mentioned, not due
to be a free agent until twenty twenty seven. But
it only goes up if he continues to pitch well

(02:17:07):
and they're not gonna resign him. They're not gonna give
him a huge contract. He has been good for them
in the past. He's the permanent opening day starter basically
for this franchise, and last year or two years ago,
when he won the cy Young in twenty two, the
numbers did not lie and he was headed in that
direction his whole career. But a pretty significant downturn if
you give the Marlins eighty innings this year, and obviously

(02:17:28):
he was hurt in twenty four, and you're busting out
an era at barely under seven. I'm curious, since I
haven't pulled the article up. Is this one of the
here's everything you need to know? And at the bottom
it says teams that could show interest or fits rather
than they've made overtures they need to do. This strikes

(02:17:49):
me as who needs pitching? I'll list them here now
it's one team. It's one move per team in tradeline.
I don't see how the Astros are in the ballpark
for this. I don't either a lot of money, and
this isn't that you have to go, oh my god,
we're getting tons and tons of prospects for this picture.
He's just not pitching quite well enough, even though he

(02:18:10):
has a good pedigree. They're just gonna get out bid
in player assets that I think they are either willing
to give up or frankly have in their system. And
they don't want any part of a seventeen nineteen twenty
million dollar pitcher, even though they're losing, probably from briveld Is,
I'd rather than get out bit.

Speaker 6 (02:18:27):
If I'm being honest, like I there is a part
they're even in on it.

Speaker 9 (02:18:30):
Yeah, there's just a part of me that says, the
best version of Sandi al Contra that we saw is
in twenty twenty two, and the asking price is only
going to continue to go up, so you might as
well let someone else take the flyer on him. Then
go out and give up multiple pictures and even a
proven player that you really like, just because of you
need a number four startup.

Speaker 3 (02:18:50):
Just so people know this, you know from brevald Is
currently is slated to make zero dollars from the Astros
next year. Christian Javier is slated to make twenty one
millionion dollars from the Astros next year. They're not going
to add a fourth seventeen million dollars.

Speaker 6 (02:19:07):
Well, I'm sorry, Hunter Brown.

Speaker 3 (02:19:09):
Doesn't make it anything a third seventeen million dollar pitcher
because Lance also do seventeen million dollars next year.

Speaker 4 (02:19:16):
What else?

Speaker 9 (02:19:17):
The greatest athlete that we know unfortunately suffered the end
of a streak.

Speaker 6 (02:19:23):
Do you know what I'm talking about? The greatest athlete
we know is obviously a trick question. Who is it?
That's Red Panda?

Speaker 9 (02:19:28):
The greatest halftime show performance of all time?

Speaker 6 (02:19:31):
I did see that last night very unfortunately.

Speaker 9 (02:19:33):
Unfortunately slipped off her unicycle during the WNBA's commissioner cut
battle between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Leaks Links.
Red Panda, best known by her stage name, was ride
to her unicycle and sits eight feet on top of
the air while balancing bulls on her head. Midway through
a turn fell. The show had to stop. She and

(02:19:53):
medical attention to be taken off. According to report, she
has been clear from the hospital leaving with a fractured
risk and is expected to miss multiple performances. This is
the greatest halftime show that you could ever see. And
practically I was sitting at a home scrolling through Twitter
seeing this.

Speaker 6 (02:20:08):
My heart suck.

Speaker 9 (02:20:09):
Her perfect streak of never falling off the unicycles coming
to an end.

Speaker 3 (02:20:13):
It was a fairly entertaining dock on Red Panda. Don't
think it was a thirty for thirty, but very similar
to that. This was at the Commissioner's Cup for the
w She got a shout out during the IG Live
after the game inside the what It's it called when
You Win It Championship inside the jubulant locker room jubilant

(02:20:38):
locker room of the Indiana Fever, featuring a lot of
players that a lot of people know this year, not
just Caitlin Clark, so if a Cunningham for a lot
of Rono reasons these days, well for the reasons that
everybody saw their IG Live with all the things that
all of those players mentioned Colson as well. With Caitlin
in full view, covering the camera, but you could see

(02:20:58):
Coulson approaching from behind her. All that is for everybody.
A lot of other sports teams have. We've seen some
ig lives from the locker rooms here and there, NFL,
NBA usually frowned upon.

Speaker 6 (02:21:13):
It doesn't seem like the w frowned upon all this
at all. I'll blame mom. You wanted what's really awesomequx.

Speaker 9 (02:21:21):
He graduates to press Matthews because of Welcome to the
Top one hundred. M ILB recently released their Top one
hundred pipeline after the graduation of seventeen new players for
the month of July, and Brice Matthews, for the first.

Speaker 6 (02:21:35):
Time, has made on the list.

Speaker 9 (02:21:37):
He's number ninety eight, but he is batting currently to
eighty five this year ten home runs, thirty nine RBI's
twenty two stolen bases.

Speaker 6 (02:21:45):
So you know what, keep pushing forward.

Speaker 9 (02:21:47):
Maybe a top one hundred prospect turned into a top
fifty prospect.

Speaker 6 (02:21:50):
By this time next year.

Speaker 3 (02:21:51):
Looking at what the Astros have done and what we
discussed with Chandler a few minutes ago, you start to
understand more of why he wasn't the player that was
called up either of these two most recent opportunities. Shay
Whitcomb's here and now Zack short is here with the Astros.
It's because jose Al Tuove is going to probably play
additional second base reps game time then he was previously

(02:22:13):
intended to with the Jeremy Payne injury, so Bryce Matthews
wasn't likely in line to see a lot of playing time.
Zach Short and Shay Whitcomb will be watching a lot
of Major League Baseball games from the dugout, and they
presumably didn't want to line Bryce Matthews up to do that. Instead,
he'll be featured at the Futures Game in a couple
of days early July.

Speaker 1 (02:22:34):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:22:45):
The final segment of the week here on the A Team,
you'll probably catch a little bit of our time slot
tomorrow with the two to ten first pitch. Ross will
have you handled from there on into an extended edition
of the Astros Tenth Inning Show after the finale of
the Rockies Astros series following our show, Who'll also be
on in advance of the game along with Chris Gordy

(02:23:07):
from Carbox, Pizza and Pints tomorrow beginning at ten am.
Before that two ten first pitch Tonight seven forty first pitch,
Hunter Brown on the Mound, Brandon Walter getting the start
tomorrow mentioned we had tickets to give away. We'll do
that here for those of you that are loyal listeners
of the program, especially this last half hour or so.
We mentioned a world famous halftime performer seen performing brilliantly

(02:23:32):
at many NBA games and other halftime shows around this
great country of ours and elsewhere, but a mishap last
night ended the performance prematurely unfortunately. Who is that very
very famous and colorful performer last night at a sporting
event at halftime of the sporting event, talked about that,

(02:23:54):
and in case you missed it, if you know the answer,
you can win a pair of tickets to see the
sidetel first on July twelfth at the House of Blues.
Tickets are also on sale now at ticketmaster dot com.
Seven one three two one two five seven ninety seven
one three two one two five seven ninety If you
want in on that, make sure to get that call
in and know the answer to that very very very

(02:24:16):
easy question. We like giving tickets away when we have them,
we want you to win them. Thus, hopefully an opportunity
for you to do just that. Weekend beckons with the
Astros traveling to La it's the last of the current
fifty win teams that the Astros have not yet have
not yet played, just finished up a home series against

(02:24:39):
both the Cubs and the Phillies and clearly took care
of business. They won five out of those six games.
The other fifty win team is an American League team,
the only team with more wins than the Astros in
the American League. That's the Detroit Tigers, and the Astros
won that series as well, two games to one. The
Astros also head into play this evening with more wins

(02:25:00):
against teams over five hundred than any team in baseball.
They've played fifty of those games. They've won twenty nine
of those games. They continue to push further and further
past five hundred while playing without Jordon Alvarez. They're fifteen
games over five hundred without yord On Alvarez since he
left the lineup with this undetermined hand injury, and they're

(02:25:22):
seventeen games over five hundred overall, just an incredible, incredible number.
They are fifty one and thirty four, one more win
than the Phillies and Cubs, three fewer wins than the Dodgers. So,
as I mentioned, they will see this weekend and should
see Shoho Tani briefly on the mound. He still is

(02:25:42):
not pitching extended innings. Twenty seven pitches I believe was
his number from his last start, but he got through
two innings and doing so twenty seven pitches, twenty strikes.
He's pitched well, he will continue to likely pitch well,
and he's obviously doing the same things he has done
for now the last several years. He is absolutely in
line again to win the MVP Award, National League, MVP

(02:26:07):
World Series Champion, La Dodger Show, Hey O Todi, and
again the Astros are pushing even further away all those
things I just said. They're great, they're nice things to
have in your back pocket. But they also have fifty
one wins, which is three more than the Yankees. They're
three games clear of the Yankees. Rays won their forty
eighth game earlier today. Blue Jays could win their forty

(02:26:29):
eighth game this evening they are playing the Yankees. That's
three games The Astros are ahead of whomever sits atop
the American League, so it'll actually be as many as
four by the end of the night. This matters. What
didn't happen last year is something they certainly would like
to see happen this year. Avoid the wild card series.

(02:26:51):
They finished third, they were not blessed with a week
off set up your rotation. A team that didn't get
the week off that had to use their starters. Most
likely a team in the wildcard series is throwing their ace.
Doesn't necessarily mean the first game, depending on how their
season ended, probably in the second game, if they didn't

(02:27:13):
start the first game and possibly on short rest, and
the next series begins when that pitcher would definitely not
be available for game one, potentially not available for game two.

Speaker 6 (02:27:23):
It matters little things like that.

Speaker 3 (02:27:25):
It's great that your team's getting healthy, it's great that
you get to set up your rotation, not obviously play
some role in it, but you're also watching the other
team play two to three games before they even get there.
You know, Seattle played in a wild card series before
they faced the Astros a couple of years ago, had
come back to beat the Blue Jays, which they did
do unnecessarily mean it gave the Astros a bigger upper
hand than they already did, but it certainly would have

(02:27:47):
been ideal for the Mariners to not to have done
that and the Astros played in the wild Card Series
last year, obviously, and the worst part about it isn't
that you aren't rested. It isn't that your rotation isn't set.
It's that your season could be over. Sure, well, that's
what happened to Houston. Two starts, both aces fromber Valdez,
Hunter Brown, Donzo. They did not win either of those games,

(02:28:10):
and there was no game three. All the advantages of
it great. The biggest advantage is, don't be in it.
I said earlier, probably mid June, the Astros weren't going
to catch the Tigers.

Speaker 6 (02:28:25):
I said, in my usual that ain't happening. Tone.

Speaker 3 (02:28:29):
They continue to win just as often as they do,
if not more. They're just two and a half games
back of the Tigers. Tigers still have pitching issues beyond
Scooble Myz has been very very good. Flaherty has not,
and the job injury is impactful. They're getting much more offense,
I think than they might have expected because Bias has
had a good season. Riley Green is absolutely red hot,

(02:28:51):
smoking right now and likely headed to the All Star Game.
I don't think they're going to fall back. I don't
have any reason to think the Astros aren't going to
continue to win. Look at the Astros roster, pitching staff,
starting pitching staff, and the guys that are trotting out
there on an everyday basis, and the reserves. That's not
a fifty one win team, except it is. So what

(02:29:13):
happens if and when Jeremy Panne is coming back. I
don't want to tell you youord On Alvarez is coming
back anymore, because that would be the third time I've
said it. First two times I was wrong when he
first took swings at dyk In Park and we all
got to see it in May, just falling the timeline.
He was hurt, he's getting healthy, time to pick up
a bat, he's doing that. Obviously, he's a handful of

(02:29:34):
days away. Maybe there's no rehab appearance. Maybe it's a
couple of live vps and then we'll be out there.
And then they said he was sore, did some more
imaging and it's got a broken bone, it's got a fracture. Well,
this go around, he's taking swings at dyk and Park.
They said things are great, they're moving along. Let's fly
out to Florida get some live vps with Christian Javier
or Luis Garcia, whoever we have thrown down there.

Speaker 6 (02:29:56):
So I was just falling the timeline.

Speaker 3 (02:29:58):
I said he was going to be back so later
then the last home stand before the All Star break,
which comes after they finish with the Dodgers next monthday
they start with the Guardians. Well, that obviously dead wrong
set back. Not sure why his hands are still sore
after swinging, so time to see another hand specialist.

Speaker 6 (02:30:16):
But I'll try it with Jeremy.

Speaker 3 (02:30:18):
Jeremy Pane is clearly coming back, Chas McCormick, Zach Decenzo.
They're coming back. There's an opportunity for them to get back.
Jacob Melton probably also coming back. They shouldn't be worse,
and that's just the hitting side of it.

Speaker 6 (02:30:35):
These pitchers.

Speaker 3 (02:30:35):
At some point, I appreciate all that they've done. Outside
of Brandon Walter, I think you're gonna get results from
Araghetty better than any of the others and possibly better,
probably better than Lance McCullers junior. So where they sit
eighty five games into the season, seventeen games over, I'm
just gonna tell you it's getting better. We'll see if

(02:30:57):
it plays out that way. Enjoy the baseball. To enjoy
the baseball tomorrow, of course, right here on Sports Talk
seven ninety and of course on Space City Home Network. Friday,
a day off for all, and we'll be back with
you again on Monday.

Speaker 6 (02:31:11):
AC will return, I will exit. Enjoy the fourth of July.

Speaker 2 (02:31:16):
The age on Sports Talk seven ninety