Sousa Sizzle, Life in West Sacramento and an Ode to June 17th, 1994

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Raised.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
My Girl, Nolan Multipi.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
The magnificent roller coaster ride that is Houston Sports. Chill
lage down for the only homegrown afternoon team is Talking
Your Teams. Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
A thought about opening the show with the walk off
call last night from the Athletics broadcast, but I figured

(01:00):
that I could just skin a cat a live and
it would be the same thing. Welcome into a Tuesday
edition of the program Sports Talk seven ninety. Nothing beats
staying up until after midnight to see the Astros walked
off by the worst team in the division and one
of the worst teams in baseball. But that's exactly what
we got last night, and it wasn't even really the

(01:20):
most controversial thing that happened all night long. I don't
know if you believed what some people were saying on
social media at the time, but it sure didn't seem
like that was an old school nineties, late eighties retaliatory
pitch at the head of Jose Altuve after he took
you to the yard or took you over the fence
when he got up there for his next at bat.

(01:43):
But you know what, when you score one run against
the Oakland A's, I can't. I can't imagine you're gonna
expect to win that game or many others.

Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah, two totally separate things. The Astros surprisingly in that
ballpark the way it usually plays, there weren't a lot
of run scored. That was the second lowest scoring game
in that ballpark all season, and it would have been
even lower had it gone to extra innings. Two runs.
There'd never been a two run game. There's only been
one game with less than four. That's all that was
put on the board last night, and all of those

(02:12):
runs came thanks to the long ball, which I do
expect to see some tonight, tomorrow and Thursday night. It's
a homer haven and hopefully the Astros can take more
advantage of it. After the first inning, that was when
they got their run, A's finally matched it, the only
run allowed by Ryan Gusto, who has continued now he's
actually stacking pretty good appearances. After the other five innings,

(02:33):
three hits, eight ks. As has been the case, when
they've handed the ball to who's this guy, they have
given him a chance to win.

Speaker 5 (02:40):
They absolutely had a chance to win.

Speaker 4 (02:41):
That game went to the ninth inning tied at one,
they did not score, and then two batters into the
bottom of the ninth inning, the game was over. Brian Abray,
who's problem all season long, hasn't hurt him very often,
and I'm shocked that it hasn't, and they were talking
about it last night on the broadcast. He walks too
many hits this year for some reason, and he could

(03:02):
not find the strikes on last night, and when he did,
it was a meatball and it absolutely got smoked.

Speaker 5 (03:07):
Hardest hit ball in the career for Kurt's brief as
it is. He made his major league debut in.

Speaker 4 (03:13):
April, but didn't get to it much yesterday because we
weren't talking much about the A's now that they're in
the middle of the series. They've played three times. They
have three more games during this series and then seven
more later this year. I wonder if if you had
the option the Astros, as they are clearly right now
not at full strength, and maybe even if they were,
I would probably tip the scale in their favor because

(03:34):
Jordon Alvarez is there. But the A's will be competitive
very very soon. Obviously, it doesn't look like it's happening.

Speaker 6 (03:44):
This year.

Speaker 4 (03:44):
They had a miserable May, they went seven and twenty one.
The rest of their season has been very, very competitive. Heck,
they were sixteen and eighteen and fifteen at one point
this year. But the top of their order is as
good as anybody's in this division today already, and it's
nothing but young getting better players.

Speaker 5 (04:05):
Take advantage of them while you can.

Speaker 4 (04:07):
I haven't had a chance or needed to say this
in a long time because the As have been particularly
competitive since the Astros and A's were playing playoff games
at Dodger Stadium in twenty twenty and COVID. But they're
going to be pretty competitive very very soon. Butler, Wilson, Soderstrom, Rooker,
and Kurtz can play and can hit, and the Astros
did an awesome job of holding them down.

Speaker 5 (04:29):
Just their offense is what it is.

Speaker 4 (04:31):
A lineup that includes as great as he was defensively
and he had a hit in last night's game, Luis
ki Orme is not an offensive player the caliber of
somebody who should be in your lineup offensively. Ever, and
the same was true a couple days ago when they
got a win with him in the lineup.

Speaker 5 (04:47):
It's tough.

Speaker 4 (04:48):
This group of Astros, even fully healthy, is borderline top
half of the league offense, and for the last six
weeks they've been a little bit better than that, all
without your Don Alvarez. But these games are common. This
is almost an everyday thing with the Astros. Pitching keeps
them in it, offense does just enough to win it,
or offense does just enough to not win it. The
last three days have been identical games, walk off, walk off,

(05:12):
walk off, very low scoring games, all three of them.

Speaker 5 (05:16):
You got two of them, you didn't win last night.

Speaker 7 (05:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (05:18):
I look, it's when I even thought, because you mentioned
how young he is, how brief his tenure has been.

Speaker 5 (05:25):
I looked it up. He was born in two thousand
and three.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
So I automatically wanted to kill myself when I saw that,
and I was like, well, maybe it was just a
little league home run.

Speaker 5 (05:34):
Now he hit that thing.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
Four hundred and forty seven feet, it would have gone
out of like every stadium ever.

Speaker 4 (05:38):
Yeah, it seemed pretty obvious from the crack way back
exactly the way the launch and all that. But he's
this is one of their top prospects. There's no reason
for them to not have those guys here. Wilson will
probably be playing in the All Star Game, and they
locked up Butler and Rooker after last season. Like I said,
they're not winning games a lot this year. They're fourteen
games under five hundred. They probably have some players if

(06:01):
they want to, they can move for something to continue
to get better. But keep in mind they're also fourteen
games under. The Astros are ten games over. They need
to play better overall, as has been the case for
a while on the road, great road trip last time
out on the road, winning four out of six, got
a seven game road trip here. You need to figure
out a way to win four out of these seven,

(06:21):
which means you gotta split the final six from ber Valdez.
Hopefully can help them do that as they continue. Colton
Gordon and the rest of the who's pitching tonight for
the Astros crew?

Speaker 5 (06:32):
Can? Those are the other two starters this series?

Speaker 7 (06:34):
Tonight?

Speaker 5 (06:35):
It's Jason Alexander.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
How do you feel about one of the forecast members
of Seinfeld starting for the Astros tonight?

Speaker 5 (06:42):
I mean, everybody else is making the jokes. Why can't I?
You can?

Speaker 4 (06:45):
I mean, presumably of all the people to appear on Seinfeld,
He's probably not the best option. I mean, Jeter, Bernie Williams,
Paul O'Neill, Danny Tartibo, you were going to keep it
to actual baseball, they've all been on Seinfeld. Would assume
even as position players, they probably could fare a little
bit as better than the actual actor.

Speaker 3 (07:06):
Jason Alexander as a guy who long before Curb Your
Enthusiasm or any of the other shows, that you were
a Seinfeld guy for as far back as I can remember.

Speaker 5 (07:15):
Yeah, from when it aired until it stopped aaring. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (07:18):
You you ever wonder about the fact that there were
just an inordinate amount of Yankees on the show starring
a guy who's a big Mets fan.

Speaker 4 (07:27):
Well, I don't think it made much of a storyline
to have the Mets owner on the show or Costanzo
working for the Mets.

Speaker 5 (07:37):
Why not because Steinbrenner is a Yankee.

Speaker 4 (07:40):
I get it, and that's the whole storyline, And that's
why he works for the Yankees, and that's why we
have all the other Yankee stuff in the show, so
much of it. That's one of the most fun things
about the show. All that being said, I didn't mention
another baseball player that appeared on the show. A former
Met famously appeared on the show.

Speaker 5 (07:58):
Was it Daryl Strawberry.

Speaker 4 (07:59):
No, he's regularly on TV right now for the Mets. Oh,
I'm Keith Hernandez.

Speaker 5 (08:05):
Yeah, that's who I was thinking.

Speaker 4 (08:06):
Yeah, Jason Alexander, who when you'll see us on the
simulcast in an hour. For the remaining three hours of
the show starting at three, you'll see a lower third
that says Jay Alexander. And instead of having his eighteen
point zero zero season era, I've elected to write Astro's
debut in there because that's what he will be making tonight.
It's not as even his season debut. It's not even

(08:28):
his first game at the ballpark there at tonight, because
he did spend some time with the Athletics before he
was released. The Astros put a claim in on him,
and he said pitching at sugar Land ever since, very
very well. Made his major league debut actually several seasons ago.
And this was why Dana Brown did it. He was
probably hoping that, yes, my fifth insurance policy will never

(08:49):
get here.

Speaker 8 (08:50):
Right.

Speaker 5 (08:51):
Well, he's here, and that's how far down the list
they have to go.

Speaker 4 (08:54):
Got an update on all of the astros starting pitchers
that are still hoping to make their way back, in
addition to what's going on with the other injured Astros.
And that's how deep they have to dig into the
starting rotation. You found out that Saturday included a weight
room issue which caused.

Speaker 5 (09:11):
A big toe sprain. Describe it as they did. I mean,
i'd have to get their word for word description of it.

Speaker 3 (09:17):
Well, I thought Joe, a spotter, referred to it as
a freak weight room accident.

Speaker 4 (09:21):
Well, I would assume I don't need you don't probably
don't need to say any of those things. It happened
in the weight room. It's a freak accident. You tore
a peck like this way, we stepped on a weight,
a weight fell on your toe. It's a freak accident.
You don't get hurt in the weight room. You do
it Vernon Maxwell's there. Unless it's a freak accident.

Speaker 3 (09:43):
Do you call Vernon Maxwell throwing a weight at Carl
Herrera's head a freak accident or a horase grant?

Speaker 5 (09:50):
That's who it was.

Speaker 4 (09:51):
I mean, while it is when something's intentional, it's hard
to also call it an accident.

Speaker 5 (09:56):
But yeah, I would call it a freak accident.

Speaker 4 (10:00):
I would say the freak part of it is it
makes you think it was out of the ordinary, unexpected.
I would say having away thrown at you was out
of the that's unacpected. Yeah, hopefully, as Joe also indicated
yesterday when he met with the media after we had
left the air waves, seeing that they are on the
West coast, doesn't anticipate and is hopeful that the stint

(10:21):
from the thirteenth retroactive to the thirteenth to the twenty eighth.
They're hopeful he will be able to be activated.

Speaker 5 (10:28):
At that point.

Speaker 4 (10:29):
There is almost assuredly just one game left in the
NBA season after last night's victory by the Oklahoma City
Thunder at home. The Pacers stayed in it for a
lot longer than their play should have allowed them to.
Considering a player who we earlier this postseason said, yeah,
he deserves to be a top ten NBA player, went

(10:49):
up in bageled last night's game. Obviously, he was not
at one hundred percent and there's a possibility he will
be at zero percent for Game six in Indiana. Tyrese
Haliburton clearly playing three through a calf injury. He had
already been limping earlier in the series, probably for that reason,
and we'll get further results on what they find on
an MRI today. But he didn't play good basketball and

(11:12):
was moving well enough to probably have made more than
zero of his shots. I don't know that Rick Carlisle
did his finest work with who he did have playing
well and how they were utilized. They've got a better
healthier team as their foe, and even though Game six
is in Indiana, the last time they were in Indiana
is probably one of the pacers last chance to win
this series went by the wayside. How Game four ended

(11:32):
a forty burger for Jalen Williams, former twelfth overall pick
in the twenty twenty two NBA draft, It is possible
to find an outstanding player beyond the top ten, beyond
the top five, and I don't think there's much debate
between he and everybody else in that draft other than
Palo Bank Caro, twelfth player selected, was no worse than

(11:55):
the second player, second best player to come out of
that draft. He and Palo Bank are going to be
on very very good teams for many, many years to come.
And ten other players selected in between the two of
them before you get to twelve, and a lot of
mistakes were made as we approached this year's NBA Draft Wednesday,
the twenty fifth round one Thursday, the twenty sixth. Other

(12:17):
players will hear their names called for reasons unknown to
me when they finish out the draft, but when they
get to game six, we'll probably have to hear fewer
NBA players like John Morant complaining there's more people talking
about what's going on with Memphis as opposed to the
NBA Finals, which he did post earlier today on the
X platform. Losing teammate Desmond Band to trade Kevin Durant.

(12:41):
Nothing has changed from our perspective. The rumors continue more
from today from the voices you trust, and we'll continue
to give our opinion on what might be best for
the Rockets. I think I know what's best for Kevin Durant.
I don't know what's best for the Phoenix Suns, but
I do know what's worse on the list for what

(13:01):
the Phoenix Suns could get, So that'll also be a
part of our conversation as we roll through a four
hour ride here on the eighteen.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety It's Smiths.

Speaker 5 (13:14):
Seven and.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
It is the a team Sports Talk seven ninety inside
joke right there, for sure. We's over there ac right
here called Thompson spinning the records. You set something going
into the tail end of last segment, wex you know
what's best for Kevin Durant. That peaked my curiosity, which

(13:40):
means it was an effective teas for me, and that
means it was an effective teas for everybody listening out there.
But I can't stand to wait any longer. What is
best for Kevin Durant?

Speaker 5 (13:50):
Well, I'll make you wait a little bit longer.

Speaker 4 (13:51):
You got all these teams that are involved, apparently, and
I don't think the reports are inaccurate. You know, the
Clippers and the Raptors lurking, and you know teams like that,
and you read or report the Raptors are willing to
part with and then they just list their roster and
I'm like, I wonder why they're willing to part with everybody? Well,
because they're bad and they don't have any good players.

Speaker 7 (14:13):
Now.

Speaker 4 (14:13):
Brent and Ingram and Scottie Barnes weren't listed on any
of these lists, though they should be if they actually
wanted to get a Kevin Durant deal done, to give
actual talent under no circumstances, under no circumstances, no matter
you mean. There is a limit, the NBA, CBA limit
on how many first round picks could be offered. Toronto's
own first round picks actually would be quite valuable because

(14:34):
they're awful and they're going to remain awful even if
Kevin Durant is on their basketball team. But how could
Phoenix Suns, brand new management and coach and pretty new
owner settle for anything they're offering.

Speaker 5 (14:49):
They can't.

Speaker 4 (14:50):
So the idea that Toronto is going to be the
landing spot for Kevin Durant only exists if you're telling me.
There's a bunch of other teams involved, and now Phoenix
has found a way to get something from them.

Speaker 5 (15:00):
You know, RJ.

Speaker 4 (15:01):
Barrett and Emmanuel Quickly and the other they're not good
enough players. You can't possibly send out a still very
capable talent in Kevin Durant. And I know you have
to make the salaries work, so there have to be
players that are of value financially to make a deal work.
I get that, but they're just not good enough. There's

(15:22):
no deal you could put on the table for a
straight two team deal between the Raptors and the Phoenix Suns.
Clippers probably aren't far behind for what they would be
willing to offer. I do think that would be an
intriguing place for him to play. I don't imagine that
Kevin Durant left playing with James Harden a second time
so he could rejoin James Harden to play with him

(15:45):
for a third time. But it's not his decision, and
that's the other part you have got I realize it's
not Kevin Durant's decision. It's not Rich Kleiman's decision. It's
not Adam Silver's decision, it's not rafel Stone's decision. It's
Kevin Durant's team's decision. Phoenix and Cinema were whatever they want,
and the teams have to deal with it. They can
send him in Minnesota, even though it appears reports indicate

(16:06):
he has no interest in playing with Anthony Edwards, a
player on a team who's better than every player on
every team and him and a guy who idolizes him,
but he doesn't want to play there. Well, he's under contract.
It's not up to him if he wants to force
his way out. If he wants to sulk through a
season without any future financial considerations already locked in, that's

(16:30):
up to him. If he wants to play his butt
off at age thirty nine getting paid fifty four point
seven million dollars less Minnesota taxes and try to win
a championship with the Wolves, and Bible means, go do
that too, But it isn't up to him.

Speaker 3 (16:44):
Well, I know why you're saying that, because at the
end of the day, it kind of is true, but it.

Speaker 5 (16:51):
Also kind of isn't.

Speaker 4 (16:52):
In the NBA, it's definitely true if the team wants
to do what they think is best, they might make
the wrong decision. Mean, this now is very very similar
much younger player, clearly, but very similar to what Kawhi
Leonard did. I'm not playing here, you have to move me. Well,
James Harden did that here, Yeah, but he got sent
to the team he wanted. Kawhi Leonard got sent to

(17:14):
a team. He said, I don't want to be there,
I don't want to play there. I'm not going to
be extended there, and I'm never gonna play here again.
And that's literally, but Barry that it is exactly what happened,
But in the meantime he won a championship in his
one season there.

Speaker 3 (17:26):
Yeah, but both scenarios are still possible to happen. For
Kevin Durant, He's sure it's possible. It is because the Rockets,
a lot of people thought they should take the Ben
Simmons trade, which is even funnier now than it was then.
If you had a brain in your head, then you
know you don't trade for that guy. And rafel Stone
fortunately had a big brain in his head and was like,

(17:46):
I'm not doing that crap. I'm going to take this
trade over here, and he did. But it also got
James Harden to Brooklyn where he wanted to go. It
was one of the teams where he wanted to go to.
In this case, though, I think that some of the
leverage that layers have, however it ends up getting meted out.
That leverage declines directly proportionally with the number by their age,

(18:10):
and in this case, I mean Phoenix has zero leverage,
like zero leverage because of that age more than anything else.
All these would be trades that are being floated out there,
whether they're true or not, Like, oh, yeah, the Rockets
weren't willing to part with Amen Thompson, no kidding, but
like the fact that Phoenix was even asking. I mean,

(18:32):
I guess you could say, on one hand, you know
they have to, but on the other hand, are you
kidding me?

Speaker 5 (18:37):
Like how did the Rockets not just slammed the phone down?

Speaker 3 (18:40):
So I just I still think that there is a
way where Kevin Durant can both go to a situation
where he wants to go to and the Suns can
get what they want Houston.

Speaker 5 (18:50):
But I don't know if that's what's gonna happen here.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
Yeah, I said in this very chair earlier this week,
so that must have been yesterday, and said they don't
have leverage, which well, thankfully Dwayne Rankin, who covers the
Suns for the Arizona Republic, agrees because he writes a
story that's titled sources Sons have no leverage and it's
all of the factors.

Speaker 5 (19:12):
His age is part.

Speaker 4 (19:13):
Of it, but the Suns playing the way they did
this past season is a humongous part of it. The
fact that they have moved on from their head coach
multiple times while Durant has been there is part of it.
The fact that they tried to move him last year
and apparently ruffled feathers with the manner in which they
tried to do it. At the deadline and the bottom line,

(19:34):
all those factors probably shoved into a corner. Weigh a
small amount, and this weighs the most amount. Twenty nine
other NBA teams know he's not playing another second for
the Suns. There's your leverage, it's gone. Everybody knows he's
not coming back. There's no scenario where well, we'll just
play it out and see if we can drum up
some more interest.

Speaker 5 (19:50):
Later you can't.

Speaker 4 (19:51):
They will be accepting a deal from a team, and
likely again, according to Dwayne, before the draft next week.
If you want a deadline, I do think that's a
reasonable one to at the very least put it on.
But it wouldn't surprise me at all if we got
to Friday and we had a new home for Kevin Durant.
The question was asked, where is the best place for
him to go? And I haven't wavered from that from

(20:12):
the moment we started talking about this, no matter how
many teams haven't been involved. We talked about two that
are on the outskirts of the Miami Heat, the Rockets, Spurs, Timberwolves.

Speaker 5 (20:22):
There's a bunch of teams that I do.

Speaker 4 (20:23):
Think have realistic shots of at least getting through and
making contact and having some GM discussions and putting an actual, concrete,
underwhelming deal on the table. Same two teams a bit
at the top from the jump, and they have not
changed at all. He doesn't want to play in Minnesota,
but to me, that is the best opportunity for him
to win in the very very very short time that
he has left in his NBA career, because he will

(20:45):
be partner with the best player on any of the
teams we're talking about, and happens to be the only
team to visit the Western Conference Finals in back to
back seasons. Thunder weren't there two years in a row.
They were there this year. MAVs weren't there two years
in a row. They weren't even close this year. The
Timberwolves are fallow closely, in my opinion, by the Rockets.
There are far fewer question marks about the Rockets with

(21:06):
Kevin Durant for one to three years than there are
with any other team other than Minnesota. There are many
more questions with Kevin Durant along with Victor and Dearn
and whatever else they were allowed to keep in a
deal for Kevin Durant, many many more questions from the
twelfth best team in the Western Conference last year. Next
year's year three for Wemby. I'm sure he'll make the

(21:27):
playoffs at some point, but I'm not sure it will
be in year three with or without Kevin Durant. Clearly,
the Heat are very far away from winning a championship,
and Kevin Durant is not the piece that puts them
over the top. I don't think many, if any people
agree that with that. There are two teams that are
close enough to say yep, he's the piece that puts
them over the top, Minnesota and Houston. Not guaranteeing it works,

(21:50):
but telling you those are the two teams. They make
the most sense from a what can the Phoenix Suns
get from them they if they want talent, established talent, well,
they can obviously get it from Houston if they foresee
themselves as a playoff team and that's all they're after
by all means, as Minnesota Timberwolves, for Rudy Gobert and

(22:11):
or Julius Randall, and maybe you will make the playoffs.

Speaker 5 (22:14):
Next year and get eliminated in the first round. That
would be awesome.

Speaker 4 (22:17):
You'd be hurting the Wolves and you wouldn't be helping yourselves.
That would be fantastic for the Houston Rockets. But if
that's the way they go, if the Rockets never get
to an overwhelming offer, well then they're gonna have to
take somebody's offer. That's the other thing that plays into
the rest of the league's hands. They're taking an offer.
He's getting traded. He is done in Phoenix case closed,

(22:39):
leverage gone, he's being moved.

Speaker 5 (22:41):
No debate. I agree with you. We'll get to that
more in a bit.

Speaker 3 (22:45):
But speaking of leverage high or low, Bennett Souza scheduled
to join us Astro's relief pitcher.

Speaker 5 (22:51):
That is straight ahead.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
The A team on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 5 (22:57):
Ninety Media a Anina right.

Speaker 3 (23:04):
Now now, it is the A team Sports Talk seven
ninety Space City Home Network at the top of the hour.
But in the meantime, Bennett Susa joining us on the
phone lines as promised Astro's relief pitcher.

Speaker 7 (23:20):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (23:21):
I hate that we're having to talk to you after
a type of loss such as the one you guys
suffered last night.

Speaker 5 (23:27):
But let's just start right there.

Speaker 3 (23:29):
When it's a game like that, do you do you
enjoy those games as a pitcher where it's more of
a and obviously a pitcher's matchup for the majority of
that kind of evening.

Speaker 8 (23:40):
Yeah, guys, Well, first off, thanks for having me on.
I appreciate it. You know, yeah, last night was a
tough one. Uh, you know, we're in this thirteen game
stretch right here, you know, flying to California last night.
You know, the boys are just you know, we're trying
out there giving her all. But as a pitcher, yeah,
you love that, especially with our bullpen. You know, we
we feel like, you know, if the game is decided

(24:02):
by our bullpen, we're gonna come out on top most
of the times. Last night just wasn't our night.

Speaker 4 (24:07):
That was a very good answer saying you like those
type of games, considering that seems like all that you
guys play recently, Yeah.

Speaker 8 (24:15):
I mean for sure. I mean they're a lot of fun. Obviously,
you know, we like to win by ten runs, you know,
all the time. But that you know, that's not baseball.
And you know, like I said before, we like having
the game in our bullpen's hands.

Speaker 4 (24:29):
Well, now that you and the team have made their
way to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa and now
to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. What are your
thoughts about playing Major League baseball at an exhibition stadium
and a minor league ballpark.

Speaker 8 (24:44):
You know, it's it's definitely an adjustment to say, but
you know it's it's it's part of it. Like we
we got to get over it. These games count, they matter,
the stats matter. We gotta go out there and play
and win these.

Speaker 4 (25:00):
So if I asked the simple question with maybe a
complicated answer, what's the simplest reason you would say you're
enjoying your most success thus far as a Major leaguer
this year?

Speaker 8 (25:10):
Oh, I mean the guys in the bullpen. I can't
say enough about him. I mean, we just have such
a tight crew down there that is just a lot
of fun. We keep it super relaxed, you know me personally,
like I'm a pretty relaxed guy. So it helps out,
you know, when things can get pretty stressful in that bullpen.
Just having the guys support and the coaches support, and

(25:33):
just going out there and really just showing what I
can do.

Speaker 3 (25:37):
Well, I can tell you the part of last night's
game that I enjoyed the most, and that was jose
Al Tuvey coming up to the plate, getting booed all
of maybe two pitches, and then taking that ball, just
rocketing it over into the the over the fence and
left field. I have to ask you a question, because
you know, you haven't been here very long, but a
lot of us have and we see that. Does that

(25:59):
make someone like you who's kind of new to the
scene relatively speaking, as mad as it does everyone else
who knows what kind of guy in that clubhouse Jose
Altuve is and probably the you know, the least participant
if you will, during that whole cheating scandal, just because
you know who he is. Does that kind of irritate
you as much as it does a guy like me?

Speaker 8 (26:22):
Yeah, I mean it's kind of just funny. I mean
it's he's the only guy left from that that era
of Houston Astro baseball, and we hear it all the
time in the bullpen. I mean it's it's the number
one shirp we get right, the trash can trash can.
And you know, Jose I can't say enough good things

(26:42):
about him. He's one of the best teammates' ever had.
He talks to everybody in the locker room. He's such
a big part of this team, and he has been
for so many years. You know, it sucks going to
away stadiums and hearing him get boot all the time.
But I think at this point, you know, he he's
used to it, and he enjoys it, and when he
gets his revenge like he did last night, it's even sweeter.

Speaker 4 (27:04):
Well, let me take you back I guess on the
long way too, when you first got to to see
what kind of team Jose Al two they had twenty
twenty three when you joined the Astros. But I want
to ask you about your twenty twenty three year first, Uh,
it does it seem even possible that you were bouncing
around as much as you were that year with the
Reds and White Sox and Brewers and Tigers and Astros.

(27:28):
Ultimately pitching really, really well for a month's month with
the Astros.

Speaker 8 (27:33):
Yeah, I mean that was a that was a crazy
year for me. I always you know, you gotta believe
in yourself, obviously in this in this sport with so
many highs and lows. And I always knew because I
had I had really good numbers in the minor leagues.
Always going through I always knew that if I just
got a steady opportunity and chance and took advantage of it,

(27:53):
that that, you know, my career could really take off.
And I just always believed in that, and and and
never straight away from that. And then when I got
to the Astros at the end of that twenty three season,
you know, I had some early success, and I had
some some coaches that really that really believed in me,
and and and saw my potential and and you know,
I only I know, I only threw seven innings that year,

(28:15):
but I was battling injuries for like two years with
with the thorascic outlet stuff, and I felt finally kind
of normal at that time. You know. Obviously, the following
year I ended up having to get the surgery. But
I just knew that, you know, if I just had
my steady chance and took advantage of the opportunity, that
that good things could happen.

Speaker 4 (28:33):
I certainly want to pick bright back up there, but
I had already asked, what what did you think of
this clubhouse and jose L Twovey's role in it? When
you first arrived that last month of the regular season
in twenty three.

Speaker 8 (28:45):
Well, immediately I knew why the Astros have been so
good for so many years. And it's that locker room.
I mean, you know, it's changed now a little bit
since twenty three to now, but but the the idea
and the culture is still there. And it's just, you know,
we play for each other. We're all we're all a
tight knit group. There's not one personal locker room that

(29:09):
you know is going against the grain. It's it's really
it makes it fun when you're playing for your brothers.
And that's what I really enjoy about this team in
this locker room.

Speaker 5 (29:18):
Well, and in that van. It kind of sets me
up for this question.

Speaker 3 (29:21):
You know, you talked about what a leader Altuve is
from a pitching perspective. Is there anybody that you gravitated towards?
Is there anybody that kind of helped you out, maybe
even you know, unprovoked. I don't know how it goes, obviously,
and everybody's different. Is there somebody that you can point to,
some buddies that have kind of taken you under their wing,
helped you out, what have you?

Speaker 8 (29:42):
Yeah, I mean there's a couple of guys for sure.
The first one is Josh Hater. I mean he's my
catch play partner, being the best lefty in the reliever
in the league. You know, I try to I try
to do everything that guy does is because I want to,

(30:02):
you know, I want to be like him. And he's
just he's he's an open book. He's always trying to help. Uh,
he's he's picks my brain, I pick his brain. And
and he's just a great leader for that bullpen, especially,
you know, a bullpen with four lefties in it. Him
leading us all is is is awesome. And then last year,

(30:23):
you know, I was rehabbing a lot, and I was
here in Houston for half the year, and I spent
a lot of time with Lance because he was rehabbing
as well, and just seeing how that guy, you know,
because he was real, he was rehaped for a long time,
and just going through you know, just seeing what he
was doing, uh, trying to you know, come to the

(30:44):
park with a with a positive attitude every day even
though you know you can't contribute to the team. That
helped me a lot last year. So Lance was a
big part of that for me.

Speaker 4 (30:53):
What was it like when I assume this happened when
one of your pitching coaches, Josh or Murph, came to
you and said, we got some data on your slider.

Speaker 5 (31:02):
Uh, they don't hit it. We'd like you to throw
it more.

Speaker 9 (31:06):
You know.

Speaker 8 (31:07):
It's funny because because every team, every stop that I've
had like that, that is the that's the one thing
they always say, like, hey, throw your slider. But with
these guys, for some reason, like they really they really
trusted it that like, you know, this is a really
good pitch and and you know, it might take some
time for us to for it to to really play

(31:29):
on the big leagues, but like when it does, it's
gonna be worth the wait. And Uh, you know, I
love Josh and and and Murph. They're they're they're the
two best pitching coaches for me personally. They keep things light, uh,
and they really know how to to the scoutter reports
and things like that, Uh for us to all succeed.

Speaker 4 (31:50):
Well, I feel like we keep getting the opportunity to
ask this question of our astros pitching guests.

Speaker 9 (31:55):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (31:56):
And it's the first time in all of our years
broadcasting we've ever been able to ask it. What's it
like having a pitching staff and a bullpen so overrun
with left handers.

Speaker 8 (32:06):
I mean, guys, it's amazing. You know, you don't see it. Uh.
You know, we we we take a lot of pride
in being left handed in that bullpen. Uh and now
in our starting rotation as well.

Speaker 10 (32:20):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (32:21):
But you know, we got to give some love to
our right he's down there in the bullpen too, you know,
Brian and Bray who's brayhe? I know, he he. He
had a tough one last night, but he's been unbelievable
all year long.

Speaker 7 (32:30):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (32:31):
You know, just it feels like the eighth and ninth
inning are just lockdown endings for us every time. Uh.
And then you know, we got Sean Duban, who you know,
I know he was hurt the first couple of months
of the year, but I mean he's been he's been
a workhorse for us, uh out of that bullpen, and
and those innings you know, might go unnotice to some people,

(32:52):
but to us in that bullpen, I mean, we see
what he's doing, and it's incredible.

Speaker 5 (32:57):
As a fellow left left handed person.

Speaker 8 (32:59):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (33:00):
And in an era where everybody wakes up and figures out
something they need to complain about, it every single day.
Are you with me that you feel like we are
more discriminated against than most people in society with things
like spiral notebooks with the binding on the left hand side.

Speaker 5 (33:14):
That's crap, isn't it?

Speaker 8 (33:16):
Yeah? Yeah, one hundred percent. Uh you know, we get
I think Josh Josh is a fake lefty, and I
think DK is a fake lefty too. I think I
think Steve and I are the only true lefties where
we do everything left handed. So you know, I I
hear you on that. With with all the the other
stuff that we got to deal with, what makes.

Speaker 4 (33:35):
Me curious is Chaz or or Jake are they fake
lefties or real lefties?

Speaker 8 (33:40):
I you know, I think, well, Chaz Bat's right handed,
so you know. But but uh, you know, I don't know.

Speaker 4 (33:51):
I mean they go left and Bat right. I'm just
trying to dump both those. I'd call him fake lefties
even if I don't know the answer.

Speaker 5 (33:58):
We know that Bennis Susa is a true left That's
all that matters.

Speaker 7 (34:02):
All right.

Speaker 8 (34:03):
Yeah, But hey, I'm not I'm not as weird as
most lefties. I'll tell you that.

Speaker 4 (34:05):
No me, neither are you asking us to ask you
who the weirdest lefty on the team is sounds like it.

Speaker 8 (34:11):
I mean, I mean, that's an easy answer. It's Steve,
I mean oker, He's the he's the clown of the bullpen.
We love him a lot. You know, he's been such
a such a great addition to this team. He's kind
of I mean, he's the leader on the team. He
really is. He keeps everything light and he's definitely he's

(34:32):
our he's our clown lefty for sure.

Speaker 4 (34:34):
I have to admit his body language when he hums
his way through a three pitch, three swings and miss
the strikeout, it's legendary.

Speaker 5 (34:42):
Oh okay, I did it again. Back to the dug out.

Speaker 3 (34:44):
Yeah, well, Bennett, We we appreciate the time, especially the
left handed conversation. I appreciated that the most. You are
welcome on the show anytime. Good luck the rest of
this season, and we're happy to have you here in Houston.

Speaker 8 (34:57):
Appreciate it, guys, Thanks so much.

Speaker 3 (34:58):
All right, Bennette Susa here on Sports Talk seven ninety
You're home for Astros Baseball. We will well, we will
wrap up the non televised portion of the show next.

Speaker 1 (35:09):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (35:19):
It's the eight Team Sports Talk seven ninety simulcast on
Space City Home Network at the top of the hour.
But in the meantime wex ac Cole Thompson with you
on the radio side for one more segment only, and
we will get to all sorts of things. Thanks again
though to to true non fake left hander Bennett Susa.

(35:41):
I know that every time he gets on the in
the game from here on out this season, I'm gonna
be rooting even harder for him than I already was.

Speaker 5 (35:47):
That was an awesome interview. If you missed any or
all of it, you can check it out on the podcast.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
Later on mentioned last night that you know, the NBA
Finals probably for all intents and purposes, are over, just
because of where that series is, who's ahead, but also
because you knew that Tyree's Halliburton was not right. And
now like just before the show, Scham's tweeting that Halliburton

(36:13):
is believed to have suffered a strained right calf. We'll
undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the strain,
and I just if he's not at one hundred percent
before that happened, and then that happens as there's MRI
is involved. It's not not a good feeling if you're
hoping for a feel good ending to this NBA Finals
that looked lopsided on the way in but quickly became

(36:34):
far more entertaining than we thought it would, in large
part because of Tyrese Halliburton. But if he ain't right,
there's no chance the Pacers win this series. And that
sucks because I'm tired of seeing championships in the NBA
determined when teams go against other teams that aren't at
full strength. Even though I know it's late in the year,
injuries happen to everybody. I just hate that because the
Pacers were an awesome story this playoff run.

Speaker 4 (36:57):
Yeah, an awesome story that fell short before. In my opinion, again,
serie wasn't over yet, but they fell short before this
got to where it is. I mean, he managed to
play the first four games without much of a of
people saying, oh, he's not himself, he's not himself, even
though he probably wasn't. Last night was ridiculously bad. No
reason for the team to be giving the ball away

(37:19):
they were. It was a little bit of his injury,
a little bit of him missing all of his shots,
also not taking very many. He played thirty four minutes,
which is not far off from most of what he
had played in the prior four games, you know, thirty
four to thirty nine minutes.

Speaker 5 (37:31):
In each of those he took six shots. Last night.

Speaker 4 (37:34):
He took no fewer than thirteen in the other four.
He was just extremely ineffective. He was like his teammates.
They hated the basketball and it ultimately was their demise.
I think we'll look back on this series and recognized
it was six games, so it wasn't overwhelming for the Thunder,
but the Thunder allowed what happened in Game one or else,
this probably would have been a five game series, whether

(37:55):
or without Tyrese Haliburton's injury. They at point of this
series looked like they were letting the Pacers get the
best of them in the fourth quarter and make a
series of this. They obviously won Game three by with
what happened in the fourth quarter, But they're just they're
just better than them.

Speaker 5 (38:11):
They just are.

Speaker 4 (38:12):
When when the Pacers are doing everything they want to do,
a great ball movement, getting wide open looks, doing everything
we want, it still looks like they're not the better team.
And it's not like I don't want to discredit them
for not doing things well, because they've made these games
competitive until late. They have held some of what Oklahoma
City does so well, held it at bay at times,

(38:33):
and they have willed their way into you know, winning positions.
But they also gave up forty points to Jalen Williams
last night. I don't think That'll had a whole lot
to do with Tyrese Haliburton's injury. They allowed SGA to
kind of do what he always does because they're good.
It's no fault of theirs. Minnesota, let the same thing happen. Denver,
let the same thing happen. Memphis, let the same thing happen.

(38:55):
The real question is how many more of these postseasons
are going to look like this? For three teams in
the West and one team in the East. The Thunder
haven't done anything yet. They've won no championships. In Oklahoma City,
Sam Presty is titleless for a few more hours and
a few more days. That will change when they get
to Indiana and they play the final game of this series,
and then is it something we have to look at

(39:16):
for many many years to come.

Speaker 5 (39:17):
It's why I mentioned it earlier today, they don't.

Speaker 4 (39:20):
They have all these first round picks, and they're not
likely to be very high in the draft just because
that's not what they acquired. Well, they use the twelfth
pick in their draft to land their second best player.
Their second best player is not Cheed Holmgren, It's Jalen Williams.
Their other all star isn't chet Holmgren, it's Jalen Williams.
Homegren's a big difference maker and he's only going to
get better. So is Jalen Williams. And obviously all the

(39:44):
other pieces fit very very well together. Everything we're doing
about the Kevin Durant, Where's he going? Is going to Minnesota?
Is he going to Houston? You could argue that the
three best teams in the West after Oklahoma City, the
team in Denver they've eaten seven games, the team they
beat in the Western Conference Finals in Minnesota, and the Rockets,

(40:04):
and two of those three teams are trying to get
to Kevin Durant. Guess why?

Speaker 5 (40:09):
Because the thunder are freaking awesome.

Speaker 3 (40:12):
Yeah, And I want to talk about that when we
come back, because it's as it pertains to not only
just going forward in the NBA with Oklahoma City, as
we have seemingly gone from one juggernaut to maybe another
one in the making, and the Rockets right there to
knock off that first one. Talking about Golden State and

(40:34):
should they build their team from here on out the
same way that that prior era was built.

Speaker 5 (40:40):
We'll discuss that.

Speaker 3 (40:41):
We'll also hear from Shams about the KD situation, because
while there's always something new about the KD situation, until
we find out where indeed KD will be playing, We'll
do all that more when we come back for our
number two. Here on a Tuesday edition of the program.

Speaker 2 (40:56):
The a te on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (40:59):
Ninety two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Talking Your
Team's Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen eighty eight.

Speaker 3 (41:18):
It's a Tuesday edition of the program Sports Sox seven
to ninety and now on Space City Home Network. Welcome
in to the simulcast for those of you who are
viewers in addition to listeners, He's wex I'm a ste
Cole Thompson with you all until six o'clock tonight. One
hour already in the books, we had a conversation with
Astro's relief pitcher and true lefty Bennett Susa. You'll know

(41:42):
what I mean when you go back and listen to
the podcast if you miss that one. We've also talked
a ton about both the NBA Finals, the Astros getting
walked off last night in that opener of a four
game set out in Sacramento against the A's, and of
course Kevin Durant, which is the story that will not die,
not go away, and probably won't just because well, the

(42:03):
Rockets are one of the teams involved until he lands somewhere,
which I think we're getting closer and closer to, especially
as the draft approaches a week from tomorrow night. I
think it's going to be done before the draft. Don't
know that, but that's just my gut. And you know,
wex you were laying out the scenarios and where he

(42:23):
wants to go versus what's best for the team trading
him in Phoenix, and I think it was funny yesterday
some of the things that were out there were that, hey,
Phoenix wasn't exactly bowled over by some of the trade
offers that they were getting. Well, yeah, I mean, if
Phoenix is going around thinking that they should ask for
the Amen Thompsons of the world, and you know, pick

(42:45):
any top tier player on some of these teams that
they're tied to. As far as being in negotiations with
the potential trade, I get it, you got to aim high.
But there's aiming high and then there's ridiculous. But what
did they exactly expect a guy that's going to be
thirty seven this season, who is injury prone at this point.

Speaker 4 (43:04):
I think they expected a team to be aggressive and say,
hey man, we want him, and here's what you can have.
And I think there might be a couple of teams
like that. Houston's not one of them, right, And I
think that's pretty clear based on all of the reporting
we've heard and the things that we know ourselves and
the things we've told you, they can win without him.
The Thunder, I mean, the Timberwolves, well clearly they think

(43:26):
they can get at least to the Western Conference Finals
without them. They've done it twice already. Everybody else is different,
everybody else is different. The Spurs could just decide to
continue building and just take the player that they're going
to draft this year. They have two lottery picks, just
continue to build. Maybe there's a veteran player to add
with Castle and Diaron Fox and Victor and just keep

(43:48):
trying to, I don't know, be in the top ten
in the West, which they haven't been able to do
in either year. After landing the number one pick in
the draft, Miami so far away from winning. Kevin Durant's
not going to change that the Clippers. Kevin Durant might
make them a more viable Western Conference team, but they
were pretty viable this year once everybody that they wanted

(44:08):
to be healthy was and they're not getting any younger,
so I can't imagine that's too appealing. And I don't
know what assets really are appealing on the trade side
of it. Toronto's name keep's getting thrown around, and I
don't really know why. No way they can win there
with him or without him, and they don't have the
assets necessary to I think entertain Phoenix at all. Maybe
they're involved because they're a third team. Still don't know

(44:31):
how Durant ends up on their team. That's what's different
about each and every one of these so called trade partners.
But where the Rockets sit is in a very good position.
They're trading from a position of strength, Minnesota is trading
from a position of strength, and if no trade is made,
they're still strong.

Speaker 5 (44:47):
Again.

Speaker 4 (44:48):
This separates them from everybody involved in these trade talks.
Nobody else is liked that but those two teams. And
if they want to be patient, not only in maybe
passing on Durant because they're unwilling to reach the price
that it takes for Phoenix to say yes, that doesn't
mean they're not going to try to do something else.

Speaker 5 (45:06):
Splashy.

Speaker 4 (45:07):
Kevin Durant's not the only presumed available player under contract
this offseason. If you make a play for Kevin Durant
probably precludes you from doing much else big And then
you have to say, well, well, what if it doesn't work,
what have we done to set ourselves back? You know,
how much of fixing this can they do? Can they
fix it at all? If you trade for Kevin Durant,

(45:29):
you pay him fifty five million this year thereabouts, You've
traded some assets to get him, You've given him his
two year, one hundred and twenty million dollar ish extension,
and now he's under contract for fifty sixty sixty two
million over the next three years. What if it doesn't work?
And you know, that during year one or two. How
do you fix it? What are your options then, what
are the assets you still have? And doesn't he have

(45:52):
to be a part of your team regardless. So those
are the things a good team like Minnesota and Houston
still has to weigh into it, which.

Speaker 5 (45:58):
Means there's only so much there will to part with.

Speaker 4 (46:01):
Houston also has that other part of this whole scenario
that's different from everybody else. Minnesota cannot offer Phoenix their
picks back. None of those teams can. Houston can. The
only team that controls the Sun's picks and where they
land pre lottery, Well, it's Phoenix and the way they play,
and if they'd like to get them back, and I'm
not so sure that they're dead set on that. If

(46:22):
they're entertaining some of these other offers, like we want
Rudy Gobert here so we can compete while Devin Booker
is still in or close to his prime. They don't
seem like they have much of a care to get
to the top of a lottery with their own pick.
And clearly there's two different things. You're trading for Rudy,
you're not trading for picks also, but those are very

(46:45):
very different paths. If you're trying to read the mind
of their GM and read the mind of Ishbia, their owner,
what is it that they're really after, because the best
deal could still be two totally different answers.

Speaker 3 (46:56):
Well, I just my gut at this point kind of
tells me maybe this is not the way to go.
And here's why. I understand that a lot of people
think that the Rockets need to do something, and I'm
one of them. I'm not saying that they should just
you know, go with the same approach they have the
last few off seasons. They've already taken one really good step,

(47:19):
and that's locking up Steven Adams.

Speaker 5 (47:21):
Like, I, is it possible he was under right Trant's friend. Yeah,
well I know, but that doesn't What's that the only
reason they resigned him? Everybody? That's it?

Speaker 4 (47:30):
Yeah, he hardly played last year. He was not a factor.
I don't even know what double big means, never heard
of it, never seen. It's not because he's Kd's buddy,
You're just like, thirty nine million dollars are worth of friendship.

Speaker 3 (47:41):
Yeah, if if they were just wrapping him up because
of that.

Speaker 4 (47:45):
Royal Ivy let him go coach anywhere he wants whoa whoa,
whoa whoa. He's really good friends with KD. We'll retain
him then.

Speaker 3 (47:52):
Too, Well, now we know why they wouldn't let the
Knicks talk to im a Udoka.

Speaker 5 (47:55):
He's got a great relationship with KD. He coached him,
didn't he sweet?

Speaker 7 (47:59):
So?

Speaker 3 (48:00):
But like I think the Rockets if they're off season,
is not getting Kevin Durant and addressing whatever shortcomings. I mean,
free throws are one of them. You can't really do that.
How do you want him to address that? Go get
go out and trade for a better free throw shooter. No,
but they if they address, like if he would help,

(48:23):
maybe Jalen does get traded, but it's not for Kevin Durant.
Maybe it's you know, a different deal that we don't
even know is out there. If you bring in a
guy who is a better defender and a better shooter
than Jalen Green to play the two, are you going
to be that upset Rockets fans if you didn't get
Kevin Durant or you didn't get Yannis, Because.

Speaker 4 (48:40):
Well, now I would ask other Desmond banned who they're
not going to get.

Speaker 5 (48:45):
Now right, you don't think Orlando would do it.

Speaker 4 (48:48):
I mean, who do you think that who plays the
better defense at the two and is a better player
at the two that you think is gettable and why
would they then flip him for a two?

Speaker 3 (48:58):
Well, in this case, this specific scenario, usually it's a
guy that is either a good player to great player,
or a good player that could be a great player
a la James Harden on a not that great team,
which wasn't the case with James Harden. They were just
coming off of finals appearance. Or it's it's somebody who

(49:20):
maybe is on a good team and is disgruntled forever
whatever reason, like a Donovan Mitchell was at one point,
and I don't know who.

Speaker 5 (49:27):
That is out there. That's the problem.

Speaker 3 (49:29):
The guy that's disgruntled right now at the top of
this list is Kevin Durant, Like there's nobody that's more
disgruntled than him in the NBA right now, right or
at least it's gonna be moved.

Speaker 4 (49:39):
It's just paints him in a he's not happy in Phoenix,
right But it's more about they just put this team
together to win. They have all the information they need.
We are not going to win with this team they're
moving in because they can't win with the team as
it's constructed. As much as he's out there demanding a trade,
we haven't even heard that being said.

Speaker 5 (50:01):
We're going to.

Speaker 3 (50:02):
The room being toxic last year, and that would that
played into some of the trade rumors at the deadline
that things weren't.

Speaker 4 (50:10):
Toxic because they're talented and lose, not because Kevin Durant
made it toxic or Devin Booker included everybody's name in
the statement I've not yet finished. Like, calling it toxic
is stupid and lazy. I mean, whoever did that initially
is stupid and lazy. It's it's it's not toxic for
any reason other than they stink. They go out there

(50:31):
and play thirty five minutes a night with all star Booker,
all Star Durant and lose and get their teeth kicked
in every night. That's why it's quote unquote not a
good locker room because they're losing these Devin Booker is
not a toxic player. Kevin Durant is not a toxic player,
even though he's played in multiple situations with multiple stars
and it hasn't always led to extreme winning. But it's

(50:52):
because they're not winning, like it's so simple.

Speaker 5 (50:56):
He it seems simple. Did he ever demand a trade
even like me?

Speaker 4 (51:00):
Because he's being moved because everybody involved knows we've got
three players that should be winning. Bradley Beal has a
ridiculous contract for the quality of player he is, even
though some of his numbers actually weren't as bad as
people think last year from a shooting perspective. Devin Booker
is the youngest of them that we want to keep
and build around, so they've said. And Kevin Durant is

(51:21):
not just the oldest, he's the oldest significant player in
the whole league by a lot. So he can't come
back at their salary he's making because they're not going
to all of a sudden start winning with him, because
there's no other way to put a team around him.

Speaker 3 (51:37):
Things can get toxic and locker rooms for the reasons
besides we're not winning. Yeah, if Draymond's in it, well
that's one. But like, think about the team we're talking
about here. They made a finals run, and then they
added Kevin Durant, and then they added Bradley Beal and
they stopped winning as much that can in and of
itself be a toxic element, even though it's you know,

(51:58):
lends itself to the not winning that you're talking about.

Speaker 4 (52:00):
Would you go any higher than that? Like they changed coaches,
they changed.

Speaker 3 (52:05):
Owners, and the old owner was a bag of you
know what, and that's why he's out. Uh and the
ripple effects of that are still.

Speaker 5 (52:13):
Being felt, I think, so. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (52:14):
So I it's there's a lot that plays into it.
And I'm not saying Kevin Durant to toxic guy. I
don't think he is. I think he would be great
in this locker room here in Houston. I've always thought
he was a good locker room guy unless he was
with Draymond, and that's Draymond's fault. But yeah, we will
get to uh more of this because well, one of
the sources that we do trust on this topic did

(52:35):
make a statement about it today. At any time there's
a new statement from somebody we trust, we'll absolutely hear
from them, and we'll do that next.

Speaker 1 (52:43):
The A teen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (52:53):
Is the A team Sports Talks seven ninety Space City
Home Network.

Speaker 5 (52:57):
Uh, don't worry, because I know you're waiting for it.

Speaker 3 (53:01):
Not just the Joe A spot of replay coming up
in the next segment, but also the fact that someone
was being he was saying less than savory things about
our beloved CJ Stroud on the mean streets of social media.
And so at the top of the hour we will
catch up with Peter Bukowski, who did not like the

(53:22):
fact that I didn't say it to his face when
I called him an idiot and said some other disparaging
things about him. So he'll join us on the phone
lines at four o'clock to both have me say that
figuratively to his face and also explain himself with his
very very narrow casting of why Bryce Young is better
than c J. Stroud based on a very specific stretch

(53:43):
of games from last season. I know you are going
to love that segment, WEX. I can't wait to watch
your eye rolls and count them actually on television during
that segment coming up.

Speaker 5 (53:53):
At the top of the hour.

Speaker 3 (53:54):
All right, let's get back to the Kdie conversation, because, well,
let's face it, the Rockets are one of four five
teams he could realistically wind up on their roster by
the draft. I'm gonna call that now. I think he's
going to wherever he's going before the draft. I just
want to start there.

Speaker 8 (54:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (54:11):
We've talked about that a couple times already today, because
it seems very reasonable. There's three or four teams with
picks in this draft, the Rockets potentially being one of them,
that will in order to secure that pick and make
it as our own and operate with that pick and
our kiddy, well, they need to make the deal before
the draft rather than wait till after. So yes, and
people in Arizona, people in Phoenix are reporting the same thing.

(54:32):
Their sources inside the building indicate they would prefer to
have this done in advance of next Wednesday's opening round.

Speaker 5 (54:39):
People helping people.

Speaker 4 (54:40):
It would help the Phoenix Suns re establish themselves as
a factor in the Western Conference and in the NBA
if they could go ahead and get that done before
the draft.

Speaker 7 (54:50):
All right.

Speaker 3 (54:50):
So, having said that, there are certain names that when
they weigh in on certain situations like this one, you
probably pay attention more than maybe others, and Shams is
at the top of that list. He's the new Woj.
Shams is the new Ooj? Is that fair to say
he replaced him?

Speaker 7 (55:05):
So?

Speaker 3 (55:05):
Yes, yeah, but you don't replace a guy like that,
you have to at least be on that.

Speaker 4 (55:11):
Sort of level, and I would say it either way. Yeah,
but like I mean, he is on his level. These
are big news breaking items that he has. He's been
very good. But it's the reason he is there. That's
what he is him.

Speaker 3 (55:25):
If it were a lesser quote replacement, it wouldn't be
the same. I mean, this is the best guy you
could have slid into that spot.

Speaker 5 (55:32):
Yeah, because he's better. Ouch.

Speaker 4 (55:34):
Well, here's what he had to say earlier today with
our good friend pat em.

Speaker 10 (55:38):
The rockets in the heat are more realistic right now. Houston, Miami,
Minnesota a little bit more motivated, and there's a couple
of the wild Car teams just a little bit more motivated. Potentially,
San Antonio has got a ton of flexibility. They first
of all, they've got Victorian Yama, potentially the future face
of the NBA. You have darreon Fox, you know the

(55:59):
number two picking the draft, you have the number fourteenth
pick in the draft. They have their first round picks
moving forward. But what the other teams are offering is
just a little bit more aggressive.

Speaker 4 (56:09):
It's the same type of wording, but with different teams
at the front of the line. Yes, the Windhorse used
the other day, aggressive and motivated are essentially in this scenario,
they're the same thing.

Speaker 5 (56:20):
And realistic, he said realistic.

Speaker 4 (56:22):
Minnesota was the team that Brian Windhorst yesterday said was
the most motivated. I eat aggressive and trying to make
this pursuit happen. They have to fight against the he
doesn't want to be here. And then Shams is giving
you two other teams that he believes are the most motivated,
and in this case, one of them is Houston.

Speaker 3 (56:40):
So when he says the most realistic, and he says,
I mean realistic, saying it is one thing and then
attaching the team's names to it that we've been talking
about is another. I the heat to me, and you
even said this, what are they giving up to get him?

Speaker 4 (56:56):
Well, I'll answer that and we'll probably where If I'm
the other team, I have to get him, and I'm
not even in love with him, but I don't have
anything else on their roster to get. And it absolutely
makes me ill to think people believe some of the
stuff that's written when they say Andrew Wiggins is a
possibility here. How many more teams is he going to
play on and not be able to be a useful

(57:18):
enough player to help you win games to understand this player.
But this is Kevin Durant. You're moving away from Kevin Durant,
and I know you have no leverage, but more.

Speaker 5 (57:29):
Teams are on the phone than the Miami Heat.

Speaker 4 (57:32):
You cannot get Andrew Wiggins back in return unless you
also make sure the Rockets keep all of your picks,
because they'll remain awesome to have. If Wiggins and Booker
are leading the Phoenix Suns moving forward, They're not gonna
win a whole lot with where either immediately, but that
could be somebody they build around, but then have the
Heats draft picks or picks that they control, have they

(57:56):
become valuable in some form or fashion, might need to
be a part of the deal. For the same reason
people keep throwing Fred van Vliet's name out and obviously
Jalen Green's name out. There is a monetary aspect if
we're only dealing with two teams here, so throwing Duncan
Robinson's name and throwing Andrew Wiggins name there. I get
the financial You've got to have some way to equal

(58:17):
a fifty four plus million that Durant is under contract for.
But you're basically trading for players that can't help you
in any way. They just have to make a bunch
of money, and you're not gonna be able to turn
around and flip them somewhere else. So why are you
on the phone with Miami at all? When San Antonio, Houston,
and Minnesota at the very least can all offer you more,

(58:38):
even if they're hesitant to go all in, Like the
Rockets could go fifty percent in and say you can't
have any of your picks. You can have one of
our rotation players and we'll give you a different pick
that we have or we control that isn't one of yours,
and it's still.

Speaker 3 (58:53):
A better offer in Miami. Yeah, everybody can actually do that.
And here's another aspect of this. Wouldn't you agree well
this way? Wouldn't you lean more towards this being the case,
this being a scenario regardless of where Kevin Durant ends
up landing. I feel like a third team's gonna get
involved in whatever deal ends up materializing.

Speaker 5 (59:15):
And that might be true.

Speaker 4 (59:17):
The other part of it that I didn't say about
Miami is you can't win, Kevin.

Speaker 5 (59:23):
Why do you sound like Rocky? You're never you can't.
How are you gonna win it with the heat?

Speaker 4 (59:28):
I mean, I like you a lot, and I think
you're gonna play well for at least two more years,
hopefully three, for whatever team that lands you. But they're
not a good team. They weren't a good team before
the Butler deal. They're not a good team after the
Butler deal. Whatever it costs them to get you is
going to make them even worse.

Speaker 3 (59:45):
Correct, And that's that part right there is very See
that's where Durant's camp is.

Speaker 4 (59:52):
I can say, looking for a retirement, I don't want
to live in Miami, so I want to go to Miami.
My life will be better because I've I've He've been
on the grind for thirty or for fifteen NBA years
after and I want to coast into retirement by enjoying
my NBA life, by calling South Beach home.

Speaker 3 (01:00:09):
But isn't that the most interesting aspect of the reports
we've heard about him saying he's not interested in playing
in Minnesota. We know why you're not interested in playing there,
And it has nothing to do with the roster. Has
everything to do with the fact that it's like thirty
below for nine months out.

Speaker 5 (01:00:23):
Of the year. That's fair. But Miami, San Antonio, Houston,
I mean, they all have good weather. But you know,
it's super reasonably nice cities. You know what else is
you can have one of them for sure. Yeah, but
you know what.

Speaker 3 (01:00:36):
Else was thirty below nine months out of the year Chicago,
And that never stopped people from wanting to go play
with Michael Jordan or go play on good teams. It's
never stopped players not wanting to go play for the
Knicks in New York.

Speaker 5 (01:00:48):
It's the owner there.

Speaker 4 (01:00:49):
Other than wild card wild man Dennis Rodman. I mean,
who went to play in Chicago with him? I mean,
I think it's nobody.

Speaker 3 (01:00:57):
Right, Well, I didn't really have to go get free
agents because they just drafted two greats.

Speaker 4 (01:01:03):
Chicago's also a better sports in Chicago's like one of
the best cities in America.

Speaker 7 (01:01:06):
I don't.

Speaker 5 (01:01:07):
I mean, I'm not trying to down Minnesota.

Speaker 11 (01:01:09):
Well, name the last time that Minnesota won anything nineteen
ninety three.

Speaker 5 (01:01:12):
That doesn't matter. It matters what they are today.

Speaker 4 (01:01:15):
Still a losing franchise, still lose. They're not a losing
franchise or a losing city. They are the second best
team in the West two years running. That's the only
thing that matters. None of that stuff matters history, legacy.
I mean, that doesn't have any impact on current Kevin
Durant's thoughts, like I'm not going to go to Minnesota
because the Timberwolves have never won an NBA championship.

Speaker 5 (01:01:35):
It doesn't make any sense. I'm trying part of it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:37):
I don't remember if it was the Athletic or I
don't know which entity I was reading and they were taught.
I think it was the Athletic where they were talking
about part of the reason Durant didn't want to play
there was because of that, and that they are trying
to Again, what you're saying is true. They're the best team,
one of the best two teams in the West two
years running. That is super recency bias. But that new ownership,

(01:01:58):
now that they actually know who the new owners are
going to be, and it's going to happen like the
NBA board is going to approve the ownership of whoever
the other guy is and the guy who likes to
kiss himself in the mirror with purple lipt like Kiss's
purple lips. Alex Rodriguez that that they one of their
main objectives even now with this two time Western Conference

(01:02:21):
Finals going team, is to change the perception of the
Timberwolves around the NBA because a lot of players feel
the way. Supposedly, Kevin Durant feels, I don't want to
go play there. Even if they have Ant, it.

Speaker 5 (01:02:33):
Makes no sense. I agree.

Speaker 4 (01:02:35):
All they've done is they traded a bunch of picks
to get better.

Speaker 5 (01:02:39):
By landing Rudy Gobert. It worked.

Speaker 4 (01:02:41):
They traded away Karl Anthony Towns because they thought they
could be better.

Speaker 5 (01:02:45):
They weren't worse.

Speaker 4 (01:02:46):
They were in the exact same spot, and now as
the second quote unquote second best team in the West,
they're pursuing Kevin Durant to pair with the best player
on any team that's involved in trade talks, better than
Weemen and Yama, the best player on any team involved
in these trade talks. And Kevin Duran has a common
NBA negative vibe about Minnesota's history.

Speaker 5 (01:03:09):
It's not my words, it's the athletics. I'd love to
read that quote. All right, we'll find it for you.

Speaker 3 (01:03:13):
But in the meantime, we will catch up with the
skipper of your hometown. Nine Astros taking one on the
chin late last night out on the West Coast in
walk off fashion. Joe spots reaction to that and more
earlier today here on the station, your home for Astros Baseball.

Speaker 5 (01:03:28):
When we return.

Speaker 1 (01:03:30):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:03:40):
It is the eight team Sports Talk seven ninety Space
City home network. Astros three to one losers last night
in walk off fashion and in that vein spot Astro's
manager joining the station earlier today for his weekly visit,
and the first question out of the gate you're gonna
hear right here is well, any of these games have

(01:04:01):
gone down to that final swing much like what Wex
was talking about earlier in the show, and we ran
that by Bennett Susan when he joined us in the
first hour. These games are very very tightly contested and
U Joe spot A responding to that question earlier today.

Speaker 9 (01:04:17):
You know, for for me, I look at the positive match.
You know, when you when you play low scoring.

Speaker 7 (01:04:22):
Games, there's a lot of things that you do.

Speaker 9 (01:04:24):
You have to do really well to be able to
stay in the game and have a chance to win
it at the end, Like we've been doing.

Speaker 7 (01:04:31):
One thing that this team does very well.

Speaker 9 (01:04:33):
We're good coming from behind right like we we we
we played hard till the end. So you know, we
are doing a really good job pitching and we're playing
some really really good defense. If you do those two things,
you're going to find yourself in every ballgame they hit,
you know, the hitting kind of go goes and goes
throughout throughout the season.

Speaker 7 (01:04:50):
It happens. You know, we ran into some some good arms.

Speaker 9 (01:04:53):
Yesterday we were able to score on a run, but
we were we were closed. We were one heat away
from opening the game up and winning that ball game.

Speaker 7 (01:05:01):
But for me, uh, it's I'm going to look at
the bright side of things man.

Speaker 9 (01:05:06):
You know, Gusto asking him the night before a you
we need you to pitch tomorrow, he said, Joe, let's go.

Speaker 7 (01:05:12):
I'm ready to go. He goes out, He points out.

Speaker 9 (01:05:14):
Five eight in five innings. Those are positive man, our defense.
You know, we we're grinding through some of our bats
and eventually, you know we're going to open things up.

Speaker 7 (01:05:24):
But I really really like the way we are playing
right now on both sides of the ball skip.

Speaker 5 (01:05:28):
You gotch partis back. You DHD him yesterday.

Speaker 12 (01:05:31):
How much DH how much they're base do you want
to see or do you feel like you can put
get it back out there at some point in the
field this weekend.

Speaker 7 (01:05:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:05:38):
So, so he'll play their base today, and we are
you know, I'm monitoring really close.

Speaker 7 (01:05:44):
I want to be careful on how much volume.

Speaker 9 (01:05:49):
We give them right off the bat. We were very
lucky for that injury, you know, not to be something
that will keep him out of the lineup for a
long period of time, and I want to make sure
stayed that way. But he is playing third base today
and will continue to keep an eye on him and
the rest of the boys since we are in a
pretty long stretch of games here.

Speaker 12 (01:06:09):
Joe spotted with us here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Christian Walker had that big three hit game a few
games ago. Since then has slowed down a bit. What
are your conversations like been with him? Just take us
from maybe the start of the season to the struggles
and to where he is now, especially mentally.

Speaker 9 (01:06:26):
You know what, mentally, he's super mentally tough. I think
the mindset of Christian Walker is one of someone that
understands that.

Speaker 7 (01:06:36):
You know, the the journey of how long the season is.

Speaker 9 (01:06:40):
And the ups and downs that come with with with
playing in an atmosphere where you're expected to win, and
he understands that. I do like the fact that he
is open about how he feels.

Speaker 7 (01:06:54):
He's open about like sometimes he finds himself trying to
do a little bit too.

Speaker 9 (01:06:58):
Much, and you know he is working every single day
through mechanically trying to get himself right. And we see
moments where we okay, he is fully out of this,
and then there's a game or two where he hits
some balls where he's unlucky, and you see his frustration

(01:07:19):
at times, like, man, I just need to get a
couple of knocks and and get going here. But he's
added to it. It's good we get him an off
day two days ago.

Speaker 7 (01:07:28):
He came out yesterdays from the bat well, got a knock.
They pictured him really tough, which I expect him to.

Speaker 9 (01:07:34):
He's you know, hitting behind uh hitting in the middle
of a lineup. But you know, at the end of
the day, I think this, I think he's going to
have a solid season for us. It's a lot of
baseball left and I expect him to get.

Speaker 7 (01:07:44):
Going here and we need him to get going. He's
a big, huge part of our of our lineup.

Speaker 12 (01:07:48):
Would Luis giarmany be your dark horse in a team
high jumping competition.

Speaker 7 (01:07:55):
Well, great play.

Speaker 9 (01:07:56):
You know, in the dugout we started, we started talking
to Peret, we started looking with Parentis.

Speaker 7 (01:08:01):
He's like, you think he could have made that play?

Speaker 13 (01:08:03):
Uh?

Speaker 7 (01:08:04):
And and he's like, Joe, of course I could make
that play.

Speaker 1 (01:08:07):
I don't know, I don't know.

Speaker 7 (01:08:10):
Yeah, I'll tell you.

Speaker 5 (01:08:12):
That was Joe. He went like twenty five feet to
left field. That's way too far for him to go
out to the left field.

Speaker 14 (01:08:17):
Isn't it.

Speaker 9 (01:08:19):
Yeah, But he's like, he's like, you know, I thought
that he could make that play.

Speaker 7 (01:08:23):
But you know one thing about g Yomy, It's something he's.

Speaker 9 (01:08:26):
Done his entire career is he can really defend everywhere
you put him on in the unfield, he can really
make some place he take pride, so he takes.

Speaker 7 (01:08:34):
Fighting his defense. And he made those two play bare
hand slow rollers, which.

Speaker 9 (01:08:39):
You know kept us from you know, innings to get
out of control air for Gusto. So I really feel
comfortable when he's playing defense, and he'll give.

Speaker 7 (01:08:49):
You some cally at bats when he's in there.

Speaker 4 (01:08:52):
I can't imagine that they expected to get that, even
though what Joe said is. That is what he has done,
and he did do that with the Mets right hand
full of years. Little bit of opportunity recently with Atlanta
and LA but not much same thing with Arizona, and
obviously this is the first opportunity here with Houston. He
was with them in spring training, did not get a
call up at any other point in the season. They

(01:09:13):
are essentially in dire straits with how many injuries they
have to players that would otherwise be a part of
their position player group. But he made four spectacular plays,
not just four pretty good plays. Four spectacular plays and
the one that's getting talked about the least I thought
many presumed would help the Astros win the game in
the ninth inning when he got that throw from Cam

(01:09:34):
Smith play at third base in the eighth inning came
off the bag. His ability to catch transfer and throw
an absolute dart to Jeremy Payne at second base for Soderstrom,
who was sliding into the base at the time. That
allowed them to get the final out, and on review
they got that call correct and that got him out
of the inning. Instead of having runners on second and

(01:09:55):
third with and that bat to go with two outs,
the inning ends he was fantastic defense. He does swing
from the left side. He gives you positional infield flexibility.
He can play second, short or third, and someone last
night when I posted he made four defensive great defensive
plays last night said he should have been here all
year now. He can't hit, but he does bat from

(01:10:16):
the left side. He can play second, short, and third,
and Brendan Rodgers also can't hit, can only play second
and bats like everybody else from the right side.

Speaker 5 (01:10:29):
I mean, you.

Speaker 4 (01:10:29):
Probably could make a case that even though they're gonna
deliver you a less than six hundred or around six
hundred ops, there probably is some sound reasoning to why
maybe Guillorme could have had a role earlier or might
continue to have a role when when some guys come back.
The real problem is he's Dubond and he's only playing
because Dubon's playing for somebody else, because somebody else is hurt,

(01:10:52):
and he's only playing because somebody else is hurt. I mean,
these are guys three and four slots down the here's
our reserve utility man.

Speaker 5 (01:10:58):
Well, they're all currently on the roster.

Speaker 3 (01:11:00):
And that scenario you just right there is what's way
more frustrating about last night's lost than the way they
lost or anything else. Those defensive plays you're talking about
and the fact that the Astros were riding a winning
streak despite those injuries you just got done talking about.
I mean, we're getting we're being greedy, but it is

(01:11:23):
the A's and I know they have young talent and
all that kind of stuff. Astros should have won that game.

Speaker 4 (01:11:27):
Last Astros were on their longest winning streak of the season.
The A's are now currently on their longest winning streak.
The season snapped the Astros five gamer. They're currently on
a four gamer. They're obviously that far under five hundred,
so winning five in a row would be pretty monstrous
for them. And yes, we did hear Joe a spot
as say. Hopefully you heard him as well. Not only
has Esak Perez returned to their lineup as he did

(01:11:48):
last night as a designated hitter, he will now return
and play third base tonight as they take on the A's.
Yet again, we left you with some thoughts about Kevin
Durant and how much I guess playing in an awful
place like Minnesota sucks. We'll revisit that if you missed
it when we come.

Speaker 1 (01:12:05):
Back the eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:12:21):
It is the eighteen Sports Talks seven ninety Space City
Home Network. Where will Kevin Durant play next season? And,
by the way, wex not just next season. Do you
agree that regardless of where he lands, he'll sign an extension?

Speaker 5 (01:12:39):
No, I don't agree.

Speaker 3 (01:12:40):
See I don't either. Everybody's acting as if that's like
a precursor for any deal to be made.

Speaker 5 (01:12:47):
It's definitely not. In my opinion, I think a deal
is gonna get made.

Speaker 4 (01:12:50):
From a Phoenix perspective, we don't care what he does,
and we don't if you don't want to trade for
him because you can't get an agreement from him and
Rich that he's going to sign an extension, yeah, then
I guess we can't pull the trigger on this deal.
But I don't think he's going to sign an extension
if he gets traded in Minnesota. I don't know that
Minnesota says we want him if they know he's not

(01:13:11):
signing an extension, because they're going to be giving up
tangible current rotation assets for a player who's going to
give him a chance to win one year and they
have to hope he wants to come back after that,
or they have to go through this whole thing all
over again and maybe engage in some sort of sign
and trade deal after that. I don't know that they're
up for that, considering they're really good without him. They

(01:13:31):
might be better with them, but maybe there's a different
avenue for them to take. I think with san Antonio
with Houston, and I don't really know what to say
about the other teams because.

Speaker 5 (01:13:41):
I don't really believe that they're real.

Speaker 4 (01:13:43):
I think with san Antonio and Houston, it's probably a
given that he would sign his extension, and very much
like Jimmy Butler went to Golden State, it was a
foregone conclusion. Everybody knew it was going to happen, and
it probably happens moments after that. Whenever the logistics of
the league year, etc. Or wherever it happens, it's gonna happen.
I just don't know that for sure. About Minnesota, I'm
wondering if this is what you guys were referring to

(01:14:05):
earlier when we were talking about not wanting to play
in a city without championships for some reason, and it
reads from the athletic with frigid winners, an old arena
and a thin resume of playoffs success. Prior to the
last couple of years, the Wolves have long been a
team that players around the league would look past. Is
that what you guys were referencing? The next line reads,

(01:14:28):
but there are signs that the times are changing in Minnesota.

Speaker 5 (01:14:31):
Keep reading you'll get to Alex Rodriguez. I think it's.

Speaker 4 (01:14:35):
Just my point is made with those two sentences, like
I could, I don't know what Kevin's thinking, and I
can't tell you what any individual player is thinking. I
can tell you it would make no sense for any player,
including Kevin, to think that unless there are I am
playing for a team that just got a new owner,
and I don't like it. I don't want to go

(01:14:55):
play for another team that just got a new owner
because I won't like that either. That has nothing to
do with their team's history, has nothing to do with
we can't win, has nothing to do with anything that
you know referencing this city and this team and this franchise. Now,
is he concerned about these other things that were pointed out?
I think it's fair to think that he might not
enjoy going to practice all bundled up because it's cold.

Speaker 5 (01:15:18):
I think it's.

Speaker 4 (01:15:18):
Reasonable to think I don't know how stable this situation is.
I guess I think it's actually more stable because of
the new ownership group and the thin resume of playoffs success.
It's written in such a way that it doesn't it
doesn't relate to where they actually are today. He's not
getting traded to Sam Cassel's Timberwolves. His teammate's not Latrelle's Freewell.

(01:15:39):
He's not playing alongside JR.

Speaker 5 (01:15:40):
Ryder.

Speaker 4 (01:15:41):
Christian Latner's not walking through that door. He's playing with
Anthony Edwards. He's playing for the back to back second
best team in the Western Conference, with a twenty three
year old superstar who worships him, who's been around him,
who has told him to his face when he wasn't
trash talking him, how much he loves him. That's that's
what I think. That's all that matters. Well, it is

(01:16:04):
a lot of what matters.

Speaker 3 (01:16:06):
But I also think that in the case of the Timberwolves,
you will have to give up something the other way.
And I realize who I'm talking to right now is
going to skew your reaction to this cause. If Rudy
Gobert goes back to Phoenix in a trade, you will
care whatever is less than zero.

Speaker 4 (01:16:26):
They'll have a hard time winning is as much as
they did in the regular season because it does change
the way they play. It won't impact them negatively in
the postseason at all.

Speaker 3 (01:16:34):
Well, then tell me this, what does a Minnesota trade
realistically look like as far as what they're sending to Phoenix.

Speaker 4 (01:16:41):
Well, the thing is Phoenix somehow, based on reports, Phoenix
thinks they can compete to whatever degree, compete for the playoffs.
I suppose if Rudy Gobert is paired with Devin Booker,
if they are focused on defense, and if Rudy's on
your team, you've become a much better defensive team overnight.
He does protect the rim, he makes it difficult to
drive it finish. That's not gonna go away just because

(01:17:02):
he's playing for a team that isn't very talented. It's
going to remain. I would again, I would love it
if Phoenix wants to do that, for it keeps Phoenix
out of the mix. And if they made this trade
with Minnesota, they didn't make it with you, So your
picks are still How well is Phoenix playing?

Speaker 5 (01:17:19):
And I just don't think they're gonna be very again. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:17:21):
No, I think the Rockets are in a win win
situation for that reason as much as anything else. What
you just described is what I would think would be
the case if Rudy Gobert went to say the Lakers
and Lebron and Luke are still there because now you
solve some of your defensive problems. You get what you
lost in Anthony Davis, but you're not depending on him
to do anything else other than that stuff.

Speaker 4 (01:17:42):
No, but he gets taken advantage of like having it
on the four in the postseason. That's why I said
he doesn't make a difference because teams just say, so
what if we play and switch and now he's eighteen
feet from the basket and I can just drive right
by him and everybody can score it because he's not
at the basket, Or what if we just push him around,
which every team does in the regular season. You're not
you don't game plan for teams. You're not locked in

(01:18:03):
on what do we have to do on a night
in a night out basis to this player on this team.

Speaker 5 (01:18:08):
That's why it changes in the postseason.

Speaker 4 (01:18:09):
It's why they couldn't win with him in other places
and I'm look how good they have to be. Like
he played with a pretty decent roster in Utah and
Donovan Mitchell. Clearly the roster in Minnesota's is incredible. They
have two players that can score at will, whether it
was Randall and Ant or it was Cat and Ant.
They have multiple other really good defensive players and Jane

(01:18:31):
McDaniels at the top of the list and reads not
far behind. So their talent level is what's taking there.
Their talent levels making them play great defense. It's not
only Rudy that's doing that there.

Speaker 3 (01:18:42):
I think Rudy and a nas Red or you know,
some of those guys you're mentioning are going back in
that deal. And that's that's where you become like the
see that's the scenario where if the Rockets were to
engage in a Yiannis deal, you're talking about the same thing. Okay, well,
Yannis and we paired him with them and Thompson, But

(01:19:03):
how much did we have to give up to get them?
Did we get better really doing this? And I think
the Minnesota Timberwolves and the team, the core of the
team that has taken into the Western Conference Finals two
years in a row. Even if it has Anthony Edwards
and it includes Kevin Durant. That's not all it takes,
especially in the West.

Speaker 4 (01:19:22):
Yeah, different teams have to give up a lot of
what made them who they are. And these players you're
talking about, we can see it now. I think everybody's
following along closely and accurately. The trade hall for Phoenix
for Kevin Durant is in a totally different ballpark, a
tiny minor league exhibition ballpark compared to what it takes
to get together with Milwaukee and trade for Yannis. That

(01:19:43):
is the shrine of all major league ballparks. We're making
the analogies the best place you've ever been. The Rockets
not gutting the team for Durant versus borderline gutting the
team for Jannis. It's just totally different scenario. Jannie is
he's better and younger.

Speaker 3 (01:20:00):
You feel like Giannis isn't getting traded because we're hearing
nothing about it right now.

Speaker 4 (01:20:03):
No, because everybody's focused on the domino that they know
is going to fall first.

Speaker 5 (01:20:08):
But it's not.

Speaker 4 (01:20:11):
He's not a fallback option for these teams, though he
might be a fallback option for Houston, might be a
fallback option for San Antonio. Minnesota's not trading for Yannis.
Miami's not trading for Giannis. The Clippers, the Raptors, they're
not trading for Jannis. They I don't know how they could.
The Rockets and Spurs could. Yeah, yeah, I the thunder
could I see the thunder?

Speaker 5 (01:20:31):
Is that? That's that real? You're talking about dark horse
in all this stuff?

Speaker 3 (01:20:36):
What if they win the title and then they did, like, oh, okay,
win the title.

Speaker 5 (01:20:42):
They will win the they will win the title.

Speaker 3 (01:20:44):
That part's happening, all right. Coming up at the top
of the hour, I'm gonna fight with a podcast host
about c J. Stroud. That's next.

Speaker 1 (01:20:54):
The A on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong Houston
sports guys named Adam talking your team so very Adam
Clinton and Adam Wexler harr the A Team.

Speaker 3 (01:21:17):
Four o'clock Our underway here on Sports Talk seven ninety
Space City Home Network. It is the A Team, wex
Ac and Cole Thompson with you until six o'clock tonight.

Speaker 5 (01:21:28):
All right.

Speaker 3 (01:21:28):
Earlier today, I was browsing the mean streets of x
formerly known as Twitter. I saw everybody was upset about something.
I don't even remember how I came across this, but
it was a post by Peter Bukowski.

Speaker 5 (01:21:41):
Oh are you the one that posted this? Col Oh
that's right.

Speaker 8 (01:21:44):
You did.

Speaker 3 (01:21:45):
Okay, See I forget I've slept since then, No, I
really have, And sometimes I forget how it all starts
because I get so caught up in going down the
path that it takes me so Peter Bukowski, who is
a co founder of the Leap.

Speaker 5 (01:22:00):
He hosts the Lockdown.

Speaker 3 (01:22:01):
Packers podcast, among other things, he wrote the following, I
don't know who needs to hear this, but from week
eight on last year, Bryce Young outproduced CJ. Stroud in
every efficiency metric we care about, and it wasn't particularly close.
The quote it was a bad situation. Excuse falls apart
pretty fast when you think about it that way. And

(01:22:24):
of course immediately Texans fans are like hopping on they
want to go after this guy, and he, to Peter's credit,
I think he responded to every single person who called
him out on this, including me, and he joins us
on the phone right now because I said the following,
I don't know who needs to hear this, but Peter

(01:22:44):
Bukowski is an attention starved idiot carry on with your
Tuesday and just be aware that lesser minds like this
are wasting your precious oxygen. And Peter comes right back
and he says, you have four hours a day to
talk and couldn't find ten minutes to actually say this
to me on air.

Speaker 5 (01:23:00):
Pretty lame behavior.

Speaker 3 (01:23:01):
So I wanted to rectify that, Peter, and get you
on the air and have you explain yourself because I
think as I and I'll let you talk obviously and
say your piece. But as I was looking at the
responses to this, I think the overwhelming sentiment from Texans
fans was that A you were taking a small sample
size of the season, and b you were ignoring the

(01:23:23):
fact that he had offensive line issues to make your point.
At least that's the very cliffs notes version of what
I saw, just kind of perusing a little bit.

Speaker 14 (01:23:34):
Well, So that's that's interesting because I think you're right,
that is that is the been the response from Texans fans.
The point that I was making was not about Bryce
Young being better than CJ. Shroud, which I do not
believe is true. In fact, I watched closely as CJ.
Stroud has become a much better quarterback than Bryce Young,

(01:23:54):
which is particularly of interest to me covering the Green
Bay Packers, because that fact helps the Bears get Caleb Williams.
Because if the Panthers had taken CJ. Stroud, the Bears
inherit not the number one overall pick. They don't get
to take Caleb Williams, and Justin Fields might still be
their quarterbacks. So let's just start there for a second.
Because I got called a Bryce Young fanboy and all

(01:24:15):
that stuff, it's not about that. I actually think Bryce Young.
I'd never bought it and still don't buy it. What
I was really trying to get at, and this offensive
line question is exactly why I mentioned this. I thought
the Carolina Panthers had the worst offensive roster in the
league last year, and I did not think it was
particularly close. Adam Zelin as your number one receiver is

(01:24:39):
a flat out joke, And if you look up and
down that roster, there's just no talent there. And so
when I see the excuses being made for CJ. Stroud's season,
which was much worse than anyone seems willing to admit,
I just I find the excuses that are made for him.
Oh the bad offensive coordinator. I think Bobby Sloak was

(01:24:59):
bad thought he deserved to be fired. When you have
Nico Collins for most of the season, when you have
Tank Dell for most of the season, when you have
Stefan Digs for half of the season, it just the
excuses fall away to me when I look at the
second half of the year, and that just dumpster fire
that Bryce Young was in and saw that if you
look at things like EPA per play and completion percentage

(01:25:22):
and those times it's success rate, those kinds of metrics,
Bryce Young was materially better than c J. Shroud. In fact,
out of twenty two qualified quarterbacks, TJ. Shroud was the
second least efficient quarterback in the league in the second
half of the season. I just don't think circumstance is
an excuse.

Speaker 3 (01:25:38):
Yeah, and I see what you're saying as far as
you know, if you're looking at Bryce Young's season, But
I mean the if you want to call him excuses,
if you want to call whatever you want to call them,
I mean CJ was dealing with not only I mean,
it's the worst offensive line in football I thought last year,
and it was a worse offensive line with the same

(01:26:00):
personnel last year than it was in his rookie season,
because what I think what really bugged me was that
people would make the lazy take. You know, it's hits
his sophomore slump, you know, like it's just like that
and there's nothing to it. They're just that's that's a
that's a moniker they're giving him because he's not putting
up the numbers he put up his rookie year. You know,

(01:26:22):
we've got tape on this guy now, that kind of thing,
And I'm like, well, no, I mean even if you're
like you argued he held onto the ball too much
and that's a reason he took so many sacks. Yeah,
but that line was worse as a unit in year
two than it was in year one, And whether that's
because of the coordinator or a number of different factors,
I think that has to factor in before you get

(01:26:43):
to any of the other stuff like personnel or injuries
to those personnel.

Speaker 14 (01:26:47):
Yeah, I think that's fair. Right, Like the offensive line
got worse, and I think that led to c J.
Stroud performing worse. I think it compounded for him. And look,
I'm not even like, I'm not making the case that
I think he sucks or that he is never going
to be a good quarterback. I think he was prematurely
ordained as an elite guy and then took a significant

(01:27:10):
step back, and there are reasons for that. Like I
always this, I say this all the time in my
life personally and professionally, that you can have an explanation
without it being an excuse, right, Like you can like, hey,
I'm explaining this thing. I'm not excusing the behavior or
whatever it is. I think there are a lot of
explanations and even some excuses for the step back that CJ.

(01:27:30):
Stroud took last year, But then we have to be
honest about what that step back was. And what I
find interesting is the decision that the organization made to
fix it. Like do you think the offensive line is
better today than it was in Week nine of last year?
I don't know, so, like what are we doing is
very weird? Like I don't understand this. Everyone agrees the
offensive line stunk, and their answer was to trade their

(01:27:53):
best offensive lineman. Like it's just a very weird situation
to me.

Speaker 4 (01:27:57):
So you had said a minute ago, you don't think CJ.
Stroud stinks?

Speaker 5 (01:28:00):
Is that accurate? Correct?

Speaker 4 (01:28:04):
But the information you're posting and now telling us suggests otherwise,
what do you think of him as an NFL quarterback?

Speaker 14 (01:28:11):
I don't know. I think as a rookie, he had
a very good season for a rookie and was probably
somewhere between the twelfth and sixteenth best quarterback in the
league as a rookie, which is very good for a rookie,
right And I think he was graded on a curve,
especially because like there's this perception of how state quarterbacks
and because the Texans were this incredible story Damiko Ryans,

(01:28:33):
who I have the utmost respect for. I think he's
an incredible coach. Has that defense is very scary. But
then he took a step back and last year I
thought he was a below average quarterback last year. So
if we were like, let's rank the quarterbacks in a
hierarchy right now today, entering the season, you know, without

(01:28:55):
without putting up putting it to paper right now, I
think I would put him in that like twelve, ten
through sixteen area above average. But I need to personally,
I need to seem more to say this is an
elite guy, this is the next guy. Like I think
there is a material difference between the Allen's and the

(01:29:17):
Jackson's and the Mahomes and the Burroughs, and even Justin Herbert,
which is gonna make the Houston fans man I know,
and CD Shroud, I don't think there's a chasm there.
And I think he I think he has a talent
to get there. I thought he was a very talented
collegiate prospect. So this isn't even me confirming priors. I
just want to see more than I've seen so far.

Speaker 8 (01:29:36):
I'm excited.

Speaker 14 (01:29:36):
I love Jayden Higgins, I love Jalen Nole, I love
some of the receivers that I love. I thought the
Packers should have drafted Nico Collins and said so at
the time, So I'm excited to see what it looks
like this year. I just I think there was a
premature coorination of him as a superstar, and to me,
he's just not that yet.

Speaker 4 (01:29:54):
So the purpose of comparing him to Bryce Son, who
I have to assume you don't believe is in the
top twelve to four team heading into twenty twenty five,
what's the purpose there?

Speaker 14 (01:30:04):
The purpose was the point that I made at the
top was I thought that that situation in Carolina was
complete dogwater. It was just a brutal situation for anyone
to produce in. And so to excuse a player that,
by consensus everyone thought was a really good guy, a
really good quarterback, to excuse what seems to me at

(01:30:29):
least as a clear regression because of the circumstances just
feels disingenuous. When there were other players in bad circumstances,
I would argue worse circumstances who produce significantly more. So
those excuses just don't hold water to me. So it's
not a I think Bryce Young is better. It's hey, look,
Bryce Young was also in this bad situation and outproduced CJ.

Speaker 5 (01:30:50):
Stroud.

Speaker 14 (01:30:51):
So are you really going to keep making those same
excuses for circumstance when this guy that everyone agrees is
a worse player produced at a higher rate and a
more efficient rate under worst circumstances? Like are those two
things square? And so, you know, at the risk of
being like, I'm just asking questions, guy, Like I was
just throwing that out there to say, like, is this

(01:31:12):
is this really a compelling argument to you? Because it's
not to me. So it's a comparison point to say,
I don't find misargument compelling when there's this other point
of data, we can say, look at this, he was
better under worst circumstances in my opinion.

Speaker 4 (01:31:26):
Yeah, I mean Peter mccowski joining us here on Sports
Talk seven ninety. Any analysis, someone who's putting time and
effort into it, I can certainly understand, you know, CJ.
Stroud's first season than the second season. So we'll just
get to the question. What it's a guess. I get it.
I'm asking what your guess is. Is he headed back

(01:31:47):
up the ladder? Or have you decided that he's headed
back down the ladder?

Speaker 14 (01:31:53):
I would think I would think up is more likely
the trajectory based on where he was last year. But
that's that's partially because I think he has further to
go from where he was, do you know what I mean?
So like, if I think he was the twentieth best
quarterback last year in a vacuum, then yeah, if I
expect him to be somewhere between ten and sixteen this year,
then that trajectory is back up. Would I be surprised

(01:32:15):
if he was the eighth best quarterback in the league
this year?

Speaker 5 (01:32:17):
No, I wouldn't.

Speaker 14 (01:32:17):
I think he has the talent to do that. I
just I don't think he's proven that yet. So do
I think that trajectory is still upward for him? Yes,
but there are issues that he has to say that
he has to get squared away, and I don't think
the team did him any favors in doing that. I
don't think getting him more receivers is the answer. I
think he needs better protection and I don't think an

(01:32:37):
offensive coordinator change is enough. So I am I am
cautiously optimistic he can be better this year, But I
am I am certainly dubious of the project here that
the Texans are undertaking in saying, well, we're gonna we're
gonna make him be Joe Burrow, and we're going to
get him his Chase and his Higgins, and just like
hope that he does what Joe Burrow does, and that

(01:32:58):
is make the offensive line look not nearly as bad
as it is, which is just a weird play considering
the Bengals have spent five years trying to fix the
offensive line. They've just failed at it, which is the problem.
So yeah, I think he can be better, but I'm
not sure that this is the ideal circumstance for him
to be better. Which is tough, right, Like it's hard
to it's hard to separate the quarterback from his circumstances.

(01:33:20):
It's why quarterback evaluation in college is so hard, and
why quarterback evaluation in the NFL is so hard.

Speaker 3 (01:33:25):
Well, you and I are in lockstep on the offensive
line here in Houston, and I also am. I'm going
to be fascinated to see your assessment of Jaden Daniels
after year two under the same protocol or the same
circumstances for a guy like CJ. Strout. Well, I would.
I will retract my statement. You are not an idiot
and you are not wasting oxygen. Peter, we appreciate the time, well,

(01:33:49):
at least not in the last fifteen minutes exactly, all right,
Peter Mukowski here on Sports Talk seven to ninety. He
is the co founder of the Leap and the host
of the Lockedown Packers podcast, among other things, and we
appreciate his time. More on that and plenty other things
when we come back.

Speaker 1 (01:34:08):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 8 (01:34:20):
Thanks a man to.

Speaker 5 (01:34:23):
Peter mckowson for joining us on the eighteen.

Speaker 3 (01:34:27):
I think we came to the conclusion that maybe even
Peter didn't agree with what he had written earlier.

Speaker 4 (01:34:32):
Well, I think he agreed with what he wrote, but
it was something of very very little significance to any
general conversation about the quarterback play. I mean, we could
have had him on for an hour, I think, and
really kind of hashed out what all this means. You know,
why Bryce Young is even in this conversation is kind
of odd from a discussion standpoint. From a I work

(01:34:54):
in social media and a clickable platform, and I must
have them. That makes perfect sense. I do get that.
I do understand that, and that is a game pretty
much everybody has to play now. But we're, first of all,
if you're literally talking about those two quarterbacks, we're talking
about two quarterbacks that pretty much under every scenario statistically,

(01:35:16):
whether it was the advanced stuff and the EPA, etc.
Or the more rudimentary stuff. Neither of them played Top
twenty football last year. Among the thirty two or twenty
eight or twenty seven full time starting quarterbacks last year,
they weren't good, neither one of them. I can't dismiss
Bryce Young's early season. He's the starter for the Panthers
who was taken off the field because he was awful.

(01:35:39):
Then he returned and played much better football for him,
as Peter continued to say, for a rookie for CJ. Stroud,
which was totally unnecessary. I'm not sure who he's talking about,
grading him on a curve, especially since he added because
he's from Ohio State and stuff makes no sense. I'm
grading he plays quarterback in the NFL in twenty twenty three. Uh,

(01:36:01):
let's see how he compares to the other quarterbacks playing
in the NFL in twenty twenty three. I don't care
what year they're in. I don't care what their situation is.
I know what their numbers are, and I've watched the games.
Like I said, we could have kept him on for
an hour, and at some point I would have said,
do you watch the games? I know he does, but
I would ask it in such a condescending way that
he would understand what I mean, because you have to

(01:36:22):
watch some of the things that are happening.

Speaker 5 (01:36:24):
You have to watch.

Speaker 4 (01:36:25):
I mean, I'll take an errant throw or hanging on
to the football too much if he makes five unbelievable throws,
because they're gonna win you the game. Those other players
are gonna send you to second and ten or third
and eleven. And then this throw is gonna win you
the football game. It's gonna be the throw that sets
you apart from the other guys. He just made so

(01:36:46):
he CJ made so many of them with so few
mistakes in year one. I do think there was some
seduction going on, and I absolutely was seduced by it.
And the question I asked Peter at the end, do
you think he's going to be better? Do you think
he's headed in the other direction. I would never ask
that question on this show for either of us because
I know the answer already. And it's not because he's
the quarterback in Houston and our show is in Houston.

(01:37:09):
It's because I know what's going to happen. I don't
have any doubt at all. And I'm not trying to
make him one of the elite. You know, clearly it
doesn't need to be said. He's not any of those
guys at the top. It's certainly not.

Speaker 5 (01:37:23):
Even in the AFC.

Speaker 4 (01:37:24):
There's four quarterbacks better than him, without even thinking, and
one of them didn't even make the playoffs. But Burrow
and Jackson and Allen and Mahomes, I don't need to
have a conversation about comparing them I need to have
a conversation about here's what they do well that CJ
needs to do well much more consistently, and each of
them at different times. Probably other than Lamar has had

(01:37:46):
other offensive issues. We clearly saw it with Kansas City
last year, and we saw it with Kansas City even
in one of their postseason runs when Pat Mahomes had
no time to throw and.

Speaker 5 (01:37:55):
His team got absolutely smoked in a Super Bowl.

Speaker 4 (01:37:58):
I don't think to Lamar Jackson's ever had any issues
on offense other than they decided to move on from
their OC. The amount of talent he's played on offense,
even with not superstar receivers. They're always among the best
teams in running the football. They're always one of the
best teams in protecting quarterback, and not just because when
they should be sacking him he runs away because he's

(01:38:19):
better than everybody else, but because they actually have exceptional
line play and have for every OC they've ever had.

Speaker 5 (01:38:25):
He's not in that league yet, CJ. Nord is.

Speaker 4 (01:38:27):
I don't think anyone thinks he is. I don't think
there's a debate to be had yet.

Speaker 3 (01:38:30):
But can he be with a line in front of
him like you just got done talking about with Lamar
because he's never had to worry about that aspect of
his game.

Speaker 4 (01:38:39):
Let me ask you this, those four quarterbacks I mentioned, Burrow,
Allen Jackson, and Mahomes. When I tell you that CJ.
Stroud is now an elite quarterback, he's got that line
and he's playing like it. He's one of the five
or six best quarterbacks in the NFL. They're winning eleven
or twelve games every year, they're winning the division every year,
They're going to the postseason every year. His statistics are great,
his ePAT. Now keep in mind those four quarterbacks, Burrow,

(01:39:03):
Alan Jackson, and Mahomes. I gave you all that information.
Now I ask you this, which of those four quarterbacks
does he play like the most.

Speaker 5 (01:39:13):
I think the answer is extremely obvious. It's very obvious. Mahomes.

Speaker 3 (01:39:18):
Yes, But okay, you just got done. That's why he.

Speaker 4 (01:39:22):
Plays football in a way I think could mirror how
he plays. I don't think he's gonna make all of
those spectacular decisions plays throws like. There's a special part
of Mahomes games that should separate the two things I'm
talking about. But he doesn't throw the ball around the
field and get his team down the field the way
that Burrow does, the way that Alan does, or the

(01:39:44):
way that Lamar does. And I realize I've said Alan
Jackson like fifteen times, it's awesome.

Speaker 5 (01:39:50):
He does do it in a manner that mirrors the
way that Mahomes does it. But you just said it.

Speaker 3 (01:39:55):
And that's why that's the part where Peter and I
completely a like when Mahomes didn't have an elite offensive
line in front of him, he got the bleat knocked
out of him. I know it was in the Super Bowl,
but that's when the injuries reared their ugly heads the
most because I think one of the injuries was the
game prior. I don't remember if he if his.

Speaker 4 (01:40:18):
They also at that in that particular game, the quality
of the line they were playing against.

Speaker 3 (01:40:24):
The defensive line, Yeah, they were off in the world,
but that's what you play against in the playoffs, of course.
And I just but what I'm saying is, I can't
remember if his line was in tatters going into the
postseason or if it got progressively worse.

Speaker 4 (01:40:37):
It got a little bit worse, but they already knew
that they had problems that they had to dress.

Speaker 5 (01:40:41):
But that one of their linemen got hurt during the year.

Speaker 4 (01:40:44):
Yeah, year, and we'll think about this other difference, the
other part of the conversation that you and he and
I think everybody agrees. It's a curious decision Texans have made.
They'll have to play it out and we'll see if
they got it right. The manner in which they want
to take the twenty twenty four offensive line issues and
fix them for two five, well, Kansas City was very
clearly in the same boat.

Speaker 5 (01:41:04):
We can't win like this. We can't win with this group.

Speaker 4 (01:41:06):
We can't win with these players, and we probably have
to make some changes to how we're deploying.

Speaker 5 (01:41:10):
That and it was their number one priority.

Speaker 4 (01:41:12):
So in the offseason they turned four of the four
new starters. Two of them were drafted, both of them
been starters every day since both of them are Pro
Bowl caliber. They happened to pick the right players. The
first of those two was easy, I mean taking Humphrey
where they took and was a slam dunk. Finding that
they were the team that took Tray Smith in the
sixth round. They also, over the years that have passed,

(01:41:33):
they added Joe Thuni to it. They've gone on and
on and on to make sure. I mean, we can
figure out who he's going to throw the ball to,
we can figure out who Steve Spagnola is going to
deploy defensively, but we're gonna continue to make sure we
don't have that issue ever. Again, that's the biggest difference
between the way Brett viaches continue to put those teams
together and Nick has put the teams together. A bunch

(01:41:54):
of the other things they've done pretty similar. The talent
groups on each of their respective teams are awesome except
for that one group. And it is very curious how
the Texans are going about it. They went about it
without a thought about the actual talent of the players
in front of CJ. They are not more talented football
players than the group they played with last year.

Speaker 5 (01:42:16):
They just aren't.

Speaker 4 (01:42:17):
Now they can play better for all the other reasons
we've talked about new oc, new coach, oh see our
new offensive line coach, the way they're going to be coached,
the offense they're going to run, the belief in this
system versus the lack of belief, and all the other
intangibles around. They just simply did not go out and
make an effort to get more talent on this offensive

(01:42:38):
line obviously other than ursery, that's a move to try
to get more talent. But swapping Cam Robinson or whomever
plays left tackle, if it's not ursery for Tunsel, is
not an upgrade, and moving Titus Howard inside is not
an upgrade. They're not better individually talented players. They're banking
on other things.

Speaker 3 (01:42:59):
Banking on other things. With that, though, is just that
is a dangerous game to play, and you are you
are literally playing with your quarterback's metaphorical life.

Speaker 5 (01:43:11):
I mean, I hate to say literally. I noticed you
put Davis Mills in there late in the game. Is
there something wrong with CJ?

Speaker 4 (01:43:17):
It's got general soreness, he's fine, Well, he took nineteen
hits today.

Speaker 5 (01:43:20):
Are you sure he's fine? Yeah, but he was sacked
seven times in the first half.

Speaker 4 (01:43:25):
I think the assumption is that we're gonna see that.
And if you were watching late last year, one of
the reasons, not a big reason, but one of the
reasons Sam Darnold is not in Minnesota anymore is what
the Saint Louis Rams defense did to him. And they
opened with the Saint Louis Rams defense.

Speaker 3 (01:43:47):
I mean, look, if CJ gets hurt. I'm not gonna
say win, but man in the offseason, Nope. How does
this just take Week one? He gets hurt.

Speaker 5 (01:44:00):
It's because of a sack.

Speaker 3 (01:44:01):
And it's not because he was holding on the ball
too long or any of the other things that you want.
It's just because he didn't have the protection. How I
rate do you think I'm gonna be? How How how
many segments until we lose our FCC license?

Speaker 5 (01:44:15):
Oh? Probably the sixteenth segment. We'll get through the full show.

Speaker 4 (01:44:18):
Nine sacks, ten TfL's twelve twelve quarterback hits. Sam Darnold's
last game as a Viking played against the playoff Rams
Defense season opener for your Houston Texas looking forward to it, right,
It's gonna be a whole lot of fun. It's signature
segment time here on the A Team. That means on
a Tuesday, we say what.

Speaker 2 (01:44:40):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (01:44:43):
Ninety This is Adam and adamsweekly, choked through mind bockling
moments that make you.

Speaker 4 (01:44:52):
Go olday, what what?

Speaker 7 (01:45:00):
What?

Speaker 9 (01:45:00):
Dear?

Speaker 2 (01:45:01):
What are you talking about it.

Speaker 5 (01:45:02):
On a Tuesday?

Speaker 2 (01:45:04):
Hey?

Speaker 7 (01:45:04):
What? O?

Speaker 12 (01:45:05):
Dan?

Speaker 9 (01:45:05):
I did?

Speaker 2 (01:45:06):
Now say?

Speaker 7 (01:45:08):
What?

Speaker 4 (01:45:11):
Basically did this segment already when we had Peter Bakowski
on to open up the air. That was just exactly
what you thought it was. A post was made and
many here in Houston on Texans Twitter, well they were say.

Speaker 5 (01:45:24):
What to that? So we thought we would give you
that then.

Speaker 4 (01:45:26):
But the true version of this signature segment style here
on Sports Talk seven ninety comes your way at four
point thirty. We have arrived there for say what if
you'll allow for me a little theater of the mind?
Can I can I give the people a little play
by play as we get it to say what today?

Speaker 5 (01:45:41):
Yes, all right, I will do that.

Speaker 4 (01:45:44):
John Starks has it on top, gets a screen from
Oakley dribbling around top. Ewing's got it in the corner
to Derek Harper, there is Anthony Mason shoots it over dreams.

Speaker 2 (01:45:54):
First time we're going.

Speaker 15 (01:45:58):
We are looking at once again a pictures that Al
Cowling's cars that makes it way along a freeway in
Los Angeles, and we are told by the California Highway
Patrol that O. J. Simpson is in that car holding
a gun to his head.

Speaker 13 (01:46:11):
Bobcats, because that's what happened.

Speaker 4 (01:46:24):
Thirty plus years ago, thirty one years ago, Rockets Nicks.

Speaker 5 (01:46:30):
At least it was a rocket's loss that we missed.

Speaker 4 (01:46:33):
And Al Collings was the first name that Tom Brocas said,
mind you you know who he is. This was like
not the first time they'd broken away, not the first
time we knew that something else was going on in
this country of great significance. There's been a few specials
about this particular day, June seventeenth, nineteen ninety four.

Speaker 5 (01:46:53):
That's the name of the thirty for thirty.

Speaker 4 (01:46:54):
That's the name of the thirty for thirty. And there
was even though I believe it could be done even
back then, probably a way for the fans to see both,
but they chose otherwise. You're going to see what we
want you to see, and there's no other avenue for it.
You can't just go to the go to the peacock
stream and continue watching the game while the broadcast network

(01:47:17):
gives you coverage of a police escort.

Speaker 5 (01:47:21):
Follow police escort, not companiments, as they say in the documentary.
You know what, it's like the worst pursuit ever. It
wasn't a pursuit, it was escort. It was at a companiment.

Speaker 3 (01:47:31):
Yeah, you know, like famously we've heard that all of
these pizza places sold out during this because people were hungry,
they wanted to not take their eyes away from the TV, and.

Speaker 5 (01:47:43):
So they order. This is nineteen ninety four.

Speaker 3 (01:47:47):
There are not readily available televisions in every room of
every building in America like there are today. There just
are we have them in our elevators. That's unheard of
in nineteen ninety four, right, So what I want to
know is what point did any of the chains and
know they're not going to get mentioned unless they sponsor
the show, start saying to themselves, what the bleep is

(01:48:09):
going on? Why is the entire city in whatever city
they were in, ordering this much pizza?

Speaker 5 (01:48:16):
It was something. It was wild.

Speaker 3 (01:48:19):
It was Even if it wasn't during the finals, this
would have happened. Oh yeah, Like it doesn't matter what
was on.

Speaker 4 (01:48:26):
I do think the additional group of people watching TV
that I mean, everyone was carrying it quite hot. But
everybody that would normally be watching whatever it is on
at that time on another network, your your sitcom, your drama, whatever, right,
plus all the people watching the NBA Finals it might
not otherwise be watching TV at all.

Speaker 3 (01:48:46):
This was a Wednesday night, I believe it was in
the middle of the week. It was not a weekend
as I recall, or am I completely wrong?

Speaker 4 (01:48:53):
Well, it was summer, so I can just recall I
was at a friend's house with like seven or eight
other guys.

Speaker 3 (01:48:59):
Watching the Rock Yes, try to win a championship. And
that's the thing about this too. Every time we talk
about this we here in Houston, and probably Knicks fans
to a lesser extent because they want to block that
out of their memory. Oh look, we're going to come
up short for like the umpteenth year in a row,
and this time it's not because of Michael Jordan. I'm
sure they look back on that and they tie it

(01:49:21):
to the NBA Finals. These two cities more than anyone
else in America. Most of America was probably just watching TV.
Some of them were obviously watching two teams battle it
out for the NBA Championship that year, but most people
were watching other things and they still got interrupted by
OJ's a company.

Speaker 5 (01:49:40):
It was Friday, the seventeen.

Speaker 3 (01:49:42):
You knew it was a weekend night, sort of, It
wasn't one of the two official weekend nights.

Speaker 5 (01:49:49):
But yeah, I was.

Speaker 3 (01:49:49):
Over at Anthony and Jeremy Dozers and that was the
first time of my life. I remember picture and picture
being done for me instead of seeing at someone's house.
We never had that when I was growing up. We
never had a TV that did that. But picture and
picture was a thing nobody ever really used that.

Speaker 5 (01:50:08):
You realize that like the picture and picture concept.

Speaker 3 (01:50:11):
I mean, I guess I could have used it last night,
but while I was trying to watch a movie and
the Astros game at the same time. Instead, I just
streamed it on my phone the game and watched the
movie on the big game.

Speaker 5 (01:50:20):
I'll use it during football season sometimes.

Speaker 3 (01:50:23):
Oh yeah, well yeah, phone, laptop, other, laptop, screen, screen, screen, whatever.

Speaker 9 (01:50:28):
Nine.

Speaker 5 (01:50:30):
Ninety one, eighty four.

Speaker 3 (01:50:31):
Those were light years ahead of the early two thousands,
when the Lakers were beating the nets or the Spurs
were beating the nets, and the scores were in the
seventies final scores. That's unheard of. That's like halftime in
today's NBA game. But yeah, this is just a weird,
weird night. And here's what I've here's what's always bothered me.

(01:50:55):
And we talk about this every year on this date,
not to mention all the other times we talked about
it throughout the year. Why couldn't I see OJ you
ever see, you ever see that, Like you've seen still
shots of al Cawings driving down the freeway.

Speaker 5 (01:51:08):
You only ever see Al. Was he laying down? Was
he in the floorboard? I never see OJ once, not once.

Speaker 4 (01:51:14):
If you're driving the car and there's only one other
person and he's in the back seat, your preference would
be for him to be sitting in one of the corners,
you know, a window seat.

Speaker 3 (01:51:23):
Where normal people would be sitting that aren't running from
the cops with a gun a mask.

Speaker 4 (01:51:28):
If the camera you see is in the through the
glass in front of the driver, what do you call
that glass the windshield, you're going to see the driver
very good.

Speaker 7 (01:51:39):
Well.

Speaker 4 (01:51:39):
If OJ is sitting behind Al, well, only he's behind
Al and the seat and you're not going to see him.
But I can sitting behind the other seat, you're not
gonna see him there. The only place he would never
be sitting because it impedes the driver's view.

Speaker 5 (01:51:53):
You're the middle. You're getting the most important part.

Speaker 3 (01:51:56):
The idiots in Los Angeles, which to this day are
still behaving this way, that have nothing better to do
than to get caught up in whatever the thing is
at that moment. We're on overpasses, riding go juice on sheets.
I don't even know how they did this in time
before he got to them, and they were taking pictures
which were at angles where you.

Speaker 5 (01:52:17):
Can clearly see through the vehicle.

Speaker 3 (01:52:20):
Through the windshield the only non tened glass, and you
can't see OJ anywhere.

Speaker 5 (01:52:25):
But he was there. Obviously we've seen the aftermath.

Speaker 4 (01:52:28):
So what series were you referencing when you're talking about
the lack of points being scored?

Speaker 3 (01:52:33):
I think it was the Nets and the Spurs NBA Finals,
which would have been like two thousand and three. I
want to say Kenya Martin versus Tim Duncan.

Speaker 4 (01:52:41):
Yeah, there were a handful of finals that took place
beyond that. We'll reference one more a second on this date,
an extended edition of say what you'll probably remember what
this person is referring to.

Speaker 5 (01:52:55):
We'll get to that.

Speaker 3 (01:52:56):
Four final score Nets seventy seven, Spur seventy six.

Speaker 5 (01:53:00):
That's disgusting.

Speaker 4 (01:53:01):
Yeah, just think about the finals game where the Jazz
were in the fifties against the Bulls.

Speaker 5 (01:53:06):
I remember, it's pretty awesome. I one more item come
in your way next.

Speaker 2 (01:53:11):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:53:20):
Let's talking a little NBA Finals from nineteen and ninety
four rockets Knicks because of Al Colling's involvement and Juice's
involvement and Tom Broker's involvement. But fast forward a few
years later, quite a few years later, and after his
team claimed an eighty nine to sixty seven victory in

(01:53:41):
Game six of the NBA Finals in a certain year,
his team was then able to claim an eighty three
to seventy nine victory in Game seven, thanks largely to
his huge three pointer hit late in the game. It
essentially sealed up the victory. A couple of free throws
are added to the final tallly, but a big three

(01:54:01):
from him final minute gave him a six point lead
and he was a champion for the only time in
his NBA career. Interesting story for sure, a character no
doubt spent some time here in Houston and known for
many many things. Also one of the greatest ever visits
to the podium after being a huge part of winning

(01:54:22):
an NBA championship.

Speaker 5 (01:54:23):
His visit went like this.

Speaker 8 (01:54:24):
And he passed me the ball.

Speaker 5 (01:54:26):
He never passed me the ball, and.

Speaker 2 (01:54:28):
He passed me the ball.

Speaker 6 (01:54:30):
Call he passed me the ball, and I shot at
three and Phil the woman to shoot the three I
heard and he's just a NASA so he can speak
to you without you know, he can speak to you
and you don't.

Speaker 5 (01:54:42):
Need a microphone. He just you hear him your head.

Speaker 8 (01:54:44):
Run, don't shoot, don't shoot?

Speaker 4 (01:54:46):
I said, whatever, Yes, run Our Test a championship for
the Lakers thanks to him.

Speaker 3 (01:54:57):
The year after he leaves the Rockets and should have
won that title. You realize that they won. I believe
that was the twenty two game winning streak season and
Yao got hurt in that series against the Lakers, which
still went to seven games.

Speaker 4 (01:55:15):
Tracy was out for the playoffs. Different season. That was nine,
the nine ten Lakers is the season we're talking about
right here.

Speaker 3 (01:55:23):
Right I'm saying the year after he was playing his
one year with the Rockets. Oh okay, and that was
essentially run Our Test and Yao ming against the world
and then YAlO got hurt too because Tracy wasn't even there.

Speaker 5 (01:55:33):
That was it. I was there. I was there, actually
fits I was there. Were you were you in Portland? Uh?
In nine?

Speaker 3 (01:55:40):
I know you were there in fourteen when Dame hit
the game winner for the series.

Speaker 8 (01:55:45):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (01:55:47):
I think so.

Speaker 3 (01:55:49):
That would have been that was, Uh, that's who's the
guy that had the knee injuries of Brandon Roy. That
was the Brandon Roy play of Blazers and LaMarcus Aldrich.

Speaker 4 (01:56:00):
I don't remember if I went to those I think
the Lakers rock I think the I think that series
is the only postseason series, the only one of two
that I went to that did the radio show out
there and then knocked out the game.

Speaker 3 (01:56:10):
I'll never forget when Rob Low, not Rob Polenka, but
they look alike Rob Low, the actual Rob Low, was
sitting courtside before Game seven and Alan Reid, who was
one of our photogs at the time over at Channel two,
got him to say Sports Sunday is next for that
night's show, which was awesome except for that the Rockets

(01:56:32):
had lost, But yeah, what was it? Billy Ocean aka
Aaron Brooks was awesome in that series and that was
That was the series where Phil Jackson after the game
was like, hey, give him some effing credit. He got
mad at the media because they were all acting surprise
that Aaron Brooks could hoop?

Speaker 4 (01:56:52):
Was that a legendary victory considering who they beat that
year for the Lakers, they beat Pierce Garnett, Rashid Wallace,
Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen.

Speaker 5 (01:57:03):
It's pretty good Celtics team.

Speaker 4 (01:57:05):
And the guy that is completely disinterested in hearing anything
that Bob Myers has to say during the NBA coverage
Kendrick Perkins. I was beside myself last night and I'd
already brought it up earlier, and you really didn't feel
the need to go into it more, except it keeps happening.
Well this time, it wasn't even for what was being said.

(01:57:27):
They've got multiple cameras. You can get the whole four
person studio from left to right, steven A, Malika, Bob
and Kendrick. You got single shots for I think everybody
but Bob and Kendrick. I don't know if they do
it intentionally, but they see them close enough together, they
use a single camera and they get a two shot
of them both. Get a single camera on steven A
when he's not playing solitaire, a single camera on Maliko

(01:57:49):
as she's guiding everybody through it. But they go to
Bob Myers, so they're in a two shot and Kendrick
is slumped over on the desk with his head in
his hand, holding his head up. You know, the the
usual disinterested look, and so I'm on TV. I'll do
it right now. This is was his He's on television
at halftime of the NBA Finals, Game six, and this

(01:58:12):
is the energy that he's bringing to the set.

Speaker 5 (01:58:14):
You might not know the answer to this question.

Speaker 4 (01:58:16):
I'm watching it with my wife and I'm saying, I
know they have many producers.

Speaker 5 (01:58:22):
How can they? I don't know if they're telling him
that he's telling and that he's just not doing it.
They're not telling you.

Speaker 4 (01:58:27):
Somebody's got to say, sit up, put your hand down.
This could be for anybody who's bringing as little to
the table just from a presence day.

Speaker 5 (01:58:37):
I'm not getting into what was said or not right.
You know, there's nothing to do.

Speaker 3 (01:58:40):
There's decorum on television, do.

Speaker 5 (01:58:44):
You I mean?

Speaker 4 (01:58:44):
Especially, I said the same thing for the words that
came out of Bob costas his mouth and Buck's mouth
for years before. Maybe I turned the corner on Buck
and never turned the corner on Bob. Do you want
to be here right?

Speaker 3 (01:58:57):
You're acting like you're miserable, right, and like I'm sitting
fairly slumped right now with my arms folded on television,
and I probably am exuding I don't know, ten billion
times more energy than Kendrick was in that very setting
you're talking about. But here's my question. You might not
know the answer to this. Who will have the NBA
Finals starting next year? Is it NBC?

Speaker 5 (01:59:19):
I don't think their first year of contract is there, So.

Speaker 3 (01:59:21):
They're going to alternate kind of like the Super Bowl
does on different networks.

Speaker 5 (01:59:25):
Honestly, not one hundred percent sure.

Speaker 3 (01:59:26):
Because regardless of whether or not that happens this and
I don't know what ESPN's plans are, but if ESPN
is at the NBA Finals at all, it should be
inside the NBA. This crew of many and there have
been many versions of this over the last several years.
This crew is awful. It's the worst version of all

(01:59:49):
the bad versions they've had. And if you have the
opportunity to have the inside the NBA guys at the
NBA Finals, which has never happened, by the way, because
TNT never broadcast the finals, and so now that you
have them on ESPN, uh that is numbers one through
ten options. There's no Malika Andrew all these they're hacks.

Speaker 4 (02:00:11):
ABC will remain the exclusive home of the NBA Finals.

Speaker 5 (02:00:15):
That's awful.

Speaker 3 (02:00:16):
We could have had Mike Turico instead of Mike Breen
saying bang.

Speaker 4 (02:00:20):
You know, Mike Tarico if you missed it this weekend
during the hilarious US Open JJ Spahn phenomenal final.

Speaker 5 (02:00:28):
Shot, Turico's underrated at everything he does.

Speaker 4 (02:00:30):
So Mike Turrico is on site, he's the reporter on
site for the post trophy celebration interview, and I'm watching
it and listening to his questions, and you know, for
his last question, he puts his arm around JJ. And
you know, I probably watched these differently than many others,
and I'm just marveling it.

Speaker 5 (02:00:51):
Man.

Speaker 4 (02:00:51):
He is asking all the right questions based on what
he knew he needed to ask going in and based
on the answers that he's hearing from JJ and what
he just witnessed the last three or four minutes. Like
he's killing it with this interview. And we're getting the
best stuff because of it. And it's not easy. You know,
I talk about, oh, anybody could, Well, we're not watching
because of him. Well, we are watching because of that. Well,

(02:01:13):
and we're talking about the studio. We're not even talking
about the play by play. And look, Mike Brain's fine
he's I take, he's fine.

Speaker 5 (02:01:21):
What if someone hits a three pointer? Bang bang?

Speaker 3 (02:01:26):
But here's the thing, Turco would be better. And then
take who's with Breen which is awful? Doris Burg, eh
Richard Jefferson. Seriously, that's the best we could do. You
had jeff Van Gundy and you just cast him aside,
and so now we're gonna have to continue this as
opposed to Tarico, my main man, Noah Eagle, great guy

(02:01:49):
off the camera and especially on These are all better
options to broadcast the most prestigious part of the NBA season.

Speaker 4 (02:01:58):
I think they will revisit the crews both in game
and around games.

Speaker 5 (02:02:03):
It's a terrible booth.

Speaker 4 (02:02:04):
It worked them in the future. Five o'clock has arrived.
We hit Football at five.

Speaker 1 (02:02:08):
Next the eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety. Adam Clinton
and Adam Wefler are the eighteen.

Speaker 3 (02:02:31):
You know what else, Mike Turrico is good at calling
football games. Football at five here on the eight team
Sports Talk seven ninety, Space City Home Network. As we
continue here on a Tuesday edition of the program, still
hours away from the Astros and Athletics getting together in
West Sacramento for Game two of their four game set.

(02:02:52):
We did talk a lot of football on the show today,
but it was mainly because of Peter Bukowski bringing Young
and CJ. Stroud together again for the first time since
the top of the twenty twenty three NFL Draft.

Speaker 4 (02:03:05):
Yeah, some of the other statistics that are worth and
if you guys were with us last year during football season,
I hope you were. I hope you were with us
during this football season. We were paying attention and it
was set here on the show. Bryce Young is playing
good football for the Carolina Panthers. Bryce Young is allowing
them to compete. They had four overtime games during their

(02:03:27):
last eight games. They were competitive with extremely good teams,
the Eagles being one of them, taking them to the
final possession of the game. Didn't win a lot of games,
won a little bit more than they did at the
beginning of the season. Now, his overall numbers actually weren't
all that great during that eight game stretch, but they
were actually better than CJS in a number of different areas.

(02:03:49):
But we're also talking about two of these guys. There's
I think thirty four quarterbacks with one hundred and fifty
passes over the final eight games of the season. This
was the guy at number twenty four and the guy
number twenty nine. They were bad. Neither one of them
was enjoying things all that well. Bryce Young's performance stood
out because of his previous performance being so awful. Oh

(02:04:11):
my god, he looks like he might be able to
play the position is where we're getting It looks like
he might be able to make some plays. He was
also running the ball in a manner that helped them
move the change. He played reasonably good football. It stood
out because he was so bad at the beginning of
the year, and obviously his rookie season left a lot
to be desired. CJS stood out for the opposite reason.

(02:04:32):
He was so good his first season and this as
a rookie stuff. Like I said earlier, it doesn't make
any difference at all. It was alarming that someone who
hadn't been there was doing this.

Speaker 5 (02:04:43):
But just watching him.

Speaker 4 (02:04:44):
Play football, he was playing like anybody else. It didn't
matter that he was a rookie that he was doing this.
It only made you more excited about Well, if he
jumps off from here, look at where he could go.
And that's what had people excited. But he wasn't playing
good for a rookie. He was playing good for an
NFL quarterback. Why the Texans won a bunch of those games,
But you can see a dramatic difference in Yr.

Speaker 5 (02:05:04):
One to year two.

Speaker 4 (02:05:04):
It's not difficult to even there's not much to analyze.
He was throwing for big yards. He had tons of touchdowns.
All things considered, twenty three touchdowns is nothing spectacular, and
it ended up only being three more touchdowns than his
previous season or his following season. But he had multiple touchdowns,

(02:05:25):
and three of his first four games he had a
five touchdown no interception game. He had a four hundred
and seventy yard game. He had three hundred yards passing
in two of his first four starts. He was unbelievable
in the second half of his second start, a loss
to the Unanapolis Colts, when he went for three eighty
four and those two scores. And in only three of
the fifteen games he played was he picked off only three.

(02:05:48):
He played twelve interception free football games as an NFL quarterback.
That's hard to do for again, at any age or
stage of your career.

Speaker 3 (02:05:57):
That was that was the most impressive thing to me
about his rookie season. Honestly, and there was a lot
of things to be impressed by, including taking them to
the postseason, but not throwing. But like a handful of
picks in your rookie year, Yeah, had.

Speaker 4 (02:06:11):
Twelve picks the following year through interceptions in eight of
those games. Mind you, there's many bad passes both years
that are as Some statistics will note interception worthy throws,
and I do like the fact that they are charted,
but there were just far fewer of them the rookie
season year one and versus year two. But the big
performances were absent almost for an entire season.

Speaker 5 (02:06:35):
Last year.

Speaker 4 (02:06:36):
He had two three hundred yard games. He had only
four games where his passer rating was over one hundred.
He had a handful of games where his completion percentage
was fifty five, fifty nine, fifty eight, thirty seven, forty eight.

Speaker 5 (02:06:51):
That's five games. That's almost a third of his season.

Speaker 3 (02:06:55):
It's it is a to say it's a pivotal third season,
but I hate to do that because I feel.

Speaker 4 (02:07:02):
Like he would be pivot pivotal if there was a
decision from the team that you thought would be affected
by it. So are you suggesting that his performance is
pivotal to their decision on when and how much to
pay him.

Speaker 3 (02:07:24):
My thing is that I hate that this is a
pivotal season in which I don't think, once again he's
been set up to succeed as much as he could
have been. And I know that sounds crazy considering all
the weapons they supposedly went out and got, But the
line is a giant question mark and it will be

(02:07:46):
until further notice. And I mean, if you had a
bet right now on whether the twenty twenty five Texans
offensive line or the twenty twenty four Texans offensive line
was better at protecting CJ. Stroud, having not seen any
of the games this year, obviously, and you've seen all

(02:08:07):
the games last year, what do you think I'm.

Speaker 5 (02:08:10):
Betting twenty twenty five every single opportunity you give me.
I sure, hope so, because that's what I think of
the twenty twenty four performance.

Speaker 4 (02:08:19):
Just today, loudly and clearly, I said, they do not
have more individual talent person for person, player for player
than they had last year. And I just told you
I would bet on them every single opportunity I get.
That's that's how badly I think they were put together,
executed or coached everything. It was all bottom of the

(02:08:42):
barrel stuff. Five worst teams at communicating, five worst teams
at coaching, five worst teams at picking up stunts, five
worst teams at holding your ground, and probably five worst
teams on talent outside of left tackle. They did not
have talent, and now I don't think they have more.
The only way they have more this year is if
Fisher makes vast improvements over his rookie season, which is

(02:09:06):
reasonable to think for a player to do, but I
don't believe he's going to.

Speaker 5 (02:09:10):
If tay Urserie earns the right.

Speaker 4 (02:09:12):
To play because he's good, because he's a better option
than Cam Robinson, because potentially he's a better option than
Blake Fisher, because he's a good player, would be the
best reason. Like, you want him out there because he's
good at his job, not because he's the best guy
you have. You want her to be good. And then
the interior line, I think goes without saying there's no
reason to think, you know. Jake Anders lasted a couple

(02:09:33):
of years in New England. An injury was part of it,
but they weren't even interested in bringing him back. They
just drafted him a couple of years ago and he's
out there for anybody to take and he's the Texans
starting center. Titus Howard has a history of playing below
average at tackle, although I think his tackle play, excuse me,
at guard last year, I think his guard play was

(02:09:55):
the best it's been in his career. But I don't
think that's saying much. And then the other guard spot
again currently held by Lake and Tomlinson. He's all he's
done is start his entire career, and he's been out
there every week for all the multiple teams he's been
on and has been graded out as a below average
player the last two years. He's your new starter, and

(02:10:16):
I'm telling you they're going to be better. And I
don't even feel bad about it about to say, but
are you? Have you convinced yourself yet?

Speaker 5 (02:10:22):
I do think.

Speaker 4 (02:10:23):
I mean, it's silly to go all in on all
these other things when none of these other things are
playing football. Cole Popovich is taking no snaps. Nick Kayley's
taking no snaps. Nick Cassario's taking no snaps. What they
teach them is taking no snaps. These five guys have
got to go out there, whatever five they are, they
just have to go out there and do it. And
I'm telling it's for all those other reasons. Bringing Kaylee

(02:10:44):
in over Bobby Slowick, moving Cole Popovich into a role
inside the same room he was in last year as
the leader of this group, and telling Chris Strausser to go.
Those are the reasons they're going to play better football
and they have to do that job. Those five guys
can only do what they can do strength wise and
all those other things, but they've got to call better plays.

(02:11:07):
They've got to react in game two issues. They're going
to have issues. Other teams are going to get in
their backfield. They're going to see holes in the Texans
offensive line, but they can be closed within that three
hour window on any given Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
You just didn't see it happened last year at all.
I still think that's the number one reason in game adjustments.

(02:11:30):
I think is at the top of the list of
why Bobby Sloan was not brought back.

Speaker 3 (02:11:34):
Yeah, no, we heard about that throughout the year, Like, Okay,
it could have been better despite the offensive line if
he had done this and he had done that. It
was too simplistic. That's why he got ousted. Whatever the
reasons are, it's so in the rearview mirror at this point,
and unfortunately for CJ. I think which is what will

(02:11:55):
end up being the case. I think that's my prediction anyways,
is that you know, well, the scale some of this scapegoats,
or some of the obvious escapegoats, they're out now.

Speaker 5 (02:12:03):
You can't fire them next year. It's a crazy thought.

Speaker 4 (02:12:06):
And I really hadn't even come to that place until
you pointed it out in the way that you did.
You're gonna play this year and play badly, and CJ
Stroud's gonna have a comparable season to what he did
last year, and you're going to think maybe it is CJ.

Speaker 5 (02:12:19):
Maybe he isn't who he thought he was.

Speaker 4 (02:12:21):
Maybe it maybe asking him to overcome this isn't the problem,
wat right. I don't think that's I mean, that's why
I told you I've never gotten to that point. I
just don't believe that will be the case.

Speaker 3 (02:12:30):
Well, I don't think it would be again, if we're
sitting here having this conversation after twenty twenty five, I
just don't see any scenario where it is CJ's fault
or he gets the Lion's share of the blame.

Speaker 5 (02:12:45):
Yeah, it's gonna be for the same reason.

Speaker 4 (02:12:46):
The conversation we're gonna have is what if they had
done more?

Speaker 5 (02:12:49):
What if they had done the right things? And that
is a really depressive.

Speaker 4 (02:12:53):
Just the offensive line, Like, don't I don't look at
this team. I think they're gonna do things better this year.
I definitely do offensively. I don't look at their roster
top to bottom and anything else that goes with what's
different from twenty four to twenty five. I don't think
they've closed the gap. They're still not better than Buffalo,
Baltimore and Kansas City. They probably are still better than
everybody else in the AFC. But that's the same place

(02:13:15):
they've been now for two years running.

Speaker 3 (02:13:17):
Now three maybe the most depressing edition of football at
five we've ever done.

Speaker 4 (02:13:22):
But we're going to watch the season regardless, Well we
have to. We're going to analyze the seed. We're going
to give them that, Well, hey they did start four
and oh maybe things are better. Hey man, they got
the best record of the NFL. It's week eight. Maybe
things are better.

Speaker 3 (02:13:35):
I hope that's what I absolutely hope that's where we
are at. We will continue the five o'clock hour, we'll
get you to some tickets of the Monster Jam variety. Yeah,
it's back. It's been long enough. It's time for that
event to come back to our fair city. We'll be
giving away tickets to that we'll get to in case
you missed it, and a whole lot more as the

(02:13:55):
five o'clock hour continues here on a Tuesday edition of
the program.

Speaker 2 (02:14:00):
The eight on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 4 (02:14:03):
Ninety's among the dumb things that I do that we
make fun of here on the show, and I'm not
watching stupid press conferences for no reason. I was looking
at the Minor League Baseball transaction wire earlier this afternoon.

Speaker 5 (02:14:21):
That is dumb.

Speaker 4 (02:14:22):
Two things jumped out at me. Well one thing jumped
out because I didn't find the other thing. Even though
it's true, the Atlanta Braves season will be saved shortly.
We actually talked about this earlier last week. Jerkson Profar
has been sent on a rehab assignment. His eighty game

(02:14:44):
suspension for Pede will be ending soon. Astros just played
game seventy two. It's about where everybody is in the season,
so after the eighty games have been served, he won't
be eligible to return to the Atlanta Braves.

Speaker 3 (02:14:57):
He can help them get to the postseason, where he
then won't be able to participate.

Speaker 4 (02:15:00):
They won't make the postseason, but he can try to
help them get there. They're not completely out of it,
though they're well out of what I would think is
the division race one of the teams ahead of them.
Is the other move that I found at least a
little bit interesting, probably to Astros fans and others, the
New York Mets Triple A team released their first baseman
and designated hitter, John Singleton.

Speaker 5 (02:15:22):
He ain't coming back here.

Speaker 4 (02:15:23):
I don't think so either, mostly to do with the
reason why he wasn't here to begin with. There's not
a lot of opportunities for a positionally limited first basement
when Christian Walker has been signed. Now, Christian obviously needs
to rectify his own problems. He's still not a very
good offensive player, and we're almost at the three month
mark of season number one of his three year contract.

Speaker 5 (02:15:44):
But he's also not going to be on the sidelines.
He's going to be in the lineup every day.

Speaker 4 (02:15:47):
He's an elite fielding first baseman, So the opportunities for Singleton.

Speaker 5 (02:15:52):
He is a left handed bat.

Speaker 4 (02:15:54):
He can occasionally DH if that is open to him,
And with Altuve and Alvarez's presence on the team and
others was going to be limited, and I think the
reasons why he wasn't kept to begin with for the
same reasons why he would.

Speaker 5 (02:16:06):
Not be brought here.

Speaker 4 (02:16:08):
Typical minor league numbers for him again this year, hitting
in the low two hundreds, ops in the mid to
high seven hundreds, twelve homers a bunch of RBIs forty
two this point in the season.

Speaker 5 (02:16:19):
Is a nice number.

Speaker 4 (02:16:21):
Probably has another team that will give him the same
opportunity of the Mets, that will put him in the system.
We'll have him there if we need him. They obviously didn't,
and they also have like Houston and every day. He's
never not going to be in the lineup first baseman
and Pete Alonzo. But there's probably somewhere that he can
continue his professional career here in the States.

Speaker 3 (02:16:41):
Well, my thing with the Astros and their bats, as
they were quiet once again last night, largely each have
that one hit and all two they had.

Speaker 5 (02:16:51):
That was very loud.

Speaker 3 (02:16:54):
Just I know, we've just got done talking with Benezuza,
and we've been talking to ourselves about the amount of
these close games, but it just stings more when it's
against teams like the White Sox.

Speaker 4 (02:17:08):
Or the Athletics six and four against the last place
teams this year, the Astros they.

Speaker 5 (02:17:12):
Play good, high record.

Speaker 4 (02:17:14):
Well, it's it's a sixty percent winning percentage, which is
better than their overall winning percentage, which you would hope for.
It's gonna ding demmatic dramatically if they don't win tonight,
but a couple games against the Pirates, their signing series
with the A's, and they're a handful of games with
the White Sox season series.

Speaker 5 (02:17:31):
Over, they're winning tonight.

Speaker 4 (02:17:34):
Okay, I always thought they would win every game that
Jason Alexander pitched in, and tonight will be number one.

Speaker 5 (02:17:40):
It's not.

Speaker 3 (02:17:41):
It's just about the fact that I think they're actually
going to take advantage of the conditions you mentioned yesterday
and talked about earlier today.

Speaker 4 (02:17:49):
Better if they were playing during the day, then the
football flies. We saw two of the longest home runs
of the season, so I'm not going to say the
ball doesn't fly at night. It does fly a little
bit more during the usual sunny conditions. But man, nobody
wants to play in that I think they were properly
scheduled in the evening rather than the heart of the
heat of a West Sacramento afternoon in a minor league

(02:18:11):
caliber ballpark where you don't have any other major league
caliber ballpark elements helping you from the conditions like you're
indoors or very high walls and forty thousand people surrounding you.
In this case, you have about eight thousand people at
field level.

Speaker 3 (02:18:28):
And no one can't believe there are two Major League
Baseball teams that are playing in like ten thousand capacity state.
What was it eighty seven hundred people saw that game
last night?

Speaker 5 (02:18:37):
I mean that's the announced number. Who knows what the
real number is.

Speaker 3 (02:18:40):
It wasn't that much. I'm just saying the announced attendance
was less than nine thousands.

Speaker 4 (02:18:46):
If you haven't seen this, it's going to be a
pretty difficult question to answer. What major League Baseball player
is not in today's lineup because of something he said
to his manager yesterday?

Speaker 5 (02:18:59):
I know it. Ooh, I don't know, Nick, What do
you say?

Speaker 4 (02:19:04):
We don't know what he said. All we know is
that he crossed the line. He spoke with the media.
Rob Thompson acknowledged this is the reason, but he was
taken out of last night's game, had a conversation with
his manager. Philly's manager Rob Thompson, described by Nick as
being told that, well, I said something that apparently crossed
the line, and this is my punishment. Taken out of
the lineup yesterday and now not in the lineup today.

(02:19:27):
Nick Casius was famous for other reasons and gets brought
up from time to time when anything interrupts a game,
like maybe OJ in a chase, but this is something
different for the broadcaster in this instance, or an apology
or an apology.

Speaker 3 (02:19:40):
Yes, he always has come off as a giant Delta
Bravo to me.

Speaker 5 (02:19:46):
Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (02:19:47):
I've never really experienced firsthand or secondhand what he's like.
That's the body language, kind of like a Harrison Bader
type situation.

Speaker 4 (02:19:55):
I mean, you know he is I don't know what
he's doing with this. He needs a haircut for one thing,
or he needs to the beach. Talking about Harrison Bader.
People that are like that, like what that have that.
He does everything hard, like be a Delta Bravo. He's

(02:20:17):
gonna be the best Delta Bravo he can be. I mean,
you probably could put a whole team together.

Speaker 3 (02:20:23):
This is why Tommy fam is one of my favorite players.
He slapped Jack Peterson around like the Delta.

Speaker 5 (02:20:28):
Bravo.

Speaker 4 (02:20:28):
He is so Jock's the dh Beata will play center.
Castillanos can stay in the outfield. You can move them
to the infield if you're running out of spots here.
I don't know who else makes up your roster. Does
it have to be an active player? Bellinger's in the outfield,
is he not? I wonder if he'll ever get out there?
Or he'll be two in the oven to get out.

Speaker 5 (02:20:50):
There in the oven? Yeah, you mean baked, That's what
I meant. Oh, okay, Yeah, Bellinger will be there, Baked.

Speaker 3 (02:20:58):
Uh, well, who's the Okay, So he's center, So I'll
move Bader over to whatever.

Speaker 5 (02:21:03):
Yeah, that's fine. Who are we hiding him? Left?

Speaker 4 (02:21:06):
When you're hiding him? You need to fill out a roster.
I don't I don't know who makes your team. Huff like,
the picture's got to be like Radon or he can start?
Who's he throwing to.

Speaker 5 (02:21:20):
Catchers? What did you say? Who's Carlos Rodond? Yeah? The picture?
Who's he throwing to? Are we talking about DLTA Bravos. Yeah, yes,
we are. Okay, where have you been the last three minutes?
He's probably hanging out with Coddy Bellinger. Uh Catchers.

Speaker 3 (02:21:40):
Man, that's a tough one now that YadA your Molina's retired.

Speaker 5 (02:21:45):
YadA is not that? Yeah, man, uh no, it was.
It was Molina.

Speaker 3 (02:21:51):
Don't worry, but it's probably by the Saint Louis tables.

Speaker 5 (02:21:54):
For a second, I don't know if we're going to
get back to this.

Speaker 4 (02:21:56):
You mentioned something probably two and a half hours ago,
maybe maybe long.

Speaker 5 (02:21:59):
It just came to you. Well, I knew I wanted
to say something, but just didn't get to it.

Speaker 4 (02:22:03):
Then jose Al Tuve got hit with a pitch the
very first pitch after he homered is next at back
and the umpire immediately issued warnings. After a long conference
with the other umpires issued warnings to both teams.

Speaker 5 (02:22:16):
Both teams.

Speaker 4 (02:22:17):
Joe Spott had talked about it after and didn't really
want to say, well, they've taken our opportunity away to
which is the only reason why people are upset about it.
I don't think his challenges were needed. I also don't
think he threw out him intentionally. I don't even understand
why he would because he.

Speaker 5 (02:22:33):
Took him yard last time up.

Speaker 7 (02:22:35):
Who cares.

Speaker 3 (02:22:36):
I'm just saying, well, okay, the pitch was nowhere near
the strike zone and it was.

Speaker 5 (02:22:41):
Ryan King hit a guy and nobody said a word.
He didn't hit aut Tuve. He gave him some sweet
chin music. And that's also true. He didn't even hit him.
It just looked bad.

Speaker 3 (02:22:54):
I mean, the reason he got a warning was that
it looked the way it did in the very next bat,
on the very first pitch after he took him out.

Speaker 2 (02:23:02):
Of the park.

Speaker 4 (02:23:03):
Mitch Spence of the last place as nothing game meaningless,
middle of the season West Sacramento baseball game is so
ticked off that Altuve hit a homer and is crowding
the plate and is getting booed that he intentionally threw

(02:23:25):
a mid nineties fastball at his head.

Speaker 3 (02:23:29):
How funny was it that the Sacramento fans couldn't wait
eight years later to take out their aggressions on the
cheating cheater mc cheaterson. People are so dumb. Major League
Baseball fans in general are so on average stupid.

Speaker 4 (02:23:50):
I don't know enough of the locals and Sacramento to
reach out to anybody that's doing local sports or news.

Speaker 3 (02:23:55):
Kevin Johnson's still the mayor. Another reason they're stupid.

Speaker 4 (02:23:58):
I mean, I would have liked to reached out to
somebody who clearly went to the ballpark knowing that this
would be a story. I'm here with John Johnson and
Sally Salerson of the West Sacramento area.

Speaker 5 (02:24:10):
They've lived here their whole lives. They're in their fifties.

Speaker 14 (02:24:13):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (02:24:13):
I noticed you guys came to the ballpark tonight. Is
this your first game of the year.

Speaker 7 (02:24:16):
Yes?

Speaker 5 (02:24:16):
Why this game?

Speaker 10 (02:24:17):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (02:24:17):
With the Astros in town? Why does that matter?

Speaker 4 (02:24:19):
Because we've been waiting our whole lives here in West
Sacramento to boo Jose Altuve for what he did to
the Athletics.

Speaker 3 (02:24:25):
That's what it sounded like, not even the Athletics, just
Major League Baseball Orange Team BED.

Speaker 4 (02:24:32):
I get it is the best money we've ever spent.
We had a great time.

Speaker 3 (02:24:37):
And if you don't think there's people that did that,
they had never been to a game in their life.
We're gonna buy a ticket to boo the Astros.

Speaker 4 (02:24:45):
The Red Sox will be coming to town, and the
Cubs will be coming to town, and the Blue Jays
will be coming to town and the Twins will be
coming to Tastros.

Speaker 5 (02:24:55):
Are you gonna boo those guys too? Nope? Just the Astros.

Speaker 4 (02:24:57):
Yeah, Springer in Corea and Bragman the Astro You're gonna
doo them right?

Speaker 5 (02:25:01):
Nope? Okay, things change. In case you missed it, that's.

Speaker 1 (02:25:05):
Next the AE on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (02:25:14):
Let's get to the items we need to revisit or
introduce to the listeners because we haven't so far.

Speaker 5 (02:25:20):
It's in case you missed it. What do we have today?

Speaker 3 (02:25:21):
Cole jc Relmuto, I don't think he's a Delta Bravo.

Speaker 5 (02:25:27):
I don't either. I don't I like him. He's almost
an astro. I completely disagree on that one.

Speaker 11 (02:25:34):
You can't disagree with the final score of what happened
out in Omaha. After giving up two runs in the
eighth ending to tie the game at six apiece, Louisville
gets the last laugh over Oregon State with a walk
off Sackfly seven to sixth victory. They would advance to
the Bracket one Championship against Coles to Carolina.

Speaker 5 (02:25:54):
For them to advance to the.

Speaker 11 (02:25:55):
National Championship, they're going to have to win back back games. LSU,
which has been a raindow la last night, was able
to win nine to five earlier today against UCLA. Ucla
is in an elimination game tonight against Arkansas. The winner
will have to win the next two games to make
it to Omaha's finale.

Speaker 4 (02:26:13):
On Freday, had that game on in here. The Oregon
State Louisville game. That ninth inning was absolute lunacy. The
scored a couple runs, had a couple of guys on.
A brutal error by the Oregon State shortstop allowed the
inning to go on. There's nobody out and runners on
second and third in a tie game, and they got
out of it to stay tied after they let it
get tied.

Speaker 5 (02:26:33):
But a miracle that they didn't allow any more runs.

Speaker 4 (02:26:36):
And it's cool mention as Sackfly wins it there for them,
It's been pretty high drama, as it usually is at
the College World Series.

Speaker 5 (02:26:43):
And I'm sure there's more on the way.

Speaker 4 (02:26:44):
Not to mention the tallly of shots being made and
enjoyed by the respective fan base. You guys know who's leading, right,
it's well, it's the funny thing is it's created like
it's a competition but it's not.

Speaker 5 (02:26:58):
But it's not, it's not.

Speaker 4 (02:27:00):
I mean, I saw Paul Livy's boyfriend at the board yesterday.
He had an off day and made it out to
Omaha with her, and he's putting the new tallies up
for the respective fan bases. You know, they've got ninety
four hundred and they've got seventy six hundred. Well, those
are all in the four digits. And then he I'm
watching him write five digits because now he's writing an

(02:27:22):
LSU's total, which is dwarfing all the others, as it
does every year.

Speaker 11 (02:27:26):
There's a five thousand total difference between first place and
second place.

Speaker 5 (02:27:30):
Second place still is Murray.

Speaker 11 (02:27:32):
State, but now they've been eliminated, you can expect Coe,
SA Carolina and Arkansas to catch on up. Speaking of
which have catched on up, let's go talk to our
buddy Joe Tory, who's gonna be catching on up with
his former squad, or at least the manager of his
former squad, Aaron Boone, because of now in the MLB
All Star Game, as Boone gets select his coaching staff

(02:27:53):
Stephen Vote, the Cleveland Guardians, the runner ups in the
American League, and Joe Torriy, longtime manager of the New
York Yankees, will represent the American League in Atlanta later
on next month as part of the American League All
Star roster.

Speaker 4 (02:28:07):
Yeah, former Cardinals catcher Joe Tory honorary manager for the
American League All Stars.

Speaker 5 (02:28:13):
If you missed it.

Speaker 4 (02:28:15):
The last couple of days, Major League Baseball unveiled their
BP caps and Home Run Derby Caps, both of which
are quite a stretch from your typical cap. The way
they're stitched together. The five part patch hat looks.

Speaker 5 (02:28:33):
Awful and I don't know that the fans will receive
it very well.

Speaker 4 (02:28:35):
But with that info, they also unveiled the jerseys that'll
go with them, which I thought were pretty cool under
a lowercase AL and NL on those jerseys, and they
announced for the game they're going back to what most
people grew up watching. The players on each team will
wear their own teams jersey.

Speaker 3 (02:28:57):
Way you can see which team they play for and
how many have teammates or team members on the All
Star squad.

Speaker 5 (02:29:05):
How many people were Actually it will help the casuals.

Speaker 11 (02:29:08):
Yes, I hate to drop this news on you because
it's supposed to be in the rundown, but I just
saw it. Raphael Devers was very upset about being asked
to play anywhere other than third base, so.

Speaker 5 (02:29:18):
Then moves to DH Then.

Speaker 11 (02:29:19):
He's asked play first base in Boston, says hey, I'm
not gonna do that, and Boston says, okay, we're gonna
send you out to San Francisco Boys.

Speaker 5 (02:29:27):
Change his tune.

Speaker 11 (02:29:27):
Meeting with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Devers tells the San
Francisco Giants he will play anywhere after being acquired in
a blockbuster deal from the Boston Red Sox. Quote, I'm
here to play wherever.

Speaker 5 (02:29:38):
They want me to play.

Speaker 11 (02:29:39):
Manager Bob Melvin said that tonight he will be guiding
third and is the designated hitter. Currently, Matt Chapman is
on the il not expect to be the third basement
if anything, would be the first baseman, splitting reps where
they'd be between him and Wilmer Flores. He will make
his debut tonight now wearing number sixteen out in the Bay.

Speaker 5 (02:29:56):
Quite a lineup he's in tonight.

Speaker 4 (02:29:58):
You got Mike Schmidt over at third, you got carl
Us Streemsky in right field, and Rafael Devers is their
designated hitter.

Speaker 5 (02:30:05):
Uh really, I'm sorry.

Speaker 4 (02:30:06):
That's Mike Yustremsky in right field and Casey Schmidt over
at third base for the ailing Matt Chapman. This was
never a I don't want to play first base and
I don't can't believe you're taking me off of third base.
This was always a I'm not playing where you asked
me to play because I don't like you anymore. It's
as simple as that. It's basically been reported as such.

Speaker 5 (02:30:27):
They broke up.

Speaker 4 (02:30:28):
He didn't like the way they approached him or didn't
approach him about what they were doing this off season.
He had signed his long term extension. He's a lifer there,
ten plus years in the organization. He just felt disrespected
and he put his foot down and said, I don't
care what you want.

Speaker 5 (02:30:43):
I'm the designated hitter because that's what she told me.

Speaker 4 (02:30:45):
He told me to put my glove away, and I
have and that's what I'm going to continue to do,
and I still can't.

Speaker 8 (02:30:50):
Now.

Speaker 4 (02:30:50):
I do think there is more forget about what management was.
If the players in the locker room were if there
was an issue there the clubhouse, I should say, and
I do believe that they were ready to say Man,
I know he's really good, but the vibe in here stinks,
and he's here.

Speaker 5 (02:31:04):
Was toxic in there.

Speaker 4 (02:31:06):
I don't think it was toxic in there, but I
do think that they're oddly for the talent that he was,
for the best hitter on the team that he was.
I don't think the team players are, man, what are
we going to do without him? But they are going
to take the stance that managemental hopes for every time
you make a deal like this in season.

Speaker 11 (02:31:24):
Well, you guys saw what happened last night, Right, what
happened last night? Austin Dan lose a baseball game, but
they didn't give.

Speaker 5 (02:31:31):
Up any runs. You don't lose those games, Yeah, you
never do.

Speaker 11 (02:31:34):
Speaking of runs, don't have to give up runs, begin
to give up draft picks. And that's what Indiana is doing,
even though they're in the finals and they are a
game away from watching Oklahoma City complete the comeback and
claim their first NBA title. Well, they traded their first
round pick, the number twenty three overall selection, to the
New Orleans Pelicans, and he re acquired their first two
round picks in twenty twenty six. As the team's announced Tuesday,

(02:31:56):
Pelicans will also receive the rights to former Indiana G
League player mos Gov King. While the reigning Eastern Conference
champion Pacers have gained additional financial flexibility entering the offseason,
it'll clear out roughly about three point two million dollars,
so they might be making moves to try and stay
alive one more day before heading back to Oklahoma City.
But they're making moves off the court to put themselves

(02:32:18):
in a position to maybe bring in somebody else in
free agency or offer a little bit more in a
max value contract.

Speaker 5 (02:32:25):
That's interesting.

Speaker 3 (02:32:27):
It's almost like, well, it's not saying that they're giving
up on this NBA Final, but I mean, come on.

Speaker 5 (02:32:33):
Their focus is elsewhere right now.

Speaker 3 (02:32:35):
Yeah, it's just a I don't remember ever hearing of
an NBA Finals participant trading away a draft pick during
the championship round.

Speaker 5 (02:32:44):
I'm sure it's happened, I just don't remember it. Yeah,
I mean, what is the huge deal is not allowed
to make a move. It's just odd.

Speaker 11 (02:32:52):
Well, it's also not a lottery pick, so it's a
little different because if it's just another move that you
feel like as a player that's not going to be
valuable to your team this next season, What player whoever
is gonna be that number twenty three overall pick?

Speaker 5 (02:33:06):
Yep, major major, major deal? Am I wrong?

Speaker 4 (02:33:10):
I don't even I don't even know what the deal was.
I was paying so little attention to it when.

Speaker 5 (02:33:13):
I read it earlier.

Speaker 11 (02:33:14):
Well, in case you missed it, especially you of all
people who missed it, it's the twenty third overall pick.
I'm gonna say that one more time for you. That
way you don't miss it again, the twenty third over
I dare you to.

Speaker 4 (02:33:23):
Tell me he's gonna make it next year in the NBA,
Mister number twenty three, watch a like Mojave King, who
started playing professionally in twenty eighteen. Overseas, it was just
involved in a PACER's trade during the finals in twenty
twenty five.

Speaker 11 (02:33:35):
Well, nikola Jokicz was strafted during to talk about commercials.
So everything is possible in today's day and age.

Speaker 4 (02:33:40):
Everything is possible. Not anything is possible. We're not trying
to steal from KG everything.

Speaker 3 (02:33:46):
Casey, she screwed up the line I know impossible is
nothing more on?

Speaker 5 (02:33:49):
Well, no, no, no, anything is possible.

Speaker 7 (02:33:51):
You know.

Speaker 3 (02:33:52):
For someone who's so outspoken and critical all the time,
he should probably geodcast.

Speaker 5 (02:33:56):
Yeah, well that was before.

Speaker 3 (02:33:59):
They're paying you a lot of money to not screw
up their tagline. Anything is multiple, sir, it's impossible as nothing.
We'd like our money back.

Speaker 1 (02:34:12):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:34:29):
You know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna give away
Monster Jam tickets tomorrow. I want to give it the
proper amount of attention and time.

Speaker 5 (02:34:37):
That it needs.

Speaker 3 (02:34:38):
That would just just not happen this segment, and so
we'll save it for tomorrow and we'll give away multiple
sets of tickets.

Speaker 5 (02:34:45):
How about that? All right?

Speaker 3 (02:34:47):
We have gone through a number of things today. We
started by not celebrating that walk off last night. We
delved into a lot of Katie talk. I'm starting to
think Kevin Durant to the Rockets not gonna It's not
gonna happen.

Speaker 4 (02:35:03):
Well, that's an interesting thought before we go that far
down the road. So Kevin Durant drafted by the Sonics,
played in Seattle and played in Oklahoma City, and ultimately,
after Harden left and people were telling him it wasn't
working out with Russell Westbrook, he made a move.

Speaker 5 (02:35:23):
Those people being the Golden State Warriors.

Speaker 4 (02:35:25):
Yeah, so he made a move, and we Players Tribune
article did He's gone to Golden State, He's won a championship.
Now after that point in time, how many different teams
can you cite in all these years that have come
since then, where you've read a report or know that
to be the case that he's said or has been

(02:35:46):
sourced to have believed he preferred to play here. He
wanted to go there. You were talking about I think
off air, Oh, he wanted to go to the Knicks. Well,
we know he wanted to go to the Nets. He
went there. He wanted to go to the Celtics where
currently talking about his preferred destinations all some have eliminated
everybody but san Antonio. A couple days before that, it

(02:36:08):
was everybody but san Antonio, Houston and Miami. It's a
fluid situation, like how how many different situations have been
in front of him where he said and haven't worked out?
Like he wanted to play in Brooklyn, and obviously he did.
He signed a long term extension there while hurt and
not expected to even play the opening season there, but

(02:36:28):
they were working on a deal this past trade lite
he wanted to go here. Sources indicate he hoped to
play for the Knicks, Like, how many different places has
he hoped to play? His preferences to play anywhere but
where he is? Well, okay, how many grant situations changed?
You don't know, that's fair enough.

Speaker 3 (02:36:46):
Yeah, Well, if if the team is coming into Durant
and saying, all right, we're gonna try and deal you,
and this is at the deadline, because that's when the
Knicks Celtics preferred, Destiny Nation's report was about. So let's
just say the Suns come in in February or thereabouts
and they're like, all right, we're gonna try and deal you.

(02:37:07):
Where would you like to go or some symbloms of
that conversation. Well that's then, and then you know, the
report was that neither of those teams were willing to
give the amount up that was necessary to get the
job done. Now, remember a trade deadline deal is a
little different because you're not you're not necessarily renting him,

(02:37:31):
But it's just different than after this.

Speaker 5 (02:37:34):
You get two chances to win a title instead of
now one.

Speaker 3 (02:37:37):
Right, But that's that's as much about the Suns as
it is about Durant in my opinion, because what if
the Suns came in and said, all right, here's where
we're thinking of these teams. What would be your preferred
and then that's what becomes Nick's Celtics. So take those
two teams right now. There.

Speaker 4 (02:37:56):
We know that discussions were had, we don't know how
far they got, and we don't know if they ever
became rich.

Speaker 5 (02:38:00):
I bet the Celtics could really use Durant right about now.

Speaker 4 (02:38:03):
The Boston possibility does not exist. It makes no sense
for Boston to trade for Kevin Durant, does it. I
mean they're gonna trade for Kevin Durant.

Speaker 5 (02:38:10):
They don't.

Speaker 4 (02:38:10):
There's no way they could make the money work with
what they'd have to give up. So the year that
Jason Tatum's gonna miss, you're gonna pair Kevin Durant up
with Jalen Brown, who you're now keeping so you can
win during the season that j Jason Tatum's.

Speaker 5 (02:38:24):
Hurt, and who are you giving up and going to
the worse? That's what I mean.

Speaker 4 (02:38:28):
I don't think that's a real possibility, and I really
didn't think it was a possibility before either, and the
Knicks the opposite. If you were interested at the deadline
and they were interested in you what's different now?

Speaker 5 (02:38:41):
What's changed? Has something? I mean, I'm asking it quizzically.

Speaker 3 (02:38:44):
What's changed? Well, a lot's changed in New York. What Well,
the coach isn't there and they can't find one. So
he only was interested because of Tibbs. No, I don't
think he was interested because of Tibbs. And I don't
This whole thing where players want to play for New
York at the Garden is so overrated to me. If
that were the case, there is a litany of superstars

(02:39:07):
that would have found a way to get there, because,
as we know in the NBA, when you want to
play somewhere and you have that talent, you get there,
and that includes Lebron.

Speaker 5 (02:39:16):
So isn't it different now?

Speaker 7 (02:39:17):
Though?

Speaker 5 (02:39:18):
Like the reason to play there now is so you
can win. Yeah, finally, it's about the right thing.

Speaker 4 (02:39:23):
At the February deadline, the reason to go to New
York was to win. That should remain unchanged.

Speaker 3 (02:39:29):
Well, I should always that should You would think that
would always be the case, cause see that that gets
that blows out of the water. Any sort of location,
cold weather, anti bias that it is out there.

Speaker 5 (02:39:46):
I don't want to play here in Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (02:39:47):
It's cold there, Boston, New York, I mean, any number
of cold weather teams. Even Cleveland was finding ways to
get players there because Lebron was it's if you can win,
it doesn't matter what the weather is.

Speaker 5 (02:39:58):
And they don't have any thing.

Speaker 4 (02:40:00):
History clearly doesn't exist for any of these teams, whether
it was a long time ago or more recent, they've
all won and it still struck me as OD like,
he's going to win, right He wants to go to
a team that he can win a championship with, So
why would he care that Minnesota hasn't won before?

Speaker 5 (02:40:14):
Would it matter to him that the Rockets won thirty
years ago?

Speaker 8 (02:40:16):
None of is it?

Speaker 5 (02:40:17):
I don't like is that not a challenge?

Speaker 4 (02:40:18):
You're the guy that came to Minnesota that got them
their first title after being an NBA franchise for you know,
forty years or whatever it turns out to be. I mean,
I would think that's fine, you'd even take that on.
But nothing since this off season began, since the season
ended for Phoenix before the postseason, the season ended for
the Rockets after one round, and everybody else in the

(02:40:40):
mix because the two teams playing right now aren't I
have not changed it. My thought at all. I did
not necessarily believe Minnesota would truly be in the running,
so I would acknowledge I might not have thought that
from the beginning, as soon as I understood that they
would be willing to part with talent to be in
the Kevin Durant discussions the same two teams at the
top of the list today as they've always been. He

(02:41:02):
can have his preferences, and I can understand some versus others.
Still understand the Miami preference whatsoever for a player at
the stage of his career, unless he doesn't care about winning,
Because going to Miami means you don't want to win.
You cannot win there, You will not win there. You
have three other options. One's furthest away San Antonio. One
thinks they're closer and I believe them Houston, and one

(02:41:23):
is one round away from playing for the title back
to back years.

Speaker 5 (02:41:27):
Minnesota. No other team should really be truly into the mix.

Speaker 4 (02:41:31):
I don't think unless there's some outside only Kevin Durant
knows reason that he wants to go somewhere else, that
he wants to be a Clipper, that he wants to
be a raptor, these things, these teams that are so
called lurking out there. And I do think the Rockets
are handling this again publicly, they're doing the right thing.
They're doing absolutely nothing, putting saying this is what we

(02:41:53):
have to offer, not what we have. You can ask
for the other things that we have, but we're offering
you only that. I do not think they believe Kevin
Durant is worth multiple rotation players one. I think they
would stomach all of the Phoenix picks back. Absolutely not
one of them. Yes, maybe, And the players that didn't

(02:42:15):
make it to the rotation, like Cam, like Reid. I
don't think they're just automatic add ins to that deal
to make it work. If Kevin Durant can net you
something else, better go ahead and get it signed, Rafelstone.
That's where I think the Rockets are today. We'll find
out in the next handful of hours if anything changes
before we reconvene tomorrow at two o'clock. We'll do that
as we always do each and every day here on

(02:42:37):
Sports Talk seven to ninety and from three to six
on our simulcast on Space City Home Network Late Night
Astros Baseball once again this evening A's and Stros we'll
talk to you again tomorrow at two.

Speaker 2 (02:42:49):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety