Suck It Seattle, Quiet Carolina & A Happy Thirsty Thursday To You H-Town!

Wex and AC hop on to dicuss the Astros' series win over the Boston Red Sox, the loss by Seattle on the road in Baltimore, Texans training camp note and the hit move Showgirls!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam raised.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
My earl.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Nold.

Speaker 4 (00:10):
He got a.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
MULTIPI the magnificent roller coaster ride.

Speaker 5 (00:17):
That is Houston sports chill lage down for the only
homegrown afternoon team is talking your teams?

Speaker 6 (00:29):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 7 (00:35):
A straight up two o'clock here on the A Team,
It's Sports.

Speaker 8 (00:45):
Talk seven ninety. It's a good day, man. I'm sorry,
I'm just a little giddy because of the last's let's
call it twenty four hours, I guess, but primarily the
last like you know, for fourteen or so. After watching
the way the Mariners absolutely choked last night and then

(01:07):
to see the way they were getting bludgeoned before they
were saved by mother Nature just about a half hour ago,
I'm very happy, especially since the Astros took care of
business in the finale last night. Jiner Diez welcome back
to the party, and Jeremy Paney too technically but putting
that game effectively out of reach in the two point

(01:27):
zero version of the Astros bullpen getting it done down
the stretch. I'm willing to say it right now, I'll
go on the record. I have no problem with it. Obviously,
a bray You is your new closer. We don't know
anything definitively about Josh Hater, but I think we all
can assume at this point, especially with the way the
powers that be are talking about the situation. But if

(01:48):
Hater or if a bray You is your closer, if
Bennett Susa is some sort of setup man in this scenario,
I'm here for it. Yes, I'm biased because he's a
friend of the show and a left hander, but I
think of all the names that have kind of trickled
out and become would be heroes at one time or

(02:10):
another this year, I think I like the prospects of
him becoming the go to guy in some sort of
setup scenario better than anything else out there.

Speaker 9 (02:21):
Yeah, I heard it here yesterday said the very same thing.
The astros are going to lean on different people, and
those two guys are probably among the top. It's no
coincidence that that's what they did the other day. Before
all this was definitive, and that Josh Hater was unavailable
for an extended period of time. I don't know if
they put it out of reach, considering it took Brian
Abra all of two batters to bring the tying run
to the plate once twice three times in a row

(02:42):
in the ninth inning because on they had a three
run leads and he immediately put the first two runners
on base with at least they didn't walk them, but
they both got hits, and then he had to make
sure that the pitcher and the hitter didn't meet and
hit a home run.

Speaker 4 (02:55):
Was he never nervous? I wasn't.

Speaker 9 (02:57):
I didn't say I was nervous. I'm just saying out
of reach.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
Sure, they won.

Speaker 9 (03:01):
They didn't give up any runs. Hunter Brown was the
only pitcher yesterday to give up a run. And that's
also what we talked about quite a bit and should
talk about the rest of the season. They're actually lined
up back to back now day off in between today,
but Hunter Brown Wednesday from Bravldez expected to get the
start against the Orioles, presuming they get out of town
at some point, still have to finish their game, but

(03:22):
having it rained there not necessarily the worst thing in
the world for a team that's needing to get to
Houston after that game from Baltimore. Lots of flights and
they have a charter and the Astros have had extra rest. Yeah,
especially Carlos Korea. Oh my god, what are you doing, Astros.
You're supposed to grind it out. Oh, they won without him.
So the Astros got a four to one win yesterday
and maintained this spot they've been in for quite some time.

(03:43):
They are the first place Astros. The Mariners obviously did
not win yesterday. I think everybody knows that by now.
They did make it interesting and dramatic though, scoring a
couple of times late in the ninth inning to send
it to extra innings. Ultimately, Jackson Holliday was able to
walk them off in the bottom of the ninth inning
and they got themselves one game, separating themselves in the

(04:04):
Astros and as you heard throughout the afternoon, the last
two hours and five minutes worth, the Orioles and Mariners
finishing up their series, which is now in a rain
delay with the Orioles leading five nothing. So we will
keep you updated on that, keep you updated on when
the NBA releases the final seventy six games of the
Houston Rockets twenty twenty five twenty twenty six season.

Speaker 10 (04:23):
That's so ridiculous.

Speaker 9 (04:24):
Oh, we know six of them since all of their
partners got all of their love over the last couple
of days, and why not. That's how I would do
it if I were the NBA. You release a fairly
unimportant schedule. We know where the Rockets are playing. There's
a couple of teams they'll play four times instead of three,
a couple of teams they'll play three times instead of four. Otherwise,
we know they're gonna have a long road trip, they're
gonna have a long homestand they're gonna start the season

(04:45):
with fifteen out of twenty two games on the road.
They're gonna end the season with fourteen out of twenty
three games at home, something like that. All those things
will be in place, and it's not our huge surprise.
It's in the NFL. You know who you're playing, literally,
you know all the games. Well essentially, you know this too.
You play every team, you play the Eastern Conference teams

(05:05):
twice and the subsequent Western Conference games. But certain things
about the schedule we definitely want to dissect when it
comes our way. Should be a little bit later this hour,
probably in the midst of next segments.

Speaker 4 (05:16):
We will get in on that.

Speaker 9 (05:18):
And the first of two important days of training camp
for the Texans has now come and gone. The second
one is a week from today. The first one was
the joint practice with the Carolina Panthers today. On the
field to your left, we had the Carolina offense against
the Texans defense. On the field to your right, we
had the Texans offense against the Panthers defense. If you

(05:38):
were a fan in attendance today, all of that was
in front of you, and you couldn't see a lick
of the Texans defense, being that it was that far
away and that many people to walk in between and
see in between. But that's my vantage point, and I
hardly watched any of the Bryce Young, Andy Dalton, Jack
Plumber led Panthers offense against the Texans defense Jack Plumber,

(05:58):
so I was focused in on the offense in that
the Texans defense could have given up fifteen straight touchdown
drives to that trio of quarterbacks with the Panthers, and
I really wouldn't care. Luckily, we had four sets of
eye or four eyeballs out there. Cole was out there
as well and spent some time looking over that side
of the field. I was watching the Texans offensive line

(06:18):
and what Davis Mills and CJ. Stroud were able to do.
No clarity from Demico Ryans. Honestly, he wasn't even asked
because we know we're not going to get an answer
about who will be used in the game on Saturday
in the light of the fact they had a joint
practice today. But as with every training camp practice for
both teams, as far as I could tell, there wasn't
any injury of significance to anybody out there. A few players,

(06:42):
you know, walked off for hydration purposes. There weren't any fights,
and I don't even think i'd use the word skirmish
for what took place late in practice when Xavier Hutchinson
made a nice catch over the middle and in the
midst of getting some yak he got popped pretty good.
Down he went. He wasn't very happy about it. Dalton
Schultz was one of the first to his side and

(07:03):
he wasn't very happy about it.

Speaker 4 (07:04):
And then c J.

Speaker 9 (07:05):
Stroud grabbed both of them, they lined up, they spiked
the ball so they could continue with their two minute drill,
subsequently ending in a c J. Stroud to Christian kirk
leaping touchdown in the end zone and the subsequent celebration
probably a day where on the offensive side for the Texans,
they did get some things accomplished. It wasn't a phenomenal day,
but they also didn't get dominated.

Speaker 11 (07:27):
Well.

Speaker 8 (07:27):
Look, I am just glad that they're playing someone else,
So were they?

Speaker 4 (07:32):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (07:33):
Well, okay, so earlier on the Matt Thomas Show that
Matt Thomas was not a part of today the issue
of and we might talk about this a little bit
just because it's a comparison with what we're kind of
talking about here, that arch Manning reportedly was having problems
against the Longhorns defense.

Speaker 10 (07:50):
Well, I bet c J.

Speaker 8 (07:52):
Stroud's had a lot of problems against the Texans defense
this year because they're good.

Speaker 9 (07:56):
Yes, many times we have talked about that during the
first seventeen aiing camp practices.

Speaker 4 (08:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (08:01):
So, I mean that's why when I say they're probably
just have We always talk about this, and the players
do too.

Speaker 10 (08:07):
I was just happy to see somebody else cross the lot.

Speaker 9 (08:09):
To be honest with you, I think the fact that
the Texans by now their defense no offense to Nick
Cayley and Jared Patterson and Jake Andrews and CJ. The
defense knows what's coming. They know the snap counts, they
know the plays they've they've been practicing against the same
team who runs the same scheme the entire time. But
saying that and actually watching all this, the Texans offense

(08:30):
has had more success the longer training camp has gone
against their number one defense.

Speaker 10 (08:34):
Wait a second, you're burying the lead here.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
Uh uh. You were out there right and it's in.

Speaker 10 (08:39):
Did you not did you talk to Steve Smith Junior?

Speaker 9 (08:42):
Well, the Panthers were in town and so was their media.
So when I first saw Steve Smith out there, he
was already surrounded by Panthers.

Speaker 4 (08:51):
Media walking SoundBite.

Speaker 9 (08:53):
I love him and did not talk to Steve Smith.

Speaker 10 (08:55):
Aw Man, if I had known he.

Speaker 4 (08:57):
Was going to be there, I might have showed up.
I'm just kidding. That's not true.

Speaker 9 (09:01):
But no, im the lead. Yeah, Steve Smith attended Panthers practice.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
He Smith Junior.

Speaker 8 (09:07):
Yeah, no, I I like, but I do in all seriousness,
I like hearing him talk about football. I most players, well,
let me let me rephrase, most former wide receivers in
the NFL are just fantastic to listen to talk about
the game today. It doesn't matter like if they had
that kind of over the top personality like he did

(09:27):
or not most of the time.

Speaker 10 (09:29):
I just that's entertaining to me.

Speaker 8 (09:32):
I would rather especially this time of year when it's
preseason games and they're monotonous and it's a bunch of
backups playing and you're just it's a necessary evil to
get to the games that count.

Speaker 4 (09:43):
Anything that you can do to.

Speaker 8 (09:44):
Spice things up, and that's exactly what how I would
describe him every time he's on television, doesn't matter what
it is, Steve Smith Junior will make it a little
bit more entertaining. So good to know they're clashing today
against someone other than themselves and looking forward to seeing
what comes of that. I guess on Saturday when they
get together for an actual game and the first one

(10:05):
here in Houston of the preseason. But there is other
things going on, like we mentioned the fact that the
tarp is out on the field in Baltimore. It's really weird.
I'm finding myself rooting super hard for the Orioles when
they're going to be coming into town twenty four hours
from now, and I'll be rooting super hard against them.
It's a weird quirk in the schedule. But I'm not

(10:27):
saying that a series a team makes, and I'm not
even saying that this means anything. But Ross and I
were arguing about this, and I'm sure you and I
will too until I keep saying this, until Seattle does something,
and making the playoffs is not doing something. By the way,
I'm never gonna think that they're going to do anything,

(10:49):
even if they have a good season, even if they
have a better season than the Astros, for example, they
just don't. I'm not afraid of them. I'm just not.

Speaker 4 (11:01):
Listen.

Speaker 8 (11:02):
If you're a dog, if you're a killer team with
a killer instinct, and you see the opportunity you have
and you're playing that team, and I know it's baseball,
and that's gonna be the number one thing you're gonna
say back to me. Take it by the throat man.
The Astros are reeling right now, and they probably just
lost their closer, and you find a way to lose
two out of three of the Orioles. Now, the Astros
lose two out of three of the Oriels. So you're

(11:22):
down on them because they're nine and three this month. Yeah, Well,
the Astros are six and six. Yeah, because the two
games that they lost after that first one just happened
and they came against the Oriols. I'm absolutely down on them. Yeah,
that's silly, that's your opinion. That's why i'm here.

Speaker 10 (11:34):
Yeah, I got them too.

Speaker 8 (11:36):
And let me tell you, I'm not afraid of the
Seattle Mariners, and I'm definitely after I.

Speaker 9 (11:39):
Don't think I honestly don't think anybody is. And it's
for some of the reasons you said, and well, they
do this all the time. Well I guess. I mean,
like I say every time we bring this up to me,
they're just there's just a new team. They're just a
much much better team than they've ever been before. They
don't have to play their best to win. They used
to have to play their best to win. They have
a better roster, they have better players.

Speaker 8 (11:57):
Yea Auhano Suerraz this time like they did the last time,
and they didn't do anything.

Speaker 9 (12:01):
Yeah, they didn't do anything. That's right, I know. That's
what I'm trying to say to you.

Speaker 4 (12:06):
I'm not disagreeing with you.

Speaker 9 (12:08):
The idea that they've never done anything before is not debatable,
nor am I trying to debate it. The idea that
I should be afraid of them, which you're not I'm
not either.

Speaker 8 (12:16):
But I don't think you actually are, but I think
some people are. They're crowning them early. Let's put it
that way.

Speaker 9 (12:22):
I mean, you have to do something. But in this
year's Major League Baseball, specifically the American League, like everything
you're saying about Seattle should apply to one hundred percent
of the ball clubs. The Tigers have been a first
place in their division pretty much all year and battling
for the number one seed in the ALE all year,
and they now have the same number of wins as
the Blue Jays. Again, should we be afraid of them?

(12:45):
The Blue Jays are by far. They've been on a
run for about two months, making huge distance between themselves
and the rest of the American League East. Should we
be afraid of them? We already know nobody's afraid of
the Astros. They're never afraid of the Astros and it
always bites them in the backside. And this version may
be the one finally they shouldn't be afraid of. And
I still wouldn't write them off. It hasn't changed even

(13:06):
after the deadline. This comment for me, and it will
not change all the way through to the postseason. Wide
freaking open six teams will make the playoffs. All six
of those teams will have a chance to advance multiple times.

Speaker 8 (13:18):
But since you brought it up, I do think, even
though they haven't done anything of late or ever in
a long time, the Tigers do have this going for them.
As it pertains to talking about these two teams, Seattle
and Detroit. The Tigers have been in first place pretty
much all year, or right there near the top I
know of late they faded Seattle was at the top

(13:38):
of this division, faded to the Space Cowboys, I might add,
and then now they've come back as the Astros have
struggled with health and other things like that. Get I
don't know. I guess respect is earned when it comes
to that kind of thing. You could argue that the
Tigers haven't earned anything either, although they're the ones that
sent the Astros packing last season.

Speaker 10 (13:59):
I just think maybe I'm biased because of aj Hinch.
I don't know.

Speaker 9 (14:02):
I mean, honestly, the Tigers haven't done anything that the
Mariners have. The Mariners when they played the Astros in
the playoffs, they advanced to get there.

Speaker 4 (14:08):
Yeah, that's all the Tigers led them. That's all the
Tigers did last share.

Speaker 8 (14:11):
A monumental comeback for the Astros to win Game one,
but the way they won it probably had something to
do with that. So anyways, I look, it's I get it,
I get why, and uh and.

Speaker 4 (14:21):
They're the hottest new thing. It's fine.

Speaker 9 (14:23):
People were very high on them this month.

Speaker 10 (14:24):
Shiny objects.

Speaker 9 (14:25):
Okay, they're really good, right right this very moment up
until the two out of three losses. Potentially I haven't
lost yet today, by the way, that's true, but they
are down five nothing and the target of the game
is over. Maybe more, I don't know. Maybe they'll say,
we can't finish this one. You guys got to get
to got to get to the h take on the Astros.

Speaker 8 (14:41):
Every one of the seventy six remaining games on the
Rockets calendar that will be released during the commercial break.

Speaker 4 (14:48):
We will go over.

Speaker 1 (14:49):
Next the eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 9 (15:04):
It is the a Team Sports Talk seven to ninety
Thursday edition of the show, NBA Schedule release day edition
of the show.

Speaker 4 (15:15):
We have it. We have it. It's here all right,
so you already know.

Speaker 8 (15:18):
The Rockets will open the season coming up on October
twenty first. That's a Tuesday night on NBC they'll be
at Oklahoma City. And you knew a few other dates,
like the Christmas Day game, which would be seven o'clock
local time at the Lakers. But now we have the
whole thing and it is the Twins on Friday night
after the OKC Day game on that Tuesday, just like

(15:42):
wex predicted an additional day off, which they'll need it. Man,
they'll have played all of one regular season game. Rockets
will be opening up at home against the Detroit Pistons, which,
by the way, they gave them a run for their
money last year. Was that a split or did they
sweep them? Feel like Detroit? I know Detroit gave it
to him pretty good up there, I believe. But yeah,

(16:04):
Friday night, October twenty fourth is the home opener for
your Rockets, taking on Amn Thompson's twin brother, A Sar
and the rest of the Detroit Pistons, who are I
think they consider themselves a lot like the Rockets in
the Eastern Conference, an upcoming team, up and coming team.
They just didn't add to Kevin Durant this offseason. That's
the only difference. So and then the Rockets. I do

(16:26):
know this for a fact, because well you did one
of the games because it was on my birthday last year.
The following Monday, they'll welcome in the Brooklyn Nets, who
the Rockets were winless against last year and they were terrible.
Is Cam Johnson still making outrageous contract demands.

Speaker 9 (16:43):
For the Suns or whoever he plays for now?

Speaker 4 (16:46):
I thought he was still with the Nets.

Speaker 9 (16:48):
I don't know, there's too many Johnson's out there, but
I think that's the one.

Speaker 4 (16:51):
Wow.

Speaker 10 (16:51):
What that pause?

Speaker 8 (16:53):
So yeah, those are the first two home games after
that OKC game. As the schedule has been released, I
just looked at it right before we came out, came
back out up on the air, and so I haven't
had a chance to really.

Speaker 9 (17:07):
Like, here's what I've got for you. Five game road
trip proceeds Christmas Day, finishes in LA with back to
back games against the Clippers and the Lakers. The Lakers
are the Christmas Day game. It's preceded by a quick
trip to New Orleans. Then they head out West, Denver
and Sacramento. They do close the season with six of
eight at home and eleven of seventeen at home, and

(17:27):
quite possibly the vast majority of those games are against
non title contenders. I would say, at the very very least,
the vast majority of the final seventeen games of the season,
eleven of which are at Toyota Center, are not against
the highest level competition. They close out at home. Minnesota
is one team that would stand out in that group.

(17:49):
Their final three or against Darryl Mory's team, Kevin Garnett's team,
and John Morant's team, Philly, Minnesota, and Memphis. He got
games on the road against Phoenix and Golden State. Three
more games at home before that against the Knicks, the Bucks,
and the Jazz. The four game road trip Chicago, Minnesota again,
Memphis again New Orleans. Nothing great, and they also have
a five game homestand that precedes that nothing of great

(18:12):
significance road or home.

Speaker 4 (18:13):
Out of the gate.

Speaker 9 (18:14):
Now you mentioned those two home games Friday and Monday,
the first two of the forty one to be played
at Toyota Center per the current schedule. The only other
thing that stood out was the possibility I think there
will be one home game for sure, maybe two between
December sixth and December twenty fifth. Every other game would

(18:35):
be on the road, because between the sixth and the eighteenth,
those games are not yet on the schedule. Those are
NBA Cup games. If you advance to the NBA Cup,
potentially there's an additional home game. Potentially there's an additional
road game. Potentially there are two more games schedule for
Las Vegas if you don't advance, and I believe you
would have a game at home and a game on

(18:56):
the road in that window of the absent game on
the schedule. There's other regular season games in there, but
they happen to be on the road before that Cup
game break, and they're on the road for five games
out of the Cup game break as well, back to
back games at Utah. So the Rockets will only make
one trip to Utah. They'll do that at the end
of the of November and the beginning of December, and

(19:19):
they'll be on back to back nights. They'll play their
two games in Utah. Last couple of years, the NBA
has done a lot more of that. They will make
a couple of trips to LA but every time they do,
they'll play two games there. They'll go visit the Clippers
and Lakers. Like I mentioned, two days before Christmas and
Christmas Day, the Clippers will come here for their two
games in Houston on the tenth and eleventh of February.

(19:41):
The Lakers will come to Houston for their two games
in a back to back scenario, although it'll take three
days to play those two games. That comes around Saint
Patrick's Day. They'll play Monday before Saint Patti's Day, get
wasted on Tuesday, and then play again on Wednesday.

Speaker 8 (19:56):
You hear that, guys, wex has the Rockets is an
alcoholic team. This year Lakers will get wasted. Oh, Austin
Reeves will take the guys out for a day and
night drinking.

Speaker 4 (20:08):
KD and the Rockets are getting wasted here at home for.

Speaker 9 (20:11):
No Obviously, the other part of the schedule impacts your
television viewing or you're streaming viewing, and a not very unexpectedly,
the Rockets schedule is full of games on Prime, games
on NBC, games on ESPN and ABC all throughout the season,

(20:32):
way way more than they are trying to count on
the well of all those as a group.

Speaker 10 (20:39):
Do you I mean, do you count? I know you?
Do you count streaming as national television?

Speaker 9 (20:44):
Well, sometimes the exclusivity is the only thing I care about,
and yes, I absolutely do. That is a national television
game television is the wrong word to use. I'm sure
at some point we'll create a new word, nationally broadcast game.
But those those games are specifically chosen to put on
their network for recon and it's an uptick from NBA TV.
I do not consider NBA TV broadcast to be the

(21:05):
quote unquote national games. They're just games that they carry
because they're the NBA's network.

Speaker 8 (21:11):
Twelve thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen nineteen. I mean
they've got over twenty just I mean, I was asking
Ross what the kind of round number is for like
the Lakers, because they're always on national TV no matter what,
and he I think he said twenty maybe twenty five tops,

(21:33):
because there is an eighty two game schedule. The Rockets
have just eyeballing it. At least twenty five nationally televised games.
That's unheard of a year ago, unheard of.

Speaker 4 (21:45):
A year ago. That is the power of Kevin Durant
right there.

Speaker 9 (21:48):
And again, not all these are exclusive to that network, right,
Many of those games carried by some of those networks
will also be carried by their TV home space city
home network. They're radio home, no problem, we got them.

Speaker 10 (22:00):
All all eighty two plus playoffs.

Speaker 9 (22:02):
All eighty two games and preseason plus playoffs plus preseason
we'll broadcast on your home of Rockets Basketball Sports Talk
seven to ninety and many of them also broadcast on
news radio seven forty k TIERH.

Speaker 8 (22:14):
Even preseason games played in the state of Alabama where
there was not an NBA team.

Speaker 9 (22:18):
Yep, they got Atlanta a couple of times here and there,
they got Utah, and they will play in Bama when
they get together with the Pelicans on October fourteenth, just
for preseason games, the last of which is Thursday, before
the following Tuesday opener of the season. The NBA season,
the whole NBA tips off with Rockets Thunder.

Speaker 8 (22:35):
You know, it's interesting they play the Spurs four times
this year.

Speaker 9 (22:40):
Of course, Southwest Division supremacy.

Speaker 10 (22:42):
That's true. You play your division more than you would.

Speaker 8 (22:46):
It's huge to win the division in the NBA South.
They're all nationally televised. Every one of the Spurs games
is nationally televised. That's interesting to me.

Speaker 9 (22:54):
Yeah, we knew the game in the NBA Cup Friday,
November seventh, that was announced earlier this week, that one
is at San Antonio. Won't see the Spurs again for
quite some time. The next time is not until January
that one's back here in Houston. I'll see the Spurs again,
like you said, via National TV in their building a
little bit later on in the season, March eighth, in

(23:16):
the fourth.

Speaker 8 (23:17):
Game, wasn't last year of the year where the Spurs
is on the twenty eighth all of the times, like
by the time Thanksgiving out.

Speaker 9 (23:22):
Here us the team, Well, they played them three out
of the first eight games of the season.

Speaker 10 (23:27):
Yeah, yeah, it was crazy. So there it is.

Speaker 8 (23:29):
I mean again, the first thing that's jumped off the
page of me is the nationally televised just I mean,
I don't even know if they had ten last year.

Speaker 9 (23:38):
If that, well, they were a five hundred team last
year going into the season learning about who their future
stars might be. Now it's totally different, even without tremendous
postseason success. They did win three playoff games, they didn't
win any series, but they have marketable players. I think
that was pretty evident by the fact that the Rockets
and Slam got together with the men that the Rockets

(24:00):
and Slam got together last year with a cover shoot.
Shout out to Tracy Hughes huge part of that. Yeah,
definitely a shout out for her. A new member of
the Rockets, Tracy Hughes, it's her first season. Let's see
first season. How many seasons fifteen, twenty twenty five, it's
at least twenty Rockets basketball Tracy Hughes goes together. I mean, yeah,

(24:22):
but I'm trying to think she does great work. Is
by no means for those who don't know, that was sarcasm.
She's been there a long time. She does great work.

Speaker 8 (24:29):
The Rocket head of communicator is a head of pr
head of communications. Everybody has a different title for that role,
but it's the same rule.

Speaker 9 (24:35):
Vice president, sorry, geez, vice president Media and player relations.
Who's the president of the media early company, there's no
president of the media relations.

Speaker 10 (24:47):
That's why I don't understand that.

Speaker 9 (24:48):
Well, there are lots of vice presidents at companies like
I don't mean, how many vice presidents do you think
the Rockets have.

Speaker 8 (24:55):
There's president for my company the United States of America.

Speaker 9 (24:59):
Not his company operated like it's his company, but it's
not his company.

Speaker 8 (25:03):
You can he's the commander, the commander in chief, all right.
When we come back.

Speaker 9 (25:08):
Best of X was a lot of Texans practice early
before everything got started and snapped a little video and
sent it out and it has become the subject of
Best of X today. Your comments on my post best
of X.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
Next the A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (25:30):
Did you all see this?

Speaker 6 (25:31):
Should be putting out Between five and fifteen posts.

Speaker 9 (25:34):
Day, four hundred people were arrested for things that they
said on social media.

Speaker 12 (25:38):
History repeats itself. Type, Ben, You'll succeed. Never doubt that
you're the one who post no One building.

Speaker 4 (25:48):
You're the best of X.

Speaker 9 (25:51):
Nothing's gonna ever top you know you're the.

Speaker 12 (25:53):
Best of X posting every single day. You're the best
breaking the entire Internet.

Speaker 4 (26:07):
It's aging like a fine wine. Oh every day, every day.

Speaker 9 (26:10):
Goodness, stop talking, stop singing my goodness. WEX and AC
along with Cole Thompson here on the A Team. Halfway
through the first hour of the program, A full show today,
we are into the Best of X mentioned last segment.
Made way way over to the Texans practice facility. Fans
out there for the last time. This is the last
open practice in front of the fans. Training camp clearly

(26:30):
moving in the we're almost out of training camp mode,
but it was also the first of two joint practices
they will hold. This one was here in Houston in
advance of their game against the Panthers on Saturday. The
next one will be the following Thursday, in advance of
their game on the road at the Detroit Lions. Out
there early enough to see activation for both teams, essentially
where guys go through their stretching, wrecking regimens and other

(26:53):
things to get them ready to go out there and
play football. The Texans take advantage of the fact that
it is their practice bubble. They do their activation inside.
They tell the Panthers, hey man, cut practice out here
with us, and get ready for practice in the sun.

Speaker 4 (27:04):
And they did.

Speaker 9 (27:05):
And I saw Bryce Young getting in his stretching drills
before he and the other quarterbacks started. They're throwing program
and they're stretching lines and all the fun stuff that
happens before they go out there and play actual football
where you can't touch the quarterback. And so I shot
a little video of Bryce Young mosying on down the
field and getting loose. And I even asked somebody out
there what they thought of this caption. It was just

(27:28):
one try, just fired it off, says, this guy would
have been on this Texans practice field a lot before today.
If dot dot dot and that can be taken a
lot of different ways. If the Panthers just simply chose
to do something else, If the Panthers were never involved
in a deal that landed them the number one pick,

(27:49):
if the Texans and Lovey Smith and Davis Mills and
Jordan Aikens played things a little bit differently late in
that season preceding that draft, or simply that Texans did
have the number one pick and still didn't choose Bryce
Young but rather chose CJ. Strout lots of different ifs,
and then I started rolling through the replies. BdL says,

(28:13):
thank you for being inept. Comma Indy, the Indianapolis Colts,
the Texans opponent in that final Lovey Smith game, where
a fourth and twenty was converted for a touchdown Mills
to Aikins, and a two point conversion was converted by
the Texans Mills to Aikins. Paul says, one of the
best things that ever happened in Texans' history didn't occur. Sam,

(28:36):
though he got me curious about why so many different thoughts,
He said, who gives a bleep?

Speaker 4 (28:42):
Now I'm happy with CJ.

Speaker 9 (28:44):
And like I said, I'm not speaking these words on
a show on radio or TV. It's merely typed context,
so the context is missing. You can take it any
way you want, and I was very intrigued by how
people were taking it. This one is I wrote, too bad,
the Texans don't have Bryce Young?

Speaker 4 (29:06):
Boy?

Speaker 9 (29:06):
Would our future be fun here as fans? But that's
how he read it, and that's totally fine. I can
completely understand it. Has anyone ever asked Casario Bates says
if he would have picked Young, I don't think he
would have.

Speaker 4 (29:19):
I think he had his eyes on strout.

Speaker 9 (29:21):
That takes us to a bunch of different reporting that's
taken place, both leading up to it and even more
of it after the fact. Jay Glazer was probably at
the front of that line, kind of running through the
scenarios where everything he understood was not only did the
Texans want Bryce Young, they had put a deal together
to draft to get the number one pick so they
could draft Bryce Young, not that they didn't have it,

(29:43):
so they just have to wait and see what happens.
They didn't have it. They won their last game, they
ended up with a number two pick, and continued working
the phones and trying to work out a deal that
could have landed them the number one pick. Ultimately, it
was a deal that they could not agree to, and
I think they were not too broken up about it.
I think they wanted to move up, and I think
they were fine not moving up. Also interesting that all

(30:05):
three players at the top of the draft were all
here today. We talked to Will Anderson Junior, We talked
to c J. Stroud, and obviously Bryce Young is who
we're talking about. CJ added, not c J. Stroud or
Gardner Johnson, but somebody on the old ex platform. He says,
Lovey wasn't trying to sabotage our first pick on his
way out.

Speaker 8 (30:24):
Do you how much do you think Lovey Smith sits
around and thinks about what's going on here in Houston
these days?

Speaker 13 (30:32):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (30:32):
He probably does.

Speaker 9 (30:33):
He probably does the same thing for the people that
are still there in Chicago that had you know, we're
there with him or sent similarly in Tampa, probably more
in he had so much success, the team had so
much success in Chicago, it had he had a nice run, right,
But I'm sure he thinks, why are why did I go?

Speaker 4 (30:51):
When I left?

Speaker 9 (30:51):
Why did you make me leave when you made me
leave because it wasn't on me. In Tampa, it only
lasted two years. They've had plenty of issues both before
and after. It was not a particularly good time. But
I think his second season showed. They won two games
his first year, then they won six games this second
year after drafting number one, and then they decided to
go in a different direction, and until Baker Mayfield arrived

(31:13):
that it really wasn't much of a I've change. Yeah,
that Tom guy made a difference too, I suppose, and
then it's time here in Houston is just not like
those at all. That's why hired him to be the
DC and then awkwardly elevated him to head coach.

Speaker 10 (31:27):
And awkwardly is probably not doing it enough justice.

Speaker 9 (31:30):
And when I say hired him to b c DC,
the Texans hired Lovey Smith to be the DC, not
the head coach of the Texans. They also hired the
head coach, but it wasn't Cully's call to hire the DC.
And it normally like one hundred times out of one hundred.

Speaker 8 (31:47):
Is well yeah, because it goes a long way toward
determining whether or not you'll be successful as a head coach,
but of course that wasn't a goal at the top
of mind for that exact point in the team's history.

Speaker 4 (32:00):
For sure. Some of the other comments some the good ones.

Speaker 9 (32:02):
Leo says, thank you number ten, and he attached a
little gift of Davis Mills clapping Mark Price Hall of
Fame Basketball caliber player, although his avatar is just an
m so I doubt it's him. What really hurts is
Bryce beat the Texans fifteen, thirteen, and twenty three. We
remember Texans find a way to lay a few eggs
each season, like losing to Jets playing backup QBS. All factual,

(32:25):
all factual.

Speaker 4 (32:26):
That was on Halloween.

Speaker 9 (32:27):
It was unfortunate. Now this is the one that actually
generated more comments for his comment, Island Hopper. When it's
all said and done, Bryce Young will have a better
career than CJ.

Speaker 4 (32:40):
Straps stomp it.

Speaker 9 (32:41):
So you answered in a manner that gives me the
information I need. You put the chances of that happening
at zero percent less than zero. If there's no such thing,
there is no why because CJ's path to excellence is
close to being realized and appears so easy to achieve
with his surroundings and his team and his play versus

(33:03):
Bryce's or is it something different than that.

Speaker 8 (33:05):
Well, I have long I'm not gonna not be consistent
now after saying all throughout the lead up or the
build up to the draft that I don't think a
guy his size will last in the NFL.

Speaker 10 (33:17):
But how about this.

Speaker 8 (33:19):
Once he was in the NFL, and I get there
was a lot more going on than just quarterback playing
Carolina at the time. CJ never got benched his rookie
year for any reason. And I I mean, you can't
just say, oh, well, they had a great team around him.

Speaker 4 (33:32):
No they didn't.

Speaker 8 (33:33):
Now, when they drafted CJ, they didn't know what they had.

Speaker 9 (33:35):
Well, the team that he played with his first year
was not the team that drafted and the team that
drafted him was awful. The team that he played on
was talented.

Speaker 8 (33:42):
But all of that goes into everything. Where are the
Panthers right now?

Speaker 9 (33:48):
They're in a division they probably won't be super competitive in,
but they were so competitive at the end of that
last year with Bryce Young without winning a lot, they
ended up winning or losing five of their last seven.
They played four overtime games their final eight games of
the season. That's super duper competitive football against all varieties
of teams.

Speaker 8 (34:08):
And how much of that was because of Bryce Young?
Would you say a lot?

Speaker 10 (34:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (34:12):
I mean he played good football so far in his
NFL career for about eight or nine weeks. Nine weeks
standpoint of like what this guy asked or stated. I
guess when it's all said and done, Bryce will have
a better career.

Speaker 8 (34:24):
He's already four playoff games behind c J. Stroud right now.

Speaker 4 (34:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (34:28):
And Bryce Young got benched in his first year with
coach Canalis last year, not his rookie year. He got
benched as a second year quarterback. It was it worked.
They came out of it much better for it.

Speaker 10 (34:37):
And that's a credit to him, by the way.

Speaker 9 (34:39):
And he's also he in two years, he played for
two coaches, two OC's.

Speaker 10 (34:44):
It's very Charlie Lawrence of him.

Speaker 9 (34:47):
Yeah, they did not have a good thing in going
when he was first there. I think the answer I
would probably give the answer just as quickly as you do.
But I would also add it's not because I don't
think Bryce Young is going to be good. I do
think he's good. I do think he's going to be good,
and I do think they can win some football games
with it. I just don't think he's going to be
as good or currently is as good as CJ.

Speaker 8 (35:09):
That's fair as usual. You're much more fair about it.
I'm a little bit more knee jerk.

Speaker 9 (35:13):
And I got plenty of the responses that are like
the ones you were giving in your analysis of Bryce
Young that he literally can't do anything without looking like
a child. He's still tiny.

Speaker 10 (35:22):
I never called him a child.

Speaker 4 (35:24):
Well, similar I called him a midget. There's a difference.

Speaker 9 (35:27):
I didn't see any comments saying something so awful.

Speaker 10 (35:29):
That's not awful.

Speaker 9 (35:31):
Apathetic says if what, we don't care.

Speaker 10 (35:35):
That's my favorite response right there.

Speaker 8 (35:37):
All right, we are going to wind down the two
o'clock hour coming up next. Remember we've got a simulcast
coming up at the top of the hour, and let's
just say, if you're into Wardrobes, weckt and I very
colorful today, just saying something to stay tuned for.

Speaker 6 (35:58):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (36:03):
You gotta fight fight, are right.

Speaker 8 (36:12):
It is the A team Sports Talk seven to ninety,
the final segment of the two o'clock hour before we
begin to simulcast over on Space City Home Network. You're
mentioning the amount of nationally televised games for the Rockets
and how much some of those are exclusive, which means
you know they wouldn't be necessarily on Space Well, they

(36:34):
won't be necessarily on Space City Home Network on some
of those nights. Some of them it's split, like there's
some ESPN games where they're also on Space City Home Network.
But just reiterating, they're all here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
One of us will be on each and every game.
Matt Thomas will be on all of them, unless, of
course he loses his voice.

Speaker 9 (36:54):
Yeah, both of us might be on a game.

Speaker 8 (36:57):
It's not wouldn't be the first time that's happened, as correct,
So yeah, looking forward to that. The Rockets have released
a schedule release video on social media. We were checking
it out during the break. I'm going to be very
very honest. I don't know who he is, and I
think I'm supposed to and I think this is one
of those I'm having a lot of these moments lately
where I feel old, and I think this.

Speaker 4 (37:19):
Is another one of those moments. Could be true, could
be true. It could be true that I'm old, or
it could be true that you're old.

Speaker 8 (37:26):
Did you know that Jonathan, the producer of the Live show,
thought that Ross and I were in our fifties.

Speaker 9 (37:31):
Just nonshot would send in these chairs in their fifties,
huh one of us?

Speaker 4 (37:36):
Not you.

Speaker 9 (37:37):
You're not in your fifties, you're fifty. Okay, that sounds
better than what it actually Right, I'm softening the blow.

Speaker 4 (37:45):
I don't mind.

Speaker 10 (37:46):
You know, you don't look like you're in your fifties.

Speaker 4 (37:49):
Good good.

Speaker 9 (37:50):
I hope to continue not looking like that.

Speaker 4 (37:51):
Okay.

Speaker 8 (37:53):
So other than the obvious, which we were talking about
last segment with some of the comments, what was the
number one thing you took away from today's.

Speaker 9 (38:01):
That the Texans offense was able to operate? To be
quite honest with you, that was the number one thing
I took away, and that you feel better. It's I
don't really want to do that over a even it
could have been a preseason game because quite honestly, I
don't think we're going to see anything in the preseason game.

Speaker 4 (38:14):
But it did.

Speaker 9 (38:15):
It was an opportunity for the group that's probably going
to be their number one line when the season starts.
Cam Robinson was at practice again today but did not practice.
Same thing for Damian Pierce and Christian Harris. But I
think that was the plan that they have had them
on throughout with the timing when they came back. They're
not trying to get them a joint practice. They're not
trying to get them a preseason game. They're trying to
get them available for the game against the Rams as

(38:35):
healthy players. And so the Texans offensive line with Cam
Robinson unavailable, Trent Brown still on the pup list, Titus
towards the right tackle, Ersery is the left tackle, Tomlinson
and Eddy Ingram are the guards, and Jake Andrews is
in the center. Those are the five they're going to
start the game against the Rams in my opinion. And
I know Cam Robinson has been a long time NFL
starter at tackle and Ariontae Ersery has been a zero

(38:58):
time starter at NFL t He's never been in the
NFL before his last game was played in college he
was drafted by the Texans. I get all that, And
I know Titus Howard has played wherever he's played has
been for one reason only because of necessity. He has
been everywhere on this offensive line other than center. Out
of necessity. They felt like they had signed a group

(39:21):
of players that made it necessary to play him at
right guard, and then Cam Robinson got hurt, so they
flipped Ursery over from right tackle to left tackle, and
out of necessity, they put Titus Howard right back where
he was opposite Laramie Tunsel for many games. He is
the right tackle, and I feel like that is where
he's going to be to start the season now. And
I think it's the group that we're seeing. So if

(39:42):
that's the group we're seeing, they were able to operate.
I told you earlier, I felt like there were plenty
of plays where a I don't know that. I'm not
sure what everybody thinks about the Panthers defense moving forward,
and specifically their front and their coverage guys. I don't
think it's one of the better defenses. I don't think
it's one of the more talented groups of players. I
think it's an average group. They're not awful. I just

(40:03):
don't think they're elite either, And they had their moments
and in many of the snaps, and Blake Fisher got
a lot of work at right tackle with the ones
again today, and I do not think it's for any
health reason with Titus Howard, but he was out there
and I wish I could say, man, he looked good,
or I didn't see him get beat often, but i'd
be lying to you. I did see him get beat

(40:24):
often again, and it's pretty much standard out there. So
that is something that they I just don't think they
could actually put out on the field if they can
avoid it, and hopefully with a healthy Robinson, Ersery and
Howard Well, those are your three tackles, and Blake Fisher's
not among them. I'm not saying he doesn't make the
team because I don't think Nick Cassario is going to
cut a player he drafted in the second round after

(40:45):
one season. But he's not a very good tackle and
that's the position he plays, and you want your quarterback
to stay healthy. Nick Keyley, according to CJ and my eyes,
he moved the pocket around quite a bit today, and
that is one thing they didn't do nearly enough of
last year. Out of necessity. Our guys can't stop the rush,
so move the pocket at least do something they didn't

(41:06):
do that last year nearly enough. And maybe Nick Kayley
is trying to advance that thought before it ultimately turns
into a bigger problem, but lots more to tell you
about what was seen out there today, Colon, I will
have that for you as we continue. We obviously get
the simulcast underway. At three o'clock, we're gonna hear from
Aaron Wilson, who is out there also.

Speaker 4 (41:23):
He joins us at three point thirty.

Speaker 6 (41:26):
The a team on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (41:28):
Ninety two lifelong Houston sports guys named at him talking
your team.

Speaker 6 (41:39):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen.

Speaker 9 (41:49):
It's straight up three o'clock here in Houston, Texas.

Speaker 8 (41:52):
That means it's our number two of the eight team.
You're on Sports Talk seven ninety and now simulcast on
Space City Home Network. We's over there ac right here.
Cole Thompson is our producer. A lot of Astros, a
lot of Rockets, and a lot of Texans in that
first hour, Astros taking two out of three, capping that
series over the Boston Red Sox last night over at

(42:14):
Dyke and Park. The Mariners, doing their part both last
night and then somewhat earlier today, got walked off in
Baltimore last night in a four to three final after
they had fought back to tie that game at three
and then today down five to nothing in the top
of the sixth up in Baltimore in the finale of
that series, before they rolled the tarp out over the

(42:37):
field because it was pouring. Baltimore comes here tomorrow night,
by the way, so all that's very interesting.

Speaker 9 (42:43):
Yeah, they come here tonight. Actually yesternight is technical for
the game tomorrow. They have they from their social standpoint,
the game is in Baltimore, So Baltimore's handling the updates,
and by handling, I mean giving an update one hour
and eighteen minutes ago. We're in a raindoler will update
you with more information as it becomes available.

Speaker 10 (43:02):
I guess no information became available.

Speaker 4 (43:04):
Guess not geez.

Speaker 9 (43:06):
But the starting pitching for both teams in this series
had been excellent, the first time any of the six
starting pitchers really were gotten to. Logan Evans got to
a little bit today by the Orioles. They established the
lead against him and are trying to finish off a
series victory. We didn't get into too many of the
particulars of how the Astros took care of business yesterday

(43:26):
because it's how they normally take care of business during
a season where there haven't been enough of these games.
Great starting pitching into the seventh inning six and two
thirds from Hunter Brown wasn't in too much trouble throughout
most of the night, though there were plenty of base runners.
Gave up just the one run, able to close out
the seventh inning without him and then get you all
the way into the ninth inning worth of BRAVEW. Bennett

(43:48):
Susa was awesome. In his four out appearance, he had
more whiffs, generated more whiffs than anybody else in the game,
and on only seventeen pitches he generated nine whiffs. Brian
Bray did a similar job with blow you away stuff.
As he was touching a hundo on the gun in
the ninth inning, he did get in a little bit
of trouble, but nonetheless they won four to one because

(44:09):
they opened the game with a zero on the board,
and the top of the first inning from Hunter Brown
and then Jeremy Payne, you let off the game with
a homer. So with nobody on and nobody out, they
started a rally in the first inning and put a
second run on the board and that came home with
Yaner Diaz driving the run home. He would then add
a two run homer later he has been hitting like

(44:30):
this for way way longer, and people apparently realize this
is not a series or a week or since the deadline.
He got off to a bad start, and he had
been down there for quite some time. We're running on
about two months of this of Yaner Diaz being much
more like the Yaner Daz that we thought offensively he
would be. He's now got a second most home runs

(44:51):
he's had. It's twenty three as the most. He's got seventeen,
which is more than he hit a year ago. Driving
the ball quite obviously, smashing line drives all over the place.
This lineup was extended with the acquisitions clearly and Carlos
Corea specifically, but it always going to come down to, well,
the guys that are here have got a hit. Jose
Al Tubs having a plus season compared to last year,

(45:11):
and he's now up to twenty one homers. Obviously you're
missing Peretis, but you've got three months of plus baseball
over at third base. Christian Walker, like Janer Diaz, is
running on about five to six weeks of significantly improved
offensive baseball, and then kind of on down the line,
Victor Kartini. They've had days where they don't score. They
had the whole series in Boston where it felt like
they couldn't score. But they have managed to find ways

(45:34):
different days with enough guys competing, and they just have
far fewer days where once you get past the first
four batters, you're facing guys that don't belong here. They
managed to stay in first place throughout all of that.
Now it's other team's pitching staffs trying to figure out,
how do we manage our way through this Astros lineup
because seven eight nine is not a black hole for
them and greatness for us. Legitimate major League Baseball hitters

(45:57):
are the majority of the Astros lineup on an every
day basis.

Speaker 8 (46:01):
And this is why if you add yord On Alvarez
and Jake Myers and you get what I'm gonna start
calling Astro's bullpen two point zero because that's just what
it is. An Astro's bullpen that has Josh Hader available
and one that doesn't. You know, it does change the team,
It absolutely does, and it does the opposite of what
you're talking about.

Speaker 10 (46:21):
It unlengthens the bullpen.

Speaker 8 (46:24):
When you're basically saying, all right, we've got Brian Abraw,
who's awesome and he's now our closer. That's great to
be able to say, but it also means that now
you've got to figure out the eighth inning. Now you've
got to figure out the seventh inning. But what you're
talking about with the lineup can offset the need for
such high leverage pitching, mistake free pitching out of the

(46:47):
bullpen after your starter is chased or is done for
the night, or whatever the scenario is. And I'm hoping
that that's the new version all around of the Astros.
So maybe I should call it Astros two point and
not just all.

Speaker 9 (47:01):
The way around because they they We've asked the question
a couple times this year, and different other pitchers have
been a part of the rotation. The Astros go to
the playoffs, they're gonna play at least two games. I
know who's starting those games Fromber and Hunter are starting
those two games, provided they didn't have to also start
Saturday and Sunday to close out the season just to
get there, right, the point being okay, great, okay, then

(47:21):
what who's starting Game three? Who's starting Game four? Who's
starting Game five? If one of those guys can't come
back and the answer is absolutely positively unknown. It could
be Jason Alexander, which is unbelievable. It could be Spencer again.
It could be Christian Javier, it could be aj Bluebaw,
it could be Luis Garcia. And that's just the third

(47:44):
game of a postseason series. You know, if they're if
they're if everything works out brilliantly, there is no wild
card series, and both Hunter Brown and Fromber Valdez are
rested and healthy for games one and two of a
divisional round series, and then when they do their jobs
and you win those two games, now you just win
game three and they're lined up to start the next series.

(48:06):
We talked about how they won the twenty twenty two
World Series, and I think they had a pitching staff
that could have handled much more work from the starting standpoint,
and this one's a little bit different than that.

Speaker 4 (48:15):
But they also have to get there.

Speaker 9 (48:16):
And what happened yesterday is what has to happen on Friday,
and it has to happen three days later when Hunter
Brown pitches again, and four days later when Fromber pitches again.
The days of Fromber and Hunter going five innings they
pretty much have to be over. And I'm not trying
to tell you they need to give them one hundred
and five one hundred and ten pitch outings. I'm saying

(48:37):
they need to get their eighteen outs before they get there,
so they don't need more than the seventh, eight to
ninth inning from the bullpen, and so they can pitch
into the seventh inning on occasion. I don't know that
they have any other pitchers that will ever. Is any
pitcher on the Astros the rest of the year that
starts a game gonna throw a pitch in the seventh
inning that isn't Hunter or Fromber.

Speaker 8 (48:58):
I have a suggestion, but I just don't know if
he's ready for it. All those names you mentioned, and
it's it's a very good point about you know, you
have your two horses, but the Astros have had three
horses minimum during this run, and that's honestly, it was
usually four or five because they've just had ridiculous talent.

Speaker 9 (49:16):
Yeah, they were pushing those guys into partial bulleted roles
like Brad Peacocks and gets your four innings here, and
Charlie Morton's gonna get your four innings there, and Lance
is gonna come out of the pen for four innings.

Speaker 8 (49:25):
Here, maybe I shouldn't be and and maybe I'll get
bitten by this, and maybe the Astros will get bit
by this. I'm cautiously optimistic about Christian Javier because of
all the guys you mentioned, and especially take take the
category of just guys that have come back from an injury.
He's certainly qualifying in that. Spencer Arrighetti certainly qualifies in that.

(49:49):
It kind of goes back to what I always used
to I used to be just such a big supporter
of Jose or Keaty because of the settings he had
pitched in and been and had success. If Jose Orkeaty
pitched a really good game in the twenty nineteen World Series,
and I was driving that train because of that, I mean,
come on, Christian Javier. I know that you were talking

(50:12):
about his numbers before he got hurt and the season
really before, but I just can't ignore what he did
prior to that.

Speaker 10 (50:19):
Yeah, guy's in there somewhere.

Speaker 9 (50:21):
Two times in those thirty eight starts. It brought him
up yesterday. I'll bring him up again here today. Made
thirty one appearances in twenty twenty three, another seven last
year before getting hurt.

Speaker 4 (50:31):
I believe.

Speaker 9 (50:32):
Yeah, every single one of those a start, thirty seven starts.
He got an out in the seventh inning two times,
just two times.

Speaker 8 (50:40):
Now with him, it's not it's not usually like a
high pitch count.

Speaker 9 (50:44):
No, he pitched six innings a lot, right, That's that's
all I'm asking for. I do think it's you do
any starter, even the aces. The way things are these days,
getting outs in the seventh inning is not common anymore.

Speaker 8 (50:56):
It's crazy, all things are well. Nolan Ryan doesn't exist anymore, but.

Speaker 9 (51:00):
He's getting outs in the tenth inning.

Speaker 8 (51:02):
He was getting outs the next day and he was
still pitching. I just think that Christian Javier's game, his stuff,
whatever you wanna call it, like it lends itself, unlike
arrag Getty, for example, like it was easy to say, well,
his pitch count can probably climb once he comes back,
because that's who he was when he was still healthy.

(51:22):
From what I recall, Christian Javier is pretty efficient to
downright surgical. And if he's gone, it's not going to
take him a lot of pitches to get those six
innings because you're not hitting him. But he has to
get back to that, and I know that's a big.

Speaker 9 (51:37):
He has to yeah, nineteen walks and thirty four innings
in twenty twenty four prior to injury, so a little
bit more than he had during his glory years, his
golden years, and then sixty two walks on one hundred
and sixty two innings in his full season, so that
it was a becoming a more of a problem, and
it just kind of went along with how he overall

(51:58):
was a little bit less effective. I'm not going to
draw too many conclusions from his minor league work this year.
Did not have good control and his one start so far,
and he is slated to start Sunday's game against the
Oriols to close out the series. The probables Fromber tomorrow,
Alexander on Saturday, Javier on Sunday, And because you had

(52:19):
the day off today, Hunter gave you six and two.
You needed only those seven outs and you only needed
two guys to do it. Nobody's pitching today, And if
Fromber can back that up with another comparable start, well,
then your bullpen's an exceptional shape for the next two games.
And of course this series against the Orioles begins a
stretch of multiple series in a row without an off day.

Speaker 8 (52:42):
And fromber is a guy that can be efficient too.
His last time out maybe wasn't the most the best
example of that.

Speaker 4 (52:48):
But I don't know.

Speaker 8 (52:50):
Maybe I'm being too overly optimistic given the injuries they
are now dealing with in addition to trying to get
guys back from injuries, but they're still a lot to like,
believe it or not. Here on August fourteenth about your
Houston Astros, The Aight.

Speaker 1 (53:07):
On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 8 (53:16):
All Right, I have to get to this because we
didn't get to it yesterday, and it's fascinating to me.
You guys all know, I mean, we're I think the
majority of Houston, whether you're a fan, whether you cover
the team, even and certainly if you're in the organization,
I think the large majority of the city in any
and all of those categories and many others are overall

(53:40):
happy that Carlos Korea is wearing orange again. Is that
fair to say? Even if you think like it's not
like it was a bad financial move, it's not like
it strapped you in some way.

Speaker 10 (53:50):
It certainly didn't hurt you.

Speaker 8 (53:51):
It actually helped what was going on with your team
in that your third basement was out everything about it,
for the most part, is positive. Even if you want
to find some negatives here or there, I don't know
what they are, because he's also just hit the ball.
He's hit the crap out of the ball since getting here.
How was he available because the Twins? How is he

(54:13):
available from the Twins? It's a rhetorical question if you've
read anything about how that trade went down. Depending on
whose version you believe and depending on what actually happens,
I get it maybe things were played up. But in essence,
Jim Crane called up the Twins ownership because he knew
they were selling anyway, and said, all right, I want

(54:35):
this guy. What do I gotta do to get him?
How can I help make this happen on my end?
And how am I going to be able? In this
part he was keeping to himself, how am I going
to be able to take advantage of the fact that
you guys are selling the team anyways? So it's gonna
probably make this deal easier to make presumably, which I
do think factored into things.

Speaker 9 (54:55):
I don't think there's any question about it.

Speaker 10 (54:56):
Well, now they're not selling the team.

Speaker 4 (54:59):
It's like insane. You did this fire sale.

Speaker 8 (55:02):
You thank your fans in a uber over the top,
very sad. I mean, it was so lame, and then
you're like, I just kidding, psych, We're not doing it,
but enjoy yourself back at home, Carlos. I mean, I'm
glad why they change their mind? What did they say? Well,
let me get to the article and I'll tell you
that part. But it's just I just I'm glad it
happened for Houston because I don't know if if they're

(55:24):
not of the opinion that we're going to sell the team.
I don't know if if Jim Crane's phone call that's
what it was in the wheels is Jim yeah, if
the wheels being put in motion, I don't know if
that if it ends up happening.

Speaker 9 (55:39):
I mean, there are teams that have it has nothing
to do with selling, that go that route anyway. But
I don't think there's any question because of how they
operated that this was part of the plan, specifically because
of the financial situation they were in and the likely
financial needs they had moving forward from a sales process,
and once the wheels were in motion, Like you remember,
there was only one day in between Cars Korea talking

(56:01):
to the media about I don't think this is serious.
I'm plan on being here, I plan on playing here.

Speaker 10 (56:08):
You came in the next day and said it wasn't happening.

Speaker 9 (56:10):
And I came I came in that day and said it.
I came in the next day and did not expect
it to happen. But in that time period, because he
said these things, because he was speaking to their GM
and their manager, he felt like, I know where things
stand with our team, with what our plans are for
our personnel moving forward, and then everything changed. But in
a aada of twenty four hours, they made what ten deals.

Speaker 4 (56:32):
Yes they did.

Speaker 8 (56:33):
They went nineteen ninety eight Florida Marlins after winning the
World Series. They but he was saying that also because
I mean, he was telling.

Speaker 10 (56:44):
Whoever or it was being reported, Let's put it that way.

Speaker 8 (56:46):
It was being reported even as Carlos Korea was saying
all that that if it were to happen, well, yeah,
I'll wave my not trade close to go to Houston.
Like even with what he was saying, even with how
it looked like it was never going to happen, that
much was still put out into the either.

Speaker 10 (57:04):
Like that's what it felt like.

Speaker 8 (57:06):
I'm just saying I'm just leaving the door cracked a
little bit bit. And that's all Jim Crane needed to
kick the door down, apparently and take advantage of a
team who's now not being sold.

Speaker 9 (57:14):
Yeah, they just it's wild. They paid a little money.
The Astros are not on the hook for the entirety
of what is remaining about ten million ish on a
per season basis, the remainder of this year pro rated
and then the following two seasons three seasons, and it
cost him a player that they was very easily moved
on from a minor leaguer at the low levels of
age older than normally for a pitcher down at the

(57:36):
Triple A level. So basically they just took him. They
said we'll take him, and they said, great, you can
have him. Yes, there's twenty million dollars attached per season,
and he was not having a great offensive season, and
clearly the team's performance was one that sent them down
this path. And now he is having an awesome offensive
two weeks. The twelve games the Astros have played with

(57:58):
him here, they've been fantastic. He played in the first
eleven of them. He's been outstanding offensively. I think he's
made some great defensive plays already. I think there's plays
that in the future he's going to make that he didn't.
A couple of those balls kind of hit right at
him or right down the line. I couldn't be more
pleased with what I think they have. And even when

(58:20):
he left six years, Jim Crane doesn't signed six year deals.

Speaker 4 (58:24):
There's no way he's going to keep him here.

Speaker 9 (58:25):
Was it really that the concern about Korea's contract going
south was injury. I don't think people were that concerned
about his fourth, fifth, and sixth year, which are now
Astros years, that his performance was going to fall off,
that he was going to be so unhelpful as a
player that you're not only paying him a lot, but
what do you do with him? You put him out

(58:46):
there every day. I don't think that was ever a concern,
and I'm certainly not concerned for the Astros needed to
play him four hundred and fifty games moving forward over
the next three years, I think that'll be totally fine.

Speaker 8 (58:55):
The only time his actual performance was ever affected here
or there was in I mean, I'm not saying he's
like a world beater when he's healthy, but he's one
of the he was one of the best shortstops in
the game. And that's that's not just offensively obviously. In fact,
I think a big part of having Carlos Carell, whether
he's at shortstop or at third base, is that hose

(59:15):
he has on his right arm.

Speaker 9 (59:18):
Two of his three seasons in Minnesota, including this year,
I would say we're not good offensive seasons.

Speaker 8 (59:23):
Yeah, but he's pulling out justin Ferlander, he got traded
at the deadline and now he's in Houston and everything
that he used to do that was really good is
happening again.

Speaker 9 (59:33):
Also of note, if you find this important, he kind
of likes the lights being turned on the brightest.

Speaker 4 (59:39):
I mean, I can't care if that matters to you.

Speaker 8 (59:43):
The For all the times we talk about, well, it's baseball,
so the playoffs is such a crap shoot, and it's
wide open and all that. All that's true, But there
is something to be said for guys who, like you
just said, not only grab that moment by the cojones,
but want to They want that moment to arrive.

Speaker 4 (01:00:04):
They don't.

Speaker 8 (01:00:04):
They're not scared of the ball finding them. They're not
scared of the moment finding them. He would I mean
you don't think he wanted to take that final app
bad against the Astros in the playoffs, he was on deck.

Speaker 10 (01:00:13):
I wanted no part of him because of that.

Speaker 9 (01:00:14):
His postseason with Minnesota was outstanding and one of the
reasons why so many lament the twenty nineteen Houston Astros
postseason was what I would call his only substandard postseason,
the only that moment from him. He had good enough
postseasons every other year. He wasn't always unbelievable, but he
was never bad except that season. Yeah, twenty nineteen season.

(01:00:36):
That postseason they played eighteen games. All eighteen games they had,
he just wasn't very productive offensively. He just wasn't driving
the ball, He wasn't driving in runs. He wasn't he
struck out way too. He had a bad postseason.

Speaker 4 (01:00:47):
So how you know, and that's the case.

Speaker 9 (01:00:49):
Their team was so good they still almost won the
World Series.

Speaker 10 (01:00:52):
I know, you know. How you know that's the case.

Speaker 8 (01:00:54):
Though I can name you a year and you can
give me a just one, and usually it's way more
than one moment from that postseason that was Carlos Corey.
Every one of them, every one of them, twenty one.
He had the home the home run against the Brays
where he points to his watch. Twenty he had the
walk off in Petco Park with nobody there in twenty
eight Actually, I can't think of a twenty eighteen one

(01:01:15):
right off the top of my head. Twenty seventeen he
had a million of them. I'm trying to think it.
Twenty eighteen is kind of a blur. The lost they
lost in the ALCS to the Red SOXE.

Speaker 9 (01:01:21):
That was his second least productive postseason, but it wasn't
nearly as bad.

Speaker 8 (01:01:27):
But you're right, twenty nineteen. I can't think of anything.

Speaker 9 (01:01:30):
He did eighteen games, twenty seven strikeouts, way out of
character for Carlos Carrey in the postseason.

Speaker 8 (01:01:37):
Yeah, yeah, and then and then again, like you said,
in his one postseason against the Astros in Minnesota, I
think he hit a home run.

Speaker 10 (01:01:47):
I know he had a hit that he drove in
a run.

Speaker 4 (01:01:48):
Astros v Men. Yeah right.

Speaker 9 (01:01:50):
He didn't have any homers in the six postseason games
he played that year, but his OPS was one thousand
and four.

Speaker 8 (01:01:56):
Did he drive in a run against the Astros at
least in one of those games?

Speaker 10 (01:01:58):
I feel like he did, so.

Speaker 8 (01:02:00):
Yeah, I'd see twenty eighteen and twenty twenty, I mean
a twenty nineteen.

Speaker 4 (01:02:05):
I need to go back and look at that twenty
eighteen postseason. I know he did something he had to have.

Speaker 8 (01:02:09):
Twenty eighteen, Yeah, they went to the Alcs and it
was six games lost.

Speaker 9 (01:02:13):
Well, they swept Cleveland and they blew them out two
of those three times. I felt like he had a
home run in one of those games. That was his
lone postseason homer.

Speaker 4 (01:02:21):
There you go.

Speaker 9 (01:02:22):
Against the Red Sox. He did have six hits in
five games, but only one was for extra bases.

Speaker 8 (01:02:28):
Plus times he had umpires taking runs off the board
for the Red Sox.

Speaker 11 (01:02:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:02:33):
Point being, they got a player that I think fans
are the same way both of us have to be.
And how could you not be just looking forward to
someday at some point in twenty twenty five before the
season ends, and then again in the postseason. Altuve, Correa
and Alvarez are all in the lineup together. They're going
to be doing it later this year, I believe, in
the regular season, and they're going to be doing it

(01:02:54):
again in the postseason. And they have more than enough
around those players. Three cornerstone postseason.

Speaker 8 (01:03:00):
Yiner Walker, Jesus Sanchez noted postseason performer Jeremy Pinyon. Well, yeah,
that we're not even saying his name. That's your leadoff guy.
And if Jake Myers comes back, you know, that's why
I feel good Still. I don't like the Josh haters
getting a second opinion. Have we heard that second opinion yet?

Speaker 4 (01:03:20):
No?

Speaker 8 (01:03:22):
How long do you think until you find out something
definitively before the end of.

Speaker 9 (01:03:25):
The week before they leave for their next road game.

Speaker 8 (01:03:30):
Okay, so we're not going to get it this week.
See how it's Thursday afternoon.

Speaker 9 (01:03:34):
Yeah, Friday, Saturday, Sunday against the Oriols. I'll take it
Brown on Sunday, they'll have the answer. I don't know
that will have the answer.

Speaker 8 (01:03:42):
Well, if Dana Brown does decide to give that answer,
it would probably be here on Sports Talk seven ninety
when he visited with the Astros radio booth on Sunday
before that game, just.

Speaker 10 (01:03:51):
Saying you might want to listen to that.

Speaker 8 (01:03:53):
You might want to listen to us as we continue
here on a Thursday edition of the program, and Aaron
Wilson will join us on the phone lines next the age.

Speaker 1 (01:04:03):
On Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 9 (01:04:10):
Appreciate Aaron Wilson joining us here on the eighteen XAC
and Cole Thompson with you this afternoon, taking you all
the way up until six o'clock, not cap to follow,
and we will continue all the way there. Something's about
what he had to say there, specifically to CJ. Gardner Johnson,
the fact, like I said, we saw him out there
practice he was walking around a little bit.

Speaker 4 (01:04:28):
So I'm talking to a handful.

Speaker 9 (01:04:29):
Of people and nothing apparent with what exactly the injury
is or how significant it is. But we'll take you
know what Tamiko O Ryan's had to say publicly that
this is something they believe he will be back this year.
They haven't yet ruled him out for the season. Aaron
just now with us saying they don't believe surgery is
necessary for him. Most most situations where it's a very

(01:04:52):
long term injury, something usually is done, and so that
certainly suggests, as they said, it won't be particularly long term.
Would be great if he was here for the majority
of the season. It'd be great if he was here
for all seventeen games of the season, have an early
off week before they finish out, so maybe there's an
opportunity there too. Not sure exactly how it'll play out,

(01:05:12):
but again, from the day it happened to where we
are today, they're obviously and they feel much much better
about it, and quite honestly, it's giving guys a lot
more opportunities and they're going to be needed over the
course of the year. M J. Stewart playing with the
ones probably not what too many people envisioned after they
made that trade for trading Kenyon Green to Philadelphia to
get CJ. Gardner Johnson, but m J. Stewart's also played

(01:05:33):
a lot of football at that position. He's a course
special teamer for the Texans, somebody who likely would have
been on the team regardless of any issues they might
have at safety, and really regardless of the fact they
added safeties they traded for CJ.

Speaker 4 (01:05:45):
Gardner Johnson.

Speaker 9 (01:05:45):
They obviously brought in Jalen Reed via the draft, and
Reed I thought was having a nice start to his camp.

Speaker 4 (01:05:50):
And what happened today in a.

Speaker 9 (01:05:51):
Joint practice, what will happen next week at a joint
practice would have been extremely helpful to a young player
like Reed. Just unfortunately he can't be out there yet,
but he too could potentially be ready when the Rams
game rolls around by the way on the other side
of things, a story that it can't help but keep
following because it never seems like it's good news if

(01:06:12):
you're a Rams fan.

Speaker 4 (01:06:13):
I don't want to say it's.

Speaker 9 (01:06:14):
Good news if you're not, because I'm not, you know,
dunking on an injury. Matt Stafford's back injury continues to
perplex the Rams, at least a little bit, Sean McVay
saying today via Sarah Barshop of ESPN, hopefully his back
responds a little bit better. He's gonna work out this
weekend on Saturday, similar to what he did about a

(01:06:36):
week ago. They thought that workout was going to precede
him returning to practice, albeit on a limited basis, but
returning to practice meaning coming to practice. He's not done
that so far this season this training camp for the Rams.
I don't think their backup quarter back situation is awful.
I mean I was actually talking to someone about the

(01:06:57):
backups because Andy Dalton was there today at practice for
the Panthers, and obviously Davis Mills played very briefly and
well for the Texans in their preseason game. Jimmy Garoppolo
is the backup quarterback with the Rams.

Speaker 4 (01:07:09):
I think the.

Speaker 9 (01:07:10):
Texans are in good shape at backup. I think the
Rams are in good shape at backup. Any team that
wants Jimmy Garoppolo to be the guy, well, those are
the teams that were in trouble even though he played
in a Super Bowl. Had he played better in the
Super Bowl than people who hate Kyle Shanahan would have
very little to stand on.

Speaker 4 (01:07:27):
But I get it.

Speaker 9 (01:07:28):
But no, they're in a perfectly fine situation other than
the fact that they have a Super Bowl winning quarterback
is not healthy, and I still think you can play
at that level. I think he's going to play exceptionally
well if healthy, because of what they have for him.
They've finally agreed to terms with Karen Williams. They added
DeVante Adams, and I do think their duo, this duo

(01:07:49):
is possibly going to be better than their previous duo
when they were at their best. They had one unbelievable
season with Nikoua and Cup and I think they will
have that type of season this year, provided their quarterback
is healthy. No such concern for the Texans, and again
nothing of consequence on that front. You're not supposed to
hit the quarterback. They didn't hit the quarterback. Heck, the
only quarterback that I saw get hit this week, and

(01:08:10):
there are a bunch of teams doing joint practices was
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. He was hit by Bengals rookie
defensive lineman who had all sorts of contract issues, and
now this issue helped turn his teammates against him, albeit briefly,
that a minor skirmish. After that, Joe Burrow turned out
to be okay. But that is the last thing that

(01:08:32):
anybody wants to see at practice, and luckily hear it,
it has not happened roster wise, what we were talking
about with Aaron, I don't think there's a tremendous need
for the Texans to try to do something. I actually
think they have some personnel they could do something with.
And it still stems at the wide receiver position. We're
gonna hear from a couple of the guys that talk
today when we get to the top of the hour,

(01:08:53):
Will Anderson Junior, CJ. Stroud and Demico Ryans, but specifically
the wide receiver position, and I think it's something Nick
Cassario has done every year he's been here. He could
outfit two entire teams in the wide receiver room. He
signed a bunch of guys in free agency, not knowing
what would play out in the draft, and obviously the
situation with Tank Dell, they probably felt like we need

(01:09:15):
to attack the position like he's not available. By the way,
Tank like CJ. Gardner Johnson, both at practice today, both
moving around without any apparent issues. And Tank's been doing
that for quite some time. He's been to many of
the recent practices for the Texans. But to the wide
receiver position, I think the front the top five are
already set and there isn't much going to change that.

(01:09:36):
If anything, Nico Collins and Christian Kirk obviously are going
to start. I do think Jayden Higgins is the third
starter and Jalen Knowle is the second slot receiver, but
there'll be plenty of packages for him. And I think
Xavier Hutchinson has done all he needs to do to
make sure that they see he's a cut above everybody else.
But now you signed Braxton Burrios and he probably is

(01:09:58):
your return man you signed and Justin Watson. He's different
than both Barrios and the holdover that I haven't mentioned
yet John Metchi. I think John Metchi had another good
practice today against the Panthers. I think he has had
a lot of good practices so far. His game was good.
His games need to continue to be good. And I
know they're carrying six. They might carry seven as they

(01:10:20):
have in the past. The way they handle their return
man slash wide receiver a season ago with Steven Simms Junior.
I think there's a possibility. That's basically Braxton Barrios. He
had a good practice today, back to back catches from
Davis Mills, one over the middle and then one in
the back of the end zone. I had to make
a sliding, diving catch for it, and he did. He's

(01:10:41):
done what I think they would have hoped he would
do to try to make his spot. And if the
Texans want to protect Nol and protect Kirk from having
to return kicks, that's why you have our punts. That's
why you have Braxton Barrios here. And it's kind of
a weird way to look at it. These guys are awesome,
but they are so important to our offense we don't
want them returning punts even though they're awesome. And Burios

(01:11:04):
is very good and I think Traymont Smith, the cornerback,
is gonna end up being their lead kick returner. But
where does that leave Mechi, Barrios and Watson in the
pecking order? All of them are playing in the NFL
this year, and if they're not playing for the Texans
in the NFL this year, is it possible, even for
a very desirable Nick Cassario seventh round acquisition, is it

(01:11:26):
possible that's ultimately what happens to one of them?

Speaker 4 (01:11:29):
What is is this Mechi's contract here?

Speaker 9 (01:11:32):
Yeah, four year contract for a rookie four years ago
is his final year?

Speaker 8 (01:11:35):
I would isn't it crazy? How Look, it's a preseason
game and some practices, so it's hardly his resume yet
here in twenty twenty five, But it would just be
hilarious if he finally busted out this year after kind
of I'm not saying he's been like awful.

Speaker 4 (01:11:55):
But he hasn't been.

Speaker 8 (01:11:58):
He hasn't been probably productive from the standpoint of a
guy that you traded up to get and everything that
went into that.

Speaker 10 (01:12:05):
You weren't crazy about the deal the night it was made.

Speaker 4 (01:12:08):
I do remember that. I remember that much.

Speaker 9 (01:12:11):
Yeah, this goes back to Nick's philosophy, and I've applauded
him for it because more often than not it's been correct.
They just say, these are the players we're drafting, and
this matter. We think they need to be drafted, and
we're gonna go up and do it. We're gonna go
back when we can. We're gonna go up when we can.
They targeted John Metchi as a player they felt like
was a value at that pick and traded up to
forty four to do it coming off of injury.

Speaker 8 (01:12:32):
All right, well we will, like wex mentioned, we will
hear from some of the Texans from earlier today when
we come back to start the four o'clock hour. Also
the Bloom off the Rose in Chicago. We'll explain that
in the four o'clock hour as well. The a on
Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:12:55):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named at him talking your team,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eighteen.

Speaker 10 (01:13:12):
It is the eighteen.

Speaker 9 (01:13:13):
It's Sports Sox seven to ninety, it's Space City Home Network.

Speaker 8 (01:13:16):
It is the four o'clock hour. Wex and AC with
you along with Cole Thompson on a Thursday afternoon, taking
you home. Hopefully you've already kicked off from work. The
weekend has begun. It's four o'clock on Thursday. I say
this every week weekend o'clock. Did you say it's four o'clock.

Speaker 9 (01:13:30):
Four o'clock, Oh my god, and Oriols are going to
play baseball?

Speaker 4 (01:13:33):
No, they're not.

Speaker 9 (01:13:34):
Game will resume in a matter of seconds. Is that
the latest information we have from them? That is the
latest information.

Speaker 10 (01:13:40):
Why are they playing it?

Speaker 4 (01:13:41):
It's over?

Speaker 9 (01:13:42):
There's been a status change on game day? Okay, dash delayed?
Colon about to resume? Is the tarp off the field?

Speaker 4 (01:13:49):
There?

Speaker 9 (01:13:49):
They've already put word out they plan on beginning the
game at two o'clock Pacific time or five o'clock Eastern.
The Orioles put on a statement that's eight the game
is beginning, should begin around five o'clock. TikTok Mariners tis
a game and a half back. Mariners put out a
statement saying the game should begin at two o'clock.

Speaker 10 (01:14:08):
Are you excited?

Speaker 14 (01:14:09):
So?

Speaker 9 (01:14:09):
I got all my people together and they determined that
that is four o'clock Central time.

Speaker 8 (01:14:13):
I'm very excited to see the Mariners lose again in
thrilling fashion.

Speaker 9 (01:14:17):
They'll pick things back up with the Orioles in front
five nothing Mariners batting top six. Orioles will wrap this
up and then board their charter for.

Speaker 8 (01:14:30):
The oriol Star and au Haniu Sarez don't contribute to
a comeback.

Speaker 10 (01:14:34):
It's pretty much a bum trade thing.

Speaker 9 (01:14:36):
Naylor can only do so much. He pretty much singles
at least in every game. He has two more of
them in today's game. But nobody was on base for him,
so he can't. He can't do every surprise. He can
make it down to first. Why he's got He's running
around the bases like he's svelt.

Speaker 8 (01:14:50):
That is not a word I would use to describe
him as it like he's would.

Speaker 9 (01:14:55):
He's the major league leader in stolen bases since he
was traded.

Speaker 8 (01:14:59):
Great, It's ridiculous. So happy for him and his family.
The whole situation. Seattle, the entire Pacific Northwest. All right,
So there's your baseball, all right?

Speaker 4 (01:15:08):
There you go.

Speaker 8 (01:15:08):
All right, So let's catch up with Demiko Ryans because,
by the way, can we get Demko on the show soon?
I just want that to happen. We had Nick Cassario
on last week. Demiko, we both covered you as a player.
Can you please come on the show.

Speaker 9 (01:15:23):
I'll send at d Ryan's fifty nine and DM and
see how that goes.

Speaker 4 (01:15:27):
Is he on social It still exists, but he didn't
use it.

Speaker 9 (01:15:30):
He doesn't use I actually asked him that in his
first season, if he was aware that it was still active.

Speaker 10 (01:15:34):
Or he laughed politely, Yeah, he laughed.

Speaker 9 (01:15:37):
Yeah. Demiko, the offensive minded head coach for the Texans,
all offense, all the time, Debiko Ryans, what'd you think
of your defense today?

Speaker 2 (01:15:46):
I did not see the defense I saw. I saw
one defensive play today, and you know what I saw.
I saw Derek Stingley back to trying to throw a
back shoulder. I said, Derek Stingley, pick it off and
go to the house. So if they covered like that
all day, it was.

Speaker 9 (01:16:01):
He was asked what he thought of his team's coverage
work today against the Carolina Panthers that joint practice, and
as you heard, he said, I didn't see the defense today.
I saw one play.

Speaker 8 (01:16:11):
If you're the head coach of the Texans and you
have a top five for all intents and purposes defense
and you give that SoundBite, you gotta feel good.

Speaker 9 (01:16:19):
Well, you feel either you feel good because he's like
these guys have got it. We got this thing well,
machine or let's say your blanket is damp. You could say,
of course he watched the offense. His concern level is
through the roof. And that's what I did at practice today.
I didn't watch the defense when I had an opportunity,

(01:16:39):
when it was clear the Stroud or Mills led offense
was going to have a few seconds between snaps, or
they were in between plays, or there was a stoppage. Yeah,
I looked over to see what could I see from
Daniel and Will going up against Bryce and when Dalton. Yeah,
I tried to take a look at both. I don't
have eyes that allowed. I can't go in both directions.
I needed to see the offensive line. I needed to

(01:17:01):
see CJ.

Speaker 4 (01:17:02):
Stroud.

Speaker 9 (01:17:03):
It was the football game. This was their preseason game
against the Panthers. Apparently you needed to be a hammerhead shark.

Speaker 4 (01:17:09):
Five to two.

Speaker 9 (01:17:10):
Now Julio Rodriguez two run, Homer Naylor came around to
so just updating him back to Tamiko, what.

Speaker 8 (01:17:17):
Did you think about what Aaron Wilson said about the
offense and c J.

Speaker 10 (01:17:20):
Stroud? Did you agree? Did you disagree? Did you talking about.

Speaker 9 (01:17:24):
They think fixing the offensive line was in large part
due to who was coaching the offensive line and who
was coaching and running the offense. Like the cleaning house
they did is for everybody to see on the line,
it's very obvious this player was traded, this player was released,
this player was Yeah, you made personnel changes, but it's

(01:17:45):
more to them internally. They believe part of the reason
that they looked so bad. Part of the reason CJ
appeared beaten, frustrated, sad was because that's what was happening.
He didn't have a chance. And it wasn't because the
guys in front of him were again mauled. It's because
the guys in front of him did not know what
they were doing. They were miscommunicating repeatedly, is this my assignment?

(01:18:08):
Is this my assignment? I thought you were going to
get him? Why I thought you were going to get him. Well,
they got CJ because nobody got him. And that's what
happened on a regular basis, And what he said about
the coach is not getting along. These stories get written
like it was a toxic culture, a toxic situation in
the room, and then the ultimate oh, well was it

(01:18:30):
this player? Was it because of Titus was because of Laramie,
was of Shaq. No, it was the first of all.
Toxic is the wrong description of it. It was disjointed
and unworkable because of how they were coached and how
the room was not in Unison, the current coach was
in the room as the assistant coach and did not

(01:18:50):
agree with the head coach of the offensive line. The
offensive line coach. He's since been banished from the NFL. Basically,
he doesn't coach anywhere. He should not have been coaching here.
And I'm not putting all the blame on Strawser, but
I think the Texans essentially are Yeah.

Speaker 8 (01:19:07):
Especially when you heard how well they were playing Papa
Shot together.

Speaker 9 (01:19:10):
Yes, I do think there's something to the leader of
that group. While a very good pass blocker, had a
lot of holes in his game, and obviously it's leading
when you're not out there is tough. He practiced way
more than a bunch of people want to pretend because
they're not out there and they don't know. Oh, he
never practice. He never practiced. Said the same thing about

(01:19:31):
DeAndre Hopkins. False in both cases. But anyway, they tried
to clean things up from an attitude standpoint, and it
was not all on Laramie by any means, and they
tried to clean things up on a If you're going
to get pushed and knocked over and lose the physical battle,
all right, we'll deal with that. We can't have guys
running free because you don't know what we're teaching you,

(01:19:52):
and we're doing such a bad job of teaching you.
It keeps happening repeatedly. What was the attitude aspect, Well,
just I don't think anybody like they had the right
attitude in that room as a whole.

Speaker 4 (01:20:03):
But I'm not calm.

Speaker 9 (01:20:03):
I'm not saying it's toxic, and I do think it's
stemmed from the coaches. That's what Aaron was one of
the points he was making. And I don't know how
much I put into what they're doing at camp. You know,
I've been to Texans Camp for every year they've had it.
There have been plenty of times where you had a
false start. Well I know it's one hundred and twenty
five degrees, but take a lap. This year, guys have

(01:20:24):
had false starts and that usually means okay, well you're
the right tackle right now, and now you're not, somebody
else is going to take those reps for the day,
for the series, for whatever. And I will acknowledge that
that didn't happen last year and it is happening this year.

Speaker 8 (01:20:37):
That's a very ema Udoka approach. Don't do your job,
you don't get to play.

Speaker 9 (01:20:42):
Yeah, do your job, or somebody else will. And I
have more than enough. Like the depth on this offensive
line is I mean, you can almost hear me or
see me somewhat chuckling.

Speaker 4 (01:20:51):
There's just not a whole lot of difference. And it's
not good.

Speaker 9 (01:20:54):
No, they're frontline players slightly better than their next line
of players, but your star from such a low point
that the ones that are behind them. There are some
guys that will be would be tough to play, and
I hope that doesn't include Blake Fisher. But the way
that what I've seen, he's gonna play a bunch. He
had almost thirty snaps in the first game. He needs

(01:21:14):
at least that many starts in this game. And he
needs to go against the Lions next Thursday. He needs
to go against the Lions in the preseason game. Just
get some more data, get some more facts, or maybe
see if he can play same thing with you. Scruggs
Jared Patterson's running backup center. I think he's perfectly capable,
but I don't even know what the backup situation will
look like beyond the five starters, because I don't know

(01:21:35):
where Cam's health is. I do think Aaron is right
when he believes it is minor. He was dressed out
during yesterday's walkthrough. He didn't participate in any of that
part of the walkthrough, but he didn't play at all today,
just like other players who they're trying to get healthy.
They're not trying to get him healthy for a joint practice.
They're trying to get him healthy to block Jared Verse

(01:21:55):
and the rest of the Rams defensive front.

Speaker 4 (01:21:57):
As they should be exactly.

Speaker 8 (01:22:00):
No problem with that. You have converted me. I don't
want anybody to play in the plate preseason. I don't
want to have the backups to play just forfeit. Yeah,
different teams are doing different things. Vikings announced that there's
no more JJ McCarthy for this week.

Speaker 4 (01:22:11):
He's not gonna play this week.

Speaker 9 (01:22:13):
Steelers similarly with Mike Tomlin and his starters. Other teams
have said their starters are going to play and they
need to see them out there. Texans haven't said anything
about it, and then usually when to ask Demiko o'ryans
offers such a non answer. We I mean, I was there.
I could have asked him.

Speaker 4 (01:22:28):
I didn't. I chose not to.

Speaker 10 (01:22:29):
What did Will Anderson say today?

Speaker 9 (01:22:30):
Will Anderson talking about the defense, it kind of sounded
like he wasn't super happy with the way that things
went today, and it sounded like this.

Speaker 3 (01:22:40):
Yeah, we got to get better. We have to get better,
and we have some good things that we had done.
We got to be a little bit more disciplined.

Speaker 14 (01:22:44):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:22:45):
Like I said, this is a really good chance to her.
We are defensively to go against somebody new, and we
just got to keep stacking dates, keep leveling it up
and taking it each day by each day man. And
I think he just comes down to executing the right
way and everybody being on the same page.

Speaker 9 (01:22:55):
Probably two quarterbacks going to die this year, probably two
ways to take that typical. I don't care how good
we are, we need to get better or I didn't
really think we played all that well today against the Panthers.
That's kind of how I took it. And I followed
up with a question about what is your confidence level
in your defense.

Speaker 6 (01:23:13):
Today.

Speaker 3 (01:23:14):
You have days like this in count this is what
you get. This is what proms you to get ready
for the season. These are the type of days that
you have to go through in order to be great
and to have great defense. Man, you have to go
through the days like this, when it's hot outside, when
you grind it, plays back to back, all that type
of stuff. That's what gets you ready for the season.
So I'm really glad that we got a chance to
come out here and do this today.

Speaker 9 (01:23:30):
So was he displeased with how they played or this
is just part of getting better?

Speaker 4 (01:23:34):
Yes? Yeah, I don't.

Speaker 9 (01:23:36):
It was definitely not a great consequence either way. They
definitely didn't have a bad I wouldn't call it a
bad day, or else I would have heard people talking
much more about it. I already acknowledged I didn't focus
on the defense, so I'm not I'm not going to
say it from a situation of knowledge firsthand, But I mean,
how a bad day?

Speaker 4 (01:23:54):
How's that impossible?

Speaker 10 (01:23:55):
I was just about to say, I don't think they
have bad days.

Speaker 8 (01:23:58):
They might have off days, but I like, I'm kind
of like I am the I'm Demico's comments personified. I
just don't worry about this CJ. Gardner Johnson injury. That
just means they won't be as elite until whenever he
comes back.

Speaker 4 (01:24:16):
I am as concerned.

Speaker 8 (01:24:18):
I am as about you know, the offensive line and
the offense itself with regards to that, that's the exact
opposite when it comes to the defense. And the guy
that we were just playing is a big reason for
that because he and daneil Hunter are absolute freaks. And
like I said, I think they're gonna kill a quarterback
this year.

Speaker 9 (01:24:33):
Hopefully they won't do that exact term, but in fall sense, yeah,
we'll take that figure of speech. I'll come back hit
you with something going on in Chicago. Something going on
in Chicago? Huh, what could that be? That's next.

Speaker 6 (01:24:48):
The AE on Sports Talk seven ninety.

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Speaker 6 (01:25:42):
With the deadline and their rearview mirror deadlocks past.

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That's it.

Speaker 10 (01:25:46):
Your Stros have dropped up pin on October.

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Don't let the Astros second half pass you, guys stayed.

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Of course, all roads lead to sports Talk seven ninety.

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Speaker 6 (01:30:02):
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Speaker 4 (01:30:14):
Guess what tell us all?

Speaker 10 (01:30:18):
Honeymoon's over on the North side of Chicago.

Speaker 9 (01:30:22):
What if I tell you that the Wexler research team
just yesterday was doing a little bit of a dive
into that very topic that we still haven't even told
people what we're talking about.

Speaker 8 (01:30:32):
Well, I, of course I am having internet issues lately.
I'm not even gonna lie to you. I have wanted
to throw this laptop through. There's not a window that
I can throw it through, so maybe that door.

Speaker 6 (01:30:43):
I don't know.

Speaker 8 (01:30:44):
I can't I can't get the tweet to pull up.
And the problem with this is wex I need to
read the tweet, but it needs to be somewhat softened.

Speaker 10 (01:30:56):
You know why did you read the tweet?

Speaker 9 (01:30:58):
Yeah, Kyle Tucker now swings like nervous and gigantic thing
that you're definitely not gonna say.

Speaker 10 (01:31:06):
This is he can never disappoint.

Speaker 9 (01:31:08):
It's a reference to the recent production offensively of Chicago
Cubs soon to be free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Speaker 8 (01:31:16):
Read the comments underneath, okay, because there are a just
inordinate amount of people saying beat it, go to Boston,
get out of here.

Speaker 9 (01:31:27):
Winners only says, what would you say his worth is?
To which the original poster BSc says personally or what
do I predict? Both preferably, So we'll go with Carl.
Carl says personally, I would give them five years, one fifty.
Market will probably go eight to eighty or three ten.

(01:31:48):
He left maybe one hundred and fifty million on the
table with his last seven weeks. I went and looked
at this. Like I said, just didn't know this to
come up on today's show. Figured it would at some
point be front of mind. Kyle Tucker's last forty games,
not including his work today, Cubs are playing here in
the afternoon, He's sitting two thirty one with a six
to eighty ozhops. They're probably pull it from a little

(01:32:11):
bit different group, and it's even worse. He definitely has
not been swinging the bat well now. He did Homer
on July nineteenth, today's August fourteenth. They're saying he's pressing
because it's contract time, or because their playoff chances, or
I would say, minimiz. Look, they're going to the playoffs,

(01:32:34):
they're not going to win the division.

Speaker 8 (01:32:35):
Kyle Tucker has been disappointing offensively many many times in
his career.

Speaker 10 (01:32:42):
It just always came in the postseason.

Speaker 4 (01:32:44):
For the most part.

Speaker 8 (01:32:46):
I can't think of a time where he had a
prolonged slump in the regular season like this as an
astro well.

Speaker 9 (01:32:51):
I can't pinpoint the time either, but I'm pretty sure
these were the tells. He was constantly putting on his
bat and gloves or taking them off he was changing
his bat. He was doing whatever I can do to
break out of it because he was a geral. He
was in an app again. I can't recall the dates specifically.
He absolutely was going through it with the Astros and

(01:33:11):
I know what you meant you met. This was a
personal thing. He's heading into a free agent year. You'd
like to monster mash your way to a huge contract.
He looked like he was at the beginning of the year.
Was he was absolutely incredible. Sixty eight and fifty one
entering their game today, which actually put them at the
top of the wildcard race, ahead of the Dodgers, who
after last night, are no longer in first place, though
it's a pretty much a dead heat. They are a

(01:33:33):
game back of the Padres now, and the Mets are
a few more games back. Cubs are still four and
a half or excuse me, five and a half games
better than the Reds. The Reds, Mets, and Dodgers would
all have to pass them for Kyle Tucker's only year
in Chicago to be playoff less.

Speaker 8 (01:33:52):
He's they're going to the playoffs. But this is the
age old question, and the age meaning not even this
regular season. Is he coming back are the Cubs giving
him that money? The Astros wouldn't, and that therefore why
they traded him.

Speaker 9 (01:34:08):
Somebody's going to pay him. But I would actually agree
it's not the Cubs. If this lasts through the end
of the regular season and there's no what a what
a nine game postseason he just had I think the
way that the poster is suggesting is actually true. His
second or final two months, two and a half months,

(01:34:30):
whatever it turns out to be, if it's bad or
if it's unsuperstar like I do think that's going to
impact what Scott or what Kyle Tucker can get from
teams he thinks have the money to pay him.

Speaker 4 (01:34:43):
So what they all thought he was.

Speaker 9 (01:34:44):
Going to I mean I thought always thought throwing around
that four hundred million number seemed off. I did watch
what the Blue Jays ultimately gave to Vladimir Guerrero Junior,
so it probably was not far off.

Speaker 8 (01:34:58):
Plus it was the same offseason that Juan Soto had
just signed a deal with a seven in front of it.

Speaker 9 (01:35:03):
Right, there's only two teams that were really negotiating with
one Soda.

Speaker 4 (01:35:06):
If you wouldn't you.

Speaker 9 (01:35:08):
Say they're both reside in New York right, so could
could somebody? Nobody else is even in it? And are
either of those teams in it? Is Kyle Tucker going
to play.

Speaker 4 (01:35:17):
For the Yankees? Yeah?

Speaker 9 (01:35:19):
Oh you think the Yankees are going to go, yeah,
four hundred plus.

Speaker 8 (01:35:21):
Sure, they'll give him the money they didn't give Wan Soto,
thinking well he's an astro.

Speaker 10 (01:35:26):
It's the only thing we haven't tried. Oh wait, we
did that already.

Speaker 9 (01:35:29):
Do you think Kyle and the missus Sam want to
play for the New York Yankees?

Speaker 8 (01:35:34):
Nope, they are the least Yankee like couple I can
think of. But money talks, and if the Cubs aren't
going to give it to him.

Speaker 10 (01:35:47):
Look you can you do that?

Speaker 9 (01:35:48):
If you're the Cubs, can you say, yeah, so.

Speaker 8 (01:35:53):
Smith to him for one hundred and sixty eight games,
one hundred and sixty nine whatever it ends up being. Yep,
I just I mean, sure, that's one way to go
about it. I'm very happy they did because Cam Smith
is it's having a nice rookie season here in Houston
and only presumes to be better from here on out.
I just put it this way, and I don't think

(01:36:15):
this is what's gonna happen, So let me preface this
by saying that if the Astros traded him away and
wind up looking like they made the smart move, I
don't think again.

Speaker 4 (01:36:28):
I came and almost.

Speaker 9 (01:36:29):
Completely the smart move because he wasn't gonna play here.
But if you're adding to it that he's not an
unbelievable superstar.

Speaker 10 (01:36:36):
But what is this always about?

Speaker 8 (01:36:37):
Every single time it's happened, They don't want to pay
the guy what he can get from somewhere else that
is willing to pay him, And this would be just
a different example of that, albeit on a much bigger scale.
He's probably the highest dollar presumed guy of this era
of letting guys walk out the door?

Speaker 9 (01:36:53):
Are you waiting to determine that? Didn't we say it already? Like,
aren't we already there?

Speaker 19 (01:36:57):
Now?

Speaker 8 (01:36:57):
If he didn't get a four hundred million dollar deal,
no matter what he gets, it's more than the Astros
would give him.

Speaker 9 (01:37:01):
But no matter what contract he gets, and almost no
matter how he performs, weren't you fine.

Speaker 4 (01:37:05):
With the deal? Uh? You knew me fine with it?
You knew he wasn't gonna be here.

Speaker 9 (01:37:10):
Yeah, Well no, I was playing with the deal and
got something moving him a year early, getting what you
got in return. Now, knowing what that return is, I'm
not saying everybody's like, yeah, you gotta move him, you
gotta move him. They did move him, and you know
what the return was. And now you've seen Cam Smith
and then we didn't have that information at the time.
We didn't know what Perettis would do here. Keep in mind,
Perettis got traded to the Cubs last year and.

Speaker 10 (01:37:32):
Was awful, and he's was awesome here.

Speaker 4 (01:37:35):
He was great here.

Speaker 8 (01:37:35):
I mean, for all the times you want to talk about,
like I know, a lot of people are criticizing the
Hater signing now because of what's happened, which is just
I mean, it's a little that's a little disingenuous, even
for like the most ardent Jim Crane, hater, whatever you want.

Speaker 13 (01:37:51):
To call it.

Speaker 9 (01:37:51):
Which side of the fence do you want to be
on from an injury standpoint, Well, I don't want to
sign this guy he's had a bunch of injuries, Or
well I don't want to sign this guy he's never hurt.

Speaker 10 (01:38:00):
You know what.

Speaker 8 (01:38:00):
Josh who Josh Ter is, He's who from ber Valdez
is about to be this offseason and somebody's gonna give
him that money and the Astros aren't, and then he's
probably gonna get hurt, because that's what happens to pitchers
in twenty twenty five that have pitched that much.

Speaker 9 (01:38:12):
A catastrophic Then I can't believe you're gonna sign him
for five years expecting good, good, four you know what.
I was talking to somebody last night about Hater and
they were like, it's unheard of for a guy to
go nine seasons, even as a closer, pitching the way
he has and not ever be on the IL.

Speaker 8 (01:38:29):
Now, he was on the covid Il, but that doesn't count.
That's twenty twenty. Nothing about that season counts, Right, Dodgers,
Right Lakers? Do you know what I'm saying? Like, I
agree with that and going back to Kyle Tucker though,
it would just be classic Astros, classic Jim Crane.

Speaker 10 (01:38:48):
I mean, I'm convinced at this point he might have.

Speaker 4 (01:38:50):
Made a deal with the devil.

Speaker 9 (01:38:52):
It's just they don't go away. Yeah, I think Kyle's
pretty darned good. I thought he would have an MVP
caliber season in Chicago this one year.

Speaker 8 (01:39:01):
He did for like three months. That's that's a part
of his say Now it's ava. However, part of a season.
Some of those comments I could not tell you, like
is it worse like you're saying?

Speaker 9 (01:39:11):
They This is a from a barstool account, So these
are people that follow follow along with this following though
huge following. Maybe do you think they hate him or
are they more like him? This is a little concerning
knowing what he's going to ask for, knowing what we
could be in for rather than I'd love to have
Kyle Tucker in the outfield for the next five years,

(01:39:31):
which they would.

Speaker 8 (01:39:32):
Yeah, well that's the other part of this. They always
the obvious question. Okay, so you want him to walk
out the door, who are you putting there that's going
to be better than him? One guaranteed you're not. Because
if you're not willing to give this guy this money,
well who are you spending it on that's available?

Speaker 10 (01:39:48):
It's going to be better than him.

Speaker 9 (01:39:49):
In an effort to not help his former team, Kyle
Tucker went oh for for today in the Cub's two
to one loss to the Blue Jays, but he only
stretched out once.

Speaker 8 (01:39:58):
Did you see his helmet throw last night? Did you
see what it was clocked at? I saw that it's
such a great comment. I mean, it's it's fun when
it's not us. Yeah, here in Houston, we have our
own issues. Orio's still up five to two on the
stupid Mariners. That's what the S stands for and their logo.
All right, we will continue here on the A team

(01:40:19):
Sports Talk seven ninety it's our signature segment, What's up
with that?

Speaker 4 (01:40:23):
And it's next.

Speaker 1 (01:40:25):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety where.

Speaker 6 (01:40:30):
Now a new signature segment called What's up with that?

Speaker 4 (01:40:38):
What's up with that?

Speaker 11 (01:40:40):
What's up?

Speaker 4 (01:40:43):
I say, what's up.

Speaker 13 (01:40:48):
That?

Speaker 9 (01:40:49):
Signature segment time middle of our number three four thirty
signature segment time on a Thursday, we asked that very question,
what's up with that? And although this was pre planned,
interesting that it comes out of the last segment Chicago,
the Cubs management, fans, maybe even without extending him and

(01:41:10):
knowing how much he'll cost, maybe a little buyer's remorse right.
Maybe this didn't work out the way we'd hoped. Maybe
he will flounder his way through the rest of the
season and on into the postseason. Who knows, just didn't
work out the way that we might have thought. Astros
players before Kyle Tucker that were not retained, like Alex Bregman,

(01:41:32):
like George Springer, like Garrett Cole, obviously like Carlos Correa.
Carlos Correa went to Minnesota after he signed with both
the Mets and Giants and never played for them, went
to Minnesota, signed a deal that allowed him to opt out.
He opted out and re signed with Minnesota, signed a
six year deal. Half of those six years plus the

(01:41:53):
remainder of this year beginning August first, he's an Astro again.
He returned to the Astros, and so far, so good.
There's still three more years of it. I don't know
that anybody's really going to be too broken up about
a trade that brought Carlos back to Houston cost you
twenty million dollars a season for three seasons and really

(01:42:13):
didn't cost you anything else. You can trade for your
starting third baseman who so far has played at an
all star level for nothing. You just have to pay
him twenty million dollars. Well that's basically honestly, the acquisition
of Kyle of Carlos Correa was no different other than
more phone calls, than the acquisition of Christian Walker will

(01:42:34):
give him twenty million a season and he can.

Speaker 4 (01:42:35):
Play for the next three years.

Speaker 9 (01:42:36):
That's literally why Carlos Correa is here three more years
on his deal twenty million a year with Minnesota, taking
that ten off the top to get it to twenty
and it cost you a minor league player that's never
going to throw a major league pitch.

Speaker 4 (01:42:47):
That's it.

Speaker 9 (01:42:47):
That was the whole trade we've heard from Carlos Correa
at length, both when he arrived in Boston to take
on the Red Sox for a second consecutive series because
he had just played them with Minnesota, and then here
in Houston when he arrived in Houston with the team
for the second time, and of course again to take
on Boston, and the Astros naturally handle business, taking two

(01:43:09):
out of three. If you recall what Carlos had to say,
he was talking a little bit about his family and
you know those kids who one not here yet, and
one was that now both both are here and now
they're both here in Houston. Just a little reminder of
what he had to say about that before I bring
why we are here and what's up with that?

Speaker 24 (01:43:28):
Well, they they knew I played for the Astros before
because every day they watched highlights and they love baseball
a lot, so you know, when I'm on the road,
my wife who played him highlights and she explained to them,
like I played with the Astros and the championship and
all that, and he's been watching Minnesota. So when I
waive my notary close, I called my wife right after

(01:43:49):
and I say, hey, boys, I gotta tell you something.
I said, We're not gonna be with Minnesota anymore. Now,
We're gonna be back with the Houston Nasturals, like the
videos you've been watching off Poppy in the playoffs. And
he got super happy and excited. He's like, yeah, I
want I want to see you playing the playoffs all that.
So it was a really cool moment because I want
my kids to get a chance to see me go

(01:44:10):
out there and win another championship.

Speaker 9 (01:44:13):
Win another championship. Want my kids to go out and
see me win another championship. He mentioned what point of
this whole scenario is there's family involved. Family is involved,
and in the case of Carlo's Korea's family, it's a
return to their home, kids, his wife, Danielle, and everybody
else that's been here in Houston and followed his career,
and it's part of that family and grew up with

(01:44:34):
him here as he grew up with the Astros, but
specifically since he brought it up in the midst of
some of his other comments about coming here, he talked
about Danielle Rockstar handled everything, called her, I had, you know,
get this stuff from Minnesota, get ready to get on
a plane, get ready to fly to Boston to go
play for the Astros, while she and others helped handle

(01:44:55):
everything else of basically moving our whole operation, the Korea
family operation, back to Houston. And when they made their
re debut, of course, she and the kiddos were out
at the game Kylo and Kenzo and if you're unaware,
and we're both aware since we talked about it earlier
this week. She has a social media presence. Daniella Does

(01:45:15):
went to TikTok for this audio from Danielle a little
get ready with me for her reappearance as an Astros
fan because her husband again is an Astro and I
just thought it was very entertaining, So I thought our eyeshadowolved.
She wasn't moving product. She was already made up. This
was more about her outfit and describing coming back to Houston,

(01:45:38):
and it started like this, Cole, get.

Speaker 25 (01:45:40):
Ready with me to go to our first Houston Astros game.

Speaker 9 (01:45:48):
Back Daniella very excited.

Speaker 4 (01:45:57):
If you could not tell, did she do the hip
hop siren? She did?

Speaker 9 (01:46:00):
If you if you want Cole to fire it up again,
then then please Cole, could you actually fire it up again?

Speaker 4 (01:46:09):
Was that you or her? Cale?

Speaker 9 (01:46:12):
That's what she did, very excited, and she went through
the whole process of get ready with me. She had
a new she like you Jack crazy, fired up about
how cool the city connects look because obviously she was
geared up in the news.

Speaker 8 (01:46:26):
Saconly picture of them was electric at home plate where
they're all decked out the little the little ones, Yeah,
with the little ones with their jerseys on. That was
one of my favorite things about when Carson was coming
up and they were I mean, I would have done
it if they were a twenty win team, but I mean,
just gearing the little tiny jersey, it's.

Speaker 4 (01:46:46):
Just the best.

Speaker 9 (01:46:47):
Carlos Correa will play a Major League Baseball game for
a team other than the Astros. Ever, again, I don't
think so either.

Speaker 8 (01:46:56):
He's but because he's when he arrived, it's the time
in his career.

Speaker 4 (01:47:03):
How old is he right now thirty one.

Speaker 9 (01:47:06):
I mean, I guess it's possible, like there's more baseball
after this contract inspires more good baseball, I think so,
not just I mean it's not I'll tell you who.
I'm wondering what they're thinking right about now, just because
we're talking about the Astros and the third base Nolan
Aeronato probably would like a piece of the Astros right
about now at thirty eight, because he ain't gonna play

(01:47:29):
much more baseball. Very interesting how this has all played out.
And we'll get to next year when we get to
next year, because again it's still remarkable. The Astros had
arguably the best third baseman in the American League last year.
His name's Alex Brigg and it hasn't even been a
season that he's been away. And they traded for two

(01:47:51):
third basemen. Cam Smith was the third baseman when he
arrived in Houston and East ok Ceretis was the third baseman.
And then they traded for a third third baseman, Carlos
Korea in six in four months after Alex signed with
the Red Sox.

Speaker 4 (01:48:06):
And no one's even missing Alex right now.

Speaker 8 (01:48:08):
Uh yeah, I would agree with that. Look at runs
he hit he couldn't even win two out of three
games here.

Speaker 9 (01:48:13):
Thing I don't individually, he in six games against the Astros,
even though he only had a couple of hits in Boston.
Then he had the two home runs here.

Speaker 15 (01:48:20):
He was awesome.

Speaker 9 (01:48:21):
He made like ten plays other third basement probably wouldn't make.

Speaker 8 (01:48:24):
I was sick of him beating out or the throw
not being beaten out at first base last night and
the night before and the night before that.

Speaker 10 (01:48:32):
It's just he's awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:48:33):
He is.

Speaker 8 (01:48:34):
I will always love Alex Bregman. And uh, obviously it's crazy.
I think nine years in an Astros uniform before he
was out the door.

Speaker 4 (01:48:43):
That's more than anybody else of the.

Speaker 9 (01:48:46):
ILK that we're talking about, no question about it. But
just interesting that there's more to it than just you've
you've added a player. The family super excited.

Speaker 4 (01:48:54):
What's up with that?

Speaker 9 (01:48:55):
Yeah, they are very excited to be back here with
the Astros. Moving forward off today Baltimore, whenever they wrap
things up with Seattle today, will make their way to Houston.

Speaker 1 (01:49:07):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 9 (01:49:18):
It is the A team Sports Talks seven ninety, Space
City Home Network.

Speaker 8 (01:49:25):
Oh man, I don't know if I'm gonna be able
to stomach two consecutive games against forty nine year old
Lebron James in March on the rocket schedule. That's a lot,
but I guess it's good in the fact that we
can get it out of the way.

Speaker 9 (01:49:43):
Well, the other part of when they schedule these back
to backs the same team two games and two nights
or two games and three nights, Well, what happens when
that particular player, whoever it might be, I can't play
And in some cases that's like two that's sixty seven
percent of the season series. If it's a three game series,

(01:50:04):
I think that happens quite a bit. And then Lebron's case,
and in some of these cases where these games actually
are true back to backs from a night after night,
maybe he's in a situation that he's just not available
both nights for both games.

Speaker 8 (01:50:19):
I'm here to tell you right now, he's gonna get
hurt this year and it's going to be an extended absence.
He can only whatever he's doing to do this.

Speaker 9 (01:50:31):
Doing, yeah, playing basketball and working out like Kevin Durant
and Steph Curry and other oldies. Yeah, he's just working out, Yeah,
staying in shape. It can only go so far.

Speaker 8 (01:50:43):
He has had soft tissue slash, ankle slash, you know,
lingering type injuries more and more often.

Speaker 9 (01:50:51):
I mean, of course, what about the injury that had
him sidelined for like eighteen weeks at the end of
the season that we didn't have to worry about because
they got eliminated.

Speaker 10 (01:51:00):
Well, you know why that came out right.

Speaker 9 (01:51:02):
Because they were already eliminated.

Speaker 8 (01:51:05):
Hey man, thought you were one of the greatest of
all I thought you were the greatest of all time.

Speaker 9 (01:51:08):
One of the greatest of all time.

Speaker 8 (01:51:09):
I thought you were the greatest. Those are his words.
I mean, that's when I knew I was the goat.
He did you've never seen that?

Speaker 9 (01:51:15):
Now we gotta have that.

Speaker 8 (01:51:16):
Oh my gosh, I have that. Stupid uh one of
those dumb shows he does.

Speaker 4 (01:51:20):
One of those dumb shows.

Speaker 8 (01:51:22):
He sits around and like, lets everybody slobber all over
his legacy, and he's like, I mean that shot right
here down with.

Speaker 9 (01:51:27):
KD this this all season. Was that one of the shows.

Speaker 8 (01:51:30):
I wish Katie looked at him and said, you're an idiot.

Speaker 10 (01:51:34):
Yeah, he said that, like the exact phrase.

Speaker 8 (01:51:36):
That's when I knew I was the goat things that
Jordan has never or will never say.

Speaker 4 (01:51:41):
You know, Jordan.

Speaker 9 (01:51:42):
Busy catching record breaking things out of the ocean.

Speaker 8 (01:51:46):
Did you see when he came in on his boat
and he got a standing ovation that will never happen
on Lebron.

Speaker 10 (01:51:52):
I'm like, oh, Lebron, twenty years.

Speaker 9 (01:51:54):
From now, how do you know he's not a world
class fisherman in twenty five years? Did you know if
Jordan was gonna be world class fishermen in twenty five
years after he retired, after he bought and sold his team?

Speaker 4 (01:52:05):
Of course I knew.

Speaker 8 (01:52:05):
You don't how to know that because everything he does
he wants to be insanely competitive at, and the only
thing he's failed at is being an nbagm This.

Speaker 9 (01:52:14):
Guy told me I couldn't catch a Marlin. I took
events to that.

Speaker 10 (01:52:17):
You know what I think?

Speaker 8 (01:52:18):
I'm not even kidding saying this at this point in
time in twenty twenty five, after everything we know, and
after seeing the last dance, somebody probably dared him, I
bet you won't take Kwame Brown number one and win?

Speaker 9 (01:52:29):
And he's like, bet and win? You know, to be fair,
what did they miss out on?

Speaker 8 (01:52:38):
In two thousand and one, like what would have been
the draft was drafted after him, just.

Speaker 9 (01:52:43):
In general, if that was if he took it on
a dare, if he took Kwame Brown on a dare.

Speaker 8 (01:52:48):
Like seriously, you, knowing what you know about MJ, would
that even surprise you if you found out that it
was true?

Speaker 9 (01:52:53):
The and win. That's why I question, what do you mean?
And like they took Kwame Brown. They were terrible before,
they remained terrible after there was no winning.

Speaker 8 (01:53:01):
But if they had taken somebody else in that spot,
you know, number one overall? Don't you think maybe my
fortune the laugher from Duke I don't remember who that
was that Shane's draft.

Speaker 9 (01:53:10):
Shane went sixth. He would have been a glue guy
for the Wizards.

Speaker 4 (01:53:16):
What happens, That's how.

Speaker 10 (01:53:18):
You would laugh.

Speaker 9 (01:53:19):
Tyson Chandler, pow Eddie Curry, and Jason Richardson. Oh yeah,
that would have changed the Wizard's fortunes.

Speaker 4 (01:53:27):
Why do you say it like that?

Speaker 9 (01:53:29):
Because that's comical to me. And I know where Powe is.
He's in the Hall of Fame.

Speaker 4 (01:53:34):
Kwame Brown did what He's way more famous.

Speaker 8 (01:53:38):
That's not for taking down verbally other players past and present.

Speaker 9 (01:53:43):
I don't think we're trying to argue if Kwame Brown
was better than Powell.

Speaker 4 (01:53:47):
I'm trying to say.

Speaker 8 (01:53:48):
I'm gonna watch my mouth or or Kwame's gonna come
after me.

Speaker 9 (01:53:51):
Powell going to be the cornerstone player from for elite
Wizards basketball.

Speaker 10 (01:53:57):
Well, look at his career.

Speaker 9 (01:54:00):
Okay, it's significantly better. Well I know it is, But
what's he going to do as a great NBA player
If his teammate isn't Kobe, he's gonna have a really
good NBA career.

Speaker 8 (01:54:13):
Well, the last time the Memphis Grizzlies were really good
was when he was on the team, and it hasn't
been with John Morant.

Speaker 9 (01:54:19):
That's also fair. His postseason history with the Grizzlies four
games in the first round loss, four games in the
first round loss, four games in the first round loss.
Then he went to the Lakers and they played in
the finals three straight years and he won two titles. Yeah,
well Kobe didn't win, did crap until he got there
after Shaq left, So there you go. Yeah, he helped

(01:54:40):
Kobe win, and Kobe helped him win.

Speaker 10 (01:54:42):
No, no, no, that is not doing it justice.

Speaker 8 (01:54:44):
He had Kobe's titles delivered on a silver platter by
David Stern.

Speaker 4 (01:54:49):
That is how you characterize that?

Speaker 9 (01:54:51):
Which argument? Are you having POW's elite carry a team
to a title? Are you arguing against that? Or you
are you be close to the NBA made this happen.

Speaker 8 (01:55:00):
Point of all this is that Michael Jordan definitely was
dared to draft Kwamie Brown number one overall.

Speaker 9 (01:55:06):
I think I would just point out I don't think
that draft was particularly good.

Speaker 10 (01:55:12):
Who are the top twenty picks?

Speaker 23 (01:55:13):
Go?

Speaker 9 (01:55:15):
I just want to know who they were? Were only
going to tell you one? Well, you had Shane thirteenth
overall the Houston Rockets select.

Speaker 10 (01:55:24):
Hold on, let me see, I can't. I think I
can do this.

Speaker 9 (01:55:26):
You should definitely be able. I know you've I think
you're before. You actually said his name already today during
the one o'clock.

Speaker 10 (01:55:33):
Hour during the show with Ross.

Speaker 9 (01:55:38):
It's correct, I accidentally listened to part of it. Someone
to get into the building was playing it.

Speaker 8 (01:55:43):
Thirteenth overall in one gosh, I cannot picture this current.

Speaker 10 (01:55:49):
That was a rough year for.

Speaker 9 (01:55:50):
Me, analyst for ABC and ESPN.

Speaker 4 (01:55:54):
Oh, that's right.

Speaker 8 (01:55:55):
They drafted Dick Jefferson and then traded him for Eddie
not Johnson, Eddie guna guerrero, Eddie Griffin, not the comedian,
and he's now deceased.

Speaker 9 (01:56:06):
Two players from that draft had twenty thousand or more points.
A different player is also in the Hall of Fame
with Powell. Tony Parker will be a Hall of Famer.
The other twenty thousand point a game score is a
Big Three player and also a former Rocket. Briefly a
former Rocket plays in slow motion likes isolation.

Speaker 4 (01:56:28):
I got Joe Johnson. Oh, come on.

Speaker 9 (01:56:31):
The elite players from that draft. Richard Jefferson is a
fifth leading scorer from that draft class. Stinky well, he's
agent zero also in that.

Speaker 4 (01:56:38):
Draft class Agent zero. You know what?

Speaker 2 (01:56:42):
You have?

Speaker 8 (01:56:42):
The podcaster, Oh, I'm aware, and the gun trader in
the locker roomer.

Speaker 4 (01:56:47):
He found himself a foul of the law.

Speaker 8 (01:56:49):
How did they make a Netflix show about that whole thing?
Like that that incident? They made a whole show about
a whole documentary.

Speaker 9 (01:56:57):
You're questioning ideas on what to put on streaming.

Speaker 4 (01:57:00):
Well, I mean how platforms?

Speaker 8 (01:57:01):
Yeah, but how far into the discount ben was that
idea before They're like, yeah, we should agreen like this project.

Speaker 9 (01:57:07):
See what happens when you're just spitballing ideas.

Speaker 8 (01:57:09):
That's what happens when it's July, is what it is.
That is like the equivalent of list radio.

Speaker 9 (01:57:15):
So Rockets play the Lakers on back to back nights
in Houston. Jordan drafted Kwame Brown on a dare. That's
what we did this.

Speaker 8 (01:57:25):
It's a it's an absolute guarantee, absolute guarantee. Football at
five is coming up next, and it's a subject that
is not near nor dear to my heart. And actually
it's on the list of Sports eight because now we're
forced to pay attention to this person in the sports world.

(01:57:46):
And all of that will be explained as to how
it pertains to the Football at five conversation when we come.

Speaker 6 (01:57:51):
Back on Sports Talk seven ninety. Adam Clinton and Adam
Wexler are the a team.

Speaker 10 (01:58:11):
Well, it's time for Football at five.

Speaker 8 (01:58:15):
And since we've already talked about the Texans practicing scrimmaging
against another team instead of themselves, and since we've heard
from Damico Ryans, and we've heard from will Anderson Junr.
And we've talked about x's and o's, and Aaron Wilson
came on and all that kind of stuff, it's time
to talk about what people really care about. You know,

(01:58:36):
in the NFL, where people just want to be left
alone to watch their games and follow their teams. We
once again have to be have to be inundated with
Taylor Swift on our screen.

Speaker 4 (01:58:50):
Don't have to be again.

Speaker 8 (01:58:52):
No, No, those are the those are the rules. The
rules here in communist America, have your own rules.

Speaker 9 (01:58:57):
You can play by whatever rules. That's not true, it
is true. No, it's crashed. YouTube was cracked the whole
sight Travis Kelcey had his girlfriend. Are they engaged yet?
I don't even know. Do you propose?

Speaker 4 (01:59:12):
How do you not know? I don't.

Speaker 9 (01:59:13):
But you're totally paying attention to this because you're forced to. Ever,
you know every single thing about them because you're forced to,
are you? Why would you ask me this? You already
know the answer because you know everything about them, because
it's inundating your life. You're right, it's your overcome with
Kelsey Swift.

Speaker 4 (01:59:31):
Nonsense.

Speaker 9 (01:59:31):
I don't swift, uh, And you're mad because I make
fun of her? Why don't you just do that?

Speaker 4 (01:59:37):
What I mean?

Speaker 9 (01:59:38):
I don't think that would change our dynamic here?

Speaker 4 (01:59:40):
Nope?

Speaker 9 (01:59:41):
What if I listen to her music? Does that change
things kind of.

Speaker 8 (01:59:44):
What if what if I said I was you listen
to it alone in your car or the other people
that are like I like to listen to her now,
which is the scenario?

Speaker 4 (01:59:52):
I mean? So be honest.

Speaker 9 (01:59:54):
If I'm in the car and it comes on one
of the channels that I've rested.

Speaker 8 (02:00:00):
Nested on, no, no, no, I leave it there. No,
you actively seek it out. I don't play it.

Speaker 9 (02:00:04):
That's untrue. I don't actively seek it out. All right,
then we can be friends still.

Speaker 8 (02:00:09):
But if it's on and you know, like, I'm not
going to sit here and act like I haven't, like,
you know, gone windows up, full blast of some Celine
Dion or something like that.

Speaker 9 (02:00:19):
There are no age talent, there's no analogy, so there's
no comps category all by itself.

Speaker 8 (02:00:24):
You're right because I'm trying to watch football and she
keeps coming up on my screen, and that doesn't happen
with Selene.

Speaker 9 (02:00:29):
You're trying to watch football.

Speaker 10 (02:00:31):
I'm trying.

Speaker 9 (02:00:31):
You're trying to watch football me and Bill Belichick. The
podcast you're talking about dropped yesterday last evening.

Speaker 8 (02:00:39):
I was trying to watch football game and all of
a sudden, this robot came in, overtook my screen and
put the stupid Kelsey.

Speaker 10 (02:00:45):
What's it called New Heights?

Speaker 4 (02:00:48):
Yes?

Speaker 10 (02:00:48):
Why do they call it that? Is it a play
on words that I don't know about?

Speaker 9 (02:00:52):
Not really, It's just more from them and where they
live in the heights, not these heights, Jaker Heights.

Speaker 8 (02:00:59):
Taylor Swift appeared on her boyfriend Travis kel Sees and
his brother Jason Kelsees.

Speaker 9 (02:01:06):
On some Retired Players podcast.

Speaker 8 (02:01:08):
And broke all sorts of records. I wish he would
retire because then we wouldn't have to see her every week.

Speaker 10 (02:01:14):
Hey, look she's at the game. There she is in
the suite again.

Speaker 9 (02:01:17):
Well, unless this brand new album spawns an extremely quick
turnaround on a massive tour, she probably has time to
attend more road and Home Chief games this upcoming season.

Speaker 4 (02:01:30):
Do you know the name of the new album?

Speaker 9 (02:01:33):
Showgirl something or other? Life of a showgirl, Story of
a showgirl.

Speaker 8 (02:01:36):
About what's her face? From Saved by the Belts? Look
at you just rattling her name off.

Speaker 9 (02:01:44):
Well, he didn't ask me to come up with Lark
or Tiff, but I knew Elizabeth.

Speaker 8 (02:01:48):
I actually read an article recently which was trying to
like soften that and say that it's aged better and
that she actually had a really good performance in that movie.

Speaker 9 (02:01:56):
So you brought all this up for what reason? She
broke YouTube looks fine to me. No, it's broken. So well,
I was aware of this dropped, and I was aware
of it as it was happening. A live stream of
their podcast dropped last night, and I did hear much
of it, and I was told, well, I guess that's it,
though it kind of ended abruptly, kind of a weird ending. Yeah,

(02:02:17):
And later on in the night I informed that person
who told me that I wasn't intentional. It was not intentional.
They had some technical difficulties so they were unable to
complete the broadcast. Like, do I want to hear what
that sounded like? Yeah, I do want to hear what
that sounded like. But I definitely want to hear something else,
because it was exactly what you were saying, encapsulated by

(02:02:38):
the performer about whom you were speaking. You're trying to
go about your life. I like football, I like watching
the games. I don't mind listening to the announcers talk
about the games. I don't mind them showing the crowd
of people at the games enjoying their cold weather, drinking
their ice cold SuDS, having a hot dog, enjoying a pretzel.
All that's part of the game. I'm down for all
of it. Just don't have a musician who's way too

(02:03:02):
popular that I don't like, that does things or says
things that I don't like, or makes music that I
don't like. That cannot be a part of my enjoyment.

Speaker 4 (02:03:09):
Correct. I can enjoy the football.

Speaker 9 (02:03:11):
Game you're getting it now, at least a tiny, tiny,
tiny portion of it is featuring this person who has
nothing to do with the game.

Speaker 4 (02:03:18):
I'm actually interested in it.

Speaker 9 (02:03:20):
She's definitely aware of that, as evidence by the way
they tease the podcast a day before its release.

Speaker 6 (02:03:26):
As we all know.

Speaker 25 (02:03:27):
You know, you guys have a lot of male sports
fans that listen to your podcast, and I think we
all know that if there's one thing that male sports
fans want to see in their space is and on
their screens, it's more.

Speaker 7 (02:03:39):
Of me.

Speaker 9 (02:03:44):
Speaks to you, speak to me, to sing to me,
and I don't want her on my screen.

Speaker 4 (02:03:52):
She is embracing the hate.

Speaker 10 (02:03:54):
Does the Texans play the Chiefs this year?

Speaker 9 (02:03:56):
Of course they play this There you go, first place
team play each other in the same conference. Rashie Rice
will probably be there as well.

Speaker 4 (02:04:05):
Yeah, but we're not. That's an actual football story.

Speaker 9 (02:04:07):
But that's we'll save that, save that for the real show.

Speaker 4 (02:04:11):
So what'd you think? What'd you learn?

Speaker 9 (02:04:13):
What interesting things did they talk about? I mean, you
could have listened to it just in the background.

Speaker 4 (02:04:17):
I didn't.

Speaker 9 (02:04:18):
It's just them sitting in their studios, respectively.

Speaker 8 (02:04:20):
Yeah, this is the one thing that I saw that
got my attention. There was a story that she shared
that her fan base can display quote Zodiac killer like tendencies,
particularly as it relates to investigating apparent easter eggs. Her

(02:04:43):
fans attempt to decode any and all meaning behind the shape, colors,
track titles, photos, and so on. From her Life of
a Showgirl announcement, that's the name of the album, Life of.

Speaker 10 (02:04:56):
Just like Life of Elizabeth Berkeley would actually get to
listen to it?

Speaker 4 (02:05:00):
Like not even a good movie.

Speaker 10 (02:05:03):
She didn't make another one? What was her other movie?

Speaker 8 (02:05:05):
That's fair, with one of the most bizarre examples being
an obsession with her use of the number forty seven?

Speaker 4 (02:05:13):
She is that is that right?

Speaker 8 (02:05:15):
Well, actually it's not completely right. Well there's two here.

Speaker 19 (02:05:20):
You go.

Speaker 8 (02:05:21):
She did take responsibility for the Fini count myself for
the phenomenon, though, adding that she herself is consumed by
Easter eggs.

Speaker 10 (02:05:30):
This is a metaphor.

Speaker 8 (02:05:31):
Okay, I'm hunting lost dyed eggs in March in numerology.
When it comes to communicating with her fan base like this,
here's an example. So Ophelia dies in Act four, scene
seven in Hamlet, and Taylor referenced the number forty seven
twice in that podcast. Like this is why I as

(02:05:53):
much for anything she says or does, whether it be musically, politically,
just being annoyed. I'm equally as annoyed by her fans
because they do stuff like this, and it's I have
no problem if there's an artist or even an athlete
or anything that you're like, oh my gosh, this person
has changed my life.

Speaker 10 (02:06:12):
I see it all the time.

Speaker 8 (02:06:13):
With John Cena, He's done like a bazillion make a
wish things. I mean, he's it's great. I get it.
We all have our people. If Billy Joel walked in
right now, I would pass out and you'd have to
pick me.

Speaker 10 (02:06:24):
Up off the floor.

Speaker 8 (02:06:26):
What Billy Joel, Well, I'm just saying, Billy Joel Denzel,
Washington Shedfield. No, I've already met him, and I had
to compose myself.

Speaker 13 (02:06:36):
Good.

Speaker 4 (02:06:36):
Good for you.

Speaker 8 (02:06:37):
We are explicitly telling you to not ask for a photo,
and then you did it. Forty five minutes later, the
interview concludes, Teresa has done a great job. It was awesome.
It's all good. The vibe is fantastic. And I look
around the room. Hey, h James, you want to grab
a pic? And you could hear a pin drop. Well,
so he goes sure announce framed in two rooms A

(02:07:00):
nice guy.

Speaker 9 (02:07:01):
Which of the eight thousand top ten things disclosed during
the New Heights podcast with Taylor Swift articles have you
read like you want to know what was said?

Speaker 4 (02:07:10):
Right?

Speaker 9 (02:07:10):
Like you exactly? And now you don't? Why is this
such a big deal? Generated massive numbers? Did I break
the interview? It broke you too?

Speaker 4 (02:07:20):
Great it?

Speaker 9 (02:07:22):
Do you know how easy it is to pay no
attention to that?

Speaker 8 (02:07:25):
Why can't he just retire? And you know what's the
worst part. The Texans have a hand in this. You
know why.

Speaker 9 (02:07:30):
He probably would have thought long and hard about, longer
and harder about retirement had it not been for his
postseason performance against them.

Speaker 8 (02:07:40):
But if you're only as good as your last performance,
then maybe he'll go ahead and sail off into the
sunset soon. What was wrong with his last performance? A
couple games after the Texans game, did they win their
last game?

Speaker 9 (02:07:50):
I'm know I'm not good at this. No, they did,
not looking back in time stuff. So the last game
that he played last year was against I guess the Eagles.

Speaker 4 (02:07:58):
Huhm.

Speaker 9 (02:08:00):
No, he was bad in the postseason last year.

Speaker 4 (02:08:02):
Not uh, that's not true. For the text.

Speaker 9 (02:08:04):
He's the all time greatest postseason tight end and there's.

Speaker 4 (02:08:07):
No especially when he plays the Texans.

Speaker 9 (02:08:08):
But he was not very good last year. He's kind
of acknowledged all the stuff we were talking about during
the twelve months. Kind of feels like he's out of shape.

Speaker 4 (02:08:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (02:08:17):
I kind of wasn't in the best shape I could
have been.

Speaker 4 (02:08:19):
He got it real that last.

Speaker 8 (02:08:21):
Year he looks like he was going on with Taylor
Swift all the time. She took one of his prime years.
Just kidding, he doesn't have any more of those. He's done.
He's about to go the way of Tony Gonzalez when
it comes to case. Tight ends out the past year
and hopefully he takes her with him.

Speaker 9 (02:08:42):
I mean, this is album twelve. I'm not sure what.

Speaker 8 (02:08:44):
Maybe she'll go on a long, lengthy European tour with
him for like three years.

Speaker 4 (02:08:50):
He'll be available soon.

Speaker 8 (02:08:52):
Well maybe during that time they can split up and
then she'll just go back to the music only world
and not be any part of the NFL.

Speaker 9 (02:08:59):
Well, the networks that featured the Kansas City Chiefs, most
notably the National Broadcasting Corporation, they seem to enjoy having
her around. The NFL at large definitely enjoyed having her
around well because I don't want, I said at NBC,
because it seemed like every Sunday night football game was them.

Speaker 4 (02:09:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (02:09:15):
Of course, I don't want to leave this segment on
a sour note, so I will say that there is optimism,
and I mean a lot of optimism that my fantasy
halftime performance at this upcoming Super Bowl might actually happen.

Speaker 9 (02:09:29):
It ain't her Taylor and Friends, It's.

Speaker 4 (02:09:32):
James and his band.

Speaker 6 (02:09:35):
The a on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 8 (02:09:37):
Ninety present company excluded.

Speaker 4 (02:09:47):
The airwork with somebody. I can't. I'm not gonna do it.

Speaker 10 (02:09:50):
I'm gonna leave it off the air, and I'm just
gonna move on.

Speaker 9 (02:09:53):
Clearly, been all over the map throughout the show and
definitely to start the five o'clock hour talking about a
football podcast with a pop singer. Back into the swing
of things here, day off of the Astros awaiting the
information necessary to determine exactly how many games up in
the standings the Astros will be when they take the

(02:10:15):
field tomorrow against the Baltimore or Orioles. The answer is
one and a half games. Good job Orioles and the
rain did in the Mariners. That game has gone final
five to three, So the Mariners exit their series with
the Orioles losing two out of three. They're sixty seven
and fifty five. The Astros will open their series with
the Orioles, and again Baltimore was at home for the Mariners.

(02:10:36):
They will be here in Houston for the Astros. Astros
at sixty eight and fifty three with from ber Valdez
on the mound, with the Orioles arriving a bit later
than they might have expected, considering they had a first
pitch of noon Central time today, but a multi hour
rain delay printed them from leaving when they would have expected. Nonetheless,

(02:10:57):
of still leaving for Houston rather early, the best pitcher
in their rotation also pitched yesterday. Uh huh, So the
Astros will miss Rogers. They will almost assuredly see Rogers
when they have the four game series in Baltimore, which
is now just six games away. Seven of the astros
next ten games are against the Baltimore Orioles, and the

(02:11:21):
Astros will have a chance to extend their lead this
weekend because the Mariners go from Baltimore up the coast
to City Field. Their series with the Mets this weekend
begins tomorrow evening. Earlier today, right here on Sports Talk
seven ninety MLB dot Com, Astros dot com writer Brian
McTaggart joined the Matt Thomas Show with Ross without Matt

(02:11:45):
Thomas and laid down all his knowledge for everybody out there.
Wanted to give you a little bit of that interview here.
It begins with the thoughts about the long term status
and where things are with Josh had Yeah.

Speaker 26 (02:11:58):
Well, the fact that you know, a couple of days ago,
Joe spot It called it a punch in the gut,
and then yesterday, you know, obviously they're waiting on a
second opinion, and you know, he says he wants to
give a Josh space to.

Speaker 4 (02:12:08):
See the doctors. So, yeah, you're right. I mean, second
opinion is never good.

Speaker 26 (02:12:13):
Rarely does it seem like do they come back and say, hey,
second opinion, he'll be good to go here, you know,
in the fifteen days are up. Joe even said it's
going to be longer than the fifteen days, which will
take him, you know, probably into September because you're gonna
have to start building up a little bit, you know,
throw a couple of bullpens and whatnot. So it doesn't
sound very good. I mean, we'll wait for the prognosis tomorrow.
But I felt that they were probably already reliever short,
you know, after the trade deadline. I know they they

(02:12:34):
looked at trying to get a reliever. It just felt
they could have used one more. And now losing hater. Yeah,
I mean a brain you can close, SUSA can close,
but you know, now you're a little bit more limited
in how you get the ball to the ninth inning.
But the perfect formula would be what happened last night.
Your started go six and two, third, seven, seven, and
then you only have six seven outs to cover. But
we all know that's not gonna happen every night. So
they're in a tough spot, and you know, we'll see

(02:12:56):
what the news is. Maybe we'll find out tomorrow about Hayter.

Speaker 20 (02:12:58):
Where do you think they go to to kind of
shore this up? You do have a lot of arms
coming back. Do you think guys like Luis Garcia, who's
been in the bullpen before, would be an option? Do
you think they would try to pick somebody off the
scrap heap? We keep getting inundated with Ryan press the
questions here.

Speaker 26 (02:13:13):
Yeah, I've asked around about Presley, and I get the
idea that they're not completely interested in that. I mean,
I think it would have happened already, you know, if
if they if it was gonna work out, He and
Dana Brown didn't exactly leave on the best of terms,
So I don't know if that, you know, if that, uh,
you know, hangs over their head as well.

Speaker 4 (02:13:28):
But I think if it probably was gonna be an option,
he'd be here already.

Speaker 26 (02:13:30):
But I don't know, They're just gonna have to piece
this together the best or can you Yeah, they get
some starters back, they can move some guys to the bullpen.
I think Walter stuff would play well in the bullpen
out of the left side you know, deceptive three quarter
armslot left side.

Speaker 4 (02:13:43):
They you know, Joe spot It pretty much admitted that.

Speaker 26 (02:13:46):
When aj blueball went back down that that he could
be an option for you know, a bullpen.

Speaker 4 (02:13:50):
Starter role, sort of a hybrid to come back up.

Speaker 26 (02:13:53):
So I think we'll see two or three guys who
can start, who can relieve, and they're just gonna have
to try to patch it together the best they can.

Speaker 4 (02:14:00):
That they're just you know, Brian King, you.

Speaker 26 (02:14:02):
Know, struggle a little bit giving up the long ball
so they can get him back back and forth like
he pitched the first you know, half of the season,
that that would help as well, but it's just every
day it's just going to be a chess match for
Joe spot of playing the matchups and and maybe throwing
a guy two winnings and try to get that ball
to the eighth and ninth in.

Speaker 27 (02:14:18):
It is interesting, Brian, as this team starts to get healthy,
they bring you know, Christian Hoveyre and s Spencer Araghtty
are back on this team and they're trying to work
into establishing themselves back into the rotation and both last
outing for both were better. And then you got Jason
Alexander who's had a couple of good starts again for
this team. Brandon Walter working his way back. We'll see

(02:14:40):
if he gets closer to a rehaps start. We know
Luis Garcia had another good outing last night for U
for Triple A as he rehabs, and we know mcculors
is getting closer. I bring all this up to say,
with the void of Josh Hater, do you does Dana
Brown have a conversation with somebody to say, hey, do
one of you guys take on a bullpen mentality?

Speaker 2 (02:14:59):
Here?

Speaker 27 (02:14:59):
Is that maybe some of those conversations going on behind
the scenes.

Speaker 26 (02:15:03):
Oh yeah, I mean I think they'll they'll have to.
I mean, if they and that's a great problem for
them to have. If they can get all those guys back,
if they get Garcia back in, mccolors in France, and
Walter and you know you have seven eight starters.

Speaker 4 (02:15:13):
Now, yeah, they're gonna have to put a couple of
those guys in the pen.

Speaker 26 (02:15:16):
I think they would all be willing to do it
pretty much Like I said, they've already sort of had
that discussion with blue Ball, and they might have had
it with a couple others so far. And you know,
we've seen this team in the past put starters in
the penn late in the season and playoffs, and you
know a lot of teams have done that as well.
When you get to the playoffs, you're gonna use pretty
much three starters, four at the most, so if you're
gonna have some extra arms in the bullpen. So man,

(02:15:37):
they just got to do what they can to try
to get to the playoffs, and I think they'll be
in a lot better shape when they get there. But
certainly I think they have to win the games at
Hunter Brown or fromber Start.

Speaker 4 (02:15:47):
They just feels like they need to win every one
of those games.

Speaker 26 (02:15:49):
And then hope that Xavier and Raghetty continue to get better.
I mean, Javier was better than I thought he was
gonna be as Velos there and I think he'll be fine.
Arra Getty's last start was better than his first. So
those are all positive things if you're the Astros. Lance
Colors Junior.

Speaker 20 (02:16:04):
I just feel like we talk about him and I
feel like I can see it playing out in so
many different ways with him. What what is your kind
of gut feeling on him coming back and how he
fits into the.

Speaker 4 (02:16:15):
Puzzle boy that is a really good question. Ross. I
I don't know.

Speaker 26 (02:16:19):
I mean, I it's, uh, this whole thing is really
weird being out a couple of weeks with a blister
now and you know, back on the mound Friday night,
Sugarland making a rehab start.

Speaker 4 (02:16:28):
Yeah, yeah, I.

Speaker 26 (02:16:29):
Mean, if he goes out there, he can get people out,
you give him another shot in rotation. Have they had
that discussion with Lance of you know, maybe putting him
in the bullpen and that being said. I mean, you know,
he's he's you know, maxing out at ninety two ninety
two point five miles an hour at this point, so
they're gonna have to, you know, make a tough decision.
I'm not sure where he fits right now. I know
he he wants the ball and he wants to compete,
but especially to get some of these other guys back,

(02:16:52):
and you know, but you know, he's got a shot.
If he goes out there and pitches well and stays healthy,
I think we'll get another shot in the big leagues.
But he's gonna have to come up here and get
people out because they got a quarter of the season
left and they're in a dog fight here with a
really good Mariners teams.

Speaker 9 (02:17:04):
I was watching a dog dog fighting last night. I
was watching a Top Gun Maverick a little bit. So
there's some dog fighting there.

Speaker 8 (02:17:10):
All right, Okay, if this season is Top Gun, Maverick
assigned characters.

Speaker 4 (02:17:16):
To the teams.

Speaker 9 (02:17:18):
Assign characters to the teams characters in that movie. So
like the big dog, the person who's the best, knows
the most.

Speaker 4 (02:17:26):
They all look up to the leader. That's Maverick.

Speaker 9 (02:17:29):
That's the Astros, right that I got that right? Yep, Hangman,
that's the Mariners. See, it's not the it's not the Yankees.
They think they're the best. Everybody tells them they're the best.

Speaker 10 (02:17:43):
They get off the carrier for the mission.

Speaker 4 (02:17:45):
He was their savior. This is your savior.

Speaker 10 (02:17:49):
Speaking well, the Yankees would never do that.

Speaker 9 (02:17:50):
Okay, so the clutch, So Hangman is the Mariners.

Speaker 4 (02:17:55):
Noah, that doesn't work either.

Speaker 9 (02:17:56):
I mean, you have a fan boy. Who's fanboy? Who's Bob?
Bob's like Bob's like Robin. The guardians there in the background.

Speaker 10 (02:18:09):
I don't know, idea.

Speaker 4 (02:18:11):
Who's Phoenix?

Speaker 9 (02:18:13):
Was that the the sweet lady?

Speaker 4 (02:18:16):
That's not how I would call her? The non man?

Speaker 8 (02:18:20):
Yes, Phoenix, Yeah, I'm trying to think of the actress's name.

Speaker 9 (02:18:23):
Though Monica Barbara just fire that off too, man. So
there's a few things in here anyway. So what mctagger
was talking about is what Joe Spot is. He's honestly
been doing it all year for every other part of
the team, and now he has to do it with
the closer's role, and we were talking about it with
the year I think so. I think John Schneider is
the only one that's even worth voting for it if

(02:18:46):
you could somehow say, well, I just I don't want
to give it to Joe for I don't know what reason.
I do think what he's done with the Jay's roster
and how they've managed their way through the season, even
with far fewer injuries and much more strength, he has
done a very very good job. Spot has been better
and absolutely should win. I don't think Brian Abray is
getting all of the closer opportunities on even on days

(02:19:09):
where he is rested and fresh. I do think there
are options, and I do think SUSA gives him that option.

Speaker 4 (02:19:14):
I think we're gonna see that.

Speaker 9 (02:19:16):
I think there's just days where the matchups work a
Bray who's pocket It just happened to come in the
eighth inning, So that's when I'm gonna get him up,
get him ready, and that's when he's gonna throw you know,
two three and four three right handed hitters. Well, if
that comes up in the eighth inning, I don't really
want to put Bennett Sussa there if I have Brian
Abraid and I'm curious if it'll play out that way.
I think it played out once earlier this year, just

(02:19:37):
where a Brady was used non traditionally because Joe A.
Spotta and there are two pitching coaches and everybody involved.
They're smart and it was a smart place for him
to go. That's when he should be used, and that's
when they used him. Even wasn't the typical you're a
eighthitning guy, you're a seventh thinning guy, you're a ninth
inning guy. They're trying to win games, to get twenty
seven outs, and I applaud them job that they have done.

(02:20:01):
In case you missed it, always a part of the
final hour of the show. It comes your way midway through.
That is what's next. Probably a few items from what
was seen over Texans practice Panthers v. Texans, Their Offense,
Texans Defense, and who knows what else and in case
you missed it.

Speaker 4 (02:20:17):
Next.

Speaker 6 (02:20:18):
The ad on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (02:20:24):
Got a lot of.

Speaker 9 (02:20:24):
Things to get here here as we get to in
case you missed it, not the least of which is
mentioning the final segment of the show. We'll have a
pair of tickets to go see George Thurgood and the Destroyers.
We're also have a pair of tickets to see then
ever ending nineties with Ezra ray Hart. Both of the
opportunities to win come in the final segment. You've been
listening to the show religiously for years, most specifically for
contesting reasons. Hopefully you've been listening in the last couple

(02:20:46):
of segments here in the five o'clock hour, including this
upcoming in case you missed it segment something said then
or previously in this hour we will ask you about
you know the answer to that question. You will have
a chance to claim those tickets. Ac and I also
want to shout out today's teacher of the day, that
is Laura McBride. Shotwell Middle School is where she does

(02:21:08):
her fine work.

Speaker 4 (02:21:09):
She likes to extend her influence.

Speaker 9 (02:21:10):
Beyond the classroom build strong partnerships with families and it
spark confidence in every student she teaches. That sounds like
a great teacher.

Speaker 4 (02:21:19):
She's in the running.

Speaker 9 (02:21:20):
You win five thousand dollars for her classroom as today's
Teacher of the Day. You can nominate your favorite teacher
right now at iHeartRadio dot com. Slash teachers here at iHeartRadio.
Excited that we're a part of this saying thank you
in a big way. It's Iheartradios Thank a teacher. It's
all powered by donor's choice. Again, nominate an outstanding public

(02:21:43):
school teacher who's gone above and beyond for their students.
She could win five thousand dollars to stock that classroom
with whatever they need. Appreciate the teachers, appreciate iHeartRadio.

Speaker 4 (02:21:53):
Appreciate you listening. Cole.

Speaker 9 (02:21:55):
What do we have any case you missed it?

Speaker 13 (02:21:57):
Let's it out sections training camp where.

Speaker 15 (02:21:59):
You didn't watch any of the defense.

Speaker 13 (02:22:00):
I did, and there were a couple of major explosive
plays allowed to.

Speaker 15 (02:22:04):
Tech McMillan and I believe it was Jalen Cocher.

Speaker 13 (02:22:07):
Bryce Shung looked really confident making some throws, which was
because of the offensive flying did a good job of
holding up guys like Will Anderson.

Speaker 15 (02:22:13):
And d' neil Hunter.

Speaker 13 (02:22:14):
Now, you and I both said multiple times preseason, we
don't need to see the starters. I don't need to
figure out what we're gonna get from Will Anderson on
Saturday when we're watching.

Speaker 15 (02:22:24):
It and join practices.

Speaker 13 (02:22:25):
Well after today, he said we gotta get better as
a defense and was asked straight up, do you want
to play in the preseason?

Speaker 4 (02:22:30):
Yeah, most definitely. It's all about getting better.

Speaker 3 (02:22:32):
It's all about competition and competing and really just getting
your body palm for the season and what not better way.

Speaker 4 (02:22:36):
To go out and just have fun with your teammate.

Speaker 13 (02:22:38):
Now, I don't know if he's going to playing to
because he made that announcement, but if Area fifty one
wants to be on the field, he is more than
happy to go ahead and show out at noon at
Energy Stadium in front of the fans.

Speaker 9 (02:22:49):
So, just as a general thought about what was going
on over on that side of the field, you know
both sides, and it happened on the side of the
field I was watching Texans ZO against Panthers D. Both
sides are gonna make plays. It's inevitable you're gonna have
fifty some odd snaps ones and two's probably closer to
sixty five it happens, Yeah, did you have a feel
for I thought that they the ones versus ones, or

(02:23:10):
even the twos versus two, is that one of those
four groups had an advantage, a noticeable advantage.

Speaker 15 (02:23:15):
The twos versus twos.

Speaker 13 (02:23:16):
I think Houston's defense had a better advantage than Carolina's offense.
I do think that with the ones, you walk away
feeling a lot more confident if you are a Carolina
Panthers fan on what direction this team is going. In
Dave Canalis year two, be Xavier la Guett had a
couple of big time catches. You feel likely that your
tight end play, which Atavian Sanders, is gonna pick on up.
But you still have your questions on the int your

(02:23:37):
offensive line. Multiple reps. There was one time that you
saw daneil Hunter and Will Anderson rushed from the same side.
They got pressure on Bryce Young immediately and he couldn't get.

Speaker 15 (02:23:48):
The ball out faster.

Speaker 13 (02:23:49):
So there were moments that stood out where Houston has
I think the defense that we all project, But I
came away more impressed today with what direction Caroline his
offense is going in not saying that they're better than
Houston's defense, not saying that you should go ahead and
pop them into the the Super Bowl conversation. But I
do feel like that this is the year where it

(02:24:10):
all kind of comes together, very similar to what we
saw last season, where Baker Mayfield did a good job
of working with an offense coordinator.

Speaker 15 (02:24:16):
I think Bryce Young is gonna work with Dave Canalis
in the exact.

Speaker 9 (02:24:18):
Same light Bucks Saints, Panthers, Falcons. That's the NFC South
order of finish will be what I.

Speaker 13 (02:24:25):
Go, buckss Panthers, Falcons, Saints.

Speaker 9 (02:24:28):
So the Panthers led by Bryce Young will outplay the
Falcons led by Michael Pennix Junior.

Speaker 15 (02:24:34):
I think so.

Speaker 4 (02:24:35):
I think the I think the Falcons are second in
that division.

Speaker 9 (02:24:37):
Saints definitely finishing the terrible division. Yeah, yes, Saints have
the number one pick in twenty six Uh yes, Actually, well, now,
there's got to be a worst team in that out there.

Speaker 13 (02:24:48):
It's not gonna be a worst team because the Jets
were a worse team than the Jaguars in twenty twenty one, but.

Speaker 15 (02:24:53):
They won a game that they shouldn't. Someone's gonna do
that and they're gonna get the number one.

Speaker 10 (02:24:57):
Who is the quarterback for the Saints again.

Speaker 15 (02:25:00):
Tyler Shuck.

Speaker 4 (02:25:01):
I think he'll win.

Speaker 9 (02:25:02):
I think they'll play him because of the same reason
a lot of young quarterbacks end up playing in a
competition like this. They're fine with him playing and losing.
It doesn't matter, it's okay, he's not even their quarterback
of the future. Necessarily go out there and play and lose. Heck,
Trevor Lawrence has done it. Justin Fields has done it.
The top quarterback picks have played their teams into drafting

(02:25:22):
number one the following year.

Speaker 4 (02:25:23):
This is two parts.

Speaker 8 (02:25:24):
This is one part just a needle call, and then
the other part actually for the sake of this conversation,
your boy theo ash huh that was the needle part.

Speaker 11 (02:25:36):
Sure, he said.

Speaker 8 (02:25:39):
He said that Spencer Rattler is one of the biggest
fantasy steals for this upcoming season.

Speaker 9 (02:25:45):
Please don't, uh don't, please don't comment on this. I
don't don't think. I didn't think his name would ever
come up on the show because for obvious reasons, the
analysis is not there. So if we act like it
didn't happen and just move on to this item, then we're.

Speaker 4 (02:25:59):
Good to go.

Speaker 15 (02:25:59):
Can we we're moving on?

Speaker 4 (02:26:01):
All right, perfect, We're moving on.

Speaker 8 (02:26:02):
I did tweak Gordy about that subject too, because he's
a Saints guy.

Speaker 13 (02:26:06):
Okay, well, who probably could be a Saint this time
next year if he once get paid a lot of
money as Christian Kirk because he is in the contract
deal could be with the Texans long term.

Speaker 15 (02:26:14):
But he did make a really.

Speaker 13 (02:26:16):
Nice toe tapping, touchdown grab and drills earlier today, built
a nice rapport alongside with CJ.

Speaker 15 (02:26:22):
Stroud, and Strouds.

Speaker 13 (02:26:23):
Complimented on what he provides for this offense, especially when
trying to work the up temple drills and in two
minute situations.

Speaker 28 (02:26:31):
I'll try to look at those moments as real live games.
And you know, minute twenty to win the game and
needed a touchdown or to tie it, and I thought,
you know, like, we moved the bar really well and
scrambled on that last play, you know, how to get
it out of my hand fast because we were less
on time, could take a sack. So seeing him in
the back of Amazon, he made a heck of a catch,
contested catch. You know, you celebrate, you have fun after that,

(02:26:51):
And yeah, I think those those type of scenarios helped,
so when the moments come kind of used to him.

Speaker 13 (02:26:56):
He's gonna be probably the starring slot receiver. Certainly felt
like it today he was taking another step forward.

Speaker 4 (02:27:01):
So let me ask you this, he is.

Speaker 9 (02:27:03):
I agree, he's going to be on their slot receiver,
but not as traditional as that suggests. I think when
Stefan Diggs was a Texan last year, he was actually
a more traditional slot receiver. The routes, the catches, that
where he is going to be on the field, and
the numbers back all that up there. Last three years,

(02:27:24):
each of those three seasons individually, Christian Kirk's average over
thirteen yards of reception. Once in the last five years.
Steph Diggs did that, and it was neither of the
last two years. He averaged less than eleven yards of
catch here in Houston eleven yards of the year before
as they phased him out in Buffalo. Christian Kirk in
the slot is where he's going to line up quite

(02:27:45):
a bit. Christian Kirk running deep, intermediate to deep routes
is going to be a big part if they can
protect of what he brings to the Texans.

Speaker 13 (02:27:55):
Fact, yeah, I think what's also going to be really
fun to see. Is how are they gonna utilize Jalen
Nole on the outside. Is he going to run more
slot receiver type routes, Because if you have a guy
that can be vertical threat like Christian Kirk.

Speaker 9 (02:28:09):
Yeah, I think at the end of you know what,
if let's say Knowle's here next year without Kirk, right,
he's going to be a downfield threat.

Speaker 4 (02:28:17):
Also he's It's just like.

Speaker 15 (02:28:19):
It's not cast.

Speaker 8 (02:28:20):
It's not gonna hurt when Kirk departs because of what
he becomes.

Speaker 6 (02:28:23):
Not at all.

Speaker 9 (02:28:24):
And I like the group they have this year for
the same reason I like the group they had last year.
And Nico's really the spearhead of it. Nick Keley can
line these guys up wherever he wants. If he wants
to put Nico in the slot, by all means, he
wi a toy box. It's they really are going to have.
I do think defenses are going to have a hard
time figuring out what the Texans are doing. And one
reason is they're gonna include motion in their offense. Oh

(02:28:46):
my god, what a concept. You couldn't have said it
any better. Good stuff. One more segment tickets included.

Speaker 1 (02:28:51):
Next the ae on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 10 (02:29:07):
No, no, no, no, I'm not gonna do that.

Speaker 9 (02:29:09):
We got tickets to give away, and we're formulating a
question for you as we speak. Tickets to go see
either of these two shows. Got a pair of tickets
to each. George Thurro go to the Destroyers. As we
all know, that is the battish show on Earth. House
of Blues is where there will be and that comes
up on August twenty seventh. Tickets are on sale now
takeamaster dot com. We also have a pair of tickets

(02:29:30):
if you'd like them to see Never Ending Nineties. That's
with Ezra ray Hart and that's gonna include nineties hits,
Christmas rifts.

Speaker 4 (02:29:37):
It's December thirteenth.

Speaker 9 (02:29:38):
Smart Financial Center right there in sugar Land is where
that show will be. Sugar ray Tonic better than Ezra,
all performing their biggest hits along with festive holiday favorites.
Friday ten am is when tickets go on sale for
that show again over at Smart Financialcenter dot net.

Speaker 4 (02:29:54):
Should you not win them?

Speaker 11 (02:29:55):
Here?

Speaker 4 (02:29:56):
All right? This is it? This might be my favorite question.

Speaker 9 (02:29:59):
You know the answer to this quest question you can
dial in and tell Cole seven one three, two five
seven ninety and he will award you those tickets as
per your request. If you were listening to the show,
you should know the answer to this question that Ac
giddily wrote and will now read you twelve.

Speaker 8 (02:30:18):
What was the name of the movie starring a former
Saved by the Bell cast member referenced earlier this.

Speaker 9 (02:30:25):
Hour two degenerates childlike performers here in the studio on
the eighteen, I love.

Speaker 8 (02:30:32):
That contest winners call in to call and say the
name of this movie.

Speaker 9 (02:30:36):
Mentioned a movie featuring a Saved by the Bell cast member.

Speaker 4 (02:30:40):
This scene was tremendous. You saw it.

Speaker 15 (02:30:44):
Do they need to get who was the cast member?

Speaker 10 (02:30:46):
It's just the movie, the movie, the movie. If they
get the cast member, I would you know what.

Speaker 4 (02:30:52):
The movie is about.

Speaker 9 (02:30:53):
And I know it was a bomb, and I know
it kind of impacted her career negatively, but I did
not watch it.

Speaker 4 (02:31:00):
I didn't watch the whole movie.

Speaker 9 (02:31:01):
You referenced the scene, right, everybody's seen that scene.

Speaker 8 (02:31:05):
That's like saying, well, I haven't seen sign as Ridgemont High,
but I saw the pool scene in that movie too.

Speaker 9 (02:31:10):
Right of the pool scene, I'll wait, is there only
one though?

Speaker 4 (02:31:17):
Because more than one the first.

Speaker 8 (02:31:19):
Pool scene, right, that's where Brad gets home from work
and she's got the pirate suit on and he wanted
some privacy.

Speaker 9 (02:31:25):
It's just Mark and Mike. But the second pool scene
much darker. The second pool scene, yeah, because they got
a place in the pool house ready.

Speaker 10 (02:31:37):
They didn't get ready. They got unready for swimming.

Speaker 4 (02:31:40):
The will fit you.

Speaker 8 (02:31:44):
Demon what a you know what? Never mind, I'm not
gonna say that on the air. Do we have a
winter yet?

Speaker 9 (02:31:51):
We need multiple winners because we have two parison tickets
one day show.

Speaker 10 (02:31:54):
I'm serious.

Speaker 8 (02:31:56):
I think if they give the star of that movie
that I'm referencing, they should get both set to tickets.
But I won't do that. It's not up It's not
up to me. Please, I'm not in charge here. You
are just to ask you. You don't have to ask.
It's obvious.

Speaker 4 (02:32:12):
By the way.

Speaker 8 (02:32:13):
I've been told by the vice president of Communications for
the Rockets, Tracy Hughes, that the president which we were
referencing earlier, is Gretchen Sheer was aware.

Speaker 10 (02:32:24):
Thanks where Thanks Tracy.

Speaker 4 (02:32:27):
But that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 9 (02:32:28):
And we had an argument about this during the brain argument,
just a discussion.

Speaker 4 (02:32:31):
Well, why do you have.

Speaker 8 (02:32:32):
A bunch of vice presidents at your company or your
sports team, and you don't have a president in that role.

Speaker 4 (02:32:36):
I get that.

Speaker 8 (02:32:37):
In that Gretchen is the president of the team. But yeah,
for the Department of Communications, which we are technically under
as we are both members of the broadcasting team, there's
no president. It's a vice president. I don't get it.
And you told me that was so they could give
out promotions. Well, is A being any of these companies.

Speaker 9 (02:32:55):
You've worked in the department, as you know, Tracy, for instance,
has many many years.

Speaker 10 (02:32:59):
Is this like assistant to the regional manager.

Speaker 4 (02:33:01):
No, that's no.

Speaker 9 (02:33:03):
No, when you get the title of vice president a
it's totally legit and it's earned and well deserved in
this case, right, it's not a throwaway the assistant regional manager. No,
the assistant to the regional manager. Yeah, but you know,
like when like all of these uh, for example, Greg, Jerry, Brian, Marilyn, Juan, Doug, Ben, Anita,

(02:33:27):
Hannah Jeff are all Texans vice presidents? Who's Hannah the
vice president of Cal the Houston Texans Foundation. Does Cal
report to her?

Speaker 4 (02:33:41):
No? She is in charge.

Speaker 10 (02:33:43):
Well, Uh, what do you mean.

Speaker 9 (02:33:45):
They have a vice president of HR, they have a
vice president who's also the CIO. They've got a vice
president of partnerships, and Lux senior VP in fact, and
that you're.

Speaker 8 (02:33:56):
Just the least amount of work of those listed people
that you just rattle off.

Speaker 9 (02:34:01):
I only personally know a few of them. I actually
know one of them very well because she used to
be my boss where at the hockey team?

Speaker 10 (02:34:09):
Who Maryland? Maryland was your boss at?

Speaker 9 (02:34:13):
Currently the senior vice president and chief financial officer and treasurer.

Speaker 8 (02:34:17):
Does she know that you were driving your car onto
the floor at the summit.

Speaker 9 (02:34:21):
Around not onto the on That is inaccurate while Hakeem
was taking free throws?

Speaker 4 (02:34:26):
That is inaccurate. Yes, she was.

Speaker 9 (02:34:28):
I was the assistant controller. She was the controller.

Speaker 10 (02:34:31):
Geez.

Speaker 9 (02:34:32):
She worked for the oilers also before this