October 9, 2024 • 43 mins
It's our final visit of the Astros 2024 season with former Astro turned Space City Home Network analyst Geoff Blum. What is to become of Alex Bregman is obviously a huge topic of conversation. Since there is no Astros baseball in the Postseason, Geoff have become "SEC Blummer." We even get into some Texans conversation with Blummer. Plus, he talks about the rise of Hunter Brown in 2024 and Yordan Alvarez trying to give it a go in the Wild Card Series with a bad knee.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You look at it, look at it, look at Oh yeah,
this is radio. You listen to it on Sports Talk
seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Astro's broadcaster Jeff Blaum on seven ninety is brought to
you by low T Center.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Oh yeah, this is radio and TV simulcast on Space
City Home Network. Here At just passed three oh one
on a Wednesday afternoon. Here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Wexac of course, and Jeff Blum nice enough to spend
a little time with us here in the very odd
October off season in studio as there are four Major
(00:38):
League Baseball games today and there will be two teams
in the American League Championship Series. But for the first
time in quite some time, none of them will do
your Houston Astros. He's looking to see which one of
you is gonna cry first.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
It's probably what say it say? It's weird.
Speaker 5 (00:53):
It is weird.
Speaker 6 (00:54):
Weird, man, We've done this in forever eight years. This sucks,
doesn't it?
Speaker 5 (00:58):
It does kind of suck.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I mean, I have fun watching baseball, but to have
more fun watching the Astros, right, and the part that
I miss is the chaos before the game. Yeah, because
that was kind of the that was the fun as
the player. Being in the postseason is the attention you get,
and then being on the other side of the microphone
and being on the field for some of that chaos
and being able to talk to the guys and they
almost kind of they almost kind of some guys will
(01:21):
seek you out just because you're the normalcy in the Yeah,
Hunter Brown, the Alex Bregman's, you know, even the Al
two Veays will come over and give you a little
bit of a fist pump. There's just a little bit
of normalcy in that. But I do miss seeing those guys.
But I know they were beat to hell. I mean,
we found out about Mauricio Dubond having to have surgery
on his thumb, what he was fighting through, But I
feel like we talk about that at the end of
(01:42):
every October. Usually at the end of every October is
how these guys are fighting through some injuries. I know
these guys are kind of beat to hell to get
into this position. But as as hard as it is
to watch some of these games without the Blue and
Orange out there, I'm exhausted.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Well that's what I was gonna get to.
Speaker 6 (01:58):
I feel like more than any other Sea during this
run and I don't think it's a coincidence that it
was the latest season of this long run. I felt
like everybody involved in Astros Baseball, whether it's the players themselves,
the coaching staff, people like you, Todd, Julia just it
was a mentally taxing twenty twenty four for a variety
(02:20):
of reasons. And it's not to say that you're happy,
no at all, but you're just like, you're not exactly
unwelcoming of a just decompression moment right now.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Yeah, And if you were going to have it, and
this is I'm not saying this run is over. I'm
saying if you wanted your season to be abruptly ending,
I think that eighth season is okay. And you also
did it by winning the American League West, so I
think that's kind of a big deal. And you also
leave your stamp and your championship right in front of
everybody in the American League West, because if you go
(02:54):
north into South Oklahoma, a lot of fans up there,
and even I think Marcus Simeon even had some quotes saying,
you know what, we were tired after winning that one title.
It was really exhausting.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Soft Yes, awft they buy that.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I think that's the difference between them and us, as
our fans were like, the hell with that, We're pissed,
we're out in the first round. Let's turn around and
see what we can do next season. But I think
that's where the focus has shifted so quickly for this
organization is we're a little upset we're not here, but
we know that we want to be back here again
and we want to get deeper.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
So how do we do that? They're already looking towards
next season.
Speaker 6 (03:27):
Well, there's one main way that you continue this run.
So the elephant in the room. Have you spoken to Breggy?
Has he told you he's coming back here?
Speaker 5 (03:36):
I have not.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I mean I would love to Alex get out here. Hey,
this is on the record, by the way.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I'm screenshotting every text he send me from here until December. No,
I've actually kind of pulled back a little bit. You know,
he is such He's been very good to me. I know,
he's been very good to a lot of people in
this city, more notably the fans on the organization, but
just on the periphery being able to be around him selfishly.
I'm going to you know, I would I would thoroughly
(04:04):
be upset if I didn't have conversations with him moving
forward in the city of Houston. But these are decisions
that are going to be made in in wallets. There
are gonna be decisions that are made behind closed doors.
There are gonna be decisions and phone calls that are
made between people, and if the people come out on top,
I think he ends up being here.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
But I mean, that's just up to Alex.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Alex literally has put himself in a position to do
literally whatever he wants, and being here I think extends
a legacy, It extends a friendship, it extends a relationship.
We are beyond intimate with Alex Brigman and what he's
done for this city and what we expect from him.
So whatever he does, I know it's going to be
the best for Alex and his family. But at the
(04:47):
same time, he's got an extended family here that probably
will go into that thought process.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
How can you if you could encapsulate how much you
think he meant to this year's team and the last
several years teams and to his next team beyond the Homers, fielding, plays,
base running, etc. All the stuff that maybe isn't well
it's definitely not on the back of a baseball card.
I'll say that, how much do you think he means
(05:13):
to whatever team he's on.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, this is the quote unquote noise. That doesn't make
it into an algorithm. This is something, and it goes
back to the year he got drafted. He gets drafted
number two overall. He's got the chip on the shoulder
because he wanted to be number one. Yet he is
in an organization that's up and coming with some great talent,
most notably the guy that was drafted ahead of him
and is currently playing shortstop, as he's drafted as a shortstop.
(05:38):
So if you want to look into the mind of
Alex Bragman from the outside, how about looking into the
fact that he said, you know what, this team's gonna
be damn good for a pretty long time. I'm not
going to piss and moan about not being a shortstop.
I'm going to go out and carve out my own
arc at third base. And that's exactly what he did,
and in turn, the team got better. He got better.
(05:59):
He has rings, he's got championship trophies, he's got bonuses,
and he got an extension early on in his career
as an Astro and now he's seeking another one. And
what he did this last season maybe exposed a little
more than maybe all of us anticipated, because there were
some gaps in that leadership in the clubhouse for the Astros,
and he more than filled it. He became he became
(06:21):
a personal pitching coach for some guys. He became a mental,
you know, life coach for some guys. I'm sure inside
that clubhouse. Considering everything he's been through, he's also proven
that you can go through hell and come out on top.
Considering what happened in twenty twenty when he was made
the face of this problem that the Astros had, and
he still succeeded. He continued to get boot I mean,
(06:42):
he has shown resiliency, he's shown poise, and he's shown
a maturity that I think that maybe we didn't even expect.
Speaker 6 (06:49):
I think it's interesting that and we talked about this
extensively with our good buddy chandeler Rome, you know, the
most bitter twenty five year old on the planet. We
all love him, God bless him, and you know he
said this, We've said it. The Full Court Press The
Public Full Court Press by jose Al Tuvey.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
It's more than just the fact that they have the
same agent. But yeah, yeah, I mean, go ahead, no, But.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
I was just I was saying I was actually watching
part of that. I listen.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
You know, Chandler, I think has got a pretty good pull,
so we can say he is the most bitter twenty
five year old on the planet. But I also think
that he's got a pretty good handle on on who
these guys are and what they're trying to achieve, and
the fact that he is recognizing that. You know that
josel how many other players that have left this organization
that were key pieces. I know that jose loved them
(07:38):
all and didn't want them to leave, But how many
did he step up and say he's not going anywhere he.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Hope.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
It wasn't hope, it was he's not going anywhere. He's
staying here. He's gonna be one of us.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
I can't see one of us.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
I can't see it.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
You know, can't can't understand running over with a ground
ball to third base and not getting a throw from
Alex Pregnant.
Speaker 6 (07:56):
I mean, that's on them when he says something like that,
Jim Crane, Dana Brown or Alex.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Well I would say Alex, just because we all know
how friendships work, and when you've had a thriving, successful
relationship with somebody, you don't want to sever that. You
don't want to let that person down. And I'm not
saying that's what's going to happen. I mean there's gonna
be disappointment across the board, even for Alex if.
Speaker 5 (08:20):
He signed somewhere else.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
He doesn't want to leave.
Speaker 5 (08:22):
I don't think he. I really don't think he does.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Just just my personal opinion of knowing who Alex is
and being around that Alex. Yeah, family is everything to him,
his wife is from here. These are guys that he
literally cut his teeth with. I mean he's had broken
hearts with these guys, and he's also achieved the ultimate
dream with these guys. That's a tough tide to seven now.
Speaker 6 (08:45):
And you mentioned that broken heart. You weren't in there,
but I've told you this story. You were in there.
I believe after twenty nineteen, that's the one I'm always
going to be the most bitter about. You walk into
the clubhouse. It was a Morgue been in a clubhouse
after they've lost the World series, saying good other years.
Alex Bregman is sitting on the floor next to Jose Altuve.
(09:09):
They're basically leaning against each other, and he's got bloodshot eyes.
He's been crying like it was they knew that one
was the one. I think, Atlanta, it's like house money.
We talk about all these World Series losses, by the way,
which is just ridiculous in and of itself, but that
was the one, and that that was where I was,
like man's clubhouse is I heard it in the Yeah, Man,
(09:31):
I saw it for myself, at least from my own
personal experience. And I always share that story because Alex
Bregman was the one guy. I remember his face, it's
burned in my memory after they lost in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Isn'tn amazing how even as as broadcasters and media members
on how we cover this team, how how many other
teams in other cities and organizations or wherever they are
have been able to to like envelop us and bring
us into the situation and make us feel what they're feeling.
That's what I think is incredible about these guys is
(10:03):
that we witness some of the joy and some of
the pain, but we're with them. Yeah, that's how I
feel like these guys have been for the last eight years.
We are with them. They're not doing this for us,
They're not doing it in spite of us. They're doing
it for and with us.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
It's been a unique situation, and I think that's part
of what's been the winning formula here is just the
way this clubhouse is. And you see it when guys
come in. I bet if you talk to Josh Hater
about it, he would talk about it. He's just the
latest example of that. So, yeah, it has been quite
the run. Don't want it to end, and that's a
big puzzle piece in this offseason for an Astros team
(10:38):
that has a lot of questions to answer. Jeff Blum's
going to answer all of them over the next forty
five minutes as he's in studio with us here for
the remainder of this hour here on a Wednesday edition
of The eight Team Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 7 (10:53):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 6 (10:57):
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Speaker 2 (11:54):
The A team continues one Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 6 (12:01):
All Right, we are in studio with Jeff Blum here
and our boy Mark from Ramshirts is here. I just
want to throw this out there. This is my mindset
for the remainder of the playoffs. I hope you guys
can see this on camera. This is how I feel.
I told wex the other day. The postseason ended last
Wednesday afternoon. Not only y'all are talking about, but then
(12:22):
I find myself at least looking at the app to
see what the score is.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Now, suck it, Dodgers say, now you're cheering against cheering
four one team.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
Dude, you ain't lying. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
I think it's kind of exciting to watch some of that,
and I think the way it's unfolding, it's it'll be
interesting if, man, could you imagine if, if if the
Royals somehow get past the New York Yankees and the
championship series in the American League goes through the American
League Central.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
That's unbelievable to me. I know, you've got ties to
Kansas City, and it'd be a lot of fun for
you and the family to watch. But at the same time,
what the hell.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
My mother in law is like, I hate the Yankees.
I'm like, yeah, well that's a long list.
Speaker 5 (13:06):
Yeah yeah, go ahead and join that, join that ride.
We're in.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Well, I just I mean, they've got the team to
do it.
Speaker 6 (13:12):
I thought about this, and Wex of course was way
out in front of this ales wide open.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
If the Astros are out, it's even more wide open.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
And I think that, I mean, we all probably agree
on this National League is strong this year. I think
they've got the contending teams on that side and they're
gonna have to duke it out to get into the
World Series. But at the same time, looking at the
American League, that's why I had I had a lot
of hope this season for the Astros because if they
were able to get over that Detroit Tiger Hump or
whatever the heck has you know it infiltrated their psyche against.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
That team, they'd be destroying Cleveland.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
They'd be crushing Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
They man handled them every game this year except for one,
and it would have been a lot of fun to
watch them do that and then get into the Alcs
and then have the mind game leverage over the Yankees
if they got past the Royals. But at the same time,
the Astros swept the Royals at home. So I was
looking at this and I mean, statistically, on paper, you said,
(14:07):
these guys could these guys could run it into the
World Series again, because the American League is not that strong.
That being said, once you get to the World Series,
that's a different animal. And I think that right now
My feelings, uh on the National League side are kind
of coming true a little bit, because I know the
Dodgers have dealt with injury much like every other organization
(14:28):
in the league. But after watching the Padres in the
middle of September against the Astros, dear lord, that is
an absolute beast. And we didn't even get to see
the attitude. We just saw baseball baseball alone. These guys
were animals, and now you have the little.
Speaker 6 (14:45):
It's likable attitude. I don't know, maybe I'm maybe anything, yes,
and these.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
They feel like they don't.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
I mean, the national media can't stop falling over themselves
to do what they're doing with Manny Machado. They can't
even stop slobbering over that storyline. And what happened in
last night's game is more fuel to the fire. A
perfectly smart and legal play. The umpire wasn't a couter
(15:13):
for not calling it the umpire, isn't he?
Speaker 4 (15:16):
What's that?
Speaker 6 (15:17):
Well?
Speaker 4 (15:17):
If you're ranking the heels, isn't he third in line behind.
Speaker 6 (15:20):
Pro far.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Sperien is a former Yankee that no one can talk
I mean, a Dodger, and he played with or against Dave.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
He played four Dave Robberts. I think when he was
a Dodger. I mean that is where it started. And
then he threw a ball at me.
Speaker 5 (15:36):
I was in front of him.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
I was just a light toss.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Well, even if he did, if you're telling me if
he wanted, if he wanted to hit you with a baseball,
guess what, it would have been somewhere closer to you
than it was.
Speaker 6 (15:50):
We're just lucky Bob Costas wasn't calling that game. He
would have cried his eyes out.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Or you would have taken a nap. But going back
to that play, it is a perfectly legal play. And
guess what if you're on my team and you don't
do that, I'm going to tell you next time you
get in this position, run to the inside. Now getting
on the infild grass, that was a little aggressive, but
at the same time it was that was one of
the more savvy plays that you're gonna see in baseball,
(16:18):
because when you are running and you're not being tagged,
you create whatever baseline you want. He could have run
into right field or center field if you wanted to,
but he decided to run in the throwing lane, which
is brilliant. If he was on second base, and there's
a ground ball a short and they're gonna try and
make that play at third. Guess what I'm doing.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Wide turn.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
I'm taking me a.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Wide ass turn and get right in the way of
that throw, and I'm gonna make the shortsop throw it
somewhere else. Yeah, Freddy famin and he was on his knees.
Freddie didn't get up to make a stronger throw.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
After the game, Freddy said, look, we're taught to do that.
I wouldn't have done him from his own defensive position.
He said, I thought I'd made a good throw. I
thought I'd gotten around him. He clipped his shoulder. We're
taught to do that. It's the same, you know, we
would have done the same thing.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Now.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
That play was big. The next play was bigger. When
they get zero outs on a ground ball to the
short size, gotta flip it because you have to have
an out. But both first and second barely beat the plays.
They had another infield hit in the inning. And obviously
Fernando is all about the moment. Man.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
His home runs are funank.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Just standing there and embracing it. I love the fact
that book.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
Someone who pointed out that the homeplate Umpire had already
thrown the ball back to Bueler before his trot had
even started, because he was watching it for such a
long period of time wiring it.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
He is he is a very very talented athlete, and
he's a really good ball player. But yeah, that was
that was impressive and watching there was a little bit
of joy watching tay Oscar Hernandez hit that home hit
for several reasons. Granted it was a big hit, Grandad,
he's an ex Astro. It's also an extra Mariner. I
mean that that that guy and au Henninger Suarez weren't
(17:59):
good enough to the Mariners this season with the rotation
they had.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
I'm just throwing that out there.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
They both ended up driving in a lot of runs.
They strike, they do the Mariners missed. They absolutely do
the thing. They struck out without them plenty this year,
but they didn't have the run production without them this year.
So it definitely took a turn in the wrong direction.
The Astros. It just eighty eight wins win the division,
two more wins than two of the teams that are
(18:24):
still playing, including the one that beat them. This Cleveland
and Detroit series begins with the Guardians scoring five runs
before even an out is recorded. And here we are
in the fifth inning of Game three, and the Guardians
have scored two runs. Since they're working through their second
consecutive game of being shut out by the Tigers. It's
(18:44):
two nothing in the top of the fifth. Of course,
in Detroit, now four Game three. All four series were
a game apiece last night. The two NL teams that
took a two games to one lead, the aforementioned Padres
and Ryan Stanek and film Aton's New York Mets took
a two game.
Speaker 6 (19:00):
That's who they are, by the way over the Phillies,
not Pete Alonzo's.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Those are the guys basically closed out game.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
Yes, awesome and I love it.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
The Mets are what kind of postseason baseball can be.
If we want to say anybody can win, if we
want to say, you just have to get to the dance.
Ye last year we saw two wild card teams get
to the World Series. The Mets are forced to play
games on the off day on Monday just to get
into the playoffs. Then they're forced to play the second
(19:30):
game of the doubleheader to not get anybody hurt because
they have nothing to play for. But the Diamondbacks and
Braves do Braves are playing them and here they are
just feeding off of all that they are spent there.
They don't have pitchers. Everybody's agast and they're about to
win their second consecutive series.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yeah, it's it's crazy, and there's there's a potential for
a New York Mets Detroit Tigers.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
I'm here for it too.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I mean, just because we love Rob Manford so much
that we want him to deal with that. His only
solace would be that there'd be at one major market
in there and New.
Speaker 6 (20:07):
York went to the World Series. Man, you're in the
fetal position because it's not your team exactly.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Yeah, yes, what part of the office is gonna take
care of that World Series? But yeah, it's crazy, but
that just goes to your point. Just get a ticket
to the dance and then throw everything you have at
the wall. And there's nothing worse in a fight in
a game and whatever it is, when you're playing or
fighting against somebody who has nothing to lose, literally nothing
to lose. Nobody expect anything about the about the Mets.
(20:34):
Every bitch to moan about their clubhouse. Guess what, they're
playing great baseball and They're a little possessed right now
in Detroit is just.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Like whatever Detroit's that's the American League version of the Mets,
the Mets. The Tigers had nothing to lose. The Tigers also,
I mean they get to the whole second game of
the playoffs and I already got to go bullpen game,
and they've gone two bullpen games, and today's another bullpen game.
But they're in it, and they do that are clearly
playing with nothing to lose. It was obvious when they
were hearing heuson. It's been obvious through the two plus
(21:01):
games now against the Guardians. They have one person with
extreme experience in postseason baseball, and he's their manager, and
they're just kind of until you tell us we're not
supposed to be here, we're gonna just keep playing ball.
I mean, a three run homer off the best closer
in baseball to win Game two from Kerry Carpenter. Do
I hope our listeners and viewers recognize that that's why
(21:22):
this golden era of Astros baseball, it's not just a
great time.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
It's not just fun.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
We're this fired up and juiced up about the other
series that they're not even in this year. But this
is what we've got to experience, you guys, fans have
gotten to live through since twenty fifteen, essentially well, and
there's nothing like it.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
There is nothing like it.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
And you'll, I mean, we would love to continue to
experience this for years and years and years, but if
we never do again, you've got to appreciate the last
eight years. But to your point about some of the Cinderellas,
I mean, how there's been number one seeds in the NBA,
in the NCUBA in football, where you're going, dear God,
don't let this seven seed or eight seed beat me
all of a sudden. You're like, here comes the Cinderella
(22:02):
story that we hear about all the time. The Astros
are not only fighting the best teams in baseball for
the last eight years, they've had to fight off some
of those Cinderella teams too.
Speaker 6 (22:10):
Well, they had to in twenty nineteen. I mean, the
tend to beat them was they had no business beating.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
It was a literal flash in the pan.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
Yeah, because look at them now, well they're starting to
come around now, but.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Now it took them eight six years to come back.
Speaker 6 (22:22):
This is why, though, I get so upset about the
whole you know, Oh they're chea like.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
You cannot ignore what they've done.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
With these teams that were doing the same.
Speaker 6 (22:32):
Thing exactly in the sustained exist It's so much harder
in baseball to do than in any other sport. It
really is, because of all the moving parts and everything
that comes with it. We got another half hour to
go with Jeff Blum here on Sports Talk seven ninety
Space City Home Network. As we continue here on a
Wednesday edition of the program.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
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Speaker 4 (23:57):
Hey Istory easmy, it is good for Tari. Listen to
Rockets Radio on your smart device. Just ask race Sports
Dot seven ninety on iHeart Radio.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
A lot of areas for us to focus on, including
your Houston astro. Spent a little bit of time with
Jeff Blum here of the first half hour talking about
the postseason activities for Major League.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
At Nico Collins. Damn it, we can.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Talk college football. I'm all about the SEC right now, Arkansas.
But what do you want to talk about?
Speaker 5 (24:28):
First? Nico Collins being on my ir on my fantasy.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Football team ID number one overall? Who else is on
my ir man? You got him too?
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I had nicoll This is how idiotic my good boys.
If you're listening, I'm sorry. They're California and they're not
listening to anything. I I picked up I had the
first overall pick, christ McCaffrey, boom. I waited till the
second round, picked up Mike Evans, and I purposely picked
Nico Collins in the first pick of the third round
on purpose, just a thummet and all their eyes they
(25:00):
are like, well you can phone. I'm like, what. Nico
Collins is the man, and he has been going berserk.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
And for Nico Collins because they did put him on
IR today. He is the NFL's leading receiver, and I'm
glad that both his coach and his quarterback at the
podium since Sunday have said the obvious. He's been the
best receiver in football this year, and now the best
receiver in football is off the field for the next
four games for the Texans, starting Sunday against the New
England Patriots. I don't think it's a huge surprise that
(25:29):
he was going to miss some time. I think the
word and the oh my gosh, he's on he was
going to miss two or three weeks probably anyway, So
I think there's hope that he's on there. So in
four weeks he met Ken return.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Next four they've got New England and Green Bay, the
Indianapolis Holds.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
And the Jets very good on Halloween.
Speaker 5 (25:49):
Well, there we go. That's okay.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
The Jets suck now, I was gonna say that coach
Man Wow and Aaron Rodgers the New York Mets of
the New York Jets.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
No, the Mets are good.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
Yeah, the Mets are way better than happy. The Jets
are doing what they're doing.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Jets are a mess earlier.
Speaker 5 (26:02):
CJ. Shroud's gonna find a way.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
That's what it is incredible about watching the Texans. Now,
I mean, DeMarco's got the mindset, but now you've got
a quarterback who can initiate that mentality as well. But
you really, I mean you're missing the best receiver, but
there are a couple of guys that might be able
to step up.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
It's, you know, having three guys for Demico's offense, to
have three receivers that they brought in. Did was there
something wrong with their passing game last year? Clearly there
was not. Can it be better?
Speaker 4 (26:29):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (26:30):
And you have the depth factor now in place your
number one receiver. This weekend against the Patriots. Is Stefon
Diggs your number two receivers, Tank Dell where.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
Fast is to be? You've got receivers.
Speaker 5 (26:40):
I was thinking too, just as far as team one.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
Especially as the Patriots now Green Bay, that's going to
be you would like to have all your guns for
that fight.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
But well, your offense actually has to get better because
they've had Nico, Steph and Tank every week but won
this year and we're still looking at their offense saying
there's more to come, there's better football, but we just
haven't seen Yi.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
Exists.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
But he probably should have, in hindsight, spent time on
IR because this will be the fourth consecutive game he
will miss this week. If we're me guessing based on
where things were today. He did not practice today and
Damian Pierce did return, and Damien's gonna play on Sunday
if there are no setbacks, according to Demico earlier today.
So glad you're in here, Jeff Blum talking Texans football
(27:25):
here with us on Sports Talk seven nine. Yeah, so
you were actually there for this wild weekend in the
SEC in front of what we thought would be oh,
the SEC season.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
It'll get started with.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Texas Ou, and then the following week Georgia and Texas
play George and Alabama really launched season. And then what
happened this past weekend with Vandy beating Bama. And you
were there for Arkansas triumph over Tennessee, and you were
there off field.
Speaker 5 (27:52):
And that's why my voice sounds the way it is.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
I'm fighting it a little bit still because we kind
of lost our mind a little bit, and just I mean,
everybody knows, and I have three of my four daughters
go to Arkansas, so obviously I'm invested greatly financially with them,
but I'm also invested.
Speaker 6 (28:07):
In because because that bill.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Like well, I may not retire for a very long time,
but you know, they love it, you know, and I
love going up there too because this is my exposure
to the SEC. And a little other known fact is
that my brother played baseball at Arkansas, so he is
a Razorback by going to school there. And oddly enough,
(28:31):
in nineteen ninety nine when the Razorbacks last beat Tennessee
at home, he was a part of that. He charged
the field as a student on that So fast forward
to last weekend, the one of the assistant athletic directors
is one of my college teammates. Wow, so I get
tickets maybe, and we got ridiculously good tickets.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
I would imagine.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
We were literally at the tunnel where the team came
out of, so we were hyped about that. The final
touchdown was scored maybe fifteen yards in front of us,
so that was kind of cool. And my brother was
sitting alongside me and my wife the entire time going nuts.
He was loving at reliving the entire situation. And we
had plans of leaving it half because the fourteen points spread.
I'm like, boys, this could get ugly early. I'm like,
we'll have plans three nothing after half. I'm like, let's
(29:18):
hold on and see what happens. Yeah, happens quick. Fourteen points.
You're going, Okay, here they come. And then all of
a sudden they stopped him and scored, stopped him and scored.
You're going, dude, these guys have a chance. And it's
the second that their quarterback ran out of bounds and
all hell broke loose. I told my wife maybe about
ten minutes left to go, I go, they pull this off.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
We're going, and she looked at me, like we're going
on the field, Like hell we.
Speaker 5 (29:40):
Are, and I said, I go, stay with me. I go.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
We won't be the initial blast of students, but we
will go. And I didn't even talk to my buddy
who gave me the tickets, and I don't know if
he got in trouble or you know whatever.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
I went.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Yeah, there was a little uh, there was a there
was a piece of rope keeping us from going to
the field. On how we went to the food It
wasn't there when I got there, and uh so we
were just jumping for joy, high five and everybody on
the planet. Next thing, you know, dragging my wife by
the hand. I'm like, here we go. We're on the
field and we were sitting there right at midfield, you know,
(30:16):
high five and a couple of players. I felt like
I was eighteen again until I woke up the next day.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
Every time I see my stepdaughter taking pictures, yes, KR, I'm.
Speaker 5 (30:25):
Great as that.
Speaker 6 (30:26):
I'm so jealous though, because I just I'm like, I
haven't been to a UT game, I think since twenty twelve,
and it's just everybody knows I'm more of a pro
guy than college. But I'm like, right back, even he
was like, wow, college football, you like it huh. I'm like, yes, incredible,
so incredible.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Though it's always good, but the experience, I mean, you'll
hear ole miss is amazing you hear ls, who's amazing you?
Speaker 5 (30:48):
Hear that stop we're in Fayetteville, freaking Arkansas.
Speaker 6 (30:51):
Was amazing. I'm going to say this right now as
the as a sneaking good town. The whole state's underrated.
It's completely beautiful up there during the fall. I've been
there during the I've been there for Thanksgiving and the fall.
Believe or not, I was I was much younger, but
I remember it now.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
I've never been to a game. I've never been to Fayetteville.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
It's incredible.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Yeah, I was eighty five thousand people screaming wu pig
suey at the same time.
Speaker 6 (31:11):
It's insane, which I don't know what that means, but uh,
I mean, I'll do it. Yeah, all of the things.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
It's great. It's great. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
I did call it celebration deep into later in the night.
Prevent you from seeing cal Miami.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Nocause because the the apartment or house I went to
had it on their big screen.
Speaker 6 (31:33):
And I had inflatable, I had the counch was yes, yeah,
even better yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
I slid off the first time. You know, old muscles
get back and you know, but I watched it and
then got an uber home. By the time I uber home,
Miami's making a run back at it. And then the
targeting call everything about it. I'm like, that was so
cow and I don't mean so cal in southern California.
That was just so cal.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
To top all this off, are you going to be
at l hues game this weekend?
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Yes, LSU hosting Ole Miss and it's one hundredth anniversary
of Death Valley. I'm learning so much about these schools,
but so.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
What he's enjoying their free October.
Speaker 5 (32:09):
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
So I'm gonna be there this weekend for this LSU
hosting Ole Miss because it's Alpha fi Dad's weekend. I
will be there for that highly entertaining. We'll be at
the parade grounds. If you see me wave and then
guess what happens the following week because Arkansas has an
off week. The following week, LSU is at Arkansas.
Speaker 4 (32:30):
Guess who's going man, look at you.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
And guess when the Colts come to town. Guess who's
going to that game?
Speaker 4 (32:36):
Wow? Wow, season Blum dude, what a life one tour is?
In full of fact, he's playing golf too. What is
even baseball that hurt?
Speaker 6 (32:44):
Still feeling it all right, Blummer's still feeling it in
studio in more ways than one. So we will have
one more segment with him, and then we will call
it a three o'clock hour here on a Wednesday edition
of the program.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
The a on Sports Talk seven night one show two
Adams Endless Possibilities.
Speaker 7 (33:11):
Continues on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Another segment with Jeff Blum in studio here both right
here on Sports Talk seven ninety had Space City Home
Network featuring our simulcast each of every day three to six.
Here wexa ce Dan along with Jeff and talked about
a lot of different things here and certainly one of
the things here regarding the Astros. I don't know how
everybody else viewed those two games. There are a lot
(33:36):
of different negatives to come out of it, because obviously
the season ended, but something still stood out to me
on the very best possible direction for this franchise, and
that's what the game two starting pitcher delivered. This is
backs against the wall for him in his very first
major league postseason start. He'd obviously appeared in games, and
that started a game short series. You lose game one
(33:57):
and all of a sudden, it is do or die.
It is our last day of the season if we
don't win, and he goes out there and pitches extremely well.
He was asked after the game, did you know, do
you take any solace and how you performed today? He goes, no,
we lost and moves on to the next question. He
is everything you want in an ace. Is it too
soon to say he's an ace?
Speaker 1 (34:17):
No, I'm in And it was kind of the evolution
of Hunter Brown this season because of the way he
got off to that start, a little bit of a
slow start. He was kind of he was still trying
to kind of find himself and and we know he
had opportunities to start moved out of the bullpen there.
You know, there was a lot of fluctuation. I think
four Hunter Brown in trying to figure out who he
(34:38):
was this year. But those first four or five starts
didn't go as well as he wanted. Was really sitting
on that outside corner to right handed hitters with fastball, cutter, slider, curveball,
didn't get hit hard, but got hit hard enough to
give up a ton of runs and maybe lost a
little bit of an idea of who he was. But
I think that that that relief outing in Detroit where
(34:59):
he kind of I had a little one on one
with himself and said, we need to get back to
who Hunter Brown is. And it's with that fastball that
has a lot of disdain behind it. And it was
also the idea of how do I get inside on
right handed hitters? How do I create a pitch that
can you know, start to blow these guys up and
make them a little more aware of the inside corner
so I can throw my cutters, curveballs and sliders on
(35:21):
the outside corner. And even though it you knows, analytically,
it doesn't have the shape you want. Or I don't
even know what a profile means. And it drives me
nuts when they say that, because I don't give a
damn what profiles. How did you get the guy out?
Speaker 5 (35:35):
Yeah? You know, because I mean I was.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
You know, there's certain guys that just he looks terrible
fielding a ground ball, but he gets the out every time.
Speaker 4 (35:41):
A lot of mine business.
Speaker 5 (35:42):
I like that guy.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
His swing's a little funky, Well, he gets hits you know,
it's so he figured out that that two seamer allowed
him to get to the inside corner and not worry about.
What's even better about that is, in talking to him
over the year, is he had one start where that
two seamer was just running all over the place up
and in, he hit a couple of guys, walked a bunch,
and just didn't have the command. He still fought through
(36:05):
six innings. But I asked him the next day and
I'm like, hey, you know, were you annoyed at your
two steamer? And he's like, no, he goes, I don't care.
He goes, that's where I want that pitch. He goes,
I want that to be on the inner third inner edge,
off the inside corner. And he goes, if they swing,
they get destroyed. If they don't, they take it for
a ball or I hit him. He goes, I don't care.
He goes, I want that to set up my other stuff.
(36:27):
And that's exactly what he did the rest of the year.
Speaker 6 (36:28):
He's such a fascinating case because he really was like
on the fringe of what are we going to do
with this guy? Yeah, I mean, that's crazy to think about,
but that was where and Honestly, it wasn't just that
he turned things around. Part of the reason he had
the opportunity to turn things around was because I think,
and I've got to keep my injury straight.
Speaker 4 (36:48):
You'll know this better than I will.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
I think it was Christian Havier's injury that kind of
opened that door. Well, he has to pitch now because
one of our starters is down, and that just happened
to coincide with where he kind of turned himself away
his game, and man, he is. I hope that this
carries over, like you know, because it wasn't just this year.
He was carrying over last year's ghosts I think into
(37:10):
this year. So I'm really loving to see that turnaround.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Well, and you know, to your guy's point too, I mean,
you've got a guy here in CJ. Shroud who looks
like he could be the guy. He also talks like
he should be the guy. He also leads like he
should be the guys. I feel like Hunter's kind of
evolving into that guy because that answer immediately not even
thinking about it, and I don't care if he was
thinking about it. In the fifth thing, if we lose
this game, I'm gonna be pissed. And he pitched pissed
(37:34):
because that he gave up the lead. And that's what
you love about these guys who are in that leadership
position of being an ace or being the star quarterback,
or being the guy that's expected to win. You want
him to have the answer like, you know what, I
don't give a damn. I threw seven, shut up, but
we still lost. It's not a good day.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
I wonder if late in the game he was actually thinking, well,
since we just took the lead and we're gonna win,
should I go tell Joe and Miller that I can
give him an inning tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
I mean, that's how I feel like he's going out there.
Speaker 5 (38:00):
Would too.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
Yeah, so you were you were in the league for
fourteen years. You've been around the game ever since. Obviously
in the booth, you remember playing with Against calling a
game of a player going out there wearing a brace
on his knee like Jordon Alvarez was.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Dude, no, No, I think the legend grows a little
bit with this guy. But uh, and you know, knowing
the people that we know and having the conversations that
we have, trying to figure out how to say this
because even though even though on the outside looking in
realizing that Jordan had a knee brace on and went
out there and played.
Speaker 5 (38:32):
He shouldn't have been out there.
Speaker 4 (38:34):
I mean, as evidenced by him dragging.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
His question during the season, well, if this were the playoffs,
would you be out there? That was the example of
what answer you get, because it is the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
He went out there, No, and perform there.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
And and the story goes exactly how you think it
would with jor don is you know he was on
that last trip. You come home, get ready for the
or the wild card game, and you open the door
and say, you know, hey, or Done, can we talk?
And he goes no, He goes, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
I'm gonna take this. I'm gonna put on the knee brace.
I can swing a bat. He goes, don't expect me
(39:08):
to go first to third. Don't expect me to go
the extra ninety feet or bolt down the line to
beat down an infield hit. I can hit. And that's
all they needed to hear. He's got He's incredible. Yeah no,
and he's a freak.
Speaker 6 (39:21):
And you and Todd would talk about this, particularly this
season because he had so many stolen base attempts for him.
Is there any scenario where the team tells him not
to try and bay? Yeah, I'm sure, but I mean
guys like him, are they gonna take that?
Speaker 1 (39:36):
So one of the things that that's hard to relay
when you're calling a game, for when you call one
hundred and sixty two games, this is there's gonna be
a handful of guys that you asked to pull back.
If it's a routine ground ball run, don't sprint, protect yourself,
don't go hard into a bag. He's year, Alex Josel
Twove's done it every once in a while, and that's
(39:56):
everybody's like, why don't you call him out? I'm like,
because I know how hard and I know how hurt
he is right now, and he is going to It's
like going in there and paying full price for every
single car you buy. You're going to go and negotiate
and try and pull back if it's not a nice
enough car, or you know, you're gonna pick your spots
to go out there and spend. And they're using it
as far as energy expenditures, and they realize, I'm out
(40:19):
by forty five feet. I'm not gonna bust my ass
down there to go, you know, hurt myself or run
into a bag or a throw gets offline, and I
put myself in a tough position. Jeremy Paania could take
up page of that. The only guy that would have
scored that run, the only from dude. He plays so
freaking hard, so freaking off it. It is wild to watch.
(40:40):
But yeah, jor don he when he gets older, more mature,
I think that he'll understand position he's in it, and
you know, he's kind of a protected species in our
in our team, and I think the more that he
realizes him being healthy and out there, the better the
team's going to be. As much as he wants to
get the hit or gain the extra ninety feets, there
might be moments where you just say, you know, it's okay,
(41:02):
We'll drive you in on a home run or something
like that.
Speaker 5 (41:04):
You could jog in.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Certainly been a pleasure for us all season long. Again
having you in here with us, whether it's on the
phone or here in studio, which is even better along
with our simulcast here on Space City Home Network. I
know obviously our listeners and now viewers as well, appreciate
everything you bring to the program and obviously the broadcasts.
Speaker 5 (41:21):
Thank you, you're making me feel sad. This is it.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
We also want to thank the people that help make
it possible.
Speaker 5 (41:25):
Well they always do. Low T Center's been great.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Low T Center dot Com is where it's at for me,
and yeah, I plan on having a good offseason because
now I have the chance to recover and low T
is going to be where I get it done. At
fifteen minutes, blood test, get the shot, get out, get better.
Speaker 5 (41:41):
That's all it's about. Low T Center dot Com.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
Yessy Scott, and work on your swing. Our crazy Yes, yeah,
he's got some work to do. I played the other
day after six months and it was a lot of
it was good and a lot of bad.
Speaker 5 (41:53):
Man, I'm old and in pain, dude. We'll talk.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
We'll talk to you soon. We'll talk to you guys
next hour.
Speaker 7 (42:00):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 6 (42:05):
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You look at it, look at it, look at Oh yeah,
this is radio. You listen to it on Sports Talk
seven ninety.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Astro's broadcaster Jeff Blaum on seven ninety is brought to
you by low T Center.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Oh yeah, this is radio and TV simulcast on Space
City Home Network. Here At just passed three oh one
on a Wednesday afternoon. Here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Wexac of course, and Jeff Blum nice enough to spend
a little time with us here in the very odd
October off season in studio as there are four Major
(00:38):
League Baseball games today and there will be two teams
in the American League Championship Series. But for the first
time in quite some time, none of them will do
your Houston Astros. He's looking to see which one of
you is gonna cry first.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
It's probably what say it say? It's weird.
Speaker 5 (00:53):
It is weird.
Speaker 6 (00:54):
Weird, man, We've done this in forever eight years. This sucks,
doesn't it?
Speaker 5 (00:58):
It does kind of suck.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I mean, I have fun watching baseball, but to have
more fun watching the Astros, right, and the part that
I miss is the chaos before the game. Yeah, because
that was kind of the that was the fun as
the player. Being in the postseason is the attention you get,
and then being on the other side of the microphone
and being on the field for some of that chaos
and being able to talk to the guys and they
almost kind of they almost kind of some guys will
(01:21):
seek you out just because you're the normalcy in the Yeah,
Hunter Brown, the Alex Bregman's, you know, even the Al
two Veays will come over and give you a little
bit of a fist pump. There's just a little bit
of normalcy in that. But I do miss seeing those guys.
But I know they were beat to hell. I mean,
we found out about Mauricio Dubond having to have surgery
on his thumb, what he was fighting through, But I
feel like we talk about that at the end of
(01:42):
every October. Usually at the end of every October is
how these guys are fighting through some injuries. I know
these guys are kind of beat to hell to get
into this position. But as as hard as it is
to watch some of these games without the Blue and
Orange out there, I'm exhausted.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Well that's what I was gonna get to.
Speaker 6 (01:58):
I feel like more than any other Sea during this
run and I don't think it's a coincidence that it
was the latest season of this long run. I felt
like everybody involved in Astros Baseball, whether it's the players themselves,
the coaching staff, people like you, Todd, Julia just it
was a mentally taxing twenty twenty four for a variety
(02:20):
of reasons. And it's not to say that you're happy,
no at all, but you're just like, you're not exactly
unwelcoming of a just decompression moment right now.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Yeah, And if you were going to have it, and
this is I'm not saying this run is over. I'm
saying if you wanted your season to be abruptly ending,
I think that eighth season is okay. And you also
did it by winning the American League West, so I
think that's kind of a big deal. And you also
leave your stamp and your championship right in front of
everybody in the American League West, because if you go
(02:54):
north into South Oklahoma, a lot of fans up there,
and even I think Marcus Simeon even had some quotes saying,
you know what, we were tired after winning that one title.
It was really exhausting.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Soft Yes, awft they buy that.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I think that's the difference between them and us, as
our fans were like, the hell with that, We're pissed,
we're out in the first round. Let's turn around and
see what we can do next season. But I think
that's where the focus has shifted so quickly for this
organization is we're a little upset we're not here, but
we know that we want to be back here again
and we want to get deeper.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
So how do we do that? They're already looking towards
next season.
Speaker 6 (03:27):
Well, there's one main way that you continue this run.
So the elephant in the room. Have you spoken to Breggy?
Has he told you he's coming back here?
Speaker 5 (03:36):
I have not.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I mean I would love to Alex get out here. Hey,
this is on the record, by the way.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I'm screenshotting every text he send me from here until December. No,
I've actually kind of pulled back a little bit. You know,
he is such He's been very good to me. I know,
he's been very good to a lot of people in
this city, more notably the fans on the organization, but
just on the periphery being able to be around him selfishly.
I'm going to you know, I would I would thoroughly
(04:04):
be upset if I didn't have conversations with him moving
forward in the city of Houston. But these are decisions
that are going to be made in in wallets. There
are gonna be decisions that are made behind closed doors.
There are gonna be decisions and phone calls that are
made between people, and if the people come out on top,
I think he ends up being here.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
But I mean, that's just up to Alex.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Alex literally has put himself in a position to do
literally whatever he wants, and being here I think extends
a legacy, It extends a friendship, it extends a relationship.
We are beyond intimate with Alex Brigman and what he's
done for this city and what we expect from him.
So whatever he does, I know it's going to be
the best for Alex and his family. But at the
(04:47):
same time, he's got an extended family here that probably
will go into that thought process.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
How can you if you could encapsulate how much you
think he meant to this year's team and the last
several years teams and to his next team beyond the Homers, fielding, plays,
base running, etc. All the stuff that maybe isn't well
it's definitely not on the back of a baseball card.
I'll say that, how much do you think he means
(05:13):
to whatever team he's on.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, this is the quote unquote noise. That doesn't make
it into an algorithm. This is something, and it goes
back to the year he got drafted. He gets drafted
number two overall. He's got the chip on the shoulder
because he wanted to be number one. Yet he is
in an organization that's up and coming with some great talent,
most notably the guy that was drafted ahead of him
and is currently playing shortstop, as he's drafted as a shortstop.
(05:38):
So if you want to look into the mind of
Alex Bragman from the outside, how about looking into the
fact that he said, you know what, this team's gonna
be damn good for a pretty long time. I'm not
going to piss and moan about not being a shortstop.
I'm going to go out and carve out my own
arc at third base. And that's exactly what he did,
and in turn, the team got better. He got better.
(05:59):
He has rings, he's got championship trophies, he's got bonuses,
and he got an extension early on in his career
as an Astro and now he's seeking another one. And
what he did this last season maybe exposed a little
more than maybe all of us anticipated, because there were
some gaps in that leadership in the clubhouse for the Astros,
and he more than filled it. He became he became
(06:21):
a personal pitching coach for some guys. He became a mental,
you know, life coach for some guys. I'm sure inside
that clubhouse. Considering everything he's been through, he's also proven
that you can go through hell and come out on top.
Considering what happened in twenty twenty when he was made
the face of this problem that the Astros had, and
he still succeeded. He continued to get boot I mean,
(06:42):
he has shown resiliency, he's shown poise, and he's shown
a maturity that I think that maybe we didn't even expect.
Speaker 6 (06:49):
I think it's interesting that and we talked about this
extensively with our good buddy chandeler Rome, you know, the
most bitter twenty five year old on the planet. We
all love him, God bless him, and you know he
said this, We've said it. The Full Court Press The
Public Full Court Press by jose Al Tuvey.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
It's more than just the fact that they have the
same agent. But yeah, yeah, I mean, go ahead, no, But.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
I was just I was saying I was actually watching
part of that. I listen.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
You know, Chandler, I think has got a pretty good pull,
so we can say he is the most bitter twenty
five year old on the planet. But I also think
that he's got a pretty good handle on on who
these guys are and what they're trying to achieve, and
the fact that he is recognizing that. You know that
josel how many other players that have left this organization
that were key pieces. I know that jose loved them
(07:38):
all and didn't want them to leave, But how many
did he step up and say he's not going anywhere he.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Hope.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
It wasn't hope, it was he's not going anywhere. He's
staying here. He's gonna be one of us.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
I can't see one of us.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
I can't see it.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
You know, can't can't understand running over with a ground
ball to third base and not getting a throw from
Alex Pregnant.
Speaker 6 (07:56):
I mean, that's on them when he says something like that,
Jim Crane, Dana Brown or Alex.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Well I would say Alex, just because we all know
how friendships work, and when you've had a thriving, successful
relationship with somebody, you don't want to sever that. You
don't want to let that person down. And I'm not
saying that's what's going to happen. I mean there's gonna
be disappointment across the board, even for Alex if.
Speaker 5 (08:20):
He signed somewhere else.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
He doesn't want to leave.
Speaker 5 (08:22):
I don't think he. I really don't think he does.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Just just my personal opinion of knowing who Alex is
and being around that Alex. Yeah, family is everything to him,
his wife is from here. These are guys that he
literally cut his teeth with. I mean he's had broken
hearts with these guys, and he's also achieved the ultimate
dream with these guys. That's a tough tide to seven now.
Speaker 6 (08:45):
And you mentioned that broken heart. You weren't in there,
but I've told you this story. You were in there.
I believe after twenty nineteen, that's the one I'm always
going to be the most bitter about. You walk into
the clubhouse. It was a Morgue been in a clubhouse
after they've lost the World series, saying good other years.
Alex Bregman is sitting on the floor next to Jose Altuve.
(09:09):
They're basically leaning against each other, and he's got bloodshot eyes.
He's been crying like it was they knew that one
was the one. I think, Atlanta, it's like house money.
We talk about all these World Series losses, by the way,
which is just ridiculous in and of itself, but that
was the one, and that that was where I was,
like man's clubhouse is I heard it in the Yeah, Man,
(09:31):
I saw it for myself, at least from my own
personal experience. And I always share that story because Alex
Bregman was the one guy. I remember his face, it's
burned in my memory after they lost in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Isn'tn amazing how even as as broadcasters and media members
on how we cover this team, how how many other
teams in other cities and organizations or wherever they are
have been able to to like envelop us and bring
us into the situation and make us feel what they're feeling.
That's what I think is incredible about these guys is
(10:03):
that we witness some of the joy and some of
the pain, but we're with them. Yeah, that's how I
feel like these guys have been for the last eight years.
We are with them. They're not doing this for us,
They're not doing it in spite of us. They're doing
it for and with us.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
It's been a unique situation, and I think that's part
of what's been the winning formula here is just the
way this clubhouse is. And you see it when guys
come in. I bet if you talk to Josh Hater
about it, he would talk about it. He's just the
latest example of that. So, yeah, it has been quite
the run. Don't want it to end, and that's a
big puzzle piece in this offseason for an Astros team
(10:38):
that has a lot of questions to answer. Jeff Blum's
going to answer all of them over the next forty
five minutes as he's in studio with us here for
the remainder of this hour here on a Wednesday edition
of The eight Team Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 7 (10:53):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 6 (10:57):
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Speaker 2 (11:54):
The A team continues one Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 6 (12:01):
All Right, we are in studio with Jeff Blum here
and our boy Mark from Ramshirts is here. I just
want to throw this out there. This is my mindset
for the remainder of the playoffs. I hope you guys
can see this on camera. This is how I feel.
I told wex the other day. The postseason ended last
Wednesday afternoon. Not only y'all are talking about, but then
(12:22):
I find myself at least looking at the app to
see what the score is.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Now, suck it, Dodgers say, now you're cheering against cheering
four one team.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
Dude, you ain't lying. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
I think it's kind of exciting to watch some of that,
and I think the way it's unfolding, it's it'll be
interesting if, man, could you imagine if, if if the
Royals somehow get past the New York Yankees and the
championship series in the American League goes through the American
League Central.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
That's unbelievable to me. I know, you've got ties to
Kansas City, and it'd be a lot of fun for
you and the family to watch. But at the same time,
what the hell.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
My mother in law is like, I hate the Yankees.
I'm like, yeah, well that's a long list.
Speaker 5 (13:06):
Yeah yeah, go ahead and join that, join that ride.
We're in.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Well, I just I mean, they've got the team to
do it.
Speaker 6 (13:12):
I thought about this, and Wex of course was way
out in front of this ales wide open.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
If the Astros are out, it's even more wide open.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
And I think that, I mean, we all probably agree
on this National League is strong this year. I think
they've got the contending teams on that side and they're
gonna have to duke it out to get into the
World Series. But at the same time, looking at the
American League, that's why I had I had a lot
of hope this season for the Astros because if they
were able to get over that Detroit Tiger Hump or
whatever the heck has you know it infiltrated their psyche against.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
That team, they'd be destroying Cleveland.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
They'd be crushing Cleveland.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
They man handled them every game this year except for one,
and it would have been a lot of fun to
watch them do that and then get into the Alcs
and then have the mind game leverage over the Yankees
if they got past the Royals. But at the same time,
the Astros swept the Royals at home. So I was
looking at this and I mean, statistically, on paper, you said,
(14:07):
these guys could these guys could run it into the
World Series again, because the American League is not that strong.
That being said, once you get to the World Series,
that's a different animal. And I think that right now
My feelings, uh on the National League side are kind
of coming true a little bit, because I know the
Dodgers have dealt with injury much like every other organization
(14:28):
in the league. But after watching the Padres in the
middle of September against the Astros, dear lord, that is
an absolute beast. And we didn't even get to see
the attitude. We just saw baseball baseball alone. These guys
were animals, and now you have the little.
Speaker 6 (14:45):
It's likable attitude. I don't know, maybe I'm maybe anything, yes,
and these.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
They feel like they don't.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
I mean, the national media can't stop falling over themselves
to do what they're doing with Manny Machado. They can't
even stop slobbering over that storyline. And what happened in
last night's game is more fuel to the fire. A
perfectly smart and legal play. The umpire wasn't a couter
(15:13):
for not calling it the umpire, isn't he?
Speaker 4 (15:16):
What's that?
Speaker 6 (15:17):
Well?
Speaker 4 (15:17):
If you're ranking the heels, isn't he third in line behind.
Speaker 6 (15:20):
Pro far.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Sperien is a former Yankee that no one can talk
I mean, a Dodger, and he played with or against Dave.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
He played four Dave Robberts. I think when he was
a Dodger. I mean that is where it started. And
then he threw a ball at me.
Speaker 5 (15:36):
I was in front of him.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
I was just a light toss.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Well, even if he did, if you're telling me if
he wanted, if he wanted to hit you with a baseball,
guess what, it would have been somewhere closer to you
than it was.
Speaker 6 (15:50):
We're just lucky Bob Costas wasn't calling that game. He
would have cried his eyes out.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Or you would have taken a nap. But going back
to that play, it is a perfectly legal play. And
guess what if you're on my team and you don't
do that, I'm going to tell you next time you
get in this position, run to the inside. Now getting
on the infild grass, that was a little aggressive, but
at the same time it was that was one of
the more savvy plays that you're gonna see in baseball,
(16:18):
because when you are running and you're not being tagged,
you create whatever baseline you want. He could have run
into right field or center field if you wanted to,
but he decided to run in the throwing lane, which
is brilliant. If he was on second base, and there's
a ground ball a short and they're gonna try and
make that play at third. Guess what I'm doing.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Wide turn.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
I'm taking me a.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Wide ass turn and get right in the way of
that throw, and I'm gonna make the shortsop throw it
somewhere else. Yeah, Freddy famin and he was on his knees.
Freddie didn't get up to make a stronger throw.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
After the game, Freddy said, look, we're taught to do that.
I wouldn't have done him from his own defensive position.
He said, I thought I'd made a good throw. I
thought I'd gotten around him. He clipped his shoulder. We're
taught to do that. It's the same, you know, we
would have done the same thing.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Now.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
That play was big. The next play was bigger. When
they get zero outs on a ground ball to the
short size, gotta flip it because you have to have
an out. But both first and second barely beat the plays.
They had another infield hit in the inning. And obviously
Fernando is all about the moment. Man.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
His home runs are funank.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Just standing there and embracing it. I love the fact
that book.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
Someone who pointed out that the homeplate Umpire had already
thrown the ball back to Bueler before his trot had
even started, because he was watching it for such a
long period of time wiring it.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
He is he is a very very talented athlete, and
he's a really good ball player. But yeah, that was
that was impressive and watching there was a little bit
of joy watching tay Oscar Hernandez hit that home hit
for several reasons. Granted it was a big hit, Grandad,
he's an ex Astro. It's also an extra Mariner. I
mean that that that guy and au Henninger Suarez weren't
(17:59):
good enough to the Mariners this season with the rotation
they had.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
I'm just throwing that out there.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
They both ended up driving in a lot of runs.
They strike, they do the Mariners missed. They absolutely do
the thing. They struck out without them plenty this year,
but they didn't have the run production without them this year.
So it definitely took a turn in the wrong direction.
The Astros. It just eighty eight wins win the division,
two more wins than two of the teams that are
(18:24):
still playing, including the one that beat them. This Cleveland
and Detroit series begins with the Guardians scoring five runs
before even an out is recorded. And here we are
in the fifth inning of Game three, and the Guardians
have scored two runs. Since they're working through their second
consecutive game of being shut out by the Tigers. It's
(18:44):
two nothing in the top of the fifth. Of course,
in Detroit, now four Game three. All four series were
a game apiece last night. The two NL teams that
took a two games to one lead, the aforementioned Padres
and Ryan Stanek and film Aton's New York Mets took
a two game.
Speaker 6 (19:00):
That's who they are, by the way over the Phillies,
not Pete Alonzo's.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Those are the guys basically closed out game.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
Yes, awesome and I love it.
Speaker 3 (19:10):
The Mets are what kind of postseason baseball can be.
If we want to say anybody can win, if we
want to say, you just have to get to the dance.
Ye last year we saw two wild card teams get
to the World Series. The Mets are forced to play
games on the off day on Monday just to get
into the playoffs. Then they're forced to play the second
(19:30):
game of the doubleheader to not get anybody hurt because
they have nothing to play for. But the Diamondbacks and
Braves do Braves are playing them and here they are
just feeding off of all that they are spent there.
They don't have pitchers. Everybody's agast and they're about to
win their second consecutive series.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yeah, it's it's crazy, and there's there's a potential for
a New York Mets Detroit Tigers.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
I'm here for it too.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I mean, just because we love Rob Manford so much
that we want him to deal with that. His only
solace would be that there'd be at one major market
in there and New.
Speaker 6 (20:07):
York went to the World Series. Man, you're in the
fetal position because it's not your team exactly.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Yeah, yes, what part of the office is gonna take
care of that World Series? But yeah, it's crazy, but
that just goes to your point. Just get a ticket
to the dance and then throw everything you have at
the wall. And there's nothing worse in a fight in
a game and whatever it is, when you're playing or
fighting against somebody who has nothing to lose, literally nothing
to lose. Nobody expect anything about the about the Mets.
(20:34):
Every bitch to moan about their clubhouse. Guess what, they're
playing great baseball and They're a little possessed right now
in Detroit is just.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Like whatever Detroit's that's the American League version of the Mets,
the Mets. The Tigers had nothing to lose. The Tigers also,
I mean they get to the whole second game of
the playoffs and I already got to go bullpen game,
and they've gone two bullpen games, and today's another bullpen game.
But they're in it, and they do that are clearly
playing with nothing to lose. It was obvious when they
were hearing heuson. It's been obvious through the two plus
(21:01):
games now against the Guardians. They have one person with
extreme experience in postseason baseball, and he's their manager, and
they're just kind of until you tell us we're not
supposed to be here, we're gonna just keep playing ball.
I mean, a three run homer off the best closer
in baseball to win Game two from Kerry Carpenter. Do
I hope our listeners and viewers recognize that that's why
(21:22):
this golden era of Astros baseball, it's not just a
great time.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
It's not just fun.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
We're this fired up and juiced up about the other
series that they're not even in this year. But this
is what we've got to experience, you guys, fans have
gotten to live through since twenty fifteen, essentially well, and
there's nothing like it.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
There is nothing like it.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
And you'll, I mean, we would love to continue to
experience this for years and years and years, but if
we never do again, you've got to appreciate the last
eight years. But to your point about some of the Cinderellas,
I mean, how there's been number one seeds in the NBA,
in the NCUBA in football, where you're going, dear God,
don't let this seven seed or eight seed beat me
all of a sudden. You're like, here comes the Cinderella
(22:02):
story that we hear about all the time. The Astros
are not only fighting the best teams in baseball for
the last eight years, they've had to fight off some
of those Cinderella teams too.
Speaker 6 (22:10):
Well, they had to in twenty nineteen. I mean, the
tend to beat them was they had no business beating.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
It was a literal flash in the pan.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
Yeah, because look at them now, well they're starting to
come around now, but.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Now it took them eight six years to come back.
Speaker 6 (22:22):
This is why, though, I get so upset about the
whole you know, Oh they're chea like.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
You cannot ignore what they've done.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
With these teams that were doing the same.
Speaker 6 (22:32):
Thing exactly in the sustained exist It's so much harder
in baseball to do than in any other sport. It
really is, because of all the moving parts and everything
that comes with it. We got another half hour to
go with Jeff Blum here on Sports Talk seven ninety
Space City Home Network. As we continue here on a
Wednesday edition of the program.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
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Speaker 3 (24:09):
A lot of areas for us to focus on, including
your Houston astro. Spent a little bit of time with
Jeff Blum here of the first half hour talking about
the postseason activities for Major League.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
At Nico Collins. Damn it, we can.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Talk college football. I'm all about the SEC right now, Arkansas.
But what do you want to talk about?
Speaker 5 (24:28):
First? Nico Collins being on my ir on my fantasy.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Football team ID number one overall? Who else is on
my ir man? You got him too?
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I had nicoll This is how idiotic my good boys.
If you're listening, I'm sorry. They're California and they're not
listening to anything. I I picked up I had the
first overall pick, christ McCaffrey, boom. I waited till the
second round, picked up Mike Evans, and I purposely picked
Nico Collins in the first pick of the third round
on purpose, just a thummet and all their eyes they
(25:00):
are like, well you can phone. I'm like, what. Nico
Collins is the man, and he has been going berserk.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
And for Nico Collins because they did put him on
IR today. He is the NFL's leading receiver, and I'm
glad that both his coach and his quarterback at the
podium since Sunday have said the obvious. He's been the
best receiver in football this year, and now the best
receiver in football is off the field for the next
four games for the Texans, starting Sunday against the New
England Patriots. I don't think it's a huge surprise that
(25:29):
he was going to miss some time. I think the
word and the oh my gosh, he's on he was
going to miss two or three weeks probably anyway, So
I think there's hope that he's on there. So in
four weeks he met Ken return.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Next four they've got New England and Green Bay, the
Indianapolis Holds.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
And the Jets very good on Halloween.
Speaker 5 (25:49):
Well, there we go. That's okay.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
The Jets suck now, I was gonna say that coach
Man Wow and Aaron Rodgers the New York Mets of
the New York Jets.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
No, the Mets are good.
Speaker 5 (25:58):
Yeah, the Mets are way better than happy. The Jets
are doing what they're doing.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Jets are a mess earlier.
Speaker 5 (26:02):
CJ. Shroud's gonna find a way.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
That's what it is incredible about watching the Texans. Now,
I mean, DeMarco's got the mindset, but now you've got
a quarterback who can initiate that mentality as well. But
you really, I mean you're missing the best receiver, but
there are a couple of guys that might be able
to step up.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
It's, you know, having three guys for Demico's offense, to
have three receivers that they brought in. Did was there
something wrong with their passing game last year? Clearly there
was not. Can it be better?
Speaker 4 (26:29):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (26:30):
And you have the depth factor now in place your
number one receiver. This weekend against the Patriots. Is Stefon
Diggs your number two receivers, Tank Dell where.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
Fast is to be? You've got receivers.
Speaker 5 (26:40):
I was thinking too, just as far as team one.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
Especially as the Patriots now Green Bay, that's going to
be you would like to have all your guns for
that fight.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
But well, your offense actually has to get better because
they've had Nico, Steph and Tank every week but won
this year and we're still looking at their offense saying
there's more to come, there's better football, but we just
haven't seen Yi.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
Exists.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
But he probably should have, in hindsight, spent time on
IR because this will be the fourth consecutive game he
will miss this week. If we're me guessing based on
where things were today. He did not practice today and
Damian Pierce did return, and Damien's gonna play on Sunday
if there are no setbacks, according to Demico earlier today.
So glad you're in here, Jeff Blum talking Texans football
(27:25):
here with us on Sports Talk seven nine. Yeah, so
you were actually there for this wild weekend in the
SEC in front of what we thought would be oh,
the SEC season.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
It'll get started with.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Texas Ou, and then the following week Georgia and Texas
play George and Alabama really launched season. And then what
happened this past weekend with Vandy beating Bama. And you
were there for Arkansas triumph over Tennessee, and you were
there off field.
Speaker 5 (27:52):
And that's why my voice sounds the way it is.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
I'm fighting it a little bit still because we kind
of lost our mind a little bit, and just I mean,
everybody knows, and I have three of my four daughters
go to Arkansas, so obviously I'm invested greatly financially with them,
but I'm also invested.
Speaker 6 (28:07):
In because because that bill.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Like well, I may not retire for a very long time,
but you know, they love it, you know, and I
love going up there too because this is my exposure
to the SEC. And a little other known fact is
that my brother played baseball at Arkansas, so he is
a Razorback by going to school there. And oddly enough,
(28:31):
in nineteen ninety nine when the Razorbacks last beat Tennessee
at home, he was a part of that. He charged
the field as a student on that So fast forward
to last weekend, the one of the assistant athletic directors
is one of my college teammates. Wow, so I get
tickets maybe, and we got ridiculously good tickets.
Speaker 4 (28:55):
I would imagine.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
We were literally at the tunnel where the team came
out of, so we were hyped about that. The final
touchdown was scored maybe fifteen yards in front of us,
so that was kind of cool. And my brother was
sitting alongside me and my wife the entire time going nuts.
He was loving at reliving the entire situation. And we
had plans of leaving it half because the fourteen points spread.
I'm like, boys, this could get ugly early. I'm like,
we'll have plans three nothing after half. I'm like, let's
(29:18):
hold on and see what happens. Yeah, happens quick. Fourteen points.
You're going, Okay, here they come. And then all of
a sudden they stopped him and scored, stopped him and scored.
You're going, dude, these guys have a chance. And it's
the second that their quarterback ran out of bounds and
all hell broke loose. I told my wife maybe about
ten minutes left to go, I go, they pull this off.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
We're going, and she looked at me, like we're going
on the field, Like hell we.
Speaker 5 (29:40):
Are, and I said, I go, stay with me. I go.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
We won't be the initial blast of students, but we
will go. And I didn't even talk to my buddy
who gave me the tickets, and I don't know if
he got in trouble or you know whatever.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
I went.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Yeah, there was a little uh, there was a there
was a piece of rope keeping us from going to
the field. On how we went to the food It
wasn't there when I got there, and uh so we
were just jumping for joy, high five and everybody on
the planet. Next thing, you know, dragging my wife by
the hand. I'm like, here we go. We're on the
field and we were sitting there right at midfield, you know,
(30:16):
high five and a couple of players. I felt like
I was eighteen again until I woke up the next day.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
Every time I see my stepdaughter taking pictures, yes, KR, I'm.
Speaker 5 (30:25):
Great as that.
Speaker 6 (30:26):
I'm so jealous though, because I just I'm like, I
haven't been to a UT game, I think since twenty twelve,
and it's just everybody knows I'm more of a pro
guy than college. But I'm like, right back, even he
was like, wow, college football, you like it huh. I'm like, yes, incredible,
so incredible.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
Though it's always good, but the experience, I mean, you'll
hear ole miss is amazing you hear ls, who's amazing you?
Speaker 5 (30:48):
Hear that stop we're in Fayetteville, freaking Arkansas.
Speaker 6 (30:51):
Was amazing. I'm going to say this right now as
the as a sneaking good town. The whole state's underrated.
It's completely beautiful up there during the fall. I've been
there during the I've been there for Thanksgiving and the fall.
Believe or not, I was I was much younger, but
I remember it now.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
I've never been to a game. I've never been to Fayetteville.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
It's incredible.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Yeah, I was eighty five thousand people screaming wu pig
suey at the same time.
Speaker 6 (31:11):
It's insane, which I don't know what that means, but uh,
I mean, I'll do it. Yeah, all of the things.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
It's great. It's great. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
I did call it celebration deep into later in the night.
Prevent you from seeing cal Miami.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Nocause because the the apartment or house I went to
had it on their big screen.
Speaker 6 (31:33):
And I had inflatable, I had the counch was yes, yeah,
even better yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
I slid off the first time. You know, old muscles
get back and you know, but I watched it and
then got an uber home. By the time I uber home,
Miami's making a run back at it. And then the
targeting call everything about it. I'm like, that was so
cow and I don't mean so cal in southern California.
That was just so cal.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
To top all this off, are you going to be
at l hues game this weekend?
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Yes, LSU hosting Ole Miss and it's one hundredth anniversary
of Death Valley. I'm learning so much about these schools,
but so.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
What he's enjoying their free October.
Speaker 5 (32:09):
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
So I'm gonna be there this weekend for this LSU
hosting Ole Miss because it's Alpha fi Dad's weekend. I
will be there for that highly entertaining. We'll be at
the parade grounds. If you see me wave and then
guess what happens the following week because Arkansas has an
off week. The following week, LSU is at Arkansas.
Speaker 4 (32:30):
Guess who's going man, look at you.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
And guess when the Colts come to town. Guess who's
going to that game?
Speaker 4 (32:36):
Wow? Wow, season Blum dude, what a life one tour is?
In full of fact, he's playing golf too. What is
even baseball that hurt?
Speaker 6 (32:44):
Still feeling it all right, Blummer's still feeling it in
studio in more ways than one. So we will have
one more segment with him, and then we will call
it a three o'clock hour here on a Wednesday edition
of the program.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
The a on Sports Talk seven night one show two
Adams Endless Possibilities.
Speaker 7 (33:11):
Continues on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Another segment with Jeff Blum in studio here both right
here on Sports Talk seven ninety had Space City Home
Network featuring our simulcast each of every day three to six.
Here wexa ce Dan along with Jeff and talked about
a lot of different things here and certainly one of
the things here regarding the Astros. I don't know how
everybody else viewed those two games. There are a lot
(33:36):
of different negatives to come out of it, because obviously
the season ended, but something still stood out to me
on the very best possible direction for this franchise, and
that's what the game two starting pitcher delivered. This is
backs against the wall for him in his very first
major league postseason start. He'd obviously appeared in games, and
that started a game short series. You lose game one
(33:57):
and all of a sudden, it is do or die.
It is our last day of the season if we
don't win, and he goes out there and pitches extremely well.
He was asked after the game, did you know, do
you take any solace and how you performed today? He goes, no,
we lost and moves on to the next question. He
is everything you want in an ace. Is it too
soon to say he's an ace?
Speaker 1 (34:17):
No, I'm in And it was kind of the evolution
of Hunter Brown this season because of the way he
got off to that start, a little bit of a
slow start. He was kind of he was still trying
to kind of find himself and and we know he
had opportunities to start moved out of the bullpen there.
You know, there was a lot of fluctuation. I think
four Hunter Brown in trying to figure out who he
(34:38):
was this year. But those first four or five starts
didn't go as well as he wanted. Was really sitting
on that outside corner to right handed hitters with fastball, cutter, slider, curveball,
didn't get hit hard, but got hit hard enough to
give up a ton of runs and maybe lost a
little bit of an idea of who he was. But
I think that that that relief outing in Detroit where
(34:59):
he kind of I had a little one on one
with himself and said, we need to get back to
who Hunter Brown is. And it's with that fastball that
has a lot of disdain behind it. And it was
also the idea of how do I get inside on
right handed hitters? How do I create a pitch that
can you know, start to blow these guys up and
make them a little more aware of the inside corner
so I can throw my cutters, curveballs and sliders on
(35:21):
the outside corner. And even though it you knows, analytically,
it doesn't have the shape you want. Or I don't
even know what a profile means. And it drives me
nuts when they say that, because I don't give a
damn what profiles. How did you get the guy out?
Speaker 5 (35:35):
Yeah? You know, because I mean I was.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
You know, there's certain guys that just he looks terrible
fielding a ground ball, but he gets the out every time.
Speaker 4 (35:41):
A lot of mine business.
Speaker 5 (35:42):
I like that guy.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
His swing's a little funky, Well, he gets hits you know,
it's so he figured out that that two seamer allowed
him to get to the inside corner and not worry about.
What's even better about that is, in talking to him
over the year, is he had one start where that
two seamer was just running all over the place up
and in, he hit a couple of guys, walked a bunch,
and just didn't have the command. He still fought through
(36:05):
six innings. But I asked him the next day and
I'm like, hey, you know, were you annoyed at your
two steamer? And he's like, no, he goes, I don't care.
He goes, that's where I want that pitch. He goes,
I want that to be on the inner third inner edge,
off the inside corner. And he goes, if they swing,
they get destroyed. If they don't, they take it for
a ball or I hit him. He goes, I don't care.
He goes, I want that to set up my other stuff.
(36:27):
And that's exactly what he did the rest of the year.
Speaker 6 (36:28):
He's such a fascinating case because he really was like
on the fringe of what are we going to do
with this guy? Yeah, I mean, that's crazy to think about,
but that was where and Honestly, it wasn't just that
he turned things around. Part of the reason he had
the opportunity to turn things around was because I think,
and I've got to keep my injury straight.
Speaker 4 (36:48):
You'll know this better than I will.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
I think it was Christian Havier's injury that kind of
opened that door. Well, he has to pitch now because
one of our starters is down, and that just happened
to coincide with where he kind of turned himself away
his game, and man, he is. I hope that this
carries over, like you know, because it wasn't just this year.
He was carrying over last year's ghosts I think into
(37:10):
this year. So I'm really loving to see that turnaround.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Well, and you know, to your guy's point too, I mean,
you've got a guy here in CJ. Shroud who looks
like he could be the guy. He also talks like
he should be the guy. He also leads like he
should be the guys. I feel like Hunter's kind of
evolving into that guy because that answer immediately not even
thinking about it, and I don't care if he was
thinking about it. In the fifth thing, if we lose
this game, I'm gonna be pissed. And he pitched pissed
(37:34):
because that he gave up the lead. And that's what
you love about these guys who are in that leadership
position of being an ace or being the star quarterback,
or being the guy that's expected to win. You want
him to have the answer like, you know what, I
don't give a damn. I threw seven, shut up, but
we still lost. It's not a good day.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
I wonder if late in the game he was actually thinking, well,
since we just took the lead and we're gonna win,
should I go tell Joe and Miller that I can
give him an inning tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
I mean, that's how I feel like he's going out there.
Speaker 5 (38:00):
Would too.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
Yeah, so you were you were in the league for
fourteen years. You've been around the game ever since. Obviously
in the booth, you remember playing with Against calling a
game of a player going out there wearing a brace
on his knee like Jordon Alvarez was.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Dude, no, No, I think the legend grows a little
bit with this guy. But uh, and you know, knowing
the people that we know and having the conversations that
we have, trying to figure out how to say this
because even though even though on the outside looking in
realizing that Jordan had a knee brace on and went
out there and played.
Speaker 5 (38:32):
He shouldn't have been out there.
Speaker 4 (38:34):
I mean, as evidenced by him dragging.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
His question during the season, well, if this were the playoffs,
would you be out there? That was the example of
what answer you get, because it is the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
He went out there, No, and perform there.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
And and the story goes exactly how you think it
would with jor don is you know he was on
that last trip. You come home, get ready for the
or the wild card game, and you open the door
and say, you know, hey, or Done, can we talk?
And he goes no, He goes, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
I'm gonna take this. I'm gonna put on the knee brace.
I can swing a bat. He goes, don't expect me
(39:08):
to go first to third. Don't expect me to go
the extra ninety feet or bolt down the line to
beat down an infield hit. I can hit. And that's
all they needed to hear. He's got He's incredible. Yeah no,
and he's a freak.
Speaker 6 (39:21):
And you and Todd would talk about this, particularly this
season because he had so many stolen base attempts for him.
Is there any scenario where the team tells him not
to try and bay? Yeah, I'm sure, but I mean
guys like him, are they gonna take that?
Speaker 1 (39:36):
So one of the things that that's hard to relay
when you're calling a game, for when you call one
hundred and sixty two games, this is there's gonna be
a handful of guys that you asked to pull back.
If it's a routine ground ball run, don't sprint, protect yourself,
don't go hard into a bag. He's year, Alex Josel
Twove's done it every once in a while, and that's
(39:56):
everybody's like, why don't you call him out? I'm like,
because I know how hard and I know how hurt
he is right now, and he is going to It's
like going in there and paying full price for every
single car you buy. You're going to go and negotiate
and try and pull back if it's not a nice
enough car, or you know, you're gonna pick your spots
to go out there and spend. And they're using it
as far as energy expenditures, and they realize, I'm out
(40:19):
by forty five feet. I'm not gonna bust my ass
down there to go, you know, hurt myself or run
into a bag or a throw gets offline, and I
put myself in a tough position. Jeremy Paania could take
up page of that. The only guy that would have
scored that run, the only from dude. He plays so
freaking hard, so freaking off it. It is wild to watch.
(40:40):
But yeah, jor don he when he gets older, more mature,
I think that he'll understand position he's in it, and
you know, he's kind of a protected species in our
in our team, and I think the more that he
realizes him being healthy and out there, the better the
team's going to be. As much as he wants to
get the hit or gain the extra ninety feets, there
might be moments where you just say, you know, it's okay,
(41:02):
We'll drive you in on a home run or something
like that.
Speaker 5 (41:04):
You could jog in.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Certainly been a pleasure for us all season long. Again
having you in here with us, whether it's on the
phone or here in studio, which is even better along
with our simulcast here on Space City Home Network. I
know obviously our listeners and now viewers as well, appreciate
everything you bring to the program and obviously the broadcasts.
Speaker 5 (41:21):
Thank you, you're making me feel sad. This is it.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
We also want to thank the people that help make
it possible.
Speaker 5 (41:25):
Well they always do. Low T Center's been great.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Low T Center dot Com is where it's at for me,
and yeah, I plan on having a good offseason because
now I have the chance to recover and low T
is going to be where I get it done. At
fifteen minutes, blood test, get the shot, get out, get better.
Speaker 5 (41:41):
That's all it's about. Low T Center dot Com.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
Yessy Scott, and work on your swing. Our crazy Yes, yeah,
he's got some work to do. I played the other
day after six months and it was a lot of
it was good and a lot of bad.
Speaker 5 (41:53):
Man, I'm old and in pain, dude. We'll talk.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
We'll talk to you soon. We'll talk to you guys
next hour.
Speaker 7 (42:00):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 6 (42:05):
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