Astros Sweep Reach .500, Texans Day 2, Baker Watch, LeFlop Doc

Thursday on The A-Team, Adam Clanton and Adam Wexler react to the Astros' sweep of the Angels, preview a critical weekend series against the Rangers, share their biggest takeaways from Day 2 of Texans training camp, and weigh in on Baker Mayfield's contract dispute with the Buccaneers.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Just like that.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Your Astros are a half game back of first place.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Feels good. Ezekiel Durant striking out Ray's win. Astros sweep
the Angels. They're a half game back first place. They're
a five hundred team. We're going to the World Series.
What's going on? Houston? It is a Thursday edition of
the A Team Sports Talk seven to ninety and I
haven't even had my second cafemated beverage, but it probably
sounds like it because I'm pumped. I am pumped at

(00:30):
the Astros are once again. It feels like a clean
slate now that they're five hundred, and they once again
had to come from behind against the lowly Angels to
do so. It was at a concert last night and
I was in the vicinity of a screen during the
first inning when Hayden was Nesky was giving up three
runs to the Angels, and I was like, Eh, they'll

(00:51):
be fine. I mean, the last two games they didn't
lead late and they came back. And that's exactly what
happened last night. Grinded out victory, me paying you with
the home run to start the rally, and before you
knew it, they actually overwhelmed the Anaheim Angels and got
the victory. They tacked on another run, but for the
most part, those three runs in the first inning were

(01:12):
all she wrote for the Angels offense until later on
in the contest. And like I said, the Rays helping
out the Astros just as we were going on the
air and wex. I know it's training camp right now,
but the Astros are like, you're not allowed to ignore
us just yet.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Thursday off day for the Astros, late flight back to Houston.
Now the Rangers will pack up and take their flight
to Houston. And it sets up really, really nicely. The
winner of the series will be the first place team
in the American League West. It's all there is to it.
Half game separates those two teams. The Astros are also
just a game back in the wild card race, so
they could do a lot of good things the rest
of the way, as long as they keep doing what

(01:49):
they've actually started to do over the last several weeks.
But that was kind of in their hands, and now
it's truly in their hands. If they had gone about
and started winning games they knew going into the Angels series,
they swept them, then they'd be in position to be
in first place. No matter what the Rangers did against
the Rays, turned out, the Rangers would end up losing
two of those three games, including the one that did

(02:11):
just conclude, So it is just a half game that
separates these two teams. They have the same number of
wins heading into the series tomorrow, the Astros at fifty
five and fifty five, the Rangers now at fifty five
and fifty four. Hunter Brown gets the ball to start
the series tomorrow, and again it is that simple. The
team that wins more games than the other team this weekend,
whether it's two to one or three to nothing, that's

(02:34):
who's in first place and heading into the final handful
of games, a large handful of games the rest of
the way. Last night was Game one ten for Houston,
so fifty two games remained for them, fifty three for
the Rangers. But if the Astros continue to actually play
like they've been playing, they certainly can't shoot higher than
just winning the series, just clinching the season series, just
winning the Silver Boot for the tenth consecutive season, but

(02:57):
actually having a two and a half game lead in
the vision after this weekend, that would be something considering
where they have been considering they only won twenty of
their first fifty one games of the year. They were
the thirteenth best team in the American League at that time,
it's fifteen team league. They were in thirteenth place. I
remember that, and now it's just not like that anymore.
Not only are they, like I said about, potentially about

(03:21):
to take over in first place. The opportunity is there,
but being that close to the Guardians, being that close
to the White Sox before I had my slight fracture
and decided, nah, I'm not gonna say every single day
they're gonna win the division, go to the playoffs. Basically
as soon as I finally got off of that, they've
won even more. But they're in position to do exactly

(03:41):
what I had been saying for weeks, not just reach
five hundred or reach the postseason, or win the division,
but that second step from all of those things, earn
an off week. The Chicago White Sox are the next
best division leading team in the American League. They have
fifty six wins. Houston has fifty five wins.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
It's crazy. So all of that is in front of them.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
If they pitch like they pitch more often than not now,
post all Star Break a three eighty team era for
the Houston Astros, which is significantly better than the Mariners
post All Star Break ra and better than the Rangers
post All Star Break er. All of a sudden, the
Astros pitching is putting them in position to see if
their offense comes around just a little bit. And you

(04:29):
kind of laid out how it came around in last
night's game. One big inning helped to propel all of that,
and that big inning and in reality, most, if not essentially,
all of their offense in last night's game, seven runs
worth of it came without much from the best hitter
in the American League, which is, for one night, awesome Greight.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
I was about to say, for one night, because you
know he's going to go off against the Rangers since
he owns them.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
I win there.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
I was about to say, I wish that series was
being played in Arlandton just for the standpoint of he
would go off, seeing is how first place is on
the line. But on the other hand, wouldn't you like
everybody else in the Astros lineup and rotation and bullpen
to play this kind of series in Houston as opposed
to having to go there and try and win two

(05:18):
out of three or better. In baseball, it just doesn't matter.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
I don't have any preference anymore. The Astros have earned
and used home field advantage before. They have earned and
feutally attempted to use home field advantage before they went
to Philadelphia. Somehow they won games in Philadelphia in the
world in Philadelphia, and.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
They didn't do win a home game in two different series. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
The idea that home field advantage in baseball matters to
me is strictly in how the game is played.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
You get to bat last.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
Outside of that where you are, the ballpark, you're in,
the fans that don't like you, the loud stadium, you're in, whatever,
the bus ride in, who knows none of them stuff.
I think at any at this day and age in baseball,
I don't think it makes a.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Bit of difference.

Speaker 2 (06:05):
But I think that's where we should probably stop the
conversation today. I don't I'm not quite ready to talk
about winning on the road versus winning at home in
the postseason. Got to get there, Yeah, But the lineup
last night again, Christian Walker with another hit, two more
for Jose Altuve. In the box score, all I see
is he had two hits. If you want me to
describe what they were, I will, but that wouldn't be

(06:26):
very nice. Four hits for janr Dies and a hit
for everybody in last night's lineup except for Spence and Alvarez.
And I'm wondering, as they maybe have an off day,
maybe it's a chance for Joe and Dana and maybe
other people, even Mickey's story down at sugar Land, they
have a chance to get together and say this was
the first legit shot we've pretty much given to any

(06:49):
outfielder all year by saying we really don't aren't going
to look at your performance. You're starting nearly every day
for the next two weeks, and they need to get
him back out of the lineup. They probably need to
send him back down when this series begins on Friday.
He just looks completely overmatched at the plate right now.
Very good defensively. They got like twenty guys that are
very good defensively. It's probably time for somebody else to

(07:11):
be they left handed bat in the lineup.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
And my suggestion will be Joey Loprafito.

Speaker 3 (07:15):
Since you brought it up, it was something that I
intended to discuss definitely this week. Seeing his hour and
Thursday now and it just hasn't ever come up. I
know I gave you a hard time because you were
so adamant about not liking the signing of Christian Vasquez.

Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah, the guy didn't get four hits last night.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Very timely on your part.

Speaker 3 (07:38):
How about the record when each of those guys is
in the lineup, It's not even close. And we're talking
about one hundred plus game sample size.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Right, for the most part, Jan obviously missed some time,
a little bit of time, and during that time, Vasquez
played a ton and he's continued to play. Remember he
played two of the three games in this series for
Christian Vasquez did. But also to be to I guess
make my case the beginning of the season, who was
starting nearly every game? And how good was the team?

(08:10):
They were awful, they were terrible, They were embarrassing their
first the season after that, they were the thirteenth best
team in a fifteen team league when he was the
number one catcher. Now, if you want to tell me
it was partially his fault, you can try thinking about
last night. That's those are outliers for him. Well, there's
no denying the record. The team has a better record,

(08:30):
and quite honestly, it's even more out of whack in
that note, he's the personal catcher for the going into
the season ACE, so he should get the benefit of
pitching in all the Hunter Brown games, which you would
like to think you're winning a lot of, but there
weren't a lot of them. A, there weren't a lot
of them. And b Hunter Brown has not been an
ACE level pitcher in twenty twenty six, so there are

(08:51):
definitely a lot that goes into it. I think what
you saw last night is what they would absolutely positively
prefer to be doing more often than not. And Yer
played Wednesday, get an off day tomorrow. I'd be really
surprised if he didn't. Well, it's kind of cheating for me,
but he's gonna start two of the three games this weekend.
Hunter's pitching Friday, So like I said, I'm kind of cheating.
We know he's playing Friday, but they need with all

(09:14):
this talk, we gotta go get a bat. We've got
to go do something. Dana Brown saying we've got to
do this and we've got to do that. Well, they
know they don't have a bat in Christian Vasquez and
at least there's some hope they have a bat in
yin or he had an half four hits every day
and then it hit our homer every day he doesn't
let Wiznsky pitches go straight to the backstop when he
decides not to put his glove out far enough to
catch it. Some of those things happen, but it would

(09:36):
be nice. You never know who it's gonna be. It'd
be nice if it was somebody consistently. But they just
have to somebody in the bottom of the They've got
to find someone. And every day it's a guess who
it's gonna be. And yesterday you go four for five,
hit one over the fence, drive in two runs. He
scored from first on the double late in the game,
the two run double from cam Smith.

Speaker 1 (09:56):
Gotta have it. They got it and they win seven
to four. You're saying they need somebody.

Speaker 2 (10:01):
Well they need I mean yesterday was it was nice
because it was pretty much everybody you know, five through nine,
everybody had a hit and between them they had eight
hits except for Spence. That's winning, You're not They're almost
never gonna lose if that happens.

Speaker 3 (10:15):
That's just my ode to the concert I went to
last night, which, by the way, I'm going to tell
you about next segment a.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
Little bit Pat Ben concert.

Speaker 3 (10:21):
That would be the one I'm a little bent out
of shape at a certain Canadian I'll explain. Really, yeah, well,
when I tell you I want to see I.

Speaker 2 (10:32):
Read you not in heaven.

Speaker 3 (10:34):
That's the that's funny. You should mention that exact song.
I'll tell you about it when we come back.

Speaker 4 (10:39):
Oh.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
By the way, we're also going to compare and contrast
one NFL head coaches motivational speech with another. I'll give
you a hint, uh, the one that coaches for the Texans.
That was the good one. We'll do that next the
eighteen on Sports eight Team Sports Talk seven ninety wex
Ac Josh Jordan with you.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
We're taking you until six o'clock tonight.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
We've got Astro's Baseball resuming tomorrow with first place on
the line in the Al West, got Texans training camp underway.
You've got motivational speeches galore across the NFL.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
We'll get to that in just a second.

Speaker 3 (11:22):
We gave away tickets to last night's show several shows
in a row. At one point, the Brian Adams show.
I think we gave away tickets to that show. Yeah,
because Pat Benatar I remember saying that there's a lot
of shows we'd be giving away tickets too, So I
had to think for a second if we were doing that,
But yes we did, and I was all excited because
Teresa wanted to go to the show and she had

(11:42):
never seen him live before, believe it or not.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
You know, she's in rock music and I've never seen
Brian Adams. Well, she just hadn't she played Brian Adams. Well,
I'm kind of thinking no, not in this market exactly
that way.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
She's on a lot of classic You know that classic
rock stations are now playing two thousand's as their main
and I won't get into that.

Speaker 2 (12:00):
It makes me did you know that it's twenty twenty six.

Speaker 3 (12:02):
That's the problem. It's not nineteen ninety six anymore. So Anyways,
I say all that you've been to a lot of
shows and famous artists.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
You've been to several Rush shows. For example, let's.

Speaker 3 (12:17):
Just say for the sake of argument, and this is
you know, prime Rush lineup. Neil's still with us, it's
the original trio. You're just ready to see Tom Stoyer
you're ready hear it? Yeah, that's what I mean. Well,
see and this I mean they do a lot of
visual things with South Park.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
I'd love to hear it.

Speaker 3 (12:35):
Yeah, what if just because they busted out with a
polka version, for example of Tom Sawyer.

Speaker 1 (12:43):
Did they bring anybody else out there to kind of
help help them.

Speaker 3 (12:45):
Nope, this is just this. This is the artist with
his usual backing band. It's one of their biggest hits,
and we're just going to change up the way we
play it for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
You'd be pissed, wouldn't you? Yes, well she was.

Speaker 1 (12:59):
Now.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
Brian Adams has a lot you celebrate his entire catalog.
He's got a lot of hits. He had that one
that was in the Robin Hood movie that was on
the radio every five seconds for like two straight years
back in the early nineties, called Everything I Do, I Do.

Speaker 1 (13:12):
It for You. I heard it.

Speaker 3 (13:13):
He still sounds amazing, sounds just like the album. I'm
not even kidding. Give full credit where it's due. Because
you go to a pon Jovi show these days, it's
not gonna sound like the eighties. He can sing, but
he's sang his best power ballad of his collection. That's
not that song which is called Heaven. Everybody knows Heaven
if you know Brian Adams. It's one of his biggest hits.

(13:35):
And he did this like acoustic guitar swing rhythm to
it for no good reason whatsoever. And she looks at
me and she goes, how do you bleep up your
best song? Did he immediately follow that song with please
Forgive Me?

Speaker 1 (13:50):
He had already sang that one. Oh, this big mistake.

Speaker 5 (13:53):
You know what?

Speaker 3 (13:53):
Though he sang that one the way it was written.
I just don't get.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
Why it was originally recorded. Why would you do that?
Because he's not it's a tough call here.

Speaker 2 (14:05):
You're going to see it for the first time, maybe
the third time, maybe the seventh time, and he's never
done this before and he's playing it for the What
number would you like to use? A thousandth time, ten
thousandth time, one hundred like Michael Collin at the getting
questioned more more more? Yeah, Yeah, he decided, sorry, Houston,

(14:28):
I can't take it anymore. I need a break from
my own music.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
You know the Eagles song take It to the Limit. Yeah,
if you ever watched the documentary and yeah, Wow. You
ever watched the documentary on the Eagles, They talk about
the fact that what's his face?

Speaker 1 (14:44):
Timothy B. Schmidt, I think, was the vocalist in that song.

Speaker 3 (14:46):
He didn't like singing it live because he didn't like
trying to hit the high notes by blah blah blah blah,
and the rest of the band was like, these people
have paid money to come see this song.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
You have to sing.

Speaker 2 (14:56):
That's the balance there, that's why they're there. You're oh,
great your new album. I don't I want to hear this.

Speaker 3 (15:01):
Yeah, don't play your new crap. I don't want to
hear about Canadia not being a fifty first state either, which.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
He did that last night. Fifty first, Yeah, it was
a shot it. We don't have a fifty first. He
wanted to be to Puerto Rico. He wanted to be
political without being political.

Speaker 3 (15:15):
So he's like, we just want you to know we
love you America, and then he plays.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
This dumbass you as much as you love us.

Speaker 3 (15:23):
No, it was not like a rocky scene, and and
so I'm like, you know what you could have done.
You could have sang Heaven the right way during that
song and killed two birds or with one stone and
be fine.

Speaker 2 (15:34):
Before he sang it or announced that he was going
to sing it, had he previous did he say anything
about him? I'm a little I'm gonna take a chance
here and we play this. It might cut like a knife,
but just just stay with me here.

Speaker 3 (15:47):
No, no, he didn't do that. Okay, he also sang
cut like cuts.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
Like a knife. I'm sure he sang all this.

Speaker 3 (15:53):
It was a fine show, but it was just like, eh,
he just ruined it by doing that.

Speaker 2 (15:58):
Ruined the whole show, which we're currently doing to ours now.

Speaker 1 (16:02):
We're not It's fine. It's July thirtieth. What do you
want from us?

Speaker 3 (16:05):
The Astros won and don't play tonight, and the Texans
don't play until September thirteenth. In a game that matters,
I can fit in a segment or half of one
on Brian Adams ruining his show with his own song somehow.

Speaker 2 (16:18):
Good crowd, good atmosphere. The rest of the show is fine.
The parts of the arena that weren't curtained off were
full good. Let's put it that way. It was a
very Jacksonville Jaguars home game. Look to things and there's
a bunch of events non NBA events. That happens plenty, right,
it's not intent. They're not intending to try to, Oh,

(16:40):
we got this many seats, we're gonna sell them all.
They're not even attempting to do that. And the artist
knows it, the venue knows it, and they operated appropriately.

Speaker 3 (16:47):
Also, Pat Benatar and Teresa have beef, but that's another
story for another time.

Speaker 2 (16:51):
He goes way back, did she ever she met her
one battle with any other students at her high school
about who had tried to cultivate the Pat Benatar Look,
I mean it's a little before her time.

Speaker 1 (17:02):
I mean, I'm not sure her in that era.

Speaker 3 (17:04):
No, she was in high school in the nineties, not
the eighties, I understand, but she I guess they kind
of had a run in one time at a radio station,
and Pat was really rude, unnecessarily.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
And so like when people, yeah, I got you, I
got you, And.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
So anytime you mention her name, it elicits lots of
bad words from Teresa.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
So like forty five minutes of bad words before the.

Speaker 3 (17:24):
Oh, we didn't get there to see past. Okay, we
walked in during her last two songs or whatever.

Speaker 1 (17:29):
It was fine. We were in no hurr to get there.

Speaker 3 (17:31):
So anyways, that was That was a Brian adams show
last night, full report. Matt Thomas's wife was there too
and did not report any such activities.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
She liked heaven the way it was ruined. She liked it.

Speaker 2 (17:43):
I doubt there's many people who have a differing opinion
than you two on that saying the.

Speaker 3 (17:47):
Way it's written, man, that's what the paper. To do
it twice or do it twice, that's right now. That
would be like getting up in front of a group
of men that you're supposed to be leading into battle
figuratively metaphorically football on the field exactly, and trying to
be motivational and instead saying the name of their team
over and over and over again, just lest you forgot

(18:11):
earlier this week, That's what John Harbaugh did when he
got up in front of the New York Football.

Speaker 6 (18:19):
Yes, sir, nervous, excited, nervous, you know, the nervous like
a full of game almost makes you just say kick off.

Speaker 1 (18:32):
I'm just standing up here in front of the New
York Giants.

Speaker 6 (18:36):
The New York Giants.

Speaker 7 (18:39):
This is a New York Giants said in the shroud
the loop, Your giants this is the New York Giants,
said in the room, your.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
Giants, and he continued, I mean, it's just so bad
and surprising because he was such a long time fixture
at the helm of one of the most successful AFC
teams prior to this. It's why I wish we all
every team was always on hard knocks so you'd get
a little bit more of the real story, the real
who they are. Why Baltimore win not because he was

(19:09):
out there motivating them. I never thought that before. I
certainly don't think that now. They're a good football team.
He hired a lot of good coaches that had a
tremendous amount of talent, and he helped to kind of
keep the ship rolling along. I'll see what the Giants
do with him. It's possible they downgraded at the head coach.
I don't think they did, but we'll find out. And
it's still probably more about how much talent you have

(19:30):
versus can you motivate.

Speaker 1 (19:32):
It is football.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
You use the same terminology we always use about going
into battle on the football field, and we hear from
a coach, we think about a coach and we do
want to add that, do you want to run through
a wall for this guy type of coach. Seems like
most people want that, right.

Speaker 3 (19:48):
I think so, But that's why you say things that
sound more like this when you get up in front
of your team.

Speaker 1 (19:54):
Yeah, Texas nice enough to put this out there. Think
about this.

Speaker 2 (20:00):
It sucks the worst system speech and the right play.

Speaker 7 (20:06):
Think about this like what he's doing to prepare, right,
it's all about that.

Speaker 1 (20:10):
Preparation.

Speaker 5 (20:11):
Camp is all about preparation.

Speaker 7 (20:13):
What are you doing when nobody's watching, no fans are
out there?

Speaker 5 (20:16):
What are you doing to make yourself better? What are
you doing to make yourself successful?

Speaker 7 (20:21):
So part of this too, right, they're preparing for this
launch three years prior they formed this team. Every person
before they watch this mission, every person has to give
it a go.

Speaker 5 (20:34):
And they asked, are you a goal?

Speaker 7 (20:36):
We got forty seven days until we launch against the Bills?
How you're prepared? Ask this to yourself every day, every
precision check, every rep at practice.

Speaker 5 (20:46):
If we want to take the Texas.

Speaker 7 (20:48):
Organization to places it's never been before, if every man
in this room is a goal, we'll do that.

Speaker 1 (20:56):
Everybody will text does.

Speaker 2 (21:00):
I don't know if everybody answered him with a positive,
because they obviously cut to the end when he said,
you know, Texas swarm. But he took a relatively current event,
just a couple of months ago, Artemis two took flight.
They asked those on board, are you a go? And
they obviously said yes, and then off they went. You
heard him launch. This is probably one of the best

(21:24):
one hundred and fifty textans speeches that Demiko's given.

Speaker 3 (21:27):
It's probably in the back end of him. His post
game speeches are way better.

Speaker 2 (21:31):
And I'm sure many of his other in week speeches
are also.

Speaker 3 (21:35):
Most pod I would say most head coaches worth their salts.
Post game speeches are better though, because of adrenaline and
it's after a win most of the time.

Speaker 2 (21:43):
What about post game speeches after a loss, Well, that
we have heard a few. I think Jacksonville was maybe
the first team to start sending a few of those out.
So it was obviously Liam Cohen and they weren't bad.

Speaker 3 (21:54):
What did you think of al Pacino's pregame speech or
was it halftime? In any given Sunday, the inches are everywhere?
So who was he talking to? Who was on that
team they were playing? They were in Dallas, But who
played for him? James Fox? James Fox was there with
two x's, okay, and one of the Quaid brothers was
the starter who was injured.

Speaker 2 (22:12):
Seriously, what you guys out there, try to put your
brains together if you're in the car together. Lawrence Taylor
was one of the Quaid brothers. Played an athlete in
a movie. Do you have any idea which one it was?
Not the one with the Griswolds, the one who played
a baseball player, the one who played a different football player.

Speaker 1 (22:30):
Yeah, that's the one.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yeah, he's done it many many times over because it's
very believable. Randy has been a fan of a baseball
team in a movie. I think he was in Major
League nine.

Speaker 1 (22:46):
Who else?

Speaker 3 (22:46):
Lawrence Taylor was an actual player on that team. Who
was Oh l O cool J was another one of
the I think he was a defender. But yeah, that
was who al Patino was. And it was a pretty
good speed even though it's.

Speaker 2 (23:01):
And again like al like Demico Al's career speeches, that's
probably not even in the top twenty.

Speaker 3 (23:09):
It's probably one hundred and fiftieth. To use your terminal,
I let you that, all right, so you have it.
I'm not saying it's the end all be all kind
of like what WEX is getting at. It's not his best,
but anything's better.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Than the low bar.

Speaker 3 (23:21):
That was John Harbaugh's introductory speech as the coach of the.

Speaker 2 (23:25):
New York Football Giants.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
Just saying, all right, best of x AI doesn't quite
have all the kinks worked out just yet, especially when
it comes to local media sports personalities.

Speaker 1 (23:38):
I'll explain next.

Speaker 8 (23:41):
The ad on sporting all.

Speaker 3 (23:44):
Right, it is the best of x We peruse the
streets of social media and we find the best of
the best or worst, depending on what kind of day
it is and what's going on. I did not see
this one coming, and it's a It's an example that
I think we all should probably keep in mind when
everybody's talking about the sky's falling, when it's surrounding the

(24:06):
subject of artificial intelligence.

Speaker 1 (24:08):
Not all the kinks are worked out yet.

Speaker 3 (24:11):
Like I know that eventually Terminator is gonna be reality
and we'll all be fighting robots in some sort of
futuristic war. That's probably sooner than we all think, if
Skynett gets off its feet here. But in the meantime,
I can deal with these kinds of little flubs. I
got a notification and I didn't see it until this morning.

(24:32):
It was since last night I was getting I think
I was on my way to the show and it's
register Justin sent the following I was trying to tell
my brother in law who Adam Clanton was, asked Grok
to show me.

Speaker 1 (24:47):
A pick of him and his wife.

Speaker 3 (24:49):
Nailed it, and he tweeted at me, at the Reheel
and at Julia Morales. I think all of you who
are listeners of our are pretty familiar with all three
of those individuals. One of them is hosting the show
right now with Adam Wexler, and the other one has
hosted various sports talk shows, and the third is obviously

(25:09):
the sideline.

Speaker 1 (25:10):
Reporter for your Astros. Uh.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
Super Groc says, here there's a picture that's attached. Here's
a photo of Adam Clanton and his wife Teresa in
parentheses rockface Clanton together Colin, and it's a picture of
Raheel and Julia Morales together in an ASTROS game.

Speaker 1 (25:27):
Thus, his comment that said nailed it.

Speaker 3 (25:30):
Right, very sarcastic. I don't even understand where you would
get to that point.

Speaker 2 (25:37):
I'm still trying to figure out how do you get
them to do something like that? It does sound as
simple as it is? Do I just click on head
to the X platform and click on GROC and ask
him that question, like show me a pick of Adam
Clanton and wife?

Speaker 3 (25:52):
Well, yeah, like if you did that right now, what
are the odds you get a picture of Verheel and
Julia or anybody else?

Speaker 1 (25:58):
The odds are zero point zero because I've done that.
What happened?

Speaker 2 (26:02):
It showed me a picture of you and your soon
to be wife when you asked her if she wouldn't
mind being your wife?

Speaker 1 (26:08):
Oh, it's a proposal pick.

Speaker 3 (26:09):
Yeah, that's always been weird to me how that got
out because it was not in a public setting people around. Yeah,
that's true, and people videotaped it. You've been post You've
posted it. That's where it comes from.

Speaker 2 (26:20):
Oh okay, Well, it's just like it reminds me that, like,
we all worry about this kind of stuff, but it
there's a lot and I'm sure that the stuff that
needs to get ironed out will get ironed out very quickly,
because that's what you always hear about.

Speaker 3 (26:32):
Oh Ai is going to be curing diseases and taking
care of I mean, like, how far are we away?
Are we from? Like AI realistically helping to run sports
franchises in some way, shape or form.

Speaker 2 (26:46):
Uh, probably about two years ago, right because Major League
Baseball told their teams, can you get that AI stuff
off of your iPads? Because you're trying to have it
run your teams, and we don't like it because it's
giving you an in game advantage that we did not
hand you these. Go ahead and use these iPads during
games for because you're using unauthorized apps. Here's your iPad

(27:10):
and we're restricting you to only using these apps. So
don't you be putting on any apps on your phone
because you can't because you're not allowed to because we've
got it on lockdown.

Speaker 1 (27:18):
Except of course they didn't like. That's the funny thing.

Speaker 3 (27:22):
You always talked about this when we were doing Scandal Radio,
which lasted like two years basically straight, if not more.
You're giving them all the ingredients to make the pizza.

Speaker 1 (27:33):
What did you expect them to do make tacos?

Speaker 5 (27:35):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (27:35):
I guess it's okay.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
You guys should probably have monitors where you can, you know,
try to get to handle on stuff.

Speaker 1 (27:40):
Where should we put it? Oh, right behind the dugout?
Sounds good? I mean, come on.

Speaker 3 (27:45):
That's why, like I remember, I specifically remember when they
started using iPads or tablets. I guess I'm like, really,
you're coming off this cheating scandal with the Astros and
you're going to put screens in the multiple screens in
the hands of every dugout in the majors.

Speaker 1 (28:02):
What do you think is gonna happen?

Speaker 2 (28:03):
I think Jordon Alvarez is going to go back to
the on deck circle while Robbie Ray throws his final
few warm up pitches and he's gonna look over some
stuff and then he's gonna homer off of him.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
That's what I think is gonna happen.

Speaker 3 (28:13):
I don't think Jordon needed the tablet to know that
Robbie Ray was gonna serve up a meat ball that
he was gonna launch into the upper deck.

Speaker 2 (28:21):
There's some advantage to all this stuff and people, a
lot of the people that are listening to us or
at work listening to us use AI. I think recognizing
what it can help you with and then also understanding
you might want to do your own work to make
sure what it's helping you with is accurate. Is something
we're still you probably still need to do. It can

(28:42):
give you a big advantage. He can take you ten
steps into your fifteen step process and now you only
have to do the final five instead of all fifteen.
There's there's a lot of good things that can do,
but start to finish completely. Trust that it did it right.
Not there yet.

Speaker 3 (28:57):
Reheal responded, Lol, wtf, I said, indeed WTAF and Julia
has not responded.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
She's probably tired from what the late nights in Anaheim
am six thirty am arrival. It's an off day, right,
so why not get some sleep when you've only been
back in Houston for like eight hours. I was neded
at five thirty pm California time while she was working.

Speaker 3 (29:26):
No, she wasn't working yet. She was at the ballpark,
doesn't mean she was working.

Speaker 1 (29:30):
Always work on. Once you head inside and they check
your credential.

Speaker 2 (29:34):
You're working. You're working.

Speaker 3 (29:35):
They've checked our credentials plenty of times, and we didn't
do a lick of work a different job.

Speaker 1 (29:40):
You and me haven't done a liqu of work in
seven years. Let's face it.

Speaker 3 (29:43):
Well, you work, thank you. You put graphics together for
the TV version of the show.

Speaker 1 (29:47):
Yeah, that's right, that's right. And you go to training camp.
I did that today. All right, We're going to talk
about what you.

Speaker 3 (29:51):
Saw out there today as a matter of fact, when
we come back. Texans Training Camp day two, even though
it's not going to until Monday according to the GM,
and they don't play a game that matters until September thirteen.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
Who practices yesterday and today, a practice tomorrow inside their
workout bubble, a practice on Saturday without pads in front
of the fans, and then, like Nick said, training camp
starts on Monday.

Speaker 3 (30:16):
So costumes until Monday, is what you're saying. They kind
of here's your terminology. I mean, I guess so, okay, well,
we'll see. We'll check in on Texans Training Camp costume
edition when we come back here. To round out the
two o'clock hour of the program.

Speaker 8 (30:32):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven nineteen Sports Talks seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (30:36):
As we get ready for the simulcast at the top
of the hour, wex and AC with you Thursday edition
of the program. Just one more day left in the
month of July. What was your favorite day this month?
What did you do that was your favorite thing?

Speaker 2 (30:48):
Cleveland just totally got me.

Speaker 3 (30:51):
I don't think you probably hated that part of the month,
because that meant you were on vacation and not working.

Speaker 1 (30:56):
I don't think. I think I was in Cleveland last.

Speaker 2 (30:58):
Month technically the end of June.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
In the very very very beginning of July, that's right.
Came back to the one show.

Speaker 3 (31:06):
That's right, and then we had the fourth of July
holiday on the third. Yeah, and then I left.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
First Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The same
day or the next day, we went to the Pro
Football Hall of Fame. It's good day.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
Our program director Chris Gordy is going to all of
the Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities next week.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
Yeah, the induction ceremony is something it should remind everybody
that is a week from today. What else comes a
week from today the first preseason game, that's the Hall
of Fame game, that's right there in Canton. A week
from then, the Texans will be on the field for
the very first time. The Texans that are playing in
the preseason game against the Chargers, the first of their
three two at home and then one on the road
to close things up at Carolina. So this Thursday, the

(31:42):
Hall of Fame game, The next two Thursday's home Texans
preseason games. Then the following Friday they take on that
Dave Canalys's crew, and then they got a little time
off before they welcome Josh Allen to town.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
That little window that you're talking about is going to
be the longest stretch.

Speaker 2 (31:58):
Yeah, they got a few days off before they hit
the fifty three man the original fifty three man roster,
and then they'll take a looker at the rest of
the league and make some adjustments. I would imagine there's
probably a player too at maybe linebacker, and unfortunately today
that might have become even more true. Don't really know
for sure, but two days into practice there was a
player that was taken off the field on a cart

(32:21):
at Texans training camp today. Jake Hansen, a linebacker running
some eleven on eleven work, and he it appeared that
he maybe got tangled up with one of the Texans
tackle I couldn't tell for sure if that's what sent
him down, but he was down on the ground and
as they came over to him, seemed pretty obvious from
their reaction and his that they the best course was

(32:42):
to just help him up and onto a cart and
then take it from there. So his his teammates came
over to him, and obviously you know the tap up
and the you know support things they can offer in
that moment, which are awful in game, they're equally as
awful during a practice setting. Considering everybody is your guy
because it's your team, the only one on the field
out there. But off the field, he went, EJ. Speed

(33:04):
is probably not going to be part of this team.
If he is, it's gonna be late in this year.
And those are the two guys that were first and
second in line in terms of linebacker depth. Don't know
anything definitive about Jake Hanson and Jamiko Ryans, who did
get asked about it to his press conference today, he
didn't really know for sure. I don't know how he
would and said, maybe it's a foot, but really nothing

(33:25):
of any consequence, and hopefully it wasn't as serious and
maybe as it looked to be, but I couldn't tell
you one way or the other. Did not look like
he could put weight on the leg that was hurt.
But I'm not a doctor.

Speaker 3 (33:37):
I hate training camp injuries, the serious kind. Obviously the
minor ones are bad too, but these kind it just
feels like you're done before you could get started. Injuries
are part of this game because it's a violent game.
Cliche cliche, sa cliche, even though it's true. But I've
just always felt like, for whatever reason, training camp injuries
are sadder, I guess because it just feels like you

(34:00):
never got to get started.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
Yeah, he didn't have a chance to go out on
the field and help your team win a game. If
you get hit in that scenario or hurt in that scenario,
kind of feel like, well, that's you know, I was
out there doing what I wanted to do. It's the
same idea and don't know way any coach or player
would tell you otherwise. And that's kind of what you
heard from Demiko. It's definitely what we hear from him,
and there's no doubt the player's hear it a lot
more from him. Everything they're doing now, he talked a

(34:21):
ton about the details, and precision is a word you
see all over the facility, even on the scoreboard out
on the practice fields, because all that stuff matters, all
the stuff they did during the offseason where we're describing
what they're not doing, which is playing football, because they're
not wearing pads, they're not hitting anybody, they're not really
doing those types of things that you see on a Sunday,
but they're all in preparation for this step. This next

(34:42):
step is training camp, and this next step after that
is playing games, which they will do in the preseason
and with their two joint workouts preseason game two here
with the Raiders, preseason Game three there with the Panthers,
and then they'll go out and do all the things
that people sit down and enjoy in stadium and on
red Zone, on their TVs and on their streaming services
and everywhere else. Maybe there are wagering services, but it

(35:05):
can't happen unless they go through all this. The Texans
are like everybody else, and it's unfortunate. There are players
lost in training camp every year, whether it's for the
year or not, and it happens a couple of years.
That's happened to the Texans in large numbers last year
a little. Obviously, we're too early in this year to
make any determination on how often it will happen, hopefully

(35:26):
not very much.

Speaker 3 (35:27):
There is a another aspect, another subplot or sub story,
whatever you want to call it, to the CJ. Stroud
Training Camp twenty twenty six story that I want to
get to when we start the next hour, because I
feel like even though of the two of us, you

(35:47):
have attended one hundred percent of the training camp festivities
and I have attended zero percent of them.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
I want to I want you to know that you
need to be doing more.

Speaker 3 (35:58):
Someone is at camp who is showing you up right now,
just one person. Well, it's the only person that has
put it to social media, and I want to take
what they did and discuss it with you because I
think it's fascinating.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
Because we already have we've beaten the.

Speaker 2 (36:15):
More fascinating than him walking to reporting day. Yes more fast?
You sure that was pretty fascinating. I mean like twenty
million people thought it was fascinating.

Speaker 3 (36:25):
Now this is twenty million times more fascinating, Okay, Because
I think it's something that unlike all the dead horse
topics we have beaten into the ground, I don't think
anybody's done this, and it actually is something that could
lend itself believe it or not to whether or not
CJ actually has a successful twenty twenty six campaign, which,

(36:46):
if you talk to some people, is the only thing
that's standing between him and getting that extension. So that
and another guy's extension among the topics in the three
o'clock hour.

Speaker 1 (36:54):
Coming up next.

Speaker 3 (36:57):
The three o'clock hour here on the eighteen, Sports Talk
seven ninety and sc h N simulcast is underway. If
you want to watch us on TV, you can certainly
do that. Got some more people telling me last night
they saw the show as as opposed to just listening
to it and enjoy watching us every single day. Shout
out to Justin Ellerton, who I ran into last night

(37:18):
with he and his wife. They are big fans of
the show, said to tell you highwas Yeah.

Speaker 2 (37:23):
I showed my daughter and my wife the clip from
yet one clip from yesterday's show when we had Bennett
Sussa on with us, and so my wife was listening
to it. I go, you kind of have to watch
it to get the idea. My daughter's watching it with her,
and like ten seconds into the video, my daughter turns
around and starts laughing. My wife's watching it twenty seconds still,

(37:43):
by thirty seconds still by I'm like anything yet, she goes,
I thought, so are you guys wearing the same shirt?

Speaker 3 (37:51):
I still can't believe that's the first time that's happened,
Like we used to actually there was a time where
we got some custom made polos I think that had
station logo on them, and we would make sure that
we weren't wearing the same one. That's the only time
we've done that. I'm sure it'll happen again. This just
seems like too much effort. Are you wearing this today?
Not doing that? Not doing that with another guy? All right,

(38:12):
so let's get into what I was talking about before
the break, because listen, no one is ever going to
confuse WEX with someone who does not enjoy being at
every single solitary second of Texans training camp. Sometimes I
worry about you a little bit. I think you enjoyed
a little bit.

Speaker 1 (38:30):
There's three hundred and sixty five days a year. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (38:33):
One of their training camp practices technically is on the
road of the Panthers joint practice that leaves eighteen here
in Houston, that leaves only sixteen left.

Speaker 3 (38:41):
You sound like you're talking about, Hey, if you break
down how much time you have to spend with certain
family members left, If you put it in numbers and
look at it, I mean, it's really just not that much.

Speaker 1 (38:50):
You should probably value and cherish that time more.

Speaker 2 (38:53):
Ye yesterday and today's practice were short by design.

Speaker 3 (38:57):
So he is even less time. Yes, been out in
the sun in Houston in.

Speaker 2 (39:02):
July, Tomorrow's practices inside the bubble.

Speaker 1 (39:06):
Here's the thing, They're all getting paid millions of dollars
sometimes just outs me. That's that's that's the difference. Yeah,
can you spot the live that's the number one difference.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
I mean, that's the number one difference between me and
the ninety NFL players out there were salaries. Yeah, Well,
that and the fact that one of the off position,
does that guy play the way he's on the team.
There's no way you're probably not going to get carted
off the field doing what you're doing there, unless I'm
not paying attention and someone overthrows the receiver and they

(39:39):
run into me.

Speaker 3 (39:40):
Well, of the two of us, which one would be
more likely to have that happen to them because they
were I'm paying attention, or.

Speaker 1 (39:45):
If I'm sitting down covering practice, I had attention during
this entire show. All right, So yeah, we're different, I
got it. What else?

Speaker 3 (39:52):
So Djbenemy took what you do, which is attend to
every single solitary second of practice, and took it to
the level. And not only that, I'm not even saying
that he tries harder than you.

Speaker 2 (40:05):
What I'm sounding like.

Speaker 3 (40:06):
What I'm saying is he is more, at least in
this case, he does more with his time out there
than you do. Yeah, so you are insulting me that
you was getting super uncomfortable, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
I'm only curious about where we're headed next, but I
don't like it so far.

Speaker 3 (40:25):
Djbienemy about four hours ago, tweeting the following takeaways from today.
I hand timed CJ. Stroud time to throw today. Factor
in human error as you read them, but he was
quick and decisive with his throws. Now, anybody can go
out there and say that, right, but actually hand timing it, wex,

(40:46):
when's the last time you took a stopwatch out there
and timed the quick and decisive throws of CJ. Stroud
so that you can say, a completion to Higgins with
Stingley and coverage took roughly two seconds ten yard gain.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
I did notice DJ out there today with his stopwatch
is noticeable, especially when it's hanging off. His coaches do
that stuff, but not but he also asked a question
of Demico today. CJ talked yesterday about this very topic
about you know, how you factor that in because it
is difficult to do to a certain extent because they're
not quite live.

Speaker 1 (41:21):
Because the speed isn't the sacond.

Speaker 2 (41:23):
If Will Anderson doesn't get chipped by Dalton Schultz at
the line and Ercrie is backing up and he puts
an inside move on him and he barely touches him,
CJ can still throw the football because Will's not going
to keep going, He's not going to hit him, he's
not going to run through him. And CJ doesn't have
to have already thought he needs to scramble. That was
merely a hypothetical. I definitely did not see that happen

(41:45):
this morning over at Texans practice for one of the
snaps that we're talking about.

Speaker 3 (41:49):
And obviously this is all in jest, but regardless, because
I know you both work your butts off. That's not
what I was really actually getting at. But I am
serious when I say this. This is something that I
actually am interested in, given what we've been talking about
all off season long and all of yesterday on the
first day of training camp, CEJCJCJ contract contract contract?

Speaker 1 (42:11):
Is he the guy?

Speaker 5 (42:12):
Is he the guy?

Speaker 1 (42:12):
Is he the guy?

Speaker 3 (42:13):
This displays into that even if what you're saying is true,
it's not real time, it's not actual games.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
I don't want to, but it is.

Speaker 3 (42:21):
Important to look at things like this as you're trying
to evaluate this guy who's going into his latest contract year.

Speaker 2 (42:28):
Now, this is a really good use of your time
covering practice and it will be even more difficult to
do but even more useful to see when they have
pads on and when they're taking on Max Crosby on
August eighteenth and they're in a joint practice and CJ
and the whomever is the first group of ten players
playing number one offense with him, how they play like that,

(42:51):
and how quickly he does get rid of the football,
and it definitely flies into into the conversation brilliantly. So
it's of note, and definitely if you did not, if
you don't already follow up, I don't know how you
could be a Texans fan if you don't follow DJ.
It was on Sports Sunday with him last week. But
he does a nice job. And this is a very
like I said, as I'm glad you pointed out, it's
a very very constructive use of time. I do like

(43:13):
what he said well, one pass in particular, just because
it stood out to me. It says incompletion of tight
end Foster row two point sixty six seconds, which is
of all the plays he charted beyond one that was
incomplete at the end, and he described that one too.
But it was a low pass, it was off target,
it hit him in the hands. I remember the play.
I made note of it as well. He had just

(43:33):
gotten enough space from a blankenship who was in coverage
to where there was a little bit of a window
for him to make a catch. And sometimes you need
your guy to make a catch on a less than
perfectly thrown ball. But he didn't hit him in the
hands and ended up on the turf. But the last
play was probably a play where you'd call it a sack.
But he scrambled up into the middle and then stopped,

(43:54):
and I think he intended to throw it away, like
we're in the red zone. I don't or yeah, we're
in the red zones. I think he threw it from
the twelve yard line. I think they snapped it from
the seventh or snapped it from the eleven. I'm not
going to take a sack. I'm not gonna get hit here.
Once I've scrambled, I might be able to get to
the eight or the nine, but I can't get out
of bounds.

Speaker 1 (44:13):
So he threw it over his deepest receiver in the
end zone. It was in complete back of the end zone.

Speaker 2 (44:17):
Probably a smart play, and it makes me reminds me
of something Demiko said. You know, we need our quarterbacks
to be elite decision makers. You know, you know, throw
it into the dirt, do this, do that. You guys
might see one thing, but we're seeing what we want
from them on that particular play, how it played out,
that was the best decision.

Speaker 3 (44:37):
Yeah, I just I think that it's easy to say, well,
CJ's got to have a great season, CJ's got to
do this.

Speaker 1 (44:42):
CJ's got to do that, and then they'll offer them
a contract.

Speaker 3 (44:44):
And we're hearing, you know, we're seeing all the sound
bites and hearing all the sound bites coming out from
the talking heads. Ian Rapaport the Latest today, Adam Schefter yesterday,
you know, talking about the Texans confidence in CJ. Stroud
and day he's there guy, and all this kind of stuff,
and that may all well be good and true and
all that. Right now, that's easy to say on July thirtieth,

(45:07):
and it's easy to that narrative to change, not even
by the end of the season, Like is.

Speaker 1 (45:14):
It okay to think like this? What if he's awesome? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (45:18):
Like what I forget about the contract, just his play?
What if CJ is good? What if CJ's just a
really good quarterback this year? Well, he's making a lot
of plays and having few turnovers and extending drives and
constantly scoring points, constantly taking the early leads, scoring on
opening drives, taking leads into halftime, playing from in front

(45:39):
with this defense. I mean, is that realistic? Is that
something you can actually let yourself think about and then
realize how incredibly awesome the best team in the NFL
will be right here in Houston.

Speaker 1 (45:51):
Because that's who they will be. If CJ.

Speaker 2 (45:53):
Stroud has an awesome year, that means the offense had
an awesome year, and that means they become virtually impossible
to beat.

Speaker 1 (45:59):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (46:00):
I think that is the only thing keeping them from
being that because and that's why we're having all these conversations.
If anybody expected that, they wouldn't be talked about as fifth, sixth,
ninth in the Power rankings and he would be in
all the top ten lists of quarterbacks Madden or otherwise

(46:20):
actual lists. But he's not, and they're not, and it
seems like it's the only thing keeping them back because
that defense, and we've been saying this for two years now,
it's absolutely super Bowl caliber. I mean, if you put
the Texans defense on filling the blank, any other team
out there that's not named Seattle or Denver their favorites
for winning the Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (46:42):
Yeah, his first season was really really good. His second
and third seasons were much more average or below average.
Can he have the best season of his career, which, again,
it wouldn't be the best season anybody's ever seen, But
if it's better than year one, then you're really talking
about a team that is going to go out and
beat the better teams. They're gonna beat a Buffalo, They're
going to beat Cincinnati, They're going to win this division

(47:03):
because they would then be clearly better than the other teams.
I can't say this isn't something other teams would also
have a similar conversation about, what if Trevor Lawrence has
a better year than he had last year? What if
Josh Allen under Joe Brady is even better than he
was before. What if Joe Burrow is healthy and produces
like the MVP caliber Joe Burrow leading all those things
around the AFC could certainly be true. But none of

(47:26):
those teams have this defense right.

Speaker 3 (47:29):
And I'll tell you what it is not all roses,
and I'm not just talking about the offense. There is
an aspect of this team that I think they absolutely
need to set the tone with and put it this way,
we need to not be hearing about them quote cleaning
things up when it comes to this specific aspect. When

(47:49):
games won two, you know, weeks one, two, three are underway,
I'll tell you what that is. Plus we talked about
it yesterday and he listen. He didn't do anything or
more importantly, say anything to change my mind today. In fact,
he just solidified everything I was thinking. And I think
he's gone at the end of this year, and I
think it's something that the Texans are probably he he

(48:10):
he he.

Speaker 2 (48:11):
Do you even know who the he is onjac is
talking about TEA It's awesome.

Speaker 3 (48:16):
I can't just tell you. Next segment you'll find out
who he is and you'll hear from him.

Speaker 5 (48:24):
The age it is the.

Speaker 3 (48:26):
A team Sports Talk seven ninety SHN. So we've talked
a lot about CJ. Stroud, but we've also kind of
we've kind of kept an eye on this quarterback and
his contract situation or lack thereof, and where it might
be going, seeing as how he could be a free
agent after the end of the year and Texans very
well could be in the market for a quarterback if

(48:48):
things don't go well with CJ.

Speaker 2 (48:50):
Oh I tell two segments. Well, last segment, best team
in the NFL, CJ has a great year. Is that
something you could even a fathom thinking about. Yeah, I
could see that happening. Now they're trying to get rid of.
But new segment, new ideas.

Speaker 3 (49:05):
You know, all that talk about the defense being super
Bowl caliber, if it's being held back because your quarterback
play is substandard.

Speaker 1 (49:12):
I know.

Speaker 2 (49:12):
I'm just pointing out that that's how far the pendulum
can swing.

Speaker 3 (49:17):
These are the days of our lives in the NFL
in Houston, all of that, and again that sounds dramatic.
Believe me, there's plenty of drama, especially after what happened
today over in Well, I don't know, if I don't know,
if Tampa has its his it's spring training in Tampa
or if they go elsewhere like other teams, but wherever

(49:37):
they were. Baker Mayfield like he was very eloquent in
how he spoke, but in my opinion, he low key
destroyed the Bucks management with what he said today with reporters.
And if you don't believe me, take a listen.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
Yeah, there's some several parts of his situation that are
worthy of adding to the discussion from a Baker first.

Speaker 9 (50:02):
I've also know, I really know what I've brought to
this franchise leadership wise and even playwise. It's been some
of the best years of my career, and I think
it's only going to trend upwards. Just being comfortable and
feeling that so disappointing in that regard to to not have,
you know, to feel disrespected a little bit, And that's
really the disappointing part, to feel undervalued.

Speaker 3 (50:22):
Once you use that term, once you use that kind
of language, it doesn't matter how nice you are saying it.
It doesn't matter how you try to go out of
your way to kind of put it in sugarcoated friendly terms.
Disrespect is disrespect. And if there's anything I know about
a professional athlete, if they feel like an organization is

(50:45):
disrespecting them.

Speaker 1 (50:46):
They already have one foot out the door. That's just
how it is.

Speaker 2 (50:49):
Yeah, the disrespect is twofold. I think in that a
the obvious does not have a place to play football
in twenty twenty seven. There's no commitment from the team.
He is on the team. He signed a three year,
one hundred million dollar contract with and for whom, and
that was after his first year for whom. As he
said in my opinion, correctly, I agree with him.

Speaker 1 (51:09):
He is an.

Speaker 2 (51:10):
Absolute elite leader of that team. I thought he was
a good leader in Cleveland two after the early stages.
But his play has been very good. He pointed out
the other day. There's one other person walking the planet
that's throwing more touchdown passes than he has in the
last three seasons, or even the last two seasons he
plays for Detroit.

Speaker 1 (51:28):
That's Jared Goff.

Speaker 2 (51:28):
That's it. He has a forty one touchdown past season
two seasons ago for Tampa, and the season before and
then the most recent season this last year were also
very good. He's not the best quarterback in the NFL.
I doubt anybody thinks he's in the top five, but
he's in, my opinion, should probably be considered, if not
in it, very darn close to it. Can you win

(51:49):
a super Bowl with this quarterback? Can he lead you
to three playoff victories? Maybe four with how he plays?
And in that case, you probably take a gander at
his postseason performances, and he's had several with the Bucks
and even with the Browns, he's played very well in
the postseason.

Speaker 1 (52:03):
I'll check as we discuss this.

Speaker 2 (52:05):
I would be surprised if he's not first, second, or
third among active quarterbacks in passer rating in the postseason.
I appeel pretty confident saying that right now, thirty three
point three million dollars is what he's being paid average
annual value. This is now the last year of that deal.
Middle of the pack for NFL quarterbacks, and it does

(52:26):
kind of feel like there's a there's a cutoff. If
you're a fifty million dollar quarterback, you're elite, or you're
expected to be, or you're on your second contract or
something I said applies, and that the bottom of that
list is multiple times super Bowl quarterback, not winner, super
Bowl player, Jalen Hurts, and up the list you'll see

(52:50):
an MVP and Lamar Jackson. He's see Kyle Shanahan's quarterback
second contract. Jared Goff's played in the Super Bowl, Josh
Allen's won an MVP. Joe Burrow's played in the Super Bowl.
Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love also on the list. Matt Stafford,
Dak Prescott, Pat Mahomes, and Justin Herbert. Not in the
money order, but those are your fifty million dollars fifty

(53:12):
one and above average annual value quarterbacks. So Baker, the
reigning Super Bowl champion, quarterbacks, Sam Darnold, all of the
rookie quarterbacks like CJ. Brice, etc. From these last couple
of drafts, they all make significantly less than that, because
only DeShawn and Daniel Jones make more than thirty four

(53:34):
million dollars between thirty four and fifty one, two quarterbacks,
Jones and Darnald. And then you find Baker at thirty
three and change.

Speaker 1 (53:42):
And here's the thing, there's a couple of things here.

Speaker 3 (53:45):
Even if you don't think he's a fifty million per quarterback,
it's a long ways from thirty three and again, believe me,
don't don't send your twe like we get it.

Speaker 1 (53:57):
It's a lot of money. It's all right, it's NFL
TALKFL along with us.

Speaker 3 (54:01):
It's not real life. And that's just where that's the market. Okay,
it is what it is. Even if you think he's
not worth that, if you're the Bucks, they only offered
him a two year deal, yeah's part of this.

Speaker 2 (54:12):
Yeah, the report out of Tampa was a two year
deal worth less than fifty I'm not sure where Rick
Stroud has the actual number, but he did not indicate
he covers The Bucks does a very good job. Didn't
give the number. I mean right now, Baker Mayfield makes
less than fifty, He makes thirty three point three a lot.
But did they offer him two years eighty five? Did

(54:33):
they offer him two years ninety two years ninety five?
Disrespect and that he probably feels like he's played at
least as well as a couple of those other quarterbacks.
They're all in different sort of circumstances. Has he played
as well as brock Party I think we could probably
say he has. Has he played as well as Jared Goff?
Different situation, different offense, different talent around him. Maybe you

(54:56):
could bait debate that he hasn't.

Speaker 1 (54:58):
Maybe the debate it's.

Speaker 3 (54:59):
Not Oh no, there's no way those two belong in
the same conversation.

Speaker 1 (55:02):
It's not like that.

Speaker 2 (55:03):
And he's not in the same position as to Trevor Kyler,
Justin CJ, etc. These are all second quarterbacks for top
picks who have tried to get it from their own team.

Speaker 1 (55:18):
It's just different.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
It's like Sam Darnold, it's like Geno Smith and again
not considered like that. So they're not going to get
offers like he's not getting a five year, three hundred
million dollar contract. He might think he's earned it, but
it's not coming from them, and it's probably not coming
from anybody else. But that's also a far crime from
two years less than fifty per But yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:38):
The question has to because we have to bring that.
Why are we talking so much about Baker Mayfield Because
if you said Baker Mayfield, you know CJ out Baker
Mayfield in I guarantee you guarantee you walk down the
street eight out of ten at the minimum. Texans fans,
if they're honest with themselves, would be like, you just

(55:58):
got better at the quarterback position. And the reason that's
important is because CJ is going to if he gets
an extension, get a deal way north of thirty three
per year, and that's what you're giving Baker Mayfield right now,
and you're only offering him two years. See the thing
about this, to me, the reason I think he's really
talking about this disrespect Sure, it's the per year total,

(56:20):
But if you offer a guy like him a two
year deal and he's what thirty two, he's not thirty eight,
he's not forty, that's what you offer those guys, You
offer them two year deals. Forget about the money. That's
the disrespectful part, because what he's thinking is the same
thing we're all thinking. If Tampa Bayta size tomorrow, we
need to go in a different correction at quarterback. Who

(56:42):
are you getting out there that's better than Baker Mayfield
right now? Nobody that's already playing in the NFL and
nobody in the draft.

Speaker 2 (56:48):
They're trying to let all three years he's been there
with Todd Bowles. They're trying to win the division and
win the playoffs. If they have decided that Baker Mayfield
is not their future, then the organization is not trying
to do that anymore, and then they might be don't know.

Speaker 3 (57:00):
And if that's the case, then they're jerking around with
the guy's career, and that's why he's saying the things
he's saying. I'm sorry, once you use the disrespect term,
he's gone. Why they they they're not. I don't think
they're jerking around with his career. I think they're not
certain that their roster is good enough to win with
while he makes fifty five million dollars a year. Well
that's a that's a books problem, not a baker problem.

(57:21):
So let him go somewhere else. If you're not gonna pay,
that's what they are.

Speaker 1 (57:25):
What makes you what? What? What other course could they
be taking?

Speaker 3 (57:27):
That's why keep saying no. But that's why he keeps saying.
I think he's got his foot out the door. And
if they're having negotiations where they're offering him these halfway
deals and the franchise tags being discussed, that's bs that
you're you're That's why I say you're they're they're jerking
with him because he knows there's a buttload of teams
out there that will give him what he wants. And

(57:48):
if Tampa Bay's not going to do it, then stop
talking about about.

Speaker 1 (57:51):
Two years deal.

Speaker 2 (57:51):
Besides Houston, which is by far from a given because
they currently have a quarterback, they they'd love to pay
him the money. They just start trying to take their
time to make sure he's earned it. In Minnesota, Vikings,
Vikings would probably be one. Pittsburgh Steelers. Probably it's tough
because of how they're spending. They're paying twenty five million
for their quarterback. Yeah, could they pay fifty five? Could

(58:12):
they pay fifty two? If they want to win, they
probably should. How about the Broncos. The Broncos and Sean
Payton come on, probably love Bonix? Yeah, but bo Nicks
and Baker Mayfield love Bonick.

Speaker 1 (58:25):
Who's better?

Speaker 8 (58:25):
Though?

Speaker 1 (58:25):
With that defense? It's kind of similar to the Texans.
But bow Mix doesn't make any money.

Speaker 3 (58:29):
I know, I get all that. I'm just talking about
pure quarterback talent.

Speaker 2 (58:33):
But you're still you're all this Baker love, and I
don't disagree with anything you said.

Speaker 1 (58:38):
It's gonna cost you. He's not a top ten quarterback.

Speaker 3 (58:40):
That's why I think the Texans are because if you're
talking about investing a bunch of money in your quarterback position,
you better be sure about it. And I think you're
more sure if you're investing it in Baker Mayfield than
you are with CJ. Shroud at least. On July thirty,
at twenty twenty.

Speaker 5 (58:53):
Six the ad on Sports Talking.

Speaker 1 (59:00):
He sent me a message during the break.

Speaker 3 (59:02):
Actually it was sent during that segment, and I'll keep
this person anonymous, but he has said this more than once.
I'm telling you all what's gonna happen. Texan's gonna lose
the first two games of the season. Everybody's gonna be
calling for CJ's head, and then they're gonna rip off
like eight wins in a row. That's very, very twenty
twenty five of the Texans.

Speaker 1 (59:22):
If they do that again this year, I'd like to
see an eight and two football team.

Speaker 3 (59:26):
Yeah, but if the two games you lost to were
AFC playoff bound teams that you might see again in
the postseason, I don't know if that's what you want
to do.

Speaker 2 (59:33):
So take the l against him in the regular season
this time. I just as soon beat them and then
beat them again.

Speaker 1 (59:41):
Okay, especially Josh expecting him to go ten and zero.

Speaker 3 (59:45):
No, but the Bills, and I'm not even kidding when
I say this. I think he's a great quarterback, but
there are just certain teams and matchup problems that guys have,
and this doesn't happen as much in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (59:56):
It's more of an NBA thing.

Speaker 3 (59:58):
But you know, Josh Allen got the schedule, saw he
had to go to Houston in Week one, and was like, are.

Speaker 1 (01:00:02):
You guys kidding me?

Speaker 3 (01:00:04):
This is supposed to be by culmination, I should be
opening at home in my brand new stadium. I'm one
of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Instead, I'm gonna
get my head kicked in for the umpteenth time by
that Texans defense.

Speaker 1 (01:00:14):
I'm one hundred percent positive.

Speaker 2 (01:00:16):
He did comment on that opening game of the season,
equally positive.

Speaker 1 (01:00:20):
He did not say that, of.

Speaker 2 (01:00:21):
Course, he's not gonna say that outwardly, but in his
head he's scared. No, he acknowledged. He acknowledged that going
to Houston has not been good for him.

Speaker 3 (01:00:29):
It's weird, though, because, like I said, this just does
not usually happen in the In the NFL, it's you know,
it's like a bad matchup.

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
That's what you play very often for one thing, and
you know, some personnel changes so much you win the
division a bunch, and the Texans win the division a bunch,
like they've done with Kansas City before last year where
neither of them won the division. That's how you end
up creating This is what Peyton Manning and Tom Brady
obviously did. They they shouldn't have played each other. But
if you're on the best team and they're on the
next best team and you're in a different division, we

(01:00:59):
should be winning division a lot. And that's how you
start to create these rivalries. There's been a postseason game
between them. I'm not sure that it means much now
considering how long ago it was, and the Texans are
just so dramatically different than that version of that team.
To Shawn started that game and won that game, right
thanks to Taiwan Jones. That's twice this week. You're welcome, Taiwan.

(01:01:19):
Josh Allen the third highest rated quarterback in the postseason
among active players, Baker Mayfield is first.

Speaker 3 (01:01:27):
Just as I suspected, he's gonna look really good in
the Texans uniform.

Speaker 1 (01:01:30):
You'll thank you later. I mean getting rid of the guy,
just bye.

Speaker 3 (01:01:36):
I'm not It's not about getting rid of it's about
getting a good quarterback.

Speaker 1 (01:01:41):
It is about getting rid of CJ. Now it's about
receiving Baker. What if Baker plays somewhere else.

Speaker 3 (01:01:47):
DJ's here, Yeah, but he won't be when Baker gets here.

Speaker 2 (01:01:52):
What if they offer him a two year, less than
one hundred million dollar contract and he feels disrespectfully.

Speaker 1 (01:01:57):
It's disrespectful exactly like CJ or Baker.

Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
CJ would probably be disrespected because he knows what guys
just like him got, and Kyler, Murray and Tua. I
think is a fair assessment. At the very bottom line
of it, those guys got their extensions. They didn't do
anything more than CJ. They actually did way less.

Speaker 3 (01:02:16):
And what happened with Tua They gave him that extension
and then promptly discarded him like yesterday's garbage.

Speaker 2 (01:02:21):
Now you're back to sitting on the textan side of
the table. You're right, they did get their money and
then what happened right.

Speaker 3 (01:02:28):
I mean again, it all goes back to the same thing.
You should play well this year.

Speaker 10 (01:02:32):
CJ.

Speaker 1 (01:02:33):
It behooves you. I just wanted to use the word behooves.

Speaker 2 (01:02:35):
He wants to I can assure you practice today. Just
a couple things on that don't know if we mentioned
it earlier. We will give you a little bit of
what Brian McTaggert had to say earlier today, won't he
visited with the Matt Thomas Show with Ross, But we'll
do that in a little bit. CJ's work today noted
it on the Walking Out with We's version of my

(01:02:56):
first report to you guys.

Speaker 1 (01:02:57):
I have four hours to get the real report to you.

Speaker 2 (01:02:59):
Hear they did a little bit more today, still working
through a bunch of offensive line combinations that we're not
at liberty to tell you about explicitly, but it is
as obvious as you would expect it to be. Everything
we talked about in the ten on the Texan series
is definitely what has been seen through two days. But
it's also two days of non padded practices very early
in training camp, so it's not necessarily how they're going

(01:03:22):
to play it out with what they're doing on the
interior with the snapper of the football and what they're
doing on the tackle spot that isn't manned by Arianta Urseri.
Two different sets of eleven on elevens from seven on sevens,
mixing them together, one of them looked very good for
the offense. One of them looked less good for the offense.

(01:03:43):
Some of the pre snap issues that they don't want
to see anymore were in play. I think there's a
couple of reasons for it, and mainly it's from the
lack of continuity between the quarterback and center that was
working together. But the other series that worked out very well.
What he marks is still running in advance of David Montgomery.
I'm not calling one of them RB one and on

(01:04:04):
one of them RB two, but the same way they
line up during drills, which they have done from moment
one of this offseason. That's just how they're currently lining
up now. When the first group of players go out there,
Wood he's out there first, David Montgomery and here basically
you know, making their way through the early early days
of camp. First two passes were to each of them.
What he marks out outside to CJ's left was plenty

(01:04:28):
of space, not his first or second read, so he
makes the catch and squirts his way into the end zone.

Speaker 1 (01:04:33):
All these are red zone throws.

Speaker 2 (01:04:34):
Second play, David Montgomery was lined up and got in
a matchup with Henry Toatoa, put his right foot in
the ground and busted outside left and got Henry leaning
inside where his right foot was because he's on CJ's
left and that got him I open and got a
few people on the sidelines because all these plays take
in front of are are held. If you're throwing a

(01:04:56):
pass to CJ's right, then all the defensive players that
on the field, it's their side of the field. If
you're throwing a pass to CJ's left, then it's all
the offensive players that he's essentially sending the pass into.
And that's where David Montgomery created a big opening, made
the catch and tried to stay in bounds and head
on into the end zone. There were quite a few
audible ooz and ohs from the offensive side on the sidelines,

(01:05:19):
including their new assistant wide receivers coach. So hopefully it's
not just use your backs out of the backfield because
they're your last resort.

Speaker 1 (01:05:28):
They're the dump off there.

Speaker 2 (01:05:30):
Let's not have a negative play, but actually use them
because they're an advantage because they can create openings, create
big plays, and take advantage of linebackers who might not
be able to cover them. I know we've seen it
in David Montgomery's career because he's been used out of
the backfield a bunch with Chicago and some with the
Detroit and Wood. He should be used much more out
of the backfield, I think, so with two of them there,

(01:05:50):
maybe it's something we'll see more of. And that series
of plays ended with Nico Collins and we're a little
bit blocked, so I can't say for certain how he
was lined up and created opening, but it looked like
he was coming from the slot and did what I
talk about for about twenty years here. Oh you're Andre Johnson.
Oh you're DeAndre Hopkins. Hey Nico, we're in the red zone.

(01:06:10):
We're at the goal line, which this play was. You
can't defend it. He's on CJ's right, or he's on
his left. He's in the slot, and he's going to
take his route right across the face of the defender,
so he's in front of him. He put the ball
right there in his bread basket, hit him in the numbers,
hit him in the gut, and it's a completion, and

(01:06:31):
it's likely a touchdown like ninety nine percent of the time.
And that's how they closed out that short sequence, a
very positive one for the Oh.

Speaker 3 (01:06:39):
Nico Collins has to be on the field for how
many games in order for everything you want to have
happen for the offense.

Speaker 1 (01:06:48):
I want the answer to not matter.

Speaker 2 (01:06:49):
And I maybe in a small group, but I think
that group is going to grow very very quickly the
more you see Jayden Higgins.

Speaker 1 (01:06:56):
He's only in year two.

Speaker 2 (01:06:58):
It's a lot to ask for any receiver that wasn't
so obviously Jamar Chase or Drake London or Justin Jefferson.

Speaker 1 (01:07:06):
But I just there's I don't know what not to like.

Speaker 2 (01:07:10):
I really think they could utilize him in such a
such a strong way this year, and I really thought
they should have and could have last year. Kind of
understand why that teams don't, but I will not understand
why they don't or if they don't this year, regardless
of if Nico Collins is on the field. Dimico had
something to say about that today, so we'll share that
with you as we continue here. So a couple of
things still on the rise, and a little bit of

(01:07:31):
Demico on that other receiver Jade Niggins mentioned Brian McTaggart.
We'll hear from him a little bit. And it's okay
to scoreboard watch in Major League Baseball. A wild afternoon
of scoreboard watching already underway for your Houston Astros.

Speaker 1 (01:07:45):
We'll tell you about that next.

Speaker 3 (01:07:48):
It is the A Team Sports Tax seven ninety s
h n Well Astros baseball conversations sound good for you.

Speaker 1 (01:07:56):
They are a half game out of first place.

Speaker 2 (01:07:57):
Half game out of first place, because if you were
score watching earlier today or listening to the Matt Thomas
Show with Ross As, they were breathlessly giving you updates
on Rangers Rays. They started their three game series on Tuesday,
so they were still on the field today before they
made their way out of Saint Pete to head on
down to Houston. The Rangers picked up two hits, the

(01:08:18):
Rays picked up three runs and beat them three to
two with an eighth inning homer from Cedric Mullins and
quick work in the ninth inning with a couple runners
on Ego Duran struck out, and that's why the Astros
are just a half game back. When those two teams
hit the field tomorrow with Nativaldi and Hunter Brown scheduled
to tow the slab at Dykin Park, But that wasn't

(01:08:40):
the most interesting scoreboard watch this afternoon the Astros. Do
you remember how the Astros played their season series with
the Minnesota Twins this year? I actually it's complete. They've
played all six games. I actually don't, but I don't
feel like it went well. It went very poorly. Minnesota
beat them for out of those six games. So should
those those two teams end in some sort of wild

(01:09:03):
card tie, whether it's for seeding, which wouldn't be the
end of the world, or for the final spot in
the wildcard race like that would ever happen with the
Astros tying a team in the Central for the final
wild card spot hadn't happened since last year. It would
be nice if you weren't in a tie situation with
the Royals, which I really didn't think they would be in.
As we continued our program today, considering they got zero

(01:09:25):
hits off the Kansas City Royals through the first six innings,
ended up getting a single to lead off the seventh inning.
About off Noah Cameron, but he didn't care. He got
another six outs and brought the game to the ninth
inning with his Royals up three to nothing. Good day's work,
that's enough. We don't need any more from you. It's
all good. We got one of our closers ready to go.

(01:09:47):
Let's bring Ursig into the game. And he also agreed
with that. First batter was Victor Karattini. He's not getting
a hit. He's out, next batter, same thing, two outs,
nobody on, three to nothing lead for the Royals. Ryan Jeffers,
who's probably getting traded, steps to the plate. He gets
hit by a pitch. Then oft injured royce Lewis continues

(01:10:10):
the ninth inning and he singles, So it's first and second.
You're still down three. There's two outs, big deal. And
then fourth ball of the bat to Josh Bell, but
it's challenged by Salvey. He knows what he's doing back there.
Sometimes he only missed by one point six inches, like
no chance, so the ball was confirmed. Well, now the

(01:10:32):
tying runs on first base and Roger Clemens kid is
at the dish and he had a four run homer,
a walk off grand slam bottom of the ninth, two outs.
Cody Clemens clubs the game winning slam, his nineteenth home
run of the season. He has been humongous for the Twins,

(01:10:55):
who heading into the weekend, will now have the same
record as the Astros fifty five and fifty five, each
of them one game back of the Guardians for the
final wall carts.

Speaker 3 (01:11:05):
But as my mother in law in Kansas City will
no doubt agree never underestimate the Royals ability to screw
things up.

Speaker 2 (01:11:13):
I did come across a post on the X platform
during the break that said, man, if you're a Royals fan,
not just right now but pretty much, ever, how do
you not walk into a lake?

Speaker 3 (01:11:24):
She'll tell you that too. But she's also a cheese fan,
So I don't feel sorry that the.

Speaker 2 (01:11:28):
Royals who boast Vinnie Pasquentino and Bobby wit Junior on
their il right now is really not why they stink.
They're forty six and sixty four. The up and coming
next version of Hey, this is a this is the
Astros from twenty fifteen twenty sixteen. No, it's not the Royals,

(01:11:48):
because it's the Orioles who are about to put it all. No,
it's not as easy as you think, because the next
version of the Astros, and probably next year we're going
to be told it's the White Sox who are probably
going to the playoffs this year. I think they do
lead their division. Well, at least they're going to the playoffs.
Maybe they are only a couple of games up on
the White Sox, and that means they are also only

(01:12:09):
a couple of games up on Houston and Minnesota, and
again that same Orioles organization you're talking about just swept
the Astros. Yeah, that's but the reason, and that's what
makes those games like the Minnesota game today maddening in
that that could end up playing a huge role. The
games they lost to Baltimore, you should have won Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, and they won once.

Speaker 1 (01:12:30):
I know.

Speaker 2 (01:12:33):
Two of those three. It was Yeah, they were close games.
It was the well, it was the giveaway portion of
the games.

Speaker 1 (01:12:39):
Was the blowout? Right, is that recall it's been a minute.
It's been a minute. I've slept since then.

Speaker 2 (01:12:45):
They scored two runs in all three games, the Astros. Yeah,
and the Orioles beat them three, two, four to two,
and five to two.

Speaker 3 (01:12:53):
Why did I feel like they blew them out in
that last game. I don't know, Maybe I'm thinking of
a different series. There's a lot of games. But anyway,
thanks for nothing, Royals.

Speaker 2 (01:13:03):
Yeah, just stuff you you get to enjoy or have
ANNGST over as the playoffs draw closer. That's why baseball
is just a little bit different than every other sport.
As you get closer to the playoffs and we're still
not even really particularly close. One hundred and ten games
in for Houston and Minnesota, both at fifty five and
fifty five, and a chance to drive over five hundred
tomorrow when the Astros take on the Rangers. A win

(01:13:25):
would give them the season steries, give them the silver boot,
and put them in first place in this division. I
mentioned the White Sox earlier just to remind you. The
White Sox are in first place. However, they only have
fifty six wins. They are playing the Yankees right now
and nobody scored until the tenth inning. Yankees are on
the road, so they pushed to run across across in
the top of the tenth. If that result holds the

(01:13:47):
division leading White Sox a fifty six win team, the
team that trails them in the standings in their division
a fifty six win Guardians team, the Astros a fifty
five win team.

Speaker 3 (01:14:00):
Well, the Yankees have two on with two out in
the top of the tenth, so they may not be done.
Hopefully they are. Hopefully they're done anyways, because they're good players,
are hurt.

Speaker 2 (01:14:09):
They're done.

Speaker 1 (01:14:11):
You think they're done.

Speaker 2 (01:14:12):
I think there's a one hundred perchance that fun de
Mingez will fly.

Speaker 3 (01:14:17):
Out you're watching the actual real time game and not
the ninety billion second delay feed.

Speaker 1 (01:14:24):
In here in the studio that I'm watching.

Speaker 2 (01:14:26):
Which is why I still push back on Yeah, just
I just stream it.

Speaker 1 (01:14:31):
Now. We're in a.

Speaker 2 (01:14:32):
Very unique streaming through this service, through our TV. We
know we're far behind a Moving from game to game
is rather difficult when you're watching sports on a stream,
and I just don't want to be five seconds behind,
ten seconds behind, forty five seconds behind if I can
avoid it.

Speaker 3 (01:14:51):
But also download the free iHeartRadio apphere you can hear
every Astros game in crystal clear sound. It's it's it's
that isificantly less. Yes, absolutely, like I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:15:03):
I'm almost mad that I brought up the delay we
have in here because it's not relative to anybody else.
This is out of control.

Speaker 3 (01:15:09):
That's for when you cuss, yes, bad delay, some button
and all that. I would never do such a thing.

Speaker 1 (01:15:14):
Okay, I do.

Speaker 3 (01:15:16):
And by the way, we're gonna get to the Brian
McTaggart replay in the next hour in case you're wondering
about that. You mentioned the Silver Boot series and we'll
discuss that next segment.

Speaker 1 (01:15:25):
Real quick. Have you been paying attention to this.

Speaker 3 (01:15:28):
Feud in Philadelphia between Uh, it's a member of the
of the Phillies, right, that's one side of it, and
then the other side of it is a member of
the Phillies.

Speaker 2 (01:15:39):
So there's something going on inside Don Mattingley's clubhouse.

Speaker 1 (01:15:42):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (01:15:43):
Bryce Harper and Dombrowski don't like each other. That's not
in the clubhouse. Well, it's kind of in the clubhouse.
He doesn't put a costume on. I may how many
times remember when Dallas Kychele said hey, we need some
help at the deadline and we didn't get it. He
was actually took a step further and then they went
out and got Verlander at the second deadline because that
used to exist back then. Yeah, Dobrowski's he's very very

(01:16:05):
mad at Bryce Harper because Bryce Harper said they needed help.
Unbelievable that he would say such a thing. Anyway, it's
heating up trade deadlines right around the corner.

Speaker 1 (01:16:15):
We'll discuss that.

Speaker 3 (01:16:16):
We'll discuss the Silver Boot series and so much more
as the four o'clock Hour gets underway next.

Speaker 8 (01:16:23):
The ad on.

Speaker 1 (01:16:27):
Four o'clock Our underway here.

Speaker 3 (01:16:30):
On a Thursday edition of the show, Sports Talk seven
ninety schn he's WEX, I may see. Josh Jordan is
our producer as we take you until six o'clock tonight.
No Astros tonight, but they did gain a half game
on the Texas Rangers, and that's fantastic when you consider WEX.
Who's on the schedule next for the Astros.

Speaker 2 (01:16:50):
The Rangers are coming to Houston after they're lost this
afternoon to the Rays. The Astros over the last three
days did nothing but win and the Rangers, and there
last three games one once. The Astros now just a
half game back of the Rangers. As you head into
that series, obviously, the math should tell you that their
first place team if they take two out of three
from the Rangers. If they take all three, then now

(01:17:12):
they've created a two and a half game advantage over Texas.
They have won six of the ten games in the
season series so far have Houston. So the silver boot
will be theirs if they win one of the three
the season series, and thus tiebreaker will be theirs much
more importantly if they win one of the three. But
if they only win one of the three, then yay,

(01:17:34):
they'll have the tiebreaker, but boo, they won't be in
first place.

Speaker 1 (01:17:39):
Yeah, I don't know what to make that.

Speaker 2 (01:17:41):
Like.

Speaker 3 (01:17:41):
I'm happy that Hunter Brown will be pitching in this series.
I'm happy that the offense has been finding ways to
manufacture runs at times, even if it came against the Angels.

Speaker 1 (01:17:54):
I'm not gonna say.

Speaker 3 (01:17:55):
I'm not gonna sit here and be like, oh, they
should have been doing this, it's the Angels.

Speaker 2 (01:18:00):
Well, if the Angels don't give it one of the
games away, but why did they? Because that's who they are.
You got to take advantage of that. It's not gonna
happen every night, but when it does, make sure that's
a game that you make them pay for it, which
they obviously did well. There are certain teams where you
know you're gonna be facing whatever caliber starting pitching, and
if you get behind against those clubs, that could be
bad news, except for you know that their bullpen will

(01:18:23):
blitch you get right back in it.

Speaker 3 (01:18:24):
I'd say the Angels are one of those teams. I
don't think the Rangers are though.

Speaker 2 (01:18:28):
Yeah, surprisingly the Rangers haven't pitched particularly well today.

Speaker 1 (01:18:31):
They pitched very well but lost.

Speaker 2 (01:18:33):
But I haven't pitched particularly well since the break, not
unlike pretty much everybody in this division except for the
Angels and Astros, who have had the two best pitching
staffs since the All Star break, and as long as
that continues, you're in good shape. Rangers kind of a
little not sure what they're gonna get from Jacob de Grom,
and he's expected to go Saturday. Have Aldi's been good,

(01:18:53):
but far from the pitcher he has been his previous years. Well,
He's had a lot of good outings, both against Houston
and many over the years. Being a bomb Rocker and
Lighter have been hit or miss, and obviously Lighter with
an injury situation, Mackenzie Gore has been far less than
what they hoped for, though he pitched well in his
last Doubting today, they they're just an okay team. They're

(01:19:17):
a little bit better with Wyat Langford in the lineup.
They've got a shockingly productive leadoff hitter. Now, I don't
think anybody wants to hear it, but it's just the truth.
Jack Peterson's been very good this year, even after his
ridiculously awful start that some thought they might dfam. But
he's come around and as a leadoff hitter draws a
lot of walks, which has been a humongous problem for

(01:19:39):
the Astros' pitching staff, and he said a bunch of
homer is probably going to finish the year twenty twenty
five home runs out of their leadoff spot. Still probably
a ways off from Corey Seeger just now starting a
rehab assignment, although he was terrible in his limited.

Speaker 1 (01:19:54):
Use so far this year.

Speaker 2 (01:19:56):
The Astros still feel I've said many times that I
don't have a lot of talent. Talent is the reason
they're losing. And I don't mean to change that thought
because I don't want to say that. I believe that,
but I also don't think the talent that they have
should be should have been playing the way they were.
And I'm not trying to make this a ninety six
win team. Maybe it's an eighty six win team, maybe

(01:20:17):
it's an eighty four win team, but an eighty four
and seventy eight Houston Astros team could absolutely win this
division and possibly more in the postseason the longer they
keep going with the best record in the American League.
And they're now fifty nine games into that thirty five
and twenty four over their last fifty nine games back
to May twenty second, nobody in the American League since
May twenty second, which wasn't this month or last month,

(01:20:40):
two months ago, two months worth of baseball, more than
half of what this season has been. This ridiculous Astros
team has outplayed all fourteen American League teams.

Speaker 3 (01:20:51):
He just said eighty four and seventy eight, Like, I
was just gonna let that slide. Six games over five
hundred and this division should be running away with it
in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (01:21:00):
Well, you've got fifty two games left to get to
eighty four and seventy eight, so you're gonna win twenty
seven times.

Speaker 1 (01:21:10):
They could the way she's playing, the way they're playing.

Speaker 2 (01:21:12):
Yeah, just twenty seven and twenty one. That's forty eight games.

Speaker 3 (01:21:16):
Again, you mentioned some of the pictures for the Rangers,
as it's slated right now for tomorrow night's Apple TV game.

Speaker 1 (01:21:25):
So you're gonna find it right here on Sports Talk
seven ninety exactly.

Speaker 3 (01:21:28):
There's no other place to watch it because nobody has
Apple TV. Brown versus that bum that you mentioned, that's
the opening matchup. Then Renelle Blanco and Jacob de Grom,
who's starting on your show here, Okay, what version of him?

Speaker 1 (01:21:45):
Are we getting?

Speaker 2 (01:21:46):
The version of him that can outpitch tatsu Emi little
bar Well, that's why it's starting. If they have not
announced this, I'm making a guess. I don't think they'll
even announce it tomorrow, but it's possible, likely.

Speaker 1 (01:22:00):
Going against Rocker for the Rangers on the finale. I
would bet the Astros don't announce it. And maybe even.

Speaker 2 (01:22:09):
As Joe's asked about it mid afternoon Friday for his
visit with the media, maybe he even goes so far
to say Xavier is available in the bullpen to make
the Rangers think he's available in the bullpen, and he might.
They might even send him out there. But I don't
see anyway. I mean, just how much longer do you go?
What when is the tipping point? What part of the

(01:22:30):
season do you finally say we can't just flip a coin.
We can't just hope. We don't have the length of
runway left anymore to say. We don't know if he's
gonna pitch well or not. We don't know if he's
gonna screw over the team for the next four days.
Because we had to put somebody in in the first
inning or early in the second inning. We don't have
that opportunity anymore. I don't know what it means for

(01:22:52):
Imai himself, but this is not about him anymore. It's
about them. Can you get a couple innings out of
him someday? You'd like to have a game sometime in
the next few around when he could start, which is Sunday,
and have a twelve to three lead, and say, man,
we're in the seventh inning of a twelve to three game.
Get yourself ready to go where he hits you two
innings here and see if you can work on a

(01:23:14):
few things while you're not hurting the team, because he
is definitely working on things while he's pitching in Major
League Baseball games for a desperate team trying to win
a division and get to the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (01:23:25):
And I think they've reached that point.

Speaker 2 (01:23:26):
I do not think they can afford to send him
out there with other viable options. And Christian Xavier, even
if he hadn't gone out there and just blitzed a
team with five innings of excellence like he did the
other day when e might did not, then I think
they would still have to make this decision for Hobby
or somebody else. But they have viable options. He's the
best option currently and he's obviously lined up to do it.

(01:23:49):
So yes, that's the call I would make. We barely
talked about last night starter like Renel Blanco two weeks ago.
Hayden was nesky first start of the season, and boy
did it start badly. Don't come out there after throwing
all those strikes to terrible minor league hitters and not
give Zach Nettle anything to barely even look at. Just

(01:24:12):
an easy go stand up there and you're gonna walk
to lead off the game. Four different angels followed with
one hundred plus exit vel crop just absolute crush jobs.
One of them was hit at Jose al Tuove thankfully
or it might have been worse. And as it became
three nothing, I don't think I said it out loud,

(01:24:32):
but I was thinking to myself, man, pitch count teams
in trouble, a couple runs on the board, he really
needs a double playball, and he got it and he
got out of the inning, and that was that.

Speaker 1 (01:24:43):
Zero's the rest of the way.

Speaker 2 (01:24:44):
He was really sharp, not only getting those innings, and
he nearly gave them six pulled after five and two thirds,
but not a lot of drama in those innings, not
a lot of pitches in those innings.

Speaker 1 (01:24:56):
There was a big.

Speaker 2 (01:24:57):
Struggle, strenuous first inning back for Hayden was nesky, and
it was the opposite for the rest of his evening. Again,
he was a batter away from giving him six innings.
He only needed seventy nine pitches to do it.

Speaker 3 (01:25:12):
After a long first inning, and our boy Bennett Suso
with the eighteen karma, goes out there and goes an
inning in a third Oker gets the final two outs.
And then how about the he's back, Brian A Bray
You getting the save? I mean, because Josh Hater can
do it every night.

Speaker 2 (01:25:28):
Four of the last five games Hayter had been out there,
even though he only threw four pitches in the win
in the middle game of this series. I think they
really realized this is a perfect opportunity to say, I
don't care if you even say you can go. You
rest today, You're getting Thursday off and maybe we won't
need you and you can kind of slow down. How
often they've had a lot of close games and he's

(01:25:49):
been excellent, and fourteen opportunities to save them, he has them.
And he's also pitched in a lot of tai game situations.
How he's picked up three victories and a loss, so
somebody else had to step up, and brian O Bray
has it wasn't even laborious for him, got the final out,
like you mentioned in the eighth inning, wasn't really in
trouble during those at bats. You know the Jose Siri

(01:26:13):
leads off, he gets them out, throwing a one to
two pitch, gets them to ground out. Next batter, same
thing he's throwing a one to two pitch gets him out.
He takes two strikes netto leads off that at bat,
he's in a hole two. That's how that's winning pitching.
It's not what Brian A. Bray was doing at the
beginning of the season. Whether his stuff is hitting ninety seven,

(01:26:34):
whether he's getting swings and misses, he's he had to
start throwing more competitive pitches.

Speaker 1 (01:26:40):
They don't.

Speaker 2 (01:26:41):
All these pitches that are called strikes aren't necessarily in
the zone, but they're your pitches. They're either being fouled
off or they're off the edges, and your stuff is
good enough and you're in such a pitcher's count that
you're winning the at bat before it's the result has
been turned in.

Speaker 1 (01:26:56):
That's what he did yesterday.

Speaker 3 (01:26:58):
Thirteen of his eighteen pitches strikes and hey, wex his
era is under five.

Speaker 2 (01:27:03):
Yeah, eighteen pitches to get four outs is also very
very good. Gonna be a difficult prospect for a reliever
to recover from what he did at the beginning of
the season, one inning at a time, every couple of days,
to try to drive that era to a much more
respectable level. I put out some numbers yesterday about the
Astros that I just mentioned earlier, thirty four and twenty

(01:27:25):
four yesterday now thirty five and twenty more twenty four
and it's the best record in the American League. And
somebody responded to that post, Hey, nice to cherry pick numbers.
I get it, and you can say that, and it
kind of is name them, But that's what you have
to do. If you want to make it look like

(01:27:46):
the Brian Abrady that's actually out there right now, you
do have to cherry pick his numbers. Go back his
last ten outings, or his last eighteen outings or last
twenty five outings.

Speaker 1 (01:27:55):
It's just not the.

Speaker 2 (01:27:55):
Same pitcher that was there at the beginning of the year.
Giving up three runs one run, one run three. He
runs one run, one one. All six of his first
six appearances he was scored upon to start this year,
all six times. You know how many times he hasn't
scored on since? Just nine times in the other thirty

(01:28:16):
five appearances. Different picture.

Speaker 3 (01:28:20):
It's not my favorite interaction that you had today on
social media. I like the one where you were responding
to the guy who thought you were having a stroke
two hours ago.

Speaker 2 (01:28:29):
That's because I forgot when you copy and paste from
notepad into x it takes all the spaces out. It
did look like that was what was happening, all right.
Brian McTaggart replay coming up next Thursday afternoon Happy Hour
right here on the A Team, Wexac and Josh with you.
Let's get into a little bit of the conversation you

(01:28:49):
might have missed earlier on the Matt Thomas Show with
Ross with Astros dot Com MLB dot com meet writer
for the Astros supervising club producer, supervisor, I should say
for he supervises things.

Speaker 1 (01:29:01):
Yeah he does.

Speaker 2 (01:29:02):
It's Brian McTaggart, and you hear him every Friday also
on the Astros on Deck show.

Speaker 1 (01:29:06):
So looking forward to.

Speaker 2 (01:29:07):
That tomorrow night in advance of Rangers Astros. His visit
can be heard in its entirety right there at Sports
Talk seven ninety dot com. Subscribe to their show, our
show of the morning Drive and you will get that
right there in your iHeartRadio up anytime at your disposal.
They portioned of it here for mister McTaggart with those
two midday gentlemen. Begins with his talk about well, the

(01:29:28):
Astros taking out the trash in Anaheim, sweeping the Angels.

Speaker 11 (01:29:31):
They did what they're supposed to do, the Astros. They
came and swept this series. Angels are not good. They
did not play good. That being said, I mean Astros
have to scratch and claw to win the first two games.
I mean Angels get wrapped in one of them. But yeah,
they're clearly a team that is not gonna is getting
worse because they made a trade yesterday.

Speaker 5 (01:29:51):
They're gonna make more trades. So one eight out of nine.

Speaker 11 (01:29:55):
Yes, they swept a couple of bad teams, but you're
supposed to do that. If you're a good team, you're
supposed to be the bad teams. And now they got
a better team coming up, so they're doing what they're
supposed to do. No matter how you get there, they're
getting it done. They needed a run like this. I
think we've talked about this for a while. They needed
to go on a eight out of nine, nine out
of ten.

Speaker 5 (01:30:14):
They've done it, got back to five hundred. So you know,
where do you go from here?

Speaker 11 (01:30:19):
You got to keep going and and try to close
this thing out. Over the last couple of months, the
Rangers have already made a trade. I had a couple
of pieces, so no doubt the Astros are going to
be buyers. I think they're definitely going to make a
trade or two. And you know it could happen here
at any moment to try to get better.

Speaker 4 (01:30:37):
Sets up a pretty sexy weekend series. Are we still
TBA on one of the starters for that three game series?

Speaker 5 (01:30:45):
Yeah?

Speaker 11 (01:30:46):
Sunday still TVA. That would have been EMI's day. Haven't
been told anything for sure, but my gut.

Speaker 5 (01:30:54):
Tells me that Christian Javier is starting that game.

Speaker 11 (01:30:56):
I mean he the way he pitched out the Bultan
the other day was like, okay, this.

Speaker 5 (01:31:01):
Is twenty twenty two, twenty twenty three.

Speaker 11 (01:31:03):
Javier, the way he just pounded the strike zone fifty
or seventy strikes. I mean, he was really good. He
pitched like a guy who wants to be back in
the rotation. And I just don't think the Ashers can
afford to put Emi out there, especially in a game
like this that the Astros this is the last chance
they'll get against the Rangers, last time they're going to
meet this year, and they need to win one of

(01:31:25):
these to win the season series, which of course could
loom really large if the two teams end up tied.

Speaker 5 (01:31:31):
I mean, it cost the Astros last year against the Tigers.

Speaker 11 (01:31:34):
So I just do not see Emi starting in this series.
I don't know if you start them the next series,
I don't know what you do with them. Frankly, I mean,
it's just can't afford to put him out there and
just be non competitive for an inning and get pulled
in the first inning. It just it just wrecks everything.
So I know they had some tough conversations the other

(01:31:54):
day with him. You know, no one has told us
what's been said, but I'd be really shocked.

Speaker 5 (01:32:00):
Female starts on Sunday, Yeah.

Speaker 12 (01:32:02):
Brian can It's funny we're talking about a team that's
won eight out of nine. Because I can hear the
uneasiness in your voice, and we all kind of feel
it too. And a lot of it is the rotation,
as you mentioned with Emi, and it's I mean, how
we feeling because wes Nesky was good good, It's has
settled in a little bit after the first inning as well.

Speaker 1 (01:32:18):
Blanco has been kind of uneven.

Speaker 12 (01:32:20):
It's still kind of hard for me to see the
vision of especially when it comes to the rotation of
this this team blossoming into a contender.

Speaker 5 (01:32:30):
Yeah, I think I feel a little.

Speaker 11 (01:32:31):
Bit better about the rotation than I did, you know,
a couple of weeks ago, you know, with the way
Hunter Brown pitched, and he looked like a guy who was,
you know, ready to become Hunter Brown again. And I
think Blanco and west Neski are gonna be guys who
can go five six.

Speaker 5 (01:32:47):
Innings and they just need that right now.

Speaker 11 (01:32:49):
I mean, how many times have we seen the starters
go one or two thirds two innings and it just
you know, puts everything on its side. But they could
use another starting pitcher. I don't think there's any doubt
about that. But man, starting pitchers are tough to get.
It's gonna cost you a lot and every team needs
starting pitching. So but also when I watched his team play,

(01:33:11):
I mean, the bottom half of the lineup is atrocious.
There's just too many outs and you just wonder, you know,
is this sustainable over the last couple of months with
his lineup. So you know, they definitely have to get
a left handed bat. I think to put in that
outfield because the outfield production is just really bad right now.

(01:33:31):
Cam Smith had a big hit yesterday, you know, to
give them the lead. I mean Cam's Cam only had
two hits on the road trip, and both of them
were hits in the sixth inning to give the Astros
the lead, So they were both huge.

Speaker 5 (01:33:42):
But in between, you know, he didn't do anything else.

Speaker 11 (01:33:44):
And then you know, Lucas Spence looks like he needs
to go back to triple AH.

Speaker 1 (01:33:49):
So it's a.

Speaker 11 (01:33:50):
Team with a lot of warts. But who else has
a lot of warts? The Mariners, so do the Rangers.
It's a winnable division and if they can we get
a little bit, get a couple of pieces, I think
they can do this.

Speaker 12 (01:34:04):
Brian McTaggart Astros dot com, MLB dot Com with us
here on at Sports Talk seven ninety and yeah, that
leads us to the obvious thought that they are going
to be buyers, and then the obvious question how much
are they going to be able to buy?

Speaker 11 (01:34:18):
I think number one, one and two are on the
same line reliever and at a left handed bat to
the outfield.

Speaker 5 (01:34:26):
For me, I think I told you before.

Speaker 11 (01:34:27):
I think the number one, I think I'm getting a
left handed bat before Friday. Go out there and get
somebody you can just put in the lineup and give
it just a little bit more length.

Speaker 5 (01:34:38):
The bullpen has been really good.

Speaker 11 (01:34:40):
I mean, I think they have the third best e
RA since May first and the major leagues, and they
pitched really well in this series against the Angels. They
they had four hitless innings the other night, pitched well
last night. So you look at the bullpen and like, Okay,
these guys are getting it done. But you'd always like
to add another arm. There's going to be a lot
of relievers out there on the mark, So starting pitching,

(01:35:03):
I think, is a different story. I think it would
be hard just with the money they're going to try
to want to stay under the luxury tax. They're already
walking a thin line there, so it's gonna be hard
to address all those, but they could just do a
couple of them, give them a little bit better shot.
You'd feel a little bit better about the lineup when
you see it every day. Maybe give you another bullet

(01:35:25):
out there in the bullpen too.

Speaker 4 (01:35:27):
Everybody is speculating on names, and one that has popped
up in the last I don't know, forty eight hours.
When I first heard it, I'm like, Eh, this just
doesn't feel right any sizzle to you know what I'm
going to ask about. You know how I'm gonna ask about,
don't you uh Springer? Yep, I don't see it at all.

(01:35:48):
I mean for a lot of reasons. Number one, he
hasn't been very good. He makes a lot of money.
The Astros aren't in position to take on a lot
of money. He really doesn't play much defense anymore, I
mean a d h so. And also he's right handed.
They need to they need a left handed hitter. So

(01:36:08):
just it's it's fun.

Speaker 11 (01:36:09):
I mean, they got Karel last year, you know, and
that you know that that's worked out pretty well, even
though he got hurt at it's just the no no, no,
no no no.

Speaker 2 (01:36:20):
It ultimately got him to say it in that manner
you hear him react like that doesn't play a whole
lot of defense. No, no, no, no, no. Seven innings
of defense so far this season for George Springer. He's
played left field for seven innings this year. And if
you heard from Brian, he also snuck in, well, they
have a designated hitter the Astros, truthfully, shortstop might be

(01:36:43):
the only possible concession to this comment. They could pretty
much train for any position that they clearly don't have.
You might have to maneuver around it, but they literally
only have one thing, a designated hitter, so trading for
another one would not necessarily be the way to go.

Speaker 3 (01:37:01):
By the way, you know, we were talking about George
Springer possibly coming to the Astros for another reunion. I
was getting text messages about that last night. I guess
that's been floated out enough that it's becoming a thing.

Speaker 2 (01:37:13):
Which is why Brian so violently was having like he
was having a violent reaction to it and saying no, no, no, no, no,
no no, I do not believe that is happening.

Speaker 1 (01:37:23):
He's not coming back to Houston. And that's what I.

Speaker 2 (01:37:26):
Could I understand for what they need any bat, because
Dan's flat out said that the last time he was
here on the air Wednesday morning, he essentially acknowledged it's
we're not so restricted into well, we need a left
handed bat, so that's all we were interested in finding.
If a right handed bat is available, and it's at
a price that they can not only afford but present
to the other team, that's good enough for them to

(01:37:47):
take the offer, then they'll do it. And Jeremy Payne
has been awesome. I shouldn't have even not included in
there because they don't need a shortstop.

Speaker 1 (01:37:56):
I don't.

Speaker 2 (01:37:57):
I'm not sure for how long that will be true
because he's not a contract after next year.

Speaker 1 (01:38:01):
But he's been awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:38:03):
He's been incredible offensively, and that's even with all the
time he's been in and out and in and out
of the lineup.

Speaker 1 (01:38:08):
So that's two spots.

Speaker 2 (01:38:11):
Esak Perettis is running on a pretty long streak of
being super helpful as the protector in the order for
Jordan Alvarez, it's all about everything else. It's all about four, five, six, seven,
eight and the nine spot in the order.

Speaker 3 (01:38:25):
That's a lot. Other than that, they're completely set right.

Speaker 2 (01:38:30):
Those guys aren't tragically bad because somebody usually comes through one.

Speaker 1 (01:38:34):
Day or the other day.

Speaker 2 (01:38:35):
Yiner was the guy the other day with four hits
and yesterday's game and a long ball. It's just not
very consistent, and there's nobody you would definitively say I
really like having him in the lineup today, and he
really provided. Who are you talking about? And what day
is it?

Speaker 1 (01:38:49):
It's a good point, all right. Speaking of that, What's
Up with that?

Speaker 3 (01:38:53):
As our signature segment every single Thursday at this time.
That's coming up next. You're gonna love it. You get
to use your imaging all over again. Which imaging though
you'll find out next.

Speaker 8 (01:39:07):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:39:12):
With that, that's how we talk to each other.

Speaker 2 (01:39:14):
Wex a true very welcome into What's Up with that
edition of the segment today. You were listening to us
during the break, which thankfully you cannot.

Speaker 1 (01:39:25):
It would have fit right in.

Speaker 2 (01:39:27):
Before we get into today's topic, which is about a dance.
Version two, let me just remind you of what's taking
place so far on today's Astros Off Day. Four games
have gone final. All four games were decided on last
at bat victories. I described to you a first ever
occurrence apparently what Cody Clemens did in the having been

(01:39:52):
no hit through the first seven innings of the game
and our six innings of the game, and then a
walk off grand slam.

Speaker 1 (01:39:59):
No, a walk off four run homers.

Speaker 2 (01:40:01):
The walkoff four run hovers never happened before major league history.

Speaker 1 (01:40:04):
Oh really?

Speaker 2 (01:40:04):
And I believe it was the thirty fourth walkoff grand
slam in Major League history.

Speaker 3 (01:40:09):
Is that the ultimate high low roller coaster ride for
a fan base?

Speaker 2 (01:40:13):
For sure?

Speaker 1 (01:40:14):
I mean sure, I can't think of much more we're getting.

Speaker 2 (01:40:16):
I mean, I guess it'd be nice to watch a
no hitter, even if it's against my team. The game
was in Minnesota, obviously, thus the walkoff, but mentioned how
that one went down clearly. We mentioned the last at
bat victory for the Rays, the home run in the
eighth from Cedric Mullins, and they carried that into a
three to two victory over the Rangers, which drew the
Astros within a half game. And I'd also mentioned that

(01:40:37):
the Yankees and White Sox decided scoring runs in the
first nine indies of the game was unnecessary.

Speaker 1 (01:40:42):
Neither of them did.

Speaker 2 (01:40:43):
Both scored a run in the tenth, and then after
the Yankees did not score in the top of the
eleventh inning without hitting a ball out of the infield.

Speaker 1 (01:40:53):
The White Sox won the game. They suck at Yankees,
suck it.

Speaker 2 (01:40:59):
Yeah, they intentionally walked Murakami, which I think the Astros
can get behind.

Speaker 1 (01:41:05):
Oh yeah, first and second, nobody out. He destroyed them.

Speaker 2 (01:41:08):
Miguel Vargas, who had already struck out twice and was
hitless on the day, he struck out for a third time.
So runners still at first and second and one out.
Antonachi ripped a ball down towards first base and it
was flagged down by Ben Rice, but he couldn't quite
corral it. It dribbled past him, and the bases were
loaded because the runner from second couldn't go all the

(01:41:29):
way around, so an infield single basses loaded, one out,
and Colson Montgomery, another awesome young White Sox player, at
the plate. Ball one ball, two, ball three, and then
three straight strikes. He struck out with the bases loaded
in a three to zero count. Then the next batter

(01:41:51):
ball one ball, two, ball three, ball four.

Speaker 1 (01:41:59):
Well, I don't feel bad for them.

Speaker 2 (01:42:02):
So really good news, obviously, if you're a fan of
somebody with some local ties. Cody Clemens nineteenth home run
of the year ties his career high for his season.
He's having his best season and that's pretty cool. This
deep into trying to make a go of it as
a major leaguer for the early portion of his career.
Fourth career walk off hit for him today, but it
also ties them with the Astros at fifty five up

(01:42:23):
and fifty five down.

Speaker 3 (01:42:25):
You know, it's fueling him to this best ever season.
Uh by Kadie b twelve. Oh wait that was his dad.

Speaker 1 (01:42:31):
Probably not.

Speaker 3 (01:42:32):
That's my favorite moment non baseball of Roger Clemens's career.

Speaker 2 (01:42:36):
So we'll see if the other are games that have
a lot less to do with the Astros and the
American League race. And similarly, over the course of the
rest of the afternoon, We're with you till seven o'clock
here locally with another edition of the Nightcap, and of
course tomorrow night at seven o'clock will be an hour
into our Astros coverage. Astros and Rangers this weekend first
of a three game series, the last three games against
one another this season, with just a half game separating

(01:42:58):
the two second place Astro's first place Rangers. But sing
segment time, it is what's up with that, and I
said it had to do with a dance, a very
famous dance, famous because we just absolutely craved every moment
of this dance, all twenty.

Speaker 1 (01:43:16):
Hours of it. How many episodes was it?

Speaker 2 (01:43:18):
Six ten, which I believe were at least an hour piece.

Speaker 3 (01:43:24):
No wonder every time I try to rewatch it and
you can ever finish.

Speaker 2 (01:43:27):
So that was the last dance that was that featured
Gary Payton, Isaiah Thomas, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr and a
bunch of other people and Michael.

Speaker 3 (01:43:38):
I like when they're all introducing themselves and Scotty's like,
I'm Scottie Pippen.

Speaker 1 (01:43:43):
It's got quite the deep voice.

Speaker 2 (01:43:44):
And when says Robin, it was a was Carmen interviewed, YEA, yeah,
I thought so. If you liked the Last Dance, which
was produced a documentary produced in art by Michael Jordan,
well you're gonna love the unnamed project that's in the works.

Speaker 3 (01:44:07):
Well, according to The Athletic via Front Off of Sports,
they're always both on the cutting edge of these types
of things. Lebron James and ESPN are close to a
deal to produce a Last Dance style documentary on his
career so, and it goes on to say NBA crews

(01:44:31):
have filmed him since he was a rookie, including never
before seen footage the Last Dance, even though it really
was about basically Michael's career individually and the team, you know,
at large, winning, it was also about that last championship season,
hence the name, and even that was what Phil Jackson

(01:44:53):
called it in his preseason binder. He gave the entire
squad just like Space, which was decent the first time around,
this is gonna suck.

Speaker 1 (01:45:06):
You already know it's gonna suck.

Speaker 2 (01:45:07):
Well, So this, the Last Dance, was clearly produced, created,
put together, and set for air decades after his career concluded.

Speaker 3 (01:45:17):
Yeah, Michael allowed the well the bulls. But Michael allowed
the film crew that last year unprecedented access and then.

Speaker 1 (01:45:25):
It sat in a vault for like twenty years.

Speaker 2 (01:45:28):
So we're gonna likely have unprecedented access for Lebron, even
though unprecedented now is different.

Speaker 1 (01:45:35):
And that's what really sets this all apart.

Speaker 2 (01:45:37):
There was so much there that great to remember it
or great to see it, or I didn't know about this,
or I never saw this. I'm sure there'll be some
parts of Lebron doc that we won't necessarily have seen,
but it's just a totally different era, you know, from
the early two thousands, because a little bit before that
as a as a non NBA player yet and a
high school phenom. We're talking about twenty five years, almost

(01:46:00):
all of it coinciding with this explosion of access via
social media, a number of other means to everything that's
taken place in and around his life. Much of it
we've seen, we're aware of, we've got a good handle
on it, and it's so much closer to his career.
But I brought up the fact that that was produced
after his career by so many years, and even though

(01:46:20):
they clearly had a name for it because of Phil's
involvement in that particular season. We don't know what this
Lebron James Philadelphia seventy six er season will be like,
and we know it's going to be a part of
the documentary, So not knowing that, but knowing all the
rest of his life and his travels through the NBA
and everything else that could be in this, do you
have a guess on what the title could be, which

(01:46:43):
would be based on how this season unfolds, putting a
capper on this.

Speaker 3 (01:46:48):
Doc something in the form of coronation, something about a king.

Speaker 2 (01:46:53):
But he's now going to win this year. No, and
the Last Dance was about the Last Chanceampionship winning. It
was specific to that, and that's not what's going to
happen here. I don't think think, but if it does.

Speaker 1 (01:47:06):
The amount of parallels here, I mean, the heartwarming stories.

Speaker 2 (01:47:10):
And Jordan are widely considered among the two greatest players
in NBA history. Who wrote that the documentarians might deviate
from the template of Jordan's Last Dance, but like most
everything else between the two all time greats, there will
inevitably be comparisons.

Speaker 3 (01:47:25):
All Right, I'm going to carry this over into the
next segment because as usual, my blood pressure is I.

Speaker 1 (01:47:29):
Said among as the writer did among.

Speaker 3 (01:47:32):
I want to know who that writer is too. Next,
so we're talking about the fake last Dance. I don't
even know what they would call this is. By the way,
Michael played what fifteen seasons.

Speaker 1 (01:47:49):
So you're counting all of the seasons.

Speaker 3 (01:47:51):
Yeah, like last Dance had nothing to do with his
Washington fiasco.

Speaker 2 (01:47:57):
Yeah, they had some stuff that ended up talk to
the director on the show. For those of you that
recall they had some wizard's footage were set to be
a part of the dock, and they showed it to
him on the iPad. He said, uh, huh, just kidding,
just made that story up right there. Yeah, Jordan put
in a few years with the Bulls, thirteen of them,
two more with the Wizards, fifteen total.

Speaker 3 (01:48:16):
I know, you know me or Lebron's work. Go ahead, Yeah,
it's true. When you're stat chasing and ring chasing and failing,
they're both ring chasing.

Speaker 1 (01:48:27):
Yeah, in one place, he wasn't chasing a ring.

Speaker 2 (01:48:31):
In Washington nineteen ninety eight, he won a ring. Michael did,
and then another year passed, and another year pass, another
year past, and another year pass and another year past.
He was playing in the NBA in that fifth season
two thousand and three, no rings, but he came back
in on one, didn't he that's not relevant to the story. Well,
you said a bunch of years. Yeah, five years after

(01:48:53):
his last championship he was playing NBA basketball. He didn't
win a championship in any of those five seasons, but
I just didn't want to mention. He didn't play any
basst in three of those five seasons, and he wasn't
chasing a ring?

Speaker 3 (01:49:04):
That's correct, Like you can you could feasibly say Lebron
is chasing a ring this year based on where he signed. Oh,
they got Jalen Brown to add to this core that
Joel Embiid might be a part of I Gotta go there.

Speaker 2 (01:49:19):
Which of the other fourteen all NBA players isn't.

Speaker 1 (01:49:23):
Chasing a ring?

Speaker 2 (01:49:24):
Yeah, well that's where the word chasing definition comes into play. Yeah,
Kevin Durantz definitely not an answer because he's chasing a ring.

Speaker 3 (01:49:36):
But if he would, like if Lebron had stayed in
La with Luca, wouldn't that also be considered chasing a ring?
Based on your definition?

Speaker 1 (01:49:44):
A great way to say it. My point is, what
do you want these guys to do?

Speaker 2 (01:49:51):
He could have stayed and he'd be crushed for chasing
a ring there, or he can leave and he's gonna
get crushed for chasing a ring there.

Speaker 1 (01:49:58):
What do we want from him? Options? See, go away?
That's what I want.

Speaker 2 (01:50:02):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:50:03):
And I'm serious when I say that. And I know
I don't know about you guys, but it makes me smile.

(01:50:23):
Well that's one of us.

Speaker 3 (01:50:25):
I just here's the thing. I know you're not gonna
believe this, and I know nobody listening is gonna believe this.
When this thing comes out, whatever monstrosity owed to him,
it's going to end up being because it's gonna be
ESPN's gonna be nauseating.

Speaker 2 (01:50:38):
Yeah, talks are aut the one yard line, but there
is no target date for release. I have, just like
Space Jams, I have zero desire to watch this.

Speaker 1 (01:50:47):
Will you No, I can pretty much guarantee you I
won't watch it.

Speaker 2 (01:50:51):
Hey man, we need to put to figure out what
we're talking about tomorrow. Okay, I was thinking maybe we could.
You know, you can do it at your own leisure,
but sometime before or two o'clock tomorrow in twenty twenty nine,
could you maybe watch the episode of one of The
Coronation of the King. It's dropping tonight. ESPN's gonna er
it and if you miss it, you can catch it
on their app.

Speaker 1 (01:51:12):
Nah wex.

Speaker 2 (01:51:13):
I'm just not gonna do that. If you want to
talk about this tomorrow on your show, by all means,
open the phone lines. Josh will be here. You guys
can talk about it, but I'm not watching it.

Speaker 3 (01:51:22):
That'll be the day I bring the PS five to
the show. Now, I'll just play that whenever you start
talking about it.

Speaker 2 (01:51:27):
A cultural phenomenon. It's probably a realistic description for the
last Dance. A lot of reasons why who it was
about still probably is one of the biggest, but the
timing of its release certainly was another reason. What is
this going to look like as we do the inevitable
compare to.

Speaker 3 (01:51:48):
Well, that's funny you should ask that because I don't
know what the numbers are. I mean, with streaming, you
get the exact number of viewers right.

Speaker 1 (01:51:57):
Well, you cannot deny the popularity or notoriety. It's immense.

Speaker 2 (01:52:04):
It's as big as any player who's played pretty much
any sport since Michael Jordan.

Speaker 1 (01:52:10):
It will be very widely consumed.

Speaker 3 (01:52:13):
And yet, what did we just have with the NBA Finals.
I'm not sure what you're looking for, since I don't
remember what the last one was. I mean, I'm sure
Lebron was involved in some of those higher rated ones,
but they didn't eclipse Nick's Spurs version two, which at

(01:52:36):
the end of the day, if you think about it,
I get the Knicks, I get the New York markets involved.

Speaker 1 (01:52:41):
Yeah, there wasn't.

Speaker 3 (01:52:43):
I mean, when Victor Winbin Yama has the broad worldwide reach,
But aside from him, where was the major star power
in this finals matchup?

Speaker 2 (01:52:56):
Yeah, that comes from a guy who shouldn't necessary me
could be the face of the NBA moving forward, but
he's in year three.

Speaker 3 (01:53:01):
But Lebron's a much bigger star in today's NBA. And
nobody liked that was on the Knicks. Apologies of Jalen Brunson. Yeah,
there's no question, But yet it was higher rated. Why
because the basketball was more captivating.

Speaker 2 (01:53:14):
I think that's a perfect word that's always struggled for
what words to describe it. It was captivating, it was entertaining,
it was intense, and it was undecided. And here's meaning
we had the unbelievable comeback, we have a tip into
win it. We had some of the things they make
you want to watch the game, regardless of well, I'm
watching because Lebron's playing or I'm watching because the Knicks
are playing.

Speaker 3 (01:53:33):
Here is something that's really going to be unpopular, but
I think it's the truth. Other than the two times
they faced off in the finals against the Warriors, I
just don't think of that being the word in any
of Lebron James's finals and that includes the heatles, that
includes the crappy non title in LA and the bubble,

(01:53:54):
other than when he matched up with the Warriors and
lost and then came back from three to one. Very
captivating basketball, particularly Game seven, particularly the last three minutes
because it went down to the wire. That's it. Lebron
James is as big as star power as you want
to call him, and all these people that think he's
the greatest of all time, they're misguided, youth. He's just
not been as captivating as like everything Michael did during

(01:54:17):
his winning.

Speaker 2 (01:54:18):
And you're probably selling it a little short my opinion
and could be wrong. He played great in the finals
nearly every time. Sometimes he was there ten times. That
Dallas series, he was ugh, he was That's definitely one
of the examples of when he had not just like
mediocre bad and the sweep at the hands of the
Spurs very early career.

Speaker 1 (01:54:40):
He did not play youth on that and the team
around him was terrible.

Speaker 2 (01:54:43):
Hard to say he didn't play really really well in
the others, really really really well. Yeah, he always regardless
numbers of the result. They only had two seven game series,
which is the same number of sweeps. Sometimes captivating in
this This most recent series clearly wasn't a seven game series,
So it's not that there's everything to it. Let me
ask you one other thing on this before we inevitably

(01:55:03):
don't talk about this till tomorrow next show. The drama
of the last dance is so obvious, with a retirement,
with putting a team together a second time to win
three straight times, winning three straight times, plenty of drama,
plenty of ups and downs in the career. Is it
just the the.

Speaker 1 (01:55:23):
New team drama?

Speaker 2 (01:55:24):
How he left Cleveland for Miami, how he went to
the next one, and how he ended up in La
Is that the drama of Lebron's story?

Speaker 1 (01:55:30):
That should this new one? Because what else?

Speaker 2 (01:55:33):
What's his career is just it's excellent, it's great basketball.
I think that's what the drama is. What's the other drama?
If I in the finals and recovering, because that you
don't have that in Michael's last dance.

Speaker 3 (01:55:44):
Well, if I were, and this is me again, Adam Clanton,
you know, certified Lebron hater. If I was tasked with
making this as universally appealing as possible, what I would
concentrate on the storyline?

Speaker 1 (01:55:57):
Would not be about that stuff.

Speaker 3 (01:55:59):
It would be about this guy was the most hyped
guy ever and somehow lived.

Speaker 1 (01:56:04):
Up to it.

Speaker 2 (01:56:05):
That's a really good point. Four championships. And the other
thing that they might be up against in producing this
is they really can't go the obvious route and say
we want you to take a look at this on
the iPad. It's very very Copycaddy, I'll have to figure
out a creative way to who's his Isaiah?

Speaker 1 (01:56:20):
Well that would be I'd be fun to find out
how the qualifications, but I didn't make the.

Speaker 2 (01:56:23):
Team Texans second day on the practice field today, we
will litter our Football at five segment with some of
what was seen out there and some of what is
to come as they get ready to put on the
pads early next week.

Speaker 3 (01:56:37):
The at on Sports Talk seven nineteen is underway and
it's July thirtieth, and it's Thursday. We're heading into the
first weekend after training camp has commenced. As you heard
wex so meticulously point out, and he has many times
before the break, and the real stuff's not starting until Monday.

Speaker 1 (01:56:54):
Just ask the GM of the Texans.

Speaker 2 (01:56:56):
Yeah, what blanket from Nick yesterday? But he's right when
they don't have the pads, which is what we saw
all off season. Oh, you've got a whole group of players.
There's only so much evaluation you can even have. And
that's the guy. Those are the guys in the trenches,
and then everybody else is, oh my god, what a
well he pulled up on that play.

Speaker 1 (01:57:12):
You certainly can't do anything well. You're playing your own team.

Speaker 2 (01:57:15):
In addition to that, but the the pad popping, even
when you're playing against your teammates, it's just different. And
they will get to that on Monday expectations. That's the
first day in pads. They will practice tomorrow inside the bubble.
They will practice on Saturday for the first of their
eight open practices for the fans, and then they will
take a day off on Sunday and get on the

(01:57:36):
pads for Monday mornings practice and start to get a
little bit better look at what the Texans have, maybe
a little bit better idea of what they'd like to
see from some of the guys up front in terms
of how they want to manipulate the work and the
competition on the offensive line.

Speaker 1 (01:57:53):
Just on that front.

Speaker 2 (01:57:54):
Before I get to something that new running back David
Montgomery had to say today about Demico Ryans saw someone
who does a really nice job of evaluating players in
the trenches offensive and defensive lines put together the best
defensive lines in the NFL, just ranked one through thirty two.
I was thoughtful that the Texans might be one, but

(01:58:17):
not shocked that they weren't.

Speaker 1 (01:58:19):
Did they go Seattle or Denver?

Speaker 5 (01:58:21):
Neither?

Speaker 1 (01:58:22):
Oh they went La, didn't they?

Speaker 3 (01:58:23):
They did well when you add the sacks leader to
an already great, ferocious front and defense overall.

Speaker 1 (01:58:29):
But I have a problem with that. They'll be wrongson.

Speaker 2 (01:58:31):
In the brief right up about the Rams, there wasn't
even a mention of and when Aaron Donald returns, and
that very well could keep them and push them even
further ahead at number one.

Speaker 1 (01:58:42):
But they're really really good. They were really really good without.

Speaker 2 (01:58:44):
Miles Garrett, and they're going to be really really good
with Miles Garrett.

Speaker 1 (01:58:48):
I think it was right around this year.

Speaker 2 (01:58:50):
Last year, at this time I was trying to tell
people I thought the Texans' toughest test of the season
in terms of a defense, said line they were gonna face,
was the opener against the Rams. I think the Rams
will be even better this upcoming year. The Texans did
come in.

Speaker 1 (01:59:08):
At number two. I should have won that game.

Speaker 2 (01:59:10):
They definitely could have, and they were in position to
do so late in the game, a couple of opportunities
on one side of the ball, and then obviously the
fumble late in the game when they could have maybe
tied the game in that situation. Texans at number two,
although I would probably put a different group of four
as their starters. Logan Hall someone I've talked about a
bunch and it was good to see him out there

(01:59:32):
these last two days. Not a tremendous amount of work
yet for him, as he did not practice with them
during the offseason. Some flexibility for him both outside and inside.
I think he could really help their interior pass rush.
But I'm not envisioning him starting for this team. The
same guys that were on the field to end the year,
the same guys that are gonna be able to field to.

Speaker 1 (01:59:51):
Start this year. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Speaker 2 (01:59:53):
Tommy Tols, you guys starting for this team. Sheldon rankins,
I don't think there's a debate. He's starting for this team,
and they're the guys that have been out there as
they gotten ready this offseason and now in training camp.
Those two flanked by Will Anderson Junior and Daniel Hunter
Logan Hall are not and that's great, but I think
they would rate the same place. I thought it last year,
and the Texans agreed when they extended him, and I

(02:00:15):
bet you they're going to extend TOJII again during this season.
I really think he's going to not just fill a spot,
plug a hole by time until Caden McDonald.

Speaker 1 (02:00:25):
Takes over for him. He's good.

Speaker 2 (02:00:28):
He is a helpful plus defensive player on a defense
full of them.

Speaker 3 (02:00:33):
Right, and that's why we keep talking about how their
super Bowl caliber. Every time you try to look for
kind of like a weakness, I mean, the only thing
you could really point to is saying, all right, this
is a bona fide weakness this year is that maybe
they don't have as much depth as they did at
this time a year ago.

Speaker 1 (02:00:54):
That's probably true.

Speaker 2 (02:00:55):
If you were seated in the audience at the New
Bills Stadium and practice facility as Week one as rolled around,
it's your first availability with Joe Brady, what do you think?
His answer to that question is, how would how do
you guys think you should attack this Texans defense?

Speaker 3 (02:01:10):
What how they should attack them versus what's their weakness.
I mean, if you ask him that question, he's gonna say.
I guarantee you he's gonna say they don't have one.
That's what he'll say. I'm not even kidding.

Speaker 1 (02:01:19):
What if he tried to answer it, it won't be read.

Speaker 3 (02:01:22):
Blakenship's definitely the weakness because he hadn't made an.

Speaker 2 (02:01:25):
I know Will Anderson's good and just say, hey, hear
me out. Stick with me to say Will Anderson great player,
loved him coming out of school, would have loved to
get our hands on him and the accolades that have
come his way the contract.

Speaker 1 (02:01:36):
He's a great player.

Speaker 2 (02:01:37):
But I think if you really attack him and you
run at him and you lock him up with Dion Dawkins,
I really think that's the way to go.

Speaker 1 (02:01:46):
I mean, listen, it's not. And again he's gonna have
to talk.

Speaker 3 (02:01:51):
He's gonna have to answer for their offense last year,
even though it's it's different. It's a new season and
Josh Allen can't possibly keep losing to the Texans list
impressively every time.

Speaker 2 (02:02:03):
And all that being said, those losses that he's suffered scoreboard,
it's not lopsided. No, very close, but again they had
their chances after the nine for twenty eight and after
the nine sacks, how about still had a chance to
win those games.

Speaker 3 (02:02:22):
How about the funny thing about that is the Bill's
fan base crazy as they are.

Speaker 1 (02:02:28):
Did you see that they have a broken table? That's
so great?

Speaker 2 (02:02:30):
I mean, creativity is one thing, genius is another. That
is genius there in the concourse area of the which
is kind of like an open air like a restaurant
that you can see all the ductwork kind of view
of it.

Speaker 1 (02:02:43):
Kind of like minute may or dyke in in that way.

Speaker 2 (02:02:45):
Yeah, there is a clearly it is a table that's
been broken in half. It's still in one piece, but
it's your typical table, you see it, Bill's tailgates where
you've jumped on it and stept and split.

Speaker 1 (02:02:57):
It in between.

Speaker 3 (02:02:58):
In an era of constantly like a promo table, exactly,
in an era of constant mindfulness of PC and insurance
claims and doing things the right way, they're encouraging their
fan base to send each other into more tables.

Speaker 2 (02:03:14):
So one of the New Texans offensive side of the ball,
David Montgomery, was one of the players hit the podium
today he and Jalen Peatrie. One thing specific for Montgomery
and he has discussed his new head coach a little
bit away from the Texans media setting and doing some podcasts,
and clearly he's in a position. I think he's going
from the biggest physical badass NFC coach to the most

(02:03:39):
most physical badass AFC coach. Not talking about the way
they coach, just who they are physically, the former NFL
players that they both are, Dan Campbell obviously in Detroit
and Demiko Rans here in Houston. But asked about Demico
Ryans and the new head coach for him that he's
playing for the eighth season for David Montgomery. Here's what
he said about Demiko.

Speaker 1 (02:04:00):
He real deal.

Speaker 13 (02:04:00):
He's for real and if you don't bring it, he
gonna let you know. And you know, we ain't got
the pass on yet. So just being able to be
behind a guy who believes in his players. He was
a player, an elite player. He carries himself. He's a
god fearing man. You know, that's who you want to
lead the charge, you know, and you get a group

(02:04:21):
of guys who buy in the defense. We got the
best defense in the league. You know what I'm saying,
and were trying to form our offense and to where
we can be one of the best, if not the
best in the league. Also, so you know him having
the expectations and him carry himself to what he does
and him not missing to beat like it forces you
to be better. So you want that and a leader,
and you know he's I wouldn't ask anybody.

Speaker 1 (02:04:41):
Else, wouldn't ask for anybody else.

Speaker 2 (02:04:44):
Just played for a guy that most everybody says love
playing for Dan Campbell and he's in a very similar
situation here.

Speaker 1 (02:04:51):
Yeah, it doesn't surprise me at all.

Speaker 3 (02:04:53):
The Texans will never have problems recruiting people, especially on
the defensive side of the football. Play for head coach
Tamiko Ryans, he is very much like Mike Tomlin in
that vein. He's very much like Andy Reid for offensive players.

Speaker 1 (02:05:09):
In that vein.

Speaker 3 (02:05:10):
There's just certain guys and it actually, that's one of
the biggest compliments you could probably pay him is that
he's already kind of gotten that reputation and he kind
of had it before he got here. It's part of
how he got the job. But I actually failed to
deliver on a tease earlier in the show, and this
is a good time to do it. He does have
another reputation to meeke o'ryans, and it needs to turn

(02:05:33):
around quick this year. They are routinely one of the
most undisciplined teams in the NFL, despite all the accolades
on the defense and whatever, they've been able to accomplish
or not accomplish whatever on the offensive side of the
football during his short tenure. And I know Laramie Tunzell
not being here helps with the false starts and that,

(02:05:54):
but there's just a million different things you could point
to where it's like, good grief, this team is this undisciplined.
For Demiko Ryans, you would never think of associating that
term with him.

Speaker 2 (02:06:05):
Cowboys, Titans, Jets, and I've reached the end of the
list of teams penalized more than Houston since twenty twenty three.

Speaker 3 (02:06:13):
I mean, as a numbers guy, you've got to appreciate that.
I don't appreciate that at all.

Speaker 2 (02:06:18):
It is true, and I didn't need to give you
the numbers to know that what Ac was saying is
a fact. I don't know how it's possible, though, because
it's not as easy as you would think. Let's walk
through some of the things that to put you at
that on that list. The Cowboys have had coaching turnover
during that time, and it's been a constant problem for
them during the DAC era, during the Micah Parsons era,

(02:06:38):
probably during the Jerry Jones ara. I'd have to go
back and look at some of the previous teams. The
Titans have made a coaching change. They have a first
year coach. The Jets made a coaching change during just
this three year period. The Browns right behind the Texans,
they made a coaching change just in these last three years.
They've got a new Those three teams you just mentioned
suck though. All of those teams stink, but Houston. Now,

(02:07:02):
let's let me give you the next five teams on
the other side of the Texans the top ten. The
Texans are fourth, and the other four that are in
the top five Cowboys, Titans, Jets, Browns, a stink fest.
But the next five six through ten, the Ravens, the Broncos,
the world champion Seahawks, the playoff Bears, and John Harbaugh's

(02:07:23):
new team.

Speaker 1 (02:07:23):
You know what I think about that.

Speaker 3 (02:07:25):
I think part of that you're talking about penalized so
raw penalties, yardage or extreme when they happened, personal fouls,
they're included. I'm saying all those teams you just mentioned,
including the Texans, what do.

Speaker 1 (02:07:40):
We always talk you know what?

Speaker 3 (02:07:42):
What's the word that was more than once used to
describe the Texans defense last year?

Speaker 1 (02:07:46):
Violent?

Speaker 3 (02:07:47):
I mean, you're gonna get penalized for that, but that's
not necessarily I mean it is undisciplined, but it's not
the same type.

Speaker 2 (02:07:54):
Yeah, one personal foul maybe before we hit the break
that stands out. They had a game where it was
third and whatever and they stopped him, but they committed
a post play jumping on the pile, very undisciplined personal foul,
and it ended the game because it extended the drive.

Speaker 3 (02:08:10):
I'm still mad about Will Anderson Junior getting a personal
foul on Patrick.

Speaker 1 (02:08:14):
Mahomes like eight years ago.

Speaker 3 (02:08:15):
Well not really, it was like two years ago, and
I'm still mad about it.

Speaker 2 (02:08:19):
We will hit you with a couple other NFL items,
not necessarily Texans related, but an interesting commentary from a
former Texans assistant coach.

Speaker 1 (02:08:28):
When we come back.

Speaker 3 (02:08:30):
Teams four SOX seven ninety, we got a case you
missed it coming.

Speaker 1 (02:08:33):
Up right around the corner.

Speaker 3 (02:08:35):
We also have some tickets to give away if you're
listening carefully to us throughout the remainder of the show,
a pair of tickets to see John Mellencamp. Hopefully he
sings all of his greatest hits and on the Dancing
Words Tour as they were written. He doesn't like change
him up for no good reason, like Brian Adams did
last night with Heaven.

Speaker 1 (02:08:55):
You got a quick top two must plays?

Speaker 3 (02:09:00):
Well, don't put a salsa beat to Jack and Diane.
And if you're seeing pink houses, just do it the
normal way. How's that you're familiar or you were a
part of it? Does you ever any recollection?

Speaker 2 (02:09:12):
Recollection of a parody song written about the Texans to
the Jack and Diane?

Speaker 1 (02:09:16):
Did he? Yeah, we were on the show doing it,
weren't we? I just want to I know I wrote it.
Who sang it? I think maybe Gordy sang it. He
needs to bring those back. Only if it's for the show.
He'll act like he's too busy or something.

Speaker 2 (02:09:31):
Well, he's very tuned up for it, since he just
did his annual karaoke at SEC Media Days.

Speaker 1 (02:09:37):
Did I ever play Dan a Texans fan on the show.

Speaker 2 (02:09:40):
By the way, the parody song written to pay homage
to uh Cougar's Jack and Diane, of course, was about
the Texans ownership group at the time or leadership group
at the time, Jackie us to be and Cal Diane Lane,
who was Jack and Cal.

Speaker 1 (02:09:56):
Oh. I just thought it'd be fun if we put
Diane Lane in there to make it better.

Speaker 2 (02:10:00):
I only think Diane Lane is associated with the Texans
because a very prominent media member that's covered the Texans
for a long long time.

Speaker 10 (02:10:09):
Called Secretariat is about horse racing and Diane Lane. I
got my SAG card because of that film. That and
the longest yard legendary. Yeah, I love John too.

Speaker 3 (02:10:23):
Okay, I bring all that up because obviously John mellocamp
is coming on August six Tickets on sale now at
ticketmaster dot com, and also a pair of tickets to
Big Three Basketball happening August sixth at Toyota Center. That's
gonna be featuring Houston's own the rig Haands, coached by
Rockets legend Calvin Murphy. They'll be taking on the Miami

(02:10:44):
three oh five, and then also that night will be
the La Riot versus the DMV trilogy two games, just
one ticket for more information or to buy your tickets
now had a Big three dot com.

Speaker 1 (02:10:55):
We'll be giving those tickets away.

Speaker 3 (02:10:57):
But you're gonna have to be listening to us over
the next handful of segments to hear whatever we talk about,
and then we'll tell you to regurgitate that on the
phone for Josh.

Speaker 2 (02:11:06):
It's Texas practice tomorrow will conclude, and we'll have an
opportunity to talk to three gentlemen. They'll be coordinator day
and we'll talk to Matt Burke, We'll talk to Nick Kyley,
and we will talk to Frank Ross. Most teams have
their coordinators available however they see fit, but available. Nonetheless,
the Philadelphia Eagles had their defensive coordinator available to the media,

(02:11:30):
and I mentioned as the tea's into this segment a
former Houston Texans assistant coach, an excellent former Houston Texans
assistant coach.

Speaker 1 (02:11:39):
Yesterday we got to run down memory lane.

Speaker 2 (02:11:41):
With the career of Dom Capers, the career for Vic Fangio,
who's currently the DC in Philadelphia after working for the Dolphins, Eagles, Broncos, Bears, Niners, Ravens, Colts, Panthers,
Saints and Texans, among several other pro and college stops.

Speaker 1 (02:12:05):
So he's a seasoned veteran.

Speaker 2 (02:12:06):
He was a part of the Texans football staff the
very first one.

Speaker 1 (02:12:13):
He was on Dom Caper's staff, I will say this.

Speaker 2 (02:12:16):
In two thousand and two, as the DC, he was
an NFL defensive coordinator for the third time, already for
that job because he was with Dom the first time
he had an expansion team in nineteen ninety five, Vic
Fanjo had already ascended to defensive coordinator status. As an
NFL head coach, which is the current title he holds

(02:12:38):
now thirty years later, was a head coach in between,
briefly with the Denver Broncos. But he's worked in the
NFL about as long as anybody has. And he met
with the media in Philadelphia and he had jokes, would
you like to set this up?

Speaker 3 (02:12:54):
Well, there was a congressional hearing yesterday morning you might
be aware of.

Speaker 2 (02:12:59):
There was this little I think that's enough. Yeah, I
think you've set it up already. I mean, if you
don't know what I'm talking about at this point, you
just under a rock. Vic's not like superstar with the media.
He's fine, doesn't talk a lot, doesn't always have a
lot to say as a head coach. Maybe he's a
little bit short, but nothing out of the ordinary. He
was at the table they have a table there in

(02:13:20):
Philadelphia when he met with the media.

Speaker 8 (02:13:22):
The plan that safety is that marks the jumble lows.

Speaker 1 (02:13:26):
I'm gonna be like Fauci and just take the Fifth
Amendment out on questions? Did you guys say that?

Speaker 5 (02:13:32):
Oh my god, what was the question?

Speaker 2 (02:13:36):
Laughing and he was probably just remarking it. It's not
usually what you would see. It is well within his
rights to do that, now, vix rights. He absolutely could
do the same thing about anything if we sometimes want
these coaches actually do don't want to talk about injuries
or strategy, you can just.

Speaker 1 (02:13:56):
Literally not talking.

Speaker 2 (02:13:58):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (02:13:58):
I mean, that's what the Astros did injuries for like
ten years.

Speaker 2 (02:14:01):
They did.

Speaker 1 (02:14:01):
He discomfort.

Speaker 2 (02:14:03):
He was clearly joking, which is why at the very
end you heard him repeat, hey, can you repeat the question?
My favorite though, is just see that guy, because I
think what he was saying is is the heck you
probably want me to use the word his performance. It's
I mean, they're trying to they want to, they want
answers I don't know if they're entitled to the answers
or the truth, but it's you can't do it. He's

(02:14:25):
within his rights to offer that as an answer, but
it somewhat defeats the purpose of the questions.

Speaker 3 (02:14:30):
All one hundred and eleven of them, one hundred and
eleven times. Somebody looked it up and I think there
was only two other instances in the history of the
world where someone pleaded the fifth more than one hundred
and eleven times, and I think one of them was
a teamster.

Speaker 2 (02:14:46):
Maybe somebody in the future will look to eclipse that record.

Speaker 3 (02:14:50):
I hope not, because then that means there's a situation
that necessitated it.

Speaker 2 (02:14:53):
Yeah, that's true. I hope not either. So good times
in Philadelphia and the question, ironically enough, for Upper this
was about safety. They lost to safety this year. He's
here in Houston. Read blanket Ship is here. We talked
to Jalen Petrie today and you know, this wouldn't be
the first time that someone's kind of brought it up
to another member of the secondary, because we see and

(02:15:14):
hear from these guys during the off season, whether it's
on his own podcast talking about Blanketship along with Cooper Dejean,
the Exciting Mikes, or any of his teammates or himself
just in Random Interviews podcast during the off season. But
his fit here in Houston, before playing even in pads,
let alone a preseason or regular season game, sure looks

(02:15:35):
like the right one and why he fits in the
way he does. One of the words that Jalen used
to describe him was smart, and something I think we'll
talk about tomorrow with Reid is he's trying to, at
least according to something he had in his own podcast,
make sure he does one particular thing the right way here.
He's a winner, he won, he's a super Bowl champion.

(02:15:57):
He comes to a defense and a team that's absolutely
with that in mind. That's what we want, that's who
we think we can be. One of the reasons we
bring you here is because you're a part have been
a part of it. He obviously wasn't the best player
on the Eagles, but he was a part of the
defense that helped him win a title, and he wants
to do this part of it right. How do I
bring that into why I'm here and what I can

(02:16:18):
share with them, but the right way. So his thoughts
on that we'll bring you tomorrow. But it was pretty
interesting to hear Petrie talk about what he does well.
And you know, their group of safeties, they've said it
before and they definitely don't have to change their tune
this year.

Speaker 1 (02:16:30):
As a secondary group.

Speaker 2 (02:16:32):
It's okay to think it, it's okay to say it
because all they've done is go out there and prove
it they are the best there is. You know, I
mentioned the offense or the defensive line rankings. I was
pointing to where the Texans were number two to the Rams,
which I think is fair. I can't see anybody ever
producing rankings of a secondary in the NFL heading into
twenty twenty six and not having the Texans at number one.

Speaker 1 (02:16:54):
Individually.

Speaker 2 (02:16:55):
You're talking about potentially the number one safety or the
number one corner in Stingley, certainly top three and opposite him,
Al Kamari Lassider has done his play like one for
two straight years, play like he's a number one, which
is a huge, huge thing for a team to have
a second number one corner. Most teams are lucky to

(02:17:16):
have one. The Texans have two, and we'll see what
kind of contract he will get. Mentioned yesterday that sting
is now the fourth highest paid corner in the NFL
after a year ago becoming number one. Lassiter is only
going to be going into that first extension. But just
like all these other guys, he wasn't a top overall pick,
he wasn't a top ten pick. He wasn't a first
round pick, but he's played like it. So he on

(02:17:39):
the opposite side Kaylen Bullock, as he discussed with Reed
ten picks in thirty eight NFL games, seventeen regular season
games for two years, he's played in all of them.
In the two postseason games each year, he has that
one postseason pick six, which he had last year against
these Steelers. He actually had a second pick six during
last season, was wiped out by the Derek Barnett crackback

(02:18:01):
block during the runback lame, very lame, but regarded as
one of the best safeties in the NFL. He landed
inside the top ten, number ten in that poll. We
talked about for quite some time that Jeremy Fowler had
on ESPN with all the executives and personnel people around
the NFL. Petrie coming in on the list of safeties

(02:18:21):
at eleven and last year coming in in the corners
at number eleven six. There's only eleven spots on defense.
You got six of them in the top ten, and
he go to seven when you add the top eleven.
It's beyond the city of Houston football. Great oilers teams,
some good gamblers teams. Never has had a defense like this.

Speaker 1 (02:18:41):
Quarterbacks are going to die. It's gonna happen, all right.

Speaker 3 (02:18:45):
There is a very very interesting first item coming up
on today's list for in case you missed it, I
think everybody who's a Texans fan is going to not
want to go anywhere.

Speaker 1 (02:18:56):
You're going to want to hear this when we come
back the age on sport.

Speaker 2 (02:19:02):
A team always brings you, in case you missed it,
some items we've not yet gotten to or we need
to get to for the very very first time. And
that's what starts us off today. Josh, what do you
have man? I think this one's pretty interesting. Act is
that going into the break?

Speaker 14 (02:19:17):
Aaron Wilson reporting that as Jadevion Clowney was visiting with
the Browns yesterday, other teams have interest in him, including
the Seahawks and your Houston Texans guys. We know with
Derek Barnett still not joining a team, he's not with
the Texans anymore. Denico Autry possibly retiring Clowney seems like
a great fit.

Speaker 1 (02:19:37):
What do you guys think?

Speaker 2 (02:19:38):
So we repeat those three teams that are interested in Clowney.

Speaker 14 (02:19:42):
Cleveland, Seattle, and Houston, and there may be others.

Speaker 5 (02:19:45):
According to Aaron.

Speaker 2 (02:19:46):
Weil, just those three specifically, does something stand out that
they all have in common.

Speaker 14 (02:19:51):
Good defenses typically over the last few years.

Speaker 1 (02:19:54):
As it relates to Jadavian.

Speaker 14 (02:19:57):
Well, he's played with Seattle before, he's played with the Texans,
but and he's played with Cleveland before.

Speaker 1 (02:20:01):
Ding ding ding ding ding.

Speaker 2 (02:20:03):
Just very interesting that a player who seemingly, in my opinion,
erroneously is supposed to be carrying all this baggage with
him and not a high motor guy. And not everybody,
not all of those teams have the same people in place,
hiring people or coaches. But I think it does say
something that a return to those franchises is possibly in

(02:20:27):
the future. For Jenevian Clowney, five years in Houston is
where it all started, and he hasn't played more than
two years with anybody else. And for the listeners of
this show, that is not the first time we brought
his name up because it seemed like it would make sense.

Speaker 1 (02:20:40):
We did get a chance to look at the defensive
linemen a.

Speaker 2 (02:20:42):
Little bit more than usual as we brought over to
where they were working out. It just kind of reminded
me of who they really have and what they might
be trying to do with the group this year. I
brought up Logan Hall earlier, and I think he's enormous
for this team because of his versatility. Dominique Robinson is
the other edge rusher they brought in that they probably
you have here and thus wouldn't necessarily be looking to

(02:21:03):
bring Derek Marnette back, and obviously Kay McDonald in the
interior and some other pieces that we'll find out a
lot more about during training camp. But those guys are
going to be a part of this group, and Dylan
Horton's kind of the holdover from the reserves on the
edge that they're hoping can continue to progress. A guy
like Jadavian is, as much as it seems like he's

(02:21:25):
not what he should have been, there's probably not too
many more players that are available. Definitely not that are available.
But it's about making plays, it's about being productive. He's
not an every down player by any means, and he
has continued to go out there and make plays.

Speaker 1 (02:21:41):
He has.

Speaker 2 (02:21:44):
Twenty three and a half sacks over his last three seasons.
He's eclipsed that over any three season stretch only one
time in his career, and that was his final three
seasons in Houston. He had twenty four and a half
while he was playing a ton, while he was a
Pro Bowl player. Those were the three years he made

(02:22:04):
the Pro Bowl. And again, it's not all about sacks.
He's still very good against the run, but he also
found his way to the quarterback as a thirty thirty
one and thirty two year old NFL player.

Speaker 3 (02:22:15):
Eight and a half last year, twelve tackles for losses
and ten quarterback hits.

Speaker 1 (02:22:20):
That was all last season for the Cowboys.

Speaker 3 (02:22:22):
One of two things that Aaron Wilson mentioned at the
end of this tweet that I think are of note
that's one his numbers themselves, number two. He can visit
the Browns and the Seahawks all he wants. He lives
and trains in Houston.

Speaker 1 (02:22:37):
YEP.

Speaker 2 (02:22:38):
So I'm hopeful because I'm not sure what it was
during the five years that he was here.

Speaker 1 (02:22:43):
I liked him personally.

Speaker 2 (02:22:45):
I liked him, but I was as they got to
the Bill O'Brien Jadavian Clowney contract nonsense.

Speaker 1 (02:22:52):
I'd advocated for just paym Well, he was better than
Mario Williams. What do you again? What do you want from?
He's on your team. He plays the defensive end he made.

Speaker 2 (02:23:03):
He earned his way to the Pro Bowl, not some
fake acknowledgment of good play, earned his way to the
Pro Bowl in your three, four and five as you're
negotiating on year six in his future.

Speaker 1 (02:23:14):
Maybe they didn't believe in.

Speaker 2 (02:23:15):
Him, Maybe they didn't think great things would be ahead.
Great things turned out to not be ahead for him.
But I thought they completely bungled that whole situation, not
just and not because they didn't sign him long term,
but because of how they handled it. Beyond that, it's
okay not to do that franchise tag him, get him
to sign the tag, and have him play under the
franchise tag.

Speaker 1 (02:23:33):
They couldn't have botched that any worse.

Speaker 3 (02:23:35):
Well, again, you're talking about a guy who traded DeAndre
Hopkins for a ham Sandwich. Running things from a personnel standpoint, Johnson, Well,
he was a ham sandwich.

Speaker 1 (02:23:46):
Too many baby mamas running around. Remember that was the report.

Speaker 2 (02:23:49):
I mean not to throw shade at a lot of
NFL players that don't deserve it, but man, DeAndre Hopkins
a man amongst all by himself in that categor Nobody
else will heck on the planet, or in this country,
or in this city or in that city or anywhere.
Nobody does that, certainly nobody in the NFL. I'm not

(02:24:10):
advocating for it by any means, but Bill, why he
couldn't be here, Bill O'Brien, NFL head coach, is something
we'll never say again.

Speaker 14 (02:24:19):
What else do we have today, Joe, Well, nice little
segue into this one. Just last Friday it was announced
DeAndre Hopkins would be part of the Patriots training camp
as a temporary assistant coach.

Speaker 1 (02:24:29):
What day was that?

Speaker 14 (02:24:30):
That was just last Friday?

Speaker 1 (02:24:32):
What do we have today?

Speaker 14 (02:24:33):
So we have today that he's no longer with the
team in a coaching capacity after just four days. I yeah,
and think about what Rabel Brabel was with the Texans
with de HOPA was here and then de hop was
with Brabel in Tennessee and then four days poof it's over.

Speaker 2 (02:24:49):
All, right, let's not be like we're being Is there
a reason? Is this they had just agreed on having
him out there for a few days.

Speaker 1 (02:24:56):
Is this he's still planning on playing in the future.
Wasn't comfortable with that, So.

Speaker 2 (02:25:01):
He's going He's going about on some workouts, which would
UH not allow him to help guide. On the contrary,
the wide receivers the the.

Speaker 3 (02:25:12):
Quote from the team, according to multiple reports, it was
a great experience for everyone all four days.

Speaker 1 (02:25:18):
That's what I was trying to say.

Speaker 2 (02:25:20):
You can you can headline it and buzzword it, like
Josh clearly was doing out as Patriots assistant coach, or
he can say it was great experience for everybody, and
it's it was meant to be brief and and it was.
I mean, it was a great experience. Hop's not here,
but it was a great experience. I think all of us,

(02:25:43):
like Rabel, uh.

Speaker 3 (02:25:45):
Coach, would you rate that experience as better or worse
than your experience with Diana Russini?

Speaker 2 (02:25:52):
It was a great experience. Diana's not here, but it
was a great experience for I think all of us
for her, what else do we have?

Speaker 14 (02:26:02):
All the rats in the New England area are very disappointed.
So the final one I thought this was interesting. Roma
Dunsay had to clarify he had this new normal comment
about his foot injury a few weeks ago, and we've
also heard from Ben Johnson, the coach of the Bears
look out for Luther Burden this year. Well, Roma Dunsay
walked it back. I'm kind of walked it back.

Speaker 1 (02:26:23):
See what I did there?

Speaker 3 (02:26:24):
Roma spelled Rome by the way, Yes, case anybody didn't know.

Speaker 14 (02:26:28):
Well you gotta do it that way. Ac So he said,
I really didn't articulate it. Well, honestly, that's not what
I meant. I just kind of meant that I had
an injury. That's all. That's football. My foot feels great,
it feels amazing. I wonder if Ben Johnson was like,
you're letting everybody know that Luther Burden's going to be
the guy. But it's like, hey, coach, you told everybody
to draft Luther Burden and fantasy football.

Speaker 1 (02:26:49):
What is going on here, guys?

Speaker 2 (02:26:51):
It was pretty shocking way that he said it the
first go round, as in, if you're unaware he had
an injury, and he basically was saying, this is how
it healed, and I just have to.

Speaker 1 (02:27:02):
Deal with it.

Speaker 2 (02:27:03):
It's fully healed and I'm totally fine, which is kind
of what he's saying today.

Speaker 1 (02:27:07):
Don't say new normal. That's never a good thing. It's
never a good thing. Bears have a lot of talent.

Speaker 2 (02:27:12):
Bears are a fun team to watch, certainly offensively, and
they're expecting much better things from their offense. A couple
of good tight ends, several very good receivers even.

Speaker 1 (02:27:21):
Without DJ Moore, and results are what they are.

Speaker 2 (02:27:25):
But in terms of fun to watch, electric and playmaking,
Caleb Williams is already in that group. Last year's postseason
pretty good evidence of that. We'll see where they go
this season. Is a team, but one of the very
exciting teams to watch. To be sure, we got to
our final segment, which includes our tickets to give away
to the both the basketball and the concert.

Speaker 1 (02:27:46):
We'll do that next.

Speaker 8 (02:27:49):
The a team on Sports Talk seven ninety final segment
of the eighteen.

Speaker 2 (02:27:57):
Got tickets to give away, and then we'll dive back
into a couple of loose ends from today's program. Nightcap
to follow with some of the best of what you've
heard throughout the last day or two interview wise here
on Sports Talk seven to ninety, John Mellencamp tickets Dancing
World's Tour Greatest Hits August sixth, Woodlands Pavilion tickets on
sale that ticketmaster dot com if you don't win a

(02:28:18):
pair with us here, or you can get a pair
of tickets to the Big Three. Big Three Basketball coming
back to toy Ata Center August sixth. They were just
here this past weekend. A good time and a good
time coming up the rig Hans. That's Houston's team. Calvin
Murphy coaches them. They got Miami three h five LA
Riots playing DMV Trilogy, two games, one ticket. For more

(02:28:38):
information or how to buy your tickets, you can head
to Big three dot com if you do not win
them here. If you've been listening to the show the
past hour or so or maybe even more recently, you'll
definitely know the answer to this simple question. And that's
how you can get your hands on these tickets by
calling seven one three two one two five seven ninety
with the answer to a very simple question, true Jeopardy style.

(02:29:00):
The clue is an audio clue. What former Texans assistant
coach said this to the media.

Speaker 4 (02:29:09):
I'm going to be like Fauci and just take the
Fifth Amendment on on questions, Did you guys see that?

Speaker 5 (02:29:15):
Oh my god, what was the question?

Speaker 2 (02:29:20):
Seven one three two one two five, seven ninety. We
had a long conversation about that earlier this hour. It's
a meeting with the media. He's the current NFL coach
of some variety, head coach, assistant coach. Don't want to
give you too many hints, but I also told you
he was a former Texans coach.

Speaker 1 (02:29:39):
So who said it?

Speaker 2 (02:29:41):
You heard it here on Sports Talk seven ninety or
if you were seated in the assembled media group talking
to him when he uttered that seven one three two
one two five, seven ninety. If you are also listening
to the show, you heard us mention what that coach mentioned?
The number of times that pleading the fifth was used.
I have a series of people, a series of threads,

(02:30:03):
text threads of people who listen to the show.

Speaker 1 (02:30:06):
You have as well.

Speaker 2 (02:30:07):
Sometimes you protect the innocent, say I'm not gonna say
who said this. It's that group of friends I always
talk about from various Texas cities that have sports teams, Dallas,
San Antonio, Houston, and guys I went to school with.
They have been listening to the show throughout the day.
Among the things that they have sent my way so
much Astros talk on a non game day. We are

(02:30:28):
the home of the Astros here on Sports Talk seven
to ninety. Wait till the Astros get to first place.
This weekend going to be a parade.

Speaker 1 (02:30:36):
He's a Rangers fan. I thought, at least some CJ
out of shape talk? Do you get that?

Speaker 2 (02:30:42):
On the Matt Thomas Show, they were grading his walk
into the facility yesterday.

Speaker 1 (02:30:46):
I was listening. I actually had.

Speaker 2 (02:30:48):
To send them a post a text during their show
saying CJ practiced as normal of course, geez, like he
was hurt with the way he was walking into practice.
It's year four, He's been in the spotlight for many
more years than that. I've seen him walk before.

Speaker 3 (02:31:08):
Well, most people are usually focused on what hat he's wearing,
and so that's what that's true.

Speaker 2 (02:31:12):
They enjoyed the Baker Mayfield talk quickly. I got two
texts within a ten minute span without a response. First
one said they should have a topic wheel, and then
the next one said, bad idea, So stupid.

Speaker 1 (02:31:26):
Day meeting us.

Speaker 3 (02:31:27):
Yes, a topic wheel, uh huh, like we would spin
it and that's just what we talk about.

Speaker 2 (02:31:32):
Yes, which we probably will do. But now to the
point of why I brought all this up, as it
relates to the audio we just played, someone suggested that
we need a Clanton correction. Oh okay, and it has
to do with Fauci in the number of times he
did not answer the question.

Speaker 1 (02:31:47):
So one hundred and eleven is wrong. No, it's correct
in his case.

Speaker 2 (02:31:52):
But I'm looking at an old TV story from the
news outlet from August of twenty twenty two. As president
former president at the time, current president now invoked his
Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination Wednesday during a deposition
before lawyers, and it gives a number of how many
times he invoked his Fifth Amendment right.

Speaker 3 (02:32:15):
Well, if this is twenty two, then that would have
to be during Biden's presidency.

Speaker 2 (02:32:20):
Yes, the former president at the time was Donald Trump,
the current president one of the time.

Speaker 1 (02:32:26):
There's lots of former presidents at the time.

Speaker 2 (02:32:28):
Well, not many of them are current presidents that we're
currently talking about.

Speaker 1 (02:32:33):
Well, that's true. I only heard the former party.

Speaker 2 (02:32:36):
A source with knowledge of the deposition said Trump took
the Fifth more than four hundred and forty times.

Speaker 1 (02:32:44):
Four hundred and forty times be almost.

Speaker 2 (02:32:46):
Four times the amount of times doctor Fauci did, Doctor
I tried to do it in your best interests.

Speaker 1 (02:32:54):
Jeez, well, which one of those guys do you think
is more guilty?

Speaker 2 (02:33:00):
Not necessarily where I wanted to go, just wanted to
bring that into the fun of this conversation. There's so
many good things that you bring to the table. That
is one of them, schefter and a host of others.
So sometimes I do like to pull the string just
to hear the voices, and sometimes we get into the actual.

Speaker 3 (02:33:16):
Four hundred times I do it, eight hundred, I do
it twelve hundred, however many.

Speaker 2 (02:33:20):
It takes, and we always, you know, visits to the
White House. I try to just all in good face.

Speaker 3 (02:33:26):
Everything is a contest with him, right, one hundred and eleven,
I did it four hundred right.

Speaker 2 (02:33:31):
And So, because it just happened, Lebron announced he's going
to play for Philadelphia, and just after it happened, the
President during his media briefing was asked what he thought
in the Great Debate. So I'm sure today or the
next time he has a briefing, looks like they're at
the one yard line for a new Lebron James documentary.

(02:33:52):
Mister President, I wondered if you could weigh in on
if you think this will be as good, if not
better than the last Why do you hate Peter Doocy
so much? It could be anybody, but that's who asked
the questions. That's so I've heard and seen, just thought
that interesting. We appreciate those of you that are listening
and listening intently, and there are a number of ways

(02:34:14):
if you're close personal friends of ours, you can text
us during the show, or you can get to us
via the X platform or any other DM social media's
if we have them open, or of course on the
phone lines. One item football related we had not mentioned
yet sad news to report the UFL made an announcement
today Birmingham out you have no more football there beat it, Birmingham.

(02:34:37):
They said the same to the Houston Gamblers Audio's Houston.
It was a very difficult decision in their words, as
they sent that information out that they would no longer
how have a team based in Houston as they look
to grow and survive as a non NFL professional football league,
which has been a very difficult endeavor, which of course

(02:35:01):
brings us right back to where we just were. Donald
Trump's USFL new Jersey Generals, another league which went through
litigation and won three dollars.

Speaker 1 (02:35:14):
I forgot about that.

Speaker 3 (02:35:17):
Uh, listen, if you're not in bed with the NFL,
you're not gonna survive. I feel like that's uh, that's
the lesson that can't quite be learned.

Speaker 1 (02:35:28):
Everybody keeps trying it. Vince McMahon tried it.

Speaker 3 (02:35:32):
The Rock has been involved in this iteration, right, Yes,
And what was the other.

Speaker 1 (02:35:35):
League, XFL and the UFL.

Speaker 2 (02:35:38):
Yes, and with he and his wife basically running the
league and she was heavily.

Speaker 1 (02:35:44):
Involved his ex wife, yes, his ex wife, yes.

Speaker 2 (02:35:48):
I think we know the real answer to the survival
of a non NFL spring league. Let's say it's kind
of similar to what's going on on the court right
now in the w NBA.

Speaker 1 (02:35:59):
If if the NBA is.

Speaker 2 (02:36:01):
Behind it, it's going to survive because they own it
or they have owners that own the teams and they
want it to and they're heavily invested in it.

Speaker 1 (02:36:10):
It's the same thing.

Speaker 2 (02:36:11):
If the NFL wanted another league that's the league that
would survive, they would make sure that it did. They
would put their arm behind it, most importantly, their money
behind it. I don't think they view it as what
something they need because they have it already. It's kind
of blowing up right now in a bad way. College football.
They don't need this for any reason. It doesn't do

(02:36:32):
anything for them. They don't have a there's no they're
not missing something that a spring league could provide to
the NFL.

Speaker 3 (02:36:38):
Do you think if the NFL subsidized a women's football
league that the women's football league would then turn around
and shoot itself in the foot at every single turn
if they got a golden goose gifted to it.

Speaker 1 (02:36:50):
They're doing some things that are raise a question for sure.

Speaker 3 (02:36:53):
Honestly, some of the dumbest people in sports are involved
in that.

Speaker 2 (02:36:57):
I do think there's a leadership change on the way
one thing on the football side of it, because they
just completed them both the boys and girls flag football.
The NFL is extremely invested in flag football, and specifically
on the girls side of it, as they try to
get more and more of it, whether sanctioned or under
the UIL arm. If we're talking about the state of

(02:37:18):
Texas and it's going to happen and there's going to
be more and more of it, and yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (02:37:22):
Was talking to one of the people at the Texans.

Speaker 2 (02:37:24):
Yesterday, I was watching one of the games and seeing
some of their social media.

Speaker 1 (02:37:27):
I'm like, I know her.

Speaker 2 (02:37:28):
She was at the Texans facility last year when they
brought some of the best people they had here in
Houston playing for now the Austin Texans.

Speaker 1 (02:37:35):
They finished second, they lost in the championship game. I
don't think I'll ever look at that and say I
know her. I know, but I did.

Speaker 2 (02:37:42):
We have an icap for you, some of the best
that we've given you over the course of the last
twenty four to forty eight hours interviews from Sports Talk
seven to ninety, including some of what you've heard on
the A team. Tomorrow, at this time, we'll be going
into Astros Rangers coverage. Let's go