Astros Got Some Rest After Big Weekend, Endless Texans OTA preview.

Astros Got Some Rest After Big Weekend, Endless Texans OTA preview.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ten o one at each town.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
A good morning, and welcome to a Tuesday edition About
Thomas Show with Ross alongside ross Villereale and our producer
Jonathan Alla. And I'm Matt Thomas, and we hope that
you had a very safe, relaxing Memorial Day weekend, thanks
to all that serve and to give us opportunity to
have this day of rest and relaxation back with it
for a full four hours today, which will feature I'm

(00:25):
putting my name on something our gut feelings at eleven
thirty and it's not because give me, it's not gonna
be an Ald timer. Doesn't even involve a Houston athlete currently,
so just wanna give you that a little bit. We
got gut feelings at eleven thirty. Okay, we have Joe Spotts,
go join us at twelve thirty. Wow. We have the
NFL rewind at one twenty. I love it, and we

(00:47):
have believe we're on at one fifty. What a big show.
It's a full four hour show today, wonderful and we
look forward to having all of you with us, whether
through your funny, interesting, informative tweets, not the ones that
are vicious and mean. I like those so they get
you very upset. Yeah, but you know what, the one
thing I've learned from really about the only thing I've
ever learned from was the mute button is your friend.

(01:09):
Oh it's so clutch. Especially just know that if you
don't follow me, you're never going to get a response
because if you don't, if you don't follow me, you
don't know the show. You don't know us, I don't
I will literally not care about your opinion. So it
is at the mute immediately. Okay, but thank you for
letting me, for allowing me to have that avenue. I
didn't invent it, talk to while it was before you

(01:29):
let me say it. But I'm just saying you're the
one that said, Hey, I'm the champion of the mute,
but mute is your friend. You said that before. So
we have a full show. Seven one three two one
two five seven nine zero is how you reach our
show today if you'd like to be a part of it.
And look, we are the friendliest radio show in the
marketplace unless you have dumb ass takes and then we
kind of just take take you to task. But generally speaking,
we give you a leash. It is longer on Fridays,

(01:52):
but Monday through Thursday is pretty good. Uh, And we
do have the Astros with that off day yesterday, so
we don't have a game to chew on. We do
have a series to chew on. And the Astros won
three out of four and we'll wake up today and
have done so today a game and a half out
of first place in the very Mid American League West Division.
Good weekend for this the Texans, for all this year.

(02:14):
Somebody else win the ANFC South. Somebody's got to win it,
and it could be the Astros, even with all these
injuries and bat issues and really no sign of Jordan.
I mean, I know he's running some bases. What's the latest. Well,
he's got a little tykes bat. I heard he was
off a tee he was playing. Uh what was that game?

(02:38):
I like, what's the game? You take a plastic bat
and you would take like a piece of tape and
right rolled in a piece of tape. You know, you
take tape and you roll it up into a ball
and you'd play in the back bodies. Okay, he's playing that. Okay,
he's very very little stress on the hand. Okay, that's fine.
Something so at least getting some swings in what wonderful?

(03:00):
What we used to call that. We's play in college
all the time. I don't know what you called it.
We took it, we went to we'd go to around,
We go to the toy store and get the you know,
the cheap dollar back. I know what you're talking about. Yeah,
what is that? We used to call it again? But
we just hit a tennis ball. No, that would be
too far, okay, And I did. I did have a
filthy knuckle curve on that ball of table that used
to throw. Yeah. Back in the day, I was legendary

(03:21):
at the University of North Texas for such an event.
All right, what else we got? We have NBA playoffs
from last night. So some people that I follow and
thus they follow other people, and I get on the
four you tab a side of things. We're complaining about
a rule that has been in the NBA, and not
even a rule, it's a strategy. And the folks in

(03:41):
Minneapolis are losing their mind because Oklahoma City was up
three and decided to foul a shooter in Minnesota with
less than ten seconds left to go, so the free
throws would count as two and there would be no
chance at a three shot and tie the game ultimately,
and they're like, the NBA is going to changes, No,
you don't. You just don't have to be down three
with ten seconds left to go. That's the easiest way

(04:03):
to avoid the fouling, the getting fouled by the opponent
when you're down by three and you can't get a
shot off. Yeah. Why, I guess this is popping up
because it was in a big playoff game, but this
has been for years and years and years, ever and ever. Yeah.
And also on the show today, there is a take

(04:25):
that my former CSN colleague Adam Wesler nick right, Okay,
had on his TV show yesterday that wasn't completely awful.
Uh oh, all right, it's one of his hot takes.
It's not awful, is what you're saying. Well, it's all
hot takes. Ninety eight percent of what Nick Wright says

(04:47):
is hot and ridiculous and made fun of and proper
properly ratioed on the social media street Ross m hm.
What he said yesterday wasn't terrible, but I don't know
if there's a resolution to what he said. So got
that to good to wow, you were just like the
teas master well, I mean, I feel like we've got
four hours, got a lot of different no, no, no. I

(05:09):
have been teased many times in my life. I'm not
much of a tea put it this waymber of times
I've teased some of my line's probably in the last
Well it depends like talking about the radio show Matt
oh oh, yeah, I'm a teas master when it comes
to that first sees. All right, So seven one three, two,
one two five seven ninety seven one three two, one two,

(05:30):
five seven nine zero ross was your from World Day weekend.
Full of rest and relaxation.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
That was good.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Not as much rest and radio relaxation as I would
have liked, but that's all right. Still had a good time.
I really, ultimately was pretty bored. I did work Saturday's
Astros game, okay, when they when they won, it was
a two to one pitcher's duel. You cut up on
all your game shows and your stories. I did watch
a show called Running Point. It's on Netflix, Okay. It's

(05:56):
basically a loose adaptation of the law Los Angeles Lakers.
It is Kate Hudson plays the role of a what
Magic Johnson no famous family that owns the Lakers. Who
dad dies. Oh, she sees Genie Bus. So she's basically
loosely based off a Genie Bus's life. And I think

(06:17):
Kate Hudson's very attractive, and so it was an easy watch.
Uh huh. And she appears on a magazine cover with
basketballs bread just play Jeanie Bus in the movie. Well
you don't see Kate's breast, but you see her basketballs. Yeah,
I guess you do. Okay, So we binge watched that.
That was eight episodes. Next episode you watch it in
one weekend. Yes, you're sick. There's like twenty five minutes each.

(06:40):
They were fine. Oh all right, they're not full hours.
No no, no, no, got you? And then not that we're going.
We'll get back to sports, I promise. So now my
wife is binge watching another show which is ridiculous. It's
called Younger. Have you heard about this show? It's been
long gone. It's about this woman who who divorces her

(07:02):
husband because I think he's cheating on her and he's
also got gambling issues. I have not watched it with her.
Sounds like a great guy, but it's sporadically involved and
she's like forty. I think she's forty or forty one
years old, and she has to go get a job
back in the workpo oh man, that's tough, and she
has it worked in the publishing industry in fifteen years.
So the only job she can get is like as
executive assistant. And her best friend said, Hey, the easiest

(07:25):
way for you to get back in the game, because
you've been gone for so long, is to pretend that
you're twenty six. Oh okay, So this forty year old
woman is now trying to pretend that she's twenty six, right,
And this the whole premise of the show is her
working for this book company, this publishing company, and she's
trying to act. So every time she bring up something

(07:45):
that would be a forty year old, she has to
kind of cover her trying. She can't make saved by
the Bell references. Well, she brought up Punky bruceter go,
and they we're like, who's Punky Bruce? You know, so
they're like, so yeah, and so she saw it on YouTube.
So she's trying to hide her life with a she's
also dating a guy who's a tattoo artist who's also
in his mid twenties, and then you know, so she's

(08:06):
always constantly making subtle older references. Wow, this sounds like
a horrible show that I have no interest in. I'm
telling you it is unwatchable. Matter of fact, I had
to go. I was watching the NBA playoffs on my
phone yesterday trying to spend quality time with the wife
while the show was on. I'm like, I got to
get out of here. This show sucks. That is like,
you were really bored man so. And then also, the
last thing I did this weekend we cleaned out our cupboard,

(08:27):
our our pantry, and are both her refrigerators? Younger has
ninety seven percent on rotten tomatoes. Matt can't be that bad.
But could a woman at forty get away with being
twenty six? I find that to be highly doubtful. They
feel like there's news stories about that all the time.
Didn't is it Jayleen Green dating well, but she doesn't
hide she's twenty six. Wasn't there there was a recent
story about like some twenty six year old dude. It

(08:49):
was in high school and he couldn't even make the
JV hockey team. Real well, I mean badn't make varsity.
I mean they put him on JV and he was
like twenty four, like, it's time to hang him up.
But you could, but you could pull off. I think
a guy could pull it off easier than a girl
could could not. I mean, forty years old and this
woman's I don't know who this woman is not actually,
but she's attractive. It would be a difficult believable. Oh

(09:15):
you're only twenty six. So that was hospitment weekend. Okay,
Binge watching a Running Point, which is like Lucid based
off the La Lakers. This show younger cleaning out cupboards
and watching some basketball and working and watching the Astros
tick too, with a three out of four three out
of four. Ross and Seattle came in pretty hot. I
mean remember they had just finished last week and sweeping

(09:35):
the Potteries in San Diego. They had just taken what
two or three against the White Sox in Chicago. They
had a really good trip. It as usual. The Astros
are the Mariners, Daddy, It's brilliant. What's pretty much how
it is. Let's go stuck it Mariners one and a
half games. So for everybody that called the other day
and wanted Frober Valdez Aggie Doug to trade for two

(09:58):
quality starting pitchers as compared to one. Why don't they
just trade for three? I don't disagree. Makes sense to me,
So that is how I spent the weekend watching that.
I also saw a tweet yesterday or two days ago
that had Scott Foster officiating game being the referee extender,
and I almost went to the well, if you believe that,

(10:20):
spend your entire inheritance and every dollar that you have
in your big pank account on that. Well, Scott Foster
did extend the series because it was a the nixt
extend of the series. Well that's the Pacers collapse. Yeah,
but I'm glad I didn't do it because I'd have
been an old takes exposed on reading of that, you
know what I mean. So we got that going on.
We have got feelings at eleven thirty, Joe spot at
twelve thirty, you guys, in between the news at noon,

(10:41):
we have the NFL rewind And by the way, Texans
OTA's will start tomorrow. You excited about that. I couldn't
be more excited. You say OTA's and then just chills
go through my body. It's like we're only now four
months away from the start of the season. Let's go
to OTAs. Yeah, a bunch of has been media people

(11:01):
that are on podcasts and YouTube shows get tass about well,
thin guy looks bigger and stronger than faster and never
you shut up. Hey, everybody's gonna be in the best
shape of their life. Oh, no question, popping in person
more than I thought they would. Team chemistry is really
good right now. Yeah, the team is coming together as one.
Blah blah blah blah blah. We got all that to
get to refocused. Yeah, love it all right. Seven one

(11:23):
three two one two five seven ninety seven one three
two one two five sevenety I'm just telling you for
those of you that are single guys out there, Look,
it's great being married, but you just don't have to
watch shows you don't want to watch that take over
your room. That's the primary benefit, right with with spouses
and her girlfriends. Yeah, she can watch the show and
then you can go in the room and watch extended
highlights from the Premier Premier League over the weekend, No

(11:45):
question about that. That's what I'm thinking about. Seven one
three two one two five seven ninety seven one three
two one two five seven ninety On Twitter at sports
empty at sports RV which top two ten nineteen on
Sports Talk seven ninety do you go with two TVs

(12:07):
in the one room? I don't think you can do
that if you're because then you got a lot of
noise in the in the room. I think you have
to just decide. If you're a grown ass man, you
love your wife and she wants stay in their bedroom,
you need to go to the room. Is that that's
the safe way?

Speaker 3 (12:19):
Right?

Speaker 2 (12:19):
You sent her to other room? She gets a little grumpy.
Don't you think we as grown men can jump up
and go five seats over, five steps over to the
next room. I don't know. It just depends on how
your house is configured. Matt. You might have to be
on the iPad. That's it with the earbuds on. Yeah,
I got you better put them earbuds on. Oh, no

(12:39):
question about that, all right? Twenty on Sports Talk seven.
So the Astros did not crush the ball over the
course of the weekend. On the Thursday they did so
nine to two, but that was the outlier. A lot
of close games, good offense. On Sunday Saturday was a
classic pitchers duel. Mm hmm, two to one. You can
win those. They did, and uh, three out of four.

(13:00):
I don't think we even thought going in that three
out of four was a possibility. We should have thought,
and I were like, hey, let's get a split out
of this because the Mariners are playing really well. The
Astros had just dropped two or three to Tampa Bay.
You know what, the vibe was not great. But once
they I said it on Friday after they won the
first game, that was nice of you, because I mean,

(13:22):
George Kirby versus Lance Mcaller's junior. Let's be honest, right,
I thought I had l written all over it. Right
once they won that one, I thought you out of
three was whin the framber starting and split the other two.
And that's what they did. Ye, let's go looking good,
feeling good. Lance Collers Junior steps in the right direction.
I need to start it to go five innings now,

(13:42):
that's happening occasionally, but not enough. Yeah now, and even
Frobro was just six right. Yeah, So I'll say this,
you had too many five or less inning starts, and
you survive, then they go ten and seven during this time,
I think is what they have in the seventeen games.

(14:04):
So if you survive by going ten and seven, and
your bullpen is not Their arms are not dragging. And
we'll talk to Joel about this in a couple of hours.
He's got to be thinking, Man, we dodged a bullet.
Don't you think I would be? I would think so
the wheels that Look, you've had two guys go down
with Tommy John surgery, and you've been shoring things up

(14:26):
with a guy like Lance mccullors junior or hasn't gone
five innings in a game yet, and you went ten
and seven over that stretch. Now, the next good, Yeah,
the next few weeks are good. The Astros have consecutive
Mondays off June second, in June ninth, and then they
have another pretty deep stretch of games between June tenth
and June twenty second without an off day, So there'll
be some there'll be another set of times. I'm curious

(14:48):
if you if he reforms back to a five or
six man rotation up until that pointer, does he keep
it at six because of the fact that even though
Lance is in the rotation. Yeah, well, here's the thing
that makes you down an arm. But you're putting guys
in there who aren't going to go deep into it. Yeah,
so you're kind of damn if you do, Dan, If
you don't, aren't you that'll be a question for the skipper. Okay,

(15:10):
but I believe that the seventeen game stretch is the
longest they have all year. That is correctly, But again,
you got another in less than three weeks. You've got
another game of six, ten thirty, you get another thirteen
game stretch. And the reality is this, This is what
miss is what baseball does. I mean, Baseball's cruel. It
gives you just a few number of days off during
the course of the year. Now they've tried to give
you some more days off by starting the season in

(15:31):
late March as compared to they never really started until
early April back you know, even five or ten years ago.
It's still a cruel sport, it really is. In terms
of number of days off. You do get four days
off of the All Star break, but if you'd send
an All Star there, you're only only getting a day
and a half. By the way, all Star Josh Hater
mm hmm, Jake Myers, I would say no because of

(15:54):
name value. He got my vote. Well, Frankly, east sich
Pretti is probably is in the mix. Yes, although I'm
guessing there's a lot of slugging third basement around baseball.
That's probably an easy position to find. In terms of guys,
I mean, I don't know how he's doing. Alex Pragman's hurt.
Get him out of here. Yeah, speaking of pregnant, did
I hear right? Two months? Is that right? Well, they're
saying a quad inter were very similar to what he

(16:16):
had in twenty twenty months. Yeah, that was a long
period of time. Jeremy Pania All Star candidate eight hundred
oh ps cold glove quality shortstop. It feels like to me,
all stars don't get there for their glove work unless
you're Rossie Smith. Yeah. Yeah, but that's thirty years ago,

(16:36):
So I don't think we're going to go to that reference.
I don't know Kevin Kiermer make any he was, he
was all Usually the catchers have good defensive players, they're
never never much for hitting. But yeah, so that's something
for down the road, and obviously time for us to
kill and done a different day. But it's funny, you know,
ross Nobody ever brings up Josh Haters salary this year
when he is perfect in save opportunities and his Ernie's

(16:59):
under two, nobody's complaining. But once he blows a game,
Like if he has a week where he blows like
two out of three games, everybody be complaining. It'll happened. Yeah. Yeah,
and it was massive changes you made. We had people
saying the Astros should become sellers at the deadline, and
I think I think I got asked this many times

(17:20):
on Twitter. I was like, you know what, why don't
we wait thirty days. We'll have a better feel of
things July the first than we would obviously before we
even hit June first. I will say this, and I
brought this up. I think I to tell the truth.
I think I think the Astros need to make a
move prior to July thirty first. I think waiting two
months is hard. Now, again, it's very difficult to make
that happen because you teams want to hold on to

(17:42):
the very last seconds. They have a leverage there's they
want to keep the leverage, and secondly, they also want
to see if they're going to be in it for
the long haul. Yeah, with this third wildcard, I mean
you have very few teams wanting to be sellers. Yeah,
even the A's are only five and a half back
of a wildcard Orioles and White Sucks are way out
as far as the American League and that's it. So

(18:03):
national league it would be Marlin's Pirates, Rockies probably National.
So you're looking at six of the thirty teams that
think at this point where our season has already faded, Yeah,
that's limited amount of teams to deal with obviously, So
I'm trying to think, is there something we can do
to entice more moves, because I think trades make things
very interesting. Now it would take away some of the
buzz of July thirty first, when we're watching the clock,

(18:25):
watching the TV shows, still make more moves with the
limited prospects they have, But I'm talking about in just
the sport in general. You how do you help push along? Hey,
going to get a deal done July ninth isn't the
worst thing in the world. The problem is, I think
teams also don't want to do that because they know
that if they were to lob a call to the

(18:47):
Baltimore Oils for any of their prospects or their players,
the Oil to be like, Okay, we want your number three,
number five prospects, and like maybe in three weeks, we'll
that deal won't be nearly as difficult to make happen.
You're gonna have fewer trades, But I think it's that
makes it better for the overall health of the league.
I don't like the extra wild card because it cheapens
the postseason to me, but it keeps more teams keeping

(19:09):
their players, keeps more teams interested in making the playoffs,
and keeps more fan bases invested. Those are all good things.
I would not get rid of the third World. No,
I wouldn't. I would not, even though it cheapens the postseason,
but how much more them? It's like Detroit well Man, Well,
what it does is it adds a layer of playoffs,
which is we've seen in sports, adds a layer of

(19:30):
financial money go into these networks. By the way, did
you see eighty six win teams getting into the playoffs?
We were talking about the last couple weeks about how
I think ow Major League Baseball needs a kiss up
to ESPN and make a deal happen somehow, some way.
You see that NBC is interested in that Sunday night
package of games. Really? Yeah, how well NBC is trying

(19:53):
to create fifty two weeks of Sunday sports program. Mmm,
you know how to success. So their NFL package, Yes,
on prime time of end of the week, they get
the best games they do. There's gonna the new NBA
deal is gonna have Sunday night basketball on once football
is over with. And NBC is like, well, if we're
already doing it with basketball and football, why don't we

(20:14):
start putting in baseball right after that? That's pretty smart.
It's genius normally networking to do something. I'm like, why
are they doing that? That's idiotic. Yeah, try to keep
people there every Sunday all year long, and that's genius.
So what they'll do is they'll put some games on
NBC once the playoffs are done, and then they'll put
a whole bunch of games on Peacock, which reality, I
mean Peak. What do you think of sports? Amazon Prime? Right?

(20:38):
Netflix is gonna get more aggressive in sports calling Yes, yes,
because the wrestling in itself is going on. I know
it's not sports, but you know what I mean. Netflix
has now gained viewers that way sports entertainment. I feel like,
if you don't have Peacock, you're gonna be missing a
lot of stuff here. I got Peacock, Matt, I do too.
Premier League every week. I got it. That's how they

(20:59):
got me. If it didn't have Premier leagu Would you
watch it ever? No? I mean I think I watched it.
I don't watch anything right now, but I hate movie.
But I can watch it. I will tell you. Probably
in the last year, last of three hundred and sixty
five days, I've watched maybe one or two movies on there,
and I've watched twenty five or more Premier League. Are
there good TV shows on Peacock? I don't know. I'm

(21:20):
sending good stuff on Peacock. What's your favorite Peacocks wicket
on there?

Speaker 3 (21:24):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (21:24):
I've been wanting to watch nos Ferratu. I just watched
enough a Peacock. Hold on, hold on, hell, y'all, y'ld.
He's gonna Houston. Hold on a second. He's trying to
figure out what he wants. No more thrilling radio than
him browsing Peacock. Yeah, I forgot. How could you forget?
You said you watch a show, but then I lift
it up and then I gotta sign in and stuff.
It's a whole ordeal, all right? I got you. It

(21:45):
feels like a lot of work. Sign in Mind ten
twenty nine on Sports Talk seven uty seven one three
two one two five seven nine is zero seven one
three two one two five seven Hony, can I ask
another simple question? Sports? However, don't answer because you or
I don't know the answer from you. Are you watching
the playoffs? I mean, okay, see, Minnesota was pretty good

(22:06):
after three consecutive blots. Had a very close game last
night and the Pacers had a twenty point lead and
gave that up. So New York feels like they're still alive.
I feel like we're about to go down some dangerous
territory here sports RV. Okay, maybe we do it for
like a minute and a half. We should do that, like, uh,

(22:26):
you you just start, you go two minutes too minutes
we do two minutes of We could just have somebody
call We're so we're talking NBA and we're talking about
the playoffs, and then somebody calls and says, Matt like
at the Gong Show, h you call in, Mark, you're
on the southwest side. Go ahead, gone, we gonna stop
the NBA conversation. Okay, Oh, so we'll talk NBA until

(22:48):
someone calls in to stop us. Yes, I like that
all right, although that could be very bad. Nobody calls
for an hour and a half. Yeah, I don't know
if we want to go three and a half hours
of NBA. So we're gonna talk about the many playoffs.
If you want us to stop, you have to gongus.
I don't think I've ever asked the radio on its
to do that to us. Seven one three two one

(23:09):
two five seven seven one three two one two five
seven Natti. I was just telling ross Uh that my
daughter and I are in a text chain, which by
the way, it's it's group Text Tuesday on the show

(23:33):
Group Chat Tuesday, Group Chat Tuesday, and she sent m
h m okay, And a lot of times she'll put
in things in our text that I don't know what
they mean, like g T fo oh no, I know that.
I know that means she's always telling you to stf
you a lot off us, a lot of g T
h o U I Y I know, you know if

(23:56):
you know whatever, y K y K. So today was
mhm okay, do you know what m ahm mean he's talking?
I was gonna say, I wonder Jonathan knows what mhm means.
I thought it just meant. There's an actual definition according
to AI, Okay, go ahead, what is a your interjection
used to express agreement, understanding, or acknowledgement in a conversation?

(24:23):
Oh so you You basically just write, oh okay, I
got you, I got you? All right, that's fine. Yeah.
So I'm pretty happy with myself that I can go.
I can use a ID as my friend. It also
may mean methodist healthcare ministries. I don't know if that.
I don't think seventeen year old talks like that. By

(24:44):
the way, I gotta tell you one more thing I've
done on Twitter before we get to the NBA. I've
gone to like five graduation parties. If your Irish goodbye
game is not good, you shouldn't go to graduation parties. Well,
you don't have to have good game. You walk out,
but you have to do it subtly so you don't
look like you're just departing just to get out. Okay,

(25:06):
you wave, you do a hey see, Uh, you can't
do any of that. I think my Irish could bye
game has been phenomenal of the Spring of twenty twenty five.
Proud of you. I'm proud of myself because I was, like,
we my wife and I are like, oh, should we
go back and say good bye? Like, no, there's a
hundred you're gonna be there for twenty minutes minimum. Yeah,
there's one hundred people at these parties. I'm not going

(25:27):
to do that because I want um seeing somebody. I know,
I got to talk to them for five minutes. And
you know, so the Irish could buy is strong. Yeah,
it's great and it should be, especially graduation parties and
our weddings for that matter. Don't you Irish could buy
a weddings too? Yeah, you don't go to was a
bride in the group, are dancing? Don't even really shut

(25:47):
the party down personally at the wedding. Well, that's because
you have horrible dance moves. That's the reason why you should.
That's not true. Number one, you don't cut around. Number two,
Uh oh you look like all right, ten man, I
don't want to hear from you. No no, no, no no
no no no no. So number one, number two, yeah,
you shut it down as long as the bar's open,
whatever the bar closes, whatever, I leave. That's the Irons

(26:08):
you'd buy. And you know I got you, I got you,
all right. So last night, Oklahoma, City's up three games
to one. They beat the Wolves by two, right, I
think that's what it was. Uh huh and uh. The
Minnesota fans that are followers of mine, I used to
obviously work there. They're all bent out of shape because
of the issue. Was it Anthony Edwards? I got founded
on the three on the shop? I forgot who the
last two free throws? I can't remember either, but point

(26:29):
being is they were Minnesota was down three. Oklahoma City
Fowls used two free throws, intentionally missing the second free throw.
Rebound gathered by shake Gojes Alexander, who then throws the
ball to the sideline at mid court, giving the Wolves
three tenths of a second to put a shot up.
I will say it makes a lot of sense for

(26:50):
them to legislate this out of the game, because they
did it with the hack a shack, They did it
with the take foul, they did it with the not
that what's the clear path foul, So intentional fouls to
give yourself an advantage they've legislated out of the game.
So it does feel like this one's going to be

(27:11):
in the crosshairs now, and I'm okay with that. It
means more drama. It takes away a little bit of
strategy or what if it's a legitimate reach in foul
that's not consent right, then you have to have the
referece as side, whether they have to decide whether or
not it was intentional. Yes, I think that'll be tough.
That's a judgment. That's a gray area that I don't
want to go to HM because there's enough gray area

(27:33):
officiating in the NBA beginning. There's there's no real gray
area in the UH in the clear path, but there
has been some grayer I feel like over this, over
this couple of seasons, with the transition take fright to
even start to break to begin with yea yeah, because
sometimes guys are fighting for a loose ball than they
call it. A take foul feels like a bad call.
So yeah, it could end up with controversy for sure.
My controversy in the last two minutes of an NBA game,

(27:54):
I know my first initial thought was don't be down
three with ten seconds left to go. Yeah, then you
won't we run into this issue. That's true, and also
there's no guarantee that it works because you have to
make your free throws as well. You have to make
at least one yeah, or I guess yeah, you have
to miss two, bounce it out, kick it out to
an open three, and then shoot the three ball whatever
to tie the game. So that's issue number one. Now

(28:15):
I tease this about Nick Wright, who, yeah, I know,
never heard of them. Of every one hundred takes he has,
ninety eight of them are horrific. He probably would say
the same thing as me, and that's fine. I can
live with that. He's doing quite well for himself. He's
doing great whatever the network he works on these days.

(28:36):
But whether they say a blind scroll finds a nut
once in a while or the clock is right twice
a day, he had something that actually made some sense
to me, But I don't know the resolution to it.
What are you watching today in the NBA? When it
comes to players and officials more than ever before in
the last couple of years, a question roll coverages. No,

(28:57):
I'm talking about when calls are made, What happen? What
typically happens when a foul is called on a particular athlete,
or a ball goes out of bounds or anything. The
answer is, you see them raise their index finger for
a challenge, A challenge Okay, so we're seeing these challenge
things going up one hundred times a game. Everybody wants

(29:17):
something challenged. Everybody's got a check to make sure. And
Shane gun is the most guilty of them, of the Rockets,
and it ain't even close a number of times index
finger wagged, Well, there's eighty two games, one hundred and
fifty times in the season for him. Yeah, then the
coach has to go check it. Then you have to

(29:39):
and then you realize, oh, you don't have a challenge.
You can't do this what Nick Ryde said the other day,
And god, I feel like a dirty whore by saying this.
He's like, you need to treat those like timeouts. You
can't fake call a time out. It stops to play.
It creates chaos because people don't know if you have

(29:59):
a challenge or not, or then you have to have
to go plates if you went, if if you put
the index finger up, put everybody on the team, that
is an automatic indication off you want to challenge. No,
I don't like coaches. The email does not like that.
So guess what that would do that it would eliminate
those guys doing that. It would be after the coach well,
that's my point is that if they snap their fingers,

(30:21):
what if they put their hands up in the air
like a clap, that they can change this. That's the
thing is you don't have a way to resolve this.
Teams could have internal signs patting their head and their
head like an ineligible receiver. You know what I'm saying.
I don't think it's that much of an extra delay. Oh,
I think if you watch a game, it's not delay.
It's just a hyper annoyance that everybody wants everything challenged

(30:44):
over and over and over again. I don't think there's
a resolution to it. I just would say, and the
category of a blind squirrel finds a nut twice once
a day. It was like, yeah, I kind of I
get bothered by because I can I can tell you
ross when I'm calling games, Oh there's a goes a challenge.
I mean, it does create a little bit of not

(31:05):
this harmony, but it's it's clunky, okay. I mean it
happens in baseball. Anytime somebody's thrown out, they Joe spot
It puts his hand up like the stop sign. Hold on.
But it's not even look at this. A number of
times they do that compared to a basketball game, is
not even every every foul that a player gets. I
shouldn't say everyone eighty percent of fouls that are called

(31:25):
you want the challenge, sign up. I don't think it's
eighty percent. I know you're exaggerating for for the bit,
but I it's it's way more than what you described
in baseball, way more so. I'm just saying, if you
can't in a nine inning game versus a two hour
basketball game, it's probably throw miss. Let's make up numbers.
It happens how many times in a two hour basketball game?

(31:46):
Fifteen times? Yeah, at least. Okay, like tonight, not that
I'm gonna let's count. I can't. I want to see
you count. I have plans tonight. Now, No, get your
pad out, get your legal all right, your ballpoint pin.
If there's anybody that loves the NBA as much as
Ross and I do, I want to get a lot

(32:07):
of free time and you have nothing else going on
as tonight, I can't do it and you have nothing
else going on. Please tell us how many times a
player calls for a challenge. Jonathan said he'll do it
for twenty five an hour. That's fifenty five an hour.
I would love to do that. That's fifty. What if
I bring you a taco tomorrow. Yeah, that's that's fifty.

(32:30):
Cheese and beef, and cheese and beef and some potatoes, okay,
and some salsa, green and red id the green? He's
you're gonna make up the data. That's smart. So even
even even though I do think it makes some sense,
there's you will just change the sign because you can't
say any sign indicating like if the coaches don't know.

(32:53):
And a lot of times the players generally have more
information than the coaches. They're wrong a lot, but they're
right a lot. I just it's it's not a nuisance.
But it's just something that just I get. I get.
Here's what my answers. I get tired of seeing it
as often as I do. Okay, it doesn't bother me. Okay,
but I can tell you. You can go to four
you and people are doing this. I saw it what

(33:14):
Nick said, like, damn, I hate Nick, but he actually
is right. It doesn't annoy the hell out of me. Okay,
So it's just annoyance. And then I'll conclude our NBA
conversation for the day until we get the news at noon, right,
get a little run of it the news at noon,
maybe a little bit full NBA conversation. I don't think
that's gonna happen at all. All Right, you know who's
got big stones? Who the commissioners of the Big Ten

(33:36):
and the SEC. Uh oh, they got big stones, They
got big money, They have big money, and they have Willburrows.
We'll discuss what they're thinking about these days next ten
forty five on Sports Talk seven eighty ten fifty two
on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross Got feelings coming
up in forty minutes from now. If you would like
to be on this radio program, we'd love to have

(33:58):
you at seven one three two one two five seven
nine zero seven one three two one two five seven ninety.
So there is still so much conversation sports RV about
this expansion of a sixteen team college football playoff format.
Oh dear, and the Big Ten and the SEC have

(34:22):
basically said, we're guaranteeing eight spots. We get eight, no
matter if our third and our fourth team, or our
second team for that matter, or a bunch of seven
and five's wow, we want three. The Big Ten wants three.
Acc and the Big twelve will get two and then
you the other spots are are at large. So basically

(34:44):
a lot of other commissioners from other conferences as you
would expect Mountain West and MAC and Conference USA. And
I don't know how Big twelve say anything on but
a lot of these smaller commerces are like, you know what,
you're not thinking of the good of the game. Greg,
thank you is doing something we will do tomorrow. Tell
them to shut their probmasts up. He says he's not
interested in lectures about the good of the game from

(35:04):
rival leagues. Mmm. And basically I'm not saying it's going
to happen Ross. But if Greg sank, you know, and
who is the Big ten commission I don't really know
who it is. It's changed a couple of times over
the years. Let's get Gordy in here. No, he's at
least locked on SEC. He's not locked on he knows.
I bet you he knows. Tony Patiti, Yeah, former television

(35:29):
executive h okay, is there any part of you that
if at the Big if the SEC and the Big
ten don't get their satisfactory eight guaranteed spots, they might
just say screw you. We're gonna create our own thirty
year and just and create our national champion. We'll be recognized.
That's like the nuclear option. That doesn't feel like that
feel good, but it's probably being discussed. Oh man, this

(35:56):
is so funny because here's the thing. If you took
the thirty two. How many are the SEC? There's fourteen
or sixteen teams on the SEC. How many are in
each league? Now six SEC is sixteen? I think they're
both sixteen sixteen. If you took those thirty two, you'd
have a halatiously fantastic college football league, wouldn't you, Yes,

(36:18):
you would. You would have who would be the biggest
brand outside of it? Notre Dame. Notre Dame would be
on the outside. You'd have Uh, North Carolina would be
on the outside. You would have uh, you're talking about football,
big football brands, big football brands. Notre Dame would be
number one. Miami, Yeah, Florida State, Florida State, Clemson, Clemson,

(36:38):
those those would be That's about it. That's it. I mean,
you have Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon, Ucla, yeah,
washingt USUSC and maybe you even even even invite some
of those in. Yeah, you could have. You could invite.

(37:03):
You'd get to get it to thirty six. I mean
thirty four would sea the heck would your conference? It
would be just a postseason tournament. I don't know what
would even do, but there would be one mega conference.
You would just call it. You would call it a
league like the National Football League. You have your follow Okay,
you know that's would be my assumption. National College League
Football League. Yeah, National College Football League or whatever. Yeah,
you know, that's what you'd have, and then everybody else
would be You'd be playing for the national championship of

(37:25):
a second tier league, which would be called the NCAA.
So what are you supposed to do? I I don't.
I think those teams have history television sets. They're the
reason why these leagues get paid. I mean, you Fox
is paying for Big ten games. Now, Big twelve helps,

(37:48):
but the big but the Big ten dr I mean,
Ohio State Michigan is going to outdraw Colorado West Virginia
every damn week. What is that's funny you you bring
that up? What is the biggest game in the Big twelve? Right, well,
the biggest possible to make the championship game every year. Okay,

(38:08):
and yeah, but I mean, like like you said, Ohio
State Michigan is from sex in a standpoint, Well, I mean,
do you want to give it to Dion because of Dion?
Or do you want to do with this tech Colorado?
You don't have one. I mean TCU played for the
national championship a few years ago, Arizona Arizona State. I
mean Arizona State was played well in the tournament. But

(38:32):
the answer is that you don't have an answer, So
let's just leave that blank. B y u utah, No,
don't care. I'm trying. I know, don't you stop? So
if if Sanki and the and Tony Batite don't get
what they want, four automatics, create their thirty six Go

(38:53):
Get Go, Get Notre Dame and three other of the
accs that you want. Call it thirty six Florida State
Miami and call it a day and create your own
league until they ended of a leagabye, you could do two.
That would be thirty six to eighteen team leagues. Could
there be some ramifications towards the basketball tournament and the
other sports? I don't that I have no answer to.
There will be lawyers. There will be a lot of

(39:15):
lawyers that'll be anti trust litigate. I mean this is
this could get message, but let's do that. Let's get
to the point of it. Could there be an off
year now not probable, but could there be an off
year where your number one team in your SEC is
say ten and two, Yeah, your second, your first team

(39:36):
is maybe eleven and one or twelve and zero, but
your third best team might be nine and three. Absolutely,
your four team could be eight and four, and you're
going to in theory, kick them in. While let's say
a third big twelve team wins ten games, a third

(39:57):
ACC team wins ten games, to decide, how about the
quality of those ten wins? Yeah, exactly, And then you're
gonna the SEC argument they will always win because there's cannibalization, like, oh,
Tennessee beat this SET team and they lost this other
SEC team, and it always ends up to where So

(40:18):
I'm going to reverse the question on you a little bit. Then, Okay,
then what is the Then why are they even trying
to play nice with this? Just create your thirty six
team league and separate and say, look, we have been
pound for pound for twenty years. The two most dominant
conferences with all due respect now would then Ball State
and then would then UTEP say we're not going to

(40:41):
come play you, and you can't cast your money, you
can't make your money. That's how they fund their programs. Yeah,
I don't know what give me the value unless again,
they felt like there could be some long standing troubles
with the other sports. Would they hurt themselves when it
comes to the March madness if they were to separate

(41:01):
themselves from a college into a college football league. The
fourth best SEC team this year would be the nine
and four Alabama Crimson Tide, who did not get into
the twelve but would have gotten into a sixteen. Also
the LSU Tigers and the South Carolina game Cocks. For
nine and four you need an automatic bid for four

(41:26):
loss Alabama. That's crazy. I don't think. I don't think
now SEC eyeballs. You put Alabama and you're getting eyeballs.
I don't think the SEC and Big Ten are backing
down for this. Well, yeah, they've also Alabama lost their
bowl games, so they were nine and three in the
regular season. I think they are going to put their
foot in the in the dirt and say this is

(41:47):
we're going with us or we are the Power League.
Our team's weeket in, week out, play the best competition,
and no disrespect to Boise State or no disrespect to
Colorado State or no disrespect to even Kansas in the
Big Twelve. But pound for pound, our schedule is significantly
more difficult. We're gonna have more losses. But at the
end of the day, we present a greater challenge and

(42:08):
a better resume to play for a national championship. Then
bringing in, you know, another at large team or another
team from the acc ACC you deserve too. You get
to Big twelve, you deserve too, You get your two.
We in the Big Ten are sixteen strong, and we
believe our top four teams can beat anybody else that's
not a top two team in another league. By standings,

(42:31):
the fourth best Big Ten team is your national champion
Ohio State Buckeyes. So that furthers our argument. Then interesting,
it's all for greed. It's all for money. We talked
about pageantry. You know you can't pay the players. It's

(42:51):
for prestige and history. It's all about the money. Here
we are eleven o'clock. We'll start the second hour. John
of League say he wants to get in on this
converse is what would you like to get to the Astros? There?
Fair game. We'll talk with Joe Spot at twelve thirty.
This is Sports Talk seven hout eleven o five on
Sports Talk seven ninety. Good morning, everybody. We thank you

(43:13):
very much for spending part of your day with us.
Why don't you to stay with us for three more hours?
We were not going to disappoint you. We're not gonna
mail in segments. We're not gonna regurgitate things. Actually, we're
not gonna regurgitate, because what's we do? People come in
and out. We want you here till two o'clock hang
with us. It's called a reset. Matt, don't well, it's
something so disgusting violent. Yeah, Regurgitation usually means what you

(43:33):
swallow your own bommel when you drink too much. That's asphyxiation.
I think that's true. All right, Astros back at action
tonight against the A's. I'm saying Oakland a's, you can't.

Speaker 1 (43:46):
Why not?

Speaker 2 (43:46):
It's not what they're gonna They're gonna arrest me, They'll
make fun of you. That's fine. How about if I
say Sacramento a's. You know, what I'm writing. I'm writing
in my script right now. You know what the folks
on Giants TV last one, we called him the I
think they call him the Okramento's that's actually not bad.
I like that sounds delicious ocamento. Would you like some

(44:08):
spicy ocramento? What is okramento? It's pimento and okra. It's like, yes,
like a spreadable chee you put on crackers. Ah, some
of that awesome of the actually sounds disgusting. Some of
those Waverley crackers of the ocamental spread a little garlic
and salt. Ocamento. Maybe that's a type of tree. It

(44:30):
sounds like a bad baseball team, is what it is,
and it is They've really not played well the last
few weeks. Uh NBA playoffs continue tonight with Game number
four against between the New York Knickbockers and the Indiana Paces.
Must win Game four? Nobody the answer both?

Speaker 1 (44:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
I would think it's a must win game. Both teams
must win it. Yes, I feel like one wants to
feel bad about it. M hm. Does Oklahoma City finish off?
The Wolves come out tomorrow night, thunder and five. That's
what I told you got feeling last week. What'd I
say thunder and six? I think, so, okay, that's off.
I think you said Wolves and four. I thought it was.

(45:08):
That's actually not true, not true. All we got gut
feelings coming up in a half an hour, but now
by last today, so we will see how we did
in our sports predictions. But yeah, you're Indiana Pacers. Old
Jonathan had a chance. They were up twenty looks yesh,
it's still looking good. They're still sitting pretty their home
favorites for game four. I'm telling you, if people have

(45:29):
asked me this before, if there's a place to go
to watch an NBA game, I said two places, and
you would not be on the top of the radar. Well,
there's actually three. Going to Crypto dot com in LA
to see the stars and how the dark screen and
just the ambiance Laker girls. It's just kind of show,
you know, show me time, showtime. It's not real life. Okay,

(45:50):
But if you love basketball, Toronto and Indiana are the
two spots. What about Oklahoma City? It always seems like
it's great in there. That's this seventeen thousand fans that
are just but when you wear the energy looks great.
When you walk into gamebridge Fieldhouse, you feel like you're
in a basketball gym. I like that. They all wear
the shirt too. In Oklahoma City, everybody puts on the

(46:11):
colored shirt. Makes it feel like a better atmosphere. Well,
those those single pro towns tend to do it pretty good.
M hm O SMULTI sporters. We're a little slow to
the jump. Yeah, that's fine. In Houston, they don't want
to put it over their dress shirt from their corporate job.
That's okay. I mean, maybe you can't take that tie
up before seven o'clock or a thirty tip time, or

(46:32):
in some case you get there for nine thirty eight
thirty tip time. That's okay. That's that feels rude. Seven
one after seven one three two one two five seven
ninety seven one three two one two five seven ninety
John is in League City with US on seven I
needy John, good morning, Hey, good morning, Hey Matt. How
you doing well, sir? Thank you? Good good. So this
SEC thing again, you.

Speaker 4 (46:52):
Know number one uh four, you were talking about the
fourth place team and the SEC the fourth place team
in the Big ten.

Speaker 2 (46:59):
Who would that It's just like those of whatever.

Speaker 4 (47:06):
Anyway, normally it would be you know, somebody like freaking
Wisconsin or something like that.

Speaker 2 (47:11):
I mean it's like, I mean, in a normal season anyway,
you can't operate.

Speaker 4 (47:15):
You know, Number one, college football is probably the second
most popular sport in this country.

Speaker 2 (47:20):
Correct, basketball? You said, no, college football? Second most popular? Oh,
college football, college pro football. So I would say between
college college football and baseball.

Speaker 4 (47:34):
And it's yeah, but they're all real kind of close.
But but it is still somewhat a territorial or geographic sports.
When you say southeast to the south most.

Speaker 2 (47:42):
Yea East coast, the East coast could care less about
college football. Yeah, I agree with you. Even it'll be even,
it'll be even worse.

Speaker 4 (47:49):
You know, you can't have two leagues and have a
game of the sport. You know, it's you do need
the Big twelve in all that sense. You do need
whatever's left of the ACC. You do need West Coast
teams to compete.

Speaker 2 (48:02):
At some point. You just can't have thirty college teams.
It doesn't work. And then you even thought about the
other sports. It it would never work. It would destroy
the game quite frankly, in my opinion. Well, let me
ask you this, because I look, I do find value
in having one hundred teams competing, competing. Okay, so I'm
not I'm not encouraging or proponent of this separation. But

(48:24):
if you're Greg Sanki, the SEC commission or you're the
Big ten commissioner, what does the Big twelve bring to
you in football? Probably nothing? But that's what we're talking about.
You we're not talking about it. I don't thinky're talking
about full separation. Now that may be an apparat and
then how does that work? You mean, that's not fair
for the student athletes. And here's the other thing they
always forget.

Speaker 4 (48:44):
Not every school in the SEC is paying millions upon
millions upon millions of dollars for these players. And how
long is that going to last? When when you don't
get banged for the buck, people aren't going to pay that.

Speaker 3 (48:54):
You know?

Speaker 2 (48:55):
Oh yes they are, yeah, I mean there John, they
are paying it. They have he ask you know who
pays it? ESPN. ESPN one of the SEC so bad
they bought the entire package of games. I'm talking about,
Ni l Oh. I don't think. I don't think. Look,
let me tell you in the SEC Commissioner Sankie, I mean,

(49:17):
he would never publicly say this but he doesn't care
if Kentucky and Vanderbilt play their nil players for football.
I mean, there got me some sacrificial lands in the
group mansons. To God's honest truth, right, there is no
there is no concern for Alabama, Florida, L s U,
Ole Miss for how the ni L game is going
on at South Carolina. They just don't get. But which
again South Carolina as well too.

Speaker 5 (49:39):
And my last question or my last point, how's this fair?
What about schools like Illinois and Indiana and freaking uh Vanderbilt,
Like you said, Vanderbilt, South Carolina one of these schools
that can compete.

Speaker 2 (49:50):
They should, they should. They're just as good as Big
twelve teams too.

Speaker 1 (49:54):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
I don't disagree with that, but they also. But I
don't think Alabama on L, s U, and Florida want
to have to take on goal every week. That's true.
That's true too. Anyway, that's my opinion. Thanks guys, you
got a nice to hear from you. Yeah, I don't
like this. I'm not I'm not trying to, but I'm
thinking I'm When I talk of this right now, I
think of the pure greed and the pure ego mania.

(50:18):
That is the SEC's athletic director's presidents and its commissioner,
Greg Sankie just said the other day he doesn't want
to hear the whate with me from their conferences. He
has no interest in feeling bad for the sport. He's
Greg Sankee's responsibility as a commissioner. The SEC is not
look for for the goodness of college football. He's in
the He's in the business for the goodness of the

(50:39):
sixteen members of its conference. And let me tell you something, Vanderbilt, Kentucky,
who else sucks in the SEC? Mississippi State, They're all
along for the ride. They're like, bro, you do whatever
you want to do, feeling good. Yeah, as long as
you get to keep a part of this this TV money,
we're all for it.

Speaker 1 (50:55):
You know.

Speaker 2 (50:55):
If we got to go four and eighty every year
to do that, so be it. Because Misssippi State at
four and eight or who else is a second tier
Kentucky at five and seven. It pays for a lot
of their athletic programs. So Kentucky and Mississippi State and
Vanderbilt and going to the to the Big Ten. If
the Northwestern was complaining about this situation, then they would say,

(51:17):
get out, go find on their conference. But Northwestern is
never gonna bead the Big ten. They have no reason to. No,
it might get kicked out. Cross country program goes away
if a big if Northwestern football goes away, because Gary
I guarantee the Big twelve wants north part of Northwestern.
The a SEC doesn't want Northwestern. Nobody wants them. That's
why you'll never hear of those schools going well, this

(51:37):
isn't fair, this isn't nice. You're treating Alabama better than
we are. Yeah, exactly what they're doing. It's a broken system,
that's the bottom line. And we could try to fix
it any kind kind of way we want. But it's broken.
Aren't we due for a massive overhaul. It's broken and
driven by greed. That's all we need to know. Yeah,

(51:58):
but there is. Do you really think at A and
M and all that nil flesh money they're getting in
there is is overly concerned that Vanderbilt's only making thirty
thirty per cents in the dollar for every dollar they
bring in for an il No chance. It's like facilities.
Who's better facilities for football? Kentucky or Texas? Probably Texas
one hundred percent Texas, I know. Eleven fourteen Sports Talk

(52:21):
Sevenatti seven one three two one two five Sevenatti seven
one three two one two five seven nine zero. And
you know who again, who's driving this. It's the television network,
not this full stadiums. It's TV TV has gotten noney.
TV's got no issues with what Gregg thank you is
saying publicly say that though, because they are getting, they

(52:43):
are taking. They are spending money on Big twelve in
acc and hoping to make money off of that, and
so I mean they have they have to have a
vested interest, but they're never going to publicly say with
Greg thank you saying to say, you do what you
need to do as long as whatever you decide to do,
we broadcast the games and we'll cut your check to
do it. Eleven fifteen on seven ninety, congratulations to minos
Uzanne and the Houston Cougar point guard declared himself for

(53:05):
the NBA Draft. Did not hire an age to the
Combine and the combine to go back to college. We'll
get some seasoning. It should happened a lot. Yeah, he
went to the Combine and they were handing him his assessment.
They handed him a Greek Dictionary and it said you
better learn Greece, buddy. The Greek League a little late

(53:28):
to that. I'm sorry. Maybe it wasn't a good joke
or Turkish League. It was a John's smile, and of
course John to learn Greek, buddy, get the never mind,
I'm gonna stay away from an Israeli league reference. I mean,
that's where players go. Are you doing to get political?

(53:49):
I'm just trying to name leagues that guys go to.
I said, I'm staying away, all right, that's funny. So, uh,
there was a player that that Riley Matt come on,
Milos Uzzan, Milos Uzanne. Uh, decided he was going to

(54:12):
come back. And ironically enough, there was a kid that
played at Creighton, Pop Isaacs, who transferred to Houston. Yes,
but good right, yeah, it's now a transfer to A
and M. He transferred. What Pop Isaacs is going now? Yeah? So,
thus the Cougar collector on Twitter, stealing a bit from
my own show, which I appreciate. What was your favorite

(54:32):
Pop Isaac's the Houston Cougar memory. Yeah, shoot, hurt right.
Those Creighton Blue Jays are flying around. I want to
stay over there. Okay, that's surprising because up Crighton's great program.
First of all, great conference, good city. Not all have
to do there, but it's really nice city. But he
was going to be basically the heir apparent point guard.

(54:53):
And I guess from now with miss came back, my
guess is that Kelvin, not being asked, called him and said,
who's on coming back? What do you want to do?
So Pop, Isaac's just what I'm saying. Started at Texas
Tech a couple of years there, went to Creyton, they
went to you of H briefly, and Nowaday it ain't
m correct. Okay, I don't even know. I mean, Isaac's

(55:15):
never probably even to classic you of age correct, I
don't think so. How does a transcript look when you've
been to multiple schools? I don't know. Now I transferred once. Yeah, Matt,
you hit the portal, I did, and you of H
just like, thank you, Matt, legendary sportscaster. You get a
lucrative nil deal over here. Me Nan sworel. I mean
that's pretty good, right, Yeah, that's great. I'm still in

(55:38):
the portal, still making a decision. You know, as I
told Carly, I said, you know, sometimes you go in
the portal, you don't come out. That's true, man, the
portal is crazy. Yeah, there was uh, there was a
Kansas State PJ. Haggerty I think is his name. He
was supposed to get three four million dollars for nil

(55:58):
and then he drug out his commitment and now he
just committed to Kansas State. Like just now, what's still
the same money or no, less way less money. Apparently
he had big offers from I can't remember. I'll go
look from like some some NC state, maybe some other schools.
One quick thing about this, when you and I don't
and I don't I know the answer, something openly asked this.

(56:20):
Let's say that you are a kid and you get
crazy money, and you get paid this crazy money and
you don't stay. Have we had any sort of ligation school.
Usually it's like a four million for over four year deal,
and so if they leave after one year, they don't
get the It's like basically a promise. So the four
million over four year guys getting a million dollars normally

(56:43):
when we see I. That is my understanding is that
normally we'll see this guy, Oh, you got a four
million dollar deal. Usually that's over four years of college
and nobody does four years of college and I think
it's one year, one million, and they have to sign
at the eight season, right, Okay, renews every year, so
you don't you would you get the money as a
season progresses, like like a paycheck or do you get
in one lump sum? I don't think that's up to

(57:04):
the school. Yeah, they want to pay you like November.
The collective, I can't say, yeah, yeah, the collective. The
school is collective. Yeah. Yeah. And then there was what
there was a Tennessee quarterback nicom Nico who cost himself money,
lots of money. And then his brother too, right, I

(57:24):
think is involved in that as well. I'm gonna leof
as are there. I'm just proudly you said it correctly.
I don't know if I did. Oh, there'll be a
chance if he's a Heisman candidate. We'll have to get
it right eventually. Okay, Yes, let's talk to We did
that with tongue of aloa. Let me ask a aggi
dog aga dog is a pride? Ain't him graduate? Are
you concerned about the nil future at say? I don't
know Arkansas this day? Not really? Are you?

Speaker 6 (57:49):
No, I'm more concerned about an io level and make
sure that we got plenty of money to get as
many players as possible. And that was great that we
get a US trash So I love that.

Speaker 2 (58:01):
A and M got a player. No, no, no, we
said we sent to the trash on to use what
we did. Well.

Speaker 6 (58:08):
I appreciate that because we needed a point guard. So
but no, dude, I was I was calling because I
heard y'all talking about the college football, you know, the
new format or whatever. Let's not kid ourselves like it's
it's more about betting than it is anything else, right,
I mean, that's.

Speaker 1 (58:25):
That's what I mean.

Speaker 6 (58:26):
That's what everybody was freaked out about last year. Those
first round games were such atrocious games, and there was
tons of money that were that were on those games,
and it was like, I'm not gonna bet something with
a twenty there's something. I mean, as a playoff game,
it's just ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (58:41):
But let me ask you this, Aggie Duke, if you
are a professional gambler, I'm not talking a thousand dollars
on a raindows Saturday, Okay, I'm talking about what they
call them sharps. Right, Basically, if you're a sharp, you
don't care if to spread his eighteen or nineteen points,
because it's up to you decide who wins the game,

(59:01):
and you don't care what the spread is as long
as you're on the right side of that spread. So
I would respectfully disagree with you that it might not
help the guy that puts one hundred dollars down in
the game, or fifty dollars or two hundred dollars. But
the Sharks, they're there to make money every single week
down on just about every game, so I don't think
they particularly care what the lines are and how the
matchups are. They just want to be on the right

(59:22):
side of it.

Speaker 6 (59:24):
And I don't disagree with that. But also, what kind
of counter with is that? Do you really want to
put a crap ton of money on a twenty five
point point spread if you feel freaking away.

Speaker 2 (59:35):
But if you feel that team is much better than
a four touchdown dog, you're going to jump all over that.

Speaker 6 (59:40):
Yeah, But in a in a playoff scenario you're thinking about,
I mean, basically, a kicker gets hurt or or the
star running back goes down and all of a sudden
you're out a million dollars, two million dollars that you
bet on a twenty five point point spread. So that's
why I think that it's that they're just trying to
get the games to be more competitive. Obviously, you know
the Sharks, they're about the the pick them's and the

(01:00:01):
one and two and three point spreads because they got
the information from their inside guy that's telling them, hey,
this is the guy that's gonna go off this game,
or this guy's a little banged up, so he's not
going to do anything. So I think that from a
perspective of competitive balance, I think that's what they're trying
to do more than anything because last game, I mean,
I know it was the first year of the College

(01:00:22):
of the playoff like.

Speaker 1 (01:00:23):
That, but I mean they've got to do better than that.

Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
I would disagree with the notion that big betters like
smaller spreads. So's that's more volatility. Yeah, I would say
if I if I love a game in thanks Ady
for the phone, especially in football, is a one score,
like you know, any any touchdown and he picked six,
any fumble six and just completely flip the spread. I
think if I'm betting two hundred and fifty thousand dollars
in a particular game, I've done my research on this,
and I'm not gonna I don't think I'm gonna let

(01:00:48):
a fourteen points spread determinative. If I'm not gonna bet
the Game'm not going about the game regardless. And a
lot of guys do like the bigger spreads and in
the smaller games rather than going with, you know, Alabama
versus Ohio State, because that's that really like fling Miami
of Ohio versus on the Ohio Bobcats whatever rivalry game. Man,
But it would be scary if you were, let's say,
at Orando Wednesday and you had Bowling Green versus Western

(01:01:10):
Kentucky on and some and a sharp walks into ats
three hundred thousand dollars on a one team. You'd be like, well,
the first of all, they're not going to the tip,
they're not going to the pay window. They've got their
own people. But it would be kind of weird. No,
I don't. This to me is nothing about betting. This
is to me about making sure that our television partners
ESPN and CBS and a much smaller extent, Fox are happy.

(01:01:33):
Yeah they are. They are happy with matchups that are closer,
that are big right game matchups. Yeah, they don't want
the twenty point spreads. They don't want to be in
I tab. They don't want to dan in an under dame.
They don't want that. Well last year, Indiana was good
last year, But in general, in general, they want sexy
matchups with history, with blue blood teams. Yes, because you
don't know what that gets eyeballs? You know what that

(01:01:54):
gets advertising dollars. Because even though Arizona State Texas last
year was a great game, right yes, with Camps Cattaboo,
it's Cataboo overrated. Does Arizona State carry anymore national cachet
today and they did six months ago? Nope, they'd have
to sustain it. Yeah, you'd have to win it. You'd
have to win those games, knock off Texas, win a
national champion. Yeah, I think they have to.

Speaker 1 (01:02:15):
You have to.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
Like Baylor and TCU were kind of sexy teams into
the Big twelve for a little while, at least more
than they were right now. I mean, what are they now?
I'm going now? Yep, all right, time for some gut feelings.
We'll get to those phone calls coming up in a
minute seven one three two one two five seven.

Speaker 3 (01:02:29):
Ho.

Speaker 2 (01:02:29):
This is this half hour of the show where we
asked you to make predictions about anything, and I have
a prediction that I'm putting the name on it. You're
doing over gut feeling over gut feeling right, let me
get the no shar wrongest file out that feels wrong.
Do you you to even bring that up at this point?
But I write it down when you put your name
on it, put my name on it. Time He's eleven

(01:02:54):
thirty four. This next half or our hour is very
important to those of us that like to make predictions
that includes you the great and against that we call
the Matt Thomas Show. Ross. That includes those of you
on social media, that includes those of you on the
phones at seven one three two, one two five seven
ninety seven one three two one two five seven nine zero.
Time for us to make some gut feelings Ross. Before

(01:03:15):
we do that, let's wrap up and recap how we
did just one week ago. Yes, last week, Matt, we
were a hot topic. Was the Olympic NFL thing with
the flag football And did you see the court by
the way, the flag football quarterback came out and said, like, hey,
we they don't need to just boot us off the team.
We've been winning for a long time, which means, oh,

(01:03:36):
pros versus Joe's. Should we get a little game schedule?
Do we know who the the quarterback was for the
flag fight ball? I can't remember his name, something the third,
but apparently he's really good in shifty, which is good
for flag football. Of course, as I said, my gut
feeling was mid quarterback. That's why you need somebody shifty,
like a Lamar Jackson or a Josh Allen. Nope, nope,

(01:03:57):
Jade Daniels, nope. Pat Mahomes has expressed his interest, but
he's not squarely enough.

Speaker 3 (01:04:03):
You know.

Speaker 2 (01:04:03):
I've expressed interest in doing a lot of things in
my life, but I've been registered too. Yeah, you expressed
interest in being Somalia, which I thought was interesting, expressed
interest being a male in a national male model and
has it worked out? They haven't called you back for
some reason. I've also been show an interest in hosting
match game and freaking Martin short as seventy five years
old is gonna do. I'm showing interest in dating Scarlett Johansson.

(01:04:23):
Well she's married. That'd be a little bit an whatever.
She's free again, maybe she'll get divorced again. Been a
double I think she's had three three marriages. I think
let me ask me four times. Baby. I'm just gonna say,
if you're marrying, care for your baby. You just don't
screw that up, right, what you marry Scarlett Johanson, You
live by her rules? Do you know? Oh yeah, I'm

(01:04:44):
just saying that would that would be the maybe she
wants somebody to boss her around. If she hits you,
Oh well then yeah you got her, then you definitely
stay matt freakingly all right. Anyways, last week you said
it will be zero all pro quarterbacks on Team USA.
You said a mid to below quarterback will be in

(01:05:05):
the Olympics. You also picked, Oh, look at this Oklahoma
city and six we'll see probably looking like five. Probably
we'll see you had Indiana in five. Yeah, that's looking
pretty good. They got a chance for sure. No ESPN
baseball game coverage. What does that mean? That esp they'll

(01:05:25):
never know they're done? Okay, And that even came before
NBC said yeah, we're thinking about carrying tho Sunday night games.
Uh huh on the Peacock as well. Well, you gotta
be really careful. You just better be careful. Short, you
can't shorten like, don't go North Carolina South Carolina a
game cocks on us. You can't say I'm watching it
on the blank. You just can't. It would sound very awkward.

(01:05:47):
I understand.

Speaker 7 (01:05:49):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:05:50):
Let's see, I said the Astros would win three of
their next five games. I don't think that happened. No,
because they lost two or three to uh the Rays
and lost one to the Mariners. Why didn't I count?
That's weird? All right, Well, that's fine.

Speaker 7 (01:06:05):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:06:05):
Then I also said Oklahoma City in five, it's looking good,
great chance of that. And I said Nix in seven,
which is a live Oh for sure it is, especially
if they win tonight. Is it a must win game
for the New York Dicks. I didn't write anything down
for Jonathan. Was he out or something? Ah, he's checked out.
Did you say something last week, Jonathan? I didn't write
it down. I'm gonna be honest. I'm one of the

(01:06:25):
worst minutes keepers in the biz. I feel like I did,
but I couldn't tell you, right, Yeah, okay, well I'm sorry.
That's all. I got back and checked the tapes. Yeah.
So with that, Jonathan, so Ross does not forget. We're
gonna let you go very first this week. Yes, I'm
writing it down and again if you have any back
of links, any sports predictions seven one three two one
two five seven ninety seven one three two one two
five seven nine zero. You know my guy feeling. And

(01:06:47):
I haven't been watching MLB in a long time. I
used to be a big range of span growing up,
always went to the stadium, all that type of stuff,
big baseball guy, and I Do'm coming back and I'm
watching the Astros. Dude, Jake Myers looked like he's gonna
stay consistent. Oh, you have no idea what his history
is post June first du year, what he's due? Baby,

(01:07:08):
But I'm looking and it looks like he's Okay, the
best season. So Jake Myer's best season. I mean he's
already gonna have that, hopefully, I think. But he died
bombed last year. Specificate have more hits than he did
last year. Okay, Okay, well yeah, yeah, I think he
might already. I'll give you a Jake Myers got feeling.
Yeah is ops? Okay, what is it right now? It's

(01:07:30):
like seven seventy seven or something, seven eighty seven. I'll
go look, boy, the swoon, the swoon comes in and
the June swoon does happen. He's known for his June swoon.
His ops will stay above seven fifty through June seven seventy. Yeah,
I'm good. I'm staying away, he said, above set fifty. Yeah,

(01:07:53):
I like that, above seven fifty. Write that down. That's
the rest. I put my name on it, though. It's
just good. Guys are making some good feelings for Jake Myers.

Speaker 3 (01:08:02):
I like this.

Speaker 2 (01:08:02):
Okay, Uh, Hunter Brown? At least Hunter Brown goes at
least seven innings today. What's up? It's the A's should
shouldn't you go mandatory seven against them? I'm not finished?
Only one run given up? Seven innings and one run ball?
What's up? That is really specific?

Speaker 1 (01:08:23):
All right?

Speaker 2 (01:08:24):
Now? I got another one really quick? Oh yeah, please?
Who's on the hill tomorrow? I don't know it rhymes
with the rants mumbulers.

Speaker 7 (01:08:34):
Oh what he's going five? Baby, he's going five. Finally,
Junior is going fine. I'm coming to join your honey.

Speaker 2 (01:08:46):
It's a big one. Sports r V. Yeah, daytime game, Yes,
roof close, he's he pitched, he's really settled in last start.
He retired like twelve of the last thirteen or something.
But it is the Okramento A's. It is the That's
another reason I'm going to this as well. There's a

(01:09:07):
little calculation here, Matt. He looked better in his last start.
He struck out eight, he settled into the game. You
got the Okramento A's five innings. Let's go. You hear
that relation, gentlemen, there's nobody else in the marketplace. I
want to say that I got one for you. I'm
putting my name. Oh oh, I closed the no strungest

(01:09:28):
file on me. Real, open it up. That's fine. Seven
Alex Bregman will be in Oakland. EXTU mean we'll be
in Oakland, will be a Boston Red Sox in twenty
twenty six. Put my name on its, Okay, I mean
that seems about right. If he's going to miss a
couple of months, we don't know that for sure, but
it's the same sort of quad injury that he suffered

(01:09:49):
a couple of years ago, and that he did miss
a lot of times. And the A's and then he
why keeps him the ase? The Red Sox brought up
their number two overall prospect to replace him on the
active roster. By the way, the Red Sox. They're starting there.
Jake Myers swoon early, the June swoon is hitting early.
They losing some games right now. The current standings in

(01:10:11):
American League East will have the Boston Red Sox a
distant four games back at twenty two or twenty three.
How about the Yankees for all the money they've spent now,
granted they did lose Garrett Cale to TJ, they're twenty
five and eighteen. That's just very pedestrian. But are you
saying he opts in or he renegotiates a new dealer,
both both on the table. Hey, yeah, no, I fans

(01:10:33):
abouts he is a Boston Red Sox of twenty twenty six.
Do you know the again, I know the answer to
this question. You know, the Detroit Tigers are far, far,
and away the best record in the American League. They
have a let's see here, Uh you know what I got.
You know what, It's funny my app gave out wrong

(01:10:53):
stands a one game lead over what I said. It's
so crazy the now see, yeah, Marie told you there
were four back. It's actually not correct. The Red Socks
are seven and a half out. You know what ESPN
app get your app together. The AB does suck. I
prefer Yahoo. You know what, I'm gonna go to Yahoo.
I'm done with UESPN out. So New York is a
game back. So I correct myself. Boston is seven and
a half out and not four back of the Yankees

(01:11:15):
in the Al East. Yeah, Tigers are a game ahead
of the Yankees, but four and a half. How about
the Mariners are third in the man The American League sucks.
By the way, if the playoffs were to start today.
In the playoffs, are the Astros in a wildcard spot?
A game one sixty three would take place between the
Astros and the Kansas City Royals, and the game will

(01:11:37):
be played in Houston. No, it would not be because
in Kansas City win the season series. Yeah, I'll take
your word for it, all right, there you go. So
guess what they ain't selling at least yet? The Hunter
Brown versus who seth Lugo? Chris Bubitch. Yeah, and hopefully
Bobby Wood Junior takes the day off arrested Sorney Sorney

(01:12:02):
Thrinkles eleven forty four, Sports Talk seven ninety seven one
three two two five Sevennie Brian's got a gut feeling.
We'll get to him, and we'll get to you after
Ross gets you feeling better about it. Yeah, all right,
another gut feeling for you. We'll go to the phones
after that. At seven one three, two one two five
seven NINETI Chris Paul plays somewhere beside San Antonio next year.

(01:12:28):
I thought they were already parting ways with him. I
don't think so. I mean, he could change his mind.
He ain't signing where yet, Chris Paul. You mean to
him a team, I thought, Mark, Yeah, I read I
read this earlier. Mark Stein is already reporting that that
Chris Paul is gonna be on the movie wipe it
off the board then, so i'd be up to meet
and predict the team. Oh yeah, I don't do that.

(01:12:50):
He could be anywhere. He should just hang him up.
Are you kidding me? He's got more assistant records of break. Okay,
he's not catching Stockton. Chris Paul is going to be
This is just a random Oh here we go in
my favorites Portland Troublazer. That is random backing up Scoot Henderson. Sure,

(01:13:15):
why not? Okay, if I'm right, you better bring a
big bouquet. I'll need my flowers I'll leave my flowers
seven one three two one two five seven dounty. If
you have a gut feeling, you want to get to
seven one three two one two five seven nine zero.
Let's go onto the phones and see what the great
people of Houston are thinking about as we continue this

(01:13:37):
addition to gut feeling, we got the news at noon
coming up in a matter of moments, and let's talk
to Oh. My computer system is not working, so we'll
lock it up and go to line number two, Brian
on seven ounty. Brian, what is in your gut this week?

Speaker 8 (01:13:51):
Well, I'm gonna give you an update on last week's prediction.
Uh I said that Kyle Larson would not finish all
eleven hundred miles in uh Co Colas six hundred and
Indianapolis five hundred last weekend, and and he didn't make
it halfway through the Indy five hundred, and he wrecked out,
and then he also got wrecked right towards the end

(01:14:11):
of Coke Colas six hundred, so he only finished just
under six hundred eleven miles.

Speaker 2 (01:14:20):
And my racing expertise this week.

Speaker 8 (01:14:24):
My gut feeling for this week is that the Astros
will win both these Gay games against the what you
call him, the.

Speaker 2 (01:14:35):
Storing at least six gun six runs?

Speaker 1 (01:14:38):
Wow?

Speaker 2 (01:14:41):
Are you crazy? I started calling me at the Houston
City Bombers. Is Jr's hand healthy? It's a gut feeling?
Come on now that's true. Hey, congratulations. By the way,
are you an Indy Car fan too? Uh? Just a
little bit. I'm not real big on the rocket slift.

Speaker 1 (01:14:59):
I prefer my a call.

Speaker 2 (01:15:00):
We're rubing is racing? All right? Well, I was gonna
ask you is Apparently Fox got ripped for their coverage
of the Indianapolis five hundred, So I was just curious
if people thought it was as bad as the social
media stokes.

Speaker 8 (01:15:11):
I'm not real sure because I was up at my
buddy's property this weekend, so I only call a little
bit here and there. So we're out there floating the
river and stuff, So I didn't watch actually too much
of it.

Speaker 2 (01:15:22):
Fair enough, Thank you Brian for the phone call. By
the way, do you see what that they that?

Speaker 3 (01:15:26):
You know?

Speaker 2 (01:15:27):
So Fox broadcasts at India five hundred. They brought Tom
Brady out there. People boot him Indianapolis. Yeah, that's that's
It's like bringing Mike Fires to an astro reunion game.
Why would you bring Tom Brady to Indianapolis for that's
a little bit different. I know that would be like,
that's a good example. Oh it's Steph Curry. Curry coming
to Houston for anything'd be like Steph Curry's wife opening

(01:15:47):
up a barbecue restaurant here. Not gonna, not gonna be
very successful. Uh he put on social media? Did Tom Brady?
It was nice to get in one more successful drive
in front of a bunch of Colts fans. Savage h
very rude. Yeah, but he he He obviously knew he
was not going to be treated very warmly there, right.

(01:16:09):
I mean that's if any, if any quarterback that's haunted
that team, So like when Peyton Manning would come to
Houston to haunt the Texans. Yeah, what do we hate?
Hear Peyton Manning in Houston? Though? No, you first, so
you can't hate Paint Manning for anything. Ohoo, well I'm
talking to a bias Manning family. Dad is yeah, do

(01:16:29):
you hate him though?

Speaker 3 (01:16:30):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:16:31):
He's got a nice big forehead. He's funny on the
I like watching the Manning cast. So why did you
go to his physical attributes? I don't know, do you
think he did. You think he did the same thing
for you? He might, No, I don't. I don't think
peyt Man is that kind of person at all. I
think he is. I think he's a jokester. Do you
think he walks up and he looks that he gives
you the stair down and goes yeah. I think he would.
He would josh around with people after, but he that

(01:16:53):
would be the first thing out of his mouth.

Speaker 3 (01:16:54):
Hi.

Speaker 2 (01:16:54):
Wrong, It could be the first thing out of his mouth,
because I mean, like him going to me, going, hey, Matt,
nice live eggs. I'm covering them up. They're so pasty
right now, Okay, summer, madam, Matt, gonna let those things breathe. Y.
If it's like it was sixty seven degrees when all
out the house today, I'm good. Was it?

Speaker 1 (01:17:14):
It was cool?

Speaker 2 (01:17:14):
Fruit front coming with those storms. You still hear the
storms last night? Terrible? Poor dogs losing their minds. I'm sorry, Matt,
All right, Uh we need we got room for one
more gut feeling if you want to get in seven
one three two one two five seven nine zero seven
one three two one two five seven ninety So Oklahoma
City will play. I stayed with the Indiana to the

(01:17:35):
for the NBA Finals. I'll stick with Nickson seven. Why not?
And those and those finals, by the way, don't start
until a week from Thursday, so we kind of it
wouldn't be a horrible thing. Rouss. So we got a
pair of six or sevens when it comes to link
the series because they yeah, they lock in the days
of the finals, no matter what. Yep, let's go to
uh Kyle and pair Land eleven fifty four on seven.
Onty Kyle, what's in your gut this week? Yeah, I'm

(01:17:57):
a long time. How y'all doing that?

Speaker 1 (01:17:59):
Well?

Speaker 2 (01:17:59):
Thank you for.

Speaker 8 (01:18:01):
I think they're going to release uh Rogers put out
two days the everyday second baseman, and we're gonna have
a platoon in left field.

Speaker 4 (01:18:13):
Ummm, not the.

Speaker 2 (01:18:17):
Ross, not the craziest thing. I don't think he wants
to play Mauricio Dubon six days a week at second base, No,
I don't think so. Yeah, Rogers been left field. You
got McCormick in left field to help out. We got McCormick.
You could go Dubon. You certainly have your Descenzo. I mean,
you got you got a lot of different options. That's
not terrible well, thank you. Yeah, not terrible. You're welcome.

(01:18:39):
Thank you for saying I'm not terrible. Well, I mean
I don't hear very often from you. Yeah, well say
less terrible stuff. I know that's fair. They had the
option Scott Free to release Brendan Rodgers forty five days
into the season. They didn't do it. That he was
showing more signs of the light a life of the
plate then, so not playing a whole lot these days. No,

(01:19:01):
and du Bond's been hitting. It's been Joe Spot has
been like, hey, you get a couple of hits, I'm
gonna keep putting in the lineup. It is crazy, is
gonna put a hot hand in there, especially for a
team that's been so offensively deprived. He's been doing sink
or swim. Yeah, and you know, well, Brennan Rodgers has
been sinking recently. And again Brendan's nice guy field his position. Well,

(01:19:24):
it was a good interview with him earlier this year.
He was also available in February for a reason. Yes,
my thought is, and we would never forcet Brendan Rodgers
to drink the truth serum, But my guess is he
was thinking there was a chance he may not be
playing baseball anymore. This will maybe be his last opportunity.
He always hit at Colorado. I mean the numbers were
good there, but everywhere else it wasn't good. But like

(01:19:44):
Christian Walker, how about the walk off ROSSI yes, sir,
coming around. I need some of that right there. Let's
see last five games. Brennan Rodgers is oh for twelve
with no walks. That's an on base percentage of zero. Well,
I don't know if you got a catcher's interference in there, Matt,
to go check it out. His slug was that zero

(01:20:07):
is on base plus slugging with me? What zero yet?
No catcher's interference, no rb I, no any walks nor
because it was on blaze. You have a percentage with
his twelve plate appearances seven strikeouts. Wow, you know what?

(01:20:27):
It was a cheap get? Does that make sense? I was, yeah,
you were buying low and hoping that something would have come.
It was a penny stock you bot, and the penny
has grown actually sextually lost value. It's kind of stagnated,
all right, That, my friends, was this week's got feelings.
We have the news at noon coming up next. Joe A.
Spota in thirty five minutes. This is Sports Talk seven ninety.

(01:20:50):
What's happening to lunch timers? Twelve oh one, NH Town.
This is our number three of the Matt Thomas Show.
Would Ross on Sports Talk seven ninety. Joe A. Spotta
is in thirty minutes here on Sports Talk Center. I
need to talk all things Astros baseball, Astros against the
Ocremento Oaklamento Ocamento Okamento Ocramento, Ocremento a's o crementor is

(01:21:17):
ocramento the type of a treaty you'd find in the Cascades? Correct,
the ocamanto tree. Sure all its generally present to you
every day at this time or thereabouts, the news at noon.
And we will do that with the Bob Lee of
local sports. Wow news journalist. Thank you. We're going outside

(01:21:37):
the lines. Yes we are Rossfield, Areal. Maybe we're saying
in the side the lines. Okay, Astros with the day
off yesterday, but the Ocremento A's are in town. They
were able to win a must win series. Okay, maybe
it wasn't a must win series, but it was very
nice to win the series over the weekend against the
Seattle Mariners. And how about the three hits the walk

(01:22:00):
off from Christian Walker, matt could this be the catalyst
for a Christian Walker to finally wake up? Also had
a couple of hits on a Saturday, so five hits
in his last two games with three runs batted in
average up to two twelve. If the Astros go five
and one this week, are they in first place American

(01:22:23):
League West? I would say yes. The American League, by
the way, is out there. I mean it's it shouldn't
be too difficult for the Astros to make the playoffs.
Quite frankly, right now, Seattle Mariners are third in the
American League. You're only a game a half behind them.
They're just twenty nine and twenty three. It's not like
they're lighting the world on fire. So you look at

(01:22:45):
the overall league standings, Detroit Tigers right now ahead of
everyone at thirty five and twenty and then the Yankees.
But then it's a huge drop off in a missmash
of meh with the Mariners, Guardians, Twins, Astros, Royals all
in that mix, Matthew, and they're gonna be the mix
all the way through, which means the Astros will be
buyers at the Deadlions compared to selling. Okay, even though

(01:23:09):
they've got one really sellable piece at the front end
of their rotation, the menywhere Else. In twenty twenty six,
Hunter Brown on the Mountain on a dollar dog Tuesday,
how we feel? Are you gonna have some tonight? I
here's Ross's option. It's got three of them. Okay, twelve
dollars media meal, which you say usually pretty good. Really,

(01:23:31):
two different main entrees, two different side dishes. Yeah, they
take care of a sold salad bar, hot dogs, nachos, Yes,
plenty of dessert options like fifteen to twenty options peanuts, chips, sodas, puddings,
and pretzels. That's why the media is so fat, because
we you go these media meals and they got pay
twelve dollars unless you're like some of the media that

(01:23:53):
waits for the fifth inning and they start cleaning the
food out and you go get the free stuff because
you're cheap. Skit like that. But I won't name it, Okay,
I want to, but I won't. Option number two is
to go to the Astros seven ninety Sweet and Jones
down on their foot. Oh, I've done that before. And
an option number three is to get your dot at dogs.
I've done all three before. I've gone on a Tuesday

(01:24:16):
and be like, I'm not spending twelve dollars in the
media meal. I'm getting dogs. I will agree that you
have done all three. I'll scan now, first of all,
scan and see what the meal is correct. There's too
much an hour. I'm gonna have to throw the Astros
media relations team on the busters many. There's too many
vegetarian options in there. What do you mean too many
veggie dogs, veggie burgers? Somebody eats that. No, they that's
I think it's good if you taste it. They have

(01:24:38):
meat and they have you don't have to do it.
They have both, and they usually have a carving station,
which is carnivorous. Stay away from vegan being your own food.
If you're gonna be vegan, No you don't. They should
have options for people who just want maybe even don't
want to be vegan, but you want a little healthier options.

Speaker 1 (01:24:54):
Matt.

Speaker 2 (01:24:55):
There you go to the media donald day. First of all,
they got dogs at nachos. You every day, every game
is dogs and nachos. You want to pig out in there,
you can pick out. Okay. Then they normally have like
a pork chop or fried chicken or whatever, and then
they have a carving station. You're fine, it's not gonna
hurt you. Veggie loaf does not look good makes you
turn on. Usually if they have like veggie pesto, pasta
or what, I'll get a little bit of it and

(01:25:16):
eat it. Good for you, yis, you're so weird. It's
not gonna hurt you. It does hurt me. If you
have one less hol you have so many more options.
You can get a salad as well. Oh, we don't
want salad.

Speaker 1 (01:25:26):
You know what.

Speaker 2 (01:25:26):
I'm not gonna go on. I'm done arguing food with you.
Oh by the way, I almost bought up a jar
of generic barbecue sauce, and something's gonna bring it to
you today. Why, because I know you love barbecue sauce.
I don't want generic barbecue sauce. I want good barbecue sauce.
Continue on, all right, My gosh. Dana Brown is speaking
to the Astros Radio network on Sunday. What is the

(01:25:47):
latest on your Don Alvarez.

Speaker 9 (01:25:50):
Yeah, it's still unknown, but he's doing well full baseball
activity right now. Mainly it's how does the hand feel,
you know, once he gets to place where it feels
pretty good.

Speaker 2 (01:26:02):
You know, we're gonna turn him loose.

Speaker 7 (01:26:04):
Uh.

Speaker 9 (01:26:04):
The one thing, as I mentioned before, what we don't
want is for him to come back too soon, re
injure it, and then be sitting out for another three weeks.
So if he can just continue to let it heal
and then you know, once he starts to take swings
and he doesn't feel anything, we'll we'll turn him loose.

Speaker 2 (01:26:23):
Let's go. I'm ready. I am so ready for your
to comeback full baseball activities. So that's good. It's a
step in the right direction. Hopefully he'll be back. We'll
talk to Joe Espada. Not sure if he'll give us
an update or not, but we'll have him coming up
at twelve thirty. Oh hey, people want to know the
name names something. Media people to go in the fifth inning,

(01:26:44):
and I'm not doing that. I'll let them get caught
on their own. Is it run with rat Ramas? No,
it doesn't.

Speaker 3 (01:26:50):
I pay.

Speaker 2 (01:26:52):
As a matter of fact, I O. What I do
is I go get a snack before the on deck
show and I say, hey, I'll be giving you my
credit card when I come in. They're like, oh yeah, Matt,
we trust you and I can gi him. The tw
twelve dollars were done. Why they had your picture on
the wall though it looks like a mug shot. No,
I'm not a part of it. Do not listen to
this man. I'm not a part of the Houston Baseball
Media Hall of Fame. No, you're definitely, I'm not. There's
no picture of me.

Speaker 3 (01:27:12):
No.

Speaker 2 (01:27:12):
I don't think you should be in there either. Well,
I mean, it would be nice if some dagon in it,
but I'm not worried about it. For what only twenty
years of Astros postgame shows. Yeah, but I mean it's
late night. People aren't listening. They listen some when they
were better. I'm glad to see good friend of the show,
Kevin Eschenfelder up there. Yeah, Kevin's up there, Milo Models there,

(01:27:34):
Bill Browners there, Alan Ashby won last year. Do you
think you deserved to be up there with those guys?
I've seen worse. All right, Moving along, by the way,
I'll be there Friday, and I'll be using my twelve
dollars credit card to purchase a media meal at the Astro.
On the news at noon, man, good news for friends
of the Houston Cougars. Basketball program. Milo's Oozen would drawing

(01:27:58):
from the NBA draft, you will return to the Houston
Cougars All Big twelve second team eleven points, four point
two assists, forty three percent from three. Of course, the
disappointing choke in the National Championship game for the University
of Houston Cougar's. But they basically are assembling a super
team over there. Well, here's the crazy part of it.
When you went back to college after the NBA said

(01:28:21):
you're not ready for us yet, that was a pretty
difficult ego. Blow Modinos, Whosann's gonna go back and get
some mount of am money? He will not be he
will not be poor in twenty twenty five dash twenty six.
He's got a deal waiting for him. Is it gonna
be all good to go? You cutting the check, Matty,
I'm not cutting any checks. Why don't you get him
promoting this show? Let's go? Um, I don't know if

(01:28:43):
I mean, I guess I could? You know what we
have to do. I'll pay models. Who's gon to get
a tattoo of our radio show in the back of
his h What do you want to put on his
neck so people could see it? On a shoulder blade. Okay,
that was just on his forehead at Sports MT on
this No, not your Twitter, this show, Oh, Matt thomashall Twitter. Yeah,
that's fine. We can shorten it tms w R and

(01:29:08):
you put a QR code on there and people can
can scan that they needed more information. That's gross. I'm
trying to think outside the box. We can take do
whatever we can at this point. All right, Matt, Moving along.
There was a graphic posted on Twitter the other day, uh,
proposing a Team USA versus Team World. Team USA being

(01:29:29):
Lebron Durant, Anthony Davis, Jason Tatum and is that Devin Booker,
I think versus for example, Nikola Jokic, Janis Atenta Kumpo, Luka, Doncic,
Victor Wimbin Yama, Shake Gilders, Alexander jan attend to Kompo.
Quote tweeted it said this should be the next year's
All Star game format must see basketball. Do you agree

(01:29:52):
to try to reinvigorate the All Star Game? The NBA
should go to a Team USA versus the World. I
don't care, you don't care. I don't have any interest.
The only All Star game I have any interest in
is the Baseball Star Game, and I call the NBA.
I love the NBA. The NBA had me by a

(01:30:15):
thread two years ago until somebody scored two hundred points
and I waved it off for good. I raised the flag,
I said, I give up. I don't think there's anything
you can do at this point that could save the
NBA weekend h So you sound much more optimistic about
it than I do. So tell me what would make
it more competitive. That would be more competitive, probably for

(01:30:37):
a year, and then the novelty would wear off. It's
like when they did the elam ending, where guys had
tried for a year or two and then so you
can only do it for so long and then the
novelty is gonna wear off in guys it there's really
nothing to do. The guys are making fifty million dollars
a year. They're not gonna give their all unless there's huge,
massive financial ramifications. Other than that, I think it's mostly
a lost cause. But I think this would work for

(01:30:58):
a year or two, and then it would so answer
the simplistic question to me, then why did they care
about it in nineteen eighty five? And they'd give two
blanks about it in twenty twenty five, more many more
millions being made. It's less of a which used to
be a showcase for the league, you know, nineteen sixty one.
I'm talking about the players. I don't the players don't

(01:31:19):
care how much money the league makes. I guess they
sort of do because it's how much they're making. Oh,
you're saying because they make so much more money that
they don't need any sort of finance. A more competitive
time in general, I think a lot of times these
guys grow up together. They're in aau. They know each
other from Nike camp and under Armoured camp and whatever
camp working out in the summer. Together, it's a much
more cordial and probably less competitive against each other, I

(01:31:43):
would say. The interpersonal rivalries, I guess there are probably
less than they were. More friendly overall. I always pretend
I have more familiar I've always got feel like I've
got an answer for almost anything in sports, being around
all my life. I don't have an answer for this.
I don't know what they could possibly do to generate competitiveness.
Now they're still generating numbers. People watching, ratings are okay.

(01:32:06):
There still a huge money making event that USA the
world would have a ratings pop for a year or two,
But don't you want to find something that can be
sustainable for more than just a year or two. I
don't think there's a solution for it unless, like I said,
unless you're giving like the winning team twenty million dollars
or something which nobody. Nobody's gonna pony up for that. No,
you're not gonna make that money back. No, you'd have

(01:32:27):
to take it out of the coffers of the player's funds. No,
I gonna do that. You could do that, and they're
not gonna do that either. All Right, I've met elsewhere
off the beaten path. Today, the prestigious Texas Monthly Top
fifty barbecue joints in Texas came out. Really it's once
every four years, so it's a big deal. Mat just
can make or break businesses. H Top ten. Number one

(01:32:50):
was Burnt Bean Company in Sagine, Texas. Have you been
I have not? Okay, it's delicious. Number two Lero and
Loose in Austin, Texas and no been, Nope.

Speaker 1 (01:32:57):
Oh.

Speaker 2 (01:32:58):
Number three Goldies in four Or Texas. Nope, I've been
to all three of those. Matt, and your favorite of
the three, oh Man they're a amazing I'm gonna go
Leroy and Lewis, They're all amazing. Truth. Barbecue in Houston,
Texas the only joint here I believe in town to
make the top ten unless some of these I haven't

(01:33:18):
heard of are in Houston. I have to do some
further digging on this, but there you go, number nine
on the list. They were number three in the twenty
twenty one list, bumped down to number nine.

Speaker 3 (01:33:26):
Do you know?

Speaker 2 (01:33:27):
And this is the God's honest truth. If this is hard,
because you if you're gonna pay for a high ends,
if you're gonna if you're gonna get a high in Steike,
you gotta pay for one. I guess I gotta shake
myself of If you want really good barbecue, it's gonna
cost you forty dollars. And I have a play, and
I have I'm still having a hard time a lot
of these plays. You can get to three meat played

(01:33:48):
for thirty twenty five or thirty like you get a
two meat play for when you, me and the other
producer went, we spend one hundred dollars for three of us. Yes,
we also got desserted. I mean we got way too
many sides, yes, and then I then then the food
spilled out of my car and it was a waste.
M I wanted those ribs. We need to go back

(01:34:09):
that beefer. It was delicious. Oh we nod on it
for like a week. That's feels no, I don't put
that in there. Yeah, you nod on it for a week.
And that's today's news at noon. I'm gonna try to
knock off the rest of this top ten. I've been
to I think four of this top ten. I need

(01:34:29):
to knock off three.

Speaker 1 (01:34:30):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:34:30):
Will you be considered barbecue snob if you don't put
sauce on this stuff? Or you are you required to go?
I put a I will eat it without sauce, but
then you put a little bit on there, you try it,
you do both, Okay, I'm good with that. I can
do barbecue thout sauce. Yeah. It's it's like somebody makes
you a nice, wonderful, crispy uh New York strip and

(01:34:53):
then you play a plaster eight one all over it
before even taking a bite. Yeah, it's a disrespectful the shift.
This is exactly what he said. Would you see Charles
Barkley utter day on TNT No he eats his steak
well done. There's a lot of guy spends millions of dollars.
He makes millions of dollars a year. Can eat any
fine steak house he wants to, and he's like, I
can't eat even with red in it. Disgusting. I like him.

(01:35:18):
Twelve fifteen, Sports Talk seven ninety Joe spot him ten
minutes from now Sports Talk seven ninety. It is the
Matt Tomlins Show with Ross seven one three two one
two five seven nine zero seven one three two one
two five seven niney. If you want to visit with
us through Twitter, you may do that as well at
Sports empty and at Sports RV. By the way, Josh

(01:35:38):
Hater will be a guest of the A team right
off the bat at two five today as they get
ready for that series the two. Yeah, so Josh Hater
a guest with Adam and Adam coming up in just
a few minutes. Um seven one three two one two
five seven. And I'm trying to clear my computer system
which continues on to work. Gotcha going to Keith?

Speaker 1 (01:36:00):
You hear that?

Speaker 2 (01:36:00):
Yeah? Keith on seven Good afternoon, Hey, how y'all doing great?

Speaker 1 (01:36:07):
I got some questions about the Big Three what yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I heard him say that Calum Murphy's I heard
him say Calm Murphy's the coach. And I heard him
say that Gerald Green and and who else is Gerald Green? Uh,
Corey Brewer and some other green and I could never

(01:36:29):
ever make out what they're saying. I want to. I
don't want to ask y'all some serious I will not
serious question. I wanted to have a serious answer to
how do they make money? For one? Who's their target audience? Number?

Speaker 2 (01:36:45):
Two?

Speaker 1 (01:36:46):
Have we also? Have you ever sent through a Big
Three games?

Speaker 2 (01:36:50):
Whoa whoa?

Speaker 3 (01:36:51):
Whoa?

Speaker 2 (01:36:51):
Whoa? Whoa whoa? What you owe us an apology? Why
one of us in this room has been to a
Big Three event? One is not and his name is
not Boss Bill Brial. I don't nobody knows anybody in apology?
Why didn't you ask me if I went to a
Big Three? You're talking to me and Keith can talk.

Speaker 1 (01:37:08):
Yeah, you know what.

Speaker 2 (01:37:09):
I will step out of this because I have answered
all these questions I watched. Since you didn't ask if
I went to a Big Three, which I did, suck
it go on? Uh, I watched it on TV. It's
not very good.

Speaker 1 (01:37:20):
Yeah, I can't do it, no more than two minutes.
How about a w How about a w NBA game?
Have you ever watched a whole w NBA game? I have.

Speaker 2 (01:37:29):
Normally when I have been on it.

Speaker 1 (01:37:32):
Oh you have a ross?

Speaker 2 (01:37:35):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:37:35):
Did you say you say you have?

Speaker 2 (01:37:37):
Yeah? Not when I haven't gambled on it though.

Speaker 1 (01:37:39):
Oh okay, okay? Well, so how does how does the
Big three make money? And who's their target?

Speaker 2 (01:37:45):
Ticket sales and advertising? But I mean how it goes if.

Speaker 1 (01:37:53):
They have live games? How many people ever show up
to see that craft?

Speaker 2 (01:38:00):
I don't know, man, how many people were at the
event you were at? I don't know. We can ask you, no,
you can't. Come on. It's funny. I have all the answers,
all these questions. I didn't have to act like a child,
Matt where I'm just asking you a question now?

Speaker 1 (01:38:15):
Sorry, man, No, you did?

Speaker 2 (01:38:18):
You did offend me too late? You did offend me, Kate.
The answer is this, They have a very sweetheart friendly
deal on CBS. I think they share revenue on that
on the split of a league sponsors and whatnot. By airtime.

Speaker 7 (01:38:31):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:38:32):
They do try to fill the buildings, but that has
been a minimal success.

Speaker 1 (01:38:36):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:38:36):
They used to just do it in three or four
different places. They're now trying to go all around the
country to try to regionalize it to get people that
would be familiar with the players on that team. But
they are. They have four or five core sponsors. They've
got CBS is a TV network, and they think it's
iced Tea correct, right, Ice ice Q one of the two.
I don't know that think that uses his social platforms

(01:38:59):
to get people to go the events. It's it's fine.
It's for old school basketball fans that love guys that
played in the league ten, fifteen, twenty years ago. To
play a three on three, It's okay. I've also been
to a lot of WNBA games because I used to
be the announcer for the comments for some years, so
I've been to a lot of them. I've been to
a game recently obviously, So I think I answered all

(01:39:21):
your questions. Thanks for asking me eventually.

Speaker 1 (01:39:25):
Have a great day.

Speaker 2 (01:39:26):
See you later, Keith. I'm just trying to I'm curious
how much these tickets are. I'm just trying to look
this up. I'm going to presume they're fairly reasonable. Everybody
sits in the lower level, huh, I mean, unless you're
just really filling the house up. I went and saw
Ryan Hollins, a friend of the show and obviously Rockets
TV analysts on Space City. He was a part of
a team that featured him and Joe Johnson, and I

(01:39:49):
forgot the other two guys were, but they were. They
were representing a team, and so Craig Ackerman and I
drove the Dallas with a little Bros Trip Ross and
the coach of Ryan's team was Lisa Leslie. Ryan got
two thousand and first two minutes and didn't play again,
so we drove all the way to Dallas to see

(01:40:11):
Ryan play two minutes. So we have privately mfed Lisa
Leslie's name for a better part of two years. If
you want front, if you want to on the floor seats,
guess how much they are total center on the floor.
I want to say two hundred and fifty dollars. Twelve
hundred dollars. Shut up if you want good seats, but

(01:40:34):
good seats from there are pretty reasonable. One hundred and
seventy dollars for like basically four rows back. If you
want front row of the what do you call it,
behind the basket whatever, that section you would call that
baseline baseline one hundred hundred dollars. I bet well it
would do them some good if they give you and
I front a course yay, because we would shoot photos

(01:40:56):
of ourselves. We'd walk around and say, hey, ice Cube
love this sport. Yeah, I think we have tickets available
if you want to claim a couple. Alright, I'm going
Ryan Hollinves is gonna play. I got I gotta check
it right. Get a second. That's my brother's birthday, So
I don't know what we're doing. Probably drinking. We can
drink it. They serve. I'm sure that's your alcohol. Is

(01:41:18):
a Tuesday? Oh at the club coming up on a Tuesday.
Let's go away the asker of a day game on Wednesday.
I don't mind you doing that. We got a full
show Wednesday. I need you full strength. Yeah, I'll take
a day off. I got a lot of vacation left.
Twelve twenty eight, Let's talk to Joe as Spot of
the Astros manager. He'll join us next here on Sports
Talk seven ninety. This is the Matt Thomas Show with

(01:41:39):
Ross on Sports Talk seven ninety. Very happy to be
joined by the manager of your Houston Astros twelve thirty
two is a time Matt and Ross with you on
Sports Talk seven ninety as the Astros start a series
of the eight tonight game and a half behind the
MS in the American League West and Joe is with

(01:41:59):
a skip first off day in seventeen days. I'm going
to assume your one hundred new list from missus the spot.
It was quite lengthy.

Speaker 3 (01:42:09):
Yes, we had a really nice time together as a family.
Must it must need a break, Matt, for you know,
for the coaches, but most important for our players.

Speaker 2 (01:42:19):
It was it was a long road and.

Speaker 3 (01:42:22):
I thought we played really well doing those seventeen games,
so we ready here to get get going against the A's.

Speaker 2 (01:42:28):
To me, Skip, the biggest positive was you didn't get
a whole lot of linked out of your starting pitching
fromber gave you some quality starts, hunting and whatnot, but
you had a lot of nights where you han't a
battle using your bullpen guys in the sixth inning and
correct me if I'm wrong. It feels like everybody got
a good amount of work, but nobody felt like they
were overused.

Speaker 3 (01:42:48):
Yeah, I think so. I think you know, that's that's
been you know, one of our strength this season has
been our bullpen and everybody contributing, and everybody's getting big innings,
getting you know, some of some of these guys four whiles,
some of them are going there for two hours, uh
for two innings.

Speaker 2 (01:43:04):
You know, credit to.

Speaker 3 (01:43:05):
Those guys, they've been they've been really good, preparing themselves
very well, getting rested and like you mentioned, getting some
qualities starts from some of our guys and then piecing
it together with with a few others. But I thought
this run was pretty good. And now we you know,
we're getting uh a few mondays off here after six
in a row, so it should be it should be good.

Speaker 2 (01:43:25):
You know, I was gonna ask you about your thoughts
about the six man rotation, but really your sixth guy
is a guy that you've bounced backwards and forwards to
the bullpen and starting rotation. It's Ryan Gusto. Is that
kind of the plan at least for the foreseeable future,
to use him as a swing guy?

Speaker 3 (01:43:40):
You know what, right now we are we we we're
talking things through. You know, we do have these off
days coming up. Gusta has done a really nice job
being that swing man. But you know, obviously we really
like when he goes out there and give us, give us,
you know, strong five innings. But he's also at piece
that we could use in the bullpen and and and

(01:44:01):
give us, you know, strong six out six. You know,
you know, more than two innings of work. So we're
trying to figure it out what's going to be our
next move here moving forward against the age. And then
we got four, uh four against Tampa.

Speaker 2 (01:44:13):
So you win three or four against Seattle. Look, a
division can't be won or lost in late May. But
the reality is if you had to drop three or four,
you'd probably felt pretty sick to your stomach. Winning three
or four kind of changes the morale of Hey, we
survived this. We've had Jordan gone for a long period
of time. Our starting rotation is a mess because of
injuries at this point, and hell, we're a game and

(01:44:33):
a half out. You really couldn't ask for much more
at this point.

Speaker 3 (01:44:36):
No, Yeah, the the effort was was there. You know,
these guys, they they knew the importance of this series,
even though it's in May. But anytime you could win
series against team in your division, you know you're gaining
you're gaining some games you're gaining some ground and you're
carrying some momentum, and you don't want to be too
far away from from these teams once, you know, June

(01:44:58):
July come comes around. So so I thought, we show
up and we played very well. We got some big
hits when we needed to in our pitching again doing
a fabulous job keeping us, keeping us in it.

Speaker 2 (01:45:09):
Speaking of Jordan, I know you're probably getting tired of
ask basically every day, but just any update there.

Speaker 3 (01:45:16):
He's going to run the basis today, he's going to
do some outfield defense. We want to keep him, you know,
in game shape of one, he tells us, So you know,
I'm ready to go. He you know, we feel like
he's strong enough physically, you know, lower half, so he
can uh start playing right away. But you know he's
going to come in here today. He's going to hit

(01:45:36):
again off the machine and then and then we judge
from there.

Speaker 2 (01:45:40):
Astros manager Joe Spott, it was here on a Sports
Talk seven ninety how about seven hits from Cam Smith
in the series. Looks like he's really blossoming at the plate.

Speaker 3 (01:45:50):
Yeah, he is. He had made some adjustments, he's starting
to gain some confidence, you know, success, bring some confidence
to your game, and he's starting to. He started to
feel good about where he's at offensively. He's done a
nice shop in right field. You know, we knew that
this guy is going to be a really, really good player,

(01:46:11):
but our job is just kind of moving him along,
help him through this processes. But he's starting to, you know,
drive the ball, getting some I've gone some big hits
for us, and you know, excited to have him. He's
he's you know, he's been he's been really good for us.
So you know, we'll keep him going. We'll keep an

(01:46:32):
eye on things, and we'll.

Speaker 2 (01:46:33):
Keep him going. So, Joe, if you weren't the manager
of this team, and you and I were sitting at
the bar having a beverage, and I said, our favorite
baseball team is going to put a left fielder out
there has ever played left and a right fielder has
never played right before, You're gonna be like, oh, hell,
this is how bad it is going to be. First
of all, Cam is fielding his position beautifully, and then
al two Bays throw Friday night which got at the

(01:46:53):
base runner by like thirty feet. I mean, all things considered,
I mean it could have gone a lot worse. And
I'm not trying to jinx anything here, but my goodness,
especially with Camon right field, you guys are not missing
any beat out there, at least defensively.

Speaker 3 (01:47:08):
Well, we're having that beer at the bar and we're
talking about this, this this particular situation. I'll tell you
that I had no doubt that these guys can do it,
because you got to take in consideration the athlete that
you're dealing with, the mindset off the player, the work
ethic of of the guy. So I had no doubt
that these guys are going We're going to have some
success and figure things out, and and we you know,

(01:47:30):
we're not there yet. They continue to work and get better.
But I had no doubt that both of these guys
have the ability and the mindset to make this adjustments.

Speaker 2 (01:47:39):
What is in your mind the most difficult part of
his transition from being an infielder his entire life to
playing outfield? Is it the angles? Is it the cutoff man?
There was maybe one throw this weekend that you probably
weren't crazy about, But generally speaking, what do you think
is the biggest thing not necessarily has to overcome? But
the thing that he said to you, Hey, I can
do this, but give me some time in this particular
area of the game.

Speaker 3 (01:48:00):
You know, for me, it's just perception. The ball off
the bat right, you went from being on the infield dirt.
The balls getting to you quicker, so you reacting to
it much sooner. Angles and direction that you take to
the ball are are more quicker, and you're reacting to
the ball.

Speaker 6 (01:48:16):
Now the ball is traveling, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:48:19):
Part of the way for you know, from you and
you got to cover way more way more ground. Communication
is a factor, you know, uh, in a two ways case,
you know, having Jade to his to his left, you know,
dealing with that game situation, knowing the speed of the
runner and now you've got to keep double place in orders.
There's so many factors that go into this and the

(01:48:41):
same thing we can.

Speaker 1 (01:48:43):
But I think one thing is that.

Speaker 3 (01:48:45):
We were coaching these guys up.

Speaker 1 (01:48:47):
We have weekly.

Speaker 3 (01:48:48):
Conversations with him. We're showing video. Uh, we go over
game situations and just to make sure that we are
still teaching them how to play the position and continue
to it just as as we go.

Speaker 2 (01:49:01):
A couple more minutes here with the Astros manager Joe
A spotted with us here on Sports Talk seven one eighty.
So you've got these games coming up now with some
off days in between. You've also mixed in a lot
of Jose doing some dhing And I know that younger
players never want a DH. Have you noticed a change.
I know that Jose wants to play wherever he can play,
left field, second base, whatever you ask him to do.

(01:49:23):
But has he been more forthcoming and saying, you know,
the DH days aren't the worst things in the world.

Speaker 3 (01:49:29):
Yeah, I think I think he's open to that. I
think Jose knows that you know that you know the
behind it. It's the fact that I want to keep them,
we want to keep them healthy, and the DH days,
you know, it gives him an ability, a chance for
him to be of his feed and he's been more
open to that. Also, he knows that gives me the

(01:49:49):
ability to get some of these young players on the field,
and he knows that fus when we need something, we
need to develop these this next generations of you know,
mejor league players going to allow us to keep this
winning culture going. So, you know, Hosey, it's it's he's
all in, but definitely more open to d H You know,
I I normally text him or call him or tell

(01:50:12):
him the night before my plans. And you know, he's
always been honest and open with me how he feels
when he comes to his playing time.

Speaker 2 (01:50:20):
Speaking of that, we haven't been seeing much of Brendan
Rodgers lately. It's been a lot of Dubon. Ideally for you,
you'd probably like to see more from him at the play.
But how do you think that the whole second base
situation shakes out with Rogers factoring in?

Speaker 3 (01:50:35):
You know what he's gonna He's gonna continue to play.
Dubon has been swinging a good bat of late, so
we we're gonna do that. But you know, just like
the rest of these guys, I'll put him in there
and give them, give them opportunity to try to match
them up with uh some pitching that I that I
feel like they can handle. And and but it's you know,
it's not an easy situation with having all these players

(01:50:59):
UH here, and I want to get them involved and
I want them all to contribute. So communication is important
being patient through this process. And but but he's gonna
get He's gonna he will get more. He will get
some opportunities here to play some.

Speaker 2 (01:51:13):
And speaking of a communication Lance Cullors Junior on the
hill tomorrow. What what has that been like for you?
It's very unique situation. Are you still kind of checking
and monitoring him more than most? But he did throw
ninety one pitches last time out?

Speaker 3 (01:51:27):
Is it?

Speaker 2 (01:51:28):
Is it kind of like he's just one of the guys. Now,
where are you at with them? No?

Speaker 3 (01:51:31):
You know, I think he's always been one of the guys.

Speaker 1 (01:51:34):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:51:34):
I always just talk to him, make sure that he
feels okay. I've watched his bullpens just to make sure
that he's that he's the process is in place that
he's not rushing to any of this or we're not
rushing them to any of this. So he's been he's
been really good.

Speaker 2 (01:51:52):
He's bouncing back very well. He's working the weight room.
He's great.

Speaker 3 (01:51:55):
He's bullpens in between starts. Uh, we have like no
issues now, is Uh, he'll be more efficient in the games,
throwing strips, putting guys away.

Speaker 2 (01:52:06):
Uh, so he could.

Speaker 3 (01:52:08):
So he could get us deep in the game and
I'm listen, the stuff is there. Uh, it's just more
execution and once he gets it going, I could see him,
you know, pitching deep in our games.

Speaker 2 (01:52:18):
It felt like to me, Skip, you were trying everything
in your power to keep him out there for that
fifth inning to get that victory, and that that had
to be a hard walk for you, knowing that he
couldn't get it because of that.

Speaker 3 (01:52:27):
So yeah, you know, really trying. But he also you know,
he understands. You know, we were trying to his health,
trying to keep him healthy and were trying to win games.
But yeah, I really wanted him to get that the
lass out there in the fifth inning. Uh put him
in a position to win the games. But he'll he'll win.
He'll win some games here coming.

Speaker 2 (01:52:47):
Up, Skip, great visitors, always, good luckainst the ace tonight.
We'll talk again next week. We appreciate it as always
a fellas, thank you got it. That is manager Joe
spotted with us here on Sports Talk SEVENINET. Twelve forty
three is our time. We are with you today until
two o'clock. Ross. What is today's edition believe it or not?
Coming up at one fifty, I don't know, all right,
nfl rewind what is your topic? At one twenty you

(01:53:09):
will find out. Oh, I know what it's gonna be.
Was it off the field stuff. Maybe I do. It's
kind of it. It's got some juice to it. It's cheesy, kitchy.

Speaker 3 (01:53:21):
For what it is.

Speaker 2 (01:53:22):
I don't think of the National Library of Congress. This
song is not being etched out the Forsoni Institute. Yeah,
that's fine, but it's fine. I'm gonna listen to this
on the way to uh to my appointments. I have
a for the show today. What are you gonna do
the other thirty seven minutes you're driving? It's gonna play
on endless luke. Oh, that's well, you're you're gonna crash
into somebody crash out as the kids call it. Yeah.

(01:53:45):
I don't know anything about him except that song. Apparently
he is quite uh with the McCoy's. Did hang on Sloopy? Really?
He sang that? Well, he played guitar on. I was
gonna say, I don't know, all right, so they go
a little rock and roll hoot another hit of his.
I thought he was a one hit wonder I stand corrected, Well,

(01:54:05):
was I'm a real American? The top forty eight? Well,
I mean, I think Hawk made it somewhat popular. I
mean it might have charted. I guess, I guess we
could find out unbelieve it or not? Are we doing
rig Dringer?

Speaker 3 (01:54:18):
Believe it?

Speaker 2 (01:54:19):
Let's make up five things. You can get it and
you can find four truthful things and four false things.
That's fine, rinked Derringer. Oh great, And uh, you know
Adam Klan's a huge brick Darringer fan. Maybe he could
help out. You never know his all right, Okay, but
he'd have to get here before the show started. So,
oh he dated jon Jet? Did he really? Or did
he just made that up? Okay?

Speaker 7 (01:54:41):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (01:54:42):
Dated jon Jet? For let's let's let's do an NodD
question right now. Okay, we'll take care of those twelve
fifty listeners of ours dated Joon Jet briefly in the
nineteen eighties, but said her concert constant tour scheduling interfered
them in that relationship. Now we'll see. I think that's
a great question. Thank you, Matt. Welcome terrible, I said,

(01:55:06):
we'll see. All I want to help you, and that's
what I get in return. You're just using the question
I just came up with, but I gave you I
excented it. Well, we'll put it under consideration. Thank you.
All right, A mission, what do you want to talk
about in the final hour of the show. The Astros okay, uh?
The NBA also the NBA real quick here, so the
layoffs playoffs? Who do you got tonight between the Pacers

(01:55:29):
and the Knicks? Pacers? Pacers go up three to one,
good feeling. I'm just saying that because they favored two
and a half. I'm throwing a question that for you.
But is the NBA ready like the Ivory Towers, like
the Park Avenue, NBA ready for Oklahoma City, India? Build
them up full on marketing blizz You got good players

(01:55:51):
Tyre's Halliburt and Shake Gill, just Alexander Jalen Williams is fun,
Chad Holmgren, people like Longhorn, Legend, Miles Turner, They're good
players in these Can I tell you about Chetoll Olgrin
for a minute? Yes, years ago. Now, I'm gonna this
is gonna make it a rocket centric part of the conversation.
Were you at the draft party when we was remember

(01:56:12):
at the depot, I was handing right next to you
when this happened. But go ahead, So Polo bang Caro
gets selected number one. Man. I wanted Polo, so did
the Rockets and then everybody did until Uh it was
a woj bomb that said that Orlando's taking him, and
I think what Orlando Woje said it was going to
be Smith. He found on an hour beforehand that everybody

(01:56:35):
changed my and I was told well after that that
everybody had pollow one, that there was some misinformation going
out there that interest that Paula was going to be
number one. So Oklahoma City was number two, and everybody
at the depot, that's where we were, right downtown, the post,
the post what the same difference. Uh, everybody said just

(01:56:56):
don't take chet. Don't take him. He's a three point guy.
He's very slim, bill Rail looking for ail, looking fragile,
and he has about to that advantage. He has gotten
hurt quite a bit in his career. He missed his
first full year. He only played thirty two games this year.
But he can knock down three, he can blockshots, basically

(01:57:16):
what he was advertised coming out of college. Mm hmm.
Everyone's like, please don't take him. So when Chad got
selected number two by Oklahoma City, remember if you were there,
you were there with me. The place went bonkers, like
cool clapping, like it was like the rockets had picked
their player, but it really wasn't their player. It was

(01:57:37):
Oklahoma City and it was like who dodged a bullet? Yes,
and then Jabari was packed was taken third, right, Yes,
I think about that.

Speaker 3 (01:57:53):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:57:53):
I'm not saying the Rockets, if they were two, would
have not taken jabbar saying that. But what I am
saying is is that I think those of us that
did the Shusi relief. Chad is a good NBA player,
but attendance is what wise man once told me, is

(01:58:15):
part of the grade. And he has not been there
a whole lot. But when he plays, he knocks down threes,
he's hard to guard, and he walks ross into five
block shots the game. It feels like, so there is
There is tremendous value what I just describe for an
NBA player as long as he gets and it is

(01:58:35):
on the floor. Yeah, it didn't matter for the Thunder
that he only played thirty two games. The team is
so well built they still won what sixty eight games
and it is the best point of evinchal in history.
Pretty crazy. But he has had two major injuries. He
missed fifty games this year. He missed his entire first season.
I don't know if I'd spend super big money on him,
he's gonna get it, but he is still frail. So

(01:59:00):
uestion I have is, do you ever in a world
of yours, when you're sleeping at night and can't sleep,
do you ever think about, besides the girls that you
wouldn't want to Ascott in high school? Do you every
think about what ched Holmgren could have been. If the
Rockets would have gotten him at three and that the
Thunder would have taken Jabari at two, it'd be a
pretty good pairing with Alpi. He can stretch the floor

(01:59:20):
to the basket. He would have stretched the defensive. Yeah,
I mean weeks had helped defense, getting a bunch of
block shots. So as I think about that, I think
to myself it would not have been nearly as bad
as I thought it was going to be on Draft night. Now,
I'll tell you this, if the Rockets would have taken

(01:59:41):
him third in Oklahoma City, would have taken Jabbari two,
and then he gets at Liz Frank injury, we'd have
been just sworn up and down. We knew this was
going to happen. This is a foregone conclusion that a
slim frail, Chad Holmgren was going to get hurt. Well,
he's had one healthy season out of three. That's tough.
That is one hundred percent tough AND's and it's indefensible.

(02:00:03):
I mean not that we don't feel bad for him
out that it's anybody's fault. But again, if you don't play,
you can't get value. But he was good last night,
and he looked win and he looked tired, but there
was a block shot late in the contest. You know
what he also does too, And I hate to say this,
I don't want to brag anybody that's not a Houston Rocket,
but he also does a really good job ross of
being a smart shot blocker. He times it perfectly. He

(02:00:28):
doesn't use the backboard to gain a goaltend. He he's
a smart player. So I just sometimes I think about
what would the rockets have been? Think about it, man,
you're wasting your time, Okay, I won't. I mean, I
like Jabari a lot. I mean it went in order,
that was the way it was going to go, one, two, three,

(02:00:49):
But it was funny the day before it was Jabari
spills gonna be the number one pick. That's strange unless again,
you were inside the rooms of these NBA teams. Everybody
had said, let's be honest. The number one pick is
Paulo Banko, and paul has been really good, but he
needs help in the playoffs. Fifteen games, he's averaging sixteen points,
eight point seven rebounds, a couple of blocks. It's good,

(02:01:09):
it's really good. But he's he's also got tremendous people
around him. Yeah, he's he's a cog in a big wheel.
Got the MVP. Yes, that's fair. They should have finished second.
I don't think people heard you. He should have finished
the second. There you go. That's okay, MVP caliber player.
All right, Final hour the Matt Thomas Show, NFL rewind

(02:01:31):
coming up here twenty minutes, but believe it on in fifty.
We want you to be a part of the break
program as well. Seven one three, two one two five
seven ninety seven one three two one two five seven
ninety What oh three? Sports Talk seven ninety It is
the hour number three, Make an hour number four. We

(02:01:53):
got three hours in the books. Ross, you got fifty
eight minutes left to go. Let's make it the power hour.
You want to let's go. I mean, I don't know
I'm just gonna shot a beer every minut. That's what
a power hour is. And Mike let me ask, y'all,
would y'all mind if we took a shot at one o'clock.
One o'clock shot. Yeah, we don't want to do a
shot up. You're gonna order a sex on the beach

(02:02:13):
or a lemon drop. He got you pegged. After the
eighteen inning game, folks, the Seattle Mayors, the Ashros battle
well for eighteen innings. Me and are one of our
mini producers at the time. No offounce in Matt. We're
all like, all right, let's do a shot. We got
to celebrate that win. We really do this because we
drove all the way to we listened to the game.

(02:02:34):
Oh yeah, we drove all the way to Lake Charles.
Then we watched the game for like an hour and
a half in the book at a certain place. Yeah,
and then we're afterwards, we're like, all right, let's take
a shot. And me and the guy Noah, we're like,
all right, we're doing tequila. Matt, what are you doing?
He goes sex on the beach Like that's not even
a shot. Lemon drops are delicious. I did two yellow

(02:02:57):
I did the two lemon drop shots after the Cougar
beat Duke in the Final four semifinal. I did zero
shots after we lost to Florida. Why not you got
to drown You're sorr are either celebrating or you're drowning sorrows.
You know, I you know I drowned myself in chicken
fried steak with lots of cream gravy at Rennies. Okay, God,
it sucked. You gotta side pancakes sick? If I say Rainnees,

(02:03:18):
is that good?

Speaker 6 (02:03:18):
Not bad?

Speaker 2 (02:03:20):
Okay, dinner at Rainnees is not horrible. I mean it's
not not like a top destination, but it'll do in
a pinch. I mean it was eleven o'clock at night.
The options weren't a plentiful. Yeah, San Antonio, Texas, anytime
like to eat that do well?

Speaker 3 (02:03:35):
Man?

Speaker 2 (02:03:35):
Ask you this, how many places can you go to
get a great meal at eleven o'clock at night in Houston?
Very limited? If you're in the city, you got options.
You're six miles from the sit downtown, you don't have
very many options. I have a bunch of options around me.
There's a bunch of who all trucks, there's uh, there's
an all twenty four hour rubway. Now I'm talking about
like a sit down meal. Okay, you gotta go down.

(02:03:56):
It used to be mouse of mice now now they
closed Earlier you got to go to Rainnies or Bye
Bop or there's a Matt's Melli name ever Mulls. I
got options, I don't. I gotta, I gotta Runner Berger Drive.
There are various Mexican joints that you can go to
as well. Yeah, I've been there. I've been to some

(02:04:18):
late night in Mexican. Yeah, if you don't speak Spanish,
you're gonna have a little basically need a little kitchen Spanish.
You go to Banish lours and you can get you
twenty four hours of yess. You can see, and it's
also the samest place to eat too. There's always cops
in there. That's good. Makes it really good. All right?
Moving on, so the so, uh, yeah, shot, well how
do we get shots? And astros? In the same conversation,
I don't know, you said were you said it was

(02:04:39):
a power hour, I said, Okay, we're gonna take some shots,
all right, So we're gonna start doing shots that won
do a full power hour in college. Describe it's a
shot of beer every one minute, and you can put
on a playlist or whatever and the song changes everybody.
You can do eighties power hour, you do nineties power
you can do whatever power hour. You can do your
own power hour. If you're buy yourself or other people.

(02:04:59):
If you're buy your yourself, that's full blown alcoholism. No, okay,
we did in college a few times. Now. I never
did the Century Club. That was one hundred minutes. That's
for the real heart raging alcoholics. The most. I'm not
a oh my god, I've got to go have a
drink kind of person, like I only did it once

(02:05:20):
in my life. I'm not like that anymore. But about
twenty one, I was so in my twenties. Me and
a buddy of mine went to go see Showgirls and
it was such a bad movie. It was the first
NC seventeen movie I'd ever seen. It was so incredibly bad.
How bad was it that we went to Bama's mafe

(02:05:41):
when he was open over there in West Timer, Okay,
and we shot gunned about two beers in twelve seconds.
That's good. I was like, I have to get the
stench of that movie off of my brain, and that's
the easiest way to do that was to have a
couple of cold beers in a very short period of time.
That's my story. Thank you. Matt astro is starting a
two games series with the uh sack of Tomato ocremento

(02:06:03):
Ocramento as tonight. I think it works, okram it, yeah,
ocremento ocrementto A's although although probably Oakland's, like, you don't
get part of the name there, you left it just
to be the Sacramento A's. Or is they're calling themselves
just the plan on all of them at Sacramento A's
today on the Astros on Deck show coming up at
six o'clock. All right, if you did not hear Joe

(02:06:25):
a spot on thirty seven minutes ago, there's probably a
one hundred percent chance you're going to hear it at
six o'clock. Now, it depends. Here's the problem. The eight
team steals our interviews all the time and plays them.
So if they don't, you know, so what you play
it three times, always turning over what's the problem? All right,
got a lot of hours of fill It's true six
with entertainment. Oh what do you want to do? You

(02:06:46):
want to hear you read them game notes. You want
to hear from the skipper. I want to hear from
the skipper exactly. My questions were fantastic, A little long winded. No,
they tighten those up. I think I think the skipper
turned said something said less than satisfactory your question earlier
today six fifteen. We'll have that interview today with the manager,
Joe spot right ish six to fifteen ish, because you

(02:07:09):
got to really play news breaks, we'll come be the
news break. I've been on a bad run of having
to start off with injury reports. Yeah, I've done it
before too, Like guys, injury report for a thing out
of the gate of the trades. Yeah, well, I don't
think that's happened. Or releasing of players. When jose air
Bray you got released, that was a big, That was
a big, That was a topper. Mendon Modgers, Why are

(02:07:30):
you think of the Mendon Modgers in trouble? I don't.
He's played like twice in the last ten days. All right,
So the A's and the Astro six o'clock on Deck
show and that'll be right here on a Sports Talk seven.
I mean, they have a daggaing tomorrow which we're only
on for two hours tomorrow before we get into on
deck coverage. Yes, before I get into on deck coverage,
that's right. And then we have what was gonna tell you?

(02:07:52):
We have what are you Brian Ogusvic tomorrow at eleven o'clock,
and then we got to shut your ball mass upending
and by the time for that eleven so huge. What
a show. It's gonna be a great one. I think
so too. All right? Uh, okay, we got game number
four of the NBA Playoffs to night between the Pacers
and the nixt I wish you know, when David Barron
used to cover TV radio for The Chronicle, he would

(02:08:14):
give us rating reports about how things do. I guess
we could find them, it would just have to take
somebody in the industry to do it. I'm going to
assume there isn't a large following for definitely not the
Eastern Conference. Maybe there's a smidge more for the West,
but I don't know. Clymba city in Minnesota, don't really
resonate here in town either. We're not a great city
when it comes to other cities teams competing. So I

(02:08:39):
don't think we've taken a single playoff call yet I
don't know. We've taken a couple really have I think
Biscuit called about the playoffs? Yeah, I have Biscuit calls
about everything, but he he that counts. That is true,
that it's true. We just need to I'm gonna tell
you selfishly, we need the Astros to be competitive for
the next two months because nice, I don't want to
get into a deep dive of texans Ota a game

(02:09:01):
and a half out of first let's go and tied
for the final wald card spot of the American League. Wonderful.
American League sucks. American Leagues does suck, but that means
if it does suck, that means again, are you really
scared of Detroit.

Speaker 7 (02:09:16):
Now?

Speaker 2 (02:09:17):
Somebody has to be on top of things. And obvious,
Oklahoma City has been top of the NBA, But are we?
I mean, you can't throw tark schooble every night. Well,
who knocked the Extras out of the playoffs the last year?
And that was two games? Small sample size, best seven,
the Astros would have won. Oh, okay, best of seven,
you're down two? Oh they would have won. I don't
know that must win games. Really, it takes four takes

(02:09:40):
four losses make it four, I must win, so that's
three losses. But yeah, it is uh, of all the
years for the Astros to essentially play Mid American League,
it's really there. I mean, the Yankees are underperforming, the
Orioles have dropped off the face of the earth, and
that was the team that I think I haven't predicted
to go the World Series. If you could get into

(02:10:01):
the playoffs with Brown, Valdez, Arragetty and a viable mccullors
whatever your fourth game, viable mccollor whoever that becomes, you know,
that's a decent rotation. You get your unhealthy Christian Walker's
he keeps turning around, Jeremy Penney keeps it up. You
could compete. You wouldn't be favorites over the Yankees of
the other Tigers. But I ain't scared. Let me ask

(02:10:24):
you this, and it would take a little bit of research.
Are playoff games in the playoffs higher scoring and lower
scoring than you would say during the regular seas historically
lower scoring? Because I mean the pitch is better, so
then so then the Astors would have a better chance.
Because again, I you talked about this last week. It's
not an indictment against him. It's just the truth. They're
just never gonna They're never gonna slug in the top

(02:10:46):
ten this year. They're never gonna be in top ten
at home runs, they're probably not gonna be in top
ten and ops. But teams have won with outstanding pitching
and good defense. Is just enough hitting. Not every not
every team that leads a league in OPS wins World Series.
That was the case, you'd be the Yankees every year. Yes.
And another thing that we didn't even mention, this bullpen

(02:11:08):
is nails. You get into the playoffs and it's a
lot of close games, and you get a league going
into the sixth, you're gonna feel pretty good about your chance.
And it feels like Joe Spotta has hit the right
buttons just about every time. The only guy that really
this year was having a horrendous day in the bullpen
or season was Taylor Scott, and he's gone, Yeah, I
was fire. Joe spotted guy doing these days after they

(02:11:33):
just I mean, they just won a weekend series against
the Mariners with funny, fire hitting coach. Guys also gone too.
Still there. Do you think his tweets are locked in
the draft category? I would say great job by the
hitting coaches, getting Christian Walker to go three for five
with a walk off homer. Or how about Cam Smith's
production the last weekend, Josell Twobay's gotten better than the

(02:11:55):
last week and half. Obviously Smith, it's been a heading coaches,
Jeremy Paineya, Jake Myers, let's go hitting coaches. Great job.
Anybody want to tip the cap? No, they wanted they have,
they have the fire. Whoever the coaches they want to
fire Bob Cluck because he's the hitting coach and that
was pitchy coach in the eighties. Sorry, okay, their names mixed.
I'm not familiar with Bob Kluck. It's a good name,

(02:12:15):
though it is. It is good. Do you think he
was called the clucker when he was younger? Wh what
did they call his mom? Missus Clucker? Let me tell
you something, I will never bring up break up Bob

(02:12:36):
Cluck's name ever again. They're in a radio show host
in his town and brought has brought up Bob Cluck's
name in probably thirty years, and it's probably more successful
and they're they're significantly feeling better about themselves than I
am right now. Thank you man. What a random pull
by me. I'm proud of you. Show you that budding

(02:12:58):
in me. I brought up Bob Clucks name. I guess
he was doing a good job in those days. Pitching
was good. You give hand to everybody an emery board
and say good to work. That's terrible but true. One
fourteen on Sports Talk seven. Ninety one thirty six on
Sports Talk seven, I we have Believe it or Not
coming up at about fifteen minutes from now tomorrow, we've

(02:13:20):
got a shorter show. We're on ten to noon before
Astros on Deck gets you at twelve for a one
tenth first pitch with the A's and then Tampa Bay
will be in for a four game series Thursday, Friday,
Saturday and Sunday. This is just a general TV question,
and we've always talked about what the value is and
having good broadcasters. I do because I was really bored

(02:13:42):
last night, even though I cleaned out the two bat
the two refrigerators, and the poetry. Look at you and
you're knocking off that list on a holiday weekend. I
try to do something productive. So you put up the work.
We did it together. Thanks for asking.

Speaker 3 (02:13:59):
So for you.

Speaker 2 (02:14:00):
TAB was in play go ahead, heavy, heavy, criticism for
Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson on the ABC on the
ESPN broadcast, really saying they've got no chemistry. There are
three people just talking, having three different conversations where they
felt like with Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen,
they were having conversations. Yeah, they would argue with each other.

(02:14:22):
It was entire chemistry. It was good. I like Doris Burke.
I know she runs mixed with a lot of people.
Do you think that I'm not trying to be sexist here,
but do you think her being a woman helps her
keep that job a little longer? That it would come
across as a negative if she was to get bumped

(02:14:43):
from the number one crew? Maybe? But I think she
does a good job. See, I think I think she
gets better analysis than Richard Jefferson. Yeah, I there's nothing
I've said. I've listened to Richard Jefferson going, oh, I
didn't think about that. Yeah. I think I think people
get uh yeah. If you think that she's staying there
because she's a woman, perhaps, I don't know, but I
think she does a good job. I think players stay
in the job because they're just former players, even though

(02:15:05):
they don't give good analysis. Yeah, yeah, Kendrick person Perkins
case in point. I think Reggie Miller's got a lot better,
but I think he's more of a name than he
is good analysis. NBC loves him. He'll be the number
one broadcaster next year for them. Okay, by the way,
if you love the NBA and I'm gonna I'm dealing
in an area that may not be abundant among the
audience right now, but you're gonna see a lot this

(02:15:28):
NBA TV package I was looking at over the weekend
because I was just kind of curious how there's gonna
be so much NBA for you to digest that you're
gonna basically get NBA four to five nights a week
even during the regular season. ESPN is gonna have Wednesdays,
Amazon Prime is gonna have Friday's not and this is streaming.
So if you don't have these services, you're not getting him. Uh,

(02:15:50):
And then you're gonna see a Sunday night game on NBC.
Wants the NBA, and once the NFL season stops on
and on NBC, and they're also gonna do a Twonesday
night game on NBC. They're gonna have double. They're gonna
have two games on one night for the West Coast
audience to have a game in prime time and the
rest of the time zones and T and T has

(02:16:11):
lost everything. T and T has lost everything. ESPN's reducing
the number of games from two games a week to one,
but they'll have a few games on Fridays, so they
do Wednesday Friday and then the occasional Saturday night primetime.
They'll still have that Marquee matchup, but they're dropping the
Tuesday Friday just to Wednesdays. So if you do love

(02:16:31):
the NBA, and I hope many of you do, and
the rook the Rockets are going to be seen on
national television a lot more next year because they're gonna
they're a playoff team and they're and people are intrigued
to buy them. And obviously if Kevin Durant comes here
or uh Jannison than the Goompo or for that matter,
any impactful player, the networks will scoop them up. What
did you say about Thursdays? Nothing on Thursdays? Wow? So

(02:16:54):
it's just an empty hole there. That was the night
for you knew there was gonna be Big four. And
I still believe, and Kevin Harlan's gonna work games on Prime.
It sounds like he's not signed his deal yet. I
know Iron Eagle has, but Kevin Harland's not. Iron Eagle
just makes this the game seems sound bigger. He does

(02:17:15):
Kevin Harland too, That's what I said, Kevin har Yeah,
they just that's a Kevin's just man. He's so talented.
I don't know how he does it. He's still he's
in his early sixties. He has been traveling. I was
telling my wife this Saturday, because she's like, you know
you travel I said, well, you know how much Kevin
Harland travels. He travels probably about three hundred thousand miles

(02:17:35):
a year. He's never home. He will be sixty five
on June twenty first, Happy birthday. That is crazy that
he is still going the way that he does during
the football basketball season. And then this is broadcasting goofiness.
But it just I don't know. I think it's interesting.
He'll do a Suny nine game, Sunday afternoon game on CBS,
he'll do the Monday nine game on radio, and then

(02:17:57):
he'll do either the Tuesday or the Thursday. Tn T
gamer was doing it and then he goes turns right
back around and does it all over again. The guy.
The guy is a machine. He never gets to live
Kansas City Central. Yeah, but it's not like it's a
hub for anything. It's not easy to get to a
lot of places. T and T can cut the check

(02:18:17):
or yeah yeah see yeah, Bezos put on his own plane.
Great because I said, would you be mad if I
was going that way my life? And she was like, no,
you're making Kevin Harlem money. I buy sure he's doing
all right? Yeah, this is crazy. I find television interesting.
But yeah, there has been nothing but negative reviews on

(02:18:39):
Doris Burk and Richard Jefferson, and I'm just curious. Again.
I like Van Gundy and Mark Jackson better, but that
doesn't mean I can't enjoy what Doris Burke does. I
don't think she just fine. I'm not gonna use you
guys know. I do not like women play about play
Guys women play about play announcers, Uh, they largely just
don't they great on my ears? But she doesn't. She
doesn't play out play either. It's sexist to say that

(02:19:01):
you just like a big, booming, deep voice as a
play by first classic it has been that way for
one hundred years. Yeah, yeah, I don't think that's sexist
to say that's just like the best guys of all time.
For Matt Thomas, you got big pipes, put you on
play by play. Yeah, it sounds better. It comes with
the territory. Like there are some guys in the NBA

(02:19:23):
that I could tell you that don't have the big pipes,
and it and the cults just don't mean the same.
It doesn't. Yeah, it doesn't feel the same. And Harlan,
to me, is a huge part of why. And he
phrases it beautifully, and he has the right inflection, and
he has the right emotion. And Ion does that too.
But Iron but Kevin's voice is deeper and more authoritative
than even Iron Eagle's voice. Hey, look at what I've learned.

(02:19:47):
It's it's just a largely subjective business. Yes, But ABC
and ESPN are always tinkering because they just haven't been
able to find the same trio that kind of fitts
now grainted. Last year they used JJ Reddick, and then
JJ Reddick became the coach of the Lakers, so they
had to make a move there. But I thought J. J.
Eerico was really good. Yeah. The one guy in the
ESPN I do like a lot that I think should

(02:20:07):
get an opportunity to call the number one game is
Jae is Uh Tim Legler. I think he's excellent. They do.
They've done some games with legs. Yeah, but he's he's
on the sidelines, he's under the main g. I mean,
Richard Jefferson to me is just mid. He doesn't do
anhing for me. So he's gonna be Is he gonna
be on the NBA Finals? Yeah? Yeah, big audience. They

(02:20:29):
have to change that up. Well, how big of an
audience it could be? Not as big as you think
it's gonna big. I'll be watching and you and I
will be too. Well, you know, we'll have our own
private parties podcast. We're gonna call it around the Horn.
Two man game, pick and roll more role you're pick are,
pick your more role, give and go. Yeah, one of iHeartMedia.

(02:20:53):
Would I like the two man game? What's wrong with that?

Speaker 4 (02:20:58):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (02:20:59):
Jonathan doesn't like Jonathan wants some run on this two
If he's gonna produce, you me as we'll get some
run on it. No, No, just Rock is a know
the two man game doesn't sound that doesn't sound. Oh
you're you're going you're going sexual with it? How about pick?
How about you said? How about that? How about this
pick and pop? Picking pop? Pick and pop pop? You do?

(02:21:19):
We have to do something basketball? Okay, why can't wed
you say basketball podcast? Everybody's got to come up with
some kind of kitchen name. Rolling pick is kind of nice, though,
Rolling pick, No, it sounds terrible. No, pick and roll.
Pick and roll is better not rolling pick. I'm sure
there's a one hundred podcasts called the pick and Roll
about the NBA? How about two bros talking basketball in
a city that doesn't love basketball? How about drop coverage?

(02:21:43):
Go Tampa to Tampa two? And that's not NBA. You
mean to tell me there's not a single place called
Tampa two. No, you're probably right. All right, let's play
Believe it or not? Next? Thank you? What are you
playing for today? Great? Great prizes? Should say, well, I
would hope so you know, we'll save it. But it's
but they're amazing prizes. Yes, it's a it's a really

(02:22:06):
one big, really big price, one really really big prize
seven one three two one two five seven ninety seven
one three two one two five seven ninety. This is
rock and roll. Ho chiku. We're gonna get to Believe
It or Not. I don't know if they can play
much more of this? What's wrong with it? You told
me to put it on? I know, I want to
hear how it sounded. Sounds bad. I'm a real American.

(02:22:27):
Much more. You don't like a little rocket roll? Hoo chiku?

Speaker 6 (02:22:29):
Wait?

Speaker 2 (02:22:29):
Bring it back? Bay Wait choo chiku. It's fine. The
overriding sement is picking pop. You put this on when
you're in your nineteen ninety three f one fifty heading
over to pick a case. Pick up a case of
natural light bush lie almost Yeah, we're bush and It
or what bush Lattes? And a twelve pack of tacos

(02:22:52):
from uh Rock Correl. Yeah. Five minutes that's quite a night.
Five minutes left to go the show What should we Do? Wait?
Should Playmerica's fastest growing sports radio game show. We simply
called it be Believe It or Not It. Here's how
it works. You call seven one three two one two
five seven ninety seven one three two one two five

(02:23:13):
seven ninety Today's edition to Believe or Not? It's all
things about Rick Darren jer May he rest in peace.
I'll read your statement about Rick David's completely utterly accurate.
You'll say this, Bell Sam and Tierroni's full of ball.
Comeit up. You'll say this Nah to believe or not?
Said Row when you're prize? What are you playing for today, Jonathan?
Of course? The Sports Talk seven ninety T shirt and
a pair of ticket see Nelly and Jo Rule with
special guests Eve and Jermaine Dupree live on the Where

(02:23:35):
the party at tour September fourth at the Woodlands Pavilion.
It's a nice prize, by the way. Good first go.
Let's what a party at seven? One, three, two? People
are dropping it. I'm not big fans. Jeremiah on Saravana seven.
Ain't you ready to play? Believe it or not Believe it?
Jeremiah Rick Dearinger was an accomplished session session guitarist for

(02:23:56):
Columbia Records, working with bands such as Chicago, Neil Young
and others. Believe It or not Believe It? No, he
was no part of that. Sorry, no jar roll for you.
No my damn computer screen. I gotta hate this software.
Uh let's go to uh Brock Brian on seven? Are

(02:24:17):
you ready to play? Believe It or not? Yes, Sir Brian.
Rick Daringer was only seventeen years old when his band
The McCoy's hit number one in the US Billboard chart
with hang On Sloopy, Believe It or Not Believe It,
I Believe It, Believe It Steven number two for the
Way and Rick Darringer's song Real American was written specifically
for the WWE along with Cydney Laupera as a two
rote and produced the eighty five album the Wrestling Album

(02:24:39):
Believe It or.

Speaker 1 (02:24:40):
Not Believe It It is correct.

Speaker 2 (02:24:42):
Congratulations, proud of you. Let's go to John on seven
pintighty John, what was your best best part of today?
You send the two radio show. I just woke up earlier.
That that's fair. You're always a late riser, John. I
can respect that. Rick Darringer preferred the Gibson fl lying
V guitar for live performances, saying quote looks like rock

(02:25:03):
and roll. Believe it or not? I believe that. No,
you shouldn't mean ross made. Thank you though, and get
yourself some rest. Ken on seven pinty, Ken, you're ready
to play Believe It or not?

Speaker 1 (02:25:15):
Believe It?

Speaker 2 (02:25:16):
Rick Darringer's first cousins with longtime Pittsburgh Steelers player and
coach Roger Derringer. Believe it or not? Not, Nope, that's
a made up one. Statement number two for the when
former President Barack Obama used Rick Darringers, I'm a real
American while revealing his birth certificate at the twenty eleven
White House Correspondents Dinner. Believe it or not, Believe it

(02:25:37):
he certainly did. Congratulations nicely done, Rob on seven ninety Rob,
what was your favorite part of today's ten to two
radio show?

Speaker 3 (02:25:48):
I'm just gonna go at the start of the show
because I just got in the car.

Speaker 2 (02:25:51):
Rick Darringer was the opening act for the infamous Who
Caught Who concert disaster at the Riverfront Coliseum back in
nineteen seventy nine.

Speaker 1 (02:26:00):
It or not, I'm gonna go with not.

Speaker 2 (02:26:02):
That is correct. The concert did happen. It was a
bad thing, but it was involving the Who, and he
was uninvolved. Statement number two for the waiting for the
nineteen seventy three hit rock and roll Hoochie Coo. Rick
Darringer played the guitar, the bass, and the tambourine. Believe
it or not, I'm gonna say not oh, I'm sorry,
but thank you for getting the car and listening to it.

(02:26:23):
We have so many people getting in the car listening
just to Adam and Adam They're like, we found something
else you'll listen to. Well, we were gonna listen at
two o'clock. Well they should stay at two o five.
That's right, because our favorite closer, Josh Hater, is gonna
be on the show in like ten minutes, so we
will say goodbye, don't go anywhere, do not move, two
to six, and then at six o'clock you want to

(02:26:44):
put something else on, that's fine. Up next, it's Clinton,
It's Wexler, it's the Ty on Sports Talk seven y