29 December 2006
If only Casserly could judge talent like he works sports writers
Richard Justice posts this blurb about Charley Casserly:
The Washington Redskins could be looking for a new general manager, and one of the Washington Post's finest sportswriters, Leonard Shapiro, is recommending a viable and eminently qualified candidate. He's referring to none other than the viable and eminently qualified Charles Casserly. Knowing Charles, I'm guessing he has already spoken to Redskins owner Dan Snyder and laid every mistake--Phillip Buchanon, Jason Babin, Todd Wade, Gary Walker, Travis Johnson, etc.--on someone else.
Probably.
He's probably also buying a nice steak dinner for some D.C. sportswriters and chatting 'em up.
Indeed, our own Richard Justice might know how that works. Remember what Justice wrote back when the fate of Capers/Casserly was still to be decided?
Casserly should not be fired.
Got that?
He was more than competent when he was getting players for Joe Gibbs. It was only after he was turning players over to Norv Turner and Dom Capers that his competence became an issue.
He should get a second chance to hire a head coach. And this time, he should add a first-rate group of assistant coaches.
[snip]
Casserly knows the league and knows what's wrong with the Texans. He wanted fundamental changes as far back as last winter. He had lost confidence in offensive coordinator Chris Palmer. He had questions about Fangio, the defensive coordinator, as well.
He also became convinced the Texans weren't doing a good job of teaching and developing their young players at some positions.
And he also found a local sports columnist willing to suspend all skepticism and perspective and simply print comments obviously designed to save his own job at the expense of the coaching staff he hired.
Thankfully, that little trick didn't work. And as a Cowboys fan, I'm really hopeful that Casserly does wind up with an NFC East rival. That would be great! For the Cowboys.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/29/06 04:22 PM | Technorati | Comments (2)
27 December 2006
The Reveal
From the AP wire:
A federal appeals court has ruled that authorities investigating performance-enhancing drugs in sports are entitled to the names and urine samples of about 100 Major League Baseball players who tested positive for steroids in 2003.
Will Roger and Andy make it to New York?
Will Sammy Sosa keep playing Dominican ball?
Whatever happened to Scooter the Talking Baseball from Fox Sports?
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 12/27/06 01:54 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
24 December 2006
Ow Ming
Like every other cheap piece of trash you get from China, this one doesn't have a money back guarantee, either:
The Houston Rockets have learned to play without a superstar this season. Now they will be missing two.
Rockets center Yao Ming left Saturday's 98-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers with a right knee injury. Team officials originally thought the 7-5 All-Star suffered a bone bruise, but an MRI uncovered a small fracture of a bone on the front of his knee. He will be out at least six weeks.
Yao appeared to hurt his knee attempting to block a shot by the Clippers' Tim Thomas with 6:17 remaining in the opening quarter. He immediately grabbed for his knee, screaming for assistance, but limped off the court with help from teammates.
Sports Illustrated called this fragile freak underpaid.
Uh huh.
Right.
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 12/24/06 12:02 AM | Technorati | Comments (5)
19 December 2006
Bad Sports Podcast (2006-12-18)
There is a new Bad Sports podcast available here:
Bad Sports podcast (2006-12-18)
In this week's shorter-than-usual edition, Ethan Glading and I discuss:
* Another truly putrid performance by the Houston Texans' offense, and the fact that David Carr seems determined to play himself right out of town.
* Odds and ends, including a blowout loss by UH basketball at Arizona, upcoming bowl games, the Rockets' T-Mac injury problem, and more.
It's the last Bad Sports podcast of the year, as Ethan is (by now) in the middle of a big move and the holidays are upon us.
So, we'll probably be back in some fashion or another in 2007! Happy Holidays to everyone in the meantime.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/19/06 08:56 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
They should be called the Houston Futility
Chronicle columnist John Lopez documents the futility known as the Houston Texans NFL franchise to date:
The three biggest joke expansion teams in the history of the NFL have been the New Orleans Saints, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Texans.
And of those three, the numbers say the Texans are bringing up the rear in futility, having won just 27.5 percent of their games in their first five years of existence, compared to 28.5 by the Saints over the same span and 28.9 by the Bucs.
The Saints and Bucs did not benefit from two major institutional advantages that should have helped the Texans: free agency and the salary cap. Yet the Texans squandered those advantages (and early drafts) in racing to the bottom.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/19/06 06:39 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
18 December 2006
Simms to the rescue?
Here's an interesting tidbit tucked away in Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column:
I think if I'm Chris Simms, and I'm a free-agent come Jan. 1, and I'm surveying the field for my 2007 options, I'm doing a lot of research on Houston. Gary Kubiak's not going to stand for play like he's getting out of Carr right now, even if they did exercise the clause in his contract last off-season that paid him a $9-million bonus. Carr can't do anything right right now.
Hmm, I don't know if landing the overhyped, underachieving UT quarterback is going to help fans get over the Texans passing on UT's Real Deal. I also don't think Jon Gruden is going to let Simms get away.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/18/06 08:54 AM | Technorati | Comments (3)
17 December 2006
Texans continue to regress
Many people thought it couldn't get worse than last season for the Texans.
But did they ever look THIS bad last season?
They're down 17-0 as I post this.
The coaches made a bad decision on a fake punt, and the players followed up by executing poorly. David Carr has turned the ball over twice. The defense already seems to have given up.
And there are three quarters to go!
This is truly some Bad Sports. Ouch.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/17/06 12:41 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
15 December 2006
Bad Sports podcast (2006-12-13)
There is a (belated) Bad Sports podcast available here:
Bad Sports podcast (2006-12-13)
It was recorded on Wednesday (as I've been a bit under the weather) and just now posted. Despite my scratchy throat, we ramble on a ridiculous amount of time this week about:
* The woeful Houston Texans, following their disappointing overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans and the guy they didn't pick first in the draft, Vince Young. The other guy they didn't pick, Reggie Bush, also had a nice week!
* The Houston Astros, who didn't make a take, then didn't sign their free agent pitcher, then finally did make a trade.
* Assorted odds and ends.
We also reference the following blog posts:
-Evaluating the Jennings deal (Houston's Clear Thinkers)
-Drayton tells Boras' other center fielder to hit the road (TBIFOC)
-Purpura refuses to cease attempting to destroy the Astros (H-Town Sports)
As always, we want your voice feedback! If you want to drop us a brief comment for the next podcast, you can:
Leave a message at this phone number: 775-261-9133
Leave a message for my Gizmo VOIP account (username publiustx)
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Please identify yourself and your blog/podcast (if you have either) if you decide to leave a comment. We'll try to work 'em in, so long as the technology cooperates.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/15/06 08:31 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
12 December 2006
Astros to acquire Jennings?
Ken Rosenthal reports on FoxSports.com that the Astros have a deal for Colorado pitcher Jason Jennings:
The Rockies will receive center fielder Willy Taveras and right-handers Jason Hirsh and Taylor Buchholz for Jennings and right-hander Miguel Asencio, major-league sources said.
Jennings, 28, will replace left-hander Andy Pettitte in the Astros' rotation. Pettitte, 34, signed a two-year, $32 million free-agent contract with the Yankees last Friday.
The Astros, who still could re-sign free-agent right-hander Roger Clemens, paid a steep price for Jennings, a pitcher with a 4.74 career ERA and only one season of more than 12 wins.
The quality of the players going to the Rockies will increase the pressure on the Astros to sign Jennings — a free agent at the end of next season — to a long-term contract.
Taveras, 25, will fill the Rockies' void in center field. Buchholz, 25, and Hirsh, 24, are considered two of the Astros' top pitching prospects.
Chris Burke, 26, likely will take over for the Astros in center, and the trade could accelerate the rise of the Astros' top position prospect, Class AA outfielder Hunter Pence, to the majors.
According to the talk radio stations, the Astros have scheduled a press conference to announce a deal. That seems like a lot to give up for Jennings, if that is indeed the deal that will be announced.
Interestingly, Astros beat writer and Drayton McLane cheerleader Jesus Ortiz, who posted a report last week of a trade that ultimately never took place, has yet to post anything on this deal. You'd think McLane would have given such a good PR guy a heads up!
UPDATE: Astros general manager Tim Purpura just confirmed the terms of the deal in the press conference.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/12/06 04:30 PM | Technorati | Comments (2)
10 December 2006
Nice field
Anyone else notice how many players are slipping and falling down on that terrible turf at Reliant?
The green/gray/brown hue of said turf is probably a sign that the grass just isn't very healthy.
But the semi-professional turf sort of fits the semi-professional football being played at the facility today, eh?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/10/06 02:24 PM | Technorati | Comments (2)
Backe will be back... sorta...
Since paying a crippled batter didn't work in 2006, I guess the Astros are ready to pay a crippled pitcher not to pitch in 2007.
After all, Drayton's paying a crippled coach not to coach and a crippled general manager not to general manage, right?
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 12/10/06 09:30 AM | Technorati | Comments (7)
Dick Disses Deer Park Dork
Proving that a broken clock is right twice a day, Richard Justice pecks out a kernel of truth in the dirt...
Among the more idiotic things he said Saturday was this quote sent to me from the New York Times:
I know New York is where God wants me and where he's put me for this year.
These guys should hire someone to tell them when to shut their traps. I hope finding The $76-Million Man a place to pitch wasn't high on God's to-do list.
I didn't realize that God had a last name of Hendricks. Are His agents' fees tax-deductible as a religious contribution?
Houston Press dug up this classic quote from Pettitte three years ago on coming to Houston:
Q: Besides being close to your family, what's the best thing about playing for the Astros?
A: The most important thing that I looked at as far as coming here and playing with the Astros is I thought they had a good team. That was the most important thing to me. Another very important thing to me on a personal side was that I'm going to be able to go to my own church here and my kids will be in school year round. Those are things that are very important to me.
So let me get this straight... God is telling Andy Pettitte, a husband and father, to accept a job offer that keeps him away from his family?
What does God know about Andy Pettitte that we, the public, don't? In private, is Andy Pettitte some kind of child-molesting, wife-beating monster that can only prevent such outbursts through prolonged absenses?
Maybe Jason Grimsley was right... Andy was juicing all those years. Then, he started to suffer the 'roid rage and took it all out on his wife and three kids...
Okay, okay, probably not. Especially since he will pull them out of school for the season:
Pettitte said the Yankees put on "a full-court press" to sign him, enough for him to uproot his family for another stint with them. He said he will pull his kids out of school to spend the season with him in New York.
"Coming down here was to be around my family, and my kids were, I thought, at an age, especially my boys, that I needed to be close to them and spend some time with them and try to raise them the way a father would want to raise a son," he said.
However, here's another odd thing... Andy says that God told him to go play for the Yankees, but three years ago he said that it was important for him to go to his own church, right?
According to Baptist Standard, that's Central Baptist in Deer Park.
So let me get this straight... Andy went to his church in Deer Park, and God told him that He wanted him in New York?
What kind of quack is running that church?
Oh... wait... it's Andy's father-in-law and his cousins, who apparently never got the memo from the Lord Almighty that they were all in the wrong zip code and time zone.
At least God didn't go all Abraham on his new Prophet Pettitte. I mean, what would the papers have said if he had taken one of his kids to the top of a mountain to sacrifice him?
Or perhaps he could have taken the Noah route, telling Andy to build an Ark in which to rescue two players from each team in the major leagues? I know it floods in Houston, but that would be downright insane (Nobody in their right mind would want to save two Kansas City Royals).
Look, I think we've learned our lesson here. When Raggedy Andy tells you that it's about family, church, community and God, don't believe him.
It's all about the about money.
Kinda makes you look stupid for shopping at H.E.B. because Andy got his steaks there, eh?
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 12/10/06 09:14 AM | Technorati | Comments (2)
09 December 2006
DeMeco Ryans is nice.
Kristie Rieken of the AP profiles Houston Texans rookie linebacker DeMeco Ryans. She tells us that he's having a great year, and that he's a good kid:
Clearly, if he's talking to sports journalists, he must be a good kid!Though Ryans is confident, he never comes off as arrogant, and has become one of the most likable players on the team. He often signs autographs for kids and is never too busy to talk to the media. (emphasis added)
Posted by Evan @ 12/09/06 01:51 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
08 December 2006
Weird
Earlier today, Richard Justice commented on his blog that it would be a shame if the Astros let Russ Springer get away to Tampa Bay.
Now, he's changed the relevant paragraph in the post to the following:
And while I've got the hammer out, the Astros made another mistake in allowing Russ Springer to sign with the Cardinals. He was a standup guy who didn't make much money and was a valuable mentor for the young kids. Allowing him to leave would make absolutely no sense.
He apparently forgot to change the last sentence, which sort of gives it away, since it's in a different tense. Whoops. And there are also the comments that refer to the earlier Tampa Bay text (rendering the comments nonsensical now).
It's not the first time he's gone back and changed what he's written substantively.
I wonder if all Chron.com bloggers go back and change their posts that way after the fact?
Maybe they don't know it's a blogging faux pas (although they should know it's deceptive).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/08/06 10:08 PM | Technorati | Comments (2)
Sam Anderson leaving Coogs
Michael Murphy's regular Chron UH Notebook this week contained this cryptic bit of news:
Heading out is Sam Anderson, the 6-5 forward whose hustle and toughness will be missed. Anderson, a former football player at Eastern Michigan and Navy veteran, is leaving the team for personal reasons, including a chance to pursue an oppor-tunity in the business sector.
That cryptic message led to a few hostile posts on fan message boards, until Michael Murphy weighed in on those boards with the following clarification:
Sam's getting married, and being an economics major -- who is not on scholarship, by the way -- he recognized that he is being given a nice opportunity (working in a family member's business at a mid-level management position).
He didn't "quit" in mid-season -- he actually was going to leave earlier, but stuck it out until Dion became eligible (all of which was in the notebook until space considerations forced it to be cut) because he didn't want to leave the team short-handed.
That seems like an important bit of information to have been cut from the article. It was useful of Murphy to post it on the message board, although it would have been more useful in the story (since more people would have seen it).
In any case, best of luck to Sam Anderson, a hard working guy who gave last year's team quite a spark (and everything he had, usually against much bigger opponents).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/08/06 04:21 PM | Technorati | Comments (2)
Andy's gone
The Chronicle's Jesus Ortiz reports that the Houston Astros have disregarded Richard Justice's advice and let Andy Pettitte get away:
Andy Pettitte has chosen to re-sign with the New York Yankees, reaching a one-year $16 million deal with a player option for another $16 million in 2008.
If he gets hurt, he won’t take his option.
“I had offered the Astros $14 million and an option,” Randy Hendricks said. “But they wouldn’t take it. Both teams know that if Andy gets hurt, he won’t take the option. The Astros flat turned me down.”
[snip]
The Astros could be not be reached for comment.
Astros GM Tim Purpura was probably too ill to talk.
BTW, is anyone else missing Gerry Hunsicker about now (despite Jesus Ortiz's assurances that the current Astros brain trust is swell)? Further to that question, the H-Town Sports guys take a closer look at that Garland deal that never happened.
Richard Justice blasts the Astros' brain trust on his blog here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/08/06 03:33 PM | Technorati | Comments (3)
07 December 2006
Crapiron sticks with Lidge
Phil Garner appears to have forgotten everything since the Pujols blast in late 2004 when Brad Lidge lost his mojo:
Houston Astros manager Phil Garner said "yes" when asked if he'll enter spring training with Brad Lidge as his closer.
"I think he made a whole bunch of adjustments last year, and in the process of making (them it made) him a lot better," Garner said.
Next week, will we hear that Jason "200" Lane made "a whole bunch of adjustments last year" too?
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 12/07/06 02:57 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Chron: Trade complete; Chicago Tribune: No trade
Drayton McLane cheerleader and Chron Astros writer Jesus Ortiz excitedly announced this morning that the Astros were putting the finishing touches on a big trade:
The Astros are set to announce the acquisition of Jon Garland from the Chicago White Sox in a trade that will bolster the starting rotation and place him behind ace righthander Roy Oswalt.
The deal was close, according to Tal Smith, the Astros’ president of baseball operations. It will be announced shortly at Walt Disney's Swan and Dolphin Resort this morning.
[snip]
The rumor at the winter meetings is that Willy Taveras and Taylor Buchholz will be sent to the White Sox for Garland, but Smith wouldn't divulge the players the Astros will send to Chicago.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox are flatly denying the rumor:
White Sox officials strongly knocked down a report Thursday morning that they were close to trading 18-game winner Jon Garland to Houston for pitcher Taylor Buchholz and speedy center fielder Willy Taveras.
The Houston Chronicle reported on its web site that the trade was close to completion, but Sox general manager Kenny Williams said he had no trade to announce before leaving the winter meetings.
"We have nothing going on," Williams said.
Williams admitted the Sox were "close to about four or five things, but they didn't materialize for us for various reasons."
Well, they can't both be right. Stay tuned!
UPDATE: The Tribune apparently nailed it. In his latest dispatch (actually, a rewrite of the earlier story, at the same link -- VERY ANNOYING), Jesus Ortiz admits the deal seems to be off, but supplies lots of new rumors (rumors being what we expect in quality newspapers!):
Just hours after the Astros were extremely optimistic about landing Garland, it appeared as though the Astros’ trade talks for Garland hit a serious snag and possibly even died.
[snip]
There are plenty of rumors circulating in the lobby at Walt Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort, including one that the trade may have stalled because of medical concerns over one of the players the Astros offered.
SI.com reported that the deal fell through because Taylor Buchholz failed a physical. The White Sox might have shied away from the deal because of questions about Buchholz, but it is not true that he failed a physical, according to Buchholz.
If you don't have facts, print rumors. If you don't have enough rumors, print rumors from another news organization.
Gotta love that Astros beat reporting from the Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/07/06 11:56 AM | Technorati | Comments (1)
05 December 2006
Bad Sports podcast (2006-12-04)
There is a new Bad Sports podcast available here:
Bad Sports podcast (2006-12-04)
In this edition, Ethan Glading and I discuss:
* UH's big win in the CUSA title game.
* The Texans' win against the Raiders, which felt more like a loss thanks to the performance of David Carr (with additional commentary by Laurence Simon)
* Other assorted sports topics, including an audio comment from Dennis at the Starstruck Astros podcast.
As always, we want your voice feedback! If you want to drop us a brief comment for the next podcast, you can:
Leave a message at this phone number: 775-261-9133
Leave a message for my Gizmo VOIP account (username publiustx)
Email a wave/mp3 comment to publiustx -at- gmail.com
Please identify yourself and your blog/podcast (if you have either) if you decide to leave a comment. We'll try to work 'em in, so long as the technology cooperates.
UPDATE (12-06-2006): The Chronicle's Michael Murphy points out today that Lanny Smith's redshirt isn't necessarily off. He can play in a total of five games and still decide on a medical redshirt, and that's exactly what he says he'll do.
UPDATE 2 (12-06-2006): Laurence fills us in on the last bit of his comment (which got cut off).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/05/06 11:28 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
03 December 2006
Kubiak's offense generates negative passing yardage
Your Houston Texans generated -5 yards passing today.
David Carr also had 3 fumbles (losing 2) for good measure.
That had to be just brutal to watch. Thankfully, I didn't see a minute of it, as I was watching the highly entertaining Cowboys-Giants NFC East battle.
UPDATE (12-04-2006): Chron columnist John Lopez writes the following today:
"There's just no excuse for putting the ball on the ground," Kubiak said. "If we don't protect and you get hit, you've got to protect the ball. (Carr) knows that.
"They were doing nothing defensively that we didn't prepare for. It got to the point that it looked like all he was doing was hurting us. So we decided to run the ball."
And so Carr only had three passing attempts in the second half. OUCH!
On the flip side, everyone knows quarterback is a weakness and the injured/sorry offensive line exacerbates the problem. It strikes me that in many games this season, the Texans have given up too early on the running game. At least yesterday, they proved they can win a game against a bad team (but a pretty decent defense) just pounding the running game, the way Pittsburgh has done it in the past. That's at least something positive to take from what sounds like a miserable game.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/03/06 11:03 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
01 December 2006
What a difference a day makes
Richard Justice cracking on UH fans yesterday:
Did you hear the news? UH fans have decided the Conference USA Championship Game isn't big enough for them. I wonder what excuse they're using this time. These people bark the loudest about how they get no respect. They blame the Aggies and Longhorns for their sorry lot. They blame Ann Richards. They blame the Houston Chronicle. If only this, if only that. I get my nastest e-mails from Coogs. They're always angry about something. They scream that the Houston newspaper should cover the Houston team. Never mind that more people in Houston attend Texas, A&M, Texas Tech and LSU games. Never mind that more people in Houston care about the Longhorns, Aggies, Tigers, Red Raiders, Sooners and Huskers. These people know what they know.
They're going to start showing up when their team gets good. They're going back when there's some real entertainment at Robertson Stadium. These people must be really busy and really important. This week, there's a game that counts at Robertson Stadium. A championship game. Played by a good, entertaining team. ESPN will be there. The nation will be noticing that you don't care. And the all-important Coog fans have decided to sit this one out, too. Nice going. Keep talking about how you want to be in the Big 12. You've got no shot. You don't deserve it.
Not when you've sold just more than 20,000 tickets for the biggest game your little team has played in a decade. You're out of excuses, Coog fans. Even if you sell the final 12,000 tickets, you've showed that it's really not all that important to you.
Richard Justice praising Cougar fans tonight:
This the kind of game they didn't win in the past. This is the kind of game that tells you why this team is different. Stronger. Tougher. More resolute. And that's what the Cougars were Friday night in front of the largest crowd ever at Robertson Stadium.
First a word about the crowd. Coog fans came up huge.. Attendance was 31,818. It was standing-room-only. It was a perfect atmosphere.
I guess it was important to them after all. Fun stuff.
It was a good time at the Robertson Dump tonight -- one of the best times I've had at a football game in Houston. Actually, my other favorite UH game was a 56-49 win in three OTs against Southern Miss about ten years ago for the CUSA title. Crazy.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/01/06 11:59 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
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