31 March 2007
We've got nothing, but we'll have something Sunday. Maybe. Tune in!
I've got nothing tonight.
But here's H-Town sports on the latest Astros moves (they even know how to use an apostrophe correctly, something that mystifies about 65.2% of bloggers):
Scrap Iron continued to defy logic, intelligence and rational thought by incorporating Wandy Rodriguez in the Astros' Opening Day rotation (at the #4 slot, no less). Jesus Ortiz, clearly excited by the inclusion of a non-white on the 25-man roster, determined that Wandy was "markedly better" on Saturday, allowing only ten hits over six innings to the mighty KC Royals.
How long before Wandy's bounced, and a Round Rock pitcher (and Hunter Pence) are on the Astros roster?
Make your predictions in the forum. Those are separate wagers. The person who's closest (on either) gets drinks on me at Byzantio.
Oh, and Ethan and I will be doing the Bad Sports thing Sunday. So call in and talk to us.
Stream us here. The number to call in is there also.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/31/07 11:46 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
29 March 2007
Schaub: Second coming of Elway or second best in Texas?
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jennifer Floyd Engel gets in a nice dig today:
Big, strong and available has a way of turning usually sane NFL types into schoolboys with crushes, incapable of seeing clearly.
What other possible explanation is there for an "an NFL scout" telling the Houston Chronicle that Texans QB Matt Schaub "is better than Tony Romo"?
What is crazy is said NFL scout is not alone. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. said Wednesday he'd take "Schaub ahead of Romo, no question about it, 16 exclamation points."
Said scout based his assessment on his belief that Schaub rocks at game management and in-game control while Romo needs work. He must be the world's best scout, too, because he learned all of this in Schaub's two starts and 36 appearances as a backup to Michael Vick.
He may be the second coming of John Elway.
What is more likely is he'll end up being exactly what he is now -- the second-best starting NFL QB in the state of Texas.
SLAM!
The Chronicle sports page frequently goes overboard with cheerleading for its favorites (or crushes, if you will), so finding the silly Romo/Schaub quote on those pages was hardly a surprise to some of us. But it's interesting that non-locals do notice such things.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/29/07 09:38 AM | Technorati | Comments (1)
27 March 2007
Ticket picks of note
I'm streaming the Hardline today, and the guys are going through their MLB picks for the season.
Notable:
The Hammer has Roy Oswalt as his NL Cy Young winner.
Rhyner has Hunter Pence as his NL Rookie of the Year winner (even though he'll start his quest in the minors).
Not that it necessarily means all that much what a couple of Dallas talkers think about the season, but there you go.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/27/07 04:36 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
26 March 2007
That's why we call it BAD sports
H-Town sports has a notable observation about the release of Ezequiel Astacio by the Astros today:
Seriously though, let's also note that all three (3) "young arms" acquired in the Wagner deal are now officially with other teams or pumping gas. I know that trading Wags was more of a salary dump/ridding the team of a malcontent, but it bears mention.
You would have thought the Wagner trade would have resulted in some talent that stuck around. Oh well.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/26/07 02:56 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Bad Sports program (2007-03-25 edition)
There is an archive of last night's Bad Sports program available for download here.
In this edition, Ethan Glading and I discuss the personnel moves by the Texans, personnel moves by the Astros, the Rockets (and the way-too-long NBA season), and a little college baseball.
We'll try to do it again this Sunday, if anybody feels the need to call in and heckle or otherwise contribute.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/26/07 10:29 AM | Technorati | Comments (3)
25 March 2007
Bad Sports BlogTalkRadio
Ethan Glading and I have another BlogTalkRadio program scheduled for tonight, 8pm.
Feel free to call in and talk a little Bad Sports with us. Info here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/25/07 05:31 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
23 March 2007
The Final Sack
David Carr has been released by the Texans.
Oh, and Domanick Williams finally ran... out of time. CHOP!
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 03/23/07 03:18 PM | Technorati | Comments (3)
21 March 2007
Rigid Astros management ships Pence to minors
Astros management entered spring training determined that Chris Burke would man center and some combination of Luke Scott/Jason Lane/Richard Hidalgo would man right.
And then prospect Hunter Pence went and hit nearly .600.
In reality, he never had a shot of making the team, no matter what he did. So rather than face more tough daily questions like "What in the HELL are you thinking, holding this guy back?!" as Pence outplays every outfielder on the roster, the Astros management instead shipped Pence to the minors today:
The Astros re-assigned outfielder Hunter Pence to minor league camp today.
Pence, the club's top draft pick in 2004, hit .571 this spring with two homers and nine RBIs, but the club made it clear there wasn't room for him on the major league roster. He'll open the season at Class AAA Round Rock, where he has yet to play.
Out of sight, maybe, but not out of mind.
We knew this was coming. We knew Pence never had a legit shot to make this team. And still, it bites.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/21/07 03:02 PM | Technorati | Comments (4)
Texans near deal for QB
Various media outlets are now reporting the Texans are close to a deal for Falcons QB Matt Schaub. Here's John McClain for the Chronicle:
The Texans are in the process of acquiring Atlanta backup quarterback Matt Schaub, two NFL executives confirmed today.
After failing to sign free agents Jeff Garcia and Patrick Ramsey, the Texans turned their attention to Schaub, a restricted free agent who was so prized by the Falcons they tendered him the maximum contract that would require first- and third-round picks for any team that signed him to an offer sheet.
There was no way the Texans would trade No. 1 and 3 draft choices for Schaub, so general manager Rick Smith and coach Gary Kubiak elected to try to acquire him through a trade. The Texans are giving up at least a second round pick to get Schaub.
Before completing the trade, the Texans have to sign Schaub to a new contract.
All offseason, McClain has insisted that the Texans have refused to consider giving up any draft picks, for anyone, period. It looks like that wasn't quite true. And it's good that it wasn't true, because that was a foolish position (if it was indeed their position, and not just BS they fed to gullible sports journalists hoping that Mike Shanahan would release Jake Plummer in response).
UPDATE: ESPN reports more on the details of the proposed trade.
UPDATE 2: Interestingly enough, McClain has now changed his story to reflect the terms reported by ESPN.com.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/21/07 02:10 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
You're doing a heck of a job, Davey.
Rumors are that by the end of the day, the Atlanta Falcons will trade Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans.
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 03/21/07 01:12 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
20 March 2007
Rockets Guys Night Out Promotion
So, I clicked over on the Rockets website earlier, and there was this Guys Night Out promotion (two tickets, two hot dogs, two mugs/beers for $52 total).
I thought "what the hell" and clicked on it to try to buy.
The stellar Rockets website informs me the event I would like to purchase is not available.
So WTF is a big graphic plastered on the website promoting it?
I still haven't seen the Rockets in Toyota Center. I generally don't like the NBA. And I really dislike websites that are effed up. Bleh.
Thanks for nothing, Les. I'll find something more entertaining to do this evening (and that won't be hard).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/20/07 05:40 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
19 March 2007
Bad Sports program (2007-03-18 edition)
The archive/podcast of our Bad Sports BlogTalkRadio program last night is now available.
This time, Ethan Glading and I talk about a... whole lot of nothing after a slow week in local sports, touching on the Astros, Tom Penders, college baseball, and the Rockets.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/19/07 07:54 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
18 March 2007
Anybody want to talk local sports?
We may regret this, but....
Ethan Glading and I will be doing the usual Bad Sports show tonight at 8pm.
It's been SUCH a slow sports week that I doubt we're going to have much, which means there's a danger of us lapsing into Hugo Chavez talk (or worse). So if you're inclined to call in, what the hell -- the dialin number is here.
UPDATE (8:57 PM): No callers. Maybe we'll publicize it a little better next time. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/18/07 07:28 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
13 March 2007
Bad sports program (2007-03-12 edition)
The archive/podcast of yesterday's Bad Sports blogtalkradio program is now available here.
In this edition, Ethan Glading and I discuss local college hoops and baseball, the Astros, the Texans, and the Rockets.
We're tentatively planning to do this thing again Sunday at 8pm, and may take some calls (if anyone actually bothers to call): (646) 652-2738.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/13/07 09:58 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Wilson: C-USA is improving
The Chronicle's Moisekapenda Bower today notes the improvements being made to basketball facilities across Conference USA:
"This league is a lot better than it was a year ago," Rice coach Willis Wilson said, despite the fact that four teams (Memphis, UAB, Houston and UTEP) reached the postseason in 2005-06. "The bottom half of the league has come up considerably, and I think it's only going to get better next year. We're doing the right things. Sometimes your results don't show up on the front end ... but everybody has worked hard to make the league better."
Part of that work is the commitment shown to improving facilities by Rice, SMU, UTEP and Central Florida.
Houston remains conspicuously absent from the facilities discussion, despite playing in a dilapidated arena that has been neglected for decades. If Chris Del Conte can figure out a way to renovate Autry Court, isn't it time for Dave Maggard to get that ball rolling for Hofheinz?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/13/07 08:13 AM | Technorati | Comments (3)
10 March 2007
Left hand, meet right hand
Caption on photo of Tom Penders in the Chron's story on UH's spanking of Rice yesterday in the CUSA tournament:
Tom Penders and UH won a game marked throughout by some sloppy play.
Lede by Michael Murphy from the same story:
For the entire season, Houston coach Tom Penders has been waiting for that perfect game, the one where everything — and everyone — comes together.
On Friday night, Penders finally found that perfection as the Cougars dismantled Rice 77-62 before 11,002 fans at the FedEx Forum.
From what I saw and heard, Murph's characterization seems to be more reflective of what happened.
UPDATE: Chron.com updated the caption, which now reads as follows:
Tom Penders and UH advance to face Memphis.
That's more like it!
Now, if they can just advance one more (hey, a fan can hope)....
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/10/07 08:32 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
08 March 2007
If Rice can upgrade its arena, surely Houston can consider it
The Memphis newspaper has been discussing the sorry state of Conference USA as it relates to their hometown team (and whether/how much it brings them down). Here are some interesting snippets:
[Current UTEP coach and former Memphis assistant Tony] Barbee said the league has ''improved tremendously'' from a year ago.
''Now it has to keep advancing,'' Barbee said.
To continue making strides, Barbee said, it's the non-Memphis C-USA schools' responsibility to ''try and catch Memphis, not bring them back to the pack.''
''The biggest thing is coaches win games, administrations win championships,'' Barbee said. ''There's got to be a commitment from the administrations. And that's happening all around the league.
''Look at SMU and the improvements they are making to their facility. They also are in the process of building a new practice facility. We have a practice facility coming in a year. It takes those kinds of commitments, outside of the play on the court, which has to continue to improve.''
UCF is scheduled to open a 10,000-seat Convocation Center in the fall. SMU broke ground on its Crum Basketball Center -- a $13 million, 43,000-square-foot practice facility -- in December. UTEP is set to open The Foster & Steven Basketball Complex in the fall of 2008 and Rice recently announced a $23 million renovation of Autry Court, a nearly 60-year-old facility that will be gutted this summer.
And there's this:
In addition to being the league's most prominent coach, John Calipari also must serve as C-USA's loudest spokesman. At every opportunity, he's either talking about its improved RPI this season (from 13th to 11th among all leagues) or the investment schools like Rice (arena renovations), SMU (practice facility), Southern Miss (practice facility) and Central Florida (new arena) are making to improve their programs.
Note what school isn't mentioned -- Houston. In addition to the upgrades being mentioned in the stories, Tulsa has its lovely Reynolds Center, and of course Memphis plays in an NBA arena. Meanwhile, Houston plays in an arena that has been neglected for decades (which is unfortunate -- Hofheinz has some great sightlines and could be a super venue again), and desperately needs a multimillion dollar renovation effort so that Houston can compete in a pretty sorry league.
But hey, Dave Maggard has the workers upgrading the scoreboard at UH's baseball stadium. *shrug*
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/08/07 01:49 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
06 March 2007
Is Brad Lidge's elbow the problem?
In this post, Tom Kirkendall calls attention to speculation from the Baseball Prospectus guys that Brad Lidge's inability to locate his slider -- and his subsequent fall to one of the worst pitchers on the Astros team -- could be injury-related.
It's speculative, to be sure, but it's the sort of thing that you'd like to see the local baseball beat writers and columnists digging into a bit further. It would sure beat one features article/post after another about what swell guys the Astros have on their team.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/06/07 08:41 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
05 March 2007
On Quinn and Plummer
Here are a couple of interesting Texans-related tidbits from ESPN's John Clayton:
4. There is draft stuff going on. QB Brady Quinn had his workout Sunday at Notre Dame. He was OK. Quinn did a good job on the inside pass. What was interesting was who was there to watch the workout. The Browns, Vikings and Texans attended with a big collection of owners, coaches and general managers. The Browns asked Quinn for an individual workout, so maybe they will consider him at No. 3. Quinn would be an ideal fit in Brad Childress' offense, but there is no certainty the Vikings would take him at No. 7. With Jake Plummer no longer an option for the Texans, Quinn might be a consideration at No. 8. Note that Matt Millen didn't attend for the Lions. Detroit apparently isn't interested in drafting a quarterback at No. 2.
5. One interesting theory circulating on the Jake Plummer trade to Tampa Bay is Mike Shanahan wanted to make sure he didn't end up in Oakland. Had the Broncos cut him, Plummer could have signed in Houston or Oakland as a starting quarterback. Plummer said he filed his retirement papers Friday and he's definitely done. The Bucs own his rights thanks to a trade for a conditional pick in 2008. For now, Jake the Snake is Jake with a rake working around his home.
Will Brady Quinn be the guy behind Sage Rosenfels? Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, it sounds like Shanahan was overly paranoid about the Raiders. Why would Plummer have gone to that disastrous franchise and a new coaching staff when Kubiak and a familiar offense awaited in Houston? Alas, it's all just idle chatter at this point.
Here's Peter King's take:
One last thing with the Denver part of this saga. It's clear now that Mike Shanahan told the Texans, who wanted Plummer, that he wasn't going to just release him, and it's also clear the Texans called his bluff -- and lost.
And here's Don Banks':
Lost in all the confounding events surrounding Jake Plummer this week is this simple question: Why didn't the Texans just agree to give up a second-day draft pick for the former Broncos starter when they had the chance? Probably because they assumed incorrectly that Denver would have to cut him at some point, and they could get him for free. Obviously a miscalculation.
I know Plummer announced his retirement Sunday and that could be that. But I suspect he still wants to be in Houston, and I'm convinced Texans head coach Gary Kubiak still wants him as an alternative to David Carr, so perhaps we have not seen the last of Jake the Snake after all, or of this particular quarterbacking melodrama. Stay tuned, as they say.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/05/07 11:00 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Bad Sports program (2007-03-04 edition)
The archive/podcast of yesterday's Bad Sports blogtalkradio program is now available here.
In this edition, Ethan Glading and I discuss the Texans, local college hoops, the Rockets, and assorted odds and ends.
We'll probably open the next program up to calls, if that interests anyone.
Feel free to leave us some comments!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/05/07 10:29 AM | Technorati | Comments (2)
03 March 2007
Another college basketball regular season comes to an end
After thanking fans for their support tonight on his postgame radio show, UH coach Tom Penders took a nice little shot at the local media:
You really had to search through the want ads to find out we were playing tonight.
Ouch!
Anyway, a decent turnout helped the Cougars to victory tonight to close the season, despite a ridiculous number of foul calls by about the worst officiating crew I've ever seen (52 fouls called and 64 free throws shot).
Across town, Rice lost its last home game ever at the Autry Dump in its current configuration, largely because Tulsa opened the second half with a 19-4 run. Willis Wilson sure didn't get much out of Morris Almond's scoring this year, as Rice finished the season with a disappointing 14-15 record.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/03/07 10:04 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Sports writing to make the eyes bleed
The Chronicle turned Jonathan Feigen loose with a keyboard again:
The Rockets' poise, so fragile when the Mavericks and Suns have hit them with runs early and late, was not merely lost against the Spurs.
The Spurs hit the Rockets, and the Rockets' delicate composure was demolished.
The Rockets broke it into pieces and splattered it around Toyota Center in an embarrassing display that saw the Spurs roll to a commanding lead less than six minutes into the game.
That is not good writing. Is there no editor that can help with this ongoing problem?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/03/07 10:03 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
Bucs pick up BOTH Texans QB targets
Both John McClain and Richard Justice have reported that the Texans were interested in signing free agent Jeff Garcia as a fallback to trading a draft pick to Denver for Jake Plummer.
Well, that fallback plan has been scuttled:
Just one day after quarterback Jake Plummer indicated he'd rather retire than relocate in a trade, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have recovered, signing unrestricted free agent Jeff Garcia on a deal that could allow the veteran to again challenge for a starting job in the league.
Then they traded for Plummer anyway, sending a 2008 conditional draft pick to the Denver Broncos on Saturday in exchange.
While terms were not yet available, ESPN.com's John Clayton reported the deal for Garcia was believed to be for about $5 million a year. The team announced the signing on its Web site.
Garcia quickly became the Bucs' primary target on Friday after Plummer, who has played the past four seasons in Denver but lost his job to rookie Jay Cutler last year, decided that he did not want to join the Bucs. Tampa Bay would have surrendered a fourth-round draft pick to the Broncos under terms of the preliminary trade agreement.
Part of the rationale in completing the Plummer deal, after it had fallen apart, is that Denver coach Mike Shanahan does not want the quarterback to un-retire in a few months and attempt to sign with another team. League sources said Saturday afternoon that the Broncos suspected Plummer might still attempt to join the Houston Texans, where former Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is the head coach.
Shanahan plays hardball.
So, are we comfortable with Sage Rosenfels as the starter next season here in Houston? Or should the Texans strongly consider trading a draft pick to the Bucs (who surely will not keep Simms, Garcia, and Plummer on their roster) for Plummer?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/03/07 02:46 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
From the guy who won ZERO playoff games at Dallas
The Chronicle's David Barron includes this observation about David Carr by Bill Parcells:
Speaking of comings and goings, Parcells sounded surprised by the recent conventional wisdom that David Carr and the Texans are about to part ways.
"Prior to (the Cowboys) playing them, he had his completion percentage at about 70 percent, and I thought he was playing pretty good, solid football," Parcells said. "I ran into him after the game and told him, 'David, keep your head up, and I think things will get better.' I was under the impression that they did a good job with him this year, and I thought he was coming along."
Yes, Carr came along about as well as that Bill Parcells 3-4 December defense (the collapse of which doomed any chance that the Cowboys would win their first playoff game in a decade).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/03/07 12:21 PM | Technorati | Comments (0)
02 March 2007
Plummer to Tampa? (Updated: Not so fast)
It looks like Jake Plummer may be headed to Tampa, not to Reliant.
So, who will be the Texans quarterback next season? Brad Johnson? Jeff Garcia? Trent Green? Sage Rosenfels?
Richard Justice posts this about Rosenfels:
In the end, though, I think the Texans are comfortable with Rosenfels. He played well in his brief opportunity last season. He would have been the starter late in the year if he hadn't broken his hand.
Even after breaking his hand, he continued to attend meetings and do whatever he could to help Carr. Once late in the season, he missed a team flight to Boston and ended up catching a commercial flight I was also on. I asked why getting to the game was so important.
''I want to get there for the quarterbacks meeting (on Saturday night),'' he said. Some in the organization noticed he spent more time around the facility than Carr. He's a gamble. He has started just two NFL games and thrown a grand total of nine touchdown passes. Then again, considering where the Texans are and how far they have to go, they're going to have to take some gambles.
That bolded excerpt is interesting. Too bad this is the first time I've ever seen it reported. You'd think that sort of information might be useful to fans.
It's also too bad the Texans didn't consider taking Superman with their first pick last year, or trading down for extra picks and still grabbing a quarterback (presumably, the one Shanahan moved up to grab would have been a great fit in Gary Kubiak's offense).
UPDATE: Now things take an interesting turn -- ESPN is reporting that Plummer has balked at the Tampa trade, threatening retirement. I read this as good news for the Texans. Plummer probably prefers being Gary Kubiak's starter to Chris Simms' backup, and may be trying to force a trade to the Texans.
UPDATE 2: John McClain says the Texans are in hot pursuit (my phrasing, intended to conjure up memories of Roscoe, Cletus, and the rest of Boss Hogg's inept crew) of Jeff Garcia.
BLOGVERSATION: John McClain.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/02/07 11:33 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
That guy can field
Adam Everett may not contribute much with his stick, but as The Hardball Times stats demonstrate, he's one HELL of a defensive shortstop.
The site has all kinds of sick statistics, for you fantasy players and stat heads.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/02/07 10:26 AM | Technorati | Comments (0)
01 March 2007
It's early, okay?
Freaky Zeke Astascio has competition for this year's "How quickly can we remove their name from the uniforms and get the deposit back" award:
Lincoln Holdzkom allowed five runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Oh, and Jason Lane smacked a home run.
We'll see if he keeps that up.
Posted by Laurence Simon @ 03/01/07 06:57 PM | Technorati | Comments (1)
ADVERTISING
DISCLAIMER
All content © 2004-09, blogHOUSTON and the respective authors.
blogHOUSTON.net is powered by Nucleus.
Site design and Nucleus customization are by Kevin Whited.