30 October 2005
Texans will not go winless this season
The Houston Texans will not go winless this season, as they managed to stink less than another of the league's worst teams today, and pulled out a three-point victory at home despite generating only 237 yards of offense.
Area Exxon gas stations have been running a promotion for free coffee on Mondays after a Texans win. It's been a very cost effective promotion for them so far this season, but they will have to pay out tomorrow.
As we've noted previously, the local sports media has been slow to blame Charley Casserly for the Texans' woes this season. The Chronicle's Ken Hoffman, on the other hand, is pretty blunt in his latest Q&A column:
Just bought a bottle of chocolate milk and the expiration date was Oct. 31 at 4 p.m.
Are you kidding me -- 4 p.m.? They can now predict the "hour" my milk will turn sour? Do you know if they took into consideration the time change and it will really be sour at 3 p.m. Monday instead?
Bill "Cowboy" Lamza
I got a letter from Reliant Energy explaining why it's asking for a massive rate increase. Here's a way for Reliant to keep its costs down: How about stop wasting money by putting your name on a stadium so a football team can throw only nine passes a game and have an 0-6 record?
The Texans need to do that Scrabble move, where you dump all your tiles and pick new ones from the general manager on down to the water boy.
I'm sorry, but you're wrong about David Carr. He's got the talent, but he doesn't have the support to help him out. He can't carry the entire team on his shoulders alone. If we could get any sort of offensive line to help him out, things would be much different. Were you at last Sunday's game? Did you see the defense play? Yeah, I didn't either. Say all you want about David Carr, but he's got my support. We need to look at Charley Casserly and Dom Capers.
Julie Swoboda
Actually, I think we don't need to look at Charley Casserly and Dom Capers. They're the biggest parts of the problem.
Ouch!
I'm guessing Hoffman's not going to be getting many media perks from Charley Casserly the rest of the season.
UPDATE (10-31-05): Hoffman needs to take sports columnist Richard Justice to lunch after Justice's latest.
If Capers is indeed fired, we may never know if it was because the players weren't good enough or because he and his coaches weren't good enough.
Hoffman knows, as do most people in town who don't make their living on the Chronicle sports pages. Both Casserly and Capers deserve the blame. They both need to go after the season is over.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/30/05 09:07 PM |
27 October 2005
Thanks Astros -- it was a wild ride!
Thanks to the Astros for making it to the World Series and giving us all something to cheer about and obsess over.
(now what are we going to do?)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/27/05 08:58 AM |
25 October 2005
Casserly begins to draw fire locally
Not everyone at the Chronicle is on board with lady sportswriter Emily Davis' assessment that things are looking up with the Texans' offense. Indeed, columnist Richard Justice gets downright mean with Texans GM Charley Casserly on his blog (at least by recent Chronicle standards):
Bob McNair has offered no hint about what he'll do. But if he cleans out the coaching staff without firing general manager Charley Casserly as well, that would be ridiculous.
No matter what you think of the coaches - and it's hard to say anything good - the Texans simply don't have enough good players.
The national media also are beating up on Casserly today:
It's time to clean house in Houston. Dumping offensive coordinator Chris Palmer was only the beginning. At this point, head coach Dom Capers is the next guy out the door and general manager Charley Casserly isn't safe, either. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Quarterback David Carr isn't the only problem on this team. I don't see much help around him -- on either side of the ball -- and that's an issue that goes straight to the front office.
It's a shame that the early years of the Texans' franchise have effectively been wasted because of so many poor decisions.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/25/05 12:12 PM |
24 October 2005
How did that make it onto the sports pages?
The Chronicle's David Barron did something that we didn't think was allowed on the newspaper's sports pages today: He criticized Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly.
Sort of.
Barron didn't actually criticize Casserly himself -- we're not sure if that's allowed on the Chronicle sports pages -- but he did repeat criticism of Casserly seen on the television:
Fox Sports analyst Jimmy Johnson certainly raised some eyebrows with this sound bite: "A long time ago, before I got into the NFL, Marty Schottenheimer once told me not to worry about the team owner worry about the guy sitting next to him, whispering in his ear.
"So many times coaches are criticized when the blame should fall on personnel. (Texans general manager) Charley Casserly needs to be evaluated for some of the personnel decisions that were made when Dom Capers was there"
Raised eyebrows indeed! Because what would an NFL Super Bowl and college National Championship-winning coach know about these things?
Besides, we also learned from the Chronicle sports reporter Emily Davis today that the Texans' problems on offense are nearly solved after yesterday's 38-20 loss:
The Texans might not like the bed they've made. But they might be able to sleep a little easier now that things seem to be looking up on offense.
The Texans generated six net yards passing yesterday, and 139 yards total.
Apparently there's no reason for any Chronicle sportswriter to criticize Charley Casserly, since "things seem to be looking up on offense."
So if they get seven yards passing next week, will the Chronicle have Casserly in the running for GM of the Year?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/24/05 09:24 PM |
23 October 2005
Progress on Houston's world-class downtown park
I missed this one a while back: Mayor White's press release on the ongoing development of the new downtown park:
October 12, 2005 -- Today, the Houston Downtown Park Conservancy shared preliminary design ideas for Houston's new downtown park with Mayor Bill White. The preliminary design concepts were prepared using public feedback received earlier this year outlining features that Houstonians felt would enhance our city. In addition to previewing these preliminary ideas with Mayor White, the design team of Hargreaves Associates, PageSoutherlandPage and Lauren Griffith Associates will present the design ideas at two public meetings in October and November. The design process began in July 2005 and will proceed over the next eight months. During this time, the design team will continue to incorporate feedback from downtown constituents and the public.
Nancy Kinder, Chair of the Houston Downtown Park Conservancy, also advised Mayor White that the Conservancy had accomplished its initial goal of raising $40 million for construction and design. The Park Conservancy will carry on its fundraising efforts throughout the project.
[snip]
I am thrilled with the progress that the Houston Downtown Conservancy is making, states Mayor White. The design process is well underway and the ideas I saw today were exciting. I'm also very pleased to learn that the Conservancy has already achieved a major fundraising milestone.
One meeting was held on October 12th, and another one is scheduled for November 2nd.
On the downtown park's website, there is an artist's rendering of what it might look like. It's lovely and very pedestrian-ish. Houston's homeless will be thrilled! And just think of the ticketing opportunities for Operation Jaywalking!
PREVIOUSLY: The Bill White Vermin And Solid Waste Memorial Park (bH)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/23/05 10:56 AM |
22 October 2005
Market Square to hold World Series viewing parties
Market Square is the place to be if you want to watch Game 1 tonight downtown in a big crowd:
The Downtown Entertainment District announced that the first viewing party will be held for the first game between the Astros and White Sox on Saturday.
Market Square Park and the adjacent parking lot will be transformed into Astros headquarters for both home and away games throughout the World Series pennant race, officials said.
The viewing parties will feature two screening areas, concessions and entertainment.
Patrons are invited to bring blankets to the events. However, no outside coolers, beverages, lawn chairs or pets are allowed.
The festival site will include street closures on Saturday and Sunday on Preston Street between Milam and Travis beginning at 3 p.m. Travis will close both days at 7 p.m. between Prairie and Congress, as well.
I kind of thought that maybe Minute Maid would be opened up (for a reduced price) so fans could watch the away games in the 'Stros' stadium. Ah well, it'll surely be a party downtown nonetheless, and the weather will be magnificent. Go 'Stros!
RELATED: Downtown Entertainment District information
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/22/05 07:54 AM |
20 October 2005
Good writing on the Astros
Buster Olney has a good bit of writing about the Astros on ESPN.com:
Oswalt needed one more out to finish the seventh and with his pitch count at 114, Oswalt emptied the tank against the next hitter, So Taguchi, throwing him a fastball at 94 mph and then another at 96 mph. His final pitch shattered Taguchi's bat, resulting in a little dribbler to the right side. After Oswalt covered first to make the last out, a batboy hustled out of the St. Louis dugout and retrieved the handle, and then the barrel.
And then the batboy with CARDINALS 05 on the back of his jersey scanned the dirt around home plate for shards, seemingly the last pieces of St. Louis' season left there by Oswalt. The Cardinals dominated the regular season, they beat Pettitte and even Brad Lidge, but they had nobody who could match Oswalt.
What are some of your favorite accounts of the NLCS?
Please leave some links and quotes in the comments.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/20/05 09:31 AM |
19 October 2005
Bring on the White Sox
How about our first World Series?
Go 'Stros!
UPDATE: KTRK-13's Ted Oberg interviewing the guy playing the sax outside Busch Stadium for tips was just strange. The sax player should have dropped an "adios mofo" on him.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/19/05 10:22 PM |
18 October 2005
Randalls shuttering 15 Houston stores
Instead of selling the chain, Randalls has decided to close some stores:
Safeway said this morning that it will close 15 struggling Randalls stores in the Houston area by the end of the year.
Safeway, the owner of Randalls for the last six years, said 36 Randalls stores will remain open in the Houston area.
Outside of Houston, Safeway also plans to shut 11 other stores in its Texas division, which is made up of 138 Randalls and Tom Thumb stores.
Since the beginning of the year, industry publications have speculated Randalls might close or sell underperforming stores, or even try to sell the chain. The Pleasanton, Calif.-based grocer is focusing its efforts on its "lifestyle remodel" program that includes the introduction of more upscale products to compete against lower-priced rivals such as Wal-Mart.
We have a nice Randalls near us that I shop at occasionally, although for everyday items I usually go to Walmart.
via Laurence who has a nickname for his Randalls.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/18/05 04:10 PM |
Heartbreaking
Go here, here, here, here, here, and here for appropriate commentary.
Man, that stinks. How long did it take you to get to sleep last night?
UPDATE: More thoughts here and here. Sigh.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/18/05 06:39 AM |
17 October 2005
SI's Peter King discovers Diedrich coffee, Texans' ineptitude
Peter King, Sports Illustrated's noted coffeeholic, was recently in Houston, and stuck this blurb in today's Monday Morning Quarterback column:
Coffeenerdness: Stumbled into a fine new coffee place over the weekend in Houston -- Diedrich's. Had a superb, ultra-espresso-laced latte. The darker the better.
Diedrich's makes a fine latte indeed, with four shots of espresso in the large size.
Elsewhere on SI.com, Peter King says in an interview with Bob Costas that the Texans are going to have to consider taking Matt Leinart if they wind up with the first pick in the draft. Bob Costas makes the good point that the quaterback isn't so much the problem as the offensive line and a lack of weapons on offense.
That's a strong indictment of general manager Charley Casserly, even though neither King nor Costas called him out by name.
Locally, the Chronicle's John McClain says the coaching staff is gone at the end of the season:
Okay, now who wants to be accountable? We keep hearing each week about accountability.
What happened to pride?
What happened to a team that was 7-8 and on the brink of a .500 finish going into the last game of last season?
This collapse is going to cost Capers and his staff their jobs after the season. It's too bad, because it should cost a lot of players their jobs, too. Players on both sides of the ball stunk it up Sunday night, and they did it before a national television audience.
What about the general manager?
John Lopez echoed the observation posted a week earlier here in an October column, but otherwise Charley Cassely has been virtually untouchable by the local sports media. It's not at all clear why.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/17/05 10:36 PM |
16 October 2005
Go 'Stros!
Poised as can be no matter how tough the task, Brad Lidge pulled off another great escape against St. Louis. Now it's the steaming-mad Cardinals who are in a serious jam in the NL championship series.
Defensive replacement Eric Bruntlett started a game-ending double play, Lidge wriggled out of a major mess in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros scratched out a 2-1 victory Sunday in Game 4 to move within one win of their first trip to the World Series.
Jason Lane homered, Willy Taveras made a saving catch on the center-field hill and Houston took advantage of a critical error by pitcher Jason Marquis - plus the ejections of St. Louis manager Tony La Russa and star Jim Edmonds - to build a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Astros can close it out at home Monday night, with Andy Pettitte on the mound against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter.
Deep breaths...
(And Chron.com has the correct score this time.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/16/05 08:03 PM |
Jalapenos to close at end of year
The Houston Business Journal's Allison Wollam reports that a longtime Upper Kirby restaurant will be closing to make way for a residential/retail project:
Jalapenos, the colorful restaurant near the corner of Kirby and Westheimer, will close its doors a the end of the year to make way for a huge new development on the land where the eatery has stood for 18 years.
Owner Tomas Romero made the announcement to his staff on Oct. 14. The restaurant plans to continue operation through Dec. 30 and will host a variety of special events and menu items to celebrate its near two decades in business.
Construction on a massive residential and retail project that will rise on much of the block on Kirby between Kipling and Westheimer is set to begin in January.
Romero says there are no immediate plans to re-open Jalapenos at another location, but he is exploring options.
In the meantime, Romero's The Courtyard on St. James, a private event facility and lunch-only restaurant located at 1885 St. James Place, will serve many of Jalapenos' most popular dishes.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/16/05 10:22 AM |
15 October 2005
NCAA rejects grade-changing allegations against UH
In August, a blogHOUSTON post noted allegations of improprieties in the University of Houston athletics department.
The Chronicle's Michael Murphy reports that the NCAA has looked into the matter and concluded UH did nothing wrong:
University of Houston athletic director Dave Maggard received word Friday that the NCAA had cleared the school of allegations of academic misconduct that had been levied by former professor Alex Brown.
Brown, a former instructor in the university's African-American Studies Department and a former athletics adviser, alleged that he and other "jock-friendly" professors conspired to change grades to keep student-athletes eligible for competition.
The university responded by sending records of several former student-athletes, most notably those pertaining to former football player Brandon Evans, who took 27 hours in one summer, a workload that was spread out among UH and three junior and community colleges.
Maggard received a letter Friday from Ameen R. Najjar, the NCAA's director of enforcement, thanking the university for its cooperation in the matter and stating that "no further action is warranted," and that "the matter is concluded."
"This certainly is a vindication for us," Maggard said. "What our registrar had indicated all along was that there were no irregularities involved. It's a relief to get this behind us and be able to go forward."
That's good news for a struggling program.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/15/05 09:23 AM |
14 October 2005
Will the STAR section obsess over Matt Leinart's hair?
The Chronicle's Megan Manfull reported yesterday that Texans quarterback David Carr reacted well to the reshuffling along the offensive line:
"We're struggling," quarterback David Carr said. "We haven't won a game yet and it's rough. When your expectations are as high as they are in this locker room and you go out and start 0-4, there's definitely going to be changes made because Mr. (Bob) McNair expects to win. (Coach) Dom (Capers) expects to win. I expect to win.
"So if there have to be changes made, then let's do it."
I wonder if he'll be so receptive to Matt Leinart taking over his job next season?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/14/05 09:00 AM |
10 October 2005
Closed roof hard on Astros opponents
KHOU-11's Dan Lauck asks and answers the tough question today:
Minute Maid Park was packed with cheering fans, but some of the screams are from people who want to know why the ballpark's retractable roof wasn't open on a beautiful day.
11 News checked and was told it was part of the game plan.
So when does strategy justify the price taxpayers paid for a convenience rarely used?
The Chase tower, like Jack's beanstalk, climbed right into the clouds Monday morning. It was drizzly, rainy and miserable -- the kind of day when you want a roof over your head, especially, if you're pitching.
That roof was roughly one fourth of the cost of the ballpark. That's $60 million to insure there were no rainouts and that no one had to sit in 100-degree heat in the middle of the summer.
Astros Playoff GuideBut Saturday was perfect and Sunday was beautiful.
No, the weather had nothing to do with closing the roof this weekend.
"The players want it that way," said Rob Matwick, Astros Senior Vice President, Building Operations & Customer Service.
"The difference between the roof open and the roof closed could be as much as four to five dBA (decibels),"said Omar Longoria, HFP acoustical consultants.
Whatever the team is doing is working. Let's close that roof on the Cardinals. Surely taxpayers will understand.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/10/05 10:03 PM |
09 October 2005
AMAZING!
Congratulations to the Houston Astros, for outlasting the dreaded Atlanta Braves in an 18 inning marathon.
How about Roger Clemens and Chris Burke coming up big to finish out this series?!
UPDATE: Tom Kirkendall posts his account of the excitement.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/09/05 06:05 PM |
06 October 2005
Greek festival time
Although the other Greek Orthodox church in town also puts on a festival, this one is still the biggest and the best.
Indeed, it's consistently one of the better ethnic festivals put on in the city.
Parking is always difficult near the festival. If you're not familiar with Montrose, your best bet is to park at Lamar High School and take the free Metro shuttle (details here).
Go enjoy some (bad) Greek wine, excellent spanokopita, and beautiful bozouki music.
Opa!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/06/05 08:34 AM |
05 October 2005
Go 'Stros!
Do you have Astros fever?
Tom Kirkendall has a preview of the 'Stros-Braves series.
Laurence Simon has the blogger scoreboard and his priorities straight.
Businesses that didn't have TVs last year are ready-to-go this year.
And blogHOUSTON's editor probably has a hidden earpiece ready so she doesn't miss a single minute of the excitement.
Go 'Stros!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/05/05 11:17 AM |
04 October 2005
It really WAS hotter than usual
I've been whining to anyone who will listen that September was brutally hot.
Most of the victims of my whining have just shrugged and given me some version of, "It's Houston. What did you expect?"
Fine, but now I can point them to the Chron's SciGuy, Eric Berger, who points out that September in Houston was the hottest on record, surpassing normal temperatures for August.
The forecasts of highs in the upper 70s for the weekend look much better.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/04/05 08:49 PM |
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