A Long Walk Home For Astros, Rockets Play Who In Round 1?

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Raised my girl
Nolan multed by the magnificent roller coaster ride that is
Houston Sports. Chill lage down for the only homegrown afternoon

(00:28):
team is talking your teams? Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler
Are the A Team A A.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
It's two o'clock, it's Thursday. It is the A Team.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Wex Ac and coal with you until six o'clock tonight
coming off bus. It another brutal night for Houston Sports. Now,
I'm not factoring in the Rockets when I say that,
because honestly, I'm actually embarrassed for the Clippers that they
had that much trouble holding off the third stringers for
the Rockets last night. And they made it a game

(01:08):
as long as they did. But the Rockets basically rested
everybody not named Jalen Green in their main rotation, and
it showed when the Clippers played at full strength, and
they have something to play for, you don't think they
played at full strength.

Speaker 4 (01:23):
Why can't you just say that was an impressive night
of basketball, because oh, well, no it was.

Speaker 5 (01:28):
It was.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Why can't you.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
Take the listen to us people and get used to
how the show dynamic works. I'm going to tell you
how the things are so great, how things are positive.
The Rockets reserves with only five players out, so there
weren't ten players out. It really wasn't the third strings
were the reserves. Yeah, they went out there and despite
absolutely getting punched in the mouth in the first ten
minutes of that game, they were down one after one. Now,

(01:53):
they did get out scored in each of the four quarters,
and they did give up one hundred and thirty four points.
But the Clippers, despite not having Norman Powell, one of
their better players, one of the few who prior to
this injury had been with them all year on the
court when.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
And apparently a guy who moonlights as a tax accountant,
Norman Powell. Really, that's not an NBA player's name.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
I wish he was shooting the basket. Of course for
this team, neither is Reed Shepherd the Rockets.

Speaker 4 (02:18):
That's what I'd take out a last night's game, the
Clippers and everybody else in the West. That isn't the
Thunder and isn't the Rockets. Well, they don't know where
their postseason is even going to begin home road where
whom anything, nothing is decided in three through eight. The
Rockets found out the night before they could now go
about their final three games, the deployment of their players,
the rest of their players versus rust of their players

(02:40):
anyway they so choose. We know Fred van Vliet is
not one hundred percent and I don't think he's going
to play in any of the two remaining games and
get the full basically two weeks before they open their
postseason the following weekend on Saturday or Sunday, you may
see one additional game missed by each of the players
that did not play last night, if I were to guess,

(03:00):
probably not two, and then the other players like Jalen
will probably be utilized the way Jalen was last night.
He started and played his normal first half rotation minutes
and that was that. He did not come back out
for the second half. Reed Shepard had a new career
high after hitting five threes earlier this month in a game. Well,
he hit six last night, six of ten, all while

(03:21):
running the team almost the entire night while he was
on the floor just a few minutes where he shared
some of the backcourt duties, So that was nice to see.
Jeff Green was twenty five years old, last night he
scored nineteen, and they did make the Clippers work. The
Clippers had a tough time shaking them even when they
built their big lead because the Rockets their assim shooting
night with all these starters and reserves of Jabari Smith's

(03:44):
caliber not out there. They hit twenty threes in a game.
Aaron Aaron Holliday was great, Jeff who was great effective?
Not just well, they took thirteen threes. Of course he's
gonna make four of them. No, they shot the ball well,
they effective shooting the ball, which was rare for this
team during much of this season. But I think the
Clippers have a pretty good case to be made that

(04:05):
they're just like everybody else in the West that is
in Oklahoma City.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
I really do.

Speaker 4 (04:09):
I'm not calling them the next best team, but if
the Clippers won two postseason series, really not going to
be that surprised.

Speaker 3 (04:16):
All Right, So, since you have now coined yourself mister
positivity on the show, why don't you do the astros
boy wonder, Let's see you spend that one.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oh that's not too hard, I can do that, Okay.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
Go, So you guys were aware because we weren't with
you yesterday Astros played in the afternoon and get away
day if you will.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
I was with you after that debacle. Well you were
with them, you weren't with me, that's true.

Speaker 4 (04:39):
I was finishing my specialty burger, my eight dollar specially
burger over at Big City Wings Wednesday, after all daily specials,
food and drink. A lot of people on the patio,
including the second part of that special, the drink special.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
What a beautiful day.

Speaker 4 (04:53):
But if you want me to tell you what was
so great about yesterday's Astros game, I actually can, although
I sound a little bit like the manager.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
That's a tough one.

Speaker 6 (05:03):
You know.

Speaker 7 (05:03):
We did a lot of a lot of things very
well today. Got them Bay's ten hits, who walks seven times,
score six runs, and Hunter Brown was phenomenal, you know,
our both friend. It's been really really good, the only
entire first ten games for the season.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
So there you had it. Well, okay things, No, you're right,
Hunter Brown.

Speaker 8 (05:25):
We did a lot of things very well today.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
Thanks Joe. What else do you want to hear? They
did a lot of things really well Hunter Brown and hits. Yeah,
they drew.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Seven walks, they scored six runs for the second consecutive
get day you want from these guys. They left twelve
on base. They wasted another gym of a performance from
one Hunter Brown. They can't get clutch hits in any way,
shape or form ever, And and they're still allowing Randy
A Rose Arena to own them all these years later,

(05:54):
and he's not even wearing a Tampa uniform anymore. The
literally the one guy on the stupid Mariners lineup. You
can't let you beat it, let them beat you. They
did that again, actually they did it twice in one game.
He destroyed them for a Grand Slam and then he
walked them off.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
With a walk.

Speaker 4 (06:09):
Way to go, Randy, awesome job standing there, tremendous work
in your final.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
At bat, Jeremy Pane would have swung. If you can
just stand there, things will work out nicely. Same for
Jeremy Pania.

Speaker 3 (06:19):
They're gonna throw you a slider off the plate and
you're gonna swing at it every time.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (06:23):
A Rose Arena hadn't done anything against the Astros in
the series, but he was in a really good spot
because the Astros put him there.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Their bullpen was poor, and it was all the way through.

Speaker 4 (06:31):
Each of the pitchers really other than Okert was in
the worst spot of all and nearly got out of it.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
I felt bad for him because he pitched so well
up until that one pitch.

Speaker 4 (06:40):
Yeah, basically threw one pitch that even with that pitch
in that ballpark, I know a rose Arena a Doulas
Garcia did, and he by the same token. I could
say a Dolas Garcia a rose Arenas his home runs
because I don't mind people enjoying it.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
But it's not like it went to the second deck.
He took an hour to look at it.

Speaker 4 (07:00):
There's no granted, I get that, but that ballpark brings
a lot of plays back to the field, not like
it has win but there's a reason why nobody scores there.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
It brought all of the Astros deep balls back to
the field.

Speaker 4 (07:14):
I mean, Mauricio, I thought there was a chance it
was just going to be a super duper loud out,
and unfortunately it was a four run homer. And then
you even gave Brian a Brew a second run. You
led by two going to the ninth inning, but Susa
Contrera's Okret and a Bray you you went to four guys,
you went to half your bullpen, and just none of

(07:35):
them had it to the point that you could complete
the game. And again I feel bad putting Ochred in that,
but you know, his one pitch resulted in a zero
going to four on the scorebook.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
So that's a pretty big mistake to make.

Speaker 4 (07:47):
You could walk a Rosarina it's five to one, it's okay,
go to the next guy, or throw a better pitch,
or not going after them, going after him, that's fine,
but you've also started to work your way through the.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
Order at that point.

Speaker 4 (08:03):
Throw it underhanded to the next five guys, for all
I care. It's probably not where even with the way
he's pitching. That's something I would probably second guess Joe's
second guest about the deployment of each of those, But
these two things can be true.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
It was on the bullpen, it was on the offense.

Speaker 4 (08:22):
That's you weren't facing any of these pitchers that anyone
cares about. For the Mariners, they threw their worst starter
and he was terrible. They went to a bunch of
bullpen guys, none of whom are gonna be confused for
the best middle relievers in baseball. Muno's wasn't on the
hill during all of this, and you just kept finding

(08:44):
ways to keep the game close. Could have been eight,
nothing after three, could have been twelve, nothing after five.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
It could have been a million or nothing.

Speaker 4 (08:51):
Even a homer. How about contact or a base hit
or not hitting into a double question anything?

Speaker 2 (08:59):
Oh my god, man, you can't keep.

Speaker 4 (09:02):
Just think about what you've We've talked about their offense
hardly at all, and we've already mentioned like four or
five different names already because it's team why.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
Right, And I don't think that just coming home and
by the way, not coming home or playing the Angels,
because the Angels are finding ways to win right now,
much to the chagrin of Anthony Rendon, Actually, take that back,
he's stealing money.

Speaker 4 (09:23):
Did he get hop on some social media platform and
saying this sucks our team is good and I'm not
on it. I didn't say that, did he?

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Probably not.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
He actually probably didn't hop on a social media platform
and thought to himself, now, stealing money.

Speaker 2 (09:35):
You just made him catch strays for no reasons.

Speaker 3 (09:38):
Oh come on, now you know the reason. You know
the reason this Yese sleeper?

Speaker 2 (09:43):
Yeah was healthy.

Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, he did just as much as Juan Soto did
to win that series.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
That's a fact. He won the MVP exactly, I would
say he did plenty.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
I'm still shocked that Juan Soto didn't, especially at the
age of twenty one, but like Anthony Rendon doing that
and then immediately tail spill spinning from a health perspective
for the rest of his career. Apparently, that's just another
reason I'm bitter about twenty nineteen. I won't even get
started about all the reasons I'm bitter about twenty eighteen.

Speaker 4 (10:13):
With the Rockets already, No, Nostrals are not six and
six off of a happy flight into an off day
in their home city awaiting City connect weekend against the Angels,
but rather they are five and seven, blew two games
in Seattle, losing each by one, and the only game
they won a two to one decision in twelve innings,

(10:33):
and they get the day off kind of wallowing in
a little bit, hoping and wondering when we won't have
as a team in our clubhouse. Essentially the worst offense
in baseball. That's a lot of numbers say they're the worst,
and we don't have to really rank them.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
We know they're not good. They do too. Twelve games
in one hundred and fifty to go.

Speaker 4 (10:52):
They have had some really really bad offensive baseball put
on display.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
But a new day begins tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (10:57):
Rockets have two more games remaining Friday and Sunday, and
even after Sunday's game, they won't know who they have
in the opening round of the playoffs. Who get started
at Toyota Center the following weekend, they'll have it down
to two teams by then. They'll find out the opponent
on Tuesday, when the play in tournament gets underway. And
for the next three hours and forty eight minutes, wall

(11:18):
to wall quiet talk, the Masters is underway here on
the A team.

Speaker 1 (11:25):
The age on sports Talk seven ninety's gat across.

Speaker 3 (11:33):
On a year.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
I'll see then a week.

Speaker 5 (11:35):
Or so start.

Speaker 2 (11:41):
I know what you're doing, Colon, I don't like it.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
Ansistent walk off walk what a stupid What a stupid
way to lose a baseball game. That's like that time
that person asked Trump that question. He goes, what a
stupid question? I might have all the ways to lose
a baseball game in choke artist fashion.

Speaker 2 (12:01):
That was just that was a little too much for me. Yesterday,
I'm like.

Speaker 3 (12:04):
Well, this is gonna be one of those post game
shows that I'm hosting. I'm gonna have to try and
stay gainfully employed. And I deleted like three or four
tweet drafts like you do sometimes you have your draft holder.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
I delete it reasons for a very different reasons.

Speaker 4 (12:17):
They honestly, this pretty early in the season to think
this way or look at it this way, or believe
that this is the case. That was monstrous, that was disastrous.
This team isn't good enough to have days like this
and just say we'll get on the plane and go
back to Houston and everything will be fine. Everything's not fine.
Everything is not fine with the Astros in twenty twenty five.
Last year, remember how hard it was to believe they

(12:39):
were going to get it turned around, which they obviously
did with the roster that they had last year. We
didn't believe it at this point in the season when
they got off to a four and seven start and
a nine or seven and nineteen start, and they were
still sitting at twelve and twenty four, which is twice
as many games as they've played currently.

Speaker 2 (12:57):
This is through twelve.

Speaker 4 (12:58):
That was through thirty six, and we didn't believe that
they were about to go on and for the next
one hundred days have the best record major League Baseball.
We certainly don't think it this year because it's definitely
not going to happen. Christian Walker could turn into a
baseball player. I'll go low brow. I'll just set the barlow.
He could become an offensive baseball player, and whereas right

(13:21):
now he's an offensive baseball player. Esak Perettis could deliver
a base hit that goes over the fence. Maybe once
all those things could happen, Janer Diaz could get his
third hit, and the Astros aren't about to say, hey,
major League Baseball, look at us. We're the better than
everybody again. We're the best team in baseball. In May

(13:43):
and June and July and August and all of a sudden,
it's gonna be our division again. We're gonna win the
division again, and we're gonna host our opening round series.
Granted it'll only be a wild card series, but here's
where we are. No way is that happening for the
Astros in twenty twenty five. They don't have the ability
to do that because they're pitching has been fantastic. Where

(14:03):
you expected it to be, You're one and two have
been awesome. I thought they might be the best one
two in baseball. I certainly haven't changed my mind. After
what Fromber and Hunter have done through their first three starts, respectively.
You've gotten two of the other six starts from Renel Blanco,
Spencer Araghetty and Hayden was Nesky at an ace level.

(14:24):
Was Nesky's last start seven innings, two runs, Araghetti's first start,
six innings, one hit, and you're five and seven because
you can't score. You're five and seven because you don't
string hits together. You don't string go to bats together.
You swing it pitches out of the zone. You are
again the shaking the head factor for Christian Walker.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
I don't know, he's got to go. He's doing it.

Speaker 4 (14:45):
Yeah, that's what I mean him. He's walking back because
we're doing it too. I can't believe this guy caught it.
I can't believe this umpire called that. I can't believe
I just watched this pitch go right down the middle.
I can't believe I checked did another check swing where
it clearly went past the play on a ball that
my bat's not within fifteen feet of. Are you a
he's batting like it's his first time. Do you've never

(15:06):
seen major league pitchers before. I can't believe there's movement
on their pitches. And I like Christian Walker, yeah, and
I cannot believe what I'm watching.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
Well, he's spent his entire career in one place before this,
correct his playing career, that's what I mean.

Speaker 4 (15:20):
But he's been with another organization at the major league level,
but he wasn't an everyday player.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
So maybe that's what this is. Maybe he is.

Speaker 3 (15:28):
Look because after golf, it is the I think toughest
mental game, or can be the toughest mental game on
a player in that position, and pitching too. I mean
brad Lydge good lord talking about mental games, playing with
your own mind, that kind of stuff when he was
going through his struggles. But I think there might be

(15:48):
something to that, because if it's not too early to
say the Astros are a mess right now, just a
few games in, literally, I don't think it's too early
to say that, maybe Christian Walker's putting a little bit
too much pressure on himself.

Speaker 4 (16:01):
What good players do is not have that happen. Brad
Lenche is a great example. What did he do after that?

Speaker 2 (16:08):
Went to Philly and clinched a World Series.

Speaker 4 (16:10):
By being the best closer in baseball. But it was
a change of scenery. He didn't just come figure things.
He was awesome, right, He didn't need the change of scenery,
in my opinion, to do that.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
It happened. See, I think he did.

Speaker 3 (16:23):
You know why, because every time he walked out there,
he saw the same wall that Pooh Holes hit that
moonshot over.

Speaker 4 (16:28):
Yeah, the same wall that he got to pitch in
the World Series in front of five days later.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
Yeah, well that's true.

Speaker 3 (16:37):
But he was never the same as an astro after that.

Speaker 2 (16:40):
That's what I'm getting at.

Speaker 4 (16:41):
I can't deny that, but to put that on Christian Walker, like,
I don't even see what's the what's the similarity.

Speaker 2 (16:47):
What I'm saying is because he's in a new surrounding.

Speaker 3 (16:50):
No, no, no, What I'm saying is, you know, everything is
routine for a lot of these guys, not just baseball players,
but especially baseball players. And you know, maybe it's and
it's not like he got used him to dyke in Park.
He played like a handful of games and then they
were on the road already. I just maybe this will
be the one guy where coming back home will do

(17:11):
him some good.

Speaker 2 (17:12):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
I he looks to me because of the just the
things you just said, some of the things you just.

Speaker 2 (17:17):
Listed to me.

Speaker 3 (17:19):
That's a guy that those things are happening when you
are pressing.

Speaker 4 (17:23):
That's what I doubt that he is because he's in
a slump. But so is everybody else on it.

Speaker 3 (17:26):
But it's the fact that he's that he's pressing doesn't
make him not a great player a good player, because
he has a resume that says otherwise.

Speaker 4 (17:34):
He has a resume that says he hits a bunch
of homers, which gives him an eight hundred oh ps,
which is all I usually care about.

Speaker 2 (17:40):
And that's fair.

Speaker 4 (17:41):
I mean, you're still talking about a two to fifty hitter,
and you're talking about a guy who's not He's not
gonna get a lot of hits. He's he's gonna help
you win. He helped Arizona win, he played in the
World Series.

Speaker 2 (17:51):
He's good.

Speaker 3 (17:51):
By the way, the Angels are up eleven one. People
will funk right now. Yeah, the Angels are up eleven
to one in the top of the ninth.

Speaker 4 (17:57):
The Angels have one of the better offenses in baseball
based on runs scored, not based on who's in the lineup,
not based on my best guess. I'm only looking at
the numbers. They score runs. Yeah, they can score all year,
and they're doing it again today.

Speaker 3 (18:11):
And you have Renel Blanco going in the opener, and
that's maybe not a good thing because he hasn't looked
the same either, and it's the bottom half of your rotation.
I guess the good news about yesterday is that Spencer
Arigetti doesn't need surgery.

Speaker 4 (18:24):
That's a positive, I hope, So, I hope that's good news.
It's definitely the news. They'll give him a couple weeks
and then they'll reevaluate where things are, check in on
how progress is being made. Brought it up yesterday when
we learned that information, and maybe it's a little bit
similar to how the Rockets handled Jabari Smith Junior, how
they handled things with Reed Shepherd not saying their injuries

(18:48):
were identical, but they're close. They're broken thumbs, all three
of them. So if there's no surgery needed. Unfortunately, in
the case of the baseball pitcher who's right handed versus
the basketball player who can condition while his finger or
thumb hurts, Spencer can't really do a whole lot. I mean,
I'm sure they can come up with a contraption that

(19:08):
allows him to mimic the pitching motion, but he can't
throw a baseball the way he needs to. He can't
keep his arm in the shape he needs to where
he can come back relatively quickly. Rehab starts are almost
a given. So whatever the timeframe for health, that's one
time frame the time fine to return. Add probably multiple
weeks to that and we'll see what Ryan Gusta has

(19:31):
to offer this team as a starter. Figured it was
one of two ways to go. He is either getting
the ball or Colton Gordon would get the ball. He
got the start yesterday for the Space Cowboys and continues
to be their top level prospect. Forced Whitley and Caleb
Ort have now both made rehab appearances. Whitley's was yesterday.
He was very sharp. Both of them are close to

(19:53):
coming back. This is a noticeable issue on the big club.
Luis Contreros. Despite what Joe's Botu said yesterday, and we'll
let you hear it from him specifically, now he's gonna
get he's piece of pitch well for us. You know
he's on your team.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
We get it.

Speaker 4 (20:08):
This is why everybody, Oh, how can you throw this
guy because he's on the roster?

Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yeah, Montero, they took care of that.

Speaker 4 (20:14):
You can't ask your manager to not use the players
that he's been provided. Maybe he uses them in the
wrong spots. Maybe you'd prefer to go to a different direction.
And I would say the same thing about the guy.
He's actually doing that too. Why why is Logan van
Way in your uniform? Why why Logan van Why why
is he here? You have to use the players that

(20:34):
you have, by the way, and I'm shocked in I
know all these games were close, right.

Speaker 2 (20:39):
But what's he there for? He's there to pitch in
that vein.

Speaker 3 (20:42):
I was talking with somebody yesterday and they were like,
I probably wouldn't have used Hater in that second inning
last night because then you maybe avoid all of this
because of Bray's going through his things.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
One hundred percent would have used Hater in the second inning.
But exactly why, because of what you just said.

Speaker 9 (20:57):
What was the.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
Situation trying to win today's game? And what was the score?
Was going to get the outs?

Speaker 4 (21:01):
And he's totally fine with it, and he said, I
was good and what was the score?

Speaker 2 (21:06):
It's a one run game, right, I mean, that's the
that's the problem, though, run game. I guess before he
went back out. That's true.

Speaker 3 (21:14):
Actually, gosh, dropping two out of three, won all three
of those.

Speaker 4 (21:20):
Gamespray is not going through anything. He had a bad day,
he had a bad day in the opening game. He's
not going through anything. He's been pitched well yesterday. He
hasn't pitched well for a year, dude.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
He pitched well in between both of those games. I
just mentioned. I know.

Speaker 3 (21:33):
But what I'm saying is, and I said this, I
was talking about this on the postgame show yesterday since
the and this has nothing to do with it.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
It's just coincidence.

Speaker 3 (21:41):
Remember when he got suspended over that BS incident with
Arrotus Garcia, Yeah, when he threw out him on purpose.
I remember, yeah, that one. If you want to, I mean,
I remember. That's not how I would have host seasons.
I wouldn't have characterized Thongers, Well, you're suspended next year.
And then he serves his suspension almost six months later

(22:03):
or whatever it was.

Speaker 2 (22:04):
It was nice of MLB to say, but not yet
to him.

Speaker 3 (22:07):
Well, they knew the Dastros weren't gonna win a home
game the rest of the series, and then he starts
off last year and he's he's just not the same guy.

Speaker 4 (22:16):
He spoiled us. And I said it before last year.
I wished it wouldn't have turned out to be true.
You can't expect a guy to be what he was
for two years. I'll go step further. He got used
up too much. They were Dusty was using him too much.
And then Joe continued that trend. I think he's fatigued.
I don't have any doubt about it. Two years of
unbelievable excellence followed by another year I didn't forget how

(22:39):
to pitch, and another year of over us. He didn't
have his control yesterday, and I'm really really surprised that
that last pitch of the game was the pitch that
he and Victor decided to throw. Because of that, Again,
you don't want to give him something to hit with
the bases loaded, granted, but it's a tai game and
you've got two strikes on him and there's three balls.
You probably don't throw a pitch that you've barely gotten
over over the previous thirty that you threw. He just

(23:01):
he did not have control of He almost had control
of his fastball, but he certainly did not have control
of any of his other pitches, anything off speed, and
that's what he threw on what turned out to be
the final game of his afternoon.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
The only game this year he's allowed any runs.

Speaker 4 (23:15):
Not gonna say was sharp in his first appearance when
he walked three, but his first five appearances he gave
up three hits and hadn't walked about her in three outings.
He was off in a big way yesterday. Totally reasonable
to give Brian Abrew the ball with a two run
lead at any point during the season.

Speaker 2 (23:33):
Yeah, just did not work out yesterday for the Astros.

Speaker 4 (23:36):
There are bullpens, not good though not news. He told
you guys this before the season started. Go out to
the mound, take the ball from insert starter's name here,
and if it's not the seventh inning, you're in big trouble.

Speaker 2 (23:50):
Brian King has stepped up.

Speaker 4 (23:52):
But what you have in between, Steven Okert looks like
he's probably a nice fine I like these guys. That's
four guys maybe you can count on. You can't pitch
them every day.

Speaker 2 (24:00):
How many do you need? What's a good round number?
All of them?

Speaker 3 (24:02):
No? No, no, no, I need you have to allow for some
duds because everybody has no.

Speaker 2 (24:07):
No, no, no, you don't. You have to, no, you don't.
For the purposes of this conversation.

Speaker 4 (24:11):
As we're going to break, you have to Why do
you have to employ duds because you're not twenty twenty
two anymore. I I as soon as, in my opinion,
when Whitley and Order are healthy, then that should be over.

Speaker 2 (24:22):
I'm not saying these guys all, I agree with that, but.

Speaker 4 (24:24):
Contreras is gonna throw zero more pitches if everybody's healthy.

Speaker 3 (24:28):
Frankly, since the offense hasn't decided to answer the bell,
I'm keeping a very close eye on Renel Blanco tomorrow night.

Speaker 2 (24:34):
I'm sorry, that's just the way. That's where we're at
right now.

Speaker 4 (24:37):
Off day, maybe you can go get them early, but man,
give this team some innings, please, right renewe.

Speaker 2 (24:43):
Best of X halfway through our number one, it's next.

Speaker 1 (24:49):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (24:55):
Did you all see this putting out?

Speaker 3 (24:57):
Between five and ten posts, four hundred people were arrested
for things that they said on social media.

Speaker 4 (25:03):
History repeats itself type BANU will succeed.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
Never doubt that You're the one who was for No
One building lead.

Speaker 2 (25:13):
You're the best.

Speaker 10 (25:15):
X.

Speaker 2 (25:16):
Nothing's gonna ever top You know you're the best of X.
Posting every single day.

Speaker 4 (25:22):
You know you're the best of X breaking the entire Internet.

Speaker 2 (25:33):
What a treat.

Speaker 4 (25:34):
Yeah, it is not best of X S team, not me,
not you, not Cole, but a late season post clinch,
long uninterrupted stay in Beverly Hills, California, Matthewston Rod.

Speaker 3 (25:51):
Thomas, I'm surprised he didn't call in sick to his
show today.

Speaker 4 (25:55):
Rockets took care of game number forty at Toyota Center.
No take care of game number forty one at the
end of the season, but they took care of game
number forty and then they needed to make their way
out to the West Coast for a little three game
road trip to kind of close out and put a
caperra on the season. April fourth, they finish up with

(26:16):
Oklahoma City here in Houston, and then they fly out
to San friend Clara and take on the Golden State Warriors.

Speaker 2 (26:23):
That's April sixth.

Speaker 4 (26:25):
They're in Beverly Hills for their stay to play LA
and then LA on April seventh and.

Speaker 2 (26:34):
Eighth and ninth and.

Speaker 4 (26:36):
Tenth today and eleventh tomorrow and overnight on the eleventh
and set to fly back Saturday in advance of their
season finale. Five days in LA and now, the majority
of which those days and nights are spent with no
game results, with any bearing whatsoever on your playoff positioning.

Speaker 2 (27:00):
You couldn't have begged the NBA for a more pleasant.

Speaker 4 (27:04):
And comfortable way to end your season, casual way to
end your season mentally and physically, so much so that
it was even on display from Dylan Brooks.

Speaker 2 (27:16):
Or would you say, well, he was. How relaxed do
you think Dylan Brooks seems lately? Well, that's seen.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
That's a tricky question, wex because I don't think he
ever seems not relaxed, at least when you talk to him.

Speaker 4 (27:26):
Yeah, he definitely seems relaxed about ten minutes before tip off,
when he's staring Daggers through whoever he's chosen.

Speaker 3 (27:32):
Out the evening. That's not when you're talking to him.
That's when he's trying to mentally prepare he.

Speaker 4 (27:37):
Is currently, especially after him wearing streets to last night's
game because he was made unavailable.

Speaker 2 (27:43):
Yes, he's in he's in casual mode. Man.

Speaker 4 (27:47):
He's casual, free and easy. He is the opposite of
locked in. That's right, which is great.

Speaker 3 (27:53):
Casual is the currently really really good term to use
in this situation too, because he could not have been
rest more casually.

Speaker 2 (28:01):
In the video we're about to reference tank shorts LA.

Speaker 3 (28:04):
I mean it was the only it was not quite
a tank because it kind of had the longer shoulders.
It wasn't like the traditional wife beater type tank, if
you will.

Speaker 2 (28:13):
Guns were on display.

Speaker 3 (28:14):
Yeah, well sun's out, guns out as.

Speaker 4 (28:16):
So you set the table on exactly what this is.
It was delivered to us on social media a couple
of minutes of video and uh, Dylan, like I said,
he seemed very at ease, and now we've gotten to
enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (28:28):
So well, what are we listening to.

Speaker 3 (28:30):
You've got a man who approaches him outside of a shop.

Speaker 2 (28:33):
Clearly it looks like Beverly Hills.

Speaker 4 (28:36):
This very easily could be considering where the rockets stay
for these LA games.

Speaker 2 (28:41):
But it could have easily been right.

Speaker 3 (28:43):
So it was on rodeo drive, okay, because I couldn't
tell that there wasn't the ocean to the left of them.

Speaker 2 (28:48):
But whatever, this is the guy I think he was
Kelsey Plumber or something. That's funny.

Speaker 3 (28:53):
That was Actually that was a option B yesterday, which
was I like how she handled that.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
That's your name? Are you famous? Trying to shoot his shot?

Speaker 3 (29:04):
What's her name? No response, which, by the way, I'm
a fan. I don't blame him all. Right back to Yeah,
So Dylan's coming out of one of these shops on
Rodeo Drive and this man approaches him, and you know
NBA players, it's it's a it's a crapshoot. You never
know how they're going to react out in public, especially
a guy like him with his type of reputation, and

(29:25):
the guy's a photographer, his on court reputee.

Speaker 1 (29:29):
That's all.

Speaker 3 (29:29):
If that's all you ever see of a person, or
the majority of what you see of a person is
him getting into it with people who are much bigger
than you as well, would you approach a guy like that?

Speaker 4 (29:38):
I mean, he plays basketball, he's not That's not who
he is. When he's out with his family and getting
some food or doing some shopping or enjoying some he's
just enjoying his day.

Speaker 2 (29:48):
Maybe it is who he is, It definitely isn't who
he is.

Speaker 4 (29:51):
Would you approach or among the most confrontational on court players. Right,
you couldn't even survive in this current day and age
in America if you're that confrontational when you're walking down
the street, as if you are, then we will see
it on the X platform or anybody will have their
phones up exactly, somebody will be yelling world store.

Speaker 3 (30:16):
So anyways, this guy is a photographer and walks up
to him and approaches him and starts asking him questions
and proceeds to ask Dylan Brooks for life advice.

Speaker 2 (30:29):
Advice, life advice, Early Berg is to worn.

Speaker 7 (30:35):
So you know, being up early Brandon working together.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
Was you know whoever you need to work with? You
know it's you farther than most people in there, sleeping
in and being.

Speaker 4 (30:48):
Do you think I could make it in life?

Speaker 3 (30:49):
I've been read.

Speaker 2 (30:53):
That's good advice.

Speaker 4 (30:54):
Not only is it good advice, if you could for me, Cole, uh,
play that clip again just so I can cut it
off very early of what Dylan said at the onset
of that conversation.

Speaker 6 (31:09):
Advice, Oh.

Speaker 4 (31:13):
Okay, right there, that's all we need to hear. That
sounded like, man, leave me alone. I'm totally dismissive. Early
bird gets the worm. I took it right out of
a book. I read it on my Proverbs of the day,
toilet paper away with him in LA, don't want to
talk to you anymore. I'm trying to be polite, but

(31:33):
I'm kind of looking for my coffee.

Speaker 2 (31:35):
Just get away from me.

Speaker 4 (31:37):
But he went on and treated like a totally as
a friendly interaction, a nice little conversation. He showed that
he's not like me, and he's a nice person. He
was willing to, you know, share a little bit of
his time and and just be cordial and be serious.
When the guy you know, kind of doubles down on me,
I'm really here to ask you for life advice for
my video and said yes, I really yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
Just all you got to do is wake up early.
That's it. It went on.

Speaker 3 (31:59):
I mean, this was a minute it's long video where
he winds up saying, hey, let's do let's shoot you know,
rock paper scissors, and the winner gives somebody gives the
other something of value to that they're you know, able
to Dylan giving him NBA tickets, the photographer giving him
free free shots.

Speaker 2 (32:20):
Now best of X.

Speaker 4 (32:23):
We've already you know, check marked why it landed in
this spot because we found it on the X platform.
They're probably not going to see it if not for
social media existing. That's what's so great about this era
of instant news and random news. But I want to
you know, searching around a lot of different people saw
the video, reposted the video, put it in different places
on different media platforms, but one that was posted here

(32:45):
more locally, which likely got more local responses to it.

Speaker 2 (32:51):
Our good buddy Brado, who we've.

Speaker 4 (32:54):
Seen the last couple of years at the Rockets gala,
and I mentioned that because he a comment to his
own posts when someone said dealing winning and then offering
two out of three during this matchup and offering tickets anyway,
like ac just deshcribed, he says, met him at the
gallop exactly the same as he was on this video.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
Great guy.

Speaker 4 (33:13):
Another I initially didn't like the signing of Dylan, but
now he's one of my favorite Rockets.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
Yeah, he's this guy.

Speaker 4 (33:20):
Joe sounds like he has already taken my Twitter account
for me, my ex platform, because he wrote, yeah, he's
better than me.

Speaker 2 (33:28):
I'm not sticking around for all that. Lol. A villain, not.

Speaker 4 (33:32):
A monster, just a competitor or a dog, great human
and to beach to remind people his exit from Memphis.
What did you hear about him from team members, teammates,
organizational team that weren't trying to bury him as the
reason they lost. Yeah, good person, great in Memphis, great

(33:54):
for this franchise, Great for our fans. He's been here
a year and a now almost two full and people
here feel the very same way about the person Dylan Brooks,
which is who he is when he's walking down the
street on Rodeo Drive. He's a person. He's not a dunking, fighting,
confronting shot maker. He's a person. Some might say guy,

(34:16):
some might say he's a people person, But that might
be a person. I might be taking it to the
people person on the court. I want to get at
this people. This people on the other side is in trouble.

Speaker 2 (34:26):
All right when we come back.

Speaker 3 (34:27):
Actually a couple more things about Dylan Brooks, one of
this kind of this kind of note, and the other
about the actual on court and the Rockets in general,
we will discuss when we come back.

Speaker 1 (34:39):
The a on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 10 (34:44):
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.
I keep my wide open all the time. I keep
them for the mine because your mind.

Speaker 2 (35:00):
I hate you, Cole. It is the a team Sports
Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (35:07):
He's just gonna keep doing that while he can still
play copyrighted music. Oh look, that was the last chance. Hey,
real quick, A couple more things on Dylan Brooks. So
going back to just him being approachable, being a nice
guy off the floor and all that. And you're aware
of this because you were in the vicinity that night.
You knew it was you knew it was gonna happen.
I was one of those people that much like everybody

(35:30):
else before he got here, Mike like a like a
Patrick Beverly type, an irritant. He's far more talented than
Patrick Beverley is a basketball player. No offense to Pat Bev,
but come on, it's just they're not the same guy.
And I kept telling everybody within our inner circle from
broadcast standpoint.

Speaker 2 (35:49):
What's he like?

Speaker 8 (35:49):
Like?

Speaker 3 (35:50):
Is he is he really cool? Everybody kept saying he's
so cool, He's actually really cool. I'm like, come on, man,
I've seen this guy's act on the floor. I said, fine,
I bet he won't take a picture with me, and
that it was like the dare and I walked up
to him, and this is how I approached him. I said, hey, man,
I really hated you before you became a member of
the Rockets as an NBA player. I had sports hate
for you. But I also have been told that you're

(36:12):
super approachable. And I was made a bet that I
wouldn't be able to get a picture with you, and
he goes, let's do it, and I can't even do
an impression of him, but it sounded exactly like he
was talking to that guy on Rodeo Drive. So yeah,
Dylan the villain. That doesn't surprise me at all after
seeing that video. And here's the other thing that I
want to get to from a basketball perspective, and I
saw this pointed out last night in a picture on

(36:35):
X him and Fred van Vliet for whatever things you
want to say about fan Fleet from a shooting perspective
this season, and I'm starting to really think that his
health has a lot to do with it. And maybe
all season long something hasn't been right, at least I
hope so for his sake. But those two guys being

(36:56):
members of the Rockets, none of this quick turnaround happens
without him, Like, not even close now you know, emy
Udoka is a great coach. Emy Udoka and his staff
absolutely have a huge part and probably the biggest part
in why this turnaround has happened so quickly, along with
what is turning out to be really good drafting by
rafel Stone. But I just don't think the on court

(37:20):
product takes the leap that it has without either of
these guys being here the last two years, not just
this year, and.

Speaker 2 (37:26):
The list probably is even longer than just those two.

Speaker 4 (37:30):
I know it's the on court is limited when you're
talking about Jeff Green, but the off pour isn't. I
think there's a massive amount of assistance given to these players,
both mentally and physically in preparation wise.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
From Jeff Green, I think it matters a great deal.

Speaker 4 (37:45):
I think you probably have to include Aaron Holliday similarly,
he's had a couple of playoff trips.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
Jeff Green.

Speaker 4 (37:52):
We talk about, Oh, Fred brings, you know, title experience
to the Rockets.

Speaker 2 (37:56):
Yeah, so does Jeff.

Speaker 4 (37:57):
Jeff wont a title back when Mike Malone used to
coach the nug It's remember that two years ago and
he went to the finals. Before that, he's been to
the finals twice was there with Cleveland and won it
with Denver Brooks playoff experience, Greens, playoff experience, Holidays, playoff experience,
which is what they're about to get to do. I
mentioned this last night doing postgame over on Space City
Home Network with Calvin and Gerald. To go from out

(38:21):
of the playoffs the eleventh seed, which is a great
tag to hang on your door. We're the eleventh seed,
not a playoff team. So the very next season, your
first playoff game, it's at home. You're not in the
five to six to seventh eighth spot and going out
on the road for games one and two, or you're
hosting right.

Speaker 3 (38:41):
Well, the play is not the playoffs. You're just playing basketball.
Thank you for telling me the obvious. Some people don't
know that.

Speaker 4 (38:47):
Someone pointed out that for the second consecutive year, the
team with the highest spending, highest payroll, Phoenix this year,
is not going to make the playoffs, and they put
a caveat in there. In twenty three twenty four, Golden
State made the play in tournament. Great, did they play
a playoff game? No, So for the second year in

(39:08):
a row, the team's spending the most money on their
payroll did not make the playoffs. Golden State did not
play a playoff game. Last year they played a play
in game.

Speaker 2 (39:15):
Was it a favor San Francisco Area journalist.

Speaker 4 (39:18):
If you're not playing the number two seed or the
number one seed, then you didn't make the playoffs, right,
the seven and eight seed they play the two and
the one seed. If you're playing the eight seed because
you're the seven, or you're playing the nine or ten
seed because you're the eight, well you better win, so
then I can call you a playoff team.

Speaker 3 (39:35):
Otherwise you didn't make the playoffs. Otherwise you're playing into
what why is it called playing?

Speaker 4 (39:40):
It's in the name, right, you're playing an extra game
you got to the post, or multiple extra games if
you also made it to the in season tournament final,
which doesn't count in this day experience.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
Ask you a question about this. My point is the
leap is so massive.

Speaker 4 (39:56):
I mean, there's camaraderie to be built in chemistry and
all that, and I want to get in to this
a little bit more at the top of the hour
when we kind of reset where the rockets are, reset
what's going on with the astros, and I'll kind of
explain it there. I think it's a huge deal what
the Rockets have in store for their opening game of
the postseason. We'll catch you out here and get in
there at three o'clock here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (40:24):
I'll tell you about prime.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam. We're talking your team.
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 3 (40:40):
Eighty straight up three o'clock here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
It is the A team on Space City Home Network
as well. So welcome all of our viewers out there
as we take you up until six o'clock tonight. He's
wex I may see Cole Thompson along for the ride.
And we've talked a lot actually about the Rockets in

(41:02):
the past half hour or so.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
Just the fact that.

Speaker 3 (41:05):
Didn't you didn't think there was going to be a
different outcome in that game against the Clippers last night
when you rested basically everybody but Jalen Green, by the way,
Jalen Green's starting streak is now how many games?

Speaker 2 (41:18):
I know you know this off the top of your head.
I don't know it off the top of my head.

Speaker 3 (41:21):
You're a lying liar. I know you know this number.
You're just doing this for effect. You really don't know.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
No, it's several, it's it's over one hundred.

Speaker 4 (41:28):
I couldn't even tell you how many consecutive broadcasts I've
done without mentioning it.

Speaker 3 (41:33):
One sixty five, one's seventy in that range. I want
to say maybe since he's missed a game, But last night,
like probably midway through the first quarter, I was just like,
all right, what are we doing here? Because if he
gets hurt, I'm gonna be really upset. And it was
a meaningless game. The seed is set, they're resting all
these other starters, and it was just clear that he

(41:53):
was out there for that very purpose. And the last
time the Rockets did that this year, somebody got hurt. Right,
They've never done I know what you're saying, but yeah,
leave somebody out there in a game that's been decided
or doesn't Really this.

Speaker 4 (42:06):
Is more about why what's one night gonna do? It's
gonna I'm risking fifteen minutes. He played fifteen minutes last night.
He's playing in every game he's gonna play. I'm sure
something similar to that. One of the other two and
maybe a little less than that in the other one
versus I'm going to not play him tonight at all, Well,
then can you play him in the next game? You
probably have to sit him then too, Right, well, then

(42:26):
can you play him in the finale on Sunday? Well, no,
you gotta sit him then too. If this is the
whole purpose, So now his last game played before his
first ever playoff game will be a span of about
ten or eleven days. So that way, I mean, this
is what they're going to purposely avoid. It's not that
he's gonna get so rusty, but they would like players
to be on the court, even for however many minutes

(42:47):
it's gonna be.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
I don't I really, I didn't even think twice about it.

Speaker 3 (42:51):
Well, okay, so in that vein, do the Rockets do
what they did last night in La tomorrow night.

Speaker 4 (42:58):
No, they're gonna just I think they're gonna stagger it
a little bit Differently, my personal opinion is Fred van
Vliet has played his last regular season. I believe the
injury to his ankle is one that they're more concerned with,
and they want to give him as much time off
of it as possible before he starts in their Saturday
or Sunday playoff game, whichever game the NBA gives them
on the nineteenth or twentieth the following weekend. I wouldn't

(43:21):
be surprised if each of the other four players that
did not play last night, two of whom had injury designations,
Jabari and Alprin. I would guess each one of those
four players will also sit for one of the two
remaining games, and so they'll maybe stagger that two of
those out tonight, two of those out on Sunday. Tarry
Easton probably doesn't play in one of the two remaining

(43:44):
games for I guess obvious reasons, and Jalen Green will
play even less in one of the two remaining games
than he played last night. It looked pretty similar rotation
minutes for him, a couple minutes off in the first
on the court for a couple minutes in the second,
and then he didn't play at all in the second half.
There's something to be said for trying to get the
guys healthy as healthy as possible, and I'm sure they

(44:05):
all have some nagging injuries, and you if you don't
practice or play in a game, you will be healthy.
If you're healthy today, and you don't practice and you
don't play well, then you're gonna be healthy for the
next game. That's not reality, though, And I don't worry
about you're going to practice. You're gonna put yourself out
there during a hard, intense practice.

Speaker 2 (44:25):
Over the next where Jabari Smith broke his hand for exam,
that happened. I don't expect it to happen.

Speaker 4 (44:29):
I hope it doesn't happen, but there's there's only so
much you can do, and I think I May is
probably going to handle it the right way. One game
in I didn't have any problem with how they did it,
And it was kind of similar to the game against
Oklahoma City when all these guys went out there. It
wasn't the first start for Reed Shepherd or for Cam Whitmore.

(44:49):
They'd all started in that similar situation before, and they
played starters minutes read.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
Shepherd was very good.

Speaker 4 (44:55):
Cam Whitmore somehow we made it an hour into the
show without mentioning that U. You know, complaining about officiating
is a lot of different categories. How could you miss
this call is one. I can't believe that's what you
think you saw is another. How come you're letting players
get away with what you're letting them get away with.
Why are you calling the game the way you're calling
it tonight? But you can't miss the call that they

(45:18):
missed last night. There's no judgment a call they literally
would call a foul if they saw it, and somehow
none of them saw it. When Cam Whitmore went from
up for a dunk and James Harden super duper late realized, well,
I'm not gonna be able to defend this, so I'm
just gonna slide by him, behind him and ensure that

(45:38):
he falls on his hip. Is running straight to the
basket from straight on. He's not coming from an angle.
He's not taking off from one side.

Speaker 8 (45:45):
Or the other.

Speaker 4 (45:45):
He's right in front, he's in the paint, and he's
going straight. He's going straight at the rim, and somehow
he falls three to four feet to the left of
the rim. And even if they maybe didn't see the contact,
which I still don't understand how that's possible, I'm giving
them extra benefit. Why would a player jump straight at
the rim and land three feet in the opposite or
in a non straight direction.

Speaker 3 (46:07):
With his body perpendicular to the stanchion and flat to
the ground.

Speaker 4 (46:11):
That part of it can happen when you don't grab
onto the rim right or you're a little bit off balance,
but normally it doesn't happen unless there's another player involved,
and there clearly was. He clearly clipped the legs of
Cam Whitmore, which flipped him from straight up and down
for a dunk into a sideways position. Super duper dangerous.
The play that isn't just a foul, That was a

(46:32):
flagrant foul. That could have been called a flagrant too.
We just saw this two nights earlier. A guy was
stretchered off the floor because he got undercut on his
way to the basket, and that guy was tossed and
he was he felt terrible about it too, right' that's
why he got tossed though it's an automatic ejection.

Speaker 2 (46:49):
But it's like there wasn't even a foul here.

Speaker 4 (46:51):
Yeah, Cam Whitmore is I applaud him and am surprised
in the same sentence.

Speaker 2 (46:57):
I don't know how he didn't get kicked out of
the game. He almost did. He didn't even get a
technical and you know why.

Speaker 3 (47:02):
Because the refs knew they screwed up, of course, which
is what we're always talking about well.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
This again, these calls, I don't want to lump them
all in together. Block charge or did he lead with this?
Or did he reach in or was he hit on this?
These calls can't be missed. There's not traffic, you're not
at a bad angle. There's three of you. You can't
miss a call like that. And in addition to that,
it's such a dangerous play. How can you miss that?

(47:29):
Let me ask you this pel I mean, one has
nothing to do with the other. Whether the player gets hurt
or not, you missed the call. They're not connected. But
it's so obvious that something happened. I just I was
blown away that they missed it. I was not blown
away that Cam Whitmore was furious and was dropping bombs
on these guys verbally.

Speaker 3 (47:45):
How about the other guys on the bench, all the
starters that weren't playing in street clothes, like letting these.

Speaker 4 (47:49):
Officials easily given a technical file to a player coming
off of the bench during gameplay to yell at the official.

Speaker 3 (47:55):
I mean, I think the reason either. I think the
reason is the same one that they knew they had
screwed up. But here's my question, what if he was hurt.
What if they do have to stretcher him off, they
wouldn't have changed the call. That's what's crazy to me,
and that's what's wrong with NBA officiating.

Speaker 2 (48:09):
There's that's that is instant. What are you going to
do at that point?

Speaker 4 (48:12):
I don't know, but some calls that maybe what you're
saying is true to this point, you're you're calling for
a review on something you didn't even call, which.

Speaker 2 (48:23):
We don't see. The Rockets didn't get to night call.

Speaker 4 (48:25):
If they haven't done anything, if the ball didn't go
out of bounds, if there wasn't a goaltending call, if
they didn't blow the whistle, there's there's no review.

Speaker 2 (48:32):
We didn't talk about.

Speaker 4 (48:33):
This are the only ones where that comes into play
where because the line, well, they'll go back. They didn't
say anything at the time. They didn't blow the whistle.
They just nothing happened. They shot the ball that went
in and they went back down the court. Later during
the game during a time out, they will go look
at that, but that's really the only thing they'll ever do.

Speaker 3 (48:49):
You remember, you'll remember the game because you're good at this.
It was in the last week the Rockets had to
loophole the review situation, and the only reason they were
able to is because the ball went out of bounds
anyway on the play, so they reviewed it so that
because they knew that when the review happened, the official
would clearly see that a foul was called there or

(49:11):
should have been called there that wasn't, And it did.
The gamble paid off, the Rockets won the challenge, and
I think it was one of these home games before
they left town. But that's that's what I'm always so
adamant about, is even if it's not you know, that's
the official missing a call, that doesn't make them necessarily
a bad official, although this one probably does because it's

(49:32):
so obvious everybody in the building. But these three people
that are tasked literally with calling these cut fouls didn't
they saw it and you didn't. That's another thing where
I've said this a million times. It's gonna take something
bad happening. It always takes something bad happening, a blown
playoff game, an injury, combination of the two, or some
other situation where it takes something drastic in order for

(49:55):
these leagues to finally say all right, I'll get off
off my butt and do something about this with these officials.

Speaker 4 (50:00):
Herds and hundreds and hundreds of NBA games were played
this year, in each of the last several years, and
this particular instance has happened one time that I can recall.
A player was hit this dramatically on a dunk attempt
and all three officials called nothing. It's such a non
common mist call. They're not going to go say, man,
we missed this all the time. We've got to change
what we do. I'll add one more thing to it,

(50:21):
because we're totally absolving the mistake maker. The mistake wasn't
there was a mistake additionally made by the official. The
original mistake was made by the player. And I mean,
I'm all for competitive competitive play and trying to gain
an edge. And you know, you know, if they I
didn't do it, if they didn't see it. But James
Harden undercut a player going up for a dunk and

(50:42):
he landed violently on his side. And he couldn't have
acted any more like, what do you mean I was
a part of that. I didn't touch him. I mean
he though he looked at him, know what, he didn't,
But he just went about his business like you brought
up the other player with Jalen Wells and Simpson.

Speaker 2 (50:58):
Well, the player that did it so obviously hit him.

Speaker 4 (51:01):
I don't know how to horn otherwise, but James Harden
just kind of walked over to Oh. The game wasn't stopped.
They just went about the rest of the play, and
then he went and sat on the bench. When the
whistle was called. He was devastated, dangerous.

Speaker 2 (51:16):
You can't do that. He did it. Didn't care well,
he doesn't care.

Speaker 4 (51:19):
I was a little surprised with the way that the
player he hit fell. Normally you at least oh man, whoops,
Sorry it was an accident, because it was an accident.

Speaker 3 (51:29):
Look, I'm not going to sit here and say I
know James Harden, but I do know that if I
had a dollar for every person who has told me
that they don't think he's a good person for one
reason or another.

Speaker 2 (51:39):
What I'm serious right now? You handle it on the
basketball court.

Speaker 3 (51:42):
If you're all about you, and you're that self absorbed
and every other way in your life, why would this
be different. Didn't go Cam Whitmore, he's dead, no problem.
Didn't go nose bleed celebration. Well, I'd say this if
Cam Whitmore decided to get up and do something about it.
I'm putting my money on him, just saying, all right,
So Rockets lose a meaning game, that's fine. They've got
the other LA team. As WEX mentioned, they are really

(52:04):
enjoying this staycation. It's not even a staycation because they're
away from home, but that's basically what it is.

Speaker 2 (52:09):
Is.

Speaker 3 (52:09):
They continue this week in Los Angeles, the.

Speaker 1 (52:13):
A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (52:22):
It is the A team Sports Talks seven to ninety.

Speaker 3 (52:25):
So one thing we didn't talk about last segment is
how tightly compacted this Western Conference is just below the
Thunder and the Rockets.

Speaker 2 (52:37):
I mean it is.

Speaker 3 (52:39):
What is it like two and a half games separate,
like twenty teams or something like that, even though I
know only a few handful of teams get in into
the playoff picture after. But what's your preference at this
point if you're the Rockets or do you care?

Speaker 2 (52:54):
If you're the Rockets, you don't care.

Speaker 4 (52:55):
If you're on a sports talk show, you probably have
to give an opinion here, Lucky for you. Lucky for you, guys. Yes,
I really actually believe what I said. You shouldn't care.
I wouldn't want to play anything into it. And again
the Rockets actually, even though they're set, they can no
longer impact where they finish. They could attack these games

(53:15):
in a way that impacts where the other teams finish.
I don't really think they're going to go about it
that way. I don't think it's of any concern for them,
and certainly not from what Email and everybody else is
saying here. In the short amount of time, they've already
known where their position is and then they're doing it
the right way. But again, this the playoffs work out
this way. The last two teams in the seven and
eight spot that are good because there's a big separation

(53:38):
point ten teams season in the Western Conference will not
end this coming Sunday. Eight of them will make the playoffs.
Two of them are terrible, the Kings and the Mavericks
likely to both finish under five hundred's. Kings would have
to win their last two to avoid it, and the
MAVs just clinched it last night by losing it home
to the player that everybody in the stadium was cheering for,

(53:58):
but he plays for the other team.

Speaker 2 (54:01):
Those two teams are going.

Speaker 4 (54:02):
To lose their two games or three games I guess combined,
the MAVs will probably lose to the Kings in Sacramento,
and then the Kings will lose to whichever team loses
the seven eight game, and that team will then play
Oklahoma City. Which is why being in the seven eight
game isn't great. You better win it. If you're so convinced, oh,
we want the Rockets, will you run the risk of

(54:24):
a missing the playoffs entirely and b losing your first
game at home and thus still making the playoffs with
a win two days later three days later, but then
playing Oklahoma City to open up your postseason. Lakers up
one on the Nuggets and Clippers. Lakers up a game
and a half on the Grizzlies. Lakers up two on

(54:45):
the Warriors, two and a half on the Wolves two
and a half games separate three through eight. The Lakers
did clinch a playoff berth. They cannot be the Rockets
opponent in the first round of the postseason. They cannot
finished seven or eight. We don't know much else with
what could still play in who is in the seven

(55:06):
eight game, and what the other matchups might be, But
the other five teams, everybody butt Minnesota can still finish
in every other spot. Minnesota and Golden State will be
four or five, or six or seven or eight. The
other three teams, the Nuggets, the Clippers, and the Grizzlies,

(55:27):
can still finish in all. Three are all five available,
six available positions. They could be three, they could be
eight or anywhere in between, and there are a lot
of games against one another that still remain. Every team
in front of Houston in their first round series is
beatable by the Houston Rockets. I mentioned this the other day,

(55:49):
and I don't They're clearly not going to go after
something like this. But had they not clinched and they
were playing their normal basketball, a win over the Lakers
and a win over the Nuggets would have put the
Rockets in a group of one Western Conference team. They
would have been the only Western Conference team to beat
every other Western Conference playoff team twice twice during the

(56:10):
regular season. There's a couple that have all beaten them
at least once. The Rockets clearly are one of those teams,
beating the team immediately ahead of them twice. I've beaten
the Lakers and Nuggets once each. They've only played them
twice in their third game against both rounds out their
regular season, and they managed to at least one win
one game against everybody else, couple more against others like
the Grizzlies and the Clippers. They can beat any of

(56:32):
these teams, even at full strength, which they haven't seen
a whole lot of. You really want me to just
pick one?

Speaker 2 (56:41):
Yeah? It really? I mean it doesn't matter.

Speaker 3 (56:45):
Well, I mean, if you're rooting for a matchup like
I am, and it has nothing to do with the Rockets,
I want the Lakers to stay in a three spot
and I want them to play the Warriors in the
sixth spot. Therefore eliminated one of America's nation nightmares just
out of selfish reasons. But as it pertains to the
Rockets matching up with a team, I think by and large,

(57:11):
people would think they want Memphis, and I don't think
you want that. I don't think the Rockets would lose
that series, but I think it would be a lot
more uncomfortable and a lot closer than people or just
because I've seen how their games are this year, Rockets
won three out of four, but they were all hard fought.

Speaker 4 (57:27):
If I told you the Rockets lost every game to
Minnesota and Memphis this year, you'd probably say, yeah, I
remember watching some of those games.

Speaker 2 (57:33):
That sounds about right.

Speaker 4 (57:34):
If I told you they won every game against those
two teams, you could have watched a different portion and said, yeah,
I know they're good, but that sounds right. I think
the Rockets took care of them. Those games went very similarly,
not how the flow of the game went. Memphis not
necessarily a total full strength at any of those games,
and you could definitely now say the same thing about Houston.
And that's what makes this a little bit difficult and

(57:55):
exercise you're kind of Lakers. Well, the Lakers didn't have
their roster rightyeather, so clearly they weren't full strength. But
you know you've played Denver twice. How do you think
the Rockets match up with Jokichen twenty four to twenty five.

Speaker 2 (58:06):
I don't know. He unplayed against.

Speaker 3 (58:08):
Him, and Jamal Murray was the reason that they still
won without him in the lineup.

Speaker 4 (58:13):
Yeah, they need to do a better job against certain players.
But what I was getting to Jamal Murray can get off,
has gotten off against the Rockets.

Speaker 2 (58:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
The last time John Morant not so much. They held
him in check. Different players, and Jalen plays well against Memphis.
But even having said all that, I think if I
had to choose between the two likeliest in that realm,
I'd rather have Minnesota.

Speaker 4 (58:36):
Yeah, Minnesota Memphis to me are identical in terms of
how I think the Rockets would fare. Even speaking about
Minnesota with Julius Randall, with Devincenzo without They've had a
couple of different instances of seeing what they have, so
it's not quite exactly what you've seen. I just feel
like their chances. I don't like going against the star
player so much, but you're in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (58:59):
I don't want to see him. Danny Edwards Okay? How
about John Morant? Okay? How about Steph Curry? Okay?

Speaker 4 (59:03):
How about Luca? Who do you think plays for these teams?
There's no avoiding them. That's why they are who they are.
And at present time, line up the superstars in the
Western Conference playoffs in order and allow for more than
one player on a single team to be on your list,
how far down the list do you go before even
one Rocket is on your list? Offensively, maybe as an
all round player you could have see your way to

(59:25):
saying from an importance standpoint. I mean, Thompson might be
as important a player as some other clear offensive star
for another team. But you're going ten deep easy on
the eight Western Conference playoff teams without naming a single
Rocket as your best player list.

Speaker 3 (59:42):
They in that vein, they remind me so much of
and this is going to be this might be a
little much, this might be hot taky, but I don't
care because it's the only real playoff team that was
not just competitive. They were a champion where I feel
like the same identity exists, and that's the Detroit Pistons.

(01:00:02):
And the Detroit Pistons is such a hard comparison to make.
You're making the comparison because they don't have a true superstar,
but you're also comparing the Rockets to an NBA champion,
not just a champion, but the champion that ended the
Lakers dynasty as we know it.

Speaker 4 (01:00:18):
I still don't I'm not quite bristling, but I'll push
back a little bit. You're talking about five all stars
on the Pistons. You're talking about the best defensive player
in the league.

Speaker 3 (01:00:28):
Ben Wallace does not exist on this Rockets roster, right.

Speaker 4 (01:00:31):
And so we I don't want people to be so
focused on offense. That's why I kind of separated, because
you got to you gotta include all. Ben Wallace is
not one of the best players in the league, probably,
but he's the best defensive player in the league that matters.
He's one of the ten best players or whatever number
you're going to. Thompson is too, and Chauncey Billips is
a Hall of Famer, right, Like, they're pretty good. They're
not a coach yad as people even though he's really

(01:00:51):
really good. As long as you know who coaches the team, jack.

Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
It, Matt.

Speaker 4 (01:00:58):
The talent level of that Pistons team I think gets
undersold because Isaiah Thomas or Reggie Miller or Larry Bird
or some Eastern Conference great player wasn't on their team,
or Jordan or anybody.

Speaker 2 (01:01:12):
Yeah, you had Rashid Wallace, you had Ben Wallace, you had.

Speaker 4 (01:01:18):
Their best offensive player. You haven't even named him yet.
Rip Hamilton, Oh that's right, because I was.

Speaker 3 (01:01:24):
I was thinking Chauncey Willis Halton and then all right Hamilton,
and then Tayshawn Prince was there there three Oh my god,
what a.

Speaker 2 (01:01:31):
Chase down block. Greatest play in history. Very very amen.

Speaker 3 (01:01:35):
Thompson like as far as how he's built, how he plays,
look at.

Speaker 2 (01:01:38):
The five people.

Speaker 4 (01:01:40):
Elite leader, elite scorer, elite defensive player, elite wing, perfect mix.

Speaker 3 (01:01:45):
No superstar, no ego, none of that stuff. The closest
you would come is Rashid Wallace. And if he can
get his head act together, who'd you say, Rashid.

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
Watlin Brooks And honestly, except he was only mouthy.

Speaker 4 (01:01:58):
He wasn't an awesome defense stopp or he's a good
defensive player, but not like do wish Rashid.

Speaker 3 (01:02:03):
Rashid was in Portland before that, right? Or did he
go to Portland after Detroit? I can't remember now, okay,
because I feel like he was a better scorer in
Portland for whatever reason.

Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
But I'm agreed to do different things those two spots.
He spent seven years in Portland and then six years
in Detroit. That's what I thought. He was exactly like
I said, except the opposite. That was That's what I
thought I was gonna say anything. A couple of years,
wex say if you can remember this, dum no, oh

(01:02:34):
it was a year. Well then I'm not going to know.

Speaker 8 (01:02:36):
All right.

Speaker 3 (01:02:37):
We'll continue here on a Thursday edition of the A
team Sports Talk seven ninety. We will catch up with
Brian McTaggart, who caught up with the Matt Thomas Show
a little bit earlier today, but we'll jump back into
some other Astros conversation next as well.

Speaker 1 (01:02:52):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:03:02):
A team rolling along here on Sports Talks seven to ninety,
we've talked a ton of Rockets basketball, But I think
that's as much for the fact that the Rockets are
locked into that two seed and they could be facing
any number of teams as it is about the fact that, honestly,
maybe subconsciously, wex I'm trying to suppress my anger and

(01:03:22):
my bitterness about the way the Astros lost that game yesterday.

Speaker 4 (01:03:25):
Bad series in Seattle, lucky to get one win. Honestly,
the way that they played after their starting pitchers starting
pitchers were awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:03:34):
That's three and that's a three and oh series.

Speaker 4 (01:03:36):
You win all three games, you get nineteen innings from
your starters, you give up two runs on one pitch.
You get the last two games from your number one
and number two guy and they don't give up any
runs and they get six innings each for you got
to win all three games, especially when you're playing that
particular teams. It's a team you have held down. Everybody
holds down, and those guys did. You were able to

(01:03:58):
hold them down for the remainder of the game through
twelve innings to get the two to one win, but
you gave up the game in the lasted bat for
the Mariners, and two of the other games just can't
happen in yesterday's game certainly magnified in the fact that
you led five to nothing in the eighth inning and
that you led six to four going to the bottom
of the ninth with an elite level reliever headed to
the mound, someone who had not given up a run

(01:04:19):
the entire season. It's clear their bullpen had been a
huge plus heading into this road trip, and I think
even heading into this game, and they just weren't yesterday.

Speaker 2 (01:04:28):
It happens all the time.

Speaker 4 (01:04:29):
I imagine if they go through another stretch of pitching
very well, their relievers eer of three seventy seven will
drift back up or in a good way up the
ladder into the mid two so the high threes, and
be among the top ten in baseball. I really think
they can have that caliber bullpen, But the guy who
was on the mound when it ended.

Speaker 2 (01:04:47):
It's one of your best. It just was not their day.

Speaker 4 (01:04:49):
And there's only so much your manager can do after
you kind of got yourselves to that game. To begin
with Brian mctagger weekly visitor Sports Talk seven to ninety
peers on the Matt Thomas Show. Oh each week, that's
where our conversation in part that will play for you
here begins.

Speaker 2 (01:05:04):
It's entirety.

Speaker 4 (01:05:05):
You can catch that at Sports Talk seven and ninety
dot com are podcast page right there on the iHeartRadio app.
Conversation with Brian McTaggart of MLB dot com begins with
his thoughts on how things have gone are going with
their bullpen.

Speaker 9 (01:05:19):
Yeah, I mean you're coming off, you know, the worst
loss of the season out of only twelve. But they did,
you know, if you're looking at it glass full, they
had a three and three road trip, so you know,
you take that, but yeah, the chance to have a
four and two road trip was right there. You know,
I think coming into season, and I think I told
you that, you know, I think I thought the biggest
issue was probably going to be the bullpen, and the
bullpen had been pretty good up until up until yesterday,

(01:05:42):
and yeah, I mean, Hater was down because with the
Arraghetty being out and now you had a short start
from Blanco, you're having to use guys more.

Speaker 8 (01:05:50):
You're already behind eight ball a little bit in usage.
So they really need the opdate to reset things. It's
kind of early for that to be happening, but that's
the reality. And they're already doing some bullpen shuffling.

Speaker 9 (01:06:00):
But you know, you know, Contreras came in and loaded
the bases right away, and then uh, you know, Okert,
who's been really good. You know, you're asking him just
to you know, put out a four alarms fire at
that point, and you know that's really tough to do.
And the braaky ones the head scratcher, because that's that's
where you're gonna need him sometimes to close games like that,
but you're gonna need him of the eighth inning, and

(01:06:22):
you know, he can't come out there and just not
command his pitches and allow them to, you know, to
to win the game like that, So that that's got
to be a you know, troublesome still early. I mean,
a Brave's pitched the six games he's got, you know
what a five plus e ra A got to clean
that up a little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:06:38):
You know.

Speaker 9 (01:06:38):
Still the offense still looks like a big issue as well,
with you know, several guys in the lineup just not hitting.
But again still still really early. H and they're you know,
they're five and seven. They're better off and they were
at this point last year. But yeataly, there's some issues
with this team.

Speaker 11 (01:06:53):
Yeah, still in the in the key is still early
and look, every team can turn it up or it
could be a season long problem. We don't have we
don't have a a crystal ball in front of us
here on that.

Speaker 2 (01:07:02):
But was there any signs about a Bray?

Speaker 11 (01:07:04):
You look, we spent a lot of the off season
talking about got to make sure his appearance count is
reduced from a year ago.

Speaker 2 (01:07:11):
Was there any signs in spring training?

Speaker 11 (01:07:13):
And he said, all right, the great Brian A Bray
that was a part of last year maybe isn't on
the plane just yet coming to Texas.

Speaker 7 (01:07:20):
Well.

Speaker 9 (01:07:20):
I mean, you know, it's really hard to tell in
spring with you know, especially veteran guys who are established
like him, they're always working on things.

Speaker 8 (01:07:27):
They're not necessarily going out there and trying to blow
guys away. And get out.

Speaker 9 (01:07:30):
So, I mean, he looked pretty good in the spring,
but you know, they played twelve games, he's pitched six,
so you know, you're right back at that, you know,
eighty eighty one game pace that they wanted to try
to avoid and they hadn't been able to do that
so far in the first couple of weeks of the season.
But he's walked six guys in five and the third innings.
I mean, that's that's just they that just can't continue.

(01:07:51):
And so he's just whatever, whatever the control issues are,
he's got to rain that in. He still has strikeout stuff,
elite stuff, but the walks are just killing them right now,
and so that's that's got to be corrected.

Speaker 8 (01:08:01):
But you know, Lewis Contreras has watched five guys and six.

Speaker 9 (01:08:04):
Innings, and you know, he's not a guy that they're
counting on as much as a bray You. But I
think I think we're just going to see a lot
of shuffling in this bullpen. But they need the back
end guys, hater who's been really good a bray You
and then you know, maybe Brian King's or seventh in
the guy. They need those guys to step up and
be consistent, because I think we're going to see a
lot of shuffling and inconsistency behind them.

Speaker 12 (01:08:25):
I imagine we agree Brian that at the end of
the day, whoever's gone out there has to get the
job done.

Speaker 2 (01:08:30):
And that didn't happen yesterday.

Speaker 12 (01:08:31):
But just in the moment of the decision making of
Joe spot how, how have you been feeling about the
way things have been handled.

Speaker 9 (01:08:39):
I can't take qualms with with anything he's done. I mean,
I think they knew coming in the bullpen was was
probably not their strength, and you can only call on
the guys you have down there to bring out there
and go out there and pitch. I mean, losing Arraghetti,
you know that that was a big key piece of
the rotation.

Speaker 8 (01:08:57):
So they're going to have to, you know, fill that.

Speaker 9 (01:09:00):
But I think as far as the bullpen decisions and
his lineup, I mean, this is not a team that's
five and seven because anything the manager has done. It's
just because they haven't hit and some of their key
relievers haven't gotten out. It's a key times, I mean,
and that's it. The starting pitch has been pretty good
for the most part. You know, I'm not going to
sit here, and I mean watching these games, I haven't

(01:09:21):
seen anything where.

Speaker 8 (01:09:21):
I'm like, oh, you know, what is Joe doing.

Speaker 9 (01:09:23):
I mean, he's doing everything he can at this point
to try to put them in position to win. And look,
yesterday they were four outs away from a four and
two road trip and the bullpen imploded.

Speaker 8 (01:09:33):
So I mean that's certainly not on him.

Speaker 12 (01:09:36):
Brian McTaggart with us here on Sports Talk seven to ninety.
Let's go to the offense side. We know that it
will turn at some point. They are last in the
majors in team ops, but I guess the question remains
how much will it turn to Where we were hoping
for forty plus bombs from your on, we're hoping for
Jeremy Penion had the best offensive year of his career,

(01:09:56):
and I just it's kind of in the balance of
how close to those types.

Speaker 8 (01:09:59):
Of aspiration we had we'll get.

Speaker 9 (01:10:01):
Yeah, I mean they're I think their last and last
is slugging. I think they're twenty six and runs last
in doubles. It's just across the board. I mean, Peeny
had a really really good spring just from start to finish.
I mean, he looked like a guy who was just
ready to come out and have his best season still
could but uh, you know, twelve games in he's he's
got a six thirty five OPS.

Speaker 8 (01:10:21):
You know.

Speaker 9 (01:10:22):
Alvarez is the one they got to get going. I mean,
they they cannot win. If Alvarez is hitting one ninety
five with a six hundred OPS, with one homer every
two weeks, it's just they cannot get it done. Janer
Diez is another one. He has two hits and thirty
three bats. I mean, just he's the guy that hits
in the middle of the lineup and it's just just
killing them right now.

Speaker 8 (01:10:43):
So Pretties has been okay, you know, not bad.

Speaker 9 (01:10:45):
Brendan Rodgers has been you know, okay, all two bays
al two of course. I think Christian Walker another guy
who has to get it turned around a little bit.
I mean there's three key bats, Diaz, Walker and Alvarez.
Theyre just not getting it done right now. That is
the breason they're at where they're at, Yes, and they
can turn this around with one big weekend and everyone's
back on track. Cam Smith book out on him a

(01:11:07):
little bit. You know, he's coming around a little bit.
Of the bats look a little bit better, But you
really weren't. You didn't know really what you're gonna get
from him. But those key big three bats in the
middle have to get going.

Speaker 4 (01:11:17):
Yeah, your three, four, five are all off to miserable
offensive starts.

Speaker 2 (01:11:23):
Yeah, welcome. Howcome the Astros can't score runs? Gee? I
don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:11:29):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 3 (01:11:31):
Ninety winding down the three o'clock hour. Here on the
A team Sports Talk seven ninety, Space City on network,
Lex and AC with you. I don't know why I'm
fascinated by this, but I am. I will probably continue

(01:11:52):
to be until the day he retires. You, I know,
have seen the Instagram video posted by certain Cleveland quarterback
who's not going to play by the way in twenty
twenty five.

Speaker 2 (01:12:04):
It's feeling the need to remind everybody of that. Why not.

Speaker 3 (01:12:08):
Because his rehab will likely keep him out of action
for oh, because of his rehab he's hurt. Yeah, Oh okay,
Oh you thought if he was healthy he still wouldn't play.

Speaker 2 (01:12:18):
Why would he? Because the owner said he's not the guy.
That's one reason. I mean, I'm not trying. It's fascinating
glib oh me.

Speaker 4 (01:12:26):
But yeah, he's been in I'm taking you through all this.
He's been in Cleveland for a couple of years. He's
been on the field more than people think. He's played
terrible football. Their team has not been good when he's
been on the field, and I'm aware they won a
bunch of games during some of the time he was there. Fine,
you have that. If you want to argue about that.
He didn't play good football. They didn't play good offensive football.

(01:12:48):
There's no way to win games. So why would you
put him back on the field because you're committed to him,
because you've paid him money. No, they're they're telling you
loudly and clearly. No, we're not putting him on the field.
We know he's not the guy, but yeah he was.
He took himself to the old IG has had a
message for the people.

Speaker 2 (01:13:07):
Right, said, everyone's doubting me. Yeah, we have the audio.

Speaker 4 (01:13:10):
Okay, I might as well just let him tell you, right,
he is on a social media platform. It's his audio.
He didn't it's not an interview. This is a self
promoted type of He recorded some tracks. This is normal stuff.
I'm not trying to paint it in a different light.
But I didn't put the music underneath this they did.

Speaker 13 (01:13:32):
You know, the performance comes when you know your back
against the walls. It comes better because you kind of
got to really lock in. You know, you don't have
anything pretty much to lose. And I feel like that's
where I'm at right now. You know, everyone's doubting me.
You know, everyone don't believe in me. Everyone don't think.

Speaker 2 (01:13:48):
That I can get back to where I was.

Speaker 13 (01:13:49):
But I know and I believe the word that I
put in, what I believe in myself, the piece that
I've been, you know, channel these last couple of months.

Speaker 4 (01:13:58):
I know I'm gonna be way better.

Speaker 13 (01:14:00):
Before unprepared, and I think before I wasn't prepared because
you know, I was kind of going with the flow
of how the world to see me. But you know,
when you kind of get knocked down to the ground,
you got to stand back up and walk to the
rain that brains out the real another fire, another challenge,
another rieth.

Speaker 7 (01:14:16):
That you have.

Speaker 3 (01:14:17):
So okay, So if I'm to believe what Deshaun Watson said,
the reason he was playing bad football before is because
he was going with the flow of how the world
saw him, and that somehow kept him from playing good football.

Speaker 4 (01:14:32):
If I was listening. Correctly, he said it because he
wasn't prepared. Oh okay, well, so I just again. Twenty seventeen,
following the April Draft, he started his career with Houston Texans.
It was really really good his first year, super entertaining
and explosive playmaking, and then in twenty eighteen and twenty
nineteen they.

Speaker 2 (01:14:52):
Were very good.

Speaker 4 (01:14:53):
He was the quarterback of a very good team because
he played really really really good football, maybe the playoffs
both years. The following year he played really really good football.
A couple of mistakes from him laden games may have
cost him a win or two, but not four and twelve.

Speaker 2 (01:15:09):
He was awesome. They were awful.

Speaker 4 (01:15:12):
Worst defense he's ever going to play within his entire career,
no matter what happens. And then he didn't play any
football in twenty twenty one, and then he played only
bad football in twenty twenty two, twenty three, and twenty four,
And in none of those three seasons did he even
see the field for half of his team's games. So
twenty twenty was the last time he even has something

(01:15:33):
to compare his comments to, I'm going to be even
better than I was before. He's not trying to be
better than he was in twenty twenty three with Cleveland Barslow.
He's saying, I'm going to be better than I was
when I was taking that team as the quarterback of
that Texans team to the playoffs and winning at home
in the playoffs. He's going to be better than that
because he gets it, because he's trying harder. He tried hard.

(01:15:58):
What do you think players do when they succeed. It's
not an accident. No players are so good see Johnny
Manziel for one. They can't just waltz into the NFL
at quarterback and be great. It just doesn't work like that.
Every one of them works hard. Someone work a little
harder than others. Someone are more capable of doing certain
things than others. But he worked hard to become a
great player at Clemson. He worked hard to become a
great player with the Texans. What did he unearth now

(01:16:22):
that's going to get him to be great when he
was mired in miserable football at his own doing for
three straight years.

Speaker 3 (01:16:30):
And oh, by the way, I mean he already had
a torn aco while he was here, and now he
has a retorn achilles.

Speaker 4 (01:16:38):
What's probably gonna pro he might be able to play
good football with bad legs, even.

Speaker 2 (01:16:43):
Though that was a part of his game.

Speaker 4 (01:16:45):
I'm not gonna we haven't mentioned it yet, so it's
certainly fair to injuries definitely impacted some of his time
in Cleveland went in that they're throwing related injuries, shoulders
and upper body injuries and arm.

Speaker 2 (01:16:57):
There's issues there. I get it. He made no mention
of that there.

Speaker 4 (01:17:01):
I would imagine somewhere in the back of his mind
he does truly feel a healthy Deshaun Watson can play
elite level football. But I really think we were watching
some healthy Deshaun Watson playing football in Cleveland, and I
was still watching this saying, how can this be the
same person making these decisions, watching the ball go from
his hand to nowhere near the receiver.

Speaker 2 (01:17:23):
Just bad football.

Speaker 4 (01:17:25):
He was an exceptional player, and he just he couldn't
play at all.

Speaker 3 (01:17:30):
Here's what I think is going to happen with Deshaun Watson.
He's going to do his rehab, He's going to get
back to where he can actually play again. It's going
to wind up being somewhere else. He'll be signed as
a backup, and inevitably an injury will happen, and he'll
get in there, and because there's no pressure anymore and
all that other stuff is long in the past in
the rearview mirror, he'll have a little bit of a
resurgence all lied like a Gino Smith or someone like that.

(01:17:53):
But it's never going to be what it was, And
I think that's the best case scenario moving forward for him.

Speaker 4 (01:18:00):
There's no downside to announcing your intentions and talking about
the grind and what I intend on doing, what I
plan on doing, and how high bet my big game
back to It is a matter of having the opportunity.
It doesn't sound like the team that's still paying him
wants to see him even sees an opportunity if there
even is one.

Speaker 2 (01:18:17):
Now.

Speaker 4 (01:18:17):
They don't have an entrench starter by any means, but
I don't think they intend on. Hey, wide open competition,
Deshaun Watson can go out there and win it. I
don't believe that either, And I am still curious what
other options will be out there when his time in
Cleveland is done, because he's so far removed from good football.
When he goes to play for his next team, if
it's not Cleveland, and he pushes his printed resume across

(01:18:42):
the table without an agent and has them look over it.
It's going they're gonna ask him, well, what have you
been doing since twenty twenty? You got a gap here
on your resume. Twenty twenty you were a pro bowler
for the third consecutive year, and twenty eighteen and nineteen
you were winning playoff games. Can you tell us about
what you've been up to since twenty twenty one. I
know there's a little gap here on the piece of
paper you've handed us, because that's how we hire NFL

(01:19:04):
quarterbacks with a resume, but it is Noteworthy's a pretty
sizable time gap in between good football and today, plus
the next team he plays for after Cleveland, presuming it
will be after this year. You're not ancient, but he'll
be in his thirties.

Speaker 2 (01:19:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:19:19):
I mean, his athleticism clearly was part of some of
his spectacular football.

Speaker 3 (01:19:23):
But he still had arm strength, He still had, you know,
that going for him, and the decision making that was
good at the time.

Speaker 2 (01:19:30):
That's what I mean. I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:19:32):
A lot's happened physically, obviously, and of course everything that's
happened off the field. I still can't believe the dramatic fall.

Speaker 4 (01:19:41):
Yeah, you're one or two or the first five games
versus the next five, ten, fifteen. With Cleveland, I was
still like, come on, it's in there somewhere. That's got
to be there, right And I'm I'm beyond that I
could be proven wrong. He's telling me I'm going to
be wrong. Wish I'll see and we'll see where that opportunity.
If that opportunity comes. I don't know that it will
happen anytime with Cleveland. The injury is a huge part
of that from a timeline standpoint. But another quarterback whose

(01:20:05):
career started one way and then went absolutely in.

Speaker 2 (01:20:07):
The opposite direction.

Speaker 4 (01:20:09):
Probably the last of our Deshaun Watson talk, at least
for today.

Speaker 1 (01:20:15):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong Houston
sports guys named Adham talking your team. Adam Clinton and
Adam Wexler are the eighteen.

Speaker 3 (01:20:34):
Eighty straight up four o'clock here on Sports Talk seven
ninety and Space City Home Network. It is the eighteen
wex and Ac along with Cole Thompson with us, we
take you up until six o'clock tonight.

Speaker 2 (01:20:49):
No Astros, no Rockets.

Speaker 3 (01:20:52):
Both teams losing yesterday and last night, respectively, in very
different fashions and under very different circumstances. Astros abbies just
getting underway. As you heard, we replayed a little bit
of Brian McTaggart's conversation here on Sports Talk steven ninety earlier,
and he was like, you were four outs away from
a four and two road trip, and it just completely

(01:21:15):
imploded with a grand slam to Randy a Rosarina and
then a walk off walk to the same guy who
has long been a thorn in the Astro side. You
know last year when the Seattle Mariners acquired him, we thought, okay,
that kind of gets your attention, since no one else
in their lineup ever does anything of consequence now that
ty Franz has gone against the Astros, I mean, and

(01:21:38):
he was the one guy that could hurt you yesterday.
But there was plenty of traffic on base for not
only the Mariners but also the Astros. You mentioned it
in the first hour. They should have been up a
million to nothing in yesterday's game, found a way to
lose it, and now they're coming home to face an
Angels team. Joe Adele hit two home runs today. They
won eleven to one, and they're also ahead of you

(01:21:58):
in the standings, behind the Texas Rangers, and you've got
Renel Blanco going in the opener normally a day off
coming back home.

Speaker 2 (01:22:07):
All that kind of.

Speaker 3 (01:22:08):
Stuff should make you feel a little bit better about
what you could accomplish this weekend. But about the only
thing you are assured of is that you'll look good
with those City Connect jerseys.

Speaker 2 (01:22:17):
That's it. Yeah, City Connect weekend.

Speaker 4 (01:22:19):
So each of three days that will sport those bunch
of giveaways to go along with it. You'd like to
see the Astros give away some l's to their opponents.
They've only done that on five occasions through their first
twelve games, and instead of coming home with a four
and true road trip and a third series win in four.
That's how you win a lot of games. That's how
you get well over five hundred. Even when you get

(01:22:41):
swept in the one series that you did not win,
you're six and six. All takes is a couple of
nice pitches from a few different pitchers yesterday, and they
just simply could not get it. It was a bullpen
wide issue, even those sticking Stephen Ochert among the other
three pitchers that pitched yesterday seems a bit unfair. He
came with the bases loaded and was a pitch away
from getting out with no runs being allowed in the

(01:23:02):
Rockets watching the Astros take a five to nothing lead
to the top of the ninth inning. Instead it was
five to four because he served up a full count
pitch to Randy Roseraine that he hit over the fence.
A rose rain is still hitting below two hundred after
that last at bat of the game. He did appear
at the plate later in the game, but it's not

(01:23:22):
count as in a bat when you walk him, and
mind you, that means he was up again at the
plate in the very next inning as your bullpen put one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven runs on the board while recording five outs to
close out the game, two outs when the winning run
crossed the plate. And this was at least in the

(01:23:43):
case of two of the guys, Okert and Abray you
they're not going anywhere. They've pitched themselves into high leverage positions.
Okert and Brian King I think have earned, and rightfully so,
the trust of their manager and their pitching coaches and
their teammates. I don't mind giving them the ball pretty
much in any sit situation, and yesterday ochert again tough spot,
and when he goes on the mound, they're up five

(01:24:04):
to nothing. When he loves the mound, it's five to four.
When Brian Bray who hits the mound, they're leading six
to four. When he walks off the mound.

Speaker 2 (01:24:10):
It's seven to six and you've lost.

Speaker 4 (01:24:12):
It was set up by the two relievers that appeared
before them. Bennett SUS's first appearance of the season and
in a long long time for the Astros, after he
missed the entire season last year. He didn't quite have it.
It'll be nice that he didn't have it. He faced
three batters, he retired one of them, and no one

(01:24:33):
had he got any hits because he walked the other two.
And then Luis Contreras got him out of that trouble,
only to start the next inning and get himself and
the Astros in even bigger trouble by having the bases
loaded and Ochret could not get out of it. Questions
for Joe a spot about maybe going about that eighth
inning a little bit differently with who was coming up
and the side of the plate they were on, and

(01:24:54):
Ochret being available, why not just start the eighth inning
with him. His reasoning was, well, then if he doesn't
have it, or if he gets into trouble, now I've
signed up for a four out, say from a brave who,
and I'm trying to avoid that. You're in your twelfth game,
You've already had twice on this road trip, gone to

(01:25:14):
Josh Hater for two innings.

Speaker 2 (01:25:17):
I get it.

Speaker 4 (01:25:18):
This is we can't complain about it. In one segment.
You're throwing Brian A. Brady too much. He's been overworked
for multiple seasons. His production is getting worse and worse
by the moment or by the year, and all the
while Joe's trying to say, well, I'm trying not to
do that. I'm trying not to ask for thirty plus
pitches from him, and four outs did not work.

Speaker 3 (01:25:38):
I know that Brian McTaggart and others have said this
is not Joe Aspata. There's nothing he could have done.
He's not the one standing there not getting hits, not
getting clutch runs or clutch hits, not driving in runs.
If there was someone else in his position, though, we'd
be saying the same thing.

Speaker 2 (01:25:59):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:26:00):
A lot of this I understand what those people are
saying when they were like, this is not on Joe
Aspota if you want to get on him from making
certain decisions like Caterra's in the bullpen.

Speaker 4 (01:26:09):
But it's like, what, well, this is back to what
I said in the first segment or first hour of
the show.

Speaker 2 (01:26:14):
This is who Joe is being given. Correct.

Speaker 4 (01:26:17):
Now, Joe's not making all decisions by himself about the
roster by no means, and Dana's not making all the
decisions on the roster by himself by no means. But
the players in the organization, those are because Dana Brown
has put them here. And this particular pitcher, the Astros
just told get out of here too. We don't need
you here because we've got a better pitcher. Now that's

(01:26:39):
being mean more realistic. Was he just pitched, He's not
available the next day. He's the only guy in line
that we can move out because they knew he wasn't
going to pitch, and then when Spencerraghetti got hurt, they
were allowed to bring him right back. But that also
is fair to say he's the last guy in your bullpen.
He was the second to last guy. But now Montera
was already traded so now he becomes the last guy.

Speaker 2 (01:27:00):
He's the new Montero.

Speaker 4 (01:27:01):
Well you turned to Contreros, you turned to Suzus, who's
is making his first appearance of the year.

Speaker 2 (01:27:05):
Haven't yet given the ball? The logan van?

Speaker 4 (01:27:07):
Why those are three of the available pitchers in yesterday's game?
For Joe Aspata rookie making his major league debut, whenever
you use him pitcher making his season debut and first
time on the hill in a major league game after
missing a whole season, Or the guy you just sent
down and he chose to use two of those three,
neither had it.

Speaker 2 (01:27:26):
You can't even make the joke he chose poorly.

Speaker 4 (01:27:29):
Well, he chose showing the players. He doesn't run a
fantasy baseball team where he can go over to his
computer and see who's available and just pick up whoever
he wants. He goes to his very limited roster. That
also has a bearing on well what did this guy
do the day before? See Josh Hater? Would it have
been nice to have Josh Hater available yesterday?

Speaker 11 (01:27:47):
Well?

Speaker 4 (01:27:47):
Yeah, even with a five to nothing lead, I bet
you they go Abra in the eighth and Hater in
the ninth. If they were both available, even in a
five run game, which you don't like to do.

Speaker 2 (01:27:58):
But what you do like to do is win a series.

Speaker 4 (01:28:01):
And all that's ever happened in Seattle for like five
straight years, no matter how awesome the Astros were and
how not quite as good as the Astros the Mariners were.
What we saw the last three days in Seattle, we've
seen like fifty thousand times. Those games were identical to
the same ones they play there all the time. They
somehow managed to not put away the Mariners. Up five,

(01:28:24):
no problem, up one, no problem, down one late, and
they gift you two runs and then you give.

Speaker 2 (01:28:30):
Them right back.

Speaker 4 (01:28:31):
Absolutely, it's all this series is. And it's been this way.

Speaker 3 (01:28:35):
For years, since twenty nineteen, basically when they won all
but one game anywhere they played, but especially in Seattle.
But since then, you're right, it's been and I mean
even before that when they had Edwin Diaz, for example,
before he went to the Mets, if they had a lead,
they were going to get that game because of him.

(01:28:57):
But it just it does feel like, and I think
back in the day before the first World Series championship,
this is how it was with the Rangers, except for
more often than not the Rangers would find a way
to win. It was the most frustrating part and the
last hurdle you really had to get over before they
became that championship caliber team. And then they just owned

(01:29:17):
the Rangers for like the next several years.

Speaker 4 (01:29:20):
Yeah, there's no run rule in baseball to flip it
over to the other part of the team that certainly
shares some blame. Both can be true. You need to
put more runs on the board in that particular game.
I'm not saying at the beginning of the game, you're
not gonna say, well, we'd take six runs or at
the end of the game, any game, Oh we only
got six runs.

Speaker 2 (01:29:38):
But they played the game. We watched the game.

Speaker 4 (01:29:40):
We watched the runners in scoring position, we watched the
bats they were taking when the Mariners would allow them
to load the bases multiple times in the middle innings,
and we watched them leave nine runners on base. You
hit a ball to the outfield, it's not caught. You
bounce one through the infield, it's not caught. You take
advantage of a mistake like they did in the ninth inning,
Jeremy Pania went from second to hall on two mistakes.

Speaker 2 (01:30:01):
They couldn't pick him.

Speaker 4 (01:30:02):
Off when he took off way too early because he's fast,
and they made a bad throat.

Speaker 3 (01:30:06):
Why aren't you telling everybody that you called it via
text before it all happened.

Speaker 4 (01:30:10):
Yeah, Cole got us started here as I was waiting
to pick up my kiddo.

Speaker 2 (01:30:15):
Fantastic and you said.

Speaker 4 (01:30:17):
Love Jeremy Paana the rebirth. What's the word he used? Resurgence,
the resurgence of Jeremy Pania. Now, mind you, I was
watching the game on Space City Home Network on a
little bit of a delay, which happens when you watch
it on the app, So I now was spoiler alert.
Knew that something good was coming from Jeremy Pania and
he doubled and in my response then hoping it got

(01:30:39):
to you guys before the next event happened.

Speaker 2 (01:30:42):
What is he gonna do?

Speaker 4 (01:30:43):
Steal second and third? Well, then he stole our third
and home steal two bases. Yeah, he technically stole two bases.
She literally stole third. And then the wild pitch allowed
him to score without needing someone to drop an additional
good number in the hit with runners in scoreoring position.
He scored without the benefit of a hit with a
runner in scoring position, which unfortunately, with all the opportunities

(01:31:06):
they had, especially in the second inning, you had the
bases loaded multiple times. You hit into a double play
with one out and the bases loaded early in that game.
Jake Myers did that also another guy who's hitting, so
he's supposed to be nice to Jake. But yeah, you know,
I have a hard time saying, well, we did good things.
We scored six runs. You got to win a game.
You should win a game you score six runs, and
that's a great statement. That particular game, you should have

(01:31:29):
scored more than six runs. The opportunities were just so
plentiful but wasted.

Speaker 1 (01:31:36):
The ad on Sports Talk seven ninety so.

Speaker 3 (01:31:50):
It's a Thursday edition of the A Team. It's Sports
Talks seven ninety. Space City Home Network mentioned that the
both teams are off tonight, Astros and Rockets. The Astros aren't.
I heard Blummer and TK talking about this yesterday. Astros
aren't going to play a game on a Thursday until
like through the end of May. I believe it's kind

(01:32:10):
of a quirk in the schedule.

Speaker 4 (01:32:12):
You just usually get a day off every week if
you'd like us, so you don't run into those uh,
they just played nineteenth straight games. What's Dusty Baker going
to do with these guys? So each week for the
next several weeks, they don't play nineteenth straight games.

Speaker 3 (01:32:24):
Blum was basically making plans for whatever he was going
to end up doing on his off day.

Speaker 2 (01:32:29):
It was going to be a Thursday for the foreseeable future.

Speaker 3 (01:32:31):
So I think, you know the Astros with what they
did this offseason, and Dana Brown's going to get the
most heat. We're talking about if you're not going to blame,
if you're not gonna blame Joe Aspota.

Speaker 2 (01:32:45):
Because he's only using what he's been given.

Speaker 3 (01:32:48):
And you know how this offseason went, and we heard
the term internal conversation so many times, and you see
what the Alex Bregman's and the Kyle Tuckers of the
world are doing. It's easy to say, oh, you should
have just spent all that month, but we kind of
we knew, especially in Tucker's case, it was never gonna happen.
But in a year, well okay, but then you let

(01:33:10):
him walk for nothing and he becomes like shoheo tani
to the Angels.

Speaker 2 (01:33:13):
I know where would they be with without esak parritis well,
that's Bregman's replacement. Well, he was acquired in the Tucker trade. Ah, well,
camp Smith was acquired a fifth starter.

Speaker 4 (01:33:25):
A guy should be in the miners and your third
basement's hitting under two hundred. That god, you traded him
early and you're in your right fielder. Guy should be
in the miners.

Speaker 2 (01:33:34):
That's what I said. He had two hits. Oh my god,
he got another hit. Awesome, he drove in a run.
He drove in a run. He's fast too.

Speaker 3 (01:33:42):
No one else was doing that. All the guys that
should be on the major league roster weren't doing that.
That's what you're saying, man.

Speaker 2 (01:33:48):
But he looks good compared to their other one forty
five hitters. It's gonna be a long summer.

Speaker 4 (01:33:55):
Like you should not I, in my opinion, put that
particular blame on a certain person that's not in their costume.
Every day you have two people to talk about, the
person who puts his name on the check and the
person who makes the personnel decisions. You can separate him
or combine him any way you like, but the decision

(01:34:17):
to move on from Kyle Tucker a year early is
always going to be one that's going to be questioned,
it might be a deal that works out tremendously well
for them. And when Cam Smith went to spring training
the way he did, a lot of people like, well,
how are they ever going to find a replacement for
Kyle Tucker? Oh my god, they might have already done it,
or you could just play out the year. And in
Bregman's case and in both of their cases, quite obviously

(01:34:40):
you're letting players go, as they've done many many times over,
certainly offensive players with no bearing to well, we're not
letting him go because he's not good, because he doesn't
help us win, because the person that's going to be
playing in his place is worse. And it's happened every
single time, no matter how much success the Astros have had.

(01:35:02):
Who's the best center fielder they've had since Shorge Springer left,
who's the only shortstop they've had since Carlos Correa left.
We're way too early, And it's also obvious the replacement
right fielder and the replacement third basement are quite obviously
going to be significantly worse than twenty twenty five Tucker
and Bregman.

Speaker 2 (01:35:18):
It's a little.

Speaker 4 (01:35:18):
Unfair, but your production and your ability to help the
team in other ways. Has gone down four times out
of four, and you knew that was going to happen,
And every one of those decisions was made for the
same reason. Money not performance, not fit, not helping us win,
not how they're currently playing. Your commitment to those players

(01:35:42):
financially was no longer something you were committed to well,
and these two to happen at the same time when
it's I mean, I think every player was probably in
their prime at the onset of their new deals. Springer
still had prime yeers left with Toronto, Minnesota still got
prime years of career, and clearly the in Red Sox
are getting prime years of Tucker. So nobody's debating about that.

(01:36:04):
But it's a lot more manageable if it's not all
at once, and this year it is. When you couple
that with the additional pitchers that they don't have two
starters and a reliever, it's that is a lot to
ask in one off season to keep things going in
the same direction. And I really don't think we can
understate the magnitude of the bat that they lost in Tucker.

(01:36:30):
Did you think he was one of the top ten
hitters in Major League Baseball? Last year while he was healthy,
you should have. And now he's one of the top
ten hitters in baseball. Again, he's just not playing for you.

Speaker 2 (01:36:39):
Yeah, and I think that that one.

Speaker 3 (01:36:42):
While that fact that you just stated is indeed true,
it's easier to swallow because you're gonna be able to
tell yourself, well, at least you've got something for him
as opposed to him walking when you inevitably don't sign him.
But the Bregman one, that's difficult because this guy has
traditionally and again the only tradition was here in an
Astros uniform, because that's all we had to go on,

(01:37:04):
been the slowest of slow starters, the most slow of
which was last season, and now all of a sudden
because he's playing most of his games in a park
that he loved playing in as an Astro and continues
to love playing in as a member of the Red
Sox organization, he's off to like his best start since
he was a runner up for the MVP award.

Speaker 4 (01:37:25):
Yeah, and he has won a Player of the Week
award in the opening month of the season. Previously, it
was pointed out to us the other day, thanks Chuck.
But then he went in an absolute tailspin immediately after
that five day period. Yeah, he hasn't done that this year,
and it's this is you know, listen to these two
idiots on the radio or I don't want to call
Clanton an idiot?

Speaker 2 (01:37:44):
Oh Cole, you and I we're idiots. You idiots said anything?

Speaker 8 (01:37:46):
Thanks?

Speaker 2 (01:37:48):
Yeah, perfect timing.

Speaker 4 (01:37:50):
Tucker and Bregman are winning Player of the Week awards,
and Peretis and Cam Smith and Christian Walker, as the
saying goes can't hit their way out of a wet
paper back.

Speaker 2 (01:38:00):
So yeah, it's a perfect storm.

Speaker 4 (01:38:02):
I absolutely recognize that Peak Walker, Peak Partis and Peak
twenty twenty five. Cam Smith, we're definitely gonna be worse
help and Alex Bregman.

Speaker 2 (01:38:13):
Those guys.

Speaker 3 (01:38:14):
Yeah yeah, But going back to Bregman, what did we
both come in here and say when the deal was struck?

Speaker 2 (01:38:22):
Well, I mean, if you're gonna pay him forty million
per then yeah you can have.

Speaker 4 (01:38:26):
Him, right, So why not pay him more money over
more years than what you offered, which he didn't accept.
You don't have to give him this Boston offer which
turned out to be the offer he needed to beat.
But would a better offer that you were more comfortable
with They were never gonna be comfortable with three years
forty million and a dollar, But were they going to

(01:38:47):
be comfortable with five years one hundred and seventy five million?
Add another eight million to the deal? Would be would
it take? Would that get it done? Could you have
added fifteen to the deal, give him three more million
per year? Would that be too rich for your blood?
You're okay with spending twenty six in change, You're not
okay with spending twenty nine in change?

Speaker 2 (01:39:05):
What's the figures on the Christian Walker deal again?

Speaker 4 (01:39:07):
Sixty million, three years roughly or exactly. I'm not sure
how that space is out for CBT.

Speaker 2 (01:39:13):
Purposes, meaning you were willing to spend just right?

Speaker 4 (01:39:19):
The astros are not one of the They're not even
middle of the pack spenders, the top spenders, top five
I think with this year's current five and seven roster.

Speaker 3 (01:39:29):
Well, now part of that is Joseah Brayhu's final deal,
final year of his deal.

Speaker 2 (01:39:35):
It's on the books. Say it like you're excusing them
for it. I'm not. They did it, I know for it.

Speaker 3 (01:39:42):
No one is more aware of that than me. I'm
saying that's it, had it had to. There's no way
to deny that it had to factor in to what
they did this offseason.

Speaker 4 (01:39:53):
Yeah, this offseason shouldn't matter at all. Those that money's
gone on a year. None of these players are one
year guys, or technically was literally one year ago.

Speaker 2 (01:40:01):
Well, okay, what I'm saying is, if you had that
money you wanted to get rid of.

Speaker 4 (01:40:04):
Did they trade Kyle Tucker because they didn't want to
pay him seventeen and a half million in twenty twenty five?

Speaker 3 (01:40:08):
Now? Not, But would you have paid Alex Bregman the
type of money that Boston paid him if you weren't
having to pay for Joseo brad to not play for you.

Speaker 4 (01:40:17):
But that's that's a hypothetical that you're right, of course,
I mean, no one's debate.

Speaker 2 (01:40:21):
Of course, it impacts legit asking me if it factored in.

Speaker 4 (01:40:24):
But they didn't walk away from Bregman and say we're
not offering you a deal, we're not even negotiating with you.
They did negotiate with him. They were willing to give
him a huge deal that was very comparable, very competitive
to any other deal he got. It was structured in
a way that it's not going to blow anybody away.

Speaker 2 (01:40:41):
It got his attention.

Speaker 4 (01:40:43):
He and Scott Borris certainly used it to get a
deal that they ultimately signed. But we know, I think
as well as anybody out there, I believe it. I
think you believe it, and I think it's because it's true.
He never intended to hit free agency and find his
new team and only be under contract for three years.
That was never Boris his intention. It was never Alex's intention. Yeah,

(01:41:06):
he doesn't want. He did not hit free agency after
all this time in Houston, So he could hit free
agency in a year, which he might still do probably won't,
or in a two years he could do it again.
He has the option to do it anytime he wants.
You know, it's a nice deal for the player, right
he intended to sign a long term, super lucrative, one
hundred ninety two hundred million dollar guaranteed deal and be

(01:41:29):
done with free agency.

Speaker 3 (01:41:30):
It's funny and it's a very big if. But if
he keeps playing like this, he actually will do what
I had I had no doubt he would never do,
which is opt out after this year.

Speaker 4 (01:41:41):
He's playing like this, I don't know. I'm not sure
what people think he's doing. He's got an eight thirteen ops.
That's slightly above his career figures. What was he doing
this time last year here in Houston?

Speaker 2 (01:41:52):
What was he doing at this time? What if this
is his hot portion of the season. Now that's me.
You don't know. So he's going to go into the
toilet in August.

Speaker 4 (01:42:00):
In September, he has definitely gone off with the games
at Fenway. He had a bunch of singles to start
his season. Now has gotten a ton of extra base hits.
And it's gonna hurt when you watch what they do.
If your team is doing precious little offensively. The Astros
are currently doing precious little offensively, it hurts.

Speaker 1 (01:42:19):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:42:24):
Were now a new signature seven called.

Speaker 2 (01:42:31):
What's up with that?

Speaker 1 (01:42:33):
What's up with that? What's up? I say it was.

Speaker 2 (01:42:39):
Up with that? All right?

Speaker 3 (01:42:47):
This is a signature segment that can take a variety
of different directions, but at least for me, this is
the only way to go on a daylight today.

Speaker 2 (01:42:57):
We all know what happened last night in the NBA.

Speaker 3 (01:43:00):
No not the Rockets playing their third stringers against the
Clippers and losing a meaningless game.

Speaker 2 (01:43:06):
Why do you keep doing that? What third stringers.

Speaker 4 (01:43:08):
Man, they only had five guys out fifteen guys on
the team, five nuys out there at a time.

Speaker 2 (01:43:12):
How about second stringers? How about backups? I'll give you
second and a half stringers. And then David Roddy made
his Rockets day.

Speaker 3 (01:43:20):
I look, they were game, man, they were absolutely game.

Speaker 2 (01:43:25):
Reach Shepherd six threes.

Speaker 3 (01:43:29):
This is I've heard it said Reed shepperd would be
starting for like half the league if he was the
number three pick in the draft and able to have
the minutes that it would give him to do what
he can do.

Speaker 4 (01:43:40):
Wait till the Rockets screw over their next high draft
pick in the twenty twenty five draft, when the Phoenix
pick goes very high. Well, if Reed Shepherd was playing
for the teams that drafted the two guys in front
of him were multiple players after him what he did
last night being he would have earned those minutes with
those teams because he's good and their team isn't. Now,

(01:44:02):
I'm not gonna sit here and say reads better than
the players in front of him on this team, but
there wouldn't be any players in front of him on
those other teams.

Speaker 2 (01:44:09):
They stink.

Speaker 3 (01:44:10):
If the Rockets get the top pick in the draft somehow,
some way, what do they do with it?

Speaker 2 (01:44:16):
Draft Cooper Flag? That's it.

Speaker 3 (01:44:18):
There's no discussion about sending it out for somebody who's
established and definitely a bona fide star, already.

Speaker 4 (01:44:24):
Makes a ton of money. Yeah, but you're gonna win,
So you can take the roster you have today and
pay a really talented, very young player a lot less
money while not sending out any assets.

Speaker 2 (01:44:38):
Well, was he cracking the rotation?

Speaker 4 (01:44:40):
Well you might be able to trade somebody else because
Reid can't. If the Rockets have the number one pick
in the draft, Cooper Flags playing for the Rockets? How
about if I say it that way?

Speaker 2 (01:44:48):
Is that better that?

Speaker 4 (01:44:49):
A little clear on what I think they would do?
You might make other moves, but he's going to be
a Rocket. What if Anthony Edwards became available? What if
becomes available, wouldn't you take him over Cooper Flag?

Speaker 2 (01:45:04):
I would? I know he makes more money, So what
I mean? He's joker.

Speaker 4 (01:45:08):
I don't want to pretend that Luca doesn't play for
the Lakers, because he does.

Speaker 2 (01:45:13):
We'll get to that.

Speaker 4 (01:45:13):
But this should never happen. Anthony Edwards should never not
be on the Timberwolves. Nicolaijoka should never not be.

Speaker 3 (01:45:20):
On that end.

Speaker 2 (01:45:20):
Mike Malone shouldn't be fired on April eighth.

Speaker 4 (01:45:23):
And I do think there are levels to this, like
Donovan Mitchell getting moved from Utah, Anthony Davis getting moved
I really don't time well the time he got moved
from his original too Orleans. I don't really think those
are the same situations because those players didn't accomplish jack
That's one of the reasons they left. Anthony Andwards has
already played in the Western Conference finals, Nikola already has

(01:45:45):
a championship, like the marriage between those players, and every
team should be unquestionably as strong as possible. They should
never be available, just like Luca, but he somehow got
made available.

Speaker 3 (01:46:00):
Well, you know, I it's funny because his criticism was
supposedly his his uh, you know, the shape he was in.
Jokic is putting up even better numbers and doesn't look
like he's any sort of physical specimen at all, which.

Speaker 2 (01:46:15):
Is why it doesn't matter. I mean, at some point
you got to you gotta stop with his nonsense. Well,
speaking of that nonsense, if.

Speaker 4 (01:46:21):
You're playing basketball on a pretty regular basis and you're
winning Awards and you're the best player at your position.
Maybe he's the best player at this position. Ever, I
said it with Luca, and now I guess I'll say.

Speaker 2 (01:46:31):
It with Niko Lejokicic.

Speaker 4 (01:46:33):
Man, can you imagine what he would do if he
was Dwight Howard physique? Oh my god, he'd probably have
a triple double every night and win MVPs.

Speaker 2 (01:46:42):
He can't do much more? What more can he do? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:46:44):
All right, so let's just really quickly run down the
list of all the bad ways the Dallas Mavericks haves
screwed up their franchise with this Luca trade. The way
they did it in the dark of night, under extreme
I mean to say this was kept close to the
vest is just not doing it justice. Not informing the

(01:47:08):
third team involved in the deal of who the players were.
I still don't even know how that's allowed, much less
why you know, Danny Ainge was like, okay.

Speaker 2 (01:47:16):
It's allowed to deal with people who let you deal
with them that way. Like Danny Ainge, I mean, all
he has to say is, I'd be happy to help
you if this guy didn't.

Speaker 3 (01:47:27):
This guy's ruined two franchises. But he'll take credit for
all the success in Boston obviously, and then you know,
shipping out Luca the way they did, saying what they've
said afterward, both the GM that did it, the owner
that did it, why they did it, continuing to give
interviews that not only Rubs salt in the wound of Luca,

(01:47:49):
but the fans themselves, and then finally last night in
his return to Dallas. I mean, I know, there's probably
no right way to do this when you've on a
dumb deal like this. I don't know that I would
have done a tribute video. It just basically says, yeah,
here's what we needlessly shipped out the door. The Rockets

(01:48:11):
traded James Harden, yes, because he demanded them to. And
did they tribute video him?

Speaker 2 (01:48:17):
I think, I don't know. I kind of blocked it
out of my memory. Everybody does, but he demanded to leave.
It's the exact opposite of what happened here.

Speaker 4 (01:48:23):
That But what's similar is every player of this caliber
gets a tribute video. What isn't similar is draping the
arena with t shirts for Luca that I did find you.

Speaker 2 (01:48:36):
I mean, it's bizarre.

Speaker 4 (01:48:38):
Recognize what you're trying to do, but you're missing again,
which is the whole process.

Speaker 2 (01:48:42):
Everything they do is a miss.

Speaker 4 (01:48:44):
And you mentioned that Nico or their owner, they've talked more,
they've given interviews, they've said things that just bury them
even further. Ridiculous for anybody like Bert Breer to be saying,
you got to give Nico credit for not hiding from this.

Speaker 2 (01:48:59):
You know, he could have been in the tunnel, he
could have been in his office, but.

Speaker 4 (01:49:01):
He was not hiding from it. He's I'm not giving
him credit for anything. I'm taking away credit for the deal.
There's nothing, there's no coming back from yet. So now
we can stop with that. But what also happens every
single game, unless you want to get fined by the league,
is you meet with the media. Well, they played last
night and that means that their head coach heads to

(01:49:23):
the table.

Speaker 2 (01:49:24):
Oh, by the way, Luca had forty five points in
his team one. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:49:26):
They they finally pulled away from the Mavericks, the Irving
list Mavericks late in the fourth quarter and one by fifteen,
and cemented they're not going to be the Rockets opponent
in the first round of the playoffs. But Jason kids
at the podium and he was obviously asked about what
was taking place during the game and the fans how
they handled everything, and if you're unaware, the fire and

(01:49:47):
neco chants were super loud and super long parts of
the game. And they were cheering when Luca had the basketball,
and they were cheering when Luca scored. They were cheering
for Luca, who's wearing a Lakers jersey in their building
because they want to show their love for him that
they still have. So Jason Kidds has to answer questions
of all about all these things. I'm gonna playhim in succession,

(01:50:08):
not necessarily in the order of wowness for what's up
with that? Because I just couldn't be each each next
thing I heard, I couldn't believe, so in order in
about a two minute span, he uttered each of these
three little items. And I think this one was the biggest.

Speaker 2 (01:50:23):
Man. Jason kidd is down bad.

Speaker 6 (01:50:27):
This is a business. It happens, right, Trades happened. This
won't be the last trade. Some are compared it to
Babe Ruth, which is kind of cool in case you
missed it. Some are compared it to Babe Ruth, which
is kind of cool.

Speaker 4 (01:50:44):
Dude, does he know what dog Talkie, Ruth Trade is
looked at as.

Speaker 2 (01:50:49):
Do you ever heard of the curse of the Luca Bino.

Speaker 4 (01:50:52):
We think we're going to win again in the future
after our babe Ruth Trade signed Boston Dallas Mavericks.

Speaker 2 (01:50:58):
Jason Kidd is down bad. More of that on the way.

Speaker 1 (01:51:04):
The a team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:51:14):
You know, coming off of last segment when we were
talking about the Mavericks, I know you saw the rumors
and they're not just like rumors like they've been responded to.
If you will, that the new ownership of the Dallas Mavericks,
Patrick Dumont and company might try to relocate the team

(01:51:34):
to Vegas. Like we know that the NBA wants a
team in Vegas. That's that's not a rumor, that's a fact.
In fact, after Seattle, that's my number one bet for
a team.

Speaker 4 (01:51:43):
But like so in order to get there, the league
is down with them. Hey, there's a good market that
we have here down there in the great state of Texas.

Speaker 2 (01:51:50):
Can you ruin it for us please?

Speaker 4 (01:51:52):
At the same time, can you make the La market
elite and then maybe we'll consider you're in a terrible
market now because you made it that way, and we'll
let you move to Vegas.

Speaker 2 (01:52:00):
This is what we really believe. What were you gonna say,
Cole kind of? I mean, is it that far fits?

Speaker 13 (01:52:08):
Is it?

Speaker 2 (01:52:09):
Why? Why? Because the Mavericks means so much to the NBA.

Speaker 4 (01:52:12):
I mean, when's the last time there's anything even remotely
close to this?

Speaker 2 (01:52:16):
Was Seattle? Surreptitious Seattle? What Oakland?

Speaker 4 (01:52:20):
The Oakland in Oklahoma City bought the Seattle Sonics. Duh,
he's moving them to Oklahoma City. That's not what's happening here.

Speaker 2 (01:52:29):
No, isn't your.

Speaker 5 (01:52:29):
Team as bad as humanly possible to where there's nothing
else left but to sell the franchise there, just like
we watched with John Fisher.

Speaker 2 (01:52:36):
So you think the team is bad? Huh? Is that
what you're trying to say? Call you just tried. Stop
talking and listen to Jason Kidd. He's down bad.

Speaker 6 (01:52:42):
Ad Is is not a bad player. I think he's
top seventy five if I recall, she's one at every level.

Speaker 3 (01:52:51):
Dude, every time he says something else, it's even worse
than the last sentence.

Speaker 4 (01:52:57):
I am listening to Jason Kidd very clearly and lucidly.
The Mavericks are not bad at basketball. They got a
very good player in return for Luka Doncics. This deal
is going to keep the Mavericks highly competitive as the
tenth best team in the Western Conference.

Speaker 2 (01:53:14):
I mean, he's not even a top one hundred, he's
top seventy five. WEX.

Speaker 3 (01:53:18):
You know, the reason that those rumors came about is
because part of the ownership group of the Mavericks includes
the Addleson family, who have connections to the Las Vegas
Sans Casino Empire.

Speaker 2 (01:53:31):
Aware of their connections.

Speaker 3 (01:53:33):
I'm not just like growing and look, you talked about
the LA market getting elite. Of course, the NBA loves that.
Just look at what they've done over the past forever.

Speaker 4 (01:53:45):
Right, But even that one take take you inside NBA
offices or zoom calls or all a governor's meeting, commissioner,
think about how can we get the Lakers and Lebron
currently a championship and how can we sustain Lakers purple

(01:54:07):
and gold excellence for years to come.

Speaker 2 (01:54:10):
I want everybody in this room to come up.

Speaker 4 (01:54:12):
There are no bad ideas, nothing is too far fetched
for us to believe. And ninety seven I'm sorry, seventy
seven suggestions into this meeting. The seventy seventh suggestion from
a one month employee said, maybe you could get the
Mavericks to trade you Luka Doncic and not tell any

(01:54:35):
other NBA team that he's on the market. Okay, you
can go back to your cubicle. Now, when would they
ever have even got to this idea. It's so ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (01:54:47):
Everything is a conspiracy theory and del it's not Look,
does the trade meet the criteria of worst ever most
far fetched?

Speaker 2 (01:54:58):
To be official to.

Speaker 4 (01:55:00):
See if this trade meets the criteria to be upgraded
graded to a flagrant disregard for competitive.

Speaker 3 (01:55:05):
After reviewing the trade, we have upgraded as to a
flagrant three trade. The franchise will now fold and move
to Vegas.

Speaker 4 (01:55:14):
I can't help but remind our listeners at AC and
Cole one more time. The Mavericks are trying to win fans.
We'll get a grip. Just listen to Jason Kidd.

Speaker 6 (01:55:28):
The fans will come to grips with this stop stop.
We're going to have a chance to win a championship,
hopefully so how they have Nico, They're going to do
the right thing to put those pieces, you know, in
that locker room to give us that chance.

Speaker 2 (01:55:45):
If the fans also said this last night, Yes, they're
truly coming to grips with this.

Speaker 3 (01:55:58):
Honestly, I'm not even kidding when I say this, and
I'm certainly not advocating for this.

Speaker 2 (01:56:02):
How they haven't burned down that arena is beyond me.
I fully advocate what Jason Kidd stands for.

Speaker 6 (01:56:09):
That we're going to have a chance to win a
championship here hopefully.

Speaker 3 (01:56:12):
So on what planet this guy's got CTE, You will
not convince me otherwise.

Speaker 2 (01:56:16):
It's a team that they just had last year. Yeah,
that went to the finals.

Speaker 3 (01:56:20):
Yeah, the guy who led them there, they just traded
to Los Angeles.

Speaker 2 (01:56:23):
We will have a chance to win a championship soon,
like just what I think? All Right? That was something.

Speaker 3 (01:56:29):
I haven't seen something like that in a while, and
I probably won't for another fifty years. They remind me
of how stupid they are collectively as an organization. Now
I should be celebrating this, you deaf, because it's Dallas
and it's in the state, and they're not even They're
not even Like the Spurs aren't even the worst run
Texas team now, not even close.

Speaker 4 (01:56:50):
They've been run pretty well up until the last six
or seven years of drafting people that can't play.

Speaker 3 (01:56:56):
Or drafting a guy who won't be able to play
after another six years when his body goes out.

Speaker 4 (01:57:00):
Comments at all about his seat mate at the u
NCAA met.

Speaker 2 (01:57:04):
A real center who accomplished things, a former number one
overall pick like himself. Yes, you went for France not.

Speaker 4 (01:57:12):
I'm sure these guys got along swimmingly. Wemby and Dream
enjoyed their time watching against.

Speaker 3 (01:57:18):
They don't make them like that in France like they
do in Legos, Nigeria. No, no kidding, I don't think
Wemby grew up playing handball and soccer to work on
his footwork.

Speaker 2 (01:57:28):
So the word's generational, right, that's the word we like
to use. That's what you like to use. Cooper Flag
sadly has had that same word about another stiff in
the NBA. Trust me on this ever.

Speaker 4 (01:57:38):
Used with Dream, who was exactly what that word means.
If you think somebody's going to like generational means once
in a generation, Yeah, nobody's played like Dream before Dream,
and nobody's ever going to play like Dream after Dream.

Speaker 3 (01:57:56):
Not on both ends anyway. I mean, if you want
to say, oh, well, Dirk's the best international player ever.
Another dumb thing that Dallas people say Dirk didn't do
Jack's squad on the defensive end. So you can go
ahead and miss me with that.

Speaker 4 (01:58:07):
Well, I took you to the stands of the NCAA
title game moments ago with Dream and Wemby. Can I
take you to the stands of last night's Lakers Mavericks game?

Speaker 2 (01:58:16):
Since you brought Dirk up? Please?

Speaker 8 (01:58:18):
Do?

Speaker 2 (01:58:18):
Did you not see who he was seated with?

Speaker 4 (01:58:20):
And many different cameras caught them doing lots of fun things.

Speaker 2 (01:58:24):
I actually didn't see that last night.

Speaker 6 (01:58:25):
Cole.

Speaker 2 (01:58:25):
Do you know how he was sitting with last night?

Speaker 5 (01:58:28):
I believe it was former owner Mark Kuban or still
owner Mark Kubin or whatever he is at this point.

Speaker 2 (01:58:34):
That is incorrect. Oh wow, okay, what is it? Who
is it? He was sitting with.

Speaker 4 (01:58:42):
NFL Amazon on Prime Sideline reporter and features reporter and
Bleacher Report, NBA reporter Taylor Rooks, big fan, and they
were having a laugh about something.

Speaker 2 (01:58:55):
I'll let you guys find that on the ear.

Speaker 3 (01:58:58):
Amy Palisik, I'm still waiting. She knows what that means.
She knows what that means.

Speaker 4 (01:59:03):
There'll be even bigger on sports this upcoming seasons, not
only in the NFL but elsewhere. But yes, there was
there were some interesting things taking place during last night's
game in addition to the Mavericks nearly preventing the Lakers
from clinching there We're not going to be in the
play in tournament last night, but they couldn't.

Speaker 2 (01:59:20):
The Mavericks lost. Hope is not lost.

Speaker 4 (01:59:23):
How could you not be fired up about your head
coach and your future?

Speaker 2 (01:59:28):
Hearing Jason Kidd.

Speaker 6 (01:59:30):
We're going to have a chance to win a championship
here hopefully soon.

Speaker 4 (01:59:34):
Sorry Dallas, but we're going football. Speaking of needing to come,
Fall five is next.

Speaker 1 (01:59:41):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety Adam Clinton
and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 2 (02:00:00):
Football at five is underway.

Speaker 3 (02:00:02):
So of course I'm gonna look back at the last
segment where Pedro tweeted in and said not the same,
but the Rockets getting the All Star Game for the
rescinded trade for Pau Gasol?

Speaker 2 (02:00:13):
Is that a rumor? I never heard that one.

Speaker 3 (02:00:16):
I mean, I know about the quote basketball reasons, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:00:20):
Where's Dave when you need him?

Speaker 4 (02:00:22):
Would he have said, hey, hey, we can we can't
have Anthony Davis traded for Luca. We certainly can't help
the Lakers out like this.

Speaker 2 (02:00:28):
No, thanks, Dave Stern.

Speaker 3 (02:00:30):
Yeah, way better commissioner than our current commissioner in the NBA.

Speaker 2 (02:00:35):
Definitely top two of NBA commissioners.

Speaker 4 (02:00:40):
Of the last two, they're both in the top two
you think of the last two.

Speaker 2 (02:00:44):
Yeah, oh, of the last two.

Speaker 3 (02:00:45):
I got you now, all right, Football at five conversation.
By the way, Cole, you sent this this tweet to
us from Ian Rappaport, and I didn't. I wasn't aware,
like you. The Texans have met with him.

Speaker 4 (02:01:02):
They have before on Zoom, so many many other players.
Many had a bunch of players in for thirty visits.
Some of them are nice enough to take to their
Instagram platform, like Caleb Johnson the other day, and as
he panned through the Texans fairly empty locker room that
he was saying for the first time, he helped us
catch a glimpse of Gray's Abel offensive Lineman, who was

(02:01:25):
also on a visit. Someone was shooting baskets, but I
never slowed the video down to see who it was.
But this is yeah, meeting with him through the many
different opportunities that you have, whether it's combine related, whether
it's in Austin Pro Day related, or on site at
your facility. Your top thirties, he is. I think he's
in a group of really good wide receivers. He probably

(02:01:48):
is pushed down fairly far on the list. Maybe not
a top six, I mean, maybe not a top two
rounds Is he.

Speaker 2 (02:01:54):
Top seventy five? He's Anthony Davis with Jason Kids right.

Speaker 4 (02:02:00):
He's in the top seventy five of the twenty twenty
five draft, if I'm not mistaken, if I recall correct.

Speaker 2 (02:02:05):
Has he won it every level like Anthony Davis?

Speaker 8 (02:02:08):
Kind of?

Speaker 2 (02:02:08):
He has.

Speaker 5 (02:02:09):
Oh know, he caught a fourth and thirty one against
Auburn and the Iron Bowl, I was a pretty special mode.

Speaker 2 (02:02:13):
He's won a game.

Speaker 4 (02:02:14):
Yeah, Anthony Davis has definitely won games that that's a.

Speaker 5 (02:02:17):
Pretty big game when you think about in the grand
scheme of things. Is that jern Hair Stadium. That place
is built on a voodoo shaman man.

Speaker 4 (02:02:23):
For the first time, we'll say this live and alive
on the air, but you probably already knew this as
a listener of the program prior to you joining the program.
Semantics play a pretty large role on this show. If
you say, as Jason Kidd did, he's won on every level,
that means you have won a championship on every level,

(02:02:45):
or else what you're saying means nothing. Anthony Davis won
a championship in his whole every year he was at Kentucky,
he won a title, all one of them, all one.
And he has also bubbled up an NBA championship. So
it is fair fake news to say he championship. He's
one at every level. The words used by Jason kitt
I don't know if I would say the same about

(02:03:05):
Longhorn's wide receiver Isaiah Bond. That doesn't seem like you
should be saying that for him. Twist the knife fight,
don't you?

Speaker 3 (02:03:13):
Evye Well Ian Rappaport about an hour ago said the following.
Former Texas wide receiver and current NFL draft prospect Isaiah
Bond turned himself into Frisco, Texas Police this morning for
a matter related to an outstanding warrant for sexual assault.
Frisco PD told The Insiders he posted Bond and was

(02:03:33):
subsequently released. He then followed that up with a quote,
tweet and a statement from Bond himself, which says quote
regarding the accusation made against me, I would appreciate the
time and opportunity to defend myself and prove the claims
made patently false. I am in full cooperation with the
authorities and will remain a willing and active participant in
the investigation. Unfortunately, claims like these proved to be harmful

(02:03:56):
to all involved absent full review. Kindly request that all
reserve judgment until the authorities provide a complete report based
on truth and evidence.

Speaker 4 (02:04:08):
For words probably would have sufficed, although you wouldn't need
a lawyer to write them up.

Speaker 2 (02:04:12):
I didn't do it.

Speaker 3 (02:04:15):
Why am I thinking of a tellustrator on SNL, I
did it?

Speaker 5 (02:04:24):
I mean, I know, I'm thinking of Longest Yard when
they do the scene with the me machine and then
it goes.

Speaker 2 (02:04:29):
I didn't do it.

Speaker 4 (02:04:31):
I'm with ac on this one, and I am thinking
a quick SNL question before we dive right back into.

Speaker 3 (02:04:38):
Football at five. That's what this is like. He's the
ladies man, right, who is a lady?

Speaker 2 (02:04:46):
Yes? And what else? On SNL. Uh?

Speaker 4 (02:04:51):
Well, he was oj Simpson, which brings me to he
could have done a billion other things on SNL.

Speaker 2 (02:04:57):
She was also the principal and Mean Girls very importan SNL.

Speaker 4 (02:05:01):
He also tried to end successfully negotiated a sales deal
with Michael Scott.

Speaker 3 (02:05:06):
That's true, but again that's not not SNL when the
entire cast and writers were SNL cast members. Mean Girls
is the facto SNL when it was good.

Speaker 4 (02:05:17):
The two ladies that like to comedic together, Tina and Amy,
Timmy and.

Speaker 2 (02:05:24):
Oh geez, there's got to be someone else in there.

Speaker 4 (02:05:27):
From the movie, I'm pretty sure Lindsay's only hosted, never
a cast member. Give us a hint without telling us
the answer. Please, she is a girl.

Speaker 3 (02:05:38):
That is a hint that you said it twice?

Speaker 4 (02:05:43):
How about from the movie something Mean Girls related? She
also moved with Katie from Africa on a gaest Star
was the mom of Caddie. It's pronounced.

Speaker 2 (02:05:59):
Do they nothing to.

Speaker 3 (02:06:01):
Tim Meadow's had one of the best lines in the
movie when he talked about his nephew's name.

Speaker 4 (02:06:05):
And pretty okay, so football time, that makes me laugh
so hard. You bring this up and we'll give you
a chance to weigh in here. It does this matter
to any specific team, most specifically Houston one way or
the other. If he is unable to prove that he
wasn't involved. If it comes out, if he and his

(02:06:27):
attorneys say that no, this is a false accusation, are
the Texans out on him. I don't think this is
of that great nature that they would be just talking
about how NFL teams deal with a lot of different things.

Speaker 2 (02:06:41):
That would be my best guess.

Speaker 3 (02:06:43):
I mean, if he was top seventy five receiver, no,
if he was a receiver they were considering. Maybe. I
just feel like they literally have bigger fish to fry.

Speaker 4 (02:06:55):
Well once they don't take a wide receiver in the
first round and don't make a deal. If they take
a player that doesn't play wide out at twenty five,
and I think there's a pretty good chance that they do.
They hold fifty eight, seventy nine, and eighty nine, and
then they don't have another pick until one sixty six.
They have another eight picks available to them in the future, draft,
four of them in the top three rounds. If you're

(02:07:17):
looking at, say an arsenal with which to move around
the deal the draft board. But if they don't draft
a receiver at twenty five, then he probably starts to
fall in that area where they will be picking again.
I think he's a post top sixty four player, a
third round pick somewhere in there. But if there's a

(02:07:39):
run on there's going to be two runs on wide receivers.
One of them is coming in the first round, and
it might leave the Texans without any wide receivers on
the board at twenty five. The top four wide receiver,
and I think there's a pretty clear cutoff McMillan, Golden, Burden,
Egbuka no particular order, although Golden should be number one
of those four. I think there's a realist chance all

(02:08:00):
of them are off the board at twenty five. Two
of them could be on the board all the way
through the first round. Two I got telling you something concrete.
My best guess is one will be available, and I
think that would be Egbuka, not one hundred percent of that.
That'd be my guest today literally now two weeks out
from Night one of the draft. But there's probably another
four or five receivers that get drafted, maybe six or

(02:08:23):
seven before Isaiah Bond gets drafted, and that's when that
second run will occur, probably in the forties, maybe the
high mid forties through fifties, where three or four receivers
go in a span of six, seven eight picks might
leave the Texans again, did we need to move up
to get somebody we think can truly compete with John
Metchi Xavier Hutchinson.

Speaker 2 (02:08:44):
Maybe give somebody to CJ.

Speaker 4 (02:08:46):
Stroud this year that can help us out, And then
on down the rest of the board. There's there's always
a receiver two that gets drafted in a spot where
he was probably more talented than that, and probably saw
that with Jalen McMillan this year with the Bucks and
how well he fit into their offense and will in
the future even with what they're bringing back. Texas are
drafting one of the players we've said, whether it's Higgins

(02:09:09):
or Noel or Bond or maybe one of the Williams
from TCU, Savion or Kyle from Washington State, they're going
to draft one on the on the front side of
their draft, they're still missing a player. Royals Harris, there's
one day you go jack back. I can't tell he
looks when I watch him play. I can't help but

(02:09:30):
say he just looks like a small tight end and
I know that's what I know, but I can't say that, like,
where's his role?

Speaker 2 (02:09:40):
Not elsewhere? Here? In a somewhat unknown Nick Kayley offense.

Speaker 5 (02:09:45):
Sure, I will argue back and say, when you look
at the comparisons, have some scouts have said they view
him like Poka Nakua. And so if you are going
to compare him to a guy that is a later
round prospect who is a well known blocker who is
not afraid to get Nick gritty down in the trenches,
make a play and win after the catch, that's a
dude that I would like to see work in a

(02:10:07):
Nick Cayley system, because I just watched a dude who
was a Day three pick work in what is supposed
to be a Nick Kaylee system.

Speaker 4 (02:10:14):
Uh, the last thing you said, win after the catch
does sound like Beck or a player you would like
everything else you said about Beck or.

Speaker 2 (02:10:22):
The cop to Puka. That doesn't sound like Pooka at all.

Speaker 4 (02:10:25):
He was a great blocker, but why is he so
successful in their offense? Because he beats his man, he's
always open, he creates separation, and as you said, he
wins after the catch.

Speaker 2 (02:10:35):
Is this Beck?

Speaker 7 (02:10:37):
No?

Speaker 2 (02:10:37):
Okay?

Speaker 5 (02:10:38):
Yes, but there is a player that you did name
that I do think actually fits that mold specifically, and
that is Kyle Williams, who yes, did meet with the
Texans and is a name that is starting to draw
up a lot of draft interests. This is a guy
actually would consider inside the top seventy five. In fact,
I would say you don't have to consider him like
eighty as a potential's top seventy five player.

Speaker 4 (02:10:59):
Pretty sure that the top seventy five is going to
be a permanent part of all future episodes of the
eighteen Kyle Williams Washington State about five, ten and change.
Definitely somebody the Texans could should be considering. And unfortunately
we're out of time to play our paroity song because
every time we talk about the NFL Draft and mocking

(02:11:20):
it up to the Texans, it should be accompanied by me,
but sadly not today.

Speaker 2 (02:11:26):
There's always next segment.

Speaker 1 (02:11:30):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (02:11:38):
We've got a couple of questions for you guys out there,
and we'll listener land, whether you're listening over Sports Talk
seven ninety or maybe even via the R radio app. A.
Do you know my email address? It's Adam Wesler at
iHeartRadio dot com. B. Do you think you might want
to go see the Grand National Tour with Kendrick lamar

(02:12:00):
Over on April twenty third at NRG Stadium. Tickets on
sale now tickeamaster dot com and see do you think
you might be able to email? Email me a screenshot
of SportsTalk seven ninety number one on your presets on
your iHeart Radio app. I actually helped somebody update their
iHeartRadio app just yesterday as they were looking for the

(02:12:24):
new and improved preset feature which they could not locate.
I informed them it's because you're due for an update,
and they updated it and they said.

Speaker 2 (02:12:31):
Man, this is nice.

Speaker 4 (02:12:34):
This is so easy to get SportsTalk seven ninety fired up.
And I even assisted them on making sports Talk seven
ninety number one on their preset right there on the
iHeart Radio app. Though it doesn't take a genius to
get that part done. You just make a click or
two and boom, SportsTalk seven ninety is number one on
your presets.

Speaker 2 (02:12:52):
So let's put it all together.

Speaker 4 (02:12:54):
Email me a screenshot with sports Talk seven ninety number
one on your presets on your Heart radio app, and
we'll enter you to win our drawing for a pair
of tickets to the Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lawrence
is on April twenty thirty and RG Stadium. We will
select the winner tomorrow. I've been doing this throughout the week,

(02:13:15):
So fire it off, Adam Wexler at iHeartRadio dot com
and send me that screenshot and show me that you
love me. And AC at MT and Sean and Dan
and Cole and Triple E, JK and Ross and Matt
get did you cover everybody?

Speaker 2 (02:13:35):
And Doug?

Speaker 5 (02:13:37):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (02:13:38):
Trying to think if there's anybody else left? Here's one
who'd you forget?

Speaker 4 (02:13:44):
No?

Speaker 2 (02:13:46):
Uh? What show does? What time? Is his show? He
comes in like once a week?

Speaker 1 (02:13:51):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (02:13:52):
Once? Oh? Well, you want me to mention a once
a weeker? I think it's important. This one's a weeker. Okay.

Speaker 4 (02:13:56):
Did you hear him today at three thirty for his
weekly appearance? Well as usually on Wednesdays, did you hear
him yesterday at three thirty for his weekly appearance?

Speaker 2 (02:14:03):
Blew us off.

Speaker 4 (02:14:05):
I don't think anybody heard him because he didn't appear
on his weekly appearance either yesterday or his rescheduled appearance
for today, as it will be re re rescheduled for
next week.

Speaker 2 (02:14:14):
Okay, And you love Chris Gordy, you don't want to
have him on tomorrow. I don't think so.

Speaker 4 (02:14:20):
I don't wow, because already it was already addressed in
an off air meeting between me and him.

Speaker 2 (02:14:27):
So if you love us, all sounds ominous.

Speaker 4 (02:14:28):
We're number one on your presets on your iHeartRadio app
and you need to how fire off those screenshots to
me at Adam Wexler at iHeartRadio dot com. And good
luck to you all and thanks for listening.

Speaker 2 (02:14:39):
Are you Are you aware of where I'll be next weekend?

Speaker 4 (02:14:43):
I am aware. I don't think our listeners are aware. Well,
I'll be a Toyota Center. Yeah, either Saturday or Sunday,
or maybe both. Maybe Saturday for their last practice before
they take apart the Timberwolves, or Sunday for their first
game against the Timberwolves and their best of seven first
round series in.

Speaker 2 (02:15:00):
I mean, they're as likely as any of the others.

Speaker 3 (02:15:03):
Yeah, I will crazily, I guess not be in the
state for the first Rockets playoff games since twenty nineteen.

Speaker 2 (02:15:14):
Twenty twenty. Russell Mania is in Vegas this year. Sounded
like you were talking about a Sierra's Husband caliber event.
Sierra's Husband Russell Mania. Oh, Russell Mania is coming up
Easter weekend. It's at Allegiant Stadium where the Raiders play sometimes,

(02:15:35):
and it's a two night event, right, they're likely going
to sell out. I think it's like fifty thousand. What
are they waiting for? Well, that's the thing a week away.

Speaker 3 (02:15:45):
There's not many tickets left on the retail market apparently,
and I think there's like forty four hundred. There's combo
tickets so that you get to go to both nights. Right,
because it's now two night thing. What's the headliner?

Speaker 4 (02:15:58):
Doctor Duth Steve Williams again, And it's just uh beefcake
rude ravishing.

Speaker 3 (02:16:05):
The fact that you would even joke about brutus Beefcake
headlining a WrestleMania to begin with just shows your lack
of knowledge.

Speaker 2 (02:16:12):
On the I know it'll be Coco be wearing Ricky Steamboat.

Speaker 3 (02:16:16):
My bad Ricky Steamboat had a great WrestleMania match. I
don't doubt it. Do you know who he was against
and what mania was? It was in the Pontiac Silverdome.
I'll give you a hint, Uh no longer exist. Did
he carry a bag that had a reptile in it
with him to the ring?

Speaker 8 (02:16:30):
Now?

Speaker 2 (02:16:31):
Is he worth more than nine hundred and ninety nine
thousand dollars. Not that guy either. Uh. Did he think
his backside was wonderful? Nope? Was he perfect?

Speaker 10 (02:16:42):
No?

Speaker 2 (02:16:43):
I don't know. He was macho nice and he was
a man Randall Savage. If you're if you're nasty? No,
what what are we Rick? What do we have weekend?
According to the latest information? The latest you don't know
who's performing?

Speaker 3 (02:17:02):
But no, no, no, no, oh, you were talking about the
actual man event. I was gonna tell you about the tickets. Well,
I know that I know that Cody Rhodes is going
to be defending. I know that the Rock is going
to be involved. There are rumors that a certain bald
headed sob from the state of Texas who now lives
in Nevada, by the way, full time in real life,

(02:17:24):
could make an appearance. He's definitely going to make making
fan type appearances.

Speaker 4 (02:17:28):
The poster event is Cody Rhoades is and John Yes,
oh yeah, that guy. Just in case there could be
one listener who doesn't know John Cena, John Cena and
Cody Rhoades quote unquote the main.

Speaker 2 (02:17:41):
Event star of what was the what was the name
of the movie?

Speaker 3 (02:17:44):
The Lebron James movie that one train Wreck is that
the one with the unfunny comedian.

Speaker 4 (02:17:50):
It was starring Lebron James and Amari Stodamyer using that too. Yes,
he had knee surgery. Doctor Bill Hayter performed it when
he wasn't canoodling with Amy Schumer. No one that gross
his role in that movie he was.

Speaker 2 (02:18:08):
I know.

Speaker 4 (02:18:08):
He's been in a few feature films by far. His
best words was so freaking hilarious. The character that he played.

Speaker 5 (02:18:18):
About the one with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell Daddy's
Home two News.

Speaker 4 (02:18:22):
Sena's scenes in the movie theater in train Wreck is
just pure comedy. Oh okay, pause, Please go watch Ricky
Stinicky and then get back to me.

Speaker 2 (02:18:34):
That one Far and Away is his best role.

Speaker 3 (02:18:36):
You're talking to someone who just watched both Training Day
and Tombstone for the first time in his life within
the last couple of years.

Speaker 5 (02:18:42):
All right, So fifteen years from now when he finally
watches Ricky Sinicky and I'm still pushing buttons, he'll get
back to me.

Speaker 4 (02:18:49):
Sounds like Saturday Afternoon cartoons. What else we got about
WrestleMania that you need to share with the people.

Speaker 3 (02:18:53):
Well, according to the latest information from a certain ticket reseller,
which I will not reveal the name of since they
don't pay us to endorse them, the get in price
is over three hundred dollars per day and goes up
to what do you think the priceiest ticket is right
now for WrestleMania.

Speaker 4 (02:19:09):
Thousand, twelve hundred, Come on, nineteen hundred, keep going, thirty
four hundred, keep going forty seven hundred, keep going sixteen
thousand dollars.

Speaker 3 (02:19:16):
That's too much seven thousand per day. So actually, technically
I guess fourteenth that it's close to sixteen.

Speaker 2 (02:19:24):
So you get close enough to the wrestlers to get
oil on you? Why do you do this?

Speaker 4 (02:19:29):
I mean you get close enough to the wrestlers, you
get some of Cody Rhod's hair dye on you.

Speaker 3 (02:19:34):
Oh you mean you get so close to them that
the tanning lamp get like has residual rays.

Speaker 4 (02:19:41):
Did you get so close to them that you could
actually tear one of the threads off of John cenas jeorts?

Speaker 3 (02:19:47):
Then now that might be the case, especially runs of
the ring. Current two day pass is available starting at
one twenty nine dollars per ticket, including taxes.

Speaker 2 (02:19:56):
In feats. My first guess, I was like, right on
the money.

Speaker 3 (02:19:58):
Top seats going for tw twenty two thousand, two hundred
and seventy one per ticket.

Speaker 4 (02:20:03):
Is there a female performer side to this event that
you're aware of?

Speaker 2 (02:20:07):
I think so?

Speaker 3 (02:20:08):
You know I should know more about this before I
head out there, but I've just been so busy that
I haven't caught up with it. Don't worry, I'll get
all cut up before I need to. Looking forward to
your covers for Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (02:20:18):
Do you think I'm going to cover this event?

Speaker 4 (02:20:20):
I can't wait to see your write up about how
each and every match unfolded.

Speaker 3 (02:20:24):
For Sports Talk seven ninety. I do have credentials, so
I guess technically I should.

Speaker 4 (02:20:29):
All the heavy hitters presumably will have some sort of
roll right six, seven and ten deep on the roster.

Speaker 3 (02:20:36):
Well, the heavy hitters that still exist within the company.
The heaviest hitter no longer is with the company.

Speaker 2 (02:20:40):
Well, obviously that heavy hitter won't be prepared. I won't
be there, Pale.

Speaker 3 (02:20:45):
You know he'll be watching, though you'll know he'll be watching.
Are you gonna watch?

Speaker 4 (02:20:51):
I definitely will step aside from NBA postseason basketball to
purchase WrestleMania forty one on pay per view.

Speaker 2 (02:20:57):
Don't you on YouTube? Don't you have peacock.

Speaker 4 (02:21:01):
I'm not the likelihood that I'm not at Toyota Center
so i can take in wrestle Maney forty.

Speaker 3 (02:21:06):
One one of the nights you won't be so you
can watch it. I don't know how many other ways
I can say it. No, Cole, I actually got him
to go to a Monday Night raw about two years ago.

Speaker 2 (02:21:20):
Was that three? Maybe lucky?

Speaker 3 (02:21:22):
It was pretty tame. They were, you know, it was
kind of a transition period. Tody wasn't back yet, Roman.

Speaker 2 (02:21:29):
Wasn't there tho cycles. They were in a downside.

Speaker 3 (02:21:31):
It was that night. All the good people were on
SmackDown at Good Top.

Speaker 1 (02:21:36):
It was.

Speaker 2 (02:21:37):
It was not a top seventy five event that night.

Speaker 4 (02:21:39):
I've been to plenty of events, boxing, MMA, wrestle ling events,
and I'll beat him at many more. I'm sure probably
not this one though.

Speaker 2 (02:21:49):
No.

Speaker 3 (02:21:50):
All right, well, yeah, I'll give you guys a full report.
Don't you worry. We've got some of the things we
have not gotten to today. On a Thursday edition of
the show, we call it in case you missed it
and it's coming right back when we return here on
the program.

Speaker 1 (02:22:04):
The Age on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (02:22:09):
I highly doubt we have much for in case you
missed it, because based on our first fourteen segments, we
only played the hits, like what's going on at WrestleMania
forty one?

Speaker 2 (02:22:19):
But if there was.

Speaker 4 (02:22:20):
Anything we missed today, that's where you find it here
and item or two we might need to revisit in
case you missed it has arrived.

Speaker 2 (02:22:27):
What do we have today? Cole?

Speaker 1 (02:22:29):
So I am.

Speaker 5 (02:22:30):
Team and I have been team for a while. Texans
trade out of the first round. You do not need
to go over draft a player that is not gonna
be worth the twenty fifth overall pick, grab as much
draft compensation as possible, move on back, and ensure that
you're landing two players for the price of one.

Speaker 2 (02:22:46):
Slight problem.

Speaker 5 (02:22:46):
According to Bucks GM, Jason Light and many other gms,
they've all had conversations about moving down in this year's draft.

Speaker 2 (02:22:54):
Here's the problem.

Speaker 5 (02:22:56):
Nobody is going to move up for a certain player.
They believe the quarterbacks are all gonna be gone. They
believe that all the star offensive linemen are gonna be gone.
They believe that the wide receivers are gonna be available
at say pick number twenty five, pick number twenty seven,
they are not worthy first round pick.

Speaker 2 (02:23:12):
So if you are team move down, I hate to
make it to Nick.

Speaker 5 (02:23:16):
Casio, He's probably not gonna be wheeling a deal on
night one.

Speaker 4 (02:23:19):
What they're saying two weeks out from the draft, Isn't
it the same? Every year we're having trouble finding teams
that it looks like nobody wants to trade up to
number one. So the Titans are definitely gonna just sit
there and take cam Ward and it looks like no
teams want to move out to do this. Now, there's
always I think people still realize this as you get
later and later in the first round. There are some
teams that like the contractual difference between a first round

(02:23:43):
pick and a second round pick, and clearly vice versa.
More on the vice versa side, just meaning that a
first round pick comes with a four year contract and
an option for a fifth year. Second round picks and
the succeeding rounds that follow do not, And sometimes that
weighs into a few trades that it made very late
in the first round, usually after twenty five, more like
thirty thirty one or thirty two, So I'm not sure

(02:24:05):
that that plays much into it, and it's often targeted
for a quarterback. I don't think that is a pocket
for quarterbacks this year. But I could be wrong because
of players like Jackson Dart, but I don't think so.
I personally don't think that's the case. If you're saying
no to Simmons or Connorly or maybe Greysabel as an

(02:24:28):
offensive lineman talent, and no to Egbuka or maybe Burden
as a wide receiver talent, so you can get two
in before you get to forty, before you get to
thirty five? Are there players you're saying I think are
comparably talented that they should get at those spots.

Speaker 5 (02:24:46):
I think that there are at least several players who
should be in line now. Greys Abel, I think he's
going to go in the top twenty. Everything that I
have heard, he is gonna go in the top twenty,
and I do believe it because if he's that good
of a player, I'm with.

Speaker 2 (02:24:57):
You as well.

Speaker 4 (02:24:58):
So who's close enough to him that you're willing to
not look to get higher to get him? And we're
willing to move back and or getting comparable talent.

Speaker 2 (02:25:06):
If I could land.

Speaker 5 (02:25:07):
Let's just say I could go trade with the Patriots,
because we all know that Nick Casariel loves the Patriots.
Let's say that we can move down to pick thirty
seven or pick thirty eight, you pick up a fourth
or a third round pick and return, and you could
land a Luther Burden, who I do believe is a
complimentary wide receiver two that might be worth it simply
because of I am not going to overspend.

Speaker 2 (02:25:29):
I agree with you on one thing.

Speaker 5 (02:25:31):
Josh Simmons, for my money, is the best offensive tackle
who's probably gonna be on the board at that point.
But when you draft a player from an offensive line
at a weak position after giving up fifty four sacks
last year, he has got to play.

Speaker 1 (02:25:44):
And if somebody takes.

Speaker 5 (02:25:45):
Josh Connery out of Oregon, let's just say pick number
twenty four or pick number twenty three.

Speaker 2 (02:25:51):
That's the last option you have.

Speaker 5 (02:25:53):
And then you're sitting there wondering is it worth making
this type of risk. It's just something that I continue
to buy into. I say, trade down, get as much
draft compensation as possible, because then you're also allowed to
miss on a Day two player. And nobody bats an
eye at that. When you miss on day one, they
think that you don't know what you're doing drafting. And
let's just be abundantly clear. Nic Casseiro has found some
gems in Day two. He has swung and miss on

(02:26:16):
offensive lineman in a round one.

Speaker 4 (02:26:17):
How about you go closer to the route of last
year and you do trade out of the first round.

Speaker 2 (02:26:22):
You just do it.

Speaker 4 (02:26:23):
I mean, we've already kind of run out of that
window of time because we're two weeks out. But they
traded out well in advance of the draft to go
back to forty two where they drafted Kamari last year,
they had twenty three and ultimately ended up being one
of the best players in this year's draft with Brian
Thomas junior. Andy's in your division, but you're looking out
for your own team. I do think that's something that
Cassara's absolutely for sure considering, and I think he would

(02:26:46):
view the draft very similarly to how most are and
how you kind of described it. I do think this
is it's very typical of a draft to get to
probably about pick twenty five. Ironically, their pick twenty five
to forty twenty five to forty five. How big a
difference is there in the talent during those twenty picks,
and most view it most years as not a whole lot.

(02:27:07):
So if there's a team that does view a difference,
there is a player they have to have and you
can make a deal with them to accentuate your asset allotment,
then yeah, I think the Texans would be interested in
doing something like that.

Speaker 2 (02:27:19):
What else do we have? Do you know who on
Marian Boyd is? Because he's just made history today.

Speaker 4 (02:27:26):
I'm sure you're talking to our listeners, so I'll let
you tell them.

Speaker 2 (02:27:28):
Yeah, A Marian Boyd, if you don't know.

Speaker 5 (02:27:30):
Just stole six bass in a minor league game, become
in the first player since twenty fifteen to do so
without a hit.

Speaker 2 (02:27:39):
He plays for the Miami Marlins.

Speaker 5 (02:27:41):
At Vedurans Memorial Stadium, a.

Speaker 2 (02:27:43):
Ten to nothing win.

Speaker 7 (02:27:44):
Hi A.

Speaker 2 (02:27:44):
Beloyd.

Speaker 5 (02:27:45):
He is the only player in the last twenty five
years to sands a hit and swipe six bags in
the same game.

Speaker 2 (02:27:53):
We definitely missed that.

Speaker 5 (02:27:54):
Cool you did, just like everyone else missed him. Trying
to steal a second and third and then home can.

Speaker 4 (02:28:00):
Mean thing to say would be and it wasn't even
against the major league astros pitching and catching department, where
if you try to steal, you will be safe about ninety.

Speaker 2 (02:28:10):
Five percent of the time. WEX.

Speaker 5 (02:28:12):
You know my fatuation for college football. In fact, I've
told you multiple times about my love for college football.
Imagine reading this headline like three years ago. We believe they
have to go like back two years last year. How
about we just do that. According to reports, Tennessee and
Nico Iamliava, the starting quarterback who just let him to
a college football playoff appearance, are in active contract negotiations

(02:28:35):
ahead of the twenty twenty five season. Now why is
this important Because the second transfer portal window is open
starting next week, which means if they don't pay him
what he wants as a college player who was underwhelming
last year as a starting quarterback in the SEC, he
will hit the open market and will go to the

(02:28:57):
highest bidder walk into the new world of college football.
WEX where yes, yes, even you have no control over
what a player wants or what a player will do.

Speaker 2 (02:29:05):
Yeah, it's it's a perfect example of what can happen
at any moment in time. The quarterback for the National
champions I would never have expected the transfer to occur
to begin with, For what he had already done and
where he already was, I wouldn't have expected it to
work out the way it did.

Speaker 4 (02:29:25):
And there he is sitting down next to John Gruden,
ripping apart Tennessee's shirtless players.

Speaker 5 (02:29:32):
He was one hundred percent right to do so, by
the way, because I'm sorry. You can't walk out into
the shoe and act like that. The cold doesn't bother you.
We're ready to put belt to butt. We're ready to
go ahead and kick your keyster. Oh but our t
shirts are over there. All right, it got a little
too cold, Let's go put it on, and then proceed
to have the butt whooping of a lifetime in front

(02:29:52):
of the fan, so much so that everyone in Knoxville
went surrender Cobra before the end of the first half.

Speaker 4 (02:29:58):
Yeah, it goes down like that sometimes. Transfer portal news
also worthy of a mention. Here, we discussed the extreme
amount of talent that the University of Houston Cougar's basketball
team will both have the opportunity to bring back and
have as an influx of incoming players.

Speaker 2 (02:30:15):
We expected some.

Speaker 4 (02:30:17):
Players who are on the roster for this national title
game to make their way elsewhere. One such player has
announced that he is doing that. Terrence Arsenal put out
on social media that he is entering the transfer portal,
and I figured this is probably the first.

Speaker 2 (02:30:32):
Of at least a couple of moves.

Speaker 4 (02:30:34):
With how much talent they will have there, an opportunity
to play more and get more nil money is probably
in his immediate future.

Speaker 1 (02:30:43):
The a team on sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (02:30:49):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (02:30:49):
Opening day of that little old golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia,
and it didn't even make it into in case you
missed it, not yet off the course, handful of players
still finishing out chasing a very familiar name at Augusta.

Speaker 2 (02:31:05):
Justin Rose, he's.

Speaker 4 (02:31:06):
Still looking for win number one, his first green jacket,
though he's finished as the second best golfer at the
event twice, lost in a playoff in one of those instances,
and along played the course very well. He's three shots
clear of everybody else, not very surprisingly, two time jacket
winner Scottie Scheffler crushing it again.

Speaker 2 (02:31:28):
He's at four under.

Speaker 4 (02:31:30):
Rose is at seven under, and there's a couple other
players with Scheffler at four under, including one that's still
on the course brys and Day Chambeau.

Speaker 5 (02:31:38):
So can I explain why it wasn't an in case
you missed it? Uh, yes, it's really simple. I don't
believe the Master starts Usuil Saturday.

Speaker 4 (02:31:47):
All right, Well, we'll see if anybody that plays awful
golf on Thursday or Friday can get their Masters started
on Saturday, or vice versa, and we'll follow along in
silence for the remainder today's show. Sure I can't promise
that tomorrow, when maybe something more entertaining and fun will
take place on the course that Cole will allow us

(02:32:09):
to discuss here the program. Rory's trying to finish up
his day as well. He is at even par, which
still has him tied for twenty eight. Time for us
to give some tickets away. Summer fun continues here during
the spring. We've got tickets to go see the offspring
Supercharge worldwide in twenty five tour Jimmy World. Newfound Glory's

(02:32:31):
coming up on August twenty third. They're playing at the
Woodlands Pavilion. Got a pair of tickets for you if
you can answer this very simple question about something you
just heard right here on the A team. See there's
a payoff, a literal payoff for listening to us here
on the A team when we certainly appreciate you. We
were talking about the NFL Draft, the first round and
probably early second round coming up in two weeks from

(02:32:54):
Green Bay. We mentioned the names of three different offensive
linemen last segment, just three and just three by name
that if you were listening you will remember.

Speaker 2 (02:33:05):
We'll only asking you to remember one of them.

Speaker 4 (02:33:07):
Any one of the three offensive linemen as possibilities to
come off the board at twenty five for Houston or
near twenty five around Houston. Any one of those three
players that we named will get you those tickets seven
one three two one two five seven ninety seven to
one three, two, one two five seven ninety My habit
of trying to make it as easy as possible for

(02:33:31):
you guys to win. As I appreciate you listening. Two
of the three players we mentioned share the same first name.
So wrapping up another day here, this is a common occurrence.
The next couple of weeks rest in reset for us
and for the Houston Astros. They'll play six games, then
they'll take Thursday off, and then they'll play six games

(02:33:53):
and they'll take Thursday off. They nearly took four of
their six games since last Thursday, but unfortunately they're just
a three and three baseball team on this last road trip.
Maybe the way to shake Christian Walker out of his
season long offensive funk is to celebrate Christian Walker, and
the Astrols will do just that before Tomorrow's game. In

(02:34:14):
these new edition two point zero City Connect uniforms.

Speaker 2 (02:34:18):
He will be recognized for his.

Speaker 4 (02:34:20):
Glove work, his gold glove work from twenty twenty four.
They will recognize him before the game. Maybe that's all
it takes.

Speaker 2 (02:34:27):
Now. His glove work has been very, very good.

Speaker 4 (02:34:32):
I do think there was one play made in yesterday's
game that we didn't discuss that probably deserves a moment
or two. When the bases were loaded and cal Rawley
was at the plate and there was one out in
the ninth inning and he is shot to Christian Walker.
He blocked the ball nicely, fielded it nicely down to

(02:34:52):
a knee, and made a nice solid throat of Victor Karrattini. Now,
unless Victor was super worried about missing the plate or
that he was on the plate, and I couldn't tell
if that's why he didn't do anything else after he
caught the ball. That's cal Raley. He hit a shot
to Walker, who made a nice sound, not rushed throw
home to get the force out at home plate and

(02:35:14):
keep the game tied.

Speaker 2 (02:35:16):
Why did you fire back to first?

Speaker 4 (02:35:18):
Why was the intention once the ball was hit not
to turn two on their slowest molasses catcher and get
out of the inning? You saw just the game before
the Astros brought the infield in with the bases loaded.
But because of how the ball was hit, Jeremy Pannia
caught it, took three steps backwards, and flipped it to

(02:35:41):
Brendan Rodgers, who rerouted to cover second base, and then
fired on over to first, inning ending double play. I
really think that's how that inning last night should have ended,
and I don't think we'd still be playing, But not sure.
There might have been an element of Victor Carrattini being
ultra sure that his foot was on the plate, and
thus he took the time to do so, and that

(02:36:01):
certainly negated any opportunity to throw it back on down
to first. But the necessary plays, the necessary part of
that played defensively in that case, well, it just simply
wasn't made properly by Caratini at home plate. You should
be your foot's on the bag like a first basement.
You catch the ball, you turn around, you step into
the field, and you make your throw down to first

(02:36:23):
three one three or three two three, and you're out
of the inning. Didn't happen, nor did the Astros getting
out of Seattle with two wins. Certainly played well enough
for much of the game to do so five to
nothing lead in the eighth inning, the Astros will most
likely lose zero more games this year even with this

(02:36:43):
team with a five to nothing lead in the eighth inning,
and that's what they took to the bottom of the eighth.
They took a six or four lead to the bottom
of the ninth, and in neither instance could Stephen Okert
coming in in trouble. Bases were already loaded to that
point in the eighth or Brian a Bray with his
clean inning to a couple of opposite field hits and
far too little control and a play that wasn't made

(02:37:06):
at third base defensively, not an easy play, not an
obvious play, but a play that actually had to get
reviewed and was I think ruled correctly after review. The
shot hit down to third base. Solano made a horrific
decision on what he was doing and allowed the Astros
to get the out call at third base, which Dan
Wilson smartly challenged and got reversed. But Parrett has meant

(02:37:29):
a nice play on the ball, a little bit off
balance as he went to make the tag, and I
do think Solana was able to get his foot on
the bag before the tag was made. Umpires behind the
play called him out, reviewed called safe bases loaded.

Speaker 2 (02:37:40):
We know what happened.

Speaker 4 (02:37:41):
Next, we will see the major league starting debut for
Ron Gusto in this upcoming three game series with the Angels.
He gets game two, Blanco and with Nesky get games
one and three. And obviously tomorrow when we were in
here with you will know a little bit more, probably
nothing to finality about the Western Conference playoff picture.

Speaker 2 (02:38:01):
We know one, we know two.

Speaker 4 (02:38:03):
We know who will be three through eight, but no
none of those spots. We know who will be nine
to ten, but don't have those spots locked down either
in terms of who gets to host whom Mavericks and
Kings are in. Sons lost their eighth straight game last night,
and the lottery pick they owed the Houston Rockets. Well,
it's the Houston Rockets lottery pick because they will not

(02:38:25):
make the playoffs. They were eliminated from the play in tournament,
even the lowly playing tournament because Kevin Durant, Devin Booker,
Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, and Mike Budenholzer have led the
Phoenix Suns to a thirty five and forty five record
this season, ten games under eight game losing streak, all

(02:38:48):
while they were playing for their play in tournament lives,
and many of which were played without Kevin Durant, whose
brain is ankle against Houston has not returned, and I
can't even believe they're fielding questions about it still. Do
you think Kevin's still gonna play before the end of
the season. It cannot possibly happen.

Speaker 2 (02:39:06):
We'll do it all again tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (02:39:07):
We'll get you started at two o'clock as per usual,
right here on the eighteen. Appreciate everybody that was a
part of today's show, as per usual, ac cole yours truly.

Speaker 2 (02:39:17):
We'll talk to you tomorrow at

Speaker 1 (02:39:18):
Two the eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season

Dateline NBC

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}A Long Walk Home For Astros, Rockets Play Who In Round 1?

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season

Dateline NBC

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

All Episodes

A Long Walk Home For Astros, Rockets Play Who In Round 1?

40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season