Rockets Win A Squeaker, Down With The OCC and Texans Get Good Grades

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Talking Your Teams series,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
A jack headed again on a Wednesday edition of the
program Sports Talk seven to nineties, soon to be simulcast
on Space City Home Network.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
It is the A team you want no.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Part of the Houston Astros, at least here in spring
training blanking the Washington Nationals. I could have used that
final in Game seven back in twenty nineteen, but I'm
not bitter or anything like that. Welcome into the program.
It is wex it is Ac. We will take you
up until six o'clock.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Tonight.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
We will have yet another Rockets game, but it'll be
a whole lot later. As for the second time in
as many weeks, the Rockets will tip off a game
inside Toyota Center here in the Central time zone at
almost nine o'clock. But maybe that's something that we could
have taken up with the commissioner who is in the house.
Last night, as they did get the first win of
this back to back set. That was a well fought,

(01:08):
hard fought victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, who were guests
as close to full strength as they would have liked
to have been, and Jannis was Janis and the Rockets
were able to gut it out. And I still to
this day, throughout this season, wex and I know we've
talked about this. From a statistical standpoint, I don't know

(01:29):
how the Rockets shoot as poorly as they do at
times and still win the.

Speaker 3 (01:33):
Way they do.

Speaker 4 (01:34):
Last night, the mats very easy, four of eighteen, and
the fourth quarter for the Rockets they won by one basket.
The Bucks went three of eighteen. What more do you
need to know? It was tied going into the fourth quarter.
You outscored them by a basket. He won the game. Yeah,
fifteen points in the fourth quarter won you the game.
You held the other team to twelve, You had nobody.

(01:55):
No player on the Bucks made a field goal until
Yannis had the game me late in the game with
under ten seconds to go, other than Damian Lillard, and
fortunately Damien did not add his third basket of the
fourth quarter on the final shot of the fourth quarter.
Seeing it live, it looked every bit like, Yeah, I've
seen Brandon Roy do this, I've seen Damian Lillard do

(02:18):
this to the Rockets, and it certainly looked like that
game was going to go to overtime. Basically, I thought
it was going to go to overtime as soon as
the double lane violation was called and the ensuing jump
ball that comes from it, because as I said on
the broadcast last night, I mean maybe Wemby, maybe Chet.
I mean, I don't know who I would take to
win a jump ball situation against Giannis.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
I certainly wouldn't take Alpi.

Speaker 4 (02:41):
But it's no shot at alper and it's just a
bad situation to be in for the Rockets in what
was a good situation because Damian Lillard missed the first
free throw and needed to miss the second, which the
Rockets knew. Brought in Steven Adams to combat that, and
then unfortunately no second free throw was even offered because
of the double lane violation. Great tip well defended initially

(03:01):
by Tari, brilliant shot fake by Lillard, and Tari now
was out of the play, but Alpera and Shanngoon after
losing the tip good news. He didn't watch, he didn't
ball watch, he didn't stand around and see what happens,
and players at the end of games have a tendency
to do that at all levels. We saw it on
one of the most memorable plays in college basketball history

(03:23):
with the Grant Hill pass to Latner when John Pelfrey
just watched it all happen and did nothing, never moved
his feet, never moved at all. If that's what Alpi
would have done last night, then that would have been
an absolutely wide open look for Damian Lillard. Instead, he
drifted over. He did a great job contesting the shot,
which was way off its mark, although from my angle
it looked like it was going to bank in off
the glass. He did a great job on closeouts last

(03:45):
night on Brook Lopez did a great job on closeouts
on that particular play. And because they won, and he
may obviously talked about it after the game, we can
really lock in on what an embarrassingly bad decision he
made right before all that happened. The Rockets did what
they did against the Nets, but got away with it

(04:05):
this time. How many ways can we help you beat
us in the fourth quarter? We will do it. Just
some really boneheaded low IQ basketball plays. I'll use that
term since em used it the other day, and it's
not singling out Auprin only that was his low IQ moment.

(04:26):
There were plenty of others in this game, and there
have been plenty of others throughout the season. It's not
young player versus old player. It's not experience. It's plays
you can't make and expect to win. But they did
win last night. It was a really entertaining game for
the Commissioner to be in town for very entertaining for
the first three quarters when it was eighty five a
piece with what was happening both Basically, everybody that you

(04:47):
come to see play played well. Giannis, as you said,
he did what he did. He takes his fouls, he
goes to the free throw line. Unfortunately last night he
made a bunch of those Loward a high volume shooter,
and the Rockets did a pretty good job him down
because they closed out on Lopez. He had an extremely
ineffective game, and unfortunately they were unable to close out
on some of their other three point shooters, most notably

(05:08):
aj Green who went four for seven and Prince in
the corner is deadly and showed it. But the Rockets
kept having answers, and again, you picked any probably ten
different things we could focus in on from last night's game,
and we got nearly a full show to get into
all of those things, and we will tonight's game against
the Spurs. It'd be nice to keep pace with what's

(05:29):
going on in the rest of the Western Conference. Lakers
were winners last night. Obviously that meant the Mavericks weren't
the team on the outside looking in to the top
ten of the Western Conference. Continues falling further out of
tenth place. Kevin Durant's sons in a wild game against
the Memphis Grizzly. So certainly some conversation on the NBA
side is worthwhile for ours with you over the course

(05:51):
of the remainder of the afternoon, come in off of
Astros Baseball. They'll play against tomorrow. They'll set up the
remainder of the rotation. Brown the remaining member of the
rotation yet to hit the mound. It was Fromber's turn today,
so a little bit about his performance. They did hit
an bawl over the fence today. Jiner Diaz and Isak

(06:12):
Peretis let off the game for himself, batting second yesterday,
batting third today with walks and he scored both times
and the combine. We'll have players on the field tomorrow finally,
but interviews with the media from the players has begun.
Interviews with the players and the teams has already begun.
We don't have a camera in there, we don't have

(06:33):
audio from it yet, but hopefully some of the teams
will start shedding some light on what took place there.

Speaker 3 (06:38):
Yesterday.

Speaker 4 (06:39):
Demiko Ryan spoke with the media today, much more fun.
Nick Cassario met with the media, and I'll be asking
people if they're down with OCC because I think they
will be because it is excellent. We have basically split
Casario's comments into two pools of audio for you today.

(06:59):
I really want to know what he thinks about this
portion hiring Nick Kaylee, what's he doing with the offense
this year? Why was called Popovich promoted? How do you
see things in the draft in certain areas? And the
other part, As I said, it's you might you might
be asking, well, what's OCC.

Speaker 3 (07:15):
I don't I don't understand.

Speaker 4 (07:16):
I mean, I think I understand the reference to the song,
which I am not going to parody.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Why not for obvious reasons. Now I'll do.

Speaker 4 (07:23):
It out of context Casario, that's OCC. We're gonna play
out of context Casio from his comments today because it
was a gold mine as per usual, and I said
it earlier this week. Hey, Nick Cassario, pressers usually provide gold.
We know James Gladstone pressers from Jacksonville are just the
best thing ever. Chris Ballard joins the AFC South GM

(07:45):
parade today with his comments about what they plan to
do at quarterback, which is awesome for the rest of
the AFC, including the three other teams in the AFC South.
But yeah, Nick Cassario, he always comes through, so over
the course of the next couple hours, will be able to
share some interesting, very serious, let's get down to business

(08:05):
and win football game comments and the much more entertaining
Nick man, you're the greatest comments from the man who
likes to wear the best.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
Well, why wait, when we come back, we will hear
from Nick Kissario. It's not the only time you'll hear
from him today, but we'll get right into what some
of what he had to say at the NFL combine.

Speaker 3 (08:23):
We're getting closer.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
The calendar is about to flip to March, and then
it'll be April, and then it'll be the Draft, and
before you know it, the twenty twenty five Super Bowl
run for your Houston Texans will be underway. All of
that and so much more up for discussion today on
a home day edition of The A Team.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety. The A
Team continues on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (08:54):
Wednesday edition of the program Sports Talk seven to ninety.
Astros getting the spring training victory. They will be in
action again tomorrow and it'll be tape delayed this time around.
Won't be preempting our show in anyway. But there's there's
an interesting wrinkle in the lineup that we'll get to
a little bit later on. There will be well, I

(09:17):
guess you could say it's an interesting wrinkle in the
lineup tonight against the Rockets. It's not really a wrinkle
since everybody knows about it, but Victor wibin Yama being
out for the rest of the season completely changes the
dynamic of this matchup between these these final matchup between
these two teams wex. I still remember when February twenty
six looked like it was a million miles away because
they had already played three of the four outings against

(09:38):
the Spurs by Thanksgiving. But here we are, which just
is another reminder that time flies by. But don't think
this is the matchup anybody thought that we were going
to see, especially in light of what happened as far
as the trade for dearon Fox.

Speaker 4 (09:53):
But it doesn't matter, yeah kind of. I mean, I
know what you're saying. It's exactly what it was going
to be all along. The Spurs never looked like they
were going to be inside the playoff picture at any
point this season. After the trade, Well, they would have
had to win every game, right, I mean, they're not
trading for yeah, and that's yeah. They didn't make it
to make the playoffs this year. They made it to
be a good team, to be a competitive team in

(10:14):
the future. They're just not simply there yet. I'm not
sure how much better they think Weenbin Yama is going
to be statistically or when it comes or as it
equates to winning. But it's more about everybody else. They
they just don't have everybody else yet. You know, I
think Stevan Castle is having a really nice rookie season
and very well might be Rookie of the Year. But
they're not winning enough games. There's no question, there's no debate,

(10:38):
and there's nothing fooling anybody about it. They're one of
the five worst teams in the Western Conference. That's why
they're one of the five teams that's not inside the
playoff picture, and we're already behind the eight ball because
Fox wasn't there yet, and even if he had come
aboard and been unbelievable, there's no I didn't think there
was any way for them to change that. So it's
a matchup between a team that needs everyone they can

(10:58):
get if they care about their sea, which I would
imagine the Rockets do, and they also need to feel
like this final twenty five games started last night is
a good good measure of what they're capable of with
this part of the season now in front of them.
They put fifty good games behind them. They've had some
good wins, they've had some disappointing losses. Last night, despite

(11:20):
the fact that nobody could make a basket, well, that
was a little bit like playoff basketball. I'm not sure
that I would call Aman Thompson's foul playoff basketball because
it got him ejected, rightfully so, but this game is
a game the Rockets should recognize as every other game.
They've got to stop and I don't know if they are.
I know some people sometimes in these chairs, we do.

(11:41):
You don't look at the game, like, it really doesn't
matter who the other team is. It doesn't matter if
it's Washington, doesn't matter if it's San Antonio, doesn't matter
if it's Okay. See, it doesn't matter if it's Minnesota.
It's usually the Rockets that dictate what's gonna happen in
the game, not the other team. The Rockets let a
team that doesn't belong in the game stay in the game.
The Rockets go out there and pounce and barry, or
the Rockets look at the fourth quarter and say, I

(12:03):
thought this was only a thirty six minute game. It's
on them to go out there and make it a
win streak at Toyota Center heading into the game against Sacramento.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
Well, since you brought it up, I knew it would
happen at some point today. And I knew that. Well,
I had a feeling because I didn't talk to you
about it. We will text during games from time to time,
regardless of which one of us is on site, whether
it's at Toyota Center for home games or here at
the station for road games, about various things happening during
the course of the game. And I thought it was

(12:35):
a flagrant foul on him and Thompson, but ejecting him
and making it a flagrant too. I didn't agree with
and I'll tell you why because I know what you're
gonna say, Well, if it was a rocket, what would
you think if he's getting his head taken off like
that these days?

Speaker 3 (12:49):
Can I get out of here? Go ahead, I'll handle
this second. You got both parts. Yeah, my name's even Adam.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
I'm glad you said that it has been a rocket
in the playoffs. Raymond Green probably not only didn't get ejected,
but as I recall, got to complain about the fact
he was even called for a regular, not flagrant foul
when he scratched the eyes out of James Harden in
a playoff game in which they were calling routinely landing
zone fouls that benefited the Warriors. And the only reason

(13:18):
I bring this up with the Warriors, especially in Draymond Green,
is because the guy that called it last night was
on the floor in Game seven and twenty eighteen and
wasn't Scott Foster, but he was just as bad that night.
And I'm just I'm I'm it's hilarious that this keeps happening,
especially when the commissioner's in the building, and I sent
a text last night to somebody who was you know,

(13:39):
got a kick out of it, and I was just like,
you know, it's hilarious that this is Adam Silver's watching
this and we still can't. And this is true in
the NFL too, We talk about this NonStop. I just
want consistency. I get why, Well, somebody could have looked
at that and said, all right, throw him out. He
tried to capitate one of our former MVPs. But again,

(14:00):
and call it the other way and call it consistently,
and don't. By the way, when I say consistently, I'm
not just talking about who the call benefits or what
team or what player and the status of those players.
I'm talking about something that's gone on for a long time,
regardless of the rules. There are different calls. See Shaquille
O'Neil hakim Olaija. You want big men back in the
day versus what you get for guards or don't get

(14:21):
for guards. It's just I just want consistency, that's all
you said.

Speaker 4 (14:25):
You did not talk to me about that last night,
which is accurate, and didn't didn't know my point of
view on it. It came out right during the play itself.
This is what it sounded like when it happened.

Speaker 5 (14:35):
Back comes Milwaukee.

Speaker 6 (14:37):
They're only down by two rockets, have had a lot
of good looks inside five feet low block up at
dens Pakoupo spins left, goes up fouled hard.

Speaker 4 (14:46):
I mean Thompson Tony Brothers immediately going to that we're
gonna look at this to upgrade it. I'd be shocked
if they didn't. So initially you can hear I would have.
I would have been shocked if they did not upgrade it.
And our vantage point were just lightly beyond half court
on the visiting bench a little bit, and so this
basket is the furthest away from it, only slightly. I

(15:08):
was very easy to see live that he pulled him
down from the backside. Giannis had moved past him with
the drop step, and so Amen Thompson was fouling him
over the shoulders from behind him, one of the hard
fouls to prevent a basket of potential two plus one
that we can see very clearly, the manner in which
he pulls him down from behind almost automatically. To me,

(15:28):
I was actually wondering in my head, why'd they call
it a common foul to begin with. I knew they'd
need to review it, but the very first replay made
it very clear. And again that's why I think Tony
Brothers I'm surprised he didn't call it that on the
on the court because it was his call. He's the
one who called the foul. He grabbed him in the
We hear the referees describe these calls over and over
the head and neck area, grab here, excessive contact, unnecessary.

(15:52):
He used all those words because every one of them
was accurate. It's unnecessary contact. He called it above the neck.
I mean he basically grabbed him up under the chin.
So happened by the face I guess if you will,
And he pulled back on it. He was going to
fall down anyway because of the force of momentum of
the play, So I do think a men actually let
go sooner than a lot of players do, but the

(16:14):
damage had already been done. I don't think amend was
upset that they made the call. I think he was
upset that he made the play and it cost him
the remainder final four to twenty seven of the game.
I just don't see how you can look at that
play and after they go to review.

Speaker 3 (16:28):
It's it's not really Tony's call. It's none of the
referees calls that are there.

Speaker 4 (16:32):
They're all just watching it together with THEE caucus and
talking it out and very very unsurprised. They elevated it
to a flagrant too, and Tony described why, and that
comes with an automatic ejection. It's not an injection in
addition to the foul call. That's just what happens when
you commit a foul like that. I don't think it's
being debated that they made the right or wrong call.

(16:52):
I think it was the right call.

Speaker 2 (16:53):
And I think in the case of like what I
tweeted immediately last night, which is that Tony Brothers is
a laughably terrible official, have probably been more context to
what I'm saying, because when I say that, I'm not
necessarily disagreeing that it should have been upgraded.

Speaker 3 (17:07):
I think it probably could have been.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
If it was upgraded to a flagrant one and he
stayed in the game, I could have seen that too.

Speaker 3 (17:14):
But do you think we're far enough?

Speaker 4 (17:17):
Like how how long are segments of when people say, yeah,
but the league's change or things are different, they want
to do things differently. I know Draymond's obviously still in
the league and playing very similarly, but the you know,
the play season at least specific to the one instance
of a play you're talking about, you know, it's six
years ago. Seven years ago. I think that's right around

(17:38):
the amount of time we would say as an acceptable
with the league's kind of looking at things a little
bit differently, if you want to compare play for play,
and I don't recall exactly the mechanism with which that
play took place. I mean this one is is it's
like in the off season when the officials talked to
the broadcasters and the teams about our points of emphasis,

(17:59):
and they go through this play, they're going to show
nobody else is around. It's very easy to see. It's textbook.
This is how you get to a flagrant two ejection.

Speaker 3 (18:06):
It's a clean look. In other words, it's.

Speaker 4 (18:09):
A clean look, and it's also a clear violation. This
is the definition of what you can't play.

Speaker 2 (18:13):
The other aspect of this that gets me upset with
the consistency standpoint is, ironically, and it's not because he's
the guy that was fouled in this case, it just
brings it more to light. It happened in the game
last night, and it happens you talk about six years ago.
James Harden pointed it out and was ridiculed loudly for it.
Yannis is a freaking battering ram. He just is allowed

(18:36):
to run full force into guys. He did it last
night to Shingoon. Shingoon got wiped out and did it
to him too. Yeah, I know, but she got called
for it.

Speaker 3 (18:43):
Oh he didn't. He did. On one occasion he ran over.

Speaker 4 (18:45):
Yannis, who fell over, and Lopez came over to double
and Shngou went to the free throw line when.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
He got fouled.

Speaker 2 (18:51):
I was watching the replay today, well, I was peddling
furiously good, which helps when you're getting aggressive all over again.
And and I'm like, and you know, Alpi thinks every
place should be reviewed, regardless of what the his involvement
is and whatever end of the floor he's on.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
But in this case, I was like, yeah, I feel
that he gets up.

Speaker 2 (19:10):
He's like, hey, did you see him throw me into
the basket stanchion because of the force of his body
that you allowed him to go.

Speaker 3 (19:17):
What happened was he threw him out of the way.

Speaker 2 (19:19):
It was a misshot and then the offensive rebound comes
back and Giannis gets a wide open, no foot from
the basket dunk. Because Shingoon's still getting up from when
he threw him down prior, there's no call.

Speaker 3 (19:30):
They play on.

Speaker 2 (19:31):
I'm not saying that Aman Thompson shouldn't have had a
flagrant foul, but I'm just saying that consistency would be
nice in every sport, not just the NBA, but it's
most egregiously bad in the National Basketball Association. And I
thought it was hilarious that all of this happened in
front of Adam Silver's face last night.

Speaker 4 (19:47):
Yeah, pretty interesting from you know, the game and all
these things unfolded. It was basically Yannis and Dame and
a couple of shooters against the Rockets. I actually looking
back at it, and we were saying it during the game.
I thought they did a pretty good job defensively against
those things. When Giannis is on the break and able
to get a full head of steam, you're cooked at that,

(20:07):
Ryan Hollins, and they had done such a good job
of preventing it. They had that short period of time
in the second quarter with the awful turnovers that were
immediately leading to points.

Speaker 5 (20:18):
Well.

Speaker 4 (20:18):
They gave up twelve points on the fast break in
the quarter alone, and half of those twelve were Dame
Lillard threes. Those were basically the only shots he was
putting in is when they didn't get a chance to
set up in the half court defensively. All that being said,
and still plenty more from us, they did get a
much needed win, certainly off of the way that they
lost their game against Utah. All the things they didn't
do well against Utah or showed you well. When they

(20:40):
focus in and do the things they should do and
can do every single night, the other team can't prevent
you from doing what you do well defensively, really, and
last night was a good.

Speaker 3 (20:48):
Example of that. So they did get the win.

Speaker 4 (20:50):
They are keeping pace same number of games over five
hundred is the LA Lakers, and soon enough they'll have
played the same number of games, will be on the
same footing and serves of who might actually end up
with the four seed or better as a Memphis and
Denver trying to hold each other off for the two
seed in the Western Conference. But just a couple of
the things obviously we wanted to get started with on
the rockets, a few more items as they get set

(21:11):
for San Antonio. Tonight mentioned there was more from Nick
Cassario from the Combine, some fun stuff, some serious stuff,
his thoughts, very good ones, no kidding on his quarterback.

Speaker 3 (21:21):
They're coming next.

Speaker 1 (21:24):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety. The A
Team continues on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
It is the eight team Sports Talk seven to ninety
Wednesday edition of the program. As we wind down the
two o'clock hour, got the Combine going on up in Indianapolis.
By the way, you've been there for that?

Speaker 3 (21:46):
Correct? You said you've been there and walked in the ice?
Or was that the Super Bowl?

Speaker 4 (21:50):
Well?

Speaker 3 (21:50):
Think was it both?

Speaker 4 (21:51):
I mean I supposed they both were not an impossible
time for them to have snow and ice. But no,
the time I was there when it was minus whatever
the bleep it was, was December thirty first. It was
the night before the last regular season game. I have
not been there for the Combine, but I've been to
India a couple of times.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
I thought, for whatever reason, you were there for a
super Bowl at one point, because they have had one there,
haven't they In the new stadium.

Speaker 3 (22:15):
Lucas Oil is less than.

Speaker 4 (22:16):
I haven't been to a Super Bowl game anywhere but here.
I meant the week leading up to it, Yes I was.
I believe I was there for that also, I recollect
all right.

Speaker 2 (22:29):
So how did they get that? That's my question real quick?
How do they determine that Indianapolis is the place to
do this every year?

Speaker 4 (22:37):
Because it's set up so well for and I think
when they put it there and realize that, they're like,
well they weren't even like recently they've discussed other places
wanted maybe we can turn this into a money maker.
This comes after they started inviting fans inside the combine
and doing other things, and same thing with the Draft,
which didn't used to be such a spectacle.

Speaker 3 (22:55):
You know why I asked this.

Speaker 2 (22:56):
The super Bowl is in a heavy rotation of Southern
Belt cities because of the temperature, and yet when it's
time to start evaluating the next generation of NFL superstars
in the underwear Olympics, we got to go to Indianapolis.

Speaker 3 (23:11):
That's the place to.

Speaker 4 (23:12):
Be where it's sixty degrees and indoors, yeah it should
be fine.

Speaker 3 (23:16):
But outside is a big factor.

Speaker 4 (23:18):
I mean, it's sixty degrees outside today in Indianapolis. They're fine,
they don't know.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
That every year. I know, maybe minus sixty next year.
I don't think that's much of a concern. I just
I'm saying all I ever hear about with the determination
of where the Super Bowl is going to be when
they don't have to have to give it to a
new stadium that was built, no matter where it is
in the country, including MetLife in New York.

Speaker 4 (23:39):
They were freaking out about it the whole time before
then for good reason.

Speaker 2 (23:43):
But after that, it's Miami, New Orleans. They'll probably try
and put it in San Diego, even though nobody plays there.
You know, California, SOFI will probably be in the rotation
every year. I would assume.

Speaker 4 (23:55):
You're I'm sure you're gonna get to the downside at
some point.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
What's the downside? Again, it's no downside.

Speaker 2 (24:01):
I'm just I don't understand why that is always the
thinking you always hear about with the biggest game on
the planet.

Speaker 4 (24:07):
Well, then, everisticks behind the combine. I guess you could
say less people involved. Well, I'm just saying there are
a lot of logistics behind it. You're bringing in three
hundred athletes, you're bringing in all the personnel from all
these teams when some teams are bringing fifteen twenty people.
Obviously you've turned it a little bit of it into
more of an event. You're setting up interview sessions for

(24:28):
all the players, all the GMS, all the coaches. You're
having spots available, and once you're inside the stadium, you're
pretty much taking care of. Every stadium has the room
to house thirty two teams for all their necessary interview needs.
And there are plenty of other cities that can do it.
But everything's all. It's not quite plug and play in Indianapolis,

(24:49):
but it's off laid, arn't close.

Speaker 2 (24:51):
All right, now we can get to Connet Casario. I
just had to get that out of the way. Had
to get off my chest, man.

Speaker 4 (24:56):
I mean, other teams have begun the process saying what
you're saying. Why can't we have it? Why can't we
be the place where everybody goes. If you're the NFL,
it's not some huge money maker, That's what I was
gonna ask.

Speaker 3 (25:07):
Don't you think it would be if you were rotating it?
Where's the money coming?

Speaker 2 (25:10):
There are people listen when you're the NFL and everything
you do makes money, there are people that would go
watch underwear Olympics.

Speaker 3 (25:16):
I guarantee, especially in the.

Speaker 4 (25:18):
South, you're not selling thirty thousand overpriced tickets for four days.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
How many people go in to spectate at the Combine,
like on the average?

Speaker 4 (25:27):
Just give me a figure, And I really don't know,
because I think I'm sort of mixing the draft and
the Combine and what all's there. It's a small number
because the teams are still in the stands and seated
in different places too, can't intermit extremely important stop watch work, yes,
from the stands.

Speaker 2 (25:47):
I just figured the NFL at some point would say, well,
this is another way to make money.

Speaker 3 (25:51):
This is what we do. We make money.

Speaker 4 (25:53):
I mean, we'll think about the Combine. It's been televised
for years. The Draft's been televised for years. I don't
believe these are money making operations for the NFL. Now
that the Draft has become a bigger on site event,
because I was at the Draft in Chicago this you know,
the night of the Draft is like the least important
night from the NFL standpoint. The party leading up to

(26:14):
the draft and the spread you're gonna have, and it's
at Lambeau this year, it really can be turned into
a much more entertaining event like atmosphere. But I'm not
sure that the televised they're not generating all sorts of
money from this event compared to the insane amount of
money they generate from their actual product. Like, look at
the NFL network right now, it's not doing well. It

(26:37):
hasn't been doing well for a long, long period of
three to see part to me like they're letting people go.
They're doing this coverage.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
It's the one thing that I thought, Okay, this will
also be successful, even though other networks or other leagues
have tried this and freaking ut tried it.

Speaker 4 (26:55):
Ut said, you want to give us that three hundred
million dollars, Well, absolutely, say yes, that was ESPN, right, Yes,
it's the best deal ever. He waits, such an affront
to everybody else who didn't get it.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
It was even better obviously, And that's a very ut
thing to do. But tell me, tell me again. You're
telling me that the four letter Network made a bad
financial decision when it came to investing in a certain
sports entity that never happened.

Speaker 4 (27:20):
And it didn't take very long for them to figure
out the networks that house the whole conference, specifically the
SEC but there is an ACC network that they front.
There's other PAC twelve network, Big ten network that aren't
necessarily ESPN properties, But the Big ten network exists and
can and saying with the ACC and then to a
much higher financial successful level the SEC network. I mean

(27:43):
plucking one team out of the Big twelve and saying
this is your home for everything Longhorns except for the games.
It's impossible, like here every year, which games on Longhorn
Network that we get to get to broadcast that everyone's
mad about because they don't get it, because they don't
have a system that carries the Longhorn Network. What you

(28:04):
want to learn about, what you want to watch while
you're a fan of the university, it's for the games.
You like, the basketball games, you like the football games,
you like the baseball games, and the further down you
go the athletic ladder. More of the games are given
to that particular network. But you got a twelve game
regular season football schedule. Longhorn Network carries one of them,
maybe two. It's just it made no sense from the network.

(28:26):
It made perfect sense for the university. It's a big
advertising tool. They could do whatever, basically, do whatever they
want with it. They obviously have ESPN running it. The
way it's transformed into part of the SEC network is
showing you why from a network standpoint, that's a much
more successful way to do things, all.

Speaker 2 (28:43):
Right, I swear on Wex's Life you're gonna hear from
Nick Casario next segment, as we've be begin the three
o'clock hour here on a Wednesday edition of the program.

Speaker 7 (28:54):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (28:57):
Ninety two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham Talking Your
Teams series Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A
Team A.

Speaker 2 (29:16):
Hour number two underway here on Sports Talk seven to
ninety It is the A Team. Still an hour away
from our simulcast over on Space City home Network. Wex
and Ac with you following an Astro's spring training victory
today and a Rockets win over the Bucks last night
at Toyota Center. First of too straight, because that's all

(29:37):
the Rockets play these days, is back to backs before
after right after the All Star break the next week
after that. I promise you they will have a day
between games eventually, but this ain't it. They've got the
Spurs in town tonight for the second half of that
back to back, albeit without victor winby Yama. So you'll
get your first look at De'aron Fox in a Spurs

(29:58):
uniform tonight. If you're going to that one, Wex will
be on the call with Matt Thomas and real quick
you'll be able to hear that game obviously on the
iHeartRadio app, which we would highly encourage you guys to
obviously download because it's free. And then put Sports Talk
seven nineties your number one pre set. Just do a favor,
do us a favor, and do that because you'll be
able to hear us in crystal clear clarity.

Speaker 3 (30:21):
Say that five times fast.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
But it is the best way to not only listen
to us, but everything the iHeart app, which has been
revamped and awesome, even more awesomer than it was, has
to offer.

Speaker 3 (30:31):
Speaking of having something to offer, it's.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
Hard to believe that as we are entering into late
February of twenty twenty five, the next time CJ. Stroud
laces him up for a game that means something for
the Texans, he'll be starting year three. And that's just
crazy to me because he just got here. He was
just drafted. Not that long ago. He was being talked

(30:56):
out talked about by Nick Cassario and the Texans brass
because they were talking about every quarterback that was going
to be available in the draft because they had a
top pick, they had a high pick.

Speaker 3 (31:08):
We didn't know it was going to be him. We
didn't know how it was all going to fall.

Speaker 2 (31:12):
But I think in light of how things have basically
unfolded over the first two seasons for CJ. Stroud, they
got it right and probably got lucky in a lot
of respects that they didn't have the number one pick
that year when people like me and others were howling
about it when they won that completely meaningless overtime victory

(31:34):
against the Indianapolis Colts behind Davis Mills and company the
year prior. So fast forward to now and you've got
Nick Cassario being available today at the NFL Combound We
heard from Demico Ryans yesterday and he was asked about CJ.
Stroud and talked about specifically the fact that Stroud is
going to continue to improve.

Speaker 5 (31:54):
Seet He's a good player. He has to continue to improve.

Speaker 8 (31:56):
There's things that he's going to work on in the
off season, but the season an opportunity for every player
to improve their invisual performance, and you get themselves ready
for the season in front of them. So CJ's done
a lot of great things on a yearly basis his
first year. He did a lot of really good things
last year as well. I think sometimes it kind of
gets lost in his sulfle there a little bit. So,
all right, what happened last season, what can we learn

(32:17):
from it as a team, what can he learn from it?

Speaker 5 (32:18):
And individually? Okay, in the off.

Speaker 8 (32:20):
Season, here are the things that I'm going to focus
on and try to make myself.

Speaker 5 (32:22):
A better football player. You get better at football.

Speaker 8 (32:25):
By working practicing playing football, So like that's your top
and responsibility, and that's what we ask of all of
our players. So I think CJ's motivated this offseason, have
a good offseason, prepare himself to try to be the
best player he can be, you know, once the season starts.

Speaker 3 (32:40):
All Right, everything he said there is correct.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
Everything he said there's fine, there's nothing wrong with it.
I do like the fact that he highlighted the fact
that there were good things that happened for CJ this year,
because I think there's been too much of oh my gosh,
look at the regression. Whether you attributed that to the
offensive line or not. You know, CJ wasn't his rookie
version of himself, and so he'd be remiss if he's

(33:05):
talking about getting better in the offseason by not pointing
out the fact that, Hey, there were some good things
that happened this past year. And I think in large part,
and maybe you'll agree with this, wex down the stretch,
particularly when he just decided, all right, I'm gonna start
using my legs because otherwise I'm gonna get killed even more.
And he and he kind of I don't know. If
they took the reins off, I don't know. I don't

(33:27):
know what you would call it. And I don't even
know who's the most responsible. They rang the bell for
the postseason. That's all that happened.

Speaker 4 (33:32):
Okay, I have to win, so I'm going to do
everything possible to do that. Versus this is week seven
in the regular season. I've got eleven more weeks this season.
Maybe it's not the greatest if I haul off and
run and take a hit or you know, do something
to put myself physically in harm's way. When you get
to the playoffs, you don't care. I don't care if
I'm in harm's way because there is no next week

(33:53):
if we don't win.

Speaker 2 (33:56):
No, that's that's a fair assessment, I think. But again,
going back what Nick Cassario said specifically in that SoundBite,
it wasn't all bad.

Speaker 3 (34:05):
I mean, it was so bad that.

Speaker 4 (34:07):
They won the division and won a playoff game. Again,
so bad that they won another eleven games.

Speaker 2 (34:13):
I'm not going to be inconsistent if I'm gonna get
on you every time you say that Bill O'Brien did
nothing but win divisions while he was here. I'm not
gonna let you say that and be like, oh, yeah,
the division, it was so good.

Speaker 4 (34:24):
The playoff game. They're in the final eight. If people
think that's nothing, then call in. But it is Is
it not fair to say?

Speaker 2 (34:31):
Is it fair to say at least that the divisions
that demiko' ryans have won has won have been even
way worse than any of the ones that Bill O'Brien think.

Speaker 3 (34:41):
The Texans were one of the seven best teams in
the AFC.

Speaker 4 (34:44):
Yeah, top six, probably top five without looking at the
standings right away, they beat the team that was fifth. Yeah,
that's the Chargers. So is it okay to say their
top four? It's Okay to say all of that, So
then who gives a bleep what their divisions? They're one
of the top four teams in the AFC. Okay, point blank,
They're going to the playoffs every year, no matter what does.

Speaker 2 (35:05):
They're the Patriots in the AFC East all those years,
same team. They can That's what you sound like when
you say that. I've said it on a hundred times
because I believe they can be. They're not there yet.
Nobody's confusing the Patriots dynasty with this Texans team simply
because they win the division every year.

Speaker 4 (35:20):
Right because we know what they did. They went to
the Super Bowl a bunch of times. This team's two
years old. Yeah, team was fourteen years old. Yeah, no comparison,
But it does help if you have easy wins along
the way because your division's crap. It's okay to say
that too. I mean, sure it helps, but it helps
of course lost to one of those teams, well, it
also helps even less now because you've added a game

(35:42):
to the schedule. It's hard to win every year when
you in addition to playing the six games against the garbage.
We want to point out in the division. This will
be the third consecutive year. The Texans only play first
place teams in the AFC. Nobody else does except the
other first place teams. Do they keep playing Josh Allen?
Why do they keep playing Lamar Jackson? Why do they

(36:02):
keep playing Pat Mahomes? Because all three of those other teams,
now you make it four keep winning the division every year.
The same four teams won the division in back to
back years. The same four teams advanced to the second
round of the playoffs and back to back years. Why
won't it happen? It's gonna happen again. Who's gonna beat
these teams? You're in the mix with them, but you
clearly aren't with them. There's no Some people might say,

(36:27):
I think the Bills are the next best team in
the AFC. Some people might say I think the Chiefs
are The Ravens are the next best team. There's some
debate over who two and three is. The Ravens finished
behind the Bills, but the Ravens also beat the Bills.
Nobody's debating who the best team in the AFC is.
That's why they go to the super Bowl every year.
And nobody's debating who the fourth best team among the
division winners. Is it's Houston clearly, and obviously they are

(36:49):
not in that tier if you make another separator, but
they're clearly better than everybody else in the AFC. Put
the Chargers in the Texans Division. I'm not picking the
Chargers to win the division. I'm picking the Texan Yeah.
Well unless your Rex Ryan and pretty much everybody would well.
During the combine Avail, Jim Harbaugh indicated he believes Justin

(37:11):
Herbert is a Hall of Fame quarterback. He's so our
Pro Bowl quarterback. I can't remember the exact time to
wait to see that quarterback. Why shouldn't he say that?
It sounds awful to say it after Yeah, I don't
remember his last game. Run it through for me, run
it back for what did he do in his last game?
Oh yeah, the second of the two playoff games he's
been in that he hasn't won. Yeah, okay, I'm with you.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
I hear yet where he had a direct hand in
the reason they lost because he kept throwing to the opposition.

Speaker 3 (37:33):
He had some bad moments he had.

Speaker 4 (37:35):
Now we can reckon if we're going to recognize that
CJ was trying to get all this accomplished with no
offensive line. Herbert was trying to get it all accomplished
with only one receiver and didn't even know he'd have
that when Lad McConkie was drafted. Lad McConkie was the
best receiver on their football team as soon as he
got there. I don't think they even realized that, and
obviously over the course of the.

Speaker 3 (37:56):
Season they did. He was great.

Speaker 4 (37:57):
But I mean, look at the Texas two playoff games.
I don't know that I would have ever thought this
would be the way it went. The Texans got outworked
or outplayed or saw a tremendous performance from this year's
Travis Kelcey who didn't really do it to anybody else,
and rookie Lad McConkie. The good news is, in the
case of the charge, they literally had nothing else. They

(38:18):
couldn't combat what the Texans were doing offensively well enough,
and they certainly couldn't combat the rest of the Texans defense.
But justin Herbert's weapons were to him, as CJ. Stroud's
offensive line was to CJ. And that's the other thing
that I get so irritated about. Again, I'm not absolving
CJ of any blame, but in addition to his offensive

(38:40):
line everything going into year two. And I think in.

Speaker 2 (38:45):
Large part why people look at year two is this
huge regression and huge lack of success when they look
at CJ. Stroud is because the team that he was
supposed to be playing with was never out there for
any number of consecutive Gamess how many games did he
have Nico Stefan and Tank Dell in it? You know,

(39:08):
at the same time, like one two, Maybe that matters
if you're going to talk about how bad his season was,
or how much he's regressed, or how much you know
in addition to that offensive line, that that has to
be taken into account. It's not about the Chargers when
you start talking about this topic, we're just talking about
the Texans.

Speaker 3 (39:26):
We're just talking about CJ.

Speaker 4 (39:29):
I mean that that comp in at the same point
in their respective seasons. The last game the Chargers played,
Herbert had Lad McConkey, not very much else. The last
game that CJ. Stroud played, he had Nico Collins. And
I'm not trying to be offensive to the other players
out there, but you know, Nico Collins took eight or
two percent of the snaps against Kansas City. He had

(39:50):
fifty six of their sixty eight plays he was on
the field for, followed by Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchi, and
Jared Wayne. Each of them had at least thirty five
percent of the snaps. Fifty seven percent of snaps are
sixty two percent of the snaps. Probably not gonna have
quite as much success with your fourth, fifth, sixth, fifth, sixth, seventh,

(40:10):
most talented receivers on the field, but that's also life
in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (40:14):
And JK.

Speaker 2 (40:14):
Dobbins isn't didn't have the type of season that Joe
Mixon did, but he had a very good season at
the running back position for them.

Speaker 4 (40:21):
These are two really good quarterbacks. I personally am not
ready to elevate Justin Herbert over CJ.

Speaker 3 (40:27):
Stroud.

Speaker 4 (40:27):
No, he was ahead of him before CJ got to
the league, immediately fell behind him, and that is where
it remains after their respective seasons. And Justin Herbert's regular
season last year was quietly awesome. Three interceptions, played the
whole season through the ball of the other team three times.
Then he went to the playoffs, things changed. He played
a very very good defense. They got worked up front.

(40:48):
They had been very good upfront. They've made very good
draft picks up front and it's paid off. But it
just wasn't their day that day. I think when we
start the season, I'll be in the very small group
of people.

Speaker 3 (41:00):
That have CJ. Stroud rated ahead of Justin Herbert. I'll
to go out and prove it. Then he's going to
the Hall of Fame.

Speaker 4 (41:08):
Well, probably just one spot ahead of him.

Speaker 3 (41:10):
In the AFC.

Speaker 4 (41:10):
You got the three guys on top, and then you
should be debating after Burrow who's probably fourth.

Speaker 3 (41:16):
It's one of these two guys.

Speaker 2 (41:17):
Jim Harbos should get up in front of everybody and
declare the CJ. Stroud's a future Hall of Fame.

Speaker 3 (41:20):
Right.

Speaker 4 (41:20):
Oh, but I'm sure he'll get another postseason win. I
mean he has a few with the Niners. I'm sure
he'll get one with the Chargers soon.

Speaker 3 (41:27):
All Right, still to come, we will discuss all things.

Speaker 2 (41:30):
Well, the NFL Combine will still be a topic of
conversation because that was not even close to the only
thing that Nick Cassario had to say. There's one team
that is absolutely mired in quarterback purgatory and nothing has
changed in that regard. And oh, by the way, the
NFL Players Association survey results are out We'll get to

(41:52):
that later on in the show. As per usual, you know,
some things are predictable, good and bad. For that, A
lot of topics still to one here on a Wednesday
edition of the program.

Speaker 1 (42:03):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety, The A Team
continues on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
Ninety forty four years old. I've never had alcohol? Can
you believe that?

Speaker 3 (42:16):
Wex?

Speaker 2 (42:16):
You've been around me for like half of that. You know,
I've known you like half my life. Now, what in
the hell is happening to me? I'm getting old? Your
MIC's not on.

Speaker 4 (42:25):
I can't stay the same. What do you mean I
can't say the same, of course not you've been drinking
since I met you. That makes it sound like you're
an alcoholic, or about knowing you half my life? My
life half point is different?

Speaker 6 (42:39):
Old?

Speaker 4 (42:39):
How long is it going to take? We're probably getting
pretty close? Yeah, I was as you were talking. I
was trying to think. Man, I haven't had anything to
drink either, since I can't remember yesterday.

Speaker 3 (42:47):
No, I don't.

Speaker 4 (42:48):
I don't have anything yesterday, long day of Rockets basketball.

Speaker 3 (42:51):
You were drinking yesterday?

Speaker 2 (42:52):
That would be tell me something when I got home,
But I didn't. I want to hear you in MT
do a Rockets game just loaded, maybe not drunk, but definitely.

Speaker 4 (43:03):
Season game from you know, like an exhibition game, not
not at Toyota Center. Then in a in a neutral
zone venue with only like people, like like a spring
training game where where it's road for both, so none
of the stars travel. It's all the guys that are
gonna end up in the G League or not in
the league at all. Maybe a game like that. But

(43:25):
if you think it would sound so different, well because
why because everybody sounds different when they're intoxicated.

Speaker 3 (43:31):
Don't they see that? I mean, you did indicate we impair.
We just have a drink.

Speaker 4 (43:35):
You indicated we would have too many drinks to function properly,
which is.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
A feeled back.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
And I said, tipsy, you're impaired, but you're not like sloshed.
You'd like to hear that, well, of course I would.
Don't think we'll be able to. Would you guys like
to hear on air? Wex hammered seven one seven ninety.
We've done remotes before. You weren't hammered. That is correct,
not with me anyway, not hammered. Have you down one hammer.

Speaker 4 (44:00):
Before you're taking it to a level. And you just
said you weren't hammered. You could have applied that to
like the last thirty five years on any random night.

Speaker 3 (44:08):
I don't know something that I do.

Speaker 4 (44:10):
You're a very responsible beverage consumer, consume alcoholic beverages, but
not get to that level.

Speaker 2 (44:18):
I get this question a lot. If you were to
ever have your first drink, what would it be? And
they have suggestions. These people, these people that talk about this,
they look at.

Speaker 3 (44:25):
Me like a unicorn. There's neighbors, people that come around.

Speaker 2 (44:29):
Oh, I thought you were saying the neighbors, because there's
a several neighbors that'll come over forget together and they'll
be like.

Speaker 3 (44:34):
I just can't believe you've never had alcohol. That bothered me.

Speaker 4 (44:38):
Honestly, I don't think it's it's it's normal. Not everybody
does that, But there's nothing to me.

Speaker 2 (44:44):
Whenever I hear that, I'm like, what's going on in
your life that you need it so much?

Speaker 4 (44:49):
You could say I'm the opposite. I have had alcohol,
I don't drink every day. I don't get hammered pretty
much ever, So is it that big of a difference.
I've had drinks, I'll drink when when I feel like it,
it's it's not a huge deal.

Speaker 2 (45:03):
While I didn't really grow up and aground, but he's
not like me or you, right, But was he like, Well,
I didn't grow up around it, so it wasn't like
it went in the house. My parents didn't drink, but
it wasn't like I mean, I could. I had plenty
of opportunities, but I got to a point where I'm like, oh, wait,
I've got a really addictive personality. If I add this
to the mix, that's probably not going to be great

(45:24):
for me.

Speaker 4 (45:24):
Yeah, thinking back to my comp I don't think I
saw beer in the house ever from my parents. Now,
my brother and I might have had it in the house. Well,
mister Wexler, it's that he's above that. And then in
this house where my kids grow up, my house, their house,
there's bud light in the fridge permanently there's and there's

(45:45):
probably another case waiting to go in right next to it.

Speaker 3 (45:48):
The special edition Houston Texans cans are right there. And Ryan.

Speaker 4 (45:53):
Weekend's Ragers, isn't he Well, you guys are away not
that I'm aware of, which is usually the right way
to do it.

Speaker 3 (46:00):
If you're throwing a good kegger. You know, is he
going on rental units?

Speaker 5 (46:03):
To know?

Speaker 3 (46:03):
Is he going this weekend? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (46:05):
Okay, I was gonna say I didn't know if you do.
Parents were out of town and he was staying behind.

Speaker 4 (46:09):
No. I don't think he's hard to parties. But again,
if I'm not supposed to know about.

Speaker 2 (46:15):
It until after you get home, and you're supposed to
clean it up, all right. Eighteen continues here on Sports
Talk seven, and I'll do it for the conversation about non
alcohol consumption from one of us and the other guy
drinking all the time or not. In this case, Astro
is getting to win over the Nationals today in spring training.
Jainer Diaz the latest to hit a home run. By

(46:38):
the way, he's under the radar this year, like all
the attention here in spring training, you know, at least
in the last few days, Cam Smith, because he's the
big piece that came back in the Kyle Tucker trade.
Obviously the departures of Kyle Tucker, Ryan Presley and Alex
Pregman gets all the press.

Speaker 3 (46:54):
I think.

Speaker 2 (46:56):
He and maybe Jeremy Painia to a lesser extent. I
just don't think people are expecting a whole lot out
of Jeremy Painey's bat But I think that Janer Diaz
could sneak up on people this year, Like.

Speaker 3 (47:08):
Who is going to be the person who steps up?

Speaker 2 (47:11):
He can't believe these automatic outs in the lineup, but
like people are forgetting about him for whatever reason.

Speaker 4 (47:16):
Yeah, two years of being out there quite a bit
last year is the regular catcher of the year before
splitting time with Marty. He's been awesome offensively. I think
he's way way better defensively then people give him credit for.
And I certainly think there's nothing even needing to be
said about how he handles the pitching staff.

Speaker 3 (47:34):
I'm not putting him on a lead level.

Speaker 4 (47:36):
But I also think the conversation doesn't need to have
be had because he's on some such a low level
that they've got to overcome this, or they're not doing
the proper preparation to go up against the opposition because
he's their catcher.

Speaker 3 (47:47):
None of those things are true.

Speaker 4 (47:48):
But offensively speaking, I think it's the pretty clear direction
that comment is about. How about if I said, okay,
sleep on him, the most productive American League catcher in
twenty twenty five will be.

Speaker 3 (48:01):
I'm not making some bold prediction.

Speaker 4 (48:03):
I don't think I'm not, you know, homering it up
by sitting here on the flagship station for the Houston
Astros and trying to telp those people something that isn't true.
Last year was a down year for yaner Dz offensively
in my opinion, based on what I saw his first year,
I think that's what he can do every year, and
he was much better in his first year. He had

(48:25):
a higher batting average last year, which if you're paying
attention to that only you're not paying attention at all
Yanar Diez. Strictly, among qualified catchers last year in the
American League, there's Salve and then there's him. Cal Raley
had a thirty four homer one hundred rbi season, but

(48:45):
he also hit to twenty and he also struck out
one hundred and seventy six times. That's sixty nine more
strikeouts than yaner Dz last season in far fewer at bats.
He can hit the ball over the fence better than
any other catcher. He drove in a ton of runs,
but he had so many awful hit bats. That's why

(49:09):
Ray yonnerd he has a little bit ahead of him.
Might one GM might pick one over the other. I
would prefer to have the guy that's gonna drive in
one hundred runs and back fourth and hit thirty four
homers and have fifty five extra base hits.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
Another GM might say, well.

Speaker 4 (49:20):
I'd like a guy who's going to drive in eighty
five runs and have fifty five extra base hits. But
he's also going to have fifty more singles and seventy
five fewer strikeouts. So he might actually knock in a
run without getting a hit. He might actually move a
runner up ninety feet without getting a hit. Roley's just
going to be walking back to the bench. Just one player,
for example, I think lange Leers is probably closer to

(49:41):
the top. Oh HOPI if he's healthy, is pretty good.
Retchman is there, but I'm not taking any of those guys.
You have the best designated hitter in the American League,
no question, offensively, defensive or designated hitter. I don't need
to differentiate at that spot. You have the best offensive
catcher in the American League. Possibly if Perez is healthy

(50:03):
this year, he'll probably still hold that title ast being
the best.

Speaker 3 (50:06):
When he was crazy because he's like eighty.

Speaker 4 (50:08):
But he also spends some time as a non defensive
flair because he will DH to help save his legs.

Speaker 3 (50:14):
I mean, which does two occasionally, but it's not often.

Speaker 4 (50:17):
Sally played one hundred and fifty eight games last year,
which is incredible.

Speaker 3 (50:20):
How old is he now?

Speaker 4 (50:22):
I think he goes he's thirty seven year old season
this year, but either way, actually young. You're saying he
could be slept on. I will do everything we can.
I mean, we're only on four hours a day. Plus
we're on social media twenty four hours a day. Uh,
plus we do some other things that should have us
in your you know, in your brains. We'll do everything
we can. Yer Ds cannot be slept on. Er Diaz
and a seven oh five ops and a one oh

(50:44):
five ops plus is an absolute disaster for the twenty
twenty five Astros. It's also not gonna happen. He's good.
He's just flat out one of the best hitting catchers
in baseball and it's not gonna change.

Speaker 2 (50:55):
You mentioned Rushman, and I only bring that up because
it seems like he is just always getting the hype.

Speaker 4 (51:01):
Get you know, he was really good as first go
around and still pretty good.

Speaker 3 (51:05):
Is session living on that? And he's got less success.
He's still so young.

Speaker 4 (51:09):
I mean, I'm talking about one guy, like, there can't
possibly be a regression. Rutchman's heading into year number four
next year. It's almost the same thing, right, and I'm
just dismissing him completely after one down year. I mean,
what did I just say? Seven oh five ops and
a one oh five ops plus.

Speaker 3 (51:25):
Would be a disaster for the Astros in twenty five.

Speaker 4 (51:27):
Last year Rutchman, As I look it up now, seven
oh nine ops, one oh seven ops plus.

Speaker 2 (51:33):
But yet, if I feel like, if you were to
poll anybody, just just a more than a casual observer
of Major League Baseball, and you ask them which one
of these catchers is better, which one of these up
and coming guys would you rather have? They're all gonna
say Rushman because of how he's covered, because of how
the media.

Speaker 3 (51:47):
Talks about him.

Speaker 4 (51:48):
He probably has something else going for him. Also, it's
that he was a one to one guy, he was
the first pick in a draft. He had all sorts
of hype behind him.

Speaker 3 (51:58):
That's even more we talkd.

Speaker 4 (51:59):
About in the five o'clock hour yesterday, like yan Ordaz
because people here weren't following the Indians farm system.

Speaker 3 (52:08):
They knew of him, James Click was, but.

Speaker 4 (52:10):
They didn't realize it was the Das deal. It was
not the film Aton deal. Still is it should have
been even then because Mayton. Every team in the league
has a Aton and every year they get a new Maton.
And I don't want to dismiss what he did here,
but a middle reliever is somebody you go get every
single offseason or every trade deadline.

Speaker 3 (52:31):
They're out there.

Speaker 4 (52:32):
He's not one of your best relievers, and you certainly
want to use him when you can. But Yaners just
he gave you ten years. We've got seven more to go.
I think, at least of being a number one catcher.
I know they just drafted another catcher to drafts Ago, but.

Speaker 2 (52:48):
Yeah, yeah, I can't to this day, I can't believe
the Indians slash Guardians.

Speaker 3 (52:54):
They were the Indians when the trade happened, right, That's
why he was in.

Speaker 5 (52:57):
He was.

Speaker 4 (52:57):
I don't think I would have a Guards prospect. He
was an Indian prospect.

Speaker 3 (53:03):
All right. Let's get to something that happened last night.

Speaker 2 (53:07):
Very predictable, very very very predictable as a matter of fact,
and some might call it nauseating. Some being me, what
happened last night in Los Angeles. We will explain when
we come.

Speaker 7 (53:20):
Back the AE on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (53:26):
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Speaker 3 (53:30):
Listen.

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Speaker 7 (54:47):
You like free stuff, We all like free stuff.

Speaker 1 (54:51):
Guess what Our iHeartRadio app is free and free never sound.

Speaker 5 (54:57):
It's so good.

Speaker 2 (54:58):
It is the A Team Sports SOOX seven ninety Wednesday
edition of the program WEX and ac SO the four
Letter Network. The national media types could not wait for
last night to happen, the salivating that began early and
often for the and it didn't even happen in Dallas,
Like that's gonna come later.

Speaker 3 (55:16):
That's gonna be an absolute zoo.

Speaker 2 (55:19):
But Luca against the Lakers with Nico Harrison in attendance,
and you've probably, I know you've seen the picture by now,
the picture that's been floating around with Nico in the stands. Yeah,
I mean, don't you think that's I'm not even understated.

Speaker 3 (55:38):
On the backdrop of.

Speaker 4 (55:42):
We're always bagging on the NBA for not doing this right,
and nobody watched the NBA and the ratings are down
and the product is bad, and yet they can't push promote,
talk up Luca playing his old time first time.

Speaker 6 (55:55):
No.

Speaker 2 (55:55):
My my problem with this, the nauseating aspect goes back
to the deal itself and what we all have a
problem with. And we can be told until we're blue,
they're blue in the face that they shopped him more
than they it appears they did. I don't believe it. Oh,
they tried to. They called the Bucks about Giannis right like.

Speaker 7 (56:18):
It to me.

Speaker 3 (56:21):
And I look, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (56:22):
Maybe maybe they did call the Bucks And what was
the other team that they were a rumored to have
they shopped him toil.

Speaker 4 (56:27):
The deal was it was pushed, If I'm my thought
on it is the deal was pushed by the fact
that for some reason they'd come to the conclusion that
it wouldn't be the end of the world if we
traded Luca, only if we're targeting somebody very specific to
get back in return, and that player not picks, not
future assets, not starting all over again, but somebody that

(56:48):
is going to allow us to win currently with this
current roster and for many years to come.

Speaker 3 (56:54):
Well, can you do that with Giannis?

Speaker 9 (56:56):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (56:56):
Can you do that with Anthony Davis? Yes? Are we done?
Is that pretty much it?

Speaker 4 (57:01):
Because anybody else that's I think at that level is
not a big is not a backcourt or a player
that might mesh very well with the group you already
have and Kyrie Irving. And if you can't get that, well,
then you're not making any of the other phone calls.
You're not forced to trade Luca. I don't even feel
like they've felt forced to trade him. With all whatever
their misgivings were, I think they said, look, we have

(57:22):
a reason to believe we can win bigger sooner if
we make a move for somebody else of his caliber.
We totally disagree. Quite obviously, almost everybody did. That's why
we're still still shaking our heads that they did it.
But why would they need to make calls to other
teams if that was their goal? Well, how many other
players are you are you looking at in the league.

(57:43):
You're not asking for Cheed Holmgren, You're not asking for
Joel Embiid And I guess they could have called Denver
and could have said it is Nikola Jokic, somebody that
you might make available.

Speaker 3 (57:52):
Big player that they called about.

Speaker 4 (57:54):
It wasn't I believe they talked to Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (57:58):
Oh that's right because of Anthony Edwards.

Speaker 4 (58:00):
See that that makes sense if you're thinking that we've
already built the front court.

Speaker 2 (58:05):
Yeah, Okay, Anthony Edwards is Luca. Okay, Anthony Edwards and
Kyrie Irving is terrifying.

Speaker 4 (58:12):
Right, But I just said the reason why Minnesota hung
up immediately we already have Luca. Why would we need
your Luca a more oft, injured and all the other things.
If you're trading him, then clearly there's probably something wrong
with him that in your minds, and we already have
a player as good or almost in a way it's
characterized good. Is that they're the only team on the

(58:33):
planet that thinks there's something wrong with Luca. I the
fact that they moved him. I still think they must
think that.

Speaker 3 (58:40):
I don't. I don't.

Speaker 4 (58:41):
I do know why they think it. I think they're wrong.
I think they're foolish in thinking. I keep going back
to this. Okay, the guy goes into the playoffs, he
goes thirty nine and eight, and you're acting like because
he doesn't condition himself and he doesn't care enough that
you were gonna win the series because he was gonna
go thirty nine, fifteen and twelve and shoot fifty three
percent and bury forty percent of his threes, because he's

(59:03):
in shape, because he plays harder, because he plays defense.
Your your defense. I mean, that's the only thing I
could possibly see. But we've watched team after team after
team win thousands of games without having their elite level
offensive player also be pretty good defensively. Yeah, James Harden
did it for a long time. Here, James Harden did
it for a long time. Steph Curry plays on a really,

(59:24):
really good defensive team. He sucks on one of their
better defensive players.

Speaker 3 (59:28):
He's awful.

Speaker 4 (59:29):
He's perfectly fine on a team defensive concept, just like
Damian Lillard was in Portlander. Not as hideable in Milwaukee.

Speaker 3 (59:41):
But you can make it happen.

Speaker 4 (59:42):
You're you're having The Lakers have to hide two bad
defensive players now. But they actually have a lot better
personnel to do it than people thought, and that's why
they've one of the reasons why they've been winning. And
they won last night. They had a huge lead, gave
it all away and then won the game. Lea.

Speaker 2 (59:59):
That's the other aspect last night, they Mavericks were kind
of missing a big part of the deal.

Speaker 4 (01:00:05):
Because Mavericks were missing almost everything up front. Still no Gafford,
still no Davis, PJ. Washington, I have to look at
the box. Where did he ever make a shot or
was he over the night? Oh he's over nine, okay,
which is fine. I can't stand that, dude.

Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
He did grab ten rebounds and dish out five assists
and block four shots, so he was doing something on
one end of the floor, right.

Speaker 4 (01:00:23):
But their front court that started Anthony Davis's first game
against the Rockets had zero field goals in last night's
game because they weren't out there.

Speaker 2 (01:00:33):
Well, one of them was PJ was But listen, if
Kyrie Irving gets thirty five points, and maybe he probably
doesn't if Anthony Davis is playing for obviously.

Speaker 4 (01:00:42):
Who were not at full strength, I mean, anyone thinking
otherwise is.

Speaker 2 (01:00:45):
Yeah, Kyrie had thirty five, Klay Thompson had twenty two.
I still I forget that he's there all the time.

Speaker 3 (01:00:52):
He was really good last night. He was okay, but
he like you add Anthony Davis.

Speaker 2 (01:01:00):
They lost by eight, Like it wasn't like the Lakers
ran them off the floor and forget all that goes
back to the original point. The fact that this deal
even happened goes back to way before Lebron just decided
to show up there.

Speaker 3 (01:01:16):
Lakers didn't do anything.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
Lakers didn't have this you know, savvy front office that
made it. They're LA they're the Lakers, and Lebron wanted
to play there. As a result of that, they poached
Anthony Davis, and then we're able to flip him because
another stupid team decided to just give up Luka Dacic.

Speaker 4 (01:01:34):
They've traded away bra and Anthony Davis to get two
star players back in return.

Speaker 3 (01:01:41):
That's not outrageous. It is when there's other better deals
out there.

Speaker 4 (01:01:44):
I think for the Lakers in this case both, there's
no way there was a better deal out there for
the Lakers, No for the Mavericks. If you're trying to
do something else what they're trying to accomplish, I don't
know that there was a better deal than landing Anthony Davis.
We can pretend they called, or maybe they did call,
for Nicola, for Giannis, for Anthony Edwards, but they couldn't

(01:02:06):
trade for those players. They they found out they could
trade for Anthony Davis.

Speaker 2 (01:02:10):
I'm not.

Speaker 4 (01:02:11):
I don't think there's a deal better than that for
their goals. I think it was a foolish way to
go about things because they already had a team, that is,
the reigning Western Conference champions that only played with Gafford
and Washington for parts of last season. They could have
easily won the West at full strength this year, or

(01:02:31):
played Oklahoma City in the conference finals this year.

Speaker 2 (01:02:34):
Well, until Oklahoma City does it in the playoffs, they're fakers,
I'll say that too.

Speaker 4 (01:02:39):
I mean, they've only been really this is the first
year they've been exceptional. Last year, while they were one,
they had the same record as another team at the
end of the year. Was ok Ye City considerably better
than everybody else?

Speaker 8 (01:02:51):
Is?

Speaker 2 (01:02:51):
Was Oklahoma City not eliminated by the Timberwolves last year?
Or am I misremembering that they were so?

Speaker 3 (01:02:57):
Again?

Speaker 2 (01:02:59):
The two who Western Conference finalists decided to just blow
up what got them to that got them to where
they finished their seasons?

Speaker 3 (01:03:08):
For the Mason the Thunder last year, Oh the MAVs
beat the Thunder. That's even worse.

Speaker 5 (01:03:15):
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 (01:03:17):
So yeah, we get Luca in La for the next
twenty years.

Speaker 4 (01:03:21):
Basically your Southwest home for Lakers Radio right here on
Sports Talk seven to ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:03:25):
Gotta love it. It does pertain to the Rockets.

Speaker 2 (01:03:27):
It's a good thing the Rockets pulled out that game
last night, since the Lakers keep winning.

Speaker 4 (01:03:31):
Rockets Lakers, it's happening first round of the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:03:35):
You really believe that, don't you.

Speaker 4 (01:03:37):
There's a gap between the two of them and the
sixth place Clippers that suggest these two teams are at
least going to be four or ahead of them. And
there's a smaller but still significant gap between the two
of these teams and Denver and Memphis.

Speaker 2 (01:03:50):
When the Rockets go up two to zero on the
Lakers after winning the two games in LA because of
the weird four or five matchup, how many of the
combination of Scott Foster and Tony Brothers will be at
Toyota Center to officiate Game three, go zero lies. One
of those guys will be in the house.

Speaker 4 (01:04:05):
I I can't wait for someone who will just post
without the information Rockets are oh for whatever. In the
last however many games Tony Brothers has officiated games and
completely somehow Tony Brothers and his crew ejected one of
the rocket starters and they still won. How I can't
believe it. You would have really not liked some of

(01:04:27):
the broadcast last night. I actually complimented Tony Brothers, and
deservedly so for something earlier in the game.

Speaker 3 (01:04:31):
Well, you're an idiot.

Speaker 4 (01:04:32):
No, I thought he handled it very very well getting
a compliment from you, uh Brook. Lopez was basically asking
for a technical, but Tony Brothers had a long conversation
with him. The guys tapped each other on the backside
as they play resumed, and they went about their business.
He listened to a player, heard what they had to say,
said all right, and they moved on. That's what good

(01:04:54):
officials do. What he also wasn't wrong, Lopez was what
if that player was Draymond Green, would you feel same way?
The conversation would have been different from one of the
two perspectives. Tony's would have been the same. Draymond would
have been screaming his head off and we'd all be going,
how are you not tecking him up?

Speaker 3 (01:05:09):
Why is he still playing? Well?

Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
We say that a number of times for things he
does on the floor. All right, we will take a
quick time out. I want to get to another spring
training aspect is something we talked about earlier this week.
You'll never believe one of the most outspoken players in
all of Major League Baseball is very upset about something
that Major League Baseball is trying to implement. We'll tell

(01:05:31):
you about that next.

Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety. Adam Clinton,
I'm Wexler, our eighteen returned on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:05:44):
Horny heads, as your.

Speaker 2 (01:05:47):
Rockets play here winding down the three o'clock hour. Here
it is the A Team Sports Talks seven ninety. Don't worry,
you'll see our bright shiny faces coming up next hour
as the simulcast will begin over on spaces City Home Network.
That is where you saw the Rockets get the victory
last night. It's where you saw or where you will
see the Rockets and Spurs tangle tonight, and it's where

(01:06:09):
you'll see every now and again some astro spring training action.
We've been talking about a number of things going into
just what is a I don't even want to say
it's a pivotal twenty twenty five. It's just a very
interesting twenty twenty five season with all of the change
that has happened in the direction of the franchise and
all that kind of stuff.

Speaker 3 (01:06:28):
But it's not just for the Astros.

Speaker 2 (01:06:30):
It's obviously for major League Baseball, as spring training is
where they're using as the latest testing ground WEX for
the ABS, the automated balls and strike system that eventually
some form of I think will be in Major League
Baseball next season. Is that pretty easy prediction. It's a

(01:06:52):
reasonable one.

Speaker 4 (01:06:52):
Sure, we need another year obviously, I mean it might
not even be there next year, but it's a reasonable prediction.

Speaker 2 (01:06:58):
The Players Association has to vote on this kind of thing.
I'm assuming, yes, what's do you even know the what's
the what's the majority?

Speaker 3 (01:07:05):
Or what is it?

Speaker 5 (01:07:06):
Teams?

Speaker 2 (01:07:07):
Is it a representative of a team? And then so
many teams have to say yes?

Speaker 3 (01:07:10):
Is that No, it's not a number of teams, it's
number of votes.

Speaker 4 (01:07:14):
Okay, I didn't know that. Okay, I mean I knew
it was. I mean, they all have representatives. A few
of the teams have a representative that's on like the board,
you know, when they would say, hey, Max Suzer and
Lance mccullor's have arrived for today's negotiating sessions. They were
two of the more prominent people on the PA. Lance
mccullor's no longer holds that role with the Astros.

Speaker 2 (01:07:34):
Max Schurzer noted Toronto Blue Jays pitcher.

Speaker 4 (01:07:37):
I mean he'll throw a pitch as a Blue Jay
in a regular season game soon.

Speaker 2 (01:07:41):
You think, I'm pretty sure he'll make the team. I'm
betting on an injury before then.

Speaker 3 (01:07:45):
I bet you he's in their opening day lineup.

Speaker 2 (01:07:49):
At the end of their careers, is is he or
Justin Verlander ahead on the strikeouts list?

Speaker 3 (01:07:54):
It's a real heat and by ice Cube it's.

Speaker 4 (01:07:58):
Strictly of who stay helps you from today moving forward,
because they basically flipped up a couple times over the
course of their last recent years. You got forty five
innings or forty three innings last year from Max Serzer,
which was less than what you got from Justin Erlin
or significantly less.

Speaker 7 (01:08:14):
Well.

Speaker 2 (01:08:15):
We all recall when the labor strife was happening. He
was one of the most outspoken guys during that time.

Speaker 4 (01:08:24):
I thought I had a pretty good perspective on things,
no the players pretty well.

Speaker 3 (01:08:28):
At the time.

Speaker 2 (01:08:28):
I agree he and I are going to not see
eye to eye on this topic because he had he
looked good by the way. In a two inning appearance
against the Cardinals, he had not one but two challenges
using the automated ball strike system, and not surprisingly, when

(01:08:49):
a guy like that, who is not short on opinions,
doesn't like the way things go, he's gonna say it.

Speaker 3 (01:08:55):
Doesn't like it. This is a quote and he I don't.

Speaker 4 (01:08:58):
Think he said it because he did and succeed challenge
for sure.

Speaker 3 (01:09:02):
Is that's the reason. Definitely reason, not the reason. I'm kidding. Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:09:06):
He was talking to the athletic by the way, that's
where this came from. I'm a little skeptical on this.
I get what we're trying to do here, but I
think major league umpires are really good. They're really good.
See I already disagree with them. So what are we
actually changing here? We know there are going to be
strikes that are changed to balls and balls that are
changed to strikes, so we're we're going to basically be

(01:09:28):
even So are we actually going to improve the game?
Are the umpires really bad?

Speaker 3 (01:09:33):
That bad?

Speaker 2 (01:09:34):
I don't think so. See Max, That's where you're wrong.
They are that bad because if they were good, we
wouldn't be having a this technology trying to be implemented
and B we wouldn't be having this conversation you're having
with the athletic If you had good umpires that could
call balls and strikes consistently and not have their own

(01:09:56):
zones depending on what day it is and who's behind
the plate, then you wouldn't have the automated ball strike system.

Speaker 3 (01:10:03):
It's just a matter of fact. Why else do they
have it?

Speaker 2 (01:10:06):
Let me ask you that, if you agree with Max Scherzer,
why is it even a conversation?

Speaker 3 (01:10:10):
Why is it even a thing?

Speaker 4 (01:10:11):
There's no question pitches that are pitches are being missed,
Calls are being missed, ball strike calls. You know, you
get a generic statement from Max, and I hope he
was speaking specifically to ball strikes, because if you're saying
the general sense of umpires are very good, he'd be right,
because you'd be including all the one hundred out of
one hundred plays at first base they get right, one
hundred out of one hundred they get right on trap balls,

(01:10:33):
caught ball.

Speaker 3 (01:10:33):
They are very good. Balls and strikes.

Speaker 4 (01:10:36):
Is really all that's at stake here and all that's
at issue here, and you should only be commenting on
that because that's all they're trying to fix with this,
well he not applies to I can't tell if that's
what he's saying or not. But I also think it's
a little short sighted to say, well, these balls are
gonna get fixed and those strikes are gonna get fixed.
While that's accurate that it's gonna be, it's not impact.
It's the impact. You know, people are going to keep

(01:10:57):
letting missed calls in the first in and go because
they don't as much. But when the bases are loaded
and the three two pitches out of his own and
the umpire tries to punch you out, you're gonna challenge it,
and you're gonna walk to first and you're gonna score
a run.

Speaker 2 (01:11:08):
He goes, Can we just play baseball? Yeah, nobody's stopping you.
He says, we're humans. Can we just be judged by humans?
Do we really need to disrupt the game? I think
humans are defined by humans? What does that even mean?
What does that mean? Humans are defined by humans? If
you're getting it right because of something you're implementing, because
they couldn't get it right often enough, I don't understand

(01:11:30):
the problem of it.

Speaker 3 (01:11:31):
We'll help explain it to you when we come back
on the other side.

Speaker 4 (01:11:33):
In addition, we'll finally get to ask you, guys, if
you're down with occ.

Speaker 1 (01:11:39):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety two lifelong
Houston sports guys named Adham Talking Your Teams series, Adam
Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team A Team.

Speaker 4 (01:12:01):
Four o'clock on a Wednesday edition of The A Team.
Another couple of hours with us, and then a couple
of hours after that you get Rockets basketball as the
San Antonio Spurs fulfill the last spot of the rockets
last eight games that included nothing but back to backs.
Last night, both teams were on the court. Rockets got
to win at Toyota Center and the hometown heroes get

(01:12:22):
up which they will be wearing again tonight over the
Milwaukee Bucks, while the Spurs couldn't quite handle one of
the worst teams in the league last night, the New
Orleans Pelicans, and they will be in town as the
Rockets tried to continue to maintain at least their position
in the Western Conference, although with the schedule they have
a chance to enhance it with.

Speaker 3 (01:12:40):
A victory over the Spurs.

Speaker 4 (01:12:41):
Have that game for you right here on Sports Talk
seven ninety eight to thirty tip eight o'clock, we'll have
Rockets cap down seven thirty, we will have the program
that leads you into our Rockets coverage, that is the
Launch bat Ross.

Speaker 3 (01:12:53):
Villareal will have that for you.

Speaker 4 (01:12:54):
And of course this game can be found on Space
City Home Network, where you can also see us each
and every weekday afternoon most of the days three to six. Today,
we've just come on the air with you in light
of the Astros game, dipping into the early portion of
our show only a little bit today because the Nationals
gooldn't scor any runs from ber Valdez made a spring
training debut, two very quick sharp innings Jiner Diez Homeward

(01:13:19):
and the Astros now prepare for their game tomorrow, which
will be very fun to note who is expected to
be in the lineup for them. We left you with
some baseball chatter, so we'll close the book on that
briefly here to open this four o'clock segment, and then
get you into some of the meat and potatoes, the
serious side of the vest at the NFL. Combine your

(01:13:40):
general manager, Nick Casserio, then we'll ease you into occ
out of context. Caserio coming up as soon as we
wrap up the how much he likes his team portion
of what we're sharing with you today.

Speaker 3 (01:13:52):
Max Scherzer is a pitcher.

Speaker 4 (01:13:55):
That is the explanation of why he feels and says
what he did about the abs. I want umpires who
are human and will look at this pitch and say
that probably got over. I know why the hitter's not
gonna swing at my pitch, and I love that this
umpire is going to give me that strike.

Speaker 3 (01:14:15):
I don't have to throw a strike.

Speaker 4 (01:14:18):
I just have to and I wish I want you
to go back into the article where he actually says
this so people can understand why this picture and many
pictures will not ever want to see any pitches challenged,
not by the pitcher himself, not by his catcher, and
not by the batter. Because he goes on to talk

(01:14:38):
about hitting your spot. The only spot you should be
hitting that Garner's a strike call is a pitch over
the plate in the proper zone from the ground to
the person's shoulders. Whatever that is deemed to be by
technology or the human. Hitting your spot for a reward

(01:14:59):
is redeem kill us. But it's a learned part of
pitching from the day you got the first baseball in
the mound to currently a system without ABS, and now
you're going to potentially take it away from Max and others,
and they don't like it.

Speaker 2 (01:15:13):
No, And he's his quote about that is so interesting
because I'm just trying to get sped up to game speed,
you know, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm
supposed to be doing here. You can throw as many
bullpins as you want in the world, but that's not real.
You need to get out there and face hitters. There's
a game speed. I need to get back to game
speed with mechanics, how everything works, where you want to

(01:15:34):
deliver the ball, blah.

Speaker 4 (01:15:35):
Blah, talk about spring trainings more. How about this and
where you want to get the ball to. If we're
going to sit there and say it's a laser zone,
then we don't care about if a pitcher hits a
spot or not.

Speaker 3 (01:15:44):
He's saying that like it's a bad thing.

Speaker 4 (01:15:47):
We don't care if you hit your spot unless the
spot is a strike and you want them to call
it a strike, or unless you're intentionally throwing a ball
out of the zone you want the hitter to swing
at because it's a ball, Because you hit your spot.
Hitting your spot is not strike. He's saying he wants
it to be. He's saying it is used to it.
This is what I've grown up with. This is why
I'm a successful major league pitcher. Is almost what I'm hearing.

(01:16:09):
And it's not quite true. He's much better than that.
He can still succeed, but he doesn't want to have
to try. He wants calls. I want a bigger plate.
I want the umpire to reward me for lining my
catcher up and his glove outside the zone, and the
umpire hears a pop and he doesn't see the catcher move,
and he doesn't see the glove move, and he says

(01:16:29):
he hit a spot, ring him up that strike one?

Speaker 3 (01:16:32):
What do you think he wants that? What are you
thinking only get that with humans?

Speaker 2 (01:16:36):
Greg Maddox, I'm sure somebody has asked him about it
by now.

Speaker 3 (01:16:40):
If they haven't, they should have.

Speaker 2 (01:16:41):
And the only reason I say that is because he
is the king of putting a ball not over the
plate and getting a strike call for it a gazillion times.

Speaker 4 (01:16:50):
What they're really really saying is, come on, man, do
you know how good these hitters are. I need to
be able to get them out with pitches a little
little bit outside the zone. I need the right beyond
the black, because if I'm forced to throw strikes that
are only gonna get called strikes if they're actually in
this measured, technologically enhanced zone, which also has problems, as

(01:17:14):
you'll see even later in the article, then it's gonna
increase offense so much, which I don't really care about.
What I care about is I just threw the ball
really well the last five starts in a row, and
we lost five games in a row because they kept
throwing strikes and they kept hitting them. Him specifically, a
twenty five year old Surezer could probably handle this a

(01:17:34):
little bit better. He probably had better swing and miss stuff.
He could throw more strikes that hitters wouldn't get on
top of that wouldn't succeed. It's probably a harder for
him to do that now. And Maddox, we talk about
they're so good. They could hit their spots. He could
throw wherever he wanted. He could fool hitters if hitters
get so good, if hitters adjust to these horrible umpires

(01:17:55):
changing their zones from Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday to Thursday,
he got a four game series, he got four different
ups behind the hole play and now you have four
different zones because of it. Well, the offensive players, the hitters,
they adjust pitchers will be able to do the same.
Greg Maddox would be able to do the same. Like
you're taking the best picture of his era. Okay, if
everybody has to throw strikes and everybody's not getting calls,

(01:18:16):
wouldn't he still be the best pitcher you know who.

Speaker 2 (01:18:18):
Wouldn't have complained and whined like this? And again this
is a good example Olan Ryan yep Bingo. Seriously, first
of all, he wouldn't have complained about anything because he's
Nulan freaking Ryan. Secondly, he wouldn't be like he can't
get it in his zone.

Speaker 3 (01:18:37):
That's what he sounds like right now. I can't.

Speaker 2 (01:18:40):
What you're saying is true. I can't do the job anymore. Well,
if that's the case, because these players do. And by
the way, what.

Speaker 4 (01:18:45):
He's just saying is I want humans out there. That's
what I'm used to and I don't mind that they
miss calls. I think I and.

Speaker 2 (01:18:52):
Whoever else I like it. I want mistakes, That's what
he's saying. I can shorten that for you. I want
mistakes so that I can keep pitching.

Speaker 4 (01:19:00):
They fit a lot of pitchers I think would agree
with him, And that's why I think the vote will
be so difficult for whenever they get to that point.

Speaker 3 (01:19:06):
Because the hitters get the vote on this too.

Speaker 4 (01:19:08):
They'll take their missed strikes because they want their missed
balls to be called strikes. Yeah, it's okay, I should
have struck him out. That was an O two pitch.
It caught the bottom of his zone, loll and away,
and you hosed me. Okay, Well, I guess I'll just
have to throw another one and maybe i'll get that call,
or maybe i'll get the same spot and you'll get it. Right,

(01:19:29):
I'll take it because they just want more of it.
They want a bigger plate, and this will eliminate that
is as humans give a bigger plate. And we went
through all that data that the athletic gathered to show that.

Speaker 2 (01:19:39):
Yeah, that is why the part of his quote from
earlier in the article, he says, I get what we're
trying to do here, but I think major league umpires
are really good.

Speaker 3 (01:19:47):
They're really good.

Speaker 2 (01:19:48):
Yeah, keep emphasizing how these guys who are absolutely so
bad at their job that we had to get computers
involved are good so that you can sway the vote.

Speaker 4 (01:19:57):
We're gonna shift to Cassearra after I get one quick
role play for you. I'm the report of your max sures.
Or repeat that line and I'll interrupt you when necessary
when you're talking about I know what we're trying to
do here.

Speaker 3 (01:20:06):
A gel, what we're trying to do here? Get the
calls right see, because you don't get what they're trying,
which is to do here.

Speaker 2 (01:20:12):
Why we're having this conversation. It's why it's being implemented,
and it's why I hope again it's not even being
implemented because I think you know what Matt and other
people have said non stop, you're just going to get
a challenge system. It's like a hybrid of what this
actually is.

Speaker 4 (01:20:30):
Currently nothing full system. They're both dealt with like they're extremes.
We'll find some sort of it's not in the middle,
but some push from either direction and real quick.

Speaker 2 (01:20:40):
Don't you think major League Baseball wants this because the
hitters are so good, because you know what that means
more offense, which means more eyeballs.

Speaker 4 (01:20:49):
Very well could be the case, and there's definitely more
on this topic and part of the technology of it
is something we need to address also, if not today
as certainly as we roll through spring training. But did
want to begin discussion from the combine with Nick Cassario,
the Texans general manager.

Speaker 3 (01:21:04):
I told you we're going to have some fun with him.

Speaker 4 (01:21:06):
We're going to start with the serious nature of what
takes place at the combine. You heard his long form
comment on CJ. Stroud earlier on the show. It is
pretty simple with what he views with his team, where
they are and where they need to go.

Speaker 3 (01:21:21):
He keeps it very, very simple here.

Speaker 8 (01:21:23):
We got one of the best head coaches in the league.
We got one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
We feel like we have some really good young players.
So just try to continue to build and take advantage
of our opportunities and be smart about it.

Speaker 3 (01:21:32):
Again, I'm going to try to keep this all simple.

Speaker 4 (01:21:34):
We're not going to sit here and listen to forty
five seconds, two minutes, three minutes of answers. We have
a good quarterback, we have a good head coach. We
need to do things correctly to get to that next level,
very smartly and correctly. He did also profess his love
for his head coach, and I think you're going to
love what you're hearing from the love Master.

Speaker 8 (01:21:51):
I love the guy personally and professionally. His consistency on
a day to day basis his message, how he handles
the team, it resonates, and he's one of the head
coaches in the league. I don't think anybody would argue that.
So we're very fortunate to have him in a position
that he's in.

Speaker 4 (01:22:05):
Think about that. I don't think anybody would argue with that.
And we do have the NFLPA assessment from internally the
Texans players on their coach.

Speaker 3 (01:22:16):
There's thirty two coaches in the league.

Speaker 4 (01:22:17):
The statement he just made, do you think there would
be much pushback on that, even though he clearly hasn't
won anything of great significance.

Speaker 3 (01:22:24):
Not when you're talking to players only, which is what
that's about.

Speaker 4 (01:22:26):
Yeah, Well, I'm talking about the general public and reporters
and people who cover the league.

Speaker 3 (01:22:30):
I think fans.

Speaker 2 (01:22:32):
I think that you might get a little bit of well,
let's see a little bit. Let's let's wait and see
maybe one more year, because before you start comparing him
among the all time greats, which is not what he's
doing just the current great. But yeah, I mean he's
not one of the bad ones, that's for sure. I
mean that's that's a low bar. He's not a bad coach. Well,
can you start there, headline not a bad coach. Yeah,

(01:22:52):
that's a low bar, but I think that's reasonable. It's
a starting point. He's not Andy Reid, he's not one
of the hardballs. Maybe he's not either the hars. Maybe
he's not even Pete Carroll. He's back in the league.

Speaker 3 (01:23:03):
Is he better or worse than Sean Payton? It's a well,
Sean Payton does a hardware and he does not. Yeah,
but that was in New Orleans.

Speaker 4 (01:23:09):
He's the same person, same coach, different organization, different organization.
The uh, the meat and potatoes of Caserio still got
a little bit more of that. So hang with us.
We'll get to the fun stuff too.

Speaker 1 (01:23:23):
The age on Sports Talk seven ninety, I'm flensing Adam Wexler,
our eighteen returns the.

Speaker 5 (01:23:31):
Fans here, you hear the woods.

Speaker 1 (01:23:34):
It's just those crazy Houstonians find Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:23:44):
All Right, we've been we've been teasing this for far
too long. I need to know what.

Speaker 5 (01:23:51):
Was it?

Speaker 3 (01:23:51):
O CC Yeah, CCC I missed. I missed it up,
didn't I. You're familiar with the song, right, yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:23:59):
Okay, Well the first letter is oh in that song
and in this Okay, I couldn't remember what you said.

Speaker 4 (01:24:04):
Occ stands for something when I ask if you're down
with it, I'm not doing this out of context, Casario.

Speaker 3 (01:24:13):
Oh, okay, okay, I just keep going. We'll get to
mess up.

Speaker 4 (01:24:18):
There's more meat and potatoes, the hard stuff, the serious stuff,
the lovey w stuff. If you thought Dick Casario loved
his head coach, which he literally word for word, just said,
he took it a step further, professing how awesome the
relationship is and how great his head coaches.

Speaker 5 (01:24:36):
I'll go to war with this guy.

Speaker 8 (01:24:38):
So whatever he needs, whatever he thinks we need to do,
we talk about it. We have good conversations. We view
football through the same lens. A lot of times I'm talking,
he's thinking, he's thinking I'm talking. So we see it
through the same kind of I mean, he's old school
in a lot of ways, but he has a very
personal touch, and the players respect the hell out of him,

(01:24:58):
and he's so consistent and when you walk in the building,
you feel his energy. You feel his juice. And there's
a reason why players want to come to Houston. It's
to play for Demiko, and it's to play for the players.
With the players that are in the locker room. I
try to get the hell out of the way and
just try to be a good resource for Dimiko as
much as I can.

Speaker 4 (01:25:17):
It was just one day, though, when Dimiko said, we
see the game the same way, and I don't think
Nick had to hear Demiko say that to think, oh,
that'd be a good thing to say tomorrow and come
up with that. Yeah. Yeah, he said that. Maybe I
should say the same thing and people will believe it.
It's probably being said because it's true. It's probably what
he said at the end, which I pretty sure the

(01:25:38):
very smart social media and creative team over at the
Houston Texans will be utilizing a lot of that sound
there and the discussion about their head coach. There's some
very good video where you say where Nick is saying
you can feel him in the building, his energy, his juice.
There's plenty of video to put with that. You know
Nick talking on top of the video, and then bottom

(01:25:59):
Porsche your screen is Tomiko running up and down the
sidelines pumping his fist. Whatever, there's so much and he's
right on the money, and I do think what he
said at the end matters. The money matters most, and
Nick will handle whatever it is they're gonna pay. These
outside players choosing to come in, But playing for Jamiico
Ryans does matter. That also elevates your status among NFL

(01:26:22):
head coaches. Winning is the only thing that truly matters.
But he just, in my mind, he just hasn't done
that yet. He's been two years into this, They've won
a division twice, they've won a home playoff game twice,
they've finished in the final eight twice. They haven't done
anything of great significance when you're comparing him to other
coaches who clearly have. We just ran through a few

(01:26:43):
of them, and each of the coaches that won their
games in the round they lost, they've already done more
than him, the number of coaches that have won Super Bowls.
But Nick will offer this amount of money, and the
agent and the player will discuss it, and if the
money there isn't significantly worse, they're certainly comparable. You're gonna
have a good chance that they'll be choosing to play
here because they know what it's like because they know

(01:27:04):
somebody on the team or they know somebody who knows
the situation there, and they're going to have such a
good feeling about it, they're going to believe they're that
next piece or this is going to be good and or.

Speaker 3 (01:27:14):
Fun to play there.

Speaker 4 (01:27:16):
Technans also made a fairly interesting choice with their new
offensive line coach because their offensive line was bad last
year and this was the assistant offensive line coach. You've
heard a little bit from Demiko on why they felt
promoting Cole Popovich was the right thing to do. You
heard a little bit of Nick Kaylee the other day
the new OC about why he remains on staff and
has slid into that new fully in charge of the

(01:27:38):
offensive line position. This was Cassario's assessment of how they
reached the decision and are ready to move forward with
their new offensive line coach, Cole Popovich.

Speaker 8 (01:27:45):
Pull's got a lot of experience and been in the
league for a number of years. You know, the players
had Again, you're not going based off of what players think,
but they felt there was some positive and I'd say
some of the offensive coordinators that we talked about had
reference Cole as somebody that they would want to potentially
consider like separate from us. So all right, well the
guys here who doesn't make sense? How does Nick Cayley

(01:28:08):
feel about it? How do we have a few other
candidates that also had identified Cole as somebody?

Speaker 5 (01:28:13):
I think Cole was, you.

Speaker 8 (01:28:14):
Know, highly thought of in the league and opportunity externally
away from Houston last year. He decided to stay in Houston.
So we'll see how it goes. You know, I'm sure
there's some things that Cole is going to do kind
of put his spin on it, But once we kind
of get started, we'll kind of have a better idea
what that looks like.

Speaker 2 (01:28:31):
You already know my favorite part of that sound by right,
put his spin on it. Nope, but I want you
to keep guessing.

Speaker 3 (01:28:37):
Uh, he had opportunities to leave but chose to stay here. No,
it doesn't even have to do with Popovic. Okay, I
don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:28:44):
I want to know what Nick Cayley thinks about it.
I asked you when he was hired how much you
thought he would be involved in the and it's easy
to say, of course he's gonna be involved.

Speaker 3 (01:28:51):
He's a new OC.

Speaker 2 (01:28:52):
But like I want him I want him in the
trenches of all of these type of decisions because I'm
so hell bent on this line getting better, and as
a byproduct of that, CJ being who we all know
he probably is, versus this garbage we saw last season
that I want.

Speaker 3 (01:29:13):
It's why, that's why Bobby Slowik isn't here.

Speaker 4 (01:29:16):
Yeah, but I also think there's different circumstances in addition
to what you're saying. Because Cassario, Kayley, and Popovich this
is the second time they've all worked together in the
same place.

Speaker 2 (01:29:28):
They all worked together, they had a big time success.

Speaker 3 (01:29:32):
Only there's a relationship already.

Speaker 4 (01:29:34):
It's not like, well, I don't know what what Cole
Popovich was like this past year. Is the assistant offensive
line coach. So I don't have anything. He already knows him,
he already knows what he can do. He's not keeping
him in place because of what he's heard around the league.
He's keeping him in place because of what he thinks
of him. I would assume partially, but again from their
time together in New England.

Speaker 2 (01:29:51):
Am I selling them to Am I gassing them up
too much by saying they're an offensive life. They're a
good not great even they're a good offensive line away
from being among those teams, and those quarterbacks you're always
asking me where do you put them in the hierarchy
of things? Like we just got done, so I know

(01:30:14):
it's very very small sample size. We just got them
talking about. You know, when Patrick Mahomes got pressured, things
didn't go very well.

Speaker 3 (01:30:22):
I mean, you can't tell.

Speaker 2 (01:30:24):
Me this season's Chiefs if you gave you know, CJ
the proper protection that the Texans wouldn't at least be
challenging them more than they were.

Speaker 4 (01:30:33):
Forget the record that was ridiculously stupid. It wasn't a
season long problem for the Chiefs. It was a one
afternoon problem. They won every game he played except for one, right,
and then they lost the.

Speaker 3 (01:30:43):
Super Bowl against the best in the NFL. Lost seven times.

Speaker 2 (01:30:48):
Yeah, but one of the main reasons they lost, and
in some cases they should They still shouldn't have lost
those games. See the Packers and I'm sure I'm leaving
the Jets game, I still can't expec that's like the
Carolina Panthers game from the year before, like what happened?
What are we even doing here? But like the Packers game,
you lost on a last second field goal with them

(01:31:09):
getting after him.

Speaker 4 (01:31:11):
Right, you also drove right down the field to go
put the game away and kicked a field goal to
take the lead instead of punching it in the end
zone to win the game.

Speaker 3 (01:31:19):
In my opinion, that's CJ's fault. Oh well, I think
that that was that play call to Tank Dell when
he wouldn't have even been in.

Speaker 4 (01:31:29):
Position to get the first down and the throwers out
of bounds and he was out of bounds.

Speaker 3 (01:31:32):
That was probably an awful play. And the wide open
play in the back of the end zone that he
missed against Detroit, that's fault.

Speaker 4 (01:31:38):
How about the same game they should have had a touchdown, Yeah,
and they dropped passing the end zone. I mean, there's
a lot of different factors, but you brought up Kayley
in this conversation.

Speaker 8 (01:31:46):
Well.

Speaker 4 (01:31:46):
Casario was also asked about kind of his involvement as
as it relates to where things are and how they'll
move forward.

Speaker 3 (01:31:52):
With him in this new position.

Speaker 8 (01:31:54):
We've given them some players to evaluate, both collegiately and
proferre agency as well, So if agency will be here,
you know before we know it, so we want their input.
How do you view the player how do you see
the roles different than maybe what we think.

Speaker 5 (01:32:05):
So that'll be the first step.

Speaker 4 (01:32:07):
That's talking about Nick Cayley, who's not there. Demiko rians
told everybody yesterday he was not among the coaches or
staff members that are there with them at the combine.
He's obviously new the position, leaving him there in Houston
with a lot of the offensive staff to work on
all these things. Nick was also Nick Cassario was referencing
the work they're doing on the draft. They have plenty

(01:32:27):
of people that were in house coaching wise that we're
working on the draft, and now they're working with Nick
Keyley on that. So it goes to a lot of
what you've said.

Speaker 3 (01:32:35):
I want.

Speaker 4 (01:32:36):
We know Dimiko's involved on the defensive side. He's the
head coach and he runs the defense. He's probably involved
to a lesser degree on the offensive side evaluating prospects
and maybe a little bit higher on NFL players and
free agency. But that's where you're bringing Kayley in to
do some of the same. One thing on this from Demiico,
we didn't mention because it was not during his public

(01:32:57):
portion of speaking, but rather his in house media of
speaking from the combine He was describing some of his
interactions with Nick Cayley and that they're sitting down and
talking and they're you know, they're thinking about this. And
he said, you know, half the time or some of
the time, when I'm talking to him, it feels like
I'm talking to Sean talking about Sean McVay. He's likening
the way that he goes about his business to Sean McVay.

(01:33:19):
And I don't doubt that, not just because they were
there for two years together, because Kaylee's coaching career is
much more time spent not with Sean McVay two years
with him and ten years elsewhere.

Speaker 3 (01:33:30):
But I do think there's an element.

Speaker 4 (01:33:32):
And this is what I gathered from what Demiko had
said publicly about what he'd heard about him, what other
teams were also interviewing Kaylee for offensive coordinator positions, not
just for the first time this year, and this is
a lot of what I think we heard from It
also makes me say what we said a year ago
with Bobby Slowick, reasonable chance Nick Cayley's here just this year.

(01:33:53):
I think he's that highly thought of around the league,
and if they take that next step, he'll get a
lot of the credit for it, and he might get
the head coaching opening and interview that pushes him out
of here. Well, slide the castereo fund after our signature segment,
which is next. It's Wednesday, Wednesday's bs. That's what's next.

Speaker 1 (01:34:15):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety speaking of Wednesday,
eight dollars specialty burgers and whiskey Wednesdays five bucks after
five pm.

Speaker 3 (01:34:26):
That's about thirty minutes from now.

Speaker 2 (01:34:28):
When you walk into any of the thirteen area locations
for Big City Wings, it's Houston's wing Joint and they've
got everything you need.

Speaker 3 (01:34:37):
If it's a day of the week, what's likes to
tell you? They've got a special.

Speaker 4 (01:34:40):
Yeah, every day, every day that ends in y, which
is awesome. Daily specials on food and drink. Just mentioned
the Wednesday special on the grub and again there's more
two Big City Wings than just wings, even though the
wings are awesome, bone in or boneless right there at
one of your thirteen area Big City Wings locations. Big
Citywings dot Com is where you can find out all
you need to know about the locations new do you

(01:35:00):
info on more locations because so many of you are
enjoying what you got with Wallwall TV's great family atmosphere,
tremendous menu, great drinks, cocktails and everything.

Speaker 3 (01:35:10):
Goes along with it. Oh yeah, crawfish too.

Speaker 4 (01:35:14):
Go find Big Citywings dot com and then go enjoy
Houston's wing joint.

Speaker 7 (01:35:18):
This is Joyce Potty.

Speaker 6 (01:35:20):
Listen to the Astros on your radio and on the
free iHeartRadio app Sports Talk seven ninety it's your home
Phil Astros Baseball.

Speaker 1 (01:35:32):
A little help over the hump with some Wednesday bs,
two atoms.

Speaker 3 (01:35:37):
And a whole lot of bit stealing, bit.

Speaker 1 (01:35:39):
Stealing with the bit stealers, better known as the eighteen.

Speaker 4 (01:35:44):
Signa segment time around four thirty each and every weekd
afternoon on the eighteen. That's what we do, a little
bit of a hat tip to those that share the
airwaves with us here on Sports Talk seven ninety or
sometimes you just go straight for the B and the
S and just come up with something that's just really,
what are you guys doing? That is a big pile
of well, you know today, what are we doing?

Speaker 6 (01:36:10):
Astros over reactions on the eighteen seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:36:21):
So do we have to thank for this segment? It's
Matt Thomas Show. Thomas Show.

Speaker 6 (01:36:27):
Okay, during during the season, they'll and they'll do some
t o's or even some ros. And also to our
friends up to the north, the Rangers ros with them.

Speaker 3 (01:36:36):
Okay, what's a and what's an r t O?

Speaker 6 (01:36:39):
Texans overreaction and local ros rockets over reactions.

Speaker 3 (01:36:43):
Okay, what are we doing today?

Speaker 6 (01:36:45):
We're doing astros overreactions. Cam Smith's Spring, well it wasn't
his debut, but his strong spring performance yesterday sent the
Twitter world a buzz. One of them was somebody posting
a picture of Dana Brown saying, imagine getting fleeced in
a deal by this guy.

Speaker 4 (01:37:03):
Well, we actually had Dana Brown on the air talking
about it. We were also on the air talking about it.
You miss that. You can catch the entire podcast of
yesterday's program brief as it was right there on our
site sports Talk seven to ninety dot com. We know
you're already subscribing to the podcast. We also know you
have us number one on your presets, right there on
the iHeartRadio app, so you can either have been listening

(01:37:25):
to it live yesterday or listened to it at your leisure.
And we were in that very same boat from the
are we really overreacting or are we saying what we
actually truly believe he needs to be on the opening
day roster. They need to not wait for a quote
unquote September call up. They didn't just make a trade
with the Cubs. They traded Kyle Tucker and got Kyle

(01:37:47):
Tucker in return. One of the best five hitters in
the National League very possibly is Kyle Tucker. How soon
in our future is one of the best handful of
hitters in the American League. Cam Smith. We're really saying
these things about the player. The only player in Major
League Baseball spring training with a five thousand OPS, the

(01:38:10):
only player one thousand if you need him. I mean,
there's there's a couple guys in the three thousands. You know,
nobody in the four thousands, five thousand OPS, four plate
appearances into putting on an Astros uniform. And again, who's
better than that? As Jim Harbaugh, John Harbaugh and their

(01:38:31):
very saying Dad might say, who's got it better than this?

Speaker 3 (01:38:35):
Nobody?

Speaker 4 (01:38:36):
The Astros have it better than anybody because they have
Cam Smith.

Speaker 2 (01:38:41):
Yeah, I saw somebody talking about Kyle Tucker's postseason numbers.
You know, this is one of those make yourself feel better.

Speaker 4 (01:38:49):
What's a higher number Cam Smith's spring training homers or
Kyle Tucker's postseason homers.

Speaker 3 (01:38:55):
I think it's a tie, right.

Speaker 4 (01:38:57):
You think he only has two postseason homers?

Speaker 3 (01:38:59):
Well, I know he has a two in Game two
of the World Series. You think that's it? Or Game
one of the World's No other homers? I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:39:05):
I don't think so he has six other homers? Uh?

Speaker 3 (01:39:07):
What were they? You want me to.

Speaker 4 (01:39:09):
Run through all six Kyle Tucker's postseason homers in mind?
He could properly react to this AO, Yes, all right. Well,
in the ALCS clinch twenty nineteen, he helped the Astros
with his zero home run postseason, So that wasn't one
of the years he hit any home runs.

Speaker 3 (01:39:26):
Let's move on to another year. Another Let's go to
twenty twenty.

Speaker 4 (01:39:29):
Somehow, the Astros made it to the postseason again, and
late late late in the twenty twenty postseason, during the
near miracle comeback from down three to nothing to Tampa
in the empty stadium, he homered in Game six, which
obviously the Astros won. So two postseasons into Kyle Tucker's
postseason career he had a homer, and then he'd played

(01:39:51):
in twenty two games. He had one homer in his
first twenty two games in the postseason, But twenty twenty
one came, and so did Kyle Tucker's post He's in
bat two homers in the White Sox series that they
dominated m In a game they scored nine runs he homered,
and a game that scored six runs. He also homered
in that game. Then played the Red Sox. What did

(01:40:13):
they do to The Red Sox beat him in six games?

Speaker 3 (01:40:16):
Beat them.

Speaker 4 (01:40:16):
Kyle Tucker homer two more times in that series. Scored
five runs in both of those games, including the Game
six clincher.

Speaker 3 (01:40:23):
Yep, he homered in that game. Ryan Presley was on
the mound to clinch that Game six.

Speaker 4 (01:40:27):
Then they went to the World Series. Was dastardly Atlanta Braves.

Speaker 3 (01:40:31):
Stupid Atlanta. He did not homer in that series. Well,
nobody else did either except for roseel Tuove.

Speaker 4 (01:40:36):
Then the Astros played a team that, well, they can't
beat anybody in a real series post wild Card series.
They played the Seattle Mariners to open up the twenty
twenty two postseason. He homered in one of those three wins,
Game two, Game two, Yeah, because it was one part
of a four to two victory.

Speaker 3 (01:40:53):
Only you're not homered in that game.

Speaker 4 (01:40:54):
Yeah, homered once in that series. That was his lone RBI.

Speaker 3 (01:40:57):
Payn you homered in Game three because no one else
did anything, Kyle Tucker had two hits.

Speaker 4 (01:41:02):
Kyle Tucker only struck out seven times in that three
game series, only seven times. And then the two postseason
homers you have already mentioned against the Phillies, and the
Astros could not win in extra innings, they lost six
to five.

Speaker 2 (01:41:16):
So when they were sweeping everybody to get to that
game that they finally lost for the first time in
that postseason, he had not homered up until that point
in that postseason.

Speaker 4 (01:41:24):
Correct, he homered against Seattle, and then he homered, Oh
that's right, the Philadelphia. And then the final postseason home
run in Kyle Tucker's major league career to date was
against the Minnesota Twins in the Pivotal Swing. Game three series,
tied a game apiece, Game three, Kyle Tucker had a knock.

(01:41:44):
It went over the fence and it helped propel the
Astros to an eight run victory.

Speaker 3 (01:41:49):
They won nine to one.

Speaker 2 (01:41:51):
I think the fact that the Astros lost every home
game of the ALCS against the stupid Ranger in twenty
twenty three, and you largely got nothing.

Speaker 4 (01:42:05):
I take it back. I knew I had that wrong.
He did not homer in his last two postseasons.

Speaker 2 (01:42:09):
Right, Okay, so sorry, as but you know it's perfect
for what I was finishing up saying.

Speaker 4 (01:42:13):
So camp Sys is better than Kyle Tucker is what
you were about to say.

Speaker 3 (01:42:16):
I got it.

Speaker 2 (01:42:16):
Well, I was getting to that at the end. But listen,
it's what have you done for me lately? And as
this guy is about to ask for a gajillion dollars
from somebody, may be at the Cubs or someone else.

Speaker 3 (01:42:26):
I don't think he's coming back to Houston on a
huge deal.

Speaker 2 (01:42:30):
You are, You are pointing to your homerless and largely
I mean that twenty twenty three postseason.

Speaker 3 (01:42:40):
I just I feel like the whole time six hits,
What do you want?

Speaker 2 (01:42:43):
I feel like the whole time during that postseason, we
were we were wanting more from him, specifically, as I recall,
I could be misremembering it.

Speaker 3 (01:42:50):
Oh, you're remembering it accurately. It's okay.

Speaker 2 (01:42:53):
Now, everybody needed to do something last year because the
postseason lasted two whole game. He played two games, right,
So I'm not gonna I'm not gonna ding him for that.

Speaker 4 (01:43:00):
But you know what, six postseasons of his career, he
batted two oh four or worse than four of those
six postseasons. He had an ops of seven six or
worse in five of those six post seasons.

Speaker 3 (01:43:15):
Again to do the recency bias theme.

Speaker 4 (01:43:18):
So in other words, while talking about cam smith excellence,
it's time to rip apart as former astro.

Speaker 3 (01:43:24):
I need to feel better about this offseason.

Speaker 2 (01:43:26):
What do you want from me? He had looked They
got better last year when he went on the shelf
with his bruise. Very explainable, made perfect sense. Oh, I
did leave out the part where he was awesome before
he got hurt.

Speaker 4 (01:43:40):
He had a part of my narrative here, which was
the most productive season of his career, just was a
partial season. Hadn't had an ops over nine to seventeen
until last year when it was at nine to ninety three.
That's basically not Aaron judge, but otherwise the best the
American League.

Speaker 2 (01:43:58):
I wonder what happens last season if he doesn't get
hurt both to the team and him.

Speaker 4 (01:44:01):
Now they probably win the division to make the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (01:44:03):
Yeah, that's what they always do.

Speaker 4 (01:44:05):
There you go, Cam Smith, proper reaction, best player ever
never been retired in an Astros uniform starting opening day.

Speaker 3 (01:44:13):
Yeah for the Bass Cowboys.

Speaker 7 (01:44:17):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 9 (01:44:22):
Adam Clinton, ad Adam Wegford, the A team.

Speaker 3 (01:44:34):
Back with you here.

Speaker 4 (01:44:35):
We will figure out if in fact you are down
with occ for football at five coming up in just
a few minutes. Astros baseball again tomorrow. Was there today?
I from Vervaldez start a couple of innings from him
and then seven shutout innings from the rest of the staff.
But he had a couple more regulars in the lineup today,
Janner Diaz, and he homered. Also, he was doing the

(01:44:56):
catching for the first few pitchers, including from Vervaldez.

Speaker 3 (01:44:59):
Peretis A walked today.

Speaker 4 (01:45:00):
He was a designated hitter for the Houston Astros, and
you might have seen a pitcher at least keep himself
in the minds of the Astros as they look for
bullpen arms. Blake Wyman striking out five batters over his
final two innings. Logan van Way, one of their prospects,
with a couple or three strikeouts over his two innings

(01:45:21):
of work and Luis Contreras, who was part of the
team last year up and down from the Miners as
the closer and the Miners and part of their bullpen
last year. Miguel Castro pitched today. He was a player
they added from the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's got some postseason
experience and obviously some major league experience, and with so
much uncertainty, and with a pair of injuries to Sean

(01:45:42):
Duban and Caleb Ort, there's some opportunities for these guys
to If they can impress, then maybe there's a spot
for them at some point, either at the beginning of
the year or some point during the year.

Speaker 3 (01:45:52):
Tomorrow, the Astros will be back on the field, and we.

Speaker 4 (01:45:55):
Noted earlier we'll bring that game to you via a
tape delayed basis at seven o'clock if we wrap things up.

Speaker 3 (01:46:01):
They got the game with the Mets.

Speaker 4 (01:46:02):
Joe Spotta giving indications today that we will for the
first time see both jord On Alvarez and Jeremy Pania.
They will make their spring debuts tomorrow. Have to imagine
the designated hitter will be yord On Alvarez, Jeremy Pania,
will be playing short and he also mentioned Cam Smith
will be playing third base from.

Speaker 3 (01:46:22):
The start of the game.

Speaker 4 (01:46:24):
Oh yeah, he played third base in their most recent game.
He's going to get a lot of work at third base,
despite the fact he's probably not going to be the
Astros third baseman this year, but maybe in light of
the fact that Jose Altuve is a left fielder listed
as a left fielder, has his left fielders glove in hand.
According to Julia Morales, the hand of his second base

(01:46:45):
glove now is some child who he gave it to
at spring training today, though I bet you he can
get another one if he ever needs it. If you're
gonna tell me that Jose Altuve is playing less than
ten games at second base, then that's sounds to me
like at some point during spring training Istak Perretis has
to play some innings at second base. You do now

(01:47:07):
need many options, that's a given right well. Brendan Rodgers
also got the start today at second base. He's an
established major leaguer, but he's not coming off a very
productive season, and he also has awful splits when it
comes to playing in Colorado where he was a Rocky
and playing not in Colorado, which he will likely be
for the rest of his career, including this year. But

(01:47:29):
that's the type of player that probably has a good
chance to make the team. And he can play saying
bass every single day if you want, We'll see what
his offense is like, and that would take him back
out of the lineup potentially, And obviously Mauricio can play there.
But if you've got one hundred and sixty two games
to fill or one hundred and fifty games to fill
at second and none of them are going to Jose
al Tuve, I don't think any other players catching eighty

(01:47:51):
five percent of those starts. And if Cam Smith's going
to join the team at some point this year, we
just put him on the team last segment. He's the
third baseman. He doesn't have experience playing the outfield. He
is in an outfielder. He's gonna get experience playing an
outfield position during camp at times, during games at times.
And I imagine if he starts the year in minor leagues,
which he likely will, he'll also get time there. But

(01:48:13):
in twenty twenty eight, when Cam Smith and is an
established Major leaguer, it's a pretty good chance he's an
established third basement. He might really be Kyle Tucker and
be the Astros immediate right field answer sometime during this
year and maybe for the years he and Peretis are
teammates together. Maybe, but he might still also end up
at third base, where he'll get the start tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (01:48:37):
Like just look into your crystal ball into the future.
That's where he winds up long term future. Not necessarily
a creator, not create a position, but you know what
I mean, it's he's gonna be their third baseman.

Speaker 3 (01:48:51):
There's only two spots for him.

Speaker 4 (01:48:52):
They're gonna play him in right field because that's where
they he fits best if he's not playing third base.

Speaker 3 (01:48:57):
But he's a third baseman. You know, my crystal ball,
I just get.

Speaker 4 (01:49:00):
I think he's their starting third baseman in three years
or less because they do have the Perettis can be
moved again, by the way, but they have control of
this player.

Speaker 3 (01:49:09):
He's not making crazy money yet.

Speaker 4 (01:49:11):
He's gonna probably keep getting raises though, from five million
to eight million to twelve million. If his offense is
helping your team, then you're just gonna keep him. And
unless he can show you they can play second base
if that position remains open, well, then you don't have
a spot necessarily for campswith al two.

Speaker 3 (01:49:29):
Ba's an experiment. He's learning the position.

Speaker 4 (01:49:32):
He's played almost a decade and a half of Major
League baseball in the infield at one spot. He doesn't
know how to play outfield. He doesn't play the outfield.
It's not been an outfielder. Cam Smith's twenty two. He's
played third base for a short time in college. He's
played third base for an even shorter time as a professional,
just the end of last season after he was drafted.
He can probably be taught to play not only outfield,

(01:49:55):
but very good outfield, and probably in very short order.

Speaker 2 (01:49:59):
Yeah, I just, I mean, I mean my thing is
and what you were talking about yesterday. You know we're
the and again this is contingent upon one way or
the other. How the Astros come out of the gate
in twenty twenty five, Like, don't you think? Let me
be careful how I'm phrasing this.

Speaker 4 (01:50:18):
Yes, I think they will win more than twelve of
their first thirty six games. I feel very common, which
they didn't last year. They won exactly twelve of their
first thirty six.

Speaker 2 (01:50:27):
Say brutal, you never I mean, if you would have
told me any of us that that's how they were
gonna start, and they'd still win the division, and they'd
still I mean, they only played two playoff games, so
it wasn't really a run. But like, because Alex Bregman
isn't here slow starting, and by the way, if he
blazes out of the gates for Boston, everybody in Houston's
gonna be very upset because he never did that here,

(01:50:47):
not once. But I just I wonder how much pressure
will build if they don't, if they get off to
a sluggish start for a cam Smith, or even if
how far down the road or how far down the
list of decisions like that would he be.

Speaker 3 (01:51:01):
I mean, I know he's still young. I get it
all that.

Speaker 4 (01:51:04):
He's because of who he is, he's he's more of
a prized prospect than Jacob Melton, but he's not necessarily
the first guy they call up.

Speaker 3 (01:51:13):
Between those two. I mean there's also something to because
the other guy's more seasoned.

Speaker 4 (01:51:19):
Well he's all, he's at least seen triple A pitching,
just triple A pitching.

Speaker 3 (01:51:23):
Camp Smith as that.

Speaker 2 (01:51:24):
Again, I feel like, and again I know I'm getting
way ahead of ourt, but like everything we've heard about
this guy, and I just feel like it's going to
be like almost like it was with Jordan, where we're
just watching him just hit moonshots every single night in
Sugarland or wherever he was, and it's like, okay, when's
it happening.

Speaker 4 (01:51:40):
But he was also, he was in your system when
he was in his mid teens and eighteen, and then
he gets up here and he just starts doing it here.

Speaker 5 (01:51:47):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:51:47):
Well, just for instance, Dylan Cruz LSU unbelievable player, superstar,
offensive performer, very very high pick.

Speaker 3 (01:51:56):
In the draft.

Speaker 4 (01:51:57):
He's not yet a full time major leaguer. He made
his debut last year after getting drafted following the twenty
twenty three LSU season. That's a bet, and he played
against the Astros already during spring training, probably a part
of the Nationals to begin this year. He spent time
in single A, Double A, and Triple A all before

(01:52:18):
making his major league debut one hundred and thirty five games,
which is a very small number, but that's one hundred
and three more minor league games than Cam Smith's played.

Speaker 2 (01:52:27):
You know what I think it is. This is as
superficial as it's gonna get. This is the most. I mean,
this really is a superficial thing to say, but it
doesn't matter because we're talking about athletes here. If camp
Smith didn't look the way he did, I wouldn't say
the stuff.

Speaker 4 (01:52:42):
I mean if he looked like Drew Gilbert, Yes, or
Kyle Tucker when he came up.

Speaker 2 (01:52:47):
Teresa used to call him scrote when she'd see him
on TV. He was so scrawny, he looked like a
bean pole. And then he came back the next year
and he'd put on some mass and all that. But
like camp Smith looks like a monster right now.

Speaker 3 (01:52:58):
He looks like Carlos Lee all ready. Is that what
you're saying.

Speaker 2 (01:53:02):
That's not the guy I would have gone with. That's
a different kind of monster, Frank Thomas, That's a much
larger individual.

Speaker 3 (01:53:10):
Yeah, I'm down. I don't want to wait.

Speaker 7 (01:53:16):
The A Team On Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 1 (01:53:18):
Ninety two, lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham talking your teams,
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A Team as.

Speaker 4 (01:53:40):
Five o'clock here on the A Team, wex and Ac
here with you. It is, Well, there's several days into
the NFL combine, and yet nobody's been on the field
yet that starts tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Players will
go through their on field drills unless they've did out
of doing that, which is usually saved for players recovering

(01:54:05):
from injury or players that are likely to go at
the very very very very very top of the draft.
Abdul Carter from Penn State shoot Or Sanders says he
can come on over to Colorado's pro day if you
want to see me toss the pigskin around.

Speaker 3 (01:54:20):
And I don't.

Speaker 4 (01:54:21):
Begrudge players for making these decisions. I think they can
do it whichever way they deem best. I certainly don't
ever think it's a negative to choose to throw. It
can turn out to be a negative. Things don't go well.
You know, cam Ward's been working on combined drills for
the last couple.

Speaker 3 (01:54:38):
Of days, and he can do what he likes.

Speaker 4 (01:54:42):
Doesn't impact the Texans or a quarterback standpoint, or even
from Carter standpoint, other than, well, wherever these quarterbacks might go,
and you have a team in your division drafting first, well,
it'll impact that. It'll impact which other players there. We'll
see if Jackson Dart actually ends up being a quarterback.

Speaker 3 (01:55:00):
Pretty high in the draft.

Speaker 4 (01:55:01):
Amazing that nearly three hours into the show the first
time we mentioned anything about Ole miss comes now and
has nothing to do with that.

Speaker 3 (01:55:10):
But we'll see what else takes place.

Speaker 4 (01:55:12):
And again, it's always nice and once the players get
on the field, because the things that happen at the
combine or whether you are there covering it or not,
are covering it from afar, you're just not involved in
player interviews. You get to ask questions of the GM
and the coach and that's pretty much it. The player
and interviews are a big deal. They are a big
part of what this week is about. You do have

(01:55:32):
your top thirty visits and there's other opportunities to sit
down in front of players. Debiko kind of described the
other day what he likes from it, and he was
asked about how much he likes to know about players
before they go into an interview where they're coming into
the room. He said, I wouldn't mind not knowing a
whole lot, but our scouting department takes care of that.

Speaker 3 (01:55:51):
For me.

Speaker 4 (01:55:51):
It's inevitable having going to know a tremendous amount about
the player. But he does look at how they command
the room, how they come into the room, the swagger
they might have, and how their personality might suggest how
they fit into what the Texans.

Speaker 3 (01:56:05):
Like to do.

Speaker 4 (01:56:05):
And we know what the Texans like to do on defense,
they like to swarm. Found out a little bit more
about Nick Cassaria and how funny is to poke fun
at had this at our disposal for each of the
years he's been in this position. Wasn't very easy to
poke fun out when he was the right hand man
for Bill Belichick because he just wasn't available very often.
He was a little bit behind the scenes, even though
they worked together for nearly two decades. And now the

(01:56:28):
front man, the executive vice president and general manager of
your Houston Texans. Will find out if you can be
with out of context Casario have grabbed a few items
here each of the first five they're all ten seconds
or lesso, so a little bit out of context. They
might beat a little explanation or they might have you
scratching your head exactly what he's talking about?

Speaker 3 (01:56:50):
What have we talked about?

Speaker 4 (01:56:51):
Since they got to win the division last year they
were the four seed. They made it to the final eight.
They were unable to beat the Baltimore Ravens. In the
divisional round of the playoffs. They essentially did the exact
same thing in year two, unable to win in the
divisional round, this time on the road at the Kansas
City Chiefs. So we've talked a lot about the next step,

(01:57:13):
and we've wondered what that is.

Speaker 3 (01:57:15):
Good news?

Speaker 4 (01:57:16):
The general manager, out of context, answers that.

Speaker 5 (01:57:19):
For us, what's the next step? I mean, I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:57:23):
That was less than ten second, lot, Nick, what's the
next step?

Speaker 3 (01:57:27):
I don't know?

Speaker 4 (01:57:28):
Well, who else should we ask? Do you want us
to ask cal or Hannah? Do you want us to
ask the new team president? You don't know what the
next step is? Thanks a lot for nothing.

Speaker 5 (01:57:39):
Now.

Speaker 4 (01:57:39):
He also is in charge of acquisitions, helping to manage
the cap, making sure there are cap compliant by March
tenth and March twelfth. More to the point, the new
league year. I've got some options on what they can do.
We'll get to the options in a minute, because we'll
make it Christial clear what you can do.

Speaker 3 (01:57:57):
But he describes the.

Speaker 4 (01:58:00):
The way that you can handle things as it relates
to the salary cap.

Speaker 5 (01:58:05):
I mean, it's a cat and mouse game.

Speaker 8 (01:58:06):
You got a bob and weave you gotta be flexible,
you gotta be adaptable.

Speaker 5 (01:58:09):
So that's what we're gonna try to do.

Speaker 3 (01:58:10):
It's a cat and mouse game.

Speaker 4 (01:58:12):
You got a bob and weave now, mind you, he's
saying this while doing some a little bit of a
feeling it out. You know, he's not really a guy
who talks with his hands, but he does move a
lot when he talks. So the salary cap, managing it,
it's a.

Speaker 3 (01:58:27):
Cat and mouse. It's a Muhammad Ali fight, but it's
also a boxing match.

Speaker 4 (01:58:32):
Bobbing and weaving when managing the cap I was unsure
of but now I know. Again Casero's helping us out
a little bit. And again he gets right to the
point here. If you want to know how they're going
to handle things with their cap this year and every year,
he'll tell you.

Speaker 8 (01:58:46):
Can release players, you can restructure players, you can sign extensions,
so we'll entertain all in everything.

Speaker 4 (01:58:54):
I love asking a question about what you guys might do,
and the answer is, here's what you can do.

Speaker 3 (01:59:01):
You can do that.

Speaker 4 (01:59:04):
You might do this point blank end of statement. Well,
that doesn't say anything about what you're gonna do. You're
you're really going to use all options at your disposal
as general manager and executive vice president of the team.
You might restructure a player, you might release. I mean,
I wow, I had no idea. Thanks for shedding the
line on what you might do with them at your fingertails.

Speaker 3 (01:59:26):
You might have text Mechs for dinner tonight. You might not.
He probably would not.

Speaker 4 (01:59:30):
No, that's not really in line with the vegan dietary options.
Do you have any idea of what it takes to
get better as a football player? What would you say
if you were answering the question what would be one
way to get better? If you're a football player you
want to get better, what's one thing you might do?

Speaker 3 (01:59:47):
Add better players to your quarter?

Speaker 5 (01:59:48):
No?

Speaker 3 (01:59:48):
No, no, you're not listening. You're kind of being a GM.

Speaker 5 (01:59:50):
There.

Speaker 4 (01:59:51):
You got to answer the specific question. Some other questions
you want to answer? How can you you are a
football player, Adam, How can you become better at football?
Work harder? Want to work in the off season? Yeah, well,
Nick will help you out with the actual answer. How
do you get better at football?

Speaker 5 (02:00:04):
You get better at football by playing football?

Speaker 3 (02:00:07):
Oh, well that's.

Speaker 4 (02:00:09):
Want don't do like a straight shooter as your GM.
Does that mean that you play Does that mean I
need to go at football? You play football? It's very simple.
Does that mean that I need to go to How
hard you try to figure out what the answer was?
You don't have to think.

Speaker 2 (02:00:20):
But you can't play football in the offseason. So I'm
asking do I need to go to another league?

Speaker 3 (02:00:25):
You play football? Get better football? You play football.

Speaker 4 (02:00:28):
It was a little bit of a question about how
much can you gauge on what you're seeing from college players?

Speaker 3 (02:00:33):
How much have they played? How much do you put
into that?

Speaker 4 (02:00:35):
And it also spawned this answer, which I'm very certain
you you really won't have any idea what he's talking about.

Speaker 8 (02:00:42):
It's definitely evolving, we're certainly aware and cognitant of it,
but it doesn't necessarily shifted how we view players.

Speaker 4 (02:00:50):
He got dangerously close to using the word ecosystem.

Speaker 5 (02:00:53):
There.

Speaker 3 (02:00:54):
He sure did. One more time.

Speaker 4 (02:00:56):
Don't tell me what he's talking about. Say it and
tell me what he's talking about. eCos Now he's a
different person. He'll pronounce it a little bit differently. He
was talking about the shift in college football where college
players are possibly more likely to stay in college longer
and play more football because of nil money, because there's
a little bit of a bonus system in place by

(02:01:17):
playing college football. The quarterback who he and his girlfriend
just have their car stolen. He's in college football for
a little bit longer based on millions of dollars that
he just got from his new school out in FLA. Well,
he can play in the NFL at some point in
the future, but he has more It's not a Nick's
not commenting on the money. He's commenting on well, now
I'm going to get more tape on well Carson Beck,

(02:01:39):
for instance, he's going to play another ten twelve fourteen
games this year. I'll know more about them. Nick kind
of shot that down. Yeah, you know, I don't know
if you're I don't know if that's really shifting. We're
cognizant of it, but I don't know if that's really
shifting the way we think about things. I've saved the
best for last. If you're ready, Oh thank god. When
you ask a question of somebody, not knowing the context
of it and awaiting the answer, what's something you don't

(02:02:03):
like to hear in the answer.

Speaker 3 (02:02:04):
To your question? When I asked them? What now?

Speaker 5 (02:02:07):
Like?

Speaker 4 (02:02:07):
When you ask anybody a question, what do you not
want to hear in their response. No, sometimes you don't
want to hear a question to your question. Yeah, you're
asking them the question. I don't want to hear a
question back if I answer your question with a question.
You hate when people say stuff like that sometimes. And
he didn't preface this comment, this answer to a question

(02:02:28):
with that statement you just said. But you're probably going
to lose count with how many questions he repeats in
an answer to a question he received.

Speaker 5 (02:02:37):
Can you get the players to do the right thing?

Speaker 8 (02:02:39):
Do they understand their assignment? Do they play with the
right technique? Do they play with the right fundamentals? Can
they execute their assignment? They have an understanding of what's
going on? So can you protect the interior to the pocket?
Can you identify the brushers that are most the front?
Do you have an answer to solution as somebody what
they're doing on defense?

Speaker 4 (02:02:57):
I'll help you out here, Nick, as general manager of
a professional football team that has a very serious weakness
at the offensive line position, what are some of the
questions you and your staff ask yourselves as you evaluate
talent along the offensive line.

Speaker 3 (02:03:15):
Let's hear it again.

Speaker 5 (02:03:17):
Can you get the players to do the right thing?

Speaker 8 (02:03:19):
Do they understand their assignment. Do they play with the
right technique, do they play with the right fundamentals?

Speaker 5 (02:03:24):
Can they execute their assignment?

Speaker 8 (02:03:25):
They have an understanding of what's going on, So can
you protect the interior to pocket? Can you identify the
brushers that are most the threat? Do you have an
answer to a solution at what they're doing on defense?

Speaker 4 (02:03:37):
That was nineteen seconds and there were nine questions, But I,
in retrospect now asked him a question that perfectly encapsulated
his answer.

Speaker 3 (02:03:46):
I asked him.

Speaker 4 (02:03:47):
To go inside the scouting process and describe to me
what you and Cole Popovich and the rest of your
scouting staff. What questions are you asking of yourself to
ask of these players you're evaluating when determining if they
will not flop as future of Houston Texans offensive line
draft picks. That's how you can set it up and

(02:04:07):
get That's the proper response to the question, not any
questions in response what they're looking for.

Speaker 3 (02:04:13):
Yeah, here's the problem I have with Nick Cassario. It's
not we're having fun with the general man. I'm not
having fun with this.

Speaker 2 (02:04:20):
It's not even a problem so much as it's a
little peak behind the curtain. I know someone who's pretty
friendly with him, so I know how he talks when
he's not talking to the media about the Texans. And
he's not a cyborg and he's not laconic and robotic
and boring and answering questions with questions like you're pointing

(02:04:44):
out like I get keeping things close to the vest,
and I get not giving away too many things, and
I get having to be professional in a But like,
my goodness, dude, do you talk to you like your
loved ones like this?

Speaker 3 (02:04:58):
Do you talk to people that you're just even friendly with?

Speaker 2 (02:05:01):
Like I would die of bored him if I had
a conversation with this guy.

Speaker 4 (02:05:05):
Reminder this guy again, this has all taken out of context.

Speaker 2 (02:05:09):
He what do you want for dinner? Well, you know,
how are you gonna feel after? How where are you
gonna go to get it? How far away? How much
is it gonna cost? Stop asking me questions with the
answer you're not giving me.

Speaker 3 (02:05:20):
I don't like that at all. That's very boring and
very annoying.

Speaker 7 (02:05:25):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 3 (02:05:29):
You know it's worse than being bored or annoyed being
in pain. Do you like downtime? I like surgery? Do
you like drugs? Do you like do you like joint pain?

Speaker 2 (02:05:37):
What if Nick Cassario was in charge of getting rid
of your chronic joint pain?

Speaker 3 (02:05:41):
I don't, I don't. I don't know what he would do.
Do you like free consultations? Yes?

Speaker 4 (02:05:46):
Do you like people helping you get rid of your chronics?
And do you know what you need to know about
QC Kinetics?

Speaker 3 (02:05:52):
Not yet? Tell us?

Speaker 5 (02:05:53):
Well?

Speaker 2 (02:05:53):
The number is seven one three nine one three fifty
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Speaker 3 (02:06:20):
So all you got to do is give them a call.

Speaker 2 (02:06:21):
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thanks to QC Kinetics, You've.

Speaker 1 (02:06:32):
Got more a Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler on Sports
Talk seven ninety home for.

Speaker 7 (02:06:39):
Your home teams.

Speaker 4 (02:06:47):
I'll definitely say it to the mic now that the
mic is on and the segment has begun. Something we
tease that we were going to get into earlier grading
your own team and their facilities. And I don't mean
these Sports Talk seven to ninety team and the restroom.
I mean the Texans. The NFLPA conducts a player survey

(02:07:07):
each year the last several years, asks the teams members
to grade out their respective organizations on the treatment of families,
their food and dining area. They're nutritionist slash dietician, locker room,
training room, training staff, weight room, strength, coaches, team travel,

(02:07:28):
and of course of greatest importance head coach and separately
ownership great all these things out. Take the results, we
will give it a grade of A A minus, B
plus C minus, kind of have some numbers with it
as well, because we're gonna then use those again. Remember
back to my stupid semantics stance on the day after

(02:07:52):
the draft and the second day after the draft and
the third day after the NFL Draft, where every entity
out there gives letter grades for the teams and asks
like an A is the same for all the teams.
Well is it do you mean they got a ninety
nine or do you mean they got a ninety Did
they get a ninety five or ninety one? I don't
know if it's all the same or not. And what
exactly is an A plus? Is that just a ninety

(02:08:13):
nine or is it drift down to all the way
to ninety seven? The league's grading system here, while they
did apply letters with pluses and minuses when applicable, did
it also attach a numeric system to it where it
falls into this area so they could take all these grades,
weighted them and then everybody gets a number one through

(02:08:34):
thirty two. The Texans report card, I'd say it was
pretty shiny. Their parents would have been very happy to
sign it. They landed sixth out of thirty two teams,
and for the most part their individual grading sections well,
they indicated that they waited the coach and ownership a
little bit more. Basically each of the other things I mentioned,

(02:08:57):
other than treatment of families, which was weighted six percent,
everything else got a nine percent weight head, coach got ten,
ownership got fifteen. They voted Demico Ryans an A. They
voted cal McNair and a. Nana McNair, Kllan Hannah McNair.
I'm sorry, Kllan Hanna McNair McNair. Her name was not
mentioned in the nflp article PA article, though it probably

(02:09:18):
should have. Ninety seven percent of the players felt Demico
Ryans is efficient with their time at rank ninth out
of thirty two. The players feel that he's moderately receptive
to locker room feedback on the team's needs. That had
him seventeenth of thirty two. I need a definition for
what of that? What does that mean? So does that mean?
All of this is super ambiguous? And I told you

(02:09:40):
they gave him an A. A. This A with the
numerals they attached.

Speaker 3 (02:09:46):
To it is fifteenth out of thirty two. Overall, fifteenth
out of thirty two. Middle of the pack. Very Texan.

Speaker 4 (02:09:51):
It doesn't sound like an A is middle of the pack,
but that's how well most coaches were graded out by
their players. The coaches landed at the other end of
the spectrum. We're fired mm hmm all of time of
the three oh okay, and two of the six coaches
that were ready at the top were first year coaches

(02:10:11):
who probably got a bump from Thank God, the other
guy's gone. In addition to also winning, dan Quinn Ray
Morris were among those two.

Speaker 2 (02:10:19):
This is important to kind of give context because you
just talked about you know that a for Dimico, for example,
is good for fifteenth out of thirty two. Well, it's
because when ninety seven percent of the Texans feel that
Demiko is efficient with their time, that gives him a
whopping ninth rank out of thirty two. So he's ninety

(02:10:39):
seven percent and that's good for almost in the middle tier,
you know, like it's it's very odd how these scores
are divvied out.

Speaker 4 (02:10:47):
They only got to be minus in one of those
categories I mentioned, and it was in the categorize this
treatment of families.

Speaker 3 (02:10:53):
And that sounds harsh. Beat it.

Speaker 4 (02:10:55):
It's more about what can what do you do to
you know, make their lives easier, children's families and postgame
things like that. And they said, I did not know
this because we're not where we see the players' families
all the time after games, when we're waiting outside of
the locker room or even when we've gone back onto
the field to you know, finish up our coverage videos

(02:11:15):
and whatnot. I all see players and their families walking
through there constantly when we're at astros games. When we leave,
we can actually see the family room that some of
the families are waiting in for their players to finish
whatever it is they're doing. What is that because there's
no family room according to this at home games, okay,
and they're one of only ten teams that does not

(02:11:38):
provide one.

Speaker 2 (02:11:40):
I can't remember if that's what I saw, but I'm
pretty sure. So when I went up to Kansas City,
you know, Arrowhead is all hold, but they have.

Speaker 3 (02:11:49):
Done a lot to it.

Speaker 2 (02:11:51):
And if you if you were to see, like what's
in the like the guts of that stadium on your
way to admittedly still a very old Now, I was
only in the visitors locker room, and it's a dump,
but I would think any team's visitors locker room is,
including the Texans.

Speaker 3 (02:12:06):
You've been in the visiting locker room here?

Speaker 2 (02:12:08):
Yes, Well, the last time I was in there, we
were interviewing James Hetfield and that was awesome.

Speaker 3 (02:12:13):
Probably a good size for a band, not a good.

Speaker 2 (02:12:16):
It was one member of the band and it was awesome,
But that's because of what we were doing, not where
we were.

Speaker 3 (02:12:23):
But yeah, like the family area.

Speaker 2 (02:12:25):
What I think was the family area because I remember,
I remember I encountered Britney on my way to the locker.
Britney Mahomes, not Spears, and not the other pop star
that's associated with that team.

Speaker 4 (02:12:41):
Well, you said Britney. That was pretty clear it wasn't
Taylor because you said Britney. Well, yeah, I got that.
I thought it was obvious. I really thought you were
talking about Britney Spears. No, Britney Mahomes. Who's I think
at least there, she's not as if she's not courtside

(02:13:01):
for Texas Tech Red Raider basketball losses with her friend,
her friend it's her husband.

Speaker 2 (02:13:07):
No, on the other side of her, there was a friend.
I'm pretty sure she was with her. Anyway, I think
that the family area there, I mean all of that area.
It's clear they've gutted it and redone it. It was
awesome because you had to wait for the players to
come through.

Speaker 3 (02:13:22):
It's a very weird setup and it's very hard to describe.

Speaker 2 (02:13:24):
Point of all this is I can't believe when I
read this that the Texans don't have I mean, the
Astros have one.

Speaker 4 (02:13:30):
Yeah, they have an area. I think they just wanted
to be moved. They can do a little bit more
with it, And it comes across, especially with us giving
not giving tremendous explanation or us having more information about it,
it comes across much more poorly than I'm sure it
really is, because I know the people that handle a
lot of the players' families, and you can't say enough

(02:13:53):
good things about how they handle what they need to
to make everything like take a take for example, training
camp and practic and what they've done over the years
to enhance the ability to go to practice and how
you're treated there. I'm talking about the players and their families,
and they're there a lot at these not just the
ones open for fans the hottest time of the year,

(02:14:13):
and well they have a really nice tent setup for
them and they it's a really nice area.

Speaker 3 (02:14:19):
I really do think they do a lot for them.

Speaker 4 (02:14:21):
But the specifics to these questions are focused on a
couple of araors, some generic things that probably are funny
to note. One thing was in their overview of the Texans. Overall,
players identify no major weaknesses, but players suggest adding a
sauna to the facility as a potential improvement area.

Speaker 3 (02:14:37):
So while they weren't go outside. It's Houston. They weren't
down on the nutritionists at all.

Speaker 4 (02:14:42):
They got an A. They weren't down on the training room.
B plus weren't down on the training staff. B plus
also had We're fifth in saying they get enough one
on one training treatment. They think there's enough strength and
conditioning coaches there. But you know, maybe hook us up
with a sauna. That might be something you could do
for us. What about the travel, I thought that was interesting. Yeah,
team travel. Only a couple of things listed there. They

(02:15:04):
want more access to first class seats when they travel.
They rated twenty second out of thirty two teams and
got just eighty two percent of the players to say
they believe they have a comfortable amount of personal space
on team flights. That ranked them twenty third out of
thirty two teens. It is a chartered flight, not a
charter flight. You know the difference, right, Explain it to me,

(02:15:26):
like I'm in this room, Well.

Speaker 2 (02:15:28):
Good thing you are. I feel like and I don't
know this for a fact. I'm just guessing because we know,
because we've been on the thing. We know that the
Rockets have their own plane. It's not like, oh, it's used. No,
it's their plane. It has the logo on the tail
and everything, but they're also using it a lot more.
I would assume, unless I don't know, or unless I'm
incorrect here, they're chartering a flight. It's not their plane

(02:15:49):
because they're flying nine ten times a year, maybe eleven
or twelve ish.

Speaker 3 (02:15:53):
Some teams, the Patriots have a team plane. I don't.

Speaker 4 (02:15:56):
I think what you're saying is right. I've been I
did know the difference on a chartered flight before. I've
been on a team charter.

Speaker 2 (02:16:02):
That's someone else's playing who you're using for the purposes
of travel.

Speaker 3 (02:16:06):
You're not designed for the team.

Speaker 5 (02:16:08):
I e.

Speaker 2 (02:16:09):
All of the first class, all of the seats would
be first class if it's your playing. Because these are
football players, Does that mean that they're stuffing the offensive lineman,
back and coach?

Speaker 3 (02:16:18):
What's going on here? Yeah? I don't.

Speaker 4 (02:16:19):
I'm sure it's not quite like this. Traveling a little
bit with U U of H football chartered flights. It's
not a team charter, it's you.

Speaker 3 (02:16:26):
Well, I know someone who would know the answer to
these questions.

Speaker 4 (02:16:29):
Well, I was just gonna describe I did on the
way to the game. It doesn't feel quite as bad
because they haven't literally just finished playing a football game.

Speaker 3 (02:16:38):
I can't even imagine right after.

Speaker 4 (02:16:39):
Playing a football game, I'm sitting in the same size
seat as they are. I am not the same sized
person they are, not a single player on the team,
especially after a lung. I am one of the smallest
people on the entire flight.

Speaker 2 (02:16:51):
Yeah yeah, I mean, I can say, and that's what's
fighting like. They still got to be. But it's eighty
two percent, which is good for twenty three out of thirty.

Speaker 4 (02:17:01):
Lots of a's, lots of bees, very few negative vibes,
and thus the players on the Texans like what they
have going here sixth out of thirty two teams.

Speaker 2 (02:17:10):
Training room, ninety seven percent of players feel like they
have enough full time physical therapists. I wonder what that
ranking was when DeShawn played here too soon.

Speaker 1 (02:17:20):
The Aight on Sports Talk seven ninety JP France Gray.

Speaker 4 (02:17:28):
JP France here supports Talk seven to eighty as your
home Freshros Baseball stream every game on the free iHeartRadio AF.

Speaker 2 (02:17:44):
All right, that music means it's time for in case
you missed as some of the things we have not
talked about today, maybe some of the things we haven't
talked about enough.

Speaker 3 (02:17:53):
Whatever it is, Dan has it.

Speaker 6 (02:17:55):
Well, apparently I missed the music right there, but that's
another story for another time. All right, Right, let's start
first with news that came down earlier today that this
came from Jordan Schultz of Yahoo. That's Raiders minority owner
Tom Brady recently hosted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford at his
home in Montana.

Speaker 3 (02:18:14):
Well, they spent time together when skiing.

Speaker 6 (02:18:16):
Brady has been actively trying to convince Stafford to join
the Raiders. Discussions are ongoing. Of course, the report coming
down about a week ago that the Rams supposedly gave
Stafford permission to seek a trade if he and his
representatives were inclined to do so.

Speaker 3 (02:18:33):
Where whose home is in Montana, Brady's or Stafford? Kay,
I want to go to Montana's so bad.

Speaker 2 (02:18:41):
That is not surprising at all, because I've always thought
that the Raiders specifically, and there are other teams like this,
would get a band aid fix for that situation until
they can find a more permanent solution.

Speaker 4 (02:18:55):
So you're saying the Raiders would be getting a band
aid fix because he's obviously.

Speaker 2 (02:18:59):
Not a long time so Yeah, that's what I mean
by band aid. He's a good band aid.

Speaker 4 (02:19:03):
So last year with Ad and O'Connell, Gardner, Minshew, et cetera,
they finished last in their division, which is where they
will finish next year with Matt Stafford.

Speaker 3 (02:19:12):
It is the dumbest idea ever.

Speaker 2 (02:19:15):
I don't know that for a fact, because I don't
know what's gonna happen in the draft, which applies to
every team.

Speaker 4 (02:19:22):
I know what they're doing is saying, nah, we're not
really interested in the second straight year. If a really
good draft pick, let's just go ahead and you know,
win six or seven games, finish fourth mass the playoffs,
a quarterback forty to fifty million, let's do that. I
love Matt Stafford, he's still playing at a high level.
But you're not gonna be better than the Broncos. You're
not gonna be better than the Chargers. You're not gonna
pay the Chiefs, and you're gonna pay a lot.

Speaker 3 (02:19:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:19:43):
Now it's from that standpoint, you're absolutely right. I just
maybe they think their roster is better than it is.

Speaker 3 (02:19:48):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (02:19:49):
I'm sure Tom is convincing him as they're going down
the slopes.

Speaker 2 (02:19:52):
Tom would be a better option and could be much
more affordable.

Speaker 4 (02:19:55):
Yeah, if you didn't have to pay him because he's
already the owner, that would be That would be one
thing I know. Sean mcvays basically said, they are, you know,
they're trying to balance the present with the future. They
clearly want Matt Stafford as their quarterback, but they're trying
to balance the financial ramifications of potentially, you know, giving
him more. There's a lot of people that think, you know,
you're Matt Stafford and you're looking at one, two, three, eight, ten,

(02:20:18):
twelve other how many other quarterbacks are getting paid more
than I am. Well, let's let's do something about it.
And he's more well within his rights to do so.
But what's the alternative. The alternative is the Rams aren't
your team anymore, and you've now forced to trade to
somewhere else Where. Is this place you're going where you're
going to be happy with the new money you're getting
and happy with the football situation that gives you a

(02:20:40):
chance to continue playing at a high level and winning games.

Speaker 2 (02:20:42):
Yeah, And I you know, again, if you don't think
there's a franchise quarterback in this draft, and there may
very well be, I just don't know who he is.

Speaker 3 (02:20:50):
Then lose like the Texans did, well keep losing.

Speaker 4 (02:20:53):
The Raiders may or may not be in a position
to draft the guy they want. Maybe there isn't a
guy they want, and I think they're pro probably is one.
Not every draft even has one. I think this draft
probably has one. If you made me guess today, I
would guess cam Ward. But I wouldn't be shocked if
Sanders turned out to be so the so called one
from this draft. It's always good when other teams are
having quarterback problems. When finally you're sitting here in Houston

(02:21:16):
without them.

Speaker 3 (02:21:17):
What else do we have?

Speaker 6 (02:21:18):
All Right, wex you have your list of quarterbacks that
you absolutely love to rail against, and it's safe to
say that Derek Carr is part of that group. Well,
there's people wondering what two years left on his deal?
Is Derek Carr long for the New Orleans Saints. If
he asks the most clueless man in the league, Saints
GM Mickey Loomis, he says, absolutely excited about it. I

(02:21:38):
think we feel good with a guy we can win with.
Show me a picture of someone and tell me that
they're clueless, and I'll call you a liar, and I'll
say that's not Mickey Loomis.

Speaker 4 (02:21:48):
Yeah, the win with is hard to discuss, to listen to,
to hear when you're talking about a quarterback that's been
in the league this long, with this many teams.

Speaker 3 (02:22:00):
I don't mean franchise.

Speaker 4 (02:22:01):
I mean he's been the starting quarterback for a decade
in the NFL. Each year he has a different group
of players that are on his team, while he's played
for two different organizations. How can you sit here and
say it at that far into his career, this is
a guy you can win with when year in and
year out, he's proving otherwise every year he's not playing

(02:22:22):
with a terrible roster for every year that he's been
the starter since twenty fourteen.

Speaker 3 (02:22:28):
Next year is year twelve.

Speaker 4 (02:22:30):
Last year was the first time he missed five games
or more. He had obviously been hurt at the end
of one of those seasons. Back in twenty sixteen, when
they gifted the Texans a matchup against Connor Cook.

Speaker 3 (02:22:44):
The Raiders were actually good. He was actually good.

Speaker 4 (02:22:49):
It was, in my opinion, the best season he's ever played,
the best season he's ever gonna play. He was twenty
five then he's thirty four. Now you literally can say
the exact opposite of what Nickey Loomis said and you'd
be one hundred percent correct. We feel like Derek Carr
is a quarterback you can't win with. Yeah, I know
because I've watched the last eight years of whichever team

(02:23:10):
he's been on not win. They have one ten win
season his football team. They won ten games with the
Raiders in twenty twenty one, five last year, nine and eight.
Way to have a five hundred record in a seventeen
game season, six and nine, eight and eight, seven and nine,
four and twelve, six and nine, seven and nine, three
and thirteen.

Speaker 3 (02:23:28):
It's these are facts. You can't win if he's.

Speaker 4 (02:23:32):
Your quarterback year after year after year and he has
a huge cap number.

Speaker 3 (02:23:37):
Great situation.

Speaker 2 (02:23:38):
This is where I'm fascinated with you because I get
everything you're saying is correct, but you you have this
kind of animosity, if not more for Kirk Cousins, and
I think he's a much better quarterback.

Speaker 4 (02:23:48):
The animosity is for the employer now at his fault.
I do think Derek Carr is very much like Kirk
Cousins on game day where you watch their numbers.

Speaker 3 (02:23:58):
The numbers.

Speaker 4 (02:23:59):
They am at the yards, they're moving up and down
the field, even the scoreboard half the time, Like, I
don't think there's a bigger Jeckyll and Hide game day
quarterback than car They usually have one awesome half. If
they're way up in the first half, that means they
won't score it all in the second half and they'll lose.
If he's bad in the first half, they'll come all
the way back and lose. He just and what Loomis

(02:24:20):
is actually saying is he should be saying look at
his numbers.

Speaker 3 (02:24:24):
Look at his interception numbers, which have been low.

Speaker 4 (02:24:26):
Look at his touchdown numbers, which prior to last year
where he missed part of it you have been high.
He was a one oh one passer rating last year
three out of three out of the last six years
passer rating over on. He's trying to tell you look
at the passes that he throws instead of look at
the results that we get. No, I get it, And
that's very Kirk Cousins Like, it's about results. He's the

(02:24:48):
only one on the field that dictates it more than
every other player on the field. Look, and you're not winning,
what else do you need to see?

Speaker 2 (02:24:56):
And this last year Pat Mahomes didn't put up other
worldly numbers, but the results, more often than not, they
were winning very much.

Speaker 4 (02:25:05):
So now he's on his team and he's under contract,
so give him a little grace for his comments about
the quarterback.

Speaker 3 (02:25:11):
They are in salary cap. Hell over, what else do
we have?

Speaker 7 (02:25:15):
All right?

Speaker 3 (02:25:15):
Real quick?

Speaker 6 (02:25:17):
Aaron Rodgers, according to Pat Leonard of The New York
Daily News, would really like to play for the Rams
in twenty twenty five, even willing to bring along DeVante Adams. Now.
His good buddy Pat McAfee did share that on the
show today, saying that Rogers is out of the country,
we'll join the show soon. But huge fan of Sean McVay.

Speaker 4 (02:25:37):
So Aaron Rodgers in the essence, what you're acknowledging is
Aaron Rodgers is still alive.

Speaker 3 (02:25:43):
He has a pulse.

Speaker 4 (02:25:44):
Yeah, he's alive and is aware of the NFL. So
he's a fan of Sean McVay. I'm gonna take everybody
in the building right now and we're gonna put him
into two rooms. One room is people are not a
fan of Sean McVay, and the other room is people
that are fans of Sean McVay and assuming they have
a cursory knowledge of pro football, I think one room's
gonna be empty and one room's gonna be full. It's

(02:26:05):
what free agents do, It's what desperate players. Hey man,
this would be awesome, Yeah for you. The back of
my jersey, says Rogers.

Speaker 2 (02:26:14):
And that's where the comparisons start and end with the
guy who used to be able to play football.

Speaker 7 (02:26:20):
The a teen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (02:26:24):
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Speaker 4 (02:27:28):
Lucky for you if you've been listening, even though if
not teased it, we've got Rockets tickets away.

Speaker 3 (02:27:35):
How about to give it away?

Speaker 4 (02:27:35):
How about that Rockets tickets? Yeah, go see your Houston Rockets,
not tonight, but to an upcoming Rockets game when they
take on the Denver Nuggets March twenty third over at
Toyota Center. Not only Rockets tickets, but a four pack
of tickets. Not only a four pack of tickets, but
we'll select two winners today for a four pack of tickets.
Rockets Nuggets March twenty third over Toyota Center. You can

(02:27:58):
still find tickets for that game, end others right now
at Toyota Center dot com. If you're listening last segment,
you will know the answer to this question. It's very simple,
and you can call in it seven one three, two
one two five seven ninety to claim your tickets and
enjoy Rockets basketball. Last segment, we noted that a current

(02:28:19):
NFL quarterback.

Speaker 3 (02:28:22):
Went skiing with Tom Brady. Who is it?

Speaker 4 (02:28:25):
Who just went skiing in Montana with Raiders owner and
Greg Olsen job stealer Tom.

Speaker 3 (02:28:34):
Brady, Greg Olsen job steeler.

Speaker 4 (02:28:37):
Seven one three two one two five seven nine. You
want to give me a few of your favorite names
for Tom Brady that would be.

Speaker 3 (02:28:42):
Like on his football reference page or just regular ones? Uh? Yeah?
Any anything?

Speaker 4 (02:28:48):
Avocado ice cream, Tom, avocado ice cream, Tom, founder of
TV twelve, Alex Guerrero buddy, former mate of Bridget moynihan,
any of these would work.

Speaker 3 (02:28:57):
And Gizelle and Gazelle. He who shall be roasted? Tom Brady?
He was a roasty? Yes, seriously was his?

Speaker 4 (02:29:07):
Like more people that are in our sports circle and
obviously on the Twitter sphere x platform were locked in
on that one.

Speaker 3 (02:29:17):
But that's what roasts are like.

Speaker 4 (02:29:19):
Everybody watching just knew all about this person's life and
all the roasters' lives because there were so many of
them that were teammates and people we know, versus a
panel full of a pseudo celebrity, another pseudo celebrity, and
eight comics that were just hilarious, but we don't know
about them. The other comics were just roasting them, and
he had a fair share of those also. And that's

(02:29:40):
the other Look look at who was up there. There
weren't eight people up there. There's like thirty people up
there and more coming from this crowd with Ben Affleck
and Peyton Manning.

Speaker 2 (02:29:49):
Two things off the top of my head and in
no particular order.

Speaker 4 (02:29:54):
His was in the top three. Do you have the
other two off the top of my head?

Speaker 2 (02:29:58):
Because again I haven't even s seen all of them,
I'm sure, although I need to how many of their been.

Speaker 4 (02:30:03):
I just want to point one thing out to you. So,
some celebrities have some good stuff in there, you know,
past that you can mock and who they are currently
that you can mock and roast, et cetera. Some celebrities
are Rob Low well he he was roasted, Yeah, and
nothing was off limits.

Speaker 2 (02:30:20):
Well, when you do things. Justin Bieber's was really good,
trust me on this. Did you see it?

Speaker 5 (02:30:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (02:30:29):
It was good And maybe I'm biased because of who
it is. Bruce Willis's was awesome. Those are the three
that stand out just off the top of my head,
and I don't have a list in front of me,
so I'm sure I'm leaving a really.

Speaker 3 (02:30:42):
Momentous one out.

Speaker 4 (02:30:44):
Makes me believe you haven't seen a roast of Bob Sagett,
because you probably.

Speaker 3 (02:30:49):
Will enjoy that.

Speaker 2 (02:30:50):
Holy cow, that must be like the most dirty roast ever. Uh,
probably is some good Jody Sweeten a part of it.

Speaker 4 (02:30:57):
Dave Hasselhoff has been roasted.

Speaker 2 (02:31:00):
Dave did they talk about consuming burgers on bathroom tyle?

Speaker 3 (02:31:04):
I'm not sure when this took place.

Speaker 4 (02:31:05):
I mean, you know, you know, Justin Bieber was in
twenty fifteen roast of the Beebes Rob Low not long
after Bruce right after that.

Speaker 3 (02:31:15):
Yep, Al Baldwin been roasted.

Speaker 4 (02:31:18):
Yeah, he's not a very nice person then and kills people.
Maybe he's a subject to be roasted comically, definitely.

Speaker 3 (02:31:29):
I guess did he aim the gun at her? Did
she live? The other part? That's all it takes.

Speaker 2 (02:31:37):
Apparently it did that day. So the other thing, get mad,
I didn't do it. The other thing is add.

Speaker 4 (02:31:44):
For him being brought up. I'm mad that the other
person isn't around, okay, treating it like a joke.

Speaker 3 (02:31:50):
We get it, other people have I'm not the only one.

Speaker 5 (02:31:53):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (02:31:54):
The other thing is, what are they waiting on? Let
Michael Jordan needs to do this. I will agreement from
the rooftop. Post has to be on board. I know
he'll never be on board. Why you know who's more likely?

Speaker 4 (02:32:07):
Who's more likely to be on board as we I'll
give you the whole three minutes here, four minutes, whatever
amount of time you want to take before we get
to astroline with Forest Whitley and Hayden was Nesky for
both of them will be on the opening day roster
for the Astrosznski will have several days off before he
pitches against the Giants, and Whitley will pitch in the
opening series out of the bullpen against the Mets, and

(02:32:29):
we'll strike out Juan Soto. Wow, you're writing down somebody
we treated people earlier to the first of two segments
on your Southwest home for Lakers Radio. Who is more
likely to say yes, I'll be the subject of your
roast Michael Jordan or Lebron?

Speaker 3 (02:32:47):
James Lebron easily.

Speaker 2 (02:32:49):
You know why, because his massive ego it might actually
be bigger than Lebron or than Michaels, won't allow him
to say no.

Speaker 4 (02:33:00):
But he does appear to like to push back on negativity,
pointed at his direction a roast like we saw with Tom's,
it's very personal, pointed out a lot of his things
that he probably considers flaws. Many others do as well,
and Lebron wants that to happen to him, not for
him to him.

Speaker 3 (02:33:20):
He wants to be the center of attention, which is
the difference between.

Speaker 4 (02:33:23):
Him and j But this is why I'm surprised Tom
said yes. And I know there's some financial benefit from it,
with all the charity that this stateifitted. But this is
why I thought someone like that would say no, and
why I think Lebron would also say no.

Speaker 2 (02:33:37):
Honestly to me, that is actually the primary difference between
those two guys. And to a lesser extent, like Kobe
always gets brought up because he was almost he was
like the bridge.

Speaker 4 (02:33:46):
Can we go to the next tier. Who's more likely
to say yes to a roast? Dwayne Wade or Scottie Pippen.

Speaker 2 (02:33:53):
I would think for similar reasons Dwayne Wade, because Scott knows.

Speaker 4 (02:33:58):
Which person that roasts them. Would you prefer to hear
from Gabrielle Union or Larsa. Gabrielle Union, very accomplished actress,
very well known actress. They've been married for a while now. Well,
if you Larsa and Scottie would just be wow, is

(02:34:19):
your favorite aspect of these roasts? The jokes themselves uncomfortable.
They make you because if that's what you're going for,
sign me up for Larsa and all of the rappers
and MJ's sons that she had time that she spent with.
They'll be writing the jokes for her as she She'll
give them the material, they'll write the jokes, and then

(02:34:41):
she'll stay on stage for every other person who gets
to the microphone to also include a roast of her
while they're roasting Scottie.

Speaker 2 (02:34:49):
Well, that won't take but a few hours. And if
Scott does this, Scott Pippen, if he does this, then A.
Barkley has to be there and b so does the
cop who picked him up here in Houston for driving
under the influence of alcohol. I need those two people
to be on the dais if you will, especially Charles.

(02:35:12):
Charles not been the subject of a roast again. You
have to say yes.

Speaker 3 (02:35:16):
He's the guy that would say yes.

Speaker 4 (02:35:18):
And again, the primary difference between Lebron and j roast
twice a week because Shack's there and they're doing the
same thing. To non stop Shacks roasting that he gets
just about.

Speaker 2 (02:35:30):
That which Shaq is also dying of needing oxygen from
laughing at something Charles has said. The Galveston water thing.
Every time I watch it, I cry. It's just he's snorting.
Shack is snorting over there, that dirty ass water.

Speaker 3 (02:35:46):
It's so good. I hope you enjoyed it.

Speaker 4 (02:35:49):
I hope Jim and Matt enjoy Rockets basketball coming up
later this year and March against the Denver Nuggets are winners,
will have more to give away tomorrow. We have Rockets
basketball for you coming up later tonight. Begin our coverage
with that at seven point thirty. But immediately as we
say goodbye to you now, we bring you astroline from

(02:36:09):
FLA West Palm Beach, Hayden wiz Nesky and Forced Whitley,
the astros that will be speaking with you shortly.

Speaker 3 (02:36:14):
We will talk to you again tomorrow at

Speaker 1 (02:36:16):
Two the AG on Sports Talk seven ninety

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