Greg Lucas - FS Houston

Big 12 Baseball Starts this Week--a Preview

2012-02-14T18:30:00.003-06:00

Baseball Season is Here for the Big 12

Major League Baseball clubsare opening camps next week in Arizona and Florida. But for baseball fans the season is beginning now—on thecollegiate level.

Texas A&M, the preseason top pick in the Big 12—the school’s last season in the loop beforemoving on to the SEC in 2013 opens Friday at home againstIllinois-Chicago. That begins a 21game season opening home stand where Aggie fans can enjoy all the improvementsto the facility now known officially as Olson Field at Bluebell Park. Rob Childress’ team gets the favoritesnod as a result of bringing a team with two starting pitchers, Ross Striplingand Michael Wacha returning, plus four of the top hitters. Childress told the participants in theBig 12’s pre-season coaches conference call on Tuesday that regular spots atcatcher and second base are open, but he likes what he has in competition. Veteran Scott Arthur along with CharlieCurl, who saw a lot of action in 2011, will be joined by newcomer BlakeAllemond in the second base hunt. Whoever wins the catching nod will be inexperienced. Sophomore Troy Stein and freshmenMichael Nau and Cole Lankford are the only other full time catchers on theroster.

If the Aggies don’t win thetitle the coaches think it will either Texas or Oklahoma. It is no surprise to see them bothhighly rated thanks to their traditions of excellence. But both will be calling are far morenew players than the Aggies. Newor not, remember the name Damien Magnifico for OU. The JC tranfer from Howard has lit the radar gun at DaleMitchell Park at 103 MPH according to his coach Sunny Golloway. He was a round five pick out of highschool and figures not to drop any after this season. He is slaged to be a shut down closer right now. Golloway’s rotation is heading towardthree Sooners—all JC transfers when they arrived on campus. Dillon Overton ,who was around lastyear and started seven games, will be joined by Jonathan Gray, a 6-4 230 poundsophomore from Eastern Oklahoma State. Gray was a tenth round draftee by the Yankees last spring. The third weekend starter figures to beSteven Okert who moves in from Grayson CC.

The Sooners were one ofseveral former slugging clubs hit hard by the reduced “jump” in there-engineered metal bats in 2011. Coach Golloway says the bats have been adjusted this year and he expectsmore offense from all of college baseball.

Augie Garrido is thewinningest coach in the history of college baseball. Last season despite a team batting average of only .269 witha miniscule 17 home runs the Texas Longhorns were 49-19 and went to the CollegeWorld Series. There is littlechance the 2012 Longhorns can pitch as well as their 2.35 team ERA showed in2011. However, Garrido, who is amaster as playing small ball, is not too concerned. He always has fundamentally sound clubs with good pitchingand defense. No reason to expectany less this year. The team haslost Cole Walla for the year with a knee injury, but Garrido is high onfreshman infielder Brooks Marlow and freshman pitcher John Curtiss. The best returning hitter on the club,Erich Weiss needs to keep doing what he did last year as a freshman when he hit.348 with a .483 on base percentage.

Oklahoma State has lost Big12 home run leader Zach Johnson, but coach Frank Anderson thinks they haverecruited well and have some solid new faces. Bullpen depth is good. Starting pitching will feature a lot of new faces so how good theCowboys will be is to be determined.

The same could be said forBaylor, Texas Tech, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri. All have strengths. Texas Tech has Jamodric McGruder- thebest on base man in the league. His on base percentage in 2011 was a whopping .470 thanks to an averageof .293 to go with 35 walks and an unreal 25 times being hit by a pitch. Outfielder Barrett Barnes isn’t soshabby either. He hit ten homersin 2011. Scott Lejeune is back andhealthy, too. If the pitching…

Same story with Baylor. Coach Steve Smith is moving Max Garnerfrom the bullpen where he closed out eight saves to the rotation. Baylor has 20 returning lettermen fromlast season’s 31-28 team. TheBears offense should be adequate if the pitching can carry things.

Ritch Price at Kansas sayshis freshman group is the best ever recruited by the Jayhawks. They need to be with Kansas coming offa 26-30 season that ended with nine straight losses including four blownsaves. Offensively Price reallythinks centerfielder Conner McKay is extremely gifted. He also has high praise for anothernewcomer, left fielder, Michael Suiter.. Tanner Poppe moves from the rotation to closer and pitching will be thekey to success at KU.

Missouri’s Tim Jamiesongives one the impression he thinks his club could surprise. Heavily loaded with experiencedveterans Tim says his new pitchers make up the best group in years. The weather in the Midwest was good formuch of the early season work and Jamieson figures they won’t lose an earlygame on a dropped fly ball as occurred last season when the Tigers had not beenoutside to even see a fly ball till their first game.

Finally, at Kansas Statecoach Brad Hill says his lineup is set. The Wildcats will still be tinkering a bit with their pitchers in earlygames and he is going to give Jared Moore a shot at the rotation. But if Matt Applegate can take chargeof that rotation the Wildcats have a good chance to better their 36-25 of lastyear that got them into the post season.

Fox Sports Net will again betelevising Big 12 Baseball nationally. Action starts the firstweekend in April. But the fullseason begins this weekend for Big 12 teams.

Reading Can Help You Understand Baseball Better

2012-02-12T17:02:00.002-06:00

Get Ready for the Baseball Season By Reading!

This time of year magazines directed to fantasy baseball are starting to appear on the newsstands. Sometimes it seems more people play the fantasy game—in baseball or football— than those that pay attention to the real thing. However, I have a couple, if not new but still in the bookstore, books that fans more concerned with the real game of baseball should consider adding to their libraries.

One is called “The Unwritten Rules of Baseball” (Harper Collins) which became an oxymoron when those rules compiled by Paul Dickson first appeared in print in 2009. You may recognize the name, Paul Dickson. He also wrote the “Dickson Baseball Dictionary in 1989,” “Baseball’s Greatest Quotations” in 1991 and “The Hidden Language of Baseball” in 2003 among others. Dickson’s work is for fans of the real game and great for new fans to major league baseball.

Most of the so-call unwritten rules don’t apply to the strategy used in games, but mostly how players conduct themselves. For instance an unwritten rule is to respect the other team and do not “show up” the opposition. This one used to be followed religiously in many ways from not stealing bases with big leads or swinging at 3-0 pitches under the same circumstances. Everyone who has ever watched a major league game has seen these guidelines ignored at times. However, a young player who forgets will be reminded by his teammates…or by the opposing pitcher.

Which brings us to another unwritten rule: If you DO show up the opposition by showboating on a home run or violating one of the rules in the previous paragraph you likely will have to get out of the way of a very close pitch the next time you hit. Or at least that is how the game used to be played.

This unwritten rule is hard to follow in current baseball since pitchers daring to throw inside in situations that would have called for it under the unwritten rules are often in danger in being tossed out of the game by the umpire. Times have changed.

I am not going to spoil the book for you by going over any more of these unwritten rules, but you get the idea. Author Dickson fills the 244 pages with a listing of rules for players, managers, umpires, score keepers, media and even fans. It is a good read peppered with anecdotes illustrating many of the “unwritten rules” in action. If you have to choose one book to buy, pick Paul Dickson’s work.

The other tome, while a bit heavy statistically for some tastes is another good read to prep for a long season . It was originally published in 2007 and compiled by Tom Tango, Michel Lichtman and Andrew Dolphin (Potomac Books). Titled simply, “The Book” it covers the strategic moves most used by baseball managers and why they use them. It also offers statistical evidence why some long time common moves may not be the best. For instance, in the National League where the pitcher bats, there is great discussion when the manager should order a bunt and when it is not a good idea. A manager’s evaluation of his pitcher’s hitting skill should be taken into account more than it often is according to “The Book.”

How about making out lineups? Traditionally the number one hitter has been a non power player who has a good on base percentage and base stealing speed. The number two man needs to have bat control with few strikeouts, hit from behind in the count, have nearly as good or better batting average more more power than the leadoff man. Maybe not as swift, but still a good base runner.

The number three hitter has traditionally been the best hitter for average with good power but maybe not as much as the #4 hitter. The number four or cleanup hitter traditionally has had the best power and RBI ability. He usually has little or no speed.

Number five has usually been less skilled than #3 or #5, but not much. Perhaps he has a bit lower average. The sixth place hitter is slightly less skilled than #5, but ideally still will have some power.

Once the lineup gets to #7 the team needs a hitter who can drive the ball a bit if possible before the bottom two hitters step up. The 8th place hitter should be able to hit bad balls and get runners home before the pitcher comes up. If there are no runners with two outs he can look for a walk just to get the pitcher to the plate and not to start a new inning. He does not need to walk much, but should have a good enough eye in strategic moments when a pinch hitter will be used next.

In the American League with no pitcher in the lineup the #9 hitter may have some of the qualities of the leadoff man but be less skilled.

“The Book” says that generalization may not be correct based on statistical research dealing with how often the best hitters get to the plate. The top five hitters shouldn’t follow the tradition according to some research.

Do you think the #2 and #4 hitters or the #3 and the #5 hitters are interchangeable? Researchers for “The Book” say they are. Carlos Lee hitting second and Jose Altuve fourth? Or Jeff Bagwell in the second slot and Craig Biggio number four?

Personally this is where the statistical analysis folks and yours truly part company a bit. We are only talking about pure hitting comparisons, but as we know there is more than pure hitting numbers that go into a batting order. Speed is one thing. The Biggio-Bagwell switch might have had some merit, I suppose. Both could run. But moving slow footed Carlos Lee to second in the order makes little sense despite his hitting numbers. Players on base percentage and/or slugging percentage are two other factors. Biggio-Bagwell are close enough. Bags hit homers but Biggio hit a fair share and a whole bunch of doubles. Lee and Altuve are not close at all save possibly for batting average. Altuve is not an extra base hitter and rarely walks. Lee is very slow. Just getting more at bats with runners on only works if the hitters can bring them home. The traditional “Book” lineup has speed and on base hitters at the top with average and power hitters following. Yes, there are many innings in which those at the top fail to reach base or are retired in order and the #4 hitter leads off the next inning. But if just one of the top three reach base the player with the most power hits with a runner on. Statistics also show the team that scores first wins a high percentage of the time. That is why “The Book” sets things as it is—statistical revelations be damned.

Interesting reading in both book books for those who want to know the “whys” and “hows” of major league baseball. There is also some well researched documentation. All of it thanks to “The Unwritten Rules of Baseball” and “The Book.”

Brad Mills Outlines Spring Plans for Astros

2012-02-10T07:43:00.003-06:00

Astros Ready for Florida

The equipment truck will pull out of Minute Maid Park Monday morning. Spring training will begin in Kissimmee, Florida on February 20th. It is just about time for the Great American Game to begin.

For baseball fans the opening of training camps is one of the most exciting days of the year. Sure, that fades during the long run of exhibition games that don’t count. At the same time, especially with teams like the Astros that will have competition for pitching and playing time, there is something to follow on a daily basis. Wins and losses don’t matter. How the individuals perform is what matters.

On Wednesday the Astros held a media brunch with GM Jeff Luhnow, Mgr. Brad Mills and CEO George Postolos in attendance. It was the last time to chat with Luhnow or Mills before camp opened. Perhaps the conversations with skipper Mills were most interesting.

For one thing he says despite an opening training camp roster of over 60 players the club will actually play fewer games than last spring. In 2011 the Astros played a number of “B” games in an effort to get more pitchers some work. But it also meant the players were involved in more games than desired. Mills felt it showed in September when fatigue set in, but it also may have been a factor with the Astros slow start when the regular season began which set a negative tone for the whole year.

This year there will be far fewer “B” games and more time off. Mills said second baseman Jose Altuve will get significant time off once he is zeroed in. Altuve played winter ball in Venezuela after working his way to the Astros from Class A in one year. He had almost 900 at bats. He had more hits than any player in professional baseball in the twelve month period. In September he was tired, but after a short time off he went home to play more. Mills says Altuve will not be pushed in the spring.

There will be a push at third base. It will be a push for the job. Jimmy Paredes, Chris Johnson and Brett Wallace will all get some playing time. Yes, Brett Wallace! Wally will still be primarily a first baseman, but since he has experience from his college days at the hot corner he will be given some refresher work to hone his skills and may contend for the position if he has a good spring and his competitors struggle. That fact that he hits left-handed is a plus. With Carlos Lee slated to hold down first base Wallace could get some platoon time on either side of the infield if he passes the spring test at third.

Mills says Jed Lowrie is likely the shortstop but that Marwin Gonzalez a Rule V pickup will be watched closely and the system has some other shortstops of note who only need to show a better bat.

With the signings of outfielders Jack Cust, Fernando Martinez, Travis Buck and Brad Snyder there will be solid competition for the club’s outfield spots. Of the Astro outfield candidates only Jason Bourgeois was a member of the club for all of 2011.

Perhaps Mills most interesting point was that if the camp opened today he would have Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Bud Norris in the rotation, not necessarily in that order, but who would work out of #4 or #5 is fully open. Most fans and reporters have long assumed J.A. Happ and Jordan Lyles were in those slots, but Mills says he will look at a number of other candidates as well.

That list includes the veteran Livan Hernandez and Zach Duke plus Henry Sosa, Kyle Weiland, and maybe more including Happ and Lyles.

Some of those who don’t make the rotation may find homes in the bullpen. Others may find homes at Oklahoma City, Corpus Christi or not in the organization.

It will be that kind of spring. Messrs Mills, Luhnow and Postolos are all ready to get things started on the field. Off the field Luhnow says the master plan is being followed and Postolos said that one off season sales goal was reached on Monday.

Astros Media Relations Director, Gene Dias reminded all of the annual Baseball Dinner is set for Friday with Fan Fest at Minute Maid Park on Saturday Feb. 11. Individual game tickets will also go on sale that day.

It may still be April 6th before the season officially begins, but baseball started to feel much closer on Wednesday.

Spring Training Coming, but Will Oswalt Have a Team?

2012-02-07T17:42:00.000-06:00

Free Agency Isn’t Really Free For Either Side

The only significant free agent still floating around baseball less than two weeks before camps open is former Astro right-handed pitcher Roy Oswalt. It seems his requirements for a new team are not fitting what the teams have to offer.

Let us be honest about all this. It is all about the money. Well, it is MOSTLY about the money. You see, Oswalt has been trying to pick the teams he wants to play for, but so far none of them have been willing or able to meet his reported asking price.

The price, reported by various respected sources includilng FoxSports.com first, has been $8-10 million on a one year contract. Oswalt has expressed interest in the Cardinals and Rangers and maybe even a return to the Phillies. However, even those successful or big money clubs have spent what is in the bank already.

The Boston Red Sox have been mentioned as interested. Boston is probably the more in need of another starter like Oswalt than the Cards, Rangers or Phillies. And even though they have deep pockets they don't seem to be interested in Oswalt’s current price.

Oswalt and his agent have apparently turned down Detroit which is interesting since the Tigers are one of the better teams in baseball and playing for a sure fire contender has been one of Oswalt’s goals. That is why the Pirates or Reds who may have shown some interest are unlikely landing spots. Reds GM Walt Jocketty has been quoted as saying everything tying Oswalt to the Reds are just rumors and there has been no contact between the parties.

At some point unless Roy cuts his asking price or accepts an offer from one of his less desirable franchises his career could be over. Funny thing is, though. That was Oswalt’s originally stated plan when he was still in Houston. He told anyone who asked about his future that once his contract was up he was moving back to Weir, Mississippi and retire. The Astros traded him to Philadelphia before his contract ran out and he played a year and a half with the Phils. Then he became a free agent and apparently changed his mind about retiring. He is finding that free agency does allow for some picking and choosing about the future, but the teams are picking and choosing as well.

If the Astros were in a better place he would fit in here well. He could finally pass Joe Niekro and become the winningest pitcher in franchise history. Alas, that “better place” is at least a year away. This is not the time to sign a high dollar pitcher that would take development time from the young arms. The object is not to win the World Series in 2012, but to start to move in the direction that would make that possible. Roy is the same pitcher now—only older—who was traded in 2010 to start making way for a team rebuild.

It is almost unfathomable that Oswalt won’t hook on with someone soon. He can still pitch when his body (back) hangs together. There has to be a contender who can find room in the rotation for a player of his ilk. Who will that team be?

Astros Deciding on Players AND Future Uniform

2012-02-05T11:39:00.000-06:00

As Astros Mull Uniform Change for 2013-- Concept Nothing New

Once the Houston Astros decided to remain the Houston Astros under new owner Jim Crane the next area of change afoot seems to be with their uniforms. While many might say what is most important is to get the right players in whatever uniforms they have—and be correct—there are lots of reasons why uniforms are important. A recent edition of “The Pecan Park Eagle”—the daily blog written by local baseball and Houston historian, Dr. Bill McCurdy (http:// bill37mccurdy.wordpress.com) got me thinking about this.

What the players wear can give a team an image to the public. Notice I said, “can give a team an image.” That is not a guarantee unless the team also shows a long period of success as well.

Certainly the best example of that is the New York Yankees. Their pin striped home and gray road uniforms have barely changed since the 1920s. The NY logo on the caps and breast of the home uniforms is classic. Babe Ruth wore essentially the same uniform as Derek Jeter. So did Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. When one thinks of the Yankees, the uniform almost immediately comes to mind as well.

The same can be said with teams like the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers for example. In a few instances some of those teams slipped away from the classic style such as the Braves in the 1970s, and the White Sox during the Bill Veeck ownership years, but all of them came home. Other teams such as the Chicago Cubs and White Sox got off the track but are back to their classic look as their basic uniform.

If fans are going to identify with teams for years and years and years they don’t want too much change. The Astros learned that when they floated the idea of a possible name change and fans came out of the wood work and basements to make sure they were heard.

Had the same sort of question been floated before the team’s push to the American League the results would likely have been the same. In that instance, however, the fans were not consulted.

Fans do accept some change, however. The current trend for alternate uniforms that break from the tradition have been accepted by all clubs—including the Yankees. A different shirt for Sundays or pre game is quite common. Maybe even a different alternative cap. But the basic Yankee pinstripes are still worn most home games.

The Astros problem is deciding uniforms for 2013 to coincide with the move to the American League is they have no traditional look. (Notice, by the way, I have not brought up the issue of merchandising and sales of products. Today that is a very important part of all decisions. This is just for us baseball fans.) So do they design something entirely new or look to the past for inspiration?

The most famous Astro look was the one most ridiculed—the orange striped uniforms of the mid 70s to mid 80s. Now, those uniforms are collector’s items, but when they were worn many fans and sports writers around the country laughed. Would they work, however, as an alternative uniform to be worn on Sundays and holidays? You can bet that thought is one of many the club has considered.

The Astros wore what most would consider classic baseball styles—others would say dull—in the early days of the franchise both as the Colt 45s and Astros and in the last days of the Astrodome’s use.

From 1962 through 1970 the home uniform was plain white with a nickname logo on the front. The road uniforms were gray with the block letters spelling Houston on the front. The caps were navy blue with either “45s” from 1962 through 1964 or or the orange star with the while block “H”. The team colors were orange, blue and white.

The first orange caps appeared in 1971 and lasted through 1982. A switch to a navy blue cap arrived in 1983. In 1975 the club went to the orange striped top leaving convention completely. In fact at the beginning they wore the same uniform home and road. No one was going to confuse the teams for sure.

From 1975 through 1993 the name “Houston” was not to be found on any Astro uniform. However, as soon as Drayton McLain, Jr. could get things changed he made sure the city was represented on the road jerseys again. He also ditched the Astro orange based color scheme which had been used on less garish uniforms—limited to shoulder stripes—from 1987 through 1993.

The Astro uniforms from 1994 through 1999 went back to classic styling with silver, blue and white the primary colors. As a trade off, perhaps, for the block “H” being removed from the caps for a an open silver star the name “Houston” appeared on the gray road uniforms. That was also the first uniform era in which alternative uniforms appeared.

That brings fans to the present. Since 2000 the Astro colors have been brick red, white and navy blue. On the road it might be a brick red top or a full gray uniform. The cap can be brick red or blue.

What will the Astros decide should be the look starting in 2013. I am partial to the classic look of the final Astrodome years, but others don’t like those uniforms at all. Many are intrigued by the orange stripes, but concede that time is probably passed. The original Houston Astro look also receives strong backing with the shooting star above the Astros name on a cream colored home jersey and a simple gray road uniform. Hardly anyone I have heard from wants the status quo.

What do you think? What about colors? And what about longevity? How many want something that will last for decades as the uniforms of the Yankees have done. Or does that take multiple world championships first? Let me know your thoughts. As always you may contact me directly at: foxsportshouston@yahoo.com.

NFL Chose a Good City for Its Big Event

2012-02-03T07:24:00.002-06:00

Indianapolis Makes Move to Even Bigger Time

It would be improper to say that now that Indianapolis is hosting the Super Bowl the city has reached the big time. Certainly the Super Bowl is the single most followed sporting event in the United States, but is hardly the first big event hosted in the Indiana capital.

There is an event called the Indianapolis 500 that has been drawing up to 300,000 fans for a single race for the last 100+ years. In the last decade or so NASCAR has also raced at Indy with the Brickyard 400 and it draws well over two hundred thousand fans. Indianapolis has also hosted the Pam Am Games, world class tennis, numerous NCAA Final Fours, the NCAA and U.S. Swimming and Diving Finals and the NCAA and U.S. Track and Field championships. In other words the Super Bowl is just the latest of big events hosted by Indianapolis. It also likely has won the right to host another one down the line.

Listening and reading the words of sportscasters and writers around the country the city has received a high passing grade. One of the main reasons is the same reason the Houston Astros, Houston Rockets and Houston Dynamo are located where they are in our town. The venues are downtown or very close. Locating everything nearby was a plan to rejuvenate downtown Indianapolis and it has paid off.

Consider that when I was a student at Butler University on the near north side going downtown was something one did only if they wanted to visit one of the two big department stores. There was nothing else except offices and the state capitol downtown. By 5:30pm the place was deserted. They had a pigeon problem and they even sent men with shot guns downtown at night to shoot pigeons!

In the late 1960s a decision was made to build the Indiana Pacers a new home. When they joined the old ABA they were forced to play in the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum after Butler University rejected their bid to play in the 15,000 seat Butler (later Hinkle) Fieldhouse. The Coliseum seated just over 9,000 and was sold out frequently as local basketball fans embraced the ABA.

When a new facility was considered, the early thinking was to build it somewhere on the edges of the city in the suburbs. But a young mayor named Richard Lugar, now a U.S. Senator, thought it should go downtown to be the centerpiece for downtown revitalization.

That was the beginning of the turn around downtown. Next, came a convention center which was in just the right location to build a domed stadium even without a team. The idea was sold to the public as a convention center addition even if was never used for sports.

The Baltimore Colts were courted, but were also being courted by Phoenix, Memphis and other cities when it appeared Robert Irsay would not get a new stadium in Baltimore. When Irsay made his visit to Indianapolis the Colts future was assured. He walked in the building—which had been laid out in a football configuration—and he noticed right away that the seats were all blue… Colt blue. It was purely a co-incidence, but it may have been the final selling point.

While the Colts were on their way and getting established, the city was not sitting still. A goal to make the city the amateur sports capital of the country was in the planning stages. A new track and field stadium, a new velodrome and a world class natatorium were all funded. Even the Triple A Indianapolis Indians of minor league baseball got a new stadium. It too, was built downtown.

Before long with so many championship events being staged in Indianapolis the NCAA transferred its headquarters from the Kansas City area to…downtown Indianapolis.

Oh, there have been politicians taking a lot of heat for spending on facilities instead of on sidewalks or parks. Indianapolis has since financed another new home for the Pacers and the Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts, but the population has doubled since the 1960s when everything started. Indianapolis was the nation’s 12th largest city in 2010 with a city population of 820,445. The city's 6000 downtown hotel rooms are being stretched—and over priced-- by the Super Bowl, but that is still about 1000 more downtown rooms than Houston can boast—a city with about 1.5 million more citizens.

Admittedly the weather this week in Indianapolis has been unseasonably warm. It may rain Sunday, but they have a roof. Things have been much more comfortable than last year in Arlington for the weather plagued and some felt too spread out activities. Of course, the NFL can’t ignore 30,000 extra seats so Arlington is cinch to host more Super Bowls. Indianapolis is no cinch, but also cannot be counted out. The city can handle big events.

Aim Right and Shoot Early..in Basketball

2012-02-01T07:52:00.002-06:00

EARLY SHOTS EQUAL MORE SUCCESS—WHAT ELSE IS NEW!

A recent news story said that scientific studies of NBA games showed that teams who shot the ball earlier in the 24 second clock had more success. I hate to disparage people who enjoy putting numbers into computers and seeing what comes out, but the result the computer guys came up with is—COMMON SENSE. This is not to criticize the work of Brian Skinner, a theoretical physicist at the University of Minnesota who conducted the study and had to sample 5000 NBA games to do it. He really didn’t need to watch that many games or take so many notes. It has been evident ever since the shot clocks started being used that teams don’t get many good shots out of the last ten seconds of a shot clock in normal play.

But “wait a minute”, you say. What about Gene Hackman in “Hoosiers” telling his players they had to make five passes before shooting. Or what about all those motion offenses used by teams on all levels that involve multiple passes? What about Josh Lucas (Don Haskins) in “Glory Road” who had to get most of the playground style out of his players before molding them into an NCAA Champ?

Neither Gene nor Josh (Don) had to deal with a shot clock.

I am not disparaging teams that share the ball or look for good shots. If they are smart about it they certainly have an edge on the dribble dribble shoot playground teams. It is just that the stats show early shots equal better teams. But do you know why? Early shots include fast break baskets. They include “early offense” shots that are taken before defenses have had time to fully set up. Those shots, lay ups and two on one baskets, always lead to higher shooting percentages. Higher shooting percentages equal more points which lead to more wins.

Anyone who watches basketball these days knows some of the worst offense results from teams trying to work the shot clock down. Invariably it seems they wind up with desperation shots just to avoid the shot clock time expiring. And upon reflection of the possession there were many better options that were passed up.

The Houston Cougars loss to North Carolina State in the 1983 NCAA finals was attributed in part to Coach Guy Lewis changing his team’s usual aggressive offensive style which resulted in either poor shots or fouls. The Cougars could not hit foul shots and that ultimately did them in. Lewis had legitimate reasons for his strategic move since his club was foul troubled and had already lost minutes from key players due to those troubles. The bottom line was that when the team took more time to shoot they did not perform well and lost the game. The Cougars may have done worse down the stretch if the shot clock had existed then. That was just not their style.

No one who watches basketball thinks this means that teams should shoot earlier just to shoot earlier. But they should not be afraid to take an earlier shot if it is a good one.

At the same time there is a place for controlling the ball and clock within reason.

Years ago before the colleges used the shot clock I did play by play for Bradley University basketball. The head coach at the time was Joe Stowell. At times in a game he would go into what he called “control to score.” It looked like a close relative of the famed North Carolina “four corners.” It also looked like an old fashioned stall. But the object was to still score points—hence the name. The “control to score” was set up to spread the court with passes, but break a player down the lane here and there. If the passing lane was right and a layup was certain he would receive the ball and go to the basket. Stowell’s team was also excellent at free throw shooting

The improvement and multiple defenses played by teams in all levels of basketball have contributed greatly to making the long possession less effective. When defense in basketball was strictly man to man it was not as hard to get an opening and a good shot by a star player. Now with much better team defenses including a variety of zones it is much tougher. And the offense can no longer wear down a defense with a series of passes and cuts. Shot clocks have taken care of that. Twenty four or thirty-five seconds is not too long to play tough defense.

All this adds up to why getting early shots with as many fast breaks and mismatches is the key. Of course a coach can preach all this and hope his players instincts can take over. If they don’t hit the shots it doesn’t matter when they take them in the end.

Weekend Not Lacking Sports News

2012-01-30T08:55:00.000-06:00

Monday Morning Musings

TEXAN COACHES POINT AFC TO PRO BOWL WIN
Did Wade Phillips have the easiest job in sports Sunday? The NFL co-ordinator of the year for his defensive turnaround with the Houston Texans was in charge of the defense for the AFC in the Pro Bowl in Honolulu. The rules don’t let you play any defense in that game. So, Wade’s big instruction was likely, “Get in their way as much as possible and hope they miss on passes or fall down prematurely. And don’t get hurt.”

There were some acrobatic and exciting plays in the game even if the defense rivaled the Washington Generals against the Globetrotters. Team MVP Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 176 yards with four of them TDs including one lying flat on his back in the end zone from Andy Dalton. He kicked the ball in the air accidentally and was able to grab it before it hit the ground.

The AFC team guided by Gary Kubiak and the Texan staff won the battle of offense 59-41 in the second highest scoring pro bowl in history. Never mind that in a few instances the Hawaii fans booed what they were seeing—or not seeing. Members of the winning AFC team received checks for $50-thousand each. Not bad for a day’s, uh, can I really use the word “work” here?

PRO BOWL HAD COMPETITION
On the same day the NHL had a pick up game they called their All Star game in Ottawa. Again, the defense was not part of the encounter. In a league where 3-2 in a high scoring game the Charas beat the Alfredsons 12-9. Huh? The teams were named after the captains—Zdene Chara and Daniel Alfredson who are noted stars in that league. The players in the game were selected after what they called the All Star Fantasy Draft. So much for tradition. The NHL record book for All Star games is rather inconsistent. For years the East played the West. Then they gave the conferences names. Then sometimes the league champ or leading team played the All-stars. There have been other mixes as well and now they are down to choosing sides.

CLEMENS BACK ON MOUND
Did you notice that Roger Clemens took the mound over the weekend for the Texas Longhorn alumni? At 49 years old he looked trim in his Longhorn uniform and retired the only three hitters he faced. This is either good news for his condition and arm strength or horrible news for the Longhorns prospects this season. Forty nine year old Clemens struck out the first two hitters of the game and got the third on a soft fly ball to center field. The Longhorns have one of the nation’s highest pre season ratings. Good thing they won’t have to face any 49 year old hurlers again. The alumni won the game, by the way 2-0 with Clemens opening it for an inning and Huston Street closing it out.

OSWALT BACK TO ASTROS? MANNING TO TEXANS?- RIDICULOUS
Anything to sell papers and get blog hits it seems. Rumors were floating over the weekend that the Astros and Roy Oswalt might get together again and that Peyton Manning should be signed by the Texans if the Colts let him go. Don’t waste your time reading those scenarios. Oswalt is not coming back for a number of reasons, but the biggest is the contract he would demand. Remember in bold typeface: THE ASTROS ARE NOT GOING TO SPEND BIG DOLLARS THIS OFFSEASON. They have a plan to try and build a solid nucleus through the draft and player development. They do not expect to be a contender in 2012. And big dollars spent won’t be until at least prior to the 2013 season and maybe not even quite then.

As for the Texans and Manning…or any other club and Manning, there is no way to know if a 36 year old quarterback coming off an injury that cost him a whole season can even play a full season again. Then when one throws in his expected salary demand and not co-incidentally that a quarterback named Matt Schaub fits the Houston offense nicely there is no reason for Manning to be considered. Two years ago? Sure, that would have been great. But time marches on.

CAN WE FINALLY START TALKING ROCKETS?
Many people have not noticed apparently, but the Houston Rockets, bereft of any so-called NBA star power players, are currently 12-8 and just a smidgen out of the top spot in their division of the league. The club has won nine of ten in large part because their schedule has not included many of the league’s powers and because coach Kevin McHale has found the depth on the roster to keep a fresh quintet on the court.

The latter point may be most instructive in this packed and shortened NBA season. The Rockets have had big games from players who at one point were out of the regular rotation, but got chances in part due to the heavy scheduling and took advantage. For the 2011-2012 season at least, quantity of usable players may be more important that quality of stars. The NBA has almost turned into MLB where the regular season is far different than the post season. Depth of pitching staff and depth of roster is not so important in the post season. But to get to that point it is needed.

ASTROS HAVE PROSPECTS

2012-01-27T08:39:00.001-06:00

If You are Paying Attention, Astros Do Have Something Going for Them

It has been all too common to hear nothing but negatives from the fans who have followed the Houston Astros this off season. While it is true the club had the worst season in Houston history in 2011 and the new ownership is not spending money willy nilly this off season both the criticism of the past and premature complaints about the future are mis guided.

For the vast majority of the Drayton McLane Jr. ownership years the Astros were one of the best teams in baseball. Sure, they never won a World Series and only made it that far once. At the same time they were competitive and that is really all fans can ask for. You will note that the big spenders in New York and Boston did not win the World Series every year. Spending money is not the answer. Being smart about how you spend it is.

Players don’t last forever or at their peak skill level. There will always be some ups and downs especially in this silly money era. Teams don’t develop super star players or even all star players every year. Clubs have to hope they have enough prospects so that someone will come to the front and pay off. Hopefully, it will be more than one.

Since that is the Astros current plan, it is encouraging that three percent of the top 100 prospects work in the farm system. And it is also encouraging that two of those prospects were acquired in trades by Ed Wade last season. Jonathan Singleton may be the most intriguing. A year earlier the Phillies would not trade him when they wanted Roy Oswalt. He was being given a shot to play the outfield on the hope that he could play that spot while Ryan Howard continued to hold down first base. In 2011 after a season of playing mediocre outfield the Phils were willing to part with him to Houston in the Hunter Pence trade.

Singleton is only 20 years old but will likely start the 2012 in Corpus Christi. He combines an ability to hit for power and average. A good season in 2012 could put him in the hunt for a regular job at first base for Houston in 2013. Everything points to the possibility of Singleton developing into a real star. Of course, he has to do it and he has not had that chance yet.

Another player in the same Pence trade with the Phils is also on the top 100 list. That is pitcher Jarred Cosart. Only 21 years old he has electric stuff they say and only needs to be more consistent with where he delivers those pitches to be a star. He will open in Corpus Christi in 2012 but could advance quickly.

The third top 100 prospect according to MLB.com is last year’s top draft pick, George Springer. The centerfielder from Connecticut signed late and only appeared in eight minor league games last season. Still, his five tool package of skills intrigues scouts who felt the Astros really found a gem in the draft. Springer is 22 years old and likely will begin the season in A ball, but if he earns it will be moved quickly.

It is very important to emphasize, however, that while being ranked in the top 100 of MLB is a great honor it guarantees absolutely nothing. J.D. Martinez who appears to be the leading candidate to play left field with the Astros in 2012 was not a highly regarded prospect early on. Only after he continued to show an ability to hit on every level he was assigned did the 20th round draft choice climb on the prospect charts. It is the same with likely second baseman Jose Altuve. Who thought the (listed at 5’7, but really about 5’5 tall) infielder would be a major leaguer? By hitting about .310 for his career on the farm he earned his shot. He may never give it up. But who could have known that was coming?

It is watching the development of players like Singleton, Cosart, Martinez, Altuve-- and don’t forget Jordan Lyles and others-- that will make following the Astros in 2012 more enjoyable than just the win-loss record.

There IS a positive future ahead. Don’t fill the blog comment sections with wisecracks that are supposed to be funny or just to rile true fans. If the Astros are not a contender in 2012 so what? Wait awhile, but don’t give up on them. Don’t wait to be a bandwagon jumper who hardly knows anything about the men in the Astro colors when they start to win. Follow the club and the prospects on the farm this season. That is part of the fun.

Stirring the Pot... Astro Change Talk Gets it Done!

2012-01-24T08:01:00.002-06:00

Astros Reach Out to the Fans And Generate Controversy

On Monday Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane did something that got fans talking about his team. He held a news conference to announce many “fan friendly” changes for the 2012 season and opened the door for controversy which got those fans talking.

When asked about other changes that might be forthcoming he floated the idea that the team would be studying the possibility of changing uniform styles and…the name of the team!

The former was received sort of “ho-hum” by fans since the Astros have had no record for stability in the uniform thing ever. What they have worn has hardly ranked with the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Giants, Dodgers or Tigers as never leaving the basic look albeit with some alternative uniforms added. When the Houston baseball club has changed they have changed. Styles, colors, logos you name it…everything has changed it in the past. Much of the changes were related to ownership changes. Drayton McLane, Jr. made two changes. The second came when he moved the club from the Astrodome to what is now Minute Maid Park in 2000. Now the club has not only an ownership change but a change in leagues starting in 2013. It is expected new uniforms will be part of that switch assuming a new design can be finalized by MLB’s deadline sometime in May or June.

But changing the team name from Astros is not something the vast majority of fans want. While the team will be changing leagues in 2013 they will still be in the major leagues. The franchise did switch from Colt 45s to Astros, but that was dictated by the Colt firearms company wanting to share revenue from merchandising for allowing the ball club to use the name in the first place. Judge Roy Hofheinz then jumped on the existence of NASA in the area and came up with the shortened form of Astronauts…Astros. That was the same thing their fellow expansion partners in New York did with a shortened form of Metropolitans to Mets.

Both were genius decisions and the reason why is very simple. If you ask a random person what is a Cub, Cardinal, Tiger or Giant is there can be many different answers. But ask the same person what is a Met, Dodger or Astro and there is really only one answer. They are all baseball teams…one in New York, another in Los Angeles and the third in Houston. That name identification with the city is priceless.

The current weakened state of the U.S. space program is really insignificant. It is the name of this city’s major league baseball team and should be till the game is no longer played.

The fact that this discussion was a result of the news conference conducted by Jim Crane was well timed. The Astros are rarely even talked or written about in the main stream media these days. That free publicity a baseball team can usually get from newspapers, radio and television is very important in doing what they have to do to survive and thrive—sell tickets. The media has not been talking much baseball for a couple of reasons that have collided. One is the rise and success of the NFL Houston Texans. The other is the fall from success and forced move of the Astros to the American League in 2013. At this moment Astro interest seems to be at an all time low. That can only be changed by getting sports fans talking about the team. If it has to be about the possibility of a uniform and name change so be it.

Unfortunately, it also covers up the “fan friendly” initiatives Jim Crane did outline on Monday. Most notably fans will be allowed to bring some food and water into the park for the first time. They can’t bring in picnic baskets, but if in small see through plastic containers the full restrictions will be off.

Season ticket holders who renew by the end of the month will get five percent rebates in the form of gift cards. And there will also be additional individual discount ticket areas which could lower the costs for a family of four to just $12. Other areas of the building will have discounts as well.

Those moves should be real good news to baseball fans. The $12 plan for a family of four cannot be beaten by any other major team sport.

At some point the Astros will again be a contending team and some prices will go back up. That is the law of supply and demand. Right now while the club is trying to rebuild the Astros are giving more fans a chance to see how the construction is going.

Still, the big news on Tuesday was the talk of new uniforms (nearly a certainty) and maybe a new name (highly unlikely.) If we follow the law of supply and demand we must also remember another old adage. “Any publicity is better than no publicity.”

At least for a day or two in the off season the fans and general sports media were talking about the Astros again. For a long time baseball man that was good to hear.

A Potpourri of Local Sports Notes

2012-01-22T18:18:00.002-06:00

EVERYTHING SPORTS… NFL PLAYOFFS, ASTROS, ROCKETS, INSIDE FOX

Texans Loss Last Week Harder To Take…Could Have Gotten to SuperBowl
Any Houston Texan fan who watched the Patriots 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens to punch New England’s Super Bowl ticket has to be ill about now. The Texans were good enough—almost—to not only enter the playoffs for the first time- which they did- but to go to the Super Bowl themselves. A full strength 2011 season Texan team (meaning one that had their first string quarterback healthy) is better than either the Pats or Ravens.

Watching the game Sunday one of the first things that came to mind was what the Texan defense would have done to the Pats. The Ravens have a strong defense, but really didn’t put much pressure at all on Tom Brady. The Patriots don’t have as strong a defense as either the Ravens or Texans and allowed Joe Flacco to look quite good much of the game. Oh well, wait till next year.

Astros Not Making Headlines But Are Making Headway
Jed Lowrie, Fernando Martinez, Jack Cust and now Chris Snyder are four players added to the Astros 40 man roster in the last few weeks. All are intriguing additions to a club that wants to be better than in 2012, but not harm the long term plan to build with youth.

To a man the acquisitions listed above are: 1. Veterans or once highly rated, but still young prospects. 2. Relatively low salaried and 3. Not on long term contracts. They also have done enough on the major league level (except for Martinez, who is the prospect) that should some of the younger players who finished the season with Houston last year not step up in the spring are capable of claiming regular spots on the field.

Competition in spring training will be real and not a façade. The acquisition of Houston native and former UH star catcher Snyder may also allow the club to work out a trade involving Humberto Quintero as part of a package with another club seeking a back up catcher. “Q” has signed for about $1-million and if Snyder has a good spring and Jason Castro is able to be physically fit “Q” could be expendable. With the Astros trying to trim payroll for several reasons they could save a few hundred thousand if Quintero moved on. I know of no possible deals working, but don’t be surprised at some point.

Rockets Surviving Killer Schedule So Far
The Rockets won their sixth straight Saturday night and almost seem to be enjoying the heavily condensed schedule so far. Certainly they have had to give their all every night and have been impressive in so doing. While other clubs like the Spurs are resting some key players here and now the Rockets have been able to send everyone into battle and it has paid off. Samuel Dalembert has been especially impressive with his all out effort battling fellow big men and blocking shots. The team has also shown that when things get rough and fatigue starts to hit the big men the guards have to come through. On Saturday that was the case. The NBA may turn out to be more guard oriented that usual due to the fatigue factor of the killer schedules. If so, the Rockets depth at those positions will continue to pay off.

Honors for a Founder
On Saturday night dozens of current and former co-workers and friends of Jack Stanfield gathered at the mammoth Fox Operations Center in The Woodlands to honor the co-founder of Fox Sports Southwest and Fox Sports Houston’s ancestor, Home Sports Entertainment (HSE.) Jack recently retired from Fox after over 30 years with the company. The former hockey player who was with the old WHA Houston Aeros before getting involved with radio and then television partnered with Dick Barron to put HSE on the air in Houston on January 4th 1983. Then a few months later with Ed Frazier running the show in the Dallas area helped with the launch of that part of the network. His greatest success along with Dick and Ed was to find backers for HSE after the original owners planned to shut the network down. The trio then planned and executed expansion into Florida and Denver with new networks beginning the interlocking regional networks that became the proginators of Fox Sports Net when Newscorp bought the operations.

Jack isn’t really retiring professionally—just from Fox—where in recent years was Senior Vice President of International Programming. He will be free lancing and continuing with other projects he has been working with in the past. Many of us who work for Fox Sports Houston owe a lot to Jack Stanfield.

Texans Programs Producer Now a Mom
Congratulations to Stefani (Kazel) Montoya and Javi for the birth of their son, Xavier Cleveland Montoya. He was born early Saturday morning. Stefani is the producer for all Texans and Rodeo related programming on Fox Sports Houston. By the way, the middle name of Cleveland is an homage to Stefani's hometown. A huge fan of Cleveland sports she won't likely miss any Indian visits when the Astros join the AL in 2013.

Pam Gardner Reached the Top with Astros

2012-01-20T09:27:00.001-06:00

Gardner Was Behind the Scenes Success

The news that Pam Gardner was leaving the Astros as a full time employee was not a surprise. Her job description had changed in the turnover from Drayton McLane, Jr. to Jim Crane, but change on the business side before the new operators knew exactly how that part of the Astros was set up would not have been wise. There was a lot of planning and money already tied up in 2012 promotions and ticket sales plans. So Pam was not one of the high level employees let go. Her lofty title as President of Business Operations no longer existed, but she was working with new club CEO George Postolos to make the changeover as smooth as possible. While the other Astro president, Tal Smith, did not have that opportunity of the baseball side there is a significant reason. The business side tries to make money. The baseball side spends it. The new Astro group already had a financial plan regarding the baseball side. They were going to emphasize scouting and development. They felt their existing and planned new baseball people could do that. For awhile, and only a short while they hope, the club would not make money based on the success of the club, but from a reduced payroll while the young players developed into a winning team.

The is obviously an over simplification because if the baseball side has success or features star players that fans are interesting in watching, it will generate revenue indirectly as well. The business side has to generate as much as it can regardless how well the baseball side succeeds. That is significant reason why businessmen who buy into pro sports quickly find they have far less control of total revenue or success than in their other endeavors. How well the team plays will always be the main factor in revenue generation of all kinds.

No doubt before she voluntarily resigned and accepted an advisory position to Jim Crane, Pam had emphasized that point to the new ownership group. Now it will be up to the new owners to stick with their plan and keep fingers crossed that enough young prospects develop into players good enough to bring winning baseball back to Minute Maid Park.

As for Pam Gardner she must consider what she did in her full time baseball career. It was a lot. Starting in the Astros communications department she rose through the ranks and was with the club for 23 years—the last eleven as president for business.

Inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame as the first female member in 2006 she also received honors from the Sports Business Journal, the Houston area Urban League and by Texas Executive Women among others. With her departure as a full time Astro she ends a run that has already made her the longest tenured female executive in Major League Baseball.

In addition to her efforts to find out ways to generate more attendance and fan interest at Minute Maid Park she also ran the point on many Astro community projects which have put the Astros among the top levels of baseball in those areas. They are not just a local major league baseball club, but a part of the city in which they play.

It is hoped that the press release saying that Pam will serve as a special advisor to Jim Crane is not what those sort of announcements usually mean and that she will actually be called on to offer suggestions or to explain why certain procedures the Astros have developed over the years are used.

You cannot discount the value of experience in every walk of life. Pam Gardner has a lot of it with the Astros and the business of Major League Baseball.

Astros Ink Another Vet... Rockets Reach .500

2012-01-18T09:20:00.001-06:00

WILL ASTROS BE CUST? ROCKETS TO .500 PLUS MORE

The Astros trying to find a diamond in the rough to put on their diamond at Minute Maid Park have signed Jack Cust a lefty hitting outfielder/PH/DH. Cust who never has been high average hitter who had his best years with the A’s is 33 years old and coming off a 2011 season in which he was released by the Mariners and picked up by the Phillies where he lasted only six games. He hit just .213 with a .344 on base percentage and .329 slugging percentage in 270 at bats.

While in Oakland Cust fit the stereotyped “Moneyball” player. His walk totals were higher than most and he hit with some power. His career on base percentage of .374 is quite high for a .242 career batting average. He hit 33 HR with the A’s in 2008 and had a three season string from 2007 through 2009 of 26, 33 and 25 homers. (He also led the AL in strikeouts all three seasons with 164, 197 and 185). He walked over 100 times twice as well.

His effectiveness has not been so great in recent seasons, but he comes with a low dollar contract and a track record that shows he has at least achieved in the past. Can he achieve again is the gamble GM Jeff Luhnow is taking. The move will only bring out sarcastic comments from the would be comedians among the amateur writers on blogs and discussion forums, but it fits what the Astros are trying to do for 2012 as they try to reorganize the club. Cust is a low cost veteran who may or may not make the team and is worth the gamble.

Signing players like Cust are not done to excite the fans. The signings are an effort to improve the club little by little with veteran players who will hopefully be pushed aside by younger better players. If those younger players are not ready or talented enough, the team still has players who have earned their stripes. The Astros are not trying to build a National League champion for 2012. They are trying to improve certainly, but are more concerned with building a base from which a contender can be built and sustained.

HAPP INKED
Lefty hurler J.A. Happ has signed a one year contract for a reported $2.3million to avoid arbitration. Shortstop Jed Lowrie, the only other Astro who might be involved in arbitration has reportedly requested $1.5 million but will likely settle for a few hundred thousand less than that and avoid arbitration as well. Once that is done GM Luhnow will know exactly where is payroll will be for 2012. The club would still entertain offers for high priced contracted players Carlos Lee, Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers to further reduce that payroll and obtain more prospects in return.
ROCKETS TO .500 THE HARD WAY
After an awful start which no doubt had an effect on advance ticket buys for the Rockets game Tuesday night against Detroit (fewer than 10,000 in the listed attendance), the team has actually been playing well and has reached .500. Not all the wins have been pretty with Tuesday night a big example. The Rockets playing their fourth game in five nights were heavy legged at times, but the Pistons were worse. It all added to an 87-70 victory. One of the keys was Rocket coach Kevin McHale going deeper on the bench and using his backup players more minutes than usual. Patrick Patterson who has had a couple of DNPs this season played 24 minutes and scored 12 points. Goran Dragic spelled a tired Kyle Lowry for 18 minutes and scored eleven. Courtney Lee who has only played in six of the 14 games scored six points, including a couple of well timed baskets, in eight minutes.

In this 2011-2012 season more and more games will be decided by those off the bench. The season is so condensed with fewer days off that it is just not possible for the main players to be on the court for 40 minutes every game. Those bench and deep rotation players will have to get a lot more time that usual. Teams with solid depth will have an edge. During the Rocket four game in five day stretch it looks like the Rockets may be in good shape in that area. They may be lacking one or two superstars, but in the long run the trade that didn’t happen—with players like Kevin Martin and Luis Scola departing for a top level player like Pau Gasol-- may work in the Rockets favor.

To help cover for the trade being rejected by Commissioner David Stern, Houston GM Darryl Morey acquired Samuel Dalembert who has been showing an ability to be a defensive presence in the middle with a few points thrown in. The players who remained are part of that deep rotation which is good enough on many nights to cover when the starters don’t have much left in the tank. Other clubs that are top heavy with stars have to hope those stars can handle this schedule. There will be nights they won’t be able to. Then, watch out for the Rockets.

A championship team? Not the Rockets this year, but they will hustle and play hard. Sometimes it won’t be all that pretty as was the case on Tuesday. But it was a win.

Now that the Texan season is done take a look at these Rockets. You may not know who all the players are, but you will learn quickly. You also might like what you see.

Frustrating End for Texans, but Just Wait!!

2012-01-15T15:26:00.005-06:00

Texans Join the Houston Sports “What If?” List

Losing to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday and thus being ousted from the NFL playoffs is nothing for the Houston Texans to be ashamed. This edition of the Texans won a division title, got to the playoffs and won a playoff game for the first time. That is something to be proud.

Naturally, fans and pundits will look back at the game and point fingers at the inability of the offense to score more than three points after Daniell Manning’s kickoff return took the ball sixty yards to open the game. Fans will blame Jacoby Jones for his muffed punt return that put the Ravens in easy scoring range. Fans will blame T.J. Yates for his first interception inside Texan territory that led to another short Titan scoring drive. Fans and pundits will all be correct, of course. But that was not the whole story, either.

What if the offense had been better? What if Jones had not made his error? What if the Texans had not been forced to put the ball up in the air one pass too many in their final three possessions..all ending in interceptions?

Of course, people in Houston are experts at the “what if” game. It is not just in football either.

What if J.R. Richard had not suffered a stroke midway through the 1980 baseball season. The team won its first division title and took the Phillies to the wire in a very hotly contested post season. If the Astros had a healthy Richard might their have not been a World Series championship in Houston?

What if the 1986 Astros could have held on to game six in the playoff series against the Mets and been able to send Mike Scott out to pitch game seven? There could have been a World Series appearance for Houston that season.

What if Hakeem Olajuwon had seen where the desperation shot by North Carolina State was heading and he had blocked out? The game would have gone to overtime, but the Cougars might have won an NCAA championship.

What if Jeff Bagwell had not had nearly total shoulder deterioration in 2005 and would have still been able to play every game in that World Series?

As for the Texans, what if Matt Schaub had not been lost for the season? This is not to degrade the effort of T.J. Yates. He came out of nowhere and did a good rookie job. He did as well as could be expected and maybe more so for a fifth round draft pick forced to grow up instantly. But Texans fans have to wonder with the powerful defense put together by Wade Phillips combined with the outstanding balanced offense of head coach Gary Kubiak this is a season of celebration for what did occur, but also one of “What if.”

That is nothing new for Houston sports fans. With the solid club coming back next season, though, including a healthy Matt Schaub and T.J. Yates as a back up quarterback with pressure filled experience, “What if” should be replaced in Houston by the old Brooklyn Dodger slogan, “Wait till next year!” The 2013 season could be very special in Houston and not another “what if.”

If Fernando Martinez Can Stay Healthy, Astros Made Good Call

2012-01-12T14:49:00.002-06:00

Astro Move on Martinez Worth a Chance...Even if it Fails

The Astros acquired outfielder Fernando Martinez on waivers from the Mets Wednesday afternoon. While the move only irritated some fans writing in to the Chronicle and other web pages who saw it as another case in which the club was trying to spend as little as possible on players other teams did not want, that suggestion definitely does not fit in this case.

What GM Jeff Luhnow and his men did this time is an almost no risk gamble on a player that is only 23 and was once rated as one of the top prospects not only for the Mets, but all of baseball. Signed at sixteen out of the Dominican Republic he didn’t start his professional career in the U.S. until 2006. Omar Minaya of the Mets, his scouts and scouts of other clubs rated him as a five tool player. He could run, hit, hit with power, field and throw. In that first season he hit .333 in 45 games at low A Hagerstown with five home runs and 28 RBIs. His free swinging left handed style resulted in 36 strikeouts in just 192 at bats, but he was only seventeen years old. He was ranked the 20th best prospect in all of minor league baseball.

Then the injuries began.

He suffered a hand injury in 2007 that limited him to 67 games. In 2008 his injury for the year was with a hamstring. He was limited to just 90 games, but in double A at Binghamton he hit .287 with eight home runs and 43 runs batted in. Elevated for the 2009 season to Buffalo and triple A in he hit an even better .290 with eight home runs and 28 runs batted in. But he was hurt again and only appeared in 45 games. His injury in that season was to his right knee which required arthroscopic surgery. While he recovered from the repair, he developed arthritis which apparently is still a continuing problem.

It must be instructive to note that since he suffered the knee injury his game has declined primarily defensively and in base running. In 2010 he hurt his other hamstring and only played 82 games. Seventy one of them were with Buffalo where his average fell to .253. He did hit 12 homers in that less than half season and drove in 33 runs. He still showed some power, but he missed the ball a lot with sixty five strikeouts in just 257 at bats.

In 2011 still battling the arthritic knee Martinez’ new “injury of the year” was to a wrist. He only played in 63 games at Buffalo. He did raise his average to .260 to go with eight homers and 30 RBIs. Defensively his days as a primary center fielder are likely over due to his arthritic knee.

He has had some unsuccessful “cups of coffee” in the major leagues with the Mets and even hit a home run last season against the Astros Bud Norris. His .136 major league average is not pretty, but he only has had 109 at bats.

Even with the discouraging injury story the Astros took a good chance on acquiring Martinez. It may be a big “IF”, but if he can hold together for a full season he conceivably could turn out to be a very good hitter. The Astros only will be on the hook for the waiver fee and will sign Martinez to a minimum wage major/minor league contract. He still has one waiver year left so if he does not make the club in the spring he can be farmed to Oklahoma City or Corpus Christi. Then, if his physical problems can be over come and the potential set for him years back can be reached then Jeff Luhnow and his staff will have pulled off a coup.

In 2013 the Astros will need an extra hitter in the regular lineup. Maybe that is a good spot for a young player who can hit, but due to that arthritic knee isn’t as agile an outfielder as he once was. And in 2013 Fernando Martinez will still only be 24 years old.

Let us see how it works out. If he can’t win a job in the outfield this spring don’t be too surprised if he doesn’t become a trivia answer in 2013. Who was the first regular DH for Houston when they moved to the AL?

Odds ‘N Ends…
Apologies to Sam Houston State football fans who felt I had insulted them last week. I did not mean to. I was only pointing out that since the BCS is the “end all” in college football it is hard to remember who is FBS and who is FCS because many fans can’t ever remember what the initials stand for and liked the old Division I and IA and IAA designations. I also realize that by inference, but not intention, pointing out the six winners of what I called the “big boy bowls” rubbed the wrong way. I should have called them the “major division bowls”….

Many fans took me to task which once again proved the best way to find out who is out there reading is to either make a mistake or say something, intentional or not, to make them mad.

Astro Winter League Players Do Well

2012-01-11T08:38:00.001-06:00

Winter League Numbers Offer Astro Encouragement

Everywhere Astro fans turn it seems the word is that the 2012 first Jim Crane edition isn’t expected to be much different than the last Drayton McLane, Jr. version of the team. Even those within the organization concede results on the field may not be much different visibly if one only uses the standings as a guide.

By the clubs first season in the American League, 2013, the expectations for noticeable improvement are anticipated. By then the current ownership and management will have been at work for a year and a half and the young core of the club will have another season of experience. Those that will be part of that core will have had time to prove themselves. Others will fall by the wayside and be replaced by new prospects. The Astros will start having multiple real candidates for multiple positions. The most important is on the pitching staff. That list of potential key arms is already growing.

The trades made last summer brought in several pitching candidates. Some have already had a taste of the major leagues. Many spent time in the winter leagues this off season. And most put up some impressive numbers.

Admittedly the season is short and the competition is not of major league quality. The best of the winter leagues are often classified unofficially as 4A—above the minor league’s top level but just below the majors.

Even with that caveat let us look as some of the Astro prospects and what they had produced- starting with pitching candidates for 2012. (Stats thru 1/3/12 courtesy of Houston Astros.)

In the Dominican Winter League, probably the strongest of the loops, Fernando Abad moved into a starter’s role and in four games was 1-1 with a fine 2.25 ERA. In sixteen innings he had sixteen strikeouts and allowed only 12 hits and 1 walk.

Erick Abreu in 20 games of relief went 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA. He fanned 27 in 24 innings. David Carpenter in ten relief appearances was 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA. He struck out ten in 10.1 innings pitched.

Anuery Rodriguez, Henry Sosa and Henry Villar were three others who all spent some time with Houston in 2011 who also pitched in the Dominican. Rodriguez started seven games and was 2-0 with a 2.48 ERA. He allowed 23 hits in 32.2 innings and fanned 32.

Sosa is the only MLB experienced hurler who had it rough. In seven starts he was only 1-2 with a high 6.23 ERA. Whether he was working on acquiring a better off speed pitch or not he was quite hittable by allowing 34 hits in just 26 innings. His strikeout total was only 18 which makes one hope at least that it was the result of trying to add a new pitch. Sosa was better than that with the Astros at the end of 2011.

Henry Villar did not have great stats either, but not horrid. His hits/walks to innings pitched was unimpressive with 15/9.1 his number. His ERA in 10 relief outings was 3.86.

One of the players who may be counted on out of the pen in 2012—Enerio Del Rosario—was especially strong with Cibao in the Dominincan. In 13 relief outings he had a 0.93 being used as a matchup specialist. In those 13 games he threw only 9.2 innings.

Xavier Cedeno only appeared in three games for the Astros last season but had a good winter in the Puerto Rican League. In thirteen games of relief he was 2-2 with a 1.77 earned run average. He had 20 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched.

Of the 22 pitchers from the system playing winter ball only three had ERAs over 5.00. and only six over 4.00. Impressive so far for sure.

HITTERS GETTING IT DONE TOO
Jose Altuve just keeps hitting. In Venezuela the little man hit .339 good for second in the league. He led the league in hits, at bats and was third in doubles and fourth in total bases. He stole ten bases and drove in 35 runs.

Brian Bogusevic was a top power guy in the Domincan. The lefty hitter put up a .317 average for Cibaenas with 4 homers and 12 RBIs in 33 games. Jimmy Paredes hit .306 with a homer and 18 RBIs also in the Dominican with Cibao. Angel Sanchez with Mayaguez hit 293 with a homer and ten RBIs iln 24 games. Outfielder Brandon Barnes has not played with theAstros yet, but his winter number of .345 4HR, 20RBI in 14 games in Arizona may give him a longer look.

The bottom line on all this is that the Astros will be full of prospects on the major league roster in 2012. There is no way to be sure which of those prospects will have what it takes to make and then star in the major leagues. Even so it is encouraging what some of the youngsters who played off season ball have been able to achieve.

Forty two Astro propects have been playing this winter. The large majority of them have been putting up numbers and having enough success the future has gotten a little bit brighter. Like the sunrise coming slowly so will the total rebuild of the Astros into a championship contender. The sun can be counted on to make it. Maybe the same will be true with the Astros.

Praising and Ranting...Two For One Today!

2012-01-08T18:26:00.000-06:00

Has Been a Great Post Season for Texas Football

With the unfortunate exception of Sam Houston State which was knocked off in the Division II (or did it used to be Divison I-A?...sorry NCAA but this FBA or FBC or FBI—or whatever it is supposed to be is stupid) championship game the state of Texas did very well in the post season.

In fact ALL the teams that played in the big boy bowl games won. Think of that everyone won! Houston, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor were unbeatable! Not a defeat suffered by any of them. Have to thank Dr. Bill McCurdy for reminding me of that Sunday morning in his daily blog. It is really quite amazing and again points to the depth and strength of football in this state. That is especially true when one remembers that not only are all those universities located with the boundaries, but nearly all the players on all six teams are from Texas as well.

Admittedly with the size and population of Texas there are more players to choose from than in most. Even so you would think at least one of those teams might lose a bowl game. It did not happen.

It might be easy for most Houstonians not to have noted the fact the Bill pointed out with the euphoria surrounding the Texas dominating second half and 31-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the opening NFL playoff game on Saturday. As one of the millions who watched the game on TV I was impressed. Star players make big plays. The Texans had not been playing with both Adrian Foster and Andre Johnson in the lineup at the same time for a number of games this year. Their presence made everyone on the offense look better. That included rookie quarterback T.J. Yates who didn’t hit all the passes he should have, but did not make any mistakes that hurt and knew how to hand the ball off to Foster well enough.

The Texan defense returned to the level it had shown most of the season…especially in the second half. It was impressive. Of course, the Ravens in Baltimore is next. The Ravens will be a tall order to beat on their home field. The Texans by winning a division and tossing in a playoff victory have already achieved more than only the most optimistic could have hoped before the season. They did it without a full team most of the year. So, no matter what happens in Baltimore, this season has been a success and has planted the seeds for wanting a lot more next year. Of course, if they could give the fans a lot more this season, that would be OK, too.

I Was Taught Circulation Was What Mattered
For many years I have used the buying a copy of the daily paper as a way to force myself to do my jogging in the morning. I eschewed subscribing even though price reductions are available so that I would have to run the half mile or so to the nearest convenience store and back. In recent years I have been running to a nearby grocery store where I can use the self checkout. I always carry exact change. Sunday I made my run and found the self checkout was not working. It said I needed more money. But I had already entered the two dollars! Then I saw the sign. The price had gone up to $2.50. Now I won’t mention what paper I was dealing with, but you know where I live.

Anyway, that did it. I did not buy a Sunday paper because I didn’t have enough money and I did not go back later. The only real beneficiary of the price rise will be the under employed street sellers. Buyers who are waiting to go through the light will hand over $3 and tell them to keep the change. (I was upset when the price went from $1.75 to $2, not all that long ago, because I knew the street guys were not getting the extra money they were used to.) To be fair this rant is not directed only at our local paper. It applies to newspapers all over the country that are doing the same thing.

Here is the problem. In Journalism class during my college days (I was a journalism minor) I never forgot that we were taught the price of the newspaper has no bearing on its success. In fact, the low price is a major factor in selling more papers. Money is made from advertising and circulation is most important. Higher prices can affect circulation and thus advertising in both volume and revenue.

So as newspapers continue to add to their cost it would seem the philosophy has changed, but it could be a dangerous change. The newspaper business has been in trouble for some time. There is very little competition in cities any longer. Houston was once a three daily paper town when the population was only 25% of what it is now. There are some significantly large cites in which their ONLY newspaper is in jeopardy of shutting down. Costs have outstripped revenue. Pages have been dropped. There is more reliance on syndicated or wire service reports and columns. The local news desks have been shrinking. Yet at the same time, these same newspapers have embraced on-line editions. Most basic news is available for free. And the revenue is generated by advertising on the web pages. The rates for that advertising are determined by how many readers are seeing the on-line edition. In other words “circulation” of the web site determines revenue. That is the same philosophy that kept the print version of the business alive for so many years.

Do newspapers REALLY think that raising the news-stand cost is going to generate more revenue than it will ultimately cost in lost readers and circulation? Or is it all just part of what the same journalism professor said those many years ago when he said print newspapers would one day be replaced by having the pages available through our television screens. In those days computers were unknown, but that prof was way ahead of his time. I do a lot of news reading these days on a TV screen attached to a computer.

Good-bye newspapers. I have fond memories.

Is The Second Time the Charm for Bagwell?

2012-01-05T22:21:00.003-06:00

Will Jeff Bagwell Make The Hall of Fame This Year?

Early next week the writer’s choices to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced. Those elected will have received at least 75% of the writers placing them on their ballot. Will Astro great Jeff Bagwell be among the number?

Many around baseball, and shown in informal polls of some writers, seem to think Jeff will be bypassed for the second year, although he is expected to get closer to the 75% vote than last year when he failed to reach even 50%.

If that is the case then for the second straight year the writers group will be wrong.

Jeff Bagwell meets every criteria of a Hall of Famer. His career was exceptional to a large number of players who have already been enshrined. Some writers just don’t want to elect a player from the steroid era who might have used performance enhancing drugs.

Never mind that there has never been any evidence that Jeff failed any drug tests or any solid evidence that he used steroids or growth hormone. The circumstantial evidence bothers too many voters. Jeff was very close to Ken Caminiti who admitted he used steroids. True, but Cammy also used cocaine and other drugs. Jeff didn’t. Caminiti’s death was a result of a drug over dose. His biggest offensive seasons were not while Jeff was his teammate. He was the NL MVP while with the San Diego Padres. Jeff wasn’t around then. Still, some wonder how the same Jeff Bagwell who broke in with the Astros as a man of modest stature and physical size became a solid rock of muscle.

Bagwell may have been one who tried using creatine and other over the counter supplements like Andro which were available to anyone in health stores or even regular drug and grocery stores. There is no evidence at all that he purchased steroids or had a relationship with any shady “trainers.”

Mostly what Jeff Bagwell did was work out harder and longer than anyone else. After games it is now a routine for players to head to the weight room for a post game workout. Some barely go through the motions. Others work out hard. Bagwell was one of those. Players using PED’s do not need to work out so hard to achieve size and strength. They just need to work enough to let the chemicals due their work. Body builders who are only concerned with the size of muscles need to work harder, but not baseball players.

The bottom line on all this is that no one except Jeff knows for sure that he didn’t go over the line, but because of that, he should not be kept out of the Hall of Fame due to the suspicions of some. If Jeff is denied it opens the door to a baseball version of the Salem Witch Trials. Suspicion is enough. It is not.

If one is concerned about the statistical numbers Bagwell should be a lead pipe cinch. Even with the shoulder deterioration that ended his career early he still played 15 years, hit .297 with 449 home runs, 1529 RBIs, and 202 stolen bases. He was both a rookie of the year and MVP. He had a career on base percentage of .408. Those equal Hall of Fame. Will it be in 2012?

Most think Barry Larkin and maybe Jack Morris will get enough votes this year and that Bagwell will have an improved total, but still fall short. Starting next year the ballot will be getting more crowded with players who do have superior numbers, but also have even more PED questions—some who have actually failed tests. (Craig Biggio will be on he ballot for the first time and with 3060 hits would be considered a nearly certain inductee since he has never been even suspected of using PEDs. A lower than exciting career .281 batting average could hurt him in 2013, but with those hits and other intangibles he will make the Hall at some point for sure.)

There are some writers who feel their self importance by with-holding their vote for first year eligibles if they don’t feel they are worthy of being a “super Hall of Famer” on the same level as Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb. You do realize Joe DiMaggio was not a first ballot Hall of Famer and even Ruth was left off eleven ballots in the first HOF election. The writers are hardly on target all the time.

With-holding for a year or so is really a silly exercise. Once a player is inducted no one remembers how many votes they got or even how long they may have waited. They are all in the same club. They are all Baseball Hall of Famers. Anyway, Bagwell is now a second year eligible. He needs to be one sooner rather than later. His career was Hall of Fame worthy.

One Hundred Losses Do Not Equal Lack of Talent

2012-01-04T09:13:00.005-06:00

Could the 1962 Cubs Have Been the Most Under performing Team of All Time?

While researching in preparation for writing my 2012 contributions to “Astros Insider”—the weekly Astro wrap co-hosted by Bart Enis and Patti Smith on Fox Sports Houston--I spent some time investigating the first year of Houston baseball in the National League. The team was known as the Colt 45’s that year and with the New York Mets were an expansion team.

The Colt 45s were built mainly with untested players drafted off other National League rosters and rookies. The Mets, perhaps in part due to the market they were playing, elected to go with more veterans and names recognizable to sophisticated baseball fans. They had players like Charlie Neal, the original Frank Thomas, Richie Ashburn, Gene Woodling, Gil Hodges and Roger Craig. All were on the downside of 30…some pretty far on the downside.

The Colt 45s, though full of mostly unknowns, were much better than the Mets. Their 8th place finish was 24 games ahead of Casey Stengel’s team even though the final record was only 64-96. They beat the Mets in 13 of 16 meetings including sweeps of three double headers.

The Mets finished in tenth place--last place in the 10 team loop, but their plan may have paid off at the gate. They drew 922,530, good for 7th in the NL. Even so, the Astros out did them with an average of 924,456 and the 6th best spot in the league.

Now, you may wonder if the Colt 45s finished 8th and the Mets tenth who was 9th?

It was the Chicago Cubs. In those days not many fans were making it out to Wrigley Field to see them play. Stuck with only day games the Cubs attracted just 609,802 fans which was the lowest total in the league. And the team was 59-103 as owner Philip Wrigley continued his infamous “college of coaches” throughout the season. There was never one manager, but a rotating leader.

The reality is, however, that the Cubs should have been a contender in the NL and not hanging around with the Colt 45s and Mets. The Cubs had four future hall of famers in their regular everyday lineup. And while they may have been ahead of their primes they were not past them.

Ernie Banks as the senior citizen was only 31 years old and playing first base. Twenty three year old Ron Santo was on third and two of the outfielders were named Billy Williams and Lou Brock. Has any other team ever had four future hall of famers in the regular ineup and lost 100 games? The answer after some research is, “No.” Ironically, the Cubs of 1966 had five future hall of famers in uniform, but only two were every day starters and only three could be considered regulars. Ferguson Jenkins was a rotation starter. He was joined by Santo and Williams plus Robin Roberts for part of the season and manager Leo Durocher.

The 1917 Pirates had a four future hall of famers on a 100 loss team, but only Honus Wagner and Max Carey were regulars. Burleigh Grimes, later famed for being the last legal spitball pitcher, and George Kelly were the other two. Kelly only played in eight games.

Admittedly, and as expected, the downfall with the 1962 Cubs was the pitching staff. The team ERA was 4.54. In 1962, though, that was not really that far from the league average of 4.48. Factoring in the four future hall of famers and a team pitching ERA not so far off the league average the suggestion the 1962 Cubs may have been the most under performing club of all time has real merit.

By the way, the Colt 45s in that 1962 season had a 3.83 team earned run average. They led the league in fewest home runs allowed and second in most strikeouts.

But they only hit .246 which was 9th in the league and their runs and home run totals were dead last. They still finished ahead of the Cubs who had those hall of famers!

Regular Season has been Too Long for Texans

2012-01-01T16:04:00.000-06:00

Is the NFL Season Too Long? It Was for the Texans!

It may sound ridiculous since NFL teams only play sixteen games, but for some teams that is too many. The Houston Texans are a case in point. After clinching their first ever playoff position in a comeback win at Cincinnati they have not been a very good team. They go into the post season next week on a three game losing streak. Some of it caused no doubt by the relief of having finally gotten into the playoffs. Some of it caused by the large number of injuries to key players—including two quarterbacks. Some of it caused by the abscence of their defensive co-ordinator, Wade Phillips, after undergoing surgery. And some of it caused by keeping some of the other key players who were healthy out of the final game to avoid injury.

It all added up to pretty lousy football for Houston fans down the stretch no matter what the reason. Too many games that didn’t really matter resulted in ugly play.

There is no point questioning the coaching decisions that may have resulted in this ugly football. Gary Kubiak and his staff were just trying to get some players healthy and keeping others healthy to have the best shot at gaining a playoff win. The team that was put on the field the last three weeks just was not as good as the one that charged to a 10-3 start.

Is it possible to turn it on next week with the full complement of players on the field? That is a question that will be debated all week. There is no right…or wrong…answer. The results shown next weekend will be the answer.

Was the real key to Sunday’s 23-22 loss to Tennessee the Texans opening drive? With as many regulars as available in the game the club moved down to score. After that 7-0 lead in which quarterback T. J. Yates was injured but went 4-4 passing, Yates left the game and Jake Delhomme took over gaining some important in game experience. Under Jake the offense never really was strong, but he did throw a big TD in the closing moments that gave the Texans a chance to win. His final numbers were 18-28 for 211 yards and a touchdown. Some of his passes seemed to take a long time to reach their targets—the arm is less zippy that it once was—but his completion percentage was good enough. Ideally Delhomme should be on the sidelines next week, but we can’t be sure yet. Yates was preliminarily diagnosed with a left shoulder bruise. Note that said “left” shoulder—not his throwing arm. If that is the extent of the injury and he is able to start he will, but Delhomme at least won’t be rusty if needed in relief.

Going for a two point conversion with :14 seconds left was the right call under the Texans current circumstances. Totally blowing the chance was very disappointing. An offside and then a snap over Delhomme’s head was not a pretty way to put a period on the loss.

In recent weeks the Texans offense has been weak, but with legitimate excuses—mainly the absence of WR Andre Johnson and the season ending injury to starting quarterback Matt Schaub. The defensive problems are more concerning. Without the full offensive unit intact the defense will have to be better than ever. What has been evident is that when the opposing quarterback does not face pressure on nearly every play the secondary is still quite shreddable.

Have the Texans been trying to play the last three weeks without not only their full roster, but also without using their whole play book? Many suspect that to be the case on both sides of the ball.

We should be able to determine whether that is the case or not very early in their playoff opener next weekend. If the adrenaline flows again and the club regains its aggressiveness the team that won 10 of its first 13—even without Shaub—can not only appear in the playoffs for the first time, but win their first game in the post season as well.

Even with the home field advantage there will be a lot of pundits not picking them to survive round one. It is up to them.

All Offense in Alamo Bowl while Spurs Humbled in Houston

2011-12-30T08:00:00.001-06:00

NBA Grueling Schedule to be Real Rocket Test While Baylor Does its NBA Best

The Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-85 before 18,267 at Toyota Center Thursday night. Meanwhile the Baylor Bears and Washington Huskies played a football game with a basketball score at the Alamodome in San Antonio and won it 67-58. Sixty five thousand two hundred fifty six fans witnessed that game in person.

The Baylor game showed why they are one of the best offensive teams in the nation, but also why ranking them much, if any, higher than 15th is hard to justify. The won their tenth game of the year which is only the second time a Baylor team has even achieved that mark. Their offense, led by Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, takes second place to no one in the country.

But, oh, that defense! They really don’t have any. Imagine a team winning ten games and yet allowing an average of 40 points a game. That is very, very hard to do. Baylor did it, though.

I will take issue however with some sports mouths who contend winning 67-58 is every bit as much bad football as the LSU 9-6 win over Alabama earlier this season. All it really does is show how defense is valued since those two teams will meet again for the mythical national championship early next month. Which game style do the fans prefer?

Unless one is a hard core fan of specific teams there is no question the Baylor-Washington game would be most enjoyed. The worst sort of football, however, is not 9-6 if its a result of good defense and not inept offense. The worst would be 67-0 in which one team did both things well and the other none.

In Baylor’s win, the Washington Huskies were every bit as good on offense. Quarterback Keith Price out-statted Griffin. He threw for 438 yards on 23-27 completions for four touchdowns. He also ran for three more. In fact Baylor’s individual offensive standout was running back Terrance Granaway who rushed for 200 yards and scored five touchdowns. His 43 yard scamper to the end zone with 2:28 left in the game put things away for Baylor.

Were all those numbers a result soley from bad defense? Of course not. Poor defense helped greatly, but if one watched the game one saw great offensive line play, pin point passes and nifty running. The game was ENTERTAINING. Will the LSU-Alabama rematch, regardless of implications, be able to match it?

ROCKETS GET EARLY TEST OF SCHEDULE
The Rockets win over the Spurs will give fans a chance to follow the effects of the NBA’s new condensed schedule very clearly. The game was the first of three in a row. In this one the club was very effective and impressive. Everyone contributed, but starters Martin, Lowry and Scola stood out. Will they still be playing that well into game three?

Kevin Martin scored 25 points. Kyle Lowry had sixteen points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists. Luis Scola poured in 18 points. After that triumvirate the rest of the players on Kevin McHale’s team shared the wealth. All but one Rocket scored.

Perhaps the best thing was that no player was on the court for as long as 30 minutes in the 48 minute contest. Martin scored his 25 points in just over 23 minutes of playing time. That rest could come in very handy starting Friday night in Memphis.

How well with the club be playing…or will they be dragging a big when they return home for their game against the Hawks on Saturday will be something to monitor. The schedule will be extra grueling this season.

If there is a positive in all this it will be that virtually all NBA teams are facing the same thing. What fans want to know is how often can they expect to see outstanding performances like that shown by the Rockets on Thursday night?

NCAA Rules ARE the School President's Call

2011-12-28T08:53:00.000-06:00

Don’t the University Presidents Represent the Schools in the NCAA?

I am frankly quite confused about a story circulating that says schools are objecting to a reform measure sough by university presidents and endorsed by NCAA president Mark Emmert. It involves scholarships and monetary stipends for athletes.

Isn’t the NCAA a governing body that gets all its power FROM the schools? And are not the presidents of those schools the people that vote on whatever guidelines the NCAA must follow?

The only governing body that is separate from the NCAA is the College Bowl Alliance. The NCAA has nothing to do with running it or deciding who plays where.

But if the NCAA presidents are in favor of multi year athletic scholarships as well as a $2000 per year stipend for varsity athletes on top of their scholarship how can the stories say the schools are objecting?

Well, the proof is in the fine print. You see, while it is true university presidents did approve those changes not all of them did. It was a Board of Directors consisting of SOME university presidents that voted for the changes. The rank and file appeared to be fine with them until they started taking a closer look and realized how they would affect their budgets.

Most of the larger conference schools are OK with the changes. They can afford them. But the smaller conference and less financially strong schools are not. Some have gone or record why. According to a story by Alan Zagier of the Associated Press schools ranging from Boise State to Indiana State, Marquette, Rutgers, Utah and Wyoming are among those opposed to the multi year scholarship plan. The biggest reason is the size and cost of football. Locking in players to multi year scholarships can be a financial drain, they say, if a coaching change occurs. The new coach may not want the player, but be forced to use him. (I can’t keep from smiling over this one.) The colleges would have the same situation professional sports have now. Long term contracts for players no longer able to compete on the level desired. College sports probably deserve to have that problem. The top programs are hardly what was envisioned when Harvard and Yale started buckling on the chin straps in the 1890s.

The $2000 annual stipend is also a problem. It shouldn’t be for any college that pays head coaches in the millions, but most schools in the NCAA do not. They also don’t play before 50,000 or more fans and are part of lucrative TV packages. Having the cash to take care of the football team is one thing, but including it across the board for every sport sponsored by the school is something else.

It is simply instructive to note that when one complains about anything the NCAA does one is actually complaining about what the representatives of the member schools have voted upon. Those representatives are not people sitting behind desks at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. They are the presidents of the universities who make up the membership of the NCAA.

If there is a problem with the makeup of the NCAA membership it is that there is too great a disparity in income. The revenue gap is often astounding. College football, and in many cases basketball, have gotten far too large and far too different from what was envisioned when the Ivy League and the old Western Conference (Big 10) started fielding teams before the start of the 20th century. It is too late to turn back the clock now. Getting everyone on the same page is the problem.

Keep Fingers Crossed for Astro Improvement in 2012

2011-12-26T08:02:00.001-06:00

With Rest of Division in Transition Astros Could Have Better Results than 2011

A few days ago I wrote a column with a projected Astro lineup and basic roster for 2012 based on the personnel currently available. I was quick to point out the educated “guesses” were no more than that since it was unlikely the players to choose from will all be available by the end of spring training. The Astros are in a remodeling mode. Anyone who had done any home remodeling knows that sometimes paint colors or furniture choice changes need to be made during the process.

While the same applies to all teams, taking a quick look at the clubs the Astros will have to compete against in their final season in the National League Central can be encouraging. The Astros can be considerably better than they were in 2011 even if they don’t become a full season contender.

For one thing, the 56-106 record of 2011 was the worst case scenario. The club was not good, but it really wasn’t that bad. Perhaps as many as ten to 15 losses didn’t have to turn out that way for various reasons from fluke plays, to bloop hits, to blown leads to maybe even a few questionable decisions.

There is no question with the number of young first or second year players the Astros will likely field in 2012 and few established successful major leaguers it is possible the club will wind up with a legitimate 100 loss team. On the other hand, it is also possible that those young players are the real deal and their talent will blossom taking the club on an upward spiral.

While fans want J.D. Martinez to hit a solid .280 or better with power and Jose Altuve to prove to be a real .300+ hitter no one can realistically expect those numbers. They can hope for them and perhaps in time will be both of their norms. Can the norm be reached in 2012? I am not going into a player by player exam here, only to make the point that for improvement in the club all the youngsters must peform and there is no track record for them yet.

The same applies to a number of the live arms the Astros will have competing for spots in the rotation and on the staff. In nearly every case consistency of command is what takes time to develop. It is the difference between the potential shown in the minor leagues and major league success. Remember the definition of potential in sports? Potential means you haven’t done it yet.

The Astros are not going through this process alone in 2012. The Chicago Cubs admit they are going through a “complete and total rebuild.” The Pirates are in year two of their rebuild under Clint Hurdle which got off to a good start last year then faded. The Reds seem determined to make it back to the top in 2012 with the addition of pitchers Mat Latos and Sean Marshall at the expense of several of their top minor league prospects. The Brewers are in real limbo with the loss of Prince Fielder (to someone, someday) and the possible suspension of left fielder Ryan Braun for a PED test that detected abnormally high testosterone. They have acquired an older third baseman in Aramis Ramirez and a potential Japanese import in high average, but low power hitting outfielder Norichiko Aoki. The pitching staff is good, but not one to knock your socks off with hard throwing power stuff.

Then there is the Cardinals. Adam Wainwright will be back to pitch. Chris Carpenter is still one of the best around. Jaime Garcia returns. That is pretty good start. Then they have signed Carlos Beltran to play the outfield for a couple seasons and still have Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday. You will note those names have some ages that add up to some higher numbers. The club has very little team speed. They do not have Albert Pujols..or manager Tony LaRussa.

Early forecast for the NLC: Cards, Reds, Brewers at the top with the Cubs, Astros and Pirates in the next group. Any of the top three could win. Any of the next group could finish 4th…or 6th.

So, on this day after Christmas that is how it looks to me. I will check back with you more than once before the start of the season. There are still a number of moves to be made that could change the face of the division.

As for the Astros debut in the AL West in 2013? Let’s hold on that. The Rangers and Angels are both getting big TV dollars from Fox and have been spending it. The A’s are apparently going into a better financial situation moving to San Jose in a year or so and the Mariners are one of the last teams in the hunt for Prince Fielder. These Astro young players had better turn out to have some stars among their number. The 2012 season will give them a chance to show what they have. Keep your fingers crossed.

Officials Too Signifant in NFL Games

2011-12-22T23:21:00.000-06:00

NFL Officials Have No Leeway for Common Sense Calls

While the Texans loss to the Colts Tuesday night was not caused by the officials they contributed. Yet they did nothing wrong. They made calls that they have to make or they could lose their jobs.

That is the problem with officiating in the NFL which sets it considerably behind other pro sports like the NBA, NHL and MLB. NFL officials are part-timers with no union to protect them. There is no room for common sense like there is in the NBA and NHL.

In the NBA officials do not always follow the letter of the rule book if infractions that could be called do not affect a play and might interfere with the flow of the show. They try to be accurate on fouls that affect shots or possession, but generally let the players use their physicality against each other on the boards or when battling for possession. This year they are trying to determine if an offensive player initiated the contact in making charge-block calls. In other words much of the officiating is common sense.

The same is true with the NHL. The last thing an NHL official wants to do is determine the outcome of the game. As in the NBA, when the game is close and goes down the line the whistles won’t blow as much.

In Major League Baseball the goal is to make every call correctly. There are fewer of the old “neighborhood” plays in which runners were often called out on the bases if the throw got to the base before the runner even if an actual tag or base was missed. Yet the home plate umpire will often be questioned. Major league players quickly learn what the strike zone is that night and if it doesn’t exactly fit the rule book definition, they have long learned to adjust. They just don’t want to be surprised with a different call for the same pitch late in the game.

In the NFL the league and the officiating supervisors require all the officials follow the book exactly. If there is helmet to helmet contact the penalty is automatic no matter how it happened. Intentional, incidental or minor—the officials are not allowed to judge. They have to throw the flag. Quaterbacks, kickers, punters and even receivers are given automatic protection even if the contact was simply made by a clean play.

Officials are far too evident in the average NFL game. Yet they are so because they have to follow the rules with no exception. If NFL officials were organized and more importantly full time employees the game would be a lot better for it.

This is in no way a plea to make the game rougher and result in more injuries. It is simply a request that the officials be given the right to interpret what they see. They can do it somewhat on contact between the kickers and defenders. But even so, we see too many flags for contact that was instigated by the kicker himself—in many cases as a result of a great acting job.

In no way should dirty play by accepted. Players who use the helmet as a weapon should certainly be penalized. Incidental contact as a result of hard play should not be. This is football which is a contact sport. Protecting quarterbacks sounds like a good idea. Yet, the two quarterbacks the Houston Texans lost this year went out as a result of a fluke broken bone in the foot (Matt Schaub) and a normal tackle (Matt Leinert). Neither were hurt as a result of excessive contact.

If the NFL is so concerned about helmet to helmet contact it is time to go back to helmets that are used to protect the head only. Hmm, that sounds like leather to me—instead of hard plastic. In the leather helmet days players didn’t even think of using their heads as weapons. They didn’t even wear face masks. They still had injuries, but I’d like to compare the number of concussions from the 1940s and 50s to now. Maybe let quarterbacks wear plastic and everyone else leather. I’m grasping for answers here. The officials just have too much to do with too many games.

Still, I would rather the officials be given the leeway to determine whether a player uses his head as a weapon or simply has incidental contact. There would be some “no-calls” that would make fans unhappy. But the game would be better because the calls that are made would have legitimacy.

Today's Lineup in Houston to Yu know who!

2011-12-21T08:31:00.000-06:00

Astro Lineup? Wade Goes Home…Rangers Must be Rich!

Today I am going to play one of those little “games” that have no real meaning except to get us all thinking baseball. If the season started tomorrow what would the Astro lineup and roster look like?

Using the word “tomorrow” actually makes this an easy exercise. Because of the amount of time several young players got on the field in 2011 and the lack of much roster shuffling so far this off season an Astro lineup could easily look like this:

Carlos Lee would be at first base…Jose Altuve at second… Jed Lowrie at shortstop… Jimmy Paredes at third and Humberto Quintero behind the plate. The outfield would consist of J.D. Martinez in left, Jordan Schafer in center and a right field platoon of Brian Bogusevic and Jason Bourgeois.

Key reserves would be Matt Downs, Angel Sanchez and J.B. Shuck. Jason Castro would be the other catcher presuming he is healthy. He could be the opening day catcher if healthy, but may not be.

The pitching rotation would feature Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, Bud Norris, J.A. Happ and Jordan Lyles. The bullpen would include David Carpenter, Wilton Lopez, Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodriguez and Wesley Wright plus two others. Sosa? Cruz? Abad? Abreu? Escalona? Weiland?

See that wasn’t hard even if I really didn’t stick with just 25 candidates. However, it won’t be so easy by the time spring training begins. There is a chance the club will do some more “addition by subtraction” if deals for Wandy Rodriguez and/or Brett Myers can be configured. And, if so, some of those players listed above might become part.

There is also always a chance other names like Brett Wallace or Chris Johnson can force their way back to the active roster by having strong springs while others struggle. Spring Training is now only two months away.

Ed Wade Goes Home
The former Astro GM has signed on to return to the Philadelphia Phillie family as a consultant and scout. Ed and his family never fully moved from the Philadelphia area during his time with the Astros so the opportunity to go back with the Phillies works well. The Astros will still be providing the bulk of his income the next two years since he had that much left on his Houston pact. It is fashionable to make wise cracks about why Ed made so many deals with the Phillies during his Houston years. The reality is that all GMs make a number of deals with teams they once worked for. Gerry Hunsicker made a number of them with the Mets—his previous employer—when he took over the Astros. It would not be surprising at all if Jeff Luhnow doesn’t make some trades with the Cardinals—especially since beginning in 2013 the Astros won’t be in the same division (or even league) with St. Louis any longer. The reasons are simple. Hunsicker with the Mets, Wade with the Phillies and Luhnow with the Cards know more about those systems than any other. They feel they are dealing with more knowledge when discussing minor leaguers than with other teams. There is nothing sinister about it despite what wise-cracking would be comedians thing in on line discussion forums.

How Come the Rangers are Rich All of a Sudden?
Two years ago the Texas Rangers were bankrupt. They went on the auction block. The club was still paying part of Alex Rodriguez’ contract. Their attendance had been dropping. Then a group headed by Chuck Greenberg was awarded the franchise after a “controlled” bidding process. Greenberg was not an uber rich man and didn’t really have much of his own money invested. But he was the front man and tried to run the show. Others in the ownership group didn’t like that and he was bought out.

In the meantime the baseball people kept working to build a winner. They succeeded. The Rangers won back to back American League championships. While attendance rose it still was unable to top 3-million.

This off season if there was high dollar free agent on the market the Rangers name was linked to him at one time or another. How did the Rangers get so rich all of a sudden? Most say it is the new (as much as $3-billion) television contract with Fox Sports SW that has allowed the team to spend. No doubt that is a factor, but the new contract doesn’t even kick in with the large increase for at least another year or so. In short, the Rangers are willing to go all the way to justify the money Fox has committed to spend in advance. They also found out they like being a “team to beat” instead of just another club. While they did not sign Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder (at least not yet) and they did lose pitcher C.J. Wilson to the rival Angels, they still had another target.

Enter Yu Darvish. The Rangers put in the highest bid just to try to sign the Japanese star pitcher. They are paying the Nippon Ham Fighters of Tokyo a reported $51.7 million just for the rights to negotiate with Darvish’s agents. How much they will have to pay the pitcher himself is only a guess. Since Darvish is only 25 and possibly the greatest pitching prospect ever to come from Japan to MLB, the numbers could be staggering. Can the Rangers and Yu’s agents come to an arrangement and will he be worth it? Time will tell that, but the Iranian-Japanese hurler has been dominant in Japan. In 2011 he was 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts. The 6’5 25 year old has essentially proved all he needs to in Japan. If he has a good head on his shoulders and fully understands what he will be facing there is no reason he cannot be a big success in MLB. He will have all the top notch coaching he needs with Mike and Greg Maddux in the Ranger family that is led by Nolan Ryan.

For the past 25 years the Rangers have been noted for two things: hitting and heat. Pitching has never been the strongest suit for the Arlington boys. It has been good enough to win two straight AL titles. If the Darvish investment pays off it may be good enough to win the Big One.

Overlooked by Football, but UH Hoops Has Bright Future

2011-12-18T17:18:00.001-06:00

Cougar Hoops on Spot with Move to Big East, But Future Looks Good

For much of the life in Conference USA the basketball story was essentially Memphis and all the other guys. Oh sure, every so often Houston or someone else made some noise, but Memphis was the big dog and usually the only conference rep making the NCAA field.

Things are about to change for the Houston Cougars. They won’t have to worry just one team to overcome. The Cougars will have to beat a number of schools to reach the top. They are joining the Big East. Defending national champion, Connecticut, plays there. So does Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Depaul, Villanova and others schools perhaps not so basketball famous.

All the attention about the school’s move to the Big East revolves around getting the football program into a BCS automatic qualifying league. With the future defections of West Virginia to the Big 12 and both Pitt and Syracuse to the ACC there could be some question whether the Big East can hold onto its automatic football spot.

There is no question the league will continue to be one of the top loops in basketball. But while that may put added pressure on coach James Dickey, his staff and team it is not all bad. It is not really bad at all.

For one thing the Big East will get multiple post season basketball bids. Unlike C-USA where winning the post season was the only guarantee for the NCAA tourney, in the Big East the only question will be how many schools go to the tourney.

The Cougars are in a good spot. Under Dickey they have have recruited well the past two seasons. The incoming class is ranked as one of the best in the country and best at UH in years. The school has committed to find a way to upgrade basketball facilities including giving Hofheinz Pavilion an upgrade. While that won’t happen until funds can be found and the football upgrades paid for and perhaps underway, Dickey still has to continuing to build the program.

He inherited a team coming off an NCAA bid in Tom Penders final season a couple years back. Pender’s clubs were built heavily with junior college transfers and others from out of state. Dickey’s team this season has only one player not from Texas or an adjoining state. He also has ten freshmen or sophomores on his 15 player full roster. He has four junior college or college transfers and only one senior.

The Cougars off their narrow five point loss at Oklahoma on Saturday are only 4-5. However in the five losses the margin is only 12 points. They won a big game at Arkansas earlier, but have lost by two points at home to Oakland, one point at home to TCU and one point at home to LSU. Their other loss was by three points at Texas State.

Losing to teams like Texas State and Oakland (that is a school from Michigan, by the way) is not impressive, but perhaps only because they don’t have established big names.

It won’t be long, however, that Houston won’t be losing to the Oaklands of the world. James Dickey has recruited some strong players who only need experience. And with success and the cover of being a member of the prestigious Big East Conference the recruits and fans will come. Two of his younger players to know on the current team who should be around for the conference change are leading scorer Alandise Harris and top rebounder TaShawn Thomas. Harris is a 6’6” sophomore from Little Rock. 6’8” freshman TaShawn Thomas from Kileen. Harris averages just under 15 points and six rebounds per game. Thomas averages ten points and a team leading 8.7 rebounds per contest. Jonathan Simmons and Kirk VanSlyke are double figure scorers. The Cougars average 78.9 points per game while allowing 70.3.

Attendance at Hofheinz Pavilion has not been consistently good since the days of Phi Slama Jama when the Cougars routinely out drew the Rockets. Folks, that was more than 25 years ago! Winning will make it better. Houston is averaging 3456 a game for the first six. The average will rise as C-USA play begins. It will be better yet in the Big East.

So, while the Big East—and facilities upgrades at UH in both football and basketball are still in the future—the future looks good on Cullen Boulevard.

Robert Griffin III Joins Two other Memorable Baylor Greats

2011-12-16T07:59:00.001-06:00

Heisman for Griffin Not Biggest Honor for Baylor Athletes

When Robert Griffin III was announced as the recipient of this year’s Heisman Trophy signifying being the top college football player in the land Baylor University had reached a level never reached before. The football program gained more recognition than it had in years and Griffin became the first Bear ever so honored.

But two athletes who proceeded Griffin at Baylor hold honors even greater than the Heisman. Jack Lummus and John Kane who each played two sports at Baylor were honored by their country with the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Both were heroes on the fields at Baylor in the late 1920’s and ‘30s and on the battlefield for the United States in World War II.

Jack Lummus was the best athlete of the pair at Baylor. He was an all Southwest Conference outfielder in baseball and a starting end on the football team. He was so good that he played both professional football for the New York Giants and minor league baseball. In fact, his last football game was in the 1941 NFL championship game. Then he joined the Marines.

On March 8, 1945, Lt. Lummus led his troops onto the beach at Iwo Jima in the first wave. Though wounded by grenade shrapnel and having both legs taken from him after stepping on a land mine he continued to direct his men until he had to be rushed to a field hospital. Lummus never recovered from his wounds and died shortly there after. For his heroism he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

John Riley Kane was a football and basketball player at Baylor about a decade earlier than Lummus. He was a surviving member of the basketball team that lost ten players “The Immortal Ten” in the tragic bus-train crash of 1927. After he graduated he joined the Army and had risen to Colonel by August 1, 1943.

That was when he was in command of the 98th Bombardment Group on a mission to take out Nazi controlled oil fields in Romania. When the lead group got lost and actually dropped their bombs on the 98th’s planned targets he took his unit to the main objective even though now the Nazi’s were aware an attack was imminent.

Continuing to circle the target and directing the attack Kane’s B-52 lost an engine and was struck more than twenty times by shrapnel and countless more bullets. During the attack Kane directed his planes in strategic maneuvers that were so inventive and successful they are used to this day.

Unlike Lummus, John Kane was able to survive the War. Although his plane had to crash land on Cypress after the raid he and his crew survived. However, fifty four of the 178 planes on the mission did not make it back.

John “Killer” Kane lived until he was 89, passing away in 1996. But like his fellow former Baylor athlete was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his efforts during World War II.

There is no question that the Heisman Trophy is the greatest single award given in any collegiate sport. Robert Griffin III needs to be remembered for all time by Baylor fans. Just don’t forget Jack Lummus or John Kane either.

Jeff Luhnow's First Trade a Winner!

2011-12-14T15:00:00.002-06:00

Melancon for a SSand a potential Starting P? GoodInitial Deal for Luhnow

The Houston Astros madetheir first deal under the Jeff Luhnow regime as GM and it appears to be a goodone. While no trade can be fullyevaluated until time passes the acquisition of shortstop Jed Lowrie and 25 yearold pitcher Kyle Weiland from the Red Sox for pitcher Mark Melancon could be awinner for both teams.

Melancon was pressed intoduty as the Astros closer in 2011 and acquitted himself well. He saved 20 of 25 chances and recordeda solid 2.78 ERA. On a teamdestined to compete for a pennant in 2012 he would not be a player that mightbe vulnerable in a trade.

But the Astros don’t figureto be quite ready in 2012. Theyalready have a closer in Brandon Lyon they are committed to pay $5-million andthey needed more competition at short stop and in the starting pitchingrotation. They got what theyneeded at the expense of Melancon.

If one only looks at numbersthe deal seems favorable to Boston. Lowrie is only a career .254 hitter and has had several injuries (wrist,shoulder) and an illness (mononucleosis) that have kept him on the sidelines. Heis not young. The former Stanfordstar will turn 28 shortly after the 2012 season begins. At the same timescouting reports on the former first round pick and switch-hitter are veryfavorable. Analysts aroundbaseball are saying this was a good move for both clubs. The Red Sox have a current and futureshortstop in the system. Lowriewas expandable if the club could get a proven relief pitcher capable of workingas a set up man or closer.

Lowrie’s addition means theAstros do not have to turn the shortstop spot over to a player who showed hecould play in the major leagues, Angel Sanchez, but with holes in his overallgame. Sanchez showed with regularat bats he could hit well enough, but with no power. On defense he has good hands, but poor range and arm. On the bases he is very slow. Lowrie is not considered a gold glovecandidate, but has much more power, a better arm and foot speed. The deal fits within the mantra of“doing the best you can for the least you can” in the building of the 2012Astros. Just at the shortstopposition this is a step up.

If the Astros can pull offdeals shedding the large contracts of Wandy Rodriguez and/or Brett Myers theacquisition of Weiland to compete for the starting rotation could turn out tobe huge as well.

Mark Melancon is one of theclassiest guys in baseball. Fromthat stand point he will be sorely missed in the Astro club house. Everyone wishes him well in Boston. Everyone also hopes to see big thingsfrom Lowrie and Weiland.

Hold Off on Braun and the Astros Rotation

2011-12-14T08:12:00.000-06:00

List of Banned Substances is a Long One

Inside every major league clubhouse—in both English and Spanish—is a list of all the supplements and/or other products that are banned from baseball. The list includes just about all the body builder or weight lifter supplements used commonly by those athletes. None of them are steroids or human growth hormone directly, but may alter the body’s chemical composition and thus alter a drug test.

It would appear Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers may have run afoul of ingesting something felt to be harmless that may or may not have been on the list, but produced a positive result for elevated testosterone levels. Or maybe he didn’t do anything.

That is where the leaking of the results of his October test is so wrong. About 2.5% of all males have what are called significantly above normal testosterone levels naturally. One test proves nothing was done wrong by the NL MVP.

Testosterone levels are also usually elevated by athletes who lift weights. The body produces more testosterone on its own. Athletes lift weights. When was Braun’s sample taken?

Could Braun have taken a supplement he should not have, like the frequently advertised on sports radio stations, “Ageless Male” which claims to raise testosterone levels up to 61%? Could he have taken something else? Could he have taken nothing?

All of those are possibilities, but until it is known for sure, it is wrong to be assuming Braun will be suspended for the first 50 games in 2012 until all the facts are in.

Astros have Plenty of Players to Compete, but Which Ones Will Succeed?

News that Astro catcher Jason Castro has been sidelined with a broken bone in his foot and won’t be ready to play at the outset of spring training is not good news for the club—or for Castro. The former first round draftee had a taste of the major leagues in 2010, but showed he was not quite ready. He showed a good eye at the plate, but had little success in actually collecting many hits. Yet, his defensive skills showed promise and there was hope he would take the starting job in 2011 and never look back. Of course, he went down with a knee injury last spring and missed the whole season.

He would not have been able to help too much in keeping the Astros from the on field disaster that was 2011, but he would have gained needed experience. Depending on how well he heals this time he will have that chance again. The Astros, though, in making a wise signing by bringing back Humberto Quintero at least have the position covered by a veteran.

In fact, it could be expected that Quintero and Castro would share the job with Castro getting most of the starts in part due to his left handed bat anyway. In the rebuilding of the Astros the club has to learn if Castro is the man just as they have to learn if J.D. Martinez, Jose Altuve, Jimmy Paredes, Chris Johnson and Brett Wallace can be significant major leaguers.

Next spring will be most focused on the pitching staff. There are enough candidates to fill regular lineup slots. Sure, some of them won’t make it ultimately, but the team is going to give the “kids” a long look as part of “the plan.” Fans should expect the Astros to used addition by subtraction as the immediate goal.

The subtractions will be the contracts of Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez and Carlos Lee. The latter is most unlikely since the usual ploy for getting a player to waive a no trade clause or 10-5 rights is the promise of a new contract extension with his new team. In Carlos’ case he has shown no indication he plans on playing after his current contract expires after 2012.

Of course, Roy Oswalt said that a few years ago, too. He has apparently changed his mind and may be seeking a new contract as a free agent.

If one or two of the “Big Money Three” can be sent elsewhere with potential major league talent returning the 2012 Astros could free some cash to find a shortstop if they wished, but right now it would appear that is not the plan. Angel Sanchez likely will be listed as #1 on the shortstop depth chart into the spring.

It may not even be Christmas yet and even the Winter Baseball Dinner is more than a month away, but it is never to early to be talking baseball. Remember, it is the GAME that is the thing. We can only hope the on field results will show improvement in 2012 and that hope for better times can reasonably be expected.

So Astros Have Problems at C and SS...Nothing New!

2011-12-13T08:16:00.002-06:00

When will Jason Castro be able to show what he can really do in the major leagues? Who will be the Astros regular shortstop in 2012? Among many other questions those are two signficant queries in the minds of fans.

Castro has a broken bone in his foot that has been surgically repaired. Similar to the injury that started Jeff Keppinger's season late in 2011 Castro hopes to be cleared to play before spring training is over. In the meantime the club has re-signed Humberto Quintero. The latter was a good move. "Q" proved his worth in 2011. Whether he starts four games a week or fewer once Castro can play, Quintero works well with pitchers and is not an automatic out at the plate.

Castro has the biggest upside if he ever gets a chance to prove it. Playing in the Arizona Instructional League--where he suffered his foot injury-- he had a good mini-season at the plate by hitting in the .280s with a .400+ on base percentage.

As for shortstop put your money on Angel Sanchez taking the starting job into spring training unless the Astros so something their current "plan" does not call for--signing a moderately priced free agent. Obviously some payroll flexibility would arise if the club can deal all/any of the "Big Dollar Three"-- Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers or Carlos Lee.

Of that trio Lee would be the toughest to deal due to his contract and ability to decline any deals. Myers might be the most desireable for the Astros to trade for reasons not only financial, but Rodriguez would be the most desireable by others to acquire.

All three of those players are fully capable of helping the Astros win games now and would leave some shoes to fill. Yet, if GM Jeff Luhnow can engineer moves to clear salary and acquire potential major league players in return those empty shoes would be worth it. Fans have to remember the Astros want to be better than in 2011, but they don't want to mortgage long term success just to win ten or 15 more games.

The process of building a long term successful club simply takes time. It takes numbers. It takes many minor league prospects fighting for playing time. It takes competition on both the major league and minor league level to find the players who can handle the job and succeed in the major leagues.

There is a decent chance that a number of players will come and go in the next few years. At some point--if the depth in the system is strong enough--real major league players, some of them potential stars-- will surface.

Sticking with "the plan" is the key. Not being bothered by what the Cubs or Cards or Brewers are doing (or starting in 2013 the Rangers, Angels or Mariners) but sticking with the building process is the key.

No one knows how long it will take for the Astros to be a contender again. No one knows how soon or which crop of young players will be the one to do it. Astros management and fans just have to have faith in "the plan."

2011-12-11T20:23:00.001-06:00

Texans ComebackOusts Sumlin Move as Biggest Weekend Story

There was a lot of sportsnews over the past weekend. But inthis corner one story stands out. Sure Robert Griffin winning the Heisman or the Texans AFC South clinchingat Cincinnati or Sam Houston State moving on were big. And how about Ryan Braun of the Brewerswho may be facing an MLB suspension?

To most t he number onestory is the Texans, but everyone will have an opinion on the comeback in Cincinnati so I will leave thatstory to others.

Personally, I think the move of Kevin Sumlin fromHouston to Texas A&M has the longest shelf life. It can’tcompare to what the Texans did Sunday at the top news, but is very important totwo college football programs. Sumlin moving on may be disappointing to Cougar fans, but they must admitthe days of Bill Yeoman or Guy V. Lewis making a long career exclusively onCullen Boulevard is over.

Until the Cougars are trulyone of the “big dogs” in college sports they will be in that middle level, where success brings other schools totheir doorstep seeking to “steal” their head coaches. That is the way things are now with no end in sight.

Yes, Cougar fans, it isdisgusting that contracts are broken and that fans have to recognize thereality the school is not on the football level of Texas A&M or teams inthe Big 12. Until Houston canbuild their new stadium and fill it every game, that will be the case.

The move to a BCS qualifyingconference, the mis-named and geographically imperfect Big East is a positivefor Houston. Even without Sumlinthe football team should be competitive from the start. Any prayers should be reserved forbasketball coach James Dickey who has to take his team into one of thestrongest leagues in all of college basketball.

If the loss to Southern Missdid anything it may have delayed the announcement of Sumlin being the new headman with the Aggies. Had Houstonwon that game the school might have had more money to toss in his direction,but Sumlin would have certainly had to pass. Texas A&M continues to be one of the sleeping giants incollege sports. Sumlin knew allabout the place, having served on R. C. Slocum’s staff earlier in hiscareer.

Consider that job openingsin college football can be tricky to apply for and trickier to accept ifoffered. The job needs to be theright fit. Texas A&M is almosta perfect fit for Sumlin. He isn’tmoving far. He already knows a lot about the program. And he already has contacts and arecruiting feel for his primary area.

On top of that the immediatefuture at Houston has to be at least a little in question. Yes, they will be moving to a BCSconference and a plan to construct a new stadium is being formulated, but CaseKeenum is finally out of eligibility. If Sumlin had anything todo with making Keenum the star he was, the reverse must at least be considered.

Now was the time for Sumlinto make the move.

Cougar Athletic DirectorMack Rhodes says a national search will be conducted for Sumlin’sreplacement. A national search mayresult in another coach who would use Houston as a stepping stone, but asRhodes said, he wants a coach that will leave the program in better shape thanhe left it. Art Briles didthat. Kevin Sumlin did that.

Hopefully, the next guy willbe able to do the same and with the Cougars in a new BSC conference and with anew stadium the itch to move on won’t be quite so strong.

Jeff Luhnow Good Choice, but He will Still have to Face Pujols!

2011-12-09T08:09:00.001-06:00

Astros New GM Ready to Keep with the Plan…Pujols Will Continue to be Astro Nemesis

While the Astros did not make much news of national interest at the recently concluded winter meetings that was expected. However, they did come out of the week with a new general manager and news that even the forced move to the AL won’t keep Albert Pujols from torturing local fans for years to come.

The good news is that the GM job has been filled by Jeff Luhnow who is exactly the type of GM Astros ownership wants to conduct the restructuring of the team. Luhnow will be in his first GM job, but his background over his eight years in baseball working exclusively in scouting and player development is exactly the club’s primary focus. It didn’t hurt that he was with the Cardinals who won a couple of World Series and were competitive for the division title every year. The bottom line is still winning. The Cardinals did and many of the young players from their system were key cogs.

It should also be encouraging that the new Astro regime is convinced they can build a winner from within and recapture the hearts of Astro fans. Changing plans in mid stream is not in the forecast. To a man, the new Astro ownership acknowledges things may still take a year or more before extensive improvement is seen. They will not panic if revenue does not take a big jump immediately.

What the Astros did in the Rule V draft is instructive. They acquired another hard throwing pitcher in reliever Rhiner Cruz. Starting last season the team has started to focus on pitchers of high potential thanks to their live arms. Cruz has not pitched higher than in double A so far, but has been strong in winter ball against mostly higher level competition. He has to earn a spot on the club in the spring or be offered back, but he is coming to a camp that will be wide open.

The other draftee was a Cub farm system shortstop who was blocked by young Starlin Castro on the big club and acquired by the Red Sox in the Rule V, then traded to the Astros. Marwin Gonzalez also has to make the club or be offered back to Boston, but like Cruz he has a chance. The Astro shortstop position is currently—on paper at least—in the hands of Angel Sanchez. Sanchez did a great job starting last season while Clint Barmes was waiting for an injury to heal, but faded after he started to see less action. His shortcomings in defense range, arm strength, foot speed and power were evident. If Gonzalez can show enough in the spring he would have a change to stick and win the job. He has experience as high as triple A and his .284 combined in AA and AAA in 2011.

Naturally neither of the Astro Rule V acquisitions were of any focus nationally but there is no reason to worry. Some guy named Pujols signed a 10 year $254-million contract. That took center stage. While Cardinal fans were dismayed it may turn out to be the best thing for both the Cards and Pujols. For the Cards the price and length was too great. Actually, the offer they made for Albert was hefty and that should be noted by Cardinal fans. But it was about $50-million less than the Angels laid out. So the Cards don’t have to pay—or play Albert for ten years that are unlikely to be a happy full ten years. Since the crackdown on PEDs doing big things after the age of 35 is becoming less common.

Meanwhile, Pujols moves to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League. Oh, and here is a future trivia question. When Pujols career ends what opponent will he have faced the most in his career? You got it. The Astros—ding ding ding! Certainly one of his most famous home runs was hit off the Astros and Brad Lidge in 2005 and starting in 2013 he will be facing them again in the same division, but different league.

Moving to the AL makes the most sense for Pujols with a contract that will take him past his 40th birthday. Already slowing down in the field, in large part due to injuries in recent years, he can serve as a DH in the latter stages of that ten year pact. The Cardinals, had they re-signed him, would have been face with putting a below par defender on the field.

As for the Cardinals the franchise is strong. They have a veteran to play first base for a year or two in Lance Berkman. They have some of those youngsters who were scouted and or developed during Jeff Luhnow’s years with St. Louis ready to gain more playing time. The pitching staff will again be strong enough. And they won’t be spending more than $20-million in 2012 on one player. The Cards will miss Pujols and all he has done for them, but they will be far from destitute.

Meanwhile, the Astro plan is being followed. They won’t be making any big free agent deals like the Cards or Angels offered. Impatient fans and those still upset about the move to the American League in 2013 will take some convincing that this is the way to go. But if the “plan” starts to bear fruit, those same fans will be ready to take a taste for sure. No matter which direction a team takes it is a risk. The direction the Astros are going is less of one. Baseball is a game of percentages. The Astros are playing them.

Astro GM Candidates Not Big Names but Qualified

2011-12-07T07:49:00.001-06:00

Maybe You Haven’t Heard of Them, but Astros Have Solid GM Candidates

Sports fans are often suckers for big names. Big name players, big name managers, big name coaches and even GMs. Some owners are suckers for them, too. But history has shown the so-called big names don’t always add up to the best hires.

Had anyone heard of Jon Daniels, Brian Cashman, Theo Esptein or Andrew Friedman before they were hired by the Rangers, Yankees, Red Sox or Rays respectively? You can be sure fans in those cities were not happy that more established big names were by passed.

Yet none of the franchises that hired those “unknowns” has ever regretted doing so. The Astros may be about to do the same thing.

When Ed Wade was let go, many fans and some sports writers started tossing out big names. Mostly it was candidates that had either already been a GM or had been rumored so often about being in the next wave of hires their names were recognized.

That would not have automatically made any of them the right hire. The Astros are heavily interviewing candidates with major league experience who have the deepest grasp on scouting and building solid farm systems. They are not looking for GM candidates who have negotiated a number of big dollar free agent contracts or even who have been involved in making major league trades. They no doubt have had some contact with candidates of that level and if the right person were available would not likely automatically rule them out. But their goal is to build. The big time free agents and blockbuster major league deals will come later.

They want someone who can follow the plan to build the entire baseball organization into something that can get back to a level competitive with the top teams in their league and sustain that level for years. A chance to win a pennant now and then is also the goal.

Of the names that have leaked out and who have been interviewed shows the Astro direction. J.J. Picollo is the assistant GM of Scouting and Player Development with the Royals. Jeff Luhnow holds a similar dual role with the World Champion Cardinals. Bill Geivett is a senior vice-president for scouting and player development with the Rockies. Logan White is the head of scouting for the Dodgers.

Notice that three of the four come from a scouting and development background. White has been only in scouting, but the Dodgers have been very successful in that area. Scouting and development is what the Astros want to emphasize.

Geivett has the most extensive background. He has been with the Rockies eleven seasons and before that worked for the Dodgers and Tampa Bay in development or scouting roles after starting in pro ball as a scout for the Yankees.

Luhnow has the least experience, not getting into baseball till 2003. He has also only worked for one organization, but the Cardinals obviously have had great success with a heavily home grown contingent of players.

If Picollo has a problem it may be that the Royals have not been one of baseball’s more successful franchises in recent years. However, his resume includes working for the Braves as director of minor league operations.

While White’s background does not include working directly in the development area he comes highly regarded.

This is where the personal interviews make the difference. Geivett, on paper, would seem to have the most extensive background and experience. Luhnow has been working as a key cog in a winning organization. Picollo’s Royals had five of baseball’s top 25 prospects heading into 2011.

All of the candidates in interviews published by Baseball America in recent years are advocates of the “new” job description of GM. They know it is important in incorporate traditional scouting methods with computerized analysis in everything involving players

While Jim Crane and/or George Postolos have had interaction with more than just these four candidates I have chosen to highlight here, it is not a stretch to think these four represent the type of back grounded person that is being targeted. Could a so-call “big name” still be part of the mix? Maybe, but the goal will be the same with whoever gets the job. Build the Astros back from within.

A major league baseball general manager is the front office face of the club. The interview process should be able to tell which of the Astro candidates would be best suited for that role. It is not as important as drafting and developing the right players. But it is an important part of the job. Being able to communicate with the media and thus the fans to let everyone know the Astros are determined to make the team winners again as quickly as possible is the goal. It’s all part of the plan.

Big Game Sat for Sumlin, but Will that End It?

2011-12-02T08:25:00.001-06:00

Timing is Everything for Coaches on the Move

If the University of Houston is about to lose another head football coach to a higher level the timing is perfect for Kevin Sumlin. The opening of the Texas A&M Aggie job may be the job that makes his departure for U-H more certain.

The Aggies let Mike Sherman go after a 6-6 season that included at least four games that should not have been lost. The clincher to the end of the 25-25 four year Sherman run likely was the 27-25 loss to Texas in a game the Aggies lost another lead and had been the better team for most of the game.

That it was the last game, for a few years at least, between the two massive schools located less than 100 miles apart made it worse. It was a wrenching loss for Aggie fans most notably those who were so incensed at Texas for starting their own TV network that they pushed for departure from the Big 12 and membership in the SEC.

Had A&M finished 7-5, BUT had won the Texas game—even with the other blown leads—Sherman would likely have been safe.

Maybe that one loss will be a big one—in a positive sense—for the Aggies long term. It may work out well for UH’s Sumlin, too.

Sumlin immediately becomes a candidate to replace Sherman just 90 miles up the road in College Station. His Cougars are 12-0 and set to battle Southern Mississippi for the C-USA crown on Saturday. Also in the balance—besides the Aggie job perhaps—is a slot in a big dollar BCS bowl game for the Cougars with a win.

Southern Miss won’t go to a BCS bowl if they upset the Cougars and kill their chances. They would be the league rep at the Liberty Bowl, but their coach, Larry Fedora, may be able to capitalize on a victory into a newer and bigger job himself. Some have reported he is a viable A&M candidate.

If the Aggies elect to pursue Kevin Sumlin it would not put a hurting on their in-state recruiting. Sumlin spent time on the Oklahoma staff for years recruiting Texas before winning the Houston job. Recruiting Texas is crucial for the Ags. Yet, there are questions.

The biggest question about Sumlin is his greatest player. When Case Keenum, a recruit of current Baylor and former UH coach Art Briles, missed last season with injury the Cougars fell under .500. Back for a final season, Keenum has not only wiped out all Cougar and national passing records but has led Houston to unprecedented heights.

How good is Sumlin’s coaching without Keenum? Until midway through this season his defenses have not been strong. Certainly the head coach doesn’t handle the details of either offense or defense. But he hires the assistants that do and has over sight over both.

If I sound like I am playing a devil’s advocate a bit I am. Sherman’s team failings are right there on the scoreboard. Sumlin’s successes are a bit harder to fully judge when one looks very closely.

There is no question Sumlin is a “hot” coach. The record shows that and what has been achieved at U-H under is leadership is on the record. It just takes further inspection than just 12-0 to make the call.

Arizona State and North Carolina have been reported as other schools interested in Sumlin. They would pay more and be in BCS conferences. But the higher paycheck would be their only real advantages. Neither has been a power in their leagues in football. The Aggies are a sleeping giant (who have really been in more of a coma in football) waiting to show they deserve the support and loyalty their fans and alums have given them for years.

As much as any job can be, Texas A&M would be a perfect fit for Kevin Sumlin and the school if he is determined to make a move up.

Cougar fans will say, “What about us?”, but they must realize their position in the college football world. They continue to be in a building mode until they secure a newly renovated and enlarged stadium and a home in a BCS league. (The Big East is coming, but can it hold onto its BCS status is a question.) Until then when they have success their coaches will always be sought by established programs.

For Kevin Sumlin the biggest gamble for him is not choosing between Texas A&M and Arizona State or whomever. It would be to stay at U-H. He would have to win with a club that will be rebuilding in a number of positions and without Case Keenum. If he failed his chances of going “big time” may be gone or at best delayed.

This happens in sports all the time. But don’t fret for those who pass on the brass ring either. Most don’t make the move for very human reasons. They like or even love the job where they are. Families don’t want to relocate. The jump in salary does not rule their lives. We have many examples of that in sports, too. So if Sumlin for some reason does not leave Houston don’t be critical. Maybe he likes it here. From this corner Texas A&M is the only job he should consider for the right reasons. It is still a sleeping giant no matter what conference it calls home.

Aggie Fans May Remember Jake Delhomme

2011-11-30T09:17:00.001-06:00

Delhomme Has His Memories. He Can Watch Others Made Now

In an ideal world newly signed Texans quarterback Jake Delhomme won’t play a down for the team while rookie T.J. Yates guides the club to a Super Bowl victory. Since the world is hardly perfect the chances of both happening are small.

But if and when Delhomme does get into action it won’t be like he has never played in a big spot before. He has played ten years in the NFL. He guided the Carolina Panthers into Super Bowl XXXVIII (38). While approaching 37 years old he has only been out of the league since 2010 when he served as a backup to young Colt McCoy in Cleveland. So, he also has the experience of helping mentor a young quarterback.

Delhomme fits the qualifications for a veteran backup to a “T”. However, besides his heroics during his starting days in Carolina and Super Bowl appearance he has a game on his record even bigger than appearing in a Super Bowl. He once led his college team to a huge upset victory over the 25th ranked Texas A&M Aggies.

The game between the University of Southern Louisiana (USL) and the Aggies was played on September 14, 1996 in Lafayette, Louisiana’s Cajun Field. A record setting crowd of 38,783 was on hand.

The Aggies of coach R.C. Slocum were heavily favored. They were not only ranked and unbeaten, but the Ragin’ Cajuns had lost badly to even higher ranked Florida two weeks earlier 55-21. In that game four Delhomme interceptions led to the rout.

This time, however, things would turn out differently. It would be nice to say it was Jake Delhomme’s passing wizardry the did in the Aggies, but it was really the Aggies that did in the Aggies. They turned the ball over eight times. Three of those turnovers were run in for touchdowns.

USL was coached by Nelson Stokley. His son, Brandon, was the team’s top receiver. That name should ring a bell. He was a long time receiver in the NFL, most of it as one of Peyton Manning’s targets with the Indianapolis Colts.

I did the telecast of the game. At the outset it figured to be a typical non conference early season game for A&M, although playing on the road before a full house was expected to keep the game closer than it might.

Jake Delhomme’s game started miserably as his first pass was picked off by Donovan Greer and returned to the USL 12 yard line. Dante Hawkins carried to the one and D’Andre Hardemann took the ball in for the touchdown.

But the first of the Aggie turnovers led to a 7-7 tie when Mason intercepted a Brandon Stewart pass for a touchdown.

At the end of the first half it was 21-13 USL the Cajuns might have been able to get at least three more, but the clock wound down before a final play from the A&M 18 yard line could be run.

The Aggies got the lead back at 22-21 after three quarters, but were kept off the field by Delhomme and his crew. Jake was only 14-33 passing, but converted four third downs through the air. He threw one short TD pass and had the one interception of his first pass of the day. Stokley caught five passes for 54 yards.

After the final gun sounded Cajun fans stormed the field. The goal posts came down and were last seen being moved out of the stadium. The next morning the Lafayette Sunday Advertiser gave the front and sports pages almost totally over to the USL win—the biggest in school history.

Had Jake Delhomme been on a Super Bowl winner perhaps that game might have gone to number two on his great memories. But I am betting it is still number one right now. It probably will remain that even if he is part of a Texan team that wins a Super Bowl with T.J. Yates playing and Jake watching. But it sure would be fun to find out.

Was Anticipated, but Still Hard

2011-11-28T08:56:00.001-06:00

Two Shoes Drop…What is Next with “New” Astros?

Late Sunday when most Houston sports fans were worrying about what the Texans would do at quarterback the Houston Astros made a move not unexpected at all, but still big.

They informed both club President for Baseball Operations Tal Smith and General Manager Ed Wade they were being removed from their jobs.

According to new club CEO George Postolos the new ownership led by Jim Crane feels it is best to start fresh in Baseball Operations while trying to rebuild the club. In a news release Postolos both praised and thanked Smith and Wade for their work for the Astros and baseball and wished them well in the future. He also said that Assistant GM David Gottfried would be the interim GM, but not a candidate for the full time job.

Who that might be is open according to Postolos. The search for a new GM begins immediately. It has been speculated that current Tampa Bay GM Andrew Friedman might be in the Astros sights. However, some reporters who cover the Rays don’t think Friedman would be ready to make a move at this time. The Rays have been very good for several years. The Astros new GM will face a major build up job..or be very lucky that the young players counted on to anchor the roster in 2012 all develop into All-Stars.

What no one really knows except Crane and Postolos is what planning was afoot during the six months while Crane was waiting for (negotiating) approval as new Astro owner.

Tal Smith’s future was probably a foregone conclusion to include either retirement or other form of departure. With the job description given to Postolos the Astro way of two team Presidents—one for Baseball Operations in Smith and another for Business Operations in Pam Gardner was doomed. Gardner is sticking around at the outset but Postolos is her boss just as he will be that of the GM when a new one is named. There is no need under the new arrangement for separate department presidents.

It is known that the salary dump for prospect moves that Wade made during the season that saw Astro stars Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn traded away were approved by both Drayton McLane and the potential new owners at the time. The plan was to “gut and build” with a much lower salary base to help cover lower revenues.

The Astros attendance in 2011 was deceiving. The club passed two-million tickets sold at home, but many were heavily discounted and many of those sold were not used. That affected everything from concession sales to repeat business. The discounts also irritated a number of season ticket holders who were on the books for full price.

The bottom line was not good. Further cost cuts will be needed. It will no longer be Ed Wade’s headache to try to build a team to compete while scouring the garbage bins of others hoping to find a discarded gem.

The plan is to build from within. That is very admirable and was what Ed Wade started.

Losing one’s job for doing what the owners wanted done is a tough way to go. That is especially so since it was Ed that was savaged by many fans.

In a prior experience Ed Wade built the foundation of the Phillies that won a World Series a few years ago. He had been fired a couple years before. The situation in Houston is more of a long shot. When Wade was fired in Philly is was essentially because the club could not a quite get over that last hill that kept a good team from being great. In Houston he leaves with a team that faces a whole mountain range to cross to achieve greatness. But if some of the players he acquired over the last two years in the deals for Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Hunter Pence and Michal Bourn turn out to be cogs in an Astro resurgence he will again deserve some credit.

Who will be the next GM of the Astros? Let the speculation begin. In the meantime only the best wishes for Ed Wade who will continue to work in baseball for sure. Tal Smith Enterprises continues to operate as he helps clubs in player evaluation. Tal won’t retire from baseball. And he shouldn’t. Both Ed and Tal have a lot left to offer the game. It just won’t be from an Astro perspective any longer.

Houston is a Good Name to Carry These Days

2011-11-28T08:06:00.001-06:00

Your Team Named Houston? You Are Pretty Good!

Monday will be full of woe from Houston Texans fans after their favorite team lost its second quarterback, Matt Leinert, to injury in Sunday’s 20-13 win at Jacksonville. But before we worry about something in advance of it being a problem, perhaps we should recognize what these Texans have achieved.

They have a record of 8-3 which is one of the best in the NFL. They have essentially a three game edge on second place Tennessee in the AFC South with just five games to play. (They hold the tie-breaker advantage.) So let us wait and see whether Texan coach Gary Kubiak can make rookie T.J. Yates an NFL quarterback in a week. Fortunately the Texans had a lead and a defense perfectly able to protect it on Sunday. Yates didn’t have to do much. And he didn’t.

Still, there are eight wins in the bank and the club certainly should still be able to be a playoff team.

Meanwhile two other schools with “Houston” in their name are doing even better than the Texans.

The Houston Cougars are a division champion in C-USA and still unbeaten after 12 games. They have moved up as high as 6th in one of the national polls (7th in the other) and have a shot at going even higher if they can whip Southern Mississippi next weekend in Houston and finish the season against conference teams at 13-0 and as C-USA champs. Southern Mississippi has only two losses and have been ranked in the top 25. Home field may be huge for the Cougars because Southern Miss will be a potent foe. On the line is the automatic slot in the Liberty Bowl for Southern Miss. Houston will be playing for an even bigger bowl—one of the coveted BCS bowls.
Meanwhile the Sam Houston State University Bearcats are 11-0 and ready to begin play in the NCAA post season on their level. SHSU will take on Stonybrook on December 3rd in Huntsville. A win would make them 12-0 and keep them moving on through the playoffs. Though Stonybrook from New York State is not well known around here they will visit Huntsville with a 9-3 record and the highest scoring team in the division at 39.64 points per game. The Bearcats don’t take a back seat, though. They are the second highest scoring team at 39.58 per outing.

Have you added it all up? Teams with “Houston” in their name are 31-3 this season! Furthermore, all have a lot more in front of them. The Texans are looking to make the playoffs for the first time and while their chances for going deep in the post season have taken a big hit as a result of injuries, their new defensive ferocity will continue to keep them a major threat.
The Cougars have had their opponents upped each of the last two weeks and have had to make adjustments. They have done well as evidenced by their 47-16 win Friday at Tulsa against a team that has only lost to top ten foes. They will be ready for Southern Miss with so much on the line.

Sam Houston State runs under the radar except to their fans due to the lower NCAA division they play in, but take nothing for granted with them. They are very good.
The big question is whether the 31-3 “Houstons” can be 34-3 a week from now. It will be a tough weekend for all three for sure. But don’t count any of them out.

LSU is #1, but Houston is pretty good, too!

2011-11-25T18:35:00.001-06:00

Horns-Aggies Finish Strong before Hiatus

2011-11-25T09:17:00.001-06:00

Aggies and the Horns—The Game that Brought a Whole State Together

The end of the Texas vs Texas A&M football match up after Thursday night’s last second win by the Longhorns gives everyone a reason to reflect on what that annual game really means to residents of this huge state.

It has always been the one game that brings every one together. Other than to alumni and local residents for the other schools in Texas there is no question the big dogs are Texas A&M and Texas. They have been for years. There are about 20 NCAA Division I programs in Texas with ten of them playing on the highest level in football. Houston is unbeaten, Baylor and TCU are very good, but only the Aggies and Horns matter to everyone.

It is not just because they have the largest alumni bases from being the largest schools in the state either. Actually the way things are sorting out neither may actually be the largest schools in Texas for long. In part,due to a need to downsize on the main campuses of both, the enrollment for undergrads from “outsiders” like Houston, Texas State, North Texas, Texas-Arlington and Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) are catching up.

That won’t change anything. The Aggies and the Horns is THE game in Texas. Uh, I guess it WAS the game in Texas since 1894, but it won’t be any longer.

Let’s be honest on this. Two factors brought about it’s demise finally—the formation of the Longhorn Network by Texas—with the guaranteed payment of $15-million annually by ESPN the real back breaker—and the ensuing decision by Texas A&M to get away from it all and join the SEC.

Most feel the formation of the Longhorn Network itself would not have been the problem had the school fielded the costs itself. It was going to be a tough sell to cable and satellite operators who would have to charge more for carrying the network. When ESPN elected to foot the bill that was too much. However, at the same time the college conference scene was changing already. Nebraska and Colorado had bolted the Big 12 earlier. Missouri had wanted out to join the Big 10 and even though Nebraska beat them to it, they were not interested in staying in the league. When the Aggies made the SEC an odd numbered membership league they quickly pushed for the admittance they finally received.

There will be a long time rivalry being lost with Missouri leaving the Big 12 as well. Their battle with Kansas dated back to Civil War memories. Perhaps they can start a new one with neighboring Arkansas—a battle of the Ozarks—in the SEC. Perhaps Texas A&M can start a rivalry with LSU.

An A&M-LSU match up every year to rival the Texas-OU battles had been envisioned before. It never came to fruition because of scheduling problems. Now in the same league it will be a regular game.

While the Longhorns may have been too quick to say they didn’t think they would have room on their schedule to play the Aggies after the Texas A&M move to the SEC there is some validity in that on the face of it.

Both the SEC and Big 12 have 10 or more members (presuming the West Virginia invitation is finalized.) In the Big 12s case that means one league with no divisions. Nine conference games will be played. In the case of the SEC the figure is again nine with six division foes plus at least three from the other division.

It is much harder to schedule non conference games after the first two or three weeks of the season since Conference play has now started. An Aggie-Horns game on September 4th would not be the same. Plus coaches want at least a couple “warm up” games against much more easily beatable foes to start a year.

Had Oklahoma and Texas not finally been united in the Big 12 that long time meeting could have suffered the same “conference squeeze”. For the years of the SWC and Big 8 it was easy. OU had only seven games against conference opponents. Texas had seven or eight. There was plenty of opportunity to meet inside the season in Dallas.

However, if either or both of those old leagues expanded—or either school left to join a different league as OU was once linked with the SEC and Texas with the Big 10 and Pac 10—the series would have likely had to die.

I guess what we have all learned in recent years is that tradition will always lose to money. The Aggie-Longhorn tradition has generated a lot of money itself over the decades, but a new TV network and new league apparently will generate more.

When the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry started in 1894 it was reported the football budget for UT was $100. Things have certainly changed in the last 118 years!

DH Makes it Far Worse

2011-11-23T07:59:00.001-06:00

Getting Rid of the DH in the AL Would Calm Some Astro Fans

Upon continuing to read the vitriol the Astros forced move to the American League is causing among many of the baseball fans who really follow the game around here, I have come to the conclusion that the existence of the Designated Hitter rule in the American League is the greatest single cause of unrest.

That one factor..the difference in the rules for the two leagues..seems to raise the ire of Astro fans even more than the loss of the Cubs, Cards and other long time National League foes. Could the DH actually be eliminated, or it is even more likely it will be added to all of MLB? You can find debates both ways.

While the owners (of both leagues) would likely vote in the majority to eliminate the DH for financial reasons, the union as a unit of representation would oppose. Ironically, however, with a give back by the owners—perhaps a 26th roster spot—the majority of individual players if divested of their union unity—would likely be in favor of abolishing the DH.

Why? When one thinks it is not that hard to understand. In the game as played with the DH not only do pitchers have to face an extra major league hitter, but because that hitter is a regular in the lineup a large number of “back up” players on rosters rarely see any playing time at all. There are fewer opportunities to pinch hit, pinch run or be part of double switches and get into games. Furthermore, there are a number of pitchers who actually would like the chance to get some at bats.

There IS a compromise rule available that would allow aging hitters to still get some extra at bats but keep much of the strategic moves available in games at the same time.

It is called the DPH…or designated pinch hitter. In recent years I have read similar concepts, but I will allow that the original idea for the DPH may every well have been conceived by yours truly as far back as 1979 in Buffalo, New York.

On a talk show I hosted on WEBR radio I had as a live in studio guest, the late Joe Reichler. Reichler had been a long time New York sportswriter who later fathered the Baseball Encyclopedia and later worked out of the Commissioner of Baseball’s office. One of our topics on the show was the DH controversy. I revealed my idea for the first time then.

In 1979 the DH was only six years old, but most of the same complaints (and praise) were heard as they are now. The two leagues were governed separately with their own Presidents, umpires and rule interpretations. The American League had been falling in attendance for years. In part due to slowness in integration in the AL, the NL had more of the great players. In addition the Yankees were way down. So were the gates.

So the AL decided to go with the Designated Hitter in 1973. Ironically, it was a concept originally proposed by the NL forty years earlier when the AL was winning the attendance battle thanks in large part to the slugging of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. It was not adopted until the AL resurrected and OKd the rule for 1973.

One wonders why the AL didn’t simply eliminate the nine man batting order and go with an eight man order? Well, the answer was they wanted to be able to keep some “name” player hitters in the game even after their ability to play good defense had passed.

Remember, the attendance was falling. Letting players like Tommy Davis, Orlando Cepeda, Frank Robinson, Hal McRae, Tony Oliva and others stick around to hit when they couldn’t do much else was a plus..or so backers of the rule thought.

OK, so what about this DPH as proposed to Joe Riechler? I still have the follow up letter I sent him in New York in 1979 and his reply. He said he liked the general concept but doubted MLB would undertake any changes at that time. So what was this DPH thing?

In a nutshell is allows for a hitter to be used twice in a nine inning period and a pitcher to be pinch it for once without being removed. It did call for having the pitcher in the batting order.

In essence a manager has to decide whether he used his “free” PH for his starting pitcher early or late. Does he use a DPH in the third inning with a runner on first with one out..or does he hold off in case a more significant scoring opportunity comes later? And if he uses his DPH then he has only one more use of the same bat in the first nine innings. He may have to use someone else later if he wants to save that particular hitter again.

The DPH can only be used in the same spot in the order. He can’t hit for the pitcher out of the 9th slot in the 4th and then for the pitcher in the 6th slot following a double switch earlier. He can only hit in the slot he has his first at bat in.

The use of the DPH is not the same as “real” baseball as played in the NL, but it allows for extra hitters to get some extra at bats and keeps some strategy in the game. It is simply a compromise. It is also not likely ever to see the light of day.

What would I personally prefer? The elimination of the DH is my choice, but I don’t see it coming. I have a way to get it done, though. It would be “grandfathered” out as was the spitball pitcher years ago. Those players whose career was primarily as the DH the season before it is voted out would be allowed to continue in that role until they retired. In any game in which those players were in the lineup the DH would be used by both teams until those Big Papi’s and others careers were finished. It is pretty simple.

Although it took a long time before the last legal spitballer, Burleigh Grimes, retired in 1934,(he played more than a dozen years after the spitball was abolished) the grandfathering worked. It would work with the end of the DH, too. Unfortunately, like the DPH concept, I see no chance of it happening.

Cougars Have Chance... Dynamo Miss

2011-11-21T08:23:00.001-06:00

Cougars Aren’t There Yet, but Have A Chance

The Houston football Cougars were impressive in handling SMU on Saturday at Robertston Stadium. What you say? Didn’t their offense look almost human for much of the game? Where was the offensive domination they have shown in most games? And didn’t SMU’s quarterback miss on some admittedly low percentage, but open long passes that could have turned things around? Wasn’t SMU playing without its top running back?

The answer to all those questions is, yes. But then look at the final score. It was still 37-7 in favor of the Cougars before a record setting crowd of red. Thirty seven to seven is impressive no matter what almost unreal stats the Cougars normally put up.

Fans should be ready for more of the same or even tougher in the next one (or two…or three) games. The competition is getting much rougher starting Friday night at Tulsa where the Golden Hurricane has disappointed Houston before and where the C-USA division title will be on the line. Then, if the Cougars keep dreams of a “Miracle on Cullen” alive they would have to face their first ranked opponent of the season, Southern Miss in the C-USA championship game. After that? Well, a 13-0 Cougar team finishing strong would be a national factor. We leave it at that for now.

The point is that Houston will have to continue playing well every game. The opposition will be better and things won’t come so easily. SMU turned over the ball including once on the goal line. Houston was strong on defense for the most part although SMU likely should have had at least one or two more TDs. Furthermore the pass rush when not blitzing was giving SMU too much time.

The Cougar offense made some big plays but was not effective making enough little ones. Inside the red zone or when needing short yardage on third down, they were not particularly impressive. They converted some third and even fourth and short situations out on the field, but inside the 20 things were much rougher. Too many Cougar field goals had to be kicked in the first half.

The late Pat Paulsen (google him, young people) would have said I may be being too, “Picky, picky, picky”, but now that the season is going down the stretch Houston must be even better than they have been so far. And they are 11-0 !

Soccer is a Great Sport, Just Not for Me

I have always been willing to respect those who love the sport of soccer. I will not say negative things about the game by comparing it to other games. I have given it a shot many times. I have watched big games where something was on the line. I have seen the camera shots of the crowd and how passionate the fans seem to be. I respect the skill it takes to control a soccer ball using no hands. I have marveled as some of the plays made by the game’s stars.

I just don’t like the game. Maybe the field is too large. Maybe the players are so distant. (I actually enjoyed the indoor version of the sport and called a couple games years ago. Lots of scoring and shots on goal, but real soccer fans hated it.) Maybe it is nothing more than the concept only being allowed to touch the ball with feet, chest and head when two perfectly good hands are part of the human body. Maybe it is just because it is just too hard to score goals. Maybe it is just because I grew up when soccer—as we call it in this country—was played only by Europeans and South Americans. Residents of the U.S. played baseball, football and basketball. It didn’t matter that “our” sports were played little or none at all in other countries. They were our sports. Soccer, rugby and cricket were all “theirs.”

Soccer fans shouldn’t be upset with my feelings. I am sure soccer fans don’t all like American football, baseball or hockey either. In this part of the country I hear from football fans who don’t like baseball at all and are indifferent to basketball.

Having said all that I hope soccer—particularly the MLS—turns into a big success in the United States and Canada. The Houston Dynamo have provided Houston soccer fans with good teams including two champions and a runner up in their short history. Next season they will unveil the newest jewel in Houston’s collection of sports palaces downtown near Minute Maid Park. The club has already developed a solid following which will do nothing but improve playing in their new home.

I will be checking scores and no doubt making it to a game or two next year. If the sport itself does not grab one, the atmosphere may. I hope soccer continues to grow on the youth level. It allows for more participation for more youngsters than any sport. On the beginning youth level it does not require great hand-eye coordination to hit a baseball or size to block and tackle in football. It does not require the ability to shoot or dribble a basketball. It requires the ability to run up and down a field and kick a ball. Nearly every kid of both sexes can do that. Size does not matter. Only in baseball, hockey and soccer is there still room for “normal” sized participants on the highest level.

Over time some youngsters develop more skills in the game and move up. Others may move to other sports or out of sports all together as players. Soccer allows everyone a chance to play something. That is one thing I like about the sport.

Congratulations Dynamo on a strong finish to your season. Maybe if Brad Davis could have played the team could have won a title. But your fans appreciate you. I respect you even if I am unlikely to ever be a season ticket holder.

Owners and Selig Didn't Use a Gun, but Close

2011-11-17T08:18:00.001-06:00

The legal definition of extortion fits pretty close to what Major League Baseball has done with Jim Crane and the Houston Astros. Newspaper leads are flatly stating that Crane's purchase of the Astros would not have been approved had he refused to move the team to the American League in 2013. The fact that he is now reportedly being paid up to $70-million for the move likely softens or erases that legal definition, but to fans it makes little difference.

Overwhelmingly the Astro fan base is opposed to the change. Houston has a total NL history including its minor league affiliations prior to 50 years as a National League member. Most also cite they disdain for the desinated hitter rule. Furthermore moving to the AL West causes start time problems with more road games. The word is circulating, however, that it may not be as bad as orginally felt since a balanced schedule may be in the works starting in 2013. That would provide essentially the same number of games against every team in the league instead of division heavy schedules. That makes sense if baseball is adding two more wild cards. The more similar each club's schedule is, the better is is for legitimate wild card teams. As an example, with the unbalanced schedule this season, the Cardinals took the wild card out of the six team NL Central. They had the very weak Astros to pick on in more games than the Braves from the AL East who narrowly missed out. With a balanced schedule the Cards probably wouldn't have even made the post season, let alone win the World Series. In past years the NL Central supplied several wild cards including the Astros in their NL championship season of 2005. They had the hapless Pirates to rack up extra wins against. A balanced schedule does not offer a chance to teams to pick on their division patsies. Everyone in the whole league (minus interleague foes) would be in a more even state.

Interestingly, MLB will be reducing the number of games between their flagship Yankees and Red Sox with a balanced schedule. So, I guess the Astros weren't the only club to give something up even if totally changing leagues is a bit more than just playing fewer games against a rival. The Astros might not see the Cubs and Cardinals any longer except in occasional interleague games, but the Cards and Cubs wouldn't see each other as much either.
It can be argued that the National League is the superior league and has been for the majority of baseball's long history. Those that point out the AL having more World Series champions are missing the point. The New York Yankees have been the best TEAM in baseball's history and they play in the AL. But the LEAGUE has never had any long period of dominance. For many years in the 30s, 40s, 50s it was the Yankees and the seven dwarfs in the AL. The AL is more balanced now, but the spectre of the Yankees still hovers over everything in that league every year.

AL fans and NL fans can argue that point forever. One thing is indisputatble. They don't play the same game and have not since 1973 when the AL in a desperate move to draw fans introduced the Designated Hitter.

When it was begun the AL was drawing more than 4,000 fewer games per game than the NL. The Yankees were not good which was probably the biggest reason. But offense was down as well so the AL made the move. The NL had more stars. The DH helped the AL bounce back. But it outlived its usefulness years ago. Otherwise why did the NL outdraw the AL by nearly 3000 fans per game in 2011..about 8%..even with the national networks pushing the Yankees and Red Sox on viewers every chance they got all season long?

The game is not the same in the two leagues and National League fans prefer the game as it is played in their loop. So do the players in all of baseball. Other than the players who earn their living as primary DH's a vote of the rank and file in major league baseball would prefer there was no DH. Why? That is pretty simple from one segment. Pitcher's would rather have one less strong hitter to face and many of them actually like to get to the plate. Position players don't like the DH because if they are not regulars in the lineup they rarely play. In the National League backup players are much more important on a daily basis.

Everytime a position player who has performed in the AL and NL joined the Astros I always asked about both leagues. Not a single one ever said they prefered the AL. The reason was always that in the AL bench players could go weeks before seeing any action at all.

You won't ever find a manager who has worked in both leagues who prefers the mostly "push-button" AL.

Over time the Astros and their fans (though reduced early on) will adjust to the AL. Once they become a factor on the field again fans will be back. It may take a few years. Those years could be rough at the gate, on television (with expected less out of market availability starting in 2013) and on the field. Sometime games with the Rangers will mean something in a pennant race. Hopefully by the time the Astros are back the Rangers won't be on a slide down.

It is still baseball even if it is a different form of baseball in the AL.

If the DH were no longer a factor Astro fans would have less problem with switching leagues. The loss of great franchises like the Cubs and Cardinals as divisional foes would be lessened.

During Bud Selig's career in baseball including his time as Commisioner we have seen the dissolution of the American and National Leagues as separate entities with their own presidents and front offices. Selig merged the umpires. He has moved to teams-- the Brewers to the NL from AL and next the Astros from the NL to the AL. His next move should be to figure out a way to eliminate the DH whose time passed in major league baseball years ago. National League fans, most major league players and even most owners would approve--especially those in Houston.

NBA Being Remembered Weekly

2011-11-16T08:07:00.001-06:00

If There is No NBA There will Always be Memories

At this point things do not look good for anything even remotely close to a full NBA season being played this year. Actually, things look more likely no season at all may take place as a result of the current labor scene.

This would have been the time when Fox Sports Houston would be in the early weeks of a 2011-2012 new season with Kevin McHale calling the shots on the court for a team filled with hope. How good they would have turned out to be is only conjecture now.

But Rocket fans can remember the best of the good old days each week during this time of no live action by joining recent Emmy winner Bill Worrell and his telecast co-horts Matt Bullard and Clyde Drexler along with special guests as they relive some of the big games in the Rocket past.

Wednesday night they will be sitting around the screen chatting as we see the replay of game one from the 1995 NBA Western Conference Finals from the Alamodome in San Antonio. That was the series which pitted the newly crowned NBA MVP, David Robinson—who received his award prior the the action—against the previous MVP, Hakeem Olajuwon, who felt he was still the better player.

Robinson won the award rightly, though. His Spurs had a far better regular season than the defending NBA Champion Rockets. Houston had finished third in the same division as the Spurs and had only the sixth best record (47-35) in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs. There were few who thought the Rockets had much of a chance in the series with the Spurs. Not only did the Spurs seem to have a better all around team they had not been extended as much as the Rockets had in their previous series when they had to rally from near death to put down the Phoenix Suns.

In game one the Rockets got full advantage from their mid season trade with Portland in which they acquired Clyde Drexler. Drexler not only started the Rocket scoring after they fell behind 6-0 in the opening seconds, but assisted on the second basket on a feed to Pete Chilcutt.

For old times sake remember the Rockets lineup that game? Pete Chilcutt and Robert Horry were the forwards. They were matched against Dennis Rodman and Sean Elliot. The Rocket guards were Kenny Smith and Drexler. San Antonio had Avery Johnson and Vinnie DelNegro. Robinson and Olajuwon were matched up in the middle.

Before a crowd of nearly 46,000 the game was tense. It was the Rockets combo of the former University of Houston duo, Olajuwon and Drexler, that turned the tide. But it was Rocket defense in the third quarter than turned the game. Olajuwon in addition to his game high 27 points blocked five shots and added six assists to go with 8 rebounds. He more than neutralized Robinson who finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, but turned ball over 7 times. Meanwhile Drexler popped in 25 points and added 12 rebounds.

Don’t read this next paragraph if you want to watch the game Wednesday night and do not wish to find out what happened till to see it. But the Rockets won 94-93. The Spurs trailed by seven entering the final quarter and closed the gap. But the Rockets took a big game one on the road.

They were not finished. Two days later they won in San Antonio again. This time Olajuwon really was in the forefront. He scored 41 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. While Robinson had a very credible 32 points himself, he had been outscored by Hakeem by 15 points in the first two games and that was too much for the Spurs.

They did ultimately win two games in the six game series, but it was the 6th seeded Rockets that moved on to face the Orlando Magic featuring Shaquille O’Neal in the NBA Finals. Hakeem won that battle as well as the Rockets swept the Magic to win their second straight NBA crown.

It may have really been won in game one of the Western Finals when the Rockets won in San Antonio. . Olajuwon may not have won the regular season league MVP, but he won the NBA Finals honor after averaging 32.8ppg and 11.5 rpg in the post season. See for yourself Wednesday night on Fox Sports Houston at 9pm.

Have fun listening to the comments of those that played and were part of the Rockets in 1995. Check your listings, but most of the “conversational replays” will be aired on Wednesdays. Check http://www.foxsportshouston.com daily to find out all about the Rockets but the other teams of interest in the Houston region including television schedules.

Aggie Hoops Starts Final Big 12 Drive

2011-11-10T18:39:00.001-06:00

Aggies Ready To Roll In Big 12 and Later

With the start of the basketball season for Big 12 teams the fact that the end is coming closer for the Texas A&M Aggies participation in that league is brought more to light. After all basketball is the last of the sports that get heavy attention. Sure, track and field, baseball, tennis, golf and the other spring sports still have to be played and football still has a few weeks to go, but when the last game of the Big 12 post season basketball tournament is played many will really feel the end is at hand.

Having just ventured to Aggieland for the first time in awhile to do the play by play for the men’s basketball opener on Wednesday I had a chance to get the feel of some on the campus about the upcoming move to the SEC. No one I talked with—fan or school official had any misgivings. As one Astro fan—also an Aggie—told me. “Hey, they use the same rules in the SEC. It is hardly as bad as what the Astros would face if pushed in the AL.” After a chuckle I pointed out that may be true, but distances between schools are further than in the Big 12 and the depth of strength at the top—particularly in football—will make it rough to succeed. The fan agreed, but added ruefully that the Aggie football team has not exactly been the power of the Big 12 or the SWC before that since the Jackie Sherrill, R.C. Slocum era.

Athletic Director Bill Byrne in a halftime interview pointed out that he has no doubts the Aggies will compete well in the SEC—as they have in the Big 12 in every sport. Last school year A&M won three national titles (women’s basketball and two in track and field) and nine Big 12 conference championships. That kind of success will play anywhere. To think anything else would be giving the Big 12 an undeserved slap in the face. The Big 12 Conference takes a back seat to no one with or without the Aggies. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas certainly more than hold their own in the “big” sports. Baylor is a basketball threat and better than most know in the non revenue sports. Texas Tech is hanging in there and has a bright future in football and basketball. Oh yes, you have heard of Kansas and Kansas State basketball?
Sure, long time rivalries with the nucleus of the old SWC will be lost with the Aggies moving East. In time some of them will be resurrected in non conference battles especially in the non revenue sports. In football fans are upset the Aggie-Longhorn game will take at least a hiatus. As a baseball guy I don’t want to see the match up in baseball pass. Common sense will ultimately prevail (plus the realization that playing games within a geographic region make sense financially and for the fans.)
A.D. Bill Byrne is not the only Aggie of note looking forward to the SEC move. Football coach Mike Sherman finally made some comments on Wednesday. It has been a disappointing season for his team at just 5-4 with as many as three of those losses preventable. The SEC is loaded at the top as usual. Sherman says he is looking to the challenge, but right now more concerned about the here and now.
The same goes with Aggie men’s basketball, but for a different reason. Their new head coach Billy Kennedy is not able to run the team. Only a few days before the season the neck and back pain he had been experiencing since returning from Europe, where he took his team on a late summer tour, was diagnosed as the early stages of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a nerve disorder that is incurable and progressive. However, it is treatable and far more controllable that ever before. While the team was run by top assistant Glynn Cyprien on Wednesday the prognosis is for Kennedy to return and coach his first Aggie game sooner rather than later. It all depends on how well he can adjust to the medication and treatment. Kennedy is involved in game prep and practices. He was not on the bench for the season opener.

Parkinson’s does not affect intellectual ability, but does affect the ability to speak and often includes tremors and mobility. Muhammed Ali is the best known example of a long time sufferer who contracted the disease before many of the current controlling medications had been developed. Actor Michael J. Fox who also is under treatment has shown great improvement thanks to modern methods. It is hoped and expected that by catching the development of Parkinsons very early with Billy Kennedy his progression can be held in check and can return to a nearly normal life including coaching the Aggies full time.
Kennedy has a top 20 team ready to be guided. While the opposition on Wednesday, Liberty University, was not a deep or big team and the win for Texas A&M looked easy, it was really a result of a talented team that played every possession.
The Aggies play a very hard and relentless defense that leads to some early offense baskets. This year they have both an inside and outside presence to make it work. They also have great athleticism and depth with players who can be comfortable anywhere on the court.
Elston Turner, Jr.-a transfer from Washington- and freshman guards Jordan Green and Jamal Branch have brought shooting ability and real talent to join returning point Dash Harris and a front court of David Lobeau, Khris Middleton, Ray Turner and Kourtney Roberson. This team is deep.
The Aggies want to depart the Big 12 on a strong note. If basketball is the last sport of major attention they have a very good chance to do just that.

Bob Watson Speaks... So Does Lance Berkman

2011-11-09T08:21:00.002-06:00

BOB WATSON HAS GREAT MEMORIES

Perhaps no person ever affiliated with the Houston Astros has done more in baseball on and off that field than Bob Watson. He was featured guest at the local Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)meeting on Tuesday night and enthralled those on hand with some of his many stories. Bob was signed by the Astros out of Los Angeles when that city was the hub for amateur baseball. He played on a team that featured future major leaguers at every position. Many would be surprised to know that Bob was the catcher.

In fact, when signed by the Astros he was a catcher. He did play behind the plate for a number of games during his major league career, but mostly he was an outfielder or first baseman. To be totally correct Bob Watson was really a hitter. In nineteen seasons he hit .295 with 184 HR and 989 RBIs. He hit over .300 four times. He drove in more than 100 runs twice.

Perhaps best noted for being the first player to hit for the cycle in both leagues—Houston in the NL and Boston in the AL—and scoring baseball’s 1-millionth run, Bob’s biggest acheievements really came after his playing days.

Hired by Dr. John McMullen to be GM of the Astros he was in the transition between McMullen and Drayton McLane, Jr. Along with his manager Art Howe one of his big jobs was try to teach baseball to McLane. The frustrations were great and neither Howe nor Watson lasted long.

But baseball life was hardly over for Bob. George Steinbrenner hired him to run the New York Yankees. During his stint at Yankee GM the club won the World Series in 1996. Bob proudly wears that 1996 World Series ring on his left hand. He admits working for Steinbrenner was rough, but the man wanted to win and would do what it took to reach that goal.

But he also wears a ring on note on his left hand. He was in charge of the team U.S.A. Olympic team as GM that brought home the gold in the final year of Olympic baseball participation. Watson says that may rank as high or higher to him than the Yankee World Series victory because it was for the whole country.

Watson has served as “dean of discipline” for the Commissioner’s office and has been involved in other areas of baseball administration for years. Houston has been home since his Astro playing days. But his reach has been far greater since leaving the Astros.

BERKMAN JOINS ANTI AL CRUSADE

The most prominent baseball name heard so far calls the possible move of the Astros to the AL a bad idea. Lance Berkman of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals who played 12 years for the Astros made his thoughts known during a short news get together on Tuesday. He was announcing an exclusive memorabilia agreement with Houston based Tri-Star. When asked about the continuing speculation that a move to the AL may essentially be the key for acceptance of Jim Crane as the club’s new owner by MLB, Lance called it a “travesty.” He added that from a personal standpoint when he retires and is living full time back in Houston he does not want to go watch American League baseball.

While the anti-move fans are being heard from more and more, most of them don’t seem to think baseball is listening and that commissioner Bud Selig is determined to move the club to the AL. Just as determined is Jim Crane to own a club and a large number of fans look at any rebate or payoff to him to accommodate the league switch as a sell out.

In a perfect world (for most fans) the Crane deal would be approved with no stipulations. Major League Baseball would table any realignment talk and it would be business in the NL Central as usual. Unfortunately we rarely have a perfect world in any aspect of life.

A few members of the local SABR meeting Tuesday emphasized another point. If the Astros went to the AL the whole National League would disappear from this part of the country. The nearest NL franchise would be in St. Louis. Fans who lived in Central Texas who liked the option of catching AL action in Arlington and NL play in Houston would no longer have an option. The great stars of the National League present and future would be only flickering images on televisions.

By the way, the SABR members in respecting Bob Watson’s continuing connection with Bud Selig and the MLB office did not try to play “reporter” and pry inside info from him or ask for opinions on the Astros future. They kept the conversation to Bob’s career. That was an entertaining evening on its own.

Cougars On a Roll

2011-11-07T07:01:00.005-06:00

Can’t Ignore the Cougars Much Longer

It would be incorrect to say that the Houston Cougar football team has been ignored this season. They are solidly in the top 20. In fact they are #11 in the latest BCS poll—the highest ranked team in Texas. They are unbeaten in nine games. And they have a quarterback in Case Keenum who owns practically all of college football’s passing records. They also play to capacity crowds at every home game. Yes, the fact that capacity at Robertson Stadium is only a few more than 30,000 hardly compares to what Michigan or Texas or Texas A&M commands each home game, but it still should be impressive.

Yet, Houston is a pro sports town. Those are 30,000 die hard Cougar fans, but the county has more than 4-million residents and the metro region over 6-million. Interest in the Cougars just doesn’t come close to that of the NFL Texans, NL Astros or NBA Rockets.

There are even more Texas and Texas A&M fans (grads or former students) that live in the Houston area than Cougars—at least the kind that support their alma mater for years after they leave. The biggest reason is simple. The University of Houston for most of its life as a four year school (starting in 1946) has been primarily a commuter school. Students enrolled for a college education and a chance at a better life. They were not going to UH for the parties, social life or to watch sports. The typical UH student had far fewer ties to the campus than those attending UT or A&M.
In recent years this has been changing. New on campus dorms, more extra curricular activities, more amenities including outstanding student athletic facilities are all part of the “new” U of H. It is not just more alums rediscovering their school that are the reason for the sell-outs for football. The students are in greater support than for years.
The administration and athletic department is looking forward rather than just to maintain. After the demise of the Southwest Conference the programs were in almost a “holding” pattern. Gone would be the large football crowds as the Astrodome when UT or A&M came to town. Crowds would be considerably smaller for Conference USA so a move back to campus made a lot of sense. It cost less money.
But it also generated less money and dreams of moving back into a league as least as good as the old SWC was just dream.

Previous athletic regimes got the facilities updated. Years before alum John Moores and his wife donated millions to help build a state of the art baseball field and the all purpose fieldhouse. The current regime has plans underway to update and/or replace the current football and basketball facilities.

On the field and court the Cougars have one of the best overall programs in their current league, C-USA and have upgraded both football and basketball to levels to be national factors.

The Cougars in short are very much ready for an expected move to the Big East even if a move to the closer Big 12 still makes the most sense for both that league and Houston if the loop ever decided to become numerically correct again and actually field 12 schools.

Politics seems to be against the Cougars in the Big 12. The school had to fight that for years before being admitted to the SWC in 1971. Once involved they became for quite a while one of the best if not best team in basketball and often the best team in football, too.

Houston would compete in any league. With the renewed determination being shown on campus now, they very well may do a lot better than just compete.

The sleeping giant may be near awakening with a very big roar. Houston will likely always be a pro sports town first and foremost. But there is room for a big time college program, too. When Phi Slama Jama was soaring in the early 80’s they outdrew the Houston Rockets. Perhaps those days cannot happen again no matter how well James Dickey recruits and coaches. And even if in the Big 12 and playing at Reliant Stadium the Cougars aren’t going to out draw the Texans. But the Cougars cannot and should not be ignored. They have something going on that deserves attention—from the sports fans in these parts and everywhere else, too.

Niche Sports Can be Big Time, Too!

2011-11-04T11:44:00.002-05:00

Plenty of Room for “Niche” Sports to Succeed
The Houston Dynamo qualified for their fourth conference final in the last six seasons with a 1-0 win over Philadelphia Thursday night. Unfortunately, due to their status as what is often called a “niche” sport not enough Houston sports fans may have noticed. They should.

The Dynamo play soccer and that has never been nor likely will be more than a

“niche” sport with the majority of people in the United States. Baseball, football (American style) and basketball have had too much of a head start in capturing the hearts of most fans. This is a big country, however, and the sport still has plenty of room to succeed. It will just be on a smaller level. Having said that it is quite impressive that 24,749 fans jammed Robertson Stadium for the finale at that local for the Dynamo who must play the rest of their post season on the road and will move into a new (large enough?) stadium of their own near Minute Maid Park in May 2012. The Dynamo have had solid on field success—including two MLS Cup championships—that have attracted fans who follow winners. The new stadium will give them a chance to expose more Houstonians to their game. That will be a good thing.

Hard core soccer fans love to emphasize that their sport (futbol) is the most popular in the world. That cannot be disputed. American football is only a novelty in other parts. Baseball has a foothold in a number of countries in the Carribean and Far East, but only a niche sport in Europe and elsewhere. Basketball is strong in more countries than either of the other two American “Big Three” but is facing a problem of its own in the United States—at least on the professional level.
In fact, with the continued labor problems with the NBA one has to wonder if the top level of basketball may be putting itself in trouble. Could the NBA itself become a niche sport? It is not really the game of basketball in trouble, but perhaps the NBA form of the game. College basketball is huge in many parts of the country. They are also starting to play games and it won’t be long before college hoops will be available almost every night on television. Already there are parts of the nation without NBA franchises that have never paid all that much attention to the league. The TV ratings have always shown more interest in the East and Los Angeles area than anywhere else. When cities put championship teams on the floor—as was the case in Dallas last season—ratings take a jump. Houston is no exception. The Rockets have their hard core fans, but need to win to capture enough of the other potential fans in the city. With the current labor situation as it is, the word “apathy” is being heard more and more toward the team and league.
Years ago I lived and worked in Buffalo, NY. That was a two sport town—the NFL Bills and the NHL Sabres. The NBA Buffalo Braves had relocated to San Diego the year before I arrived. During the winter the Sabres owned that city. No one cared about or even mentioned the NBA, only one year removed from hosting a team.

The city’s teams were the Bills and Sabres. To me the Bills being popular was no surprise. It was the NFL. The passion for the Sabres was something else. I had not grown up in NHL territory and where I lived the NHL was a niche sport. No one talked about it. No one really followed it. The league itself was putting fannies in seats everywhere it was played, though. Cities with no teams did not care.

Soccer in the U.S. is likely in a similar situation. To succeed it doesn’t need to convert or even add many baseball, football or basketball fans. It just needs to put on a good show under pleasant conditions. Winning is a big help. There is no reason the Dynamo cannot continue to be one of the best on their level of the sport. And there is no reason it cannot be a huge success in this very large region.

Now, how about winning against Kansas City and earning a spot in the MLS Cup final? It would be a nice touch to march the Cup into the new stadium next May wouldn’t it?

Nothing Could Match Game Six, but Rangers want to Forget it

2011-10-29T09:44:00.000-05:00

Twice the Texas Rangers were within one out or strike from winning the 2011 World Series on Thursday night. They could not make the play or get the hitter to keep the St. Louis Cardinals from tying the game on two separate occasions and eventally winning in the last of the 11th on David Freese's HR. Instead of a four game to two World Series championship for the fans in Arlington the series was tied at 3-3.

When they lost the chance to win on Thursday they lost their chance to win the series. Chris Carpenter would start game seven for the Cardinals. He wouldn't be fully rested, but would be available thanks to the rain out of Wednesday's game. That was a great break for St. Louis as it turned out. Texas would go with a fully rested starter, but a far less experienced one. The experience paid off. While Carpenter had no command of his stuff in the opening couple of innings and gave up two first inning runs he came around. The Cardinals got those two runs back in the bottom of the inning and never trailed again.

While the inability of Nelson Cruz to catch David Freese's triple off the wall on Thursday may be remembered by some as the play that lost the World Series for Texas it is open to debate. Could an outfielder have made that play? Sure SOME of the better outfielders could have, but Cruz is playing due to his bat. No one should expect him to make many tough plays as that one was. Should Ranger manager Ron Washington have had his best defenders in the game to protect the two run lead in the final inning? That is a much better question. Cruz, not unlike the Houston Astros' Carlos Lee (who ironically were involved in a deal for each other years back) tries as hard as he can and runs as hard as he can. He just can't be compared to a Michael Bourn or many others in that category. Remember, Cruz hit eight home runs during the post season to tie a record. THAT is why he plays.

No, the question of whether the play should have been made really is one for Ranger skipper Ron Washington. Should Cruz have even been out there?

The Rangers, alas, join my Butler Bulldogs of NCAA basketball fame, as a team to make it to the final game two years in a row, but not able to get over the hump. While everyone is patting the club on the back congratulating them for their great season and assuring them that that they have a good team with a great chance to be a factor for years that does not make up for not winning the big one...when it was right there in front of them.

It is not easy to make it to the World Series no matter how good you may be. Look at the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, Brewers, Braves and Rays. All were darn good most of 2011. None of them made it far. The Red Sox and Braves didn't even make the post season at all.

There are no guarantees the Rangers will be back in the World Series soon. It is certain they will have a competitive team for several years based on the player talent they do have and some of the prospects in their system. But, strange as it may seem, the possibility always exists the Houston Astros will make it to the World Series before the Rangers do again. It is just not that easy.

The fact that the St. Louis Cardinals made the playoffs, made it to the World Series and won the thing is frankly almost in the "Believe it or Not?"category. There were so many things wrong and that went wrong with the club all year. But somehow they got hot and the Atlanta Braves totally collapsed down the stretch and the Cards were able to clinch a playoff spot on the last day of the season behind none other than Chris Carpenter who shut down the Astros in Houston.

When the season was to begin they lost Adam Wainwright for the season. Then when the season began they found they had no bullpen of any real ability. Closer Ryan Franklin was better suited to setting off the post game fireworks. Others who had been advanced through the Cardinal system could not get the job done in middle or set up relief. Albert Pujols got off to a slow start. Matt Holliday battled injury. Thankfully, the Cards had taken a chance on Lance Berkman and he carried the team offensively through the early months.

For much of the year the Cards trailed both the Pirates and Brewers. About mid season the Pirates faded, but the Brewers never did. The only real St. Louis hope was to win the wild card. But the Braves, while well behind the Phillies in the NL East were well ahead of the Cards in that area.

Then something happened in late August. Just when a lot of baseball fans were bemoaning the lack of any races in baseball just when King Football was about to dominate sports talk and newspapers the Cards got hot...the Braves started to freeze. Over in the American League something similar was going on. The Red Sox started to fade and the Tampa Bay Rays made their move.

We had pennant races down to the wire. St. Louis had improved its bullpen with the addition of a few veterans and the maturing of others. Plus, Albert Pujols was hitting.

The National League Central is often criticized for not fielding the best teams in the league. The Pirates for years have been almost a laughingstock. The Cards have been good. The Astros had a run. The Brewers had built a team to win in 2011. The Cubs were usually flops despite their solid fan base. The Reds had great tradition, but except for 2010 had not been consistent contenders.

Yet, the NL Central has had its fair share of two teams in the post season. The Astros made it to the 2005 World Series out of the Wild Card. The Cards and Astros were great rivals. Earlier the Cubs and Astros were battling for the top. While the Astros fell to un-precidented depths in 2011, (they suffered the embarrassment of being the team selected by a fan as an opponent of the Phillie's Roy Halladay as the best team to throw a perfect game against in a video game. Halladay did it and the fan won $1-million!) there is hope that new ownership can turn things around quicker rather than later.

In the meantime both the Cards and Brewers battled for the NL title. By the very nature of the population distribution in the country and the fact that baseball has really never lost its position as the number one sport in the Northeast most media attention each summer is with the Yankees and Red Sox so having these two teams battling for the World Series while it was the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers doing the same in the AL was hard to take for many.

When we reached the World Series thanks to so many exciting games in earlier rounds even the jaded Easterners had caught the fever. After game six the whole country remembered what baseball could be. It could have errors, planomas (plays not made), big hits, big misses and a lot of excitement.

The Texas Rangers may have missed out on their big chance. The Cardinals may have won their 11th World Championship thanks to circumstances that included the weather. But it was a great show. Next season will have to do a long way to duplicate, but we can't wait to find out.

World Series Offers Personal Conflict

2011-10-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

This World Series is rougher for me to follow that the one last season. In 2010 I was more pulling for the Rangers than Giants because while I have been working in the NL with the Astros since 1995 I had Ranger roots for eight seasons prior to that announcing their games and didn't have a closeness to the Giants who represented the NL West and who the Astros didn't play any more than they did the Rangers.

This season is different. I can't pull against the team from the Astros own division. I have no hate or indifference for the Cardinals like some fans. They are the Astros biggest rivals and some don't like Tony LaRussa any more than they did Tommy Lasorda of the Dodgers when the Astros were in the NL West. Yet the Cardinals are a class organization with years and years of tradition and success. Only the New York Yankees have more World Series titles. That is something to admire not to disdain.

As long as the Astros are in the National League (most of us hope that will be forever) and I live in Houston and work on Astro telecasts that is where my loyalty will lie--with the National League Central.

Heck I was very happy when both the Brewers and Cards made it to the NLCS. That says something about the strength in the often overlooked NLC. So if he Cards win their 11th World Title--especially with former Astros like Lance Berkman and Octavio Dotel playing key roles I will be happy for them.

Does that mean I am not loyal to the state of Texas? Some might say that, but I say the state has nothing to do with anything. These teams represent cities (or in the Ranger's case, several North Texas cities with Arlington as the hub.) They don't represent the state. I suppose if the state only had one MLB or NFL or NBA team fans would root for that team no matter where it called home. But we have two MLB, two NFL and three NBA teams. Each has a home city.

And yes, you may correlate this to rooting for the Dallas Cowboys in Houston. Why? Houston has its own team. In Austin or San Antonio or El Paso fans can root for whoever they want. But why would a football fan in North Texas root for the Texans and why would a Houston resident (unless they grew up and/or lived a large portion of their life in DAFW) be a fan of the Cowboys over the Texans? It has alway befuddled me and I suppose it always will.

So, in this World Series I am pulling for St. Louis. Its a league and better yet division thing. Then, when the Astros finally put it together again they can go to work knocking off one of the best In the meantime you don't hate Albert Pujols. You admire just how good he is and realize in the NL Central Astro fans are being given the opportunity to watch one of the greatest players of all time.

It is Out of Control, but Almost Over

2011-09-18T12:34:00.000-05:00

The Syracuse and Pitt defections from the Big East to the ACC and the apparent move of Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the Pac 12 (soon to be 16) means we are getting close to the end of major conference shifting. At least things will be done when the Pac 16 becomes a reality. If four 16 team major football conferences was the goal that is.

The moves of Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC at least makes some sense if we are ultimately heading toward the Big 10, SEC, Pac 10 and ACC as the four major 16 team conferences in the land for football.

The Big East and Big 12 appear to be headed toward the sidelines at least in football. Both can survive as primarily basketball leagues, but their football teams may have to earn their way into BCS bowls as teams from the Mountain West, C-USA and WAC have had to do for years.

There are still some openings in the Big 10, SEC and ACC even with the expected changes. That leaves room from schools like Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Baylor to latch on to one of the new larger loops. Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State could be viable for the Big 10. Iowa State would as well geographically, but the Big 10 may be interested in holding that 4th spot for someone from the Eastern time zone...maybe Rutgers, now that Syracuse and Pitt are out of the picture.

Could that leave ISU and Baylor the two Big 12 schools holding the bag? And if the Big 12 would die so would any hope of bringing TCU back to a more geographical match in Texas.

Sure a new conference could be formed, but if it had no BCS football guarantees TCU would not be interested. That is why they joined the Big East in the first place. Of course, the Big East could lose it's automatic BCS status with the loss of Pitt and Syracuse. In that case there would be less reason for TCU not to come home.

Did the formation of the Longhorn Network by Texas and ESPN start all this? Can Texas A&M receive the blame or credit depending on one's view? I suggest the answer to both is yes, but like the debate over global warming, it may have been inevitable at some point in the future anyway. The Longhorns and Aggies simply got things moving quicker.

Mind the Time Zones!

2011-09-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

All this talk about Texas A&M bolting from the Big 12 to join the SEC if invited may result in the ultimate demise of the Big 12 Conference. It shouldn't happen, though and there is a very good reason. The league still has solid enough programs and solid membership even without the Aggies. What is wrong with a league that features Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Missouri? Nothing at all that adding a Houston, Texas Christian (or SMU) and one other non Texas school would not correct. The league would be back to twelve and still very solid in multiple sports.

Instead there are reports that Oklahoma may be flirting with the Pac 12 and that partner Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech might wind up joining them. That makes no sense.

I am not going to even try to talk about dollars and cents, but rather dollars and sense. It makes no sense to be tied into a league with the bulk of its membership two time zones away. Would the dollars that joining such a far flung league--even if an "Eastern" division of the league were constructed?

Retaining the Big 12 and expanding it by two or three schools makes the most sense. It would keep a major conference in the middle of the country. It would keep basketball powers like Kansas and Kansas State conference affiliated. It would make it much easier for fans of all teams support their schools in person when playing on the road.

If you are old enough to remember the old Southwest Conference it was very common for fans of the schools to travel en masse to see their football teams play in the other venues around the loop. That was lessened with the breakup of the SWC and the establishment of the Big 12. It would virtually disappear with the end of the Big 12 and the top football programs spread from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts.

The Aggies in the SEC will likely play in the Western half of the league. That still involves going pretty far afield. Any schools affiliating with the Pac 12 will be even more challenged.

I say, if the Aggies want to move. let them. But don't kill the Big 12. It can still be a viable league by just adding two or three schools. The schools are available to make the jump--namely TCU and Houston without harming the large conferences they presently play in.

I sincerely do believe, however, that the Aggies and Longhorns should always play non conference battles in all sports. Geographically it makes sense. The rivalry would even have chance to be greater. Imagine: The Texas A&M Aggies of the SEC vs the Texas Longhorns of the Big 12. It becomes a conference as well as a school rivalry just like in the old days of the Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 8 vs the Texas Longhorns of the SWC. Nothing was wrong with that rivalry was there?

Ed Wade is doing this Smart

2011-08-20T10:12:00.001-05:00

The Astros have apparently placed Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez and Clint Barmes on waivers. Nothing special about that since clubs routinely do it with all their players after the trade deadline to see who might still have interest as the pennant races go down to the wire.

What is interesting though is Astro GM Ed Wade's timing. He made sure to do it on a Friday so there would be two extra days for clubs to think about it. Players are on the waiver wire for 48 hours, but weekends don't count. So clubs have until Tuesday to put in a claim.

What do the Astros want out of this? They want to either drop payroll entirely by letting a claiming club have one or all of those players. Or, they want to work out a deal with a claiming club after pulling the player off waivers that might include the Astros paying part but not all of the salary.

Why could that be a good thing? Well, in reality the Astros would be paying for higher level players from the other club's farm system for Wandy, Myers or Barmes in a trade. The more the Astros agree to pick up in the veteran player's contract the better the prospects should be from the other club.

That is the direction the club wants to go in rebuilding as quickly as possible. The Astros got some real solid talent in both the Pence and Bourn trades last month. They did the same last season when Lance Berkman was dealt to the Yankees and cash was included. Houston came out with Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes. They would like the same in any future waiver deals.

Even if the Astros decided to allow a claiming team to have one or more of the three players directly off waivers with no trade they would still come out ahead. They would save all the remaining salary which could them be funnelled into the player development system either as more cash for signing next year's June draftees or in other deals with other clubs in the off season.

Player development is an inexact science. So is signing veteran players to huge dollar long term contracts. Player development allows for more mistakes at less cost. Signing veterans to long term high dollar contracts often straps a team with money obligations they do not like in the latter years.

Whether anything comes from the Myers, Rodriguez and Barmes offerings to the other clubs won't be know until next week. But it was a smart move for both timing and intent.

Around the Majors Sunday August 7

2011-08-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

Major League Baseball will loan the Dodgers $150-million at 7% interest to help get them out of their financial problems. The deal was struck when MLB assured owner Frank McCourt it would not take over the team if bankruptcy plans fail.

This presumably allows MLB lawyers to take a full look at Astro sale plans and keep approval of the McLane to Crane transfer on track for approval by August 20.

Speaking of the Astros, fan are intrigued by the new faces on the club with J.D. Martinez and Jose Altuve already proving to be fun to watch, but those same fans don't need to worry about former local heros Hunter Pence or Michael Bourn. Both are doing fine with their new teams. Pence is hitting .382 with two homers and seven runs batted in. On top of that the Phillies are running a nine game winning streak heading into Sunday. Pence has never experienced Philadelphia defeat.

Meanwhile Bourn has a couple stolen bases and a .350 average with Atlanta. The Braves are a distant second the Phils in the NL East, but a strong wild card hope.

Back in Houston astute fans are checking MiLB.com to follow the exploits of players named Sosa, Cosart, Stofel and Singleton. All came in deals over the last few weeks. Soon center fielder Jordan Schafer will be active with the big club. He came in the Bourn deal.

Craig Counsel of the Brewers who snapped an 0-45 position player longest hitless streak with a single against Enerio Del Rosario on Friday will make the records books anyway since that tied the all time longest stretch of futility. But Counsel's career makes him the aberration. Heading into 2011 the 15 year major league vet had a lifetime .257 average. He is tied with .213 career hitting Dave Campbell and the woeful hitter, Bill Bergan. Bergan, considered by many the worst hitting position player in baseball history carried a .170 career mark over more than 2500 at bats. And if you are wondering the longest hitless string of all time is held by former pitcher Bob Buhl. He was 0-88.

Draft picks from last June have until August 15th to sign or go back in the hopper for next year. The Astros and their top choice, outfielder George Springer, are one of many in the boat of having top choices still un-inked. However, Springer was in Houston for a physical. That is a good sign. Plus, most sources think all first rounders will be signed before August 15. That includes Kansas City's Bubba Starling who has a football scholarship at Nebraska as a a fall back. But Nebraska doesn't even list Starling on their 105 man pre season roster.

Kansas City is going for a record on September 11. They are going to try to break the Guinness world record for most massages at the same time and place. For $25 fans receive a game ticket, massage and free massage mat. This should be a no doubter with a happy ending for the record quest. The world mark currently is only 263 in a mass massage set in Australia.

No New Information...and That is How it Is Most Days

2011-07-13T16:57:00.000-05:00

We are living in an information age. Unfortunately, too much of it is useless...or inaccurate due to the need for more items more often. I had some thoughts in the sports library.

Can Astros Follow Buccos Lead...by 2012?

2011-07-04T19:57:00.000-05:00

From the Sports Library my thoughts on where things stand.

Astros need to Emulate 2011 Pirates... FAST!

2011-07-04T19:49:00.000-05:00

The Buccos are in a pennant race. It has taken them 18 years and they still are not exactly a feared team yet, but they have some young talent getting it done. Can the Astros do the same as quickly as next season? I've got some thoughts from the Sports Library. http://vimeo.com/25986395

McCourt Really Messing up the Dodgers

2011-06-22T10:21:00.000-05:00

One of the great baseball franchises of all time is in a real mess. The Los Angeles Dodgers were allowed to be purchased by Major League Baseball a few years back by Frank McCourt. That has turned out to be a major mistake. Not only did McCourt (and his wife) apparently use franchise funds for personal matters, but now that the pair are divorced the decisions over who gets what has put the team in peril.

Major League Baseball feels it has the right to take the franchise away and put it up for sale to the highest bidder. But what will they be bidding on? McCourt has divided the franchise into separate entities. That originally was done to help him move money around with some of it going into personal accounts. But it also is causing a problem with just what Major League Baseball can take over.

For instance, McCourt claims even if baseball takes the team he still owns the parking lots and maybe even the ballpark itself. Baseball will counter that when he bought the team he bought all of that too and thus it is part of the team, regardless what he may have done when he re-organized.

The fight will be messy and a terrible shame. The Dodgers were once one of the franchises everyone looked up to as one doing things the right way. That is no longer the case. They can't even pay the bills.

Lesson for baseball is to be sure you know who you are selling your teams to. It may be a "good old boy" fraternity, but not just anyone with money should be let in. What one owner does can seriously affect others and the whole sport, too.

Here I Go Again... Why the Concern over What Dallas Does?

2011-06-15T10:50:00.000-05:00

I have lived in Texas since 1980. I am a native of Indiana, but have worked and lived in Illinois, Hawaii, and New York as well as Texas. I STILL cannot understand why Texas is so provincial as a state. In most parts of the country cities over-ride states. For instance, I am well aware of what the Texas state flag looks like. It is everywhere. Try to find the Indiana, Illinois or New York state flags when in those states. It is very hard to do.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are some things intriguing about the loyalty to the state that Texans have. But why does that extend to individual cities that may be 200 to 500 miles apart? Why does anyone worry about what Dallas does in sports any more than what Ohioans in Cincinnati care about what goes on in Cleveland? Yes, the Dallas Cowboys were once very good. But that was years ago and might have some importance in cities that do not have NFL teams like San Antonio or Austin, but why should it matter in Houston? Same goes for Houston. Why should anyone begrudge the fact the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA championship? Why does it matter in Houston? The Rockets did not. Why should Dallas' win be of any more signficance than had New Orleans or Oklahoma City or San Antonio, for that matter, had won?

During my career I have worked regularly in the Dallas-FW market, San Antonio and Houston. I am very happy where I am. If I am here I only care about what is going on here in Houston. I am not envious or jealous of any other Texas city that may be having more success. I am a Houstonian and only am concerned about what my teams are doing.

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks. Congratulations to Arlington's Texas Rangers or Dallas Cowboys. I don't begrudge any of them success. I just want to see success in Houston. That is where I live. That is who I care about. Just because there are other teams within the same state means nothing. Houston is what does matter.

Waiting at the OKC Airport One Learns Things

2011-05-30T13:07:00.000-05:00

It is hour number nine since I arrived here at the Oklahoma City airport expecting to board a 6:20 flight to Chicago to catch up with the Astros in Chicago. I was supposed to land at 8:25 and head directly to Wrigley Field to start working on pre game ideas for this afternoon's game. One of the tapings would have been with Jordan Lyles on the eve of his major league debut tomorrow.

Instead I am still here since my flight was cancelled by American Airlines ostensibly due to the bad weather that affected over 400 flights in and out of Chicago yesterday. Quick checks by both AA and our travel agent with Fox could not find any flights that were not fully booked already as alternates even those that might have connected at DFW.

So, I am booked for the 5pm flight. And I will continue to wait. It hasn't been all bad thanks to having my laptop and phone. First, I was able to text everyone who would be affected by my non appearance today well before any of them were awake. Then I added emails later.

When the production crew headed to Wrigley Field at about 7:30 the were kicking around ideas about how to cover for my absence. One of the ideas was for me to call in and do a remote report. They were joshing, but then we got the idea of trying a video from here using the built in video camera on the MacBook Pro.

Now, I have used it a few times, but not for awhile and never for anything other than an on-line commentary. So what the heck. If they can use it, fine. If not, it is not like I would be taking any time I needed for something else. I am stuck here.

So, I ad libbed a piece about the series starting, me not being there and some other commentary type points about the trip. I sent it in. And guess what? They figured out how to use it and it will be part of our "fill" after the top of the 1pm hour. So, I guess I was there after all--sort of.

The game will be starting soon...so I will follow on line and keep my scorebook up to date. Then, about an hour after it finishes I will finally be on board my plane.

One thing I have noticed here in OKC is this airport is pretty dead and small. The amenities are the basic ones you can find in Lubbock or airports of that size.

Oh yes, I also was able to watch the NCAA baseball selection show. Great news for UT and Rice both being top 8 seeds. If they can hold service in the first round they will host Super Regionals. That could lead to A&M at Texas and TCU at Rice if the form holds...with two of the four assured of making the trip to Omaha.

As for me...I am just wanting to make my trip to Chicago. But I wanted that nine hours ago!

Berkman Returns But Astros WIN!

2011-04-27T08:59:00.002-05:00

It was the best of both worlds at MMP on Tuesday.

http://tinyurl.com/2eu7xzr

Berkman Return Good Night

2011-04-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

Arguably, but not by many, the third greatest everyday player in the history of the Houston Astros came back to town Tuesday wearing an enemy uniform. Lance Berkman was back. And despite his protestations that he is not in much different shape that he was during last years injury plagued season he DOES look better.

Start with the arms. Muscle bulging.. a trimmer appearing mid section. Even a face much less full. His weight may be at the 222 it was in 2010, but muscle weighs more than fat. Lance DOES have more muscle.

I am not one to blame lack of condition as a reason why Berkman had a sub par 2010. The arthroscopic surgery he had in March was the major single reason.

Lance knew if he wanted to keep playing major league baseball the off season was going to make or break him. The Cardinals are paying him $8-million this season, but only for THIS season. Even they were not sure what they were getting.

What they got was a player of great talent, aging, and coming off injury, but who wants to stick around for awhile. So far he has been proving his point.

Old Pitchers and Old Players Big Story in Baseball This Week

2011-04-10T14:27:00.001-05:00

So now Pedro Martinez says he might like to come out of retirement and pitch a partial season with preferably the Phillies, Yankees or Red Sox. Chances are he has no chance with the Phillies. Their starting staff is loaded. Not neccesarily so for the Yankees. Heck they are even gonna give former Cub Carlos Silva a shot. Silva was so unimpressive to the Cubs they are eating most of his $11.5 million contract plus next year's $2-million buyout. Silva has agreed to try to get in shape in the Yankees minor league system.

Recently retired--29 year old Ian Snell--is having second thoughts. The pitcher most noted for never quite getting it together with the Pirates was dropped after a spring tryout with the Cardinals. Now he says he is available if someone is interested.

Meanwhile Doug Drabek's son, Kyle, picked up his first major league win over the weekend for Toronto. He trails Doug by 154 wins.

Why are the Red Sox off to such a poor start? Look at the team ERA. Last in all of baseball at 7.09 into Sunday's action. That makes it easy to see why the club was 1-7. Also shows why the Astros are also 1-7. Their team ERA is only one step above.

The Twins will be without second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka for about six weeks. The first year MLB infielder broke his fibula on Thursday. He was the Japan Pacific League batting champ last season and is costing the Twins about $14-million this season. Minnesota says they will wait for his return and not make any deals...just cover the spot with people already in the system.

The big story was the announced retirement of Manny Ramirez from Tampa Bay after apparently failing a substance test. Chances are he would have been suspended 100 games anyway, so Manny said that he had played enough

Pardon My Pride, but I Really Love the Butler Story

2011-04-03T08:01:00.001-05:00

Am I envious that Astros radio man Brett Dolan will see the Butler Bulldogs take on the Connecticut Huskies for the NCAA Men's Basketball title at Reliant Stadium Monday night? Do I think MLB.com Astro writer Brian McTaggart has a good thing going by attending the game, too? You bet I am. I am the one who graduated from Butler in...uh let's just say a number of years ago. I am a former radio play by play announcer for the 'Dogs when the bulldog mascot was named Sam and lived in the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house-- my fraternity. Could I have pulled a Dolan or McTaggart and flown back to Houston? Sure, but I am doing something different (and sneaking in a visit to my mother in Indiana as well) that I am looking forward to doing.

I will attend the final game and watch on multiple big screen TV's set up on the basketball court at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse along with thousands of others. That number will include former classmates and my old radio partner from back in the day, Gary Nash. Hinkle Fieldhouse most fans know has great history. Not only was it the largest arena in the world when constructed and opened in the 1920s. It held 14,953 for years. Recent improvements--like taking out most of the bench style seating and putting comfortable modern seats-- have cut the official capacity to about 11,000. But it still looks the same--this massive brick building looming over the north side of Indianapolis. It used to be a real fieldhouse with indoor track and field plus other events besides basketball. But it is known for hoops. Bobby Plump (Jimmy Chitwood) hit his famous shot for Milan (Hickory) high school in 1953. The movie "Hoosiers" was filmed at Hinkle. The building itself is named after Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, Tony Hinkle, who was a product in multiple sports under famed Amos Alonzo Stagg at the University of Chicago. Hinkle came to Butler as an assistant and stayed as head coach in three sports and athletic director until required to retire at 70 after almost 50 years in Butler blue.

I was lucky to be at the microphone for Hinkle's 500th win and for a major upset of then #1 Michigan and Cazzie Russell.

The building was re-named to honor Hinkle even before his career ended. It had been known simply at Butler Fieldhouse and was actually the first building on campus when Butler relocated from another part of the city. Other history? It was the site of the first American Basketball Association All Star game. Larry Brown was MVP. Yes, that is the same Larry Brown who has coached seemingly forever. I attended that game along with about 12,000 others.

So having the chance to watch Butler win the Big One in the fieldhouse so famed on the campus where my career was formed is too good to pass up.

Now if we can just all take part in one heck of a post game celebration that would top everything off.

One More Win and My School Makes the Final Four Again

2011-03-25T07:41:00.003-05:00

When I decided on a college to attend I did the rather immature thing and selected Butler University in Indianapolis. Why did I choose Butler? It was not massive like Indiana or Purdue, but it played some of its basketball games on television and was only 50 miles away from my home. What would I major in? Maybe education. Maybe I would be a history teacher and coach. What did I know at 18? I would walk on to the baseball team. That was the plan.

Butler was a private school, but in those days the tuition was only about $375 per semester. Both state schools Indiana and Purdue cost about $200. Today Butler would have been out of my family's price range. (Even the half scholarship I received would not cut the current Butler tuition enough for my family to have sent me there.)

Anyway, I went to Butler and was very happy. The basketball team was coached by a man named Tony Hinkle--who also coached the football team, the baseball team and was athletic director. He had already been elected to the Naismith basketball hall of fame as a contributor. In addition to his 500 wins and a mythical national championship from the 1920s he was the man who "invented" the brighter orange colored basketball to make it easier for players and fans to see.

By my sophomore year I was ready to change majors. The effect of an extremely boring American History class plus the lure of radio led to the move. The campus in those days had a 50,000 watt FM station on the commercial radio band. It was totally staffed by students, but when I would listen I knew I could do a better job than what I was hearing. So I made the major switch.

In my first semester I signed up for a course in sportscasting which was taught by the long time sports director of WFBM-TV-Radio in Indianapolis, Tom Carnegie. You may not know the name, but Tom was the long time lead public address voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was often hired to work at other tracks as well. It was Tom Carnegie who assigned the announcers for Butler sports broadcasts.

That first semester I was assigned to be part of a five man crew on the Butler at Akron football game. Six of us--five announcers plus an engineer piled into a car headed for the Rubber Bowl in Akron. It was nearly a 300 mile drive. I was do do play by play on one quarter. I don't remember anything specifically about how I did, but I do remember one of my co-horts putting the ball across the 55 yard line and another one so utterly boring and slow one could have easily fallen asleep.

Before long it was down to just Gary Nash and me working all the games. We were the Butler broadcast team and would remain partners for three years. It was in basketball, however, where things made the biggest impact. Gary and I would be the first to broadcast every Butler game--home and road-- for a season. In the past Carnegie's station, WFBM radio, would do selected games from Butler, Purdue and Indiana. But no one ever had done all of the Butler games. Gary and I would be the first. It was the 1965-66 season.

Since then all Butler games have been aired on radio or television. The recent success of the Bulldogs has had them appear on television in Indianapolis more than either Indiana or Purdue. But when Gary and I started we were the "voices."

Trips by car to Ann Arbor to see Rudy Tomjanovich and the Wolverines beat Butler or to Michigan State's old Fieldhouse where the lock on the car froze shut and we couldn't find a place to eat or stay after the game are memories that are not all fond. Riding on the team bus to Notre Dame with coach Hinkle getting off the bus at McDonalds on the way to the campus, placing a post game order for the whole bus, then getting back on and driving to the game. No such thing as coming in a day early in those days.... Flying to places like Chicago or Evansville on Purdue Airlines old DC-3s won't be forgotten...nor will my first commercial flight ever...on TWA to Oklahoma. I remember to this day the ticket was only $97. John McLeod coached OU to a win over Butler. I worked that game solo since our budget did not allow for two announcers to travel commercially.

You see, I have some great memories from days at Butler. Even though I have lived 1200 miles or more from the campus for the bulk of my career the ties will always exist.

So, forgive me for reminiscing a bit today. I am so proud of what the alma mater is doing in basketball again. When I was in school the team was usually around .500 with a win or two every year against a bigger, often Big 10, foe but were never a tourney team. After Tony Hinkle retired they were usually far less than that. But then Barry Collier followed by Thad Matta,Todd Lickliter and now Brad Stevens built the program to heights never before seen.

But you know what I am as proud of? Annually the Butler basketball program ranks as tops in the nation's tourney teams for graduation rate. Matt Howard, the star of the current team, was named the NCAA Academic Player of the Year. Last year's NCAA championship game was what college sports SHOULD be about. It was Duke vs Butler. Two teams with real student-athletes, not two teams with athletes masquerading as students. I liked that.

Win or lose in the Elite Eight game with Florida, I am very proud to be a Butler Bulldog.

Coaches, Players, Officials all Contribute to Wins and Losses in NCAA

2011-03-21T08:41:00.003-05:00

A lot of Texas Longhorn fans were incensed after their men's basketball team was ousted by Arizona on Sunday night. Many didn't know where to direct their anger though. The players didn't help matters by falling into a first half hole they had to dig out of. They didn't help themselves with some decisions on the floor thoughout the game either. Fans can't leave coach Rick Barnes out. Some of his strategical decisions regarding time outs and offensive thinking left long time basketball fans bewildered. Then there was the officiating.

If any game followed the "let 'em play" philosophy most of the way the Longhorn-Wildcat game did. Both teams were extremely physical and the officials were letting them get away with it. Countless plays that the rule book would say were fouls were ignored. Unfortunately for Texas that included J'Coven Brown's drive to the basket as the clock was running down. Brown, who had been very aggressive to the basket most of the second half and shot a number of free throws as a result did not have a foul called on his effort this time. The clock ran out before a second foul on the rebound effort which also could have bailed the Longhorns out.

While it is easy to complain about how things went down the stretch the Longhorns likely really lost the game in the first half when they fell so far behind. The officials had nothing to do with that.

Ever since Rick Barnes has been recruiting more players off the so called "blue-chip" lists many see his control over the play and pace of games has declined. His first real top national recruit was Kevin Durant. Surrounding him were hard working and very coachable, but less talented players. Had Durant stuck around that club could have developed into a big winner. That didn't happen, but Barnes and his staff had opened the door wider for a higher level of recruit. The Longhorns have had some outstanding season records since they can often simply overpower their foes. They have not, however, made much of dent in the NCAA tournament. Texas is far from unique in this problem. Remember how many super star players Dean Smith used to recruit to North Carolina, yet Dean never dominated the NCAA tournament. He did win a couple, but for the talent he had...

Kentucky is probably the best current example that recruiting the top of the line does not always pay off--at least up to now. Of course, a major factor now--and what cost U-T Durant--is the ability of the NBA to draft players after only one year of college play. Really what good does it do to recruit five NBA first rounders if they will only be with a team for one season. Actually coaching them as a team is another problem. Those five NBA first rounders may win a lot of pickup or playground games, but they can be beaten by well coached veteran clubs with less talent in the NCAA tournament.

We see that every year. Of the teams still alive in the Sweet 16 schools like Butler, San Diego State, Marquette, Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth and probably Brigham Young are examples of teams with few, if any, NBA prospects and a good number of juniors and seniors who have played together for some time. Those teams are usually smarter than the talent only guys. If they can keep games close they are capable of winning down the stretch.

So, while we are down to just 16 teams in the field including biggies like OhioState, Duke, Kansas and North Carolina don't discount some of the other guys from knocking down one or two of the powers. It happens every year and not just in the early rounds.

BILLY GILLISPIE TO TEXAS TECH

It was buried in the NCAA tournament news, but Texas Tech's hiring of Billy Gillispie to be the new head men's basketball coach was a good move for the Raiders. Billy IS a Texas basketball man. No one could fault him for accepting the job at Kentucky when it was offered even if it mean leaving an unfulfilled and unsigned contract at Texas A&M. Any coach would prefer to work where basketball is king and football is that other college sport. Plus, the money was great and the future promising.

But Gillispie did not fit in in the other aspects of the job in Lexington. The head basketball coach at Kentucky has to do a whole lot more than recruit and coach. In that regard he is like a major college football coach in Texas. Dealing with alums and big money boosters is crucial. When his teams were not as dominant as desired that greased the skids more quickly.

After his career and lawsuits over how much money he was still owed were finished Billy still wanted to coach. He fits Texas Tech wonderfully. Billy doesn't have to recruit national blue chippers to win games. He showed that at UTEP and rebuilt the program at Texas A&M without a bunch of future pros. In fact, Billy may be a better coach with lesser talent. There are a lot of coaches like that. It will always be very tough to recruit nationally to Lubbock. But Billy can recruit Texas as well as anyone. Just the two six million plus markets in Houston and Fort Worth-Dallas are loaded with players. Billy also can find the gems from the smaller schools around the state as well.

As the late Neil Hohlfeld once told me Billy is basketball first and forements. Hohlfeld remembered visiting Billy in his College Station apartment one time while Neil was covering the Aggies. All Billy had was a TV, VCR, very little furniture and virtually nothing in his refrigerator. But he had piles of video tapes of basketball games. Watching and scouting from those games was Billy's job--and love. Nothing has changed except we can expect his living conditions to be better. Look out Big 12-- Billy is back.

College League Names Only Matter in the Big Sports

2011-03-17T11:11:00.000-05:00

With the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments taking center stage in sports the next three weeks we will hear a lot about teams and their conferences. How well will the Big East teams do in the tournament? How about the Big 10? Is the ACC really "down" this year?

All that is well and good in sports like football and basketball where all the schools in those leagues are represented in both. That, however, is NOT the case in all the sports under the NCAA umbrella.

This weekend I am journeying to Columbia, Missouri for the Big 12 Conference women's gymnastics championship. There will be some very fine gymnasts and teams represented. Three of the schools are ranked in the top 20 nationally. The problem is that only four schools will be in the finals because the Big 12 only has four schools that compete in women's gymnastics.

Three weeks ago I worked the Big 12 Swimming and Diving championships from Austin. Both men and women's swimming and diving teams competed. But only three men's teams exist in the Big 12, Texas, Texas A&M and Missouri. For the women it is better. Six schools field teams, but that is still only half the league.

None of this is an any way to castigate the Big 12 or the schools within. It a common problem with college conferences all over the land. Not all the teams in any league field the same sports. As you know some of the schools in the highly regarded Big East basketball league do not even play football let alone all of the non revenue sports. For years the Pac-10 had only six of their members playing baseball on the top level. The baseball schools were known unofficially as the Six-Pac.

In the highly ranked Big 10 not everyone plays hockey. But schools like Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan State often draw as well or better than their basketball teams.

So how are these disparities handled? In many cases separate leagues have formed only for those sports. Hockey, for example, is quite regional. Those Big 10 teams that play hockey don't play it in the Big 10. They play it in a separate league that includes non Big 10 schools, but schools who emphasize hockey.

The same thing exists in wrestling and bowling. Separate leagues that pit schools from the same regions have formed. Swimming and Diving (in some cases), Lacrosse, Volleyball, Rowing, Field Hockey and Soccer are other sports that might be ripe for more regionally based leagues that go outside the boundaries of the football/basketball loops.

So, I ask, why not do the same in sports like gymnastics and swimming and diving. After Nebraska leaves the Big 12 there will be only three women's gymnastics teams in the league. Over in the SEC there are only four. So why not merge into a gymnastics only league? Presuming the competition level is high enough why not consider adding Texas Women's University to the loop?

These thoughts are all part of a way to cut the costs of college athletics a bit--especially the travel for the mostly non revenue sports. If you can find enough schools in closer proximity to forming a sport specific alliance go for it. The guys and gals who play the big sports for the big leagues won't be affected, but making some changes in the non revenue levels may just eliminate the need to cut some sports down the line.

Classic Had some Classic Games...On to MLB Next

2011-03-07T09:27:00.000-06:00

Since I continue to announce and follow college baseball even after my work with Houston Astros games begins I don't want to say that now that the Minute Maid Park College Classic is over it is time to change focus to the Astros. But for the majority of baseball fans in the city that is exactly what it is.

Fans had their chance to see the ballpark and its new video board display while watching baseball over the weekend. Those who were primarily Astro fans got their appetites whetted for the real major league thing which will debut in Houston with a Red Sox exhibition on March 30th and get going in the National League on April 8th.

However, if they were paying attention to the action on the field they saw some pretty good baseball--in most cases far less sloppy than what we are hearing from some of the Astros spring training games being played now in Florida.

The competition in the Classic was great. Everyone won at least a game. No one went through the field unbeaten. One game was played in just 1:45. Another, involving one of the same teams went 3:31. There were some wonderfully pitched games and others in which the hitters prevailed.

Unlike many seasons past, however, the pitching was much stronger. Was that a result of the newly designed aluminum bats? Or was it just that these six college teams had stronger pitchers than in the past?

Truthfully it was a bit of both. Hearing many balls hit off the new bats actually had a "wood" sound. Only when grips were loosened on swings or bunts was the old "ping" much in evidence. Furthermore hitters were actually jammed many times and got nothing lucky out of it. All that resulted were easy ground outs or soft easily catchable pop flies.

Home runs were still hit, but not as many as in past seasons. The truly great hitters--like Rice's Anthony Rendon--were able to hit the seats, but few others were able to go deep.

No question, though, that the most signficant home run of the weekend was hit by Baylor's Max Muncy. Looking just to get a fly ball deep enough to bring home the winning run in the last of the 10th against Rice on Sunday he got enough for a game winning grand slam home run. The Bear's 12-8 win kept the Owls from going unbeaten and gave the Bears the same 2-1 record.
That game, by the way lasted 3:31.

It was twice as long as Rice freshman Andy Kubitza's complete game 1-0 shutout of Texas A&M on Saturday. Kubitza who was named the weekend MVP threw only 88 pitches in the game that lasted a Classic record one hour, forty five minutes.

Perhaps the surprise team of the weekend was Utah. The Utes came in still looking for a victory and left with two. Three teams went 1-2: Houston, Kentucky and Texas A&M.

Now with the college clubs getting back to pre conference play at campus stadiums we shift most Houston focus to the Astros. Based on events in Florida so far it may have been good to be distracted up to now.

Not only is the season ending injury to starting catcher Jason Castro a bummer, but play of most in the spring has not been opening eyes. Hunter Pence has played well and hard. But that is not a surprise. Young players like Brett Wallace and Brian Bogusevic have had some hits, but too many of the very soft or lucky variety. Early on, that number five starting rotation spot is heading toward Nelson Figuero based on results. Nothing wrong with the results of young Jordan Lyles either, but if Figgy proves he can do the job there is less chance the Astros will feel Lyles must start the season on the big club.

The club has often played sloppily on defense, but that has often been by players who do not figure to make the club yet anyway. Tommy Manzella has done some hitting so far. How well he can show the ability to fill in at other positions may go a long way toward his making the club. Who fills the infield and outfield backup spots and how the catching finally breaks down are the most interesting items to follow for thenext few weeks.

As for the game themselves...don't worry until Brad Mills starts having his main pitchers go longer and his regular players in the lineup more often and for longer periods. That is when fans can start putting some value on wins and losses. We are still two weeks away from that point.

Guess that leaves more time to go out and watch Rice or Houston or Texas A&M or Texas or Baylor play a bit more college baseball.

We are Getting Closer...Here is How You Can Be

2011-03-05T11:26:00.000-06:00

Over the last couple of years we have gone from the mis-named "Email the Booth" (you were actually emailing me and I rarely sat in the booth) to the use of Twitter and Facebook as methods to connect fans to game telecasts on Fox Sports Houston. You can still reach us through the website. Your message will go to one of the email addresses I check regularly.

With the 2011 season less than a month away let me suggest that fans consider going "back to the future" for ease of use connecting to me and indirectly to both Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies. I have two email addresses for you to consider. This is especially important if you want to ultimately reach BB or JD. Emails can be FORWARDED. Facebook or Twitter entries are trickier and it is highly unlikely either BB or JD will be checking either location during games.

Now, I will be returning to a mostly sideline commentator spot both home and road in 2011. We have not done this since 2008. Interesting comments from fans may be incorporated into games occasionally. But I need to get them either on email or Twitter. Facebook is too cluttered to wade through during games.

The addresses to use starting now are: foxsportshouston@yahoo.com or greglucas@hotmail.com. The latter address will ONLY be seen by me. The first address MAY been seen by others with Fox Sports Houston. These addresses are essentially reserved for baseball/sports communication. Do not ignore the importance of good subject lines in gaining attention.

Obviously we want fans to continue supporting and reading the entries on the http://www.foxsportshouston.com/ web site and checking in on the Facebook and Twitter sites. I will continue to update game info on Twitter, but may cut back from every half inning to when runs are scored and/or more spaced out updates. I am hoping a return to heavy email communication will make that necessary. That is where the fans and me (and by extention the entire telecast) really connect.

I started the fan connection through email in 2000. Of all the methods we have used it has been by far the best. This season we hope to revive it back to what it once was.

One last note. Some of you have been nervous because the Astros schedule on their website lists all games on MLB.TV and has no mention of local telecasts. That is because the breakdown between FSH and Ch20 games has not yet been announced. Suffice it to say that all Astro games will be on one or the other for Houston fans. The Channel 20 telecasts may not always hit all markets outside Houston, but it many cases, as has been in the past will find a spot on FSN auxiliary cable or satellite channels. Please check your local listings.

I will start checking the above mentioned email addresses daily starting now...and far more frequently once the season begins.

Round and About...Baseball to Hoops

2011-03-02T16:12:00.000-06:00

The Astros could have won two games on Wedneday afternoon. They didn't, but no one should despair that the "B" team lost a 5-1 lead to the Yankees in the 9th inning. The defense did it and not the pitching. You may have seen what happened since the game was carried on the MLB Network.

Doug Arguello was on the mound. The first batter he faced hit a grounder to third that eluded the third baseman. (Forgive me for not mentioning names. The Yankee telecasters were doing very little to say anything about Astro players and he was not identified.) Then the next hitter slapped a ball to the left of the second baseman who "short-armed" apparently trying to turn the DP before he had the ball. Then there was a walk followed by a wide throw from SS Jiovanni Mier toward second base. Bases loaded through no fault of Arguello. He did unload a wild pitch to let in a run. The Yankees went on to win.

In a regular season championship game that would have been an awful loss because presumably all the players on defense would have been major leaguers. None of these are now. Arguello was put in an impossible situation and the results showed it.

In the other game at Lakeland against the Tigers the "A" team won 6-3 for the Astros first spring victory. Hooray for the locals.

One scary note from that game, though. Jason Castro got all twisted around and sprained a knee. He says it is not that bad, but the club got him an MRI just the same. Could have been worse. Red Sox star pitcher Josh Beckett will miss some time after he took a fungoed baseball right in the back of the head during batting practice.

I mentioned basketball in the header. What about those Rockets? As they finish strong--reaching the .500 mark and finding Chase Buddinger is much better as a starter than bench man-- hopes for the playoffs have been renewed. Much success in the NBA post season is unlikely. Still, making the playoffs is still a reachable goal--if only those teams ahead of them in the standings lose a few games.

Meanwhile with the college season heading down the stretch the Baylor Bears may have faded themselves out of the NCAA tournament after a Sweet Sixteen 2010. They are going to have to be impressive in the Big 12 Tournament. The Texas Longhorns are in a late season funk--again. As recently as three weeks ago dreams of the 'Horns making it to Reliant Stadium for the Final Four were not far fetched. They still have the talent to do it, but not the way that talent is playing right now.

From Andy Strasberg to Jerry Levias

2011-03-01T15:57:00.004-06:00

Over the past week I have had the pleasure of touching base with long time San Diego Padre exective Andy Strasberg and former Houston Oiler Jerry Levias. In neither case are the team associations I just listed signficant.

Strasburg was in Houston to speak to the local Society of American Baseball Research chapter on the occasion of it being 50 years since his good friend Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record when he hit 61 in 1961.

Andy was here not to detail the quest of 1961, but rather relate how a hero worshiping teenager and the Yankee slugger developed a close bond and ultimately a friendship that lasted until Roger's death to cancer in 1985 here in Houston at the M.D. Anderson Cancer center.

If you can find a copy of the book, "Baseball Lives" written by Mike Bryan and published by Pantheon in 1989 the story he related to the SABR members is there. It is a classic tale of how the outfielder who was described as moody and aloof by the New York media struck up a wonderful relationship with a fan that lasted long after Maris left the game.

On Monday I flew to Dallas and SMU University to be on hand for an airing of the Fox Sports special, "Jerry Levias- A Marked Man" as part of Black History Month. Patti Smith and I had produced the program several years ago after handed the project upon the departure of Tony Martinez from Fox. Tony had done or supervised much of the groundwork, but it was our job to turn the raw material into a feature.

Having not grown up in an area of the country where racial bigotry was not as obvious as it had been in the South, as I did research and listened to the interviews deciding which pieces to incorporate into our allotted 44 minute content time I was amazed. I was amazed at what Jerry Levias had to endure. He was the first black scholarship athlete in the Southwest Conference a full 20 years after Jackie Robinson had signed his first contract with major league baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers. I was in college in the North during the same period Levias was being a pioneer in the SWC. I had been rooting for black athletes for years following Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson with my favorite Cincinnati Reds...and big Walt Bellamy with the Indiana Hoosiers Big 10 basketball team. In Indiana I had no idea how little things had progessed in Texas or in the neighboring Southeastern Conference. My high school's football and basketball teams had had plenty of black athletes for years.

So when Patti and I started working on the Levias story we knew we would be educating a whole lot of folks and not just telling a story.

On Monday when the program was shown to those on hand it was obvious in the question and answer session following that many had been moved. Many of Jerry's former classmates at SMU only after the viewing admitted they had no idea what Jerry had to endure. There were death threats. There were many obscenely offensive letters. There were many dirty plays on the field.

But Jerry Levias hung tough. As years went on problems were reduced. Jerry won the war after some very tough battles.

Roger Maris did not have to overcome racial predujice--only the sports followers who did not feel him worthy of challenging the great Babe Ruth. But he was under the gun in another way just the same. Levias had to overcome something far worse and when he made it he represented a whole race. Maris' was a far more simple story. He was simply a friend.

Both had great stories. Both stories were hilighted in the last week. This was a great week to be in my business.

ST. LOUIS WILL DROP WITH WAINWRIGHT OUT

2011-02-23T15:53:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I compiled an analysis of the NL Central prior to the start of spring training. The result was the feeling that the Cardinals, Reds and Brewers figured to be the top three teams in the division with the Astros and Cubs hoping to play better than expected themselves while one of the "big three" fell off a bit.

The fall may have already begun. On Wednesday is was revealed that Adam Wainwright, the 29 year old Cy Young runner up from 2010 is suffering elbow difficulties that may result in a major process of recovery...maybe even up to requiring Tommy John surgery.

While the doctors in St. Louis have not yet announced the results of any examinations the folks in the Cardinal camp were not expecting anything but the worst.

Needless to say if Wainwright missed the season the Cardinals would likely be severely weakened. Th news today almost automatically pushes the Reds and Brewers ahead of the Cards in any predicted order of finish and could portend even more woe for the club if either the Astros or Cubs--or both-- play better than many expect.

Before the Cardinal news gets anyone too excited, though, don't forget it is a long spring training and the Astros have to get through it intact themselves.

When Hoops and Baseball Clash

2011-02-19T08:53:00.000-06:00

Big weekend for both basketball and baseball. What you say? Baseball! Surely you don't consider the day that regular players report to spring training a big deal do you? Well, no, that is not what I am referring. I am referring to the start of major college baseball's real games. Two top 20 teams are engaged in a series at Rice this weekend. Stanford won round one Friday night 5-3, but there are still two games to play. Over at Houston the Cougars blasted UT-Arlington 15-5 and likewise will continue playing. The seasons for Houston Baptist, Texas Southern and the whole Big 12 are also now underway.

If you ONLY pay attention to baseball on the major league level I suppose the first day of full rosters in camp is significant. Right now we are in the optimistic reporting phase in the papers and other media. Everyone is just so happy for spring to be coming that the warts have been covered and rose colored glasses donned. That is OK. That is almost as much a rite of spring as the bloom of new flowers. Water will seek its own level soon enough.

In addition to baseball--be it college or spring training-- basketball is heading toward the stretch. Never mind that with the stretch to begin in the NBA the All-Star game won't even be played till Sunday. The fact is that two-thirds of the season is finished. Teams that are not in playoff position now (Rockets) will have a very hard time getting there in the few games left. Collegiately, there are only two weeks left in the regular season. Trying to win as many games as left for preferred post season position is the major project for most teams.

Saturday Texas Tech is at Baylor in one of the B12 features. We will have that game on FoxSports SW/Houston at 7pm. Tech is not a post season factor, but Baylor is in a very precarious position. They SHOULD be one of the Big 12 teams that gets an NCAA invite. But they also may not get an exceptional seed. Winning out...at least till the league tournament will help them greatly. So, the game has significance.

Sometimes we get carried away with speculation and looking ahead and forget to just have fun with what is right in front of us now. Life is too short to always be looking five years down the road. Baylor is pretty solid, but not perfect right now. Before Bear fans start worrying about what will be the makeup of the team after Lacedarius Dunn leaves why not just enjoy what Scott Drew's team is now? The Bears are scrappy and while not deep do have talent among their top seven or eight players. And they do have Dunn who is the alltime leading scorer in Baylor history. Baylor men's basketball may never reach the levels of the #1 ranked Lady Bears this year. Yet, they are just as exciting and they also have a chance to succeed in the post season.

Cards Will Likely Go "All Out" in '11 with Pujols Era End Possibly Near

2011-02-17T08:49:00.000-06:00

The Cardinals are not committed to huge spending for Albert Pujols--yet. That could have an effect on 2011 for sure.

Spring Training to Start and NBA All Star Game Not Played Yet?

2011-02-13T09:03:00.000-06:00

I blame it on the NFL extending its post season into February. Nothing like squeezing the last shilling out of the golden goose. But what it has done is really messed up the NBA. Still, it was the NBA's fault. Apparently because they didn't want to compete with King NFL they moved their All-Star break. The real half way point of the season is around the first week in February. But in 2011 they won't celebrate the "break" until two thirds or more of the season has been played.

Now admittedly the NBA All Star game itself is not much more to see than the NFL Pro Bowl the activities surrounding the game and the honor a city receives for staging it is signficant to the league. I just wonder how many fans--except those in the host city-- really care much anymore.

Too many of the teams know they don't have a chance at an NBA title. Too many teams in the league are mediocre at best when compared to the powers in San Antonio, Los Angeles, Boston and Miami. Too many teams are losing money.

Attendance is off in many cities and TV ratings have dropped precipitously. Right now many NBA cities are on the verge of being in the same boat as the National Hockey League. They still have their core backers who assure the clubs that 15-17,000 fans will be on hand for home games, but have lost the general sports fan from doing much more than spot checking during telecasts or waiting until morning to read the paper or on line and find out how the team fared.

Star players in the league are paid outrageous amounts. Even "non"-star players are paid well above their worth to a team. Too many of them have proven they do not know how to handle the riches and flaunt their wealth in front of the very fans who are supporting them by buying tickets.

Now, though getting much less publicity or interest than the NFL--this should tell something of the NBA's plight in the sport pecking order--the league is facing a labor stoppage possibility. In the past, with one exception, things have been cleaned up before NBA teams and players missed much if any time. Now, howver, even the most die-hard unionist in the real world, would have a very hard time siding with the players demands. Professional athletes do not live in the real world for many reasons. NBA player may live in the biggest fantasy world of all. Their sport is not universally healthy at all.

On the other hand sport and the NBA specifically are hardly the only parts of life that have lost control of reality. The news every day tells of some of the nation and world's business "leaders" whose greed or self sense of importance is far worse.

Metal Bats "deadened Again. Could Pro Baseball be Watching?

2011-02-11T10:35:00.000-06:00

With the college baseball season about to begin it will be important to see what new bat standards will do. College hurlers will be less afraid to pitch inside. Professional baseball will be watching the new bats, too, for a different reason.

http://www.foxsportshouston.com/pages/lucas_blog

Going Over to Minute Maid Park Always Leads Thoughts to Spring

2011-02-10T15:19:00.000-06:00

I took a ten minute walk from Fox Sports Houston's offices to Minute Maid Park on Thursday to attend a media luncheon corresponding to the equipment trucks leaving for Florida. That means baseball is not that far off. In fact, it is less than a week when pitchers and catchers will first take the field in Kissiimmee.

It obviously didn't SEEM like baseball was close during the walk in 30 degree temperatures with a wind whipping through Discovery Green and all along Crawford Street as I made my way to the ballpark. But once I headed inside the press gate and was greeted by one of the attendants by name I knew I must be nearing "home."

Not having been inside MMP since the major construction projects were well underway I glanced at the giant video board in RF. The old videoboard in centerfield will be replaced by two permanent ads. There is also a secondary video board high on the first base side for those sitting in right field. With the luncheon in the 5-7 Grill that meant I walked the concourse down the left field line and once I was at the Landry's Crawford boxes I checked out the press/broadcast area. What was once the main press box is being converted into 150 luxury Press Lounge seats that will be sold as season tickets. One level up--where formerly the video board controls, broadcast booths and general manager's boxes were located the new pressbox is under construction. It will be a three level booth seating about 70. The old booth had room for 105, but never needed that many seats except on Opening Day or for post season. The video control room has been relocated down the left field line. Broadcast booths for home and visiting radio have been moved to the first base side of the level. Using essentially the same "footprint" that already existed it appears everything will fit.

Astro GM Ed Wade was part of the luncheon. He indicated that the main things happening in the spring will be the battle for the #5 spot in the rotation plus some bullpen spots and finalizing who will serve as backups in the outfield and infield. Jason Michaels has one of those posts locked, but Brian Bogusevic, and Jason Bourgeois will have good chances to stick. As Ed pointed out, if some of those in competition don't appear to be the answer there are always players released by other clubs in the spring that might be available.

Real news from spring training will start coming in about five days. It may not be much, but it will be baseball~

Weather, SuperBowl, Pettitte and More

2011-02-04T09:13:00.000-06:00

As I sit in my home office on the north side of Houston in the 1960 area (which some are trying to re-name Cypress Creek Parkway) I see no ice, sleet or snow outside. The street is dry. Sure it is cold. My computer weather site says it is 28, but the thermometer outside the door downstairs registers a few degrees higher.

Naturally that weather report turns ones thoughts to... just how much worse it is in the Arlington, Fort Worth, Dallas area where SuperBowl 45 is set for Sunday. They have up to five or six inches of snow on the ground with little equipment to remove it. It has turned the big week in North Texas into a financial and fan friendly failure. Fortunately by Saturday things are supposed to be improving enough so that by Sunday things will be much more bearable.

It is admirable that the NFL is trying to bring the SuperBowl to various locales...sort of as a reward for communities agreeing to build its teams new stadiums. Certainly the stadium in Arlington, Cowboy Stadium, would be a wonderful site for multiple games. It is the largest in the league. It has a retractable roof. But it cannot over come being located where it is...or the inconsistent weather patterns for North Texas this time of year. The location in Arlington has required a very spread out venue for the pre-game activities. That is the biggest weakness. New Orleans is probably the best SuperBowl site of all. The weather is usually very satisfactory and all the venues--including some unofficial ones--like Bourbon Street are all within walking distance. Even the Miami area with the best weather of all can't beat that. The Stadium is not near anything else. Strangely enough cold weather Indianapolis will have a New Orleans-like site. Everything is close to Lucas Oil Stadium. Many of them are connected by walkways as well. Of course, no one except New Orleans has Bourbon Street.

The most interesting game will be the open air game in late January or early February in New Jersey. I will be the first to say, "What were they thinking?" The NFL might luck out. Perhaps by then weather patterns will be different and they will miss the snow and extreme cold. The odds are not good.

Perhaps THAT game will convince the league that if they want to keep their game what it always has been it must never leave a covered stadium...or Miami and go nowhere North of DFW (and that may be marginal.)

All I know is I am very happy my job has never called for coverage of SuperBowl Week--no matter where it was played.

ANDY PETTITTE IS A TEXAS BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER

The news that Andy Pettitte was to announce his retirement from baseball after a 16 year career came Friday. Thirteen of those seasons were with the Yankees and the other three with the Astros. He won 240 and lost 136 with a career 3.88 ERA. Those numbers may leave him a bit short of the Baseball Hall of Fame, but even if they do, he is at least a "mythical" Texas Baseball Hall of Famer for sure.

I use the term "mythical" since the actual operation of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame is in limbo right now. There have been no inductions or active organization for a few years. When things are started up again you can be sure Andy will be right at the top of the list of new inductees.

Andy--a native Texan-- qualifies for the TBHOF on that standpoint. But his three years with the Astros co-incided with the most successful trio of seasons of all time for the club. The Astros won their first playoff series during the Pettitte-Clemens years as well as their first NL title and World Series berth.

So, Andy, enjoy retirement. You have been one of the best for a long time.