SportsJustice

June 27, 2010

If you don't like the Astros now, wait until Nolan Ryan hires Gerry Hunsicker

Oh boy, it's about to go from bad to worse. Sure it's lousy that we've got an awful baseball club, and it's even worse than our club may be bad for a long time. There's just no way of knowing how quickly the draft picks are going to be productive big leaguers, or if they ever will be. No guarantees.

What's even worse is that the Rangers are cruising along in first place. OK, we're used to Metroplex teams beating the daylights out of Houston teams. The Cowboys are one of the great franchises in the history of professional sports. The Texans? Well, they're trying.

The Mavericks made the playoffs. The Rockets didn't. And the Rangers, well, they dominate the Astros year in and year out. If Rick Perry really does lead a secession effort, can we put Dallas and Houston into different states so we don't have to keep calling them Daddy?

Now I'm hearing that if Nolan Ryan—yes, our Nolan Ryan—has his way, Gerry Hunsicker will be working for the Rangers sometime very soon. Unless bankruptcy court slows them down, or Drayton vetoes a deal, Roy Oswalt may be pitching for the Rangers down the stretch.

Oh the agony. This time next season, the Rangers could be rolling toward a second straight championship, and Gerry and Roy will be leading the charge, and down here in Houston, Drayton will be saying he's sure ready to charge whatever that means.

Posted by Richard at 02:20 PM in Astros | Comments (52)
Share:

June 25, 2010

The Sports Update: UH looking to move

Posted by Richard at 10:21 AM in Sports Update | Comments (53)
Share:

June 24, 2010

''He checked all the boxes for us. We're just ecstatic about this pick.''

Rockets scouting director Gerald Madkins offered this assessment of Patrick Patterson:

''We're extremely excited to add Patrick Patterson to our roster. Truly, truly professional approach to the game. Quality individual. He's going to fit into our locker room. He was the No. 1 guy we were targeting — No. 6 overall. We can't believe it worked out the way it did. We're extremely happy.

''At the combine, he measured really well. I think that's why we were excited leaving the combine after he tested almost true size for a power forward. You know, you can speculate whether that's 6-10, 6-9. But we're very happy. We think he fits in very well with our cast. We're just ecstatic that we got him.

''One of the things we just loved about the kid is that if you look over his career, he's a guy that has been the No. 1 guy and then he has been a guy that can fill a role this year with all those freshmen coming in. They kind of took the hype away from him, and he didn't skip a beat. Just as productive. His approach never changed. Those are the kind of guys we love in our locker room. They have a straight-forward approach. They just show up for work everyday and do the best they can.

''Patrick is a quality defender. He's probably a better team defender right now. I think most young guys coming in the league are going to be that way. We see him as a guy that's going to add a little diversity to the things we can do defensively. This year, he's shown he can play out on the floor a little bit. I think that helps our defense tremendously.

''He's shown his ability to play out on the floor a little more than he has in the past. He's shooting college 3-pointers really well now. His mobility for a power forward is really good. He brings a lot of intangibles that teams love to have, especially winning teams like we think we can be.

''It's important to add quality people to your locker room. Not to take away anything away from his on-the-court ability, but he really fits in with our culture. He has a hard-working professional approach. You really can't measure that. I think we value that more than most teams. I think you guys are going to be really impressed with how well this guy understands and plays the game.

''We considered him the No. 1 guy that we wanted. He checked all the boxes for us: need, size, locker room, just down the line. We're just ecstatic about this pick.''

Posted by Richard at 08:34 PM in Rockets | Comments (25)
Share:

June 23, 2010

Rockets would like to land DeMarcus Cousins, but so would at least 6 other teams

Forgive me while I imagine how much fun it would be to have Yao Ming and DeMarcus Cousins playing for the Rockets next season. Dare I say it? Yes, dare, dare!

Are you thinking Western Conference Finals? You are? I don't know if the Rockets would be that good, but they'd be in the mix if everyone stayed healthy and most of the current core remained on the roster.

Unfortunately, DeMarcus Cousins will be long gone by the time the Rockets' pick (14th) comes up Thursday night, and that's why GM Daryl Morey has been working like crazy to move up.

He has an extra 2011 first-round pick and a lot of young talent to trade. So far, though, he hasn't found a taker. It appears Cousins will be the fifth pick in the draft.

Sacramento has that pick at the moment and appears likely to select Cousins. However, the Kings have discussed trading the pick. Things can change quickly, but the Rockets appear pessimistic they can get up to fifth.

Morey will work through the day to get something done. His first priority this off-season has been to acquire Chris Bosh, but Bosh has given no indication he's interested in playing for the Rockets. Free agency is uncertain in the best of circumstances, so if Morey can make an impact acquisition in the draft, he'll do it.

If he stays at 14, or moves up only a few spots, his decision will be whether to take the most talented player, or the player that helps the Rockets the most. The Rockets need size.

Kansas center Cole Aldrich is mentioned in several mock drafts, including ESPN's. Baylor's Ekpe Udoh, another shot-blocker, is another possibility. Almost as interesting will be seeing what Morey does in the second round. Last year, Leslie Alexander gave him the go-ahead to spend $6 million on three second-round picks: Chase Budinger, Jermaine Taylor and a Euro.

Budinger had a very good rookie season, and Taylor showed flashes of being special. The Rockets have less pressing needs this summer in terms of numbers, but that could change depending on if he's able to make a trade.

Posted by Richard at 05:04 PM in Rockets | Comments (15)
Share:

June 21, 2010

The Sports Update: Three rookies tearing up baseball

Posted by Richard at 09:38 AM in Sports Update | Comments (9)
Share:

June 20, 2010

Calling up Chris Johnson and Jason Castro isn't enough. Put 'em in there and play 'em.

Where's Brian Bogusevic? Why didn't he get the call? Does someone need to show Drayton, Ed and Tal the statistics? Are they afraid of upsetting Carlos Lee or Michael Bourn?

The Astros may not get any better, but they could at least make themselves more interesting. I guess we should be thankful the Astros have at least done something. I bet Drayton wanted to come up with a new marketing slogan. You think I'm kidding?

Jason Castro will make his major league debut Tuesday. Chris Johnson surely will be back in the lineup, too. If nothing else, the Astros now have two guys who have a chance to get better. Only the Pirates and Orioles have worse record, and no matter what the Astros tell you or themselves, this season is toast. These final 92 games ought to be a tryout camp.

The Astros ought to be trading anyone with value and giving every possible minor leaguer a chance. It's not like there's anything to lose. Brett Myers has great value. Roy Oswalt has some value. Lance Berkman might have some. Matt Lindstrom, Brandon Lyon, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn probably have some value, and that's about it.

Say this for the Astros: They're a patient bunch. Only when they fell 18 games below .500 and were on a pace to lose 102 games did the men in charge do something that feels like a real shakeup. The Astros havedn't been that far below .500 since they were 21 under on Sept. 18, 2007.

Does this mean Ed now has the go-ahead to shop Oswalt? Brian McTaggart and Mark Berman were all over the story on Friday when Nolan Ryan confirmed his interest in Oswalt.

The Rangers have a wealth of minor league talent, so such a deal would seem to be a perfect match. But the biggest change will be if the Astros finally are conceding dramatic change is needed, that the old ways no longer are working.

Posted by Richard at 05:22 PM in Astros | Comments (63)
Share: