HiatusThe blog is going on a hiatus -- maybe temporary, maybe permanent (what, you're wondering? it's not already on hiatus?)
Like the (Bad) Sports teams in town, this little blog has been erratic and inconsistent for a while -- pretty much since Ethan Glading moved to Jersey and the podcast gradually died, and efforts at a group blog... also gradually fizzled.
I think it's highly likely we'll eventually bring the sports podcast back (with a local blogger well known to bHers), but probably not till the summer, as my May is pretty much booked up, and there's no reason to start the thing for a few weeks then drop it for a month. If the podcast comes back, the blog will probably become an adjunct to it again. We'll see.
Anyway, thanks for reading! There's still the front page, and there will likely be some sports rambling on my personal blog from time to time. And there are some really good local sports blogs these days that are better than this one anyway.
Willis Wilson axed at RiceRice canned hoops coach Willis Wilson today.
While the move was not unexpected (since the AD has been hinting at it pretty much all season), it was unfortunate, given the difficulties Wilson faced this year and the competitive teams he put together for many years despite that toilet of an arena known as Autry.
The guy probably deserved at least one year at the refurbished Autry.
The Rice people who whined about loyalty when Todd Graham bolted for Tulsa are harder to take seriously tonight.
Was this supposed to be tongue-in-cheek?The Chronicle's Richard Justice post about the 'Stros' physically intimidating new closer today:
If you're looking for someone to rip the new closer, you've come to the wrong place. I got my first look at Jose Valverde this morning, and I've decided to do everything I can to stay on his good side. He's 6-4, 254 pounds. He throws the ball 150 mph. He's an emotional sort.
I plan on being his friend. I'm going to be just like the TV guys, especially that one that's always blogging about all his scoops. When Valverde enters a room, I'm going to run over there with a big smile and a handshake. When he says something that's even a little bit funny, I'm going to laugh so loud you'd think he was Larry The Cable Guy.
It'll be just like Justice's past coverage of Charley Casserly!
Homonyms are confusingThe editing of the Chronicle sports section (or lack thereof) provides many Bad Sports moments, such as this headline today:
With pitchers and catchers arriving, Astros season is eminent
Given the team's lack of pitching, we don't think the season will stand out in any positive way.
But the start of the season is approaching quickly (it is indeed imminent).
'Tis the (off)season for cheerleadingWith that fine Super Bowl now history, another NFL season is officially done.
That means we can soon look forward to lots of free-agent and draft analysis.
But first, we can expect the usual offseason Texans cheerleading from the Chronicle.
Up first, Richard Justice:
The Texans played their last game 40 days ago, and with some time to reflect, I've come to some conclusions. First, Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith are the right men for the job.
Hmm, who didn't see THAT coming?
Look for the Texans cheerleading to get more energetic as the coming season approaches. It's the Chron way.
Another Rockets turning point?The Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen says the Rockets might finally have reached the mythical turning point:
The Rockets could have made progress with so many positive signs from so many. Rookies typically are inconsistent and the Rockets' have been. But with so many contributors during the recent surge, there is a chance for this team to get both goals.
They have not, yet. They are winning, but they are so far showing the potential to get better.
It is almost all about the wins. Almost. Put it together and this might really be the Rockets turning point. For now, they still need to do a lot of winning and lot of getting better.
Might really be, as opposed to, say Fran Blinebury's "turning point" of several weeks ago?
Credit the Chron cheerleaders for being eternally optimistic, I guess, even if the analysis isn't always that helpful.
UPDATE: The winning steak keeps growing, so maybe the Rockets DID reach the turning point. And maybe I just jinxed it. Who knows?
For value and effort, give me the basketball Coogs over our "pro" teamsThe Chronicle's soccer reporter today notes that we are lucky in Houston that our four pro teams offer good value, in relative terms, when compared to other teams in their respective leagues.
That's all well and good, but none of the major league pro teams has been all that compelling in recent years AT ANY PRICE, and soccer is what it is.
In terms of putting out a good product and always giving maximum effort, Tom Penders' basketball Cougars have, in recent years, been the best sports value in town as far as I'm concerned. If you like hoops, watching the Coogs at the Hof is a great experience (even though the arena is in sad need of refurbishment, the sight lines are still great and the seats are comfy). Unfortunately, Houston is a bad sports town and doesn't have many of the sorts of fans who will just go watch college hoops because... there's a game. So the crowds are still disappointing, despite Penders' success in rebuilding the program, which is a shame (and only builds on Houston's reputation as a mediocre sports town).
The tortured prose continuesJonathan Feigen's torturing of the English language in an unedited sports section continues in today's Chronicle:
Mathematical realities insist each game is worth the same, no more or less than another as it is recorded in the standings.
Human nature argues otherwise.
Some leap from the page and dwarf the agate-sized others. They test and even define, if temporarily, possibilities.
Ouch.
Redundant, much?Here's a fun line from a Jonathan Feigen blog post:
But there comes a time when good teams rise above human nature and develop a way that they play, unshakable by a game against a poor opponent or with an early start. They show up and go to work with Saturday's determination game after game, with only a rare aberration.
Presumably, rare aberrations are different from those frequent ones.
Anyway, the graf is substantively right about good teams. At some point, people may have to start concluding that this Rockets' team, as coached by Rick Adelman, isn't a good team.
Then again, just a week ago, some Chronsters thought there had been a turnaround in the team's play, so it's hard to say.
Fun ledes from an unedited sports sectionJonathan Feigen offers up one of his "special" ledes today:
With the words dripping painfully from him, Yao Ming had become 7 1/2 feet of anger and disappointment.
Words dripping painfully?
Isn't that a better description of that lede?
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