WEBVTT

1
00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:18.960
Space City, Created Created, Created
City. Welcome to another Space City Saturday

2
00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:24.640
on Sports Talk seven ninety Dan Matthews
Live at local h Town, breakdown of

3
00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:29.640
the world that matters to you,
the Houston sports world, all these great

4
00:00:29.719 --> 00:00:34.759
Houston fans here. We love you
all, So finish up on that to

5
00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:39.840
do list. Lout up the jeweler, because you can't drink in talk sports

6
00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:48.200
all day if you don't start now. This is Space City Saturday. Here's

7
00:00:48.280 --> 00:01:00.759
seven nineties Dan Matthews, Sports Talk
seven ninety Space City Saturday. Are we

8
00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:03.719
doing out there? I know that's
kind of ross Villa Reale sing. Switched

9
00:01:03.760 --> 00:01:07.599
it up a little bit because you
know, I don't want to take gimmick

10
00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:11.400
infringement there. But anyway, I
know how most of us are feeling right

11
00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:15.640
now. I mean, you know, in the ideal world, we would

12
00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:19.200
be getting ready for Game two of
the World Series tonight. But the world

13
00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:25.760
is not always ideal, and the
Astro season is over. Sad music.

14
00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:29.840
I know it is not something that
I want to remind myself of. It's

15
00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:34.799
not something I want to remind you
of. But as we've talked about numerous

16
00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:40.359
times before, the shows of the
past being where you know, it would

17
00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:45.719
be I don't know, eighty five
ninety percent Astros talk. And we will

18
00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:49.879
continue in sort of the same vein
today if you want to weigh in at

19
00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:56.079
seven one three, two one two
five seven ninety it's a college football Saturday.

20
00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:00.599
Don't know how much college football we
will get into, but anyway that

21
00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:05.599
is around Texans on the road in
Charlotte. We are going to get into

22
00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:08.039
some Texans talk. I mean,
something we haven't done a ton of during

23
00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:13.400
my time taking over these two hours
on Saturday, but we will do that

24
00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:16.520
a little bit later on also too. As part of the show today,

25
00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:22.800
kind of circling back to the Astros
side of things, we will let you

26
00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:25.960
hear some of the interviews that we
had from earlier this week from Chandler Rome

27
00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:31.360
of the Athletic when he joined us
on the A team earlier this week,

28
00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:36.000
a couple of days ago. In
fact, we'll let you hear that also

29
00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:39.039
to coming up next hour Brian McTaggart
when he was on with the Matt Thomas

30
00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:45.599
Show. We will be talking all
of that as well. So let's just

31
00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:51.080
start off though with the Astros and
the season is over and it is one

32
00:02:51.080 --> 00:02:54.719
of those things that when situations like
this happen, Well you do the autopsy

33
00:02:54.719 --> 00:03:00.840
a little bit, and well the
season is dead, so we gotta do

34
00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:06.680
the autopsy, and we will do
that here on the show as well as

35
00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:10.479
Dusty is done. And how I
think we need to remember him because I

36
00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:15.280
think that some of us will have
certain memories. But I think you're being

37
00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:20.439
I don't know if intellectually dishonest is
the right term to attach to it,

38
00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.800
but I think that maybe you know, it is one of those things that

39
00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:27.919
sometimes recency bias can kind of creep
in a little bit, and I think

40
00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:30.400
if you're doing that, you're just
being not only unfair to him, but

41
00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:36.879
also unfair to yourself in terms of
robbing yourself of good memories and also to

42
00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:42.400
jump into a little bit on who
the next manager will be and sprinkle in

43
00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.240
a little bit of Rockets talk as
well, let's just be honest here too.

44
00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:49.439
I mean, it is one of
those things that I'm sure some of

45
00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:53.400
us, including me, we're a
little bit more excited about what the Rockets

46
00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:57.599
could bring their zero and two to
start the season. That's not exactly the

47
00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:00.159
way that we were hoping to see
things start off, to see, but

48
00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:03.759
I think more than anything. Come
back to two words with the Rockets this

49
00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:06.840
year that I'm going to share and
I will talk about as the show goes

50
00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:13.199
along, slow Burn. That is
what I think you need to kind of

51
00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:15.839
keep in mind with this Rockets team
because the core of this team is still

52
00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:23.199
incredibly young, incredibly inexperienced, and
a team that probably will have results like

53
00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:27.600
we saw on Wednesday night against the
Orlando Magic and then of course last night

54
00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:30.720
too, where it looked like they
were going to win that game and then

55
00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:33.399
they dropped it a little bit later. You know, It's one of those

56
00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:38.439
things that I know that Ema Udoka
when he goes to the podium, he's

57
00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:43.759
probably going to at times praise his
guys, but probably also too at times,

58
00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:46.720
you know, have situations where he
talks about the defensive effort. When

59
00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:50.879
you're dealing with a young team,
usually defensive effort is something that lacks in

60
00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:56.959
certain categories. So we will definitely
touch on all of that as well.

61
00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:00.360
But let's start it off, and
again, as I get started here,

62
00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:04.079
you can weigh in at someone three
two and two five seven ninety and the

63
00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:09.800
Astro season is over, and there
are a lot of different ways that people

64
00:05:09.879 --> 00:05:15.160
can point to assessing blame to the
situation. You know, I know that

65
00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:17.680
some people in Game seven, look
at what the Rangers are doing. They're

66
00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:25.000
using Jordan Montgomery to kind of stemy
a rally here, and we're not bringing

67
00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.319
in Justin Verlander. And before the
game and fairness, Dusty Baker was asked

68
00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:33.319
about that very thing, and I
thought his answer was incredibly fine. I

69
00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:39.120
had zero issues with what he said
about possibly using Justin Verlander in the game,

70
00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:43.800
and he had said, We're not
going to necessarily do something in the

71
00:05:43.879 --> 00:05:47.920
short term that could affect somebody in
the long term. Because people might say,

72
00:05:47.959 --> 00:05:51.759
oh, it's a no brainer,
especially to the way that Christian Javier

73
00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:56.560
scuffled out the gate, why wouldn't
you have Verlander up and ready to go

74
00:05:56.680 --> 00:06:00.000
and have him come into the game. You have to remember that Justin ver

75
00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:03.079
Land is not the same Justin Verlander
that I think most of us remember him

76
00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:06.720
to be. He's a little further
on in his career. The recovery time,

77
00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:11.560
everything else of the sort is not
as quickly as it would have been

78
00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:15.120
earlier in his career. And I
think that Dusty looks at him and probably

79
00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:19.040
even Verlander if he's being honest with
himself as well, says, Yeah,

80
00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:24.399
probably not as good an idea for
me to come out of the bullpen and

81
00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:29.480
be able to throw, especially to
not too far off of when he threw

82
00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:33.079
last which Monday night. The last
time he'd thrown was on Fridays, so

83
00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:36.360
that would be what three days that
he could be able to come out there

84
00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:41.040
and turn around and try to be
as effective. And it's also too you

85
00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:46.560
have to keep in mind that when
pitchers are getting warmed up that there is

86
00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:51.319
very much a different warm up for
starters as opposed to relievers. Relievers they

87
00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:56.279
know them being there in that confined
space of the bullpen, you're not gonna

88
00:06:56.279 --> 00:07:00.360
be able to get the long toss
in as much of flat groundwork anything else

89
00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.680
in order to be able to get
you ramped up to be able to start

90
00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:06.920
throwing off the mound. So they
prepared that way. They know how to

91
00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:12.079
prepare their ready to go. For
starters. It's a little bit different because

92
00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:16.360
when you've done something for over six
months in a year the same way over

93
00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:19.639
and over again. Yeah, there
is a little bit of muscle memory there.

94
00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:26.560
There is a little bit of routine
and repetition that goes into setting yourself

95
00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.800
up to be the best version of
yourself that you can be on the field.

96
00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:34.240
So yeah, there is a little
bit more time and thought and effort

97
00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:38.000
that goes into it before you're going
to be able to come out there on

98
00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:40.879
the field. Now again, I
know some people out there might say,

99
00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:44.759
well, Jordan Montgomery could do it. Jordan Montgomery is getting started in his

100
00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:48.360
career, Justin Verlander is at the
end of his career. But when it

101
00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:55.079
really comes down to it, there
are multiple other reasons why the Astros are

102
00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:58.879
not in the World Series right now, and it's much more than pitching.

103
00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:03.759
Pitching did not have and we will
talk about the offseason here a little bit

104
00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:07.800
later on in the show in terms
of how do you address certain things on

105
00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:11.199
this team and the Astros when it
came down to it. You know that

106
00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:13.439
they say this time of the year, pitching wins in October. We found

107
00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:18.439
that out in twenty twenty two because
the Astros had better pitching than the Phillies

108
00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:22.839
and they hit a little bit better
than the Phillies at times, and their

109
00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:26.079
go they were able to finish it
off in six games and win the World

110
00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:31.320
Series. Their bullpen was out of
this world effective I mean historic even some

111
00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:35.080
people throwing at them, and this
year not as much the same. And

112
00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:41.360
also too, it was also a
situation where your starting pitchers did not put

113
00:08:41.399 --> 00:08:43.279
you in the best position to be
able to win. We asked for good

114
00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:46.919
Fromber in Game two or Game six. Game two we did not get good

115
00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:50.720
Fromber. But game six of the
ALCS and I think for the most part

116
00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:54.399
we got that. Here's the next
part of it. The hitters let this

117
00:08:54.480 --> 00:09:01.200
team down. And you can say
all you want about Jordon. Jordon did

118
00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:05.679
his job, and nobody can dispute
that. Joseah Bray you at times did

119
00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:09.799
his job, and Jose Altuve at
times did his job, especially Game five.

120
00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:15.519
But overall the lineup, when you
really stack it up against what the

121
00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.919
Rangers were throwing at you, you
were not competing with them at the end

122
00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:22.639
of the order. I mean,
it's kind of a situation too with Kyle

123
00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:28.320
Tucker where he was not anywhere close
to being the player that he was in

124
00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:31.720
the regular season. That hurt.
And this time of the year, I'm

125
00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:37.240
not asking for a torrid pace out
of my hitters, but I'm asking for

126
00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:39.200
you to be able to contribute.
And he was a non factor. Let's

127
00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:43.440
call it what it is, and
other bats in the lineup were not as

128
00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:48.120
strong for this team as they needed
to be in order to be able to

129
00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:50.080
win. I talked about the bottom
end of the order. You were looking

130
00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:54.240
at a Rangers lineup that had Leodi
Taveres batting ninth. For the most part,

131
00:09:54.720 --> 00:10:00.399
Leodi Taveres is in all intents and
purposes, a leadoff hitter, will

132
00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:03.039
be some time in his career,
and he is going to be a very

133
00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:05.159
good major league player. You did
not have that at the bottom of your

134
00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:11.399
order. You also had Josh Young, who likely will be American League Rookie

135
00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:13.200
of the Year, batting at the
bottom of the order. You didn't have

136
00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:18.960
that either. And you also had
Nate Lowe hitting down at the bottom of

137
00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:22.879
the order, who for the most
part, was not all that great for

138
00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:26.360
the Rangers during this series, but
he still was better than what you had

139
00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:28.759
batting in the seventh spot in your
order. So when it comes down to

140
00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:33.600
it, they pitched better than you, they fielded better than you, and

141
00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:37.440
they also hit better than the Astros
did in that series. And that's why

142
00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:41.759
when it all unravels, you're looking
at the Rangers where they are and you're

143
00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:46.360
looking at you where you are right
now. And I know that some people

144
00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:48.960
will say, oh, you can't
win it every single year, you can

145
00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:52.799
damn well try and they did.
And I think that this was an Astros

146
00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:56.120
team that when I was thinking about
this the other night, because lord knows,

147
00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:00.840
I had experience like this when I
was in school. Remember back when

148
00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:05.039
you were in school and there was
a class and I still have dreams about

149
00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:09.080
this, by the way, there
was a class that maybe you didn't get

150
00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:13.600
off to the greatest start in and
then the midterm came and you did not

151
00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:16.320
do well on the midterm. So
what are you having to do the rest

152
00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:18.679
of the semester. You're having to
try to play catch up. Every other

153
00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:24.440
test, every other major project,
every other thing. You've got to absolutely

154
00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:26.320
be able to try to knock out
the park in order for you to be

155
00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:31.279
able to get a decent enough grade, a passing grade. And said class,

156
00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:35.080
So you're scrambling, right, You're
rushing, You're doing everything you can

157
00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:39.799
in order to be able to make
up for lost time. That's what the

158
00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:43.759
Astros were in twenty twenty three.
Really, when you look at it,

159
00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:48.279
if you had told people back in
April May June when they had fallen behind

160
00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:52.559
like they had in the American League
West, that they would have finished in

161
00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:56.080
the ALCS. I think most of
us looking around would have said, yeah,

162
00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:58.679
absolutely, I'll take that right now. I mean, we don't go

163
00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:05.120
to the World Series, but still
no Altuve, no yord On Alvarez for

164
00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:09.320
a large amount of time, and
you're having to try to rely on players

165
00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:13.960
like Mauricio Dubon, Corey Jolks,
and Chas McCormick in order to be able

166
00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:16.679
to keep your season afloat, which
for the most part, those guys did.

167
00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:20.200
And I think that all of that
probably caught up to the Astros at

168
00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:24.879
the end, because I think what
most of us were probably hoping for with

169
00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:28.799
Altuve and Alvarez coming back from injury
is that, all right, this team

170
00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:33.600
will be fresh when it matters the
most, and they will be able to

171
00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:37.279
put up the numbers that we need
for them to be able to put up

172
00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:39.600
in the production that we need for
them to be able to put up in

173
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:41.480
order for us to be able to
move on to the World Series. When

174
00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:45.480
it really came down to it,
excuse me, had the cough there for

175
00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:48.320
a second. When it really came
down to it. They were a team,

176
00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.799
the Rangers, who were in better
position to be able to compete and

177
00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:56.159
be able to produce and to be
able to win than you were. I

178
00:12:56.200 --> 00:13:00.799
mean, this was an Astros team
that had a little bit of a tougher

179
00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:05.639
time in the Alds and aside from
really Games one, although the Twins did

180
00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:09.440
make it pretty tough in Game three, in that series, you had pretty

181
00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:13.320
much a sprint in every single one
of those games. Game two was solely

182
00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:16.320
dominated by Pablo Lopez in the Minnesota
Twins, but Game four, I mean,

183
00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:20.399
that was one you it was pure
postseason baseball. It was a team

184
00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:26.919
fighting for their season lives and twins
and you trying to avoid seeing Pablo Lopez

185
00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:30.039
again, and the Astros were able
to do that. Then they got to

186
00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:33.440
a series against a team who was
rested, ready to go, and also

187
00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:37.600
to a team that said, hey, they got the division from us,

188
00:13:37.799 --> 00:13:41.559
it's time for us to take the
even larger thing from them. And credit

189
00:13:41.559 --> 00:13:46.159
to the Rangers they did. And
it's unfortunate, and it's not necessarily the

190
00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:50.519
situation that you wanted to be in
as an Astros fan, but it is

191
00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:54.639
the reality of the situation where they
outplayed you, they outmanaged you, and

192
00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:00.320
they are now one up in their
series. And I didn't really watch much

193
00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:03.320
of the World Series last night.
I'm sure most of us probably felt the

194
00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:05.799
same way. You know, I
know that Ranger fan boy. They're having

195
00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:11.919
their fun on social media right now. And here's the beauty and also the

196
00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:16.080
curse of being in the situation the
Astros are in. Everybody wants to see

197
00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:20.360
you lose. And this is the
same treatment that the Yankees have gotten for

198
00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:24.399
years. This is the same treatment
that Lakers, the Laker fans and the

199
00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:28.159
Lakers have gotten for years. And
also two where I come from in the

200
00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:33.000
college football world, Alabama gets the
same treatment from everyone. Everybody wants to

201
00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:39.639
see Alabama lose. And it's because
when people don't like you because you win,

202
00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:43.519
well, that's an enviable position for
you to be in. And it's

203
00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:46.360
also too, it's jealousy from them, and that's why you also and I

204
00:14:46.440 --> 00:14:50.440
understand what twenty seventeen has and all
of this and everything else, Yeah,

205
00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:54.080
I trust me, I understand all
of that. But at the same time,

206
00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:58.879
it is also too where the Astros
have pretty much become for the ca

207
00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:03.399
asual fan out there, these guys
again and you know what, it is

208
00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:07.799
fun to be these guys again,
and the Astros will still be that.

209
00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:11.799
I mean, all this talk to
and it's just so lazy, it's unbelievable

210
00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:16.480
of people. I think the Astros
done is to ended that night based off

211
00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:20.480
what I mean, that's that's the
follow up I have for those people,

212
00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:24.399
based off what based off Josel Tuba
is going somewhere. I don't know about

213
00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:30.240
Jan Alvarez is going somewhere. I
don't know about Alex Bregman is going somewhere.

214
00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:33.840
I'm not really aware of. Kyle
Tucker is going somewhere. I'm not

215
00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:39.000
aware of Justin Berlander and from ber
Valdez, Ryan Presley, Brian A Bray

216
00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:43.440
you. I mean, the names
go on and on of people who want

217
00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:46.840
because that's more of wanting it to
be the case as opposed to what is

218
00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:50.600
in reality, and it's recency,
it's all of those things. It's prisoner

219
00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:54.840
of the moment. Think I guess
if you will. Because the good news

220
00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:58.360
of all of this, this team, this team is still in position to

221
00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:03.080
be able to to put together a
roster this offseason. Go to West Palm

222
00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:07.679
Beach in February and get ready for
the season and be in position to compete

223
00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:11.919
and make a run again next year
and the year after that. This team

224
00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:15.840
is not going anywhere, and I
think anybody that thinks that that's going to

225
00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:19.840
be the case, you're really fooling
yourself. And not only that, I

226
00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:23.039
think that probably the other flip side
of that coin is for some of those

227
00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:26.600
who say it, and I will
listen to this argument, other teams are

228
00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:30.039
catching up to them. Okay,
fine, I'll listen to that. I'll

229
00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:34.440
listen to you saying that the Orioles
are gaining on them. Sure. Absolutely,

230
00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:37.159
they were the best team in the
American League all season. They were

231
00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:40.639
one of the best teams in baseball. If not, I don't think they

232
00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:44.759
had the best record, It doesn't
matter. But the Rangers obviously are the

233
00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:48.799
Mariners are going to be very much
in competition. If you think that next

234
00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:52.360
year is going to be just an
easy sprint to the finish, maybe you

235
00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:56.559
can let up a little bit because
you don't have to get it done on

236
00:16:56.600 --> 00:16:59.480
the final day of the season.
I don't see that being the case.

237
00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:03.759
I think that are probably going to
be looking at another contentious race next year

238
00:17:03.079 --> 00:17:07.960
between the Astros, the Rangers,
and the Mariners again, that's probably what's

239
00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:11.079
going to be ahead. Lord knows. The Yankees are going to try to

240
00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:15.000
be able to get back to the
ALCS where they were a year ago and

241
00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:18.640
try to be able to put themselves
in position to be in contention again.

242
00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:22.640
And other teams as well, the
Red Sox, you know, the Tigers,

243
00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:25.720
you know, whoever else. I
mean, I'm just throwing out team

244
00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:29.559
names here at this point, but
you get my point is that other teams

245
00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:36.039
are improving and getting themselves in position
to be able to try to be able

246
00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:40.839
to knock off the Astros. Because
when you've made seven straight alcs's, you're

247
00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:44.599
going to have player, You're going
to have people who look at you and

248
00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:48.519
say you're the team the beat.
And even though they weren't the team that

249
00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:52.400
won the al this year, they're
still going to be looked at by Vegas

250
00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:55.720
and by everybody else as a strong
favorite to be able to get back to

251
00:17:55.759 --> 00:18:00.480
this point next season. And I
do fully expect that they will be back

252
00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:04.640
there next season. All right,
coming up next my experience in Atlanta could

253
00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:10.400
help paint a picture of what's ahead
here in Houston for the Astros. We

254
00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:12.039
will talk about that plus If you
want to weigh in as well, you

255
00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:15.559
can do that at someone three two
one two five at seven ninety. Once

256
00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:19.680
again, that's someone three two one
two five at seven ninety. We will

257
00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:23.519
continue right here Space City Saturday on
your Home with the Astros and the Rockets

258
00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:32.279
Sports Talk seven ninety, which is
not four Space City Saturday on Sports Talk

259
00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:38.920
seven ninety. Yeah, it is
that time of the year. What's everybody

260
00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:45.519
going as I mean, not all
at once if you want, but uh

261
00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:48.799
I know that, uh me the
girlfriend and family, we are going to

262
00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:53.200
be the Adams family. I am
Uncle Fester, So I'm looking forward to

263
00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:56.359
that. I think I have to
get made up and everything because you know

264
00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:00.559
how Halloween now goes. I mean, the adults do the partying on the

265
00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:03.400
weekends and then of course the kids
of course go out to trick or treating

266
00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:07.160
and the weather they're gonna cool down
a little bit for us. We got

267
00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:10.599
that going for us, which is
nice. Huh. All right, seven

268
00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:15.240
one three two on two five at
seven ninety. I am Dan Matthews here

269
00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:18.359
on Space City Saturday, and again
too. If you want to weigh in,

270
00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:22.799
you can send one three, two
and two five seven nineties. So

271
00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:26.240
my experience in Atlanta. Where am
I going with this? And that is

272
00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:30.680
what I think Dana Brown will be
as a GM for the Astros, because

273
00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:38.319
really, the report card for Dana
Brown is incomplete because we don't necessarily know

274
00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:45.079
what the acquisition portion of Dana Brown's
tenure looks like. I mean, we

275
00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:48.599
saw it a little bit during the
trade deadline, right where you trade Drew

276
00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:53.519
Gilbert and Clifford for Justin Burlander and
get him back from the Mets, and

277
00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:56.720
of course, you know, and
in return as well, the Mets swallowing

278
00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:00.759
up some of that money too as
well, so you're not on the hook

279
00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:04.359
for that. So that's good,
right, but it also too makes you

280
00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:10.039
wonder how he is going to be
when it comes to acquisitions. And I

281
00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:17.000
set this up because I'm going off
of what I knew during Alexanthopolis, which

282
00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:21.839
I mean, he's still the GM
of the Braves, but how he handled

283
00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:26.880
his business, and that's where I
truly believe is going to be the kind

284
00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:32.160
of emphasis and jumping off point for
Dana Brown. And I will go ahead

285
00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:34.599
and preface it this way. The
way that he will do some moves is

286
00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:38.000
going to make some of you very
happy. But it's also going to make

287
00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:45.000
a large sloth swath is that the
right word, A swath of Astros fans

288
00:20:45.079 --> 00:20:49.519
frustrated and annoyed, because it's going
to mean that some players are gone,

289
00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:53.359
and that's unfortunate. It's not what
you want to have happen. But at

290
00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:56.920
the same time, you're going to
have some very tough decisions to make in

291
00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:02.160
terms of players that you're very much
at that will no longer be part of

292
00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:07.200
this organization. I am not going
to attach names just yet, but free

293
00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:11.960
agency. The way that Alex Anthopolis
approached free agency is he looked at it

294
00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:15.960
as very much a this is a
building block, not the piece. I

295
00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:18.799
mean, there were so many times
during the offseason where people would look and

296
00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:22.319
say, oh, Bryce Harper,
absolutely go make that happen, Craig Kimbrel,

297
00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:26.039
bring him back, all of these
different types of things, and they

298
00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:30.119
would be frustrated because you'd be signing
Josh Donaldson to a one year deal,

299
00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:36.640
or you'd be signing I don't know, I mean, just numerous other players

300
00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:41.640
two deals and it would not be
the sexiest pickup, but obviously it would

301
00:21:41.640 --> 00:21:45.400
work. I mean, Donaldson had
an incredible season with the Braves, and

302
00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:48.319
I think that you're going to be
looking at free agency. And I understand

303
00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:51.200
that the names that are out there, but if Dana Brown is anything like

304
00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:56.240
alex Anthopolis, you're going to be
setting yourself up to be let down because

305
00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:03.880
man, seeing the team, you're
going to probably be having people out there.

306
00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:07.920
And I'm already seeing it on social
media of saying, oh, you

307
00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:10.680
know, show Heyo Tani, we
could dream, right, I mean,

308
00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:12.880
look at him in an Astro's Uni. Look how great he looks at an

309
00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:17.480
Astros Uni. I would be very
shocked and surprised if showe Heyo Tani was

310
00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:21.839
here. I think you're looking at, like I said, building blocks and

311
00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:26.240
deals being done one year one with
an option. Any of these types of

312
00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:33.160
scenarios out there are probably what you're
looking at. And I think you're probably

313
00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:37.680
looking at scenarios like I threw this
out the other day on Twitter. Adam

314
00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:41.440
Duvall would be somebody that would fit
that mold, probably a one one with

315
00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:45.319
an option, and a guy that
fits versatility. And I know that some

316
00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:48.640
people out there throughout well not a
left handed bat. That doesn't matter.

317
00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:52.200
I mean, as so many people
get caught up in this oh left right,

318
00:22:52.279 --> 00:22:56.759
all of this. Trust me.
If it's somebody that could fit the

319
00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:59.960
mold that I just said right there, they will definitely be in consideration.

320
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:03.359
And Duvall is a guy that would
fit in really well. He's a great

321
00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:07.359
clubhouse guy I know from my experience
in Atlanta. And also two, he's

322
00:23:07.359 --> 00:23:11.920
a high power guy. He is
a high strikeout guy. But also too,

323
00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:17.319
he's got the versatility of being able
to play both left and center and

324
00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:22.799
also has the veteran experience that would
be somebody that fits that mold. For

325
00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:27.160
the most part, the free agent
signings that were made in Atlanta were those

326
00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:32.759
of addition in terms of a guy
that can be versatile, a guy that

327
00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:36.079
can provide depth, a guy that
yes, could be a starter for us,

328
00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:37.559
but also two for the most part, would be a platoon player.

329
00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:42.279
Probably one of the few mistakes that
I saw alex Antopoos make during his time

330
00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:48.359
was Eddie Rosario. He basically signed
him off of a very good postseason and

331
00:23:48.440 --> 00:23:51.880
for the most part the last couple
of years has been pedestrian at best,

332
00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:56.240
where even to the point that pretty
much the everyday starting left fielder for the

333
00:23:56.279 --> 00:24:03.359
Braves was Kevin polar Man. Seeing
the t is killing me right now.

334
00:24:03.400 --> 00:24:07.559
It's that time of the year,
right, But that's where that situation went.

335
00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:11.480
I think that for the most part, if you're going to be hoping

336
00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:17.039
for changes to this roster, it's
going to come another variety trades, and

337
00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:19.440
then if they trade for somebody that's
young enough and in position to be able

338
00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:23.400
to sign an extension, that's where
they would go. Saw numerous times there

339
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:27.519
with Alex Anthopolas, they moved on
from Freddie Freeman, and Braves fans were

340
00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:30.400
like, oh my god, what
are we doing. We're moving off of

341
00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:33.319
a guy that's won an MVP and
one of the best hitters in all of

342
00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:37.839
baseball. Oh, Matt Olson,
Okay, well, I can understand that,

343
00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:41.359
and that's the scenario that I think
you would look into. And I

344
00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:45.319
understand there are players who are going
to be coming up after this next year

345
00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:48.680
for free agency. I mean,
I know that the Kyle Tucker situation continues

346
00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:52.519
to be one that the Astros look
at and try to get a deal done,

347
00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:56.839
but not sure if maybe they could. I think that if you are

348
00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:00.960
trying to be able to keep this
team in contention, then trades need to

349
00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:04.359
be talked about, and maybe that
is a situation that you look at.

350
00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:08.400
But I think if you are going
to be banking on the largest deal of

351
00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:15.119
this offseason based off the really experience
that I think that Dana Brown has,

352
00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:22.119
it's going to probably come from that
variety. And there is something killing me

353
00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:26.119
in the back of my throat.
I apologize to everybody out there, but

354
00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:30.160
that is probably the variety that you're
going to be looking at in terms of

355
00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:34.960
building up this roster and having this
team still in position to contend for the

356
00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:41.200
American League and beyond next season.
So free agency probably going to be pretty

357
00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:45.240
underwhelming if I'm being honest, then
if you're looking at something else in terms

358
00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:49.000
of adding a player, I would
probably bank on the trade variety because that's

359
00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:52.839
the other thing as well, is
that Dana Brown's not trying to win this

360
00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:57.079
offseason. He's trying to be able
to win multiple seasons. In a way

361
00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:00.160
that you can do that is being
able to have control rollable talent, and

362
00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:03.240
that's what I think the Astros are
going to try to bank on it going

363
00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:07.000
forward. Really quick, before we
get to Chandler Room coming up next,

364
00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:11.319
Martin and Angleton wants to weigh in
here on Sports Talk seventy ninety Martin,

365
00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:17.079
what's going on? Hey? Actually
I'm up in East Texas. But hey

366
00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:18.680
man, Yeah, I just wanted
to bring up this point. I don't

367
00:26:18.680 --> 00:26:23.839
know Dana Brown's philosophy and on signing
free agents because he's so brand you,

368
00:26:25.400 --> 00:26:30.400
but I just hope that we do
not Astros do not sign any free agents

369
00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:34.759
that have been tendered to a qualifying
contract offer to where they have to compensate

370
00:26:34.920 --> 00:26:38.440
like a second or a third round
or a first round pick. I forgot

371
00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:42.519
what it is now, but too
it's just too high of a price to

372
00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:48.359
pay for a free agent because we
need our draft picks now with all that

373
00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:53.440
has happened, with the punishment and
all that. So I just wanted to

374
00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:59.319
just bring that up that I don't
Astros. We need all our draft picks,

375
00:26:59.319 --> 00:27:03.519
so we can't on any contract qualifying
offers of free agents. So that's

376
00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:06.759
all I have. All I appreciate
it now, I mean no, And

377
00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:10.559
that is something because based off of
the punishment you got from the signed ceiling

378
00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:15.319
scandal, that's a real thing.
And the Astros are in a position right

379
00:27:15.319 --> 00:27:18.400
now where they're saying we can't mess
around with the draft anymore. And the

380
00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:21.799
draft is not what it used to
be. The draft used to be.

381
00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:26.119
Those guys are three or four years
away from making an impact on this roster,

382
00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:33.599
especially two if they're college guys.
But in this case, right here,

383
00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:37.240
it is something to absolutely consider.
I mean, as it stands right

384
00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:41.440
now, I'm looking at spot track, the Astros one hundred and seventy three

385
00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:48.319
point six million dollars in estimated active
money that is being spent at this moment

386
00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:56.480
and estimated pre arbitration six point seven
million dollars. So they're not necessarily hamstrung

387
00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.720
at this moment because the luxury tax
threshold, if I'm not mistaken, is

388
00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:02.839
to an A thirty three million,
so they can be able to spend some

389
00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:06.680
money this offseason. I just think
that it's also too you want to be

390
00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:11.400
able to set yourself up because another
thing that Alexandthopolis would always talk about was

391
00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:17.079
flexibility, and that used to always
just annoy people of flexibility. Flexibility,

392
00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:21.200
here we go again. You're just
basically saying that you've been told that you

393
00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:25.920
have to be very frugal with the
money that you have, and you're not

394
00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:27.839
going to break the bank spending.
And I think the other part of it

395
00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:33.799
as well. Is it part of
lessons that he learned? Alexandthopolis used to

396
00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:36.640
come on with us all the time
and tell us two things. At the

397
00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:40.039
old station I worked at Number one, he had learned his lessons from when

398
00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:41.839
he was in Toronto, and he
said, we spent, and we spent,

399
00:28:41.920 --> 00:28:45.200
and we spent, and it really
got us nowhere, of course paraphrasing

400
00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:48.960
what he said, but he also
said something else that I think probably you're

401
00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:53.400
going to see in the same vein
with Dana Brown, and we would rather

402
00:28:53.599 --> 00:28:59.039
sign a lot of really good players
to good deals. Twenty to twenty five

403
00:28:59.119 --> 00:29:03.079
million is where you were looking in
terms of yearly payouts to those guys.

404
00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:08.079
You weren't looking to pay guys the
thirty five forty plus million dollars in order

405
00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:12.039
to be able to get the huge
name free agent. And you look at

406
00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:15.039
the way at the Braves that built
up their roster. They've got a good

407
00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:18.200
core of seven to eight guys that
are going to be there for the long

408
00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:22.480
foreseeable future. And that's a good
position to be in, especially when you

409
00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:26.279
factor in what you think of these
guys and what they have shown for you.

410
00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:29.839
And the Astros have done that in
the past. I think they're going

411
00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:32.599
to continue to try to do that, especially with the core that they've got.

412
00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:34.599
Right now, they've already locked up
yourd on Alvarez. My god,

413
00:29:34.680 --> 00:29:37.720
how lucky are they that they went
ahead and got that done when they did,

414
00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:42.200
because right now that price tag would
be even larger at this point.

415
00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:45.400
And I think that they're going to
try to do their best with Kyle Tucker.

416
00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:48.920
And I know that some people out
there and I've seen it too,

417
00:29:48.359 --> 00:29:52.480
No, don't do that with Tucker. Stop being prisoner of the moment with

418
00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:55.920
that, all right. I get
that he had a bad postseason, but

419
00:29:55.960 --> 00:29:57.920
the guy was one of the best
players in all of baseball this season and

420
00:29:57.960 --> 00:30:00.799
he is still one of the best
players in all of baseball. He's a

421
00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:04.839
true five tool player, and he
is a guy that absolutely you are better

422
00:30:04.880 --> 00:30:10.319
with than you are without. So
I think if people are saying, oh,

423
00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:12.279
don't do that, and you know
they have him go to arbitration and

424
00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:17.400
be embarrassed, no, don't do
that. You go you try to make

425
00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:21.359
an effort. And I had said
it that if going with that number right

426
00:30:21.400 --> 00:30:25.200
there, eight twenty five a year, that I think my offer to him

427
00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:27.839
would be eight years two hundred million, and if he turns it down and

428
00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:30.920
he wants to roll the dice in
free agency, then let him roll the

429
00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:34.279
dice in free agency. But I
think that you make your best offer at

430
00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:37.599
that point. And I think if
I were Kyle Tucker and I'm getting twenty

431
00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:41.880
five per right now, and he's
what twenty six years old, so when

432
00:30:41.880 --> 00:30:45.319
that's done, he could still probably
get a pretty decent deal at the end

433
00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:48.680
of his career. I think that's
something that I would seriously consider. And

434
00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:53.160
we'll see how it all plays out
when it's all said and done. Ryan

435
00:30:53.160 --> 00:30:56.400
and Caldwell and also John, I
see you all want to weigh in.

436
00:30:56.480 --> 00:30:59.680
I will get to you here in
just a second before we get to at

437
00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:03.440
sham Rome. Coming up, but
Chandler Roam a guy who broke the story

438
00:31:03.480 --> 00:31:08.680
on Dusty Baker stepping away as manager. He joined the A team for his

439
00:31:08.759 --> 00:31:14.640
weekly visit. We will hear from
him coming up next. We'll knock out

440
00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:17.279
some of those calls though, before
we get to that right here, all

441
00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:21.920
that's still to come right here on
Sports on Space City Saturday. I was

442
00:31:21.920 --> 00:31:23.880
about to called Sports Saturday, Space
City Saturday. I'm off a climp dear

443
00:31:25.079 --> 00:31:27.640
who cares. It's your home of
the Astros and the Rockets. Sports Talk

444
00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:34.960
seven ninety. We now return to
Space City Saturday. Sports Talk seven ninety

445
00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:45.839
do a real life wire. It's
a go killers see Sports Socks seven ninety

446
00:31:45.960 --> 00:31:51.039
Space City Saturday. And by the
way too, I mean, I know

447
00:31:51.079 --> 00:31:55.559
I explained it last segment, so
not sick or anything. I know that

448
00:31:55.559 --> 00:31:57.759
that's always the you're not sick or
anything, huh. But you know,

449
00:31:57.960 --> 00:32:01.160
like you get that kind of like
tickle in your chest and in your throat

450
00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:06.000
kind of deal and it just will
not go away. That's what I was

451
00:32:06.039 --> 00:32:08.279
dealing with right there. And it
sucked. Oh my god, it sucked,

452
00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:12.279
and I was trying so hard to
get rid of it and it just

453
00:32:12.400 --> 00:32:16.440
kept just tickling me and it was
just like whatever. So I apologize for

454
00:32:16.519 --> 00:32:22.200
that. Thank you for bearing with
me, and we will continue the conversation

455
00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:25.400
like with Ryan and Caldwell once a
weey in right here. Sports Talk seventy

456
00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:30.160
ninety Ryan, what's going on,
buddy? Hi you Dan? How are

457
00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:31.240
you doing this long? I'm doing
great, buddy? How are you?

458
00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:37.680
I'm doing all right? I just
wanted to throw out there, thinking the

459
00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:44.079
other day about the menagerial situation,
and I don't know if it's been brought

460
00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:50.119
up. I did hear his name
mentioned, but I really think that Martin

461
00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:55.559
Durosso would fit in real good with
this group. And on top of that,

462
00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:59.880
and I'm not saying Josh Miller needs
to be replaced by any means,

463
00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:02.599
but I know a lot of those
guys like to bring in their own people,

464
00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:07.480
and I understand that they're in the
WBC, that him and Andy Pettitt

465
00:33:07.680 --> 00:33:13.359
became really close. I just wanted
to hear your thoughts on maybe Mark de

466
00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:20.920
rosa manager and Andy Pettitt if they
wanted to get rid of Josh Miller pitching

467
00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:23.480
coach. Yeah, I mean,
you know, in terms of DeRosa,

468
00:33:23.480 --> 00:33:27.359
I appreciate the call. Yeah,
I mean, he did a really good

469
00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:32.279
job with the WBC, and he's
been somebody that's been bandied about for managerial

470
00:33:32.359 --> 00:33:36.279
opens in the past. I think
that the only thing that kind of scares

471
00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:42.240
you off of DeRosa is this would
be his first real managerial job. And

472
00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:45.960
I look at a situation like this, and we use the college football example

473
00:33:46.400 --> 00:33:50.480
for the longest time, like a
program like Texas, we can't hire a

474
00:33:50.519 --> 00:33:53.079
first time coach. This is a
This is not a job for a first

475
00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:59.200
time head coach who's been a proven
coordinator somewhere, and I think the Astros

476
00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:04.240
probably view open as the same deal. I would probably guess that they will

477
00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:09.280
be skewing more towards a manager who
has experience. And I know some names

478
00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:13.239
have been thrown out, and I
know some names have really upset some people

479
00:34:13.239 --> 00:34:15.880
out there, But when it's all
said and done, I think that's probably

480
00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:20.039
the route that they want to go. And who fits that mold that is

481
00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:22.320
out there right now. A name
that seems to upset a lot of people,

482
00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:25.679
And I'll talk about this a little
bit later on is Brad Austmas and

483
00:34:25.760 --> 00:34:30.679
I do have some thoughts on that
and I will share that here coming up

484
00:34:30.840 --> 00:34:35.400
shortly. But also to you know, Jeff Banister, I know he was

485
00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:37.119
asked about it as a matter of
fact, I'll play that audio for you

486
00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:43.960
guys a little bit here in the
show as well of what he thinks about

487
00:34:44.519 --> 00:34:46.920
the Astros opening and the possibility of
that. And he was able to win

488
00:34:47.320 --> 00:34:52.320
in Arlington with the Rangers, and
that had said even the other day when

489
00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:57.199
he was asked about it by Heesus
de loo Orties at the World Series media

490
00:34:57.280 --> 00:35:00.239
day that yeah, he'd like an
opportunity again. And I think that probably

491
00:35:00.760 --> 00:35:05.440
it's a situation that Jim Crane,
which he talked about the other day,

492
00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:09.159
and I know that there was the
report from Brian McTaggart that this would be

493
00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:14.760
an effort spearheaded by Jim Crane and
Jeff Bagwell, and of course immediately that

494
00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:17.280
was people saying, well, well
here comes Brad Oustmas. But Crane the

495
00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:22.840
other day at the press conference said
me and Dana, So I don't know

496
00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:25.400
necessarily what the makeup is going to
be of trying to make this meal,

497
00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:30.480
but I do think that probably with
what he said the other day was in

498
00:35:30.559 --> 00:35:35.639
response to the report that we saw
from mc taggart, and I think that

499
00:35:35.719 --> 00:35:39.760
probably there is an inherent distrust right
now in Jeff Bagwell, especially off of

500
00:35:39.840 --> 00:35:43.719
some of the moves that were made
last year when he was kind of spearheading

501
00:35:43.760 --> 00:35:46.320
the roster building effort before Dana Brown
got here. So I get all of

502
00:35:46.360 --> 00:35:52.639
that, but in terms of this
job as a whole, I personally I

503
00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:55.039
think you know, and this is
also too, this is not a job

504
00:35:55.079 --> 00:35:59.079
that's going to be easily turned down
by people. This is going to be

505
00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:01.760
a job that's going to be very
coveted, and if people are approached about

506
00:36:01.719 --> 00:36:07.039
it, they will absolutely listen,
especially with what you have at your disposal

507
00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:10.199
of being able to come in and
have a roster that is ready to compete

508
00:36:10.199 --> 00:36:15.119
again and ready to win the division
and ready to be in position to play

509
00:36:15.239 --> 00:36:21.719
for huge prizes in the MLB postseason. That's winning the American League, and

510
00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:24.800
that's winning the World Series. And
that's something that I think you also have

511
00:36:24.920 --> 00:36:29.039
working for you. This isn't a
job that I think you need to take

512
00:36:29.800 --> 00:36:31.280
the first guy that says yes to
you. You don't need to be that

513
00:36:31.400 --> 00:36:35.079
desperate. You don't need to be
you know, oh hey, what girl's

514
00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:37.079
going to say yes to me to
go to the homecoming dance. You are

515
00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:42.320
the good looking one that's walking down
the hallways. You are the one who

516
00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:45.320
has the full dance card. That's
how you approach this. If you're the

517
00:36:45.400 --> 00:36:47.440
Astros, you approach it of this
is a hell of a job, and

518
00:36:47.480 --> 00:36:51.320
we need to get a hell of
a manager to be able to run this

519
00:36:51.400 --> 00:36:54.000
thing. And I think that probably
that's what they're trying to work through right

520
00:36:54.039 --> 00:37:00.000
now, and we'll see who they
settle on when it's all said and done.

521
00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:00.880
You know, I said that Chandler
Rome is gonna be now I have

522
00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:06.320
butchered the clock. I'm sure that
my bosses, Chris Gordy and Brian Erickson

523
00:37:06.400 --> 00:37:09.719
are probably yelling at their radios right
now, so I'm going to try to

524
00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:15.920
get them from yelling at me.
So we will actually come back with Chandler

525
00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:20.880
Roome next to close out this ten
o'clock cour and also too, if any

526
00:37:20.920 --> 00:37:22.719
of you want to weigh in,
you can do that at someone three two

527
00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:28.119
one two five seven ninety. So
let's go Chandler Rome next. We will

528
00:37:28.119 --> 00:37:30.599
do that and much more still to
come. Right here. It is Sports

529
00:37:30.639 --> 00:37:35.320
Talk seven nineties Space City Saturday,
on your home of the Astros and the

530
00:37:35.400 --> 00:37:50.760
Rockets. Sports Talk seven ninety Space
City Saturday continues find Sports Talk seven ninety

531
00:37:51.519 --> 00:37:55.480
Carle's getting right to it. Earlier
this week on the A Team the Athletics,

532
00:37:55.679 --> 00:38:01.960
Chandler Rome joined us with some tidbits
on the end of Dusty Baker's tenure

533
00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:07.039
with the Astros, but also too
what could be next. Here's Chandler Rome

534
00:38:07.039 --> 00:38:15.119
the Houston as this exclusive Astros segment
on Sports Talk seven ninety. It's brought

535
00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:19.519
to you by Exfinity TENJI, the
Next Generation Network. Yes, let's go,

536
00:38:19.599 --> 00:38:22.960
Hey, let's go, guys,
think it's stop me. I'm all

537
00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:27.360
away got something new for you here
Today. We're gonna talk some Astros Baseball

538
00:38:28.599 --> 00:38:31.280
Chandler Rome of the Athletic who's been
with us all year, this year and

539
00:38:31.400 --> 00:38:36.880
many years prior, still with us
as the Astros during this golden earrow.

540
00:38:36.920 --> 00:38:40.760
We'll be on to manager number three, Dusty Baker's retirement press conference with the

541
00:38:40.800 --> 00:38:45.559
owner Chairman Jim Crane and the general
manager Dana Brown, one of whom hired

542
00:38:45.599 --> 00:38:50.159
him, one of whom did not, and the future of this franchise.

543
00:38:50.719 --> 00:38:53.079
Start with if you wouldn't mind,
and welcome to the show. Chandler.

544
00:38:53.400 --> 00:38:57.519
Obviously, a lot of time today
was spent on looking back at these four

545
00:38:57.599 --> 00:39:00.960
years, and quite honestly, strictly
from the baseball stampoint, I kind of

546
00:39:00.960 --> 00:39:02.639
thought we got the gist of all
that we needed from Dusty right out of

547
00:39:02.679 --> 00:39:06.679
the gate when he said it kind
of went by very quickly because we did

548
00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:09.559
a lot of winning, and that
is the ultimate of what his time here

549
00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:14.719
was. He took a team capable
of winning a championship and won a championship.

550
00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.800
Yeah, I thought today was really
appropriate for Dusty. I mean this

551
00:39:20.079 --> 00:39:23.079
he is a legend. He's a
guy that is going to be in the

552
00:39:23.079 --> 00:39:28.880
Hall of Fame in very short order. And today he he rightly you know,

553
00:39:28.920 --> 00:39:30.840
got his flowers, he got his
praise, and and it was good.

554
00:39:31.079 --> 00:39:35.199
It was nice to see that for
him. You know, I think,

555
00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:38.199
you know, just kind of thinking
back, I don't think people understand

556
00:39:38.360 --> 00:39:43.000
just how difficult of a job this
was that he walked into. And it

557
00:39:43.039 --> 00:39:45.760
wasn't just because of the you know, the sign stealing scandal obviously had a

558
00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:49.119
ton of stuff to do with it. I mean they kind of knew that

559
00:39:49.159 --> 00:39:52.920
he was inheriting something pretty unprecedented.
But you know, two months into his

560
00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:59.039
tenure, COVID hit and everyone's on
zoom. This is a guy with a

561
00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:01.119
lot of you know, risk factors
for the disease as well, and you

562
00:40:01.119 --> 00:40:04.880
know, he went out there and
he managed, and you know, it

563
00:40:04.880 --> 00:40:08.480
made it difficult on him to you
know, sometimes get those personal relationships that

564
00:40:08.519 --> 00:40:13.719
he's so good with because he just
couldn't be around each other at that time.

565
00:40:13.800 --> 00:40:17.800
And for him to kind of shepherd
this franchise through COVID, through I

566
00:40:17.800 --> 00:40:23.000
mean they had the lockout in twenty
twenty one, everything that went on,

567
00:40:23.239 --> 00:40:29.280
all the abuse that the team has
taken, that the players took, and

568
00:40:29.519 --> 00:40:32.000
just you know, the people they
lost in this time for Antino, Carlos

569
00:40:32.079 --> 00:40:37.400
Correa left, Zach Grinkey left,
Garrett Cole left the season before or the

570
00:40:37.440 --> 00:40:42.159
winter, Dusty got hired, Garrett
Cole left, the transformation, and just

571
00:40:42.239 --> 00:40:45.360
kind of the new faces and the
talent that they lost. To win the

572
00:40:45.440 --> 00:40:51.079
Division three out of four years,
to go to the ALCS all four years,

573
00:40:51.159 --> 00:40:54.960
to be in the World Series twice
and win it once. It's it's

574
00:40:55.000 --> 00:41:00.119
pretty easy to say that Dusty was
the perfect manager for the time, for

575
00:41:00.320 --> 00:41:04.840
what they needed, for what Jim
Crane needed his manager to be. Dusty

576
00:41:04.920 --> 00:41:09.320
was the perfect choice, and he
succeeded. You can't do better than what

577
00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:13.880
he did. Yeah, it was
kind of acknowledged by Jim and his comments

578
00:41:13.920 --> 00:41:15.519
about Dusty today, that very thing
that you said, you know, you

579
00:41:15.599 --> 00:41:19.599
kind of look at some of the
other things personnel wise that took place there,

580
00:41:19.920 --> 00:41:23.480
you know, Other than four months
of twenty twenty three, Justin Erlinander

581
00:41:23.599 --> 00:41:30.920
was under contract for Dusty's team the
entire rest of the time and barely pitched

582
00:41:30.960 --> 00:41:35.079
for him. Pitched one game in
nineteen or twenty his first year, none

583
00:41:35.280 --> 00:41:37.360
in twenty one, was awesome in
twenty twenty two and won the Cy Young

584
00:41:37.599 --> 00:41:39.760
and then this year he was only
on the mound for two months. It's

585
00:41:39.800 --> 00:41:45.320
amazing how much time was technically spent
with him as the ace of this staff

586
00:41:45.360 --> 00:41:46.719
that he really couldn't go out there
and do anything. A little bit of

587
00:41:46.760 --> 00:41:51.199
a similar situation with lancemac colors,
and they still ended up winning a lot

588
00:41:51.199 --> 00:41:55.119
of games. I'm curious about how
Dusty explained his future, saying he still

589
00:41:55.119 --> 00:41:59.440
feels like there's a lot left in
baseball for him to give his words.

590
00:41:59.440 --> 00:42:04.000
Where I'm stepping away from the field
here with the Astros, What could you

591
00:42:04.440 --> 00:42:08.320
baseball related envision for him in his
future. Yeah, I could see a

592
00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:13.599
situation like a special assistant, an
advisor or something like that. You know,

593
00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:16.559
he did mention Darren today too.
Darren his son is pretty close to

594
00:42:16.599 --> 00:42:21.559
making the big leagues there in Washington's. He was in TAA for a good

595
00:42:21.559 --> 00:42:24.280
part of this year, so he's
going to be maybe getting called up next

596
00:42:24.360 --> 00:42:28.199
year, and I think Dusty would
like to be around to see that as

597
00:42:28.239 --> 00:42:30.440
well, you know, go watch
him play as much as he can.

598
00:42:30.639 --> 00:42:34.000
He's missed out on a lot.
He's missed out on a lot of getting

599
00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:37.440
to watch Darren in the minor leagues
because that coincided right when he took the

600
00:42:37.480 --> 00:42:42.519
Astros job, when Darren got drafted. So I could see a special assistant,

601
00:42:42.599 --> 00:42:46.360
an advisor, you know, maybe
something akin to what Reggie Jackson does

602
00:42:46.639 --> 00:42:50.880
here for the Astress. I don't
know if Dusty's going to stay with the

603
00:42:50.920 --> 00:42:53.719
Astros. He does live on the
West Coast, he lives in California.

604
00:42:54.440 --> 00:43:00.119
Would not be surprised if he wants
to stay somewhat closer to home. Maybe

605
00:43:00.280 --> 00:43:01.800
maybe latch on with a team there. Who knows. Maybe the Ashers will

606
00:43:01.840 --> 00:43:05.400
let him work remote if he wants
to. I'm sure they would be open

607
00:43:05.400 --> 00:43:09.639
and amenable to letting him work remote. But Dusty has engendered such a reputation

608
00:43:09.760 --> 00:43:13.840
in the game and is so beloved
that I think he could pretty much pick

609
00:43:13.920 --> 00:43:16.639
whatever job he wants with any team
and they let him do basically anything.

610
00:43:17.119 --> 00:43:22.480
Is Jeff Bagwell going to pretty much
pick whatever manager he wants next? You

611
00:43:22.519 --> 00:43:25.400
know, I don't know. I
do know that you know he's gonna have

612
00:43:25.440 --> 00:43:30.960
a he's gonna have a say.
You know, this is I think one

613
00:43:30.039 --> 00:43:36.199
thing about today that and you know
this is just maybe just being nitpicky,

614
00:43:36.239 --> 00:43:39.599
but I wish and again today was
about Dusty Today. I don't begrudge anyone

615
00:43:39.639 --> 00:43:44.159
for asking anything other than Dusty questions, but you know, I do wish.

616
00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:45.880
You know, Jim Crane was on
the podium today, so I was

617
00:43:45.920 --> 00:43:49.519
Dana Brown, and we didn't have
a ton of time to address everything else,

618
00:43:49.639 --> 00:43:53.239
right the manager search, what what
the winter is going to look like?

619
00:43:53.320 --> 00:43:58.719
Things like that. I wrote it
this morning and I think I've said

620
00:43:58.719 --> 00:44:01.039
her on a couple other platforms.
With the astros and decisions like this,

621
00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:06.519
it's difficult to gauge like who's in
the running, who's a favorite, and

622
00:44:06.559 --> 00:44:10.480
everything because we never really know who's
making the decisions, like is it Jim

623
00:44:10.559 --> 00:44:14.679
Crane, is it Jeff Bagwell,
is it Dana Brown? Is it some

624
00:44:14.840 --> 00:44:19.199
combination of the three? Is it? You know? I asked Jim today

625
00:44:19.239 --> 00:44:22.079
how involved he planned to be,
and he didn't answer the question. So

626
00:44:22.400 --> 00:44:25.599
rest assure Jim Crane will be very
involved. I think Dana Brown will have

627
00:44:25.599 --> 00:44:29.800
to say, but it's going to
be I don't think this is a situation

628
00:44:29.920 --> 00:44:32.800
where Dana Brown's going to go find
a manager and go to Jim and say

629
00:44:32.800 --> 00:44:35.360
this is what I want to hire, and it's just going to be a

630
00:44:35.400 --> 00:44:37.400
rubber stamp process. I think there's
gonna be a lot of collaboration and a

631
00:44:37.400 --> 00:44:42.800
lot of a lot of minds,
a lot of brains and a lot of

632
00:44:42.840 --> 00:44:46.519
minds into this search. So the
follow up would be, give me percentages

633
00:44:46.599 --> 00:44:52.519
on a Brad awsmas higher as the
ASTROS general or at the ASTROS manager.

634
00:44:52.760 --> 00:44:57.800
Well, he didn't become a finalist
for their general manager's role by accident,

635
00:44:58.199 --> 00:45:00.159
you know, he was the other
finalist when Dan Brown got the job last

636
00:45:00.159 --> 00:45:07.760
winter. Brett Austini's also interviewed when
Dusty was hired in twenty twenty. It's

637
00:45:07.800 --> 00:45:12.199
no secret that he and Jeff Bagwell
are friends, you know. I and

638
00:45:12.400 --> 00:45:15.679
Brad has said to other reporters and
to other people that he does want to

639
00:45:15.760 --> 00:45:19.400
manage it. He wants to get
back into managing. And I mean,

640
00:45:19.400 --> 00:45:22.320
this is a this is a this
is a pretty you know, this,

641
00:45:22.320 --> 00:45:25.679
this is pretty obvious fit. Just
when you put two and two together,

642
00:45:27.199 --> 00:45:30.880
it's an obvious fit. But as
far as percentage chances, again, I

643
00:45:30.960 --> 00:45:32.960
don't know. I think they have
a lot of candidates that they could consider,

644
00:45:34.039 --> 00:45:39.079
both internal and external. I think
maybe the best processes and the best

645
00:45:40.039 --> 00:45:43.920
best way to go about, just
in my opinion, is to get as

646
00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:46.480
much feedback as you can, like, do as many interviews as you can,

647
00:45:46.679 --> 00:45:51.519
see as many faces, get as
many trains of thought and points of

648
00:45:51.599 --> 00:45:53.960
views as you can, then just
make the decision from there. You know,

649
00:45:54.559 --> 00:45:58.280
Jim Crane said it's going to be
a fluid search. It's about the

650
00:45:58.280 --> 00:46:00.519
only thing we got out of him
about the manager search. So obviously you

651
00:46:00.559 --> 00:46:06.199
know the internal candidates that are there. They have a lot of external candidates

652
00:46:06.199 --> 00:46:10.440
with Houston ties outside as well,
so there's a wide pool that they could

653
00:46:10.480 --> 00:46:14.679
reach into. It's just I think, you know, my biggest question is

654
00:46:14.719 --> 00:46:17.480
how narrow is their focus or are
they really going to cast a wide debt

655
00:46:17.920 --> 00:46:21.559
just out of curiosity With some of
the names that are in that piece you

656
00:46:21.599 --> 00:46:24.679
wrote in The Athletic who could be
the next manager for the Astros, And

657
00:46:24.760 --> 00:46:28.599
I think we recognize some of the
ties that some of them might have,

658
00:46:28.679 --> 00:46:32.239
maybe with two guys who don't I'm
curious about them specifically, the Rangers associate

659
00:46:32.280 --> 00:46:37.079
manager Will Venable, who's been on
the interview circuits and including an interview here

660
00:46:37.079 --> 00:46:40.519
in Houston over the last couple of
years. And Mark Kotze, who is

661
00:46:40.559 --> 00:46:45.719
the current manager of the A's also
very highly thought I've also had interest from

662
00:46:45.760 --> 00:46:50.800
this team. What do you think
would take for the Astros to end up

663
00:46:50.880 --> 00:46:54.119
hiring either of those two and what
makes them candidates strong candidates for this job?

664
00:46:55.239 --> 00:47:00.800
Well, Mark Kotse when they interviewed
in twenty twenty and they were interviewing

665
00:47:00.840 --> 00:47:04.239
to replace aj Hinch, I had
heard from people that were in the process

666
00:47:04.280 --> 00:47:07.679
that Mark Kotze really really stood out
to them, like he he emerged as

667
00:47:07.840 --> 00:47:13.840
a pretty solid candidate from the beginning. Again, like we talked about earlier

668
00:47:13.840 --> 00:47:15.559
in the interview, I think Jim
Crane made the right decision and who he

669
00:47:15.639 --> 00:47:19.760
hired with Dusty, I think there
was only really one person in the game

670
00:47:19.760 --> 00:47:22.360
that could have done what Dusty did
and so, but Mark Kotz made a

671
00:47:22.400 --> 00:47:27.800
lot of good impressions that first time
around. You know, there is precedent

672
00:47:28.039 --> 00:47:31.400
for the A's letting a manager under
contract, interview elsewhere and leave. Bob

673
00:47:31.440 --> 00:47:36.440
Melvin did it two years ago and
went to the Padres again, I'm not

674
00:47:36.519 --> 00:47:39.800
even sure if the Astros have a
legitimate interest in Markotze, but he is

675
00:47:39.840 --> 00:47:45.760
someone that you know, the record
doesn't suggest it from his age tenure,

676
00:47:45.800 --> 00:47:49.320
but he's been given no chance there. The rosters he has he has had

677
00:47:49.360 --> 00:47:52.800
not been good. But I mean
that team was playing well in September.

678
00:47:52.800 --> 00:47:54.559
They came in here and took two
or three from the Astros. I think

679
00:47:54.559 --> 00:47:59.079
he saw he kept that team engaged. They played hard for him, and

680
00:47:59.079 --> 00:48:01.719
that's the biggest thing you can say
about a manager when a team that's got

681
00:48:01.760 --> 00:48:05.800
that sort of record is still playing
hard. In September, a lot of

682
00:48:05.840 --> 00:48:08.480
young guys up playing the game the
right way. That was a lot And

683
00:48:08.519 --> 00:48:13.599
then you know, Will Venable's kind
of he's kind of the next big thing.

684
00:48:13.679 --> 00:48:15.360
I think he's the guy that's really
been talked about for a lot of

685
00:48:15.360 --> 00:48:21.079
managerial openings. Went to Princeton,
played ten years in the big leagues and

686
00:48:21.119 --> 00:48:25.239
now is Bruce Bochie's basically right hand
man. I know he is. I

687
00:48:25.280 --> 00:48:29.719
think I know for a fact he
declined the interview with the Mets. I

688
00:48:29.760 --> 00:48:34.559
think he also declined the interview with
the Guardians. You know, I wrote

689
00:48:34.599 --> 00:48:36.960
that, I even wrote this in
the piece. You know, Jim Crane,

690
00:48:37.920 --> 00:48:39.679
I think he would like to maybe
stick it to the Rangers, and

691
00:48:40.280 --> 00:48:44.280
he likes to do that when it's
a rival or something like that. He

692
00:48:44.360 --> 00:48:47.400
likes to be able to have the
last laugh. So does Luring, Bruce

693
00:48:47.440 --> 00:48:51.400
Bochie's right hand man. Does that
count? Does Will Venable even want to

694
00:48:51.400 --> 00:48:53.639
come? I'm not sure, but
again he's one of those guys he interviewed

695
00:48:53.639 --> 00:48:59.599
in twenty twenty. He's a bright
young mind that I think, you know,

696
00:48:59.800 --> 00:49:01.400
if I was running the search,
you know, I'd want to get

697
00:49:01.400 --> 00:49:08.480
as many viewpoints and as many trains
of thought and as many different perspectives in

698
00:49:08.519 --> 00:49:14.039
the process as I can. And
I think he's certainly someone that he's certainly

699
00:49:14.039 --> 00:49:17.760
someone that should warn an interview and
someone that would kind of fit the mold

700
00:49:17.920 --> 00:49:22.400
I think for what they're looking for
a younger a younger guy that is a

701
00:49:22.440 --> 00:49:28.119
little bit more analytically tuned, but
is not so beholden to the analytics that

702
00:49:28.559 --> 00:49:31.320
it's gonna it's gonna destroy him because, like like I said, well Venable

703
00:49:31.320 --> 00:49:34.400
play ten years in the big leagues. This is not a guy that I

704
00:49:34.400 --> 00:49:37.440
think is going to go just based
on numbers he's got feel, he's got

705
00:49:37.480 --> 00:49:39.039
gut, and I think he'd be
a I think he'd be an ideal candidate

706
00:49:39.039 --> 00:49:43.559
for this job. Maybe Jim Crane
can also stick it to the Astros by

707
00:49:43.599 --> 00:49:49.079
signing Jordan Montgomery this offseason too.
He's well, I think he's going to

708
00:49:49.119 --> 00:49:52.679
get more than fifty eight and a
half million dollars or whatever that Astros are

709
00:49:52.679 --> 00:49:55.360
only allowed to pay free agents,
so he's probably gonna he's probably going to

710
00:49:55.400 --> 00:49:59.800
get one hundred and fifty two hundred
million dollars. He is, He's made

711
00:50:00.079 --> 00:50:05.559
self a lot of money this month, this October never ever changed, Chandler

712
00:50:05.639 --> 00:50:08.639
Rome. We appreciate the time as
always, all right, thank us chandlerome

713
00:50:08.800 --> 00:50:14.159
here on Sports Talk seven ninety four
his weekly visit. He of the Athletic

714
00:50:14.800 --> 00:50:17.880
and uh he will no doubt be
in the thick of covering this entire thing

715
00:50:17.920 --> 00:50:22.400
as it unfolds in front of us, the managerial search and everything else that

716
00:50:22.480 --> 00:50:24.920
happens as the Astros try to get
back to where they were this time,

717
00:50:25.639 --> 00:50:43.440
almost this time last year, becoming
World Series champions. Space City Created created

718
00:50:43.639 --> 00:50:51.400
created, Welcome, Welcome to another
Space City. Saturday on Sports Talk seven

719
00:50:51.519 --> 00:50:57.320
ninety Dan Matthews Live and local Beach
Town breakdown on the world that matters to

720
00:50:57.400 --> 00:51:01.599
you, Houston Sports or all these
great Houston fans here. We love you

721
00:51:01.679 --> 00:51:07.400
all, so finish up on that
to do list. Lout up the cooler

722
00:51:08.079 --> 00:51:13.159
because you can't drink in talk sports
all day if you don't start. Now.

723
00:51:14.920 --> 00:51:21.360
This is Face City Saturday. It's
insane. Here's seven nineties Dan Matthews.

724
00:51:22.400 --> 00:51:30.239
Indeed, as we are live from
here at our uptown Galleria Studios leading

725
00:51:30.280 --> 00:51:36.239
you up to all day of college
football fun. I know that college football

726
00:51:36.239 --> 00:51:40.679
games getting going right now, the
Aggies and South Carolina game Cocks actually kicking

727
00:51:40.760 --> 00:51:45.639
off over in College Station. I
know a little bit later on here on

728
00:51:45.119 --> 00:51:50.360
your home of the Longhorns in Houston
Sports, SOX seven ninety gonna have the

729
00:51:50.400 --> 00:51:54.679
Horns and BYU Cougars coming your way
over on KPRC nine fifty. As a

730
00:51:54.719 --> 00:52:00.480
matter of fact, right now it
is going to be the Cougars and the

731
00:52:00.800 --> 00:52:07.239
Kansas State Wildcats taking on each other. So got all that still coming as

732
00:52:07.280 --> 00:52:09.400
well. Still want to get into
some Texans talk, We will do that

733
00:52:10.039 --> 00:52:15.119
also too. Going to continue the
Astros conversation and maybe even a little bit

734
00:52:15.159 --> 00:52:19.840
of Rockets conversation as well. You
can hop in if you want at seven

735
00:52:19.840 --> 00:52:22.679
one three, two one two five, at seven ninety if you want to

736
00:52:23.000 --> 00:52:28.440
jump in. And one of the
things though, to continue the Astros conversation.

737
00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:31.199
And I thought about this last night, and I know that some of

738
00:52:31.199 --> 00:52:34.599
you are not going to be on
board with this, and some of you

739
00:52:34.639 --> 00:52:37.639
will say, all right, fine, you convinced me, And if either

740
00:52:37.679 --> 00:52:42.119
of those are where you fall in, then that's fine. But I really

741
00:52:42.360 --> 00:52:49.239
just can't think of any wrong reason
for if, indeed the Astros managerial hire

742
00:52:49.360 --> 00:52:52.960
is Brad Oustmas, for us to
say anything other than okay, all right.

743
00:52:53.599 --> 00:52:57.440
And I understand, like I said, what that's going to carry is

744
00:52:57.480 --> 00:53:01.639
that there is an inherent distrust right
now of Jeff Bagwell in terms of his

745
00:53:01.719 --> 00:53:07.360
executive prowess of running this team.
I get all of that, but it's

746
00:53:07.400 --> 00:53:08.840
also one of those things that I
was talking with a buddy of mine who

747
00:53:08.840 --> 00:53:13.679
has covered the Tigers for some time
and followed the organization, and I just

748
00:53:13.760 --> 00:53:16.559
asked him, I said, what
was just a simple question to him,

749
00:53:16.599 --> 00:53:22.039
I said, what was your overall
thoughts of Brad Oustmas when he was the

750
00:53:22.039 --> 00:53:25.920
manager of the Tigers and it was
pretty much. I think what Adam Wexler

751
00:53:27.239 --> 00:53:29.760
here on the A team, what
he had said of Look, when he

752
00:53:29.800 --> 00:53:32.559
had good players, he was fine, and when he didn't necessarily have good

753
00:53:32.559 --> 00:53:37.119
players, then he struggled a little
bit. But this is the part that

754
00:53:37.199 --> 00:53:42.920
I think, more than anything,
that people are going to have an issue

755
00:53:42.920 --> 00:53:46.800
with his thought. His response wasn't
a fan of the Tigers hiring a first

756
00:53:46.800 --> 00:53:52.239
time manager in a win now aging
team mode. But aside from that,

757
00:53:52.320 --> 00:53:54.199
in hindsight, I think he did
a pretty good job. His first season

758
00:53:54.519 --> 00:54:00.239
twenty fourteen ninety and seventy two the
mark that the Astros just had this year,

759
00:54:00.760 --> 00:54:04.320
and they were first in the AL
Central. Of course they lost to

760
00:54:04.599 --> 00:54:07.880
the Baltimore Orioles in the Alds.
They finished seventy four and eighty seven,

761
00:54:07.920 --> 00:54:12.519
the following year eighty six and seventy
five, and in sixty four ninety eight.

762
00:54:12.880 --> 00:54:15.840
In twenty seventeen before he was shown
the door, and of course his

763
00:54:15.960 --> 00:54:22.000
one season with the La Angels of
Anaheim he went seventy two and ninety fourth

764
00:54:22.039 --> 00:54:25.440
in the AL West and again shown
the door. Here's the other part that

765
00:54:25.480 --> 00:54:30.800
I think people won't be the hugest
fan of. He wasn't really analytically inclined

766
00:54:30.960 --> 00:54:37.679
back then. Not sure if he
has a different philosophy now. And he

767
00:54:37.760 --> 00:54:43.400
went even further as well to say, look, you know, simply enjoy

768
00:54:43.840 --> 00:54:49.119
Simply demand that your manager be aggressive
with base running and responding in high leverage

769
00:54:49.280 --> 00:54:52.199
situations with your best relievers. That's
pretty much all you need to ask for.

770
00:54:52.639 --> 00:54:55.719
And I think that Austmis would be
a guy because he's definitely not a

771
00:54:55.760 --> 00:54:59.440
guy that lacks for brains. I
mean, the guy went to school at

772
00:54:59.480 --> 00:55:02.159
Dartmouth. He definitely has that.
He has a baseball pedigree of not only

773
00:55:02.159 --> 00:55:06.840
being a former player but also to
a guy that has managed, so he

774
00:55:07.199 --> 00:55:10.280
checks that box as well. And
obviously he is already someone well thought of

775
00:55:10.360 --> 00:55:14.800
in that building. You just heard
Chandler Rome mention it right there where.

776
00:55:15.159 --> 00:55:16.880
He is a guy that was up
for the job when they gave it to

777
00:55:16.920 --> 00:55:22.480
Dusty in twenty twenty, and also
to a guy that when they were making

778
00:55:22.559 --> 00:55:28.039
their GM higher that was also in
position to possibly be that guy. So

779
00:55:28.440 --> 00:55:32.559
I necessarily look at Austmas and I'm
like, is he necessarily any worse than

780
00:55:32.599 --> 00:55:37.360
anybody else that you could bring in, Because we've all seen the other names

781
00:55:37.360 --> 00:55:42.239
out there that people have thrown out
for the Astros possible manager job. You

782
00:55:42.239 --> 00:55:45.119
know, Jeff Banister is one of
them. I would be fine with that.

783
00:55:45.239 --> 00:55:50.079
You know, you've also seen you
know, if indeed he could get

784
00:55:50.079 --> 00:55:52.679
out of his deal with the Oakland
A's and move on. But Mark cottsay

785
00:55:52.800 --> 00:55:58.079
with somebody else that you heard Chandler
Rome mention that they thought very highly of

786
00:55:58.719 --> 00:56:05.480
And it's a situation two of Just
because managers have failed elsewhere does not mean

787
00:56:05.679 --> 00:56:08.679
that they're going to fail where they
are the next time. I mean,

788
00:56:08.719 --> 00:56:15.440
remember when Terry Francona was hired in
Boston, it wasn't necessarily a heralded oh

789
00:56:15.559 --> 00:56:19.239
yeah, this is the guy.
This is the guy that's gonna make us

790
00:56:19.280 --> 00:56:23.440
forget about Grady Little leaving in Pedro
Martinez in that game against the Yankees,

791
00:56:23.480 --> 00:56:30.159
and eventually Aaron Boone beating us and
is going to lead us to finally breaking

792
00:56:30.159 --> 00:56:35.000
the curs of forgetting about nineteen eighteen. But he did, and eventually he

793
00:56:35.119 --> 00:56:37.760
was the guy that was able to
lead them to that point, and he

794
00:56:37.800 --> 00:56:40.000
won two world titles with them.
He put himself in position when he was

795
00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:45.159
with the Cleveland Now Guardians a chance
to be able to win the World Series

796
00:56:45.159 --> 00:56:46.400
that year. Of course, they
lost to the Cubs in twenty sixteen,

797
00:56:46.920 --> 00:56:51.280
but we all think of Terry Francona
a lot differently, now, don't we.

798
00:56:52.079 --> 00:56:53.639
And another example too, and I
heard Matt Thomas bring this up,

799
00:56:53.639 --> 00:56:58.840
and it's very much a salient point
in this regard that when Joe Torre was

800
00:56:58.880 --> 00:57:04.599
hired as the manager the Yankees,
there wasn't parades and everybody's saying, oh,

801
00:57:04.679 --> 00:57:07.880
absolutely a great hire. He's a
guy that did not do well in

802
00:57:07.880 --> 00:57:10.719
Atlanta. He's a guy that didn't
really all do all that well when he

803
00:57:10.760 --> 00:57:15.360
was the manager of the Cardinals and
he finally got the opportunity. And the

804
00:57:15.400 --> 00:57:21.800
other part of it as well,
is managerial hires only matters so much because

805
00:57:22.079 --> 00:57:24.239
it's about this some of the parts
that you have. It's about the players.

806
00:57:24.559 --> 00:57:29.360
Remember Bill Parcels years ago. If
you're gonna ask me to cook the

807
00:57:29.360 --> 00:57:31.480
meal, at least let me buy
the groceries. Well, in this case,

808
00:57:31.559 --> 00:57:35.599
right here, the groceries and the
ingredients to the meal are pretty good

809
00:57:35.639 --> 00:57:38.679
already. And if you have somebody
who is capable and can come in and

810
00:57:38.719 --> 00:57:44.039
do those things that I just mentioned
right there, manage the clubhouse, manage

811
00:57:44.079 --> 00:57:50.119
the guys, be able to be
sound in terms of situational baseball, that's

812
00:57:50.159 --> 00:57:53.679
base running, that's being able to
make the decision of sending a guy up

813
00:57:53.679 --> 00:57:58.960
for somebody else's a pinch hitter,
and also to how you manage the bullpen.

814
00:57:59.519 --> 00:58:01.760
And it sounds like that's at least
the guy that I talked with was

815
00:58:01.760 --> 00:58:07.280
pretty comfortable with what Brad Osmis did. So if indeed that is the case,

816
00:58:07.599 --> 00:58:09.840
it's not going to signal the end
for the Astros. And he's not

817
00:58:09.920 --> 00:58:14.679
somebody that's, you know, completely
in over his head taking this job.

818
00:58:15.039 --> 00:58:17.519
He's somebody who has absolutely learned from
what he's done in the past, and

819
00:58:17.559 --> 00:58:22.840
somebody that if he got another opportunity
with a better team, probably could be

820
00:58:22.920 --> 00:58:25.559
able to be in position to be
successful. And I know that. For

821
00:58:25.639 --> 00:58:29.840
example, when Dusty Baker was hired, I'm sure that people looked at his

822
00:58:29.960 --> 00:58:32.599
past and said, oh, man, his management of the bullpen, you

823
00:58:32.639 --> 00:58:36.960
know, not being able to get
over the hump in the postseason. We

824
00:58:37.039 --> 00:58:38.719
did that second part here, and
he did it in a huge way by

825
00:58:38.719 --> 00:58:45.119
winning the World Series last year.
So it's not necessarily a situation with the

826
00:58:45.159 --> 00:58:50.039
manager where when someone's hired, a
lot of times it usually is the underwhelming

827
00:58:50.199 --> 00:58:53.000
choice is the one who ends up
being the best. It's usually the ones

828
00:58:53.039 --> 00:58:55.400
that we look at and say,
oh, man, home run higher,

829
00:58:55.400 --> 00:59:00.360
this is gonna be great, that
it doesn't necessarily work out so oh again,

830
00:59:00.400 --> 00:59:04.719
like I said the chorus, here, some of the parts are here,

831
00:59:05.239 --> 00:59:07.679
and it is a team that is
in position to be able to win

832
00:59:07.800 --> 00:59:10.280
and win now, and I think
they will absolutely be able to do that.

833
00:59:10.679 --> 00:59:14.519
All right, Coming up next,
let's get into some Texans talk,

834
00:59:14.599 --> 00:59:19.079
because I think tomorrow is actually the
largest test of the season for the Texans,

835
00:59:19.400 --> 00:59:22.519
and it wouldn't be for a reason, you think. We'll talk about

836
00:59:22.519 --> 00:59:24.199
that and much more if you want
to weigh in as well. At someone

837
00:59:24.280 --> 00:59:28.880
three, two and two five At
seven ninety, I'm Dan Matthews. This

838
00:59:28.960 --> 00:59:30.880
is Space City Saturday. We are
your home of the Astros and the Rockets.

839
00:59:30.880 --> 00:59:37.559
This is Sports Talk seven ninety.
Welcome back to Space City Saturday one

840
00:59:37.599 --> 00:59:47.880
Sports Talk seven ninety. It is
need Space City Saturday, Sports Talks seven

841
00:59:47.960 --> 00:59:53.000
ninety. Dan Matthews here with you
for about a little under forty five minutes

842
00:59:53.119 --> 01:00:00.039
or so. As we continue on
with the conversation here and get into a

843
01:00:00.039 --> 01:00:01.239
little bit of Texans if you want
to weigh in at some one, three,

844
01:00:01.320 --> 01:00:06.719
two and two five seven ninety Texans
on the road tomorrow, twelve o'clock

845
01:00:06.800 --> 01:00:12.480
kick in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers. And the test for the Texans in

846
01:00:12.519 --> 01:00:17.920
this one is getting up for this
game, because this is a Carolina Panther

847
01:00:19.000 --> 01:00:22.559
team that is the worst in the
NFL right now, oh to six on

848
01:00:22.599 --> 01:00:30.519
the season, and a rookie quarterback
who I think their realization right now is

849
01:00:30.559 --> 01:00:36.519
what we had worried about with c
J. Stroud, a porous offensive line,

850
01:00:36.880 --> 01:00:39.719
a rookie quarterback trying to be able
to find their footing in the game.

851
01:00:40.239 --> 01:00:45.239
And it hasn't necessarily gotten going just
yet for Bryce Young, whereas c

852
01:00:45.440 --> 01:00:50.840
J. Stroud is far and away
the runaway candidate for the Rookie of the

853
01:00:50.920 --> 01:00:54.320
Year right now. But when you've
got a team like the Texans who are

854
01:00:54.400 --> 01:01:00.159
still very young and very inexperienced,
it's games like this that can be the

855
01:01:00.199 --> 01:01:05.480
most dangerous. Because we've seen it
in the NFL all season long that it's

856
01:01:05.519 --> 01:01:08.559
the old saying, and I try
not to do cliche radio with you any

857
01:01:08.639 --> 01:01:12.960
given Sunday, anybody can beat anybody
in the NFL. And that is the

858
01:01:13.000 --> 01:01:15.920
case. I mean, we've seen
it. I mean the Carolina excuse me,

859
01:01:15.920 --> 01:01:20.280
the Arizona Cardinals loan win of the
season against the Cowboys, a team

860
01:01:20.400 --> 01:01:24.199
that people think not only has aspirations
to win the NFC East, but to

861
01:01:24.480 --> 01:01:30.559
maybe be able to finally get even
further in the playoffs and be able to

862
01:01:30.599 --> 01:01:34.079
be in position to win the whole
thing. And I know some people out

863
01:01:34.079 --> 01:01:37.480
there are probably laughing at that.
With Dak Prescott as the quarterback. You

864
01:01:37.519 --> 01:01:39.559
gotta be kidding me. Get this
guy off the air. But no,

865
01:01:39.760 --> 01:01:45.119
I mean, the Cowboys are an
incredibly talented team and would have every chance

866
01:01:45.159 --> 01:01:47.719
to be able to go for those
goals, and they beat them. And

867
01:01:49.079 --> 01:01:52.519
it was not a good Sunday for
the Cowboys in that regard because it was

868
01:01:52.519 --> 01:01:57.039
the lone win for the Arizona Cardinals. But in this case, right here

869
01:01:57.519 --> 01:02:01.719
a team where when things are going
bad immediately in an NFL locker room,

870
01:02:01.880 --> 01:02:06.760
the thing that players look to is
saying, I'm fighting for a job.

871
01:02:07.280 --> 01:02:10.119
And that's what probably probably players in
Carolina are at this point are saying,

872
01:02:10.320 --> 01:02:15.880
is I've got to be able to
show what I can do, because in

873
01:02:15.920 --> 01:02:19.519
the future, if it's not here
in Charlotte with the Carolina Panthers, it's

874
01:02:19.519 --> 01:02:22.159
going to be somewhere else. And
I've got to be able to show I

875
01:02:22.199 --> 01:02:28.239
can play at this level. And
that's what players right now in that locker

876
01:02:28.360 --> 01:02:31.239
room are talking about. It Owen
six and for the Texans, it's a

877
01:02:31.280 --> 01:02:37.480
thing where remember after the second game
of the season and the Sexans lost c

878
01:02:37.480 --> 01:02:40.440
toity Indianapolis Colts and you had Damiko
Rans and you had players talking about,

879
01:02:40.760 --> 01:02:44.840
Yeah, we just didn't have the
fire today. We just didn't have what

880
01:02:44.880 --> 01:02:47.719
we needed to be able to do
in order to come out and put out

881
01:02:47.719 --> 01:02:52.000
a good performance for our fans and
to be able to win this game.

882
01:02:52.360 --> 01:02:55.119
And they talked about that going into
the Steelers game, of saying, that's

883
01:02:55.159 --> 01:02:58.440
something that we had to do.
We had to start fast, we had

884
01:02:58.440 --> 01:03:00.639
to keep our crowd in it,
and we had to be able to win

885
01:03:00.679 --> 01:03:02.679
this game. And I think the
same charge is gonna be Adam again tomorrow

886
01:03:02.760 --> 01:03:09.519
because human nature does take over in
situations like this and you say to yourself,

887
01:03:09.559 --> 01:03:13.559
they're zero and six, how how
good could they be? They could

888
01:03:13.559 --> 01:03:15.599
be good enough to beat you tomorrow, Absolutely no doubt about it. Texans,

889
01:03:15.639 --> 01:03:19.440
a three and a half point favorite
on the road, haven't been favorites

890
01:03:19.559 --> 01:03:22.920
very much this season, probably won't
be favorites very much this season. But

891
01:03:22.039 --> 01:03:24.840
this is one of the games that
they will be. And that's the charge

892
01:03:24.880 --> 01:03:30.199
that you have for CJ. Stroud
and for Will Anderson and the young core

893
01:03:30.480 --> 01:03:34.320
that is leading this team at this
moment. If you're Demiko Ryans of do

894
01:03:34.440 --> 01:03:38.639
not take these guys lightly because four
and three is a lot different than three

895
01:03:38.679 --> 01:03:43.840
and four. And you get into
a part of your schedule two where you're

896
01:03:43.880 --> 01:03:47.599
about to be done with this NFC
South swing that you're in right now,

897
01:03:47.679 --> 01:03:52.159
where at the moment, the Texans
are one and one losing to the Falcons,

898
01:03:52.320 --> 01:03:55.880
beat the Saints, bye week.
Now you get this opportunity and then

899
01:03:55.920 --> 01:04:00.400
the following week, following week,
you're gonna be taking on the Tampa Bay

900
01:04:00.400 --> 01:04:04.199
Buccaneers. But that is what the
charge is for a young team like this

901
01:04:04.239 --> 01:04:09.760
who is continuing to try to learn
how to win. Let's go on the

902
01:04:09.760 --> 01:04:12.639
way back here for a second.
Remember when the Texans were knocking on the

903
01:04:12.679 --> 01:04:15.840
door to make the playoffs, and
we thought that two thousand and nine.

904
01:04:15.960 --> 01:04:19.000
That was the year. That was
when this team was going to finally be

905
01:04:19.039 --> 01:04:24.159
able to knock down the door and
make the playoffs. And they had kind

906
01:04:24.159 --> 01:04:28.360
of an up and down season where
they would win some games that they probably

907
01:04:28.400 --> 01:04:30.840
weren't supposed to win, and then
they would lose games that they were probably

908
01:04:30.840 --> 01:04:35.199
supposed to win. And in this
case right here, I think that you're

909
01:04:35.239 --> 01:04:41.199
probably looking at it with a team
that is trying to put themselves in position

910
01:04:41.760 --> 01:04:45.840
to play for and win meaningful games
in November. I said before the season

911
01:04:45.880 --> 01:04:49.400
began, and I put it up
on Sports Talk seven to ninety that I

912
01:04:49.480 --> 01:04:53.840
said, probably you're looking at a
seven to ten football team. And I'm

913
01:04:53.880 --> 01:04:56.760
not going to break down the schedule
from here, but they're three and three

914
01:04:56.800 --> 01:05:00.400
at this moment, and I said
that the ultimate goal for this team this

915
01:05:00.519 --> 01:05:05.639
season would be playing meaningful football games
in November and December. And if this

916
01:05:05.719 --> 01:05:10.000
team is doing that, and if
we're going through our weekends and then it's

917
01:05:10.039 --> 01:05:14.239
a Sunday where you say no more
Honeydewes noon, I got to be in

918
01:05:14.239 --> 01:05:16.320
front of the TV because I got
to see this team play. A huge

919
01:05:16.360 --> 01:05:20.440
reason for that is the guy that
wears number seven c J. Stroud because

920
01:05:21.039 --> 01:05:27.599
he has played even better than I
think even the coaches inside the building over

921
01:05:27.639 --> 01:05:30.760
there at NRG Stadium had hoped that
they could see from him. He's been

922
01:05:30.840 --> 01:05:35.719
unreal. He's been even better than
advertised in most cases of how good he

923
01:05:35.760 --> 01:05:40.000
could be this season. And that's
the reason why they sit where they sit

924
01:05:40.639 --> 01:05:43.440
with wins on the road over the
Jags, of course, the win at

925
01:05:43.480 --> 01:05:46.800
home over the Steelers, and then
the win a couple of weeks ago against

926
01:05:47.039 --> 01:05:51.199
the New Orleans Saints. That you
go into a game like this and I

927
01:05:51.199 --> 01:05:55.440
think that, if nothing else,
the message has to be we haven't accomplished

928
01:05:55.440 --> 01:06:00.639
anything yet. There is still much
more to be gained from this season,

929
01:06:00.039 --> 01:06:02.880
and if you're going to put yourself
in position to play in some of those

930
01:06:02.920 --> 01:06:06.440
games that I just mentioned, a
game like this tomorrow is a huge part

931
01:06:06.440 --> 01:06:11.679
of that. When you're favored and
when you are in position to be able

932
01:06:11.719 --> 01:06:15.079
to win these games, you got
to take advantage of those chances. And

933
01:06:15.400 --> 01:06:18.639
that is the charge that they're going
to have tomorrow of it's going to show

934
01:06:18.719 --> 01:06:23.079
growth in this team if they are
able to be up for this game and

935
01:06:23.159 --> 01:06:27.039
they are able to go in there
and control it and win and get after

936
01:06:27.079 --> 01:06:30.159
Bryce Young. I mean, I
know that some people have looked at to

937
01:06:30.239 --> 01:06:32.559
Will Anderson and said, hey,
could tomorrow you know, be able to

938
01:06:32.599 --> 01:06:36.000
add to the sack total. It
should because, like I said, this

939
01:06:36.079 --> 01:06:41.800
is a team that right now is
realizing what people had worried about with CJ.

940
01:06:41.920 --> 01:06:45.519
Stroud behind this offensive line. It's
been the case this season for the

941
01:06:45.599 --> 01:06:49.519
Carolina Panthers. It has been a
rough go so far to this point for

942
01:06:50.199 --> 01:06:56.599
Bryce Young, and it is also
too something for them where they are.

943
01:06:57.000 --> 01:07:00.639
The other thing that you look for
on an NFL team is you look for

944
01:07:00.679 --> 01:07:03.119
a reason to feel good. There's
a reason why in the buildings they have

945
01:07:03.199 --> 01:07:09.760
victory Mondays is because it's hard to
do in this league. And that is

946
01:07:09.800 --> 01:07:13.360
a team that is looking at the
Texans and saying, hey, it's a

947
01:07:13.360 --> 01:07:16.280
team that's kind of in our same
situation right here. They're building. They're

948
01:07:16.320 --> 01:07:19.559
trying to be able to create a
culture of winning in their building, much

949
01:07:19.599 --> 01:07:25.679
like we're trying to do here.
Let's kind of rejump start our season and

950
01:07:25.920 --> 01:07:29.440
be able to try to take this
game, and they're going to have every

951
01:07:29.480 --> 01:07:32.119
effort to try to do that tomorrow. I mean, Adam Dielan playing incredibly

952
01:07:32.119 --> 01:07:36.440
well for the Carolina Panthers, and
the Texans are going to be facing a

953
01:07:36.519 --> 01:07:41.880
test in that regard where that's going
to be a team that is trying tooth

954
01:07:42.039 --> 01:07:45.239
and nail to be able to win
this game. And for the Texans,

955
01:07:45.280 --> 01:07:49.280
again, it's the mark of if
I see a team that comes out tomorrow

956
01:07:49.559 --> 01:07:56.280
and is prepared and is firing and
is putting themselves in position to be able

957
01:07:56.320 --> 01:07:59.880
to get a convincing win on the
road, then I'm going to probably believe

958
01:07:59.880 --> 01:08:03.960
in this team even more because again
four and three coming back home for the

959
01:08:04.000 --> 01:08:08.719
Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, that's
a lot better of a feeling. I

960
01:08:08.760 --> 01:08:11.559
gotta believe that that building will probably
have a little bit more juice in it

961
01:08:11.960 --> 01:08:14.760
if indeed that is the case and
the Texans are able to do that.

962
01:08:15.280 --> 01:08:17.039
But that is the test that I
feel like is in front of them tomorrow

963
01:08:17.640 --> 01:08:20.720
is are you going to be able
to get up for this game? And

964
01:08:21.079 --> 01:08:25.960
that is going to be what the
Texans are going to try to put in

965
01:08:26.079 --> 01:08:30.079
themselves in position to try to do, because again, it is a situation

966
01:08:30.119 --> 01:08:33.159
where if you lose that game,
you probably look at this team and say

967
01:08:33.359 --> 01:08:39.560
hmmm, Probably not necessarily where I
would hope they would be at this point.

968
01:08:40.079 --> 01:08:44.479
But again, that shows growth when
you have situations like this facing your

969
01:08:44.479 --> 01:08:47.199
football team and you're able to go
out there and handle business, and if

970
01:08:47.239 --> 01:08:53.079
they're able to do that tomorrow,
then again the belief meter turns up even

971
01:08:53.399 --> 01:08:56.840
more. All right, let's get
back into the Astros conversation. As we

972
01:08:56.920 --> 01:09:00.960
heard from Chandler Rome a little bit
earlier, but another Astro writer joined us

973
01:09:00.960 --> 01:09:03.479
this week right here on your Home
of the Astros Sports Talk seven ninety.

974
01:09:03.479 --> 01:09:09.960
Brian McTaggart joined The Matt Thomas Show
as he has an idea of what's ahead

975
01:09:10.119 --> 01:09:15.359
this offseason for the hometown baseball club. You will hear that next right here.

976
01:09:15.399 --> 01:09:18.439
It is Space City Saturday of Dan
Matthews on Your Home the Astros and

977
01:09:18.479 --> 01:09:26.720
the Rockets Sports Talk seven ninety.
This is Space City Saturday on Sports Talk

978
01:09:26.800 --> 01:09:38.239
seven ninety. Sports Talks seven ninety, your home of the Astros and the

979
01:09:38.399 --> 01:09:42.399
Rockets, the first team that I
just mentioned right there, although we'll get

980
01:09:42.399 --> 01:09:46.600
into a little bit of Rockets conversation, but first let's hear from Brian McTaggart,

981
01:09:46.600 --> 01:09:54.960
who joined the Matt Thomas Show.
Earlier this week, you Siro.

982
01:09:55.760 --> 01:09:59.880
This exclusive Astros segment on Sports Talk
seven ninety is brought to you by a

983
01:10:00.119 --> 01:10:03.119
spin Aty Tenji, the Next Generation
Network. Yes, let's go, Hey,

984
01:10:03.199 --> 01:10:12.600
Let's go guys. One O three
Sports Talk SEVENINTI our final appearance of

985
01:10:12.640 --> 01:10:17.399
the twenty twenty three season with Brian
McTaggart of MLB dot Com. Brian,

986
01:10:17.439 --> 01:10:20.199
thanks for the time. It's been
great working with you all season long.

987
01:10:21.399 --> 01:10:29.159
Obviously, I don't think any huge
surprise about Dusty Banker, any revelations from

988
01:10:29.159 --> 01:10:31.319
the press conference that you can explain
to our audience that kind of took you

989
01:10:31.359 --> 01:10:34.920
a gas or was it kind of
much pretty much as advertised about how Dusty

990
01:10:34.960 --> 01:10:41.880
broke down the remaining moments of his
career as a Houston Astros manager. Yeah,

991
01:10:41.920 --> 01:10:43.800
it went. It went pretty much
as I thought it would. I

992
01:10:43.800 --> 01:10:46.920
mean, it was like thirty minutes
and probably twenty seven of that was Dusty

993
01:10:47.119 --> 01:10:50.039
going down memory lane. And you
know a lot of the stories we've heard

994
01:10:50.079 --> 01:10:57.279
before, you know about Hank Aaron
and Jay Bruce and Bill Walsh and everybody

995
01:10:57.359 --> 01:11:02.159
in between. I guess the takeaway
maybe is that he thought about he started

996
01:11:02.159 --> 01:11:05.119
to think about retirement last winter.
I mean I think, you know,

997
01:11:05.159 --> 01:11:09.640
he kind of told everybody he was
going to go for two because he wanted

998
01:11:09.640 --> 01:11:12.960
to match Seedo Gaston and went back
to back championships, one of his mentors.

999
01:11:13.439 --> 01:11:15.800
But I guess the most interesting comment
he said right after that is there

1000
01:11:15.840 --> 01:11:20.079
were some instances or some things written
late in summer that helped push them over

1001
01:11:20.119 --> 01:11:24.680
the top. So not exactly sure
what that meant. I mean, Dusty

1002
01:11:24.880 --> 01:11:28.840
was treated exceptionally well by the media
here, you know, through all four

1003
01:11:28.880 --> 01:11:30.600
years. In fact, when the
press conference ended, there were about thirty

1004
01:11:30.640 --> 01:11:34.920
media members that bum rushed the podium
for selfies and I think somebody even give

1005
01:11:35.000 --> 01:11:39.560
him a gift. So I think
the media had treated him pretty well based

1006
01:11:39.600 --> 01:11:43.720
on what I saw. Yeah,
that was a little weird, and that's

1007
01:11:43.760 --> 01:11:46.439
fine to each his own. Again, when he is out of his most

1008
01:11:46.479 --> 01:11:51.359
affable, he's a great storyteller.
He knows everybody. We had some great

1009
01:11:51.359 --> 01:11:57.399
business on this radio show. But
I think there were people around him,

1010
01:11:57.920 --> 01:12:00.640
maybe a son, maybe some friends
that did spend a lot of time looking

1011
01:12:00.720 --> 01:12:04.439
at articles and uh, I think
a lot of the wear and tear of

1012
01:12:04.439 --> 01:12:08.920
the Chas McCormack relationship was part of
it. I also believe a lot of

1013
01:12:08.920 --> 01:12:13.319
it was defending Martine Malmano playing so
much over yarn there, das and and

1014
01:12:13.439 --> 01:12:15.359
you know, for a guy like
Dusty that has been around, been there,

1015
01:12:15.479 --> 01:12:18.880
done that as both the player and
as a manager, when you get

1016
01:12:18.920 --> 01:12:21.760
a little bit older and people still
question a thing like a lineup card,

1017
01:12:21.840 --> 01:12:25.800
not to the not viciously. I
mean, there were some Astro fans that

1018
01:12:25.840 --> 01:12:28.840
did that, but generally speaking,
the media that covered them were respectful of

1019
01:12:28.880 --> 01:12:31.680
it. Uh. I think that
probably took its toll way more than he

1020
01:12:31.680 --> 01:12:35.279
would ever let it let it on
to be. Yeah, I think I

1021
01:12:35.319 --> 01:12:39.960
think he got tired of asking questions
about the lineup and why he was told

1022
01:12:40.119 --> 01:12:45.319
that a few times like now I'm
answer these questions, and there was you

1023
01:12:45.359 --> 01:12:47.319
know, he's one of the like
most managers or even players, they're like

1024
01:12:47.399 --> 01:12:49.800
they tell y'all, I don't read
anything you write. I don't read it.

1025
01:12:49.840 --> 01:12:54.359
But quite the minute something you know, they feel as negative, then

1026
01:12:54.800 --> 01:12:56.560
he's like, woll why did you
do that? Why did you write that?

1027
01:12:56.680 --> 01:13:00.600
There there was a case. You
know, Dusty says he hasn't anything

1028
01:13:00.760 --> 01:13:02.920
about him since nineteen seventy seven,
I think, but there was a case

1029
01:13:02.960 --> 01:13:05.279
in the middle of the season where
we were in his office after a road

1030
01:13:05.279 --> 01:13:10.760
game and there was an article printed
out with some things highlighted on his desk.

1031
01:13:10.840 --> 01:13:13.560
So I think you're right. There
is somebody that was, you know,

1032
01:13:14.119 --> 01:13:16.159
giving him some articles. Hey look
at this, and you know,

1033
01:13:16.279 --> 01:13:18.960
for all the positive articles that were
written, I don't think those were being

1034
01:13:18.960 --> 01:13:21.359
put in front of him. It
was probably the negative ones. I mean,

1035
01:13:21.359 --> 01:13:25.600
that's the way the world works.
But regardless, I mean, great

1036
01:13:25.680 --> 01:13:28.920
run for Dusty. I mean he
came here during a very turbulent time and

1037
01:13:29.319 --> 01:13:30.439
I think he was the right man
to a job at the time, and

1038
01:13:31.560 --> 01:13:35.479
for ALCS one a World Series.
And you know, he said he wanted

1039
01:13:35.479 --> 01:13:39.159
to leave things better than when he
got here. Yea, I think he

1040
01:13:39.199 --> 01:13:42.000
did, because when he got here
things were in a lot of turmoil.

1041
01:13:43.199 --> 01:13:46.279
Brian McTaggart of MLB dot com recover
the Ashros for astros dot Com with us

1042
01:13:46.319 --> 01:13:50.079
here on Sports Talk seven to ninety
And of course that in turn means Brian,

1043
01:13:50.119 --> 01:13:54.600
that the Astros are looking for a
manager. You've written it, others

1044
01:13:54.640 --> 01:13:58.159
have as well, that it's going
to be Jim Crane with the final say

1045
01:13:58.359 --> 01:14:02.119
and a lot of influence from Jeff
Bagwell, what direction do you think this

1046
01:14:02.279 --> 01:14:06.199
goes as far as top candidates,
How heavily will a guy like Brad Austmas

1047
01:14:06.199 --> 01:14:11.640
being involved, and how do you
think this manager managerial sturge plays out?

1048
01:14:12.199 --> 01:14:15.319
Yeah, I mean I think they'll
relatively quickly. I mean I think they

1049
01:14:15.319 --> 01:14:17.399
would just like to get somebody in
place, get the offseason started. I

1050
01:14:17.399 --> 01:14:20.239
mean, they really can't a house
anything until after the World Series, which

1051
01:14:21.399 --> 01:14:26.840
doesn't mean they can't here a few
people. I think we'll see the interviews

1052
01:14:26.880 --> 01:14:30.359
starting, uh, pretty quickly.
I think it's going to be a collaborative

1053
01:14:30.359 --> 01:14:30.640
effort. I mean, you know, at the end of the day,

1054
01:14:30.640 --> 01:14:33.359
it's Jim Crane's team and he's going
to decide. Uh, you know,

1055
01:14:33.399 --> 01:14:35.920
he's got to sign off on who
the manager is. Dana Brown's going to

1056
01:14:36.000 --> 01:14:39.479
have He's going to have a say, And I think there's part of Jim

1057
01:14:39.520 --> 01:14:42.640
Crane that wants Dana Brown to put, you know, a stamp on his

1058
01:14:42.680 --> 01:14:45.640
team a little bit and bring in
his own manager. And if Crane's okay

1059
01:14:45.680 --> 01:14:47.800
with that, he'll he'll he will
be. But yeah, I think Austina's

1060
01:14:47.800 --> 01:14:50.199
will be a candidate. I mean, he's a guy that's interviewed for the

1061
01:14:50.239 --> 01:14:54.520
GM and the manager spot and I
think he was a finalist for both.

1062
01:14:54.720 --> 01:14:58.239
Very tight with Jeff Bagwell, of
course, you know, I think Joe

1063
01:14:58.359 --> 01:15:00.680
Spot has got to be at the
top of the list. He's paid his

1064
01:15:00.800 --> 01:15:03.720
dues. I asked I remember the
front office today specifically about a spot,

1065
01:15:03.720 --> 01:15:06.600
and I got a pretty interesting comment. He said, well, the player

1066
01:15:06.680 --> 01:15:10.520
is going to play for him.
I don't. I'm not saying that as

1067
01:15:10.520 --> 01:15:13.680
an indictment on Joe Spot. It's
just that's one of the questions that they're

1068
01:15:13.720 --> 01:15:15.159
asking the other player is going to
play for this guy or that guy?

1069
01:15:16.319 --> 01:15:20.880
You know Jeff Banister's interview before he's
the Dback's bench coach. He's from here.

1070
01:15:20.920 --> 01:15:24.199
I would be shocked if he doesn't
try to get in the mix.

1071
01:15:25.439 --> 01:15:29.439
You know guys former managers like uh, you know Andy green Wise, he

1072
01:15:29.560 --> 01:15:32.399
was in Colorado's now with the Braves. I named to watch is Eric Young,

1073
01:15:32.479 --> 01:15:35.399
the first base coach of the Braves
who played high school baseball with with

1074
01:15:35.479 --> 01:15:40.039
Dana Brown. I would be surprised
if he would not get an interview.

1075
01:15:40.079 --> 01:15:42.159
I don't know if he's ready to
be a manager or not. He's learned

1076
01:15:42.159 --> 01:15:45.640
a he's learned a lot, you
know, from his time in Atlanta on

1077
01:15:45.720 --> 01:15:49.439
that staff from Ron Washington. So
he might get a shot, but I

1078
01:15:49.439 --> 01:15:54.199
think they'll cast a white net and
it's gonna be a coveted job because it's

1079
01:15:54.239 --> 01:15:56.800
a team that you come in next
year, turnkey, and he's going to

1080
01:15:56.840 --> 01:16:00.720
be in the position to win another
championship. Interest comment there on Joe Aspota,

1081
01:16:01.359 --> 01:16:04.800
why do you think he is?
Somebody who has interviewed at a number

1082
01:16:04.800 --> 01:16:10.560
of other places the last couple of
seasons, and it just feels like it's

1083
01:16:11.479 --> 01:16:14.560
with the success that they've had and
the fact that he's been here would almost

1084
01:16:14.560 --> 01:16:16.920
feel like a shoe win that Joe
Aspota would be maybe the next man up.

1085
01:16:16.960 --> 01:16:23.520
But it just we're not necessarily getting
that feel. Yeah, I agree.

1086
01:16:23.560 --> 01:16:25.880
I don't know why. I mean, he's interviewed I think for at

1087
01:16:25.920 --> 01:16:28.119
least seven or eight jobs the last
three or four years. I mean,

1088
01:16:28.279 --> 01:16:30.000
I thought for sure he was going
to get to Miami job. Last year.

1089
01:16:30.720 --> 01:16:34.720
I think he almost got the White
Sox job before they hired Tony LaRusso,

1090
01:16:34.720 --> 01:16:38.680
which turned out to be a disaster. You know, I'm not sure

1091
01:16:38.760 --> 01:16:41.600
what goes on in the interviews or
what have you. But you know,

1092
01:16:41.760 --> 01:16:44.760
he's very qualified. He comes.
You know, he's got a lot of

1093
01:16:44.880 --> 01:16:47.720
experience on a couple of different benches
with a couple of different teams. He's

1094
01:16:47.720 --> 01:16:51.560
worked under two different worlds here,
he's winning managers. Now, I think

1095
01:16:51.600 --> 01:16:56.600
he's ready. He's a great communicator, he's a great guy. I know

1096
01:16:56.640 --> 01:17:00.439
the players like him in respect.
So, you know, doesn't get a

1097
01:17:00.520 --> 01:17:01.840
chance here. You know, I
just wonder if he's gonna move on and

1098
01:17:01.880 --> 01:17:05.960
go somewhere else or maybe throwing another
staff because you know he's had a couple

1099
01:17:06.000 --> 01:17:09.720
of manager openings here now, well
he's been here and he hasn't gotten that

1100
01:17:09.880 --> 01:17:12.479
shot yet. So or I guess
one. I guess with Dusty, So

1101
01:17:12.680 --> 01:17:14.800
I think he's going to be at
the top of the list. But like

1102
01:17:14.800 --> 01:17:15.960
I said, they're going to bring
in other guys to see what's out there,

1103
01:17:15.960 --> 01:17:18.520
and there's gonna be a lot of
people blowing up Jim Cranstone that want

1104
01:17:18.560 --> 01:17:24.560
to be the manager at astres Brian
mctagger with his MLB dot Com of the

1105
01:17:24.600 --> 01:17:27.720
Matt Thomas O'Brien, you're with his
team every single day. It feels like,

1106
01:17:27.760 --> 01:17:30.279
So you tell me you've been in
that clubhouse. You got twenty six

1107
01:17:30.319 --> 01:17:32.479
egos in that group. You've got
coaches, you've got a front office,

1108
01:17:32.479 --> 01:17:35.760
it's going to have egos in it
as well. What type of manager with

1109
01:17:35.840 --> 01:17:44.039
that, particularly naming a name suits
this organization best, well, I think

1110
01:17:44.119 --> 01:17:46.319
number one that they're going to need
a manager who I think is a little

1111
01:17:46.359 --> 01:17:51.319
bit more collaborative with the front office. I mean we saw that with UH.

1112
01:17:51.479 --> 01:17:56.920
With with Dusty, I think he
obviously he butted heads with James Click,

1113
01:17:56.960 --> 01:18:00.239
and James Click and Crane weren't on
the same page. But I think

1114
01:18:00.239 --> 01:18:03.359
even with Dana Brown in the what
ten months Dana Brown's been on the job,

1115
01:18:03.439 --> 01:18:06.800
that Dusty and Dana Brown didn't always
see eyd eye and I think there

1116
01:18:06.840 --> 01:18:10.279
was some friction there. So Number
one, I think they're going to bring

1117
01:18:10.279 --> 01:18:13.720
in a manager who who is in
line with their goals, that they're all

1118
01:18:13.800 --> 01:18:16.560
in the same page analytically, they're
on the same page with lineups and who

1119
01:18:16.560 --> 01:18:20.840
should be playing. You know,
it's pretty tough when you have a manager

1120
01:18:20.880 --> 01:18:26.119
and then the GM comes in and
the manager is such an established presence in

1121
01:18:26.159 --> 01:18:30.399
the game, and somebody that the
owner UH brought in during such a turbulent

1122
01:18:30.439 --> 01:18:32.680
time he's got He's got a lot
of sway in power. Dusty Baker did,

1123
01:18:32.760 --> 01:18:36.479
so it was probably a tough situation
for Dana Brown. But going back

1124
01:18:36.479 --> 01:18:39.920
to what I said before, Dana
Brown's gonna have a huge stamp in this.

1125
01:18:40.000 --> 01:18:43.359
He's gonna he's gonna, you know, want to bring in somebody that

1126
01:18:44.680 --> 01:18:46.399
works with him. And I think
that is the number one thing we're gonna

1127
01:18:46.399 --> 01:18:50.560
see. They're gonna have to have
a collaborative front office and managerial office chair

1128
01:18:50.640 --> 01:18:56.000
because they just haven't had that in
the last few years. If Brian Ostmas

1129
01:18:56.039 --> 01:19:00.119
is a serious candidate, wouldn't that
basically give everyone in this that as much

1130
01:19:00.119 --> 01:19:03.359
as Dana Brown may be holding the
title of GM, that Jeff Bagwell would

1131
01:19:03.359 --> 01:19:09.439
have as much power, if not
more than Dana if indeed Brad gets the

1132
01:19:09.520 --> 01:19:14.840
job because he was a finalist under
two different situations. Yeah, I mean,

1133
01:19:14.880 --> 01:19:15.840
I think he could certainly make that
leap. I mean you could also

1134
01:19:15.880 --> 01:19:18.439
make the case that, you know
what, if he interviews and you know

1135
01:19:18.560 --> 01:19:23.079
these Dana Brown gets blown away by
Brad Ostma sor he thinks, you know,

1136
01:19:23.159 --> 01:19:26.600
this is the right guy for the
job. But you know, but

1137
01:19:26.840 --> 01:19:30.439
uh, yeah, I think certainly
with Bagwell's influence that he's at least going

1138
01:19:30.520 --> 01:19:32.439
to get an interview, and the
fact that he was a finalist a couple

1139
01:19:32.479 --> 01:19:35.920
of times lead you believe that Jim
Crane thinks highly of him as well.

1140
01:19:36.680 --> 01:19:40.159
Ultimately, I don't think he will
get the job. I think we'll go

1141
01:19:40.159 --> 01:19:42.920
in a different direction. I'm not
sure what direction they're going to go.

1142
01:19:43.119 --> 01:19:45.439
I mean, I think certainly they're
going to go younger. I don't see

1143
01:19:45.439 --> 01:19:47.720
Buck show Walter coming in here.
I just think they're going to get a

1144
01:19:47.760 --> 01:19:50.960
younger analytical and like I said,
somebody who's going to be on the same

1145
01:19:51.039 --> 01:19:54.760
page with the front office. And
there's gonna be some changes in the front

1146
01:19:54.760 --> 01:19:58.920
office too, and there already has
been. So I think when we get

1147
01:19:58.920 --> 01:20:01.199
the spring training, a lot things
are gonna look different. Dana Brown's gonna

1148
01:20:01.199 --> 01:20:04.199
put his stamp on a lot of
things, and he and the manager are

1149
01:20:04.199 --> 01:20:09.560
definitely gonna have to be aligned.
You mentioned the alignment. It has to

1150
01:20:09.600 --> 01:20:13.920
be in play because it hasn't been
the last couple of years. Do you

1151
01:20:14.039 --> 01:20:20.439
think there will be a super analytical
manager here or just as based on relationships

1152
01:20:20.479 --> 01:20:23.960
about Hey, I see your side
of things, you see my side of

1153
01:20:24.000 --> 01:20:27.720
things, because, let's face it, Aj was a very successful manager here

1154
01:20:27.760 --> 01:20:30.680
because he and Jeff shared a lot
of the same sentiments about the analytics of

1155
01:20:30.720 --> 01:20:34.439
baseball. Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, I think that's what

1156
01:20:34.439 --> 01:20:36.840
they're looking for. I don't think
they're going to, you know, bring

1157
01:20:36.880 --> 01:20:41.960
in some you know, baseball nerd
who doesn't you know, look good on

1158
01:20:42.000 --> 01:20:43.960
a uniform or doesn't know what he's
doing. I mean, they're going to

1159
01:20:44.000 --> 01:20:45.680
bring in, you know, somebody
that's I think somebody has probably got some

1160
01:20:45.760 --> 01:20:51.199
experience. But one of the issues
with Dusty was was the lineups and and

1161
01:20:51.279 --> 01:20:56.039
Dana Brown wanted him to play ir
Diaz more and he didn't, and you

1162
01:20:56.119 --> 01:20:59.319
know that just you know, led
to you know, some arguments and things

1163
01:20:59.319 --> 01:21:02.000
here and there. So I don't
think that was healthy for anybody in the

1164
01:21:02.000 --> 01:21:06.920
front office or the coaching staff.
So they're gonna bring in somebody who's who's

1165
01:21:06.960 --> 01:21:11.560
gonna understand what they're trying to do
and put the best players in position to

1166
01:21:11.600 --> 01:21:14.640
succeed, because that wasn't always the
case. I think the last few months.

1167
01:21:16.840 --> 01:21:20.880
All right, rossting else from you, I think I'm good. Thank

1168
01:21:20.920 --> 01:21:25.000
you, Matt. That's it.
No, man, Matt you go ahead.

1169
01:21:26.359 --> 01:21:28.359
No, I'm gonna go. I'm
gonna I'm just gonna give him.

1170
01:21:28.640 --> 01:21:30.520
Uh. Are you gonna be going
to Galvison, Bay Brut and Brian mctager.

1171
01:21:30.600 --> 01:21:32.560
I hope I will see you out
there a few times. Yes,

1172
01:21:33.560 --> 01:21:39.640
well, I uh the season ended
Monday night and I was there on Tuesday

1173
01:21:39.720 --> 01:21:42.640
night, had a couple of the
Octoberfests. Uh. You know, the

1174
01:21:42.680 --> 01:21:45.520
Octoberfest is gonna be there until they
get tapped out, so I'm trying to

1175
01:21:45.960 --> 01:21:47.359
I'm trying to get my Otoberfest.
Philip. Yeah, I'll be out there.

1176
01:21:47.680 --> 01:21:50.239
I'll be out there from time to
time, so uh yeah, hit

1177
01:21:50.319 --> 01:21:54.279
me up. All right, very
good, Brian. Great having you with

1178
01:21:54.359 --> 01:21:56.640
us, and we're gonna bug you
over the course of the offseason when big

1179
01:21:56.640 --> 01:21:59.359
things happen, my friend, talk
to you soon. All right, sounds

1180
01:21:59.399 --> 01:22:00.760
good. Thanks guys, appreciate it. You got it all right. Brian

1181
01:22:00.840 --> 01:22:04.800
mctagger with us here on the NB
beat with the Astros dot Com and was

1182
01:22:04.840 --> 01:22:09.039
always a great visitor with us here
Thursdays on the show. All right.

1183
01:22:09.079 --> 01:22:13.359
Brian McTaggert, who was on with
the Matt Thomas Show, as he had

1184
01:22:13.359 --> 01:22:16.159
some good information there for what could
be ahead all right, coming up next

1185
01:22:16.199 --> 01:22:21.560
to close out this edition of Space
City a Saturday. Some remember this guy

1186
01:22:21.840 --> 01:22:26.039
fondly, and they should. But
if you're not giving the same treatment to

1187
01:22:26.159 --> 01:22:29.680
this guy, I think you're doing
it wrong. We will close it out

1188
01:22:29.880 --> 01:22:32.600
by talking about this right here on
your home of the Astros and the Rockets

1189
01:22:32.760 --> 01:22:47.159
Sports Talk seven ninety. Space City
Saturday continues on Sports Talk seven ninety Sports

1190
01:22:47.199 --> 01:22:53.880
Talks seven nineties Space City Saturday.
Dan Matthews here with you for another a

1191
01:22:53.960 --> 01:22:58.399
few minutes. Heard from Brian mctagger
today, heard from Chandler Rome, of

1192
01:22:58.479 --> 01:23:00.880
course, two great guests that join
us every week here on your home of

1193
01:23:00.960 --> 01:23:05.000
the Astros Sports Talk seven to ninety. During the season, of course,

1194
01:23:05.479 --> 01:23:10.439
we'd had visits all year with Jeff
Blum, and you know, it's one

1195
01:23:10.439 --> 01:23:14.000
of those things that once the baseball
season is over, it's the time of

1196
01:23:14.000 --> 01:23:19.199
the year where the days are shorter, the weather is cooler, all of

1197
01:23:19.239 --> 01:23:23.960
those different types of things. But
then soon enough, as soon as football

1198
01:23:23.960 --> 01:23:27.039
season ends, that's when it's time
to get fired back up for baseball season.

1199
01:23:27.159 --> 01:23:30.239
So it's good and the bad with
your season being over. I mean

1200
01:23:30.279 --> 01:23:33.680
the bad is obviously it's over.
Your team's not playing anymore. But then

1201
01:23:33.720 --> 01:23:38.279
the good you don't have to wait
that long. I mean football. The

1202
01:23:38.319 --> 01:23:42.039
off season in football is an eternity, right, I mean, because the

1203
01:23:42.079 --> 01:23:47.319
season ends for most in December.
College it's over in January if you're the

1204
01:23:47.399 --> 01:23:51.920
lucky few, and then you've got
to wait all the way until next Labor

1205
01:23:53.000 --> 01:23:55.920
Day to get things fired up again. But I don't have to do that

1206
01:23:55.960 --> 01:24:00.199
in baseball. That's the good thing. Dusty should be remembered more fondly than

1207
01:24:00.279 --> 01:24:04.279
aj Hinch. There I said it. I mean, we remember aj Hinch

1208
01:24:04.319 --> 01:24:08.800
incredibly fondly, as we should.
He won the first world title for this

1209
01:24:08.880 --> 01:24:14.960
team. He had jump started the
success of this organization on the field that

1210
01:24:15.000 --> 01:24:17.319
we had never seen in the history
of this organization. Sure they'd made the

1211
01:24:17.319 --> 01:24:21.039
postseason, Sure they'd won divisions,
they'd done all those different types of things,

1212
01:24:21.119 --> 01:24:26.920
but it was not to the level
of what we saw during aj Hinch's

1213
01:24:26.960 --> 01:24:31.079
tenure every single year in the ALCS. And I know that the first season

1214
01:24:31.159 --> 01:24:36.760
it got started on a rocky notes
when they finished the truncate at COVID at

1215
01:24:36.760 --> 01:24:42.720
twenty twenty season under five hundred,
they made the postseason, they dispatched the

1216
01:24:42.720 --> 01:24:46.640
Oakland A's who had been talking all
that mess and everything, all their little

1217
01:24:46.840 --> 01:24:54.079
social media e clips on the NBC
Sports Bay Area page and everything else of

1218
01:24:54.159 --> 01:24:56.640
the sort. Well, the Astros
went out there, they took care of

1219
01:24:56.640 --> 01:25:01.720
business, and then they made almost
miraculous down three to zero comeback against the

1220
01:25:01.800 --> 01:25:06.680
Rays, and we're just unable to
win Game seven to move on for a

1221
01:25:06.800 --> 01:25:11.680
chance to claim another World title.
Following year the World Series, then the

1222
01:25:11.760 --> 01:25:15.199
year after that, the third year, the best year of all a World

1223
01:25:15.279 --> 01:25:19.239
Series and a historically great season for
the Astros that year, and this year

1224
01:25:19.279 --> 01:25:24.319
a game away from making the World
Series. And I understand the shortcomings that

1225
01:25:24.319 --> 01:25:28.159
people are gonna point out with Dusty
Baker, his lineup. I mean,

1226
01:25:28.399 --> 01:25:31.560
the way he used Martine Maldonado,
even the way that he handled the pitching

1227
01:25:31.600 --> 01:25:35.319
staff, all of those different things. I understand that that's going to come

1228
01:25:35.359 --> 01:25:40.920
into the fold. But I threw
this out on social media, both Facebook

1229
01:25:40.960 --> 01:25:44.560
and Twitter earlier this week, and
I said it, fun fact, you're

1230
01:25:44.600 --> 01:25:46.880
gonna hate the next manager, and
you're gonna hate the next manager after that,

1231
01:25:47.199 --> 01:25:50.640
and you're gonna and you're going to
have, you know, not the

1232
01:25:50.640 --> 01:25:56.600
greatest things to say about any manager, because I feel like baseball managers are

1233
01:25:56.640 --> 01:26:01.279
a lot like offensive coordinators in football, that everybody looks at the shortcomings for

1234
01:26:01.359 --> 01:26:04.479
them. How could you put John
Singleton in that spot? What are you

1235
01:26:04.600 --> 01:26:09.079
thinking? How could you not use
Justin Verlander in that spot? What are

1236
01:26:09.079 --> 01:26:12.880
you thinking? All of those things
nobody ever says, Man, you know

1237
01:26:12.960 --> 01:26:16.199
why they won that game. They
won that game because of great managerial work

1238
01:26:16.520 --> 01:26:19.840
by the manager. And that's just
part of it. It's not a dusty

1239
01:26:19.880 --> 01:26:25.560
thing. It's not just him getting
the slings and arrows that nobody else got.

1240
01:26:25.880 --> 01:26:28.920
He got them as much as anybody
else. I will be the first

1241
01:26:28.920 --> 01:26:31.600
one to say, with aj Hinch
of that twenty seventeen or excuse me,

1242
01:26:31.640 --> 01:26:36.520
twenty nineteen World Series chance of going
to Will Harris in that spot, and

1243
01:26:38.000 --> 01:26:43.760
you had a disgruntled Garrett Cole in
the bullpen who was saying I should have

1244
01:26:43.760 --> 01:26:45.840
been used, and I wanted to
be used, and I told them that

1245
01:26:45.920 --> 01:26:49.319
I had a couple of innings left
in me. All of those things,

1246
01:26:50.119 --> 01:26:54.560
and that's the thing that we're gonnappoint
you as I just did right there.

1247
01:26:55.079 --> 01:26:58.680
But in terms of Dusty Baker's tenure, with the Astros. It should be

1248
01:26:58.760 --> 01:27:01.520
remembered exactly the way at the organization
has remembered him, the way that I

1249
01:27:01.560 --> 01:27:06.720
think the overwhelming majority of fans have
remembered his time as the Astros manager,

1250
01:27:08.159 --> 01:27:12.680
and most importantly the players, because
you've seen almost to a man, every

1251
01:27:12.800 --> 01:27:15.359
single player who played for him during
their time here. I think even Julie

1252
01:27:15.399 --> 01:27:20.279
Guriel jumped in as well, if
I'm not mistaken on Instagram, but almost

1253
01:27:20.399 --> 01:27:25.800
every single player has reached out with
their support of saying love that guy really

1254
01:27:25.920 --> 01:27:29.800
enjoyed playing for him, because I
think they did. And when you factor

1255
01:27:29.840 --> 01:27:32.560
in everything, I mean what we
heard from Jim Crane the other day during

1256
01:27:32.560 --> 01:27:36.479
the press conference when they made his
retirement official, he was the right man

1257
01:27:36.520 --> 01:27:41.600
for the job at the time because
you were looking at the time, fair

1258
01:27:41.680 --> 01:27:46.079
or not, at a baseball world
looking at you and looking down on you

1259
01:27:46.279 --> 01:27:51.680
in terms of what had been revealed
through the twenty seventeen cheating scandal, and

1260
01:27:53.000 --> 01:27:58.039
you needed somebody to be able to
try to rescue your reputation from the dirt,

1261
01:27:58.359 --> 01:28:03.680
and Dusty did that in and he
continued to be the same class manager

1262
01:28:03.840 --> 01:28:10.079
that he had been all throughout his
career and somebody who is so widely regarded

1263
01:28:10.359 --> 01:28:14.000
in all of baseball, and not
only in baseball. I mean I posted

1264
01:28:14.000 --> 01:28:18.279
this yesterday on the seven ninety Twitter
account being over at basketball media day for

1265
01:28:18.479 --> 01:28:24.079
the UH Cougars. First question that
Kelvin Sampson was asked about his thoughts on

1266
01:28:24.199 --> 01:28:27.159
Dusty, and he went on for
about a minute and a half about not

1267
01:28:27.239 --> 01:28:30.760
only his admiration for Dusty as a
manager, but also Dusty as a guy.

1268
01:28:30.920 --> 01:28:34.920
I mean, this is somebody else
who is also in a leadership leadership

1269
01:28:35.039 --> 01:28:41.680
position and trying to lead a program
like Kelvin Sampson is. And we've seen

1270
01:28:41.960 --> 01:28:46.640
the UH basketball program retights that hadn't
been reached since the five Slama Jama days.

1271
01:28:47.399 --> 01:28:53.079
But the nice things that are being
said right now about Dusty should only

1272
01:28:53.119 --> 01:28:57.199
continue and every single time he comes
back, because there will be a day

1273
01:28:57.359 --> 01:29:00.640
I'm sure that probably he is back
in the building. I'm sure as we've

1274
01:29:00.680 --> 01:29:04.439
seen with people throwing out first pitches
or even two to do the let's play

1275
01:29:04.479 --> 01:29:09.079
ball call on the field, every
time that happens, he should be met

1276
01:29:09.079 --> 01:29:13.439
with nothing other than a standing ovation
of Hey, you know what, Dusty,

1277
01:29:13.720 --> 01:29:16.760
thank you so much because you were
outstanding, and I understand the other

1278
01:29:16.800 --> 01:29:19.399
parts of it as well. I
mean, we just heard from Brian McTaggart

1279
01:29:19.479 --> 01:29:23.640
right there, and I know that
Dusty was asked during his press conference about

1280
01:29:23.680 --> 01:29:27.159
his treatment from the media and some
of it too. I had made this

1281
01:29:27.239 --> 01:29:30.680
comment I think even on air,
that Dusty kind of had a football coaches

1282
01:29:30.720 --> 01:29:34.439
approach to dealing with the media.
Football coaches, for the most part,

1283
01:29:34.760 --> 01:29:38.399
don't even want to let you know
that there's going to be a game on

1284
01:29:38.439 --> 01:29:42.079
that Saturday or Sunday. You ask
him about injuries, they're going to side

1285
01:29:42.079 --> 01:29:45.159
step it. You ask him about
personnel, they're going to side step it.

1286
01:29:45.560 --> 01:29:47.760
You ask him about an individual player
and just what they mean to the

1287
01:29:47.760 --> 01:29:51.880
team, Then of course they're going
to wax poetically because it's a chance to

1288
01:29:51.880 --> 01:29:55.119
be able to tap up one of
their guys and put them over the top.

1289
01:29:55.920 --> 01:30:00.880
And I understand that that type of
tact is going to rubbed some people

1290
01:30:00.920 --> 01:30:03.079
the wrong way, but it's the
way that he decided. And it's also

1291
01:30:03.159 --> 01:30:06.880
too it obviously came from experience.
I mean I was warned when I first

1292
01:30:06.880 --> 01:30:11.800
got here in August of Yeah,
the two things he doesn't necessarily want to

1293
01:30:11.800 --> 01:30:16.439
answer questions to are injuries in the
lineup, and somebody surmised that maybe that

1294
01:30:16.520 --> 01:30:20.920
was because he felt like he was
burned in the past in terms of answering

1295
01:30:20.920 --> 01:30:25.119
either of those questions. And this
is somebody that had a ton of experience

1296
01:30:25.159 --> 01:30:28.800
in the managerial spot with the Giants, with the Cubs, with the Nationals,

1297
01:30:28.840 --> 01:30:31.800
with the Reds, and again too
when the hire was made at the

1298
01:30:31.840 --> 01:30:34.680
time, I'm sure a lot of
people looked at it and said, a

1299
01:30:34.760 --> 01:30:40.800
guy, that's that's been you know, a journeyman, you know, manager

1300
01:30:40.960 --> 01:30:43.960
in this game. That's who we're
going to turn to after aj Hinch.

1301
01:30:44.520 --> 01:30:48.039
So, you know, as it
goes forward now, and like I said,

1302
01:30:48.399 --> 01:30:51.920
as we continue to see the names
so and so is interviewing with the

1303
01:30:51.960 --> 01:30:55.640
team today, and we'll probably see
a lot of those this week, would

1304
01:30:55.680 --> 01:30:58.760
be my guest, and I would
probably have to guess that shortly after the

1305
01:30:58.760 --> 01:31:02.039
World Series is over, we'll be
back over at Minute Made Park for a

1306
01:31:02.479 --> 01:31:08.520
press conference announcing the next manager of
the team. And as things progressed throughout

1307
01:31:08.520 --> 01:31:12.079
the off season. But like I
said, I think if nothing else,

1308
01:31:12.520 --> 01:31:15.079
you can remember him. However,
you want to remember Dusty Baker's tenure with

1309
01:31:15.119 --> 01:31:20.600
the team. I'm going to remember
him as somebody that was outstanding in terms

1310
01:31:20.800 --> 01:31:27.000
of the way that he was able
to lead this organization through a really uncertain

1311
01:31:27.039 --> 01:31:30.960
time. And I think when it's
all said and done, it was incredibly

1312
01:31:31.039 --> 01:31:35.279
like what Kelvin Sampson said yesterday,
job well done, because yes it was

1313
01:31:35.640 --> 01:31:39.760
job well done. He was outstanding. All right. That's going to do

1314
01:31:39.800 --> 01:31:44.199
it for us here on Space City
Saturday. I want to thank Adam Snyder

1315
01:31:44.279 --> 01:31:47.039
behind the glass also too. It
was good to hear from Chandler Rome and

1316
01:31:47.239 --> 01:31:53.640
also from Brian McTaggart. The two
hours they came and they went, and

1317
01:31:53.680 --> 01:31:58.680
we will do it all again next
Saturday. Dan Matthews, it was a

1318
01:31:58.680 --> 01:32:00.199
lot of fun hanging out with you
all again. We'll do it again next

1319
01:32:00.239 --> 01:32:04.359
week right here on your home of
the Astros and the Rockets Sports Talk seven

1320
01:32:04.479 --> 01:32:08.760
ninety. Enjoy the Longhorn game a
little bit later on today and enjoy your Saturday