Speaker 1: Is The Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 2: Ten O two and h Town. Good morning, and welcome
to a Thursday Wednesday edition of The Matt Thomas Show
with Ross. This is Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 3: Oh.
Speaker 2: We knew we'd get some sort of update. That's why
we sent Gordy down there. And granted he's probably vacationing
more of the trip. He's probably just stop that jumping
in and jumping out of a spring training I stop.
I'm just kidding. He was up there this morning. Yes, now,
he's probably not doing much now. Oh no, he's definitely
in a Racarel having a three egg breakfast. We've been there,
We've done Racarel. You've harassed the waitresses there, harassed the
strong term. Just kidding. Iways been fairly polite of the
people there. I haven't ever seen you be rate a
waiter or a waitress. No, no, no, no, I mean
it had to take extreme measures. That's good, all right.
It is Matt at Ross with you on this Wednesday.
Good morning to you. We are with you today until
two pm, and then we've got some more Rockets basketball
for you tonight here on seven on. Any of the
Rockets took care of the Clippers last night, which we'll
get to that email. Dock will be with us at
eleven o'clock eleven thirty. Will be shut you by my
ass up eat. Nobody got damned for that, well the
news at noon and of course believe it or not.
So we've got a lot of things going on between
now and two pm today, but we start today. Uh,
no surprise, we're starting with is that buster only sweet?
Yesterday said that josh Hader was throwing off a light ground. Yeah,
flat ground, flat ground, good, light ground. I guess it
would be light, it would be a heavy ground. Don't know.
Is there anything that it's not loose gravel? Well, you
want to slip and fall, it could be fluffy grass
that's technically like be good. I guess yeah. Uh, And
GORDI to get some video of him doing that today
in West Palm Beach. We do invite you to look
at our Sports Talk seven ninety social channels to see that.
But when Joe A. Spot I met with a media
at approximately eight o'clock our time this morning, he did
give us an update on what's going on with one
Joshua Hater. Oh, let's give it a second. It's frozen
but it's gonna unfreeze. I believe.
Speaker 4: So Josh had a really good all season. UH had three?
Speaker 2: Can you pull this up, Johnathan? It's it's literally a
spot of cut one. That's my computer's freeze. I'm going
to restart it right now. Just let us know when
you have it. I'm going to restart this bad boy.
How you doing, Matt?
Speaker 5: I got it?
Speaker 2: Okay? Thank you? Don't. I don't want to answer that
I had a really good all season.
Speaker 4: Uh had three three really really good bullpens, and leading
into his fourth one, UH doing his thorn program, he
stopped he's throwing because arm soreness. We immediately went and
got some imaging and uh there's some inflammation on his
bicep tendon. So he has not been thrown for I
want to say, ten eleven days, and he will start
getting back on his throwing program again today.
Speaker 2: Biceps tending inflammation is not what I wanted to hear.
Would you like some more? I guess we had to
figure there was a setback. There had to be a setback,
no question, and it was just it was the chalk
pick when we heard the buster only report. Sure, I
guess we can get some more Ian Urdas is a footspring. Okay, great,
well at Leasta Catcher doesn't need their feet all right.
So when you go to when you go to sports
radio one on one camp, when you want to be
a radio host, you're supposed to have eternal optimism unless
it helps your narrative of your show. Just being a
cranky s willb the whole time. Really, I never heard
the eternal optimism. Oh, sooner rather than later? If you've
not heard that phrase one hundred times, who says that
in life except sports radio hosts? Uh me for everything.
My life's gonna turn around sooner rather than later, Matt.
And you've been waiting for that to set that for
fifteen years and how that turned out. Life is beautiful.
But yeah, sooner rather than later. Hey, things are going
to turn around. Hey, listen, let's see if this sounds familiar.
Speaker 6: C J.
Speaker 2: Straw can't be worse this week. Hey, he can't be
worse than that now though, for real this time, I
don't know about that. You're not Come on, he's not
throwing four picks in a game. His entire life can't
get worse than that. So here's what I'm going to
do to buck that trend. Okay, you're gonna be negative
and pessimistic. Oh come on, So here's what it doesn't
sound good. We're here's what we're gonna do. We're not
doing this because we're anti aster. In fact, we're frankly
pro astro. Maybe in fact, I'm too close. I was
an astrobuddy in nineteen seventy, so I mean, when you're
a buddy, we're gon We're like in a small fraternity
of people in this world. It's true. People don't are
running around Mexico City going hey, I was an astro
buddy people in Denver and saying I was an astro buddy.
I walked the bases at the astroom for kids, walk
the basis. Alan Ashby and I said hello to each
other back when he was a catcher. Huh. I mean
that's how that's how long it's been. So I have
a vested interest in making sure the Astros are good
because that's my tip. That's my baseball team. I have
a basketball team. I've got a baseball team. I ain't
buying any of this stuff. I am thinking the very worst.
I'm not saying season ending surgery. I'm not saying he's
never gonna throw again. I'm not gonna I'm just saying
I don't want to hear about we're optimistic. I don't
want to hear about it's a positive sign that he's
throwing on flat ground. I ain't hearing any of it
because last year scorned me. It's like when your kids
come home late from being out. I'll never do that again.
I'll never do it again. And eventually you just don't
buy it. Hey, if you have a spouse or a
significant other that constantly cheats on you, wow, you know
you get kired of hearing about it. And I know
it's a different situation because everybody is different. It seems
like it I'm using this as context wrong. This certain
alogies in rare form this morning. It does work the
boy who cried wolf. Okay, well, every injury is different, optimistic,
That's what I'm saying. Every injury is different. So there's
really no reason for me to have this pessimism. But
I feel like it was too optimistic last year with
a lot of things. And now I'm gonna go in
the other direction. I was when you show up, you
show up. Until then, I don't want to about how
close you are and It's not not an indictment against Josh.
It's just about the whole nature of sports injuries. I
was continuously optimistic about Lance Keller's junior, and I was
continuously optimistic about I don't know spin talking about yeah, well,
well half is a whole nother ball of axe. All
those guys are gone, though, didn't they clean house and
the training staff and all that. Jeremiah Randall's laughing his
ass off right now, So we blame the training staff.
It's training staff's training staff, it's you know, he's working
in his own bullpen. The injuries are gonna happen to sport.
This is the new normal in baseball. I feel like
with the pictures, we keep saying, and you know, every
pitching interview I asked a question, Hey, what can be done?
What's happening here? And every time the pictures like I
don't know, and general manager's like shoulders. So you have
strength to numbers, you need spin, and you need vello
and spend more spin more, spend more, spend more Vello,
more villo, more villo, more offseason working programs, You're gonna
have arm injuries. Yep, guys are not showing up thirty
pounds overweight, ready to get in shape in February, rolling
their own cigarettes on the mound. This is a different time. Yeah.
So I come to you, and because I love all
of you, well, I love most of you, I come
to you and tell you that when I hear of this,
I'm not gonna be like, Oh, I hope everything's for
the best. Of course, I hope everything's for the best,
but I ain't waiting for it. When Josh Hater makes
his debut, whenever that may be, I'll be excited, but
I'm not gonna I mean, we'll we'll have to ask
for timelines because that's our responsibility. But my timeline is
I don't have a timeline for Josh Hates. Yeah. I
get sick of the timeline game last times. It is bad.
If you hear sooner rather than later from me or
from any listener, you're gonna get You're gonna get the shocker.
And you know what that means. We get the shocker.
It's not pleasant, hurt about something else. I don't care.
Whatever stings you, whatever hits you in the core your body,
that stings the nostrils. Yeah, okay, I'm I'm done with it.
Now the foot sprain happened. I mean, I'm looking at
what Chandler said. He is not a Diaz is participating
in baseball activities. He will actually catch uh EMI's bullpen
session today. Okay, so he's fine, he's gonna run, he's
gonna hit, he's gonna catch, He's just not gonna run. Okay. Now,
that to me is a little more optimistic because foot
sprains can get healed in a handful of weeks. It's
not like you're gonna be asking your catcher to get
a four AB's pergader on the base and steel bases,
but you ultimately need him to be ready for the
start of the season because you cannot. You do not
have an automatic runner like we did back when we
were junior high school. Man, I love yourd On and
he's biops plus, the greatest hitter in n Astro's history.
But having him at the d H spot and not
wanting to put him in the field, I'm just thinking
of that because you'd like to put the ideas in
the DH spot here and there, or we've we've talked
about a course about Altuve or Walker or Cray or whoever.
It's it's gonna be interesting and when you and just
this foot sprain from Diaz may end up being nothing.
But it just makes me think of this happening in
the middle of the season, where you'd say, oh, well,
we'll put him in it. We'll give a DH. Dan
He'll be Okay, you can't do that because you want
jord On in the DH spot every single day. You
buy declaring not saying that he's that uh, Jordon is
exclusively this DH, but by declaring he's the primary DH,
it does not give you options for guys to get
up there. Feet is actual words from Joe spot. I
will do everything in my power to have ord On
in the in the spot he might have said, we're
not calling him a DH, We're calling it the Urdon spot. Yes,
all right, Rocket's gonna win last night. We'll get to that.
We're gonna hear more from Joe a Spotta in the
bottom of the hour. We're gonna go to Gordy in
West Palm Beach. Oh really, We're gonna get him off
of the table where he's playing his little game with
the with the with the golf keys. We'll pull him
away from Rachel's What is that called when you play
that that that the tea box game, you know where
you you jump over the tees oh a cracker barrel. Yeah,
I don't remember. I I have never in my life
and I've done it. I don't know, between being a
kid adult, maybe a hundred times. I've only gotten to
two t's one. I never had one T. I've never
done one. So I don't think so I could do
it when I was like eight. Well that's the difference
between you and me. I mean I forgotten it. I
forgot the technique, but like how I mean I used
to know how to do it. I've never done the ruverscue.
You used to know where I could do it? Bothered? Bothered,
it was boring to me, so I kind of gave out. Okay,
have you done the riverscue multiple TI? I don't think so. No,
I didn't have one. But there's there's algorithms you can do.
You can there's people who can do them in like
twenty seconds. Yeah, there's used to be a speed contest
back where there still is? Is there really fun? They
do them blindfold now too? How do you know what
colors match up? It's basically if you turn it a
certain amount of times, a number of ways. You eventually
you'll get there. Well, that feels like a scam there,
which I came up with that strategy, by the way,
a long time ago. Matt and were able to monetize it. No,
all right, seven one three two two five seven seven
one three two one two five Sevenatti, it's a Matt
Thomas Shold Ross. This is Sports Talk seven anyways, ten
twenty one in the am here on Sports Talk seven
ninety on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross Pictures and
Catchers reporting into West Palm Beach, Florida. Chris Gordy is
out there. We'll hear from him shortly. Matt Thomas Old
Gordy's sting at the hotel. The bullet wounds are and
I you were fine, No, you're never in danger. Well,
I'm gonna make sure we brought in all our laptops
from the car. Yeah, we left nothing in the vehicle.
You know, we had the we had an insurance coverage
just in case of vandalism. No we didn't. We declined
the extra coverage. That's a scam, right of course. Yeah,
it's all a scam. Everything's a scam. Don't get me started,
all right, All right, My god, can I get Nick
Wright's face off my timeline? Jeez? Sorry, go ahead, what
do you mean? I have so much to tell you
about social relevance and sports whatever. Brauh. And he's doing great.
I'm sure he's doing fine. Of course. I again, my
my skin is too thin to have people literally hate
me every time I tweet something. Yeah, I get it.
I'm getting better about that. I just mute every conversation.
Like Jamel Hill, she writes something, and I mean I
look at her replies. I mean they're I would be like,
you know what, take the l and just don't do it,
because I mean usually again, if you're doing if you
put stuff on social media to get that controversial, then
you kind of deserve it. And I think Nick and
Jamel want to do that kind of stuff. But to
each his own, all right, So we've got some more
audio in from this morning, and again Gordon's gonna join
us in about five minutes here, so we'll be able
to accentuate, all right, accent when he was talking about
moments with the with the shortinger, somebody else you got today?
What else do I have? Yeah? Oh, I'm sorry, I
had restarted, so I lost my page. How's everything with you?
It's good. Computers are somewhat working today, I hope. So
I just restarted this bad Boy, so we should we
should be humming on all cylinders. Can't wait? I think?
All right? Uh well, here do you want to hear
from Dana Brown? Are you hear for more from Joe Spott?
Let's go all the above? How about more on I
like this one? A more update from hater with Chandler
question are we gonna hear exasperation in the voice of
Joe spotted with Chandler Rome's question, yes or no? What
do you think I'm gonna say no? Because sorry?
Speaker 4: So he went for I want to say ten eleven days,
so he'll he'll get back in that flat ground today
and and get and get going again.
Speaker 7: Are you guys able to ascertain right now whether that
would put him in jeopardy for opening day or kind
of Where are you.
Speaker 2: Guys at timeline?
Speaker 5: You know what?
Speaker 8: Day to day?
Speaker 2: Weeks?
Speaker 9: Two weeks?
Speaker 2: I think he's early.
Speaker 4: I think we have we have a good seven eight
weeks if I'm not counting, but but I think we
we we have time. So Joshua, josh knows his body
very well. So he'll let us know.
Speaker 2: He said day to day, which I can live with. Weeks,
two weeks, I'm not through with.
Speaker 10: Said.
Speaker 2: If he said month to month, we'd have been really
But even when it's month to month, he says day
to day. So we're all scarred from last year. There
was a little sigh, but it wasn't at Chandler. I
think it was at the injury. By the way, what
a wonderful to ascertain?
Speaker 9: Mean?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, seriously, that is high brow vocabulary. I
guess the average person doesn't use a word to ascertain daylight.
I would say, you learned that word in eighth grade. No,
but it's a great word. You learned the word oh
yea yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean we should be trying
to use more very vocabulary. I don't disagree with you
at all. I tell people all the time that are
in our business. I said, the number one thing you
can do is take as many English classes as possible
to diversify you. That's why we get your reading the
Tory Spelling Book. I mean it was good, Mum, buy
you a book. We're gonna start the Matt Thomas book
Club that we're not We're going to do none of
the such. All right, we'll get you on some curious George.
That's more my speed. Thank you very much, thank you,
all right? What else? What else from Joe A.
Speaker 1: Spada?
Speaker 2: Well, let's see. How about Tatsuya em has been a
topic of conversation. Apparently he is going to be in
a pool of possible pitchers to throw for Japan in
the WBC, but he's not supposed to be there in
pool play. Here's what Joe Spott had to say about
keeping an eye on his workload.
Speaker 4: We're gonna lean on his feedback. You know, he is
going to throw today off the mound. We want to
see what he's at looked like. How many pitch is
going to require him for him just to you know,
get ready, and we're gonna lean on him. We have
some ideas, we have a planning place, but his feedback
is very important just to get him, just to get
him going here.
Speaker 2: Okay, So he's looking good and while he's part of
the pitching depth the astros have. We kind of talked
about this man. It's we went through the possible candidates.
How many names did we get to as far as rotation,
so a lot of pitching a depth for the Astros,
which is something they definitely needed last year, and Joe
Spotta says it's a good thing.
Speaker 4: Obviously, you never want to hear any any injuries to
to any of your players. But we went out and
we reinforced our pitching staff just so we can endure
and be in a position to anything anytime any of
our pitchers will go down for a period of time
that we have enough quality of pitching and we and
we did that.
Speaker 2: Translation, pitching injuries are the new normal, so we have
to have as many bodies as possible, and we got them.
That's why I said us the other day. And it's
not like I came up organically on my own. We're
gonna see more six mans in Major League Baseball. I
even think even with the off days, to shave starts
off of people, to have them running for August and September,
even though every game counts the same. You don't want
to be sitting there worrying about a guy in July
who's got a tired arm and having a nurse's way
through the rest of the season. So yeah, you better
have six I like that. I like what they did.
I like they have a bunch of options. You know,
they don't have a you know, like the old old
days you had the ACE and then you had like
your co ace and then a couple guys. They have
a bunch of guys who are good, maybe not great,
maybe not a bunch of cy young award winners, but
he got a bunch of sevens. You're gonna make it
through the rotation. You can be all right, No, this
is not a this is not the Braves rotation. This
isn't the Astros rotation of like twenty nineteen. But it
does have depth to it. It doesn't make you squeamish
when you get to say the four, five, six, seven spots,
because all those guys have some sort of major league
It's very pretty good about those guys, even like Jason
Alexander in the back end and those other guy like
Ryan Weiss. I'm intrigued, NYJ. Blueball had a cup of
coffee for it is spring training, so we're optimistic about everyone.
And your buddy Lance mcclors, Yes, Lance mc colors, and
your beave off that island. I've been way off that
Guardy's been off the island for a long time. He
didn't get that angry with him at fan Fest, sources
to him, was quite uncomfortable. Well, Lance mccullor's junior doesn't
like criticism. Nobody does, especially not him. That's right, all right.
Let's speaking of Gordon. He's down in West Palm Beach. Yes,
he's finishing up his pancakes and apple Compote. Will be
looking forward to getting his update from what he had
for breakfast and what is going on with what he
saw and the reading between the lines. We heard the
audio officially, what is unofficially? What do we seeing? We'll
talk with Gording next ten twenty nine on Sports Talk
seven ninety. Frost and Matt with you here and at
ten thirty four, Emai Doka is going to join us.
At eleven o'clock, Get shut your bum ass up, Rockets
head coach. I got to shut your ballass up. Anybody
got time for that? About my own NBA at eleven
and thirty. You know what he should say about Rockets fans?
You do? I should. Fred van Vliet was on the
TV broadcast and he was talking about Rockets fans being
so negative and panicking too. Really, yes, he said, I've
been on Twitter more since I've been since he's been injured.
He said he blames KD because KT is always on me,
is online for sure people KD. Kat has told people
where he he knows where they live. He told him
to suck various parts of his enneritolia. Hey, various parts?
All right? Anyways, all right, go to Gordy's.
Speaker 5: Go to Gordy.
Speaker 2: Good God, you brought up to Katie on Twitter? Make
you talk about genitalia? Well, I mean it is what
it is, uh seven to one three. I mean I
didn't ask Katie to get so viol on Twitter. I mean,
I still I'm here for it. Let's talk to our buddy,
Chris Gordy. He is, of course, uh handling our spring
training coverage early on before Ross and I get down
there next week, and Gordy was there for all of
the hullabaloo. You did get some flat ground video of
Josh hater Gordy, What did you think?
Speaker 8: I mean, he's tossing. I wouldn't classify it as throwing,
but you know, I guess that was good that he
was on flat ground and throwing around to baseball. But yeah,
I mean, this this thing feels like it's I mean, everybody,
nobody's hitting the panic button. Right now, but it does
feel like, you know, this is going to be an
opening day and we'll wait and see and then you know,
probably a few weeks after that.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 8: I mean, it's very early, but you know, we're just
finding out about the setback he had what his fourth
winter ball bullpen he was throwing, and of course the
inflammation has become the big word around the Astros organization
the last few years.
Speaker 5: But I guess I'll.
Speaker 8: Classified as a good sign that he was out there
and at least throwing the ball around on black rounds.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you don't necessarily have to do that. I'm he
was just curious if there was anything like you're going
to talk to him. Obviously the meaning will be waiting
for Josh at his locker after the throwing session today
and be better just to hear directly from him. But
as I said open the show today, Guardian, I'm gonna wait,
and I'm not gonna have sooner around than later. I'm
not gonna be optimistic. I'm done with timelines and I
don't think I'm speaking on behalf of the minority of
Astro fans. When he gets out there, that's great, thankfully.
If there is this over lining You do have some
people like Brian and Bray who can slot in that
closer spot at least early on was good last year
not great in that spot, but at least you've got
some insurance.
Speaker 8: Yeah, that's what Data Brown kind of said, was you
know they you know, he even said he's like, you
guys know me, I love adding pitching, and so they
added a lot of pitching this offseason. And they've got
a lot of guys that, you know, we don't know
what their roles are yet. You know, we think everybody's
gonna be healthy and this will be a six man rotation,
but there are there are some jobs up for graps.
But yeah, I mean, you feel good about what Brian
King gave you last year. You know what what Brian
pray You brings you. So you feel good about both
of those guys as they both have to move up
from seven to eighth to eighth and ninth innings. But uh,
you know, again, the hope would be that it wouldn't
be very long and Hater would be back out there.
But yeah, like I said, talking to most people out here,
nobody nobody's really panicked panicking on the Hater things.
Speaker 2: Then we'll do it here in Houston, because I again,
I don't think there's any worse way you can open
up a training camp and having your twenty million dollar
year closer barely tossing the baseball. I'm gonna just be
really honest and I and I and I'm not blaming
the Astros. I'm just saying that I think I'm having
I'm having a negative flashbacks PTSD over what the Astros
went through last year.
Speaker 8: Well, I was Sugacheller about it this morning. He was
even saying that he thinks, you know, they're probably fine
with him going on whatever schedule he needs to because
he's so proven. You know, he's he's a veteran who's
been there, done that, so you just been a younger guy.
And they were being more rigid with his with his uh,
you know, schedule, and oh, we got to get him
back by this date, and he's got to be throwing
this many pitches by this date. I think they trust
Hater to know his body and when he says he's ready,
he'll be ready.
Speaker 2: Chris Gordy was here on Sports Talk seven ninety at
West Palm Beach. Thanks to Willie's grill and ice house.
What about the the other news as far as injury,
Yiner Diz and his foot sprain. Sounds like he's going
to catch a bullpen today and hopefully it's not too
much of an issue.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean, he looks fine walking around out there.
Joe Spotta kind of said. All it means is they're
just gonna limit his running a little bit. So he'll
still catch all the bullpen and you know, he'll he'll hit,
he'll do all that stuff. He just won't be running
the bases a ton now. So I think that's that's fine.
But my antenna went up when I heard that, because
keep in mind they lost Victor Karattini this offseason and
did not replace him. And as much as we like
says arsalas are, uh, you know he's he's gonna have
a big role thrust upon him this season if they
don't add another veteran catcher and so as Dana Brown
talked about it this morning, said, yeah, we like Dally
and we think he's ready. But I made a point
to ask him about Walker Yannick, who was their first
round pick from a couple of years ago, and I said,
where is he in his development? And he said, we
like where he's at, and obviously, look, if he can
come out and have a big spring, maybe that escalates
his track a little bit and maybe he gets called
up this year. But uh, it is a glaring hole
because of uh, you know how much you know jannar
Diez his bat dropped last year. You wonder how much
of that was him playing so much and you know,
and now you lose Victor Karatini Ardea is not like
his workload is gonna go down at Also, it's certainly
something to watch.
Speaker 2: What about back into the rotation obviously has been another storyline,
and you know, tying into the pitching and the injuries
and stuff like that, just from from you being out there,
how do you feel like that could possibly shape up?
Speaker 8: Well, let me let me bring you more to the
front of the rotation now. Obviously Hunter Brann announced today
as the opening day starter, but today was Tatsi, Tatsuya
and my gay like the Japanese media here, I mean
there's about a dozen of them that I mean literally
he drops something, bends down to pick it up, they're
all literally like in his face, filming him and following
him around. I mean, it's they are obsessed with this
guy following him around, and we got to see him
throw just a few minutes ago, and I think they're
about sixteen pitches, all fast falls. But he looks good.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 8: I mean, it's this guy. It's it's gonna be exciting
to see what he brings to the Astros. And and
a humble guy too. I mean, you know, you come
come from Japan, where he's beloved. There was an all
star over there, and he's just a guy in the
clubhouse here, you know, obviously speaking through his translator. But
uh and then somebody pointed out he puts some highlights
in his hair too, so he's got that going for
him now. But uh, yeah, am I bringing a lot
of tension. But to your point, I mean, Mike Burrows
is here, got to see him kind of throwing around today.
You know, White, Ryan Weiss and you know Nate Pearson.
These are all guys that are all competing for the
back end of the rotation spots, and so's gonna be
in trusted to follow them throughout spring training. And then
the guy who just walked past us a few minutes ago, Lance,
but the Colors, he's still here, still getting paid well
and if he could pitch, well, that would mean good
things for the Astros.
Speaker 2: Pure gut. Do you think Emi leaves the team to
join the WBC at any point.
Speaker 8: I don't get that vibe, but feel it feels like
he's he's trying to set it. I mean, somebody asked
him how he's enjoying Florida, and he's like, I've been
here two days, like it's everything's new, and he's trying
to settle in, get to know these guys, these new
teammates and everything. So I don't get that vibe. Feels
like he's here and ready to stay.
Speaker 2: So we know the big storylines as far as the
pitching and hater and the injuries and stuff like that.
Anything you've noticed or it's something you think is flying
under the radar right now, it's bring training, that could
be another storyline to pop up.
Speaker 8: Yeah, you know, the noticeable absence guy's being in the clubhouse.
And it sounds silly to say, but not having Mauricio
dubond I mean, Douby was the guy that everybody loved
and you knows kind of almost like that George Springer
that she used to have, the guy that just puts
a smile on everybody's face when you see him, and
not having him here it's kind of a noticeable absence.
And so you know, I talked with Nick Kelly this morning,
the you know, the guy that's going to be the
new utility man replace him, coming over from the Braves.
But yeah, I mean, the question is who's going to
be that guy who's going to be the you know,
when everything's tight, a guy who can make everybody smile.
I don't know, we'll have to see who that's going
to be.
Speaker 2: All right. When is Josh supposed to speak with you guys,
as I'm assuming after he showered and shaved and worked
on his hair product.
Speaker 8: Yeah, any minute now. So we're going to head in there,
and Hunter Brown's supposed to speak as well about being
named the opening day starter. So we'll have that for
you on our Sports Talks of a ninety Twitter and
our website presented by Willie's Grill and Ice House.
Speaker 2: And apparently they're serving crawfish already at Willi's. Is that accurate?
Speaker 8: Yes, that's what they want to be your go to
crawfish spot. So yeah, if you're looking to get into
the crawfish season already Willies has got you's got you
taken care of and uh, I can't wait to get
back to Houston so I can get some all.
Speaker 2: Right, send us word down the line when Josh has
something to say. Thank you, Gordy. We'll talk with you
about this same spot tomorrow here on the show. We
appreciate it as always, all right, fellas, that's Chris Gordy
at West Palm Beach and as soon as Josh speaks,
we'll carry some of that. Are not Carrie, but we'll
bring you some of that audio directly from West Palm Beach.
SVK leading and finn or Tie one one in the
Winter Olympics. Man, come on, Slovakia, Slovakia, Finland. Finn I
knew what Finland was. Slovakia had taken him in. Really
eh okay, Hockey, I'll say this to its credit is
an amazing sport in person. Television doesn't do the sport
dust justice in the arena when you're hearing the pocket
the glass, Yeah, that's exciting. When you're watching the Houston
Arrows versus the Indianapolis Ice and you're in the arena,
it's a good time. Two thousand and one appreciates what
you just said, the rest of us for the last
twenty years don't even know what you're saying. Okay, that's fine.
Uh seven one three two five, seven ninety If you
would like to be a part of our show today
seven one three two one two seven And we're going
to talk to emy Adoka coming up in just a
few minutes here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Let's continue on the phones and say, how are the
great folks we're going to Terry are Cleveland Guardians and
analysts from northeast Ohio? Terry, how the hell are you?
Speaker 11: I'm doing fine, guys. Is Cole Thompson there?
Speaker 2: No, he's not. He's his day ends at ten o'clock
in the morning.
Speaker 11: He said he's going to stick around with you guys.
But anyway, he made a comment about the Guardians they
couldn't beat anybody. Well, let me tell you they came
to Houston's. What the asked is the dyke and Park
kept him out of the playoffs?
Speaker 2: Did he hang up? I didn't. Oh why did you?
Why did you hang up on him?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 2: Because he lied to Jonathan. Apparently you cannot lie to Jonathan.
He will hang up on you. Nothink twice just happened. Yeah,
I was looking at Instagram. Who said anything about the Guardians?
Apparently you don't take your phone. No, I mean, I know,
Terry good friend of the show, but you know it's
going to be a Cleveland Center phone calling for those
that don't know. We do a show for primarily if
you said anything about the Guardians, he probably called it.
Oh Cole Thompson did. Yeah. Oh, so he's responding to
Cole Yes, says you know he's on for four hours
A yeah, Terry, call Cole tomorrow. Yeah, you got beef
of cold Cold six to ten. I know he's only
going to talk to you about SEC football, but maybe
you'll throw a little Guardian talk at you too. Maybe
he'll give you a run down of the Guardian rotation,
Tennessee Volunteers transfer portal and what's going on with the Guardians. Yeah,
he'll give you his mock draft of Texans mock draft
for nine rounds. There's only seven, and he'll give you
nine rounds because they give you a bonus Coston case
just in case x little compensitorial free agents. There you go,
and nobody in the world knows more about Priority free
agents than Cole Thompson. When it when it, I guess
it already is mock draft season and we start breaking
those bad boys, then I take I've told this year
in and year out. It's just worthy of saying it.
If you're doing a mock draft, you really have got
to branch out why because what if it's your job?
Uh Like uh NFL dot comas schmanche smert Line. He
does mock drafts, but he doesn't do round by round
of every team. That is such a wild goose chase
you'd go on, Yeah, it's a fun off season speculation.
You gotta get them off season clicks, Matty, I don't
need those. NFL content creator, Well, there's no off season
for this show because we talk all sports. Would you
like for me to give you a mock draft of
something for Do you think I can give you thirty
days of mock drafts of everything? No, that wouldn't intrigue you. Yes,
I'm extremely intrigued. I don't know. Let me ask you this.
I was backed into a corner now. I was thinking
about this driving home the other day. Were you what
if I gave you once a week a mock draft
of something Okay, it could be race cars. It could
be that's sort of like a Fantasy five. Yeah, I go.
I was gonna say, what if you drafted five things?
An I draft the five things and we did in
a snake format, and then people voted on our lists.
I'd be that's okay, we're kind of doing that. Then
I stand correct. Forget what I said. Rockets won last night.
Did you enjoy it? Well, it wasn't the prettiest game, honestly, No,
I don't think Nasmith Hall of Fame's calling for a
copy of it. Yeah, but you got the job done.
You shot fifty percent from three. I mean, i'man Thompson. Well,
not in the postgame interview, but during the game he
was good, and alprynching Goon was good. How about this,
Kevin Durant, I let me see if I can pull
the number up. Is it like one thousand and one
to twenty point games? Or is one one hundred and
twenty two games the Geese played. Okay, so over twenty
points in one thousand of them last night was a thousand.
That's pretty good. That's amazing. It's him m h, it's
lebron Kareem and Kareem and Karl Alone. Yeah, I heard
Adam Wexler running it down to the postgame show, which
was thrilling the way he delivered or just the anadol
of it. Okay, it's good. Yeah, that's rarefied air. And
I continue to say this, and you back this up
when I say it, one of the ten fifteen greatest
players in the history of the NBA is going to
wrap up his career. You would think in theory wearing
a Houston Rocket uniform. It's pretty good. And he was off.
He was one for eight in the first quarter of
the game and then kind of settled back and was
much better than the second half. Second greatest shooter of
all time, fight me, I don't. I can't buy into
that completely because I got really going to do a
deep dive, meaning I'm not gonna do it at all.
But that's not a terrible thirty seven. So he's on
the cusp of a fifty forty ninety season. Yeah, getting
thirty percent from the field, forty percent from three to
ninety percent from the free throw line. He's the only
eighty eight point one from the free throw scientis tisk
He's got to get those numbers up Scott on seven
on a good morning Scott, Good morning man, how you
doing good?
Speaker 12: Get a little rain out here, but anyway.
Speaker 2: Be careful.
Speaker 12: Yeah, forty five is a mess. So I'm just curious
what your thoughts are, because I know.
Speaker 10: You go to all the games.
Speaker 12: I'm wondering if you saw a more organized offense last
night like I did. Did it seem like they had
a different game plan last night to you and it
did to me.
Speaker 2: I need you to explain because I'm willing to listen.
But I didn't see anhing out of the ordinary yesterday
at all.
Speaker 12: I saw less isolation. I guess they were more in
fast break than anything, but more than usual. But it
seems like the only offense they have is an isolate
saloon at the top of the key or isolate KD
at the top of the key. But I saw a
lot more passing going on, and it seemed like they
had some different screens going on. I'm not wondering if
you noticed that, or it's just me.
Speaker 2: Well, I'll say this yesterday to me and thank you
for the skull. Scott. Be careful out there. Maybe if
you were to take the amount of time the ball
was in a Men Thompson's hands, it would be reduced
a little bit. Yes, they were running because the Clippers
didn't start the game with the five on one, which
is what people have been doing, putting the opposing center
on him and Thompson and sagging them off. But they
did it a little bit with brook Lopez and they
did have him in Thompson a little bit more off
ball screening, running those types of things. But I would say, no,
they're not an isolation offense. I mean it ends up
that way generally, would they It's a pick and roll set.
What they do with Kevin Durant and Alprin shing Goon
in a two man game with Amen Thompson normally kind
of roaming around, that's basically their go too. They don't
do it every single time down the floor, but that's
what they do. They were using them in more as
a screener last night than I have seen in recent time,
which was good because it forces They were doing it
also very like top of the key. So if brook
Lopez is going to be sagging off of a Men
Thompson and that's how they want to go the defense
to get him in the paint, well, yeah, run a
high pick and roll with the men as a screener.
Then brook Lopez is going to be in deep waters
because he's gonna have to either switch and get onto
Kevin Durant or Outbrnching Goon and let them operate. And
it's also gonna just help more movement all around and
help with the space. And the reality is this, we
have seen more centers attack men. The thing you may
have noticed differently last night is brook Lopez athletics. I
can't do no no, And that's the reason why there
was a little more roaming around because the men didn't
have a big athletic six ten, six eleven guy chasing round.
It's good because they're gonna have solutions to this problem.
They're gonna need counters to that, especially c playoff time.
If you get matched up right now, they would be
matched up in the second round against the San Antonio Spurs.
So I like that they've they're going to have some
time to figure this out, work on it, fine, tune it,
and get more reps working on this men. Thompson getting
defended by five because you need him out there because
you have you know, some people want him out of
the starting lineup because of the spacing and all that stuff.
You got to figure it out because the men. Thompson
needs to be on the floor. Yeah, because he's a great,
dynamic two way player. When he was asked yesterday whether
or not Reid could supplant a man in the starting lineup,
he said nine anytime soon and probably not ever. Reid
had a great night four six from three. I like
offense off the bench to play thirty minutes. It's not
like read. People act like Reach Shepherd. Oh, you gotta
start Reach Sheepherd, you gotta start Reach Shepherd. He played
more minutes than Tari Easton last night, who started. He's
playing minutes. But it's about the configuration of on the floor.
As you mentioned, he can come on with the second unit,
be the primary ball handler and shooter and score off
of there because Click Capella ain't giving you twenty off
the bench. You need bench scoring and that's where Reach
Shepherd thrives. Emay Duncan next on seven.
Speaker 1: Ninety's The Matt Thomas Show with Ross.
Speaker 2: Love It two on seven ninety Man and Ross with You,
we spend ten minutes now with the head basketball coach
of your Houston Rockets. Last night, Rockets took care of
business one two to the l A Clippers. Emay Duckle
with US coach, good morning. How different was it facing
a Clipper team with out Zubots and Harden on the floor.
I know you know all those players very well. You
certainly know Kawhi and what he's able to do. But
just for the strategizing during the course of the game,
was it a complete different change or there's some elements
that used in previous games without those two guys on
the floor.
Speaker 5: No, it's very different.
Speaker 13: Obviously, Harden is just such unique player and what he
brings to the table. You have to game plan this
scheme for him, and you know, Zubo's kind of their
anchor on defense, and so very different as far as
the space thing with Lopez, you know, more spaced out
on the perimeter the ball and Leonard's ten one hundred
percent of the time now, and then you know they're
not at full strength. You know, Garland's out, and obviously
they're getting their guys up to speed. Mather and then
Jackson playing in their first game. So it was very
different than the team we faced before.
Speaker 2: The double team on Kawhi look you got his shots up,
but it took him nineteen to get twenty four. So
I think you'd be generally speaking pretty police the way
you guys doubled him on a fairly regular basis.
Speaker 13: Yeah, and that's my point, you know, with with with
hard Gun and some of their guys out we you know,
have to go after Kawhi Leonard obviously he's gonna have
the ball in his hands and much more. And so yeah,
you don't always look at the final score, you know,
him having twenty four points, it's the nineteen attempts. Other
than you know, nine free throws. I think we did
a decent job on them.
Speaker 2: Read back off the bench. Good to get Amend back
out there. There was some time out there that looked
like that Amen didn't have to necessarily worry about ball
handling as much as maybe in previous games. Was that
intentional or just how the game progress, especially because he
had not as many big men chasing after him as
he had in recent weeks.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think, you know.
Speaker 13: We like to have multiple handlers out there at times,
and so when we can get reading our men out
there together, it's always.
Speaker 5: Been good for us.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 13: Obviously you can initiate through Alpi and Kevin does his
share handling as well.
Speaker 5: So as always.
Speaker 13: This year, you know, we tried to go through a
little bit through committee while the young guys are learning.
But yeah, several different ways to attack it. And like
I said, with Alp being such a unique center that
can play up top and get us into our sets,
you can take some of that pressure off the other guys.
Speaker 2: There has been a lot of talk about him and
Thompson and the fives guarding him. How much has that
been discussed in practices and meetings and things like that,
and as part of you as a coach kind of
like the challenge of seeing that and trying to work
on ways to combat it.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean it's something that we've seen since his
first year, since his rookie year, when you know when
Alper went out with the last eighteen games and was
technically our.
Speaker 5: Small ball five or you know him and Jabari out.
Speaker 13: There at the four and the five, so quite a
few teams had the bigs on him. So something that
he and we are very accustomed to. And you know,
he knows the spots that he can pick, whether he's
handling obviously putting the big on him a second back
takes away some of the driving lanes, but very good
in the in the pocket, very good in the dunker spot.
Speaker 5: You know, him setting screens and rolling has always been
good for us.
Speaker 13: And so he's had his practice over the last few years,
and we know the areas we can get to with
him not handling the ball.
Speaker 2: Rocket take coach Imy Doka was here on Sports Talk
seven ninety just reach Shepherd of course, with the bounce
back night shooting last night. Is there any bit of
a kind of a semblance of a maybe he's not
a rookie, but a rookie wall to he's played double
the minutes that he did all of last year. What
have you been seeing from him, not only just from
on the floor, but as far as energy and maintaining
and being out there on the floor.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean he's played a lot more this year.
Obviously then you know, didn't play a ton of this
rookie year. But I think for all young guys, everybody's
gonna have a slump at some point during the season.
Speaker 5: And you know what we.
Speaker 13: Say is don't let that affect your overall game. You know,
don't just rely on jump shots to impact the game.
And so for Reid, you know, he's making some really
nice passes and stepping up on the defensive end. It
is what we're asking all the guys to do, and
so he didn't may hit that wall, and obviously one
more before All Start break, you can get your legs back,
get a little rest in, and kind of reset from there.
Speaker 5: But I think he's playing fine.
Speaker 13: You know, missing some shots that he normally made early
in the season, but Jabari did a few weeks ago.
Auferins gone through his thing, and so you just have
to push through it, like I said, and I just
let made shots dictate how your.
Speaker 5: Game's going to go.
Speaker 2: We've discussed as many times where coaches like yourself have
to kind of fight the All Star break, you know, like, hey,
I want to think about the vacation or getting away
from the sport. Your guys have fought through that the
last couple of days. Discuss the bounce back in your
mind the team has had after those two home losses
to Boston Charlotte. How you fought back and now with
a chance here to go to the break in a
three game winning streak.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean, it's just the effort and intensity that
takes to win a basketball game, wasn't there in those
two games.
Speaker 5: And you know, quite simple.
Speaker 13: You know, whether you make shots or not or guard
well enough, if you don't play with the right effort
in mindset, you're not gonna give yourself a chance on
the nightly basis. And so for us, it was just
getting back to that. I think you saw that in
Oklahoma City game. We watched quite a bit of film
on the Charlotte and Boston game and look like two
different teams. Whether you know it was just legs or
guys thinking about All Star.
Speaker 5: Break or whatever.
Speaker 13: We had five games left and we wanted to play well.
So you know, two of those not too well. The
last been really good. And it's like I said, you
can see the difference on the tape. Our guys have
been back locked in and obviously want to finish on
a good note tonight.
Speaker 2: I don't know if you've heard from the medical staff.
Where are you on who can sit and who can
stay tonight? Is there anybody that would be definitely out
for tonight's game.
Speaker 13: Dorian will be out tonight for sure. Try will be
a game time decision. You know he's gonna try it
down and see how he feels and go from there.
Speaker 2: All right, Josh did not play a show. Is that
being okay with him?
Speaker 5: Yeah? Yeah, just Josh was fine.
Speaker 13: I think part of it was the fact that Dorian's
going to be out tomorrow tonight and you don't want
to rest him.
Speaker 5: But obviously Josh is always ready to be called.
Speaker 13: Upon and went with the little short of rotation knowing
that we're gonna run some guys some longer minutes and.
Speaker 5: We'll have Josh tonight for sure.
Speaker 2: What did you think of ben nick Mather and getting
his first amount of playing time for the Clippers. We
just saw him a few weeks ago wearing paster gear.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean, he's gonna be a good asset for them.
Speaker 5: I think.
Speaker 13: You know, it's always hard when you kind of get
implemented into a new situation like that, and you know,
he wasn't as aggressive as he's been with Indiana, but
expect that to happen over time here, you know, probably
right after all start break when they gets some practices in,
but good pickup for them in general.
Speaker 2: Do you tell the NBA folks to keep your center
and your power forward on ice and make sure you
don't work him too hard. I mean, it's a great
experience for both of them, especially for Albi when getting
the late addition. But Kevin's been through this a lot,
so do you think about that, Like, hey man, I
want you to get away from the sport. But it
feels like to me that Katie's been such a gym
ra at his entire life that it's he he'd trying
to find a place to shoots some baskets even during
this off time.
Speaker 13: Oh, he definitely would have done that regardless, and so
you know, it's another honor for him. Man outbring, you know,
and we want those guys to be perennial All Stars.
And you know, as much as the rest is good
for you, that's a huge runner. And I think the
guys will trade that off any day, but in know
how to mix it in and get the rest in
that they need in the in the days with the
media and all that. And then obviously the game isn't
full speed full speed, so they'll they'll be out there
getting some rest. But even after that, they got two
three four days off to until our next game agains
Charlotte and get a chance to rest up then.
Speaker 2: And we've still been through this amazing run of back
to backs. It's getting better. I mean, they're they're being
knocked off the list, But it feels like this squad
has had more back to backs in the last month
and a half than maybe anybody else in the NBA
has had.
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, I'm sure we have.
Speaker 13: I think we didn't have any for the first you know,
eight or so weeks. I think we had our first
in late December, and so, you know, we had it
easier earlier in the year, and now.
Speaker 5: It's catching up to us.
Speaker 13: You know, we basically had won every week for the
last four weeks, and so it is what it is.
You know, it's going to catch up to you at
some point. And like I said, we have done a
good job and some struggled earlier in some others and
now we want to finish tonight with on a good
note against Clippers.
Speaker 2: Is there any the wrap things up with you? Is
there any individual message you like tell the guys that
they step away from the sports or is it more
of a team get together conversation as guys trying to
take a step a break away from the sport for
a few days.
Speaker 5: I think I think it's both.
Speaker 13: I think you know, team and individually, everybody needs to,
you know, kind of take a step back and decompress,
you know, get your legs back. We have twenty nine
games coming out of the break and that goes really quickly.
So get the work in that you need to. Obviously,
don't come back out of shape or you know, rusty,
but also get away from it for a minute.
Speaker 5: Like I said, clear your mind and prepare for what's
a hit?
Speaker 2: Are you much of a standings watcher guy right now
or is that never gonna happen for you?
Speaker 14: No?
Speaker 5: I think we're all conscious of it.
Speaker 13: Such a tight, tight race in the West that every
game kind of matters, and so when it's that tight,
and this is one of the season, you're already starting
to peek at it.
Speaker 2: Thank you for the visitors always, We'll see you tonight,
and good luck against the Clippers.
Speaker 5: Thank you, guys, you got it.
Speaker 2: Emao Doka with us here on Sports Talk seven ninety
was Danning's watch? Was it Joe that was never watching standings?
Or that is every coach line I'm aware of that,
he's aware of it. Yeah. Number three in the West,
Well it's five percentage point, still number three in the West.
I love it. That does. You can say whatever you want.
You can put all your asterisks and all that number
three in the West, and I think I had n
and coaches, you know, because.
Speaker 15: The words and they're gonna be eight seed and the
team's falling apart.
Speaker 2: Who is that? Is that?
Speaker 5: All?
Speaker 2: Have you seen? Rockets? Twitter? Rocket? Twitter? Sounds like that
audio shop Firestone fire email you doka? Are you ready
for this little knuck?
Speaker 5: What?
Speaker 2: The Rockets are one game better record wise this year
than they were at this same point last year. They
were thirty two and twenty. Last year they're thirty three
and nineteen.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 2: M okay. You know what just feels a little bit
different is the fact that last year was Oklahoma City
boat Race. Everybody, Yes, how you got the San Antonio
Spurs killing it? Yeah, they're like, uh, they might win
sixty games. Oh, we don't need to talk about what
when b Dyama did last night? Will you please text
Clinton during the break for me?
Speaker 5: No?
Speaker 2: Why, just want to say his reaction he well, this
is what he's gonna I'm gonna I'll predict if he's
not listening, let's do it in pardiculaar. I was gonna say, right,
now he's just saying, oh, yeah, I was against all
the Lakers backups, which is true. Lakers were missing Reeves, Lebron, Doncicu,
who else, some other players the under eight, and I
think didn't play. So for those who don't know, Wemby
last night scored forty points. Here's the incredible part of it.
He scored thirty seven of that in the first half,
twenty five. In the first quarter he had twenty five.
He was Gay's going Wilt Chamberlain pace. In the first
quarter he had twenty five. The Lakers had thirty collectively,
and then the first So what you do is why
you don't want to root for San Antonio.
Speaker 5: I don't.
Speaker 2: It does give a little separation between three, four, five, six.
Yeah's you're three and a half back. So I think
I think heading to San Antonio for Game one of
the Western Semis feels like a the chalk pick. You're
staying with me, right, the chalk pick. You know we're
going to San Antonio to go We're staying on the
sewage walk. Well, we stay a little bit off of
it a little okay, we're in the more of the
Christis Casino in San Antonio, it's about I don't know,
a thousand miles away in Denver or in Las Vegas. Gosh,
I thought Texas was supposed to be about freedom. Speaking
of that, what's the deal? There's an interesting story about
what's going on in Dallas with the ownership of the Mavericks. Oh,
because they want some cash. They want they want some
casino cash. We'll talk about that in the second okay.
And then we got Chutch you boy mass up at
bottom of the hour here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
We got some breaking news here on the Matt Thomas Show.
Did I hear it or not? Many know? All right,
well do you want them? I think we should get one. Okay,
I don't know what's happening. It's not breaking. It's oh
common to you know, when you hear from people it's
also breaking as well. Okay, So we hear is Josh
hater uh speaking to the media literally a couple of
minutes ago. This is raw. We have not cut the
sound up, but this is I'm assuming a couple of
Q and a's. Oh computer froze up, so he says,
keep a second. Oh, this is Josh speaking after he
soft tossed today and and When Gordy said soft toss,
he really meant he was having a catch. Well he was,
but it this way. If he had a two year
old son, he was probably throwing the ball to his
teems was te bat? You know it was an underhand,
was it?
Speaker 5: You know?
Speaker 2: Maybe you use your right hand, build up a strength
just in case. I mean, if you're paying twenty million
dollars a year when you las want to travel to
give it a go with the right hand. It's well, okay,
are you ready? I think he's maybe we're still frozen.
All right, he says, I sent it to Ross. We're
a multi billion dollar company and we have the worst equipment. Sorry,
I gotta run this bios update real quick. You just
now you're just making things. Okay, I'm kidding. Computers are great. Well,
can you give us the gist of what he said? No,
I'm not giving we get a paraphrase. No, No, we
can call you the gister. No we're not. No, No,
I'm a gesture, not the gister. Excuse me what I
just say? Uh man, we tried it. I'm telling you
fair Well, here's from Chandler rome A. Well, we'll get
we'll get the audio eventually, Josh Kater just send it
to you. We are an audio company medium. It's fine. Uh.
He's a few weeks behind, but did one did not
want to speculate about opening day. He said he thinks
the biceps issue was independent of the shoulder capsule sprained
that sidelined him last year. He said he felt his
bicep grab while throwing a change up in catch. We'll
see you may first. You want to fight me on
and go ahead? No, I don't. I'm defeated some down,
I know, because that gives us a him mount of
computer system. Okay, well I know it's it's all rolled
into one, Matt. Oh, it probably is. Yeah, combination of
bringing down your subconscious, which is a powerful thing. All right,
check your email, sud.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Well I have to roll on this and then save
it and then we can so really our computer crash.
We have people that I would like to get Josh
hand audio here and we can't play it. We're working on.
We got a team with the Tiger teams on it.
Just break down the Slovakia Finland game for I don't
want to do any of that. I would like to
have equipment that works. That's all in an all film someday
here was this play. I don't know, I just kind
of take us through what happened when you were stress
Bryan mctagger's during your fourth bullpen, I believe.
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 16: So I was going in my fourth bullpen and for me,
when I was throwing catch play, I just threw a
change up kind of grabbed on me. So then kept
going on and then the next day felt it again
on a change up. So following that, tried to do
it without throwing the change up, and then the more
intense I got, felt it again. So the base kind
of got inflamed. So then I took about ten days
off and started just letting that heel a little bit.
And now we're here today, and today was the first
hip catch play, which was pretty good. So, like I said,
a little setback, but nothing too concerning for me. And yeah,
so just building back up now and just get ready
for the season.
Speaker 2: What you gotta do now, Just I actually see how
I'm polls.
Speaker 16: I mean, it's just back to normal, just building back up. So,
I mean I was at the point where I was
summer bullpens. I was up, you know, in eighty five,
and you know, it felt really good. So I think
it's more so just getting back to that, just building
the arm back up since I had ten days off,
so I would say we're probably a few weeks behind
right now on just getting that arm.
Speaker 2: Back to where we need it to be. Where you're staying.
Speaker 7: It's the first workout, but I mean giving yourself a
time frame as to whether you think you've been really
broken there.
Speaker 16: No, right now, I'm just taking it week by week
into just seeing how I'm progressing with that. For me,
it's it's more of just like seeing how my body
responds on everything, because if I start setting a table,
I don't want to get to the point where I'm
I'm going to be rushing and then something long term happens,
which I don't think it will, but you know, sometimes
you got to be cautious with that. But for right now,
it's just building back up to where we need to be.
Speaker 2: It's building back up. It's all good, baby, It's a
little soreness, Mattie, don't worry. Don't you worry about a thing? Okay,
you're not worried, Well, I'll do it like no, no, no, no, no,
you said literally an hour ago. I'm not worried about
when he's back. I asked you a question, are you
worrying you are going to say, No, I'm worried so
about what he's gonna rip his bicep. No, that this
is going to be something that we're gonna be sitting
here talking about for weeks and weeks and weeks. It
is what it is, and we do about it and
be there when he's going to be there. He'll be
here when he gets here. Like we said, you heard
on all last year and then Kyle Tucker of the
year before that. Yeah, Brian Brady's got this. Let's go. Yeah,
it is what it is. Brian King's raid to rock
Brian King the most important and seventh inning guy in
Major League Baseball. Let's go yeah. Okay, May first, it
sounds good to me. I'm okay with that. I mean,
I mean whatever. Again, the only thing I have any
sort of feel good about is that you've got a
terrific plan. B the most team. Most good teams are
supposed to cover for guys that are closed. It are down.
If you don't have an eighth inning guy, why you
spend all the money on your ninth inning guy. The
Astros have always spent considered amount of money and importance
in their bullpen, and I respect them for that. Backup
catcher in utility in fielder not so much. But don't
get me started on that. I mean, we're gonna miss
Victor Kartini. I get it. But unfortunately you just can't
have gold glovers or unbelievable. Gotta have this guy in
my roster and through all twenty six spots in your rotation.
He's greatest catch. I'm convinced more than ever I know
that day to today's that that things have cooled off. Yeah,
I think once the Red Sox got out of the running,
things did cool off. You know, things is gonna heat up.
Somebody's gonna get hurt. Well, then you get then you
you then you don't have a log jam. Yeah, I'm
talking about from some other team and from another team. Okay,
I thought you meant here, Yeah, just my I mean
it could. I mean, look, Corey is thirty three with
back issues, and San Francisco wouldn't pass him in a
physical Jose al two Bay is about three thirty six.
But you're also presuming Christian Walker that ESCAC parties can
play some second base. I mean can you move people around?
Speaker 6: Uh?
Speaker 2: No, because you you know again, if estac parties play
second base, it's wonderful. But that's something that's not been
a huge part of his professional repertoire. He's done it before. Well,
I'm gonna say something that's gonna sting you. Please, it's
not gonna be worse than now two a at second base.
Oh stop, I'm sorry, I disagree at this point in
their careers. All right, Well, let's make a DRS bet.
I don't even know what that means, but I think
I know what it means. Let's make a oh a
a bet. No, we're not doing metrics bets. Okay, Only
people that uh sit in their laboratories with their door
closed and have no friends make DRS. There was one.
There was one guy who was the worst at his
at two positions last year in d R S the
defensive runs saved A DRS stands for defensive run saved. No,
it's something else. Okay, I'm just saying. I know I
told you it was gonna sting. You know what it
is DRS is dumb ridiculous stat Oh here we go.
Good job, it's pretty good. Guess who's you you don't
like them, and that's fine. You and everybody at the
p knuckle game doesn't like d r S. I get it,
but it's being used all over the place. I don't
play p knuckle. Yeah, I know you're playing bridge with mad.
I play spades in bridge, spades with Maud love shades.
I'm a great spades player. By the way, at the
shuffle board, they don't get the RSL. I understand. If
you don't count your books properly, I will get mad
at what is twenty twenty six? Ryan and Montgomery eleven
twenty seven. Hello Ryan, Hey guys, Sorry, i'all doing good.
Speaker 17: I want to pull my hair out because all I
heard was blah blah blah blah blah. We're gonna try
to fix this and we're gonna pay nineteen million for
half a season's worth of Josh Hayder and it's gonna suck.
And maybe that's just the negative Nancy and me and
just the Astros just upsetting me, which they have, and
that's okay.
Speaker 10: But I agree with Ross also close out two mays
a defensive liability. I mean, my god, and it's DRS matters, Matt,
it does, and I just I'm shook. I don't know
how to what.
Speaker 14: Should I even be excited for Opening Day?
Speaker 2: Yes, of course you should be. This team is still
gonna be very good. Come on, because I'm nervous as
hell about Josh Ander's return doesn't mean this team still
can't win some games.
Speaker 6: It's not just Josh hater Matt.
Speaker 8: It's just a lot of stuff.
Speaker 9: Man, this is freaking me out.
Speaker 2: Oh God, freaking out.
Speaker 14: Man.
Speaker 5: All right, I'll talk to you later, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2: DRS matters, It does metrics matter. I'm saying Paradis second
base can't be worse than al Twove. I'm just saying
he can't. We love Josel tub build a statue. See
I think if somebody's listened to the show that's not
seen jose al Tuove play you come across. I'm not
saying you're trying to do it, but it comes across
as a butcher out there. And he's not a butcher.
He just has limited range. And I'm sure range is
a huge part of the r Range is a huge
part of it. But he doesn't he that the ball
gets to him. He doesn't kick balls. The arm is
in a strong and he's late thirties. Guy, I mean,
that's it is what it is. But I've never in
my mind, and maybe I'll feel differently in twenty twenty six.
I've never gone, oh my god, Hoseel Tuoba is a
second base we're in trouble where I've honestly felt like
jose L Tuoby in left field puts us in trouble. Yeah,
I don't feel that way about second bass I just don't.
That's just me being honest. He was the worst left
fielder in baseball. I know you hate d rs, and
then let's see, in only five hundred innings, the seventh
worst second baseman. Uh, it's yeah, it's about I will
say I say often. I don't normally say, oh, he
booted that ball. Now he happens and he's not. He
doesn't have a thousand fielding percentage. But there's a lot
of times I say, ooh, I think somebody else would
have gotten to that. That's fair all right, time for
people to say shut your bull mass up. I'm gonna
tell I'm gonna tell me to ship no, no, I do
that even non Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Eleven thirty. I'm going
to tell a national talk talk shows. Shut the soss. Okay,
it just came down the for you tab. I'm intrigued.
And then I have one for my beloved NBA that
I love. It's more of Ain't nobody got time for
them to shut your bum mess up? I mean, I
know where I need to stand on that. Seven one
three two two five seven seven one three two one
two five seven nine zero. It's a Matt Thomas show
with Ross again again again, tamp it again, damp it
can beget, damp it care again, tamp here again, time
hereby again, damp it all right. This is where we
spend the next twenty five minutes just letting it all out.
And Ross wants to say something, but he can't because
I'm trying to create harmony in these streets of seven ninety.
So we'll save that for I didn't mean to fill
anything the buzz on. Keep things in house, Matt, Yes,
we do keep occasionally do that, all right? Seven one
three seven ninety. If there's anything that you want to
just say, you know what, some of the office is
grinding in your nerves. Somebody at the driver's license office
was not polite. Do you want tell them to shut
their bumb mass up. Here's where for you here right
here in seven ninety Hey, nobody get or shut your
bum mass eve either one? All right, uh, I'm gonna
start first with one shut your bum mass up and one.
Speaker 5: Uh.
Speaker 2: Anybody got time for that? I'm gonna go with the
NBA first. The NBA nous yesterday, and look, I love
the NBA. I mean I want to say that of
all the people in this city that do radio, we
you and I fawn for the NBA more than anybody
else in the marketplace. I think it's even safe to
say that. Correct. The NBA is going to send two
hundred influencers to the All Star Game so they can
take pictures and videos and all that kind of thing
to show how awesome everything about the All Star Weekend is.
I love you, NBA, but I'm muting you this weekend.
Ninety five percent of people that consider themselves professional influencers
are douchebags, not one hundred percent. Okay, eighty, it's ninety five.
The last thing I want is a bunch of twenty
year old people, twenty two year old people who got
a free trip to stay at a nice place in
Los Angeles and all airfairness, amazing access. Tell you what
everybody else in the world is missing they can't afford
or doesn't have the access to. So I will say, respectfully, NBA,
I love you, But anybody got time for influencer d
bags to give me highlights of NBA All Star Weekend? Hey,
nobody got time for that's connect with the young audience, Matt.
They're gonna anger the audience. They're not going to connect
with them. Did you you've not go look at the
replies when the NBA announced this. It's not pretty. Number two.
I would say friend of the show, but he's not
in front of the show. Nick Wright is. He and
I have been knowing each other for years, and he
is the epitome of let's do something on a national
hot take that we'll get people talking. And I don't
think it'll get people talking except me for one thing. Again,
my philosophy is not all publicity is good publicity. Some
people will disagree with that that if you just get
the name out, that's good. Apparently I caught this on
for you just a few minutes ago, Rossie. He says this.
According to a ringer, the NBA could fix the All
Star Game by doing something. Do you know what that
would be? Think about what Nick Wright is about grifting? Lying?
You can't grift during the All Star Game? Oh you
could lie? I guess, social justice gigant warmer? What what
I'm scared now? He would like to have a team
on one side full of white players versus a team
kidding of black players. You're stop, you're joking. There's no
way that happened. That's ai. He did not say that.
NBA Central, that's a legitimate Be sure it's Sentel, No,
it's Central. I'm let me tell you something right now.
Was he joking? I really wish, and I'm speaking as
a white person, I really wish. It feels like everything
when it comes into conversation has either a political line
or racial line to it. We have to stop a
society warring about color of skin and political affiliation. We
just if we disagree on something, we disagree and we
move on. Where does okay? Sorry, go ahead? How would
think about this for a second? Ladies and gentlemen, welcome
to the NBA All Star Game, introducing the team of
white players versus the team of black players. And let's
be brutally honest on this ross What if you have
a white mother, and so what if you mix? There's
no way this is as serious. He has to be joking.
Speaker 11: I'm not.
Speaker 2: There's no way, are you.
Speaker 9: You know?
Speaker 2: Nick Right? You've heard him to talk before. You think
he's kidding. He's either kidding or stupid or trolling. Damn it,
so Nick trolling, race Baider, shut your bumb ass up.
Speaker 5: Shit, so bum ass up, man, and I'm done.
Speaker 2: He's kidding. He's gotta be joking. I'm gonna listen to
the Ardie now. We were gonna play it, but he's
he swears a lot during it, so I guess we
couldn't play. I would I would rather not here Nick
Right on this show. I don't disagree with you, Jonathan.
What's the matter with you? My friend? You know what,
it's one of those weeks. I'm not the past. I
got too much anger. Wow, too angry?
Speaker 14: You know what?
Speaker 2: Sometimes you don't need to put air out the dirty laundry.
And for that, okay, good, we didn't do anything wrong,
did we gonna make sure we're okay. It's probably Matt
not on that. Okay, thank you. I'll go with Rockets fans.
Last week, Rockets lost to the Celtics and the Hornets.
Speaker 15: Oh, the Rockets are falling apart, and oh they're gonna
be an eight seen and oh this team is terrible
and the sky's falling and they're the worst and men Thompson,
he's come off.
Speaker 2: The bench and blah blah blah blah blah. Now they
beat the Thunder. Okay, they didn't have Shake Gills Suckxander,
but they won, and they beat the Clippers. They're the
number three seed in the West. With two rotational players,
a starter and a major bench player out for this season.
You can't play Dorian Finney Smith on back to backs,
and when he does play, he's not playing well. Tarry
Easton doesn't play back to back, so you've had a
limited rotation to where I mean, you're having to hold
out Josh Okogie of all people so that he can
play the second half of a back to back. And
they're third in the West. Shut jobum, ass up a
bunch of whiners in the Rockets. Twitter, man, that's grumpy.
We fall for this every year. It's an eighty two
game season and we gonna become prisoner of the moment
every every time the Astros lose three games in a row.
Every time the Rockets lose two games in a row,
the sky's falling. Fire rufel Stone, I can go and
if I put fiery Miandoca, I can find you one
thousand tweets from the last week. Idiots and over reactionary.
It's getting worse. I know this is what it's always been.
Prison in the moment, but it's getting worse and worse
and worse. Check your bumb messes up.
Speaker 5: Sit so bum mess up.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 2: All right, we've let the groundwork down. Okay, now it's
Houston's turn. Yes, you're driving around. You're an eleven o'clocker.
We go shout out to eleven o'clockers. Maybe you're a
upisode because it's raining right now in your neck of
the woods. Seven one three two one two five seven ninety.
Seven one three two one two five seven eighty. If
something is bothering you, we are here for you. Seven
one three two one two five seven ninety. It's eleven
forty three. It is about Thomas Showldross and this is
sports talk. SEVENAINTI all right, last call for shuts your
ball mess up in just a moment. Seven one three
two one two five seven ninety. If you got something
you're complaining about, anybody got time for that, We'll take
it seven one three two one two five seven to
nine zero. We mentioned this a little while ago. I
wanted to get in between the Josh Harrison boba. We're
gonna have the full update for you on what's going
on with the Astros the top of the hour with
the news at the noon. Mark Stein used to work
for ESPN. Now he just does a sub stack. Can
you make money off just doing stubstacks? And how do
you pay the bills? I mean, I guess you have
like people that subscribe, but mark Stein, you can get that.
You can get an information from ESPN. Dudes and mark Stein.
But he put out a story that Mark Cuban has
been approached by several investors to help try to rebuy
the Dallas Mavericks from the current family that owns the
Dallas Mavericks, and it's not going anywhere at this point.
The Mavericks ownership group, which is tied to a casino
chain I want to say in Las Vegas, has said, yeah,
we're not looking to sell. We're looking forward to running
it back with Cooper Flag and looking forward to having
a successful run as Dallas Mavericks owner. The reality is
this and how it ties in the state of Texas.
And again we're not getting into Maverick deep conversation here,
but they bought the Mavericks in order to create a
entertainment empire. They want a new arena for the Mavericks,
just their own, not to share with the stars. And
they want to build a casino. I mean, not like
a folk casino. I mean a real casino with real
black jacket reel back around and real crabs and real roulette.
How's that going? It's going nowhere. Have you heard any
buzz for casinos in Texas?
Speaker 9: No?
Speaker 2: So the issue is is that they're saying, why do
you think all of a sudden it's going to turn
on the diamond. People are going to change their minds
and say, yes, we're gonna get casinos in Texas. And oh,
by the way, even if they do, how long would
it take for a casino to be built? Casinos take
multiple years to build. Yes, you don't even have a
Texas Casino Commission that regulates over things like that. I mean,
we're looking if they passed it all of a sudden,
tomorrow you're probably looking at at minimum five, maybe ten
years before we ever got it. Yeah, like you said,
you need a gambling commission, you need all kinds of stuff,
you need everything, some sort of regulation. Yeah, they're gonna
get their taste. Yeah. So the people that are trying
to inquire or at least have kicked the tires to
Mark Cuban, have said, hey, if they're not getting this
anytime soon, let's see if they can sell it back
to us so we can solidify the Mavericks membership in Dallas.
Because there are some people still to this day, to
this hour, believe that the Mavericks ultimately could be moving
out of Dallas and going to Las Vegas if they
decide to put an NBA team in Las Vegas. I
don't that. I don't think the Dots seems way out
of it. I don't think they would get out of
the Dallas market. I don't. I mean Adams would be
foolish to leave Dallas for Las Vegas. He just would.
I mean, Dallas this is too big of a sports
mark Las Vegas again, I say it sounds sexier than
it is. I still think they're there. By the way,
I was listen to a podcast Yesday Wrestling Podcast. Oh really,
twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five, So I don't
have the twenty five to twenty six numbers. Okay, let's
change February. So Las Vegas seven percent down in overall
revenue in Las Vegas twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five.
I'm curious where that is, even from ten years ago.
It's fair. Yeah, it's gonna get worse. I think. Get
rid of the resort fees on. Well, yeah, it's lower
your hotel fees in general, because guess what if you
lower your fees, we'll go back and we'll spend We'll
spend our gambling money there. We will. We promise I
won't because three to two is not coming back. I'm
staying downtown. We're talking about Vegas in general, don't Yeah,
Oh you got me team downtown. By the way, I'm
about I was talking about today with my wife. I said,
Ross and are going to book a trip the next
month or so, and we're going downtown. We're going to
ok okay, because nobody under the age of twenty ones there.
Beautiful pool, beautiful pool, beautiful pool. Oh the water is delightful. Oh,
it's refreshing. Yes, good, great sports book, huge sports, amazing
sports book, and a beautiful pool and three to two
blackjack and three to two and everywhere everywhere you go.
And they're nice people there. The food the Burger place
is good. They got good food there. Yeah, but lower
food costs twenty percent. Well, I don't lower your get
rid of the resort fees because they're killing people there.
Here's a thirty dollars smash burger on Thanks Vegas. We'll
eat your fries with it. Although rocked to the Coney Island,
I get by two for one. I got with you
a PBR and a dog for two bucks. Kay. So
on seven ninety k. So what's the matter with you?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 9: Quickly before I tell someone to shut their my mass up.
As someone who listens to the Ringer podcast, and I
actually listened to the one this morning with Nick Wright,
and I've always kind of had a soft spot for
Nick because back in the Harden days he was one
of the true, the only true believers in James, So
I've always kind of liked him. His tera drives me crazy.
But it was clear they were clearly joking. He anything
that Bill Simmons and Nick talk about on that podcast.
It was clearly this them joking.
Speaker 2: I know it got a.
Speaker 9: Big uh, you know, rally out of everyone on the internet,
but it was clearly in fodder. And I just think
it's kind of funny how everyone's blowing up on him.
And I would say this. I mean, I would think
the white would have a puncher's chance. Now, wouldn't you
say the whites? Well, it wouldn't be so lopsided.
Speaker 2: I don't care if the whites had a six point advantage.
We have got to a society stopped trying to characterize
people by the color of their skin. I know I've
been I think everybody's been saying that for the last
I don't know, one hundred and fifty years of our life.
But I mean to Luka Doncic count though he's Slovenia. Yeah,
they're saying all Europeans would go to the whites. We
as whites would get the Europeans. He was a victor
of women. Yama's French. He's in there. He would go
to the blacks. His mom's white. Come on, he goes
to a black. Oh all right, you know what, I'm
turning my microphone off for the rest of this case,
I'm out of here. It's to even bring it up
this preposterous. I'm sorry, No, all right, let me just
let me get my shut your bumb ass up, all right,
I'll get off ahead.
Speaker 9: I just want to send one to an old rival,
to the Rockets, to the whole organization for having an
actual decent roster and sitting every starter every fourth quarter,
not not taking one time out, not doing anything so
they can continue to tank. To them, I talked to
the Utah Jazz. Shut your bumb ass up. You got
a great roster and a not great roster. You have
a great coach and an okay roster, and he nobody
got time for your tanking rooting the NBA. I'm over it.
Speaker 2: Shut your bumb ass up.
Speaker 5: Thanks, shuts obam ass up.
Speaker 7: Man.
Speaker 2: Uh mister j LF Matt, I understand why you say
Jalen Williams six, but it's annoying. Is that what the
Oklahoma City radio announcer says? Hashtag game? But they got
time for that? I'm sorry, j R. Jalen Williams is
a Oklahoma City thunder. There are two of them. He
calls eighty two of their games. I call four of them.
Sometimes three. What does he say? He says, I shouldn't
say Jaalen Williams, Jay Will and Jay I mean, I
don't know. I don't even know what he says. It
doesn't matter. I do it the way I want to
do it because it's easier for me to identify and
there's a difference. So you don't have time for it,
then shut your bomb ass up. But don't listen. God,
I'm I love the critics that want to come in
and tell me how to do my job. Up shit,
so bum ass up.
Speaker 5: Man.
Speaker 2: Oh that pisses me off. I see that clearly it does. Yeah,
I don't I don't know how. How does anybody else
do it? They do? J Will or j Will? They
do one of him, says. One guy says Jay wolfrom
Santa Clara. One guy says Jay Will from the other college. Yeah,
I don't know. There's no easy way to do it.
Don't listen. You don't like it, don't listen. Did I
didn't mean to hurt you. It's ridiculous. I got a
hard enough job as it is, trying to worry about
five hundred players in a league, and if I have
to go Jay Williams six Jane Williams eight, because there
are two literally Jaylen Williams on this floor, Joe bumass up.
Identifying them by the number seems way better than by
the college. Yes, and if I set them by their nicknames,
you wouldn't know who was w because you don't know
who Clabus City is. They don't we don't know what
their nicknames are. J Y J will I mean, is
that easier? Stop you should do ste Jay Williams good
and Jay Williams Bad. I could say Jay Williams Big four,
j Williams off guard. I mean, I could say that
Jay Williams mid and Jay Williams Good. Well, but if
what if j Williams six has a good game from
three point mes, Jay Williams six had a three point
in Jay Williams mid is playing like Jay Williams good
tonight and to toeyo to board Aye would have got
time for you telling me how to do my job.
I feel like the way you do it seems it's
exactly pretty logical. Look, I understand if you know if
there's some things you don't like, except some guy two
weeks ago is that he doesn't like what we play.
I'm sorry by what's her name, Connie France?
Speaker 1: Why not?
Speaker 2: Oh no, it's Brindley, Brindlelee whatever, same difference.
Speaker 5: Why not?
Speaker 2: It's a jam. I reminds me of Tommy Boy. It
reminds me of Tommy Boy when they're at the diner.
I'm gonna make sure just to piss off mister j
RLF whatever his name is. I'm gonna do one hundred times,
Jason Juh, Jaylen Williams, six, Jaylewens. I'm just gonna just
confuse the hell out of you. And by the way,
there's a Kendridge Williams on the squad too. Well, at
least Jalen Green's not there. Oh my god, I'm going
to get some eggs out. The news a dude, isn't it. Relax?
We're nine innings, ash pros, three guardians. Great, here we
go total four. Sports Talk seven ninety is the news
of the day, right, would you say, Josh Hater soft
tossing and then speaking Yes. This is where Ross jumps
in with the news. Oh chat, dude, Yes, Matthew, And
the top news at dude is that it is a
biceps issue for Josh Hater. He said in his fourth
bullpen of the off season, he felt some tightness while
throwing a change up, and he took about ten days
off and he threw some catch today and he's feeling
better and maybe everything's gonna be okay. Man, all right,
May first if he's back, can't wait. Other than that,
I'm not holding my breath. I mean, whatever will be
will be.
Speaker 6: Uh.
Speaker 2: He got eight weeks, as our good friend Joe Spotter said,
so he does. He got Bobby Brian Bradus a great Yes, Bobby,
we'd be nice as well, but it only is going
to be Brian. Well, let's go just we'll go ahead
and hear from Joe spot earlier today on what's going
on with Josh Hater. Josh had a.
Speaker 5: Really good.
Speaker 2: Off season.
Speaker 4: Uh had three three really really good bullpens and leading
into his fourth one, UH, during his throwing program, he
stopped his throwing because arm soreness. We immediately went and
got some imaging and uh there's some inflammation on his
bicep tendon. So he has not been thrown for I
want to say, ten eleven days, and he will start
getting back on his throwing program again today.
Speaker 2: And he did throw, yes, and we'll hear more from
he had a catch. Yes, he didn't say alie at
any point, which is a very good sign.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it was an actual baseball. He wasn't
using like a whiffle ball. Probably put more strain on
his shoulder. You're right, so we're all good, and let's
see also elsewhere in the news, yinter, Diz, what's going
on with his foot? Here's Dana Brown. Diaz, you know,
he hurt his foot on the slide. So I saw
him yesterday, take good VP driving the ball over the fence.
Speaker 5: He looks totally normal.
Speaker 2: He's like a modified running program right now.
Speaker 13: But everything else in terms of swinging the back and throwing,
he's fine, So I would expect it.
Speaker 5: He's gonna be fine.
Speaker 2: Dana Brown said it's gonna be fine. Dana Brown speaks
to gospel. Dana Brown has never steered us wrong with
an injury. Matt, let me ask you this. Doesn't every
general manager do that, Doesn't every coach do that. Doesn't
every front office official in every sport do that. I mean, look,
we are closer to it because we heard it on
the daily last year. But tell me a team that
comes out and says, man, now, the last person I
can think of. That was as open and honest right
after something had happened. Was when Bonnicks hurt himself in
the afc A divisional playoff game. Remember that right after
the game, he is in front of the poety me.
He said, Yeah, Bonix is gonna have foot surgery tomorrow
and he's done our ankle surgery whatever it is, and
we're gonna be starting Jared s tohim and please pray
for us. Yes, so the y is gonna be fine eventually. No, No,
he's good to go. He's on runnings, catching bullpens. He's
modified running program whatever that means. So quick question if
it was me versus briend, you don't even know what
I was gonna say. I was gonna say running to
first base. Do you think has with a hurt ankle
is better off than I am? I think he could
do it backward and beat you. I don't believe that now,
Oh now, twenty five years ago. Now what, let's try
to get this going. Actually, let me let me text
some people. No, don't you text anybody. Yeah, so you're
saying he will beat you backwards even with a bad ankle, Yes,
no chance. Are you serious?
Speaker 13: I'm not.
Speaker 2: I'm not a prodder I can get Okay, you know what,
Let's go out to a field and get your feet
per second sprinting because we can find How about I
just run ninety feet? How about you want to do
a per second? Just go ninety feet and see how
it goes. Okay, let's do it. It's the problem is
we can't do because he won't run. Yeah, I gotta
go buy a hold on. Let me go to Amazon
trying to buy a sun dial real quick. You know
the way I am is because of you? What more
often than that? What do you mean you just called
me a sundial Well, I mean when you're up in
the clouds, I gotta pull you down to earth. Matt, God,
somebody's got to do it.
Speaker 5: Oh.
Speaker 2: I got JRF telling me I can't pronounce Jyalen Williams
six Jen eight. He finds it annoying. I find some
other things annoying. All right, what else you got? Oh?
For the news at noon? Man? Victor wim Minyama. Oh
you're not. You're bearing the rockets over Victor. Okay, I
mean the rockets won. Yeah, we got that. This is
head Loto two to ninety five. Kawhi Leonard with twenty
four points on nineteen shots. He was double team much
of the evening. Kevin Durant was good twenty six points
on twenty two shots. Jabari Smith Junior good enough. He
me did he make the first two threes of the
game and then he didn't make another one the rest
of the game. If offensive player, that's okay. I mean,
thirteen points is fine. Thirteen points from Jabari. You don't
need much more than that, certainly not when the defense
is holding the Clippers to just ninety five points. It
was a slower, knockdown, drag them out game. Rockets won
by seven. They shot fifty percent from the three point line,
which is very nice because they had been they were
forty from the year and they've down to thirty seven
percent going into this game tonight, and really a forty
percent three point shooting team. But free Chepper was four
to six, a nice bounce back. The numbers are the
numbers from You like to tell me the number sent
they are, but they numbers don't lie. But the numbers
can also be out of whack. The numbers, there's always
context in the numbers.
Speaker 5: Man.
Speaker 2: I'd like to hear this context. Well, when everybody's shooting
well above their career averages, probably the numbers are gonna
dip regression to the mean they call it, Matthew Okay, Well,
last night a thirty seven percent free a three point
shooting team shot fifty and I want more of that tonight. Okay,
So you buy your numbers and they're gonna shoot fifty
percent every night. No, I'm saying, I'm hoping they shoot
fifty percent every night. Well, some regression came and now
it bounced back the other way. So we're all good,
sort of like Unfortunately Outpria and Chingoon's free throw percentage.
We don't want to talk about that. I won't. Then
Kevin Durant was seven to seven, all right. Then Victor
wibin Yama, Adam Clinton's favorite son, with twenty five point
did you tweet? Did you text and I forgot no him?
Did you see here's what you're gonna to Adam Clinton?
Include me on this? Did you see what Wemby did
last night? Because those who don't know Adam hates Wemby.
Now he would love him if he was a Houston
Rockett not and he hates it. The immediate response will
be did you see who the Lakers put out there yesterday?
He will say somebody the context of well, I would
have scored forty if I if I had Dalton Connect
guarding me, if I had who was their leading score
last night? Luke Canard? Yeah, sorry, I'm sending my tweet,
I mean text texts. Yeah, oh, I hit the wrong button.
All right, Jesus, don't send that text of that girl
person who That can cause some issues. All right, all right,
I miss her. That's the news in noon. We are
good with that, Yes, okay, very good. All right. It's
twelve twelve here on spoil. It was twenty five points
in the first quarter, forty points on twenty shots in
twenty six minutes, and twelve rebounds, four turnovers. He's got
a high turnover numbers, as does anybody seven feet tall,
typically only one block. JJ Reddick after the game calling
him one of one and one of the best five
players in the league. I'm not ready to do that.
Matter of fact, I will never call a Spur a
top five player in the league unless I just was
like held under a gun point or something. Then you're
just being a hater. I'm with you, but I'm not
gonna say just because he's a spur. No, but I'm
not going to root for him. You know, you know
that's what I'll send to Clinton. Did jj Reddick quote?
Oh God, now you're just gonna pour salt in his wounds.
You know you're you know what you're doing. You're just
poking a big bear. Well, he's the one that called
him a bum. Yeah, right, twelve twelve on Sports Talk
seven ninety If you'd like to join our conversation, God
knows we need it seven one three two one two
five seven ninety seven one three two one two five
seven nine zero. So let me ask you this. I
brought this up very early in this show today for
your ten o'clock as we love you for that. I
am not optimistic about Josh Hater because if I've been
optimistic in the past, it always burns me. No be optimistic, Matt, Nope,
He's gonna be ready to go at some point. You
tell me when you hear the Josh Hater is throwing
uh with a ball whiffle balls. I get tennis. He
could throw a tennis ball hard. I guess if he
wanted to. When I say that, he that spring training
is in flux, not spring training. The regular season is
in flux. How nervous are you? Seven one three two
one two five seven ninety seven one three two one
two five seven ninety twelve nineteen on Sports Talk seven
ninety Astro's Spring Training Pictures and Catchers reporting today. Officially
there are some position players there as well. Is uh
Dana brought up on Yarnerdas was hitting the ball hard. Now, Yonner,
to me, foot sprain doesn't sound nearly severe, because again,
if it was severe, he wouldn't be stunning the bad
They would have said, go rest and relax and lay
in bed. He wouldn't be catching bullpens. It's all good, right,
So that to me is not to worry. The hater
s up worries me, but thankfully you've got an insurance. Today.
They they may put a gun on that. No, could
you imagine going over and watching a soft toss with
a gun. Eleven ten it would be interesting. Fourteen you
get the spin rate on it? Well, what's the RPMs
on that?
Speaker 5: Bad?
Speaker 2: Boy? Do you even have a spin rate on that?
As long as it's not knuckling, it's got to have
some spin. So who thought of who thought of spin rate,
because spin ry's spin around as long as baseball has
been around. I mean yeah, I mean you just twisted
around and day you called it snap snap on the
curve ball. It's a snapping because it's spinning. And then
that's I mean or saliva. Yeah, I can't remember what
is it called the way that the ball moves. I
don't cameras, No, there's an effect on the wind's curveball.
We're getting in the weeds on this today. Mean to
do this, trying to think of it now, it's you know,
you can't come up. The Magnus effect. Wow, the aerodynamic
force acting on a spinning moving object that causes it
to curve. I mean, you talk about it in tennis.
You want a lot of top spin, top spin lobs,
that kind of stuff. Put spin on the ball, you
do it. They do it in ping pong. I mean,
try to get a good spin on the ball, whiffle ball.
What about putting English on a basketball? English on a
basketball it's a little different because it's bouncing, yeah, off
of the backboard, but Chris Paul put some great English
on the ball. Back Spin on a golf shot rates everywhere.
It is everywhere. What happens when I hooked the ball
into the woods. It's got a high spin rate. It
means I'm usually snapping my club in half and swearing exactly.
Really try. I've tried to cut my swaring down in
twenty twenty six. It's not going well. Really, yeah, I
haven't noticed an uptick or a down turn nice something.
That's what I'm saying. It was supposed to go down. Okay,
hasn't happened. How's the swear jar at the Thomas household.
I'm the least I am the least one that contributes
to it. Really yeah, Okay, the boys are number one
and number two. Actually that's not true. Kim's one, boys
two or three, and then Carly's fourth, but she's not
far behind. It is so amazing. You don't have children,
so you can't speak to this, thank God, But hearing
your children swear it hurts me really, yes, really, and
I don't like to really swear in front of them
very often. I don't swear in from my mother at all.
Speaker 1: I did.
Speaker 2: I can't say that I don't. I didn't for years,
but around you first, certainly around my dad, my bros.
I do it all the time I did around my
dad like come run eighteen nineteen probably, and then my
mom took a little longer, and it's rare. I try
not to around my mom and and there's really no
reason for it, because again I I I would say
on a scan of one to ten, my potty mouth
is about a seven. It's stupid, made up, It's just
sounds coming out of our mouths. I think it's dumb
that we can't say certain words to certain people. Or
how about maybe just changing up? Do we have to
every every language, every culture has swear words, so it's obviously,
I mean, right's is everywhere. But I think it's dumb.
But just hearing my I can track my baby girl.
I can say truck on the air. I can say
muck on the air. I can say tuck on the air.
Yes you can't. I can't. Nope, you cannot. That's has said, Yes,
you're not stupid. They there are the magic words. And
George Carlin head what the heck? Yeah, Like in Utah
you can say oh my hell. They always say oh
my heck. The Mormons did not want it. You swear
in any circumstance on air anywhere. Okay, that was always
kind of a running catchphrase, as you know, said they
were really mad at us and they go, oh my
heck six wives cool? Hell, no, no, stop, that's two
hundred years ago. Okay, I'm sorry Nick on seven nine
of your twelve twenty three. I'm sorry calling you mister stereotype.
Speaker 14: Hell hello, Nick, Hey, good morning man, I'm going sir, good.
Speaker 1: How are you?
Speaker 2: What's going on with you?
Speaker 12: Oh man, dude, you just want to get your take
on Donda Smith.
Speaker 10: What was your thoughts of him?
Speaker 2: He was a qu of h year Donovan Smith.
Speaker 6: Yeah, Donald Smith quarterback.
Speaker 2: I mean the one that was here two years ago
they didn't get the Cougars were Bowl game. Is that
what you're talking about? I'm talking about exactly that one.
I would say he was mid at best.
Speaker 12: How he's supposed to be at number one pick at
one time?
Speaker 2: Number one of number one and what XFL he transferred
out of Texas Tech? No, he I don't know when
ever nobody ever considered a number one. I mean he
might have been a highly recruited high school player, but
never is a collegiates about it?
Speaker 14: One time?
Speaker 2: All right? Just just stop. First, was he signed with
the Gamblers the other reason why you asked. That's the
reason it has to be. He sign with the gamblers.
Gambles talk. I see what you did. I see what
you did. Nick, You're very crafty, my friend. Sometimes you
did it and you got me. Thank you, you got it.
It's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna do it. Thank
you for the phone because nobody cares. I mean for
I guess I'm telling you. I'm gonna tell you something
right now. I want to take a photo. I'm gonna
take a photo. Listen to Nick. Nick, I'm gonna take
a photo of the crowd opening week and I'm gonna
send it to You're gonna be like, damn, when when's
the game start. I'm gonna say it's in the second quarter.
Speaker 14: Hey man, I'm gonna say that.
Speaker 12: I think this is the year it takes all.
Speaker 5: Why not?
Speaker 12: Which I mean, that's the best thing we have in Houston.
Speaker 2: That's not true. The Texans went of the divisional playoffs.
Now now you're just now you're just trying to go
to me. Thank you, Nick for the phone call. Donovan
Smith Smith Houston Gambler. I don't know does Donald Smith
even know what TV's playing? For I'm not getting Did
somebody call and suggest that donamand Smith be drafted by
the by the gambler? Is that what they're trying to be?
Hunter Deckers who was taken in the UFL draft. Ye,
I don't see that. I don't see this any I
mean they're they're spending money to play at Shell Energy Stadium.
They spent money to play it tdc U. Nobody went there.
Nobody's gonna go to Shell Energy. Nobody's gonna go anywhere. No, no, no,
it's it's a non starter. Let's get you on the games. No,
I'm busy enough as it is. I want an audience.
I mean as soon as I get one. I'll let
you know when I get one. But as soon as
an audience, I cannot wait. Although it was on serious
Channel eighty six, the main channel last night for the Rockets,
in an interview, no on the game call? Oh really? Yeah?
Was anybody in Los Angeles listening? I want to call
in and complain. Anybody get called at jamokeh it does happen?
That was Clant not me. Okay, that is so funny.
Yeah you can so, you guys are like the feature
everyone there was only four games last night, the four games.
First Lakers was in the future game or that was
after Okay. Uh, there are about seven or eight different
NBA channels. Okay, but they put the main game on
this what they call the Serious XM radio. If you're
in the main game, that was the main game, and
they usually match it up with what's on television, whether
it's you know, like last night'scal on NBA TV. It wasn't. Oh,
they took Craig and Ryan simulcast and they simulcast in
the NBA TV Serious XM. But that sounds great. Yeah,
so a lot of I love Craig and and Ryan
and Vanessa. And they had Fred van Vliet on there,
and you like that, You said you enjoyed that. Yeah,
Fred was pretty funny. Fred's got a broadcast career ahead
of it if he wants it. It's got a good voice.
I tell him. Souls rolled down and they'd be doing
this podcast belonging. Yeah, you said, don't worry. As soon
as I get back on the corner, I'm out. He's bored.
He is bored. He also swears. That's the number one
thing about these podcasts. These guys can swear left right.
We can't do it. It's just against the rules. Not
that they wouldn't accentuate our show one way, but I'm
gonna swear on my podcast. What's your podcast to be called?
Gutter mouth villar Real that's one of the working titles.
Really yeah, I didn't think of that. Things a little
wordy for a hashtag. Hey, I'm ross the gutter mouth.
Stay with me? Yeah sounds good. Let me talk about
ice dancing. This this guy that's the ice dancer he
uh goes to college at George Mason. Really yeah. I
think he's twenty one years old, free flowing locks. He
is the heavy heavy favorite to finish the Golden and
whatever that category is. I don't think it's free skate.
It's I don't know if it's ice dance program yeah,
ice dancing yeah? Or is it ice skating? It sounds
like all the above different. Can you do both? Can
you excel at both? Why couldn't you? I don't know.
It's like you should. Could you be a good skeleton
and a good bob Clebbert that It feels like it's
might be a little too different. I don't know. Yeah,
all right, that'll conclude. Uh win Olympics and Gambler talk
for the day seven one three, two, one two five
seven Daddy Well, I mean, I look, if they draw
twenty five thousand a game, I'm all for it. Yeah,
but they're not. These people aren't gonna pay for I mean,
truth be told, Minor league football kind of makes me
sad that we can't. But they're every literally ross every
league that has ever been created has failed. XFL camp
or whatever, UFL camp. Yeah, how long have they been going?
Speaker 4: Uh?
Speaker 2: Well, the Rock bought into it a couple of years ago.
It was XFL the twenty four remember they remember they
merged the USFL. They merged in twenty twenty four, so
this is their third season. But yeah, it doesn't feel
like it's gonna last much longer. Every time I watch it,
I see how many teams can you name? Right now?
Houston Gamblers? I would probably change names. I would have
went to zero. I can recognize these, but to name
them and pull them out of the air is a
little different, believe it or not. Today, was this listen
to me? This is a good one. Was this ever
a team name of a minor league franch football franchise? Okay, USFL,
the World League of American Football, the XFL, remember the
old school, the XFL defunct football teams defunk Yeah, was
this ever a defunct football team? The Memphis Steamboats. No,
that's not that's not what they were. The Memphis Showboats.
Oh showboats. Sorry, no, steamboats would have been wrong. Okay, good.
Best uniforms ever, the Chicago Blitz. They were wrecked and silver.
I love the uniforms ever. I love the USFL in
sports history. They were my favorite in the USF is
Chicago Blitz, the Chicago Blitz. This quarterback was Vince Evans,
who was a backup quarterback for the Bears for a
long time. A pretty sharp actually, thank you, you know.
The coach of the Chicago Blitz was it was dumb DeLuise,
so a row ten comedian, right, a football team that
you went with.
Speaker 18: Dumb Deello, I like, this has struck you so funny.
You're the dumbest person alive. You really are, you really are?
Speaker 2: You're dumb.
Speaker 3: I don't care what education or that's laughing at the
wise with the head sat on, No.
Speaker 2: One of the league went under. More on the Astros,
we come back, yes, going back to sports. Tom Delaise
twelve thirty one on Sports Talk seven ninety. The answer
to my question before you went to Dom Delouise was
a Hall of Fame coach George Allen. You put me
in a laughing fit. I could stop. Nobody else find
it funny.
Speaker 9: I know.
Speaker 2: That's what makes me.
Speaker 4: That.
Speaker 2: No, that's why I laugh because it's so stupid, because
people criticize the show for not being serious enough, and
you didn't help to.
Speaker 5: Do with that.
Speaker 2: I understand. Yeah, bust those goods. Just talk sports. Oh man,
we gotta hang out and we gotta have fun. Sorry,
we have not. We have not gone to any Texans
off season conversation yet. You want straight, boring sports talk,
you can find that out. You can find plenty of
places in this town. Jesus. You could on YouTube channels too,
but that's a different issue for a different time. All right, Oh,
oh my god, Johnny wears hair min whoa, my god,
he's gone uh full what was her name, Winona's rider's
name and Beetlejuice. Yeah, that's exactly what the character is.
Did Johnny wear wake up in the morning and go
this looks good? He went full lydiadeets. I never saw
the second Beetlejuice you ever see it. Hey, it was okay,
it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good. I
don't regret seeing it. This is like a six out
of town. I'm a big Mike Michael Keaton fan.
Speaker 4: I like.
Speaker 2: I actually liked him in Batman for Nostali's sake. It
was good. Yeah, and yeah, Michael Keaton was great. Catherine
O'Hare may she rest looked old in the movie, but
I mean credit to her. She's not like one of
those people. They got a billion, you know, a bunch
of work done. And yeah, good for her. All right,
Uh so we got let's see uh oh, Cougar basketball
last night took care of Utah. That was good.
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 5: Good?
Speaker 2: Two were of the utes? Are they gonna get their
dead last place in the Big Big twelve?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 2: Remember I told you yesterday real quick about the big
announcement that was gonna be revolutionized the Big twelve tournament.
I completely missed the boat on that one. Oh what
was it? They're gonna be playing it on a glass floor?
Speaker 6: What?
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're gonna they're gonna kind of like it's gonna
have graphics on it and stuff. Correct and advertisers, Oh,
for sure, Brenton Ormark told all those little Big twelve
radio cronies, Hey, guys, I want you to really pump
this up. It's gonna be really awesome. People are gonna
love it. And yeah, the score, but the the board,
the surface itself will change colors and I'm sure we'll
have exploding fireworks and as you mentioned, sponsor plugs, but
that's not going to drive people to Kansas City to
go watch the tournament. No, Kansas being in the final will. Yeah,
I mean the Big Twelve has made a concerted effort
to say, hey, we got to figure every which way
would lose to get either Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State
in the Big Total tournament. Houston versus anybody in Texas,
no thank you. Houston versus Arizona, no thank you. Because
if I'm a Houston fan and I'm saving my money,
I'm skipping all that. Well, I don't want to go
to COT today. It used to move. I remember one
year Texas was in there. It was in Dallas. It
was when I was on campus, because I remember a
bunch of us there were kind of regulars in the
student section. We're talking about going and a group trip
and stuff like that. Honestly, I know why they go
to Kansas City because that's where the powerhouse of the
league is. In theory, it was, and it also draws
a lot of people where honestly, you put a college
basketball tournament in Houston, ordalla us very good. No, they're smart,
I get it, and unfortunately gives them a home built
in home court advantage. Didn't last year with the Cougars.
They won the whole damn thing there. So yeah, but
historical Lake Kansas well, because they've been good. But it
was also sad watching Houston play for the beige Hole
championship last year. There wasn't anybody in the house. No,
we're the huge U of h fans.
Speaker 14: Let's go.
Speaker 2: We were saving our money, big powerhouse, and we saved
it to got San Antonio. Now we did well. We
went to which Tad and Drew and did well there.
I don't remember where they played their South Regional or meanwiest,
I don't know what they were in. But I know
this year that the South Regional, if they get to
the second day at the second weekend of the tournament,
will be in Houston at Tota Center. So that'll help. Now,
the championship game has been in Indianapolis and hotels are
not cheap there at this point, are you looking booked?
Speaker 12: Oh?
Speaker 2: I booked the airfare. I'm not booking the hotel because
here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to book the
hotel if they play for the championship game. I'm going
to book it the night before because people will be leaving. Ah,
you're smart, and then I'll scoop in and buy a
room at the very last second. That's some satder savvy veteran.
You're welcome travel tips from Matt Thomas. Yeah. I think
it's for any sports fan.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Don't they always say when you go to a tournament
and your team loses, you should just wait outside the
arena and people are walking out going I'm out of here.
I'm going to try to sell my tickets for forty
cents in the dollar. Makes a lot of sense to me. Yeah,
it's very smart. I'll take you this. I have been
to a handful of regionals over my life. It's fun
because you do it's interesting to get eight fan bases,
or my case, I went to a sweet sixteen. Four
fan bases that all go to this building. Think they're
going to win the whole thing. It's a lot of fun,
and you mix that up with other fans and whatnot,
and hopefully you get to all experience it sometime. If
you're a connoiseurer of college basketball, especially for school that
you think that you went to or room, not holding
my breath, I'll go with you in big text tournament
run not this year. Recruiting class wills to be good.
Sean Miller's a good coach. It needs time. Yeah, I've
been waiting for twenty three years now. You got the facilities, Yes,
you got the money. Yes, good coach, you have the conference.
Good enough coach to win with if you get players right.
So let me ask you this, are we going to
see something in college basketball that we've seen in football
where Indiana out of nowhere becomes this national power? That
would what would be the comp on that? Alabama's kind
of they've been good for a half dozen years now.
Who would be nothing? Go to say, come out of nowhere,
but Texas Tech has always been flirting around top twenty
five would be the camp. I'm trying to think of
a football school that has been miserable in basketball. Penn
State would be the call. That'd be my call. Penn
State football has been really good. Penn State basketball has
been a trophan. Okay, Vandy's pretty good. Oh how about byu?
Uh they're there, but I mean back in the day.
I mean now they're well, now there are twenty second
But you're spending a bunch of money. Yeah, b way
you went and destroyed the better last night. A young
de band's name AJ debantsa Yeah, top five pick. No caffeine,
no sex, No, you can't wink wink. It's a break
of an honor code. And if you break the honicolee,
you're supposed to go to telp. It's somebody you broke it.
You have to go. You got to snitch on yourself
to get yourself kicked out of school. Let me ask
you this. How are they supposed to find out?
Speaker 9: Then?
Speaker 2: I don't know, I mean bed check. I hope not.
Let's get weird over there. Yeah, it's twenty twenty six.
It's religion. Okay, some have a little more. Uh, well, man,
I would think to presume most really, Butler coming on it.
We're talking about no coming to nowhere in college basketball? Yeah,
but who would do it? In the NIL era? I guess, yeah,
I don't think of Butler. Rat Steven's like one of
the greatest coaches of all time. He made Butler relevant.
They turn the Celtics around, won a championship. I was, well,
is there he's still their GM. Correct? Uh, yeah, I
mean he's clearly is a very very astute basketball mind,
that's for sure. All right, twelve forty three on Sports
Talk seven on he coming up in the next hour
and change. We do need to let you hear what
Josh Hater had to say about his situation is he
did throw off flat ground today and we'll let you
guys decide whether or not. I mean, I think I
would think most people that are as stude Astro fans
are not overly thrilled with this announcement. But remember we
do have a backup plan what the Astros do with
Brian Abray the rocket's gonna be. I don't think anybody's
like worried about amputation. I mean, fine is one thing,
but getting it back on the field is another thing.
Because if he's soft toss in the day in a
flight ground, when's it? When When do you start kicking
that vlo up getting on the bump? He said it
was in the audio we played from Brian McTaggart in
the locker room. He was throwing around eighty five, and
then that's when he got hurt, so he was ramping up.
I must presuming he would eventually got into the nineties
where he normally is.
Speaker 5: Right.
Speaker 2: I think you're may first. Let's stick with that. We'll
be fine. You know, blow everyone out. You're not gonna
need a closer the whole first month. First of all,
we don't even count the first month of seasons anyway.
I think this is gonna be unstoppable. Oh, I like
how you think fresh Al tuove Jordon's in the lineup, Esach,
the the pinch hit Wizard. You have an incredible dh
the whole time. Yes, let's get back to that in
a minute. The es socks definitely come back twelve forty
four matten Ross seven one three two one two five
seven ninety Believe it or not? Today is whether or
not this was a former extinct defunct defunct if you will,
I guess it's defunct and extinct. This two different things,
right in stinks is probably an extinct, is probably an
animal or plant? Funked NFU Football franchise seven one three, two,
one two, five, seven fifty on Sports Talk seven. I
need to amount Thomas Show with Ross. Friend of the show,
Chris has sent us a awesome photo. Now is this
AI or did he really find this somewhere? What I
assume this is AI? This is Dom Delawise wearing an
NFL headset. That's kind of be AI. Of course, Chris.
If there's many d bags that listen to the show
that want to correct me with everything, they Hey, ninety
nine percent of people are nice or don't say anything,
which is nice. Yeah, because I don't nine percent I
don't correct you. Well you I do correct. I was
gonna say, wait what I got confused? We kinda we
got a little one percent on the Twitter world that
just wants to just zigg get in there and ziggis out. Okay,
I guess we're gonna do. I mute your asses. I'm
gonna be even ruder back to you. We'll see how
you like it. Mute button is your friend? Mute this conversation.
I'm finding very valuable. Mm hmm. When I say the
Rockets aren't scared of Victor wimbin Yama and then Tari
Eisan mom's mom retweets it, and then Wimby goes off
in the second half. I'm like, gotta meet this conversation.
I don't want to hear. It's so salty on Twitter.
Oh my god. She's quite a ma swure machine herself
sometimes and when her son's not playing wells you crush him.
She's eco opportunity for that's for sure. All Right, we
gotta tell you about something here. Okay. It has been
among people that like the response we talk about the Astros,
this rather large debate about can the Astros live with
too many good people in the infield. I'm not backing
down for my stance. It's not the best interest for
the Astros to have somebody sitting every day. I know
it's one hundred and sixty two. Let me get let me,
let me get you all the prefaces. Okay, I know
it's not valuable to have one sixty two. Uh, I
mean you have to play on sixty two. I know
guys need days off. I know all these things. You
don't have to come and tell me this in advance.
I've watched baseball a lot of my life. I know
that guys get in slumps. I know sometimes pitcher batter
matchups can make a difference. But if there is a
part of your team that is significantly in with a
tremendous amount of uncertainty, I consider that the outfield. I
think the Astros outfield is a huge level of concern
and maybe something that is not being talked about enough.
Oh that if you can strengthen one part of your
team by getting giving up something that you have too
much of, that's good business sense. That would be the
perfect world as you would trade probably Christian Walker for
a viable outfielder and then you would kill the two
birds with one stone. Problem is, Walker has less value.
Esik Pretus does have more value. So that's why his
name has been mentioned more in trades and in theory.
Giving guys days off of Koreas older back issues. Josel
Tuve is gonna be thirty six by the start of
the season, Christiah Walker's thirty four. You can kind of rotate.
But baseball is also a game where everybody that I
just mentioned wants to be out there as much as possible,
and you need guys to go in rhythm and baseball
is a sport where people can slump for weeks or
even a month plus and still be very good players.
And they need to work out of it. So you
got to keep guys in a rhythm. Yeah, all, yeah,
I think the two of us is giving you a
bunch of points. It you just don't have that you
don't in twenty twenty six, when every spot on a
roster is valuable. Look, I can't wait to find out
what Zach Cole does in April. I know what Jake
Myers is hey for six months baller. I'm not saying
glove finalists, but there's no slap, there's no power. It's
all slap. Ten home runs and the olden days, when
a guy hit fifteen, you'd say it had some pop.
And when I'm the olden days, all right, the fan
club is just the fan club. Jake Myers fan club
of me is talking. And Cam Smith should be given
every opportunity to do exact what he did last March,
and that was crush it. But he regressed. He was
not the same player because the competition was different in
Florida than it was during the course of the season
when the games really counted. He had ops under five
hundred and the second half. That's not acceptable. I mean
the great. Right field is great. If you're not worried
about the outfield, then you have your blinders on them.
You need your corner guys, especially to hit. Yes, and
I I'm not trusting Zach cole September, and I wouldn't
trust that Cole March. But he's he's been given the opportunity.
Now you can say, well, you're not I'll be out there.
It doesn't sound like get me very much. Yeah, your
your backup plan is that no trade is made, and
then you have to figure out the log jam, and
then you have some options. As far as outfield guys.
The backup plan isn't terrible. You would just like it
to get improved with a possible trade of getting rid
of the log jam and helping the outfield. If you
had I don't even know, you wouldn't. First of all,
you would have estock prities if you kept Kyle Tucker,
So that's not even a conversation. But if you had
somebody like if you had Cam Smith to seventy five
with an OPS of about seven to seventy five, you'd
feel better about it. I think we looked at his
Baseball Reference projection. I think they had him at seven
seventy or am I thinking of Zach Cole. I'd have
to look that up.
Speaker 6: But you have.
Speaker 2: A very youthful you have a corner outfield spots of
not much experience, and what little experience one of them
had was didn't come up to advertise as advertised living
Spring training, and guys outperform their projections all the time,
especially young guys. So while again I appreciate that you
can't trade estcoc Partes Truthers, I understand where you're coming from. Yeah,
you don't have strengths in a lot of categories, and
honestly does this if in fact the Diez is gonna
worry about this ankle all year long? Do you want
to improve your backup catcher spot? You would ideally, But
says Oar salasars out of options and you want to
keep him so you can't yoo him up and down
from Sugarland like you have been. I just don't think
it's it's not irresponsible to continue to say that the
best thing for the Astros is to trade you sick paratus,
because because here's the thing you can trade Christian Walker
love it, but the other team wants the other team
wants money back money, and guess what, you're gonna want prospects. No, no, no, no,
you're gonna want prospects because you're the one paying this salary.
You're dumping him, you're paying for prospect. Better pay some
big cash then, And maybe Jim Cran's like, I can't
do that, yeah, because that would once again be another
loss on their quote unquote free agent acquisition to the
last handfel years. And you're also assuming, and you're also
assuming the hamstring is a healthy froppritus. And then he
can feel first base, well, he's got You gotta put
him somewhere. You do it, That's right, you can't. It's
easier to trust him at first more than what it's like.
It's the Yeah, well we had Tony Parris Chico on
a fan fest. He said second base is the easiest
just in terms of lure, right right, right. He did
make me feel better about him going to second base.
And now I will say this again. You're gonna get
mad at me. Don't say it can't be worse than Altwove.
I'm sorry. Love you build a statue first bout Hall
of Famer. Well, hopefully if they if the if the
writers aren't bitter. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer. Okay,
I'm not saying a bad word about a two V.
I'm sorry, Okay, I'll be will be realistic. He's not
a butcher out there, and I think that those that
want to make fun of his second base work. We've
seen butchers in left Okay, second base. He was like
a bottom ten second baseman in baseball last year, and
he's number one in my heart. I know Final Hour
The Matt Thomas Show and Ross coming up in a
matter of moment seven to one three two one two
five seven ninety seven one three two one two five
seven ninety We take this program until two o'clock. If
you missed our conversation with Ima Dook, we'll have it
for you coming up in about thirty minutes. Believe it
or not. Today is this defunct football team did it
ever exist? That's UFL xfl USFLU World Football League, World
League of American Football, hell CFL will take it all.
Twelve fifty eight on seven ninety is The Matt Thomas
Show with Ross. All Right, Ross and I have argued,
we got phone calls to get to here at seven
one three two one two five seven. We always enjoy
good conversation with you folks. Then we nor will Gambler
talk on the show ever, unless they win the whole thing.
It'd be a nice Houston Sports championship, Yes, and a
big parade, a hothot to win back in the day. No, no, no,
all right, So you and I have a interesting observation
and a small bed about the number of games you're on.
An Alvarez is going to play for the rest of
his career. Yes, yes, you have him under one hundred
and thirty, for which I'm entire life. I'm hopeful that's
that's inaccurate. I hope he gets there this year. Oh man,
I mean if he plays over one hundred and thirty,
guess what he's gonna do. Gonna mash Well, it's a
reason he's never hit forty home runs in his career.
Speaker 6: Well.
Speaker 2: The reason why I bring this up is because the
folks on the gambling websites have said, Hey, would you
like to predict who's gonna hit the most home runs
in twenty twenty? Say, okay, Aaron Judge won three and
a half to one. You gotta lay seven to two.
It's plus three fifteen Okay, so you got him lay
three hundred and fifty dollars. Oh no, no, you lay
one hundred and three fifty What what everything is for
Aaron Judge? Yeah? Yeah, okay, can I yuh what? Give
you that website again?
Speaker 8: Please? Yeah?
Speaker 2: You go to any casino Louisiana case. I'm sure you could.
So it seems like he should be even money. Let
me give you the top five. Aaron Judge is three
and a half to one. Shoe Halo Tani is on
leave the entire majors. Yeah and home. Okay, I don't know.
I was thinking American League. That makes a little more sense.
Shoho Tani is four to one, Kyle Schwarber is eight
to one, cal Ralegh nine to one, and Nick Kurtz
is ten to one. I would like to short col
Raley like bet against bet the other side. Oh that's easy, right,
he can't do this twice in a row. Can't this
twice in a row. So just to put you in
perspective of where baseball sees, you're done. Yes, you have
to go all the way down to about tenth or
eleventh in the list. Jord On Albaretz is thirty three
to one. Okay to leave the major league and home runs. Well,
he's never hit forty. Yeah, not only has he never
hit fifty, he's never hit forty. So he needs to
get there. Part of the reason is because he isn't
always out there. The most he's hit is ninety excuse me,
thirty seven. Well, I'm gonna twenty twenty two. Maybe maybe
Joe wants me to lose this bet with you, because
I think the easiest way for him to stay above
the one thirty line is by daging as much as possible,
although his injuries frankly ross him and that come with
him on the base path. It's happened. Yeah, normally he
say wipe down home plate please after first innings. Then
he also slide awkwardly in the second base into second base.
You know, he kind of lumbers. He's a big dude.
He can mash, he can mash, he can he can
hit upper deckers off a Robbie Ray and give you
the most electric moments of your life. And then he
can also be out with knee injury and creaking ease
and oblique injuries and whatever else. I honestly tell you
today at one o five, I pray that I lose
the bet, you're gonna lose because eventually I haven't. The
bet ends at twenty thirty six. By the way, is
that what we said we put in fifteen years? Hey,
you don't let that go. Look, I don't remember what
what did we bet? I don't remember dinner or something.
It's something small. I got to pay off of my coffee?
Did I already pay my coffee off? I know? Oh
you got me so, but you didn't give me a
pastry though, Oh I owe you a pastry. No, we're
supposed to go to a nice place. It's right, not Starbucks,
I'll say it, not Starbucks. Supposed to go to a nice,
good coffee place. We can bring your computers and work
while we're there, or absolutely, we don't want to have conversation.
Was a WiFi password?
Speaker 4: Does that?
Speaker 2: Barissa? Hear that more than anything in the world. Or
how about what's your code for the bathroom? Oh that
happens too, wi Fi password one? You try? The address
number is a good guess the things you learned, not
necessarily going to a lot of places that require that. Yes,
I do.
Speaker 5: I live in this.
Speaker 2: All right, So I just want to give you people,
if you wanted to bet on Jordan Alvarez being the
home run King of twenty twenty six. For every ten
dollars you put down, you'd win three hundred and thirty
outs for all of baseball. Now, how far down the list, Oh,
let me give you some other names, really coarly like
he's he's what like seventh, eithh like? Where is he
from the top five, six, seven, eight nine? He's tenth. Okay,
so he's supposed to finish top ten a home runs
in the entire Major League. He's in a three way
tie for eighth actually with Matt Olsen and vlad Guerrero Junior. Okay,
Peter A. Lonzo's in front of him, Won Soto's in
front of him, and that's it. But Aaron Judge the
clear favorite, because that's what Aaron Judge does. He hits
in a homer and let's tell you that's chalk. He
plays ninety games a year and ridiculously friendly home run stadiums,
Yes he does, between Fenway and Yankee. I'm sure there's
other places too, but yeah, and then he comes here
sometimes pretty friendly manashes pretty well. Let's talk to the
great people to Houston. When the win's not blowing in
Aaron Boone, do we I don't think we've had a
single game roof open last year, did we not? I
don't think we don't think so because normally the playoffs
they open it up, and well, I got one for you.
Should they open it up for the World Baseball Classic
that's coming here? Wouldn't that be a great way to
cud players don't like the city. The players don't like
the unknown element of the winds. No, that's not the players,
it's Lance mcculors doesn't like it. Remember Lance was all
Horty was upset in that Arizona opened up their roof
and then everything he was taking against no real quick? One?
Two three? Is Lance mccullors Junior a major storyline for
the Astros in twenty twenty six? Now major major means
like a comeback story well, or or something meaning like
he's got a meaningful role or we phrase. Is Lance
mccullors a major part of the twenty twenty sixty one?
Two three?
Speaker 6: No?
Speaker 2: I love Lance mccullors junior. You didn't marry him in
the h No does Lance Colors finished the year with
the Astros? Because here's I want to give you a phrase.
How about this one before you go to your phrase.
Tradable deadline for a veteran arm if he's healthy or
b We gave you as much time as we could.
We thank you for your service, but we've eventually had
to take a loss. Cleared Waivers deciding to accept his
assignment to sugar Land. That hurts me, sail out. Wow,
that's not my bengo. Okay, good, that's not my bingo card.
Let's talk to John. He's gonna bounce back.
Speaker 5: You know what.
Speaker 2: I'm changing my mind right now. Wait a minute, you
just literally said something else five seconds ago. Please, I
gotta believe baby. He's only thirty two. Hi, John.
Speaker 14: Empty. I was just about to say something until raw
say what he said.
Speaker 5: As is a wrap man.
Speaker 2: He let me believe John, Let me let me. Let
me tell you, John, it's the name of that show
is Matt Thomas. Show was ross. It's Matt Thomas was
the flip flopper over here. I had him out right
and I got him bounce back with seconds. Are such
a fraud?
Speaker 14: That is fraudular behavior.
Speaker 2: Behavior that is for sure.
Speaker 14: Real quick, give two things.
Speaker 6: I agree with you that the outfield for us does
not get talked about enough because I totally suspect much
like him did. They don't have any tape on cold.
So he's gonna start off like game Busters and.
Speaker 14: By the second half don't figure him out.
Speaker 2: Just like they're figuring Cam out.
Speaker 6: And I think you'll have the same type of season
that Cam had in his first year, kind of up
and down.
Speaker 2: So if you if you were Dana with that piece.
Speaker 6: Of paratist, who is still out there that you would
trade for as far as the outfitter to the outfielder
to boast, you know, boost the outfield, because I agree.
Speaker 14: The three guys that we have out there now.
Speaker 6: And I'm sorry, Ross, I know you're the president of
the fan club, but but around these parts, Jake Maris
is a jag. He's just another guy, and you can't
You got to be able to to find something something
for that center field. And then and then the lastly,
em T what do you call what is Dorian Finney
Smith's nickname when you call him on.
Speaker 2: The on the on the radio? What what what is
the dfs NA DFS Okay? Is there anyway?
Speaker 6: And Ross, please get behind me on this because we've
got a poition going. Can we change his name from
that to Kelvin Cato?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 2: Come on too soon?
Speaker 14: Is it possible that we could call him Kevin Cato?
Because I just I just believe any any wide.
Speaker 6: Open three point shots that are open hit it and
I and at last he's in the Dallas Mavericks uniform.
We've been we've been bamboozl we've been hoodwink.
Speaker 14: So that's all I got him to you. I want
to hear if who would you trade for? And again,
should we just get that Calvin.
Speaker 2: Tato as as a new DMV call? Thanks guys here,
get to listen. No, you're not gonna call him Dorian
Phinney Smith. They're gonna call him the other nickname that
I heard. There are other names, sadly that are out
there for Dorian Phinney Smith. Do you want to say
it or you know I'm not under zero chances, I'll
say it, Dorian fin the miss. That's not very nice.
He's a work in progress, work in progress. People can improve.
I like him personally. He's had a terrible say. I
didn't realize he was thirty two years old. Let's get
him good, you know what. Let's get him wrested from
the the All Star break, and we'd for like thirty
minutes of play and he can get into a rhythm
and play better because the Rockets are gonna need bench play.
That's the bottom line. You can talk about whether or
not he's gonna play well or not they meet him,
because last night on the bench when you had you
can't play Dorian Phinneysmith the entire Easten on back to
backs it was zero points from Clint Capella and I
can't even remember. You're getting JD. Davison minutes, you're getting
the this stray Isaiah Crawford. They need Dorian Phinneysmith to
be a key part of this rotation. To answer your question,
I can't give you names because everybody that had names
attached to potentially a trade with Eastsik Pretties have been
traded by now. The market is cooled. That much is clear. Yeah.
I mean I'm looking at the literally the latest trade
rumors of a website that I do trust, and they're
saying that there's Boston already filled its spot. Who does
does boss I have an extra outfielder at this point? Yeah,
but it's too late, baby, It's too late because from
the Red Sox. They made a trade opening day a Bray.
It was available, wasn't he Brian No Wilner, Oh, Willyer Yeah,
mm hmm. Former Astro's legend, Astro's farm system legend. Yeah,
they trade. They got Caleb Durhan from the Brewers. Yeah,
it's I'm getting nothing. Excuse me, that's fine. Durbin Durham.
Like I know, I don't know. There are there are
mystery clubs in the in the package. I don't know
who's tradable. I don't know what teams right now have
too many outfielders. Oh I'm not Oh no, there's other
nicknames for for Dorian Finney Smith. Don't Finny Shoot, don't
even show that to me, don't Why did you look
that up? I didn't look it up. Oh just popped
up in your Tielne really tweeted it to me. Willie,
please be polite. He's gonna be all right.
Speaker 5: Guys.
Speaker 2: Everybody was calling read Shepherd a bus and then now
one year later, everybody wants him in the starting lineup.
Guys can improve Now he's thirty two. It's different case. Well,
he better improved because he's on the books for a
lot of money. That's what I'm saying. He's on the
books for like three more years. He was as good
as a Laker against us. He's gonna get better, He's
gonna get healthier. He had a three point of last night. Yeah,
and then he almost caved the front end of the
rim and with the other one, well, he's gotta get
little more left on it. Yeah. The line drivers are
not gonna w Yeah, he's got to get his legs
underneath them.
Speaker 5: Guys.
Speaker 2: Let him get the All Star break one fifteen Sports
Talk seven ninety. We'll hear more from the Rockets coach
in about fifteen minutes here on seven ninety. They start
today coming out of his spring training with Josh Hater
and his apparent set back. He did throw some soft
tosses today at Florida and Florida down at West Palm Beach,
and after that he spoke to the media. Can you
just kind of take.
Speaker 9: Us through what happened when you were shut down with
junior fourth bullpen?
Speaker 2: I believe Yeah.
Speaker 16: So I was going in my fourth bullpen and for me,
when I was throwing catch play, I just threw a
change up kind of grabbed on me. So then kept
going on, and then the next day felt it again
on a change up, So following that, tried to do
it without throwing the change up, and then the more
intense I got, felt it again, So the bicep kind
of got inflamed. So then I took about ten days
off and started just letting that heel a little bit.
And now we're here today, and today was the first
day of catch play, which was pretty good. So, like
I said, a little setback, but nothing too concerning for me.
And yeah, so just building back up now and just
get ready for the season.
Speaker 5: What are you gonna do now?
Speaker 2: Just I actually see I would I'm posed.
Speaker 16: I mean, it's just back to normal, just building back up.
So I mean I was at the point where I
was summer Bullpens. I was up, you know, in eighty
five and you know, it felt really good. So I
think it's more so just getting back to that, just
building an arm back up. Since I had ten days off,
so I would say we're probably a few weeks behind
right now on just getting that arm back to where
we needed to be.
Speaker 7: Where you're staying it's the first work out, but giving
yourself a time frame as to whether you think you'd
be really broken there.
Speaker 16: No, Right now, I'm just taking it week by week
and just seeing how I'm progressing with that. For me,
it's it's more of just like seeing how my body
responds on everything, because if I start setting a table,
I don't want to get to the point where I'm
going to be rushing and then something long term happens,
which I don't think it will, but you know, sometimes
you got to be cautious with that.
Speaker 5: But for right now, it's just building back up to
where we need to be.
Speaker 2: How you feel you know, Oh, there's something that you
caught that in the interview. It wasn't about the questions
or it wasn't about the answers, it was the way
they were presented. I have found myself and we've talked
about this with other people in the media business. For
some reason, when you get into a clubhouse, you do
not want to go full throat.
Speaker 6: You.
Speaker 2: Josh was giving you his answers right yes, in a
normal tone. The questions were like, so, do you feel
like you're gonna be how far behind you are? I
think it's natural. You got guys in the locker room
and the next over and they're getting ready other guys
are chatting, you don't want to just blow them out, Matt.
But there was not equal balance between Josh's voice and
the reporter voice. Yeah, but I am. I have done
that myself over the years where I've I catch myself, well,
why am I talking softer than the guy I'm interviewing. Yeah,
but also that's from Brian McTaggart, and he's pointing the
camera at Josh Hater and not the reporters who were talking.
So if you if you move, if you move the
direction of the microphone, it'd pick.
Speaker 9: It up better.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's so fairly if you're there, the volumes
a little closer the second the first question. After Brian's
won the second question over all, the guy was like, man,
you know hug or something. Yeah, you can hear Brian's
question better because he's right there in front of the phone. Okay,
so I was off, Mike. I will just say that
we as reporters when I when I do very little reporting,
but when I'm in the clubhouse, I'll interview interviews. We
as interviewers have done that in the past, where you've
kind of gone, you know, are you're gonna be back
in next says your ar, I'm gonna fall off? Or
what's to do with that? Did you throw a curveball
or a change up in that fourth inning? You don't
want to you don't want to shout at anybody. Well,
you know what it is. You're also trying to soft
play also if it's something you're kind of sheepish about
having to ask the question correct if if it's something negative,
especially like oh it went wrong in the ninth there, well,
and again when you go to your bedy you're mad
at me? Who's hurt? That's the last I mean, you're
not like you and I are relatively jolly people in general.
I can't imagine us going to Lance mc colors make Lance,
do you think you're gonna make it through the season?
I mean, you wouldn't go hey, Lance, and he thought
about you playing a full one sixty two this year, like,
you know, five runs at any and third, that's gotta
be some kind of record, Lance, Lance, Man, that must
have sucked out there. You go, hey, I know you
know it was. What was it working for you? Just
going through your What do you think you can improve
the next time out?
Speaker 9: That's just.
Speaker 2: That's a study in the in the vocal performances of
everybody in human interaction. Man, Yeah, is that ever work
in your life?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 2: I guess, Well, like you're firing someone, you're not like, hey,
hey man, you're how to hear pal. Hey, I got
some news for you. Your numbers are down forty percent
year to year, and we can't keep you around anymore.
Speaker 5: What do you know?
Speaker 2: Never really do every decision on here?
Speaker 5: Still?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, we had to make some budget cuts.
It's say this is corporate, this is out of my hand.
Hard for Well, they don't say that, Well they used to.
Well they're lying, that's right. No, that's why I don't
just why you don't say it anymore? Yeah, I just uh,
it's not those are not easy. Some not blaming though,
I'm just saying that's just that's just the normal way
to you want to soft pedal it. So you don't
because obviously Josh Hater does not want to stand up
in front of a bunch of meeting explain why he's
not gonna be ready for probably the start of the
regular season. That's not an easy conversation to have. So
you kind of just you want to quietly work your
way up to asking the most important question biceps tending inflammation.
How are we feeling not good? I told you that,
at least I'm saying consistent with that. You flip flopped
already on Lance M. Colors is different. Are you sure
you want to do that too? Yes, because I don't
think it's gonna work out, but I wanted to. So
you're more hoping than dealing with realism. I'm not going
to the betting window and betting on Lancemcolor's overwins, okay,
but I'm hoping well. Honestly, if he does come back
and give you anything, you do need a long reliever
dems of breaks. You're still not a veteran pitching staff.
Guys are gonna have all performances and you could get it.
Maybe he's gonna blow us all away. Could you get
a guy that could give you three innings once every
seven or eight days if a guy struggles, if Lance
wants to inherit that. Look, at this point, the money
that's been spending on lands, Lance ought to be happy
that his arm is working and he can actually try
to help his team, whatever role that may be. He's
gonna get a shot to start. I believe that. I
mean that's a big guy feeling for me. Because he's
making eighteen million dollars. He's gonna be the sixth guy
and go out there and give us something. We're making
eighteen million dollars and he might get I don't know
if it's gonna be one start, five stars or what
if you gave me a healthy Lance McClory every sixth day.
Sometimes it'll be seven with off days and you'd have
to disabled him at any point this year. That's a
win for the asser to be shocking, first of all.
But I think unless he's a complete disaster in spring,
he's gonna get a shot because of the money, which
we did, and people will say, why is he out there?
I mean he could even I mean he could have
an atrocious spring, and I don't think it would matter
unless he is like really bad. Yeah. Seven one three
two one two five seven ninety seven one three two
one two five seven ninety's funding. I just got a
uh text about the Clippers injury report tonight. Nicholas Patum
is out for rest. He didn't play yesterday either. You
must want a lot of rest. Great, that's funny. Uh
So the Rockets outbran Ching Gun is probable. Okay, Tarry
Easton is questionable with his injury management. They've been trying
to get him back to back to backs. He may
Dooka said game time decision and we'll hear more from me.
May coming back here. Uh did the Rockets that beat
the Clippers last night trying to go for two in
a row and win three games overall before sending the
boys to the All Star Break. They are thirty three
and nineteen and by percentage points, own the third spot
in the Western Conference. More with Coach next Earlier on
the show today, we had a chance to visit with
Imay doesn't want to play a portion of that for you.
I May on the Rockets win last night and they
took care of the Clippers by a final score of one,
two five, Houston out thirty three and nineteen, and I
open up our visit with him asking how much different
it was taking on a Clipper team with no James
Harden and no Evins a Zubots on the floor.
Speaker 5: No, it's very different.
Speaker 13: Obviously, Harden is just such unique player and what he
brings to the table. You have to game plan this
scheme for him, and you know Zubot's kind of their
anchor on defense, and so very different as far as
the space thing with Lopez, you know, more spaced out
on the perimeter the ball and Leonard's hand one hundred
percent of the time now and then you know they're.
Speaker 5: Not at full strength.
Speaker 13: You know, Garland's out, and obviously they're getting their guys
up the speed. Mather and then Jackson playing in their
first game. So it was very different than the team
we faced before.
Speaker 2: The double team on Kawhi. Look, you got his shots,
took him nineteen to get twenty four, So I think
you'd be generally speaking pretty police the way you guys
doubled him on a fairly regular basis.
Speaker 13: Yeah, and that's my point, you know, with with with
hard John and some of their guys out, we you know,
have to go after Kawhi Leonard obviously he's gonna have
the ball in his hands and much more. And so yeah,
you don't always look at the final score. You know,
him having twenty four points, it's the nineteen attempts other
than you know, nine free throws.
Speaker 5: I think we did a decent job on them.
Speaker 2: Reading back off the bench. Good to get Amend back
out there. There was some time out there that looked
like that, Amen didn't have to necessarily worry about ball
handling as much as maybe in previous games. Was that
intentional or just how the game progress especially because he
had not as many big men chased after him as
he had in recent weeks.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I think, you know, we'd like to have multiple
handles out there at times, and so when we can
get reading the men out there together, it's always.
Speaker 5: Been good for us. You know.
Speaker 13: Obviously you can initiate through Alpi and Kevin does his
share of handling as well.
Speaker 5: So as always this year, you.
Speaker 13: Know, we tried to go through a little bit through
committee while the young guys are learning.
Speaker 5: But yeah, several different ways to attack it.
Speaker 13: And like I said, without being such a unique center
that can play up top and get us into our sets,
you can take some of the pressure off the other guys.
Speaker 2: There has been a lot of talk about him and
Thompson and the fives guarding him. How much has that
been discussed in practices and meetings and things like that,
And as part of you as a coach kind of
like the challenge of seeing that and trying to work
on ways to combat it.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean it's It's something that we've seen since
his first year, since his rookie year, when you know
when Alper went out with their last eighteen games and
was technically our small ball five or you know him
and Jabbari out there at the four and the five,
so quite a few teams had the bigs on him.
So something that he and we are very accustomed to.
And you know, he knows the spots that he can
pick whether he's handling. Obviously, putting the big on him
a second bag takes away some of the driving lanes,
but very good in the in the pocket, very good
in the dunker spot.
Speaker 5: You know, him setting screens and rolling always been good
for us. And so he's had his practice over the
last few years and we know the areas we can
get to with him not handling the ball.
Speaker 2: Rocket Tech coach Imodoka was here on Sports Talk seven
ninety just reach Shepherd. Of course, with the bounce back
night shooting last night. Is there any bit of a
kind of a semblance of a maybe he's not a rookie,
but a rookie wall to he's played double the minutes
that he did all of last year. What have you
been seeing from him? Not only just from on the floor,
but as far as energy and maintaining and being out
there on the floor.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean he's playing a lot more this year
obviously than you know, didn't play a ton of this
rookie year. But I think for all young guys, everybody's
going to have a slump at some point during the season.
And you know, what we say is don't let that
affect your overall game. You know, don't just rely on
jump shots to impact the game. And so for Reid,
you know, he's making some really nice passes and stepping
up on the defensive end is what we're asking all
the guys to do.
Speaker 5: And so they may hit that wall and obviously one
more before all start break.
Speaker 13: You can get your legs back, give a little rest
in and kind of reset from there. But I think
he's playing fine. You know, missing some shots that he
normally made early in the season, but Jabari did a
few weeks ago. Alfins gone through his thing, and so
you just have to push through it, like I said,
and I just let made shots dictate how your game's
going to go.
Speaker 2: We've discussed as many times where coaches like yourself have
to kind of fight the all star break. You know, like, hey,
I want to think about the vacation or getting away
from the sport. Your guys have fought through that the
last couple of days. Discuss the bounce back in your
mind the team has had after those two home losses
to Boston Charlotte. How you fought back and now with
a chance to go to the break in a three
game winning streak.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean it's just the effort and intensity that
takes to win a basketball game wasn't there in those
two games.
Speaker 5: And you know, quite simple.
Speaker 13: You know, whether he make shots or not or guard
well enough, if you don't play with the right effort
in mindset, you're not going to give yourself a chance
on the nightly basis, and so across. It was just
getting back to that. I think you saw that in
Oklahoma City game. We watched quite a bit of film
on the Charlotte in Boston game and looked like two
different teams, whether you know it was his legs or
guys thinking about all start break or whatever. We had
five games left and we wanted to play well. So
you know, two of those not too well. The last
two have been really good. And it's like I said,
you can see the difference on the tape. Our guys
have been back locked in and obviously want to finish
on a good note tonight.
Speaker 2: I don't know if you've heard from the medical staff.
Where are you on who can sit and who can
stay tonight? Is there anybody that would be definitely out
for tonight's game?
Speaker 13: Dorian will be out tonight for sure. Sorry, will be
a game time decision. You know, he's gonna try it
down and see how he feels and go from there.
Speaker 2: All right, Josh did not play as sure? Is that
being okay with him?
Speaker 17: Yeah?
Speaker 5: Yeah, just Josh was fine.
Speaker 13: I think part of it was the fact that Dorian's
going to be out tomorrow tonight and you don't want
to rest him.
Speaker 5: But obviously Josh is always ready to.
Speaker 13: Be called upon and went with the little short of
rotation knowing that we were gonna run some guys some
longer minutes and we'll have Josh tonight for sure.
Speaker 2: What did you think of ben nickmatherin getting his first
amount of playing time for the Clippers. We just saw
him a few weeks ago wearing paster gear.
Speaker 13: Yeah, I mean he's gonna be a good asset for them.
I think, you know, it's always hard when you kind
of get implemented into a new situation like that. And
you know, he wasn't as aggressive as he's been with Indiana,
but expect that to happen over time here, you know,
probably right after all start break when.
Speaker 5: He gets some practices in. But good pickup for them
in general.
Speaker 2: Do you tell the NBGA folks to keep your center
and your power forward on ice and make sure you
don't work him too hard. I mean, it's a great
experience for both of them, especially for Alba when getting
the late addition. But Kevin's been through this a lot,
so do you think about that, Like, hey, man, I
want you to get away from the sport, but it
feels like to me that Katie's been such a gym
r at his entire life that it's trying to find
a place to shoots and baskets even during this off time.
Speaker 13: Oh, they definitely would have done that regardless, and so
you know it's another honor for him. Man outbring, you know,
and we want those guys to be perennial All Stars.
And you know, as much as the rest is good
for you, that's a huge runner And I think the
guys will trade that off any day, but in know
how to mix it in and get the rest in
that they need in the in the days with the media.
Speaker 8: And all that.
Speaker 13: And then obviously the game isn't full speed full speed,
so they'll they'll be out there getting some rest. But
even after that, they got two three four days off
to until our next game against Charlotte and get a
chance to rest up then.
Speaker 2: And we've still been through this amazing run of back
to backs. It's getting better. I mean, they're they're being
knocked off the list, but it feels like this squad
has had more back to backs in the last month
and a half of maybe anybody else in the NBA
has had.
Speaker 13: Yeah, well, I'm sure we have. I think we didn't
have any for the first you know, eight or so weeks.
I think we had our first in late December, and so,
you know, we had it easier early in the year,
and now it's catching up to us. You know, we
basically had won every week for the last four weeks,
and so it is what it is. You know, it's
going to catch up to you at some point. And
like I said, we have done a good job and
some struggled earlier in some others.
Speaker 5: And now we want to finish tonight with on a
good note against Clippers.
Speaker 2: Is there any the wrap things up with you? Is
there any individual message you like tell the guys that
they step away from the sport?
Speaker 6: Is it?
Speaker 2: Is it more of a team get together conversation as
guys try to take a separate break away from the
sport for a few days.
Speaker 5: I think I think it's both.
Speaker 13: I think, you know, team and individually everybody needs to,
you know, kind of take a step back and decompress,
you know, get your legs back. We have twenty nine
games coming out of the break and that goes really quickly.
So get the work in that you need to. Obviously,
don't come back out of shape or you know, rusty,
but also get away from it for a minute, Like
I said, clear your mind and prepare for what's ahead.
Speaker 2: All right, getting away from it? Ross, How are you
getting away from it? I'm going to see my daughter
play volleyball, going to West Palm Beach. Anging to West
Palm Beach will be their Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday next week.
Looking forward to that much, very merry, very much. Sure
hopefully Josh Hey I'll be ready to go by then.
I think he will be on the on the bump
throwing ninety six. Let's not hold our breath on that one.
But I like you, you're turning some optimism. Inn No,
I'm just trying to play it to you, Okay, all right,
today's edition to Believe or Not. It's gonna be a
good one, all right. It's about whether or not this
is a defunct football team. Variety of leagues XFL, USFL, UFL,
World League of American Football WFL. Yeah, the NFL back
in the nineteen twenty Arena Football two. You want to
arena football, I'll throw it out. You went out throw
something in there? It was this really a team name
seven one three two, one two five seven on a
you and we'll have probably what we're gonna try you
ten or eleven of those. You think we got time? Eleven?
How about ten? Okay?
Speaker 13: Ten?
Speaker 2: I mean eleven is We've never done eleven ever in
the history of the show. That's why it got me
off guard. I'm just trying to throw I want to
do eleven. We can, all right. Seven one three two,
one two five seven ninety seven one three two one
two five seven nine zero. All right, what I was
looking on my phone is the nice people over at
SPA City Home Network ROSSI did a feature on me yesterday.
Actually it will be airing tomorrow.
Speaker 5: We did it.
Speaker 2: We recorded a couple weeks ago. It's uh, it's a
ride along. Vanessa drives me down to the Tote Center
and we talked some rock and talking about my career
a little bit. Uh huh. So that's going to air
tomorrow night on Rockets All Access. So if you want
to catch me with the nessa talking about my career,
it's gonna sounds great. I don't miss an episode, so
I can't. I can't wait. It was the best part
of the last episode. H read Shepherd Spotlight before that,
that would of course be the Don and Finney Smith Spotlight.
It'll be ridiculous you are watching it.
Speaker 5: I just made that up.
Speaker 2: So the funny thing was is the original feature. I'm
not to toot my own horn, but oh go ahead.
It was originally ten minutes long. They're like, we can't
give we can't give ten minutes of a Rockets All
Access show. Yeah, it's only like twenty two minutes. They've
shaved it down to four. Oh okay. And what they
did is they came in here and they kind of
they literally followed me throughout my day at the office,
including when I talk with you. So you know you're
not in the final clip sadly, Oh okay, Well that's fine.
It didn't get me taking a nap because they took
a pictures of me and sleeping, okay. And then they
got me going to the Tota Center and Benessa picked
me up to me down there. We were in a
Toyta and we drove down there and had a good
time and a nice visit. They didn't get me, they
didn't catch me. They have one of my calls a
men remember when the men Thompson had that little mid
ranging Boston a couple of years back. Though, Rockets finally
beat them against the Celtics up there, so that's on
there too. But yeah, So tomorrow night, six o'clock, Rockets
all access for my little Toyota ride along to the
Toda Center. Wonderful. I can't wait to catch it. DV.
All right, I want you to permanently keep it as
a part of your future. I mean, I'm good. I
want you where's the long version? When we get the
extended version. I'm going to try to find out that
where's the director's cut. That's what I'm saying. That's what
we need five minutes up to go on the show.
Speaker 1: What should we do?
Speaker 2: We should play America's fastest growing sports radio game. Should
we simply called it Believe it or Not? And here's
how it works. You call seven one three two one
two five seven ninety seven one three two one two
five seven ninety today's edition to Believe or Not? It
is all things about whether this is a defunct and
professional professional football professional football. No, no, not all NFL.
Oh my gosh, James vanner Mey just died forty eight
years old. Vanderbeek. Yeah, the Dawson Dawson's Creek dang gone
too soon. Literally, that's true. Let's believe it or not
for the wrong you can get that locked and loaded.
All right, here we go. Let me focus here. I'll
read his name, and if it's a defunct football team.
If it is, you'll say this, believe it. If it's
a real life team that eventually was never existed, that
doesn't make any sense. If it's a football team that
never existed, you'll say this to believe or Not's arow
wing your prize. You're going to play for one of
three prizes today on today's edition I Believe or Not.
One is the seven one t shirt too, is a
pair of tickets factually a four pack of tickets to
see that Mantra Jam this Sunday Energy Stadium. Will get
pit party passes with that, or a pair of tickets
to see the Stained on their Break the Cycle twenty
fifth anniversary tour that features see There with special guests
Hobastank and Hinder. That's October the seventeenth. If you want
tickets for the Manch Gym this weekend or that concert
that just brought up, go to ticketmaster dot com. That's
ticketmaster dot com. Let's play believe it or not. We'll
start with Neil on seven Hunty, Neil, you're ready to play.
Believe it or not?
Speaker 9: Believe it?
Speaker 2: Neil, good luck to you. The Toledo Maroons were once
a football team, Believe it or not. Believe it all right,
believe it. They were an NFL team Statement number two
for the win. The Washington Vigilantes were once a football team,
Believe it or not. Not, that's a believer that they
were on the Ohio League. My name is the precursor
to the NFL. Things you learn on the Matt Thomas
Show with Ross, Actually it's Ross giving him credit for
that one. Brian on seven Anty, Brian, you're ready to play.
Believe it or not Believe it? The Pittsburgh Malers we
once a football team, believe it or not not. That's
a believer that's USFL. That was Mike Rogier's team out
of the college football at Nebraska. Menually went on to
play for the Oilers in the NFL. Ken on seven,
AINTI Ken was your favorite part of today's ten to
two radio show.
Speaker 8: The interview with the Rockets head coach Emio Doka, Thank
you friend.
Speaker 2: Providence Blues once a football team. Believe it or not.
Speaker 5: Not?
Speaker 2: It's correct. Statement number two for the win. The Jacksonville
Bulls Believe it or.
Speaker 8: Not Believe it?
Speaker 2: I guess yeah, USFL. Nicely done. Let's go to c
in Brazoria. See you're ready to play. Believe it or
not Believe it? Memphis show Boats were once a football team.
Believe it or not.
Speaker 16: Believe it?
Speaker 2: Yeah, USFL statement number two for the win. The Evansville
Crimson Giants were once a football team, believe it or not.
Not they were an NFL team. I'm sorry, but thank
you for playing. Let's go to Pete on seven Atie, Pete,
you're ready to play Believe it or not? Believe it
the Flint morale. Once a football team, believe it or not.
That's correct. Dame a number two for the win the
Kansas City Cowboys or once a football team, believe it
or not, believe it they were in the NFL. Congratulately.
Last one belongs to Dave on seven ninety day of
your favorite part of today's ten to two radio show.
Speaker 14: Absolutely the whole show.
Speaker 2: Atlantic City Blackjacks or once a football team, believe it
or not.
Speaker 9: I believe it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they were an Arena league team. Dame number two
for the when the Columbus Pioneers were once a football team,
Believe it or not.
Speaker 14: I have no idea, but I guess I'll believe.
Speaker 2: No, you shouldn't have Rossman or no. Thank you, though,
guy listens to show the whole thing, loves it, every
bit of it, and thus could not figure out the
Columbus Pioneers or a fake football team. All right, Rossie,
we got rockets on launchpad that at six o'clock. Dan
Matthews on the call. Yep, you'll be spending time with
your sister. Yes to her birthday. Shout out, Rachel. You're
cooking tonight, Yes, steaks, yes, and pans heared in cast iron.
Will you be doing any sort of seasoning to those steaks? Yeah,
salt pepper, no, marinate of any sort. No, we don't
want to get a bottle of steak and ale. No, sir,
take it ale. If you see her uh or what
was the stay shaking? You want to put some shaking
bake on it?
Speaker 9: No? No.
Speaker 2: If you get a nice, good cut of steak, all
you need is a little salt, pepper and oil and
you see it correctly, which I do, and then it's
gonna be delicious. Will you take video of it?
Speaker 9: Video?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I want to put it on my Instagram. I
would love sports are I can't cook the steak and
video myself. We'll have somebody do it for you. That
seems weird, all right? Up next Wexler and Clinton. They
are the team. I'll talk to you for Rockets and
Clippers at seven right here on seven n eighty