Speaker 1: John Salisbury Show.
Speaker 2: It's time for our eight o'clock weekly visit with Astros
Speaker 2: broadcaster Steve steven Sparks. I just died to go formal today, Steven.
Speaker 2: You ever get in trouble while your mom she called you,
Speaker 2: Stephen had to? I know you did. You're not the
Speaker 2: you unless you were there? Were you the kiss ass child?
Speaker 1: Steve? Welcome in, buddy, How you doing?
Speaker 3: Never got in trouble?
Speaker 1: You never got in trouble? Ever, I don't believe.
Speaker 3: I don't believe so you you.
Speaker 2: Were the teacher's pet, right, let me ask you how
Speaker 2: many times did you have to do after school suspension
Speaker 2: truthfully in your life?
Speaker 3: Uh?
Speaker 4: Sean, were of the age we got, we got, we
Speaker 4: got paddled, right.
Speaker 3: I had a teacher who had a paddle called pistol pete,
Speaker 3: and I might I might as well called a pistol Stephen,
Speaker 3: because because I own that thing. Yeah, I got in trouble.
Speaker 2: Yeah I figured you were, but you but it was
Speaker 2: the kind of trouble that like the teacher still like
Speaker 2: smirking and said he's so cute, he's so so nice
Speaker 2: and sweet. But just a little bit to let everybody
Speaker 2: know that you still had it in you. I well
Speaker 2: believe it because I know the feeling and you're exactly right.
Speaker 2: People laugh and think we're kidding. My vice we had,
Speaker 2: the vice principal was the swat giver, and it's true.
Speaker 2: Think about how times have change, Steve. Now, could you
Speaker 2: imagine telling your kid you're twenty twenty five with all
Speaker 2: this going on, and so we say, hey, you go
Speaker 2: down the principal office to get your aspect with a paddle.
Speaker 1: Yeah, not happening.
Speaker 2: I remember.
Speaker 4: I remember at one point they used to do it
Speaker 4: a how hallway, like, all right, go outside the hall,
Speaker 4: still go outside the hall, bend over, and then somewhere
Speaker 4: halfway through this stuff, for.
Speaker 3: Some reason, things change and they had to get a witness.
Speaker 4: They had to get another teacher from the room next
Speaker 4: door to watch, just to make.
Speaker 2: Sure you were an abusive or there wasn't going overboard
Speaker 2: type of thing.
Speaker 3: Yeah, just to make sure that they didn't whack you time.
Speaker 2: I guess I love it, man. Those were the days
Speaker 2: Chuck Leaf. We didn't want to go to Chuck Leaf's office.
Speaker 2: I remember the name right back in the days Eastmarks
Speaker 2: Joys Is. Some guys are a little risty, like at hockey.
Speaker 2: Oh the rister, the one timer, Yeah, no doubt about it.
Speaker 2: Steve rough weekend in some ways. I mean, you're not
Speaker 2: supposed to lose to the Chicago White Sox, but they did.
Speaker 2: Let's start on Sunday and we can work our way
Speaker 2: back your initial thoughts about eighty seven pitches and Lance
Speaker 2: mccullor's first appearance and felt like ten years. But what
Speaker 2: in the last couple of years, what'd you think about
Speaker 2: it from the visuals?
Speaker 3: Well, I can't imagine all that was going through is mind,
Speaker 3: nine hundred and.
Speaker 4: Fifteen days since the last time he pitched on a
Speaker 4: big league mound. So just just to get to that point,
Speaker 4: I mean that was very encouraging, you know, very happy
Speaker 4: for him to be able to do what he did.
Speaker 4: And I thought the ball came out of his hand
Speaker 4: really nice. He talked about not having a great feel
Speaker 4: as far as landing his brain ball, but I thought
Speaker 4: he threw some really good curves. The slider was a
Speaker 4: little probably breaking a little earlier than he thought, but
Speaker 4: I mean it was huge. I mean, he can spin
Speaker 4: the ball as well as anybody, and the change up
Speaker 4: was really good.
Speaker 3: So the thing that's going to make his change up
Speaker 3: and everything.
Speaker 4: Else a little better, especially if he throws maybe a
Speaker 4: mile per hour or two miles fur slower than he
Speaker 4: did a couple of years ago. Is to make sure
Speaker 4: he uses his fastball inside, especially the lefties, to be
Speaker 4: able to dot the fastball and get it in there
Speaker 4: to get him off of that change up, because the
Speaker 4: change up is a great swing and miss pitch. But
Speaker 4: all in all, you know what he was able to do.
Speaker 4: I came away very encouraged making some big pitches and
Speaker 4: big moments and getting through that and hearing his comments
Speaker 4: afterwards how how good he felt, was very encouraging.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Steve, when does a guy know, I mean, that's
Speaker 2: a long time. I guess we're all speculating, but you're
Speaker 2: around it and you see it, and I can kind
Speaker 2: of speak from when it's a knee injury in football,
Speaker 2: when they know that confidence is back. I can put
Speaker 2: my leg in the ground. I'm ready to go. Well,
Speaker 2: when do you think it kicks in or it's like
Speaker 2: you know, as you mentioned the first time, you're kind
Speaker 2: of feeling your way through it.
Speaker 1: And all the emotion, the raw emotion.
Speaker 2: That's going through getting back on the mound, When do
Speaker 2: you know, how long does it take before you settle
Speaker 2: in to say I'm in the rotation, this is who
Speaker 2: I am and I feel great about it. How long
Speaker 2: does that take, Steve, so you almost trust that your
Speaker 2: rehab worked. When does that happen?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 4: I can't get into his head, and I can't imagine
Speaker 4: all the thoughts that ran through his mind. I just
Speaker 4: know for me, my mind wasn't real clear unless I
Speaker 4: exercise some really disciplined things on the mound, like pre
Speaker 4: pitch routines and things like that.
Speaker 3: But I bet he was thinking about so many doctors and.
Speaker 4: Rehab right and you know, then he would, you know,
Speaker 4: maybe be behind the count too, and oh and scramble
Speaker 4: to get back in it. I think he will know
Speaker 4: that he's all the way back once he just sees
Speaker 4: the glove and hits it, you know, And we can
Speaker 4: talk about basketball, we can talk about golf, we can
Speaker 4: talk about.
Speaker 3: Football, Sean.
Speaker 4: When you're when you're throwing a leading a guy with
Speaker 4: the past, you're not thinking about mechanics.
Speaker 3: You're ripping it and that's it. You just react.
Speaker 4: And I think that's when Lance is at his best,
Speaker 4: and he's going to know he's all the way back.
Speaker 4: He's not thinking about an injury or rehab or how
Speaker 4: long it's been since he's been out there. He's seeing
Speaker 4: the glove.
Speaker 3: And hitting it. That's simple.
Speaker 2: The mechanics are the last thing, Steve. If you think
Speaker 2: about when you're going good, right when you're finally, it's
Speaker 2: because it's just it's I've worked on these a million
Speaker 2: Now when you start when you need to, I'm talking
Speaker 2: about that day pitching. I don't want it's like you
Speaker 2: read golf died. Just Hey, if you can't fit your
Speaker 2: swing thoughts on a three by five card, you got
Speaker 2: too many of them so to be able to flood,
Speaker 2: you know, get rid of the clutter and you just
Speaker 2: let it rip.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a great point, but you have to practice that.
Speaker 1: Show yes, exactly, if you're on.
Speaker 4: The if you're on the if you're on the driving range,
Speaker 4: or you're throwing a bulletpen, or you're you're taking batting
Speaker 4: practice or whatever it is, there's part of that practice
Speaker 4: that does need to be mechanics.
Speaker 1: You got to agree.
Speaker 3: You may have to go to the iPad or whatever.
Speaker 4: It is part of its mechanics, but part of it
Speaker 4: and maybe fifty percent and sometimes seventy five percent has
Speaker 4: to be on the mental part of what you need
Speaker 4: to do to be successful, and it's got to be
Speaker 4: real simple. It's got to be just seeing the glove
Speaker 4: and hitting it, because you can't think about mechanics and
Speaker 4: compete against the best players in the world.
Speaker 3: You just can't, right, I mean, you just have to react.
Speaker 4: So you have to practice that way, and you have
Speaker 4: to be disciplined and learn how the latter stages in
Speaker 4: your last couple of rounds in batting practice just has
Speaker 4: to be see the ball and hit the ball, and
Speaker 4: trust the work that you did with your mechanics will
Speaker 4: show up.
Speaker 1: No doubt about it.
Speaker 2: Steve sparks for his regular Monday eight o'clock visit here
Speaker 2: on Sports Talk seven ninety All Right, Steve, maybe from
Speaker 2: the weekend or maybe just so far the overall body
Speaker 2: of work, even though it's early. What are your concerned
Speaker 2: about right now?
Speaker 4: I'm not. I'm not super concerned. I think some of
Speaker 4: these guys are gonna get going. I would say my
Speaker 4: biggest probably concern is Jordan's health.
Speaker 1: Maybe, Yeah, how where are we with this? Yeah? What's
Speaker 1: going on?
Speaker 4: Dana said yesterday that we'll know in a day or two,
Speaker 4: but he just didn't feel comfortable with his right hand
Speaker 4: and batting practice on Saturday. So they just want to
Speaker 4: They just want to get whatever's in there out of there.
Speaker 4: They don't feel like anything other than rest is what's
Speaker 4: gonna help him to fill out his best. So I
Speaker 4: think that's probably my biggest concern because he's your best
Speaker 4: He's your best hitter, that's plain and simple. But I
Speaker 4: think you were seeing signs with Jan er Diez coming
Speaker 4: around the last couple of weeks starting to drive the ball,
Speaker 4: Kristen Walker with more extra bases, the Astros nine hole hitters,
Speaker 4: whoever they put.
Speaker 3: In the nine holes is going to bang.
Speaker 4: But uh, they took Cam Smith out of the lineup
Speaker 4: last couple of days. Last time they did that, he
Speaker 4: was able to reset and come back for a couple
Speaker 4: of weeks span and really drive the ball. So I
Speaker 4: just I just feel, and I've said this in our
Speaker 4: pregame show a couple of times in the last week,
Speaker 4: just waiting on three or four guys to get hot
Speaker 4: at the same time. You know, Jeremy Payne has been great.
Speaker 4: He leaves all sort stops in war. You know, that's
Speaker 4: including Bobby whitt. So there's some guys that are doing
Speaker 4: some pretty good things, but there's still three or four
Speaker 4: guys that we know there's a lot more in there.
Speaker 2: Steve and I don't even want to really talk much
Speaker 2: about this because I like to throw good stuff out
Speaker 2: into that atmosphere and out into space. But let's just
Speaker 2: say you had to go without Jordon for an extended
Speaker 2: amount of time. How capable are they carrying this? Even
Speaker 2: though he's bapp struggled this year the long ball, We
Speaker 2: get that, but we also know what the result is
Speaker 2: when he's feeling good and how quickly he can.
Speaker 1: Turn it around.
Speaker 2: Is this team set up well enough to deal with
Speaker 2: an extended amount without him?
Speaker 3: Think about what they've been able to do.
Speaker 4: Jordon hasn't hasn't hit that well all season, right, you know,
Speaker 4: and he talks about it. He said, when the numbers
Speaker 4: show up, that'll tell you I'm where I need to be.
Speaker 4: It's about the numbers. And he's right. They're still waiting
Speaker 4: on him. Last year, his May he had four RBIs.
Speaker 4: So there's periods sometimes when your superstar goes away a
Speaker 4: little bit, so to speak. You know that they're not
Speaker 4: capitalizing and other guys have to chip in. And they've
Speaker 4: got enough guys in their lineup with Esach and Kristin
Speaker 4: Walker and Paynya and Altuve and nier Diez, and you
Speaker 4: know we can we can go up and down a
Speaker 4: little bit and say, you know, with a few of
Speaker 4: these guys getting warmer, is.
Speaker 3: It heats up? And I trust that they will.
Speaker 4: You know, I think they're good hitters, that they'll score
Speaker 4: plenty of runs with this pitching.
Speaker 3: Their pitching's really good.
Speaker 2: Steve Sparks regular eight o'clock visit here for a few
Speaker 2: more minutes here on the Sean Salisbury Show. ASTROS broadcaster
Speaker 2: Steve Zach de Zendel de Zenzo five years from now,
Speaker 2: where do you see him?
Speaker 1: What position? What kind of player do you see from him?
Speaker 2: With just just the early returns from last year and
Speaker 2: this year his improvement, and where do you see him
Speaker 2: playing one hundred and fifty games a year.
Speaker 3: Well, I see a lot of signs of him coming
Speaker 3: alive at the play.
Speaker 1: Yes, for sure.
Speaker 4: I think with more playing time, anybody who's young is
Speaker 4: able to do this with only playing two or three
Speaker 4: times a week, that's that's a great indication that they
Speaker 4: can make adjustments. They can stay ready. You know, they're
Speaker 4: working very hard behind the scenes to be ready. And
Speaker 4: I just love how athletic he is. You know, he
Speaker 4: can play different positions. He moves really well.
Speaker 3: You know, he's six foot six inches.
Speaker 2: Time with Steve the first I don't mean interrupted, the
Speaker 2: first time I stood next to him. I'm six five too.
Speaker 2: Oh you know, you see stuff it says a big
Speaker 2: cat on TV. I'm six five about two forty and
Speaker 2: I stood next to him and he's an outside line
Speaker 2: but he really is. That's an outside linebacker. This got
Speaker 2: movement like a wide receiver, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: It's it's a freak. Well, nowadays our linebackers can run
Speaker 2: like those guys and are there just as athletic. But
Speaker 2: I was actually shocked, not surprised, shocked when I stood
Speaker 2: next to him.
Speaker 1: I didn't realize he was that big.
Speaker 3: He's got that Jeff Samarga type body.
Speaker 2: Yes, and even even a little thicker yeah, yes, no doubt.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's very athletic. So I don't know what kind
Speaker 3: of opportunities will be there.
Speaker 4: I just know he's gonna he's gonna work to a
Speaker 4: degree where he's gonna maximize his talent, and I think
Speaker 4: he's got a lot of talent, so what whatever's there
Speaker 4: for him, I think he'll take advantage of. And I
Speaker 4: think that's what you you get really encouraged about. And
Speaker 4: those are the guys that you invest in, Sean, Yes,
Speaker 4: long term, short term, whatever it is. But once you
Speaker 4: get to know guys a little bit personally and you
Speaker 4: see the way they go about their business, you invest
Speaker 4: in those players.
Speaker 2: Hey, Steve, quickly for you. I know you've got a
Speaker 2: lot going on this uh, this team. You know, people
Speaker 2: talk about windows opening and closing right a lot of
Speaker 2: you know, it's Springer gone and Corea gone and then Verlin.
Speaker 2: I mean it happens every year we go through this conversation.
Speaker 2: But with this, with this influx of young players and
Speaker 2: bringing up parades in and who's playing it and just
Speaker 2: some changes and it looks different. But window wide open,
Speaker 2: half open? I mean, champions is this championship caliber run?
Speaker 2: Continue with the current roster as it's set up forget
Speaker 2: trades in any of that. How it's set up is
Speaker 2: the is the window still wide open for you?
Speaker 4: I think just from what I see that the astros
Speaker 4: are as good as anybody in the American League.
Speaker 3: I think once they start hitting right.
Speaker 4: Now, they're a game over five hundred, and they get
Speaker 4: to five, six, seven games over five hundred and just
Speaker 4: grind away through this summer. I think they're set up
Speaker 4: for not only a regular season type of winning, but
Speaker 4: for also playoff winning. When you look at Hunter Brown
Speaker 4: and from Er Valdez and whoever you're going to slot
Speaker 4: in the hole, I think they're set up for the
Speaker 4: playoffs very well too. So I think they've got as
Speaker 4: good of a chance as anybody in the American League,
Speaker 4: because I don't see anybody running away with anything. The
Speaker 4: Astros won the series against the Tigers, they won a
Speaker 4: series against the Mets, they won a series against the
Speaker 4: San Diego Padres. They can compete with anybody, and they
Speaker 4: can certainly pitch with anybody. And I think that's what
Speaker 4: what's gonna matter down the road.
Speaker 2: And Steve with that the record, I mean, you know,
Speaker 2: sometimes what is the record saying they are considering the
Speaker 2: fact that Jordan hasn't got going, we're waiting for Christian Walker.
Speaker 2: He sent his hard I mean, I actually feel pretty
Speaker 2: good about where they are pitching, for sure. Other than
Speaker 2: a couple hiccups, but I feel pretty damn good about
Speaker 2: where they are, considering they haven't exploded two or three
Speaker 2: games in a row much at all, and the Big
Speaker 2: Boppers still aren't going yet.
Speaker 3: I think you're exactly right.
Speaker 4: I think I think I think you could be pretty
Speaker 4: confident that this pitching, barring injuries, are going to stay
Speaker 4: very sound. I think their bullpen has a sub three
Speaker 4: year I think second in the league, and they're starting
Speaker 4: pitching is really consistent. And once you get these guys,
Speaker 4: if they if they're thinking about they're getting ready to
Speaker 4: go on a seventeen game run with no off days,
Speaker 4: and they go to a six man rotation, give these
Speaker 4: guys even a little bit more of a breather. They
Speaker 4: go out there more fresh. I think you're going to
Speaker 4: see even better from the from the rotation. So it's
Speaker 4: pretty exciting in that regard. But I don't think anybody
Speaker 4: in the American League is gonna run away from anything.
Speaker 3: I just don't see. I don't see a clear cut
Speaker 3: favorite right now.
Speaker 2: It's gonna make for a hell of a run too,
Speaker 2: a hell of a competition and fun baseball season to watch. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it sure is, Steve great. Hopefully we won't. We'll get
Speaker 2: we'll get great news and it won't be long news
Speaker 2: about Jordon Alvarez and get him going. We appreciate you,
Speaker 2: my man, and we'll do it again next Monday, and
Speaker 2: thanks for joining.
Speaker 1: Us as always.
Speaker 3: All right, thanks for having me, Sean.
Speaker 2: You bet that's great. Steve Sparks, good information, good stuff.
Speaker 2: Let's come back and talk. Dan was concerned about Jordan
Speaker 2: all along, and we even asked the question here, is
Speaker 2: there some bothering him because it felt odd not having power?
Speaker 2: Which one was it? And should we be concerned about
Speaker 2: the other stuff, not even the injury about Jrdan or
Speaker 2: is it just injury related? We'll come back and discuss
Speaker 2: Sports Talk seven and ninety