Astros Top 10 prospects

Last seasons top 10 prospects and this seasons top 10 prospects                                            
2012                                                                                             2013

1. Carlos Correa, SS                                                                    1. Carlos Correa, SS 

2. Jonathan Singleton, 1B                                                              2. George Springer, OF   

3. George Springer, OF                                                                3. Mark Appel, RHP

4. Lance McCullers, RHP                                                             4. Mike Foltynewicz, RHP

5. Mike Foltynewicz, RHP                                                            5. Jonathan Singleton, 1B  

6. Delino DeShields, 2B                                                                6. Vincent Velasquez, RHP

7. Jarred Cosart, RHP                                                                  7. Lance McCullers, RHP

8. Rio Ruiz, 3B                                                                             8. Domingo Santana, OF

9. Nick Tropeano, RHP                                                               9. Rio Ruiz, 3B 

10. Nolan Fontana, SS                                                                 10. Michael Feliz, RHP

The top 10 has pretty much stayed the same from last year to this year Jarred Cosart is the only player from last season to make it to the to the big leagues. Some players have dropped out of the top ten DeShields, Tropeano, and Fontana but its not because the players had really down years, more that others have had better years. This past seasons number 1 pick Appel enters this season as the systems 3rd best prospect, while Singleton drops the farthest to number 5. Singleton is the only top 10 prospect that had a down season last year, but is still one of the teams biggest power prospects. Over the off season I will break down the top 10.

Texans Wednesday Injury Report

After practice today Head Coach Gary Kubiak updated the media on the players that did not practice and or were limited at practice. TE Ryan Griffin who missed last week due to a concussion did return to full practice. Notable players that not practice today were DE JJ Watt (back), LG Wade Smith (knee), Kareem Jackson (ribs), and DaAndre Hopkins (sick). The notable players that practiced but on a limited basis were LT Duane Brown (sick), MLB Joe Mays (knee) C Chris Myers (throat) and RB Ben Tate (ribs/ankle/toe). JJ Watt did today say would be back to practice tomorrow so fans please don’t go jump of a ledge because Watt missed a practice. 

Rockets 109 Celtics 85

Rockets are now winners of 3 in a row and have now won 2 games back to back winning wire to wire. The Rockets on Tuesday night defeated the Celtics 109 to 85, the Rockets seized the win with a 40 point 1^st quarter. The Rockets only allowed the Celtics to shoot a paltry 32% on 99 shots while the Rockets shot a red hot 60% on 72 shots. For the 1^st time in the past few games, Rockets disgruntled Center Omer Asik saw action with 7 minutes left in the game. 

The big news of the game was the emergence of a power forward. Terrence Jones had his break out game of the season and his career with 24 points in the 1^st half Jones was ON FIRE going 8 for 8 in shots for 17 points. Jones on the defensive end also grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. Post-game head coach Kevin McHale talked about Jones “He’s playing really well, I think he’s play well every chance he’s got” since coming in to the line up a few games ago the team as seemed to have played better. The team on Wednesday will head north to face the Mavericks and they will look to stretch the winning streak to 4 in a row. 

Astros Owner Jim Crane Talks Nolan Ryan

Major League Baseball today announced the Houston Astros would be taking part in the 2014 Civil Rights game… What that is, I still am not sure I used today as a chance to talk with Astros Owner Jim Crane about the team. Before I share what I talked with Jim Crane about, Frank Robinson who was in town during the press conference said Astros manager Bo Porter will end up being one of the greats… Anyways the hot topic this offseason has been since Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan is no longer with the Texas Rangers organization could Ryan join his son Reid with the Astros here in Houston. Below is the audio between me and Astros owner Jim Crane and if Nolan could find his way here again.

Johnson Needs To Demand Change

The Texans have 1 player in Andre Johnson who is a lead pipe lock to make it to the hallowed halls of the pro football hall of fame. Outside of JJ Watt the other 50ish players have 0 shot to make it such a high level. What do Johnson and Watt have in common, they aren’t loud mouths and let their play speak for its self. The game against the Oakland Raiders was a statement game in the fact that, the Texans made a statement to the rest of the league, we aren’t playoff contenders.

The Oakland Raiders came in seemingly limping, losing 2 in a row before playing the Texans and even went to a 3^rd string undrafted rookie QB Matt McGloin a day before the game. The Texans went in riding a small wave of momentum from the Texans own undrafted rookie QB Case Keenum. Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak at halftime made a change at QB and put in struggling starter Matt Schaub who had missed the past 3 games due to being a back and being injured. On the final play of the game for the Texans ended in an incomplete pass from Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson, the following ensued…. The struggling QB yelled at the over performing future hall of famer WR.

The two even had to be separated on the sideline, and resulted in Johnson running of the field before the game ended. Yea that can’t EVER happen, Andre Johnson has done so much for this team this city. Short of Johnson catching the pass and handing it to the defender there is 0 reason to get mad at Johnson. Post-game when Johnson was asked if he still wanted to be here, Johnson said “I’m under contract”. Bob McNair you need to do something about this situation before it becomes a VERY bad situation. No McNair won’t do anything drastic like that.

If the leaders like Johnson want something to happen, he needs to demand it! Johnson needs to come out be honest, be passionate, and be fiery. He needs to demand change, he needs to share what he wants. It’s so true the one thing we love about Johnson is he is so great and not a diva, but he needs to bring out his inner diva to turn this ship around. If Johnson came out and said “I am done catching passes from Matt Schaub” Case Keenum would be the starter for the rest of the season… If Johnson came out and said “Coach Kubiak is unfair and treats players different and I won’t play for him anymore” Kubiak would be on the next slow boat to China. If JJ Watt and Andre Johnson want something to change on this team, they need to demand it! 

Texans Game Time Decisions

Texans going in to the game with the Raiders, have already ruled out 2 players, both TE Ryan Griffin (concussion) and CB Elbert Mack (hamstring) will not play this Sunday. The team listed another 4 guys as questionable/game time decisions, CB Kareem Jackson (chest), P Shane Lechler (flu), MLB Joe Mays (knee), and MLB Mike Mohamed (hamstring), none of the four participated in Friday’s practice.  The team also listed another 12 guys as probable must notably MLB Darryl Sharpton (foot), RB Ben Tate (ribs), and LG Wade Smith (knee) the three were limited in practice on Friday but should start on Sunday.

It has been announced that Jackson, Mays and Mohamed will not play this Sunday vs. the Raiders. It does seem that Lechler will give it a go today after spending a chunk of the week in the hospital with the flu. 

Terrelle Pryor Out vs. Texans

Texans chances on winning tomorrow and the chances that Bob McNair fires everybody after the game have just increased significantly. The Raiders didn’t wait till game time and went ahead and announced that starting QB Terrelle Pryor will not start. Pryor in his last game suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee and was a game time and questionable heading in to Sunday’s match up. Pryor on the season has played 8 games and lead the team to 3 wins and 5 losses. He will be replaced undrafted rookie Matt McGloin and in 1 game played for the Raiders this season he was 7 for 15 for 87 yards and the team lost to the Eagles 49 to 20. McGloin in 4 years at Penn State in college, completed 513 passes and attempted 894 passes for 6,390 yards. The Texans D gets to sink its horns into an undrafted rookie and at home they will be primed for a win. If they find a way to lose to a 3 and 5 team starting an undrafted rookie the team will have hit the franchise’s rock bottom.  

Rockets Howard/Asik as told by a Scout

The Rockets have had an up and down season and at times you have seen parts of what this team could be. Early on the Rockets employed a 2 center lineup which consisted of the team’s newest toy Dwight Howard and last years starting center Omer Asik. After a few games Head coach Kevin McHale decided to go in a different direction and scraped the lineup, and seemed to hasten the end of Asik’s career as a Houston Rocket.

On Thursday November 14^th it was learned before the game with the Knicks that Asik through his agent had requested a trade and wants out of Houston. Asik since the ending of McHales big line up has seen his minutes shrink from 23 minutes down to 7 minutes a game the past 3 games including being benched on Thursday and Saturday. Last season before Howard, Asik was averaging 30 minutes a game, his role has been cut and it’s clear he wants out and now has asked twice to be traded since Howard become a Rocket.

When speaking with an NBA scout I went in to determine Asik’s value to the rest of the NBA and while talking with the scout he went on to share “he (Asik) actually may be more impactful offensively than Howard at this point as Howard seems to have regressed”. When he told me this I had to follow up and really wanted to understand what he meant, so the scout shared “he (Howard) has 0 post moves nor does he work to get the ball. He's playing like Eric Dampier, makes a move and doesn't take up space or fight for "real estate" when he makes his move.” While the debate is moot because Howard can catch the lob pass and can dunk the ball, the scout is right every time Howard shoots the ball it’s more luck than skill if he makes the basket. Howard on the season is second in the NBA with 23 dunks so far this season.

Asik has plenty of value to teams and proved last season he can be a legit starting big man, last season averaging a double double. This season Asik was phased out by the ultra-athletic Howard and Asik seems to not even be in the team’s plans going forward as he been benched in the past 2 games. The scout went on to say the Bull’s would take him back, and mentioned that Daryl Morey could be looking for “a high unprotected pick, in my estimation, along with a role player to strengthen his bench.” Lots of teams could you use this big man on their team. The question is where is he going and what will Morey get back in return!

   

Rockets Defensive as told by a NBA Scout

The Rockets have ran in to many problems early in this young season the offensive spacing early was off due to having both Dwight Howard and Omer Asik operating in the same space.  Defensively the Rockets at times were having trouble stopping 3 year olds from scoring.

In talking with a NBA scout he mentioned when you have a Dwight Howard you should be better defensively “you can certainly be more aggressive on the ball when you have Howard protecting the rim”. I can personally remember before the start of the season Jeremy Lin joked, the defensive was something the coaching staff stressed last season, and last season they just didn’t listen very much…. The scout I spoke to with mentioned “you should always have consistency at the defensive end, although there's let downs in some capacity during a long season.  That's why you need a consistent philosophy”. Really does anyone know what the defensive philosophy on this team is….. Anyone?

The team has defensive players and has players that have the talent to play defensive on high level, James Harden? The scout went on to say “He (Kevin McHale) has some defensive talent but they have to embrace their philosophy.” Which leads me to believe in what Jeremy Lin said, we just didn’t listen….  

Astros Name Minor Leaguers of the Year

Astros recently named their minor league players of the year and the Astros only had one position player to choose from. Not because only one minor leaguer had a good year but more because only one minor leaguer had an EPIC year. The Astors had soooo many more options at pitcher, lots of pitchers in the system had plenty of really good years. Below are the players chosen by the team.

George Springer Player of the year

Springer had one of the greatest seasons in minor league history, Springer between Double A and Triple A finished 3 homeruns short of 40 homeruns and 40 stolenbases. Springer finished among the league leaders in lots of different categories. Springer finished with a .303 avg, 37 HR, 108 RBI, 45 SB, and a 1.010 OPS. Springer also was a player of the week at the Double A and Triple A level.

David Martinez Pitcher of the Year

Martinez like Springer was one of the Astros better pitchers on the farm and even spent a little bit of time in the majors. Martinez finished with 14 wins and 2 losses and a 2.57 ERA between Triple A and Double A and tossed 11.1 innings in the majors. While Martinez was a more dominate pitcher in Double A he still showed promise for the seasons going forward.



      

Omer Asik Wants Out

It seems likely Omer Asik will not be here after the NBA trade deadline, it was leaned today that Asik through his agent has asked for a trade for the 2nd time since Dwight Howard joined the team. IMO coach Kevin McHale tried to make Asik happy by starting both him and Howard at the start of the season using the Twin Towers lineup.

After a double overtime win at home against the Raptors it was learned the McHale had soured on the Big lineup and the following game with the 76ers Asik was benched in favor of Terrence Jones. Asik has seen his role on the Rockets disappear VERY quickly, against the Raptors Asik saw 19 minutes action, against the 76ers Asik saw 4 minutes action, and so far tonight with the Knicks Asik has yet to see the court at all.

The big question going forward is what is the return value for Asik who last season made it clear he could be a starting NBA big man. In the coming days Rockets GM Daryl Morey and Hed Coach Kevin McHale will no doubts have talks about what the team needs going forward.

Rockets Greg Smith Injures Right Knee

Greg Smith while playing in only his 5th game of the season injured his Right Knee while jumping up to defend a drive by Knicks Carmelo Anthony. Smith jumped and while coming down laded awkwardly on his leg and seemed to twist is knee badly. It was learned via TNT he was not able to put any weight on his leg and had to use crutches to get his X ray taken. Per Ken Berger, Smith's X-Ray was negative and but an MRI will be taking to find out the severeness of his injury, but it is being described as Right LCL sprain. Similar LCL injuries have taken others 4 to 6 weeks to come back from this injury.

Texans Future Hall Of Famer Hospitalized

Thursday after practice Gary Kubiak updated the media on the health of the team, the health update is grim and includes a future hall of famer hospitalized. After the teams Thursday practice coach shared Arian Foster had is surgery today and that TE Ryan Griffin, P Shane Lechler, MLB Joe Mays, CB Elbert Mack, CB Kareem Jackson and LB Mike Mohamed all did not practice.


Coach shared the Punter Shane Lechler has spent the past few days in the hospital with the flu and could be released tomorrow. Per Kubiak Lechler did reach out to him and said he will be back, if Lechler does not return in time and healthy Kubiak said that Randy Bullock would have to pull double duty and handle everything punting, field goal kicking and kick offs.

Bullock in 4 years at Texas A&M he made 2 punts for an average of 22.5 yards a punt, which I don't need to tell you is WAY below what Lechler is capable of.
 

76ers 123 beat Rockets 117

Rockets went in Wednesday’s night’s game without the assistance of All Star guard James Harden who sat with foot issues. The Rockets also decided to scrap the so called “Twin Towers” lineup of Dwight Howard and Omer Asik. Head coach instead of going big, went small with the two guard lineup of Patrick Beverley and Jeremy Lin also starting Terrence Jones at power forward.

The big complaint since the start of the season has been the Rockets only play a few quarters a game, tonight the Rockets picked the 1^st and 3^rd quarters too show up to the game. The Rockets with Harden out got major help from Jeremy Lin who went off tonight. Lin made 9 3pointers tonight and finished with 34 points. Lin was a key component in the Rockets gaining a 10 point advantage heading in to the 4^th quarter. The Rockets played a decent game but just were not able to stop ex Rocket James Anderson who had 36 points, and was very efficient going 12 for 16 from the floor and 6 of 8 from the 3, including the one that sent the 76ers into overtime. The Rockets ended up losing in single overtime to the Rockets of the east 123 to 117.

Jeremy Lin in the last two games has been on fire and been gold for the Rockets, Lin has played 95 minutes in the past two games and picked up 65 points in the past two games. Look for the Rockets to lean hard on Jeremy Lin tomorrow as the Rockets head back to the place from Jeremy Lin became a star…. NEW YORK CITY!  

NBA Week 1 Power Rankings

1 – Pacers - Momma always said if you are undefeated then you are number 1

2 – Spurs - Duncan is day to day but they are still winning get contributions from everywhere

3 – Thunder - Well Westbrook was there game 1 and they look like their old selves, be WARNED

4 – Clippers - Lob city plus a JJ Redick seems to be combo that is working

5 – Rockets - As long as they don't play a team from LA they will win

6 – Heat - When you have LeBron you don't expect to loss 4 and 3 in a 7 game stretch, you gotta take a look at yourselves

7 – Trailblazers - 40 plus points a game from LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard

8 – Timberwolves - 2 of the top 5 scorers in the NBA are…… Wolves, go figure…

9 - 76ers - Its WAY early but this Michael Carter-Williams guy seems to be the real deal

10 – Suns - If the playoffs started today, they'd be the 3 seed in the west OH NO

11 – Hawks - If you’re a good team and lose to the Nuggets, you are now an average team.

12 – Celtics - No stars but they are playing solid team basketball

13 – Warriors - Klay Thompson shooting nearly .500 from the 3 point line

14 – Bulls - Haven’t won on the road yet, oh and D Rose is hurt again

15 – Pelicans - Anthony Davis giving you a double double a game and the uni brow looks legit

16 – Cavilers - Every loss is on the road, but on the plus side they are getting mins from Andrew Bynum

17 – Bucks - Larry Sanders is going spend time riding the pine, so now you get a heavy dose of ZAZA!!

18 – Magic - Beating the Clippers that has gotta mean something right?

19 – Bobcats - If only the playoffs started today… Is it too early to start printing playoff tickets?

20 – Mavericks - Monta Ellis a better scorer than Dirk Nowitzki, yes. Oh that might be why they are losing

21 – Grizzles - Not exactly the same team from last year and I don't know why

22 – Lakers - Steve Blake is your best point guard?? That meant something a few years ago, not now.

23 – Pistons - Beat the Celtics but then lost to 3 straight playoff teams

24 – Raptors - Well at least they are, the best team in CANADA!!!!

25 – Wizards - John Wall continues to grow, the wins will come.

26 – Nets - Yea, I am calling it now. The NETS do NOT make the playoffs….

27 – Knicks - Lost back to back games with the Bobcats…. The Bobcats couldn't even lose back to back games with themselves

28 – Nuggets - Shouldn't of fired the coach, karma is a B!

29 – Kings - Beat the Nuggets but that really means nothing now a days

30 – Jazz - Worst Jazz team of ALL TIME, as a basketball fan I miss a Jerry Sloan coached team

Ed Reed has been released

Ed Reed the Texans most prized offseason free agent acquisition is gone as quickly as he came. Reed today was released by the team just days after making the comment of being outplayed and outcoached. Reed recently was also benched in favor of Shiloh Keo, who has more years in the system and this season Keo has made more plays then Reed.

Reed signed with the team in the offseason and then after signing it was learned Reed would need hip surgery. He sat out of all training camp and did not play until week 3 when the team played his former team the Ravens. Reed on the year had 14 tackles 0 impact and plays were made against Reed left and right. Reed today sent out a tweet thanking the Texans (for the money I am sure) and the Houston (jokingly I am sure) and now the team will move with how the season started, Shiloh Keo at the Safety position.

Thanks to the Texans! And the City of Htown!
— Ed Reed (@TwentyER) November 12, 2013

Today I caught up with Texans Tight End Owen Daniels and while he mentioned he was on track to return (3 more games). Daniels also mentioned he was stunned by the news of Ed Reed being released “you don’t see a lot of guys released at this point in the season especially a guy like him”. The question now is can Ed still find work, lots of teams are looking but the Ed Reed we all once knew is long gone.

Rockets 110 Raptors 104

Terrence Jones joined the Rockets rotation and join he did. Jones was a key member in the Rockets double overtime win over the Raptors 110 to 104. Before the game a flu bug was going through the team it affected James Harden and it sidelined Francisco Garcia for the night. The Rockets started off like normal and went with twin towers lineup, 6 minutes in to the game Head Coach Kevin McHale had seen enough and scrapped the lineup and inserted Omri Casspi for some spacing.

2 minutes left in the 1^st quarter Terrence Jones entered the game and Jones ended up playing 32 minutes, Jones played more minutes tonight than he played in the 1^st 8 games combined. While Jones may not have had a perfect night, he played the robin to Dwight Howard’s batman very well. Jones on the night finished with 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Totally out playing Omer Asik who finished with 18 minutes despite no injury, or no foul trouble. In big spots it was Jones not Asik in the game. The Twin Towers lineup is neat and can cause problems for teams, but it seems Coach Kevin McHale might be wavering on that lineup “you have the big lineup to start off and I’m 50/50 on it”.

So if McHale does scrap the “BIG” lineup with 2 true centers, you would have Dwight Howard starting with Omer Asik providing the relief. It looks like Terrence Jones would be the favorite to start opposite Howard, coach has complained about spacing from day 1 and while Jones is by no means a 3 point shooting specialists he provides more room for the offense to operate.

Rockets vs. Raptors: Game 8

Tonight the Rockets will take on the Raptors at home, with the hopes of snapping a 2 game home losing streak. Rockets have lost to the Lakers and the Clippers in different but yet the same fashion. The Lakers got off to a hot start yet the Rockets were able to counter and take the lead before ultimately blowing it in the final minute. The Clippers game at home the Rockets had pretty much controlled the game from the start but once again had it slipped through their hands at the end.

Today the team is dealing with a problem that is invisible to the naked eye, James Harden and other members of the Rockets are dealing with a flu bug of sorts. Harden did however say that he will go tonight dispute having flu like symptoms and bad feet “I’ll be alright, just get some rest and hydrate myself” Harden said. You could see Head Coach Kevin McHale open up the bench a little bit more than normal with players dealing with this bug and the team playing 4 games in 6 nights.

The Rockets also will get a visit from Ex Rocket Kyle Lowry who will try to move his Raptors to .500 on the season. Lowry battling ankle problems will make it a go tonight and will play against his former team. Lowry after shoot around today mentioned he enjoys his trips coming back to Houston “I always get a good kick coming back here". The key tonight is rebounding the Raptors are snagging 3 extra offensive broads a game more than the Rockets while the Rockets are the number 3 team in the NBA in overall rebounds. If Dwight Howard and Omar Aisk can control the glass this game the Rockets should win.

Below is audio from Ex Rockets guard Kyle Lowry

Texans vs. Cardinals week 10 preview

Texans vs. Cardinals: 2 teams going in opposite ways, Cardinals have won 3 of their last 5 games, Texans on the other hand have lost 6 in a row. Cardinals at 4 and 4 are in the mix for a wildcard playoff berth, the Texans on the opposite need binoculars just to see the Titans and Colts who are ahead of them in the AFC South. While both teams are in different places this season the 2 teams do share 1 thing in common, future hall of famers at Wide Receiver. Andre Johnson (813yrds) and Larry Fitzgerald (470yrds) have been rocks for their teams this season and will be a big part of this game.

Texans last week came out strong against a now top 5 team in the Colts. Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak made a change at quarterback in hopes of giving the team a spark. Case Keenum the QB entrusted with giving the team a spark, did just that. He seemingly shocked and stunned the Colts in the 1^st half of that game to the tune of 21, 1^st half points including tossing 3 long bombs to Andre Johnson WR. Then the 2^nd half came, no need to go in to what happened but needless to say the team was confused and out of sorts during the 2^nd half and gave up another come back to the Colts.

This week the gets 2 new changes for this week at the very least, DC Wade Phillips moves up to Head Coach and OC Rick Dennsion takes over as the play caller on offense. Shiloh Keo FS and DeAndre Hopkins WR both down played worry when I asked if there is any concern in the 2 coaches taking over new roles on this team for the week, both gave support for their respective coach.

The Cardinals are coming off a bye week and have had plenty of time to breakdown every aspect of the Texans game. They now have 2 games of film of the newly revamped Texans, they have had plenty of time to see what works and doesn’t work. It took the Colts a half to figure out Case Keenum, can Keenum continue to impress or can he make adjustments if the Cardinals come out and shut him down early.

The match up will come down to the Texans D vs. the Cardinals O….. The Texans last week allowed touch down after touch down to Andrew Luck and crew. While Carson Palmer is no Andrew Luck you can make an argument Palmer has better toys. Texans minus Brian Cushing can still win, JJ Watt and Antonio Smith bring the pressure and collapse the pocket the problem is not many others bring the pressure. The Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd vs. Kareem Jackson and Johnathan Joseph should be a good match up. You worry if the game comes down to 3 points, can Randy Bullock knock it in for the win or the tie.

Below is audio from Antonio Smith DE and Duane Brown LT who talked a little bit about the upcoming game today

Arian Foster Out For The Season

Texans Running Back Arian Foster will miss the rest of the season and will be out with a back (lumber) problem. The buzz is Foster will have surgery sometime this week, last week Foster injured his back early in the game and was ruled questionable for a return, and then ruled out for the rest of the game. The report is Monday the team will IR Foster and the team will have an open roster sport. Throughout the preseason and season Foster has been dealing with hamstrings and back issues, but has not missed a regular season this season till now.

Foster this season has had 542 yards on 121 carries and was projected to go over the 1000 mark again. Texans going forward will have Ben Tate as the feature back with Deji Karim who are also the teams only remaining veteran RB’s and the will team also have undrafted rookie free agents Dennis Johnson and Ray Graham on the roster.

Randy Bullock Isn't Worried About His Job

The easiest job in the NFL is being the 2nd string QB, and the toughest job in the NFL is a struggling field goal kicker. Houston Texans Randy Bullock has had a tough career; he was drafted by the team in 2012 and entered camp with veteran Shayne Graham to push him and help him get ready to be an NFL player, but during the preseason he was injured and the team placed him on IR. This season Bullock started the year without any competition. Bullock and Kubiak both played down the no competition factor early in the preseason saying that undrafted rookie Punter Andrew Shaprio, out of Fresno State, was really pushing Bullock, which in its self should have been worrisome. At the time people saw the potential in Bullock and kinda moved on and worried about other aspects of the team.


Bullock this season has an NFL worst 61.9 field goal percentage, Bullock is a perfect 6 for 6 on kicks inside 39 yards. The problem is when you inch on in to the 40 plus yard range Randy is a little bit shaky, 7 for 15 to be exact. While you could say it’s not his fault the coaches keep throwing Bullock out, you do expect a lot of a guy the team spent a 5th round pick on. Bullock mentioned during Friday’s open locker room last week it really wasn’t the wind from the open roof he was just off “there was a little bit of wind but they (the kicks) were just a hair off”. Bullock missed field goal after field goal against the Colts and even the eventual game tier.

The Texans this week brought in 3 kickers for tryouts. This is nothing out of the ordinary, as the team brings a different position group in every week. The players brought in were 2 ex Texans, Neil Rackers and Shayne Graham, and ex Panther Justin Medlock. Even with the team bringing in eventual “maybe” replacements he didn’t worry about his job stating, “I was never really worried about it, it never crossed my mind”. He may not say it yet but the heat has got to start getting to him, NFL Kickers need ice running through their veins. Everyone seems to have an opinion on poor Randy Bullock, even yesterday on national TV NBA analyst and former Houston Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy compared Bullock to a designated free throw shooter that couldn't make a free throw… Bullock today tried to deflect everyone’s anger saying “none of those fans or anything matter right now, it’s more what’s in here the locker room those are the guys whose opinions that really count, they have confidence in me, I have confidence in myself and the outside noise is outside noise that’s all it is.”
 

Rockets vs. Lakers: Game 6 preview and starting lineups

Tonight the Rockets will be able to be seen on TV (T.N.T. Late game), 40 percent of Houston might not understand that. The Rockets free agent acquisition Center Dwight Howard will make his debut over the team he chose to get traded to, but not stay with after his one season in LA. Howard traded ageing stars in Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol for the youth of the Rockets James Harden and Chandler Parsons. The X’s and O’s aside the game tonight is all about did or did not Dwight Howard make the right choice in hitching his saddle to the Rockets, the Lakers will no doubt be looking to show up Howard at home.

The Rockets come in tonight’s 4-1 aside from a trampling by the Clippers the Rockets have looked like a top 3 team at various times during the games they have played. Dwight Howard knows the team could be much better than it is now “I don’t think we have played are best brand of basketball yet” he knows it would be nice for the team to PLAY 4 quarters Howard went on to mention that so far they have only really played 2 or 3 quarters.

The Lakers tonight will match Kevin McHale’s twin towers with their poor’s man’s attempt at the same. Lakers will match Howard/Asik with Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman, Kaman when it became clear Howard would not dawn a Lakers uni again the Lakers brought in Kaman to replace Howard. Kaman so far this season is averaging 9 pts and almost 6 rebs in a little over 15 minutes a game.  The Lakers are still reeling from not having all-time great Kobe Bryant who is still recovering from his injury last season. *All though an update is that Kobe is here in Houston and did work out in the team’s hotel*

Tonight the match up of the game will between James Harden vs. Steve Blake this match is decidedly WAY in the Rockets favor. The Lakers will more than likely not spend much time covering anybody in man to man defense because they can’t afford to. Don’t look past the Lakers just because they don’t have Kobe…. In the words of Patrick Beverley “The Lakers are the Lakers their a phenomenal team”

Starting Lineups

Rockets

F – Chandler Parsons

F – Dwight Howard

C – Omer Asik

G – James Harden

G – Jeremy Lin

Lakers

F – Xavier Henry

F – Chris Kaman

C – Pau Gasol

G – Steve Blake

G – Steve Nash 

NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

1 - Kansas City Chiefs -Their still undefeated…. But the biggest win of their season was the Cowboys?? Big test vs. the Broncos this week

2 - Seattle Seahawks - Eeked out the last two games vs. Rams and Buccaneers, where is the team that beat the piss out of the 49ers

3 - Denver Broncos - John Fox to be replaced by Jack Del Rio they still got Peyton Manning, no need to worry.

4 - New England Patriots - Oh damn Tom Brady finally woke up, well I guess the down fall of Brady was premature.

5 - Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck was able to overcome the loss of Reggie Wayne, Luck again was able to make a COMEBACK…. Are the Colts ever out of a game?

6 - New Orleans Saints - Just got beat by the J-E-T-S JETS JETS but they still are fairly good, Rod Ryan goes back to Dallas this week Ye Haw!

7 - San Francisco 49ers - Had a bye week and they look good, they are rushing 153 yards a game, that is pretty good!

8 - Detroit Lions - Like the 49ers had a bye week and this Calvin Johnson fella looks good

9 - Cincinnati Bengals - Every time you start to believe in them they rip your heart out…. Really a loss to the Dolphins?

10 - Chicago Bears - DA Bears made it pasted the Packers after Rodgers went down, and guess who is coming back… Cutler to start this week.

11 - Green Bay Packers - Had Packers at 10 and Bears at 11 but this week Packers lost, and they lost Aaron Rodgers so they could slide farther.

12 - Dallas Cowboys - Cowboys barely made it out of Minnesota and now will face the Saints, I bet Rob Ryan has some tricks up his sleeve.

13 - Carolina Panthers - Reeled off 4 in a row, and will now go to San Fran to face that buzz saw, can Newton be the better QB in this game?

14 - New York Jets - They came back after being showed up by the red headed stranger and beat Drew Brees oh and Chris Ivory found his groove.

15 - Arizona Cardinals - Beat the Hawks had a bye and now get a chance to beat the Texans, which would give them 2 wins over last years playoff teams

16 - Cleveland Browns - They went through QB's like nobody else and they still have a chance

17 - Miami Dolphins - Only one game they had no business winning and they stopped a 4 game losing streak by beating the Bengals.

18 - Tennessee Titans - A dark horse playoff team, and they get Jake Locker back for the remaining stretch

19 - Washington Redskins - Just when you write off the Redskins they go and win a game, their still in the NFC East race crazy right?

20 - Philadelphia Eagles - Hi-O 7 TD's from Nick Foles was exciting but can it really last

21 - San Diego Chargers - If only they could string some wins together they be in the mix for a wildcard 

22 - Buffalo Bills - Had a chance with EJ Manuel and he is coming back so maybe there is some upside.

23 - New York Giants - Can you say the hottest 2 win team in the NFL, your damn right you can…. They are still in the NFC East race.

24 - Oakland Raiders - Terrelle Pryor looks to be a real deal, I feel like Al Davis would be proud.

25 - Baltimore Ravens - Yea the mighty keep on falling like a rock, where they stop nobody knows

26 - St Louis Rams - 3 straight loses but these guys haven't quit, you wish they hadn't lost Sam Bradford, but they got a TOUGH game vs. the Colts upcoming

27 - Houston Texans - Holy Moly a change at QB gave them a spark, till HC Gary Kubiak fell to the ground on SNF, the season fell at the same time he did.

28 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Beatings by the Raiders and than an absolute beatdown by the Patriots will make you a sucky team

29 - Atlanta Falcons - This team is as confusing as the Texans they were suppose to be a great team, what HAPPENED.

30 - Minnesota Vikings - You wonder how they manged to beat the Steelers, and now the Redskins come calling on Thursday.

31 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Whomp whomp no QB no defense and they suspended troubled WR Justin Blackmon off the team.

32 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Just like Jacksonville expect they also have no head coach, if their were 40 teams, they'd be number 40.

Rockets beat Trailblazers: Game 5 (4-1)

Tonight the Rockets came back following a really tough loss to the Clippers 137 to 118 and tonight the Rockets beat the Trailblazers 116 to 101. The road trip ends 2-1 and the team heads back to Toyota center 4-1. Patrick Beverley gave it a go after suffering an injury against vs. the Bobcats in game 1, but did not start.


The Rockets started tonight's game just a little bit better than they did against the Clippers only giving up 31 points instead of the insanely high 42 1st quarter points they allowed. After the 1st quarter the Rockets pulled away scoring 86 points over the final 3 periods and limiting the Trailblazers to 70 points.

The Rockets got a HUGE effort from stars Dwight Howard (29) and James Harden (33) getting 62 points from the 2. Harden went 9-11 on shots inside the arc, Howard used monster slams to get his buckets and also manged to pull down 13 rebounds 4 of which were offensive rebounds. The Trailblazers made it close a few times, due to the fact the Rockets turned the ball over ALOT 20 to be exact.

Rockets vs. Trailblazers: Game 5

Rockets last night were dismantled and destroyed by the Clippers 137 to 118 and in all honesty it could have been a hell of a lot worse than that if the Clippers didn’t pull the foot off the gas. Early foul trouble limited the Rockets on defense and just weren’t able to put a stop to Chris Paul and “Lob city”. Paul lit up the Rockets to the tune of 23 points and 17 assists.

Tonight the Rockets will have to deal with a tough 1-2 punch, Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge are combining for just a hair over 50 points a game in this young season. Nicolas Batum is also filling up the stat sheet for the Trailblazers with 13 points, 6 assists and 10 rebounds a game, the Trailblazers are also getting a very efficient 44.1 percent of their 3 pointers made.

The Rockets tonight will look to set a defensive tone early, and the Twin Tower line up will have a lot to do with that. Dwight Howard and Omer Asik before last night’s game have been locking down on the defensive end, and have cleaned up the backboards like nobody’s business to the tune of nearly 30 rebounds a game. James Harden yesterday picked up some early fouls yesterday which limited his aggression on both the defensive and offensive ends, against the Clippers he had only 15 points including 0-7 on 3 pointers.   

The Rockets will have a tough task ahead of them on the 2^nd leg of their back to backs but a win tonight will make for a happy trip back to Toyota center.  

Rockets lose a nail bitter with Clippers

Ok so it wasn't a nail bitter and more of a good ole fashioned butt kicking! The Rockets lost the middle game of their Western conference trip, 137 to 118 was the final score as the Clips handed the unbeaten Rockets the 1st loss of the early season.

For the 1st time in 3 games the Rockets defensively did not show up to the game, during the 1st three games the Rockets would lock it down in either the 1st or 2nd half but not tonight.  The Rockets never really had a chance tonight, from the tip off the Clippers went on a 23-8 run totally taking the wind out of the Rockets sails. The Rockets made it close and cut it to 9 at one point during the 3rd quarter but the Clippers put the pedal back to the metal and with 5 minutes left in the game Head coach Kevin McHale waived the white flag.

Clippers tonight out Rockets the Rockets tonight the Clippers had 15 3's while the Rockets had only 7 including 0 from James Harden who went 0-7. Omri Casspi who missed the last game came back with vengeance to lead the Rockets in scoring with 19 points going 6-12 from the field and 3-6 on 3's. Coach McHale and James Harden both post game made mention of early foul troubles that lead to bad defense.  

Rockets vs. Clippers: Game 4

Tonight is game four in the Rockets young 2013-2014 season, they are in the middle of a three game road trip on the West coast. Saturday they played the Jazz and won, and Tuesday will play Trailblazers before coming back home to the comfy confines of the Toyota center.

Rockets have yet to play a full 48 min game this season which really hasn't came back to bite them yet.... Tonight once again will be with starting point guard Patrick Beverley and Forward Omri Casspi could be set to return to the court after sitting on Saturday. The Rockets Bigs tonight will match up very well with the Clippers bigs as neither is a 3 point shooting threat. The match up to watch will be between Chris Paul and Jeremy Lin, for the Rockets to win Lin will have to try to limit Paul's output. Paul in his last two games 33 points a game and 12.5 assists a game, this is one of those games you wish you had Beverley who you could use to frustrate Paul.

Texans post day thoughts: Week 9 edition

Any one remember the Texans played a game on SNF and lost? During halftime as the teams were heading in to the locker room Texans HC Gary Kubiak collapsed untouched on his way back to the locker room. Which seemingly halted every inch of momentum the Texans gained up to the that point.

Texans started off the 1st half of the game playing the football we had all hoped they were capable of at the start of the season. Case Keenum sliced and diced the Colts secondary to the tune of 208 yards on 9 completions, 7 completions went Andre Johnson's way for 190 yards. Ben Tate hobbled by injures even gave you 14 carries for 47 yards, this offensive explosion was good for a 21- 3 lead over the division leading Colts.

The second half started with Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips taking over the head coach headset as Gary Kubiak was on the way to the hospital. And as mentioned before the momentum the Texans had, left with Kubiak as he rode to the hospital. The Colts outscored, out gained, and out coached the Texans in every aspect of the game in the final half of the game. Colts pulled out the miracle win killing the Texans season and cementing the Colts as one of the elite teams in the NFL

Below are the post game comments from Colts TY Hilton and Robert Mathis
      

Rockets beat Jazz

Rockets in 3 straight games have yet to play a full 48 minutes and so far that has not really mattered, tonight the Rockets defeat the Jazz 104 to 93. Rockets were blown out in the first half and where outscored 40 to 56 but in heckle and jackal style the Rockets outscored the Jazz 64 to 37.

In the first half the Jazz’s combo of Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Richard Jefferson powered them to the lead with 36 points between the three. The Rockets if not for Chandler Parsons 17 points in the 1^st half would have been ran out the building.

When the teams came back to the court in the 2^nd half the Rockets outscored the Jazz 15 to 2 to pull the Rockets within 3 after trailing for so long. The Jazz seemed to crumple as the Rockets drew nearer, the Jazz loss and go 0-3 for the 1^st time since the late 70’s the Rockets start the season of 3-0 and will play the Clippers on Monday. 

Texans vs. Colts preview SNF edition

Texans at 2-5 as goofy as it sounds still control their own destiny in the AFC South. While that may be a pipe dream in all actuality it is safe to say crazier things have happened in football. Last season the Texans started hot but faded in the end, could this season be the inverse of last season, struggle but ball out the rest of the season?

This game against the Colts as cliche as it sounds is a MUST WIN, Do or Die or whatever else you want to say. The 2 and 5 Texans have 0 wiggle room the rest of the season, for the rest of the season it’s pretty much win or plan on which top 10 draft pick you are going to take next season.

Texans at the start of the week ended all speculation and named undrafted free agent, last years practice squad QB Case Keenum the starter for the second week in a row over. The Texans are heading in to this game with a question mark at running back going in to the game both Arian Foster and Ben Tate could both play but no way will either be at 100 percent. The Colts on the other side will be with a future hall of famer on offense in WR Reggie Wayne and you wonder how Andrew Luck will fair not having Wayne to throw too. Last season Wayne caught 1,300 plus yards and this season had 500 plus it’s a huge part of their offense that is now gone.

The big match up tomorrow will be between Colts Robert Mathis (DE) vs. Texans Derek Newton (RT) no doubt Mathis is good for at least one sack tomorrow but if you let Mathis tee off on Case Keenum the Texans will have a VERY long day. Look for the Texans to help out tremendously on Newton’s side with TE’s or RB’s chipping him all day long. This is a MAJOR MATCH UP the Texans have to win, limit Mathis and Texans chances on winning improving by 1,000 percent.  

Rockets vs Jazz preview

The Rockets head to Utah to take on the Jazz, last season the Rockets went in 4 tries with the Jazz the Rockets took 3 of 4 but lost the very 1st match up with the Jazz, tonight is the very 1st match up of the 2013-2014 season. The difference is this Jazz team is no where near the same Jazz team as it was last season. The Rockets and the Jazz will both go in to this game with changes from last years team but the Jazz have 4 new starters, Derrick Favors is the only carry over from last seasons team.


Rockets come in to the game following 2 wins at home over the Bobcats and the Mavericks. Rockets have gotta big contributions from All Stars James Harden and Dwight Howard. Harden in 1st 2 games has 55 points and Howard has 42 rebounds. The team has gotten good help off the bench both Francisco Garcia in the 1st night and Omri Casspi in the 2nd game. Rockets will still be with Patrick Beverley who was injured opening night Jeremy Lin will start with Aaron Brooks coming in the spell him.


Jazz opened at home with a loss to the Thunder 98 to 101 then at traveled and lost to the Suns 84 to 87, came with a 3 pointer of being 2-0 instead of 0-2. Gordon Hayward has filled up the stat sheet of late and is 5 for 5 on 3's this season and Enes Kanter has 2 double doubles in the 1st 2 games. Leading the Jazz in scoring is Alec Burks and he is doing his damage of the bench.

Rockets beat Mavericks 113 to 105

Rockets win against I-45noth rivals the Dallas Mavericks 113 to 105, the Rockets got major contributions from All Stars James Harden and Dwight Howard to start of the season with two wins. Harden lit up the Mavericks to the tune of 34 points while Howard cleaned up the backboard to the tune of 16 rebounds.

The Rockets unlike their previous game got off to a MUCH better start even though within minutes Omer Asik was out of the game due to picking up two quick personal fouls killing the twin towers lineup. The Rockets used pace and 3’s to take a 61 to 50 lead at the half. When the 2^nd half started the Mavs were soon to employ Hack A Howard which seemed to work for a while with Howard clanking free throws left and right. The game inching ever closer Howard was able to nail back to back free throws which pretty much ended the Hack A Howard technique.

Dwight Howard in his 1^st two games as a Houston Rocket he has 42 rebounds, 30 points showing he was worth every penny the Rockets shelled out to snag the super star free agent this past offseason. Before the game Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made comments that Howard picked the wrong team and you can see why Cuban was so frustrated, because this version of Dwight Howard makes your team 10 times better than the year before.

Below is post game comments from Dwight Howard where he talks about his game and about Mark Cuban. 

Rockets D-League team drafts a team

Last year the Vipers the Rockets D-League team won the D-League championship. Tonight the Vipers made their D-League draft and the 8 players they selected will join the Vipers training camp. The Vipers 1^st game is Friday Nov 29^th below are the players the team selected this season.

1rd 2^nd pick – James Johnson (F) 6-9 (245) – Wake Forest

1rd 16^th pick – Dario Hunt (PF) 6-8 (230) – Nevada

2rd 15^th pick – Tony Bishop (F) 6-7 (220) Texas State

2rd 16^th pick – Kevin Parrom (F) 6-6 (215) Arizona

4rd 16^th pick – Gary Talton (G) 6-1 (163) Illinois-Chicago

5rd 16^th pick – Mike Black (G) 6-0 (175) Albany

6rd 16^th pick – Akeem Ellis (F) 6-6 (225) Coppin State

7rd 11^th pick – Dwayne Latham (G) 6-3 (190) Indiana State

Rockets vs. Mavericks Starting Lineups

Rockets continue their season tonight at home against the 1-45 North rivals Dallas Mavericks, today both teams come in 1-0. Rockets getting their win Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats 96-83 at home while the Mavericks won at home against the Atlanta Hawks 118-109. Rockets will teak their starting line up just a touch with, Patrick Beverley injured and out 10-14 days. Below is the starting line ups for both teams.



Rockets                                                                                                                   Mavericks
F - Chandler Parsons                                                                                                F - Shawn Marion
F - Dwight Howard                                                                                                  F - Drik Nowitzki
C - Omer Asik                                                                                                         C - Sam Dalembert
G- James Harden                                                                                                     G - Monta Ellis
G -Jeremy Lin                                                                                                         G - Jose Calderon