SPORTING AND STYLISH
4 Houston sports celebrities strut onto world's most fashionable list
Jul 29, 2019, 11:02 am
Photo courtesy of the MFAH
Houston Rockets star James Harden scores a sweet spot on this stylish list.
This article originally appeared on CultureMap.
Some of the world's hottest professional athletes have two things in common: they're uber-fashionable and they're Houstonians.
When they're not topping scoring titles or best-of lists, Houston-based stars James Harden, Russell Westbrook, P.J. Tucker (all three Houston Rockets), and Deandre Hopkins (Houston Texans) are frequently mentioned among pop culture's most stylish. Now, the flashy quartet has landed on Sports Illustrated's coveted Fashionable 50.
Featured in the July 29-August 5, 2019 issue of Sports Illustrated, the Fashionable 50 list was selected by a panel of stylists, fashion editors and executives, and other influencers across the sports and fashion industries.
The issue breaks down the field into categories, including "Icons," "Street Style Stars," and "Trendsetters." The Houston four fall evenly into those categories, starting with two Rockets stars as "Icons."
Russell Westbrook: Icon
Houston's newest Rocket is well known as a fashion plate. "It's hard to predict what the NBA's style trailblazer and self-proclaimed Fashion King will wear next, but that surprise factor and fearlessness are exactly what make Russell Westbrook a style icon," says the publication. Westbrook's pre-and-post-game attire gets a nod, as does his presence in the streets of Paris during Fashion Week and his "Why not?" approach to dressing.
James Harden: Icon
One of the NBA's most prolific players and scoring champs has an equally splashy fashion game. Sports Illustrated notes that for the 2018-19 season, the Rockets guard carefully planned his daring and dashing ensembles, pairing his signature beard with everything from bright floral prints to neon suits and more. His May 2018 cover shot for GQ is one for the books.
DeAndre Hopkins: Trendsetter
Sports Illustrated claims that the Houston Texans star wide receiver "may look to Pharrell for some fashion inspiration (okay...)," but the Texans wide receiver "has a unique, enviable style all to his own." The man with arguably the best hands in the National Football League gets props for his mixing of "luxurious and intricate designer pieces with more casual options from retailers like ASOS with ease."
Continue on CultureMap to see who else made the list.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
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