STILL TIME TO SHOP
5 last-minute gift ideas for the degenerate sports fan in your life
Dec 19, 2017, 12:24 pm
You can't go wrong with whiskey. Courtesy photo
So you have waited until the last minute to get a gift for the degenerate sports fan in your life. It’s getting tight on something from Amazon, but it is still possible. However, if you want to get a gift that looks like you put some effort into it (even though you didn’t), and in most cases not spend a lot of money, you have options and can get most of these without waiting in line for much. Sure, you can always get golf, running, tennis or crossfit equipment, but if the person in your life likes good alcohol, gambling, fun and sports (yes, that’s me, so I would love any of these), here are five last-minute gift ideas:
Local beer and spirits
There is no shortage of great choices; the craft beer scene in Houston is the best it has ever been, and there are several great options. The Downtown Spec’s has entire area dedicated to Houston and Texas beers, including some nice barrel-aged options. The staff is very knowledgeable and if you just ask for guidance they will help. If you want to go more high end, whiskey is always a good choice. We recommend keeping it local. The Whitmeyer’s Texas Whiskey and Texas Peach are great options, and if you want to go high end, the Single Barrel is the way to go. Your degenerate will thank you. Spec’s downtown has them on a regular basis, but you can also swing by the distillery and pick up a bottle if you are on the north side of town. A distillery tour (or a brewery tour) gift card makes a nice complement. This is a good, affordable option, because you can spend as much or as little as you like.
Astros World Series memorabilia
Your sports fan will still appreciate Astros World Series gear. Academy still has a great selection and you can swing by there. If you want something a little different, the audio book HIstory Earned makes a terrific gift, or you can hit them with a coffee table book. Again, affordability is the key. The audio book is just $13.99, and most gear is under $60.
Poker room membership
Legal poker rooms are cropping up everything, and a membership for your favorite degenerate works very well. Check for the one nearest you; a google search will do it. My personal favorite is Lions Poker Palace on Richmond near Dave and Buster’s. You can’t go wrong with this one. A yearly membership is the best option for someone who is playing a lot, but even a monthly membership works. You can create a nice gift card online and give your degenerate a money order and it makes it look like you put in a lot of effort.
Rent a suite at Sam Houston Race Park
Live racing returns in January, and there are affordable suite packages available. It’s a great way to have a fun night with friends, perhaps win some money and do some business networking. If you want to keep it more personal and keep the price down, a nice romantic dinner at the Winner’s Circle Restaurant or a night in the Jockey Club works as well. That way, you have a nice dinner together, while the degenerate in your life can get in a few bets.
Rockets partial ticket packages
In case you haven’t noticed, the Rockets are on a tear right now. Five-game packages are available and a night at Toyota Center can be fun and entertaining. Ticket prices vary based on seating so there are very affordable options.
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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