WORLD SERIES
The Astros are in the World Series, and they are the heroes Houston needs
Oct 22, 2017, 2:48 am
The hired gun, Justin Verlander, has been terrific. Elsa/Getty Images
The Astros are the sports heroes this city needs. And the heroes Houston wants.
With Saturday's Game 7 win over the Yankees, the Astros are headed to the World Series for just the second time in the history of the franchise. The Astros are 55 years old. I am 52. I have more marriages (3) than they have World Series appearances. And I did not start until I was 19.
None of that matters. The Astros beat the mighty Red Sox. The more mighty Yankees. And now they face the toughest test of all -- the even mightier Dodgers.
But in a city still recovering from Harvey, Houston needed this. Sports is the ultimate escape from reality. And the Astros are taking us on a magic carpet ride.
And they are so unique. They have an MVP who is too small to be a success. And yet he is.
They have the hired gun, Justin Verlander, who has been nothing short of amazing.
They are the bearded one, Dallas Keuchel. The superstar young shortstop, Carlos Correa. The home-run bashing George Springer.
They are talented. And they are likeable. Even with the annoying woos that Josh Reddick -- the heart and soul -- brought to the team, they are so much fun. Reddick. Carlos Beltran. Brian McCann. Despite the awful slump in New York, they came up big when they needed to do so.
And they did.
And now they are on to the World Series. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball, but bet against this group at your own risk.
The city of Houston is still recovering, and trash still sits out front of many houses. The storm displaced so many people.
The Astros were affected, too. Not just here, but in Puerto Rico. And yet they stepped up.
The next two weeks have a chance to be special. Would anyone doubt this team?
They are the sports heroes Houston wanted.
And needed.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
The New York Jets interviewed Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik for their head coach position Thursday.
The meetings with Smith and Slowik gave the Jets 12 known candidates with whom they've spoken about their vacancy.
New York has also interviewed Aaron Glenn, Vance Joseph, Mike Locksley, Matt Nagy, Ron Rivera, Darren Rizzi, Rex Ryan, Steve Spagnuolo, Jeff Ulbrich and Mike Vrabel for the job. Vrabel has since been hired by New England as its coach.
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley are also expected to meet soon with the Jets.
The 42-year-old Smith, who was the Atlanta Falcons' head coach from 2021-23, was considered one of the Jets' top candidates in 2021 when he interviewed with the team before New York hired Robert Saleh. Smith was hired by the Falcons the next day and went 21-30, with three straight 7-10 finishes, before being fired after the 2023 season.
Mike Tomlin hired Smith last offseason to run the Steelers' offense, which improved in several categories this season with Russell Wilson at quarterback as Pittsburgh made the playoffs.
Smith spent 10 years with Tennessee, including the last two as the Titans' offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020. He previously had a stint with Washington as its defensive quality control coach in between college stops at North Carolina (2006) and Mississippi (2010).
The 37-year-old Slowik met with the Jets in a video interview since the Texans remain in the playoffs and are preparing to face the Chiefs in Kansas City on Saturday.
He's in his second year running the Texans' offense with quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was last season's AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and has been one of the league's most dynamic young playmakers.
Slowik, whose father Bob coaches in the CFL after several years as an NFL assistant, spent six years as an assistant under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco before joining the Texans. The Princeton, New Jersey, native started his pro coaching career as a video assistant for Washington in 2010 before being promoted to defensive assistant, a role he held for three years. Slowik then worked at Pro Football Focus as a senior analyst for three years before being hired by the 49ers.
The Jets are also conducting an extensive search for a new general manager. They have interviewed 15 candidates for that position, including Green Bay Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan and Miami Dolphins assistant general manager Brian Gaine on Tuesday.