TIME TO CASH IN?
This season we could be entering a whole new world for Astros, MLB
Feb 24, 2022, 7:41 pm
Baseball may be joining the party. Composite image by Jack Brame.
yordan-tucker (1)
It seems that everybody is onboard with Major League Baseball making the designated hitter universal – as soon as the upcoming 2022 season. Whenever that happens. This would mean that National League fans no longer will endure pitchers flailing at sinkers bouncing 10 feet in front of home plate, or standing frozen with the bat on their shoulders praying for a walk.
But what do you think about baseball teams renting out advertising space on players’ jerseys and batting helmets? It's reportedly on the table during negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
Soccer players wear sponsors' patches on their kits. NASCAR drivers’ fire suits have more advertising than Harwin Drive on a summer Sunday. NBA uniforms have corporate patches, the Rockets wear Credit Karma. The NBA is trying to sell advertising on team’s practice jerseys now. Who's going to see that? Tennis players and golfers are human billboards.
So why not baseball players? Teams have lost a lot of money due to the Covid pandemic. It’s only fair to give them a means to boost their bottom line.
Some might argue … just not baseball jerseys. They’re sacrosanct, can’t we have anything nice around here?
Baseball jerseys are special and different. Regular citizens, especially guys who’ve put on a few, shouldn’t wear basketball jerseys in public. There’s too much skin showing. Nobody wants to look at your shoulders. Football jerseys are too bulky and hot. Besides if you're a Texans fan, the only players’ jerseys you’d want to wear don’t play here anymore.
Baseball jerseys are comfortable and Houstonians are proud to show their love for the Astros. If you know the right place to shop online, you can get a really good, authentic-looking Jose Altuve jersey for $25 instead of $100-plus retail at sporting goods stores.
You might remember that the Astros and Cardinals wore patches promoting Ford cars when they played a series in Mexico in 2019. Abner Doubleday did not roll over in his grave that we know of.
The problem with allowing MLB teams to sell space on uniforms may be … where does it stop? The current idea is to limit advertising to a patch on jerseys and a decal on batting helmets. Baseball stadiums already place advertising on the field, over outfield fences, in seating areas, behind home plate and the on-deck circle. Basically anywhere outside of playing territory.
You may have noticed Chick-fil-A banners hanging off the foul (fowl) poles at Minute Maid Park, which is weird because foul poles really are fair poles.
What if Yuli Gurriel wants to wear a patch promoting Cuban sandwiches at Café Piquet on Bissonnet? You don’t have to tell me, they’re delicious!
Will they eventually have players wear microphones and do live spots during games? Let’s say Machete makes a mound visit.
“Hey, Lance, this batter is sitting dead red fastball. Let’s give him nothing but junk. Speaking of junk, is your garage full of crap you don’t need anymore? Call 1-800-JUNK. Come on, let’s get this guy out and we'll head to Jack in the Box for a Spicy Cluck chicken sandwich on the way home.”
Baseball broadcasts have built-in sponsorships. “That ground rule double was brought to you by Dubble Bubble, the official bubblegum of Astros spring training.”
The National Hockey League recently approved sponsors’ decals for player helmets. Trouble is, hockey is a fast game and players are constantly in motion, making helmet decals difficult for fans to read. Basketball has a similar problem. The only time players stand still for advertising patches to make an impression is during free throws.
Baseball jerseys and sponsors' patches are made for each other like eHarmony.com’s 32 dimensions of compatibility. Baseball is a slow, deliberate game. Fans watching on TV will be able to read the “for a limited time only” fine print at the bottom of McDonald’s patches. Consider one at bat on TV:
Hitter strolls leisurely to home plate, steps slowly into the batter’s box, scratches his groin area, tightens and untightens his batting glove 15 times, the catchers puts down one finger for a fastball, closeup of pitcher shaking him off, catcher calls for a curve, batter steps out of the batter’s box, pitcher goes into his stretch and fires ball one, ball two, strike one, yadda yadda yadda, foul ball, foul ball. Eventually the batter works a walk and trots to first base. Meanwhile fans at the stadium are working on their ninth $1 hot dog and unbuckling their belts, while fans watching TV at home are checking to see who’s on Jimmy Kimmel.
Stretch … walk … even the language of baseball is slow. Paying for a patch on a baseball player’s jersey is like buying infomercial time on Channel 57.
Local sponsors will jump at the chance to advertise their products on Astros' uniforms. Mattress Mack will want in. Maybe Hilton Furniture, “and that’s a fact, Jack.” I’d love to see what a patch for Adam & Eve (three locations) would look like.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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