THE PALLILOG
Charlie Pallilo: Texans-Steelers, Harden's numbers, Herman's first season at UT and more
Dec 22, 2017, 7:51 am
Le’Veon Bell will be making an appearance at NRG. Steelers.com
What a massive lump of coal for the stocking to have the Texans playing on Christmas Day. Then again, it frees up three hours for more eating, playing with new toys, family time, or anything else besides watching the trash that is the home team playing out the season. Hey, if Jadeveon Clowney can refer to a quarterback who just ripped apart the Texans’ efense (not a typo, there was no d in Clowney’s unit last Sunday) as trash, no way can he reasonably refuse the same categorization for his team. Refuse, get it? Ha ha ha. Actually this time of year, ho ho ho. Amusing that Jaguar fans sent Clowney garbage cans and pails this week via NRG Stadium. Well, perhaps not to Clowney and those who receive the mail at the stadium. Maybe some of the receptacles can be put to use for removal of Bill O’Brien’s clock management binders and Rick Smith’s third round draft preparation manifesto.
It’s a big game for the Steelers Monday as they try to hold off the Jaguars (!) for the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Even without an injured Antonio Brown it would be shocking if the Steelers fail to win. They still have a likely Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, the best all-around running back in the game in Le’Veon Bell, and an excellent offensive line with three Pro Bowlers. The Texans have DeAndre Hopkins. He is the only Texans’ offensive starter who could get on the field for Pittsburgh. Think about that.
The Patriots are the platinum standard in the NFL, but the black and gold standard is pretty darn impressive. The Steelers’ last losing season was 2003. This is their fourth straight season with at least 10 wins. It’s their 12th double digit win season in the last 17, with two Super Bowl wins along the way. It’s a level of sustained quality that is unreasonable to expect a team to match, and fantasy to think the current Texans’ regime could ever achieve.
On the court
It’s just one game out of 82 but the Rockets at Oklahoma City Monday is roughly a billion times more interesting than the Texans flailing versus the Steelers. The Texans kick at 4:30, the Rockets tip at about 7:00. Should make for an easy remote control choice.
James Harden this week broke Moses Malone’s Rocket franchise record for consecutive games scoring at least 20 points. Moses did it 29 games in a row, Harden hit 30 by pouring in 51 points in a rare Rocket loss, to the Lakers Monday night. If you are wondering if Harden might be in range of the NBA record, he’s nowhere close. In 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain played every game of what was then an 80 game regular season. The Big Dipper’s smallest output all season was 26 points. Second smallest, 28. The other 78 out of 80 games, 30 points minimum. Overall in ’61-’62 Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game. And 25.7 rebounds. Beyond absurd numbers that no one else has approached or will ever approach. That was the season in which Chamberlain put up his 100 point game.
Hall passes
Six players are first-timers as Basketball Hall of Fame candidates: Ray Allen, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash. This seems easy: yes, no, no, yes, yes, yes. Hill’s NBA career is not Hall-worthy, but it’s not the NBA Hall of Fame. So in conjunction with his spectacular collegiate career at Duke, Hill’s resume passes.
Injury prone
His adductor strain is Chris Paul’s second left leg injury this season. It doesn’t make his breaking down in the playoffs inevitable, but doesn’t help the mood any.
Horns of a dilemma?
I still like Tom Herman’s chances to have major success as head coach at UT, but his first season has clearly been majorly disappointing. The Longhorns are somehow underdogs vs. mediocre Missouri in the Texas Bowl. If the Horns lose, Herman will match the seven losses that Charlie Strong put up in each of his three seasons in Austin. Meanwhile, UT’s arguable four best players are skipping their senior seasons to enter the NFL Draft. They include punter Michael Dickson. A punter going pro early! The Australian-born Dickson was consensus first team All-America, but only a draft fool would use a selection on a punter before the 4th or 5th round. The returns of the first early signing period for college football have Herman and the Horns reeling in a class ranked top five nationally, a dominant performance over late-starting Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M whose class doesn’t rate in the top five of the SEC.
Buzzer Beaters
1. With good weather I wonder if the roof is open for the Texas Bowl 2. Eggnog is good. Fresh ground nutmeg on top, NOT cinnamon. Though if no nutmeg available, cinnamon will do 3. Santa’s best reindeer: Bronze-Blitzen Silver-Comet Gold-Dasher
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How Astros enter exciting stretch with familiar names in unfamiliar spots
May 15, 2025, 5:52 pm
The Houston Astros took a step in the right direction this week, securing a hard-fought series win over the Kansas City Royals with a strong combination of pitching and timely hitting. While the offense still isn’t firing on all cylinders, recent signs suggest the bats may finally be waking up—albeit slower than hoped.
Over the past seven days, Houston ranks 6th in OPS, 7th in slugging, and 10th in runs scored across MLB—a noticeable jump from their underwhelming season-long ranks of 13th, 18th, and 19th in those categories, respectively. But perhaps the biggest concern remains their lack of home run power. The Astros are just 23rd in home runs over the past week and 24th on the season. That’s a major problem for a team that has historically relied on slugging to fuel its October pushes.
Only two Astros hitters currently boast an OPS over .800: Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes. Peña’s breakout season has been one of the few bright spots for Houston’s offensive staff, while Paredes continues to deliver consistent production that aligns with his career norms. But beyond those two, it’s been a struggle.
Christian Walker has emerged as the biggest red flag in the lineup. After a hitless series with 7 strikeouts against Kansas City’s tough rotation, Walker’s strikeout total climbed to fifth-most in the American League with 50. His offensive regression now spans over a quarter of the season, drawing troubling comparisons to José Abreu’s disastrous 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
And he’s not alone. José Altuve, a longtime engine for Houston’s offense, is in a prolonged slump of his own—slashing just .220/.268/.297 over his last 30 games. Combined with Walker’s woes, the middle of the order has become a black hole that may soon force a change.
With 10 of their next 13 games coming against division rivals, the Astros must decide quickly whether it’s time for a lineup shakeup. Dropping Walker in the order feels increasingly necessary. And unless Altuve finds his rhythm, manager Joe Espada may need to explore new options in the two-spot to spark the offense.
The potential return of Yordan Alvarez could help remedy the power problem. When healthy, Alvarez is one of baseball’s premier sluggers and could be the missing piece that lifts Houston’s home run totals and extra-base hit production.
But even with Alvarez’s return looming, broader questions about the team’s hitting development persist—especially when contrasted with the pitching staff’s continued excellence. Houston's pitching coaches have consistently gotten the most out of arms, while the hitting side has seen a pattern of stagnation.
A recent reminder of that contrast comes from an unexpected source: Alex Bregman. Now thriving with the Boston Red Sox, Bregman is putting up MVP-caliber numbers after working with Boston’s hitting coaches on timing and mechanical tweaks. He credits their staff with helping him get back to his 2019 form—raising eyebrows in Houston. It’s hard not to wonder why those same adjustments never materialized under the Astros' watch.
To be fair, Jeremy Peña’s breakout could be considered a win for the current hitting coaches, but even that comes with caveats. Meanwhile, Isaac Paredes’ production isn’t a surprise—he’s done this before. And for every Peña, there are several Walkers or Abreus who join the Astros and regress at the plate.
As the Astros look to gain more ground in the AL West race, their pitching remains a strength and their offense is showing signs of life. But if the bats can’t fully turn the corner—and if the team’s approach to hitting development doesn’t evolve—the gap between Houston and the elite teams in the league may continue to grow.
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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