GOW MEDIA'S BIG MONTH
David Gow: A peek inside the family
David Gow
Feb 27, 2018, 9:07 pm
A.J. Hoffman (center) and Fred Faour (right) had the No. 1 sports show in the city in January. Kirsten Gilliam Photography
Last year I caught up with an old friend. Amazingly, during the conversation, he failed to tell me some exciting news about his kids. They had gotten exceptionally good grades and were on their way to Stanford. A very exciting time! Yet, out of modesty, he said nothing, and I had to learn the big news from a third party. His omission almost made me feel left out.
Today I will not make the same mistake. I will share with you some exciting news about “the kids” at the station, who recently got a very good report card. When Nielsen ratings came out last week, ESPN 97.5 FM finished with the three top-rated sports shows in the city (for Men, ages 25-54, the standard metric for sports). The top three shows:
No. 1: The Blitz, with Fred Faour and AJ Hoffman; weekdays 4-7 p.m.
No 2: The Usual Suspects, with Joel Blank and Barry Laminack; weekdays 1-4 p. m.
No. 3: The Bench (John and Lance!), with John Granato and Lance Zierlein; weekdays 7-9 a.m.
As always, there is a story behind the successes.
At 8-years old, The Blitz is now the longest continuous-running sports-talk show in the city. Fred and A.J. do their homework and know all-things-sports. For that matter, Fred is now also the cerebral editor of SportsMap.com. But do not consider them the class nerds. Fred and A.J. talk sports with an edge, perhaps an air of cool.
The Usual Suspects launched one year ago, almost as an odd couple. Joel came from the Rockets and seemed to see everything through the prism of sports. Barry won our Rock the Mic contest and as a stand-up comic, seemed to see everything through the prism of humor. Like most good couples, the two have found a solid, compelling balance. Sports and humor? Absolutely: the odd couple is now a successful couple.
The Bench. There are many famous duos: Bert and Ernie, Batman and Robin, Heckle and Jeckle, etc. But in the history of Houston sports talk, John and Lance stand apart. When we got the opportunity to reunite them, I knew they would be successful; what I did not know was how quickly the market would come. In this first ratings book since the reunion, they are No. 1 in their daypart. And they are just getting (re)started.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the other kids. In middays, Raheel and Del are rising stars on 97.5. We have one of the country’s top authorities on soccer, Glenn Davis, who hosts Soccer Matters on Tuesday evenings. Also, I am often asked: what ever happened to Charlie Pallilo? We got him. He is on SportsMap 94.1 FM, weekdays from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. And 94.1 FM now includes Golic and Wingo, Barry Warner, Charlie, Nate and Creight and the Sean Salisbury Show. Check it out!
Finally, as you read the names above, the family is big now. Bluntly, we have more sports experts in our building than any other media company in the city. What do we do with them all? Our “Stanford” is our new media and new platforms. All members of the team are now talking on air, writing on sportsmap.com and now appearing on videos here on the site. A very exciting time!
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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