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ESPN 97.5 and SportsMap present the Houston Online Poker Charity Classic, 4th edition

ESPN 97.5 and SportsMap present the Houston Online Poker Charity Classic, 4th edition
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Looking to get in on some action while doing good for charity? On Saturday, May 2, at 2 p.m., ESPN 97.5 and SportsMap are putting on the Houston Online Poker Charity Classic using Pokerstars.net. This will be our fourth and possibly, final tournament. The first, second and third were a major success.

The tournament will be $50, with an optional $10 donation, which will go to two charities, one in the Houston area and one in Beaumont.


How to play

PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER!

You will need a Pokerstars.net account. (Also .bet). It is the free site. Do not sign up for Pokerstars.com; it is not legal in the U.S. You will need a laptop or desk top; the site does not support mobile for home games.

Once you are set up on poker stars, go to home games (lower right hand corner on your laptop), and join group ESPN97.5/SportsMap with club ID Club #3411044. You will need 20,000 free chips to sign up for the tournament. You get 35,000 when you open your account. If needed you can collect 15k in free chips every four hours, or buy a million for $2.99.

The password/invitation code is 975pokerwin

Once signed up, send your $60 through PayPal to promotion@gowmedia.com, but SELECT "SENDING TO A FRIEND" not "goods and services." OR use "Cash App" and send your $60 to $ESPN975. Please add your screen name and do NOT use "poker" in any comments/subject field. Once your payment has been received, your ID will be approved. (we approve by groups once a day). Once approved you will need to register for the specific tournament by selecting "schedule" at the top and then "register" at the bottom right by buying in with your 20,000 chips. If you do not pay, your account all not be verified in the group. Registration will close at noon on Saturday, so you must sign up before then. Your account will be pending until you pay the entry fee.

Money will be paid out to the top 15 percent finishers. The donations go to two great causes.

Kids' Meals Houston

Kid's Meals delivers food to pre-school aged children in Houston. Many families are suffering more than ever, and Kids' Meals is helping impoverished families feed their children.

Southeast Texas Food Bank

We don't want to forget our friends and listeners in Beaumont and the Golden Triangle. Southeast Texas Food Bank provides services all over the Golden Triangle area. They are partnered with over 130 non-profit agencies and schools in Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Polk, Sabine, and Tyler Counties.

The bottom line

The tournaments have been a great success, but since the state is reopening, this will likely be the last one.If you want to continue to play in our free poker club, you can read about that here.

Any questions, please email promotion@gowmedia.com

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Can top prospect Brice Matthews give Houston a boost? Composite Getty Image.

What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.

Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.

 

Depth finally runs dry

 

It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.

Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.

But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.

The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.

 

Cracks in the pitching core

 

And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.

Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.

But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.

 

Injury handling under fire

 

Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.

No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.

Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.

 

Pressure mounts on Dana Brown

 

All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.

Brown will need to act — and soon.

At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.

*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!

 

There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.

 

A final test before the break

 

Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.

The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.

There's 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.

___________________________

*ChatGPT assisted.

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