JOIN THE BRACKET CHALLENGE!
Enter the ESPN 97.5 BRACKET CHALLENGE 2020
Mar 2, 2020, 12:29 pm
JOIN THE BRACKET CHALLENGE!
It's that time again, ESPN 97.5's 2nd annual Bracket Madness presented by Bud Light Seltzer, supported by Four Roses Bourbon & Boost Mobile. We'll be giving prizes to 97.5 winners…..Yep the point five winner is the penultimate winner – second to last in the whole bracket. And did we mention this is all FREE?!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: https://www.runyourpool.com/join/pool_info.cfm?id=130926&p=espn975
Bellaire, Cinco Ranch, and Pearland.
Prizes include a custom Texas Mattress Makers custom queen size mattress, Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon, $50 gift cards to Roosters Men's Grooming Center, iRace Entertainment, El Tiempo, Pitch 25, Heights Bier Garten, Holman Draft Hall, concert tickets, ESPN 97 .5 Listener Appreciation Party tickets a Zummo meat basket and lots more. And last but not least, the PENULTIMATE prize is an authentic autographed Carlos Correa Bat. Prizes being updated daily.
And of course, come hang out with us during the tournament as we broadcast live 11am-7pm from these locations
March 19th: Over Under Sports Bar 1416 FM 528 Rd ste D, Webster, TX 77598
March 20th: Revelry on Richmond 1613 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77006
March 26th: World of beer Cypress 9945 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress, TX
March 27th: iRace Entertainment 24984 Katy Rand Rd, Katy, Tx
April 6th: Belle Station 207 Gray St, Houston, TX 77002
ESPN 97.5 Houston BRACKET CHALLENGE 2019
Official Contest Rules
A complete copy of these rules can be obtained at the offices of radio station KFNC, ESPN 97.5FM, owned and operated by Gow Media LLC (collectively, the "Stations"),5353 W. Alabama, Suite 415, Houston, TX 77056, during normal business hours Monday through Friday or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the above address.
The Station will conduct the ESPN 97.5 Houston Bracket Madness (the "Contest") substantially as described in these rules, and by participating, each participant agrees as follows:
Prizes are as follows: | Prizes are updated daily: |
Prize 1: Texas Mattress Makers Custom Queen Mattress | Prize 51: $100 Aesthetica MD Spa Gift Card |
Prize 2: ESPN 97.5 Listener Appreciation Party Tickets | Prize 52: Four Roses Bourbon |
Prize 3: Four Roses Bourbon | Prize 53: El Tiempo $50 Gift Card |
Prize 4: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card | Prize 54: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card |
Prize 5: El Tiempo $50 Gift Card | Prize 55: $50 iRace Entertainment Gift Card |
Prize 6: $50 iRace Entertainment Gift Card | Prize 56: $50 Burger Joint Gift Card |
Prize 7: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 | Prize 57: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 |
Prize 8: Rudy's $50 gift card | Prize 58: Rudy's $50 gift card |
Prize 9: Pair of Shinedown Tickets on 5/2 | Prize 59: Pair of Shinedown Tickets on 5/2 |
Prize 10: Four Roses Bourbon | Prize 60: ESPN 97.5 Listener Appreciation Party Tickets |
Prize 11: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card | Prize 61: Pair of Ron White Tickets on 5/12 |
Prize 12: $50 Pitch 25 Gift Card | Prize 62: $50 Pitch 25 Gift Card |
Prize 13: $50 Burger Joint Gift Card | Prize 63: $50 Burger Joint Gift Card |
Prize 14: El Tiempo $50 Gift Card | Prize 64: Four Roses Bourbon |
Prize 15: Pair of Ron White Tickets on 5/12 | Prize 65: El Tiempo $50 Gift Card |
Prize 16: $50 World of Beer Gift Card | Prize 66: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card |
Prize 17: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 | Prize 67: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card |
Prize 18: $100 Aesthetica MD Spa Gift Card | Prize 68: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 |
Prize 19: $50 El Tiempo Gift Card | Prize 69: $50 Pitch 25 Gift Card |
Prize 20 Four Roses Bourbon | Prize 70: $100 Aesthetica MD Spa Gift Card |
Prize 21: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card | Prize 71: |
Prize 22: $50 iRace Entertainment Gift Card | Prize 72: $50 Heights Bier Garten Gift Card |
Prize 23: $50 Heights Bier Garten Gift Card | Prize 73: $50 El Tiempo Gift Card |
Prize 24: | Prize 74: Four Roses Bourbon |
Prize 25: | Prize 75: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card |
Prize 26: $100 Aesthetica MD Spa Gift Card | Prize 76: |
Prize 27: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 | Prize 77: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 |
Prize 28: Rudy's $50 gift card | Prize 78: Rudy's $50 gift card |
Prize 29: | Prize 79: |
Prize 30: | Prize 80: ESPN 97.5 Listener Appreciation Party Tickets |
Prize 31: $50 El Tiempo Gift Card | Prize 81: $50 Pitch 25 Gift Card |
Prize 32: Four Roses Bourbon | Prize 82: Pair of Shinedown Tickets on 5/2 |
Prize 33: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card | Prize 83: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card |
Prize 34: $50 Burger Joint Gift Card | Prize 84: El Tiempo $50 Gift Card |
Prize 35: Pair of Ron White Tickets on 5/12 | Prize 85: Four Roses Bourbon |
Prize 36: $50 Holman Draft House Gift Card | Prize 86: $50 iRace Entertainment Gift Card |
Prize 37: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 | Prize 87: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 |
Prize 38: $100 Aesthetica MD Spa Gift Card | Prize 88: $50 Burger Joint Gift Card |
Prize 39: | Prize 89: Pair of Ron White Tickets on 5/12 |
Prize 40: | Prize 90: $50 Holman Draft House Gift Card |
Prize 41: $50 Pitch 25 Gift Card | Prize 91: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card |
Prize 42: El Tiempo $50 Gift Card | Prize 92: Four Roses Bourbon |
Prize 43: Four Roses Bourbon | Prize 93: $50 Pitch 25 Gift Card |
Prize 44: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card | Prize 94: Rudy's $50 gift card |
Prize 45: | Prize 95: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 |
Prize 46: Pair of Ron White Tickets on 5/12 | Prize 96: $50 Rooster's Men's Grooming Gift Card |
Prize 47: Sam Houston Race Park Winners Circle Dinner for 2 | Prize 97: Four Roses Bourbon |
Prize 48: Zummo Meat Basket | Prize 97.5: El Tiempo $50 Gift Card |
Prize 49: $50 iRace Entertainment Gift Card | Penultimate Prize (2nd to last): Autographed Carlos Correa Bat |
Prize 50: Four Roses Bourbon |
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!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
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.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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