Flag football is fun, but injuries can happen. Tery Red
What readers should know:
What: VAVI Sport and Social Club
When: Sunday (April 29, 2018)
Where: Pacific Beach, California
VAVI Flag Football Co-ed League, Pacific Beach.
SportsMap was able to catch a glimpse into a Coed Flag Football Game in Pacific Beach, California. On the way to the host facility there was a brief distraction with a nearby game going on. What kind of ball is that? It was not a basketball or a dodgeball. You guessed it. A Kickball game was in session!
Talk about tickled pink, I had not seen a Kickball game since grade school! To see active adults out in an organized effort on a sunny, breezy day, enjoying a fun yet challenging game of foot to ball to base was quite refreshing! Stay Focused! Get to the Flag Football!
Local resident Pam Woods enjoys the VAVI co-ed game.
Ah yes! The Turf was impressive! I honestly had to touch it to be sure, YEP, field turf! Now that's the stuff. Oh no! As I imagined being at the NRG, I hear a man's war cry. At that moment I see an injured player, rolling in the turf in agony. Wait, isn't this "flag football?" Here is a receiver, Keith Russel Hunter, who has been playing in the VAVI Flag Football League for two years, a real semi-pro NFL hopeful. I watched as fellow coed teammates along with the referee hop into action to assist. After they have Russell stabilized, I see Q.B. Kim Spinardi, a south paw from SDSU B-Ball / Combo Guard (2006-2010) gear up her next play. She has quite the impressive arm. As her eyes search up field for her receiver Katy, pass complete, going for the touchdown! Yikes! Flags stripped by fellow contender. Nice play, well done.
This was way more than just a leisure activity. Both teams had very good support, competitive contenders who treated each other with dignity and respect. Excellent sportsmanship displayed here and a real enjoyment for the comradery was definitely observed . It was quite a treat!
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!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
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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