STEP RIGHT UP!
How Texans, Watson circus reached critical point of no return
Aug 19, 2021, 3:36 pm
The plot thickened this week. Composite image by Jack Brame.
For heaven's, specifically Houston's, sake, this endlessly worsening Deshaun Watson fiasco must stop. Trade him, cut him, exempt list him, indict him, charge him, make him swear to tell the truth, something or anything. What are the Texans and the NFL waiting for? The circus needs to leave town.
What's going to happen if the season starts, Watson is still with the team and quarterback Tyrod Taylor throws a first-quarter Pick 6 with No. 4 stewing on the bench? An almost sold-out stadium will chant "Wat-son! Wat-son!" Fans screaming for Watson would be an untenable, humiliating scenario for the Texans. He's got to go.
Head coach David Culley must have it up to here with the media's fetish for asking questions about Watson. For his part, Watson has taken a vow of silence, except for one muttered complaint at training camp, "Why are y'all always filming me? It's the same s---."
Excellent question. Perhaps it's because you're a football superstar with a $156 million contract, a couple dozen women have sued you or gone to the police with kinky details of your alleged sexual misconduct, you're the only All-Pro quarterback who's listed fourth on his team's depth chart, and most sports analysts believe you will be suspended by the league … you think that may be why?
The plot thickened this week. We learned that the FBI has interviewed Watson and several of the accusing women. Tony Buzbee, attorney for the accusing women, seemed to suggest that the feds are looking into Watson's alleged criminal behavior because Watson used the Internet to contact out-of-state masseuses. Rusty Hardin for the defense said the FBI is exploring whether one of the accusers attempted to extort money from Watson. Only the FBI knows why they were poking around Houston and they're not singing.
Let's go to the tote board: there are 22 civil lawsuits in motion and 10 criminal complaints. The matter is being investigated by the feds, the Houston Police Department, the Harris County District Attorney's office, a Grand Jury, and the National Football League. The only law enforcement entities not currently investigating Watson are Deputy Barney Fife and Guardians of the Galaxy.
The two distinguished barristers are Rusty Hardin for Watson, and Tony Buzbee for the civil lawsuit accusers. With each press conference and ensuing insult slap fight, it looks like those two are auditioning for a Comedy Central Roast or a Texas Death Match at WrestleMania. Or in Buzbee's case, mayor of Houston. Watson and the women would be better represented, at least with more dignity, by Jackie Chiles and My Cousin Vinny.
This week, Hardin commented that "Mr. Buzbee's knowledge of the criminal justice system … probably if you put it in a thimble, there would be a lot of room left."
Ouch! But Actor Wilford Brimley wore it better years ago when he said, "What I know about poker, you can fit in a thimble with room left over."
Meanwhile the Texans try to ignore the freak show and get ready for the NFL season. With their best player pre-occupied with legal woes, and a roster devoid of star players, the Texans should struggle for wins this season. TV networks aren't squabbling over who gets a Texans game in prime time. Let's say you're sitting at Denny's enjoying a Moons Over My Hammy sandwich and a bunch of large men walk in. You hear a waitress say, "Those are Houston Texans, they come in here a lot."
How many could you recognize outside of their uniforms? Even in their uniforms? Turned around so you can read their names? Whose jersey will be the No. 1 seller at the Texans Team Shop at NRG Stadium?
The Texans say they're not listening to sincere trade offers from other NFL teams. And I'm not waiting to hear if I've been nominated for a Tony Award. What team in its right mind is going to trade multiple first-round draft picks and quality starters (reportedly the Texans asking price) for a radioactive quarterback with more baggage than Carousel 3 in Terminal C at Bush-Intercontinental?
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.