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Here are two distinctly different looks at J.J. Watt's epic rant
Dec 29, 2020, 12:20 pm
JJ's had enough. Composite photo by Jack Brame
Two looks at J.J. Watt's rant
After losing to the hapless Bengals, the Texans managed to reach a new low. This was their only loss to a team deemed to be subpar. All other losses were to teams either in the playoffs or in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs. Needless to say, the losing has caught up to J.J. Watt and he couldn't hold back any longer:
I've never seen J.J. act like this before. He seems frustrated and pissed off for lack of a better term. All the losing, all the doubters, all the turmoil, it's finally gotten to him. I've heard and seen two different schools of thought on this rant. One side has people skeptical of Watt and wondering where was all this fire previously. The other side has people fired up and ready to run through a brick wall. I can see and explain both sides.
The ones who are questioning Watt's intentions and timing have every right to do so. Why is he just now getting so fired up? Where was this when Bill O'Brien was ruining the franchise? Why now? Fans who feel this way are the same ones who've always felt skeptical of Watt's persona. He probably comes off as doing way too much to them and someone who's willing to do what he has to do in order to get the spotlight on him. More than likely, these fans are solidly behind trading Watt to get a draft pick, or cutting him altogether to clear the cap space.
Then there are the fans who are ready to suit up and run through a wall. They love the rah rah stuff Watt does and this is right up their alley. Any time Watt has one of these moments, these are the fans that fall more in love with him. They're the ones he was talking about that still tweet and comment online that they love the team. They're the ones he referenced when he talked about spending their hard-earned money to continue to support this team. This segment of fans want Watt to stay with the team no matter what until he retires.
In my own humble opinion, I like the passion J.J. showed. Fans get too caught up in the timing or assumed meaning behind certain actions. They also tend to wear team colored glasses and feel as if their team/players can do no wrong. Let the players and their emotions play out without riding too high or too low. Easy for me to say when I only write my opinion about the tea. I'm not deeply invested on a more personal level. But I get both sides. I just so happen to side with the fans who enjoyed Watt's rant more than the detractors. I like when players show this level of care and passion. We will never know if this was his true feelings, or a front. I will speculate this was a spur of the moment thing because it didn't seem rehearsed, and he stumbled a few times. Maybe we'll get to see more of this in the future, maybe not. But I love it. Tip of the cap to J.J. for calling it like he sees it and not being afraid of the fallout.
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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.