A HOME RUN TIP

Here's how to avoid the longest lines at Minute Maid

Photo courtesy of Aramark

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

Here's a sports tip you won't find anywhere else.

When the Astros return to Minute Maid Park for Game 6 (if necessary) or Game 7 (it may take that long to dismiss the Yankees, they're good), don't rush to the concession stands the minute you enter the stadium.

Where and when to eat during the game

According to my source, the playoff games are so intense that fans aren't leaving their seats for food like during the regular season. If you wait until the second inning, there won't be any lines at the concession stands. That goes for the main concourse and the upper deck. I was at Game 1 and ordered by hot dog and Coke Zero (nice touch) with zero wait. The only food stand with lines from first pitch to walk-off homer is Torchy's Tacos, which curiously is missing an apostrophe in its Minute Maid Park sign. (When it comes to tacos, grammar is every bit as important as guacamole.) Every other stand, though, is clear sailing from second inning on.

I am giving this tip against my own interests and better judgment. It may come back to bite me. I remember…

Worst best tip ever

When I arrived in Houston, I rented a house near Gessner and I-10. There was a supermarket two streets over and every night at 10, they sold all their remaining fried chicken for 10 cents a piece. Which fit right into my budget. (Newspaper writers don't exactly earn salaries like inexperienced interns at City Hall in Houston.)

I would get to the supermarket at 9:55 pm, dawdle at the deli counter asking silly questions about potato salad, and at 10 pm sharp, I cleaned them out of fried chicken. Whatever they had, I bought. It was such an incredible bargain, for a while there, my diet consisted mainly of fried chicken and potato salad.

Stupid me, I wrote about the great fried chicken bargain. I guess I was more popular then than I am now, but soon there was a crowd hanging around the deli counter, counting down to 10 pm like it was New Year's Eve in Times Square. Two nights later, the supermarket ended the dime deal. Darn it, I should have kept my trap shut. If I go to an Astros game later this week, there better not be a line for hot dogs in the fourth inning.

I'll just say this: if I were a dedicated civil servant for the City of Houston, and the mayor hired an intern with barely any real work experience at twice my salary, I'd quit. The only thing more insulting to city staffers is the mayor's ridiculous explanation. Even bigger problem: the other candidates, may be worse.

Getting drafty with the Texans

Two months ago, Fred Faour wrote an excellent piece in SportsMap about the Texans' fair-to-middling track record with their third-round picks during the Bill O'Brien era. Faour started with 2014 and ran right up to 2019, a few hits, a couple of incompletes, but mostly busts.

It would be interesting how Faour rated the Texans third-round selection in 2013. That pick was Brennan Williams, an offensive tackle from North Carolina. Williams unfortunately suffered a knee injury and never got into a game for the Texans or any other team. What's he doing now? Last week, the WWE introduced a new lineup of announcers for its Monday Night Raw show. One of the commentators is an extremely large man going by the name Dio Maddin. That's former Texans 3rd-round pick Brennan Williams.

Continue on CultureMap to hear Ken Hoffman's thoughts on Daryl Morey.

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DeMeco laid out what he looks for in a defensive lineman. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans are all in on the future. That includes on offense, defense and everything else in between under head coach DeMeco Ryans.

“It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. Whatever happened here, doesn’t matter,” Ryans told reporters on Tuesday. “We are starting brand new right now, and we will create our own path. We will set our own path. That is what it will be about. It will be about the 2023 Texans.”

When it comes to the Texans’ defense, which is the calling card for Houston’s new head coach, there is a brand-new sense of enthusiasm revolving around the unit.

“A lot of familiar faces but I would just say new energy,” said second-year safety Jalen Pitre when asked about the difference in the defense this year. “There [are] a couple new faces and obviously we have a new coach and defensive staff, so I would just say new energy.”

Since taking the reins of the Texans, Ryans has reiterated his vision for the characteristics he is looking for in players on the team. Ryans repeated that message this week when he focused on a specific position group.

“[For the] defensive line we want guys who are explosive, guys who are physical, guys who can set the edge, guys who can get after the quarterback,” Ryans said. “That is what we are looking for.”

Ryans was also asked about a potential reunion with the 2014 No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. The defensive lineman was drafted by the Texans and later traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. Clowney recently appeared to open the door at a potential reunion.

Clowney played just one season with the Seahawks before spending another season in Tennessee with the Titans and has spent the previous two with the Cleveland Browns. He had nine sacks in 14 games for the Browns in 2021. The former South Carolina Gamecock played in 12 games for Cleveland last season and only had two sacks.

Ryans left the door open on Tuesday, but he was as vague as a head coach tends to be when asked directly about Clowney.

“We will always look at any players that can help us win, so we will explore all options,” Ryans said.

Clowney is definitely a defensive lineman that can set an edge, be physical and chase after the quarterback. He would also add more depth and competition among the group for Houston, but only time will tell if Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio choose to bring him back.

For now, Houston is excited about its current core of players. Ryans said Pitre and 2022 No. 3 overall pick Derek Stingley Jr. fit any defense because they are both playmakers and instinctive.

“They like to play with their hair on fire,” Ryans said.

That was the phrase of the day on Tuesday. Pitre used the same words to describe both safety Jimmie Ward and 2023 No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. when asked about them.

With voluntary organized team activities in full swing, the Texans are looking to flip the page on the past few seasons and write a new chapter in the franchise’s 21-year history.

“It feels like it is fresh air, just a great time to be in Houston,” Pitre said. “You know we are trying to bring that feeling back and trying to just continue to stack days and get better. We are not really trying to look forward to anything but we are trying to take it one day at a time and continue to improve on a day-to-day basis.”

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