JERMAINE EVERY'S Every-Thing Sports
Holiday Blues? Let sports help
Nov 20, 2018, 7:48 am
Thinking of lost loved ones during the holidays can be rough. Jermaine Every
Every now and then, I like to be transparent with my audience. People often talk about how they “keep it real,” but few often do so. I’ve talked about my vasectomy in regards to men’s health, making memories with your kids, and wrote about how some die-hard female Astros fans felt about the Osuna trade. I’m not one to shy away from how I feel on any given subject. Except that time AJ Hoffman shamed me into the vasectomy on-air, but that’s different.
That being said, let’s talk about something most people don’t like to talk about: holiday depression. Mental health is a taboo subject. Some seek help, some self-medicate, and some refuse to acknowledge they need it. But holiday time can often bring about some tough times for those of us that deal with holiday depression.
Holiday depression may be a term I made up because I doubt the medical profession would call it that. But I sometimes deal with it when I think of my little brother or grandmother. One was my best friend and knew me better than anybody, the other taught me how to cook and how to put others above yourself (especially those less fortunate).
One of the things that have helped me throughout this time in dealing with it has been sports. The memories of playing sports video games, collecting cards, and studying sports with my little brother helps. As does the countless hours debating with my grandmother why Shaq is a great player and not just a “big ol dummy who bullies people,” or who’s better Elway or Montana.
Chris and I would spend any allowance or birthday money we had on cards and video games. Our favorite was Bill Walsh College Football on Super Nintendo. I still have our collection of basketball cards from the early ‘90s. We have the Bulls’ roster from their first title win, as well as a rare (I think) Magic vs Mike card from the ’91 Finals.
Another thing that makes me smile is remembering how my grandmother also taught me how to talk trash. It goes back to watching the Lakers/Celtics matchups in the NBA Finals in the ‘80s. She even trolled us by wearing her Colts gear when the Saints played “her boy” Peyton Manning. Sometimes I wish she were still here to see how her sister (my godmother) is now an Alabama fan given they were born and raised right outside Baton Rouge. (Side note: My godmother sent Mad Dog and I a crystal football after Bama beat LSU in the national title game with a note saying “Bama is a real dynasty.”)
People all deal with depression around this time of year differently. Sports can be a nice respite from it all. A few months ago, a good friend of mine lost his niece in a senseless act of violence. It’s going to be tough on him and his family, but I know sports will help them through their first holiday season without her.
We can often times allow sports to depress us. Let’s try to use them to our benefit this holiday season. While I know this may not work for everyone, give it a shot. All of you going through it this holiday season, you’ll be in my prayers. God bless.
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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.