HARDBALL Q&A
Astros Hall of Fame broadcaster provides solution for recent MLB controversy
Aug 10, 2023, 3:43 pm
Bill Brown will be inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame on Saturday. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images.
Bill Brown is the longest-running Astros play-by-play man. He worked the TV booth from 1987 to 2016. That’s longer than Milo Hamilton (1985-2012), Gene Elston (1962-86), current announcer Todd Kalas (2017-23), Todd’s father Harry Kalas (1965-70), and all the rest. For most of Brown’s tenure in the TV booth, his sidekick analyst was Jim Deshaies (1997-2012) and Alan Ashby (2013-16). More on Ashby later.
On Saturday, Brown will be inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame before the Astros host the Los Angeles Angels at 6:10 p.m. Brown will be only the third announcer welcomed into the Hall of Fame, following Hamilton and Elston.
I caught up with Brown for some hardball Q&A with a few hanging curves mixed in.
SportsMap: What do they give you as a new inductee in the Houston Astros Hall of Fame? A ring? An autographed Jim Deshaies baseball? A tiara and sash?
Brown: You get a tailored orange blazer and a copy of the plaque in the Hall of Fame Alley display case. The tailor told me they searched all over the U.S. for the exact color of orange to match the blazers from previous years. Finally, a tailor friend of his put him in touch with a company in Italy to get the color they needed in polyester. Polyester is the only fabric that works with that color, he says!
SportsMap: The Baltimore Orioles reportedly suspended an announcer for saying the Orioles were having success against Tampa Bay this year while they had struggled in recent years. How much of a b.s. move was that by the Orioles?
Brown: From what has been reported, the broadcaster was reviewing some statistics on a pregame show about how terribly the Orioles had played in Tampa Bay over the years. But recently they had won their first series there in many years and they had halted the trend. For some unknown reason, he was suspended by the team. Fans do not want broadcasters muzzled when they are speaking the truth. The only sensible thing the Orioles can do from here is to apologize publicly to the broadcaster. It would be most appropriate if the person who decided to suspend him would identify himself, although it was such a stupid move there probably isn't anybody who would admit to it.
SportsMap: Now that you're no longer chasing the Astros around Major League Baseball, what cities do you miss visiting?
Brown: We just visited Montreal for the first time since the Expos moved to Washington, D.C. San Diego was always nice because of the perfect temperature. Minnesota is great in the summertime and our daughter's family always came to the games from their home two hours away.
SportsMap: When you retired after the 2016 season, you and your wife Dianne could have moved anywhere. Why did you decide to stay in Houston?
Brown: We will never move from Houston because of the people here. It is the best place we have found for friends, hospitality and compassion.
SportsMap: Before joining the Astros broadcast team, you called games for the Cincinnati Reds. Now that the statute of limitations has expired, exactly how disgusting is that hideous Skyline Chili they sell at Reds games?
Brown: Skyline Chili is an acquired taste. After about four years of acquiring that taste, I had to have it every day. It must be eaten with a bib!
SportsMap: You once said that you retired in 2016 because you thought your performance was slipping. What made you think that?
Brown: I couldn't remember where I parked the car, which wasn't as bad as not remembering the Colorado Rockies' second baseman. I was having nightmares about being unable to explain the infield fly rule.
SportsMap: How did you feel when your TV partner Alan Ashby started calling you "Brownie" and it stuck?
Brown: It's nice to have a nickname because it's a feeling of acceptance. One guy in Cincinnati called me "Billy Brown Shoes" and I didn't like that. It reminded me that Johnny Bench always gave me grief for wearing brown shoes with navy slacks. Sometimes you're just four decades ahead of your time.
SportsMap: How come you don't do commercials? Art Rascon can't do them all.
Brown: Art is believable. I'm a sports guy. Actually, I have done two or three commercials, but they haven't aired on the stations you watch.
SportsMap: During your career, you've called play-by-play for baseball, basketball, hockey (which ones am I missing?). Which was your favorite sport to call and why? Which sport was most difficult for you?
Brown: I also did football, tennis, indoor soccer and bowling. Baseball has always been the favorite by far because there is time to tell stories and make sure you have the score right. Hockey was the toughest because it moves so quickly and there are two intermissions for resurfacing the ice, which is quite boring.
SportsMap: What was your single favorite moment in the broadcast booth?
Brown: We did not have the pleasure of televising postseason games, so the final games of the 1999, 2004 and 2005 regular seasons were the most important. The Astros won all three to reach the playoffs. Craig Biggio's 3,000th hit was probably the favorite because it was 20 years in the making and I was along for the entire journey!
SportsMap: You know it's coming, what was your most horrible, embarrassing moment?
Brown: One time I described a double play with many throws during a rundown and tossed it to commercial, giving the score at the end of the inning. Then a voice told me the inning wasn't over - there were only two outs!
SportsMap: How many franks could you eat on Dollar Dog Night if you really put your mind and stomach to it?
Brown: If given time to warm up properly and read the manual written by Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut, I think I could do three. In five hours.
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How these 3 critical factors could swing battle between Texans and Jets
Oct 30, 2024, 3:06 pm
The Jets host the Texans and their scary defense on Halloween night! Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Houston (6-2) at New York Jets (2-6)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime
BetMGM NFL odds: Jets by 2.
Against the spread: Texans 3-4-1; Jets 2-6.
Series record: Jets lead 7-3.
Last meeting: Jets beat Texans 30-6 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 10, 2023.
Last week: Texans beat Colts 23-20; Jets lost to Patriots 25-22.
Texans offense: overall (9t), rush (18), pass (8), scoring (14).
Texans defense: overall (2), rush (13), pass (3), scoring (15t).
Jets offense: overall (24), rush (30), pass (13), scoring (25).
Jets defense: overall (4), rush (17), pass (2), scoring (11t).
Turnover differential: Texans plus-4; Jets minus-3.
Texans player to watch
RB Joe Mixon. He has carried Houston's offense in the three games since he returned from an injury and could be even more important this week after wide receiver Stefon Diggs tore the ACL in his right knee last Sunday and is out for the season. Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 100.6 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing and a TD run in three straight games.
Jets player to watch
Edge rusher Haason Reddick. After ending his lengthy contract holdout early last week, Reddick made his Jets debut and played 26 snaps on defense with two quarterback pressures while working mostly on third downs. His snaps might increase a bit Thursday and he could help the Jets get after C.J. Stroud, who has been sacked 22 times this season — tied for third most in the NFL.
Key matchup
Jets offensive line vs. Texans' pass rush. New York has had issues this season with injuries, consistency and protecting Aaron Rodgers. The Jets will face a tough test Thursday night against the Texans, whose 27 sacks are third in the NFL. DE Will Anderson Jr. is tied for third in the league with a career-high 7 1/2 sacks, including at least one in his past three games. DE Danielle Hunter has 5 1/2 sacks and DT Tim Settle has four, powering a formidable defensive front for Houston. Hunter leads the league with 51 quarterback pressures and Anderson is fourth with 39, the only teammates in the top 15, according to Next Gen Stats.
Key injuries
Diggs' injury leaves Houston without its top two receivers. Nico Collins, who leads the Texans with 567 yards receiving, is out for at least one more game after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. ... S Calen Bullock was limited in practice Monday and Tuesday after injuring his shoulder Sunday. … LBs Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) both missed the Colts game, but could return this week. … S Jimmie Ward could miss a fifth straight game with a groin injury. … LG Jarrett Patterson is in the concussion protocol and is likely out. … RB Dameon Pierce missed practice this week with a groin injury. ... Jets LB C.J. Mosley suffered a stinger in his neck during pregame warmups at New England and was meeting with neck and spine specialists this week. ... RG Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle), WR Allen Lazard (chest), DL Leki Fotu (knee) and safeties Tony Adams (hamstring) and Ashtyn Davis (concussion) all missed the game vs. the Patriots and their availability for this week was uncertain. ... K Greg Zuerlein was placed on IR. Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader were signed to the practice squad, and one will be promoted for the game.
Series notes
The Jets have won the past two meetings. ... New York won the first five meetings, including the first game between the franchises in 2003, when LaMont Jordan's late 8-yard touchdown run helped lift the Jets to a 19-14 victory. ... Zach Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the most recent meeting, a 30-6 rout by New York during which Stroud left with a concussion.
Stats and stuff
The AFC South-leading Texans have won four of their past five. ... Stroud is 2-0 with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in two career starts in prime time. He had 285 yards passing last week for his ninth career game with at least that many yards passing, which is tied for second most in the NFL since 2023. ... WR Tank Dell had a touchdown reception last week and has a TD catch in two of his past three games. ... TE Dalton Schultz had a season-high 52 yards receiving against the Colts. He has two TD receptions in each of his past two Thursday night games. ... Hunter has 10½ sacks in eight career Thursday night games. … LB Neville Hewitt, who spent the 2018-21 seasons with the Jets, forced a fumble last week. … Rookie CB Kamari Lassiter had a career-high three passes defended last week. … S Jalen Pitre had his first interception of the season last week. ... S Eric Murray had seven tackles and a season-high three passes defended last week. ... New York is trying to snap a five-game skid. ... Jeff Ulbrich is 0-3 as the Jets’ interim head coach since replacing the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. Ulbrich, also the team's defensive coordinator, said earlier this week he'll continue to call plays on defense. … Rodgers snapped a streak of three consecutive games with an interception. He has seven in eight games, six shy of his single-season career high set in 2008 in his first year as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. ... Rodgers hasn't passed for 300 yards since throwing for 341 against Chicago on Dec. 12, 2021 — a span of 30 regular-season games and 31 overall, including one playoff game. ... WR Garrett Wilson leads the NFL with 84 targets, 11 more than the Giants’ Malik Nabers. Wilson’s 51 receptions are second in the league behind Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, who has 52. ... WR Davante Adams had four catches for 54 yards, giving him seven receptions for 84 yards in two games since being acquired from the Raiders. ... Second-year WR Xavier Gipson caught his first career TD pass last Sunday. ... TE Tyler Conklin has a TD catch in consecutive games after not having one since catching two TD passes in Week 8 of the 2022 season against New England. ... RB Breece Hall has 316 yards receiving, the most among NFL running backs. ... Edge rusher Will McDonald has eight sacks, second in the NFL to the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence (nine). … The Jets have only six takeaways, ranking among the fewest in the league. Backup CB Brandin Echols has New York's only two interceptions.
Fantasy tip
Houston wide receiver John Metchie is coming off a career-best three-catch game and could see more targets — and perhaps his first NFL touchdown — with both Diggs and Collins out. Might be worth a stash as a potential WR3.
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