ANOTHER BABKA?
How Texans new in-city rival gives Houston more options with one giant catch
Feb 2, 2023, 5:46 pm
The new-look Texans won't get started until September, but the Roughnecks' season is about to begin. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Without much fanfare, or seemingly any, the Houston Roughnecks are preparing for opening night of the XFL 3.0 season just a couple of weeks away.
The Roughnecks will host the Orlando Guardians, 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at TDECU Stadium on the UH campus. That’s less than a week after the NFL’s Super Bowl.
Before one pass is thrown, one run rushed, or one groin pulled, Las Vegas has set odds for the 2023 XFL season. Our Roughnecks and the Orlandos are tied for the longest odds on the board, +750. The early betting favorite is the St. Louis Battlehawks at +400.
Just a note: if you’re like Cosmo Kramer and think wagering on early-season XFL games is “some sweet action” – well, “you really need help, you need a team of psychiatrists working around the clock, thinking about you” and George Costanza.
Not surprisingly, good seats remain for opening night. Lousy seats, too. And seats in the middle.
If the Houston Texans and the all-mighty NFL couldn’t fill half of NRG Stadium, do the Roughnecks stand a prayer of drawing big crowds to TDECU Stadium?
One thing in the Roughnecks favor: affordable seats for their five home games on the XFL’s 10-game schedule. Season tickets for Roughnecks games start at $110 and go up to $480 at xfl.com. Individual game tickets, available on Ticketmaster, are $24 and higher. Reasonably priced food and drink (I kid because I love), plus an array of team merch will be available, including T-shirts ($25), baseball caps ($28-$34), sweatshirts and sweatpants ($45-$60), and bucket hats ($45).
Of course, nothing sells seats like winning. The Roughnecks were 5-0 and dominating the league last time the XFL played. That was 2020 when Covid-19 cut the season short. That was then …
This is now. Much like the Texans (as of this week), the most recognizable and popular figure on the field will be the head coach. The 2023 Roughnecks will be led by NFL veteran Wade Phillips, who has a lot of history and DNA in Houston. Quarterbacks currently on the roster are Cole McDonald from Hawaii, Kaleb Eleby from Western Michigan and Brandon Silvers from Troy State.
Most of the roster will be new names for Houston fans, although the league is bragging that 255 XFL’ers have been on NFL rosters at some point.
The Roughnecks will compete in the XFL South division along with the Arlington Renegades, Orlando Guardians and San Antonio Brahmas. That’s three out of four teams from Texas. The XFL North is comprised of the D.C. Defenders, Seattle Sea Dragons, St. Louis Battlehawks and Vegas Vipers.
Every XFL game (40 regular season, two playoffs, one championship) will air somewhere across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and FX, plus streaming on ESPN+. As they say, check your local listing to find the Roughnecks.
If you think that the XFL is just “too soon,” hold on until April when the Houston Gamblers take the field for the 2023 USFL season. Although don’t get too excited about attending home games. Houston’s “home” is in Birmingham, Ala. I know, silly.
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Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning that sent the Houston Astros to an 8-5 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.
That ball landed on Mars.#TheNextFrontier pic.twitter.com/yDh0fp1RvO
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 29, 2025
Christian Walker also had a two-run shot in the fourth to begin Houston's comeback from a 3-0 deficit. The Astros still trailed by one when Jeremy Peña singled in the sixth. Altuve followed with his drive off Jack Flaherty (1-3) that crashed off the wall above the left-field seats to put Houston up 4-3.
Altuve had two hits and three RBIs while batting second for the first time since 2023. He asked to move out of the leadoff spot to give him more time to get ready to hit in the first inning after coming in from the outfield. The nine-time All-Star moved to left field this year after spending his first 14 major league seasons playing second base.
Houston’s victory snapped a four-game winning streak for the Tigers, who got two homers from Riley Greene and one from Kerry Carpenter but managed just two other hits.
The Astros tacked on four runs in the seventh with the help of sloppy defense by the Tigers. Rookie shortstop Trey Sweeney made throwing errors on consecutive plays with no outs to put runners at second and third.
Mauricio Dubón singled to score them both and extend the lead. Houston added runs on a groundout by Altuve and an RBI single by Yordan Alvarez to push it to 8-3.
Houston starter Ronel Blanco allowed three hits and three runs while striking out six in five innings. Steven Okert (1-0) worked a scoreless sixth for the win. Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Flaherty yielded six hits and four runs — both season highs — in five-plus innings.
Key moment
Altuve’s home run.
Key stat
Peña has four hits in two games batting leadoff. He hit first Sunday — with Altuve getting a day off — and stayed in the top spot Monday when Altuve dropped to second.
Up next
Houston RHP Ryan Gusto (3-1, 2.78 ERA) opposes RHP Reese Olson (3-1, 3.28) when the series continues Tuesday night.