EVERY-THING SPORTS
Exploring the deeper meaning of Texans-Ravens divisional round showdown
Jan 17, 2024, 6:03 pm
Is this the biggest game in franchise history? Composite Getty Image.
Prisoners of the moment often get carried away with superlatives. The biggest, best, brightest, most important, greatest…always just took place five minutes ago. The need to crown things, moments, and people way too early is a microcosm of society's insatiable need for the next big thing. Everything has to be done yesterday. The new cycle is now barely 24 hours. Things change so suddenly because timing means more than anything else.
What happened to a healthy respect for history? Letting things marinate? I recently wrote about the wild chain of events that led the Texans to the postseason poised for success. Some dishes can be cooked quickly, some you have to let simmer or slow cook. This dish, however, can be done either way. The most significant game in Texans history was their week 18 win over the Colts.
The reason I say this with my whole chest is because this is a team that hasn't gone to an AFC Championship game yet. Winning Wildcard round games and losing in the Divisional round isn't special enough to be important. Sorry, not sorry. There's a bigger picture to be looked at here. If the ultimate goal is driving a car, you can't stop at getting a license.
The reason that Colts win was the biggest in franchise history is because of how much everything aligns right now for the franchise. First time head coach, rookie quarterback, first time general manager entering his fourth year and they made the playoffs by winning the division. Never done before in NFL history. With as good as DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud, and Nick Caserio have all been in their respective jobs in the amount of time they've been doing them, it sets this team up for success for years to come.
Ryans is the kind of coach players want to play for. He's young and a former player. He also knows how to get the most out of his guys and also puts them in the best positions to succeed. There's a reason why guys on that 49ers defense were so sad to see him go. They knew what they were losing. Some even knew what the Texans would be getting before they even got him.
Stroud has been otherworldly. He's either the first or one of so many rookie quarterbacks to do some of the things he's done. Don't believe me? Take a listen to what Colts defensive players had to say about Stroud. He's on a rookie deal for another three seasons, a fifth year option, then he has to re-sign. Take advantage of the cap space and surround him with talent. He's making the throws and also being a leader. The way his teammates speak so highly of him says a lot.
Neither of those guys would be in Houston if it weren't for Caserio. I know he's struck out a few times, but his hits have been for extra bases. He's nailed down a plan to fit free agents on short term/affordable deals and mix them with quality draft picks. Now he has a young coach and quarterback to help attract more talent. The irony of beating the Browns in the Wildcard round (again, not the most important game in team history) and having their first rounder go to your team was poetic. Winning also makes that trade with the Cardinals that much sweeter. The whole trade with the Browns can now be measured in full after the 2024 draft. Kudos to Caserio.
That Colts win made a statement: We're here and we ain't goin nowhere! No other win in team history meant as much. Disagree? Show me where any one of those wins led to sustained success. 2015-2019 was the most successful period in team history. They had consecutive playoff appearances '15-'16 and '18-'19. Three different guys started those seasons at quarterback. Bill O'Brien was shown the door four games into the '20 season. See where I'm going with this?
That week 18 win and division title is the start to something that appears to be just underway. This isn't a coach who was given more than enough time to prove himself and couldn't get it done like Gary Kubiak and O'Brien. This isn't a journeyman quarterback brought in to be the savior like Matt Schaub or Brock Osweiller. This isn't a general manager who was past his prime or living off the efforts of others like Charley Casserly or Brian Gaine. No sir. This is a group who are about the business of football and being good men off the field. “We some family men” in my Pimp C voice. Say what you want. Believe what you will. But mark my words: this team is going to be a problem in this league for a long time to come.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Astros close series with a performance worth the wait
Jun 5, 2025, 11:59 pm
All-Star balloting opened up this week for what used to be known as the Midsummer Classic in Major League Baseball. I guess some still refer to it as such but the All-Star Game has been largely a bore for many years, though the honor of being selected on merit remains a big one. As always, fans can vote at all positions except pitcher. The fan balloting has resulted in mostly good selections for years now, though pretty much all teams still do silly marketing stuff trying to drum up support for their players. The Astros’ part in that silliness is their campaign to make it the “All-’Stros” game on the American League squad in Atlanta next month. It’s one thing to be supportive of your team, it’s another to be flat out ridiculous if voting right now for Yainer Diaz, Christian Walker, Yordan Alvarez, Mauricio Dubon, or Cam Smith. The Astros tried to game the system in submitting Jose Altuve as a second baseman where the competition is weaker than it is in the outfield, but given Altuve has played only about 25 percent of the games at second base this season he should not be an All-Star second baseman selectee for what would be the tenth time in his career.
Isaac Paredes’s recent freefall notwithstanding, he has a legitimate case as a backup third baseman, especially with Alex Bregman likely missing more than a month of games due to his quad injury. Jake Meyers is having a fine season but is obviously not an All-Star-worthy outfielder unless he is sensational for the rest of June. That leaves Jeremy Peña, who is simply the best shortstop in the big leagues so far this season. To be clear, no team in baseball (including the Astros) would rather have Peña going forward than the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., but we’re talking about the here and now. There are another 100 games to be played, but Peña not only is about a lock to deserve his first All-Star nod, but he is in contention to put in the books the greatest season ever by an Astro shortstop.
Over his first three seasons, Peña was a consistently mediocre offensive player. His highest batting average was .266, best on-base percentage .324, top slugging percentage .426. He is blowing away all those numbers thus far in 2025. While unlikely to come close to reaching his preseason goal of 50 stolen bases, Peña is swiping bags at the best success rate of his career. Add in Peña’s stellar defense and that he has played in every Astros’ game so far this season, and Peña has been irrefutably one of the 10 best and most valuable players in the American League. You could certainly argue as high as top three.
If Peña's productivity holds up for the rest of the season there are only three other seasons posted by Astro shortstops that are in the same league as what would be Peña’s 2025. Carlos Correa has two of them. Lack of durability may be the biggest reason Correa is not tracking to be a Hall of Famer. In only two seasons as an Astro did Correa play in more than 136 games. He was fabulous in each of them. 2021 was his peak campaign, playing in 148 games while compiling an .850 OPS, winning a Gold Glove, and finishing fifth in AL MVP voting. Correa’s Baseball-Reference wins above replacement number for 2021 was 7.3. Peña is at 3.6 with nearly 20 games still left before the midway point of the schedule.
For the other great Astro shortstop season you have to go back to 1983. Dickie Thon turned 25 years old in June of ‘83. He put up a .798 OPS, which gains in stature given Thon played his home games in the Astrodome when the Dome was at its most pitching-friendly. Thon won the Silver Slugger Award as the best offensive shortstop in the National League, and played superior defense. His Baseball-Reference WAR number was 7.4. He finished seventh for NL MVP playing for an 85-77 Astros’ squad that finished third in the NL West. Dickie Thon looked like an emerging superstar. Then, in the fifth game of the 1984 season, a fastball from Mets’ pitcher Mike Torrez hit Thon in the left eye, fracturing his orbital bone. Thon missed the rest of the ‘84 season. While Thon played in nine more big league seasons, his vision never fully recovered and he was never the same player. It’s one of the biggest “What if...” questions in Astros’ history.
Arms race
Players and the Commissioner’s Office pick the All-Star pitching staffs. Unless he suddenly starts getting lit up regularly, Hunter Brown can pack a bag for Georgia. Framber Valdez wouldn’t make it now but has surged into contention. Josh Hader’s first half is going vastly better than last year’s, so he is in line for a reliever spot.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
_____________________________________________
*Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!