Every-Thing Sports
Jermaine Every: Houston athletes are next level when it comes to supporting the city's other pro teams
May 15, 2018, 6:31 am
The Astros represented the Rockets. Julia Morales Twitter account
I’ve observed something about Houston pro sports athletes over the past few years. At first, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. But after this past weekend, it clicked: Houston pro sports athletes support each other better than other cities, and it doesn’t seem close.
The impetus for this thought came when I saw the Astros wear Rockets gear ahead of their recent road trip and hashtag it on social media as the #RunAsOne road trip. It isn’t the first time we’ve seen this in Houston sports.
Guys like Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, and JJ Watt of the Texans have been seen courtside at Rockets’ games. J.J. and friends have even taken batting practice at Astros games in previous years. James Harden and Chris Paul were photographed at an Astros game very recently. Dwight Howard was even seen at Minute Maid during his brief stint as a Rocket.
This didn’t just start; it’s been going on for a while. I remember seeing David Carr out to eat with his family wearing an Astros hat. But lately, things have gone up a notch. Now, it’s fairly normal to see other sports stars in the city to be seen at other games across the city. But what the Astros did in a show of solidarity for the Rockets is next level.
While embarking on their next road trip, the Astros decided to wear Rockets gear. Everyone from manager A.J. Hinch, to Justin Verlander, and even their sideline reporter Julia Morales all donned Rockets paraphernalia. Verlander was photographed holding a basketball walking into the stadium in Los Angeles! George Springer had a full Rockets uniform on, complete with a headband! In a time where the Astros have raised the bar for success, this was pretty cool to see. Maybe the Texans will abandon their silly idea of letterman jackets in favor of Rockets or Astros gear next time they have a big road trip?
Humans love and appreciate respect. Respect is a huge deal amongst pro athletes. Whether it’s from their peers, media, fans, front office people, or anyone else, respect is something they crave. It’s as if they’re fueled by it. While they may like to try other sports, there’s a certain level of appreciation for what fellow athletes can do. Seeing a Rocket or Texans player take batting practice, or an Astro or Texans player shoot the ceremonial first shot may put in perspective that they weren’t built to play another sport at a high level such as their peers. Seeing their interactions, especially when admiring each other’s accomplishments (in person or on social media) shows that the mutual respect is there.
The Astros raised the bar by winning a title last season, and have put together what looks like an all-time pitching staff that can carry the flaccid lineup to another one. It put the Texans and Rockets on notice. The Texans have never won a Super Bowl; and it has been over 20 years since the Rockets have brought a championship to Houston. Judging by the way last night’s game went for the Rockets, it may be another year, at least, before we can look forward to them bringing another title here. The Texans appear to be doing the right things to put a contender together, but with several key players returning from injury, it’s hard to say they’ll win the AFC South this year.
Despite what may seem like a bleak future for some Houston sports teams, I sincerely hope the love and respect they show one another never fades. The admiration they’ve all shown each other gives the fans hope. It makes things easier to tolerate (such as the Rockets Game 1 loss). Let’s just hope it doesn’t turn into bad juju like those letterman jackets.
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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.