Colin Kaepernick jerseys say a lot. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
I saw a man wearing a 49ers No. 7 jersey at the LSU-Miami game Sunday night. It meant something. He was making a statement about who he was and where he was coming from.
Is there another jersey in any sport that has that kind of power, that makes that kind of statement politically or socially? I don’t think so.
It doesn’t matter which side you’re on on this issue. I have my opinion, you have yours and I know I’m not going to change yours no matter what I say. Like most everything these days it’s two sides screaming their positions at each other, not hearing or caring what the other side feels or says.
I have not once on Twitter seen someone say, “That’s a good point” or “I hadn’t thought of that. You’ve changed my mind on this.”
Nope.
It’s pretty much been mud slinging, race baiting, Democrat vs Republican, Trump lovers vs Trump haters, black vs white, woke vs I don’t know what that means, old vs young, conservative vs liberal and on and on and blah blee blah blee blah….
I personally don’t like anyone disrespecting our flag but I respect anyone’s right to do it.
It’s sad that there are black Americans who feel that our flag represents a country that doesn’t treat their race equally. But that’s the case.
I also get that people are offended by kneeling during the Anthem. That flag means something to them. It’s what’s draped over the caskets of our dead soldiers. It’s what people have died for for centuries.
I get that I can’t choose what form of protest people use. I wish it wasn’t the flag but it is. That’s why some soldiers are OK with it because they fought for the freedom to choose your form of protest. It’s what makes America great. We can protest however we want. It’s how we beat England and became The United States of America.
I also get that some soldiers hate it because they fought for that flag. It means something to them. They risked their lives defending that flag and don’t want it disrespected.
I’m not sure if Colin Kaepernick knew how big this would get when he sat then kneeled those first few times. It’s incredible. And it will be interesting to see how this affects Nike. It’ll be a case study for economists: the long-term effects of an advertising campaign based on a polarizing topic.
How many times has the word Nike been written or spoken since the campaign started? They said in the first 24 hours Nike received $43 million in free media advertising. It doesn’t offset their 3.16% stock price hit on the first day of trading but they are in this for the long haul. Analysts feel it will bounce back in a big way. I’m pretty sure they expected to take some hits early on.
I don’t believe their ad campaign is accurate though. Kaepernick didn’t sacrifice everything. He still has millions from his 49ers deal and he’s been getting paid by Nike all this time while he basically sat on the bench for them. All he really sacrificed was a chance to be a backup quarterback in the NFL.
Whether he wanted to or not he’s traded that in to be the face of a movement. He is this century’s Jim Brown only bigger.
He will be a symbol for a long time to come; a symbol that many love and many hate. It’s pretty black and white. There’s not much gray here.
Are you a kneeler or a stander? Are you team Nike now or burning your shoes?
It sure would be nice if we could back on track though. The real issue is still the inequitable treatment of blacks in this country. Anyone remember that? Anyone care to address that instead of this flag thing?
Anyone? Anyone?
Thanks Nike. Just what we needed: more gas on that fire.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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