THE PALLILOG
JJ Watt's legendary Texans career has come to an end
Feb 12, 2021, 10:40 am
JJ Watt is moving on. Photo by Getty Images. Composite image by Brandon Strange.
Let's discuss 3 trade scenarios for J.J. Watt and the Texans
As the Texans bumble around as the present laughingstock organization of the NFL if not all civilization, will their last 2020 employee to quit, be fired, or ask out please turn out the lights?
J.J. Watt asking for and receiving his release is the latest chapter. Turning 32 years old next month, Watt moving on makes sense for both parties. He can hook on with a contender. While not the player he used to be Watt is still good and interest in him will be substantial, albeit at a lower pay grade. What would have been Watt's 17 and a half million dollar salary for 2021 was bloated and untenable for the Texans, and rendered his trade value minimal. The first half of Watt's 10 season Texans career was legendary. The injury-plagued second half had just one big time season. With his three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards Watt's peak is unmatched in franchise history, but Andre Johnson maintained his peak level over a longer period. Who is the greatest Texan ever is legitimately debatable. We'll see whether Deshaun Watson will be around to make it a three horse race. Seems unlikely.
President Jamey Rootes departing this week is of very little consequence to the football side of the operation. The Texans will make money hand over fist regardless. But that a respected 20-plus year employee opts out without another job lined up is analogous to jumping off the Titanic and worrying about a lifeboat later.
The evident power and influence amassed by Svengali Jack Easterby is stupefying. In fairness, any team that hires a new head coach and a new general manager is going to have a degree of organizational turnover. Nevertheless, until stuff happens that materially moves the Texans in a positive direction, Cal McNair is going to be thought of as an in over his head boob who believes in Easterby the way five-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny.
Baseball is right around the corner
This time next week Astros' spring training will be underway in West Palm Beach. While diminished from what they were 2017-19, the Astros continue to have the makings of what should be a good ballclub. The Astros are the only of Houston's Big Three franchises not needing a high-powered telescope to see championship contention.
Rough stretch for the Rockets
What a dismal week for the Rockets. Monday they managed a humiliating seven point fourth quarter in getting blown out at Charlotte, Tuesday in New Orleans the Pelicans mopped the floor with them, and then Thursday an early 13 point lead turned out to be worthless as Miami handled them at Toyota Center. The Hornets, Pelicans, and Heat all have losing records. The Rockets are now 11-14 and sinking like a stone. They simply don't have enough talent to be a good NBA team. This is not a "when Christian Wood gets back" solution waiting to happen. Too many teams are simply better. Hardly any teams have the paucity of young talent the Rockets have.
All in all John Wall has played at a solid level, especially for a guy who missed two years. The truth remains that he would not start at point guard for even half the teams in the Western Conference. Victor Oladipo simply hasn't been a good player as a Rocket, shooting below 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent behind the three point line. At the forward spots the Rockets have no one who qualifies as even close to an average starter. Even as well as Wood has shown offensively, he'd be no better than the third best player on any of the top four teams in the Eastern or Western Conference, and several others besides them.
The Rockets' last losing season was 2005-06. Their string of 14 straight non-losing seasons (they went 41-41 in 2015-16) is in dire jeopardy.
Without some lottery luck their immediate future beyond this season isn't bright either. If they can't move Wall or dump Eric Gordon's contact, those two guys and Wood on the roster mean the Rockets can't get close to salary cap space available to bid on even the lowest level maximum contract free agents.
The Rockets retain their first round pick if it is in the top four of this summer's draft. If it is not they get the lowest of their own, Oklahoma City's, and Miami's first rounders. That is probably a non-lottery Heat pick. The first draft pick element of the James Harden trade likely turns out to be worthless: the Rockets right to swap first rounders with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have been slogging along in relative mediocrity, but no one thinks they will finish below the Rockets in the standings.
College hoops
Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Temple, Syracuse, UCLA, Notre Dame, St. John's, Indiana, Cincinnati, Utah, and Arizona. Those are the 13 college basketball programs with the most wins all-time. None of the 13 are in the current AP Top 25.
Texas Tech moved up to number seven on Monday, one spot ahead of the Houston Cougars. The Red Raiders Tuesday home loss to West Virginia means that Tech is ranked seventh in the nation, but sits in just sixth place in its conference. Half of the Big 12's 10 teams are in the top 15 nationally.
Buzzer Beaters:
1. Brrr. Cold around here. Cold as the Rockets' shooting too many nights.
2. The Daytona 500 is Sunday. I always preferred Daytona to Indy. Go Richard Petty!
3. Best fruit named athletes: Bronze-Darryl Strawberry Silver-Deron Cherry Gold-Bob Lemon
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A new challenge awaits, and the Astros know what’s at stake
Jun 27, 2025, 2:05 pm
The Houston Astros didn’t just sweep the Philadelphia Phillies. They sent a message.
In three tightly contested games against one of the best teams in baseball, the Astros leaned on their elite pitching and timely offense to secure a statement sweep. Hunter Brown was electric in the finale, shutting down the Phillies’ lineup and showing the kind of dominance that’s become a defining feature of his game. Bryan Abreu slammed the door with four strikeouts to close out the win, and rookie Cam Smith delivered the deciding blow — an RBI single in the eighth to drive in Isaac Paredes, lifting the Astros to a 2-1 victory.
It wasn’t a series filled with offensive fireworks, but that’s exactly the point. Both teams sent out top-tier pitching throughout the series, and Houston was the team that kept finding a way. For much of the season, the Astros’ inconsistent offense might’ve been a concern in a series like this. But this time, it felt different. The bats showed up just enough, and the pitching did the rest.
Now, with Houston on pace for 96 wins at the halfway point, the question becomes: Is the league officially on notice?
Maybe. Maybe not. But one thing is certain, the Astros have the third-best record in baseball, they’re 17-7 in one-run games, and they’re playing with the kind of rhythm that’s defined their near-decade of dominance. Unlike last year’s uneven campaign, this version of the Astros looks like a team that’s rediscovered its edge. Whether or not they need to take care of business against the Cubs to validate it, their recent run leaves little doubt: when Houston is clicking, there are very few teams built to stop them.
Off the field, however, a bit of long-term uncertainty is starting to creep in. Reports surfaced this week that extension talks with shortstop Jeremy Peña have been put on hold as he recently signed with super-agent Scott Boras. The combination has led many to wonder if Peña might follow the same free-agent path as Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, and others before him. Boras clients rarely settle early, and Peña, now one of the most valuable shortstops in the game, could command a price tag the Astros have historically avoided paying.
If Peña and even Hunter Brown are likely to get priced out of Houston, the front office may need to pivot. Isaac Paredes could be the most logical extension candidate on the roster. His approach — particularly his ability to pull the ball with authority — is tailor-made for Daikin Park and the Crawford Boxes. Last year, Paredes struggled to leave the yard at Wrigley Field, but in Houston, he’s thriving. Locking him in long term would give the Astros offensive stability and the kind of value they’ve typically targeted.
As for Cam Smith, the breakout rookie is far from free agency and will remain a cost-controlled piece for years. That’s exactly why his contributions now, like his clutch eighth-inning knock to beat Philadelphia, matter so much. He's one more reason why the Astros don’t just look good right now. They look dangerous.
And the rest of the league is starting to feel it.
There's so much more to get to! 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.
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