THE PALLILOG
Yordan Alvarez impresses early, brutal ending for Warriors
Jun 14, 2019, 6:57 am
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Image
All dynasties end. If the Golden State Warriors' dynasty is done, what a brutal ending. Kevin Durant's ruptured Achilles followed in the next game by a torn ACL for Klay Thompson? Stunning and sad. Even those bitterly envious of the Warriors' success the last five seasons should feel so. The Western Conference is now clearly ripe for the picking by the Rockets or someone other than Golden State next season.
Will Kawhi stay?
Full credit to the Toronto Raptors. A deep and versatile team (with exactly zero lottery picks on the roster) led by Kawhi Leonard earned the NBA title. Now, does Kahwi re-up in Canada or head home to California and sign with the Clippers?
Alvarez looks the part
If you're an Astros fan Yordan Alvarez's big league debut this week was exciting stuff. In his first game a missile launch of an opposite field homer then in his second a flick of the wrist homer to right on a pitch below the strike zone. Alvarez will have his struggles, but his raw power is awesome, his left-handed swing is easy looking, and he is not a swing at anything guy.
The Astros don't think Alvarez can play a competent first base, yet at least. It would be nice if he could because when the Astros are healthy, among the everyday players Yuli Gurriel has been the weakest lineup link this season. With first base not in the cards for him in 2019, Alvarez primarily slots at designated hitter with an occasional start in left.
One dreamy comparison for Alvarez is late Hall of Famer Willie McCovey. A six foot six inch left-handed monster who played left field early in his career before settling in as a first baseman. McCovey finished with 521 home runs en route to Cooperstown. McCovey wore number 44 his whole big league career. Interesting that the Astros gave Alvarez the number 44 jersey. As of now anyway that means no retirement of 44 for Roy Oswalt, who merely had the greatest Astro pitching career in franchise history.
Of the players prior to Alvarez who homered in their Astro debut game, only Ken Caminiti had what could be called a good career. In 2003 Dave Matranga homered in his first big league plate appearance. It was his only big league hit.
Hall of Fame DNA
Teoscar Hernandez was an Astro when he homered in his first MLB game in 2016. He's having a horrible season with the horrible Toronto Blue Jays who are in town for a three game series. Hernandez is not the player with a Houston connection of interest to many this weekend. That guy is Cavan Biggio, son of Craig. He's scuffled since getting the call up last month, batting only .185, but he hit two homers Thursday and has shown excellent plate discipline drawing 12 walks in just 57 plate appearances. Unlike his Hall of Fame father, Cavan bats left-handed.
The Jays' phenom prospect to watch is Vladimir Guerrero Junior. son of another Hall of Famer. Pretty much universally regarded as the best hitting prospect in the game coming into the season, the 20 year old Vlad Jr. has picked it up after his own slow start. Vlad Sr. looked chiseled out of granite. Vlad Jr...let's say he evidently likes to eat. A lot. He and the Jays should be worried about getting and keeping his body right.
Allegations against Texans
One of the worst allegations that can be made against an individual is being called racist. That is what fired Texans' security coordinator Jeff Pope has done in filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the Texans claiming that fired Texans' General Manager Brian Gaine systemically targeted African-American employees for termination.
This gets out just days after the Texans' fired Gaine. The Texans say they knew nothing about the allegation ahead of dumping Gaine less than a year and a half into his five year contract. Coincidences certainly happen.
At least one person is despicable here. It could be an embittered former employee with a fallacious claim. It could be Gaine. If it turns out there is fire behind the smoke and the Texans knew anything about this, and then Cal McNair in his statement announcing Gaine's dismissal called him "a man of high character," oh boy.
Meanwhile the Texans face tampering charges from the New England Patriots over the Texans' interest in hiring Nick Caserio away for the Pats to succeed Gaine.
All this stuff may just run its course and that's that. At the moment however the Texans have multiple looks of a sorry soap opera.
Buzzer Beaters:
1. By 2021 the Astros could have three young left-handed hitting studs in their lineup: Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, and Seth Beer. Without any contract extensions Josh Reddick, Michael Brantley, and George Springer, all become free agents after next season. 2. I laugh when the world's best golfers whine about how tough the course layout is at the U.S. Open. 3. Best sports trophies: Bronze-Borg-Warner (Indy 500 winner) Silver-Heisman Gold-Stanley Cup
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The Houston Texans continue to build one of the NFL’s most intriguing wide receiver rooms — and according to Yahoo Sports analyst Matt Harmon, their new rookie additions bring more than just depth. Harmon offered insight into how the Texans might creatively deploy second-round pick Jayden Higgins and third-rounder Jaylin Noel, two players with contrasting skill sets who could carve out meaningful roles in Nick Caley's (formerly with the Rams) offense.
At first glance, Higgins fits the traditional mold of an outside receiver. At 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds, he lined up mostly as an X receiver in college and looked the part physically. But Harmon suggests that Higgins might actually be a better fit as a power slot — a big-bodied interior option who can do damage against zone coverage, similar to how the Rams used Cooper Kupp in his prime.
That role makes sense in Houston. The Texans already have one of the league’s premier outside receivers in Nico Collins, and there’s no pressure to force Higgins into a role that doesn’t maximize his skill set. According to data from Reception Perception, Higgins struggled against tight coverage in college, finishing in just the 15th percentile in success rate versus man and 16th percentile versus press. Letting Higgins attack softer coverages from the slot could be the key to unlocking his full potential.
Still, Higgins might not even be the most impactful rookie receiver the Texans landed.
While Higgins came in with the size and profile of a prototypical NFL wideout, Noel quietly outproduced him in 2024 at Iowa State and was quite often more feared by opponents. Noel’s game is built around separation and quickness — and despite being under six feet tall, there's confidence that he can play both inside and outside at the pro level. His 74.1 percent success rate versus man coverage speaks to his advanced route-running, which could earn him early targets in Houston’s pass-heavy scheme.
With Collins, Christian Kirk, Higgins, and Noel, the Texans suddenly have a flexible, matchup-proof receiving group that can attack every level of the field. If C.J. Stroud takes another step in year three, this offense could become even more dangerous — with its rookie receivers helping push it over the top.
Be sure to check out the video below to watch Harmon's full breakdown of the Texans receivers, and much more!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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