The worst team in Texas needs to lose more

Just when you thought some of those God-awful Dallas Mavericks teams of the '90s were the very worst, the Houston Astros are in a serious battle of "we can be the worstest".

In their first year of the American League, the Astros are 8-25 for an impressive .250 "winning" percentage. The Astros did not play on Monday night, but still lost 5-3 in extra innings.

The Astros simply must lose more if they want any hope of challenging the 1899 Cleveland Spiders for the supremacy of crap. The Spiders were 20-134, a .120 winning percentage, the worst in pro baseball history. What the final record does not reflect is that the Spiders were in a lot of those games, and needed just a few calls and they could have won as many as 25 games.

At the very least, the Astros are hard at work trying to at least be "worser" than their garbage year of 2012, when they finished 55-107 (.340).

BTW - The worst season in the history of the Texas Rangers was their first in the state, 1972, when they finished 54-100.

The sad part is there is no way for the Astros to post a winning percentage bad enough to distinguish itself as the very worst in the history of pro sports in this great state.

The Dallas Cowboys were 0-11-1 in their first season. The Houston Oilers had a few one-win seasons.

The Astros can't challenge winning .000 percentages like that because they play too many games. But for sheer quality of badness, these Astros could challenge the 1992-'93 Dallas Mavericks (11-71, .134) as one of the worst in the history of the state.

The odd part is that normally teams that suffer through seasons such as the one by the Astros normally are in their early part of the existence. The Astros have been around since 1962.

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Kerry Wood '98 > Yu Darvish '13 v. Astros

Total buzz kill not moving for more than 30 minutes all in the hope that Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish would finish off his perfect game against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

Alas, Astros shortstop Marwin Gonzalez killed Darvish's perfect game bid by hitting a sharp line drive back up the middle with two outs in the ninth inning. It was a legit hit. BTW - As a rookie last season, Gonzalez batted .234.

Darvish: 8.2 ip., 1 hit, 0 r, 0 bb, 14 K, 111 pitches, 78 strikes

Bummer to see Darvish came so far to finish one batter away from perfection.

As dominant as Darvish was, he was not as impressive as Kerry Wood in 1998 when he toyed with the Astros. 

That Astros team had real professional hitters and not their current collection of inexpensive kids that partly comprise a team payroll of 33 dollars and 45 cents.

On May 6, 1998 Wood was making his fifth career start for the Chicago Cubs. Some have argued that it's the best game ever pitched.

He was facing an Astros lineup that featured Craig Biggio, Derek Bell, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Howell, Moises Alou and Brad Ausmus. All of those guys ranged from good to Hall of Fame.

Wood: 9 ip., 1 hit, 0 run, 0 bb, 20 K, 122 pitches, 84 strikes.

The only hit in the game came by Ricky Gutierrez leading off the top of the third inning - a shot in the hole between third and short.

Darvish's game was brilliant, and it was a reminder of just how good the kid from Grand Prairie was one overcast afternoon in Chicago.

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The manager of the Houston Astros once won a game for the Texas Rangers

The Major League Baseball season starts on Sunday, which means we are just short six months away from the start of the playoffs!

On Sunday night, your Texas Rangers professional baseball team will travel to Houston to play the Astros in an American League West rivalry game. As much as I hate to see the National League gone from the great state a' Texas - because the NL game is the better brand of baseball - I do love to see Texas and Houston play each other all the time.

The Astros are going absolutely suck this year, but they do have a nice little story in manager Bo Porter, who played for the Rangers in 2001. He is a good guy and deserves a better roster to see how well he can actually manage a game, and a team.

Bo was a utility player for the Chicago Cubs, Oakland A's and Rangers from 1999 to 2001. He appeared in 89 big league games and batted .214 with two home runs and 8 RBIs.

Here is one of the most tragic wastes of brain matter in recorded history - I vividly recall his second home run.

By the time the Rangers faced the A's on July 1 in 2001 in Arlington the home team was way out of first place, everyone was mad because in Alex Rodrguez's first year with the club the team was terrible.

This game was delayed 90 minutes by rain, and by the middle of the fifth inning A's starter Mark Mulder was running over all of the Rangers hitters. Rangers starter Rick Helling was effective, but the A's led 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Rangers had two on with two outs in the bottom of the eighth when Porter came to the plate to face Mulder. This next part is true: Mulder was laboring, and I was watching the game in the press box thinking, "Porter is going to hit a home run."

Porter fell behind 1-2 in the count before hitting a long drive down the left field line that just barely cleared the fence for a three-run home run.

"Anytime you hit a game-winning home run, it's exciting," Porter said after the game.

They were the last RBIs in Porter's career.

The Rangers improved to 32-48 with the win. That A's team featured Mulder, Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Jason Giambi, Miquel Tejada, Eric Chavez, Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye. They would win 102 games.

After this game, Porter would have four more big league hits and appear in 14 more big league games.

He eventually made it back to the bigs as a manager.

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Roger Clemens' "instructional" book should follow Jack Abramoff's example

Former MLB and new Hall of Famer pitcher Roger Clemens is back with the Houston Astros as a part-time professional helper-outer, full time do-gooder.

It's been more than a month since Clemens learned he just came up only 213 votes shy of reaching the Baseball Hall of Fame. Lee Smith (272) had more votes than The Rocket's 214.

Clemens is not hiding these days, but is instead helping out the young pitchers with the Houston Astros as they prepare in Florida for the start of the 2013 regular season.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Clemens is also working on a big book that will be mostly be instructional.

He told the Chronicle that he has a "couple of really solid names" to work with him to write it. Lance Armstrong, perhaps.

Of course Roger Clemens should write an instructional baseball book. No amount of instruction will allow an 18-year-old to have the type of right arm Clemens used to over-power hitters for generations. He can't teach a guy to throw a ball 97 m.p.h.

But he can help instruct youngsters how to:
1. Throw a bat at an opposing player.
2. Beat Congress, which includes convincing some of those dolts (I'm looking at you, Indiana R Dan Burton) that you are a hero.
3. Leverage the hell out of Tom Hicks for more money from the New York Yankees.
4. Find a trainer who will supply you with the right "supplements", and then completely destroy his credibility if said supplements turn out to be steroid-ish.
5. The proper use of the word "mis-remember" (yes, it really is a word).

A straight-forward, this-is-how-I-was-so-great Clemens "instruction" book will do nothing. He will throw in a few harmless behind-the-scene stories to maybe generate a few interviews for the release, but those stories won't have any teeth. He may receive a nice little advance, but in the end it will be another sports book that we don't buy collecting dust on a Barnes & Noble shelf.

A book we will buy is if Clemens takes the Jack Abramoff angle and just rolls it all out; Abramoff was the Washington D.C. insider and powerful lobbyist who went to jail and then wrote the book "Capitol Punishment" - of how he played the D.C. political scene.

If Clemens does that, that would be an instructional book worth reading.

 

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The last team that blocked the Texans' J.J. Watt was TCU

Watching Houston Texans' defensive lineman J.J. Watt embarrass the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday was mesmerizing. If there is a better, or more dominant, defensive player in the game today please do tell.

In 14 games this season Watt has 19.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, 15 passes defended, 17 tackles for a loss and two fumble recoveries.

Since he came into the league two years ago the Wisconsin alum has routinely over powered NFL offensive lineman in such a way that would remind you of ... Reggie White? Maybe that's much but Watt is toying with guys right now.

Thinking back to his last game of his college career - vs. TCU in the Rose Bowl two years ago - it struck me Watt never really made a play in that game. According to the final stats, he had three tackles and one pass break up.
He was a part of a defense that held TCU's running game to 3.2 yards per carry and limited their offense to 23:35 in time of possession, but never did Watt make the type of play that is making routine now.

It hurt Watt that TCU QB Andy Dalton routinely got the ball out of his hands quickly that afternoon, and the Frogs played such a clean game. Watt cried in the press conference after that game. It wasn't like it was his fault; he just got beat by a really good team.

Since that afternoon in Pasadena, Watt has only had two games in his career where he did so little - vs. the Falcons and the Titans late last season where he combined for 1 tackle. Other than that, he has been dominant and should win the 2012 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

 

 

 

 

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Where is the love for the Houston Texans?

From the Things My Little Brain Can't Comprehend File: Why is ESPN, CBS, Fox and other other outlet that covers the National Football League not completely in love with the Houston Texans?

The Texans are 10-1, but when it comes to the AFC favorite talk seems to focus on Patriots, Ravens or Broncos.

What the crazy stupid?

Only Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram has been pumping the Texans as the AFC's best team. Maybe even the best team in the National Football League.

Am I wrong on that the Texans seem to be ignored? 

"No, you're not wrong," said Texans veteran defensive back Glover Quin today when we talked on the phone today. "I don't hear a lot of it either. As Texans, we don't care about that stuff. You have to work hard in this league to earn respect. They aren't going to give you that until you win in the playoffs. We got to the playoffs for the first time last year, we won a game and then we lost. They are going to give it to the people who have won in the playoffs. They give it to the Ravens and the Steelers. Denver hasn't won but Peyton Manning has. So they get the credit as the contender. We like to slide under the radar and do our jobs and win games."

The best regular season record does not guarantee post season success, but it would be hard to think the Texans aren't going to reach the AFC title game.

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They are trying, but the Houston Astros are not yet the worst pro team in Texas history

As the Texas Rangers begin to play into October the team in Houston just hopes the season is cancelled today.

The Houston Astros are awful again. Terrible doesn't do justice.

They are 45-98, easily the worst record in baseball, and they should break last season's 106-loss mark.

But are they the worst team in history of pro sports in Texas? Not quite, but it's not for a lack of effort.
Here is a look at the worst seasons by the major pro sports teams in Texas. 

MLB
2012 Houston Astros: 45-98, .315
1972 Texas Rangers: 54-100, .351

NBA
1992-'93 Dallas Mavericks: 11-71, .134
1982-'83 Houston Rockets: 14-68, .171 
1996-'97 San Antonio Spurs: 20-62, .244

NHL
1994-'95 Dallas Stars: 17-23-8, .438

NFL
2005 Houston Texans: 2-14
1973 Houston Oilers: 1-13
1972 Houston Oilers: 1-13
1960 Dallas Cowboys 0-11

 

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Latest AP Poll: Fran is doing his thing; Texas State is receiving votes

Texas State's 30-13 win against Houston in the season opener was so big, and yet so bad, it led to the Cougars' offensive coordinator resigning after the game. It also led to the Bobcats receiving votes in the latest AP college football poll.

The Bobcats received 10 votes, that's behind Texas, TCU, and Baylor and ahead of Texas A&M.

The win against a Houston team that was favored by 36.5 points was the first game for Texas State in the FBS level.

Not sure how this win is going to translate moving forward, but don't think that Texas Tech is going to have an easy game in San Marcos on Saturday. BTW: The Red Raiders are favored by 17.5 points. That is awfuuuuuuuly tempting.

This is Dennis Franchione at his best: Taking the underwhelming and making them competitive.

Good for Fran'.
Good for Texas State AD Larry Teis for having the foresight to hire him.
And good for Texas State.

 

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If no D-Will, the Rockets have something the Mavs could land

The Deron Williams Charade continues, but it does appear that an end will come no later than July 4.

Who knows? Maybe D-Will will surprise us all and accept a four-year, $75 million deal from the Dallas Cubans rather than the five-year, $100 million contract he can get from the Fightin Jay-Zs.

Dwight Howard is not going to be traded to the Mavs. The Mavs don't have enough to offer the Orlando Magic. The only way D12 lands with the Mavs is as a free agent, which is another 82 games and change away.

One free agent alternative remains Houston Rockets point guard Goran Dragic. According to this report in the Houston Chronicle, Dragic's demands are too high for the Rockets and he won't be returning to HTown.

He wants about $10 mil per year, and he wants to start. 

After being inserted as a starter last season, he averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 assists after the All-Star break last season. Overall, he averaged 11.7 points and 5.3 assists.

He is only 26, and last season he demonstrated there is a far greater upside than his track record originally suggested.

No, Goran Dragic is not D-Will. And $10 mil per year is a lot, but the Mavs can't expect to ask Jason Kidd to start any more.

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The Texas Rangers to interleague play returns; does it do it for you any more?

The lead for the Texas Rangers in the AL West is down to four games. They now begin a series in San Francisco against the Giants in a "re-match" of the World Series from two years ago.

This is the first of five consecutive inter-league series for your Rangers.

June 8 - 10: at SF
June 12 - 14: v. Arizona
June 15 - 17: v. Houston
June 18 - 20: at SD
June 22 - 24: Colorado

Do any of these series do anything for you?

Inter-league play was created to inject some interest into the game, and put some extra butts in seats in the hot months. What was first a cute novelty has now become an accepted portion of the schedule. The novelty is gone, and the purists who once complained about this break from tradition are no more.

Your interest level goes up based on the proximity of the opponent - LA v. Ana; SF vs. Oak.; Balt vs. Wash; Chi v. Chi; NY vs. NY; Houston v. Texas; Stl. vs. KC - or if the team has a bonafide star that never visits your town.

The interest level is a series by series, and team by team. 

It's no longer a question of whether it works because it's not going away. 

 

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