eagle eye

LU improved to 2-1 on the season beating Weber St 17-16 at home on Saturday night! if you look at SLC standings McNeese is #1 and our own Lamar Cardinals are #2. A quick look at the standings LU by winning percentage should be #1. That’s okay. It’s good to see LU doing well.

I’m not as devoted a follower of the NFL as I used to be because somewhere around the time Colin Crappernick started kneeling during our National Anthem was about the same time the NFL went full on woke. That said, I really appreciate seeing good people succeed. We are privileged to be witnessing what I believe to be a Hall of Fame career in progress. It doesn’t take much imagination to know who I’m talking about. Patrick Mahomes of course. The bonding of Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid is a match made in football heaven. Pat Mahomes isn’t just good in the regular season, he’s got a whole other gear come playoff time. This past playoff season Mahomes and the Chiefs won four playoff games, two on the road and the Super Bowl at a neutral site. In the Super Bowl the Chiefs overcame a late San Francisco lead to tie the game with just 3 seconds left in regulation. The 49ers scored first in overtime on a field goal but, the Chiefs had one chance left. Mahomes led his team on an epic 75 yard drive in which the Chiefs converted 2 third downs and critical 4th down to end up with a 1st and goal at the San Francisco 3 yard line. A quick pass to Mecole Hardman gave KC the win and made them the first back to back Super Bowl winners since the 2003 and 2004 New England Patriots. Mahomes has led the Chiefs to 4 Super Bowls in 5 years. Pretty impressive. The lone loss came in Super Bowl LV (55 for those who struggle with Roman numerals!). Ironically, the Chiefs lost to the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Bucs. It was a passing of the torch in a way from 7 time Super Bowl champion and 5 time Super Bowl MVP to the next man to become his generation’s best quarterback. The last statement isn’t even open to argument. Mahomes is already a 3 time Super Bowl champion, a 3 time Super Bowl MVP and a 2 time NFL MVP! It hasn’t hurt any that Mahomes and Andy Reid have done some very funny State Farm commercials which helps their image. For me I have always liked Patrick. 1st, he’s from Texas. 2nd, he went to my daughter’s Alma Mater Texas Tech where he did a good job under Kliff Kingsbury and he’s gone on to the Chiefs and, 3, he’s made a franchise that hasn’t really been relevant since they won their first Super Bowl over 50 years ago into the best franchise in the NFL. He and Andy Reid have turned a sad sack franchise into the NFL’s best franchise. Please argue with me about that. I feel the same way about the Chiefs as I did about the Patriots. As a Cowboys fan I’m jealous as can be it’s not my Cowboys doing all this winning. I have to say it’s a whole lot easier to like Mahomes and Reid than it was Brady and Belichick. Maybe Brady and Belichick should have done some clever State Farm commercials! My point? Enjoy watching NFL history being made. Mahomes is a joy to watch play. Like the Staubach era Cowboys you always believe the team will find ways to win because the quarterback just never gives up. Keep in mind, the Chiefs are already a dynasty and Mahomes is only 28 years old! His career could last another 10 to 12 to 14 years! I’m sure Chiefs fans hope Andy Reid coaches until he’s 90 as well! Enjoy the ride folks. You just don’t see greatness every day.

A few days ago, I made a plea here on Facebook, to Astros owner Jim Crane to open the purse strings and make a deal to better his team heading into the stretch run of the season. I thought that after the end of the Trade Deadline on June 30 that Mr Crane had been hanging out with Jerry Jones. The Trade Deadline is sort of like NFL free agency and neither the Astros or Cowboys did squat to help their teams when they had the chance. Jim Crane didn't spent much dinero in acquiring a starting pitcher and a reliever. That's it. Yeah, total thud, right? A deal for Vlad Guerrero never materialized so an upgrade at 1st base never materialized either. The deal with the Yankees resulted in acquiring a so-so reliever for an Astros prospect in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Not a bad deal for Houston. The deal for starter Yusei Kikuchi with Toronto, according to the MLB 'experts', was a definite win for the Blue Jays and a definite loss for the Astros. Why? Well, Houston gets a starting pitcher with a career 4.61 ERA and, so far in 2024, he's recorded an ERA of 4.75 with a 4-9 record in 22 games. According to the scouting report, Kikuchi has a mid 90's fastball that can reach 99 mph, he has a plus slider and he has a decent changeup and curve ball. He's had just one winning season in the majors, 2023, since he broke into the league in 2019. Plus pitches and he's had sup par results. Not good. Kikuchi can eat up innings and he'll help until Justin Verlander gets back off IL but, from my point of view, Jim Crane went totally bargain basement for this guy. What the experts say makes this a total win for Toronto is what they forced Houston to give up. The Astros have sent P Jake Bloss, OF Joey Loperfido and minor league prospect Will Wagner to Toronto. Bloss and Loperfido were already contributing for the Astros with Loperfido looking spectacular in the outfield. Both Bloss and Loperfido made their major league debuts this season and, again, the experts feel the Astros had only scratched the surface of the their potential. Hence, the opinion the Astros got fleeced in the deal. The Astros will get some help soon with Verlander and Kyle Tucker coming back. Tucker's injury is confusing why it's taking so long to return from a knock on his shin. He's been out since June 3rd. The why he is not back yet is very confusing. I'm going to make the promise good that I made a few days ago to Jim Crane. Hey Jim, Yo Mama!

Taken from Lamar Track post: BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar University track and field junior Chloe Rodriguez will be making history as she will be the first female in school history to qualify for the U.S Olympic Team Trials. Participating in the women's 400-meter hurdles as announced by USA Track & Field, she will make the trip up to Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., to open competition in the first round, which is set for a 8:49 p.m. start (Central) Thursday, June 27th. Rodriguez was ranked among the top 36 athletes to qualify for her event after breaking the school and Southland Conference record with a time of 57.02 at the conference championship meet. Should Rodriguez advance to the semifinals, she will next run on Saturday, June 29th at 7:41 p.m. The finals will be the last event on the final day of June at 7:29 p.m. Hailing from Richardson, Rodriguez posted seven top-10's in the outdoor season, which included two firsts in the 400H. She earned first team (400H) and third team (4x400m) honors by the SLC after their title meet. One of six Cardinals to reach the NCAA West Regionals, Rodriguez finished 26th at 58.91. In the indoor season, she notched five top-10's, including third at the SLC indoor meet in the 400m (PR; 54.51) and second in the 4x400m (3:46.53). "It's exciting to see Chloe get the opportunity to compete against the best athletes in the United States," said head coach Trey Clark. "She's developed a tremendous amount in her time here, which is a testament to her fierce competitiveness and determination to excel in the sport. Every year she sets the bar higher, and now she's earned her spot at the most prestigious meet in the country. Chloe will become the first female in school history to compete at the Olympic Trials, and it's special to see how far this program has come. Our administration does such a great job supporting us, so this is really an achievement for our whole university to celebrate together." The U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be broadcast and streamed nationally on NBC, Peacock and USA Network.

What may be an egregious oversight on my part I have to acknowledge our own Lamar Cardinals baseball team. They had a very good season finishing with a strong 44-15 record. The team rewarded their fans with a great home record of 24-4! Unfortunately the Cards lost to McNeese in a semi final game in the conference tournament. Head coach Will Davis has done a good job at Lamar but 2024 was easily his best since he became head coach in 2017. That success has not gone unnoticed. The Cards won the SLC Championship, were runner up in the SLC Conference Tournament. Davis was named SLC Coach of the Year for 2024. Seniors River Orsek and Brian Caple won SLC honors as well. A belated and well deserved congratulations for a great season for Will Davis and his Lamar Cardinals!

Houston is limping along 5 games under .500. It’s just dumb luck the Astros are in the weakest division in the American League. If Houston was in the AL East they would be in last place 14.5 games behind the Yankees. If they were in the AL Central they would be in 5th place 12 games behind Cleveland. Astros fans could take solace in the fact that they don’t suck nearly as bad as the Chicago White Sox who have only managed to win 17 of their 65 games so far. Ouch! as it is Houston is just 5.5 games behind Seattle for the division lead and just 1/2 game behind the Texas Rangers. If Houston completes the sweep of the Angels and the San Francisco Giants complete the sweep in their series against the Rangers Houston will have jumped into 2nd place in the ALWest. As long as I’m dreaming, if Kansas City completes their series sweep of Seattle Houston would be just 4.5 games behind the M’s! I’ve really got to calm down! There’s still a lot of baseball left to play. One step at a time. I will be very interested in where the Astros stand a month from now when the All Star break rolls around. Southeast Texas is getting hot and so is the AL West. It’s going to be an interesting summer.

I was pleasently surprised recently when I saw former Astro Josh Reddick was on the Astros postgame show on Wednesday night. Other than the Astros losing the game it was great to Josh return to the Astros fold! I am watching the Astros pregame this evening and Reddick is part of that show too! As much as I can tell Reddick is now a part of the Astros broadcast family! I have noticed Josh is good at communicating and he doesn’t just regurgitate cliches. I also notice he is wearing his 2017 World Series ring! The Astros didn’t cheat to win a World Series and even those who admitted to sign stealing couldn’t steal signs on the road and half of Houston’s 4 WS wins were on the road including Game 7. One other fun fact: Jose Altuve, Tony Kemp and Josh Reddick refused to participate in the sign stealing. Welcome home Jose Reddick!

Is Marco Born happy with mediocrity? Gotta wonder because that seems to be what we are getting from the Big 3 (basketball - men's and women's, baseball and football.) The Golden Triangle could use a boost from at least one of the Big 3 having success. It's too late for football until next fall and men's basketball is already in the dumpster with its 2-12 record. We need a better showing in baseball too. All the coaching staffs are on Born and the results are on him too. Thoughts?

There is a lot of debate on sports talk radio over whether the Chiefs win in Super Bowl LIV will be a one and done or if this is the beginning of a dynasty. The type of winning that would get the Kansas City Chiefs named Team of the Decade for the 2020’s. Frankly, any team not named the Patriots gets the same treatment. People are looking for the next big thing. People have been waiting for over 20 years for somebody to unseat the New England Patriots as the kings of the mountain top. This Chiefs win is so fresh and new and there are few people alive who actually remember Super Bowl IV when KC beat Joe Kapp and the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. Any KC fan under 50 years of age has never known a season like the 2019 season with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is the catalyst for an explosive offense that features dazzling speed and an overall array of offensive weapons that make KC possibly the most envied roster on the offensive side of the ball in the NFL. I believe Mahomes is what sets him apart from other NFL teams and makes KC a contender just because he’s there. What makes Mahomes different is not just his immense talent as a QB but his maturity and demeanor on and off the field. Mahomes has that ‘it’ factor and he sort of reminds me of Joe Montana. Despite “The Catch” which broke this Dallas Cowboys fan’s heart I couldn’t help but like Montana. I liked Montana all the way back to his Notre Dame days when he was winning games in the 4th quarter. The most memorable was the “Chicken Soup Bowl”, the 1979 Cotton Bowl which was a game played in stupid cold weather in Dallas. The weather was so cold it was like the Dallas-Green Bay “Ice Bowl” in the 1967 NFL Championship game. Montana was suffering from hypothermia and made several trips to the locker room to get warm intravenous fluids pumped into him to ward off the cold. Trainers even fed him hot chicken soup to help warm him up. He came back late in the 3rd quarter to lead the Fighting Irish to a 35-34 win as time expired over the Houston Cougars. When Montana entered the game the Irish were trailing 34-12. Montana wasn’t cocky, he was confident. Joe Cool was his nickname and it fit. I get that same feeling from Mahomes. All three games the Chiefs played they got behind and came back to win. In the Wild Card game they trailed the Texans 24 zip when they started making their comeback eventually beating Houston 51-31. In the Divisional Round the Chiefs trailed Tennessee by 10 points two different times in the game before winning 35-24. In the Super Bowl they trailed San Francisco by 10 points with just under 9 minutes left in the game and won going away 31-20. The Chiefs believe in Mahomes like teammates believed in Joe Montana. There are other parallels to Montana. Both won the Super Bowl in their first try, both won MVP in their first Super Bowl, both began playing in their 2nd season and both won Super Bowls in their 3rd season. Are you hearing the Twilight Zone music yet? The 49ers won their first SB in 1981 and they won 3 more times including the last one in 1990 with Montana at QB. Like those 49ers squads, the Chiefs are young and built to compete over time. I really believe 2020 won’t be the last time the Chiefs hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy, I’m just sayin’.

This offseason has been a disaster for the Astros. Former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers ratted the team out last fall about how the Astros went about using electronic methods to steal signs of opposing pitchers at their home games. There is no earthly reason I can fathom why Fiers, 2 years removed from his days as an Astro for him to all of a sudden pimp out the Astros unless he was frustrated that the Astros smoked his new team, the Oakland A's, consistently over the past two seasons and he wanted revenge for the constant reminder that he was no longer part of the team where he won his one and only championship in MLB. The fact is, if it's petty jealousy the losses the A's suffered the past two years came both home and away which means the Astros could only have cheat 1/2 of the time. Furthermore the Astros won 101 games and fact is Houston won more games on the road (53-28) than they won at home (48-33) which is a clear indication that cheating at Minute Maid Park did not significantly influence the success of their season. The cheating only came at the Juice Box because there would not be able to set up cameras and communication in their opponent's stadiums. Mike Fiers is a rat and nothing will change my opinion of him. I don't wish any harm or ill fortune to come to him except for one thing, I hope the MLB players around the league give him the cold shoulder from here on out. He has cost people their jobs damaged the reputations of people that might not have deserved it and there is no reason why. Not only have AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow lost their jobs they are suspended for the entirety of the 2020 season. Alex Cora, who was the bench coach of the 2017 Astros was under investigation related to the cheating in Houston and allegations cheating with his new team. Cora won the manager's job in Boston before the 2018 season. Cora is linked to the cheating with both teams. This past week he was dismissed as the Red Sox manager. Former Astros player Carlos Beltran who was an Astros player was also part of the investigation. Just a few weeks ago he was hired as manager of the New York Mets. His tenure as manager only lasted a few weeks as he was let go this week as well. The cheating was wrong and some punishment was deserved but the backlash from this is very terrible and from all accounts this cheating was player driven and not one player, except Beltran has been punished. Beltran's only punishment came from the Mets not MLB. The off season trouble began last October when form Astros executive Brandon Taubman got in the faces of female reporters basically yelling that he was glad the Astros signed closer Roberto Osuna, a person who was serving a suspension from MLB for domestic violence. A totally inappropriate and stupid thing for Taubman to do. At first the Astros gave support to Taubman until witnesses came forward to confirm the claims that he made totally inappropriate comments. The Astros looked foolish and damage control done by Jim Crane was to reassign Vice President of Business Operations to basically a consultants role. The move didn't sit well with Reid's father Nolan who let the Astros know he would no longer be part of the Astros organization going forward. The Ryans own the Astros AA Corpus Christi Hooks and AAA Round Rock Express. There is no doubt in my mind that when the contracts the Astros have with these teams expire neither team will remain part of the Astros organization. The Ryans, Nolan especially, are beloved in Houston and the fallout from this could mean that the damage done will cause people to not stand behind Crane. The PR damage done involving the Ryans may never be repaired. Crane effed up and only getting the Ryans back on board, severe grovelling may be required, could save face for Jim Crane. The season ended so badly with Houston losing the World Series after being up 3 games to 2 and the final 2 games at home was devastating. With the Ryans, Luhnow and Hinch gone the window for success for this Astros lineup may have not just closed, but it likely has slammed shut. As an Astros fan I don't hold much hope for their future success. There's a John Lennon song called, "Nobody Told Me" with the tag line, 'Strange days indeed', which is quite appropriate as we sit here less than a month from Spring Training.

Back in the day, around 1983 or 84, there was talk about a guy named T Boone Pickens who was known as a corporate raider. He’d look for companies who had under valued stock and he’d start buying as much of that stock as he could which drove the stock prices up. The goal was to buy up as much stock as possible until he either became the majority stockholder, essentially becoming the owner of the company, or the company found a way to block him to save the company because, if Boone owned the company, he would sell off the parts, pocket a huge sum of money and move on. Either way Pickens made a boatload of money. I saw it happen to the company I worked for, Gulf Oil Corporation. Around 1983 Pickens saw that Gulf had an under valued stock, it sold for around $30 a share. Pickens started buying up Gulf stock and the ripple effect for those of us who worked for Gulf wondered what would happen if Pickens became a majority shareholder. Gulf employees here in Port Arthur were genuinely concerned about the future of our jobs. Gulf CEO Jimmy Lee found a way to save The Gulf, he worked out a deal with Chevron USA for them to buy the company and by the time the sale was finalized in 1986 Gulf stock was worth $80 a share. That was more than double the price when Pickens began buying Gulf stock. Everyone, including Pickens, who owned the stock made money and in Pickens case he made a huge profit on his investment. Pickens went from being a bad guy to a hero because of money he made everyone. Chevron won because they got access to Gulf’s huge employee pension fund and their massive oil reserves which was worth the price of the sale to the Chevron board of directors. The rest is history as they say except the Gulf Oil business made T Boone famous. The sale of Gulf Oil to Chevron changed the lives of the people who worked for the company. First, we got a big bonus for cashing in on that $80 per share stock. Gulf stock was part of the benefits package and every year there was a distribution of the stock purchased to employees who were part of the plan. Other things changed too. Our benefits package changed, in many ways the culture of the company changed, and we were able to go back to the days where we didn’t worry if our jobs would be in jeopardy. That feeling of job security didn’t last long as Chevron began downsizing in 1989 with a workforce reduction. We became familiar with terms like “golden handshake”, severance pay and PTSD some people suffered as a result of worrying about losing a job that we were all told was for a lifetime. That wasn’t T Boone Pickens fault, it was just the way the industry was evolving. That’s my T Boone Pickens story. I never met the man but he certainly impacted my life and the lives of many others. I would say, from the 10,000 foot view of his life, he did way more good and he will be remembered more for his giving than for his business acumen, which is saying something. He was generous with his time and money. He was a billionaire who gave billions to charity and various causes. His support of his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, is almost legendary. He helped fund the new football stadium and in appreciation the school named it after him. Obviously, this post is dedicated to Pickens who passed away yesterday at 91 years of age. Jerry Jones had been friends with Pickens since Jones was in his mid-20’s. Jones released a statement that said he would miss his old friend and he expressed his deep sympathy for the Pickens’ family from himself and the Dallas Cowboys organization.

Week 1 is here. In just a few short hours our Dallas Cowboys will take the field and this season seems a little different than previous years. In recent times (see since 1996) the Cowboys began each season with fans hoping despite evidence to the contrary for a long overdue trip to the Super Bowl. The facts are that all those teams had flaws, some serious, that an objective observer would have to admit there was no chance in Hades the Cowboys would get to a Super Bowl without a ticket. Last season you had a real glimmer of hope but it was dashed in Los Angeles when the Rams ran roughshod over them. But this season is different. The offense looks strong and the only real gap was at tight end but the return of Gold Jacket Witt (Jason Witten) answers that question. The defense looks much different too. The signing of Demarcus Lawrence, the addition of Robert Quinn and free agent signings Karry Heider and Christian Covington give the D-line more quality depth across the board than the Super Bowl years in the mid 90's. Their linebacker corps in young and loaded with talent and the DB's are too. This is a good team but the snobs, or Cowboys haters in the media, are still picking the flame broiled Eagles to win the NFC East. It will give me so much pleasure to see the Cowboys make all those idiots eat their filthy words. Zeke is signed. D-Law is signed as are La'el and Jaylon. I wouldn't be surprised if an announcement that Dak was signed this morning came out. The ducks are lining up in a neat row and kickoff to a season that could mean the Cowboys are on the path back to glory! 'Bout dang time, am I right? The Cowboys tweaked their roster one last time yesterday by activating Zeke Elliott to the 53 man roster. To make room for him the Cowboys released RB Alfred Morris. Morris was a security blanket in case Zeke's holdout lasted into the season. With Zeke back the RB carries were going to him and rookie Tony Pollard. Alfred Morris held little to no value on special teams so he was not likely to be on the active 46 man roster on game day. That lack of special teams ability made Morris expendable. The Cowboys begin a season playing the Giants for the 6th time in the last 8 years. On paper Big Blue looks to be quite inferior to the Cowboys talent-wise. Still, they have Saquon Barcley and Eli, an old Eli, but he's had a nasty habit of breaking the Cowboys backs. Dallas are 7 point favorites today. I won't complain if they win by 71!

Opening day finally arrived and it was a happy arrival. Houston beat Tampa in Tampa to start the opening series of the 2019 season. Justin Verlander, who came in 2nd place in 2018 Cy Young voting, faced off against Blake Snell, the man who won the Cy Young last season. Statistically, Verlander should have won the Cy Young but since Snell had the best record in baseball he got the win. Yesterday Snell took the loss as Houston beat Tampa 5-1. Verlander clearly outpitched Snell as he went 7 innings allowing just one run, a lead off home run by Rays RF Austin Meadows. After that, except for a some excitement in the 2nd inning, Verlander was unhittable. For the game he gave up just the one run on 3 hits and a walk. He also notched 9 K's on the day. Snell, on the other hand, went 6 innings giving up all 5 of the Astros runs. Houston got all of their runs via home runs. Down 1-0 in the 3rd C Robinson Chirinos and Jake Marisnick worked walks. George Springer came up and hit a tape measure homer to straight away center field. According to statcast the ball traveled 427 feet. It was the third consecutive year Springer homered on opening day. In the 4th, newcomer Michael Brantley hit a solo homer and Jose Altuve added a solo shot in the 5th to round out the scoring. All in all it was a very nice first day. As the joke goes, the Astros are on pace to go 162-0. Game #2 of the 2019 season is tonight at 6:10 PM. Gerrit Cole will go for Houston and he will face former Astro Charlie Morton goes for Tampa. ....and a fine time will be had by all!

The fact is, I root for the Cleveland Browns. They aren’t my favorite team but they are my guilty pleasure. I want the Browns to have success simply because they have been so very bad for so very long. The last time the Browns were consistently good was the sixties way back when Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly were running roughshod over the NFL. Being in the same division with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Houston (Oilers) didn’t make it easy. In the 70’s the Steel Curtain dominated, in the 80’s Cleveland did go to the AFC Championship twice only to have defeat snatched out of the jaws of victory by the John Elway-led Broncos. In 1986 Elway led the Broncos on a 5 minute plus 99 yard drive that has since been known as “The Drive”. In 1987 It was Browns-Broncos at Mile High Stadium and the Browns overcame a big first half deficit to score 30 points and trailing 38-31 Bernie Kosar had the Browns on the move. With a scant 1:12 left in the game Ernest Byner fumbled at the Broncos two yard line in what has been dubbed “The Fumble” to end their hopes of making it to a Super Bowl. I suppose Browns fans could take some solace in the fact that the Broncos got smoked in both Super Bowls. John Elway would have to wait 10 years before finally winning a championship. Since the 1980’s the Browns have been just plain sad. Since 1990 Cleveland has finished 2nd in their division 3 times and they finished in 3rd place in their division 3 times. Every other year Cleveland has been bottom feeders. They have been the Chicago Cubs of the NFL. Loveable losers year in and year out. In 2018 things seemed to be turning around. After head coach Hue Jacksons teams had gone 1-15 and 0-16 in 2016 and 2017 respectively the Brownies worked a tie with Pittsburgh in the 2018 season opener and they should have won that game but for a missed field goal in overtime. In Week 2 Cleveland should have beaten the Saints but for the second week in a row missed field goals cost the Brown a win. Cleveland finished the season 7-8-1 but they had a chance to beat Baltimore with a last ditch drive as the 4th quarter wound down. Baker Mayfield and the Browns were trailing the Ravens 26-24 with Cleveland driving for a game winning score. As the Browns got to mid field the Mayfield magic ran out or you could say Mayfield choked with the game on the line. Cleveland could have bumped the Ravens out of the playoffs with a win and earned their first winning season in 11 years but it wasn’t to be. In the football equivalent to ‘Casey At The Bat’ Baker Mayfield had three ill-advised throws fall harmlessly to the ground ending the Browns season. There is hope for 2019. First, there’s Mayfield who has the talent and swagger to lead the Browns to a lot of victories. It looks like the Browns finally hit on a first round QB. Nick Chubb is another reason for hope. He came out of Georgia as a rookie and led the club on the ground and he is definitely a bell cow type runner. The acquisition of Jarvis Landry in free agency and Antonio Callaway via the draft and the Browns have weapons Mayfield can work with. The defense had holes but they also had a lot of injuries. The personnel on defense is good and with the right coaching, look out. There was nothing but turmoil in the coaching staff for half the season. All the way back to Hard Knocks in training camp you could see Hue Jackson was a sinking ship and his OC Todd Haley was bust. When Cleveland fired both Jackson and Haley and allowed Freddie Kitchens handle the offense and Greg Williams handled the defense and head coach positions the team took flight. At the end of the season you would have thought Greg Williams would graduate from interim head coach to the real HC. Frankly, Williams defense was statistically horrible and the Browns first year GM John Dorsey pretty much said, “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya!” as the Browns didn’t offer Williams the HC job or renew his contract. Instead, Dorsey hired Freddie Kitchens elevating him from interim OC to the head coaching position. Kitchens had two firsts with the Browns, 1) he had never been a coordinator at any level in coaching until 2018 and 2) he had never been a head coach until he was hired for the 2019 season. There is a great chemistry between Kitchens and Mayfield which likely had some weight when it was time to hire a new head coach. John Dorsey is a proven GM in the NFL so it looks like the Browns finally got the GM job right. Now, if Dorsey hits at head coach with Kitchens Cleveland will have a hat trick of success at the top of the ladder. The most recent move by Dorsey was to sign troubled RB Kareem Hunt. Dorsey was GM in Kansas City and he was responsible for the Chiefs getting Hunt in and Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft and netting Tyreek Hill in the 2016 draft along with all the other players that make up a very strong KC franchise. Hunt was kicked off the Chiefs team after allegation of domestic violence came up in 2018. What made matters worse was Hunt lied to the team about the incident and all that cost him a job on a team thought to be headed to the Super Bowl. Dorsey brought in a troubled Tyree Hill who had DV issues in college. Hill turned his life around and he became the Chiefs #1 receiver and punt returner. Dorsey is hoping he can help turn around Hunt’s career as well. Now, Cleveland will be without Hunt for a lot of games because he will be suspended. It will likely be more than the 6 games Ezekiel Elliott got because Hunt actually did commit domestic violence. There is video showing he his lady friend, pushed her down and kicked her. Talk on Golic and Wingo this morning was 10-12 games, which will help the Browns weather the social backlash for signing him but hurt the team by not having him. Still, Hunt is a young man and he’s a proven player in the NFL and this signing is the Browns looking toward the future. Beyond 2019. That is, of course, if Browns owner Jimmy Haslam doesn’t go bat-crap crazy and blow the whole organization up -- again.

A week ago tomorrow the Cowboys season came to an end in Los Angeles. I know, right? It really sucks!!! There are a lot of positives for the Cowboys going forward but it just is so hard to look at positives right now so soon after being unceremoniously ousted from Super Bowl contention by the Rams. A Rams team I can't really root for since I sort of need to root for the Saints. I don't hate the Rams, as a matter of fact, I was really pleased they wore their throwback uniforms because I think they are the best uni's the Rams have had, but I have my reasons I will root for the Saints this weekend. I have said it before but, I believe the Saints are a team of destiny this year and they will be the eventual champs come February. Enough of that, this is a Cowboys post! Just because the season is over doesn't mean there is no activity around the Cowboys headquarters at The Star in Frisco so this post is focused on the beginning of the offseason. First, the outlook for C Travis Frederick is looking good. He missed the entire 2018 season with a nerve disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome (pronounced Ghee-YAN bar-RAY). As you may recall that is an autoimmune disease that attacks the nerves in a person's body. Originally, it was thought Frederick suffered a stinger in training camp but he kept losing strength to the point that he went to a doctor to see what the problem was. GBS is a disease that if left untreated could actually cause a person to die. Former NFL lineman and current sports broadcaster Mark Schlereth suffered the same disease back in the early 90's and it caused him to miss an entire season just as it has for Frederick. However, as we know now, Schlereth recoved and came back an played at a very high level helping the Denver Broncos to win 2 Super Bowls in the late 90's. To, it's good news that he's doing much better. Jason Garrett remarked earlier this week that Frederick is getting stronger and the outlook for him is definitely pointing up. He noted that he had a routine cleanup surgery on his shoulder completely unrelated to his GBS which is another great sign that he's getting back to normal. The Cowboys finalized deals on assistant coaches Marc Columbo (O-line) and Leon Lett (D-line) so they will be returning next season. The coach that was cited as possibly the best offseason move last year, Kris Richard, has interviewed for several of the vacant head coaching positions in the NFL in the past week or so but he was not hired so I looks like he will be around for another season with the Cowboys which is great news. For the Jason Garrett haters it looks like he will be back too. Rumors of talks with Jerry Jones about a contract extension have been untrue to this point but it doesn't mean it won't happen. DC Rod Marinelli will return next season and he even bristled at local media who asked if he planned to retire. Speculation was that Marinelli would be asked to retire so the Cowboys could name Kris Richard defensive coordinator to ensure the Cowboys would keep him in the organization. The Cowboys really like Richard and short of becoming a head coach Richard would be welcomed with open arms if he decided to forego any other offers to stay in Dallas. The good news for a lot of Cowboys fans came just this afternoon. The Cowboys and OC Scott Linehan, according to the Cowboys official website, have mutually agreed to part ways. Linehan had a lot of success in Dallas when Tony Romo was the QB but the Cowboys offense has struggled to consistently score points. This past season the Cowboys scored just 339 points which averages out to be a shade over 21 PPG and it's the lowest point total since 2015 when Tony Romo missed most of the season with broken collar bones. Linehan didn't seem to know how to use Dak Prescott properly so his athleticism could be used to the greatest advantage. Linehan, especially this season, was criticized early and often during the season for poor play calling and it seemed like if something worked he would be damned if he called it again. It was very frustrating watching the Cowboys offense over the last two years. It wasn't all Linehan's fault. Dak has some deep flaws in his game. He isn't all that accurate at times, he seems to have trouble pulling the trigger on passes down the field and his pocket awareness is very suspect. The new OC will have to be given enough leeway by Jason Garrett to allow him to help Prescott improve during practice and the offseason and know how to take advantage of Dak's strengths in games. A lot of folks are happy tonight because the Linehan scapegoat is gone. They aren't as happy as they would be if Jason Garrett was going with him but happy all the same. What hasn't been mentioned is any discussions concerning the Cowboys player personnel guru Will McClay. That is the best non-news yet. McClay is the guy who has been responsible for building the talent level on this team for the past several years. McClay is the defacto GM in terms of talent acquisition and leading the draft each April. He gets to do that without the burden of worrying about salary cap issues or contract negotiations. That's still on Jerry and Stephen Jones with Stephen Jones taking more control of this area of the Cowboys front office. As Jerry gets up in age he is allowing Stephen more of a voice in matters concerning the team from the GM standpoint and that has done nothing but help the Cowboys get better. We, as Cowboys fans know that Leighton Vander Esch was a bulls eye as the Cowboys 1st round draft pick last April. The Cowboys know this too. He played his behind off leading the entire team in tackles (176) and along with the emergence of Jaylon Smith, in his first healthy season in the NFL, they made up for the loss of Sean Lee due to injury which is something Dallas has not been able to do in past seasons. LVE earned a spot on the All Pro team which is a tremendous accomplishment for a rookie and just Tuesday he learned that he will be in this year's Pro Bowl as well after Luke Kuechly had to bow out due to injury. LVE is only the third defensive rookie in Cowboys history to get a Pro Bowl nod. The first two were Everson Walls in 1981 and Mel Renfro in 1964. Vander Esch will be going but T Tyron Smith and G Zach Martin will not. Both guys are dealing with injuries, Smith with a back and neck issues and Martin with a knee that he played hurt on for nearly half the season.

The face of the Astros could be changing in a very radical way very soon. The team that won the World Series in 2017 and went to the ALCS this year is liable to look very different next season. One difference you won’t see is the coaching change that’s already occurred. Astros assistant hitting coach, Jeff Albert, has taken the job as hitting coach for the St Louis Cardinals. Albert has been the minor league hitting coordinator up until this season. Houston could also lose their bench coach for the second year in a row. In the 2017 offseason Boston signed Houston bench coach Alex Cora as their manager and he went on to lead the Red Sox to this year’s World Series title. This year’s bench coach, Joe Espada, has interviewed for the manager’s position with the Texas Rangers. The Astros have 7 free agents who may play with other teams next year. Some very high profile free agents led by Dallas Keuchel. Along with Keuchel the other free agents are Charlie Morton, Evan Gattis, Marwin Gonzalez, Tony Sipp, Martin Maldinado and Brian McCann. Today the Astros could give qualifying offers to Keuchel, Morton, Gonzalez and Gattis. These were the only players of the 7 free agents mentioned by MLB.com that could or would be given qualifying offers. What that means is if the player accepts the offer he would be under a one-year contract and be paid $17.9 MM. Also, if they are given a qualifying offer and turn it down the Astros would receive a compensatory draft pick after the Competitive Balance Round B at the end of the 2nd round of the draft. Marwin Gonzalez is considered the best utility man in the bigs as he can play anywhere on the field except for pitcher and catcher. Keuchel has been a mainstay for the team for several years and it would be a shame to lose him. The Astros must take into consideration that Keuchel has lost significant time the past two season due to injury and he is now 30 years old. Keuchel has won a Cy Young award and he has won 3 Gold Glove awards and is nominated again this year for that honor. Left handed starting pitching is very valuable and if Houston intends to keep him they will have to pay. Charlie Morton is going to turn 35 on November 12 but, he has enjoyed a resurgence in his career since becoming an Astro in 2017. This season his record was 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA but he did miss time at the end of the season with arm issues. The same arm issues that plagued him in 2017 before he returned to the lineup in time to become one of the heroes in the march to a world title. Morton won Game 7 of the ALCS and Game 7 of the World Series. He is said to be contemplating retirement, but he could be coaxed into one more season. Evan Gattis is able to play catcher and has shown to be pretty good at even though he was mainly relegated to playing DH in 2018. In the first half of the season Gattis was on fire but in the second half, like many of the players in the lineup when through a puzzling slump that he never really broke out of. Gattis is 32 and his hitting slump is cause for concern. The Astros may elect not to give him the qualifying offer hoping to sign him as a free agent for a lot less money. Captain Caveman is a popular player for the fans but his popularity naturally hinges on whether he can hit the ball consistently. Two days after the Astros were eliminated in the ALCS Jose Altuve had surgery on his knee. The surgery was done to repair a patella avulsion fracture in his right knee. What that means in English is a piece of his kneecap with a ligament or tendon attached broke away from the main body of the bone. Sounds like it would hurt like hell and Altuve played with that since he hurt it in July. AJ Hinch said in the ALCS if he wasn’t in the ALCS he would be on the DL with his knee swollen to the size of a grapefruit. MVP indeed. We may not see Lance McCullers Jr in 2019 if reports are correct. McCullers was said to be playing through a torn UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his throwing arm that is said will require Tommy John surgery in the offseason. So far, I can find no mention of McCullers having surgery as yet. As I researched the UCL I found that the UCL cannot heal itself. There must be the Tommy John surgery to repair the torn ligament followed by 12-18 months of mostly painful rehab. McCullers is still young and for his long-term health getting the surgery done is likely the best option if he wants to continue his baseball career. It’s not easy for a young man to sit by and watch a year of his career pass him by but you have to be smart about how you take care of your body. Also, when he comes back he may need to alter his delivery on his pitches to take stress off that elbow.

Dak sucked. There is no way to sugar coat it or gloss over it. As much as I was looking forward to this opening game of the 2018 season it was so disappointing to see the quarterback be as bad as he was. Oh, he maneuvered his way around a tenuous pocket pretty well but when it came time to actually throw a pass he was just gawd-awful. The running game got a little better as the game wore on but 15 carries for 69 yards and a TD isn’t what anyone in Cowboys-land wanted or expected. Dak didn’t throw any picks in the game but it could be because all his throws were either too high or short hopped in front of his receivers. The poor offensive output was almost all on Dak. It didn’t help that every time Dallas seemed to have something going they would hold or have a false start or something to shoot themselves in the foot. The Cowboys never made it past mid field until the 3rd quarter. Not good and between Dak being lousy and drive killing penalties Dallas couldn’t get out of their own way. Do you think there will be some second-guessing and a bit of finger pointing as the first attempt in a regular season game, ever, for new kicker Brett Maher ended up wide right? It was a 47-yard attempt but when you have just released the most accurate kicker, and all-time Cowboys best kicker, for a 28-year-old “rookie” who has never made an NFL field goal in his life then you have the makings for the local Dallas media to start ripping the coaching staff for letting Dan Bailey go. As a matter of fact, Maher hasn’t even made an extra point yet as he didn’t get the chance to kick the Cowboys point after their only TD of the game because they went for, and made, a 2-point conversion. I was excited to see this defense play and except for some blown assignments covering Dak in the first half and some poor tackling I thought the Defense played really well. If you consider the good field position the offense kept giving to Carolina’s offense especially through all the first half a lesser defense would have been steam rolled by the Panthers. The only down side was a collision by Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence when they met at Cam Newton in the offensive backfield that resulted in a concussion to Gregory. Hopefully, he will be fine and ready for next week’s game against the New York Giants. The old Jason Garrett is a terrible game manager reared its ugly head. In the 4th quarter the Cowboys had a 4th and 10 near midfield with all 3-time outs and the 2-minute warning and around 4 minutes left in the game Garrett chose to go for it and, given how bad Dak was playing, was not a great idea. Of course, the Cowboys failed to convert and the subsequent field position gave the Panthers a great chance to score and put the game out of reach. If Dallas had punted and pinned the Panther down around their own 10 or so. If Dallas holds then they get the ball right back at midfield. As it was the Cowboys D did hold and the Panthers punt resulted in a touchback and Dallas had the ball at their own 20 with no timeouts. Garrett sacrificed 30 yards of field position for no good reason. In this case, he was guilty of poor game management. Yep, a very disappointing start to the season. Hopefully, things will get better. Hopefully, Dak gets better.

I was shocked, almost dumbfounded when I saw opening day for our Astros was last Thursday. I was in the Haufbrauhaus restaurant with friends from work in Pittsburgh PA waiting on a table and on the TV was ESPN's coverage of opening day and the Astros were beating the Texas Rangers 4-0 in the 8th inning! The game must have started around 3 because it was about 6 PM when we were at the restaurant. The Astros closed out their opening day win led by Justin Verlander's 6 shutout innings and George Springer's home run to lead off the game. I should say Springer's historic lead off homer because it was the first time ever in MLB history that a player led off opening day with a HR in back to back seasons. The blemish on the day was Ken Giles allowing a run in the bottom of the 9th to ruin the shutout. With 2 out and a man on third Giles uncorked a 46 foot oops that got away from C Brian McCann allowing the Rangers to score their only run of the game. Game 2 was Friday and Dallas Keuchel did okay but he is typically tough on left handed hitters but on last Friday he couldn't work his magic allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and a walk in 6 innings of work. Joe Smith came on in the 7th and he struggled as well allowing 2 runs on 2 hits in his Astros debut. Houston also had chances to help Keuchel out but they were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and they stranded 8 as they helped the Rangers defense by hitting into 3 double plays on the way to a 5-1 loss. Game 3 was Saturday evening and Lance McCullers got the ball. All he did was strike out 10 men while allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk on the way to his first win of the season as he pitched 5.1 innings leading Houston to a comfortable 9-3 win. It was comfortable because Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa both had 4-hit games as the Houston offense cruised through the Rangers pitching. Jake Marisnick is a new weapon in the house as he got a solo home run on opening day and he hit another HR in Game 3, a 2-run shot that gave Houston an early 3-0 lead. That would be all McCullers would need. Game 4 was the piece de resistance as Houston closed out the Rangers to win the opening series of the season with an 8-2 victory behind stellar pitching from their newest starter, Gerrit Cole. Cole struck out 11 in 7 innings of work. He did allow 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks but it was all good as the Rangers never really had a chance on Easter Sunday to get anything going. Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve went to work again combining for 5 hits, 2 RBI's and 4 runs scored to lead the Astros offense. They were joined by Evan Gattis who went 3-4 with a walk, 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored. A great way to begin the season and today will be the Astros home opening series against the Baltimore Orioles. The first two games are dedicated to honoring the team for their first World Series title last fall and my son and I will be there this evening for all the festivities! Charlie Morton, the Game 7 World Series hero, gets his first start of the season as Baltimore will send Chris Tillman to the hill. First pitch is 6:10 PM so be there or be square. I do not intend to be square!!!

What can you say about the needs of the Texans? The biggest news is all the front line players the Texans will have returning after missing all or most of the 2017 season due to injury or suspension. With Desean Watson, JJ Watt, Whitney Mercilus, Kevin Johnson, just to name a few, the infusion of talent just from that locale will mean a major upgrade in the Texans roster. Things looking brighter already right? Another thing that could be a good thing is the return of Romeo Crennel as the DC. Mike Vrabel was the up and comer who went from being a LB coach to DC after only 3 years as an NFL assistant. Vrabel has moved on as he landed the head coaching position at Tennessee this offseason. According to Fred and AJ on ESPN evening radio show The Blitz the Texans D was poorly coached and poorly coordinated last year and if the guys are right the departure of Vrabel is a blessing in disguise. Of course, I rarely agree with Fred and AJ as they tend to be so negative about anything Houston sports related. Couldn't the fall off in defense last season been mainly due to the players they lost to injury? You lose All Pro and Pro Bowl caliber players your D just won't be as good. So, with the NFL Scouting Combine beginning Tuesday in Indianapolis what do you think the Texans will be looking most at? Here are my top five positions of need and how I think Houston could and should address those needs. 1. Offensive Line - I think you have to address this in both free agency and the draft. The Texans have got to protect Desean Watson and open some holes for the running backs. Free agents are hired guns and only around for a short duration and you always overpay for free agents. That means the Texans need to hit on a couple of draft picks at this position. 2. Backup QB - I was clear that Tom Savage is not the answer. The falloff in production when Watson tore his ACL last season was painfully clear. I wanted Savage to succeed but he just isn't an NFL QB. I think you have to go free agency with this one. You don't want a 2nd year player and a rookie as your QB depth chart. There will be veteran players available who can actually win an NFL game if called upon. 3. Cornerback - Houston was hurting at corner last season. Partly because the front office let AJ Bouye go via free agency and partly because of a lack of talent at the position. The problem is Houston doesn't have a first or second round draft pick because of the deal to trade up to get Desean Watson so they will need to hit on late round picks here. In free agency there may be some good options available. The Rams have a deal in place to get Chiefs CB Marcus Peters which means Trumaine Johnson might not be resigned and could be available. Also, the Patriots will likely lose Malcolm Butler because he is rightfully pissed off that he was benched in the Super Bowl three years after being a hero in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks. Butler will be expensive so Johnson might be a better option. 4. Linebacker - I could say safety here as the loss of Quinten Demps hurt the Texans defensive back field but I have to go with the backers here. Houston lost John Simon and Akeem Dent in free agency and when Mercilus and Watt were injured and Brian Cushing was suspended the LB's were hurting. I know Watt isn't a LB but the way he rushes the passer he is like another LB on the field. There weren't enough bodies that were good enough to step up after the injuries and suspension hit. Besides, Cushing is getting old and that probably why he used steroids so he could prolong his career. This is another position where a free agent will bring immediate help and the draft will bring long term success. 5. Tight End - You can't put your eggs in the CJ Fiedorowicz basket because after suffering 3 concussions this past season the handwriting is on the wall. He needs to get out of football as a player before he does serious brain damage to himself. Ryan Griffin is a nice player but as a free agent are you going to pay him big bucks? Not likely. Houston needs a beast that can stay on the field. A guy who is an all around TE who can block and be effective in the passing game. The Texans haven't had that guy since the heyday of Owen Daniels. Remember him? Tight end is the one piece missing from the Texans attack. A free agent is likely not the answer although Jimmy Graham is available. He's also 31 and several serious injuries removed from the great Jimmy Graham we knew in New Orleans. I'm okay with Graham if Houston doesn't have to pay an arm or a leg for him. The best case scenario would be to get their TE of the future in the draft but, again, without a 1st or 2nd round pick getting an impact TE in the draft won't be easy. Even so, Dallas got Jason Witten in the 3rd round so there is hope................... The best acquisition made by Houston may not be a player but a GM. I have long since thought Rick Smith sucked as a GM and with him taking an indefinite leave of absence to be with his wife who is battling breast cancer (classy move by Smith BTW) it opened the door for a guy who is more in tune with head coach Bill O'Brien. Brian Gaine might be the best thing that has happened, or will happen, for Houston this offseason. Either way, if the marriage between O'Brien and Gaine is not productive, and Houston doesn't have a rash of serious injuries like last year, it will be a make or break season for both. Certainly for O'Brien because he will be fresh out of excuses for why he can't win more than 9 games in a season. With the emergence of Jacksonville and to a lesser extend, Tennessee, 9 wins won't win the division in the foreseeable future and it won't be good enough for a Wild Card in most seasons given the depth of the AFC.

Okay, I can't stand it any longer. How in God's name can Hilary Clinton be a candidate for President when she is so not qualified to lead the United States of America. At worst she is a conniving dragon lady who is ruthless and dangerous and will sell out the USA for votes. At best she is just simply incompetent and her record as Secretary of State should be evidence enough of that. Recently Donald Trump flat called her a liar and a crook and a person who shouldn't be running for President of the United States because she should cooling her heels in jail for the crimes she's committed. I completely agree with Trump. If you are tired of business as usual in Washington then you don't want Hilary as President. The saving grace of Trump is he isn't a politician, he's a businessman. A successful businessman and maybe that is just what this country needs. Somebody who understands a budget and knows how to streamline a business which, when you get right down to it, is what the US government is. This country has worked too long under boondoggles and bad deals and ridiculous rules and regulations that seem to be meant only for frustrating the people in the hope they give up their claim or their business. Hilary wants to welcome illegal aliens to the USA and shower them with food, clothing, shelter and jobs using money you and I pay in taxes. She wants to give these people all this even though they haven't earned one cent of that government assistance. All the while we all wonder IF we will be able to collect social security that we all have earned during the course of our lives. As it is, to collect full benefits you have to be 66 years old. Do you want to work until you're 66? I don't but if I had to depend on a SS checks in my retirement that's what I'd have to do. An even bigger picture item has the USA giving away jobs to foreign countries to the detriment of this country. We are spending obscene amount of money in countries that hate us and don't want us there all the while education in this country is in steady decline. I could go on for a while without even taking a breath because I am so frustrated with "politics as usual". Bill Clinton made a big deal about making a change and it's been the clarion call of every presidential candidate since to change the business as usual crap of Washington. This time I think it's different. Why? Because Trump is not a politician he's a business man. He sees the damage that has been done to our economy by past regimes and he doesn't need anyone to explain to him what it all means because that's his business. It's been said for a long time that is the US government were run like a business a lot of the fat and the waste would be dumped because it's not good business. Most of the dealings with foreign nations, when it comes right down to it, is about business. I want a guy who wants to make our business stronger and who gives a crap about being nice to another business (nation) especially when that business hates you and is doing their best to take you down. I'm backing Trump 100% because I believe he is the best man for the job at this point in our history. This above my low view of Hilary Clinton. Trump is the best man, IMO, to be president. Hilary is, at best, a liar and incompetent and at worse she's evil and people die around her and she doesn't care two shakes about the USA. All she wants to do is be the President. I hate that woman and we'll all suffer if she's elected in November. I have no great love for Trump but he is definitely a better choice than the dragon lady. No offense to Mr Trump but a big steaming pile of dung on a table would be a better choice than Hilary.