Astros Podcasts

Do you want to keep Tal’s Hill?

The Astros must be a big deal because Sports Illustrated is talking about this year, instead of them winning in 2017.  In this SI Jay Jaffe feature, you’ll get a detailed look at what the 2nd best team in baseball is doing right & what may not be sustainable over the long haul.  He also …

Owner John McMullen hired Rosen to replace popular Astros GM Tal Smith right after the Astros made their 1st playoff appearance in 1980.  His teams never made the playoffs in his 5 years in Houston but his moves led to the ’86 playoff appearance.  As SI reporter Cliff Corcoran writes, Rosen’s life was at times …

An MLB Hall of Fame video crew visited Astros Spring Training.  In this Jose de Jesus Ortiz Chronicle story, we hear how they’re working on Craig Biggio & Jose Altuve pieces.  Infield instructor Adam Everett was one of the interviewees.  “For me it’s more of an honor to be asked to do that,” Everett said, …

The time of the year has arrived when all eyes of the sporting world are on the Super Bowl, the NBA & NHL are at their halfway marks, and the countdown begins for pitchers & catchers to report to MLB camps. Once Katy Perry has belted “Firework” & the confetti falls on the field for …

Jed Lowrie’s wife is a former Foreign Service Officer who served the Department of State as a diplomat based in Toronto and Mexico City.  She got Jed connected with Major League Baseball’s Diamond Diplomacy program.  In this Alyson Footer MLB.com story, we hear how Lowrie visited Bogota, Cartagena and Barranquilla & he carried out the program’s …

Dennis Liborio was the Astros Equipment Manager for over 3 decades & one of Craig Biggio’s closest friends in baseball.  In this Brian McTaggart MLB.com story, Biggio says that he wishes Liborio, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, could celebrate his Hall of Fame induction with him.
“If anybody should be enjoying this with me, besides my …

The newest Astro quit college as a freshman & went from ski-lift operator to janitor before he came back to baseball 4 years later.  His odyssey to the majors was a remarkable one.  In this Ray Glier NY Times feature, you’ll hear about Evan’s early life crisis & his journey back to baseball.

With Biggio getting elected to the Hall of Fame, we discovered a couple of great articles on his early years.  In this Wallace Matthews ESPN piece, he tells about Biggio’s remarkable football career in high school, which included a game that’s make JJ Watt jealous.  He rushed for 224 yards & 3 touchdowns, threw an option pass …

What’s the biggest Houston Sports Story in 2014?

In this Emma Span Sports Illustrated story, we find out some really interesting details behind Jose Altuve’s emergence into an All-Star level performer.  “He understood he needed to be in better shape,” says longtime Astros bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte. “It impressed me how much he changed in one year. And also he learned how to …

In this Houston Chronicle story, Evan Drellich sits down with Astros skipper AJ Hinch at the MLB Winter Meetings for an extensive interview on a wide range of topics.  Hinch talks about Luhnow, his thoughts on the bullpen, contending this year, recruiting for the Astros, platooning & much more.

The Houston Astros head into the MLB Winter Meetings ready to add to a team that made major strides in 2014. Astros owner Jim Crane has stated that the payroll will be going up, so the Astros are arriving in San Diego with money to spend. GM Jeff Luhnow will be in a different position …

Why is Astros phenom George Springer so important to the Astros future?  In this Richard Justice MLB.com analysis, the former Chronicle columnist explains why he thinks Springer’s success can be so valuable to the community & to the team’s overall success.

The Astros are serious about making upgrades to their rotation & their infield, as Evan Drellich suggests in this Houston Chronicle story.  GM Jeff Luhnow says, “Obviously, we’re going to give Jonathan every chance to make this club.  We’re going to give Matt every chance to make this club. But we’re not going to hand them …

The Astros are looking at possible changes to Tal’s Hill.  One of the plans could include using the area for the new Astros Hall of Fame.  In this Evan Drellich Houston Chronicle story, Astros President Reid Ryan says, “It won’t be this year. It would be after next year.  People talk about Tal’s Hill. ‘Is …

In this Evan Drellich Houston Chronicle feature, we get a fascinating detailed picture of Astros new manager AJ Hinch. How badly does he want to win?  AJ says,”I’ve always wanted to win a World Series.  I told Jeff this in the interview process – Jeff asked me if I was all-in. And I think that …

Looks like the CSN Houston nightmare is nearing a conclusion & the 60% of Houston sports fans who can’t see the Astros & Rockets will see the light soon.  In this Matt Rothstein House of Houston story, you’ll get a clear picture & history of what happened & why.  Here is a video goodbye on CSN Houston’s …

It’s been 10 years since former Astros 3B Ken Caminiti died. He was the classic hero with a huge heart & tragic flaws.  As this incredible Scott Miller Bleacher Report story reveals, Caminiti may have changed baseball for the better by being the 1st player to admit to steroid use & confronting a story that …

This one was a draft that makes Rick Smith look like a genius.  In this excellent Jayne Hansen WhattheHeckBobby Blog, she takes you through the ’07 draft round by round to see what an outright catastrophe it was.  Almost the entire draft was out of the league a couple years ago & the 1st 4 …