Astros and Predictions

If only hitting was as important as hookers!

This offseason hasn't seen many changes for the Houston Astros. The nucleus of the team is still together with Oswalt, Lee, Berkman and Tejada. A few veteran additions have been added and are expected to contribute heavily. Ivan Rodriguez was signed to a one year contract and will have the every day catching duties. Mike Hampton will likely come in as the number 3 starter in a thin rotation. And the Aaron Boone situation isn't a good one. He was signed a couple of months ago but he will probably never see the field with his heart problem.

So how will the Astros do this season?

My guess is they will struggle. Other than the production they get from Lee and Berkman, everyone else is very suspect. Tejada is on the decline and Pence is still learning. They are going to need major contributions from Bourn, but who thinks it's actually going to happen? Our offense is better than the pitching though. Roy O is our number 1...then a bunch of number 4 starters. Wandy, Hampton and Moehler aren't very dependable. There aren't many other options either, the organization has always struggled with growing young talent. A number two starter is needed as well as some bullpen help. Brocail and Valverde are very good, but they can't do it alone. Wright had a good rookie year and will hopefully continue to grow.

This team is looking at 75 wins at best. Anything better will be a gift. If this team isn't in it at midseason, they should look to trade one of our pieces for young players. That is how you build a team, and this organization is just starting to figure that out.

Dallas Cowboys Update 2!

Most of this offseason has been painful for Cowboys fans. We've seen alot of players leave.

• Terrell Owens - ( 69 rec, 10 TD's, 1052 yards last season)
• Chris Canty - ( 37 tackles, 3 sacks last season)
• Anthony Henry - ( 50 tackles, 1 Int last season)
• Zach Thomas - ( 94 tackles, 1 sack last season)
• Kevin Burnett - ( 38 tackles, 2 sacks last season)
• Roy Williams - ( hurt alot last season)

These are the only notable losses so far. A few more like Brad Johnson and Tank Johnson won't be coming back, but who cares? Canty, Thomas and Burnett are replaceable. Adding Igor and Brooking makes us better at those positions.

Anthony Henry is a huge loss to me. He was so reliable. Started 15 games and made alot of plays in the place of Newman. If Newman goes down again this year, we'll have Scandrick and Jenkins as our starting cornerbacks. Each have only 1 year under their belt.

The biggest loss is (obviously) Terrell Owens. Some think it is the best thing that could've happened to this team. His production is still there, but so are his antics. I think that he was used as a scapegoat, but it had to happen. It says alot about our players when they let one guy get in their heads, but it also says alot about "the player". Roy Williams (the receiver) will have to step up and be the number 1 that we traded for him.

Dallas Cowboys Update!!

This offseason has been filled with many moves for the Dallas Cowboys. Some valuable players have been added to the roster.

• Gerald Sensabaugh - 25 year old Safety ( 70 tackles, 4 int's with the Jaguars in 2008)
• Igor Olshansky - 26 year old defensive tackle (29 tackles, 2 sacks with the Chargers in 2008)
• Keith Brooking - 33 year old linebacker ( 102 tackles with the Falcons in 2008)
• Jon Kitna - 36 year old quarterback ( played with the Lions in 2008)

If you look at the stats you would think that Brooking will have the biggest impact on the field this season. That might be the case, but his leadership in the locker room will be more important. He could still be a 3 down player and is an upgrade from Zach Thomas. Sensabaugh and Olshansky are both solid pickups. Sensabaugh might challenge for a starting job and Olshansky will be a nice fill in player after the loss of Chris Canty. Jon Kitna is a nice backup for Tony Romo. We all know that Brad Johnson played his way out of the league last year.

An early look at the playoffs!

The Western Conference will still have the better games. Any one of the teams in the West could go to the finals. Sure the Lakers are the favorites, but other teams are very scary. Spurs, Suns, Hornets, Jazz, Rockets, Nuggets...I'd say that all of these teams have a good chance to come out of the West. How they match up against the elite of the East, nobody really knows yet.

The Eastern Conference is easy to figure out. There are a lot of teams in the East that are better than average, but not many have a shot at the Finals. We all know the two teams that will battle it out to get to the Finals. The Cavs and Celtics are way ahead of every other team in that conference. It's going to be interesting to see if Lebron finally breaks through in the playoffs.

A lot of scenarios, but we will mostly likely see a rematch of last season. Lakers vs Celtics. David Stern's wet dream

T-Mac is the problem Houston has!

It's been a long time since the Rockets did anything in the playoffs. The '96-'97 season was the last time they won a playoff series. When a team loses Hall of Fame players and has to rebuild, it's understandable to not win a playoff series for a little while, but it's been way to long.

The Rockets have added alot of talent over the years. Off the top of my head I think of Yao Ming, Steve Francis, Shane Battier, and most of the roster they have now. It took a little longer than they would've liked to get a championship roster, but they finally have one.

The only piece to the puzzle that doesn't fit is Tracy McGrady. When he is healthy, he is one of the most talented players that I have ever seen. He almost has it all, but what he lacks is what the Rockets need most.

Some players have a killer instinct. Kobe, Jordan, Pierce, Duncan, Wade....but T-Mac doesn't have it. T-Mac was suppose to be the guy that took over in the 4th quarter. Before this season Yao was more than willing to let McGrady be the closer because he has that much talent. Yao has always been the guy to get them to the 4th quarter so that someone else can close it out. Now there isn't anyone to close it, so Yao must do it himself.

It took Yao a long time to realize his potential, but it's happening. He demands the ball on the low block and just goes to work while Tracy watches. This team might not win a playoff series the next two seasons, or they might win it all. For the latter to happen, T-Mac has to pitch in the 4th. If he doesn't, he will be out the door in 2010. Yao is 7"6 and is willing to take the last shot. That's all Rockets fans have been looking for.

My NBA Experience!

As soon as I walked into the doors of the Toyota Center, I was hypnotized. I didn't even wanna look for my seats, I just wanted to see the court.

It was about an hour and 20 minutes before tip-off and I couldn't believe my eyes. There they were, the people I want to win more than anything in the world. Scola and Battier (among others) were out there warming up before the actual warm ups. Battier was sinking every shot like he was throwing a rock into an ocean. Scola looked to the stands to wave at some fans chanting his name. (I think he was extra excited because it was Scola wig night)

So we went to the store inside the arena and then went to our seats. Not the greatest seats in the world, but I couldn't believe how good of a view it was. I was expecting much less.

For about 30 minutes, I had my sights locked in on Ron Artest and Chauncey Billups going 1 on 1 with coaches. (On opposite sides of the court) The difficulty of the shots that they were taking were insane. The way they were shooting, I thought they were both gonna have huge games.

Fast Forward to tip-off. The first half of the game involved huge ups and downs. I was shocked how neither team looked rattled when down double digits. They were just so focused on executing.

Half time was very nice. They had a presentation for the long time Rockets radio broadcasters.

The second half was all Rockets. I looked up in the 3rd quarter and Tracy already had a triple double and Yao had something like 24 points. The Nuggets just had no answer for Yao. Both teams shot fantastic percentages. Billups didn't have a good game at all. He had trouble with the very fast play of Aaron Brooks.

The final score was 108-96. I still can't believe I was there. Watching it on tv doesn't do it justice. How quick they were, and the great defense is missed on tv. Things like weak side help and close outs on shots were amazing to me. Also the quickness of Yao Ming is unfathomable. Everyone thinks he's just some slow stiff, but wow is he quick. On the offensive end mostly, but also on help defense.

It will probably be the greatest team I will ever see with my eyes. The collection of talent is insane. I will see them again, hopefully against Lebron James.

GO ROCKETS!!!

Astros Baseball

Don't get too excited with this team.

I've lowered my expectations after seeing the second half of last season.

They plan to cut about 25 million off the payroll, so no improvement with the pitching.

Wiggington is already gone, Tejada might be next.

No upgrades at 3rd, catcher or starting pitching.

I believe in the GM, but not with such a huge payroll cut.

That big money to Oswalt, Lee, Berkman and Tejada doesn't look so good now does it?

I was always against signing Lee and I thought Tejada was overpayed. Looks like I was right.