Houston Strong

The Play by Play

And That’s a Wrap

The 2016-2017 baseball season came to a close Wednesday night and the Astros walked away World Series Champions. After Houston scored five runs in the first two innings, Game 7 turned into a battle of the pitchers, ten pitchers to be exact. Allowing only one run in the sixth inning, the Astros brought home the franchise’s first ever championship. George Springer won series MVP, hitting 5 home runs in 7 games (tying the WS record),  and Correa put more than one ring on it. During his postgame interview Carlos dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, and former Miss Texas USA, Daniella Rodriguez. An engagement and championship ring in one night? Doesn’t get much better. And for those Los Angeles fans, fear not. The betting has already commenced on who will win next year’s World Series. Topping that list? You guessed it. The Dodgers. Just 147 days until the season starts….

Season Ending Injury

It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Houston sports fans. The day after the Astros’ victory, the Houston Texans’ star quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his ACL. And during practice no less. He becomes yet another on the ever growing list of all-star players injured in this 2017 season. Now without their star offensive and defensive (don’t forget about JJ Watt’s knee injury earlier in the season) players, it’s hard to say what’s in store for the remainder of the Texans’ season.

The Faces and Facts

Evan Gattis (Baseball): Astros catcher and now World Series Champion. Following high school graduation, rather than heading to college, Gattis found himself in rehab. Working odd jobs, including a custodian and car parker, Evan eventually attended UT- Permian Basin to play baseball. In 2010, the Braves drafted Gattis, to then trade him to Houston in 2015. From janitor to world champion in a little under ten years. Incredible.

Connor McDavid (Hockey): The NHL’s young phenom. At the age of twenty, McDavid enters his third season in the league and can already call himself captain of the Edmonton Oilers.  Named to the position at the age of 19 years and 266 days, Connor became the youngest captain in NHL history, edging out Sidney Crosby by just 11 days. His skill on the ice is undeniable, earning him the title of league MVP last season. So exceptionally talented, it allows, if not begs for, his teammates to poke fun at the talents he happens to lack, including waking up in the morning, dealing with spiders and cooking.

Gregg Popovich (Basketball): One of, if not the most, colorful coach in the NBA. Never one to hold his tongue, once equating a player’s actions to manslaughter, this season Pop has made repeated statements about Donald Trump that leave nothing to the imagination. His notorious honesty and sarcasm return to the forefront this week as he closes in Phil Jackson’s (legendary Lakers coach) spot on the all-time wins list. When asked how he feels about being two games away from overtaking Jackson as the sixth most-winningest coach, in true Pop style, he responded, “It’s the most important thing in my life. My grandchildren can take a hike.” He even scripted the newspaper headline for the day it happens- Popovich: Selfish about Wins. With this wit, it is no wonder people like Steve Kerr and Steph Curry wish to see Gregg as president of the United States in 2020.

Kyrie Irving (Basketball): Kyrie made it into this blog previously for his trade to the Boston Celtics. This time, it is due to his “world” views. In an interview, Irving disputes the scientific fact that the world is round, claiming that there are no real photographs of the planet to prove it. While it isn’t 100% clear whether he’s a full-fledged “Flat Earther,” Kyrie has definitely raised some eyebrows.

The UpComing

Kansas City Chiefs v. Dallas Cowboys (Football): It proved somewhat difficult to find a must-watch football game this weekend. Match-ups that were scheduled in hopes of proving either important or entertaining, will most likely fall short. My best guess at a game worth watching would be the Chiefs and Cowboys, as the two teams are almost mirror opposites in their season trajectory. While the Cowboys had a rough start to their season, they’ve won the past two games and appear to have fixed whatever was broken. Kansas City, on the other hand, after starting the season 5-0, has lost two of its last three. The game really could go either way. Kickoff at 4:25pm ET.

Toronto Maple Leafs v. Las Vegas Golden Knights (Hockey): Both teams have hit the ground running (hit the ice skating?). While the Knights have the best start of any expansion team in history, they can’t quite seem to keep their goalies healthy. Starting the season with all-star Marc-Andre Fleury, and the utmost confidence in its goaltending, the Knights have since been forced to start four, that’s right, four different goalies.  The Maple Leafs, with their explosive offense, are prime to take advantage of this unfortunate situation. Puck drops Monday at 8pm.

The Weekend Social Hour

Despite falling on a Tuesday, athletes definitely came through with some epic Halloween costumes. Ranging from downright terrifying to laugh-out-loud hilarious, individual players, families and teams dressed to impress. While it would appear the NHL takes the cake for most committed, hiring make-up artists to bring characters to life, no league disappointed. A handful make the list of best dressed: LeBron James as Pennywise from “It” is absolutely horrifying. Steph Curry managed to turn Jigsaw into something comical. Russell Wilson opted to dress up as his coach Pete Carroll while Nick Bonino, an actual NHL player, dressed up as a hockey fan, asking his own teammates for autographs outside the Predators’ team party. Moral of the story, these folks aren’t just good at sports. They take their Halloween-ing very seriously. If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, here are some websites dedicated to the costume creations of the MLB,  NBA, NFL, and NHL (2).