The Chronicle‘s David Barron doesn’t get proper appreciation for his columns, most likely because they’re of the sports/TV genre that isn’t easily classified (hence the slash).
Still, Barron is one of the few Chron columnists who’s a must read. Today’s column is indicative.
There’s this:
If things go wrong for the Astros this season, I’m guessing that you’ll hear a lot of things similar to the recent comments by Baseball Tonight analyst (and former Mets general manager) Steve Phillips, only amplified.
“Losing Gerry Hunsicker was a major blow,” Phillips said. “The other thing that happened (during the offseason) is that the Astros put all their eggs in one basket that had Carlos Beltran’s name on it. They allowed Jeff Kent to leave and waited until the 11th hour on Beltran. Because they waited, all their Plan B options were off the board.
“It could be a tough season for the Astros. With their aging players, they may be this year’s version of the 2004 Seattle Mariners.”
For those of you who don’t memorize standings, the Mariners fell from 93-69 in 2003 to 63-99 last year.
I disagree. I don’t think Houston sports fans are that perceptive. But Barron gets credit for regarding his readers more highly than, say, the editorial board regards the typical Houstonian.
There’s also this:
The Astros and Rockets were the main reason FSN will rebrand its network as FSN Houston in the Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur and Lake Charles, La., television markets between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. beginning Wednesday.
Fans of both teams will benefit through increased team-related programming, but Rice and the University of Houston also might benefit.
“We’re going to try to create more opportunities for weekly programming that we haven’t been able to do in the past because we didn’t have enough time for weekly themed programs around the Houston franchises,” FSN Southwest general manager Jon Heidtke said. “Our Texans Huddle show, for example, could get only one airing. Now we can air it multiple times.”
Texans huddle? Good gawd, it’s hard to imagine anything much worse. Maybe Calisthenics with Jeff Van Gundy or the Comets Huddle.
Hint: There’s a guy named Tom Penders leading a resurgence at UH. His teams play exciting ball. If you’re rebranding your cable sports network as Houston’s sports network during certain hours, ride that horse next season.
