Astros

I'm so glad that I didn't jump off the Astros bandwagon. They really have a team this year. If they can get past their bull pen problems they are going to be a solid team. Bourne is solid in the lead off spot, Berkman is playing like the player of old, Tejada is a nice surprise and his defense isn't to bad, lee has picked up where he left off last season and there is no where to go but up for Pence. Once the starters right the ship and the bull pen gets going beware of the astros. for all you ney sayers out there...You will be eating your words. 

What's in an Age

Miguel Tejada, shortstop for the Houston Astros revealed this week that he is actually two years older then he told the MLB that he is. It all stemmed from growing up in the Dominican Republic. Being a baseball player down there, he said, there is big difference from a 17 year old to a 19 year old. The Astros stance on this is that they really don't care because he is "playing like a 25 year old." I personally don't have a problem with anything that he did. We put these athletes in Latin America in such a position that they feel they have to do these things. We forced Miguel Tejada to do this, we should not blame him. 

Champions

What a game!! It wasn't UNC vs. UCLA. It was just a mid-major and a team from the big 12. This years NCAA championship probably wasn't what the network was hoping for but it was a sports fans dream. How much more could Memphis and Kansas be more alike. They are both big teams that like to play a lot of defense. These two teams were so similar that they even had the same score at the end of regulation. What a game it was and it couldn't of happened to a better team. Congratulations to Bill Self and his entire team. 

Celebrity Weekend

Well I guess I'm big on athletes doing good these days and this post is not any different. Michael Huff is coming back to Austin to give back to the community by hosting the inaugural celebrity basketball game  which will raise money for the dell children's hospital. The game will consist of two teams filled with former Longhorn Football Players that now play in the NFL. The only problem I have with this is that it took so long. With as much as we give to these athletes in the 3 to 4 years they are here in Austin it is finally nice to see them giving back. With the numerous athletes we have in the pro's making insane amounts of money it is finally time they gave back. Thanks Michael Huff!

Family Guy

D. J. Augustin looks like a good guy. He seems like one of those guys that has had to work hard to get where he is. Well...in an article by Pat Forde about D. J. we learned that he is more then that.  Augustin is a family man who calls his parents every night to talk about...well to talk about his day. What else have we learned about Augustin? He was in New Orleans when hurricane Katrina hit. His family was displaced to Houston where they have stayed. The stories about the Augustin family are more then heartwarming, they are insightful. Now we get to see a little bit in to the character that allows  a short man in a tall world be the nations only player to be an academic all american as well as a first team all american. D. J., my hat is off to you. 

Shut-Up and Play

Ok...Maybe I'm biased but I think teams should just shut up and play. What am I talking about you may be asking yourself? Well...I'm talking about the Final Four and all the crap that UT is getting for playing their regional semis and finals just two and a half hours from Austin in the great city of Houston. This past week on ESPN every analyst made sure to point it out.  The only sane on on ESPN is probably the one that gets the most flack from fans...and that is former Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight. Knight said that no matter where you play, if you want to be a champion you're going to have to win. When you start allowing for excuses like location that is when your team can find a pit fall. To be a champion I feel that you have to be the best not only on your home court but on any home court. It's time we stop looking for scandals in sports and just play ball. 

HeartWarming

We always hear about the bad guys in sports. We hear about DWI's and arrests and how athletes at the professional and college level are always getting in to trouble. But every once in a while an athlete will do something to restore your faith in  man kind. The story I'm getting at here involves The University of Texas Softball team.  Just last week I recently went to dinner with four UT softball players with my 12 year old sister. Working everyday with these players I have come to see them as friends. It wasn't until I walked in to the locker room with my little sister that made me realize that they were more then that. Seeing a girl that I tower over, tower over my sister made me see how these girls play such a huge role in the lives of little girls who come to watch them play. That isn't even the half of it. It was great to see how willing these girls interacted with my sister and her friends at dinner. To see her face light up as she sat at a dinner table with her heros as equals was really something to see. The best part was that it wasn't even my idea. It was the idea of the players when I told them I had family coming in to town. It was really great to see that there are some good guys or girls in sports today.