Astros End Season & Dusty Baker's Legacy

Space City, Created Created, Created City. Welcome to another Space City Saturday on Sports Talk seven ninety Dan Matthews Live at local h Town, breakdown of the world that matters to you, the Houston sports world, all these great Houston fans here. We love you all, So finish up on that to do list. Lout up the jeweler, because you can't drink in talk sports all day if you don't start now. This is Space City Saturday. Here's

seven nineties Dan Matthews, Sports Talk seven ninety Space City Saturday. Are we doing out there? I know that's kind of ross Villa Reale sing. Switched it up a little bit because you know, I don't want to take gimmick infringement there. But anyway, I know how most of us are feeling right now. I mean, you know, in the ideal world, we would be getting ready for Game two of the World Series tonight. But the world is not always ideal, and the Astro season is over. Sad music.

I know it is not something that I want to remind myself of. It's not something I want to remind you of. But as we've talked about numerous times before, the shows of the past being where you know, it would be I don't know, eighty five ninety percent Astros talk. And we will continue in sort of the same vein today if you want to weigh in at seven one three, two one two five seven ninety it's a college football Saturday. Don't know how much college football we will get into, but anyway that

is around Texans on the road in Charlotte. We are going to get into some Texans talk. I mean, something we haven't done a ton of during my time taking over these two hours on Saturday, but we will do that a little bit later on also too. As part of the show today, kind of circling back to the Astros side of things, we will let you hear some of the interviews that we had from earlier this week from Chandler Rome of the Athletic when he joined us on the A team earlier this week,

a couple of days ago. In fact, we'll let you hear that also to coming up next hour Brian McTaggart when he was on with the Matt Thomas Show. We will be talking all of that as well. So let's just start off though with the Astros and the season is over and it is one of those things that when situations like this happen, Well you do the autopsy a little bit, and well the season is dead, so we gotta do the autopsy, and we will do that here on the show as well as

Dusty is done. And how I think we need to remember him because I think that some of us will have certain memories. But I think you're being I don't know if intellectually dishonest is the right term to attach to it, but I think that maybe you know, it is one of those things that sometimes recency bias can kind of creep in a little bit, and I think if you're doing that, you're just being not only unfair to him, but also unfair to yourself in terms of robbing yourself of good memories and also to

jump into a little bit on who the next manager will be and sprinkle in a little bit of Rockets talk as well, let's just be honest here too. I mean, it is one of those things that I'm sure some of us, including me, we're a little bit more excited about what the Rockets could bring their zero and two to start the season. That's not exactly the way that we were hoping to see things start off, to see, but

I think more than anything. Come back to two words with the Rockets this year that I'm going to share and I will talk about as the show goes

along, slow Burn. That is what I think you need to kind of keep in mind with this Rockets team because the core of this team is still incredibly young, incredibly inexperienced, and a team that probably will have results like we saw on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic and then of course last night too, where it looked like they were going to win that game and then

they dropped it a little bit later. You know, It's one of those things that I know that Ema Udoka when he goes to the podium, he's probably going to at times praise his guys, but probably also too at times, you know, have situations where he talks about the defensive effort. When you're dealing with a young team, usually defensive effort is something that lacks in certain categories. So we will definitely touch on all of that as well.

But let's start it off, and again, as I get started here, you can weigh in at someone three two and two five seven ninety and the Astro season is over, and there are a lot of different ways that people can point to assessing blame to the situation. You know, I know that some people in Game seven, look at what the Rangers are doing. They're using Jordan Montgomery to kind of stemy a rally here, and we're not bringing in Justin Verlander. And before the game and fairness, Dusty Baker was asked

about that very thing, and I thought his answer was incredibly fine. I had zero issues with what he said about possibly using Justin Verlander in the game, and he had said, We're not going to necessarily do something in the short term that could affect somebody in the long term. Because people might say, oh, it's a no brainer, especially to the way that Christian Javier scuffled out the gate, why wouldn't you have Verlander up and ready to go

and have him come into the game. You have to remember that Justin ver Land is not the same Justin Verlander that I think most of us remember him to be. He's a little further on in his career. The recovery time, everything else of the sort is not as quickly as it would have been

earlier in his career. And I think that Dusty looks at him and probably even Verlander if he's being honest with himself as well, says, Yeah, probably not as good an idea for me to come out of the bullpen and be able to throw, especially to not too far off of when he threw last which Monday night. The last time he'd thrown was on Fridays, so that would be what three days that he could be able to come out there

and turn around and try to be as effective. And it's also too you have to keep in mind that when pitchers are getting warmed up that there is very much a different warm up for starters as opposed to relievers. Relievers they know them being there in that confined space of the bullpen, you're not gonna be able to get the long toss in as much of flat groundwork anything else in order to be able to get you ramped up to be able to start

throwing off the mound. So they prepared that way. They know how to prepare their ready to go. For starters. It's a little bit different because when you've done something for over six months in a year the same way over and over again. Yeah, there is a little bit of muscle memory there. There is a little bit of routine and repetition that goes into setting yourself up to be the best version of yourself that you can be on the field.

So yeah, there is a little bit more time and thought and effort that goes into it before you're going to be able to come out there on the field. Now again, I know some people out there might say, well, Jordan Montgomery could do it. Jordan Montgomery is getting started in his career, Justin Verlander is at the end of his career. But when it really comes down to it, there are multiple other reasons why the Astros are not in the World Series right now, and it's much more than pitching.

Pitching did not have and we will talk about the offseason here a little bit later on in the show in terms of how do you address certain things on this team and the Astros when it came down to it. You know that

they say this time of the year, pitching wins in October. We found that out in twenty twenty two because the Astros had better pitching than the Phillies and they hit a little bit better than the Phillies at times, and their go they were able to finish it off in six games and win the World Series. Their bullpen was out of this world effective I mean historic even some

people throwing at them, and this year not as much the same. And also too, it was also a situation where your starting pitchers did not put you in the best position to be able to win. We asked for good Fromber in Game two or Game six. Game two we did not get good Fromber. But game six of the ALCS and I think for the most part we got that. Here's the next part of it. The hitters let this team down. And you can say all you want about Jordon. Jordon did

his job, and nobody can dispute that. Joseah Bray you at times did his job, and Jose Altuve at times did his job, especially Game five. But overall the lineup, when you really stack it up against what the Rangers were throwing at you, you were not competing with them at the end of the order. I mean, it's kind of a situation too with Kyle Tucker where he was not anywhere close to being the player that he was in

the regular season. That hurt. And this time of the year, I'm not asking for a torrid pace out of my hitters, but I'm asking for you to be able to contribute. And he was a non factor. Let's call it what it is, and other bats in the lineup were not as strong for this team as they needed to be in order to be able to win. I talked about the bottom end of the order. You were looking

at a Rangers lineup that had Leodi Taveres batting ninth. For the most part, Leodi Taveres is in all intents and purposes, a leadoff hitter, will be some time in his career, and he is going to be a very good major league player. You did not have that at the bottom of your order. You also had Josh Young, who likely will be American League Rookie of the Year, batting at the bottom of the order. You didn't have

that either. And you also had Nate Lowe hitting down at the bottom of the order, who for the most part, was not all that great for the Rangers during this series, but he still was better than what you had batting in the seventh spot in your order. So when it comes down to it, they pitched better than you, they fielded better than you, and they also hit better than the Astros did in that series. And that's why when it all unravels, you're looking at the Rangers where they are and you're

looking at you where you are right now. And I know that some people will say, oh, you can't win it every single year, you can damn well try and they did. And I think that this was an Astros team that when I was thinking about this the other night, because lord knows,

I had experience like this when I was in school. Remember back when you were in school and there was a class and I still have dreams about this, by the way, there was a class that maybe you didn't get off to the greatest start in and then the midterm came and you did not do well on the midterm. So what are you having to do the rest of the semester. You're having to try to play catch up. Every other

test, every other major project, every other thing. You've got to absolutely be able to try to knock out the park in order for you to be able to get a decent enough grade, a passing grade. And said class, So you're scrambling, right, You're rushing, You're doing everything you can in order to be able to make up for lost time. That's what the

Astros were in twenty twenty three. Really, when you look at it, if you had told people back in April May June when they had fallen behind like they had in the American League West, that they would have finished in the ALCS. I think most of us looking around would have said, yeah,

absolutely, I'll take that right now. I mean, we don't go to the World Series, but still no Altuve, no yord On Alvarez for a large amount of time, and you're having to try to rely on players like Mauricio Dubon, Corey Jolks, and Chas McCormick in order to be able to keep your season afloat, which for the most part, those guys did.

And I think that all of that probably caught up to the Astros at the end, because I think what most of us were probably hoping for with Altuve and Alvarez coming back from injury is that, all right, this team will be fresh when it matters the most, and they will be able to put up the numbers that we need for them to be able to put up in the production that we need for them to be able to put up in

order for us to be able to move on to the World Series. When it really came down to it, excuse me, had the cough there for a second. When it really came down to it. They were a team, the Rangers, who were in better position to be able to compete and

be able to produce and to be able to win than you were. I mean, this was an Astros team that had a little bit of a tougher time in the Alds and aside from really Games one, although the Twins did make it pretty tough in Game three, in that series, you had pretty much a sprint in every single one of those games. Game two was solely dominated by Pablo Lopez in the Minnesota Twins, but Game four, I mean,

that was one you it was pure postseason baseball. It was a team fighting for their season lives and twins and you trying to avoid seeing Pablo Lopez again, and the Astros were able to do that. Then they got to a series against a team who was rested, ready to go, and also to a team that said, hey, they got the division from us, it's time for us to take the even larger thing from them. And credit

to the Rangers they did. And it's unfortunate, and it's not necessarily the situation that you wanted to be in as an Astros fan, but it is the reality of the situation where they outplayed you, they outmanaged you, and they are now one up in their series. And I didn't really watch much of the World Series last night. I'm sure most of us probably felt the same way. You know, I know that Ranger fan boy. They're having their fun on social media right now. And here's the beauty and also the

curse of being in the situation the Astros are in. Everybody wants to see you lose. And this is the same treatment that the Yankees have gotten for years. This is the same treatment that Lakers, the Laker fans and the Lakers have gotten for years. And also two where I come from in the college football world, Alabama gets the same treatment from everyone. Everybody wants to see Alabama lose. And it's because when people don't like you because you win,

well, that's an enviable position for you to be in. And it's also too, it's jealousy from them, and that's why you also and I understand what twenty seventeen has and all of this and everything else, Yeah, I trust me, I understand all of that. But at the same time, it is also too where the Astros have pretty much become for the ca asual fan out there, these guys again and you know what, it is fun to be these guys again, and the Astros will still be that.

I mean, all this talk to and it's just so lazy, it's unbelievable of people. I think the Astros done is to ended that night based off what I mean, that's that's the follow up I have for those people, based off what based off Josel Tuba is going somewhere. I don't know about Jan Alvarez is going somewhere. I don't know about Alex Bregman is going somewhere. I'm not really aware of. Kyle Tucker is going somewhere. I'm not aware of Justin Berlander and from ber Valdez, Ryan Presley, Brian A Bray

you. I mean, the names go on and on of people who want because that's more of wanting it to be the case as opposed to what is in reality, and it's recency, it's all of those things. It's prisoner of the moment. Think I guess if you will. Because the good news of all of this, this team, this team is still in position to be able to to put together a roster this offseason. Go to West Palm Beach in February and get ready for the season and be in position to compete

and make a run again next year and the year after that. This team is not going anywhere, and I think anybody that thinks that that's going to be the case, you're really fooling yourself. And not only that, I think that probably the other flip side of that coin is for some of those who say it, and I will listen to this argument, other teams are catching up to them. Okay, fine, I'll listen to that. I'll listen to you saying that the Orioles are gaining on them. Sure. Absolutely,

they were the best team in the American League all season. They were one of the best teams in baseball. If not, I don't think they had the best record, It doesn't matter. But the Rangers obviously are the Mariners are going to be very much in competition. If you think that next year is going to be just an easy sprint to the finish, maybe you can let up a little bit because you don't have to get it done on the final day of the season. I don't see that being the case.

I think that are probably going to be looking at another contentious race next year between the Astros, the Rangers, and the Mariners again, that's probably what's going to be ahead. Lord knows. The Yankees are going to try to be able to get back to the ALCS where they were a year ago and try to be able to put themselves in position to be in contention again. And other teams as well, the Red Sox, you know, the Tigers,

you know, whoever else. I mean, I'm just throwing out team names here at this point, but you get my point is that other teams are improving and getting themselves in position to be able to try to be able to knock off the Astros. Because when you've made seven straight alcs's, you're going to have player, You're going to have people who look at you and

say you're the team the beat. And even though they weren't the team that won the al this year, they're still going to be looked at by Vegas and by everybody else as a strong favorite to be able to get back to this point next season. And I do fully expect that they will be back there next season. All right, coming up next my experience in Atlanta could help paint a picture of what's ahead here in Houston for the Astros. We will talk about that plus If you want to weigh in as well, you

can do that at someone three two one two five at seven ninety. Once again, that's someone three two one two five at seven ninety. We will continue right here Space City Saturday on your Home with the Astros and the Rockets Sports Talk seven ninety, which is not four Space City Saturday on Sports Talk seven ninety. Yeah, it is that time of the year. What's everybody going as I mean, not all at once if you want, but uh I know that, uh me the girlfriend and family, we are going to

be the Adams family. I am Uncle Fester, So I'm looking forward to that. I think I have to get made up and everything because you know how Halloween now goes. I mean, the adults do the partying on the weekends and then of course the kids of course go out to trick or treating and the weather they're gonna cool down a little bit for us. We got that going for us, which is nice. Huh. All right, seven one three two on two five at seven ninety. I am Dan Matthews here

on Space City Saturday, and again too. If you want to weigh in, you can send one three, two and two five seven nineties. So my experience in Atlanta. Where am I going with this? And that is what I think Dana Brown will be as a GM for the Astros, because really, the report card for Dana Brown is incomplete because we don't necessarily know

what the acquisition portion of Dana Brown's tenure looks like. I mean, we saw it a little bit during the trade deadline, right where you trade Drew Gilbert and Clifford for Justin Burlander and get him back from the Mets, and of course, you know, and in return as well, the Mets swallowing up some of that money too as well, so you're not on the hook for that. So that's good, right, but it also too makes you

wonder how he is going to be when it comes to acquisitions. And I set this up because I'm going off of what I knew during Alexanthopolis, which I mean, he's still the GM of the Braves, but how he handled his business, and that's where I truly believe is going to be the kind of emphasis and jumping off point for Dana Brown. And I will go ahead and preface it this way. The way that he will do some moves is

going to make some of you very happy. But it's also going to make a large sloth swath is that the right word, A swath of Astros fans frustrated and annoyed, because it's going to mean that some players are gone, and that's unfortunate. It's not what you want to have happen. But at the same time, you're going to have some very tough decisions to make in terms of players that you're very much at that will no longer be part of this organization. I am not going to attach names just yet, but free

agency. The way that Alex Anthopolis approached free agency is he looked at it

as very much a this is a building block, not the piece. I mean, there were so many times during the offseason where people would look and say, oh, Bryce Harper, absolutely go make that happen, Craig Kimbrel, bring him back, all of these different types of things, and they would be frustrated because you'd be signing Josh Donaldson to a one year deal, or you'd be signing I don't know, I mean, just numerous other players two deals and it would not be the sexiest pickup, but obviously it would

work. I mean, Donaldson had an incredible season with the Braves, and I think that you're going to be looking at free agency. And I understand that the names that are out there, but if Dana Brown is anything like alex Anthopolis, you're going to be setting yourself up to be let down because man, seeing the team, you're going to probably be having people out there. And I'm already seeing it on social media of saying, oh, you know, show Heyo Tani, we could dream, right, I mean,

look at him in an Astro's Uni. Look how great he looks at an Astros Uni. I would be very shocked and surprised if showe Heyo Tani was here. I think you're looking at, like I said, building blocks and deals being done one year one with an option. Any of these types of scenarios out there are probably what you're looking at. And I think you're probably

looking at scenarios like I threw this out the other day on Twitter. Adam Duvall would be somebody that would fit that mold, probably a one one with an option, and a guy that fits versatility. And I know that some people out there throughout well not a left handed bat. That doesn't matter. I mean, as so many people get caught up in this oh left right, all of this. Trust me. If it's somebody that could fit the mold that I just said right there, they will definitely be in consideration.

And Duvall is a guy that would fit in really well. He's a great clubhouse guy I know from my experience in Atlanta. And also two, he's a high power guy. He is a high strikeout guy. But also too, he's got the versatility of being able to play both left and center and

also has the veteran experience that would be somebody that fits that mold. For the most part, the free agent signings that were made in Atlanta were those of addition in terms of a guy that can be versatile, a guy that can provide depth, a guy that yes, could be a starter for us, but also two for the most part, would be a platoon player. Probably one of the few mistakes that I saw alex Antopoos make during his time

was Eddie Rosario. He basically signed him off of a very good postseason and for the most part the last couple of years has been pedestrian at best, where even to the point that pretty much the everyday starting left fielder for the Braves was Kevin polar Man. Seeing the t is killing me right now. It's that time of the year, right, But that's where that situation went.

I think that for the most part, if you're going to be hoping for changes to this roster, it's going to come another variety trades, and then if they trade for somebody that's young enough and in position to be able to sign an extension, that's where they would go. Saw numerous times there with Alex Anthopolas, they moved on from Freddie Freeman, and Braves fans were like, oh my god, what are we doing. We're moving off of a guy that's won an MVP and one of the best hitters in all of

baseball. Oh, Matt Olson, Okay, well, I can understand that, and that's the scenario that I think you would look into. And I understand there are players who are going to be coming up after this next year for free agency. I mean, I know that the Kyle Tucker situation continues to be one that the Astros look at and try to get a deal done,

but not sure if maybe they could. I think that if you are trying to be able to keep this team in contention, then trades need to be talked about, and maybe that is a situation that you look at. But I think if you are going to be banking on the largest deal of this offseason based off the really experience that I think that Dana Brown has, it's going to probably come from that variety. And there is something killing me

in the back of my throat. I apologize to everybody out there, but that is probably the variety that you're going to be looking at in terms of building up this roster and having this team still in position to contend for the

American League and beyond next season. So free agency probably going to be pretty underwhelming if I'm being honest, then if you're looking at something else in terms of adding a player, I would probably bank on the trade variety because that's the other thing as well, is that Dana Brown's not trying to win this

offseason. He's trying to be able to win multiple seasons. In a way that you can do that is being able to have control rollable talent, and that's what I think the Astros are going to try to bank on it going forward. Really quick, before we get to Chandler Room coming up next, Martin and Angleton wants to weigh in here on Sports Talk seventy ninety Martin, what's going on? Hey? Actually I'm up in East Texas. But hey

man, Yeah, I just wanted to bring up this point. I don't know Dana Brown's philosophy and on signing free agents because he's so brand you, but I just hope that we do not Astros do not sign any free agents that have been tendered to a qualifying contract offer to where they have to compensate like a second or a third round or a first round pick. I forgot what it is now, but too it's just too high of a price to pay for a free agent because we need our draft picks now with all that

has happened, with the punishment and all that. So I just wanted to just bring that up that I don't Astros. We need all our draft picks, so we can't on any contract qualifying offers of free agents. So that's all I have. All I appreciate it now, I mean no, And that is something because based off of the punishment you got from the signed ceiling scandal, that's a real thing. And the Astros are in a position right now where they're saying we can't mess around with the draft anymore. And the

draft is not what it used to be. The draft used to be. Those guys are three or four years away from making an impact on this roster, especially two if they're college guys. But in this case, right here, it is something to absolutely consider. I mean, as it stands right now, I'm looking at spot track, the Astros one hundred and seventy three point six million dollars in estimated active money that is being spent at this moment

and estimated pre arbitration six point seven million dollars. So they're not necessarily hamstrung at this moment because the luxury tax threshold, if I'm not mistaken, is to an A thirty three million, so they can be able to spend some money this offseason. I just think that it's also too you want to be able to set yourself up because another thing that Alexandthopolis would always talk about was flexibility, and that used to always just annoy people of flexibility. Flexibility,

here we go again. You're just basically saying that you've been told that you have to be very frugal with the money that you have, and you're not going to break the bank spending. And I think the other part of it as well. Is it part of lessons that he learned? Alexandthopolis used to

come on with us all the time and tell us two things. At the old station I worked at Number one, he had learned his lessons from when he was in Toronto, and he said, we spent, and we spent, and we spent, and it really got us nowhere, of course paraphrasing what he said, but he also said something else that I think probably you're going to see in the same vein with Dana Brown, and we would rather

sign a lot of really good players to good deals. Twenty to twenty five million is where you were looking in terms of yearly payouts to those guys. You weren't looking to pay guys the thirty five forty plus million dollars in order to be able to get the huge name free agent. And you look at the way at the Braves that built up their roster. They've got a good core of seven to eight guys that are going to be there for the long

foreseeable future. And that's a good position to be in, especially when you factor in what you think of these guys and what they have shown for you. And the Astros have done that in the past. I think they're going to continue to try to do that, especially with the core that they've got. Right now, they've already locked up yourd on Alvarez. My god, how lucky are they that they went ahead and got that done when they did, because right now that price tag would be even larger at this point.

And I think that they're going to try to do their best with Kyle Tucker. And I know that some people out there and I've seen it too, No, don't do that with Tucker. Stop being prisoner of the moment with that, all right. I get that he had a bad postseason, but the guy was one of the best players in all of baseball this season and he is still one of the best players in all of baseball. He's a true five tool player, and he is a guy that absolutely you are better

with than you are without. So I think if people are saying, oh, don't do that, and you know they have him go to arbitration and be embarrassed, no, don't do that. You go you try to make an effort. And I had said it that if going with that number right there, eight twenty five a year, that I think my offer to him would be eight years two hundred million, and if he turns it down and he wants to roll the dice in free agency, then let him roll the

dice in free agency. But I think that you make your best offer at that point. And I think if I were Kyle Tucker and I'm getting twenty five per right now, and he's what twenty six years old, so when that's done, he could still probably get a pretty decent deal at the end of his career. I think that's something that I would seriously consider. And we'll see how it all plays out when it's all said and done. Ryan and Caldwell and also John, I see you all want to weigh in.

I will get to you here in just a second before we get to at sham Rome. Coming up, but Chandler Roam a guy who broke the story on Dusty Baker stepping away as manager. He joined the A team for his weekly visit. We will hear from him coming up next. We'll knock out some of those calls though, before we get to that right here, all that's still to come right here on Sports on Space City Saturday. I was about to called Sports Saturday, Space City Saturday. I'm off a climp dear

who cares. It's your home of the Astros and the Rockets. Sports Talk seven ninety. We now return to Space City Saturday. Sports Talk seven ninety do a real life wire. It's a go killers see Sports Socks seven ninety Space City Saturday. And by the way too, I mean, I know I explained it last segment, so not sick or anything. I know that that's always the you're not sick or anything, huh. But you know, like you get that kind of like tickle in your chest and in your throat

kind of deal and it just will not go away. That's what I was dealing with right there. And it sucked. Oh my god, it sucked, and I was trying so hard to get rid of it and it just kept just tickling me and it was just like whatever. So I apologize for that. Thank you for bearing with me, and we will continue the conversation like with Ryan and Caldwell once a weey in right here. Sports Talk seventy ninety Ryan, what's going on, buddy? Hi you Dan? How are

you doing this long? I'm doing great, buddy? How are you? I'm doing all right? I just wanted to throw out there, thinking the other day about the menagerial situation, and I don't know if it's been brought up. I did hear his name mentioned, but I really think that Martin

Durosso would fit in real good with this group. And on top of that, and I'm not saying Josh Miller needs to be replaced by any means, but I know a lot of those guys like to bring in their own people, and I understand that they're in the WBC, that him and Andy Pettitt became really close. I just wanted to hear your thoughts on maybe Mark de rosa manager and Andy Pettitt if they wanted to get rid of Josh Miller pitching coach. Yeah, I mean, you know, in terms of DeRosa,

I appreciate the call. Yeah, I mean, he did a really good job with the WBC, and he's been somebody that's been bandied about for managerial opens in the past. I think that the only thing that kind of scares you off of DeRosa is this would be his first real managerial job. And I look at a situation like this, and we use the college football example for the longest time, like a program like Texas, we can't hire a

first time coach. This is a This is not a job for a first time head coach who's been a proven coordinator somewhere, and I think the Astros probably view open as the same deal. I would probably guess that they will be skewing more towards a manager who has experience. And I know some names have been thrown out, and I know some names have really upset some people out there, But when it's all said and done, I think that's probably the route that they want to go. And who fits that mold that is

out there right now. A name that seems to upset a lot of people, And I'll talk about this a little bit later on is Brad Austmas and I do have some thoughts on that and I will share that here coming up shortly. But also to you know, Jeff Banister, I know he was asked about it as a matter of fact, I'll play that audio for you guys a little bit here in the show as well of what he thinks about

the Astros opening and the possibility of that. And he was able to win in Arlington with the Rangers, and that had said even the other day when he was asked about it by Heesus de loo Orties at the World Series media

day that yeah, he'd like an opportunity again. And I think that probably it's a situation that Jim Crane, which he talked about the other day, and I know that there was the report from Brian McTaggart that this would be an effort spearheaded by Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell, and of course immediately that

was people saying, well, well here comes Brad Oustmas. But Crane the other day at the press conference said me and Dana, So I don't know necessarily what the makeup is going to be of trying to make this meal, but I do think that probably with what he said the other day was in response to the report that we saw from mc taggart, and I think that probably there is an inherent distrust right now in Jeff Bagwell, especially off of

some of the moves that were made last year when he was kind of spearheading the roster building effort before Dana Brown got here. So I get all of that, but in terms of this job as a whole, I personally I think you know, and this is also too, this is not a job

that's going to be easily turned down by people. This is going to be a job that's going to be very coveted, and if people are approached about it, they will absolutely listen, especially with what you have at your disposal of being able to come in and have a roster that is ready to compete again and ready to win the division and ready to be in position to play for huge prizes in the MLB postseason. That's winning the American League, and

that's winning the World Series. And that's something that I think you also have working for you. This isn't a job that I think you need to take the first guy that says yes to you. You don't need to be that desperate. You don't need to be you know, oh hey, what girl's going to say yes to me to go to the homecoming dance. You are the good looking one that's walking down the hallways. You are the one who

has the full dance card. That's how you approach this. If you're the Astros, you approach it of this is a hell of a job, and we need to get a hell of a manager to be able to run this thing. And I think that probably that's what they're trying to work through right now, and we'll see who they settle on when it's all said and done. You know, I said that Chandler Rome is gonna be now I have

butchered the clock. I'm sure that my bosses, Chris Gordy and Brian Erickson are probably yelling at their radios right now, so I'm going to try to get them from yelling at me. So we will actually come back with Chandler Roome next to close out this ten o'clock cour and also too, if any of you want to weigh in, you can do that at someone three two one two five seven ninety. So let's go Chandler Rome next. We will

do that and much more still to come. Right here. It is Sports Talk seven nineties Space City Saturday, on your home of the Astros and the Rockets. Sports Talk seven ninety Space City Saturday continues find Sports Talk seven ninety Carle's getting right to it. Earlier this week on the A Team the Athletics, Chandler Rome joined us with some tidbits on the end of Dusty Baker's tenure with the Astros, but also too what could be next. Here's Chandler Rome

the Houston as this exclusive Astros segment on Sports Talk seven ninety. It's brought to you by Exfinity TENJI, the Next Generation Network. Yes, let's go, Hey, let's go, guys, think it's stop me. I'm all away got something new for you here Today. We're gonna talk some Astros Baseball Chandler Rome of the Athletic who's been with us all year, this year and many years prior, still with us as the Astros during this golden earrow.

We'll be on to manager number three, Dusty Baker's retirement press conference with the owner Chairman Jim Crane and the general manager Dana Brown, one of whom hired him, one of whom did not, and the future of this franchise. Start with if you wouldn't mind, and welcome to the show. Chandler.

Obviously, a lot of time today was spent on looking back at these four years, and quite honestly, strictly from the baseball stampoint, I kind of thought we got the gist of all that we needed from Dusty right out of the gate when he said it kind of went by very quickly because we did a lot of winning, and that is the ultimate of what his time here was. He took a team capable of winning a championship and won a championship. Yeah, I thought today was really appropriate for Dusty. I mean this

he is a legend. He's a guy that is going to be in the Hall of Fame in very short order. And today he he rightly you know, got his flowers, he got his praise, and and it was good. It was nice to see that for him. You know, I think, you know, just kind of thinking back, I don't think people understand just how difficult of a job this was that he walked into. And it wasn't just because of the you know, the sign stealing scandal obviously had a

ton of stuff to do with it. I mean they kind of knew that he was inheriting something pretty unprecedented. But you know, two months into his tenure, COVID hit and everyone's on zoom. This is a guy with a lot of you know, risk factors for the disease as well, and you know, he went out there and he managed, and you know, it made it difficult on him to you know, sometimes get those personal relationships that he's so good with because he just couldn't be around each other at that time.

And for him to kind of shepherd this franchise through COVID, through I mean they had the lockout in twenty twenty one, everything that went on, all the abuse that the team has taken, that the players took, and just you know, the people they lost in this time for Antino, Carlos Correa left, Zach Grinkey left, Garrett Cole left the season before or the winter, Dusty got hired, Garrett Cole left, the transformation, and just

kind of the new faces and the talent that they lost. To win the Division three out of four years, to go to the ALCS all four years, to be in the World Series twice and win it once. It's it's pretty easy to say that Dusty was the perfect manager for the time, for what they needed, for what Jim Crane needed his manager to be. Dusty was the perfect choice, and he succeeded. You can't do better than what

he did. Yeah, it was kind of acknowledged by Jim and his comments about Dusty today, that very thing that you said, you know, you kind of look at some of the other things personnel wise that took place there, you know, Other than four months of twenty twenty three, Justin Erlinander was under contract for Dusty's team the entire rest of the time and barely pitched

for him. Pitched one game in nineteen or twenty his first year, none in twenty one, was awesome in twenty twenty two and won the Cy Young and then this year he was only on the mound for two months. It's amazing how much time was technically spent with him as the ace of this staff that he really couldn't go out there and do anything. A little bit of a similar situation with lancemac colors, and they still ended up winning a lot

of games. I'm curious about how Dusty explained his future, saying he still feels like there's a lot left in baseball for him to give his words. Where I'm stepping away from the field here with the Astros, What could you baseball related envision for him in his future. Yeah, I could see a situation like a special assistant, an advisor or something like that. You know, he did mention Darren today too. Darren his son is pretty close to

making the big leagues there in Washington's. He was in TAA for a good part of this year, so he's going to be maybe getting called up next year, and I think Dusty would like to be around to see that as well, you know, go watch him play as much as he can. He's missed out on a lot. He's missed out on a lot of getting to watch Darren in the minor leagues because that coincided right when he took the

Astros job, when Darren got drafted. So I could see a special assistant, an advisor, you know, maybe something akin to what Reggie Jackson does here for the Astress. I don't know if Dusty's going to stay with the Astros. He does live on the West Coast, he lives in California. Would not be surprised if he wants to stay somewhat closer to home. Maybe maybe latch on with a team there. Who knows. Maybe the Ashers will let him work remote if he wants to. I'm sure they would be open

and amenable to letting him work remote. But Dusty has engendered such a reputation in the game and is so beloved that I think he could pretty much pick whatever job he wants with any team and they let him do basically anything. Is Jeff Bagwell going to pretty much pick whatever manager he wants next? You know, I don't know. I do know that you know he's gonna have a he's gonna have a say. You know, this is I think one thing about today that and you know this is just maybe just being nitpicky,

but I wish and again today was about Dusty Today. I don't begrudge anyone for asking anything other than Dusty questions, but you know, I do wish. You know, Jim Crane was on the podium today, so I was Dana Brown, and we didn't have a ton of time to address everything else, right the manager search, what what the winter is going to look like? Things like that. I wrote it this morning and I think I've said

her on a couple other platforms. With the astros and decisions like this, it's difficult to gauge like who's in the running, who's a favorite, and everything because we never really know who's making the decisions, like is it Jim Crane, is it Jeff Bagwell, is it Dana Brown? Is it some combination of the three? Is it? You know? I asked Jim today how involved he planned to be, and he didn't answer the question. So

rest assure Jim Crane will be very involved. I think Dana Brown will have to say, but it's going to be I don't think this is a situation where Dana Brown's going to go find a manager and go to Jim and say this is what I want to hire, and it's just going to be a rubber stamp process. I think there's gonna be a lot of collaboration and a lot of a lot of minds, a lot of brains and a lot of

minds into this search. So the follow up would be, give me percentages on a Brad awsmas higher as the ASTROS general or at the ASTROS manager. Well, he didn't become a finalist for their general manager's role by accident, you know, he was the other finalist when Dan Brown got the job last winter. Brett Austini's also interviewed when Dusty was hired in twenty twenty. It's

no secret that he and Jeff Bagwell are friends, you know. I and Brad has said to other reporters and to other people that he does want to manage it. He wants to get back into managing. And I mean, this is a this is a this is a pretty you know, this, this is pretty obvious fit. Just when you put two and two together, it's an obvious fit. But as far as percentage chances, again, I don't know. I think they have a lot of candidates that they could consider,

both internal and external. I think maybe the best processes and the best best way to go about, just in my opinion, is to get as much feedback as you can, like, do as many interviews as you can, see as many faces, get as many trains of thought and points of views as you can, then just make the decision from there. You know, Jim Crane said it's going to be a fluid search. It's about the only thing we got out of him about the manager search. So obviously you

know the internal candidates that are there. They have a lot of external candidates with Houston ties outside as well, so there's a wide pool that they could

reach into. It's just I think, you know, my biggest question is how narrow is their focus or are they really going to cast a wide debt just out of curiosity With some of the names that are in that piece you wrote in The Athletic who could be the next manager for the Astros, And I think we recognize some of the ties that some of them might have, maybe with two guys who don't I'm curious about them specifically, the Rangers associate

manager Will Venable, who's been on the interview circuits and including an interview here in Houston over the last couple of years. And Mark Kotze, who is the current manager of the A's also very highly thought I've also had interest from this team. What do you think would take for the Astros to end up hiring either of those two and what makes them candidates strong candidates for this job?

Well, Mark Kotse when they interviewed in twenty twenty and they were interviewing to replace aj Hinch, I had heard from people that were in the process that Mark Kotze really really stood out to them, like he he emerged as

a pretty solid candidate from the beginning. Again, like we talked about earlier in the interview, I think Jim Crane made the right decision and who he hired with Dusty, I think there was only really one person in the game that could have done what Dusty did and so, but Mark Kotz made a lot of good impressions that first time around. You know, there is precedent

for the A's letting a manager under contract, interview elsewhere and leave. Bob Melvin did it two years ago and went to the Padres again, I'm not even sure if the Astros have a legitimate interest in Markotze, but he is someone that you know, the record doesn't suggest it from his age tenure, but he's been given no chance there. The rosters he has he has had not been good. But I mean that team was playing well in September. They came in here and took two or three from the Astros. I think

he saw he kept that team engaged. They played hard for him, and that's the biggest thing you can say about a manager when a team that's got that sort of record is still playing hard. In September, a lot of young guys up playing the game the right way. That was a lot And then you know, Will Venable's kind of he's kind of the next big thing. I think he's the guy that's really been talked about for a lot of managerial openings. Went to Princeton, played ten years in the big leagues and

now is Bruce Bochie's basically right hand man. I know he is. I think I know for a fact he declined the interview with the Mets. I think he also declined the interview with the Guardians. You know, I wrote that, I even wrote this in the piece. You know, Jim Crane, I think he would like to maybe stick it to the Rangers, and he likes to do that when it's a rival or something like that. He likes to be able to have the last laugh. So does Luring, Bruce

Bochie's right hand man. Does that count? Does Will Venable even want to come? I'm not sure, but again he's one of those guys he interviewed in twenty twenty. He's a bright young mind that I think, you know, if I was running the search, you know, I'd want to get as many viewpoints and as many trains of thought and as many different perspectives in

the process as I can. And I think he's certainly someone that he's certainly someone that should warn an interview and someone that would kind of fit the mold I think for what they're looking for a younger a younger guy that is a little bit more analytically tuned, but is not so beholden to the analytics that it's gonna it's gonna destroy him because, like like I said, well Venable

play ten years in the big leagues. This is not a guy that I think is going to go just based on numbers he's got feel, he's got gut, and I think he'd be a I think he'd be an ideal candidate for this job. Maybe Jim Crane can also stick it to the Astros by signing Jordan Montgomery this offseason too. He's well, I think he's going to get more than fifty eight and a half million dollars or whatever that Astros are only allowed to pay free agents, so he's probably gonna he's probably going to

get one hundred and fifty two hundred million dollars. He is, He's made self a lot of money this month, this October never ever changed, Chandler Rome. We appreciate the time as always, all right, thank us chandlerome

here on Sports Talk seven ninety four his weekly visit. He of the Athletic and uh he will no doubt be in the thick of covering this entire thing as it unfolds in front of us, the managerial search and everything else that happens as the Astros try to get back to where they were this time, almost this time last year, becoming World Series champions. Space City Created created

created, Welcome, Welcome to another Space City. Saturday on Sports Talk seven ninety Dan Matthews Live and local Beach Town breakdown on the world that matters to you, Houston Sports or all these great Houston fans here. We love you all, so finish up on that to do list. Lout up the cooler because you can't drink in talk sports all day if you don't start. Now. This is Face City Saturday. It's insane. Here's seven nineties Dan Matthews.

Indeed, as we are live from here at our uptown Galleria Studios leading you up to all day of college football fun. I know that college football games getting going right now, the Aggies and South Carolina game Cocks actually kicking off over in College Station. I know a little bit later on here on your home of the Longhorns in Houston Sports, SOX seven ninety gonna have the

Horns and BYU Cougars coming your way over on KPRC nine fifty. As a matter of fact, right now it is going to be the Cougars and the Kansas State Wildcats taking on each other. So got all that still coming as well. Still want to get into some Texans talk, We will do that also too. Going to continue the Astros conversation and maybe even a little bit of Rockets conversation as well. You can hop in if you want at seven one three, two one two five, at seven ninety if you want to

jump in. And one of the things though, to continue the Astros conversation. And I thought about this last night, and I know that some of you are not going to be on board with this, and some of you will say, all right, fine, you convinced me, And if either of those are where you fall in, then that's fine. But I really just can't think of any wrong reason for if, indeed the Astros managerial hire is Brad Oustmas, for us to say anything other than okay, all right.

And I understand, like I said, what that's going to carry is that there is an inherent distrust right now of Jeff Bagwell in terms of his executive prowess of running this team. I get all of that, but it's also one of those things that I was talking with a buddy of mine who has covered the Tigers for some time and followed the organization, and I just asked him, I said, what was just a simple question to him, I said, what was your overall thoughts of Brad Oustmas when he was the

manager of the Tigers and it was pretty much. I think what Adam Wexler here on the A team, what he had said of Look, when he had good players, he was fine, and when he didn't necessarily have good players, then he struggled a little bit. But this is the part that I think, more than anything, that people are going to have an issue with his thought. His response wasn't a fan of the Tigers hiring a first time manager in a win now aging team mode. But aside from that,

in hindsight, I think he did a pretty good job. His first season twenty fourteen ninety and seventy two the mark that the Astros just had this year, and they were first in the AL Central. Of course they lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the Alds. They finished seventy four and eighty seven, the following year eighty six and seventy five, and in sixty four ninety eight.

In twenty seventeen before he was shown the door, and of course his one season with the La Angels of Anaheim he went seventy two and ninety fourth in the AL West and again shown the door. Here's the other part that I think people won't be the hugest fan of. He wasn't really analytically inclined

back then. Not sure if he has a different philosophy now. And he went even further as well to say, look, you know, simply enjoy Simply demand that your manager be aggressive with base running and responding in high leverage situations with your best relievers. That's pretty much all you need to ask for. And I think that Austmis would be a guy because he's definitely not a guy that lacks for brains. I mean, the guy went to school at

Dartmouth. He definitely has that. He has a baseball pedigree of not only being a former player but also to a guy that has managed, so he checks that box as well. And obviously he is already someone well thought of in that building. You just heard Chandler Rome mention it right there where. He is a guy that was up for the job when they gave it to Dusty in twenty twenty, and also to a guy that when they were making

their GM higher that was also in position to possibly be that guy. So I necessarily look at Austmas and I'm like, is he necessarily any worse than anybody else that you could bring in, Because we've all seen the other names out there that people have thrown out for the Astros possible manager job. You know, Jeff Banister is one of them. I would be fine with that. You know, you've also seen you know, if indeed he could get

out of his deal with the Oakland A's and move on. But Mark cottsay with somebody else that you heard Chandler Rome mention that they thought very highly of And it's a situation two of Just because managers have failed elsewhere does not mean that they're going to fail where they are the next time. I mean, remember when Terry Francona was hired in Boston, it wasn't necessarily a heralded oh

yeah, this is the guy. This is the guy that's gonna make us forget about Grady Little leaving in Pedro Martinez in that game against the Yankees, and eventually Aaron Boone beating us and is going to lead us to finally breaking the curs of forgetting about nineteen eighteen. But he did, and eventually he was the guy that was able to lead them to that point, and he

won two world titles with them. He put himself in position when he was with the Cleveland Now Guardians a chance to be able to win the World Series that year. Of course, they lost to the Cubs in twenty sixteen, but we all think of Terry Francona a lot differently, now, don't we. And another example too, and I heard Matt Thomas bring this up, and it's very much a salient point in this regard that when Joe Torre was hired as the manager the Yankees, there wasn't parades and everybody's saying, oh,

absolutely a great hire. He's a guy that did not do well in Atlanta. He's a guy that didn't really all do all that well when he was the manager of the Cardinals and he finally got the opportunity. And the other part of it as well, is managerial hires only matters so much because it's about this some of the parts that you have. It's about the players. Remember Bill Parcels years ago. If you're gonna ask me to cook the

meal, at least let me buy the groceries. Well, in this case, right here, the groceries and the ingredients to the meal are pretty good

already. And if you have somebody who is capable and can come in and do those things that I just mentioned right there, manage the clubhouse, manage the guys, be able to be sound in terms of situational baseball, that's base running, that's being able to make the decision of sending a guy up for somebody else's a pinch hitter, and also to how you manage the bullpen. And it sounds like that's at least the guy that I talked with was

pretty comfortable with what Brad Osmis did. So if indeed that is the case, it's not going to signal the end for the Astros. And he's not somebody that's, you know, completely in over his head taking this job. He's somebody who has absolutely learned from what he's done in the past, and somebody that if he got another opportunity with a better team, probably could be

able to be in position to be successful. And I know that. For example, when Dusty Baker was hired, I'm sure that people looked at his past and said, oh, man, his management of the bullpen, you know, not being able to get over the hump in the postseason. We did that second part here, and he did it in a huge way by winning the World Series last year. So it's not necessarily a situation with the manager where when someone's hired, a lot of times it usually is the underwhelming

choice is the one who ends up being the best. It's usually the ones that we look at and say, oh, man, home run higher, this is gonna be great, that it doesn't necessarily work out so oh again, like I said the chorus, here, some of the parts are here, and it is a team that is in position to be able to win and win now, and I think they will absolutely be able to do that.

All right, Coming up next, let's get into some Texans talk, because I think tomorrow is actually the largest test of the season for the Texans, and it wouldn't be for a reason, you think. We'll talk about that and much more if you want to weigh in as well. At someone three, two and two five At seven ninety, I'm Dan Matthews. This is Space City Saturday. We are your home of the Astros and the Rockets. This is Sports Talk seven ninety. Welcome back to Space City Saturday one

Sports Talk seven ninety. It is need Space City Saturday, Sports Talks seven ninety. Dan Matthews here with you for about a little under forty five minutes or so. As we continue on with the conversation here and get into a little bit of Texans if you want to weigh in at some one, three, two and two five seven ninety Texans on the road tomorrow, twelve o'clock

kick in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers. And the test for the Texans in this one is getting up for this game, because this is a Carolina Panther team that is the worst in the NFL right now, oh to six on the season, and a rookie quarterback who I think their realization right now is what we had worried about with c J. Stroud, a porous offensive line, a rookie quarterback trying to be able to find their footing in the game.

And it hasn't necessarily gotten going just yet for Bryce Young, whereas c J. Stroud is far and away the runaway candidate for the Rookie of the Year right now. But when you've got a team like the Texans who are still very young and very inexperienced, it's games like this that can be the most dangerous. Because we've seen it in the NFL all season long that it's the old saying, and I try not to do cliche radio with you any given Sunday, anybody can beat anybody in the NFL. And that is the

case. I mean, we've seen it. I mean the Carolina excuse me, the Arizona Cardinals loan win of the season against the Cowboys, a team that people think not only has aspirations to win the NFC East, but to maybe be able to finally get even further in the playoffs and be able to be in position to win the whole thing. And I know some people out there are probably laughing at that. With Dak Prescott as the quarterback. You

gotta be kidding me. Get this guy off the air. But no, I mean, the Cowboys are an incredibly talented team and would have every chance to be able to go for those goals, and they beat them. And it was not a good Sunday for the Cowboys in that regard because it was the lone win for the Arizona Cardinals. But in this case, right here a team where when things are going bad immediately in an NFL locker room, the thing that players look to is saying, I'm fighting for a job.

And that's what probably probably players in Carolina are at this point are saying, is I've got to be able to show what I can do, because in the future, if it's not here in Charlotte with the Carolina Panthers, it's going to be somewhere else. And I've got to be able to show I can play at this level. And that's what players right now in that locker

room are talking about. It Owen six and for the Texans, it's a thing where remember after the second game of the season and the Sexans lost c toity Indianapolis Colts and you had Damiko Rans and you had players talking about, Yeah, we just didn't have the fire today. We just didn't have what we needed to be able to do in order to come out and put out a good performance for our fans and to be able to win this game.

And they talked about that going into the Steelers game, of saying, that's something that we had to do. We had to start fast, we had to keep our crowd in it, and we had to be able to win this game. And I think the same charge is gonna be Adam again tomorrow because human nature does take over in situations like this and you say to yourself, they're zero and six, how how good could they be? They could

be good enough to beat you tomorrow, Absolutely no doubt about it. Texans, a three and a half point favorite on the road, haven't been favorites very much this season, probably won't be favorites very much this season. But this is one of the games that they will be. And that's the charge that you have for CJ. Stroud and for Will Anderson and the young core

that is leading this team at this moment. If you're Demiko Ryans of do not take these guys lightly because four and three is a lot different than three and four. And you get into a part of your schedule two where you're about to be done with this NFC South swing that you're in right now, where at the moment, the Texans are one and one losing to the Falcons, beat the Saints, bye week. Now you get this opportunity and then the following week, following week, you're gonna be taking on the Tampa Bay

Buccaneers. But that is what the charge is for a young team like this who is continuing to try to learn how to win. Let's go on the way back here for a second. Remember when the Texans were knocking on the door to make the playoffs, and we thought that two thousand and nine. That was the year. That was when this team was going to finally be

able to knock down the door and make the playoffs. And they had kind of an up and down season where they would win some games that they probably weren't supposed to win, and then they would lose games that they were probably supposed to win. And in this case right here, I think that you're probably looking at it with a team that is trying to put themselves in position

to play for and win meaningful games in November. I said before the season began, and I put it up on Sports Talk seven to ninety that I said, probably you're looking at a seven to ten football team. And I'm not going to break down the schedule from here, but they're three and three at this moment, and I said that the ultimate goal for this team this

season would be playing meaningful football games in November and December. And if this team is doing that, and if we're going through our weekends and then it's a Sunday where you say no more Honeydewes noon, I got to be in front of the TV because I got to see this team play. A huge reason for that is the guy that wears number seven c J. Stroud because he has played even better than I think even the coaches inside the building over

there at NRG Stadium had hoped that they could see from him. He's been unreal. He's been even better than advertised in most cases of how good he could be this season. And that's the reason why they sit where they sit with wins on the road over the Jags, of course, the win at home over the Steelers, and then the win a couple of weeks ago against the New Orleans Saints. That you go into a game like this and I think that, if nothing else, the message has to be we haven't accomplished

anything yet. There is still much more to be gained from this season, and if you're going to put yourself in position to play in some of those games that I just mentioned, a game like this tomorrow is a huge part of that. When you're favored and when you are in position to be able

to win these games, you got to take advantage of those chances. And that is the charge that they're going to have tomorrow of it's going to show growth in this team if they are able to be up for this game and they are able to go in there and control it and win and get after Bryce Young. I mean, I know that some people have looked at to Will Anderson and said, hey, could tomorrow you know, be able to

add to the sack total. It should because, like I said, this is a team that right now is realizing what people had worried about with CJ. Stroud behind this offensive line. It's been the case this season for the Carolina Panthers. It has been a rough go so far to this point for Bryce Young, and it is also too something for them where they are. The other thing that you look for on an NFL team is you look for a reason to feel good. There's a reason why in the buildings they have

victory Mondays is because it's hard to do in this league. And that is a team that is looking at the Texans and saying, hey, it's a team that's kind of in our same situation right here. They're building. They're trying to be able to create a culture of winning in their building, much like we're trying to do here. Let's kind of rejump start our season and be able to try to take this game, and they're going to have every

effort to try to do that tomorrow. I mean, Adam Dielan playing incredibly well for the Carolina Panthers, and the Texans are going to be facing a test in that regard where that's going to be a team that is trying tooth

and nail to be able to win this game. And for the Texans, again, it's the mark of if I see a team that comes out tomorrow and is prepared and is firing and is putting themselves in position to be able to get a convincing win on the road, then I'm going to probably believe in this team even more because again four and three coming back home for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, that's a lot better of a feeling. I gotta believe that that building will probably have a little bit more juice in it if indeed that is the case and the Texans are able to do that. But that is the test that I feel like is in front of them tomorrow

is are you going to be able to get up for this game? And that is going to be what the Texans are going to try to put in themselves in position to try to do, because again, it is a situation where if you lose that game, you probably look at this team and say hmmm, Probably not necessarily where I would hope they would be at this point.

But again, that shows growth when you have situations like this facing your football team and you're able to go out there and handle business, and if they're able to do that tomorrow, then again the belief meter turns up even more. All right, let's get back into the Astros conversation. As we heard from Chandler Rome a little bit earlier, but another Astro writer joined us this week right here on your Home of the Astros Sports Talk seven ninety.

Brian McTaggart joined The Matt Thomas Show as he has an idea of what's ahead this offseason for the hometown baseball club. You will hear that next right here. It is Space City Saturday of Dan Matthews on Your Home the Astros and the Rockets Sports Talk seven ninety. This is Space City Saturday on Sports Talk

seven ninety. Sports Talks seven ninety, your home of the Astros and the Rockets, the first team that I just mentioned right there, although we'll get into a little bit of Rockets conversation, but first let's hear from Brian McTaggart, who joined the Matt Thomas Show. Earlier this week, you Siro. This exclusive Astros segment on Sports Talk seven ninety is brought to you by a spin Aty Tenji, the Next Generation Network. Yes, let's go, Hey,

Let's go guys. One O three Sports Talk SEVENINTI our final appearance of the twenty twenty three season with Brian McTaggart of MLB dot Com. Brian, thanks for the time. It's been great working with you all season long. Obviously, I don't think any huge surprise about Dusty Banker, any revelations from the press conference that you can explain to our audience that kind of took you a gas or was it kind of much pretty much as advertised about how Dusty

broke down the remaining moments of his career as a Houston Astros manager. Yeah, it went. It went pretty much as I thought it would. I mean, it was like thirty minutes and probably twenty seven of that was Dusty going down memory lane. And you know a lot of the stories we've heard before, you know about Hank Aaron and Jay Bruce and Bill Walsh and everybody in between. I guess the takeaway maybe is that he thought about he started

to think about retirement last winter. I mean I think, you know, he kind of told everybody he was going to go for two because he wanted to match Seedo Gaston and went back to back championships, one of his mentors. But I guess the most interesting comment he said right after that is there were some instances or some things written late in summer that helped push them over

the top. So not exactly sure what that meant. I mean, Dusty was treated exceptionally well by the media here, you know, through all four years. In fact, when the press conference ended, there were about thirty media members that bum rushed the podium for selfies and I think somebody even give him a gift. So I think the media had treated him pretty well based on what I saw. Yeah, that was a little weird, and that's fine to each his own. Again, when he is out of his most

affable, he's a great storyteller. He knows everybody. We had some great business on this radio show. But I think there were people around him, maybe a son, maybe some friends that did spend a lot of time looking at articles and uh, I think a lot of the wear and tear of

the Chas McCormack relationship was part of it. I also believe a lot of it was defending Martine Malmano playing so much over yarn there, das and and you know, for a guy like Dusty that has been around, been there, done that as both the player and as a manager, when you get a little bit older and people still question a thing like a lineup card, not to the not viciously. I mean, there were some Astro fans that did that, but generally speaking, the media that covered them were respectful of

it. Uh. I think that probably took its toll way more than he would ever let it let it on to be. Yeah, I think I think he got tired of asking questions about the lineup and why he was told that a few times like now I'm answer these questions, and there was you know, he's one of the like most managers or even players, they're like they tell y'all, I don't read anything you write. I don't read it. But quite the minute something you know, they feel as negative, then

he's like, woll why did you do that? Why did you write that? There there was a case. You know, Dusty says he hasn't anything about him since nineteen seventy seven, I think, but there was a case in the middle of the season where we were in his office after a road game and there was an article printed out with some things highlighted on his desk. So I think you're right. There is somebody that was, you know,

giving him some articles. Hey look at this, and you know, for all the positive articles that were written, I don't think those were being put in front of him. It was probably the negative ones. I mean, that's the way the world works. But regardless, I mean, great run for Dusty. I mean he came here during a very turbulent time and I think he was the right man to a job at the time, and for ALCS one a World Series. And you know, he said he wanted

to leave things better than when he got here. Yea, I think he did, because when he got here things were in a lot of turmoil. Brian McTaggart of MLB dot com recover the Ashros for astros dot Com with us here on Sports Talk seven to ninety And of course that in turn means Brian,

that the Astros are looking for a manager. You've written it, others have as well, that it's going to be Jim Crane with the final say and a lot of influence from Jeff Bagwell, what direction do you think this goes as far as top candidates, How heavily will a guy like Brad Austmas being involved, and how do you think this manager managerial sturge plays out? Yeah, I mean I think they'll relatively quickly. I mean I think they

would just like to get somebody in place, get the offseason started. I mean, they really can't a house anything until after the World Series, which doesn't mean they can't here a few people. I think we'll see the interviews starting, uh, pretty quickly. I think it's going to be a collaborative effort. I mean, you know, at the end of the day, it's Jim Crane's team and he's going to decide. Uh, you know,

he's got to sign off on who the manager is. Dana Brown's going to have He's going to have a say, And I think there's part of Jim Crane that wants Dana Brown to put, you know, a stamp on his team a little bit and bring in his own manager. And if Crane's okay with that, he'll he'll he will be. But yeah, I think Austina's will be a candidate. I mean, he's a guy that's interviewed for the GM and the manager spot and I think he was a finalist for both.

Very tight with Jeff Bagwell, of course, you know, I think Joe Spot has got to be at the top of the list. He's paid his dues. I asked I remember the front office today specifically about a spot, and I got a pretty interesting comment. He said, well, the player is going to play for him. I don't. I'm not saying that as an indictment on Joe Spot. It's just that's one of the questions that they're asking the other player is going to play for this guy or that guy?

You know Jeff Banister's interview before he's the Dback's bench coach. He's from here. I would be shocked if he doesn't try to get in the mix. You know guys former managers like uh, you know Andy green Wise, he was in Colorado's now with the Braves. I named to watch is Eric Young, the first base coach of the Braves who played high school baseball with with Dana Brown. I would be surprised if he would not get an interview.

I don't know if he's ready to be a manager or not. He's learned a he's learned a lot, you know, from his time in Atlanta on that staff from Ron Washington. So he might get a shot, but I think they'll cast a white net and it's gonna be a coveted job because it's a team that you come in next year, turnkey, and he's going to be in the position to win another championship. Interest comment there on Joe Aspota,

why do you think he is? Somebody who has interviewed at a number of other places the last couple of seasons, and it just feels like it's with the success that they've had and the fact that he's been here would almost feel like a shoe win that Joe Aspota would be maybe the next man up. But it just we're not necessarily getting that feel. Yeah, I agree. I don't know why. I mean, he's interviewed I think for at least seven or eight jobs the last three or four years. I mean,

I thought for sure he was going to get to Miami job. Last year. I think he almost got the White Sox job before they hired Tony LaRusso, which turned out to be a disaster. You know, I'm not sure what goes on in the interviews or what have you. But you know, he's very qualified. He comes. You know, he's got a lot of experience on a couple of different benches with a couple of different teams. He's worked under two different worlds here, he's winning managers. Now, I think

he's ready. He's a great communicator, he's a great guy. I know the players like him in respect. So, you know, doesn't get a chance here. You know, I just wonder if he's gonna move on and go somewhere else or maybe throwing another staff because you know he's had a couple of manager openings here now, well he's been here and he hasn't gotten that shot yet. So or I guess one. I guess with Dusty, So

I think he's going to be at the top of the list. But like I said, they're going to bring in other guys to see what's out there, and there's gonna be a lot of people blowing up Jim Cranstone that want to be the manager at astres Brian mctagger with his MLB dot Com of the Matt Thomas O'Brien, you're with his team every single day. It feels like, So you tell me you've been in that clubhouse. You got twenty six egos in that group. You've got coaches, you've got a front office,

it's going to have egos in it as well. What type of manager with that, particularly naming a name suits this organization best, well, I think number one that they're going to need a manager who I think is a little bit more collaborative with the front office. I mean we saw that with UH. With with Dusty, I think he obviously he butted heads with James Click,

and James Click and Crane weren't on the same page. But I think even with Dana Brown in the what ten months Dana Brown's been on the job, that Dusty and Dana Brown didn't always see eyd eye and I think there was some friction there. So Number one, I think they're going to bring in a manager who who is in line with their goals, that they're all in the same page analytically, they're on the same page with lineups and who

should be playing. You know, it's pretty tough when you have a manager and then the GM comes in and the manager is such an established presence in the game, and somebody that the owner UH brought in during such a turbulent time he's got He's got a lot of sway in power. Dusty Baker did, so it was probably a tough situation for Dana Brown. But going back to what I said before, Dana Brown's gonna have a huge stamp in this. He's gonna he's gonna, you know, want to bring in somebody that

works with him. And I think that is the number one thing we're gonna see. They're gonna have to have a collaborative front office and managerial office chair because they just haven't had that in the last few years. If Brian Ostmas is a serious candidate, wouldn't that basically give everyone in this that as much as Dana Brown may be holding the title of GM, that Jeff Bagwell would have as much power, if not more than Dana if indeed Brad gets the

job because he was a finalist under two different situations. Yeah, I mean, I think he could certainly make that leap. I mean you could also make the case that, you know what, if he interviews and you know these Dana Brown gets blown away by Brad Ostma sor he thinks, you know,

this is the right guy for the job. But you know, but uh, yeah, I think certainly with Bagwell's influence that he's at least going to get an interview, and the fact that he was a finalist a couple of times lead you believe that Jim Crane thinks highly of him as well. Ultimately, I don't think he will get the job. I think we'll go in a different direction. I'm not sure what direction they're going to go. I mean, I think certainly they're going to go younger. I don't see

Buck show Walter coming in here. I just think they're going to get a younger analytical and like I said, somebody who's going to be on the same page with the front office. And there's gonna be some changes in the front office too, and there already has been. So I think when we get the spring training, a lot things are gonna look different. Dana Brown's gonna put his stamp on a lot of things, and he and the manager are definitely gonna have to be aligned. You mentioned the alignment. It has to

be in play because it hasn't been the last couple of years. Do you think there will be a super analytical manager here or just as based on relationships about Hey, I see your side of things, you see my side of things, because, let's face it, Aj was a very successful manager here because he and Jeff shared a lot of the same sentiments about the analytics of baseball. Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, I think that's what

they're looking for. I don't think they're going to, you know, bring in some you know, baseball nerd who doesn't you know, look good on a uniform or doesn't know what he's doing. I mean, they're going to bring in, you know, somebody that's I think somebody has probably got some experience. But one of the issues with Dusty was was the lineups and and Dana Brown wanted him to play ir Diaz more and he didn't, and you know that just you know, led to you know, some arguments and things

here and there. So I don't think that was healthy for anybody in the front office or the coaching staff. So they're gonna bring in somebody who's who's gonna understand what they're trying to do and put the best players in position to succeed, because that wasn't always the case. I think the last few months. All right, rossting else from you, I think I'm good. Thank you, Matt. That's it. No, man, Matt you go ahead. No, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna I'm just gonna give him.

Uh. Are you gonna be going to Galvison, Bay Brut and Brian mctager. I hope I will see you out there a few times. Yes, well, I uh the season ended Monday night and I was there on Tuesday night, had a couple of the Octoberfests. Uh. You know, the Octoberfest is gonna be there until they get tapped out, so I'm trying to I'm trying to get my Otoberfest. Philip. Yeah, I'll be out there. I'll be out there from time to time, so uh yeah, hit

me up. All right, very good, Brian. Great having you with us, and we're gonna bug you over the course of the offseason when big things happen, my friend, talk to you soon. All right, sounds good. Thanks guys, appreciate it. You got it all right. Brian mctagger with us here on the NB beat with the Astros dot Com and was always a great visitor with us here Thursdays on the show. All right.

Brian McTaggert, who was on with the Matt Thomas Show, as he had some good information there for what could be ahead all right, coming up next to close out this edition of Space City a Saturday. Some remember this guy fondly, and they should. But if you're not giving the same treatment to this guy, I think you're doing it wrong. We will close it out by talking about this right here on your home of the Astros and the Rockets

Sports Talk seven ninety. Space City Saturday continues on Sports Talk seven ninety Sports Talks seven nineties Space City Saturday. Dan Matthews here with you for another a few minutes. Heard from Brian mctagger today, heard from Chandler Rome, of course, two great guests that join us every week here on your home of

the Astros Sports Talk seven to ninety. During the season, of course, we'd had visits all year with Jeff Blum, and you know, it's one of those things that once the baseball season is over, it's the time of the year where the days are shorter, the weather is cooler, all of those different types of things. But then soon enough, as soon as football season ends, that's when it's time to get fired back up for baseball season. So it's good and the bad with your season being over. I mean

the bad is obviously it's over. Your team's not playing anymore. But then the good you don't have to wait that long. I mean football. The off season in football is an eternity, right, I mean, because the season ends for most in December. College it's over in January if you're the lucky few, and then you've got to wait all the way until next Labor Day to get things fired up again. But I don't have to do that in baseball. That's the good thing. Dusty should be remembered more fondly than

aj Hinch. There I said it. I mean, we remember aj Hinch incredibly fondly, as we should. He won the first world title for this team. He had jump started the success of this organization on the field that we had never seen in the history of this organization. Sure they'd made the postseason, Sure they'd won divisions, they'd done all those different types of things, but it was not to the level of what we saw during aj Hinch's

tenure every single year in the ALCS. And I know that the first season it got started on a rocky notes when they finished the truncate at COVID at twenty twenty season under five hundred, they made the postseason, they dispatched the Oakland A's who had been talking all that mess and everything, all their little social media e clips on the NBC Sports Bay Area page and everything else of

the sort. Well, the Astros went out there, they took care of business, and then they made almost miraculous down three to zero comeback against the Rays, and we're just unable to win Game seven to move on for a chance to claim another World title. Following year the World Series, then the year after that, the third year, the best year of all a World Series and a historically great season for the Astros that year, and this year

a game away from making the World Series. And I understand the shortcomings that people are gonna point out with Dusty Baker, his lineup. I mean, the way he used Martine Maldonado, even the way that he handled the pitching staff, all of those different things. I understand that that's going to come

into the fold. But I threw this out on social media, both Facebook and Twitter earlier this week, and I said it, fun fact, you're gonna hate the next manager, and you're gonna hate the next manager after that, and you're gonna and you're going to have, you know, not the greatest things to say about any manager, because I feel like baseball managers are a lot like offensive coordinators in football, that everybody looks at the shortcomings for

them. How could you put John Singleton in that spot? What are you thinking? How could you not use Justin Verlander in that spot? What are you thinking? All of those things nobody ever says, Man, you know why they won that game. They won that game because of great managerial work by the manager. And that's just part of it. It's not a dusty thing. It's not just him getting the slings and arrows that nobody else got.

He got them as much as anybody else. I will be the first one to say, with aj Hinch of that twenty seventeen or excuse me, twenty nineteen World Series chance of going to Will Harris in that spot, and you had a disgruntled Garrett Cole in the bullpen who was saying I should have been used, and I wanted to be used, and I told them that I had a couple of innings left in me. All of those things, and that's the thing that we're gonnappoint you as I just did right there.

But in terms of Dusty Baker's tenure, with the Astros. It should be remembered exactly the way at the organization has remembered him, the way that I think the overwhelming majority of fans have remembered his time as the Astros manager, and most importantly the players, because you've seen almost to a man, every

single player who played for him during their time here. I think even Julie Guriel jumped in as well, if I'm not mistaken on Instagram, but almost every single player has reached out with their support of saying love that guy really

enjoyed playing for him, because I think they did. And when you factor in everything, I mean what we heard from Jim Crane the other day during the press conference when they made his retirement official, he was the right man for the job at the time because you were looking at the time, fair or not, at a baseball world looking at you and looking down on you in terms of what had been revealed through the twenty seventeen cheating scandal, and

you needed somebody to be able to try to rescue your reputation from the dirt, and Dusty did that in and he continued to be the same class manager that he had been all throughout his career and somebody who is so widely regarded in all of baseball, and not only in baseball. I mean I posted this yesterday on the seven ninety Twitter account being over at basketball media day for

the UH Cougars. First question that Kelvin Sampson was asked about his thoughts on Dusty, and he went on for about a minute and a half about not only his admiration for Dusty as a manager, but also Dusty as a guy. I mean, this is somebody else who is also in a leadership leadership position and trying to lead a program like Kelvin Sampson is. And we've seen the UH basketball program retights that hadn't been reached since the five Slama Jama days.

But the nice things that are being said right now about Dusty should only continue and every single time he comes back, because there will be a day

I'm sure that probably he is back in the building. I'm sure as we've seen with people throwing out first pitches or even two to do the let's play ball call on the field, every time that happens, he should be met with nothing other than a standing ovation of Hey, you know what, Dusty, thank you so much because you were outstanding, and I understand the other

parts of it as well. I mean, we just heard from Brian McTaggart right there, and I know that Dusty was asked during his press conference about his treatment from the media and some of it too. I had made this comment I think even on air, that Dusty kind of had a football coaches approach to dealing with the media. Football coaches, for the most part, don't even want to let you know that there's going to be a game on that Saturday or Sunday. You ask him about injuries, they're going to side

step it. You ask him about personnel, they're going to side step it. You ask him about an individual player and just what they mean to the team, Then of course they're going to wax poetically because it's a chance to be able to tap up one of their guys and put them over the top. And I understand that that type of tact is going to rubbed some people the wrong way, but it's the way that he decided. And it's also

too it obviously came from experience. I mean I was warned when I first got here in August of Yeah, the two things he doesn't necessarily want to answer questions to are injuries in the lineup, and somebody surmised that maybe that was because he felt like he was burned in the past in terms of answering

either of those questions. And this is somebody that had a ton of experience in the managerial spot with the Giants, with the Cubs, with the Nationals, with the Reds, and again too when the hire was made at the time, I'm sure a lot of people looked at it and said, a guy, that's that's been you know, a journeyman, you know, manager in this game. That's who we're going to turn to after aj Hinch.

So, you know, as it goes forward now, and like I said, as we continue to see the names so and so is interviewing with the team today, and we'll probably see a lot of those this week, would be my guest, and I would probably have to guess that shortly after the World Series is over, we'll be back over at Minute Made Park for a press conference announcing the next manager of the team. And as things progressed throughout the off season. But like I said, I think if nothing else,

you can remember him. However, you want to remember Dusty Baker's tenure with the team. I'm going to remember him as somebody that was outstanding in terms of the way that he was able to lead this organization through a really uncertain time. And I think when it's all said and done, it was incredibly like what Kelvin Sampson said yesterday, job well done, because yes it was job well done. He was outstanding. All right. That's going to do

it for us here on Space City Saturday. I want to thank Adam Snyder behind the glass also too. It was good to hear from Chandler Rome and also from Brian McTaggart. The two hours they came and they went, and we will do it all again next Saturday. Dan Matthews, it was a lot of fun hanging out with you all again. We'll do it again next week right here on your home of the Astros and the Rockets Sports Talk seven ninety. Enjoy the Longhorn game a little bit later on today and enjoy your Saturday