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Matching entries from Houston's Clear Thinkers
The incredible lightness of the Chron's pre-season Texans coverage
This past Sunday's edition of the Chronicle marked the beginning of what is arguably the most mind-numbing portion of the sporting year -- the five-week period of media coverage of football practice prior to the start of the National...
Advantage Cartwright
Texas Monthly's Gary Cartwright caught my eye recently with this op-ed in which he bemoans the decline of sports writing in Texas. I mean really. Can anyone who regularly reads the sports pages of Texas newspapers make a good...
Is this really the best that the Chronicle can do for its lead sports columnist?
Remember awhile back when Chronicle lead sports columnist Richard Justice defamed Stephanie Stradley, a very good local blogger on the Texans and the NFL who now blogs at the Chronicle? Well, ol' Richard is at it again. This time...
Say what, Richard Justice?
The Chronicle's primary sports page columnist, Richard Justice, is gushing over the Houston Rockets' management now that the local club has seized first place in the NBA's Southwest Division going into the last ten games of the regular season:...
Marathon madness
The annual running of the Houston Marathon is this weekend, so the Houston Chronicle is running its typical series of supposedly inspiring stories about various participants. A couple of days ago, the story was about a couple of folks...
Football or P.R. Genius?
Richard Justice has already deemed him a genius. Earlier this month, he visited President Bush in the White House and, on Sunday night, he will be profiled on CBS-TV's 60 Minutes. Even Michael Lewis has bought in to the...
Richard Justice crosses the line
As regular readers of this blog know, I have often wondered why Chronicle sports columnist Richard Justice is writing about sports. He is highly subjective in his views, does not back them up with objective facts and doesn't reason...
Justice fumbles again
Even when chronically-wrong Chronicle sports columnist Richard Justice gets something right, he immediately follows it with more poorly-reasoned blather. In this blog post, Justice pays tribute to former Texas Tech football coach Spike Dykes, who is truly one of...
Stros 2008 Season Review, Part Four
After falling apart during the third fifth of the 2008 season, the Stros (64-64) made an unexpected rebound during the fourth fifth of the season, going 20-13 over that stretch. Although the Stros' recent play was more fulfilling to...
Richard Justice's Kumbaya Weekend
Allow me to ask the following question again: Why is Richard Justice allowed to write about sports for a major metropolitan newspaper? This weekend's Justice missives were particularly banal, which is saying something when it comes to his writings....
T-Mac for MVP?
The incongruity of Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice writing about sports has been a frequent topic on this blog, so I don't much bother anymore keeping up with his often baseless observations about the local sporting scene. However, on the...
The products of an entertaining form of corruption
Inasmuch as the corrupt sponsorship of big-time football and basketball by academic institutions is a common topic on this blog, the following articles caught my eye: The Chronicle's Richard Justice surveys several of the ugly recent incidents in big-time college...
2007 Weekly local football review
(AP photo; previous weekly reviews here) Texans 42 Jaguars 28 The Texans (8-8) beat the Jaguars (11-5) junior varsity team to achieve their first non-losing season in the team's six year history. The difference in this one was two kickoff...
2007 Weekly local football review
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip; previous weekly reviews here) Texans 28 Buccaneers 14 The Buccaneers (8-5) had the incentive of being able to sew up the NFC South Division title with a win over the Texans (6-7) on Sunday afternoon at...
2007 Weekly local football review
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey; previous weekly reviews are here) Titans 28 Texans 20 Let's see here. The Texans (5-7) lose another game on their way to their sixth straight losing season and lose their starting QB Matt Schaub to injury. Schaub...
Why is Richard Justice analyzing sports, part II
Chronicle sports columnist Richard Justice's inability to analyze the subject that he covers has been a common topic on this blog (see also here and here). Following up on that theme, Matt over at DGDB&D provides this clever post on...
2007 Weekly local football review
(AP Photo/Dave Einsel; previous weekly reviews here) Titans 38 Texans 36 The local mainstream media view of the Texans (3-4) -- most recently reflected by Richard Justice's Sunday column of yesterday (see also this earlier column) -- is that the...
The Chronicle's vacuum of baseball analysis
It may be football season, but that doesn't stop Chronicle sports columnists from continuing to bludgeon us with their seemingly insatiable capacity to analyze the Stros and matters relating to Major League Baseball badly. First, there is this blog post...
I spoke too soon
As soon as I acknowledge one of Chronicle NFL columnist John McClain's rare good columns in the previous post, he serves this blog post entitled "Texans should be embarrassed after 26-16 defeat" in response to the Texans' loss yesterday at...
More from the real Texans cheerleading squad
In mid-December of last year, with two games to play in the 2006 NFL season, the Texans looked deader than a doornail and not like a particularly well-coached team. The Texans closed the season by upsetting the Colts and beating...
Sports talk radio overload
Why on earth are there now four sports talk radio stations in Houston? Chronicle sports media columnist David Barron reports (related blog post here) on the rather rocky first day of the city's newest sports talk radio station: KGOW (1560...
Dissecting the Stros' woes
The Stros (40-54) won last night for the first time in five games since the All-Star Break, which has put the club in contention for the worst record in Major League Baseball this season. That performance prompted Baseball Prospectus to...
What's the excuse?
Despite the fact that Craig Biggio (-9 RCAA/.271 OBA/.382 SLG/.653 OPS) has been one of the least productive hitters (-28 RCAA) among regular National League players over the past season and a half, I at least understand the Stros' decision...
Why is Richard Justice analyzing sports?
One of the many curious aspects about the Houston Chronicle is that the local newspaper employs Richard Justice as a sports reporter and columnist. We already know that he has trouble evaluating baseball (see also here) and football. So, today...
Is there such a thing as
Texans Underexpectation Syndrome?
Maybe it's simply because the Texans have been one of the NFL's worst expansion franchises in modern times. Maybe it's because of the scars from the Tony Boselli deal. Or perhaps the Philip Buchanon deal. Maybe it's just because of...
Richard Justice, Texans Cheerleader
Following this post from last month, the Chronicle's Richard Justice continues to lead the cheerleading (see also here) for the Houston Texans: Times have changed. The Texans have this city's best owner in Bob McNair. They have competent people in...
Richard Justice, Texans Cheerleader
As noted in this earlier post, Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice was a devoted supporter of the Charlie Casserly tenure as Texans general manager far beyond the time that most reasoned observers had concluded that Texans ship was leaking profusely. After...
Batter up! Stros 2007 Season Preview
Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, so it's time for my fourth annual Stros season preview (previous season reviews are here, here and here). Thankfully, it's not been as tumultuous an off-season as the previous one, but there...
Lopez on McNair's Carr miscalculation
Following on this weekend post on the end of the David Carr era for the Houston Texans, John Lopez -- who for my money is the Chronicle's best sportswriter -- provides this column that provides the type of insight (i.e.,...
The end of the Carr era
The David Carr era of the Houston Texans came to a merciful end yesterday as the Texans released Carr, the team's first NFL draft pick in its five year history. I didn't agree with the Texans decision to take Carr...
Jody Conradt steps down
Longtime University of Texas women's basketball coach Jody Conradt resigned on Monday, ending a coaching career at UT that spanned 31 years and produced 900 wins, a national championship with an undefeated team in 1986, 21 NCAA tournament appearances, three...
Lidge risk
One of the favorite pastimes of folks who follow the Stros is to psychoanalyze reliever Brad Lidge. Some folks are now suggesting that a physical might be in order. Everyone who follows the Stros knows the Lidge story. In 2004,...
Is Jose de Jesus Ortiz Brad Ausmus' press agent?
We already know that the Chronicle's beat writer for the Stros -- Jose de Jesus Ortiz -- is not very good at evaluating baseball players. But this puff piece out of the box this year on the Stros' chronic albatross...
Richard Justice, Andy Pettitte's press agent
It's hard to keep up with the sloppy and illogical analysis of Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice, so usually I don't even try to do so. However, sometimes it spills over to such an extent that it simply can't be ignored....
2006 Weekly local football review
Texans 13 Jaguars 10 If I didn't know better, I'd think that the Texans (3-6) have the Jaguars' (5-4) number. In a game that stands for the proposition that you don't have to play great offensively to win when the...
Richard Justice goes batty again
As noted here and here earlier, Chronicle sports columnist Richard Justice comes uncorked at the darndest times. Take Justice's recent blog post on why the Stros should not make a play for disgruntled New York Yankees star, Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez...
Missing the point on Preston Wilson
The Stros mercifully waived Preston Wilson over the weekend, who has been one of the worst-producing regularly-playing outfielders in the National League this season (Wilson's .714 OPS was 79th in the National League among regular players). The news would not...
More Chronicle Cheerleading for the Texans
After Richard Justice's fawning column yesterday on new Texans' receiver Eric Moulds, Chronicle columnist John McClain gets into the cheerleading act today as he states the following regarding Texans placekicker Kris Brown in his daily report on the Texans' practice:...
Cheerleading for the Texans
As regular as the sun rising, the Chronicle sports staff reverts to hometown cheerleaders during each pre-season training camp of the Houston Texans, chloroforming readers with puff pieces such as this Richard Justice column on new Texans wide-receiver, Eric Moulds....
Those dang baseball expectations
People who follow baseball love to talk about possible trades of players, particularly when the hometown club isn't doing well, as is the case with the Stros this season. That's certainly been the case in Houston over the past couple...
A classy Houstonian makes the Hall of Fame
The best radio announcer that the Houston Astros Baseball Club has ever had -- Gene Elston -- will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today in Cooperstown, NY. Here is my previous post on Elston at the time...
Richard Justice's revisionist thinking
Chronicle sports columnist Richard Justice wrote the following answer to a question in his blog recently (toward the end of the blog post): I love [disabled Stros slugger Jeff Bagwell] to death, but his big contract and him not wanting...
Bye-bye Reggie; Hello Mario
Although perhaps not always fulfilling, things are certainly always interesting over at Texansville. In a stunning development, the Texans ignored conventional wisdom and threw today's National Football League draft into chaos by signing North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams...
Stros 2006 Review, Part One
This is my first periodic review or the Stros' season in my third straight year of blogging the club, and the first 10% of the season has has initially justified my generally rosy pre-season outlook. The club has burst out...
Houston is a baseball hotbed
Although the Stros have been one of Major League Baseball's best clubs over the past 12 years of the Biggio-Bagwell era, what is not as well-known outside of baseball circles is that the Houston area has become one of the...
Batter up! Stros 2006 Season Preview
It's Opening Day today in Houston as the Stros take on the Marlins this afternoon at Minute Maid Park, so it's time for my annual preview of the Stros upcoming team and season (last season's preview is here). Let's first...
The risk of being a baseball icon
As noted earlier here, objective research does not support the current conventional wisdom that widespread steroid use in Major League Baseball is largely responsible for the home run records that were set over the past decade. Nevertheless, while continuing to...
Bags to start season on DL
As predicted by this earlier post, first baseman Jeff Bagwell -- the greatest player in the 46-year history of the Houston Astros franchise -- announced today that he would begin the 2007 season the disabled list and that his arthritic...
More on the Bagwell muddle
Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice continues in this column with his illogical broadsides on Stros owner Drayton McLane over whether the best player in Stros history -- Jeff Bagwell -- is disabled from playing Major League Baseball (previous posts here, here...
More muddled thinking on the Bagwell situation
The Chronicle's Richard Justice -- who ignited a remarkable amount of muddled thinking regarding the Stros' claim under the club's disability insurance policy on its star firstbaseman, Jeff Bagwell (related post here) -- continues with the nonsense in his column...
The Bagwell non-issue
The silliness about the Stros-Jeff Bagwell situation continues over at Richard Justice's blog: And the Drayton McLane-Jeff Bagwell dispute is a story with legs. What if the insurance claim is rejected, and Bagwell ends up on the field in spring...
What's exactly so "ugly" about the Bags-Stros situation?
Why do some media reporters make up disputes where none exist in connection with an already newsworthy story? In his most recent column, Chronicle columnist Richard Justice updates the status of Stros firstbaseman and future Hall-of-Famer, Jeff Bagwell. As regular...
What's the deal with Richard Justice?
Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice -- who still has a difficult time accepting Stros owner Drayton McLane's decision of over a year ago not to retain former Stros GM Gerry Hunsicker -- rarely misses an opportunity to slam McLane and current...
2005 Weekly local football review
Texas Longhorns 40 Texas A&M Aggies 29 The 5-6 Ags came up with an unexpectedly spirited performance for me behind redshirt freshman QB Stephen McGee (pictured) and true freshman RB Jovorskie Lane before the 11-0 Horns put the clamps on...
Examining the train wreck that is the Texans
Recent posts here, here and here have noted the lack of research and insight in recent articles by Chronicle NFL beat writer John McClain and columnist Richard Justice on the subject of the woeful Houston Texans. Into that vacuum of...
Richard Justice said what?
Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice says some of the darndest things. Take the following quotes from today's column on the current state of the hapless Houston Texans: "The Texans are respectable. They're coming close. They've got four 2-7 teams left on...
A snarky week in Strosland
Kevin Whited and I have been shaking our heads this week over the barbs that have been being flying to and from the Stros' front office. The Stros' front office hasn't been involved in this kind of flame war since...
"Houston to Coach Briles, are you with us?"
For the sake of the University of Houston football program, I am hoping that head football coach Art Briles had his tongue placed squarely in his cheek during his weekly radio show Wednesday described by Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice: "OK,...
Andruw Jones for MVP?
I enjoy the writing of Chronicle sportswriter Richard Justice, but he occasionally gets carried away, as with this note on his blog today: "Andruw Jones will be the National League's Most Valuable Player. The balloting won't be close if voters...
Stros 2005 Review: Critiquing the Stros
Although the Stros (20-32) just won their second series in a row, the club is clearly not a contender for a playoff spot this season. Thus, Houston Chronicle sportswriter and fellow blogger Richard Justice and I have been corresponding regarding...
Is it time for Drayton to sell the Stros?
Drayton McLane has done a pretty darn good job of running the Stros. During his tenure, the club has been in the top tier of performance among Major League teams and a consistent playoff participant or contender. Under his tutelage,...
Herskowitz on Stros GM's
Longtime Houston sportswriter Mickey Herskowitz, who I have mentioned frequently in these earlier posts, is my favorite sportswriter. Mickey's blend of insight, humor and historical perspective is sadly lacking in much of the sportswriting that we must endure these days....
Cards-Stros NLCS Series Blog
The Chronicle's Richard Justice is blogging the Stros-Cards National League Championship Series....
Houston Texans, Year Three
Lest you think that the only baseball and the Stros are the only sports subjects addressed on this blog, we bring you a review of the first weekend of college football. I generally ignore football until the National Football League...
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