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April 2008 Archives


Houston native sets record at Navy

2:44 PM Wed, Apr 30, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

Former Lamar High School baseball standout Thomas Hamilton almost didn't go to the Naval Academy. Now he can't imagine what his life would be like without going to Annapolis. The senior is the captain of the Navy baseball team and on Tuesday he broke the Academy record for hits in a single- season.

Hamilton went 4-for 6 in a 17-to-5 rout of Delaware State on Tuesday. The performance pushed his season hit total
to 73, beating the old record by 2 hits. Hamilton is having a stellar season batting .380, leading the Midshipmen in
several catagories. But becoming Navy's all-time single-seas...



T-Mac haters, be careful what you wish for

2:41 PM Wed, Apr 30, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

Ok , so Tracy McGrady hasn't been the second coming of Michael Jordan in the 4th quarter. Outside of Kobe, and sometimes LeBron who has been. Listening to talk radio this week , its clear to me that some of you think T-Mac has a better disappearing act than Criss Angel. For you guys , I have a suggestion. Instead of focusing in on the final quarter checkout the first 3. Better yet , imagine where the Rockets would be without McGrady. Do you really want to run the guy out of town?

No T-mac, no 22 game winning streak. Without McGrady, do the Rockets even make the playoffs ? I don't think so .
...



Rockets Blast Back!!

10:51 AM Wed, Apr 30, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Just when the Jazz thought they would wrap this series up .... the Rockets came up with their best effort of the series. Afterwards everyone on the team agreed the defense was good and the intensity was there from the start .... but more than anything else ..."We finally made some shots," said head coach Rick Adelman and forward Shane Battier.

...



Rockets "Big" Rookies Ready For Game 5 Battle

4:20 PM Tue, Apr 29, 2008 |
Matt Musil

"They gotta beat us 4 times to eliminate us ...that's the only truth here," said Luis Scola. Scola and his teammates have been tantilizingly close to winning all of the game in this series ....but in NBA playoff basketball the only thing that counts is the score on the board at the end of the game .....and the Rockets have been on the short end of the stick 3 times now.

...



Rockets Still On Same Page

5:20 PM Mon, Apr 28, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Saturday night after the Rocekts lost a Game-4 up in Utah ....Tracy McGrady said that he thought Dikembe Mutombo should have been in the game when Derron Williams shot his crucial free throws with 7 seconds left in regulation and the Rockets trailing by 2 points. Today ...McGrady made the same assessment but said he was not second guessing his coach.

...



The blame game

1:51 PM Mon, Apr 28, 2008 |
Carleton Cole

Too much is being made lately about who's at fault. The Rockets trail the Jazz 3 games to 1, and while it's more fun to point fingers it's really of little consequence.
Following the loss in game two, one writer claimed "Tracy McGrady disappeared in the fourth quarter." Here's a guy who came within one assist from a triple double and he supposedly "disappeared" because he was held scoreless in the final stanza. What a croc, Tracy was out there pushing as hard as he could. Basketball is a team game, so when he was double or triple teamed, he gave the ball up. As a team the Rockets couldn't hit the broadsid...



Texans Improve Ballclub

11:45 AM Mon, Apr 28, 2008 |
Matt Musil

At the end of the draft .... General Manager Rick Smith and Head Coach Gary Kubiak ... were giving out a big sigh of relief. They had entered the weekend .... with a list of needs ....and except for the edge pass rusher they wanted ..... they basically filled every other need.

...



Texans Go Defense In 6th Rd.!!

2:28 PM Sun, Apr 27, 2008 |
Matt Musil

In the 6th round the Texans picked a defensive safety. He's Dominique Barber out of Minnesota. Dominique isn't real big at 6-0 ...but he has great bloodlines. His dad Marion Barber played in the NFL ...and his older brother is a running back for the Cowboys.

I just talked with Dominique on the phone with other media members and he says there is no pressure to live up to his brother's or his father's NFL credentials ...he just wants to play. But the bloodlines do play a role it sounds like ....because he says his brother and father have taught him a lot about how to approach the game ...the preparations t...



Texans Pick Texas Big Man

12:56 PM Sun, Apr 27, 2008 |
Matt Musil

With their 5th round pick ...the 151st overall ...the Texans have picked up defensive tackle Frank Okam from Texas. Okam is big .... 6-4 and weighs 322. He was first team All-Big 12 by Ft. Worth paper ....2nd team by A.P.

...



Texans Sign Saxaphonist!!

12:43 PM Sun, Apr 27, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Okay ....maybe that's not how the team would promote their first round pick ....but Offensive Tackle Duane Brown is an accomplished alto saxaphonist. He's been playing since the 6th grade .....but oh by the way ....he also has played some football over the past several years.

...



Texans Get Defensive

11:26 AM Sun, Apr 27, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Texans went defense with their 4th round pick (118th overall) ...by picking Linebacker Xavier Adibi (pronounced A-dee-bee). Adibi is out of Virginia Tech ... which kind of makes me wonder how often Rick Smith watched the Hokies this psat season. This kid is active ...he was a first time All-America ...only the 2nd in Va. Tech history. He was a semi-finalist for the Lombardi award this past season. Texans' defensive coordinator Richard Smith reallyl likes this guy. Smith explained that the team likes to take 9 linebackers into every training camp and it only had 6 before the draft. Adibi played defensive end...



Texans Get Two In 3rd Round!!

10:59 AM Sun, Apr 27, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Good morning from Reliant Stadium ....the 2nd day of the NFL Draft is underway ...and the Texans bolstered their roster on both sides of the ball in the 3rd round.
First off .. with their initial 3rd round pick they went defense ...when they selected a cornerback out of Eastern Kentucky University ...named Antwaun Molden. He actually started his college career at Toledo ....then transferred to Eastern Kentucky. He's 6-0 198. Molden says,"I was excited becuase it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for these things and I'm ready to come in and work." Molden played for Ted Ginn Sr. in high school. He said h...



Texans Get Tackle!

5:15 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Texans take Duane Brown an OT out of Va. Tech with the 26th pick ....fans here had mixed reaction to the pick ....I'll have those comments on 11 News at 6pm. See you then.

...



Steelers & Titans Strengthen Offense

4:45 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Steelers tabbed Illinois Running Back Rashard Mendenhall with the 23rd pick in the first round of the draft. Then with the 24th pick overall ..... Tennessee picked Chris Johnson a Running Back out of South Carolina.

I'm headed downstairs to fanfest .....to get the fans reaction to the Texans pick ... when it comes ....at number-26. I'll air the comments on 11 news at 6pm

...



Cowboys Get Arkansas Running Back Afterall

4:39 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

He's not Darren McFadden ....but the Cowboys just selected Running back Felix Jones with the 22nd pick of the draft.

...



Draft Moves Forward

4:29 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

With the 19th pick .......Jacksonville picked offensive tackle Jeff Otah from Pittsburgh. I know the Texans weren't that high on him ....but Jacksonville apparantly disagreed with that opinion. Then with the 20th pick ...Tampa Bay took Aquib Talib a Cornerback out of Kansas. Once again I thought he might be a guy the Texans would go after ....but they're all the way back in the 26th spot now ....so we'll see what's there when they get on the clock. Atlanta just made the 21st pick of the draft ..... after getting the pick by trading with Washington ....the Falcons picked Sam Baker an offensive tackle out of USC. ...



Texans Trade Down!!

4:07 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

As I said earlier ...when the two offensive linemen they really liked went off the board ....I figured the Texans were shifting gears. ....either to pick a defensive back ...or to trade down ...and they decided to trade down. I really thought they would go with a defensive back ....but after the two top rated cornerbacks went .....including Dominguez Rodgers Cromartie out of Tenn. State ...just two picks before them ....they decided to trade down.

They swapped first round picks with Baltimore ....The Ravens needed a quarterback ..and they picked Joe Flacco out of Delaware with the 18th pick. In return th...



Ah-Oh Offensive Linemen Are Disappearing

3:45 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The 2nd offensive linemen the Texans were wanting .... Brandon Albert ... who played guard at Virginia ....but was projected as a tackle in the NFL .... was just taken by Kansas City with the 15th pick. So the two guys the Texans really wanted ... Chris Williams and Brandon Albert were taken in back to back picks. Wow ...now it'll be interesting to see if the Texans switch gears and go cornerback..

Arizona and Detroit are slated to pick before the Texans ....I'm heaed downstairs to fanfest ....to get the fans reaction to the Texans pick.

...



Another Offensive Tackle Goes Ahead of Texans

3:38 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

One of the tackles that the Texans coveted ... Chris Williams of Vanderbilt was just selected by Chicago with the 14th pick overall. 3 OT's have been taken thus far. There are still some good ones left ...including Brandon Albert out of Virginia.

...



NFL Draft Continues Picks 10-12

3:26 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

With the 10th pick overall New England picks Jerod Mayo ....an Inside LInebacker out of Tennessee. The Patriots had traded down to 10th with New Orleans.
The 11th pick was made by Buffalo and the Bills tabbed Cornerback Leodis McElvin out of Troy. The Broncos used the 12th pick to get Offensive Tackle Ryan Clady out of Boise State ...and Carolina used the 13th pick to get Jonathan Stewart ..a Running Back out of Oregon.
The Texans are still on track to get an Offensive Tackle at 18.

...



More Draft Picks & More Trades

3:09 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Baltimore Ravens ...apparantly upset that QB Matt Ryan was gone .... traded the #8 pick overall to Jacksonville ...and with the 8th pick ... the Jaguars took Derrick harvey a Defensive Tackle out of Florida. That's a great pick for them ....they not only get an outstanding football players to put pressure on Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub and the rest in the AFC South ....they also will make Florida fans happy by taking one of their own. Baltimore ...by the way ...received the 26th pick overall ...plus 2 third round picks and a 4th round pick in exchange to allowing Jacksonville to trade up.
With the 9th pic...



Draft Continues ....Picks 4 - 7

2:49 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Texans top brass contiinue to watch the proceedings from the team auditorium on the street level of Reliant Stadium. The Texans are still slated to go 18th in the first round .. that pick will probably be around 4:30pm Central time.
The last four picks are as follows....Oakland took Running Back Darren McFadden out of Arkansas with the 4th pick. Kansas City went with LSU Defensive Tackle, Glenn Dorsey.
And the New York Jets picked Defensive End Vernon Gholston out of Ohio State.
The New England Patriots then traded the 7th pick overall to New Orleans ....who took Defensive Tackle Sedrick Ell...



2008 NFL Draft Underway!!

2:17 PM Sat, Apr 26, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Texans are still planning on picking 18th in the first round of today's round. But a lot of things could happen before the draft gets to them. The first two picks were named Long ...one a Off. Tackle ..and another a defensive lineman. Jake Long ..went to Miami ..and St. Louis picked Chris Long with the #2 pick. Matt Ryan out of Boston College was the first Quarterback taken nat numbver-3 overall by Atlanta.
I still believe thethe Texans want a left offensive tackle first. Either Chris Williams out of Vanderbilt ...or Brandon Albert out of Virginia. Both are 6-6 and weigh over 300 lbs.

...



Shane Battier: Rockets Not Desperate

1:54 PM Thu, Apr 24, 2008 |
Matt Musil

While his teammate Tracy McGrady has been making quotes like,"It's my fault that somebody in the stands ordered Heinekin and they got Budweiser." HIs teammate Shane Battier actually came up with the quote of the week.

...



Kaz to the rescue

5:14 PM Wed, Apr 23, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

When I saw Cecil Cooper in his office on Friday before the Astros opened a 3-game series vs the Rockies, he was all smiles. The smile only got bigger when he said second baseman Kaz Matsui was healthy and ready for action.
It was like Coop knew something the rest of us didn't , that his lineup was about to improve drastically. While the Astros dropped 2 of 3 to Colorado, Kaz was outstanding against his former team.

In fact, in his last 5 games the switch hitter is batting a hefty .333 going 7 for 21 . But more important than his four runs batted in, is the way he's helping ignite the Astr...



Texans Are "Draft Ready"!!

3:34 PM Wed, Apr 23, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Team general manager Rick Smith is confident of his abilities when he gets to draft day on Saturday. He told me today more than anything else,"I'm excited ...I really am. I think our football team has gotten better this off-season. Obviously coming off an 8 & 8 season there's a lot of excitement about the future."

...



Beating Your Once Favorite Team ..... Priceless!!

10:12 AM Wed, Apr 23, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Ronnie Price grew up in Friendswood. He attended Clear Brook High School and dreamed of playing in the NBA. His favorite team was the Houston Rockets. Now .. though he plays for the Jazz...and he brought his once favorite team to it's knees Monday night.

...



The Utah Flop

12:45 PM Tue, Apr 22, 2008 |
Carleton Cole

Flop
1. to fall or plump down suddenly, esp. with noise; drop or turn with a sudden bump or thud (sometimes fol. by down).

The dictionary couldn't be more succinct. The sound heard late in the fourth quarter last night was Andrie Kirilenko yelling as he flopped in front of official Tony Brothers.
The call couldn't have come at a worse time for the Rockets. Trailing by three, the whistle for a foul against Luis Scola ruined a comeback attempt. Now the Rockets are down two games to none in their best of 7 series, with games three and four set for Salt Lake City.
Flopping is an art, and mem...



Jazz Win Game 2 And Series Heads Back to Utah!!

11:11 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

With Deron Williams leading the way with 22 points ...and Carlos Boozer making 13 and Mehmeet Okur adding 16 ...the Jazz beat the Rockets 90 to 84 ..and the local fans may have just watched their final home game of the season.

Tracy McGrady led the Rockets with 23 ....but it wasn't nearly enough. Bobby jackson had 18 .... little Aaron Brooks added 11. Shane Battier added 8.

It came down to the final down to the final 4 minutes. With 4 minutes left ... the Rockets trailed 81 to 78 .... Bobby Jackson could have made it a one point game but he missed two straight free throws. Luis Scola then hit a...



Rockets Had A Shot!!!

11:08 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

With 20 seconds left in regulation ...the Rockets had the ball in forecourt ...after a timeout ...they inbounds to Tracy McGrady ...and he misses a long bomb ..and the rebound went out of bounds. After the inbounds ...the Rockets fouled Korver ...who converted two free throws. With :09 left ...Jazz lead 89-82.

...



Oh No!!

11:06 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Jazz get two points ....when the ball was batted around ....and once again it landed in a Utah player's hands ....Kyle Korver shot it up and it went through the basket with 20 seconds left ..and that will send the faithful to the exits.
Utah leads 87 to 82 with 20 seconds left. time out on the court!!

...



It's Come down to This!!

11:02 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Rockets down by 5 ......Luis Scola shooting free throws .... makes the first ...and the 2nd.
It's 85-82 Jazz ....
Scola just made an incredible play rebounding the ball off a missed shot ...and then running to the other end ....but a shot by the Rockets was dissallowed because Scola shoved Kirilenko. It's now 85-82 with 30 seconds left.

...



Williams and Boozer Are Money Players

10:53 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

As the Rockets struggle to find their shooting touch ...the Jazz simply turn to Deron Williams to score ... seemingly whenever he wants ...or Carlos Boozer inside. They both just scored big field goals ....to put the Jazz up 85 to 80 with 1:51 left.
Boozer had 13 points ... and 7 rebounds ....while Williams has 22 oints and 5 assists.

...



Can The Rockets Make Pressure Free Throws??

10:43 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Tracy McGrady just made one and missed one on a two shot opporunity ..and that won't catch it.
Time after time ... the Rockets are going inside ...getting fouled ...sometimes they're called sometimes they are .... when they are the Rockets have to make them pay!!
Thus far they are 12 of 20 from the line .... Jazz is 11 of 15 .
The Rockets are shooting 44% from the field ....better than the first game ....but Utah is shooting 45%. The Rockets must buckle down now ...if they want to come back and play game-5 here next week. 5:06 left .... Jazz leads 80 to 76.

...



Rookie Brooks Trying To Make His Mark!

10:40 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Rockets rookie out of Oregon .. Aaron Brooks .. has given the home team a 72-71 lead with 9 minutes to go ......on a great drive to the hoop and he was fouled ..and then he just now made it 74 to 71 with another great drive inside.

...



4th Quarter Underway!!!

10:37 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

2 minutes into the final period of regulation ....the Jazz lead 71 to 69.
Aaron Brooks just missed a wide open 3.

...



3rd Quarter Is Over!!

10:32 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Rockets put on a surge near the end of the quarter. Shane Battier hit a 3 ointer with :42 seconds left in the period ...to put the Rockets up 67 to 66 .....but after the Jazz missed a shot ...the Rockets had a chance to take the last shot ....but Aaron Broooks shot was blocked ...the Jazz came all the way down and Ronnie Price hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer to put the Jass up 69-67 after 3 periods. Unbelievable!!! The Jazz have made a habit of making big shots in this series from the outside ....and that was the biggest yet.

...



Jazz Tough On Defense

10:22 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Aaron Brooks ...I love the way the rookie plays ...but he just got fouled as he drove to the basket ..his shot was blocked he was fouled ...no call ....but the ball got batted out to Tracy McGrady and he missed a wide open 3. That's two really good looks T-Mac had and he missed both!! T-Mac has 22 points ...but he made need 40 if the Rockets want to win.
It's now 66-61 Jazz with 1:20 left in the 3rd.

...



Toyota Center Fans Are Into It!!!

10:17 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

After such a dismal showing Saturday night I felt for all the fans who paid playoff prices to see a good game ..and they just didn't get it. They're getting it tonight....it's 57-57 with 5:27 left in the 3rd. Time out on court.

...



2nd Half Underway & Rockets Come To Life!!!

10:14 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The 3rd quarter is underway ...and so far the Rockets have outscored the Jazz 12 to 6 ...and it's a tie game at 53-all.
At least it was ...Boozer just scored to make it 55-53 Jazz.
The Rockets offense is clicking ..but they have to tighten up on defense.
Bobby Jackson just scored to tie it at 55=all with 6:45 left in the 3rd.

...



Rockets get ready to bounce back in game two

3:35 PM Mon, Apr 21, 2008 |
Carleton Cole

There's an upbeat mood during shoot around as the Rockets try to remain positive despite losing by 11 Saturday night. The guys fell behind early and were looking up to the Jazz both literally and figuratively. Utah's tough physical game is grinding.
"Desperation not right now they've only won one game."
Tracy McGrady isn't trying to slight Utah's lead as the two teams have battled before. Still by winning game one the Jazz now hold the home court advantange, but that doesn't worry forward Shane Batter.
"Every game is so different, you make adjus...



Game One Is Over ...Bye Bye Homecourt Advantage!!

11:04 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The fans started filing out with about 4 minutes left in this one .....sensing a Rockets loss.
And it's over ... Jazz win 93 to 82. Utah has a one game to none lead in this best of 7 series. Kirilenko led the Jazz with 21 ... Williams and Boozer had 20 apiece.

Battier led the Rockets with 22 ... McGrady had 20.

...



Boozer Has Pummeled The Rockets' Rookies!!

11:01 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Boozer has worked over by Luis Scola and Carl Landry on his way to 20 big points and 16 rebounds for Utah.

...



Timeout Utah!!

10:55 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

With 2:40 left ....Utah leads 89 to 75. The Rockets have fought hard .... but they just haven't been able to score enough to slow the Jazz. The Rockets poor shooting continued all night long .....they're currently 36% ...to Utah's 53%. Barring a miraculous comeback ..... this one is over!

...



Rockets Need Surge Now ....or This Game Is Over!!

10:45 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

5 minutes left .... the Rockets trail by 13 ... 83 to 70 ..and if they don't put a run together in the next 60 to 90 seconds ....this one is all over but the shouting.

...



4th Quarter Still Controlled by Jazz

10:35 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Time-out on the court ...and with 8:17 left in the game ....the Rockets trail 75 to 64.
They have to start their run soon ....or this one will be over ...and the homecourt advantage will mean less than it did when this game began. Should the Rockets lose tonight ...it would put them in a must-win situation Monday night ...something they don't want.
Tonight's attendance is 18,213 ...marking Houston's 14th consecutive sellout.

...



Jazz Lead After 3rd Quarter!!

10:31 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

I had to go do a live report for our over the air station Ch-11 ....so I fell behind with my blog in the 3rd quarter. The Rockets had a short-lived lead midway thru the period .... but by the end of the 3rd the Jazz was up 68 to 60. Battier has 12 points for the Rockets ....McGrady is leading them with 20.
Kirilenko leads Utah with 16 ...Boozer has 14.

...



First Half Is Over!!!

9:36 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Rockets scored 5 unsnawered points to end the 2nd quarter ........the last a T-Mac 3 ...that brought everyone to their feet. A Rockets steal then got the ball downcourt to Bobby Jackson who slipped and fell failing to convert. Boozer then committed an offensive foul ...his 2nd ...by shoving Dikembe Mutombo. The Rockets then had 2 seconds to get off a shot ....and Tracy's off-balance 3 pointer at the buzzer was off the mark ....so the Rockets trail at the half 47 to 41. The biggest thing the home team in the closing seconds of that half ...was to show Utah ...that they were not about to go away. The Rockets...



Time Out on the Court

9:34 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Rockets now trail 42 to 34 .....and after a great defensive trip down the court again by the Rockets ...Bobby Jackson bobbled the ball while coming back downcourt and he was called for double-dribbling. Bad turnover. In tennis it would be called an unforced error. And the Rockets can't afford any of those.

...



Rockets Battling Back!!

9:30 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

After trailing by as many as 13 .... the Rockets have battled back to make it 40 to 32 with 3:15 left in the first half.

...



Rockets Need to Hang Tough!!

9:26 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Jazz are flexing their muscle inside ..and the Rockets are having a hard time hanging with them. Carlos Boozer is the biggest obstacle inside ...banging with Scola at all times.
With 5:28 left in the first half ....Utah leads 40 to 27 ....
McGrady has 8 points so far ..... Battier with 6 ....Kirilenko leads Utah with 9 .... Boozer has 8. The Rockets have to accept the fact ...many fouls will go uncalled tonight ..and the rest of this series. They have to keep their focus and keep pounding away. T-Mac was shaken up abit on the last foul ....he got punch in the gut.

...



Landry In Now For Rockets!!

9:11 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The 4th rookie has now entered the game for the Rockets. No other team in the league will lean on their rookies as much as the Rockets will this postseason. Jazz leads 28 to 20 with 10:21 left in 1st half.

...



Jazz Lead After One Quarter!

9:02 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Utah leads after one quarter ....23 to 18. The Rockets aren't getting any breaks .... but against the Jazz they're basically going to have to make them. Mike Harris makes it 3 rookies on the court for the Rockets so far ...but the 4th ... Carl Landry is expected to play plenty tonight also. In fact ...I'm a little surprised the Rick Adelman went with Harris instead of Landry off the bench first. We're about to begin play in the 2nd quarter!

...



Jazz Take Edge!!

8:54 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

utah forward Andrei Kirilenko is killing the Rockets early ...scoring 9 points in the opening 10 minutes. With 2:50 left in the first quarter ....Jazz leads 15 to 13. Jazz wearing their road dark blue jerseys ...while the Rockets are in their home whites ...trimmed in red.

...



Rockets Playing Hard!!

8:46 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

With timeout on the court with 5:47 left in the first quarter ......it's all tied up at 11-11.
The last 5 points have been scored by the Rockets. First Bobby Jackson hit a 3-ball from the deep left corner ...and then on the ensuing possession ...rookie Luis Scola stripped the ball away from Utah's Deron Williams ...passed downcourt to Bobby Jackson ...who scored uncontested to tie the score. The Rockets are outplaying and outhustling the Jazz so far ...but of course ...it's really early.

...



Rockets Score First!!

8:44 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

We're underway ....with Shane Battier scoring the first bucket of the night ....but the Jazz came right back to make it a 2-2 game. The Utah defense forced a shot-clock violation the send trip up the court on offense.

...



For real straight talk forget John McCain, Lance is the man

8:27 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

I've interviewed Tracy McGrady of the Rockets a lot , and as far as superstars go he's as good as it gets. You ask him a question and he'll answer it. He's really a sensitive guy , who from time to time will answer from his heart so sometimes he's misunderstood.
Texans quarterback Matt Schaub's style is straight from the Gary Kubiak school of doing interviews. Give the media a little, and if possible give them less. You can't blame them because that approach does away with distractions and leaves nothing to come back to bite you.

That brings us to Astros star Lance Berkman. I had a little visit with ...



Rockets vs Jazz Very Even Through History

8:20 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Checking the all-time NBA playoff stats ..... Houston is the 13th best record of all time .....guess who's 14th..... Utah. The Rockets hvae won 107 games and lost 111 ... the Jazz are just a tick behind with 103 wins and 107 losses. Remember ...the only two times the Rockets have beaten the Jazz in a playoff series was in 1994 and 1995 ... those two years ... the Rockets went on to win the NBA Championship. So a win tonight ......could lead to .....who knows????

...



Rockets Fans Are Ready!!

8:10 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Rockets fans ...most of them decked out in All-Red .....loudly booed the Jazz when they entered the court for their final pre-game warmups. Then when the home team came onto the court .......they got really loud with their cheers!! These fans are playoff ready!!!

...



Rockets Prepared For Physical Battle

7:53 PM Sat, Apr 19, 2008 |
Matt Musil

This game will be physical .... we know that. I asked Dean Cooper ..the head of basketball personnel for the Rockets if he thought his guys were ready .... while the team was warming up and his replay was quick:"They better be ....we've worked hard enough to get here. If they're not ready now ....I won't know what to think."

...



Jerry Sloan as player , Fine line between tough and dirty

2:01 PM Fri, Apr 18, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

The first thing I noticed talking to the Rockets about their opening playoff series vs Utah , is that Rick Adelman has nothing but love for Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. The two men have a history. They were teammates back in the 70's with the Chicago Bulls. Adelman got to see Sloan's tenacity up close and personal and he never saw a more hard nosed player. "If you played with Jerry you respected how hard he worked, if you played against him you hated him," said Adelman.

Back in the day, Sloan and Chicago guard Norm Van Lier were the "Bruise Brothers". Sloan was consistently on the N.B.A. All-Defensive Fi...



Yao Yearns For Better Days

10:55 AM Fri, Apr 18, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Yao Ming was in good spirits as he took some good-natured ribbing Thursday night at a Roast and Toast hosted by Rockets Hall of Fame guard Calvin Murphy. "I feel like a sitting duck,: Yao said before the Roast started.

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Former Lamar baseball star serves his country

7:25 AM Fri, Apr 18, 2008 |
Adrienne

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Life at the Naval Academy for Houston native Thomas Hamilton is all good.

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Rockets Win Jazz Series In Seven!!

3:31 PM Thu, Apr 17, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Think of it as tomorrow's news today. No one in his or her right mind would pick the Rockets to win anything in this year's NBA playoffs .... but because I'm not in my right mind sometimes .... I'm picking them to beat the Jazz in 7 games.

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Tiger's knee injury is killing my motivation to watch golf

5:54 PM Wed, Apr 16, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

I wasn't really looking forward to the next 2 weeks on the PGA Tour. Basically, it was going to be 14 days without Tiger, but I figured I could bite the bullet until he returned to defend his crown at the Wachovia Championship .
But "holy nike Batman", now its going to be 4 to 6 weeks because the "King of Swing" had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for the second time in 5 years.
Don't get me wrong , it was great watching Trevor Immelman marching to his first green jacket at the Masters.
You can't say anything negative about Immelman, that guy has game and is to legit to quit. But I li...



Dynamo Not Threatening To Leave, Yet .......

5:24 PM Wed, Apr 16, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Dynamo President Oliver Luck says he doesn't appreciate Houston Mayor Bill White handing out a private letter from the MLS Commissioner to Dynamo owners to the media .... but he also says .... the Dynamo management is determined to work out a deal with the city of Houston. Luck says they are not considering leaving town.

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Ballpark Converted Into Sale Barn!!

1:24 PM Wed, Apr 16, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Minute Maid Park hosted the Grand Slam Genetics Angus Sale and Lance Berkman Horse Sale on Wednesday......and believe me there were some big hitters on hand.

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We couldn't believe it either!!! Monday Night Football is back!

5:19 PM Tue, Apr 15, 2008 |
Giff Nielsen

I smiled when I got a call from our stations managing editor Bill Bishop earlier today. He was so excited that the Houston Texans were on Monday Night Football. This guy is talented at what he does in the television world but deep down he is a true sports fanatic. He loves the Texans and he also loves talking about some of the great Monday night games in Houston history. That got me thinking about maybe the best Monday night football game ever at least according to Howard Cosell.

The Astrodome was the setting back in 1978. The Oilers were hosting the Miami Dolphins. I was a rookie quarterback trying t...



Bike Rally Supports Brookwood Community

3:08 PM Tue, Apr 15, 2008 |
Matt Musil

If you're a biker ....and didn't get burned out by the MS 150 ...there's another participant event coming up that is for another worthy cause.

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The Boss Gives Tribute To Former St. Thomas H.S. Athlete

11:37 AM Tue, Apr 15, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Bruce Springsteen once again proved last night that he can still Rock Out at age 58. But he also proved once again .... that he has a loving heart.

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By losing Masters...Tiger shows how great he is!

4:36 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Giff Nielsen

Last week I was walking around the news room and quite a few of my colleagues were talking about the Masters. "Was this the start of Tiger Woods quest for a Grand Slam?" they were asking. (that's winning all four major tournaments in the same year) Many thought Tiger was just the player to do it and they wanted to know where I stood on the subject. The mere thought of that question shows that Tiger is one of the two greatest golfers to ever play. They used to say the same thing about Jack Nicklaus during his prime.

So we sat and watched Tiger for four straight days play medicore golf on the most beauti...



Teenage Sensation Does It!!

4:22 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

15 year old Ryan Harrison has won his opening round match at the U.S. Clay Court Championships at River Oaks. Harrison used his 6-0 frame well .... as he used his leverage in his powerful serve and his length to reach returns to overwhelm his opponent Pablo Cuevas. He started the final game out with an ace! His second serve was unreturnable. His 3rd serve was long ....but on his 2nd serve to the point was returned but he returned it to Cuevas ...who rammed it into the net. On the final point ...he powered a serve ...and then followed up with an impressive return into the corner ...for the winner ...and it's over...



Contrast In Players

4:18 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Pablo Cuevas of Uraguay ...just won his serve ....so it's now 4-2 in the 2nd set .. .Harrison lealding. Cuevas is 22 years old ....wearing a black shirt ....white shorts and white cap ....while the 15 year old Ryan Harrison is decked out in all white .... except for a black wrist sweat band on his right arm. Both players are right handed ....but harrison is the more aggressive of the two. Cuevas is more content to lay back and play the baseline game ....while Harrison is always charging. Harrison just won the 7th game of the set ...it's now 5 to 2 Harrison ....
He's one game away from doing it!!!
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The Kid Could Do It!!

4:15 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

15 year old Ryan Harrison of New Braunfels ....just flat overwhelmed Pablo Cuevas in the 5th game of the set. Harrison now leads 4 games to one. The youngster ...is sliding for balls ...making drop shots ....power forehands ...hittingg effective lobs ....you name it ....he has it all on display today..

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Harrison Battles On

4:12 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

15 year old Ryan Harrison has just broken Pablo Cuevas's serve again ....to take a 3 games to 1 edge in the 2nd set of their opening round match. If he can hold serve here .....he will take a huge advantage into the final part of this set.

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Harrison Battles Back

4:06 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

In third game of the 2nd set ..... teenage sensation, Ryan Harrison, overcame a double fault to win the game. He fell behind in the game 30-40 thanks to a double fault .....but then responded by scoring an ace ......a long ...long fought ppoint featuring some tough net play by both players ......and then another great volley to finish off the game. Harrison now leads 2 games to one in set number-2. Harrison won the first set 6 games to 4.

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Harrison Showing Great Poise

4:02 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

22 year old Pablo Cuevas has broken back to tie the 2nd set at 1-all ...with 15 year old Ryan Harrison. Harrison ... though shows great poise. It's yet to be seen if he wins this thing ....but so far nothing rattles the kid. Good shot or bad shot ...he just keeps battling. Harrison's dad is the head tennis pro at John Newcombe's Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels.

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2nd Set Underway As Kid Plays For History

3:59 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Harrison gets out to another quick start .....as he wins serve ....to go up 1 game to nothing in the 2nd set. The 15 year old won the first set 6-4. This kid is something!! And now he's getting the crowd behind him. With every shot he makes for a winner .....drop shot .... forehand winner ....or ace on a serve .... the crowd builds it's support. It's 1-0 in the 2nd set....Harrison leads.

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Teenage Sensation Wins First Set!!!

3:49 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

15 year old Ryan Harrison led 5 games to 2 in the first set.... but then lost the next two games .... to cut his lead to 5 games to 4. But in the 10th game of the first set .... Harrison roared back to break Pablo Cuevas's serve to win the set by losing only one point. Harrison wins the first set 6 to 4. Every match is a best of 3 affair ....so the young man from new Braunfels is one set away from a huge ....win.

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One Game Away From Winning 1st Set!!

3:46 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

As 15 year old Ryan harrison took a 5 games to 2 lead in the first set over Pablo Cuevas .... he won the game by not yileding a single point!! This kid is something!!!

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The Kid Is Flexing His Muscle

3:42 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

15 year old Ryan Harrison has just broken pablo Cuevas's serve to take a 4 games to 2 advantage in the first set of their opening round match at the U.S. Clay Court Championships. The kid has been very impressive so far. His serves are powerful ...and his ground strokes are solid.

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Harrison Fights Back!!!

3:41 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

The Kid ...just came back to take the lead ....as his powerful serve is causing all kinds of problems for Cuevas. The 15 year old Ryan Harrison leads 3 games to 2 ...in this best of 3 match set.

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Cuevas Giving Youngster A Lesson

3:38 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

After falling in the first game to 15 year old Ryan Harrison's pwoerful serve ..... Uraguay's Pablo Cuevas fought back to win the second game ...as he served ..then he broke Harrison's serve in the 3rd game to take a 2 games to one lead. But Harrison has just broken back ...to tie the score at 2 games apiece.

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3:28 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

15 year old Ryan Harrison of New Braunfels. He's trying to become only the 10th player under 16 years of age to win a match on the ATP Tour ...and he's off to a quick start.

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River Oaks Tennis Anyone??

3:04 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Photographer Bob Luna and I are hanging out with the "beautiful people" today ..... as we cover the U.S. Clay Court Championships at River Oaks Country Club.

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Do You Love Tiger?? Or Hate Him??

1:36 PM Mon, Apr 14, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Judging from the TV ratings whenever Tiger is in contention ....I'm guessing that you love him more than hate him.

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Backe first Astros starter to taste victory

12:41 PM Sun, Apr 13, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

It took 12 games into the 2008 season, but the Astros starters finally notched a victory.
Brandon Backe got the win vs the Marlins on Saturday night. But it wasn't just a win, it was
a shutout. Backe combined with Geoff Geary, Doug Brocail, and Jose Valverde on a 9 hitter to blank the fish.
The thing is, Backe wasn't really that good. It wasn't his best outing by far, but that's
how it goes in baseball. The righthander had runners in scoring position every inning as
he surrendered 5 hits and walked 5. Opportunity was knocking for the Marlins but
the Astros defense just woul...



Longtime Klein Soccer coach Baker retiring

7:03 PM Sat, Apr 12, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

On Saturday afternoon, the Klein boys soccer team played Lewisville Marcus
for the 5-A state title. Unfortunately, the Bearkats didn't nail down their 4th state championship. They were shutout by the Marauders 3-nil .
It marked the end of a remarkable season, the Kats went 20-3-2,
and the brilliant coaching career by Allen Baker.

Coach Baker had already planned to retire at the end of the season.
I remember interviewing coach Baker many times because he had so many good teams . Under Baker the Bearkats advanced to 13 state tournaments and 3 state titles .

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Hakeem is truly a DREAM!

4:33 PM Fri, Apr 11, 2008 |
Giff Nielsen

It is Friday afternoon and I"m on my way down to Toyota Center to do a live shot prior to the Rockets big game with the Suns. The contest has all sorts of playoff implications depending on who wins or who loses as far as that goes. But that might not be the big story of the night.

At about 6:15, the Rockets are unveiling a bronze statue of Hakeem "the Dream" Olajuwon out in front of Toyota Center, the only former player to be so recognized and why not! Just sitting here writing this brings a smile to my face thinking how great he was in his prime. He did things no center in the history of the game could...



Like Father, like Son

1:55 PM Fri, Apr 11, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

One of the best things about my job is you can just drop in on practice and see how the local teams are progressing. This week I popped in on the Houston Cougars to checkout their first spring training under coach Kevin Sumlin.
The first thing I noticed about Sumlin was he's really a likeable guy. Its a quality that's
a must when you are recruiting young men into your program.

I also met his father Bill, and realized right away where Kevin got his personality from.
Bill, who's now retired was also a coach. For the Sumlin clan, family life centered around
football. Kevin never ...



Rockets having fun but looking to get healthy

5:22 PM Thu, Apr 10, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

I was at Rockets practice today and you could tell this team is playoff bound. They appeared to be very relax getting set to face the Suns on Friday. One of the best things
about being on an N.B.A. team besides the big check, is being able to rag on your
teammates about anything. The Rockets had a free throw contest today and it looked
like game 7 of the N.B.A. Finals they were competing so hard.
According to T-Mac ,Dikembe Mutombo and Rafer Alston are always trying to finesse
the rules to their own interpretation. Actually he said they were the biggest cheaters .

Meanwhil...



Astros slow start!

4:17 PM Thu, Apr 10, 2008 |
Giff Nielsen

Here we go again. Anytime the baseball season begins, everyone is excited but those positive thoughts have quickley vanished as the Astros open the first ten games of the season 3-7. Every year we go through this it seems like and so now the analyzing begins.

The so called experts were worried about the starting pitching and they should have been with new faces and those coming off injurries. But the starting pitching has been a bright spot other than the ace Roy Oswalt. For some reason Roy O has struggled and you know he will get it together quickly so the rest of the guys need to stay healthy and ke...



Winning Streaks...Tiger or the Rockets?

5:08 PM Wed, Apr 09, 2008 |
Giff Nielsen

I was watching the Masters par three tournament this afternoon and thinking about how Tiger was going to do this week at Augusta. It also reminded me of a converstation I recently had with some friends about his seven tournament winning streak. To see how the players on tour hit the golf ball and then witness Tiger dominate is overwhelming. I mean how good is this guy to be able to pull off the shots each week to win. It's amazing!

One of my friends then asked me. What I thought was harder to do, win seven straight professional golf tournaments or put together 22 straight wins in the NBA as the Rocket...



The Mind Of a Closer

10:28 AM Wed, Apr 09, 2008 |
Matt Musil

No working professional needs to have a shorter memory than a "closing" reliever in Major League Baseball.

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Astros Fans Love Home Opener Atmosphere

6:07 PM Mon, Apr 07, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Astros fans packed into Minute Maid Park to the tune of 43,000 plus ....despite the home 9's lackluster 2 & 5 record coming in.

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Street Party kicks off Home Opener

2:39 PM Mon, Apr 07, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

I went to Minute Maid Park before the chickens got up for a cameo on
"Great Day Houston" to talk about the Astros. When we were done I ventured out to the Astros "Street Party" to celebrate the home opener.
This always reminds me of a line from the movie "Field of Dreams". "If you build it, they will come". Where the street party is concerned, its more like , "If the food is free they will come" and the pizza and nachos were free.
Several hundred Astros die-hards showed up to eat, drink, and be merry.

Some even came for tonight's game vs the Cardinals . But the "Street Party" has be...



Final Round Coverage

1:52 PM Sun, Apr 06, 2008 |
Matt Musil

One of the most fun parts of my job ....is to ...at least once a year, cover a PGA Tour event.

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"Great Scott" Adam is on the prowl again

9:47 PM Thu, Apr 03, 2008 |
Butch Alsandor

I was at Redstone on Thursday watching Adam Scott roll to a course record 63 in round 1 of the Shell Houston Open. His round gave me a new respect for golfers.

We all think of Tiger as the ironman of golf, but Scott showed a lot of determination and focus during his round. At the end of the day, Scott shared first place with Johnson Wagner
who tied the course record matching Adam's 9 under . But the conditions Scott played under made his round really special.

The defending champ came to Houston with a fever and swollen glands around his throat.
Actually, I had a mild case of strep thro...



A True Trailblazer!

10:44 AM Wed, Apr 02, 2008 |
Matt Musil

Hall of Fame golfer Charlie Sifford is in town this week. You may have never heard of him before .... but he did for the PGA Tour what Jackie Robinson did for Major League Baseball.

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Texans quarterback situation

4:46 PM Tue, Apr 01, 2008 |
Giff Nielsen
There has been a lot of speculation about what the Texans are doing right now with their quarterbacks. They recently signed free agent Quinn Gray from Jacksonville and he is solid but untested. I think they have one of the best young quarterbacks in the league in Matt Schaub leading the way and they may have the best backup QB in the league in Sage Rosenfels. There has been a whole lot of speculation on Sage being moved for a draft choice but head coach Gary Kubiak and General Manager Rick Smith are not playing that card right now but it's a day to day kind of thing. The fact is, the are holding three aces. Ever...



Most Devastating Loss In Houston Sports History??

4:37 PM Tue, Apr 01, 2008 |
Matt Musil

A case can be made for the Oilers loss to the Steelers in the '79 NFL playoffs .... or even the Astros collapse to the Phillies in the 1980 NLCS .... but clearly in my opinion ... never has the city of Houston sports scene suffered a more devestating loss than when the University of Houston fell to North Carolina State in the championship game of the NCAA basketball tournament in 1983.

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