Tag Archives: Houston Astros

Astros Success is Boosting KBME Ratings – Even Pitiful Josh Innes

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Red has been on the “Bash Josh Innes” bandwagon from the get-go.  But even he has to acknowledge when the sports talk listeners have gravitated up the dial to his pathetic excuse for a radio show.  The latest ratings show a marked up-tick across the board for the Houston Astros flagship station KBME AM-790.    When Josh Innes moves to third-place, larger forces are at work.  Also notable is the jump for “In the Trenches” with N.D. Kalu and Greg Koch from last place to a number 4 spot.  One can only speculate, but the best guess is that the flaming hot Astros have reinvigorated the ratings for the station.  Poor Charlie Pallilo must still be wondering what he did wrong – other than actually know something about sports.

Red has to admit that the popularity of some shows continues to perplex him.  Red would rather be staked to an anthill while dying of thirst in the desert than have to listen to Rich Lord, Sean Pendergast and Ted Johnson for more than one segment.  But apparently, Red is out of touch with the sports-talk public at large.  Here are the latest positions with the caveat that very little separates the top and bottom rated shows.  There is a 1.3 share point difference between first and last place and only 0.4 points separating the middle eight shows.

1.   Rich Lord/Sean Pendergast/Ted Johnson  2-6 p.m.      KILT

2.   Texans Radio                          6-7 p.m.      KILT

3.   Josh Innes                            2-6 p.m.      KBME

4.   Greg Koch/N.D.  Kalu                  9-11 a.m.     KBME

5t.  Mike Meltser/Seth Payne               6-10 a.m.     KILT

5t.  Sean Salisbury/John Granato           11 a.m.-1 p.m.  KFNC

5t.  Sean Jones/Adam Clanton               11 a.m.-2 p.m.  KBME

8t.  John Lopez/Cody Stoots                10 a.m.-2 pm  KILT

8t.  Lance Zierlein/Matt Thomas            6-9 a.m.      KBME

8t.  Fred Faour/A.J. Hoffman               4-7 p.m.      KFNC

10.  Joel Blank/Barry Lamanack             1-4 p.m.      KFNC

11.  Paul Gallant                          7-11 p.m.     KILT

12.  John Granato/Raheel Ramzanali         9-11 a.m.     KFNC

Murder at the World Series

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In honor of the Fall Classic, Red will be posting something about  the World Series every day.  Today’s entry comes from a particularly odiferous made for TV movie called “Murder at the World Series.”  Red remembers watching this with a group of friends back in 1977 mainly because it featured scenes shot in Houston in and around the beloved Astrodome.

Other than that, MATWS has little to offer.  The basic plot is that an aspiring but psychopathic baseball player tries out for the Houston Astros and is rejected.  He tries to get revenge by undertaking a series of kidnappings and plotting to bomb a World Series game at the Astrodome.  His plans go awry when he sort of falls for one of his kidnapping victims.  He intends to let her go, but ends up killing her when a bomb planted in his van goes off.  He either gets captured or killed – Red doesn’t remember because this is some awful tripe masquerading as actual entertainment.  The MFTVM is notable in featuring Joachim “Where’s My Head” Andujar as the starting pitcher for the Astros and the late great Bob Allen as a sportscaster.  Red can’t imagine that this is ever showed anywhere, but if perchance it is, the only reason to watch is to see what the Astrodome looked like in its glory days – including the movie credits being displayed on the big light board in centerfield.

And finally, as Red’s old buddy Scooter said at the conclusion, “You know it had to be fiction because the Astros won the World Series.”

 

Today in Texas History – October 25

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From the Annals of the Fall Classic –  In 2005, the Houston Astros faced the Chicago White Sox  in the first World Series game ever to be held in Texas. The game was also notable for being the longest in World Series history at 5 hours and 41 minutes and actually ended the next day on October 26th.  Many other records were set or tied in this marathon. The teams combined to use 17 pitchers (nine for the White Sox, eight for the Astros), throwing a total of 482 pitches, and walking 21 batters (a dozen by Chicago, nine by Houston); 43 players were used (the White Sox used 22 and the Astros used 21), and 30 men were left on base (15 for each team) – all of which were WS records. One tied record was total double plays, with six (four by the Astros, two by the White Sox).  Scott Podsednik set a new all-time record with eight official at-bats.

The Pale Hose defeated the Astros 7-5 on their way to a series sweep.  All four games were close with two 1-run and two 2-run wins for the Sox.  As it stands, it will be the only World Series to be played between these franchises as the Astros have since moved to the American League.

Today in Texas History – April 27

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From the Annals of Heat –  In 1983, Nolan Ryan playing for the Houston Astros set a new major league record with after recording strike-out number 3509 against Brad Mills of the Montreal Expos.  Ryan broke a 55-year-old major league baseball record with the K.  Ryan would go on to strike out a total of 5714 batters in his remarkable career and record a MLB record seven no-hitters.   Less noted is the fact that he also is the all-time leader in bases on balls – but that is the price of longevity.  Ryan is the only player to have his number retired by three different ball clubs – the Angels, Astros and Rangers.  Among the stranger records he holds is his claim to have been the only pitcher in MLB history to have struck out seven pairs of fathers and sons.   He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1999.  Sadly, he is depicted wearing a Texas Rangers cap on his hall of fame plaque.

Coldest Opening Day Ever for Astros

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Game time temperature at New Yankee Stadium was a nippy 36 degrees.  Colby Rasmus had partial ski mask on.  One might have thought this would be the coldest Astros game ever – but not so.  In April of 1982, the Astros played the Cubs at Wrigley Field with a game time temperature of 26 degrees.  They played again the next day when the temperature had risen to a balmy 36 degrees – thus, tying today’s afternoon start against the Yankess for second coldest game in Astros history.  Brrrr.

Red Keeps Streak Alive

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Yesterday, Red kept his streak of never having seen the Houston Astros win a post-season game alive.  The Astros collapse yesterday came 35 years to the date after Red attended his first ever MLB playoff game when the Astros faced the Phillies in Game 5 of the 1980 NL Championship series.  Remarkably, in both games the opposition scored 5 runs in the top of the 8th to wrest control from the Astros.

The 1980 game seemed in complete control entering the 8th inning.  A three run lead with Nolan Ryan on the mound seemed insurmountable. But the Phillies were made of sterner stuff. They loaded the bases with nobody out on three cheap singles, including an infield hit by Bob Boone and bunt Greg Gross.  Ryan walked in a run and then the floodgates opened.  The Astros rallied to tie in the bottom of the 8th, but back to back doubles in the 10th secured the win for the Phillies.

Red was also there for Game 5 of the NLCS in 2005 when Albert Pujols hit a rocket off of Brad Lidge to win the game.  The stink of that loss was erased when the Astros pummeled the Cards in Game 6 to advance to their first World Series.

Red also witnessed two other losses to the Braves in various series included the heart-breaking loss in the last game ever played at the Astrodome in 1999.

Yesterday’s game featured a seemingly interminable top of the 8th.  It was reported to have lasted 41 minutes but it seemed like more than an hour watching the slow steady implosion.  The Astros best chance to staunch the bleeding was lost when Kendrys Morales punched a ground ball that skipped off the mound, glanced off pitcher Tony Sipp’s glove and then was whiffed by shortstop Carlos Correa.  Correa’s error allowed two runs to score and the game was tied.  Alex Gordon pushed what proved to be the winning run across the plate on a ground-out fielder’s choice and the Astros were done.

The toll of the damage from the top of the 8th inning:

5 runs

5 hits

1 error

3 Astros pitchers

11 Royals batters

53 pitches

41 minutes

Red will not be allowed to attend any more games this season.