HOUR 1 - Astros Trimming Deadline Targets + Does KD Seem Happy as a Rocket? + Headlines

Summary

Payne & Pendergast – HOUR 1 Summary

Episode Date: July 10, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne & Luke Morrow (in for Sean Pendergast)
Key Themes: Astros’ trade deadline options, the psychological state of Astros and Rockets, KD’s happiness, Rockets’ team direction, key Houston sports headlines

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Overview

The first hour of the show kicks off with an in-depth discussion on the Houston Astros’ trade deadline strategy, the mindset around Houston’s baseball and basketball franchises, and key sports stories of the day. Seth and Luke provide sharp analysis, local flavor, and candid takes on the Astros, Rockets, and Texans, highlighted by witty exchanges and on-point observations about Houston sports culture.

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Astros’ Trade Deadline: Sellers, Buyers, and Market Realities

[01:35–14:55]

Looming Deadline and the Crowded AL Standings

• The hosts riff on the actual urgency of MLB’s August 3 trade deadline, noting that much of the speculation in July is premature:
  • Seth: “A lot of the stuff that we're talking about for the next three or four weeks isn't going to materialize until that last 48 hours.” (03:17)
  • With only a handful of teams truly out of playoff contention, most clubs see themselves as buyers, muddying the trade market.

Astros’ Needs Evolve: Pitching Overtakes Outfielder

• Early in the year, the Astros were thought to prioritize a left-handed outfielder, but recent talk among insiders now seems focused on starting pitching:
  • Seth: “Now almost every article in the last 48 hours is, man, they need a pitcher.” (06:01)
• Frustration over the up-and-down performance of the Astros’ rotation:
  • Seth: “Every time they get three good pitching appearances in a row, I delude myself into thinking […] it's just a matter of time until he's basically performing at a Cy Young level.” (06:30)
  • The rotation’s inconsistency and injuries are causing ongoing anxiety.

The Emotional Impact of All-Star Breaks & Stretch Runs

• The hosts compare the psychological effect of an upcoming break in baseball to an NFL bye week:
  • Luke: “If you lose that game, you have an extra week to kind of sit on it.” (07:36)
• For fans, a bad series against the Rangers could sour the entire All-Star break pause.

Player Perspectives & Mentality

• Difference in emotional volatility between baseball players (even-keeled, “perfect stepfather” types) and the more hot-and-cold football players (“notoriously bipolar”):
  • Seth: “Football players were notoriously bipolar. You run very hot and cold [...] Baseball puts such a premium on being even keeled emotionally.” (08:14)

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Roster Construction Anxiety: Astros’ Needs and Management

[14:55–21:04]

Dana Brown’s “White Whale”

• Some worry GM Dana Brown is fixated on acquiring a left-handed outfielder at the expense of addressing the rotation:
  • Luke: “I'm afraid...that (a LHB outfielder) has just become like the white whale at this point for Dana Brown.” (15:54)
• Seth: Jokes that for Dana Brown, trade targets sometimes become “white whales” in a Daryl Morey/Ryan Anderson way.

Jordan Alvarez’s Stability

• Chandler Rome reports that Jordan Alvarez proactively went to Astros management when rumors swirled about his name; he was reassured he would not be traded:
  • Luke: “Jordan said...they told him they were not going to trade him. No matter what.” (16:52)
• Seth: Praises Alvarez’s even-keeled nature and hints at parallels with Altuve as long-term Houston cornerstone:
  • “He just doesn't seem to really have a desire for extreme fame or anything like that…maybe there is a long term relationship with Jordan Alvarez above and beyond the current contract.” (18:05)

Alvarez as One-Man Offense

• Jordan’s offensive dominance is highlighted:
  • Luke: “Jordan's OPS is 1.030. The rest of the Astros team is 688...” (19:37)
  • Jordan is producing at a historic level, with only Ruth, Gehrig, Bonds, and Ohtani as left-handed peers.

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Rockets Check-In: Is 2026 Just a Wait-and-See Year?

[23:48–34:23]

Should Fans Focus on 2027?

• Rockets have made only cautious moves this offseason, amidst a focus on amassing lottery picks for next year:
  • Luke: "Should we be looking more towards just the 2027 draft and next year where the Rockets are holding on to those picks from a couple of bad teams...?" (23:48)
• Seth: Pushes back against the bleakness, arguing a healthy roster (VanVleet, Stephen Adams) could outperform expectations:
  • “I think running it back, as depressing as it might feel...they're not actually running it back.” (29:10)

Draft Odds and Rockets’ Luck

• Reddit user “props to shoddy ad” calculates the Rockets’ odds for a top pick next year due to their pick stockpile:
  • 16% chance of winning the lottery, 49% for top three, etc. (26:52)
  • Seth: Jokes, “The Rockets were basically the second best team in basketball for a long time when it just happened to be that the warriors were the best team.” (28:37)
  • But bad luck seems to follow, and there’s apprehension the draft mays till “Rockets-proof” itself.

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Kevin Durant’s State of Mind: Is KD Happy in Houston?

[30:32–34:23]

• Ongoing media rumors swirl about KD’s possible restlessness and trade interest elsewhere (Pistons).
• Seth: “I would say...I don't know if Kevin Durant has ever actually been happy.” (30:54)
  • KD is not overtly disgruntled but may have a wandering eye if a better team emerges.
  • Luke: “I don't know if he's, like, ecstatic...but...I also don't think he's so unhappy that he would be trying to force his way out.” (31:55)
• Speculation over whether KD still has burner accounts to air his feelings:
  • Luke: “He hasn't posted on his main Twitter account...I do think part of that is because he's probably living in all these burner accounts and that's how he's getting his fix...” (33:49)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Seth Payne, on football coaches and “wiping the slate clean”:
  “You're like a bad girlfriend or something. Every time something happens, you're bringing up old stuff. Let's move on. That was three affairs ago, honey.” ([10:24])
• Luke Morrow, on the MLB draft:
  “It feels like somebody told you they just bought you a savings bond...What the hell am I gonna do with this? I don't...Thanks, Grandma.” ([45:17])
• Seth, on pretty defensive tackles:
  “They're like a good looking woman...sometimes things are given to them just because they're, they're good looking.” ([42:03])
• Seth, on Dana Brown’s deadline frustration:
  “If there's anything that he's shown, that he's incapable of actually making a good move in the outfield. So whether it's his white whale or not, he's going to be forced to accept a trade for an awesome pitcher...” (16:15)

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Rockets Organization Critique

[34:23–37:14]

• Dennis Schroeder, former Rocket, calls Houston “the worst organization he's ever played for,” criticizing past lack of structure and management:
  • Schroeder quote: “They had no structure. No real GM...No, but they good now.” (34:40)
• Seth and Luke agree these were valid criticisms for the 2021-22 tanking era but say things have stabilized under current leadership.

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Headlines Roundup

[39:40–49:04]

Texans

• ESPN’s DT rankings snub Texans; Seth argues platooning and low snaps hold back recognition for Tommy Togiai and others.

MLB

• Seth and Luke bemoan MLB’s weak marketing, especially its decision to stage key events like the draft and All-Star lineups in low-visibility slots:
  • Seth: "MLB...they're not going to try to play this game of the NFL...The biggest obstacle is that...There's so few guys you're gonna see anytime soon...it just feels like you're...you just bought a savings bond." (44:29)

U.S. Soccer

• Christian Pulisic’s injury and the narrative aftermath are debated.
• Luke: “I always dislike when the news comes out after like some criticism or after the fact. And LeBron was always the king of this...” (47:29)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Astros Trade Market/AL Standings – 01:35–06:00
• Astros’ Needs & Deadline Debate – 06:01–14:55
• Jordan Alvarez Stability – 16:52–20:42
• Rockets Future Direction & the 2027 Draft – 23:48–30:19
• Is KD Happy as a Rocket? – 30:32–34:23
• Dennis Schroeder’s Rockets Critique – 34:23–37:14
• ESPN’s Texans Snubs & Positional Rankings – 39:49–43:43
• MLB’s Missed Marketing Opportunities – 43:43–45:29
• Pulisic, Soccer Injury Narrative – 46:32–49:04

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Tone & Style

Seth and Luke blend humor, self-reflection, and directness, keeping the conversation relatable to Houston fans. They shift fluidly between deep roster analysis, sports management psychology, fan emotions, and irreverent pop culture comparisons—sharp, candid, and genuinely entertaining.

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Conclusion

Hour 1 sets the tone for the day’s sports talk, digging beneath surface-level narratives and offering insight into why local fans feel both hopeful and anxious about their teams’ futures. The hosts keep things lively, analytical, and always focused on what’s next for Houston sports fans.

Transcript

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[Luke Morrow]

Sports Radio 610 presents Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast.

[Seth Payne]

We coming to eighth time. Let's get the work in man. Let go.

[Taco Bell Advertiser]

Great day.

[Seth Payne]

Great day. Oh, give me some juice, baby. Oh yeah. Let's do it.

[Luke Morrow]

That's right. Happy Friday. Let's start the weekend. Appreciate you joining us. Beginning the day with us here, Payne and Pendergast. I'm Luke Morrow in for Sean alongside Seth Payne. Seth, good morning. How are you?

[Seth Payne]

Morning. I just, you know what? I had to remind myself when the trade deadline was in baseball and because I'm reading so many articles about how the, you know, the trade deadline is looming and everything, I'm like, wait, isn't it like August this year?

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, what's

[Seth Payne]

it's July 10th. Are we tired of World cup talk so quickly. Are we just. Are we so unsatisfied, dissatisfied with a almost.500 baseball team? People don't seem to realize almost 500 means that you're almost winning more than you're losing. But you're. But you're not. But, like, why get all agitated about something that's not going to happen? The trade deadline stuff. What is the official date this year?

[Luke Morrow]

August 3rd, I believe.

[Seth Payne]

August 3rd. Okay. The trade deadline stuff is always. Yeah, it's August 3rd. It's very intriguing, especially when the Astros are in the situation they're in. And yet the real stuff usually doesn't happen until you start to get right down to the wire in those last few days, and teams start to realize where the market. Like, where the market is. What. Especially nowadays, because so many teams are. They're still in it. Every damn team in the AL is in it.

[Luke Morrow]

Right.

[Seth Payne]

And, you know, might as well be that a lot of the stuff that we're talking about for the next three or four weeks isn't going to materialize until that last 48 hours. It's frustrating.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, it is. We got, what, 24 days to wait on and see what happens. But, like, you know, to your point, it probably won't happen until we actually get to August. And as you also alluded to, I think there's only nine teams that are currently more than five games out of a playoff spot. So. And a couple of those seems like five and a half games. So there's really only, like, seven teams that are six games or more out of a playoff spot, and we still have, you know, two and a half months to go. So. Yeah, I don't know how many sellers they'll really be unless you have some teams that might be a little more realistic and think, like, yeah, we're only four games out of a playoff spot, but we're also like five games under.500.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

In a terrible Al. So we might as well try to. Kind of. The point I was making yesterday of. And we can't take this season too seriously. We're actually not that competitive. It's just a bad al. Let's try to improve for the future. But in general, I don't know how many sellers there's going to be because everyone feels like they have a shot.

[Seth Payne]

They have a shot in the. Yeah. Even six games back, when you're in a mediocre league the way it is this year, there's plenty of those teams that are six games or more bad. You know, could the Tigers all Of a sudden make a push, Certainly. And are they even? Are they even six games below.500 right now? Tigers, they're only four and a half games back in the AL Central with a record of 43 and 50. So they could easily be winning the AL Central by the time the trade deadline comes around.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, look, the Red Sox are another team. I remember saying on the air a couple weeks ago they were tied with the Angels for the worst record in the American League. They've gone something like 14, 5, I think recently. And now they're only, let me check here, two and a half games out of a playoff spot. So it just takes like two to three hot weeks in the AL and you're back in this thing. So I could see a lot of GMs convincing themselves of like, oh, we're right there. We, you know, let's go make some moves and improve this team. We can actually make something happen.

[Seth Payne]

I think my one disappointing thing looking at the Yankees is that for the longest time, when you look at the standings and you see what the record is over the last 10, it felt like they were on 2 and 8 for the longest time. They just managed to hover around and I know every time I checked it, they, they happen to be on 2 and 8. So I'm a little depressed this morning when I see that they're 3 and 7 in their last 10. So need a loss tonight and I'll check the standings again tomorrow.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, they finally exploded for some offense yesterday against the Rays. Scored last I saw, I think they had 12 runs in that game.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

So, yeah, they got a rare win, but they're still like 6 and 15 in the last three weeks.

[Seth Payne]

But it's funny because, you know, you linked a couple articles on MLB trade rumors and these are, you know, Jeff Pass and everybody else is writing these comprehensive all 30 team know who are, who are some options for him. And just in the last 72 hours, there's been a big shift from. Well, you know, Dana Brown keeps saying they need a left handed outfielder. So it's probably going to be a left handed outfielder to. Now almost every article in the last 48 hours is, man, they need a pitcher.

[State Farm Advertiser]

Wow.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Yeah, we can't. You know what? I would criticize you for not paying enough attention. Not you, Luke, but people outside. But I've, I've, I've succumbed to this myself. Every, every time they get three good pitching appearances in a row, I, I delude myself into thinking, oh, of course.

[Luke Morrow]

Okay.

[Seth Payne]

Eric, Eddie's, back on track. Imai. It's just a matter of time until he's basically performing at a Cy Young level. And. And hey, you got all the guys coming back from the il, and then I get that. I get chopped off at the knees and plummet back down to earth.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And so tonight, long shins. It's a hard fall.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. Taller they are. You know, at least tonight you get Hunter Brown going. So the one thing you feel good about, you get tonight. And we'll see how well he does pitch against the Rangers because even Hunter Brown's been a little shaky since coming back from the il, so we would love to see a good start. You know, this is almost like going into the bi week. And obviously, Seth, you can speak more to this, having actually gone through it, but when you have this all star break, I imagine for an NFL team, like, you would love to head into the bye week on a positive, if you lose that game, you have an extra week to kind of sit on it.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

And it might be. I'm sure it's the same idea here at baseball, where they don't play again after this weekend till Friday. Maybe this is more for the fans and the actual team, but say Hunter Brown doesn't pitch well tonight. Say they do struggle against the Rangers. And then as an Astros fan, you have to sit on that all the way till Friday. Like, man, even Hunter Brown struggling. This whole pitching staff stinks. We don't get to see them again for a week. To try to feel better. You better hope that Brown pitches well and this team has a good weekend because otherwise it could be a long week next week.

[Seth Payne]

It's a good. You know, I always struggle with it when I try to draw the comparison between the NFL and baseball, because baseball puts such a premium on being even keeled emotionally.

[Luke Morrow]

Right.

[Seth Payne]

They're like, the perfect baseball player is the guy that would also be the perfect stepfather. You know, he'd just come in and just be kind of like, hey, not get too worked up over everything. We'll work through this bust, buddy. You know, all this stuff. Whereas, like, football players were notoriously bipolar. You run very hot and cold and you try to. You've got a coach that tries to tell you to act the same after losses as you do after win, wins. The problem is most of those guys are super bipolar, too. And Tom Coughlin was the worst at this. He would tell you, like, after, after Monday, you wipe the slate clean and you're. You just, you're back to doing. You operate the same way every Wednesday. And he would try to abide by that, but then all of a sudden, at 8am on a Saturday morning, the week after a loss, you know, the day before a new game, he starts tearing into you about how crappy you were the week before, like, hey, whoa, bro. What's all this clean slate stuff? You know, short memory and everything? I feel like d' Ameco's more. D' Ameco's got more of a baseball mentality when it comes to just keeping the same attitude all the time. So with it. But, yeah, the players themselves. Yeah. I wonder psychologically how much it really does help from a team perspective individually. Obviously, it's good for those guys to get a break, and physically, it's good for them to get a break. I think that for the Astros right now, it's more about the fans and how we feel about. All right, what is the actual ceiling or what's the potential for this team? It would be awesome to have a really good series versus a team, one of the many, many teams. There's currently eight teams in contention for the AL west title. That if you. If you could pull off a good one versus the Rangers, that. That would feel a lot better, obviously.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. First place on the line this weekend, by the way, when football coaches, when they would say, let's wipe the slate clean or like, you know, let's. Let's forget about this. We'll move past it. Can they. Doesn't that, like, can they then bring up criticism later in the season when you have that message as a coach, don't you always have to be looking forward? You can't criticize a guy and be like, hey, you haven't been blocking well the last three weeks. And you're like, well, you told me, wipe the slate clean. We're just looking ahead. We can't talk about the past anymore. Don't criticize what I did the first six weeks of the season.

[Seth Payne]

It's like you're like a bad girlfriend or something. Every time something happens, you're bringing up old stuff. Let's move on. That was three affairs ago, honey. Yeah. Why you got it? Why you got to keep bringing. With every new affair, it's like you want to bring up all the old ones. My God. By the way, did I say AL Central instead of AL West?

[Luke Morrow]

No, I think you said AL West.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, okay. I think once I expanded the number of teams I like, I got out. Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. It's like back in the day when they only had two divisions in each league, and so you really did have, you know, eight teams in the division.

[Seth Payne]

No, there's a. I get a weird dyslexia as, you know, sometimes between different athletes in sports and everything. And I just. The old AFC Central somehow creeped into my brain. And because it was at our, at our peak, we had six teams in the AFC Central, right. Yeah. When the Browns, it was a. It was bunch of expansion teams and translocated teams and the Browns for a couple of glorious years there back in the early 2000s.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. The Central. Yeah. I always, I always like that where it was just like obviously the central portion of the country, I guess, but it was like the north and the South. Right. You had at one point, like the Houston Oilers and the Cleveland Browns, like in the nfc. You had the Tampa Bay Bucks in Florida and then the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay packers, like up north. It was just, it was just obviously, I get it, the central part of the country, but you have these teams that are also a cross country in the same division, are playing each other.

[Seth Payne]

2001 NFL division standings. The last glorious year of the old AFC Central. It was the Steelers, the Ravens, the Browns, the Titans, the Jaguars and then the Bengals. That was the final standings. For those of you who wanted to go relive that glorious flashback Friday.

[Oregon Lottery Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

Think back 25 years to 2001. Yeah. It was looking, in hindsight, like, it feels strange. I like how the NFL and Major League Baseball are currently set up now. Even like when the Astros were in the NL, that took some adjusting to. To move to the AL, but I do kind of like uneven. 15 teams in the AL, 15 teams in the NL.

[Seth Payne]

It's. No, I'd love it. I would just. I would prefer that the Astros not have all these ridiculous west coast games that.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

That feel like when watching Pac 12. The old Pac 12. Now, let's go down memory lane on college football conferences.

[Luke Morrow]

Well, the Astros didn't play last night. This is what we got to do. But they do play tonight. They get underway with the. The Rangers and the Rangers have. Have suddenly taken over first place, even though they're only one game over.500. So the Astros are two games behind the Rangers with three games to play this weekend. Here's the chance you sweep this weekend. The Astros head into the All Star break not only over.500 or actually, no, that would make them exactly.500. So they'd head into the All Star break at.549 and 49 and also, I guess would be in first place over the Rangers.

[Priceline Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And you know Hunter Brown. It's strange. Is it like if, obviously if Imai came out and pitched four innings and allowed six earned runs, it just, it, it puts you right back down into that funk and depression. I don't worry as much about Hunter Brown's last performance where he pitched four innings and allowed six earned runs, as he's still obviously working his way back through some things because he's had some good performances before that. But it would be like an emphatic, an emphatically stud performance tonight would make me feel a lot better about a lot of things. A lot of things.

[Luke Morrow]

And then we have to figure out who's pitching Sunday as well. And that's a big question mark for the Astros. Will it be Javier? Will it be Blanco? Will it be somebody else?

[Seth Payne]

If it's, if it's Javier. If it's Javier. Any deals, like, how much, how much do you allow yourself to believe in that, given that Javier hasn't really looked like the 2022 version of Javier since 2022? I actually, he's in this weird boat for me where I'm actually more optimistic about the fact that he only has to pitch half a season because that's what the recipe, the recipe in 2022 was that they slowly worked him into being a starter and it wasn't a super heavy workload. It was the transition into being a full time starter right from the get go that seemed to have, you know, brought out a lesser version of Javier. So these, the, the half season dynamic of it actually makes me feel optimistic about Javier.

[Luke Morrow]

That's fair. And yeah, you know, it's just, it's, it's, you just need the burst from him here down the stretch to try to fill in these last two and a half months. We talked about it. Right off the top though pitching still is, seems to be the top need at the deadline. And so to your point, I hope these national people are just lagging behind and I hope it's not a case of like stubbornness from Dana Brown because CBS Sports had the story just yesterday of what they're hearing about the trade deadline and for the Astros. They said, you know, they're seeking a left handed hitting outfielder. And then secondly they said a right handed reliever and made no mention of the starting rotation. I'm afraid with how often we've heard about the left handed hitter that that has just become like the, the white whale at this point for Dana Brown or the, you know, we've been talking about that for like at least two years now. That I feel like he's. Maybe this is just me projecting. Dana Brown is so set on finally finding a left hitting outfielder that that's still like a top priority over any starting pitching.

[Seth Payne]

That's. Yeah. That almost. He becomes fixated on his inability to even. He tried to trade away parades. It didn't work out and thankfully it didn't. Yeah, because. But they just seemed desperate. It felt like the Rocket, remember the Rockets were trying to trade for Ryan Anderson forever and they couldn't pull it off. And then the one year when the cap expanded, when the luxury tax expanded so aggressively, they went ahead and plunked down a bunch of. They got Ryan Anderson and gave him a huge contract and felt like, man, I feel like Daryl Morey was just. That was his white whale. You had your opportunity and you spent all your resources or a bunch of your resources on this thing that it really, it had passed the prime window. I don't think, I don't think you have to worry about that with Dana Brown because if there's anything that he's shown that he's incapable of actually making a good move in the outfield. So whether it's his white whale or not, he's going to be forced to accept a trade for an awesome pitcher

[Luke Morrow]

or something, it'll continue to be that white whale. I saw this. Chandler Rome had the story on Jordan yesterday. And I guess in there Jordan said that when there was, as we talk about the trade deadline, when there were trade rumors swirling earlier this year about Jordan, and it really, I think it was just kind of media members, I know it was a conversation on these airwaves of like, should the Astros just, should they just trade Jordan at this point, get a king's ransom? But he went to the Astros to see what the deal was. And as Jordan said, they told him they were not going to trade him. No matter what. They were never going to trade him. And Jordan wanted to stay here with Houston, he didn't want to be traded. So I was kind of going to that con or going to the front office figuring out what's going on because. And I don't want to be moved, but I do like that idea of Jordan going to the front office, hearing those rumors and sort of, I guess kind of putting the foot down. But also the Astros acknowledging, and as I said at the time, I think it would be ridiculous to ever trade you. I don't care how bad you are, I'll have you be Steve Carlton on that Phillies team in the 70s where they like lost 100 games, but he won 25 games on the mound. Like I'll have you be the prize possession of even the worst team in the league. You don't move on from a guy like Jordan.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

So I like that little tidbit from Chandler Rome.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, you know what, it's, it's interesting too because like how, how exactly does it get to the point where he feels like, oh crap, like this is something that I have to worry about. Whether it's just personal relations telling him that we're hearing all this stuff or if he's just happening to see it or he's being asked questions about it. That, that everybody, no matter how good you are, can get a little bit insecure about this stuff. I like that also that he just given his personality where he seems to be one of the most even keeled people on earth and you know that profile that Chandler, Chandler Rome wrote about him in the Athletic, he just does also seem to be very simple in a good way. Like he just doesn't seem to really have a desire for extreme fame or anything like that. That it's. He will be a stable presence here for a while and that when it comes to, you know, he's got a little bit of a precedent in Altuve, who took below market contracts and renegotiations a couple times while he was here, or he's obviously still here, but he, since he's been here that, that they might be able to come to some kind of reasonable situation with him where with every other guy it feels like, okay, well, Kyle Tucker is going to be gone, George Springer is going to be gone, Carlos Correa is going to be gone. Then he'll come back, but then he'll get injured again. That maybe there is a long term relationship with Jordan Alvarez above and beyond the current contract.

[Luke Morrow]

Last thing, the Athletic also had this and it's pretty remarkable they had Jordan stats compared to the rest of the Astros. Jordan's OPS is 1.030. The rest of the Astros team is 688, which is pretty well below league average. So when you take away your don like this is a bad lineup and yet the Astros are still, I think it's 13th and run scored, third in homers. He is a one man team. It's pretty remarkable when you get the context of truly what he's doing this year and he's actually on pace to put together a season that when it comes to left handed hitters, only Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Barry Bonds and Shohei Ohtani have ever reached certain markers that he's on pace for. It's remarkable what he's been able to do as like a one man show

[Seth Payne]

here this year offensively, if you think about just. Yeah, where they are, where they are in terms of OPS. His OPS is so high and yet they are 15th in the league right now in OPS or 13th or 14th in the league in OPS. And so much of that is just lifted up by him.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, it's wild. So he's, he's on his way to an MVP season this year. As we head into the final series of the first half, first place essentially on the line. We'll see what the Mariners also do this weekend. But Astros, Rangers, they get underway tonight. 7:15, I think, in Arlington with Hunter Brown this evening. Hey. Baseball Talk On Sports Radio 610 is presented by Xfinity.

[Seth Payne]

Score.

[Luke Morrow]

The most reliable Wi Fi 1 price, five years guaranteed. Xfinity. Imagine that. Coming up, a former Rocket said that they were the worst organization he has ever played for. We got to talk about that next. Payne and Pendergast.

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[Luke Morrow]

player said that the Rockets were the worst organization he's ever played for. Plus, is it really, at this point more about next year for the Rockets than this year? Payne and Pendergast I'm Luke Morrow in for Sean alongside Seth Payne. Appreciate you starting your Friday with us. You can always join the conversation 713-572-4610 on the text line or in the YouTube and Twitch chats as well. Seth, I've been thinking about this as this offseason has unfolded for the Rockets or seemingly not a whole lot's going on for our Houston Rockets. As you see, all these other teams make the moves and we've been down this road before, but at this point, should we be looking more towards just the 2027 draft and next year where the Rockets are holding on to those picks from a couple of bad teams with the Nets and the Suns? As opposed to this upcoming season where the Rockets are trying to just kind of run things back and hope that some healthier players will make the difference?

[Seth Payne]

I think. You know what, it's a good question and I think that's where the kind of the divide between talking about it, analyzing it, thinking about realistically what will happen falls away from all right, let's not forget that pretty much this same assortment of players last year in the preseason was forecast and predicted to be a lot better than what they ended up being so that the notion of running it back doesn't seem as extreme. If you remember that, okay, with a healthy Fred Van Vliet and a healthy Stephen Adams, that this was expected to be a much different basketball team than it ended up being. And I think that if they had been able to run all those guys out and have a full season with them and they got the results that they did, then, yeah, you should be really depressed about all of this and not have very high hopes again. Maybe I'm naive and maybe I'm just too. Just searching or yearning for something. I don't. I would like them to be more aggressive. At the same time, I think it's very possible that they end up surpassing expectations. Right now they're. Right now they're the. They've got the. Well, I'd written it down. Is the short of 15th shortest odds to win the championship. So they're considered just a middle of the road. Like, all right, not really thinking. Nobody's really thinking about them as a contender at this point. Given the current state of affairs. If Fred Van Vliet is healthy and who knows what the situation is with that, I'm still inclined to be like, no, I'm not looking towards the draft yet. I'm thinking it's awesome that you got some picks that aren't yours, so you can be as good as you want to be and it's not going to affect anything that happens in the draft. And there's a real good chance. There's. I shouldn't say there's a real good chance. There's a very reasonable chance that they exceed expectations, which right now are not all that high either locally or nationally.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, because you said what, 15th best odds this year to win the championship. So speaking of odds, props to shoddy ad on Reddit who actually put this together. But looking at that 2027 draft and the potential for the Rockets because of those other picks they hold. And so they have the potential with this new lottery system. And I know that that was why some Rockets fans were excited about the lottery changes. But the Rockets could have six lottery balls in the lottery next year, and that would give them a 16% chance of winning the lottery, a 35% chance of a top two pick, 49% chance of a top three pick, 62% chance, top four, 73% chance that it is a top pick five pick. And what is what. I mean, it's still way too early, but it could be a pretty decent draft next year. So if you're a Rockets fan. It's like, well, not much is happening this offseason. Maybe the excitement comes from trying to get, you know, a couple first round picks next year and, and sort of reap, not rebuild. I won't say that. Reinforce the roster that way since they can't do seemingly they can't do a whole lot in free agency this season.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. And I mean, this is from a team. It's not like the Rockets had horrible luck in the lottery or anything with this. It's just they haven't accepted their. Except that they're even their good luck just isn't quite good enough at times to get like an antenna. Kmpo, for instance. That's the. It's not horrible luck, but it's almost worse that it's not horrible luck if they've had pretty damn good luck. It's just. Just not quite good enough in the key and specific moments you need it to be.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, it's like being the runner up a bunch for like competitive positions and it's like, well, I'm very close, they think highly of me, but it's still not quite good enough to actually get the position each time. You're the bridesmaid, never the bride, so to speak.

[Seth Payne]

Hey, the Rockets were basically the second best team in basketball for a long time when it just happened to be that the warriors were the best team.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that too.

[Seth Payne]

Where's our banner for that? You know, or do it. When do we. When do we get our replica rings for that?

[Luke Morrow]

I like the top comment on this Reddit thread is saying, knowing the Rockets Lux. Knowing the Rockets luck will be nets in the Suns in the NBA. And so then those picks will, you know, then you won't get the lottery picks after all because those two teams will surprisingly, knowing the Rockets luck, surprisingly be really good. And you can't count on those picks.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. So I don't. It's. It's. It's kind of cool because I don't. You can have your cake and eat it too. And that. All right. I, I think running it back, as depressing as it might feel at any given time, when you say that they're not actually running it back, you know, like, that's a, that's a one little objection I have to people just so casually saying, well, the Rockets are running it back. If Fred Van Vliet is actually healthy, then they're not running it back. You know, they're. They're running back their plan from before the season last year. But it's not like you should just expect that that's going to be the exact same team with the guys awkwardly trying to fit into roles they're not suited for, as long as you actually have a viable point guard on the team. So that part of it is I'm, I'm still may. I feel like I'm a little bit more optimistic than the average Rockets fan on that side of things. But. But at the same time, I don't also have to. I don't have to worry about it. I don't have to worry about like, oh, well, if they have a, you know, if they end up 500 again, then they screwed their chance to. To get a reset in the lottery. They have that because they already have a chance of having a good pick simply because they've. They've got so many other teams picks.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, that's fair on the whole running it back thing. I mean, they are running it back in the sense or why they were quote unquote running it back is because they expect it to be different and better this year with guys actually healthy and available throughout the season like Stephen Adams and Fred Van Vliet.

[Seth Payne]

They're running it back to what, August of 2025, whenever it was that Fred Van Vliet got injured.

[Luke Morrow]

True. Do you think Kevin Durant is. I think I heard Ron ask about this like a week ago. Do you think Kevin Durant is happy right now in Houston with, you know, we get these rumors he wants to go play with Kate Cunningham. Who knows. They're just rumors. But do you think he's happy right now here in Houston with the way things are going?

[Seth Payne]

I know that's a. It's a really good question. Whenever he has a question about happiness, you know, obviously happiness is very subjective and can mean different things to different people. I would say a. I don't know if Kevin Durant has ever actually been happy. You know, he, like, I don't think he's unhappy, but just in any given circumstance that he's in. It's never seemed like he's all that tied to a specific place.

[Jimmy Conrad]

I would have.

[Seth Payne]

If you had asked me whether he was happy in San Antonio, really seemed like he was up until the end. So going all the way back. I don't. Or, excuse me, Oklahoma City. God, not San Antonio. Oklahoma City. That. I think that. I don't think he. I would guess he's not overly disgruntled. Is that happiness? Is that his version of happiness? It could be. I don't, I don't think he's actively angling to try to get out of Houston, but I think he also might. If a situation arose that seemed more appetizing, then I don't think he would. It's not like loyalty would tie him to Houston.

[Luke Morrow]

Right. Right. Yeah, I think it's fair. I don't know if he's, like, ecstatic or over the moon with the way things have gone or are going. But, yeah, like, to your point, I also don't think he's so unhappy that he would be trying to force his way out. It's not like it's some terrible scenario here.

[Seth Payne]

I would say financially, I'm guessing he's happy.

[Luke Morrow]

Yep.

[Seth Payne]

In terms of like, okay, running it back. If we're doing. Run it back to August 2025. I felt like he was happy in that scenario and that he, he felt like they were probably going to have a good season this past year, and then everything just went awry. So I would say as long as he's cool with Fred Van Vliet, and Fred Van Vliet actually is healthier than however he described it the last time. I guess the other part, though, would be, let's say, with various disparaging things that he may have said on his Burner account about teammates and their intelligence level, is he. Is he happy with just his supporting cast right now?

[Luke Morrow]

Right.

[Seth Payne]

Like, do you think he's happy with Shangun, with Amin Thompson, with. With all of those guys? With Tari Eason?

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, that's my concern. That's where. That's where I come in on wonder. I'm pondering the happiness. But with that said, like, this is the same team that, that he signed up for, so to speak, maybe he wouldn't be as happy now after actually playing a full season and realizing, like, oh, this isn't as good of a group as I thought it was going to be. But this is kind of what you signed on to and you wanted to come to Houston, is you knew who was here. These are the players. Nothing's really changed there. And you obviously must have thought it was good enough to actually be able to compete. Otherwise, I don't think Durant would have wasted his time coming here. So, you know, I don't know how, how different it should be a year later when this is sort of the team you signed up with.

[Seth Payne]

Do you think, do you think he still has Burner accounts that he's active on, or do you think I went cold turkey on that? You think so?

[Luke Morrow]

I think so. He hasn't posted on his main Twitter account. I think Since April, which is so odd. It's been almost three months, I think, since his last tweet. But I do think part of that is because he's probably living in all these burner accounts and that's how he's getting his fix of like responding on Twitter to everybody.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I haven't seen anything and I haven't like been on Reddit or anything to find out what the scuttlebutt is, but is I. I would assume people are actively out there trying to identify his burner accounts and I haven't. But I haven't seen anything reported about sketchy activity on his. For whatever it's worth, maybe he's doing a much better job and he's being more careful about it. Right.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. Real quick, I do want to pay off this tease. I said there was a former Rocket who said it's the worst organization he's ever played for. This is Dennis Schroeder who played for I think 11 teams in the NBA, spent half a season with the Rockets. Here's what he had to say. What team did you have the worst experience with?

[State Farm Advertiser]

Houston.

[Seth Payne]

I was with Houston for two months.

[Luke Morrow]

So that's why you don't like us.

[Seth Payne]

No, I don't have no bad blood, but it was really tough. What was the problem there? They had no structure. No real GM who you know, like emphasizes what is like professionals. No, but they good now. Yeah, he threw that in there. They're good now. So that was the 2122 season, right?

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. When they won 20 games.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. I have a hard time getting offended by that just because. Other than just the no GM part, because there was one. Who was it? Red. Let's see. Red 94. Red. Red 94. Had posted this old. This old quote from Sham Sharanya where he said, quote, the looming presence of general manager Rafael Stone was also one the head coach had to manage. Talking about Silas, Stone interrupted a Silas led session to give his input on and show defensive position. Silas eventually had to inform Stone that he could no longer halt the coaches practice sessions. So it's. I don't know whether like when Schroeder's situation was with however Raphael Stone was operating at the time or not. I think it was just. Yeah, there were a lot of things that were a mismatch and just needed to rectify it and it just wasn't going to work out with Silas at that point. But Schroeder was also like he was. How many teams did he play for that year? Played for three teams that that season. Oh, no, just two teams that season with Boston, Houston.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, I think that's the thing like, like that might have been true at the time, which was also, what, four years ago. But I think part of that has to do with the fact that Silas was the, they were a 20 win team. They were tanking and going through this rebuild. It is different now with, with Udoka and having success in different players on the roster. A lot of people used it online as an indictment on stone, but I think it's just, it's with a different head coach, different players. I do think it's, it is a different organization.

[Seth Payne]

And I would say two things is with the source, like at the end there, he says, hey, they're good now. They figured it out. They've got it together. Yeah, cool. It was, it wasn't good back then. It really, really wasn't. And it was also as Schroeder was at the beginning of a stretch where he would play for nine different teams from 2021 until now. So, like, it wasn't like Schroeder was the most highly desired and, you know, guy to. You just got to have him. You got to keep him in your room for the culture. He needs to be here for the culture.

[State Farm Advertiser]

Right?

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. And he also went from the Celtics who were, you know, one of the top teams in the league, to the 20 win Rockets. So I get just naturally that might be a disappointment for him. Coming up, we got to get you the headlines for this Friday, including, I continue to think that major league baseball does a poor job marketing its sport. And there's another example this weekend. We'll get to that next Payne and

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[Jimmy Conrad]

as the U.S. men's National Team takes center stage at a home World Cup. Make sure you're listening to Call it what yout Want, part of the CBS Sports Podcast Network where you can join me. I'm Jimmy Conrad alongside Charlie Davies, Tony Miola, Marcelo Balboa and Benny Fieldhaber throughout this tournament for previews, instant reactions and analysis of every US Match. Then all summer, we're back every Tuesday and Thursday covering all things U.S. men's National Team. Download and follow Call it what you want on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

[Seth Payne]

Payne and Pendergast with today's headlines powered by Men's Clinic.

[Luke Morrow]

Let's get you the biggest headlines in the sports world here on a Friday morning. Payne and Pendergast. I'm Luke Morrow in for Sean alongside Seth Payne and Seth, we've been talking about these top 10 lists that ESPN has been doing. They've been ranking the top 10 players at each position, one position a day, and they do it by polling executives, coaches and scouts in the NFL. Well, after the high praise for the Texans with cornerbacks and defensive ends, they put out their defensive tackle list, which did not include any Texans. And number one on the list was Leonard Williams.

[Seth Payne]

Ah, yeah, I think Tommy Togiai, as I thought he might get a vote and show up in the honorable mention on this, I think Tommy Togiai was a bit of a surprise for a lot of people last year he'd never played more than a couple hundred snaps in a season and then he ends up being a really important part of the rotation last year and then if you, I mean if you look at the PFF grades, he was a top 10 defensive tackle. I think He's a really good blend of both run stuffing and pass rushing ability. And I think the thing that's always going to work against him on this team is that they are, they're going to rotate defensive tackles in and you know, Kaden McDonald and Logan hall and Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togi probably all get about equal number of stuff snaps this year. So it's harder to get individual notoriety if you're platooning like that. And yet in, you know, in the hearts and minds of people who really care about him, I'll, I'll make a very biased list at the end of the year. If he plays as well as he did this year, but plays a full season, gets more snaps, you know, that's another thing that holds him back is he just. His total snaps on the season weren't as high as most of the other guys on this list. Then I will create an incredibly biased list of the top defensive tackles in the league and be sure that he's on it.

[Luke Morrow]

By the way, number two on the list was Jeffrey Simmons of the Titans, who obviously we'll see a couple times this year. So he finished number two. 19 players in total received votes, but nobody for the Texans on this list

[Seth Payne]

at least was Puna Ford on that list.

[Luke Morrow]

Let me scroll here.

[Seth Payne]

Puna Ford's another disregarded, more lightly regarded than he should be guy.

[Luke Morrow]

Not on the list.

[Seth Payne]

Not on the list. Okay. You know what also works against guys like Tommy Togi? You get extra points for being a big fatty on this if you're a 330 pound beast. There's a certain allure to that. And the people, people love the idea of like, oh, he's just a mountain of a man. He must be immovable. And then you sometimes see some of these guys who are mountains of men, they get rode up out of there on double teams sometimes, but they just, they get the benefit of the doubt. They're like, they're like a good looking woman. They just, sometimes things are, things are given to them just because they're, they're good looking.

[Luke Morrow]

Next on the list is tight ends.

[State Farm Advertiser]

Today.

[Luke Morrow]

Do we think Dalton Schultz cracks top 10 or maybe even receiving votes?

[Seth Payne]

I think just by sheer production. I can't remember if he was on this list last year or not, but he was, he was, he was in the top five of receiving yards for tight ends, but he didn't produce as many touchdowns as I think Dalton Schultz has always been viewed when you read polls like these and everything, as a guy that's more of a he's a safety blanket for a quarterback or he's just always where he should be. So quarterbacks like him. And I'm always left wondering what's the negative in that? Like, it's. You don't have to necessarily be the driving force behind it, but if you're an integral part of an offense and yeah, the quarterback feels really comfortable with him, then then by all means, then you're a productive football player.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, for sure. I think that's also specifically for tight ends. That's always what's so important for them. And I didn't mean to gloss over your point, by the way. I always do tell beautiful women you're just like a big fat guy.

[Taco Bell Advertiser]

Okay.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. That's why they love hearing that, you know, you're like a fat nose tackle. You know, that's how pretty you are.

[Luke Morrow]

Exactly. It's worked well for me so far. Major League Baseball's holding their draft this weekend. This is my problem. I always complain about this, but this is my problem. Major League Baseball, we talked about this earlier this week with something else they had done. I forget. Oh, they announced the All Star starting lineups or All Star teams on at 7:30 on July 4th last weekend is what Major League Baseball did. Now they're holding their draft this weekend. And I know the draft is never that big of a deal in Major League Baseball, but maybe partially because they're having it Saturday while every team in the league is playing and you already have games to tune in as opposed to try it during next week where there's no baseball games from Monday to Thursday. That seems like the perfect time to hold your draft and try to make it its own event.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I don't. You know what? There's a part of me that always. I kind of grudgingly want to give MLB credit for being so weird about the way they manage dates and everything. Because they're not. It doesn't feel. It doesn't feel like they're trying to make it more of an event than it is that they just. They're not going to try to play this game of the NFL. That. Because the NFL very successfully turns a bunch of previous non events into mega events and the combine and the draft are those. I think the draft for baseball, the biggest obstacle it's always going to have is that just, it's. There's. There's so few guys that you're gonna see anytime soon, you know that it just feels like you're. It feels like somebody told you they just bought you a savings bond.

[Priceline Advertiser]

Right.

[Seth Payne]

Like here, you know you're gonna get a savings bond when you're a kid and you're like, this is like I'm a child. I don't. What. What the hell am I gonna do with this? I don't. I have no concept of time or anything. I don't. Thanks, Grandma.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, exactly.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. I'm gonna lose it. You know I'm gonna lose it. I used to have so many savings bonds, and I don't know where any of them ever went.

[Luke Morrow]

I don't think I ever had. Ever actually had any. But, yeah, Major League Baseball, it's like the guy that's set in their ways and he's just not changing. It's just like, hey, this is who I am. And you either like it or you don't. Major League Baseball is like, hey, our drafts gonna be this weekend. Either tune in or you don't. Whatever. We're gonna announce the All Stars during the fireworks on July 4th. You ever. You either watch it or you don't. Like, that's fine. But this is us, and this is what we're gonna be doing. So the draft is this weekend, in case you're interested in that. Moving along on headlines, Christian Pulisic, it was announced, suffered a micro fracture, suffered a bone bruise and micro fracture in his leg during that Monday's loss to Belgium. Sources told and said that it's gonna sideline him for several weeks. He would not have been able to play if the Americans had advanced any further in the World Cup. Does this make us feel any different about Pulisic?

[Seth Payne]

Sure, I guess. I don't know the thing about Pulisic that I'm getting and that I would have thought, even if you had told me a week ago that, yeah, oh, well, it turns out he actually had a bone bruise. It feels like this is just all still an offshoot of how people feel about him and the way he operates, that there are a lot of other star players that would have gotten as much scrutiny as he did for either pulling himself or reportedly pulling himself from that game, that it doesn't. I guess it doesn't move the meter when I've got so many former US Soccer players talking about what. Just what kind of a ridiculously pompous jerk they. They think he is. You know, like, there's certain players that. When. There's certain players in any sport that when they get taken out, you never question whether or not it was a matter of toughness. The very fact that they would openly question his commitment or his toughness or his selflessness. Selflessness kind of, I feel, tells the story.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, I think, well, look, for one part of the story is that he's been injured. I think it's five, the last nine World cup games. So this is still part of the story that I guess he's just injury prone. But the second part is I always dislike when the news comes out after like some criticism or after the fact. And LeBron was always the king of this, where he would play a game, get eliminated from the playoffs, and then afterwards they'd be like, oh, well, you know, my knee was hurting me. I'm gonna have you know, I was playing with an injured knee. It's like, well, we should have known that before the fact. You can't throw that out afterwards. And I know for Pulisic, like, this just happened in the latest game, but it comes now like four days later after he's been getting ripped all week, as opposed to right after the game they announced like, ah, he suffered an injury, he's going to be out for a while.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I don't know. Show me, show me, show me an mri. Exactly. Yeah. You know, that's where I respect about Stefan Diggs, who himself is in another headline legal situation right now. Step on. Diggs in his last couple of situations has had some people that have, you know, felt like they were deserved compensation. And he does what we always want people to do is like, he's like, oh, let's take it to court. You know, like, if you're gonna, like, if you're gonna say it's you're innocent, go ahead and sue the people. And that's what like, so Stefan Diggs is currently suing somebody who said was spreading misinformation. And now this, this, this guy is. This person countersued Stefon Diggs. And there's all kinds of accusations floating around. I respect it when somebody at least says, no, you are impugning my honor. You're lying and I'm going to take you to court over it. I'm certainly not going to settle out of court with you.

[Luke Morrow]

That's right. Yeah. Let's get some proof here. By the way, Rocket Summer league begins tonight if you're interested. I think it's 5:30 on ESPN2 against the Nuggets coming up. Will CJ Stroud actually make it through the season? One person's concerned about that. We'll talk about it next. Payne and Pendergast.

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[Luke Morrow]

Why does it feel like nobody really gives us the inside scoop? Join us on the Powers that Be,

[Seth Payne]

the podcast where insiders from Puck break

[Luke Morrow]

down who has influence, how they use it, and what it actually means for you. New episodes every weekday. Listen to the Powers that Be wherever you get your podcasts.