Rockets Carry Hopes of a City, Travel to Memphis for Battle in the Grind House
Black Monday. Grinding Out. The Secret Weapon.
Professional sports. Games that make you forget real-life problems as you watch real-life superheroes for a few hours. From the time we were kids, sports have been ingrained in all of us. Some more than others. Maybe sports isn’t your cup of tea. But unless you’re a lifetime agoraphobic, you’ve been around sports fans. We’re still players.. some of us. The others? Intense watch-birds of the game we love. And some of us are still growing with hope, teasing you with potential as the game’s next “big thing.” Whether attending the game, watching at a bar, or catching it on the couch, sports unite communities and regions unlike anything else. The internet allows fan-bases to continuously grow on a global scale. Even if you hate sports, you’d have to be blind as a bat not to recognize the impact these silly games have on communities worldwide. And on Sunday rolling over into Monday, the community of Houston, Texas was rocked with more devastation over 24 hours than any city in American sports history.
“Black Monday,” as they’re calling it in H-Town, will go down as the worst day in Houston sports history. For people disinterested in the day’s drama, Monday was equivalent to Game of Throne’s Red Wedding scene. If your’re more of a Breaking Bad fan, Monday’s news was more gut-wrenching than Ozymandias. Ironically the Rockets, frequent contributors to Heartbreak-Houston, had nothing to do with Black Monday… a staggering, unprecedented day. The reckoning began on Sunday, as Houston’s football team, the Texans, played the Kansas City Chiefs for a chance at hosting the NFL’s AFC Championship. There’s leads, and then there are Houston leads, which never seem to be big enough. The Texans started out playing like Super Bowl-Favorites, earning a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter. However, in a matter of minutes, Houston’s football team resembled deer-in-headlights, and their lead vanquished. In typical-Texan fashion, Houston surrendered the next 41 points, leading to a season-ending 51-31 loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City. And still, Houston’s football team, run by the apathetic McNair family, have no plans to fire Texans head-coach Bill O’Brien: the Webster definition for mediocrity.
It hurts when a team with championship potential ends their season short of the goal. But the Texans loss didn’t sting as much as the news that broke Houston’s baseball team Monday afternoon. First, Major League Baseball issued one-year suspensions for Houston Astros Manager A.J. Hinch, and GM Jeff Lunhow for their alleged involvement in “cheating.” Which wasn’t the end of the world. However, Astros owner Jim Crane, who’s faced various lawsuits as a businessman for unethical business practices in the past, decided to fire the two men who brought him a Championship, and built a winning culture from scratch. Whether they knew about it or not isn’t the point. If they did, so did Crane. All three were close. Hinch and Lunhow were class-acts, and represented the best manager and GM in baseball. Crane acted as backstabber to the men who constructed the culture and roster of Houston’s first baseball championship. I bet you’ve heard of the New England Patriots. Not exactly class acts, they’ve been involved in a scandal or three… but you don’t see Bill Belichick getting fired. What about the New Orleans Saints? Sean Payton was suspended a year, but he’s still calling plays in New Orleans. Different sports, but Crane’s actions are unprecedented in professional sports. It’s about the principle. As an owner, you take the penalty, and stand by your guys, especially if they’re successful. It’s absolutely shocking Crane decided to ax his manager and GM, the core minds responsible for building MLB’s best team over the last 3 years. Crane’s complete overreaction likely shuts the window on the Astros title-hopes in the near future. Houston will be hard-pressed to find a leader that matched A.J. Hinch’s quality in the clubhouse. Hinch wasn’t only the best manager in Astros history, he was the best manager in baseball, period. After Hinch’s suspension, don’t be shocked when he receives offers from other clubs immediately. A.J. is a baseball genius, has too much passion for the game, and most importantly, is truly loved by all his players. You can’t say that about every manager. It’s sad he won’t finish his career in Houston.
It’s well-known among professional baseball players, every team cheats. Stealing signs has been going on since before the 20th century. With modern technology, this is enhanced, but still achieved subtly by those with the experience, caution, and hindsight. The Astros got caught in a web of envy and blame that produced snitches who moved on to other teams. Alex Cora, the bench coach for the ‘Stros 2017 World Series Championship team, is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox, and under investigation at the moment. Former Astros players Carlos Beltran and Mike Fiers also moved on to new places, snitching and dishing out secrets on how to stop Houston’s top-notch talent.
One of the MLB’s most-outspoken players on social media, Logan Morrison, recently shed some light on the situation. A seasoned veteran, Morrison has played for 5 different major league teams. He’s seen a lot, and on Monday he tweeted “I know from first-hand accounts that the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, and Red Sox have used film to pick signs. Just want you guys to know the truth.” Believe what you want. Sure, the Astros might’ve cheated like many of their counterparts. But, guess what? Everyone does, to some extent. If you think only the guilty teams are being punished, you’re flat-out wrong. This is professional sports. Millions of dollars are in the air. Pressure exists in waves normal people never experience. Legacies are on the line, with a chance to shape history. In the pros, people will do anything to get an advantage. It’s part of the competitive nature of sports, the will-to-win. We’re all human. Everyone loves a winner. No one likes a loser. This philosophy to win at all costs is ingrained in every move a professional sports team makes. As former pro football coach Herm Edwards famously said, “you play to win the game!”
On Tuesday night, the Rockets head to Memphis, to try and win a game that will be more difficult that the their opponent’s record suggests. The Grizzlies are 18-22, good enough for final playoff spot in the West. Memphis has been rolling lately. The Grizz have won five straight, moving from lottery contenders into the playoff hunt. Ja Morant is the clear-cut Rookie of the Year, with superstar potential in his future. Memphis big man Jonas Valanciunas is coming off a huge 31-point, 19-rebound game. Clint Capela certainly has his hands full tonight. The Grizzlies also have vet Jae Crowder, and youngsters Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. Players having career years excelling in their roles. They call it the Grind House in Memphis for a reason. Despite their lack of talent compared to other NBA teams, the Grizzlies play hard every night. James Harden and crew have to be ready for what should be an exciting first game of a back-to-back for the Rockets. Houston needs to continue grinding out victories as they approach the season’s midway point. Their schedule gets tougher for the rest of January. Lucky for the Rockets, they just may have found their secret weapon.
Eric Gordon, who’s always excelled alongside James Harden, wasn’t right before his surgery earlier this season. Since returning, the Rockets are 3-0 when EG, Harden, and Russell Westbrook all play. And it’s not even close. Houston has outscored their competition by 66 points in those games, all double-digit convincing victories. Once EG finds his groove consistently, and turns back into Splash Gordon, the Rockets will be a problem for the rest of the NBA. It’s been a rough 24 hours for the city of Houston. H-Town’s mixed with feelings of confusion, shock, and disbelief. Tonight, it’s bigger than just sports in Memphis. For the Rockets, this game’s for an entire city. For the Texans. For the Astros. For their fans. Houston needs a superhero… now more than ever.
FedExForum: Memphis, Tennessee
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (26-12): Black
Memphis Grizzlies (18-22): Blue
TV: 7 PM CT – AT&T Sportsnet SW
Do it for The City!!
Tough L. But we’ll get back on track in the H 2nite