00:00That's right, The Drive is live, and as you hear that, B. Scott is in the building.
00:04Clint Sterner is out today, but that's all good.
00:08We appreciate you joining us on the text line.
00:10You can be a part of the show, 713-572-4610, YouTube and Twitch.
00:16We always love to see you.
00:17I see you, Brandon.
00:18I see you, Rocky.
00:19I see you, JB Nice, in the building.
00:21I see you, R-Tex, who is a bit of a hater.
00:25I got a little bit of a hater, but that's all right.
00:27Rob's in the building.
00:28Space age, I got you, man.
00:30We all love it.
00:30I see you, Joel, always in business with us on Twitch.
00:35So we appreciate you joining us.
00:36You see Tyler right there on YouTube with an odd wave going with the Rockets shirt today.
00:43Just really mailing it in, aren't you?
00:45That's it.
00:46That's it.
00:46Wait a minute.
00:48No, I'm sorry.
00:49The Rockets have great gear.
00:50What are we doing here?
00:51Okay, I'm just saying that is a walk to the closet or the drawer, and he's upset with the Astros.
00:58And he's just a mail-it-in Monday.
01:00I'm sorry.
01:01It is.
01:02I just like the fit of the shirt.
01:03The Rockets suck ass right now, but I like the fit of the shirt.
01:07That's all that went into the thinking.
01:09He just said whatever.
01:10The hell with it.
01:11He didn't care.
01:12It wasn't out of luck.
01:12Kind of like the Rockets.
01:13Yeah.
01:14The hell with it.
01:14Oh, man.
01:14Not all is lost, man.
01:15The Rockets actually won yesterday in the lottery, man.
01:18Oh, yeah.
01:18With the Nets losing?
01:20I thought the Wizards won.
01:21Well, the Wizards won the lottery.
01:23The Pacers sure lost.
01:23And the Pacers, and that'll come up again in the show at some point.
01:27But, no, the Rockets were winners because the Nets are not going to be as good, and they
01:32have their pick next year.
01:33So, that's pretty good.
01:34Well, let's stop talking about winners here.
01:36Let's talk about guys who have lost and were losers yesterday.
01:40Yeah.
01:40And that is the Houston Astros.
01:43They go ahead and lose to the Reds, a Reds team that had come in losing seven straight
01:48to start this series, and the Astros put it on them 10-0 the first game.
01:52There you go.
01:53And caused their eight-game losing streak, but then lost the final two, and the Reds take
01:59the series, winning the final two games.
02:01And so, we've done this a lot, and I know I've said here, Tyler, all right, this is a big
02:15stretch.
02:16This is a big stretch coming up.
02:18I'll be honest with you.
02:18I felt like this was a big stretch in terms of, Joe, how long are you going to have this
02:23job over the next week and a half or so?
02:26Yeah.
02:26Did not get started off well.
02:28Well, they've lost two or three, and I know on this show, Clint has really been trying
02:33to hang on until the reinforcements come back, the Hunter Browns, the Josh Haters, the Jeremy
02:39Pena's, Jake Myers, like the guys, the front-line guys get back.
02:48Are we all ready?
02:50And that's everybody.
02:51Are we all ready to admit and accept that this thing is a wrap?
02:56And I understand, and listen, I can hear you, Tyler.
03:00You have done this to yourself.
03:01You have told yourself, man, this American League is so down.
03:06Tyler said that to me twice.
03:07It's a weird dynamic.
03:08He's just like, it's so down.
03:09I'm just not ready to just give in.
03:12And you're right.
03:13You're right.
03:14There's only two teams still, as we sit here, who are above 500.
03:18Three teams, the A's, have slid into it that are above 500.
03:21Watch out.
03:22But, well, hell, watch out, dude.
03:26Got the worst record in the American League.
03:29Oh, yeah.
03:30It's the Astros, and they're five and a half back in the A's.
03:32But are we all just ready to admit that this thing is over?
03:36I am.
03:36That the 2026 season is a wrap?
03:39Yeah.
03:39Are we ready?
03:40Like, this summer is not about getting to the point.
03:43This thing's over.
03:43Are we all ready to accept that?
03:44I was going to say, what is our standard at this point?
03:47Because, like, we've watched them win World Series.
03:50So, like, are we talking about the World Series?
03:52Are we talking about just simply getting to the postseason like they did two years ago
03:55and didn't win a single game at home?
03:58Like, because they could do that, right?
04:00Like, do I think it's it?
04:01You still think that's on the table?
04:02Do I think it's it?
04:02You think the playoffs is still on the table?
04:04What you just laid out, given the landscape, the American League and how mid to worse than that
04:10that it is right now, could I see a world where the Astros back their way into the postseason
04:17the way that they've done before and then still get there and not necessarily do anything?
04:22Yeah, that's possible.
04:23I think even that is not likely.
04:26Like, I wouldn't bet on that, nor would I feel great about it.
04:29But no, like, are we talking about World Series?
04:31Are we talking about the ALCS?
04:32Are we talking about a pennant?
04:33Are we talking about the things that we have grown to value here as an Astros community?
04:38They're not doing none of that.
04:40They're not doing any of those things.
04:41I know it's early and I get what you're saying, but you're watching this team, and obviously
04:45they do have some injuries.
04:46You're watching this team.
04:47You wouldn't, you're not ready to take them making the playoffs off.
04:51Yeah, they could win a bad American League West.
04:53There's not a team in American, and we're about to see them, right?
04:56The Mariners are probably the best team in the American League West, but none of them
05:01are good.
05:02The A's are leading the division, right?
05:05And they're going to face the Rangers, too.
05:06Dude, there's not a team in that division that scares me that says, you know what, the
05:12Astros can't overcome that.
05:14But are the Astros themselves good enough for me to think, hey, once they get past that,
05:18they're going to make some noise?
05:19And I get it.
05:20All you want to do is get in and anything can happen.
05:22I'll see you in October.
05:23But based off of watching them on a nightly, daily basis, there's nothing about them that
05:28makes you think, hey, this is a team that's about to make a run in October.
05:31Yeah, Tyler, the team that scares me in the division is the Astros.
05:34That they will continue to do exactly what they're doing.
05:38That's what I'm saying.
05:39The crappiness of the West and the American League in general is adding this weird-ass
05:45dynamic to where you can be an ish show like the Astros right now, but you can point at
05:51that and say, hey, man, it ain't over.
05:52It's a long season.
05:53It's a long season.
05:54Are you still there?
05:55Are you not willing to take it off the table?
05:57You still got playoffs, making the playoffs on the table?
06:00I mean, I've taken the silverware off the table.
06:02All that's left is the plates, but if that makes sense, like, I mean, it's all but over.
06:08I guess there's a literal, like, minute, smallest fraction possible possibility that something
06:15happens because of this weird dynamic, but it's bad.
06:19This is all very, very bad.
06:21Real quick, as we go to the text line here, 713-572-4610.
06:25Like, you guys are still holding on back to playoffs, like, back in the playoffs.
06:30I think this thing's a wrap, and I see some people rolling in.
06:34Astros are done.
06:35They're most likely right.
06:35Joe Espada's not the guy.
06:38Joe and Dana both need to go.
06:40Gus and Katie, it's over for the Astros.
06:42Sell it all.
06:43Burn it all.
06:44Three years of 100 losses.
06:46Let's start the next golden era.
06:48It sucks, but it's not over until it's over.
06:51Need pitching.
06:51That's some people coming through from the text line.
06:53How long, all right, how long, ballpark in your mind, how long before Hunter Brown is
06:57back?
06:58Ooh, I'm going to give it at least another month.
07:01We're talking, so we're in June.
07:04Sorry, another month of trying to put this, cook this thing up without him.
07:09But even that doesn't do it for me, though.
07:12Like, I'm not Clint here with the whole, hey, just get the reinforcement.
07:16I do not think they are good enough, reinforcements or not.
07:21It's not enough.
07:22No, I hear you, but I'm just simply saying, they're the worst team in the American League
07:28right now, and their pitching is in shambles.
07:30But Hunter's not coming back for, as you said, another month.
07:33We're talking into June.
07:34So then, that's that psycho, or that nut is going to pitch tomorrow, Emai, and we'll
07:40see what that looks like.
07:41I don't expect anything.
07:43He could not get, he could not stop walking double-A and triple-A hitters.
07:46So I don't think he's going to come up here and start getting Randy out and start getting
07:52Julio out and start getting Kyle Raleigh out.
07:54I just hope he's not tired.
07:56I just don't think.
07:57Did you remember that?
07:57He said he was tired.
07:59I just, like, I'm just looking like, with the pitching you started thinking about, I don't
08:02know when Payne is coming back.
08:03I don't know when Hayter's coming back.
08:06I don't even want to see Jake come back.
08:08He pitched well over the weekend in Sugar Land.
08:10Yeah, but he has continued to say he's at the start of spring training.
08:13So I don't know.
08:14I don't know when these, I'm just saying, the reinforcements, they're going to have to
08:19play a lot of baseball without the reinforcements.
08:22It's a long season, y'all.
08:23And that is with the hope that none of these other jokers around here get hurt again, like
08:28they have been known to do, and we've shown to do.
08:31So, like, I just think right now this thing is over, but with it being over means there
08:40are other conversations to come about.
08:42I'm not going to lie to you, Tyler.
08:44I really did not want to have this conversation.
08:46In our pre-show meeting, this conversation is starting to roll, and both of you two got
08:52emotional and had some good emotions, which this is about, which means you two are fans,
08:58and that means that probably will carry to the people who are listening.
09:03I did not want to have this.
09:05I don't want to have the is your Don on the block conversation.
09:10But if it is over and over like this, do you think this is a real conversation piece
09:17to have?
09:19In my opinion, it sure as hell shouldn't be.
09:23I think you're freaking off your rocker nuts if you want to trade Jordan Alvarez.
09:27This is the best hitter in the sport on the planet.
09:33You cannot trade that right now.
09:35I don't care what the haul is.
09:36He's not just the best hitter on your team.
09:39He is the greatest hitter in the sport.
09:41I don't know if I love that you really let us know off the rocker nuts.
09:46I don't know if you're shutting it down.
09:48I don't know if it's off the rocker nuts.
09:50I don't agree with it.
09:51I don't think you should.
09:52I wouldn't want to make the move.
09:54But I think it's something that you probably consider if you are potentially shutting this
10:02thing down.
10:02I think you're in an off your rocker nutty place right now.
10:07I agree with Tyler.
10:09Off top right now anyway.
10:10But but but unfortunately I think that the Astros like this is like an existential crisis
10:18that they got going right now because as you laid it out the reinforcements the things
10:23that have Clint optimistic about their possibilities could could they make a run at it like honestly
10:30man it's not good enough.
10:31This is going to be the third straight year where the Astros have not been a serious World
10:36Series contender.
10:37They have not been a serious World Series contender since 2023 and of course they won
10:41it in 2022 but no one has thought of them in that way now in three seasons and can you
10:47say with confidence right now that three seasons from now or that there's a clear path and road
10:54to getting back to that point within the next three seasons which by the way is the life
10:59of the contract of a Jordan Alvarez which by the way does coincide with or at least overlap
11:05with these decisions that you got to make with Hunter Brown and Jeremy Pena who you are probably
11:10not going to pay like the good players that you have on this team are almost not useful
11:16to you because you do not have a good and competitive team so they got to make the decision about
11:21like
11:22how close are we to being competitive really we're not competitive right now are we what kind
11:28of competitive you're talking about right because I don't think they're that far from being
11:32competitive that's what I'm saying what do you do you want to be the team you were two years ago
11:38that won the division went to the playoffs and didn't win a single game and nobody really took
11:42seriously anyway like you could be that team they could be that team this year like in the most
11:46optimistic view they could become that team again this year but like what really is that
11:50trying to be the 2-1 ticket and if you're not interested in writing VVB
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