Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey may have been the busiest man not involved in a presidential election over the past two days. Less than 24 hours after trading Bonzi Wells and Mike James to the New Orleans Hornets, Morey was at it again. In what can only be dubbed as a swap of malcontents, the Rockets shipped Kirk Snyder and a 2nd round draft pick off to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for hometown Houston high school legend Gerald Green just moments before the expiration of the NBA’s trade deadline.
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Results tagged “generalmanager”
In a classic case of keeping up with the Joneses the Houston Rockets executed a player swap late last night with less than 24 hours before the expiration of the NBA’s trade deadline. As their Western Conference cohorts have made headlines over the last three weeks with the acquisitions of All-Star talent such as Shaquille O’Neal (Suns), Jason Kidd (Mavericks), and Pau Gasol (Lakers), the Houston Rockets found their crusade to climb in the playoff standings becoming that much more difficult. Therefore in order to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of the West, Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey made a deal of his own, though not quite on the league-shattering level as his foes. Houston sent forward Bonzi Wells and guard Mike James to the New Orleans Hornets in return for point guard Bobby Jackson, rookie guard Adam Haluska, and the higher of New Orleans’ two second-round picks in the 2008 NBA Draft (one of which previously belonged to the Rockets and was given to the Hornets in a trade last year to acquire Carl Landry).
The Houston Astros have announced they have come to terms on a one-year, $1 million contract with incentives with Darin Erstard. Erstad, who can play outfield and first base, is a two-time All-Star (1998, 2000). Last year with the Chicago White Sox, Erstad batted .248 with four home runs runs and 32 RBI in 87 games.
::Houston Dynamo MLS Championship Rally at City Hall:: Help welcome our team home today as they return from DC after defeating the New England Revolution for the second year in a row. Yikes, Reis, let another one slip past ya?! By defeating the Revs, the Dynamo become only the second team in the history of Major League Soccer to conquer back-to-back championships. Glenn Davis will serve as the event's Master of Ceremonies. Other speakers include...
The Astros traded albatross-esque outfielder Jason Lane to the San Diego Padres yesterday for a player to be named later or cash. This was the first transaction by Ed Wade since he took over as the Astros general manager last week. Given the struggles that Lane has had over the past couple of seasons, and the fact that his trade value was estimated at somewhere similar to that of Cubs World Series tickets, that...
The Astros search for a replacement for Tim Purpura may be coming to an end. The baseball world is atwitter with reports that the new GM will be selected as soon as today. After interviewing eleven different candidates, owner Drayton McLane and team president/acting GM Tal Smith (pictured, on left) have narrowed the field and will be making an announcement some time this week. The leading candidate right now is Phillies assistant GM Ruben Amaro,...
It's time to dredge through the muck and mire of the blogosphere to come out with a few gems of commentary, sass, and sarcasm about our Houston sports teams. And awaaaaaay we go: - If you're a Mario Williams apologist, Sunday was Redemption Day. The good folks at Brahsome are shouting it from the rooftops today. - As noted last week, the miscreants over at Orange Whoopass are all over the Astros search for a...
In the wake of last week's firing of Tim Purpura, the Astros have a hole to fill in the General Manager's office. Team President Tal Smith (pictured, on left) is running the show for the time being, but a long-term replacement is required. Yesterday, owner Drayton McLane, Smith, and former vp Bob McClaren interviewed three candidates, and more interviews will take place before the end of the week. Let's take a look at the candidates...
So, Houstonians, you think energy prices are higher than a proverbial cats back? We can power our world on biodiesel, wind turbines and solar power? You have the opportunity to experience what it takes to power a city of 3.9 million, courtesy of Chevron and the publisher of Economist magazine. So, bang here to try your hand at running "Energyville" and learn a little about energy supplies. Here's a blip from the Chronicle that gives...
The Astros made a decisive move today, firing manager Phil Garner and general manager Tim Purpura. Mired near the bottom of the NL Central all season, changes of some sort were necessary. Owner Drayton McLane stated that "a fresh start" was needed, and it's hard to argue with him. Bench coach Cecil Cooper will cover Garner's duties as manager, and Astros president Tal Smith will take over for Purpura. Cooper has been mentioned for the...
In the span of four short years Houston will have quadrupled the number of all-sports radio stations gracing its airwaves. Come August 20, KILE 1560 AM will be renamed KGOW after local businessman and owner David Gow when it signs on with a sports and entertainment talk format. Branded as "The Game," KGOW will enter a saturated market that includes KILT (610 AM), KBME (790 AM), and ESPN Radio affiliate KFNC (97.5 FM) The new...
In hopes to discourage the use of performance enhancing drugs among high schoolers, a local campaign featuring four prominent local athletes kicked off today. The campaign, called “Be Smart. Stay Drug Free” was spearheaded by Dynamo president and general manager Oliver Luck, and features Dynamo midfielder Brian Ching, Astros left fielder Carlos Lee, Rockets forward Tracy McGrady, and Texans tackle Eric Winston. The campaign arrives on the heels of the recently passed Senate Bill 8,...
Remember back in May, when news broke about the possibility of building a new stadium for the Houston Dynamo downtown? Back then, everyone said negotiations between the city and the Dynamo would wrap in in -mid-July — but now that we're actually in the middle of July, that's changed. The new target for an announcement, the Chronicle reports, is September — but that doesn't mean talks are breaking down, apparently. "We believe we've made some...
We're not sure if you've noticed, but it's rained a lot lately. No, really. And the persistent showers are hurting more than our mood: They're also taking a bite out of local businesses. Across the area, people aren't getting concrete poured, they're not getting their lawns mowed, they're not buying plants or playing golf or getting their roofs repaired — and for business owners, that means a tough few weeks. "This weather is killing us,"...
In 1974, a young muscian from New Jersey traveled to play a show in a small music venue in the South. He subsequently wrote a lyric immortalizing the venue: "Hey Frank, won't you pack your bags And meet me tonight down at Liberty Hall." The song was "This Hard Land." The city: Houston. And the young muscian was none other than The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. “Now Playing Houston: The Liberty Hall Poster Show” will display...
If you're like Houstonist, you've driven past the former Warwick Hotel sometime in the past few months and wondered what the distinguished old building would be like when it reopened as the Hotel ZaZa. Well, you won't have to wait much longer to find out: The hotel is set to open Monday, and the Chronicle had a preview this weekend. The short version comes from the hotel's co-owner, Charlie Givens, who described the property as...
Remember earlier this year, when no one was really sure where the Dynamo would end up making their permanent home? Well, three months later, it's still unclear — and Houston is still trying to stay in the game by trying to find a place to build a soccer-specific stadium. Among the possibilities: the parking lot just across Highway 59 from Minute Maid Park, a six-square-block chunk of asphalt owned by the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority...
Houstonist is reporting to you today live from Relaint Stadium for the 72nd annual NFL draft. With the 10th pick, the Houston Texans drafted Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, the youngest player ever drafted at 19-years old. Okoye was a unamimous 2006 All-Big East selection on defense while recording 49 tackles (12 for a loss) with six sacks. For his career at Louisville, Okoye registered 121 tackles and 10 1/2 sacks to boast. His...
After Friday night's 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Houston Astros have decided to purchase the contract of Triple A Round Rock star, Hunter Pence. Pence, who exploded onto the scene in Spring Training with a .571 batting average in 19 games, has continued his dominance at Round Rock and is currently batting .341 with three home runs with 19 RBI through 22 games. Pence will make his MLB debut Saturday night as...
Our own Houston Dynamo is doing their part to help out those affected by the recent events on the Virginia Tech campus. The Dynamo have organized fund-raising efforts to assist the University in the wake of the school's recent tragedy. At the Dynamo's April 29th game vs. Chicago Fire (6:00 PM CT), a number of programs are in place to aid the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. For every ticket purchased from a special Supergroup...
Cross your fingers, folks. This year might be the end of the Chronicle's 106-year-long Pulitzer losing streak. That's right -- the Houston Chronicle is the only newspaper among the country's ten largest to have never won a Pulitzer Prize. However, according to an unofficial leaked list of this year's finalists, Nick Anderson, editorial cartoonist, might end the dry spell. Anderson is already a Pulitzer winner, you see. He's only been with the Chronicle since last...
Last night's postponed match between the Houston Dynamo and the Pachuca Tuzos on the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium, will take place tonight at 5 p.m. A power outage forced both teams to call it a night as a transformer blew just a few hours before Wednesday's scheduled showdown. All tickets and parking passes for last night's game will be accepted for tonight. Unfortunatley, no refunds will be given due to the fact the...
Dynamo back-up goal keeper Zach Wells made an incredilbe P.K. save yesterday vs. Puntarenas FC, but it didn't serve well enough to make the win. The Dynamo was in Coasta Rica for the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. By winning the 2006 MLS Cup, the Houston Dynamo secured one of two MLS spots representing the United States in the Champions Cup, the other being D.C. United. In addition, the Dynamo becomes the first...
Earlier this month, we talked about the proposal to build a youth sports complex on the site of the Wortham Park Golf Course, one of three public courses inside the Loop and an East End institution for a hundred years. The complex proposal is part of Houston's push to keep the Dynamo in town — the team is looking for a new stadium and has stipulated that a youth soccer/sports complex be part of the deal, and Houston is keen to keep the men in orange from moving to the suburbs.
Still looking for the perfect gift for the person who has everything? Well, if that person happens to be a soccer lover and doesn't mind having a really cool present taken away from them, you're in luck: If you're willing to pay enough, you could have the Houston Dynamo's MLS Cup under your tree. No kidding. The Dynamo is auctioning off Christmas with the big silver trophy to benefit Covenant House Texas, an organization that...
The Astros announced today that they won't pick up first baseman Jeff Bagwell for the 2007 season, ending a 15-year career with the team. "Jeff has had an outstanding career with the Astros," Astros General Manager Tim Purpura said. "We appreciate the way he has played the game, mentored his teammates and represents both our ballclub and the city of Houston. Jeff's legacy with the Astros is truly legendary." And ... over.
Thanks to Dennis Green and the Cardinal's debilitating loss on Monday, bloggers everywhere have the perfect slogan for their struggling sports team. After watching the 34-6 loss to Dallas, the Texans are indeed who we thought they were - an improved team under Gary Kubiak who can compete for a quarter or two, but will ultimately struggle to surpass mediocrity due to personnel woes. While we don't recommend firing coordinators a la the Ravens or...
Houstonist admits that we have an odd fascination with seedy hotels. The Londale downtown is a good example: We look at its open windows, its sagging balcony, the general idea that the building stopped trying to impress anyone decades ago, and we wonder what's going on inside (not that we'd really want to know, of course — we probably wouldn't understand most of it anyway). So we were really interested to see the article yesterday about the rebirth of the Montagu Hotel.
Texans coach Gary Kubiak will soon have a familiar face pacing the sidelines when Broncos Assistant GM Rick Smith is introduced as new general manager. Smith has reportedly come to an agreement with owner Bob McNair over the weekend and a formal announcement is expected later today.
Houstonist would be ecstatic if Dave Chappelle came back for another season on Comedy Central and did a Charlie Murphyesque parody of Charley Casserly. Perhaps it could be a True Houston Story about how the Texans came to picking Mario Williams, but we digress. Charley Casserly resigned his position of Texans General Manager yesterday, citing his wish to pursue a position with the NFL’s front office. In the face of rumors that Casserly had been...