Since joining TNT as an NBA studio analyst, former Houston Rockets star Charles Barkley has been quite the Negative Nancy when discussing the playoff chances of his old team. Year after year Barkley sits on his throne beside Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith and waxes poetically about his displeasure over the play of Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and the rest of the Clutch City cast. Most particularly, Barkley constantly expresses his displeasure at the......

You know what they say, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. That certainly seems to be the case for the Houston Rockets. Local hoops fans will recall that the Rockets’ marketing staff attempted to appeal to the gentler sex a month back through the use of a Ladies Night Out gimmick. Well those wacky folks are at it again, and this time they’re seeking out a few good men. For......

With a 19 point victory over the Atlanta Hawks last night, the scorching hot Houston Rockets have won 10 of their past 11 games. Led by Yao Ming’s 28 points and nine rebounds, Houston cruised to a 108-89 victory, with only two games remaining before the All-Star break. Houston dominated the match up from the initial jump ball and never looked back. Need proof on the total command that the Rockets held from start to......

The Houston Rockets returned home last night, fresh off of an eight game road winning streak, to host the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in a nationally televised match up. With Western Conference foes such as the Suns and Lakers making headline roster moves to improve their stock in an extremely competitive Western Conference, the Rockets were quickly becoming an afterthought as they fought for the final playoff seed. However, a 92-77 victory over the Cavs......

The Houston Rockets are seemingly transitioning into the New York Giants of the National Basketball Association. No, they haven't just won a championship. No, they haven't defeated arguably the best team in league history. No, they haven't snapped an opponent's 18-game winning streak. OK, so maybe they're nothing like the NFL's Super Bowl winner. Save for the fact that the Rockets have turned into road warriors (as the Giants have been characterized this season), after......

Yao vs Yi failed to deliver in the NBA's world of one-name superstar marketing fashion. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of "Olajuwon vs Ewing" or "Shaq vs the Admiral" - David Stern had long been searching for the next big man rivalry to grace the National Basketball Association's hardwood. After the Milwaukee Bucks drafted China's Yi Jianlian last summer, the NBA found itself with two seven-foot Asian big men gracing its rosters - one......

It's an American tradition, just like representative democracy and childhood obesity: the Super Bowl. Even people who aren't football fans usually find a way to watch the game (or the commercials, depending on your priorities) and the die-hards view Sunday as some combination of Christmas, graduation, and the non-lame parts of the Olympics all rolled into one. If you don't have plans for the big game already, here are a few options around town: -......

Superbowl Sunday is right around the corner and if you have been wondering with whom you were going to watch the big game, wonder no more! The fabulous ladies of Houstone Roller Derby are hosting a par-tay, resplendant with food, games, prizes and drink specials at The Grab. Now, you can go hang out at your buddies house and try finding a good vantage point from which to stare at his big 19". Color TV,......

The Houston Rockets were able to overcome the absence of Tracy McGrady (15th missed game of the season) to earn a 111-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center last night. With McGrady suffering from “flu-like symptoms,” the Rockets were led by Yao Ming, whose 36 points and 19 rebounds both matched season highs. Aiding Yao’s efforts were Rafer Alston’s 17 points and 12 assists along with Luther Head’s 20 points and......

The Super Bowl is on Sunday, and naturally we'll be watching the game (and the commericals), but the real news around town is the up-and-down season the Rockets are having. They win with T-Mac, they win without T-mac, they definitely lose without Yao. If Rick Adelman can get everyone on the same page,they could still be formidable in the playoffs. Otherwise, we're looking at another five-and-out in the first round. On to the links: -......

With All-Star center Yao Ming sidelined, the Houston Rockets found themselves on the wrong side of a 97-89 score against the Utah Jazz at the Toyota Center on Sunday night. The loss ended Houston’s four game winning streak and brought to light Houston’s season long free throw shooting woes. Yao, who sat out the game with an upper-respiratory infection, has been listed as “day-to-day” on the injury report. In his place, rookie Luis Scola scored......

Texas schools came out of Saturday's college basketball action with a collective 3-2 record, spread across two different conferences. (Big XII and Conference USA) The premier showdown of the weekend pitted the 12th ranked Texas Longhorns against Bobby Knight's Red Raiders of Texas Tech. With an outstanding defensive effort put up by head coach Rick Barnes' boys, the Longhorns were able to run away with a 73-47 victory in Austin. Texas won its 12th straight......

En route to a fourth-straight victory, the Houston Rockets defeated the scorching hot Portland Trailblzers to the tune of 89-79 at the Rose Garden on Friday night. The Blazers entered the contest having won 12 consecutive home games, thanks to the heady play of such stars as guard Brandon Roy and former Texas Longhorn LaMarcus Aldridge. However, the game remained very much undecided until Houston coach Rick Adelman elected to infuse the starting lineup......

The 2008 NBA All Star team starting lineups were announced yesterday, and Houston’s very own Yao Ming proved to be a fan favorite. The Rockets’ big man was voted in as the starting center for the Western Conference squad, ahead of such luminaries as Amare Stoudemire (2nd leading vote-getter amongst Western Conference centers), reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year - Marcus Camby (3rd), and Pau Gasol (6th). Yao was selected to start in the......

Houston, Rockets, basketball, McGrady, NBA, All Star...

Local tech news in a compact, digital format. Something's Brewing At WhiteBoard Labs Houston based WhiteBoard Labs is currently beta-testing MotionNotes, a web based app that allows messaging via video and multimedia interfaces such as Flash movies, PowerPoint Presentations and slideshows. MotionNotes is slated for release this fall. WhiteBoard Labs was founded in 1994 and is a recognized leader and pioneer in the development of Rich Internet Applications. PlaceShout It Out Loud There's a......

Houstonist interviewed the darling of the Bayou City last week, Taucha Hogue, as she was in the quarterfinals for the College Cheerleader of Year Award. Now, after a convincing win over Mississippi St., Taucha has advanced into the Final Four against Kansas. Houstonist will continue to follow Taucha as she looks to capture the coveted crown as Cheerleader of the Year. Congrats on moving on to the Final Four. Do you find yourself doing......

From local Houston headlines, we bring you these weekend news bits... • Recent Katy Freeway closures are sure to cause a few headaches. As of 10 p.m., Friday night, the Katy Freeway eastbound ramp to Beltway 8 northbound will be closed until April 2008. The westbound ramp to Beltway 8 northbound will be closed until August 2008. • Three Houston area residents have filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for breach of contract because they......

Tonight’s Texas Bowl is going to be a throwback to the days of the Southwest Conference with an exciting match-up between the University of Houston and Texas Christian University. From a football point of view, it’s a classic match-up of high powered offense (Houston) against a formidable defensive squad (TCU). It will be interesting to see how the Coogs respond in tonight’s game, their first without Art Briles who ran off to Waco to become......

As the Texans 2007 campaign draws to a close on Sunday against the Jaguars, putting a bow on top of the most improved season in franchise history, we can look back at the highlights and lowlights. Pros: Mario Williams, the rock solid consistency of healthy Andre Johnson, Mario Williams, rookies Fred Bennet and Abomi Okoye, Mario Williams, possible tradebait Sage Rosenfels, Mario Williams, the revived Ron Dayne, Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans' appearance on the national......

Al-Star games are a funny thing. Just like presidential elections, they're largely popularity contests based on name recognition and TV friendliness rather than real hard data. But that doesn't mean that good decisions aren't made from time to time; that the Texans' DeMeco Ryans will be the starting middle linebacker for the AFC in the 2008 Pro Bowl is one of those good decisions. DeMeco has anchored the Texans defense all year, even in spite......

The Houston Astros have acquired Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star closer Jose Valverde. In exchange for Valverde, the Astros have shipped Chad Qualls, Chris Burke and Juan Gutierrez to the Diamondbacks. In 2007, Valverde led all MLB closers with 47 saves with a 2.66 ERA. This marks another home run in the Ed Wade era who has made a major overhaul for an Astros team who suffered its second losing season since 2000. "In Jose Valverde,......

For everyone from the suckers who went to the sports bars because they thought the game was only on the NFL Network, to the lucky souls who knew that the game was on Channel 20, the confused folks who mistook the Texans red-on-red uniforms for a horrible laundry error, and to Channel 20 itself (which no doubt got their highest ratings since they ceased to be a UPN affiliate), the Texans thumping of the Broncos......

"We gon' rock it till the wheels fall off," the poet Nate Dogg once said. If he was referring to the Houston Texans' 2007 season (and we have no reason to believe that he wasn't), then the rocking will soon cease, as the wheels are at very least wobbling their way out of place as a prelude to actually falling off. The annual optimism has given way to the annual draft speculation, as the never-ending......

Not that this performance will get him the kind of endorsement dollars that Reggie Bush has gotten since they both came into the league last year, but Mario Williams just plain clowned Bush yesterday. Super Mario had six tackles including four of The Greatest Running Back Ever himself. Reggie's stat line for the game: 34 yards rushing on 15 carries, and 2 fumbles. Take that, draft pundits. Of course, the real big story from the......

It was a good weekend for football in Houston, whether that means the one with the pads or the one with the round ball. But there were things happening in the Houston sports scene outside of RFK and Reliant Stadiums. As we do every week, here's a recap of what the blogs are saying about your hometown teams: - The Dynamo are the big news today, so here's a fantastic live blog of the game......

The Houston Dynamo came from behind against the New England Revoloution to claim their second MLS Cup Title in as many years and becoming the first back-to-back MLS champions in 10-years. After being down 1-0 at halftime, Houston made the necessary adjustments to attack New England's defense. In the 61st minute, Joseph Ngwenya tied the game at 1-1 when he jetted a five-yard goal past New England goal keeper Matt Reis. In the 74th......

Ok, it's officially time: skip a Sunday in front of the NFL, ignore Terry Bradshaw's fake hillbilly schtick and dozens of former players pretending that they're still relevant, and watch your Houston Dynamo take on the New England Revolution for the MLS Cup. Here's five reasons why the Dynamo game should take precedence over the NFL on Sunday: 1. In case you haven't noticed: Boston sports fans, once the loveable Charlie Brown-esque losers of the......

The Rockets have been afflicted with shooting woes on a couple of occasions already this season. But the injury bug had stayed away so far, leaving many people optimistic about the team's chances for a high playoff seed in the Western Conference. But then Tracy McGrady's elbow barged in to the discussion. In the waning seconds of a disappointing first half against the Lakers at Toyota Center, T-Mac collided hard with Lakers forward Luke Walton......

It's no secret that there are many in the Houston sports scene who feel that the decision to trade the rights to one Rudy Gay to Memphis in return for perennial role player Shane Battier was a mistake. Rudy Gay is, in his second year, averaging 19.7 points and 4.2 rebounds. Last night the two had a chance to go head to head when the Rockets visited FedEx Forum. Fortunately for Rocket fans, Gay racked......