Richard Zowie's NFL Football fan blog

I'm sensing that soon the Houston Astros pitchers will file a lawsuit against the hitters on the team for lack of run support. Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez have both pitched good games twice. Their combined record: 0-3 and a no-decision.

Houston was outscored 18-5 by the Cardinals this weekend, and in two of those games, they scored no more than two runs. One of those was a shutout.

Yes, I know hitting's extremely difficult and that even the game's greatest hitter, Ty Cobb (career .367 hitter) went hitless more than 63 percent of the time. Either Houston's bats are in the deep freeze or they need to be relentless. Every time Carlos Zambrano or Kyle Lohse pitches against Houston, the bullpen for those teams probably goes out and parties until dawn the night before.

Continue reading "Houston Astros swept by the St. Louis Cardinals"

I remember how then-Atlanta Braves closer Mark Wohlers was a sight to behold. If you were a Houston Astros fan, you cringed at the idea of seeing Wohlers come into a game to protect a close lead.

And then Wohlers couldn't find the plate. He became erratic, hitting batters and walking others before playing himself out of the league.

Add to that Dontrelle Willis.

The once up-and-coming dominant lefthander of the Florida Marlins is now wondering where his career go as he languishes with a high ERA with the Detroit Tigers. Now, he's on the 15-day disabled list for an anxiety disorder.

Last year, Willis went 0-2 with a 9.38 ERA for the Tigers.

Continue reading "First Steve Blass, then Mark Wohlers, now Dontrelle Willis?"

According to the Cowboys 2009 schedule, they won't encounter their ex-wide receiver. Terrell Owens signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills and has said he has gone from America's Team to North America's Team.

Personally, I have nothing against him. My understanding is off the field he's a very nice guy. Neighbors of his talk about how kind he is. And T.O. has no criminal record. But what I saw of him as a receiver in San Francisco and Philadephia led me to believe he wouldn't work in Dallas. It amazes me all the complaining he did about not getting the ball enough even though he had more passes thrown to him than Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

Good luck, Buffalo. You'll need it.

Continue reading "Terrell Owens is now a Buffalo Bill"

Drayton McLane, the supposed billionaire owner of the Houston Astros, once again is cutting costs and letting talent go. Despite having a surprisingly successful season since being acquired by the 'Stros, lefthander Randy Wolf is gone. Presumably to save money.

And, yes, indications are Houston will still wear those ugly, black, burnt red and sand railroad uniforms. For the love of Houston, Drayton, please make these uniform changes:

1. Bringing back orange and blue (preferably royal blue) as the team's colors

2. Bringing back the sixties shooting star look for the jersey and modifying it with a modern twist

3. Bringing back the H superimposed onto a star cap logo and giving it a new look.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!! The team is called the Astros (short for Astronaut and a homage to the space industry), not the Choo-choos!

Continue reading "I predict the Houston Astros will suck and look ugly doing it"

...supposedly will feature a darker shade of Honolulu blue and a tweaking of the silhouette Lions logo.

why does every team see the need to go with dark blue, or black, or hunter green?

Other rumors are that the Lions will make one significant modification to their uniforms--they'll put REAL NFL players in them!

One person suggested they change the logo to that of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz.

Continue reading "Detroit Lions' proposed new uniforms..."

So, there's this Oakland County, Michigan law enforcement officer who's a professional acquaintance of mine. Nice guy, former Marine. Definitely not a guy you'd want to mess with. "James" has a friend who works in the Detroit Lions front office. Here's what the friend told James: a few years ago, the Lions contacted Bill Parcells about coaching the Detroit Lions. After all, who better to resurrect the toothless Lions than the Big Tuna? After all, Parcells has won two Super Bowls as a coach, went to a third and very nearly took the New York Jets there.

Then came the problem, and it stemmed from Parcells' famous complaint coaching the New England Patriots: he didn't like being expected to cook the meals but not allowed to buy the groceries. So, according to this front-office person for the Lions, Parcells told Old Man Ford that he wanted total control over football operations.

Continue reading "How the Detroit Lions almost had Bill Parcells"

One of the surprises of the season for the Astros was the performance of lefthander Randy Wolf. Acquired from the San Diego Padres for a minor leaguer, he had a better-than-expected season for the Astros. Still, they chose not to offer him salary arbitration and have instead brought back Mike Hampton.

Yes, the same Hampton who was originally unloaded years ago due to salary concerns. I guess Drayton McLane figured that now that Hampton's near retirement and has a history of arm and shoulder problems, now was the time to get him.

What is it with Astros management trying to save money by acquiring players who are either never-will-bes or longshots?

McLane picked the wrong industry to get into. Hard to believe that a man who supposedly is worth a few billion dollars seems very reluctant time and time again about going out and getting good, quality talent.

Continue reading "Somewhat disappointing off-season for the Astros"

No baseball the past few days due, understandably, to Hurricane Ike. Houston remains 80-67 on the season, 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the wildcard race. It's looking like they'll play the Cubs and Sunday; reports say that the makeup games could be played in Milwaukee.

Minute Maid Park, designed to withstand hurricanes, is said to have sustained no structural damage. Still, as Alyson Footer reports, many in Houston are without power, making it tricky to decide whether or not games can or should be played in Houston.

Continue reading "And now this brief Astros interlude"

...First, the reality check. You're not quarterbacking the University of Texas anymore and you're not playing in the Big 12 anymore. You're in the pros, where things are SUPPOSED to get tougher. You're big, have a strong arm and have show lots of potential. Suck it up, and you'll be fine.

As for being booed, so what? Donovan McNabb has been booed. Joe Montana has been booed. Troy Aikman has been booed. It's reality. You get paid lots of money; develop mental callouses and deal with it.

I'd be slow to talk about retirement if I were you. Call it the Ricky Williams Principle. When you retire with lots of years left on your contract and a huge signing bonus, your team's going to want that money back.

Continue reading "Hey, Vince Young..."

Mark Saccomanno, a 28 year-old ballplayer whose surname is sure to make your spellchecker scream, made his major league debut with the Astros by not only homering in his first major league at-bat, but on the very first pitch he ever saw in the majors.

Wow, as Ben Stein would say.

Saccomanno, a right-handed hitter, hit his home run to right center.

Courtesy of a 9-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight, Houston is now at 78-67 and is 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL wildcard race. Is it too late? Will Houston be this year's Colorado Rockies?

Continue reading "Latest on the Astros"