SB Nation Houston - Around the Loop

Houston Rocket Suspended

2012-05-15T11:05:51Z

Don't let the headline freak you out, it's just a scout. The man in question is Rockets personnel scout David Patrick who was suspended for 1 year for "impermissible contact with players during the NBA lockout."

Patrick, who has been with the Rockets for two seasons, apparently had personal communication with players, and that was not allowed during the lockout. Since the communication was not team business, the NBA decided further punishment wasn't necessary for the Rockets as a team said NBA Vice President of basketball communications Tim Frank. To be honest, I don't know what his day to day routine was like as a scout, so it's hard to say how vital he was to the Rockets scouting department and how difficult it will be to replace him, but I do know he was responsible for recruiting Patrick Mills from Australia before he ended up going to the Spurs. Practically, this means almost nothing, but it's yet another stain on embarrassing end to the 2011-2012 season.

Brian McNamee Discusses His First Time With Roger Clemens' Booty

2012-05-15T00:02:20Z

And we thought Andy Pettitte testifying against Roger Clemens, his former idol, mentor and friend, was awkward enough. Who was ready for the romantic recollections of Brian McNamee's first time feeling on Roger Clemens' ass?

Ready or not, McNamee didn't hold back, but slowly and calmly told the court about Clemens pulling his pants down, exposing his butt cheek, McNamee agreeing to touch it, and the whole nine man. '

This came from Associated Press writer Joseph White, who has had to sit through this thing for the last several weeks:

"Roger pulled down his pants, exposing his right buttocks cheek to me," McNamee said. A few seconds later, Clemens said he was ready. McNamee said he then "plunged the fluid in into his buttocks."

After it was done, they "exchanged pleasantries," according to McNamee.

"That," McNamee concluded softly, "was the first time I injected Roger Clemens."

Dreamy.

Read more about the Roger Clemens trial at our StoryStream here.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Member Thurman Thomas Returns To Willowridge High School

2012-05-14T23:18:04Z

Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas returned to his alma mater Willowridge High School in Missouri City on Monday as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's and Allstate Insurance Company's "Hometown Hall of Famers" program, which honors the roots of the football greats with special ceremonies and plaque dedications.

Thomas, of course, is Willowridge's most famous alum, but probably even more so because he led to Eagles to a state championship in 1982.

"I still feel a great link," said Thomas, who led Willowridge to a state football championship in 1982. "Some of my teachers I had, they're still there. I communicate with them a lot. The past two years, I've gone back, we've had 100, 150 alumni come back for a weekend party we throw. It's something I'm very proud of, being part of Willowridge."

It's great to see the Hall of Fame and Allstate doing this and it's always great when someone like Thomas represents and returns to Mo City.

Check out this photo of Thomas speaking with the media, via Fox Sports Houston:

HOF member Thurman Thomas at his alma mater Willowridge HS. #hof #nfl twitter.com/FSHouston/stat…
— FOX Sports Houston (@FSHouston) May 14, 2012

PHOTO: Throwback Astros Mother's Day Moment Features Gerald Young

2012-05-14T21:50:17Z

We remember former Houston Astros center fielder Gerald Young for his vibrant personality and antics just as much as his blazing speed in the outfield. Young was thought to be one of the best center fielders of his era.

But every now and then, a man goes on the road for while and runs out of underwear, which brings us back to the importance of this past Sunday. Young knew the deal.

Astros outfielder Gerald Young requests some clean underwear from his mom (from 1992): twitter.com/si_vault/statu…
— Andy Gray (@si_vault) May 14, 2012

You have to have a certain level of admiration for Young's communication skills and his use of technology considering this is 1992 here. We can't forget the classic Astros gear he's sporting too. The famous H-Town star on the hat. Oh, the good days when the Astrodome wasn't condemned.

Read more news and analysis on the Astros at The Crawfish Boxes.

Houston Cougar Softball Austin-Bound For Second Straight Year

2012-05-14T15:08:29Z

It hasn't been an ideal year for the Houston Cougar softball program, but that didn't stop them from earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the 3-seed in the Austin regional.

The Cougars will be shipping up to Austin for the second straight year. Last year, coach Kyla Holas' squad helped eliminate the host Longhorns en route to winning the regional. Can they pull off the feat twice in a row?

It will take some incredible mental toughness for the Cougars to advance, but they've proven they have that in spades. Houston has rallied from an early-season swoon that saw them go 4-13 at one stretch. They put that streak to bed with a 7-game winning streak, only to face the Longhorns in Houston's annual Striking Out Breast Cancer game. In front of the biggest crowd in program history, the Cougars were run-ruled, 15-4.

Still, the Cougars kept fighting back, winning enough games to plant themselves firmly on the bubble. The NCAA ranked UH #43 in the RPI heading into conference tournament time. A first-round victory over UCF (who swept the Coogs during the regular season, and ended up landing in at-large bid to the NCAAs, as well) helped, but a semi-final loss to eventual-champion Tulsa meant that the Cougars went into Sunday night sweating out their fate. The Austin regional was one of the last announced, but it contained good news for Houston.

The season hasn't been without its highlights. Sophomore catcher Hailey Outon has come on strong, and she'll head into the regional with a chance to break an NCAA record. In the conference tournament loss to Tulsa, Outon homered, the sixth straight game in which she has done so. That streak tied an NCAA record, giving her a chance, with a home run in Houston's NCAA tournament opener, to set a new national record. Not bad for an underclassman.

The Cougars will face the 2-seed Auburn on Friday at 7:00 PM in the opening game, while Texas-Austin will face Northwestern. The double-elimination regional format is identical to that of the NCAA baseball post-season. Houston's opening game will feature a familiar face, as the Tigers' starting second baseman is Brooke Lathan, who played two years for the Cougars in 2010 and 2011 before transferring. Lathan is second on Auburn in batting average (.300) and home runs (8).

Mack Rhoades To A&M Rumors Have Started, But No Reason For Cougars To Worry

2012-05-11T18:09:19Z

The Houston Chronicle reported on Thursday that Texas A&M is considering current University of Houston Athletics Director Mack Rhoades as a candidate for the same position at A&M, opened up by the recent retirement of Bill Byrne.

Understandably, this has the potential to send many-a Cougar fan flying off the handle. But it really shouldn't.

Yes, it was frustrating to watch the Aggies cherry-pick Kevin Sumlin, seeing him leave all of the nice things he said about UH being a goldmine job in the dust when the SEC came calling. A&M's proximity to Houston doesn't help ease the pain, either. If your girlfriend is going to leave you for somebody else, you'd prefer it at least not be your neighbor.

(I'm not sure how Mack Rhoades fits in with this analogy, but the point is, losing one's athletics director to the same school that hired your football coach out from under you would be a blow to the pride.)

Now I'm a Mack Rhoades fan, and all things being equal, I'd much prefer for him to remain at UH. But even if he trades in the scarlet and albino for maroon and I refuse to research the name of A&M's secondary color, I won't be angry. And neither should you.

The logic in remaining calm is three-fold:

1. It's way to early to assume it's going to happen. For every Kevin-Sumlin-to-A&M rumor that comes to fruition, there's a Kevin-Sumlin-to-Arizona-State, a Texas-to-the-Pac-12, and an I-saw-Elvis-at-Kroger-last-Thursday. Many Internet geniuses were positive that Sonny Dykes was Houston's next football coach after Sumlin left, so let's all just stop, take a deep breath, and see how this thing plays out.

2. It doesn't speak poorly of UH if he leaves. Based on A&M's recent history in the inferior Big XII, many folks believe that the Aggies (particularly the football program) will struggle mightily in (at very least) their first few years in the SEC. But it's still the SEC. It's the greatest, richest, most powerful athletics conference in existence, without a close second. Rejection always stings, but administrators leaving UH for the SEC doesn't mean that UH isn't a relevant entity in college athletics, it just means it's not in the SEC.

3. If he does decide to leave, UH will find someone else. Rhoades has his supporters and detractors, and I'm not going to get into a premature internal debate over whether or not he "was" a good AD while he's still here. But one UH administrator with a basically flawless resume and zero naysayers is University President Renu Khator, a woman who has not only excelled in increasing the school's academic profile, but shown that she understand the importance of athletics. The University of Houston may not be in the SEC, but it's a name institution in the middle of fertile recruiting grounds in basically every sport. If you don't think incredibly well-qualified candidates will be falling all over themselves to apply for the job, and that Khator will make sure the right one is chosen, I'm sorry to break this to you, but you're a crazy person.

Remember, when nobody else is looking at the guy you've got, there's a good chance that the guy you've got isn't any good. So take it as a compliment.

For more on college sports, be sure to check out SB Nation's college football page.

VIDEO: Proof The Houston Cougars, Wiley Creatures, Know How To Survive An Apocalypse

2012-05-11T16:14:30Z

Are you college football doomsday ready? SB Nation's "Shutdown Fullback" has just posted its latest highly informative episode, and among the layered subtext is a clear, inarguable message - like the cockroach before them, the Big East will survive anything, including the college football apocalypse. Go Cougars. Go survival.

NFL 2012 Lines Released: Houston Texans Favored To Sweep AFC South

2012-05-10T15:27:48Z

Cantor Gaming, an oddsmaking company, has released their early, early, early lines for the 2012 season, at least for the first 16 weeks of the season (because assigning a line to a game played seventh months from now would be crazy, as opposed to six months and three weeks). The Houston Texans are favored in nine of Cantor's projections, and a pick 'em against Green Bay and Denver.

What's notable is that in the eyes of Vegas, Houston is expected to absolutely decimate the AFC South, save for what could be close games against the Titans. The Texans are favored in five of six games - the final week of the season put the Texans at Indy - and by such notable margins as 10-plus against Jacksonville and Indianapolis at home.

For a complete list, click here.

(Games in which Houston is favored are bolded):

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans -6.5
Houston Texans -5.5 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos pick ‘em
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans -7.5
Houston Texans at New York Jets pick ‘em
Green Bay Packers -1.5 at Houston Texans
Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans -3
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans -7
Houston Texans at Chicago Bears -1
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans -10.5
Houston Texans at Detroit Lions -2.5
Houston Texans -3 at Tennessee Titans
Houston Texans at New England Patriots -6.5
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans -10.5
Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans -10
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

For more on the Houston Texans, check out SB Nation's NFL page and Battle Red Blog.