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Brian Barefield

Stories by Brian

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Jose Altuve Delivers Astros Manager Dusty Baker A Birthday Gift In Grand Fashion

“You want to win on his birthday,” Altuve said. “So, I ‘m happy that I did something to help make that happen.”

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Calm Down Texans Fans. There Will Be Enough Time To Complain Later.

“So, what we did a month ago is we had our team leaders earlier in the offseason came to an agreement that it was more important for us to make sure that we had as many people as we needed to be here possible to be able to learn what we’re doing and with that being said, that we would forgo the minicamp because we felt like that was more important.

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Astros Bats Produce 20-Hits As They Defeat The Twins

The Houston Astros gave the home crowd at Target Field a brief display of that on Sunday as they used a 20-hit attack to defeat the Minnesota Twins by a score of 14-3.

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Myles Straw Is Learning To Center Himself

I can imagine that is what Astros center fielder Myles Straw must have felt like his first month as the starting center fielder for the Houston Astros. He was replacing a guy who not only was great at the plate but was amazing defensively in center field in former Astros player George Springer who left Houston via free agency to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays this past season.

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Greinke Finishes What He Started

On Friday night, Houston Astros fans were treated to another gem pitched by Zack Greinke as he stymied the Toronto Blue Jays in a 13-1 victory. Greinke pitched his first complete game since April 2017, and it was the first for an Astros pitcher since Justin Verlander no-hit the Blue Jays back in September 2019.

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High School Coaches On Leave After Forcing Hebrew Israelite Player To Eat Pork As Punishment

A group of coaches including the head coach at Mckinley Senior High School located in Canton, Ohio have been placed on administrative leave after they forced a 17-year-old football player to consume pork as a punishment even though they were told on numerous occasions that it was against his religion.

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Astros Ace Should Change His Name To, “Zack Greinke, M.D.”

I think that Houston Astros starting pitcher Zack Greinke needs to add M.D. to the end of his name this season as he has had to operate from the mound in order to save the bullpen. Greinke pitched eight brilliant innings as the Houston Astros (28-24) was able to salvage the last game of the three-game series against the San Diego Padres (34-20) with a 7-4 victory.

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Astros Can’t Catch A Break As They Drop Another Extra Innings Game To The Padres

There have been two constants for the Houston Astros in the last two games against the San Diego Padres. Extra innings and bullpen failure. Houston dropped their second extra innings game to San Diego by a score of 11-8 at Minute Maid Park.

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Astros Outfielder Heads To The IL

The Astros got some bad news on Friday as the team learned that OF Michael Brantley was headed to the 10-day Injured List due to tightness in his right hamstring. His stint was retroactive to May 25.

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Houston Texans, NFL Foundation And LISC Award $450,000 To Renovate And Resurface Jcak Yates High School Athletic Field

“The Houston Texans are proud to work with our partners to support the renovation of the Jack Yates High School Athletic Field,” said Texans Chairman and CEO Cal McNair.

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Texans Wide Receiver Brandin Cooks Focuses On What He Can Control

“For me, it’s one of those things that finishing strong and being able to show that just doing that game in and game out and having that confidence and letting the coaches know that’s just who I am,” Cooks said when asked about the learning experiences from last season.

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A Lot Of Walking Done During Losing Streak

That losing streak would continue as they dropped a highly contested game that featured two future Hall of Fame pitchers in Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw by a score of 9-2 in front of one of the largest crowds they have been in front of since 2019.

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Astros Defeat Oakland To Take Over Sole Possession Of First Place In A.L. West

On Thursday Houston defeated the Oakland A’s 8-4 to complete game number 10 out of 13 against interdivisional opponents in which they have won eight of those games and now lead the division by .05 games with a 26-18 record.

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Astros pitcher Zack Greinke Speaks Loudly In The 8-1 Victory Over The A’s

Greinke (4-1) who started his 10th game of the season, pitched eight innings only allowing one run while striking out a season-high eight batters and did not walk any batter he faced as the Astros moved within a half of a game of the A’s for first place in the A.L. West division with an 8-1 victory over Oakland.

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Things Get A Little Wild For The Astros In Extra Innings

There is an old cliché in sports that goes, “Sometimes is better to be lucky than to be good.” The Houston Astros found that out in the bottom of the 11th inning in a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park on Thursday night.

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Reggie Jackson Joins Crane Capital As Special Advisor Hall of Famer becomes Special Advisor to Jim Crane with focus on charitable and youth efforts

HOUSTON, TX - Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson has joined the Astros family as Special Advisor to Jim Crane. Following an illustrious playing career with the Athletics, Orioles, Yankees, and Angels, Jackson spent most of his post-playing career with the New York Yankees organization as a special advisor.

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Tucker Has Breakout Game To Help The Astros Win Series Over The Blue Jays

“I figured I was getting a fastball right there because he (Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Kay) was trying to get back in the count,” said Tucker on his approach being up 3-0 in the count. “I was just getting down and getting ready for it and put a good swing on it.”

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Fans Experience Déjà Vu As Astros Lose To The Blue Jays 8-4

For lifelong Houston Astros fans, it must have been a walk down memory lane seeing the name Biggio on the back of a uniform rounding the bases at Minute Maid Park after hitting a home run. Only problem was this Biggio played for the opposite team. Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Cavan Biggio help lead his team to an 8-4 victory over the Houston Astros.

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Gurriel Continues Hot Streak At The Plate In 10-4 Victory Over Blue Jays

First baseman Yuli Gurriel tied a career high by going 4-for-4 at the plate while also driving in four runs. He has been a very steady bat in the lineup for the Astros this year as he leads the team in batting average (.342) hits (39) and RBIs (24).

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Short-Handed Rockets Fall To Bucks 141-133

No matter what team you root for in the NBA, you have to look at the Houston Rockets and imagine what the future holds for them if they are fully healthy next season. They compete at a high level against their opponents, all the while only having eight available players and most of the time two of them would still be on the injured list if the team had a full roster.

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Altuve’s Birthday Gift To Himself Silences Yankees Stadium

I am pretty sure that Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will enjoy all the gifts he received for his 31st birthday, but none will be as gratifying as the one he gave himself in the top of the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

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Astros Greeted With Hostility In Yankee Stadium

Well, the Houston Astros was that team who was involved in a cheating scandal back in 2017 when they defeated the Yankees in the ALCS and advanced to the World Series outlasting the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. On Tuesday, New York fans came out in full force to boo the five remaining players from the 2017 team and that energy helped fuel the Yankees to a 7-3 victory over the Astros.

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Knicks “Bully Ball” Too Much For The Rockets

One day later it was the leading candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, Julius Randle’s turn to feast on a Rockets team who only suited up nine players. He scored 31 points in just three quarters of action as the Knicks defeated the Rockets 122-97

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Astros Sends Early Message To American League Champions

The Astros got a small piece of revenge on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Although it was just a regular season game, Houston may have still had the feelings they felt the last time the two teams met in Game 7 of the 2020 American League Championship Series.

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Astros Put A “Stain” On The Mariners Record Behind Pitching Performance Of Javier

Houston defeated the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night by a score of 2-0 behind a brilliant pitching performance from starting pitcher Cristian Javier (3-0) who threw a career-high seven scoreless innings in the victory.

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Rockets Guard John Wall Ruled Out For The Remainder Of The Season With Injury

Bad news has plagued the Houston Rockets this season and on Monday they were hit by the injury bug once again as veteran point guard John Wall will miss the remainder of the 2020-21 NBA season with a right hamstring strain. Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone made the announcement after an MRI that was performed by Dr. Steve Flores of Memorial Hermann revealed the injury

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Rockets Face Tough Western Conference Foe Without Key Players In The Lineup

"We're very, very banged up going into (Saturday's) game," Coach Silas said in his postgame press conference after the 109-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. "I'm not sure what it's going to look like at this point.”

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Astros Reliever Has His Coffee Break Interrupted By Major League Debut

“It was wild, Emanuel said of how things transpired before he was inserted into the game. “I had just sat down and opened up a coffee. All of a sudden they were like, ‘Hey, you better start loosening up. I was like…here we go.”

Rockets Tad Brown Announces Transition from Role as CEO Following End of 2020-21 Season

Houston Rockets Chief Executive Officer Thaddeus “Tad” Brown today announced he will transition from his role at the end of the season. Brown originally joined the Rockets as their Vice President of Corporate Development for the 2002-03 season and was named CEO in October of 2006.

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Garcia Gets Revenge On His Former Team As The Astros Win In Extra Innings

“It was super fun,” said Garcia, who is working his way back into game shape as he had to sit out games due to being placed in health and safety protocol by MLB. “It was the first time I had a walk-off, so it was a great experience for me, just the trust the manager had in me in that spot and the coaches and teammates, as well.”

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Bats Don't Warm Up For The Astros As They Lose 6-3 To The Rockies

Most Houston Astros fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing on Wednesday as the Astros took on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver. Most witnessed Houston drop their ninth game out of the last ten played by a score of 6-3 to the Rockies to put them at three games under .500 for the season at 7-10 and place them in the bottom of the American League West.

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2021 Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship Relocated

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) has announced that the upcoming 2021 Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship presented by Pepsi Zero Sugar initially scheduled to be played on the campus of the highest ranked team at the conclusion of regular season play has been relocated.

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Astros, Maldonado Agree To Contract Extension

The Astros and catcher Martin Maldonado have agreed to a one-year contract extension, General Manager James Click announced today.

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Astros Need To Readjust As They Head To Colorado

As the Houston Astros prepare to take on the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, they have a lot of issues that have led up to their 1-7 record in the last eight games. In the 7-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday it was the issue with the bats again as the Astros were only able to muster up one hit which came on an error by left fielder Jose Marmolejos. It was also the lack of being able to get out of jams in certain innings.

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Rockets Defeat The Magic On Hot Shooting From Three-Point Range

No matter how few and far between they have come, the Houston Rockets enjoy every victory they get. After defeating the Dallas Mavericks at home, the Rockets lost five games in a row, but was able to get a much-needed win on Sunday to break the losing streak with a win over the Orlando Magic by a score of 114-110.

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Road Trip May Help Bring Some Life Back To The Astros

The Astros are doing what everyone of us does when we seem to be in a funk at work or at home. They are headed on a road trip that will hopefully bring them better results than their last homestand. Houston went 1-5 against the Oakland A’s and Detroit Tigers who were led by their former manager A.J. Hinch.

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Houston Needs To Speak Up Against Denver

Communication is the one thing that was missing on the defensive end on Wednesday night when the Indiana Pacers defeated the Houston Rockets 132-124 at Toyota Center. During his pregame press conference, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas elaborated on how much he emphasized it to the team.

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Rockets Hope to Bring Momentum From Their Last Game As They Take On The Indiana Pacers

After a tough 126-120 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday, the Houston are back in action against the Indiana Pacers looking to carry some of that defensive intensity they had in the second half of the Suns game where they held one of the highest scoring teams to just 45 points after giving up 81 in the first half.

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Astros Make Significant Roster Moves

On Wednesday, the Houston Astros announced the following roster moves had been made according to Astros general manager James Click.

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Tidal Reality Services To Offer Summer Internship To Students From Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern University

Tidal Realty Services would like to invite college students who are currently attending Prairie View University or Texas Southern to participate in our summer internship.

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Rockets Face Warriors After Tough Loss Against The Clippers

The Rockets will have no time to regroup as they head up the coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco on Saturday to take on the Golden State Warriors who are also coming off of a tough loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

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Cold Bats Leads To Another Astros Loss

What started out as a great homestand seemed to turn quickly on the Houston Astros. After opening up the three-game series against the Oakland A’s with a 6-2 victory in game one, the big bats for Houston suddenly went cold. Oakland’s 7-3 gives them their third win of the season and evens the series against Houston at one a piece after taking back-to-back games in Minute Maid Park.

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Astros Welcomed Home By Sell-Out Crowd In Victory Over The Oakland A’s

“It was great seeing all the orange jersey’s out there,” Manager Dusty Baker said about the crowd. “It made a big difference, and I could see the positive energy it had on our team.”

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Welcome Home: Astros Set To Play First Game In Front Of Fans At Minute Maid Park Since 2019.

As Houston prepares for its home opener against the Oakland A’s, they will be greeted by some familiar faces as fans are allowed back into Major League stadiums this season. Minute Maid Park will allow 50 percent capacity to be met in the month of April and will reevaluate more options before the next month begins.

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Rockets Break Five-Game Losing Streak As Wall Returns To The Lineup

“Tonight, was a pretty complete game on both ends of the floor,” said Silas when asked about his team not collapsing in the fourth quarter like they have in the past. “It wasn’t just the execution on the offensive end. It was also the execution on the defensive end as well.”

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Mavericks Luka Doncic Causes Mismatch Issues For Rockets

The Houston Rockets will be back in action on Wednesday night against one of their in-state rivals, Dallas Mavericks. After a tough 133-130 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday, the Rockets must prepare to take on another team that has been catching as of late. Dallas is coming into the Toyota Center with a five-game winning streak including a 111-103 win over the Utah Jazz who holds the best record in the NBA.

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“California Dreaming” Astros complete West Coast road trip with 5-1 record.

It must be something about the weather out in California that the Houston Astros enjoy. They have hit a stride early to begin the 2021 Major League Baseball season by going 5-1 on their opening six game road trip against the Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Angels.

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Lonzo Ball Has Career Night From Three-Point Range To Defeat The Rockets

The shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans used a very efficient game from Lonzo Ball to defeat the Houston Rockets 122-115 on Sunday at the Toyota Center in Houston. Ball, who had been out of the lineup since mid-March with a hip flexor strain, scored 27 points and had nine assists while hitting a career-high eight shots from three-point range.

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Astros Bats Make A Huge Impact In Four-Game Sweep Over The A’s

Houston (4-0) used a strong combination of hitting and pitching to take all four games from the defending A.L. West Champions Oakland A’s (0-4) including an impressive 9-2 win on Sunday. The Astros scored a combined 35 runs on the A’s averaging 8.75 runs per game which was almost as many as Oakland had for the entire series (9). They became the fourth team in Major League history to score eight or more runs in their first four games.

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The Astros Didn’t Forget

Houston (2-0) scored nine runs on Friday night to defeat Oakland (0-2) by a score of 9-5. The Astros are now 5-1 in their last six games against the A’s dating back to last year’s postseason and have a total of 50 runs scored against them.