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Just a reminder that while I'm sure you will be inundated with info and stats regarding the thrilling and compelling weekend matchups of UT vs. Arkansas State and A&M vs. Montana State, I thought you might like to know there are some colleges located in the city of Houston that are also playing some college football tomorrow.

The Cougars venture out to Oregon to begin the season at 2:30 p.m. central time. Nicholls State visits beautiful Rice Stadium for a 7:00 p.m. game against the Owls. And if it's football and an entertaining half-time show that you seek, I'd suggest you get out to Reliant Stadium tomorrow at 7 p.m. for TSU versus Prairie View.

Oh, and Jennifer, I wouldn't mind if a naked Angelina Jolie showed up at my house either. -- John Royal

Well, what can I say? The Astros are in the midst of an actual winning streak. Sure, it’s only a two-game winning streak. But it’s a winning streak nonetheless. Led by a solid Matt Albers pitching appearance, the Astros defeated the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday by a score of 2-1. And luckily, when it mattered, Brad Lidge did not have to face Albert Pujols.

The win enabled the Astros to jump out of last place.

Small victories. That’s all that can be asked for at this time. Small victories. Like moving into fifth place.

I was reading the dead-tree version of the Chron yesterday, and I began to get very excited. Richard Justice had written this column about Tony La Russa, and about the miracle job La Russa is performing this season, and I thought, wow, someone else finally gets it. Someone else is finally realizing that a good manager can make a big difference for a team with a crappy roster. Just like I’ve been saying.

I’ve been saying Phil Garner was a bad manager despite the sucky Astros roster. I’ve been saying that if Tony La Russa could win with this season’s St. Louis Cardinals roster, he’d be leading the division with this season’s Astros roster. And what shocked me even more was that it was Richard Justice saying this. The same Richard Justice who’s been leading the chorus that it wasn’t Garner’s fault because the team was so bad and that no one could win with it.

Justice finally saw the light, I thought. He finally put aside his Garner’s-a-great-guy bias and looked at the facts.

Then I got to the final paragraphs:

We know these are meant as a tribute to Lady Bird Johnson, but the bluebonnet decals on the Longhorn football helmets are kinda, well, less than manly. At least that’s the verdict among a lot of Longhorn fans in cyberspace. In the words of one commenter on the Austin American-Statesman’s Bevo Beat: "it's gay.” Over on Hornfans.com, another poster just hoped the flowers “weren’t pink.”

Head coach Mack Brown — perhaps a little giddy from the $300,000 raise he just got from the UT Board of Regents — thinks the decals are a fitting tribute to the whole Johnson family. “Because President Johnson has meant so much to our state, our country and our University, and Lady Bird is our First Lady who we just lost, and the Johnson family who has meant so much to all of us, we are going to put a wildflower in their honor on the back of our helmets for the full year,” Brown said in a statement.

Whatever you say, Mack. For future reference, though, can you please issue statements that aren’t run-on sentences?

Well, Cecil Cooper managed his first game last night. And to steal a quote from Mr. Pete Townshend: “meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

Yep, the Astros lost 7-0 last night to the St. Louis Cardinals. The team with the roster lacking the talent of the Astros roster but which is now sitting at .500 and in the thick of the race for the NL Central title. If Phil Garner were managing the Cards, and if the Cards were sucking while having this same roster, we’d be told that it wasn’t Garner’s fault because nobody could win with that roster.

Guess what, Tony La Russa’s winning with it.

The Astros, well, the Astros are in the thick of the race for the worst record in the National League. And after last night’s shellacking, can we please stop with the talk about Woody Williams being the number three starter for next season? Drayton signed the guy to a two-year contract, so the team’s stuck with him, but let’s stop making it sound like a good deal.

Drayton McLane fired general manager Tim Purpura and manager Phil Garner yesterday. I’m one of those who feel that this move was long overdue, but I also think that it’s really a bit too late in the season. There are only 31 games left in the season, and the time has long passed for there to be any hope with this team. Sure, Drayton has noticed that the fans are pissed, and it’s said that he’s making this move to appease us. But really, Cecil Cooper? Tal Smith?

Is this the best he can do?

With my most sincere apologies to Lennon/McCartney:

"I heard the news today, oh boy
About the lucky men who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I knew the roles they played
Drayton blew some minds out in his office
He said the time had come to make a change
A gaggle of reporters stood and bowed
They'd seen this scene before
None of them was really sure if they were really in the know."

Okay, enough levity.

Drayton McLane fired Tim Purpura and Phil Garner today. Their replacements are Tal Smith and Cecil Cooper. And for some reason, Jose Cruz was elevated to bench coach.

I'm a bit surprised by this move. Not that it wasn't coming, or deserved, but it's a bit late, what with only 31 games left in the season. And I'm not sure what Cecil Cooper has done to deserve the promotion.

But that's just me. -- John Royal

Nope, that's not a mock headline. It really happened. Here’s the word.

Our inimitable columnist no doubt will have plenty more to say about this later. – Keith Plocek

Seven years as a sports journalist is often enough to extinguish the blind, burning and childlike love inside the heart of even the most ardent fanatic. Everyone thinks they’ll be the exception, yet, invariably, we all fall victim to the inherent cynicism of the craft. Oh, sure, you might still like your favorite franchise, but that love you basked in as an eight year old will probably be long gone by the time your career hits the five-year mark. Between the mandated detachment, bohemian lifestyle and shuffled priorities, the feelings just fade over time. Don’t get me wrong, I still love sports as much as anyone. But my days of passionately cheering on the home teams are over.

Those are the thoughts swirling about my head as I make my way toward Reliant Stadium on yet another scorching Saturday night. Once upon a time, covering a Texans or Oilers game would have proven to be the pinnacle of my existence. Tonight, I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity to work an NFL contest and merely curious to see how the Texans fare against a Dallas team that has looked great in its first two preseason match-ups. It’s sort of like renewing acquaintances with an old girlfriend for whom you once burned. You’ve both moved on and time has worked its magic, allowing you to enjoy the experience while sincerely wishing each other nothing but the best. Of course, being the curious creature that you are, you’re also interested in seeing whether the tiniest hint of that initial spark, which once brought the two of you together, still exists. If I run into Earl Campbell, Warren Moon or Ernest Givens, will I fall head-over-heels all over again? Let’s just say I’m not counting on it, but I’d love to find out. I’m kind of a masochist that way.

In the meantime, I’ve decided to document tonight’s main event by breaking out the ol’ running diary routine. It’s not original, but it is effective. Kind of like Cialis. I mean, not that I’d really know anything about that…

Remember that great Conference-USA championship game last fall at Robertson Stadium? The one that took place under a clear, chilly sky, before a packed, raucous crowd who rocked the house as the UH Cougars rolled over Southern Miss?

Never happened. Not according to The New York Times, which after all is supposed to be the nation’s paper of record.

It’s like a scene from a bad Kevin Costner movie. It’s the top of the ninth inning. There are two men out. The Good Guys are up by one run. The Closer’s on the mound, facing his demons in the person of the guy who hit a home run in this same situation in the first game of the season. The Closer’s season, and life, flashes past his eyes and he makes the pitch…

Only this isn’t a bad Costner movie. This is Brad Lidge’s life, and it’s Friday night. It’s the top of the ninth inning. There are two men out. The Astros are up by one run. Then Xavier Nady steps to the plate. Nady, for those who don’t remember, is the guy who homered off Lidge in this exact same situation in the season’s very first game.

And…

Okay, I bet you guys are all worried about next season. About how the Astros starting rotation, after Roy Oswalt, is pretty sucky looking. Just like this season. But there’s no need to fear. Jason Jennings is here to save the day.

No seriously. Richard Justice wrote that. It seems the Jennings injury came at just the right time for him to get surgery and be healthy and ready for spring training, at which point he will be the perfect number two pitcher behind Oswalt, and just ahead of the number three starter Woody Williams.

I think I know what caused that fire that damaged the KGOW transmitter: Justice was smoking some dope before his first show, and well, things got a little out of control. There’s just no other way to explain things. Jesus Ortiz is making more sense than Justice.

Harrah's Entertainment (the casino people) and AEG (the Dynamo's owner) have announced plans to build a 20,000 seat, state-of-the-art arena in Las Vegas with the hopes of attracting an NBA or NHL franchise. The facility would be located just off of the Strip, behind the Bally's and Paris resorts. It would be ready for a team by the 2010 season.

I find this rather curious in that, several years ago, I wrote a short story about the American League Tampa Bay Devil Rays moving to Las Vegas to play in a retractable roof stadium to be built just off of the Strip behind the Bally's and Paris resorts. The facility would be built and run by Harrah's Entertainment, and it would be ready in time for the 2010 season. And though I never sold the short story, I did publish the story on my blog. You can read it here.

Coincidence? Or should I go speak to an Intellectual Property attorney? -- John Royal

A couple of amazing things happened out at MMP last night. The Astros won the game. Woody Williams got the win. Woody Williams pitched a good game. And Jason Lane got sent to the minors.

Yes, that’s right. Lane got sent back to Round Rock. It’s kind of shocking. Even though Hunter Pence is back off of the DL, it’s still rather surprising to see Lane not starting in center while Pence sits on the bench.

The Astros even improved their record to 57-70, which not only moved them to within 13 games of the .500 mark, but also kept them barely in front of the fifth place Cincinnati Reds.

The things Michael Vick supposedly did are disgusting. And I’m not going to attempt to excuse him, or his actions. But I’ve got a problem with the way the NFL is treating Michael Vick. And the problem is this: Michael Vick was not involved with the death of a human. He was not involved with the crippling of another person. He was not involved with drug trafficking.

But Michael Vick faces an indefinite suspension from the NFL for his actions. That’s not the case with the others.

For instance, on January 31, 2000, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was involved in a double homicide. Lewis eventually pled guilty to obstruction of justice. He lied to the police about what happened that night. Lewis, who may have been involved with the murder of two men, then lied to the police about it, was never suspended by the NFL. He’s still playing football. Still making millions of dollars a year.

I guess it’s a shame PETA doesn’t demonstrate and call for boycotts when it’s humans who are killed.