Episodes
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Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show and Chris Gordy of Next Up go live from the Toyota Center as the Houston Rockets introduce Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. General manager Rafael Stone, head coach Ime Udoka and Sheppard all join the show to discuss the prospect's journey to the NBA. Ross and Chris also talk about the Astros defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Canada Day. Manager Joe Espada joins to preview the second of the four-game series against the Blue Jays that will see Spencer Arrighetti start on the mound.
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Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, joins The Matt Thomas Show following his introductory press conference for the Houston Rockets. Sheppard, a guard from the University of Kentucky, talks about playing for the same school as both his parents, his excitement to join the Rockets and his mentality heading into the NBA Summer League.
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Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka join The Matt Thomas Show following the introductory press conference for Reed Sheppard, who the Rockets drafted No. 3 overall. Sheppard "came in as a very high level shooter," but we "try and get to know the person" because we are "investing in people at a very young age," Stone said. Udoka also discusses observing Sheppard during the NBA Summer League, giving the Rockets another opportunity "to see who [Sheppard] is." The Rockets will face the Los Angeles Lakers in their first Summer League game on July 12.
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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada joins The Matt Thomas Show following Monday's 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Hunter Brown gave up two hits and three walks while recording five strikeouts in six shutout innings to continue his recent hot streak. Brown "stepped up big time" and has "really turned a corner when it comes to his preparation," Espada said. The Astros only have four healthy starting pitchers and had to look to the bullpen for Sunday's 10-5 win over the New York Mets. Shawn Dubin started on the mound and could be "an option to start that first game in Minnesota." Justin Verlander has been on the injured list since June 18 and has just begun throwing "light catch," while Kyle Tucker is still "a few weeks away from seeing" the field. "When they show up, we need them to be healthy...we can't have setbacks," Espada said. Espada also discusses Jose Altuve getting ejected Sunday and Spencer Arrighetti taking the mound for the second of a four-game series against the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show react to the Houston Astros defeating the New York Mets 10-5 on Sunday to earn their fifth straight series victory, push them past a .500 record and move to 3.5 games back from the lead in the AL West. The Astros travel to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays for a four-game series starting Monday, July 1 (Canada Day). Matt and Ross discuss the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners joining the SEC, the latest moves in NBA free agency and more.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show preview the Houston Astros taking on the New York Mets for a three-game road series starting Friday. Ronel Blanco will be first up on the mound as the Astros look to extend their seven-game win streak. Matt and Ross discuss the Los Angeles Lakers drafting Bronny James, son of LeBron James, with the 55th pick, where they could become the first father-son duo to play in the league at the same time, react to Jim Schlossnagle leaving Texas A&M to coach at the University of Texas, attempt to understand the drama surrounding NBA prospect Kyle Filipowski and his girlfriend, tell their "Non-Florida Stories" and more on this Anything Goes Friday.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show recap the Houston Astros completing the two-game series sweep over the Colorado Rockies after Wednesday's 7-1 victory at Minute Maid Park. Spencer Arrighetti led the way for the Astros seventh straight win with 10 strikeouts. Brian McTaggart, Astros beat reporter for MLB.com, joins to discuss the Astros getting to a .500 record for the first time this season and 4.5 games back from the lead in the AL West. Matt and Ross review the Rockets drafting Reed Sheppard, a guard from the University of Kentucky, with the No. 3 overall pick, react to the Rockets trading their No. 44 pick to the Atlanta Hawks for forward AJ Griffin, comment on Jim Schlossnagle accepting the head coaching position at the University of Texas following Texas A&M's College World Series loss, tell people to "Shut Yo Bum Ass Up, Ain't Nobody Got Time," say "I Just Don't Get It" and more.
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Brian McTaggart, Astros beat reporter for MLB.com, joins The Matt Thomas Show to discuss the Houston Astros completing the sweep over the Colorado Rockies with Wednesday's 7-1 win. Spencer Arrighetti started on the mound and recorded his best outing to date, striking out 10 batters in seven scoreless innings. Arrighetti "was just pounding the strike zone," McTaggart said. Hunter Brown threw his seventh straight quality start in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Rockies. "He's just pitching with so much more confidence now." The Astros are on a seven-game win streak, have reached a .500 record for the first time this season and are 4.5 games back from the lead in the AL West. While Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and Spencer Arrighetti have led the way for the team's recent success, the Astros have "so many arms going down." General manager Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada have "got to find a fifth starter sometime soon." McTaggart also addresses the hole at first base that is currently being covered by Jon Singleton and Mauricio Dubon after the Astros released Jose Abreu on June 14. Will the Astros look to acquire a first baseman before the MLB trade deadline on July 30? "I don't think Dana Brown really likes rentals," but the Astros "just need an upgrade over there."
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show preview the Houston Astros hosting the Colorado Rockies for a two-game series with Hunter Brown starting on the mound Tuesday. Astros manager Joe Espada joins to give an update on the many injured players on the roster, especially starting pitcher Justin Verlander, who has yet to begin throwing again after being placed on the 15-day IL with neck discomfort. The first round of the NBA draft begins Wednesday, and the Rockets hold the No. 3 pick. Vernon Maxwell and Ryan Hollins both join to discuss the many possibilities for the Rockets during this offseason. Matt and Ross recap the Tennessee Volunteers defeating the Texas A&M Aggies to win the College World Series, debate the possibility of professional hockey in Houston after the Florida Panthers captured their first Stanley Cup, give their latest "Gut Feelings" and more.
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Ryan Hollins, a former professional basketball player and current color commentator for the Houston Rockets on Space City Home Network, joins The Matt Thomas Show ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft, where the Rockets hold the No. 3 overall pick. With the Rockets already having a young core on the roster and the possibility of teams interested in moving up in the draft, Hollins believes general manager Rafael Stone is "going to try and shop" the No. 3 pick. However, if the Rockets are unable to finalize a trade, Hollins is not ruling out drafting Donovan Clingan or Reed Sheppard. "You got to be a dog if you're going to play for Ime [Udoka]," Hollins said.
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Vernon "Mad Max" Maxwell, a former guard for the Houston Rockets, joins The Matt Thomas Show to recount the 1994 team that secured the organization's first NBA championship. Maxwell also compares his professional basketball experience to the current state of the Rockets, saying everybody has "got to be a shooter" in today's game.
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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada joins The Matt Thomas Show to recap the series sweep over the Baltimore Orioles. The Astros are now 5.5 games back from the lead in the AL West. "We want to finish this month playing .500 baseball," Espada said. The Astros will host the Colorado Rockies for a two-game series with Hunter Brown starting on the mound Tuesday. Brown's "confidence level is up" as "you see efficiency" instead of long at bats. Justin Verlander was scheduled to start against the Detroit Tigers on June 15 but was scratched due to neck discomfort. Verlander will be eligible for activation from the 15-day injured list on July 1 but could be out for longer. "He is at least progressing...but still not playing catch." Espada also gives an update on Jake Bloss, Kyle Tucker and other injured Astros.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show react to the Houston Astros sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in a three-game home series to move to six games back from the lead in the AL West. The Astros will host the Colorado Rockies for a two-game series starting Tuesday. Matt and Ross read "Mean Tweets" from Astros Twitter, preview the Rockets in the NBA draft, discuss Texas A&M in the College World Series, review the latest NFL offseason rankings, play "To Tell the Truth" and more.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show preview the NBA Draft which begins with the first round on Wednesday. The Houston Rockets hold the No. 3 overall pick, and while many have predicted that general manager Rafael Stone will likely keep the selection and draft the best player available (Reed Sheppard, Donovan Clingan, etc.), Matt and Ross discuss the possibility of the Rockets using that pick as trade capital to land an NBA All-Star to help lead the roster's young core.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show preview the Houston Astros hosting the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game series starting Friday. The Astros are coming off a series victory over the Chicago White Sox. Jake Bloss, a third-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft, will make his Major League debut for the Astros against the second-best team in the AL East. Backup catcher Victor Caratini was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday after being taken out of the game Wednesday with soreness in his left quad. Matt and Ross react to Matthew Stafford's wife Kelly admitting that she dated Stafford's backup quarterback while in college, discuss the University of Houston parting ways with athletic director Chris Pezman, tell their "Non-Florida Stories" and more on this Anything Goes Friday.
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Matt and Ross react to the University of Houston moving on from athletic director Chris Pezman. Pezman served as the athletic director for seven years. The school said their search for a new athletic director will begin immediately.
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Brian McTaggart, Astros beat reporter for MLB.com, joins The Astros On-Deck Show after the Astros defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Hunter Brown started on the mound and delivered his sixth consecutive quality start, allowing only one earned run across six innings. Brown's power sinker "has really opened up his entire arsenal," McTaggart said. Bryan Abreu, Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader each threw a scoreless inning to secure the win Wednesday. "It's not always going to be pretty," but "the bullpen is falling into line here." Spencer Arrighetti will start on the mound Thursday as the Astros look to earn a series win against the White Sox. This is a "good chance today for him to get back on track" after giving up seven earned runs off 48 pitches Saturday when stepping in for an injured Justin Verlander against the Detroit Tigers. With Verlander on the injured list, the Astros have called up right-handed pitcher Jake Bloss, a third-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft. The 22-year-old has split time between High-A Asheville and Double-A Corpus Christi and is expected to make his Major League debut Friday against the Baltimore Orioles.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show discuss the Houston Astros losing 2-0 on Tuesday to the Chicago White Sox in the first of a three-game road series. Framber Valdez delivered a quality start; however, the Astros offense was unable to score off White Sox rookie starter Jonathan Cannon. The Astros fall to ten games back from the lead in the AL West. Matt and Ross host an Astros therapy session, react to the Detroit Pistons firing coach Monty Williams after one season, owing him $65 million, remember MLB legend Willie Mays, manufacture topics about the Texans, tell people to "Shut Yo Bum Ass Up, Ain't Nobody Got Time" and more.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show create a therapeutic space for Astros fans to vent, meditate and find peace following an 2-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Framber Valdez started on the mound and delivered a quality start, allowing two runs on two hits and five walks over six innings, striking out five. However, the Astros offense were unable to score on White Sox rookie starter Jonathan Cannon. The loss, which saw manager Joe Espada ejected in the third inning, pushed the Astros to ten games back from the lead in the AL West.
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Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show preview the Houston Astros traveling to Chicago to take on the White Sox for a three-game series starting Tuesday. Astros manager Joe Espada joins to give an update on Justin Verlander who was scratched from Saturday's scheduled start due to neck discomfort. Hunter Brown also joins to discuss how the pitching staff is fighting through injuries to the starting rotation. Matt and Ross review the Boston Celtics defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, debate over which city they are sports-jealous of, react ot Justin Timberlake getting arrested for a DWI, give their latest "Gut Feelings" and more.
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