Steve Sparks | Houston Astros Radio Voice

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There's a lot to listen to also get guarded and download the free Odyssey app today listening is on the three you're interested in local radio stations coverage of your favorite teams from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand best among you can completely customize your listening experience. Follow topics in the care of Quickly remind your local sports and urge you to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to also get guarded and download the free Odyssey app today were pleased to welcome Steve Barclay been getting ready now for road trip with them coming now still game to will be played in Houston on Thursday but then they have to travel's were glad to grab a couple minutes with Steve, who is also a former big league pitcher. So, did you hear the call there.

What was that like for you to have that your Don Alvarez bulges get blasted and the whole stadium go crazy to build up any more than words.

The whole problem.

The workload audio out. About 1/3 calculator 23 career quote no desire to get on very far and away. David Hensley first career quote about you find a way to go on dates so waterlogged they strike out to strike and slaughtered for killing all year long. They will do it to keep about reach out.

Blind us to go up a little and that whole time we were leaving everything in your Don is on deck. There's a shadow right there with you right in front of so you get to the plate and that's when the drama bill broadcasters Robert Ford and myself were just going all my doctor seen him come through so many times and then bring in the lefty batter with Kyle Tucker were short on Alvaro just doesn't matter for sobriety or lefty and if you make a bad fish typically you know it, nothing big moment to keep your pole down the way you look like such a beautifully controlled pointing we could contain herself and Robert was out of his Jeep immediately flies back to get this refrigerator in our broadcast booth here is scream and you know we want to make sure that everybody can hear the crowded breed is what we care. But everybody want to get we did our best to train herself just enough for people to be able to understand what we were what we were watching yourself think, though, because it certainly sounds like you felt like you were drowned out by the crowd. Now the fiber we feel it on our death or the vibration you know everybody there percolated a map of couple coffee or a volcano leading to a rock and we felt that you know it is were going to blackout feeling really blessed Robert will probably take a lot of people watching her. Robert thought he was phenomenal and it got every bit of emotion out there feeling is possible to encapsulate what you're done. Alvarez means to this team now not really heard it for a long time, and even some of the veteran players you your yell. Let me so they have to very brave of you guys were saying your best head we've ever seen the same thing keep a lot throughout my career in Minnesota and that of course went on to be an icon in Boston and that's what you're done remind me that very first time I saw his body and frame strike zone discipline the way you get the ball off everything remind me that copy so here talking to some my compatriots guys that I played against you know the say the same thing for copy a bill to watch Emma 25 years old to be able to command the station waiting is pretty fun that is high praise the body type in the size of both big poppy and your dance like every time they connected with the pitch. It should be on the ballpark. Yeah, a lot of these ridiculous will see all these out so well, ho-hum playing you look at the stack after the hundred 11 miles from that the whole line on the right really got that stuff all the time. Scott is playing baseball were spending a few minutes with Steve Sparks, whose one half of that Astros radio team Robert Ford on the play-by-play. Steve also up over big league pitcher. So we get that expertise on the broadcasts after hours on CBS sports radio. I'd love to hear your insight on Justin Vernon Lander what you see with him yesterday. A little black man that happens from time to time, but we thought a couple times during that very rocky at a 1.75 ERA very infrequently.

But you have one of those hookers against Seattle earlier in the season. May 27 give up for Homer's six runs in that game and next game actually say Seattle is dominated so nobody ever redeems himself as well as future Hall of Famer Gilbert later is the marquee name on this team and everybody follows his lead is fun to watch a lot of interviews these days with her later talk about you taking the blinders off, he was out of the game for couple years and realize he wants to do so. He said his routine for embedded into his psyche were he could take the blinders off and then do you have a resource for his teammate Joy that you want to be a mentor good friend, a good teammate in the field like that little time off and have a baby and think of that nature opened his eyes little bit fun to have this version of him around each could you imagine what he had to go through as a picture even if it is a free Catholic to be able to get to this point and have the season. He did again after the injury and the time away. I had a buddy of mine watches showcasing the Rangers and he called me and said hey rats, all soberly thrown my free-agent he thought of all the things I said I don't think I've ever seen better.

Well, you know, a play for quite a while, the big league. He knew what he was watching the most impressive bull showcasing ever going to know I doubt anything that was about, way and I knew that there will be no stone unturned for his rehab with and how hard you work and freak in that way you know what we see guys in different sports to Tiger Woods to Tom Brady's in such a play at a high level FAA and Berliners know the combination of great talent to take advantage of technology and very taken advantage of nutrition. Whatever it is to get a 39-year-old there every five or six days and dominate such member Valdes in game number two coming up on Thursday like the way this rotation could stack up considering the travel days, but also the that kind of weird day off in between game wanting to look forward to. You know about that again. Five very Robert the one who is the most likely to be able to do that is very strong with over 25 consecutive quality start with a single set season major league record is that this year to get the ball games and he bounced back very quickly so you can mature very much mentally in the last couple years. You got a sports psychologist help them through some of that and is very difficult for a firm manager and you say sometimes in the broadcast, very hard to take out of a ballgame and I think a lot of people understand you probably the best ground ball inducing picture. We think it's Brandon Webb diamondback, probably 15, 20 years ago, 67% basically for farmer the last few years and take a guy like that out of any game with any circumstance because the one pitch away from the graveled of Clay Stokes ballgame sister that that fact alone manager and I'm glad today because I was in Asti by Dusty Baker. Other people like Jeff Blom I pretty sure I asked Robert about him to. Why has he been the right fit for the Astros to give them stability.

But not just to keep them playing at the highest level right will be obvious after he came in right at the cheating cattle they need needed a respectable person at the front. They needed the face of this organization. The people respected and perfect for that. Beyond that, I mean the experience the culture he provides for the guys to be himself.

He continued a philosophy to let young guys feel at ease in the clubhouse and that usually for that wasn't the case.

No, 15, 20 years ago. In all the way back know you're a rookie you are to be seen not heard but thought that way you know they make you guys feel comfortable in that way you get that the best version of those guys when they come to the big leagues. Jeremy Crane is a perfect example that he had big shoes to fill. This is for the Astros this year, but everybody put their arm around him in and help them through his first major league seasoning that he did great and everything about him. Somebody was very comfortable in the clubhouse and he appreciated very humble get anyway that's the type of the culture that Dusty Maxwell about the freedom of the coaches to coach and players play. He's comfortable enough in his own skin to let that play out similar to a bright snicker that Dusty Baker would be a sentimental favorite to get that rain could you imagine after all these years to see him finally on the top would be amazing.

I manager the years, night, and the all-time wins list done everything the great players every you can draw expertise from so many experiences that the great people personal take this on the first year that Dusty was in spring training with the Astros they were playing in Jupiter in the Marlin that day there was a couple guys who drove four hours across the state.

Couple of his former players.

Kirk Manwaring and maybe infielder did have Cisco just to go in support Dusty for about 30 minutes during batting practice put their arms around and good luck and let everybody else there no guys to play for Dusty, 15, 20, 25 years ago still made an impact in their life and they were going to show him their support and that really struck me is like and that he made an impression on those guys really good few minutes with Steve Sparks one half of the Astros radio team and a former big league pitcher himself. It's after hours on CBS sports radio okay Steve tell me if this sounds crazy. I actually feel like the Astros, even with 106 wins the packet they have led the American League West the whole season.

Essentially I feel like they even then still flew under the radar possible. Yeah I think so. You know it in a different fashion as uranium. Most people remembered you when they were really dominating their division.

They still dominated the division office of labor. When you do it often as of late that I think it stands out more, just a bit of pitching and you had a six man rotation that allow for lender to recover and stay fresh throughout the season but they dominated pitching wising in the lineup. The relentless is been in years past, but still potent know we talked acknowledging about your daughter course but they still got a lot of conviction way but overall it's a pitching in and a lot of times when you talk about the seventh-inning reliever your fourth starting pitcher John Ray under three headlines like some of the power hitters judge yeah yeah you can think of excited people to steal one through whatever one through whatever they just as well as anybody see what you think about the Mariners and the way they got into the playoffs and ended their drought. It was back to back wall costs late in the season they have a flair for the dramatic.

They got this incredible young rookie with a megawatt smile and a game to watch. What impresses you about the Mariners. I remember getting in the elevator about five years ago. Photo after game in the Astros swallowed him in Seattle and we were done we were getting ready go get on the bus but the photo was going downstairs elevator same time they look at me you guys are just too fast for us to get more athletic you know that was a bar you know they were watching what we have to do to win only but surely you start to see the guy they brought in and gotten died.

Go in the bowl.

Swing and miss a couple guys. The rotation will see one of them. Take your Louise Castille tomorrow swing and miss some of the face of the Astros were looking forward when they put together this roster. Mariners of done it in match up wising for athleticism. I think I think you're on par both of these teams very, very athletic. Now and I think the only thing that the Astros probably have over Seattle this point.

And when you have confidence and experience to draw on the matter. Sometimes we call that yesterday. Of course being the taken for granted Seattle very very good team that had a great season and I have hope.

You know you're down 81. In that game against Toronto and you come back everybody in the dugout has that fresh in their memory in you know if they fall behind at any point of the rest of this series are always going to have to open. If you have hope.

You can always be very dangerous. But even on top of hope they have a lot of talent. They do what it did to me to a clubhouse to have an infusion of talent but also personality like Julio Rodriguez right now. It means everything you know you quickly become the face is the face of that branch. I think the best player on their team.

There's no question about that and they're going to write him for 15 years probably know, you can keep him on the field to come to where they want to go. There's no doubt my mind is very special to be one of the most talked about enigmatic players in the game for years to come out because I know that that you do have game to coming up on Thursday when the season. The lockout is a distant memory, cast a shadow for minds and it was a big talking point. There are people who swore off baseball and that was it. I'm never going back and honestly it feels like all of that has faded almost as though it was a bad dream. When you think about the state of baseball to help the baseball this season, Steve. What's your assessment.

Think about that during spring training.

I had an air B&B already lined up and I we care for three weeks before the lockout was settled so I was going to ballpark in me Baker Gary Paddock yes was the one every day so we have a lot to talk about but we were drawing on the last strike and what that meant. It was what that hangover felt like. And when we came back in 1995. After that long strike. It was brutal. I mean the fans that you talk about swearing off baseball there still people sworn off baseball that haven't come back yet so it was a very difficult time players felt for a long time until really until Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig contacted again straight. There was nothing really to feel good about about baseball. So you're thinking about during that time this spring. We were hopeful we were hearing rumors that just like everybody else didn't really have a clear answer as we were hoping for. We are hopeful that we were going go through something similar that we did 25 years ago doesn't seem like it most the people that I've talked to almost don't remember that it ever happened, which is a good thing for baseball great Steve Sparks one half of the Astros broadcast team. I enjoy listening to you and Robert Ford. Even when it's dead of summer and I could be what you guys are finally sent thank you so much for a couple minutes. It's great to catch up with you and local radio stations range of your favorite teams from your home town. Remind your local template to listen to the free today listening to local radio stations range of your favorite team from your home town, you can completely remind your local template to listen to the free