The hidden Ex Texan

The Freezer squashes The Fridge's legacy: Secrets of the Packers' Super Bowl D,characters included

The Packers massive defensive tackle B.J. Raji — otherwise known as the Freezer— has been making quarterbacks miserable all season.
Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers couldn't make the Texans into winners.But he has Green Bay back in the Super Bowl.

The first breakout star of Super Bowl week has already been determined — even if that extravaganza in "North Texas" doesn't start for another seven days.

Get ready for the B.J. Raji blitz.

Underlisted at 6-foot-2, 337-pounds, the Green Bay Packers giant defensive lineman offers plenty of man to go around. And he'll get around to a ton of microphones after his feel-good performance in the NFC Championship Game — Raji's interception touchdown return stands as the signature play of Green Bay's 21-14 win over the Chicago Bears. Raji's fleet move to step in front of third-string Bears quarterback's Caleb Hanie's fourth quarter pass and the resulting anything-but-smooth, ball-extended rumble into the end zone looms larger than any Aaron Rodgers throw.

More importantly — this is Super Bowl hype we're talking about remember — Raji brings a nickname to swoon over with his big man moves.

Raji's dubbed himself The Freezer, a play on 1985 Bears icon William Perry's The Fridge moniker, which was so innovative in 1985-86 that it nearly caused sportscasters to faint in glee on every utterance. Of course, Fox's Joe Buck came pretty close to there himself while detailing Raji's Freezer story on Sunday.

They apparently don't raise sports marketing dummies at Boston College. For Raji, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 draft, actually graduated from college with a degree (a rarity for a vaunted NFL prospect) in sociology. Then again, his flair for the dramatic could be much more ingrained than that. Both of Raji's parents are Pentecoastal ministers.

The Freezer couldn't have picked a better opponent for his arrival game either. It's long past time, everyone moved on from The Fridge, the Super Bowl Shuffle and Perry's over-glorified one-yard touchdown run of 25 years ago for Da Bears.

A funny thing happened to the giant who mocked the Bears by extending the ball in one hand on his touchdown rumble in his postgame interviews though. Raji remembered the quiet "Texan" in the background.

That would be former Houston Texans coach Dom Capers, still the only head coach who Bob McNair has ever fired. Capers is even more important to Green Bay's Super Bowl run than Raji. For as the Packers defensive coordinator, Capers has done what the Texans desperately pray that Wade Phillips will be able to do for them next season: He's changed everything.

"Dom is a great coach," Raji said.

Green Bay's emerged as a defensive juggernaut more than Rodgers reliant, having held three of the NFL's best teams to 16, 21 and 14 points now in three stifling road playoff wins. And the 21 points surrendered to the No. 1 seed Falcons is a little deceiving considering the Packers held a 42-14 lead before giving up a late touchdown.

Capers' schemes have confounded likely NFL MVP Michael Vick, the fawned over Matty Ice and the Mike Martz-reborn Jay Cutler in back-to-back-to-back weeks.

It's enough to make you wonder if McNair has noticed how a former Texan (the franchise that doesn't know diddley about D) has taken over the NFL playoffs on that side of the ball.

Sometimes you have to look beyond The Freezer to see why certain teams are always frozen out of the big games.

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chill out

Houston Astros ballpark gets cool new name for the next 15 years

Courtesy of the Houston Astros

The Astros' stadium will have a new name in 2025.

The Houston Astros are about to have the coolest ballpark in Major League Baseball. The team announced on Monday, November 18 that its has reached a naming rights agreement HVAC manufacturer Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc.

Beginning on January 1, 2025, the stadium will be known as Daikin Park (die-kin). Scheduled to run through the 2039 season, the new name replaces Minute Maid Park, which has been the stadium’s name since 2002. It opened in 1999 as Enron Field.

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Astros fans online are already calling the new stadium “The Ice Box,” replacing its informal “The Juice Box” moniker. That name feels likely to stick.

Japan-based Daikin Industries is a leading manufacturer of HVAC systems. It sells air conditioning units and other products under brand names such as Daikin, Goodman, Amana® and Quietflex. Critically, it operates Daikin Texas Technology Park in nearby Waller, which is the largest HVAC manufacturing facility in North America. The company employs approximately 10,000 people in Greater Houston, according to a release.

“We are excited to be partnering with Daikin for our ballpark’s naming rights,” Astros owner Jim said. “Daikin is an international company that proudly calls the Greater Houston area its North American home. The Houston Astros and Daikin share the same values, a commitment to excellence and a desire to give back to our local community. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of this ballpark in 2025, I am proud to have Daikin alongside us to create even more special memories for our fans now and in the future.”

The Astros will use the revenue for new stadium amenities and other upgrades. It will also continue the team’s various community initiatives. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. the Houston Chronicle notes that naming rights deals may be worth anywhere from $3.5 million per year (T-Mobile park in Seattle) to $11 million per year for the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field.

The team’s first game in Daikin Park will take place on Monday, March 24, which it plays an exhibition against its Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. It will open the regular season on Thursday, March 27 against the New York Mets.

“Daikin fit all of the criteria we set out to find in a naming rights partner,” Astros senior vice president Matt Brand added. “Their name and reputation fit our iconic downtown Houston home, and their values mesh perfectly with those of the Astros. We are grateful to partner with the entire Daikin team and to help them succeed in their business goals. Daikin Park will be a special place for our fans for many years to come.”

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