'stros go

As world champion Astros head to playoffs, is it a ring — or nothing?

Justin Verlander and the Astros are roaring for another ring.

Photo by Getty Images

Hey Astros: It don’t mean a thing, if you don't win that ring — just ask the Rockets. Houston set a franchise record for regular season wins and was one of the two best teams in the league. They had an MVP candidate, great veteran leadership, significant contributions from their role players, and incredible coaching.

Sound familiar Astros fans?

The two teams mirror each other in many ways, but the Astros want to make sure there is one big difference: Unlike the Rockets, who stumbled in the playoffs and fell short of their ultimate goal, the Astros want to repeat their historic championship run.

As much as we love the ’Stros, there’s a feeling that if the team is unable to repeat as World Series champions, it will be a huge disappointment. There is no more room for moral victories or being a hamstring away from greatness, this is a championship team — a team that brings home the hardware for their city and epitomizes being "Houston Strong." The tougher the opponent, the harder the fight and this team has fought out of some pretty deep fox holes to achieve amazing results for the team, the city, and Astros fans everywhere.

This is in no way meant to take away from the incredible regular season or to minimize the records. Some of the things we saw over the last six months we had never seen before, as the team made us forget about the possibility of a championship hangover and had us glued to the games to see what incredible accomplishment would be achieved next.

They won more regular season games than ever before, gave up less runs than any American League team has surrendered in a non-strike year since the designated hitter was implemented and allowed fewer runs than all but two National League teams have given up since 1974.

The starting pitching was ridiculous with Justin Verlander in the running for the Cy Young Award and Charlie Morton and Gerritt Cole joining him in the 200 strikeout club. If not for an incredible year by the Boston Red Sox, the Astros would be heavy favorites to repeat as American League Champs and get back to their second straight World Series. The team they are opening up the postseason against may be their stiffest competition in the entire playoffs.

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Joel Blank hosts The Usual Suspects on ESPN 97.5 FM. Continue reading this story on SportsMap.

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it's about time

Astros and Rockets finally launch streaming service for Houston sports fans

Houston Astros/Facebook

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Houston sports fans finally have a way to watch their favorite teams without a cable or satellite subscription. Launched Wednesday, December 3, the Space City Home Network’s SCHN+ service allows consumers to watch the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets via iOS, Apple TV, Android, Amazon Fire TV, or web browser.

Available at SCHNPLUS.com, a subscription to SCHN+ allows sports fans to watch all Astros and Rockets games as well as behind-the-scenes features and other on-demand content. It’s priced at $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually (plus tax). People who watch Space City Network Network via their existing cable or satellite service will be able to access SCHN+ at no additional charge.

As the Houston Chronicle notes, the Astros and Rockets were the only MLB and NBA teams not to offer a direct-to-consumer streaming option.

“We’re thrilled to offer another great option to ensure fans have access to watch games, and the SCHN+ streaming app makes it easier than ever to cheer on the Rockets,” Rockets alternate governor Patrick Fertitta said in a statement. “Providing fans with a convenient way to watch their favorite teams, along with our network’s award-winning programming, was an essential addition. This season feels special, and we’re committed to exploring new ways to elevate our broadcasts for Rockets fans to enjoy.”

Astros owner Jim Crane echoed Feritta’s comments, adding, “Providing fans options on how they view our games is important as we continue to grow the game – we want to make it accessible to as large an audience as possible. We are looking forward to the 2026 season and more Astros fans watching our players compete for another championship.”

SCHN+ is available to customers in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the following counties in New Mexico: Dona Ana, Eddy, Lea, Chaves, Roosevelt, Curry, Quay, Union and Debaca. Fans outside these areas will need to subscribe to the NBA and MLB out-of-market services.

The announcement couldn’t have come at a better time. Spurred by its offseason signing of superstar Kevin Durant and second-year guard Reed Sheppard, the Rockets are off to a strong, 13-5 start to the season that’s has them currently ranked third in the Western Conference.

The Astros are looking to bounce back after missing the playoffs in 2025. The experts at the Stone Cold Stros podcast predict the team will looking to add pitching to bolster its prospects for 2026.

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