Geographist

Derrick Lewis Born: February 7, 1985 Sport: Mixed Martial Arts (29-13-0 professional record, 16 UFC KO/TKO wins, currently holds heavyweight records for finishes and knockouts) As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday next month, there are numerous ways that people are choosing to mark the occasion.  One of the more interesting spectacles that has been planned is a UFC event on the White House lawn, billed as Freedom 250 which will take place one week from today.  When the fight card was originally announced, according to UFC's CEO Dana White, President Donald Trump asked why Derrick Lewis wasn't included.  So the boss made a few calls and added a fight that included Houston's most famous and successful MMA fighter, lining up the seasoned veteran against one of the sport's rising heavyweight stars, Josh Hokit.  When "no holds barred" cage matches began being held years ago, I didn't really understand the styles of fighting that took pl...

Darryl Kile Born: December 2, 1968 Sport: Baseball (133-119 pitching record, 3-time All-Star) Sometimes sports go through trends.  I grew up in the golden age of basketball centers, with Olajuwon competing with the likes of Ewing, Robinson, Mutumbo, Mourning, and O'Neal.  Then for a period of time teams like the Golden State Warriors practically ignored the center position in favor of shooters specializing in the 3-pointer.  In football there have been changes in the rules that have shifted the focus for many teams away from defense and running toward a high-scoring passing attack.  In baseball, it seems that players of recent years focus on power more than average during each at-bat, which has combined with improved relief pitching to a decrease in baserunners and scoring.  Last season, for instance, all major league players averaged .245 over the year compared to .270 back in 2000.  That said, occurrences of no-hitters has not increased - in 2025 there wa...

Cesar Cedeño Born: February 25, 1951 Sport: Baseball (4-time All-Star, 5-time Gold Glove) Here in the United States, we are recognizing Memorial Day and honoring those whose lives were laid down in military service to our nation.  While it is a day off from work for most employees that have a normal M-F schedule and also represents the unofficial beginning of summer, it's not so much a day of celebration as reflection and gratitude.  If you are the survivor of someone who paid that ultimate price, our collective thoughts are with you on this day of remembrance and I'm sure I speak for many when I say that we honor that sacrifice and do not take for granted the benefits we enjoy at your expense.  Thank you.  Today, a day later than I typically post, I went back in time to find if any Houston events took place that included a local sports figure that merited inclusion in our list.  I found a couple of Rockets playoff games of interest and two big Astros come-from-...

Rene Cardenas Born: February 6, 1930 Sport: Baseball - Announcer (38 MLB seasons, first-ever Spanish MLB broadcaster, 4-time Ford C. Frick finalist) This past week a truly legendary pioneer in his field passed away at the age of 96.  Although he had an impact for numerous different major league teams, many Houstonians will always remember him most for his time with the Astros.  And yet, for as much as can be credited to Rene Cardenas, it doesn't seem that enough people know his name.  As the first Spanish broadcaster in MLB history he is responsible for expanding the influence of the game, and that included spreading the sounds of baseball beyond the borders of the US.  In honor of his passing let's take a look at the story of his life in the hopes of spreading awareness of an unheralded voice that brought the sport that he loved to millions. Cardenas announced games for the first 14 years of MLB play in Houston Born in Managua, Nicaragua, Rene Cardenas was from a we...

Van Chancellor Born: September 27, 1943 Sport: Basketball (211-111 WNBA coaching record, 4-time WNBA Champion, 3-time WNBA Coach of the Year, Olympic Gold Medal, 530-195 NCAA coaching record, Final Four, Hall of Fame) The WNBA season kicked off this past week, and for Houston area fans of women's basketball it's a season that they honestly hope goes by quickly.  Why?  Because it was recently announced that Houston will once again have a professional women's team for the first time since the Houston Comets folded after the 2008 season.  Our city hosted the original WNBA dynasty when the league was created in 1997, winning the first four consecutive titles.  In 2027, the Connecticut Sun will relocate to Houston now that they have been acquired by the Fertitta family, and the hope is that they will be able to once again use the Comets name.  This week we're going to take a look at one of the men responsible for the original team's dominance - head coach Van Chancel...

Harriett Peckham Born: May 9, 1930 Sport: Horse Racing (Hall of Fame) My dad was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, where horse racing was a staple of life and Derby Day may as well have been an official holiday.  The Kentucky Derby was the biggest event on the calendar every year, and I remember being driven by Churchill Downs at a young age to see those iconic twin spires long before they were dwarfed by today's massive grandstands.  Yesterday marked the 152nd Run for the Roses there, and for the first time in history a female trainer, Cherie DeVaux, became a Kentucky Derby winner when her horse, Golden Tempo, raced from the back of the pack to win by a nose.  Houston's interest in horses has historically been more aligned with their use by cowboys than by jockeys, but in keeping with the momentous achievement by a woman in a male-dominated arena I thought it would be good to turn the spotlight towards a Houstonian who became known as the "First Lady of Quarter Ho...

Roy Oswalt Born: August 29, 1977 Sport: Baseball (163-102 record, 3-time All-Star, NLCS MVP, NL Wins Leader, NL ERA Title, Gold medal) The Houston Astros have developed a bit of a rivalry against the New York Yankees since joining the American League back in 2013, although it's been almost entirely one-sided in games that matter.  Most people who know the game are aware that the Yankees played the Astros in the first-ever exhibition game at the Astrodome on April 9, 1965, with the local team claiming a 2-1 victory.  They didn't play while in opposite leagues for several decades, but Houston has now knocked off their AL counterparts from the Big Apple in all four of their playoff meetings, meaning that in their first decade of playing in the same league the Astros had eliminated the Yankees more than any other team in history.  Today those two teams played the final game of a three-game series where the local nine managed to claim a victory to avoid being swept, but in an ...

Jose Cruz Born: August 8, 1947 Sport: Baseball (2-time All-Star, 2-time Silver Slugger) If you're a Houston Astros fan, you've probably gotten used to the recent run of success for the team but also sometimes get frustrated at the show starts that seem to plague them more often than not.  Stumbling out of the gate has become something of an annual occurrence, and 2026 has not been a departure from that trend.  In spite of that, however, there continue to be bright spots in the organization that show promise.  The Astros just finished getting swept by the St. Louis Cardinals, falling to a division-worst 8-15 record.  I thought it might be fun to look back at one of the team's favorite figures who may have gotten his start with those Cardinals but was soon brought to town by the Astros and became influential in their first shot at postseason games, and who ultimately was present for every playoff moment Houston had while part of the National League.  What's more, ...

Jim Nantz Born: May 17, 1959 Sport: Broadcasting (2-time Emmy Award winner, 5-time National Sportscaster of the Year winner, Hall of Fame) Before anything else, I want to acknowledge the passing of Phil Garner, former MLB player and beloved manager of the Houston Astros, as well as the Brewers and Tigers.  He ended a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer on Saturday night, and you can read more about his story on my post about him here .  My heart and prayers go out to his loved ones.  Turning our attention to the current sports calendar, we just closed the book on the 2026 NCAA Tournament earlier in the week when the University of Michigan outlasted the University of Connecticut to take home the title and today is the final round of the Masters.  Many sports fans have long equated both events with one particular voice that has lent his skills to announcing basketball, golf, and football.  As one of only two men to broadcast a Super Bowl, Masters, and NCAA Cham...