Houston 3, Arizona 27

For the second time this season, the Cougars followed an off week with a road game and fell flat on their faces.

The Good: Jack Martin kicked a 49-yard field goal to keep the Cougars from being shut out for the third time this season. And the Cougar defense did what they could do to keep the game competitive, sacking Wildcat quarterback Noah Fifita five times and intercepting him once. They also forced four Arizona three-and-outs and racked up seven tackles for loss.  

The Bad: The defense got absolutely no help from the offense, which threw one interception, fumbled twice, turned the ball over on downs four times (including one failed fourth-down conversion at the Arizona goal line) and was a miserable 2 of 13 on third down attempts. The Cougars moved the ball well in the middle of the field, amassing 326 total yards of total offense, but simply could not score points.

The Ugly: The offensive playcalling and decisionmaking was dreadful, i.e. repeatedly running up the middle for no gain, or going for it on fourth down when the Cougars were well within field goal range. I don't understand offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay's philosophy. I'm not sure he understands it himself. While I realize that there is a lack of talent on the offensive side of the ball, head coach Willie Fritz may do well to look for a new OC this offseason.

What It Means: If the Coogs wanted a shot at bowl eligibility this season, they needed to win against a 3-6 Arizona squad. That they did not essentially ensures that they will be staying home for the second straight year.

The Cougars will play their last home game of the year against Baylor this Saturday.

Yet Another Astrodome Proposal

I'll believe this when it happens.

The Astrodome Conservancy unveiled its plan for the future of the Astrodome on Wednesday.

This is the latest attempt to do something with the Houston landmark that has been closed to the public for 15 years.

Wednesday's unveiling is a $1 billion plan known as "Vision: Astrodome," which includes four state-of-the-art buildings under the Astrodome's roof and a retail village.

Part of the inspiration is the High Line in New York -- with a boulevard that would cut through the Dome and connect to other NRG buildings.

Renderings from the Astrodome Conservancy, a nonprofit geared towards the preservation and redevelopment of the stadium that opened in 1965, show what that vision will look like.

The conservancy's founder says she's hopeful the project can attract "significant private dollars" to minimize the burden on taxpayers. Their plan is for $750 million to come from private sources.

I've written a few posts over the years about the fate of the Eighth Wonder of the World (see here, here, here, here and here), but nothing ever seems to happen to it. A 2018 plan by Harris County to repurpose it came to a halt when voters kicked Ed Emmett out of the County Judge's chair that November; this is the first significant proposal for the iconic structure I've become aware of since that time.

And I don't expect anything to come of it, because I don't think private investors are willing to put up the funds to renovate the Astrodome today any more than they were willing to do the countless previous times that new uses for the old stadium were proposed.

Aside from the price tag, there is opposition to the renovation plan from NRG Park's two largest tenants:

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Houston Texans football team are decidedly cool to the plan.

The Rodeo issued a statement, "We have voiced our concerns on several occasions with the conservancy," they said. "There is no proposed or official plan that our organization has agreed to."

Reportedly, the Rodeo and the Texans favor demolishing the Dome to provide more parking.

Of course, neither the Rodeo nor the Texans have ever bothered to pony up the estimated $100 million it would take to demolish the stadium, either. The fact that the Astrodome has been designated a State Antiquities Landmark complicates its demolition as well.

All that to say that I expect for the Astrodome to continue to sit, unused - a modern-day ruin - for the foreseeable future. 

Kuff has more.

Downtown Kim Son to close

Not surprising, but nevertheless depressing:

Just over a year after shutting down its Stafford location, Kim Son’s ownership confirmed that its flagship in East Downtown, 2001 Jefferson, will close sometime next year because of the Interstate 45 expansion project.

“They haven’t given us a date, but we know it’s coming,” said Tao La, who is the chief operating officer of his family’s Vietnamese restaurant. “It’s just a matter of time.”

I knew that Kim Son's iconic downtown location would have to make way for the North Houston Highway Improvement Project several years ago, when I first saw the conceptual schematic drawings for the project. Essentially, everything between Chartres and St. Emanuel Streets is going to have to be cleared for the reconstruction of I-45 around downtown. That means that a lot of restaurants and bars other than Kim Son are in the path of demolition as well:

The confirmation of Kim Son's latest closing follows a steady stream of announcements from restaurants affected by the I-45 project, a $10 billion-plus project that could span two decades of construction. 

In September, Agricole Hospitality blamed the upcoming work for closing two restaurants and a bar concept on St. Emanuel. Neil’s Bahr, 2006 Walker, expects to relocate and possibly reopen this winter at 3409 McKinney. Popular downtown cafe Tout Suite projected it will move to an East End-mixed use project next summer.

Kim Son has been in business in the area bordered by I-45 long before any of those restaurants, bars and cafes. 

When Kim Son opened in 1982, "EaDo" was referred to as Houston’s Chinatown. The family’s Vietnamese restaurant originally opened on St. Emanuel before moving to a small space on Pease Street, La said. 

The flagship restaurant on Jefferson opened in February 1993. The pagoda-like building was a sprawling 20,000 square feet with seating for 350 in the downstairs dining room and banquet rooms upstairs for up to 650 customers. The entry included a water feature with a 16-foot limestone fish pond teeming with goldfish.

Kim Son hosted countless weddings and banquets for decades. 

My family and I ate at Kim Son's small-yet-busy Pease location for as long as we can remember, and I remember how impressed we were with the palatial new space when it opened. We have frequented it many times since - bringing out-of-town guests, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, or just enjoying a relaxed meal - so much so that we almost have the menu memorized.

As of right now a closing date for the restaurant has not been set, so diners will likely have several more months to eat at this location before TxDOT's wrecking balls arrive. Once the Jefferson location closes, Kim Son's lone remaining location will be on Bellaire Boulevard. However:

Depending on the construction work, Tao La said they may open a smaller Kim Son on land they own in the same area where their flagship restaurant has been open for over three decades.

“We have to move on to the next chapter, but we still want a presence,” Tao La said. “We can’t let that legacy go.”

I hope so, because I'm otherwise really going to miss those spring rolls. 

Welp...

I'm not shocked by Donald Trump's victory in yesterday's Presidential election. Disgusted, yes. But not surprised.

He already won once, after all. And he barely lost four years ago. Aside from his rabid cult of supporters, incumbent governments all around the world have been systematically rejected by voters on account of anger over post-pandemic inflation and supply chain issues, so it's no surprise that the same dynamic would play out in the United States. If Joe Biden had not stepped aside for Kamala Harris, or if Ron Desantis or Nikki Haley had been the Republican nominee rather than Trump, the margins would probably have been even worse. 

Donald Trump is a twice-impeached, adjudicated rapist, convicted felon, insurrectionist, malignant narcissist and pathological liar who is in severe cognitive decline and who is on a grievance-fueled rage. Apparently none of that mattered to the American voter. 

Whatever the final margin, the American people have returned this blatantly, dangerously unfit man to power. In the end, nothing mattered. Not the sexual assaults, the frauds, the lies, or the felonies. Not the raw bigotry of his campaign; not the insults, nor the threats. In the most graphic terms imaginable, the American people were warned of the danger. His previously loyal vice president refused to endorse him; his top general called him a ‘total fascist’; some of his closes aides and cabinet members described in detail his erratic character and his indifference to the Constitution.

Come January 20th, Donald Trump will once again become President of the United States. The incompetence, subterfuge and chaos that defined Trump's term will likely be replaced by a more targeted campaign of nativism, reactionism and retribution. He will be empowered by a Republican-controlled Congress for which extremism is no vice. 

Ego-driven tech bros like like Elon Musk will be in charge of our economy and conspiracy-peddling nutjobs like RFK, Jr will be in charge of our healthcare. The Federalist Society will be loading up the federal judiciary with right-wing extremists and the Heritage Foundation will be free to implement their christofascist Project 2025 agenda. 

There will be a nationwide abortion ban, mass deportations, a gutted federal civil service, and inflation-inducing tariffs. Ukraine will be abandoned, NATO will be forsaken, the Affordable Care Act will be dismantled, and the climate crisis will be ignored. Re-emboldened right-wing militias will patrol our streets and Trump's political opponents will be persecuted. And if anything happens to the 78-year-old man, Vice President and fanatical patriarch J. D. Vance will be ready to take over and carry on with the cause. 

This nation has sleepwalked into authoritarianism because egg prices were too high. A lot of people who are currently celebrating today will likely be changing their tune many months from now, as Trump's "policies," such as they were, take effect. By then, I fear, it might be too late.

Dark and ugly days are ahead of us, folks. I need to start making plans about my future, and whether it involves continuing to live in this nation as it descends into the abyss.

As I said: I am disgusted.

Philadelphia

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a conference, It was my first trip to the City of Brotherly Love and the weather was excellent for some picture-taking:

Logan Square, looking down Benjamin Franklin Parkway towards City Hall

Market Street, with the iconic PSFS building in the distance

Historic churches and modern skyscrapers in downtown Philadelphia

Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed

The Liberty Bell, on display across the street from Independence Hall

Reading Terminal Market, a former train station featuring a variety of restaurants and shops

Speaking of trains! Jefferson Station is served by SEPTA's extensive Regional Rail system

Going forward, I need to make a point to either come in to town the day before a convention or stay a day after so I can spend more time exploring. It's kind of hard to sight-see and attend seminars at the same time...

UH football: turning the corner

I haven't been able to write over the past few weeks, so here's a quick recap of the Cougars' last three games. This program is definitely showing improvement.

Houston 14, Kansas 42: Coming off the upset victory over TCU and a week off to rest, I thought the Cougars would be prepared to face the Jayhawks at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. They were not. Houston fell into a 0-21 hole early on and, after a flash of competitiveness - they scored on a pair of Donovan Smith touchdown passes to trail 14-28 at the break - were unable to put any additional points on the board in the second half. Smith and Zeon Chriss combined to throw four interceptions and suffer seven sacks, while the Cougar defense surrendered 467 yards to the Jayhawks. All in all a disappointing outing.

To add insult to injury, Kansas's win over Houston ended their five-game losing streak.

Houston 17, Utah 14: A.J. Haulcy intercepted a Utah pass late in the fourth quarter and Jack Martin kicked a 43-yard walk-off field goal to secure a homecoming victory over the Utes. The Cougars managed to win in spite of completing only 6 passes for 61 yards (it's been awhile since Houston was able to do that) and squandering a pair of fourth-and-goal attempts at the Utah goal line.

Fortunately for the Coogs, Utah made plenty of mistakes of their own. They missed two field goals, turned the ball over twice (including the aforementioned interception) and were flagged seven times. The Utes switched quarterbacks late in the game in an attempt to provide a spark to their anemic offense, but to no avail; after being picked first in the Big 12 preseason media poll and beginning the season ranked, Utah is now on a four-game losing skid.

Houston 24, #17 Kansas State 19: The game was played in an intermittent rain (kickoff was delayed for an hour due to lightning), and there were as many KSU fans in the TDECU Stadium stands as Houston fans. In spite of that, the Cougars kept pace with the heavily-favored Wildcats. Zeon Chriss was 11 of 11 for 103 yards and a touchdown (he rushed for a score as well) while the UH defense kept KSU's vaunted rushing attack under 100 yards and forced two turnovers.

Trailing 10-19 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cougars scored twice to take the lead. They were then able to deflect KSU's hail-mary pass into the endzone as time expired to secure the most unanticipated and enjoyable win of the season. 

What It Means: After beginning the season with a 1-4 record, the Cougars have won three of their last four, including an upset of the #17-ranked team in the nation. This team is clearly making progress, albeit in fits and starts. They still need two wins to become bowl eligible, which is still a tall order at this point. But the fact that a bowl is even a possibility speaks to the team's progress under new head coach Willie Fritz.

The Cougars have another week off before traveling to Tucson to face the Arizona Wildcats.

Houston 30, TCU 19

A pleasant surprise! Last Friday, the Cougars finally found some offensive momentum in route to an upset of the heavily-favored TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth.

The Good: Starting in place of struggling Donovan Smith, quarterback Zeon Chriss provided the spark the offense needed. He completed 15 of 18 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Even better, he ran for a 71-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. The UH offense amassed 361 total yards in this game (207 of them on the ground) and did not turn the ball over.

Donovan Smith finally entered the game in the fourth quarter after Chriss got hurt and led the Cougars on a clock-chewing 14-play drive that ended in a field goal. Credit to him for continuing to be a competitor even though he lost his job as starter.

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive back A.J. Haulcy pulled down two interceptions. The Coogs forced four Frog turnovers in total. While the story of this game was that Houston's offense finally got on track, The defense's improvement continues be a bright spot to the 2024 season. Through six games last year, the Coogs ranked 114th in total defense. Through six games this season, they are ranked 22nd. 

Kicker Jack Martin scored his first points of the season: three field goals and three extra points. Two of those field goals accounted for UH's only points in the second half and kept the TCU from being able to establish momentum for a second-half comeback.

The Bad: Since losing to Georgia in the 2022 national championship game, the Frogs are 8-10. Head coach Sonny Dykes's seat might be getting warm...

The Ugly: Former head coach Dana Holgorsen now works as a defensive consultant for TCU, even as he continues to collect buyout paychecks from the University of Houston. It doesn't look like TCU is getting their money's worth from him, either, as Ryan explains:

Dana Holgorsen’s job at TCU is to prepare their defense for the opponent’s offense. Who better than Dana to get them ready for UH, right?

Houston scored six times (3 TDs, 3 FGS) against the Dana-prepped Frog defense. That’s the most scoring drives UH has had in Big 12 play, including the nine league games Dana coached last season. The six scoring drives match the combined total from Dana’s last two games at Houston.

What It Means: In addition to breaking the back-to-back shutout streak, the Cougars broke a nine-game losing streak to TCU, stretching back to the Southwest Conference. Until last Friday, the Cougars hadn't beaten TCU at Amon Carter Stadium since 1989.

All things considered, this was a milestone win for Willie Fritz and his team.

The Cougars now have a week off to enjoy the win, heal and prepare before going back on the road to face Kansas at Arrowhead Park in Kansas City. 

The stars at night are big and bright...

Taken at Corinne's aunt's farm outside of Mexia, Texas last weekend. I must say that the "Night mode" on my iPhone 14's camera works pretty well... 

You can choose two out of three

A great diagram:

Tapping the sign pic.twitter.com/JTpiGZCnCm

— How-Sen (@HowSenChong) October 8, 2024

Granted, "successful city" means different things to different people; to me, that means a metropolitan area that is economically vital and a place where people want to live, work and play. 

That means that there are going to be a lot of people traveling around said city, and there are trade-offs when it comes to how people want to travel around. If the private automobile is the preferred method of travel (as it is in most US cities), then there is going to be congestion. 

We can't "build our way out if it;" it just doesn't work that way.

Trust me; I've been in the transportation planning profession for a quarter-century.

Houston 0, #18 Iowa State 20

For the first time since the 1994, Houston's football program has suffered back-to-back shutouts.

The Good: the Cougar defense has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. They held the 18th-ranked Cyclones to a field goal until late in the third quarter, and to a respectable 20 points for the entire game.  

Brad Towns calls UH defensive lineman Zykeius Strong's breakup of a Iowa State pass in the end zone "the play of the year" and breaks down how Strong as well as other defensive players all did their job to hold ISU to a field goal early in the game. Towns explains: 

In a rough season with many dark clouds and disappointment, these are the small rays of light that get me excited. The defense has shown that it can be turned around and contribute winning plays.

The Bad: Obviously it doesn't matter how well the defense plays when, for the second game in a row, the offense can't manage so much as a field goal. In addition to not scoring any points, the offense could only convert one of ten third downs and was 0 for 2 on fourth down. Donovan Smith had another rough game, completing only 8 passes for 77 yards and an interception.

The Ugly: In the fourth quarter, an Iowa State defender slipped and allowed a UH receiver to get wide open in the end zone for what could have been an easy touchdown. However, instead of seeing the open receiver, Smith threw into the corner of the endzone, where his pass was intercepted. This play exemplifies Smith's struggles at quarterback:

via GIPHY

What It Means: Martin Marroquin counsels Houston football fans to find "realistic expectations" for their team this fall:

Developing a culture is important to success, and having that many new faces means you’re starting from ground zero in every facet, more so with a new staff leading those players. This should never have been seen as an overnight transformation. To compare: Kelvin Sampson started off with a losing season and didn’t get to the NCAA Tournament until year four, and he only needs 13 players to buy in.

Most of the UH fanbase seemed happy to move on from Dana Holgorsen and equally glad to have Willie Fritz as the man to come in and right the ship. And here we are, five games into the new regime and clinging to whatever hope is available.

Outside of the win against Rice, the team has found the endzone just twice in four games, including donuts in the last two outings. Still, I think Fritz deserves an opportunity to establish his culture and build his roster before fans turn away. Even with how poorly things are going. 

Martin's right, of course. Fritz was not going to turn things around in just one season and fans need to be patient and enjoy "the small successes" (such as the defense). But that's going to be hard for the fanbase to do, especially since at this point it seems unlikely that the Cougars will win another game this season. 

Next up for the Cougars is a trip to Fort Worth for a Friday night showdown against the Horned Frogs. Can they avoid three shutouts in a row?