Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Articles written by Joe Kazmar


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 25 of 208

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Mar 28, 2023

    Tomorrow, the Houston Astros will begin the long 162-game trek to become the first team since the 2000 New York Yankees to repeat as world champions when they open the new season at Minute Maid Park against the Chicago White Sox and try to extend their opening-game success to 11 straight victories, Houston also could become the first team to win three consecutive pennants since the Yankees’ run of four straight from 1998-2001, More notably, of course, Houston won World S...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Mar 21, 2023

    When the bell rang early last week to start the 2023 Men’s March Madness Tournament, there were a record number of nine teams from the Lone Star State that had qualified for the event. After two rounds of play in the single-elimination event, 16 teams remain, with only two—No. 1 seed University of Houston and second-seeded Texas—still alive and ready to compete for the national championship next week. And several of the basketball writers covering the tourney and making their...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Mar 14, 2023

    There's a great chance that the top seed in the Midwest Regional could be playing the Final Four at home in a couple of weeks with those crucial games scheduled for NRG Stadium in Houston where the feeble Texans play their NFL home games. I'm of course referring to the University of Houston Cougars, who reigned as the No. 1 college team in the country for several weeks during the regular season. But that's all water under the bridge as the most meaningful part of the men's...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Mar 7, 2023

    The Houston Astros and the Houston Texans made changes recently that got the attention of many sports’ history buffs. Astros’ Jim Crane became the first major league baseball owner to replace his general manager AFTER winning the World Series. Not since Larry MacPhail was let go by the Yankees in 1947 had a general manager lost his job in the offseason after winning a World Series. Veteran baseball man Dana Brown, who has spent his entire adult life in major league bas...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Feb 28, 2023

    Major League Baseball’s three new rules that will be enacted during the 2023 season are already being scrutinized by the 30 teams, especially by the Houston Astros and their manager Dusty Baker during the opening weekend of the exhibition season in Florida and Arizona. The 73-year-old like able and respected Astros manager, who should be a shoo-in for Baseball’s Hall of Fame when he finally does retire for good, spent most of Saturday’s opening game against the New York Mets...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar|Updated Feb 21, 2023

    If you’re from the “old school” like I am and hate to see changes in the way major league baseball is being played, then this column is probably not for you. But if you think the game is too slow—and almost boring—you might want to give the three new rules that will be used during the 2023 MLB season a chance to actually speed up the game and make it more exciting again. According to an article in Sunday’s Houston Chronicle, “MLB games averaged three hours, 11 minutes in 20...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Feb 14, 2023

    When I was a kid growing up in New York, Green Bay's Bart Starr was the best quarterback in the NFL and the Packers' Vince Lombardi was regarded as the best head coach. That must be true because the Super Bowl winners are presented the Vince Lombardi Trophy just like the Kansas City Chiefs were awarded after Sunday's 38-35 victory over Philadelphia. The Starr-Lombardi tandem remained prominent until the turn over the century when Bill Belichick and Tom Brady replaced them at...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Feb 7, 2023

    9 The 14-day dead time between finding out who is playing in the Super Bowl and the game itself is usually filled with all kinds of stories ranging from what cologne some players use to the color of their wife’s or girl friends’ hair. But that two-week dry spell that concludes in a few days really has had some interesting news about what else is happening in the NFL including coaches filling some of the vacancies that existed after the regular season—or is some cases the p...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 31, 2023

    Last weekend was a very important one as far as football both locally and nationally are concerned. Two high school head coaches who "made their bones" here in Orange-West Orange-Stark's Cornel Thompson and Little Cypress-Mauriceville's Randy Crouch-received the ultimate honor of their long and stellar careers when they were inducted into the Southeast Texas Coaches Association Hall of Honor Saturday afternoon at the MCM Elegante Hotel in Beaumont. Two other coaches were...

  • Kaz's Fearless Forecast

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 24, 2023

    NFL Conference Championship Games This Weekend AFC CINCINNATI BENGALS (14-4) over KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (15-3) 2:00 p.m. Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (CBS)—The Chiefs had a harder time subduing Jacksonville last weekend after Patrick Mahomes suffered his high ankle sprain in the first half. The Bengals were head and shoulders better than Buffalo in their division championship game Sunday. Last weekend there were two upsets out of the four games played and I bel...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 24, 2023

    Last weekend there were eight teams competing for the right to continue toward Super Bowl LVII with only four being successful for this week’s two conference representatives that will play in the February 14 extravaganza. If you look at the eight quarterbacks involved in last weekend’s game you will notice that they all are fuzzy-faced young men between the age of 21-29. That’s right. The day of the quarterback who remains in the pocket until he either releases the football to...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 17, 2023

    Whenever the National Football League owners get together to make some changes, one an be rest assured it is merely a means for them to line their pockets even more. But I have to admit, the expansion of the Wild Card Playoffs from 12 teams to 14 teams probably dumped more currency into their pockets, but it also resulted in football games that you were afraid you'd miss something if you went in the kitchen to crack a beer during a time out. It took a bunch of compromising...

  • Kaz's Fearless Forecast

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 17, 2023

    NFL Division Playoff Games This Weekend AFC KANSAS CITY (14-3) over JACKSONVILLE (10-8) 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO.—MY PROJECTED SCORE—Kansas City 37-, Jacksonville 28. BUFFALO (14-3) over CINCINNATI (13-4) 2 p.m. Sunday at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. –MY PROJECTED SCORE—Buffalo 41-, Cincinnati 38. NFC DALLAS (13-5) over SAN FRANCISCO (14-4)—Upset Special-- 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.—MY PROJECTED SCORE-- Dal...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 10, 2023

    The final week of the regular National Football League season ended Sunday with a lot of question marks about this weekend’s wild card playoffs being answered and a couple of head coaches losing their jobs. The Houston Texans boldly went for a two-point conversion trailing 31-30 with time running out and were successful, winning only their third game of the season 32-31 over the Colts at Indianapolis. But the victory was costly in two different ways—the Texans lost the Lousies...

  • Kaz's Fearless Forecast

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 10, 2023

    6 NFL “Wild Card” Playoff Games This Weekend AFC Conference LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (10-7) over JACKSONVILLE (9-8) 7:15 p.m. Sat. at Jacksonville (NBC). BUFFALO (13-3) over MIAMI (9-8) 12:00 p.m. Sun. at Buffalo (CBS) CINCINNATI (12-4) over BALTIMORE (10-7) 7:15 p.m. Sun. at Cincinnati (NBC). NFC Conference SAN FRANCISCO (13-4) over SEATTLE (9-8) 3:30 p.m. Sat. at San Francisco (Fox). MINNESOTA (13-4) over NEW YORK GIANTS (9-7-1) 3:30 p.m. Sun. at Minnesota (Fox). DALLAS (12...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 3, 2023

    In the next five days both the National Football League playoff schedule and the College National Championship will be decided as the regular 17-game season and the final college game unfolds. Not only will the NFL playoff schedule be set but also the top seed in each conference will be determined which gives a bye in the first round and homefield advantage for the entire playoffs up to next month’s Super Bowl. In the AFC, Buffalo needed to win Monday night at Cincinnati c...

  • Kaz's Fearless Forecast

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Jan 3, 2023

    National Championship Bowl Game Monday Georgia 38, TCU 33. PRO PICKS—Philadelphia over NY Giants, Tampa Bay over Atlanta, Buffalo over New England, Cincinnati over Baltimore, Minnesota over Chicago, LA Chargers over Denver, Green Bay over Detroit, Indianapolis over Houston, Kansas City over Las Vegas, Miami over NY Jets, New Orleans over Carolina, Pittsburgh over Cleveland, San Francisco over Arizona, Seattle over LA Rams, Dallas over Washington, Jacksonville over Tennessee (...

  • Kaz's Fearless Forecast

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Dec 27, 2022

    Bowl Games This Week Military Bowl—1 p.m. Today at Annapolis, MD. (ESPN)—UCF (9-4) over Duke (8-4). Liberty Bowl—4:30 p.m. Today at Memphis, TN. (ESPN)—Arkansas (6-6) over Kansas (6-6). Holiday Bowl—7:30 p.m., Today at San Diego, Calif. (ESPN)—Oregon (9-3) over North Carolina (9-4). Texas Bowl—8 p.m. Today at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. (ESPN)—Ole Miss (8-4) over Texas Tech (7-5). Pinstripe Bowl—1 p.m. Thursday at New York City (ESPN)—Minnesota (8-4) over Syracuse (7-5). Che...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar|Updated Dec 27, 2022

    Last week’s frigid weather didn’t stop many of the National Football League teams whose playoff future is still up in the air from playing sizzling football. Even our two Lone Star State franchises came up with upset victories with the Dallas Cowboys outlasting the NFL’s best team Philadelphia Eagles 40-36 while the NFL’s worst team Houston Texans surprised the AFC South Division-leading Tennessee Titans 19-14. Although upset victories are great for the morale, in real ti...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Dec 20, 2022

    After sitting around the house for nearly five hours Saturday without any heat or electricity, I decided to hike around the corner to where the transformer was being worked on. There were a couple of curious onlookers also at the site-- one being an old man with a white beard and the other being a gal who had been jogging and was taking a break. After Entergy told us the problem would be taken care of between noon and 12:30 p.m. and then revised to between 2:00-2:30, I went...

  • Kaz's Fearless Forecast

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Dec 20, 2022

    Bowl Games This Week New Orleans Bowl—8 p.m. Today at New Orleans, LA. (ESPN)—South Alabama (10-2) over Western Kentucky (8-5). Armed Forces Bowl—6:30 p.m. Thursday) at Fort Worth, TX. (ESPN)—Baylor (6-6) over Air Force (9-3). Independence Bowl—2 p.m. Friday at Shreveport, LA. (ESPN)—Houston (7-5) over Louisiana-Lafayette (6-6). Gasparilla Bowl—5:30 p.m. Friday at Tampa, Fla. (ESPN)—Missouri (6-6) over Wake Forest (7-5). Hawaii Bowl—7 p.m. Saturday at Honolulu, HI. (ES...

  • Kaz's Fearless Forecast

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Dec 13, 2022

    State Final High School Playoff Games This Week Area Playoff Games of Interest to Southeast Texas—Class 6A Div. I—Galena Park North Shore (15-0) over Duncanville (14-0); Div. II—Austin Vandegrift (14-1) over DeSoto (13-2). Class 5A Div. I—Aledo (13-2) over College Station (13-2); Div. II—Port Neches Groves (13-2) over Dallas South Oak Cliff (12-3). Class 4A Div. I—Boerne (15-0) over China Spring (14-1); Div. II Carthage (15-0) over Wimberley (15-0). Class 3A Div. I—Franklin...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Dec 13, 2022

    Area college football fans who follow the firings and new hirings of head coaches observed two entirely different instances that captured the local media outlets last weekend. On the local scene, the Lamar Cardinals wasted little time (19 days) in finding a new head coach to replaced the fired Blane Morgan, who compiled a 5-23 record in the three seasons he coached the football team. And this time it appears that Athletic Director Jeff O’Malley and Lamar president Dr, Jaime T...

  • Kaz's Korner

    Joe Kazmar|Updated Dec 6, 2022

    All of the Houston Texans players and many fans had a big red circle around December 4, 2022 on their calendars since early August when they found out their team would be hosting the Cleveland Browns on that date. What’s so significant about playing a football game against the Browns in NRG Stadium? That’s the day their former first-round pick and producer of many victories—DeShaun Watson—would be able to play in the NFL again after serving an 11-game suspension for conduct...

  • Kaz's Fearless Forecast

    Joe Kazmar, For the Record|Updated Dec 6, 2022

    State Semifinal High School Playoff Games This Week CLASS 6A Div. I— Duncanville (13-0) over Prosper (13=1), Austin Westlake (14-0) over Galena Park North Shore (14-0); Div. II—Denton Guyer (13-1) over DeSoto 912-2), Tomball (11-3), Katy (14-0) over Austin Vandegriff (11-3). CLASS 5A Div. I—Longview (14-0) over Aledo (12-2), College Station (12-2) over Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (11-3); Div. II—Argyle (14-0) over Dallas South Oak Cliff (11-3), Port Neches-Groves (12-2)...

Page Down

Rendered 11/13/2024 04:21