Daily Craig: Ladies, please remove your hats

HOUSTON – (Ladies please remove your hats)

It is still the lull in the sports calendar. I did manage to watch part of the UH win over Memphis on ESPN 17 or one of their other channels. Good for the Coogs, but someone sitting in the seats would have made it even better. College basketball is working its way toward the big FINAL FOUR in Houston and let's hope the volunteers don't think they are part of some militia. A blazer and credential is not a stepping stone to the FBI. "You can't stand there" is not the official motto.

During one of the 37 commercial breaks in a show I was watching I saw Terry Bradshaw visit a family without notice. They were all surprised to hear Terry tell them they were about to get shingles. He admits to having had chickenpox and shingles and they seemed determined not to suffer. I had shingles several years ago and although annoying, not one former NFL QB warned me about it. I did see Y.A. Tittle, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach and Warren Moon from years gone by, and not one of those fellas warned me ABOUT ANY DISEASE. I would have appreciated a heads up on mumps.

Tomorrow is the annual Astros media luncheon. For the first time in 8 or 9 years we won't laugh when the guys in charge tell us things are looking up. Two weeks ago the media was dazzled with word that DH Evan Gattis had lost 20 pounds. Although it appears to me he may have lost it in the wrong place because yesterday we were told he was having sports hernia surgery. He will, however, report for spring training in time. He just won't be the guy stealing second base for a few weeks. Having had what the doctors called a "work hernia," I WAS ALSO SLOW for a while. I gotta think I won't be stealing second any time soon either.