The Press Box with Joel Blank and Nick Sharara

The Press Box with Joel Blank and Nick Sharara

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Joel Blank has been plugged into the Houston sports scene for over 2 decades. Nick Sharara is one of most experienced radio producers in Houston. Together, they make up ESPN Houston's "The Press Box." You can hear them weekday afternoons 2-4p CT on ESPN 97.2/92.5 FM or anytime on your device at http://espn975.com.

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    • May 28, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • daily NEW EPISODES
    • 45m AVG DURATION
    • 3,642 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Press Box with Joel Blank and Nick Sharara

    05/28 Hour 1 - Should We Be Worried About CJ Stroud?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 47:35


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank and Jeremy Branham!  . Hunter Brown and Jose Altuve redemption or just a "good night"?  .Who showed up to voluntary OTA? . Why is CJ Stroud not throwing the football during training? should we ring the alarms?

    05/28 Hour 2 - Is Lance McCullers Back?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 48:57


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank and Jeremy Branham!  . Is McCullers "so back"?  . Why isn't Yordan Alvarez ready to come back yet? . Blank and Branham react to the Astros mini series win.

    05/28 Hour 3 - Do We Still Believe In The Astros Media/Medical Staff?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 44:37


    Hour 3 of Killer B's with Joel Blank and Jeremy Branham!  . What's the REAL story behind Yordan Alvarez not returning? . Blank and Branham speak on "soft athletes"  . Can the Astros make a 5 game run? 

    05/27 Hour 1 - How Are You CURRENTLY Feeling About The Astros?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 46:52


    05/27 Hour 2 - Are You Impressed With The Astros? + Mailbag Monday On A Tuesday!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 48:21


    05/27 Hour 3 - What Was BIGGEST Reason For The Texans Offensive Struggles In 2024?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 45:38


    05/23 Hour 1 - Jose Altuve and Lance McCullers Jr Shine vs Mariners, Encouraged?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 51:19


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! The guys reacted to the Astros Game 1 win over the Mariners, and the performances from Lance McCullers Jr, and Jose Altuve; how encouraged should we be about each guy possibly turning it around?

    05/23 Hour 2 - Astros TV Voice Todd Kalas + Morning Show Drama

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 52:40


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham featured... A visit with Astros TV voice Todd Kalas talking about Jose Altuve, Lance McCullers Jr, Christian Walker, the frequency of pitching injuries, and more! And the guys react to the drama on the morning show between John, Lance, and caller Israel

    05/23 Hour 3 - Another Non-American Wins NBA MVP; Failure of Our Development System?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 42:03


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham featured... SGA won the NBA MVP. That makes 7 straight foreign born MVP's. Is this more credit to Euro hoops progress or a negative as it relates to youth basketball in the US? Producer Brian tries to stump them in a game of 'Who Said It' PLUS, our Car Wrecks of the Day!

    05/22 - What Has To Change For The Astros?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 53:02


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Jeremy Branham, and Will Kunkel from Fox 26 filling in for Joel Blank . When will Yordan Alvarez return?  . A special interview with Bill Brown for his new book "Wartime Athletes" 

    05/22 - Can We Root For Dallas Stars As A Houstonian?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 45:22


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Jeremy Branham, and Will Kunkel from Fox 26 filling in for Joel Blank . When will Yordan Alvarez return? . Move Your Needle: NHL VS NBA Conference Finals . Kunkel and Branham rating NBA flopping calls  . Stars or Oilers?  . Dallas VS Houston rivalry

    05/22 Hour 3 - Texans Gaslighting? Lance McCullers Jr. A Favorable Build Up?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 29:29


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Jeremy Branham, and Will Kunkel from Fox 26 filling in for Joel Blank  . Bad Take Boulevard: Not knowing Yonder Diaz? Ryan McMahon to Astros? and more!  . Texans voted to ban the "Tush Push"   . The B's react to the Texans draft board 

    05/21 Hour 1 - Are the Astros Going to Be Nothing More Than a .500 Team All Year?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 51:48


    Jeremy Branham was joined by Will Kunkel from Fox 26 today! They reacted to the Astros dropping their last two games in Tampa Are the Astros Going to Be Nothing More Than a .500 Team All Year? How worried should we be about the Astros rotation now that Ronel Blanco is hurt?

    houston astros will kunkel
    05/21 Hour 2 - Joe Mixon Got Injured This Offseason? Big Deal or No Deal?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 48:29


    Hour 2 with Jeremy Branham and Will Kunkel Joe Mixon apparently got hurt during the offseason, and now the team is interest in JK Dobbins; what's your concern level? How good can the Texans offense be this year? More on the Astros and the mistakes made Jim Crane and Dana Brown Cam Smith came up, is he more likely to win rookie of the year, or get sent down to the minors

    05/21 Hour 3 - No Texans Allowed for the Olympic Flag Football Team!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 41:59


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Jeremy Branham, and Will Kunkel from Fox 26 filling in for Joel Blank Buzzkill Branham - CJ Stroud is participating in Fanatics Games, and I hate it NFL players playing flag football in the Olympics is cool and all, but no Texans allowed! What would your NFL starting 5 be for the Olympic flag football team? Kelvin Sampson gets a contract extension at UH, has he done the most impressive coaching job in the city? PLUS, our Car Wrecks of the Day!

    05/20 Hour 1 - Astros vs Rays Reaction + Satisfied with the Texans Offensive Line?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 47:03


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham featured... Reaction to the Astros road win at Tampa, in their rinky dink minor league ballpark Thoughts on rookie Colton Gordon's second start; did manager Joe Espada leave him in too long? Texans GM Nick Caserio got asked at a fan event about their handling of the offensive line this offseason. Did we like his answer, did the Texans do enough?

    05/20 Hour 2 - Is Hannah McNair Stepping In Too Much When Cal Speaks?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 52:50


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham featured... More from the Texans fan event, might have gone off the rails at some point lol, including Hannah McNair stepping in when it seemed like Cal was about to say too much about new uniforms Is Hannah stepping in and muting Cal too quickly and too often? Is Cal being emasculated? Would the Texans ever get someone fired? PLUS, our hottest takes of the week during 'Cash It, or Trash It'

    05/20 Hour 3 - The Saga of Lance Zierlein Buying Chips for Ladies in the Office

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 42:22


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham featured... So...had to discuss what happened on the morning show today, with John and Del calling out Lance for buying chips for ladies in the office at 7am; was that weird? Anniversary of the Mario Elie "Kiss of Death," where does it rank among all-time best Houston sports moments? PLUS, our Car Wrecks of the Day!

    05/19 Hour 1 - Good, Bad, and Ugly from Astros Series vs Rangers

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 51:45


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham featured... The good, bad, and ugly from the Astros weekend series split with the Rangers And then the show took a left turn down "what are the whitest names in sports" lol after a texter said the Astros are the whitest team in MLB

    05/19 Hour 2 - Sports World Overreacts to Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese + Giannis Destination

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 46:29


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham featured... More on the "whitest names in sports" Reacting to the overreaction on the Caitlin Clark foul on Angel Reese Can/will Giannis force his way to a preferred destination? Think that's the Rockets? PLUS, Mailbag Monday!

    05/19 Hour 3 - How Much Will CJ Stroud Get Paid on His Next Deal?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 46:44


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Jeremy Branham, and Brian McDonald (filling in for Joel Blank) featured... Which $53m QB doesn't belong? How much is Stroud going to get? Would you give him $60m? Is it time for the Astros to move on from Brendan Rodgers? Is he a Tampa Bay Ray or a ____? PLUS, our Car Wrecks of the Day!

    05/16 Hour 1 - Who Are YOU Willing To Trade For Giannis Antetokounmpo?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 48:36


    05/16 Hour 2 - Do you have optimism or pessimism with the Astros?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 52:08


    05/16 Hour 3 - What Would Texans Fans Think If CJ Stroud Did What Caleb Williams Did?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 43:04


    05/15 Hour 1 - The Jeremy Pena Renaissance Continues!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 49:28


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! Reaction to the Astros come from behind win last night to win their series against the Royals Is there something to leading off that's led to this Jeremy Pena explosion? They have some fun with the Geoff Blum stepping on Todd Kalas' call, and some of the more over the top calls in baseball, including John Sterling of the Yankees And they talked about a video claiming former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow tried to trade Jose Altuve to the Royals for Eric Hosmer, WTF?

    05/15 Hour 2 - Who is the Houston Astros Best Player?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 48:42


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! Who is the Astros best player? Has it become Jeremy Pena? Which one of us is the most optimistic about the Texans after their schedule release?

    05/15 Hour 3 - Biggest Storylines for Each Game on the Texans 2025 Schedule

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 45:00


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Brian McDonald, filling in for Jeremy Branham What's the biggest storyline for each game on the Texans 2025 schedule? PLUS, our Car Wreck of the Day!

    05/14 Hour 1 - Astros Walkoff Royals + Predicting the NFL Schedule is Dumb

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 52:12


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! This hour included... Joel and especially Jeremy can't understand why people try to predict the NFL schedule before it comes out, just wait. Just show us the finished product, don't get the obsession The guys react to the Astros walk-off win over the Royals, and the standout performances from Framber, Pena, and Paredes

    05/14 Hour 2 - The Ship Has Sailed on a Bargain Jeremy Peña Extension

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 50:17


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! The ship has sailed on a bargain Peña extension, did the Astros make a mistake in not locking him up? Would you take these trade offers if you're the Rockets, how should the go about their offseason?

    05/14 Hour 3 - Are the Texans Telling Us Something About CJ Stroud by Their Roster Construction?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 44:28


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! Are the Texans telling us something about Stroud by how aggressively they've added WRs this offseason? Producer Brian has a problem with how Mike Greenberg of ESPN talked about the NFL as if it has a tanking problem, and its need for a draft lottery More on the Rockets offseason plans, including Reed Sheppard's place on the roster PLUS, our Car Wreck of the Day!

    05/13 Hour 3 - The New CFP Format & The NFL Schedule Release Hype

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 44:14


    05/13 Hour 2 - Cash It or Trash It & How Excited Are You for Nick Caley?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 48:28


    05/13 Hour 1 - Draft Lottery Wasn't Worst Case Scenario But It Was Dang Close

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 53:48


    05/12 Hour 1 - Lance McCullers' Very Bad Day on the Mound + Awful Fan Behavior

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 54:40


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! How long can you put up with this performance from LMJ? Joel and Jeremy react to the awful behavior of those who sent threats towards LMJ, and his family

    05/12 Hour 2 - Why Should Adam Silver Rig the NBA Lottery for the Rockets?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 50:06


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! Why should Adam Silver rig the lottery for the Rockets? Broke down the 'good' from the Astros weekend series win over the Reds And producer Brian kept finding random people to come in, and do his job

    05/12 Hour 3 - Is Giannis Really Going to Leave Milwaukee, and Come to Houston?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 42:15


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! Answered your questions during 'Mailbag Monday' Is Giannis really going to leave Milwaukee, and if he does, how much of a player will the Rockets be? Is he a Royals player or ____? Plus, Car Wrecks of the Day!

    05/09 Hour 1 - Are the Astros Mishandling Cam Smith's Playing Time?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 55:05


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! Are the Astros mishandling Cam Smith's playing time? The guys react to the breaking news of Hayden Wesneski's elbow injury landing him on the IL; how worried should we be about their starting pitching depth? It's time to move Jose Altuve back to 2B...mostly Our APD Joe George called in to tell us what he's learned at the Barrett Sports Media conference, including something mandatory we must start doing

    05/09 Hour 2 - How Concerned Should We Be for Christian Walker + Todd Kalas Joins the Show!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 45:06


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! Astros TV voice Todd Kalas joined us to discuss Yordan's return timetable, the injury to starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski, Lance McCullers comeback, his dad's famous calls, what his day to day preparation was like before games, and more Jeremy and Joel try to beat producer Brian in game of 'Who Said It' How concerned should we be for Christian Walker? Yes or no on these Rockets trade ideas

    05/09 Hour 3 - Houston Media Member with the Reach of the Century About Jalen Green

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 47:40


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! This hour included... Brendan Rodgers advanced consent deadline is Saturday, keep him or release him? Sarge with the reach of the century. Comparing what Golden State did to Jalen to the Pistons' “Jordan Rules” against Jordan Caller debates Cam Smith with Joel and Jeremy, later Mom and Dad fought Is his a Cincinnati Red or ___? PLUS, our Car Wrecks of the Day!

    05/08 Hour 1 - Was the Astros Cam Smith Call Up Decision a Mistake?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 48:58


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! This hour the guys discussed if the Astros decision to call up Cam Smith to start the season was a mistake

    05/08 Hour 2 - We Can't Tell if Astros GM Dana Brown Is Good or Not

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 49:18


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! This hour included a conversation about the job done by Astros GM Dana Brown, is he actually a good GM?

    05/08 Hour 3 - The Counterpoint to the Jalen Green Analytical Argument

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 44:13


    Hour 3 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! This hour included... A pushback to the data on the Rockets being better without Jalen Green The worst takes of the week got roasted during Bad Take BLVD PLUS, our Car Wrecks of the Day!

    05/07 Hour 1 - Framber Salvages Final Game of Astros Series in Milwaukee

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025 49:18


    Hour 1 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! Guys talked about games 2 and 3 of the Astros series against the Brewers Framber pitched like an ace, where is their trust level with him? They tried to make sense of a puzzling sequence where the Astros bunted twice yesterday, down several runs, with a runner on 2nd; huh? Who's decision was that? Should Cam Smith get some playing time in centerfield? They discussed the similarities between the hot starts last year, and this year for Jake Meyers And we got sidetracked from a listener question, how long would you have to live in another city before you started rooting for their teams over our Houston teams?

    05/07 Hour 2 - How Aggressive Should the Rockets be Improving Their Roster?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025 57:39


    Hour 2 of the Killer B's with Joel Blank, and Jeremy Branham! We heard from Rockets GM Rafael Stone on a variety of topics including how they plan to use their stockpile of draft picks, if they want to bring Adams back, how they'll handle FVV's deadline, how he wants to attack improving the roster, and Jalen Green's value to the team Should we be wasting our time talking about the chances of the Rockets landing the top pick that would get them Cooper Flagg? Rockets exit interviews! Where do Joel and Jeremy think each key player needs to improve the most over the offseason?

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