HOUSTON, TX -- This week’s episode of Astroline, the Astros popular offseason radio show, will air tonight on SportsTalk 790 from 6-7 p.m. CT. Astros broadcasters Steve Sparks, Geoff Blum, and Todd Kalas will serve as co-hosts for the show, which will feature an exclusive pre-recorded interview with Astros pitching coach Brent Strom.
This week’s Astroline will air tonight from 6-7 p.m., but will not be held at Pluckers Wing Bar due to the ongoing power and water crisis affecting the Houston area and the state of Texas. Tonight’s show will be recorded virtually and can be heard on SportsTalk 790, 94.5 FM HD-2, and at SportsTalk790.com. The show will also be posted online in podcast form at Astros.com/Podcasts and in video form on the Astros official YouTube account.
All Astroline shows, which are presented by Karbach Brewing Company, are scheduled to broadcast on SportsTalk 790, but are subject to change due to scheduling conflicts. Tonight’s show is the 10th of a scheduled 14 shows, which will air weekly on most Thursday’s from 6-7 p.m. CT.
Strom, 72, is entering his eighth consecutive season as the Astros pitching coach, and is well regarded as one of the best pitching coaches in Major League Baseball. He is praised as an expert in pitching mechanics with an ability to relate to pitchers of all ages and improve their performance through rigorous preparation and advanced game plans. During this eight-year run with Houston, Strom’s pitching staff has ranked among the top-three American League teams in strikeouts (9,290, 3rd), ERA (3.80, 3rd), WHIP (1.23, 2nd) and opponent batting average (.239, 2nd).
Sparks will be returning for his ninth season in 2021 as the Astros radio color commentator after being named to the post on Feb. 13, 2013. Prior to joining the Astros radio broadcast team, Sparks served as a pre- and postgame analyst for Astros television games over several seasons following a 17-year playing career. A knuckleballer in his playing days, Sparks pitched in the Major Leagues in parts of nine seasons (1995-2004) for the Brewers, Angels, Tigers, A’s and Diamondbacks. His best season came in 2001 for Detroit when he went 14-9 with a 3.65 ERA and a Major League-best eight complete games while tallying 232.0 innings pitched.
Blum will also be returning for his ninth season on the Astros television broadcast team in 2021, his fifth as the everyday color analyst for Astros telecasts. Blum, who retired after 14 Major League seasons as an infielder (1999-2012), made the transition from the playing field to the broadcast booth in 2013. During his playing career, Blum had two stints with the Astros, totaling five seasons in Houston (2002-03, 2008-10). Throughout his tenure with the Astros, Blum hit .259 with 228 RBI, 46 homers, 77 doubles and a .711 OPS. A switch hitter, Blum was known as one of the top pinch-hitters and utility players in the game, appearing at four infield positions for nine straight seasons (2000-08). He appeared in the postseason three times in his career (2005-06, 2011).
Kalas is entering his fifth season as the Astros lead play-by-play television broadcaster, alongside color analyst Geoff Blum. Kalas, who is the son of Hall of Famer and former Astros broadcaster Harry Kalas, has close to 30 seasons of experience as a broadcaster in professional baseball. Prior to joining the Astros, he spent 19 seasons (1998-2016) as part of the Tampa Bay Rays TV broadcast team. He also had stints with the New York Mets radio (1992-93) and Philadelphia Phillies television (1994-96) broadcast teams.
Astroline preliminary schedule (subject to change):
Thu., Feb. 18: KBME
Thu., Feb. 25: KBME
Thu., March 4: KBME
Thu., March 11: KBME
Thu., March 18: KBME