NOW WE’RE ABOUT TO HAVE SOME FUN!

FOR THE FIRST TIME in months, there is no excuse about a lack of variety of sports to watch both on TV and in person. WEDNESDAY: The Astros will conclude their series at the White Sox by giving Wade Miley (11-4, 2.99 ERA) the ball against Ross Detweiler (1-3, 5.35 ERA) beginning at 1:10pm. AT&T Sportsnet Southwest begins its pregame show at 12:30pm. THURSDAY: The handful of the area’s high school volleyball teams will be the Gator Classic in Dickinson, where the Gators will host Friendswood, Galveston Ball and Texas City through Saturday’s championship rounds. Clear Creek will be in New Braunfels for the annual Frauleinfest, while Clear Falls travels to participate in the Bourne Tournament. You’ll have to stay up late to watch Aaron Sanchez (5-14, 5.60 ERA) take the mound against Oakland’s Mike Fiers (11-3, 3.30 ERA) in the opener of a fourgame series at the Athletics beginning at 9:07pm. AT&T Sportsnet Southwest starts its coverage at 8:30pm. FRIDAY: Are you ready for some high school football? Of course, as six scrimmages feature seven of the area’s teams getting their first taste of the 2019 rosters. Brazos at Hitchcock begins at 5:00pm, followed by Galena Park at Galveston Ball and La Marque at Brazosport at 6 pm. Santa Fe at Clear Falls, Friendswood at Clear Lake (at Challenger-Columbia Stadium) and St. Piux X at Texas City will each go at 7:00pm. In volleyball, HFCA at La Marque starts at 5:00pm, followed by Summer Creek at Clear Brook at 5:30pm. Hitchcock visits Brazosport at 6:30pm with Clear Springs at Dawson beginning at 6:30pm. Houston will start Justin Verlander (15-4, 2.82 ERA) at Oakland against Tanner Roark (7-8, 4.06 ERA) beginning at 9:07pm. The game will be aired on AT&T Sportsnet Southwest following the pregame show that starts at 8:30pm. SATURDAY: A big day of area related sports starts at 3:07 pm when the Astros bring Zack Greinke (11-4, 3.08 ERA) to the mound opposite Oakland hurler Chris Bassitt (8-5, 3.56 ERA). The game will be aired on AT&T Sportsnet Southwest with the pregame show starting at 2:30pm and FS1, which will start coverage at 3:00pm. Texans fans get their first look (somewhat) of the 2019 team in their preseason home opener against the Lions. Expect the first teamers to get at least a quarter of action when the teams kick off at 7:00pm. KTRK 13 will air the game live. Those seeking to watch a different kind of football can head to BBVA Stadium as the Dynamo welcomes the Colorado Rapids for an 8:00pm match that will be broadcast on KUBE 57 and HosstonDynamo.com. Cowboys fans will be dragged into the early hours of Sunday morning to watch their team take on the Rams in a preseason game that will be played in Hawaii. The game will be aired on NFL Network starting at 9:00pm.