Kyle Wassom

Let’s do another giveaway!! I appreciate everyone who has bought from recently so it my time to give back. Like, Retweet, & Follow to win! Winner announced 4/10!! Good luck hobby friends!

19 years ago, a high school basketball coach put his team manager into a game for the final four minutes. The kid had never played a single minute of competitive basketball in his life. He scored 20 points. Jason McElwain was diagnosed with severe autism at age two. He didn’t speak until he was five. He couldn’t chew solid food until he was six. He wore a nappy for most of his early childhood. As a baby, he was rigid, wouldn’t make eye contact, and hid in corners away from other children. He tried out for his school basketball team every year and got cut every time. Too small. Too slight. Barely 5’6 and about 54 kilograms. But he loved the game so much that his mum called the school and asked if there was any way he could be involved. The coach created a team manager role for him. For three years, McElwain showed up to every practice and every game. He wore a shirt and tie on match days. He ran drills, handed out water, kept stats, and cheered every basket like he’d scored it himself. On 15 February 2006, the last home game of his final school year, the coach let him suit up in a proper jersey and sit on the bench. With four minutes left and a comfortable lead, the coach sent him in. His first shot missed. His second missed. Then something shifted. He hit a three-pointer. Then another. Then another. His teammates stopped shooting entirely and just kept passing him the ball. He hit six three-pointers and a two-pointer. 20 points in four minutes. The highest scorer in the game. When the final buzzer went, the entire crowd rushed the court and lifted him onto their shoulders. His mum tapped the coach on the shoulder, in tears. “This is the nicest gift you could have ever given my son.” McElwain won the ESPY Award for Best Moment in Sports that year, beating out some of the biggest names in professional sport. He’s 36 now. He works at a local supermarket, coaches basketball, has run 17 marathons including five Boston Marathons, and travels the country speaking about never giving up. When asked about that night, his coach still gets emotional. “For him to come in and seize the moment like he did was certainly more than I ever expected. I was an emotional wreck.”

@kylewassom @SteveSparks37 @ad_chapman @SportsTalk790

Thank y’all so much for making that happen!

@AstrosRadioMLB @SteveSparks37 @ad_chapman @SportsTalk790 I’m here!

@kylewassom @SteveSparks37 @ad_chapman @SportsTalk790 Come up to the window, behind home plate, just to the 1B side!

On the call today from Jupiter: @SteveSparks37 @ad_chapman LISTEN: @SportsTalk790

@AstrosAtoZ Oh man, I got excited thinking I might get to meet you this week 👀 all good. Those cards and autos are sick!

@kylewassom It’s from this year. I didn’t get to go this year, so a buddy got them done for me.

I love Spring Training autographs. I'm now up to 1,020 unique Astros autographs. A few highlights. 3 of these 4 are customs. There is an obvious tell about which one is not a custom, but I think I've come into my own with making these.

@CamBrown_24 DM sent!

@kylewassom Got you. DM me

@CamBrown_24 hey Cam! I have one of your baseball cards. Any chance I could get you to sign it? Thanks!

@walkerb_34 hey Walker! I’ve got one of your baseball cards, any chance I could get you to sign it? Thanks!

@TheBryanArias hey Bryan! I have one of your baseball cards, any chance I could get you to sign it? Thanks!

@StadiumStephy I’m heading there soon, and I plan on bringing a certain H-Town bracelet with me 🎉

Added Jose on the AirPods case!! What a daaaaaayyyyyy!!

See y’all on March 11, can’t wait!!!

@AstrosFansUK @brianmctaggart They typically begin in the morning (around 10am or so) and last around an hour or two. Most of the time that they have a 1:05ET game, they’ll practice for two-ish hours prior to that!

@brianmctaggart I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the answer to this before - how long do these ST sessions last for & what time of day do they generally begin?

The morning rain moved out and it was another day of work at Astros camp

@AstrosFuture When does mini camp end? I’m headed to WPB the second week of March and want to be ready if it’s still happening, thanks!

I have some free time and it's been a while since we've done a Q&A. Any questions on the #Astros prospects or minor league system?

@AstrosPlayerDev @astros When does this end? Hoping to meet some of them in a few weeks if it’s still happening!

Mini-camp roster is locked in! 🔒

Hey @brianmctaggart/@Chandler_Rome: When does the mini camp end for minor leaguers? Headed over to WPB in a few weeks and wanted to check, thanks!

@AstrosFuture any clue when Minor League Mini Camp ends? I’m headed to WPB in March and want to make sure I don’t miss any opportunities. Thanks!

See you in a few weeks!