From sports, to pop culture, and other weird stories, our Paul Gallant has plenty of takes. Here are some random ones:

Oh Hai, Trucks Of Money

Hey let me tell you about my best friend James Harden. EVERYONE knows I think he’s an irrational confidence outside shooter that could probably be in better shape and definitely give more shits on defense neat.

Well, old Jim got himself a big old bag of bucks. I like to think he’d be fashionably adventurous enough to put some of it in a satchel, but we’ll save that for the next time he peacocks. He was already going to make ~$60 M the next two seasons. And after getting the designated player veteran exception (since he was First Team All NBA), he’ll make another $170 M through the 2022-2023.

Hot takers typically LOSE THEIR MINDS whenever they see an above average NFL quarterback or NBA player get a ginormous contract like that. What happens when James Harden gets the most money in NBA history? PS, he did.

“I’VE GOT TO SAY . . . HE’S NOT BETTER THAN LEBRON. BUT HE’S PAID BETTER THAN LEBRON. DOUBLE-U-TEE-EFF, AM I RITE? #GAMESIX”

But think about it from the perspective of supply. The average NBA player has a bigger average annual salary than that of every other sport in the world . . . and it makes total sense. We’re talking about rare gigantic human beings with elite athleticism, strength, and an ability to put balls in things nets. And when you’re talking about one of the five or ten best of these unicorns, that kind of dough is the going rate.

Then think about it from this crushing reality: without James Harden (and now Chris Paul) the Rockets would not be a watchable basketball team.

“But Paul, being a true fan is about…”

No. And this deal makes sense.

Alex . . . Unhinged!

Uh Oh. Our Alex Bregman wasn’t being Astros brand conscientious on social media.

I’m not going to talk about who’s right and who’s wrong. Everything on social media is terrible. Except cat stuff.

What I will say is this:

Dearest Alex,

No one wants to hear bad things said about them. Even if it’s just someone being mildly critical of your play this year, or [GASP] suggesting a trade. But actively searching for people that are critical of you on social media is a tad insane. Actually confronting them after spending significant time on this active search? That’s psychotic.

Do you really care that much about the opinions of one random person . . . a person who has never even had a conversation in real life with you? If so, why? You shouldn’t have an answer.

Yeah, you set the bar high for yourself with the way you finished last season. But you haven’t even played a full season’s worth of games in your career yet! And you’re already actively looking for people that don’t believe in you? You keep this up, you’re never going to fully enjoy your career.

Delete your accounts. This isn’t me being a dick. Take a sabbatical. It’ll all still be here – in all its terrible glory – when you’re back.

– Paul

Negative Nancies

Fun fact: The Astros . . . are good. And with that said, there hasn’t been a whole lot for this generally negative sports talk show host to complain about critique. So, I challenged the people: name four bad things about the 2017 Astros. The most seen results:

– Health of the starting rotation

– Carlos Beltran has been underwhelming at the plate

– [Insert] relief pitcher name (mostly James Hoyt & Tony Sipp)

– The Bullpen in general

– Baserunning

– A lot of Nori Aoki hate

What I dislike most:

– Keuchel’s neck. Stop not working, it’s not cool

– I do not feel any comfort when a relief pitcher is in the game

– With the A.L. West gone to crap, they regularly play bad teams

– I’m sorry, but regular season games should never last 3.5 hours

PS – Have you played the hit, somewhat sexual Astros game that’s sweeping America Houston the people unfortunate enough to hear me awkwardly discuss it on air???

SPOILER ALERT: Spider-man: Homecoming

I saw it late Monday night. And I really enjoyed it. They finally found the perfect person to play Peter Parker.

I honestly don’t remember anything about Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker after this.

It’s like a never-ending Mentos commercial. Except instead of refreshing breath he contracted a Hot Topic loving parasite. I also can’t remember an Andrew Garfield scene where he wasn’t brooding or walking awkwardly.

What I do know: Tom Holland was great in a full length movie as Spidey. On top of that, Michael Keaton’s Vulture was probably the most compelling Marvel villain that the Avengers franchise has ever had (though that’s not really saying much, even after 16 movies). Add it all up (plus recognizable supporting characters, chuckles, and a pretty solid twist) and Spider-Man is easily a top 3 movie in the Avengers franchise. I’d say it’s behind Guardians of the Galaxy and ahead of Iron Man.

PS – Only stay for the FIRST post movie credits scene. Trust me.

Paul Gallant hosts “Gallant at Night” – Weeknights 7-11 PM CT – on SportsRadio 610. He also hosts SportsZone Unfiltered – Fridays at 10 PM – on The Kube: Channel 57. Get in touch with Paul via email or his facebook page.

Follow @GallantSays