NERDS AROUND TOWN

Adios AAF, bad judges, rock and roll and so much more

Adios AAF, bad judges, rock and roll and so much more
ART BY JESUS RODRIGUEZ

Fawcett comicsBorn with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio, Sports and Wrestling. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!

Hey Nerds!

It's Wednesday and for all you guys working for the weekend, you're almost there.

GOOD DEED OF THE DAY

So we've all been there, work is killing you, the phones are ringing, someone's out sick on a Monday (like anyone ever believes that) you got that big meeting later and that's why you tried to get in early today to prep for it, but there was traffic on 45 so you actually got in the office a few minutes late and your boss made a motion to his watch as you passed him in the break room and you just want to scream! But you take 20 minutes for lunch and you head out to the Memorial Park, you walk around a few minutes you sit and listen to the sounds of people being happy, and suddenly you're calm again. That's what Memorial Park does for you, so what do you do for it? The 2019 Brunch Run presented by Green Mountain Energy benefitting The Memorial Park Conservancy is April 6th at 8am and proceeds go towards the parks conservatorship in order to help keep the park looking nice and lovely. I'm not saying you owe it, but… well you kind of owe it.

WHO NEEDS TO ROCK OUT

This weekend is a quiet weekend in live music, so to speak. Citizen Cope is playing Friday night at the House of Blues, and if that doesn't ring a bell then you didn't watch a movie in the early 2000s. They had the song "let the drummer kick" in the movie Accepted. Basically, if there was a scene where the main character was thinking about something important in a key moment then Citizen Cope was likely playing in the background. So go listen to them on Friday night and reconsider all your life choices. On Saturday the music choice gets a little more interesting, at White Oak Music Hall the Bouncing Souls stop by to celebrate their 30 year musical journey.

IS THIS A REMAKE

So this Friday Shazam comes out. Honestly if you're a comics guru like myself, this is the kind of thing that is so crazy. Shazam was originally Captain Marvel of Fawcett comics, Fawcett eventually gets bought by DC comics, during that time while Fawcett wasn't publishing though, Marvel makes their own Captain Marvel comic. Now DC owns a Captain Marvel but the trademark belongs to Marvel so DC comics can publish their own Captain Marvel character but they can't put the name of their hero on the cover of their book, so for literally the last 50 plus years DC would call the book anything but Captain Marvel eventually landing on Shazam!, the magic word Billy Batson yells to become Captain Marvel. When DC comics relaunched with the new 52 a few years back, someone FINALLY convinced DC to abandon the name of Captain Marvel since they couldn't put that name on the cover of the books. They now called him Shazam, and his movie comes out less than a month after Marvel's Captain Marvel came out in theatres. Always the second fiddle…

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THIS BAD

So have you ever been so bad at your job that you accidentally quit? This is a legit question, like how bad are you at your job that you break an automatic termination rule in your first three months? We've all had bad jobs before and we've all had jobs that maybe we weren't perfectly suited for but the idea that you screw up so bad that you are now done in the first three months is pretty crazy. Well a Judge in Harris County just did that. So for some reasons Judges are elected by the people, not sure how that makes any sense, in theory judge should be like a rank that prosecutors earn eventually by serving the interests of the people long enough, but now even district attorneys are political figures so who knows. I bring all of that up because the judge in question released online his plans for running for a higher position later on in his career, however in the Texas Constitution it says once you are a candidate for another office you automatically resign your current position, which he has had for all of three months. Not so smart.

WHAT THE HECK

So that's it for the AAF? What the heck just happened? It seems that Tom Dundon the new chief of the league after investing $250 million into the league about a month ago has no interest in continuing the league under its present conditions. The NFL seemed super gung ho to have this league in a minor league position which the AAF seemed to be courting by asking the NFLPA to let the practice squad players play in this league, with the increased exposure giving players more chances to make an active roster in the NFL. Honestly there's a lot of things going in different directions in this story, the NFLPA doesn't really want to give practice squad players more chances because they want more active roster spots to create more wealth for players and a minor league actually threatens the push to expand NFL rosters. The AAF had been developing some interesting technology with big sports implications and Dundon having access to that might be worth more than the idea of growing a minor league NFL that has a long fight with the NFLPA ahead of it. On top of all that, there were some first year issues including the Florida team practicing in Georgia, and not having signed the contract to hold their championship in Vegas even though the stadium in question was selling tickets for it, the thing that makes me think this is a permanent closure is how they handled the players, they literally just left them all where they were and the players had to arrange their own way home. Not cool.

EVEN THOUGH NOBODY ASKED ME

Another refinery fire? It's interesting now to hear so many people complaining about regulation and enforcement of the rules considering that we as a state have long been in favor of deregulation including recently an odd push to drop the licensing requirements for cosmetologists. This new plant fire at KMCO is apparently not a big surprise as it seems KMCO has numerous violations in its past, this lax attitude towards rules and regulations leads to issues like this, so maybe it's time for a cultural shift on regulations.

I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Wednesday and remind everyone to be kind to each other and try a little harder to have a great day! I'm coming back tomorrow and we'll be bringing more good times your way. Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House, or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where every shirt is now under $20 or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
Can top prospect Brice Matthews give Houston a boost? Composite Getty Image.

What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.

Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.

 

Depth finally runs dry

 

It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.

Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.

But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.

The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.

 

Cracks in the pitching core

 

And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.

Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.

But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.

 

Injury handling under fire

 

Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.

No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.

Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.

 

Pressure mounts on Dana Brown

 

All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.

Brown will need to act — and soon.

At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.

*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!

 

There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.

 

A final test before the break

 

Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.

The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.

There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.

___________________________

*ChatGPT assisted.

Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!

https://houston.sportsmap.com/advertise

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome