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So many of us are stuck with nothing to watch since the sports world is on pause. So I will drop on occasional non-spoiler review on shows that might keep you busy while we wait for the plague to end and give us our sports back. (Yes, we still have horse racing, which is keeping me busy, and it is worth checking out if you have nothing else to watch. An RTN subscription will get you all the tracks you need, or you can just watch TVG if you have that channel. Sam Houston shows its races live for free at shrp.com). Or you could just pick up a copy of Jesus Just Left Chicago, the greatest novel ever written, available in paperback, Kindle and audio book. For everyone else, here is a non-spoiler look at Dracula on Netflix:
What it is about
The name pretty much tells you, this is based on Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel. I was skeptical at first, because I have seen every iteration of the Dracula story and did not feel the need to see another. But it is the brainchild of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the creatives behind perhaps the greatest television series ever, Sherlock. While Moffat's work on Dr. Who is questionable, these two together are incredible. The writing is very much along the lines of Sherlock, with clever jokes, not-too-obvious plot twists and strong writing and characterizations. Minor spoiler: Gatiss, who is also a fine actor (he played Mycroft in Sherlock and also had a role in Game of Thrones), makes an appearance in episode three.
There are three episodes: The first two are classic horror stories, while the third puts a modern twist on the legend.
The positives
1) Only three episodes makes it an easy watch. They are each over an hour in length, which is a tendency in the really good BBC shows. (This was released by both BBC and Netflix). There may or may not be a season 2, but if not, it ends perfectly. It is not a major time commitment, and once you are done you find yourself wanting more.
2) The writing, acting and storytelling are off the charts.
3) Claes Bang, a relative unknown, plays Dracula, and he is brilliant in the role. Maybe it was just me, but you find yourself rooting for him. (Yeah, I know, I have issues).
4) There is a nice twist on Van Helsing, which only adds to the charm.
5) From a plot standpoint, it is very well done and unlike any Dracula iteration I have seen.
The negatives
1) It starts a little slow; it's really about halfway through episode 1 that it starts to take off, so you have to stick with it.
2) If you are squeamish, it might not be for you. This is a horror series at heart, after all. There are some pretty gross scenes (even for me), especially in episode 1.
Overall analysis
Time commitment: Minimal. It is one season with three mini-movie episodes so you can watch it in a day.
Kid friendly: Probably not, unless you are raising your kids like my parents did me.
Bottom line: If you like Dracula movies, vampire movies, horror movies or Sherlock, this is a must-watch. It has elements of all the classics, but like Sherlock puts a clever twist on it. If you don't like those things? Stay tuned for the next binge-worthy.
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How mounting mistakes make Astros setbacks harder to ignore
Jul 10, 2025, 3:10 pm
The late ex-catcher and longtime broadcaster Joe Garagiola wrote a book called “Baseball is a Funny Game.” He wasn’t kidding, whether he meant funny as amusing, peculiar, or both (he meant both). The Astros lived it this past week, following a very satisfying three-game slap down of a previously red-hot Dodgers team in Los Angeles by having a Cleveland Guardians squad that staggered into Houston on a 10-game losing streak sweep the Astros three straight. As I put it during one of our “Stone Cold ‘Stros” podcast episodes this week: baseball, like a word that rhymes with spit, happens. The Astros try to clean it up this weekend with a chance to kick dirt on the Texas Rangers’ presently extremely faint American League West hopes. While no fun to endure, the Astros getting swept is no big deal. They weren’t going the rest of the season without any more bumps in the road. Unless they falter badly and/or Seattle has a huge rest of the way, the Astros' 29-10 surge before the Cleveland series is the stretch that will most define them making the playoffs for the ninth year in a row. The Astros hadn’t lost a home series since early April. Their longest losing streak all season remains just three games. They have to beat the Rangers Friday night to keep it that way.
Erratic starting pitchers Lance McCullers and Jack Leiter match up in the series opener, then it’s a pair of humdinger matchups. Saturday Framber Valdez goes to battle opposite Jacob deGrom. Sunday Hunter Brown starts on four days rest for just the second time this season countering the Arlington team’s Nathan Eovaldi. Framber tries to bounce back from his worst showing in over two months. Brown tries to rebound from his worst start since July 6 of last year. deGrom is quite a story. There has been no more dominant starting pitcher in his generation. It’s just that deGrom almost makes McCullers’s injury history look not so bad. Jacob deGrom won National League Rookie of the Year in 2014. He won back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019, then finished third in the short 2020 COVID season. In 2021 he was off to what if maintained would have been one of the greatest seasons ever. 15 starts with a 1.08 earned run average. 92 innings pitched, a comical total of just 40 hits allowed, with only 11 walks, and 146 strikeouts. Sicko stuff. Then his shoulder fell off. deGrom missed over a year, came back and made 11 starts in 2022. All of that as a New York Met. The Rangers then crossed their fingers and gave him a five-year 185-million dollar free agent contract. DeGrom lasted six starts in 2023 before needing his second Tommy John surgery. The Rangers of course went on to win the World Series without him. deGrom returned to throw 10 innings late last season and looked good. With everyone around the Rangers holding their breath, deGrom has not missed a start this season. While not striking out batters near his rate in the past, deGrom has been fabulous. He’ll take the mound against the Astros sporting a 9-2 record (for a losing team) and 2.29 ERA. deGrom's career ERA is 2.50. He is 37 years old.
Options dwindling
All you can ask of players is that they prepare well, be mentally focused, and play their best. There is only so much juice to be squeezed from lemons. Zack Short, Cooper Hummel, and Taylor Trammell each played every inning of the Guardians series. They are 30, 30, and 27 years old respectively. Short has the highest career big league batting average of the three. That average is .169. Hummel sits at .167, Trammell at .165. Short went zero for 11 with seven strikeouts. Hummel went one for eleven and struck out in his last six at bats. Trammell actually had a good series going three for eleven including a three-run homer and a double. Bigger picture, manager Joe Espada is filling out a lineup card with one hand tied behind his back.
Espada’s task got no easier with the latest seemingly Astros-nomically inept medical work. It is mind-blowingly ridiculous that Jake Meyers further damaged a calf muscle while taking the field Wednesday night, just three days after he left a game with that calf ailing him. Organizationally the Astros look like a clown show on this (pretty sure Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez would co-sign). At least the All-Star break arriving after play Sunday will cover four days of Meyers’s absence, which is a good bet to extend beyond that, maybe well beyond that. That absence will be sorely felt. Beyond his elite patrol work in center field, Meyers’s offense this season made the leap from atrocious to well above average. About to come off the injured list, Chas McCormick gets one last chance to revive his Astros’ career. Decent prospect Jacob Melton is a center fielder who remains out injured. Kenedy Corona was called up this week when Christian Walker went on paternity leave. Corona also plays center field but is not a meaningful prospect. If Meyers is to miss months not weeks, general manager Dana Brown almost has to pursue an outfielder via trade.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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