Born 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!
Thursday guys, it's thursday. If you're cheering for the weekend, you're almost there and if you're really not feeling it, call it a week and start your weekend here tonight.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
So for some people a walk in the park is a pleasant experience, for others not so much (like me) but when a walk is for a good cause, then we all win. The Epilepsy Foundation is hosting a Walk to End Epilepsy with the Houston Zoo. It's Saturday April 13th at 7am with registration at the front gate of the Houston Zoo. They're promising 95% of proceeds will be donated and this whole event will be held at zero cost to the community, that's awesome. So come on and hang out with the animals and other walkers and celebrate all of you coming together for a great cause this weekend.
THATS A LOT OF MOVIES
So it technically started yesterday but it goes for 10 days so it's cool, right now it's the 52nd Annual Worldfest-Houston at the Memorial City Cinemark. People from all over the world are here for ten days to screen independent films and attend galas and just have a good time taking a stab at the craft that is Hollywood. When I say a lot of movies, I do mean a lot of movies there will be over 200 screenings during this 10 day period, and I don't think Hellboy is going to be a single one of them. Anyway if you want to try something different, I recommend going out there and giving it a try, you never know what you might discover.
SPEAKING OF
This weekend will see the debut of Hellboy. If you're a fan of the first two films, I have some bad and confusing news, this one is a reboot. Guillermo del Toro isn't directing, and Ron Perlman isn't starring in this third Hellboy movie. Taking a stance closer to the horror themes of the Mike Mignola source material and featuring finally rising star David Harbour of Stranger Things this is a new take on the existing concept. While Del Toro had always said he had a planned trilogy in mind and had a definitive story he wanted to tell, the timing and funds never quite lined out the way it was supposed to go, with at one point there was finally studio support for the third Hellboy movie but it was contingent on Pacific Rim reaching certain box office numbers and that didn't happen. The movie as its own project looks interesting, I'm not sure if this is going to be the movie everyone wants to see this weekend with all the other things scheduled around it but we'll know the answer to that come Monday.
ANYTHING FOR SELENAS
I hope you've been practicing your Washing Machine and you held on to your brassiere because tonight at Barbarella Houston it's Selena night. The music will be featuring her hits and there will be a costume contest, so you know, this is pretty flipping cool. Selena is one of those Houston Icons that we hold onto near and dear because the consensus was she was talented and it was honestly just a matter of time before she broke out into mainstream music. Its easy now looking back at the pop music of the past few eras to see where she would have fit in perfectly abd the interesting things is her career launched two stars, hers and Jennifer Lopez in the biopic. Before that there hadn't been a ton of heat on Jennifer Lopez but that movie proved she could sing and act and suddenly the world loved J.Lo. RIP Selena.
I DO LOVE WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER
So Disney has been busy making announcements these past few weeks and plans for the back half of 2019 are starting to clear up. One of the biggest pieces of news has been the various announcements for shows on the Disney+ streaming service. Recently they've announced a Marvel themed show that will focus on people having an impact in their community, and another series of documentaries focusing on the iconic history of Marvel comics and those are neat but not anywhere near as neat as these other announcements, A Falcon/Winter Soldier crossover series, a Loki Series, a Scarlet Witch series and a Hawkeye based series centered around Clint Barton training his young protege Kate Bishop. This is a big deal because there had been some casting in Avengers that was making a lot of people think we might see a young female hero debut in Avengers End Game, either daughter of Scott Lang, Stature or protege of Hawkeye, Kate Bishop. While this doesn't guarantee either, it makes Kate Bishop the likely candidate if either is even correct.
NOT THAT ANYONE ASKED
So one thing that is a little worrisome about Disney acquiring Star Wars and Marvel and now 20th Century Fox is now Disney owns roughly 27% of the movie industry with this move. This is potentially a problem because Disney themselves have had struggles over the years for direction and have had some odd starts and stops, including once exploring the idea of a "Dark Disney" like adult themed movies and things that had no appeal to the younger demographics but they did eventually get away from that idea. When someone has most of the cards, sure that usually marks them as quite successful but it doesn't always make that for the best. This isn't me wishing for them to fail, this just means they become gatekeepers in a sense. Recently a stand up comic chose to do his stand up special with comedy central instead of Netflix because Netflix would only offer him a 30 minute special with a clause requiring a second special because that's how Netflix thinks comedians should progress, however Comedy Central offered him an hour special and better money for just a one special deal, and while he will likely get fewer viewers he is able to make his next move much sooner this way. The reason this story is relevant to my point is this: The fewer options the creatives have to create, the fewer chances we have to see something new and special. This might be great, but it might be trouble.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Thursday and remind everyone to be kind to each other and try a little harder to have a great day! I'm coming back Friday 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.
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Dec 11, 2024, 11:50 pm
The woeful state of the Astros' farm system has made it very expensive to continue maintaining a good team, prohibitively so (in part self-imposed) from having a great team. Even if they re-sign Alex Bregman, trading Framber Valdez and/or Kyle Tucker for prospects could snap the Astros' run of eight straight postseason appearances. But if they KNOW that no way do they intend to offer Framber five years 130 million dollars, Tucker 7/225 or whatever their free agent markets might be after next season, keeping them for 2025 but getting nothing but 2026 compensatory draft picks for them could do multi-year damage to the franchise.
Preliminary Kyle Tucker trade talks between the Astros and Cubs involve both Seiya Suzuki and Isaac Paredes, sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and me - https://t.co/kIRATDQpEn
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) December 11, 2024
The time is here for the Astros to be aggressively shopping both. It doesn't make trading them obligatory, but even though many purported top prospects amount to little or nothing (look up what the Astros traded to Detroit for Justin Verlander, to Pittsburgh for Gerrit Cole, to Arizona for Zack Greinke) if strong packages are offered the Astros need to act if unwilling (reasonably or not) to pay Valdez/Tucker.
Last offseason the Milwaukee Brewers traded pitching ace Corbin Burnes one season ahead of his free agency and then again won the National League Central, the San Diego Padres dealt Juan Soto and wound up much improved and a playoff team after missing the 2023 postseason. But nailing the trades is critical. The Brewers got their everyday rookie third baseman Joey Ortiz and two other prospects. The Padres got quality starter Michael King, catcher Kyle Hagashioka, and three prospects.
Back to Bregman
Meanwhile, decision time approaches for Alex Bregman. He, via agent Scott Boras, wants 200-plus million dollars. Don't we all. If he can land that from somebody, congratulations. The Astros' six-year 156 million dollar contract offer is more than fair. That's 26 million dollars per season and would take Bregman within a few months of his 37th birthday. If rounding up to 160 mil gets it done, ok I guess. Going to 200 would be silly.
While Bregman hasn't been a superstar (or even an All-Star) since 2019, he's still a very good player. That includes his 2024 season which showed decline offensively. Not falling off a cliff decline other than his walk rate plunging about 45 percent, but decline. If Bregman remains the exact player he was this season, six-156 is pricey but not crazy in the current marketplace. But how likely is Bregman to not drop off further in his mid-30s? As noted before, the storyline is bogus that Bregman has been a postseason monster. Over seven League Championship Series and four World Series Bregman has a .196 batting average.
The Astros already should be sweating some over Jose Altuve having shown marked decline this season, before his five year 125 million dollar extension covering 2025-2029 even starts. Altuve was still very good offensively though well down from 2022 and 2023 (defensively his data are now awful), but as he approaches turning 35 years old in May some concern is warranted when locked into paying a guy until he's nearly 39 1/2.
Jim Crane is right in noting that long contracts paying guys huge money in their later years generally go poorly for the clubs.
Bang for your buck
Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez is heading into the second year of a five-year, $124 million extension. That's 24.8 million dollars per season. Jose Ramirez is a clearly better player than Alex Bregman. Ramirez has been the better player for five consecutive seasons, and only in 2023 was it even close. It should be noted that Ramirez signed his extension in April of 2022. He is about a year and a half older than Bregman so the Guardians are paying their superstar through his age 36 season.
Bregman benefits from playing his home games at soon-to be named Daikin Park. Bregman hit 26 home runs this year. Using ball-tracking data, if he had played all his games in Houston, Bregman would have hit 31 homers. Had all his swings been taken at Yankee Stadium, the "Breggy Bomb" count would have been 25. In Cleveland, just 18. Ramirez hit 41 dingers. If all his games were home games 40 would have cleared the fences, if all had been at Minute Maid Park 47 would have been gone.
Matt Chapman recently signed a six-year 151 million dollar deal to stay with the San Francisco Giants. That's 25.166 million per season. Chapman was clearly a better player than Bregman this year. But it's the only season of Chapman's career that is the case. Chapman is 11 months older than Bregman, so his lush deal with the Giants carries through his age 37 season.
The Giants having overpaid Chapman doesn't obligate the Astros to do the same with Bregman. So, if you're the Astros do you accept overpaying Bregman? They would almost certainly be worse without him in 2025, but what about beyond? Again, having not one elite prospect in their minor league system boxes them in. Still, until/unless the Seattle Mariners upgrade their offense, the Astros cling to American League West favorites status. On the other hand, WITH Bregman, Tucker, and Valdez the Astros are no postseason lock.
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!