NERDS AROUND TOWN
Houston Cougars, fried chicken and Whataburger clothing
Apr 1, 2019, 7:03 am
ART BY JESUS RODRIGUEZ
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!
All right guys it's Monday! This is the day where we get it organized and beat the week, so let's get on it!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
Now I'm a positive person, but one thing I definitely don't advocate is running. It's neither fun or entertaining and even worse than that is how exhausting and intense running can be, so it's a rather odd occasion to cheer this week for exactly that… running. The 2019 Brunch Run presented by Green Mountain Energy benefitting The Memorial Park Conservancy is this Saturday, April 6th at 8 a.m. and proceeds go towards the parks conservatorship in order to help keep the park looking nice and lovely. Memorial Park is one of those places people enjoy and make use of all year long so it's only fair we get out there and do some sweating for it's benefit, or so I'm told.
BIG NEWS IN THE STREAMING WAR
So anyone who listens to my show knows I've said several times that we are living in the dawn of a "streaming war." All of the various shows and streaming services are pulling the average consumer in multiple directions, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, WWE network, the DC streaming service and HBO GO are among the top used services with several anime based ones also being quite popular. So with that being said, "cord cutters" who are trying to save hundreds of dollars a year wind up seeing their savings cut in half because of the various services competing for your dollars. This all just got a little less complicated though as rumors are emerging that YouTube is getting out of the original content game. No longer producing shows of this nature after having produced about 20 original content shows and none of them really landing with audiences with the exception of Cobra Kai, even the newest show Weird City was a star studded comedy based series and it failed to resonate. With one less competitor the sword sings both ways, it's good because it helps clarify the market somewhat but you never want one company to feel too strong, although someone like Netflix can't help but feel like they're in the driver's seat of this whole streaming war.
HOW TEXAS ARE YOU?
So this weekend I discovered something amazing, like actually, god's honest awesome. Whataburger has a shop on it's website and they sell clothes. That's right, they sell clothes. So it's started with a post of Whataburger shoes and they were as orange glorious as you can imagine, they are everything I want in a pair of shoes. I dare not covet often, but darn if I don't covet these shoes. Anyway, moving on. Whoever is designing their shirts is nailing it, they are single handedly crushing the fast food casual wear life. They have a French fry beach towel, heck yes. They have a bigfoot standing on a Whataburger swatting planes, this place is everything you want from a shirt shop. If you don't think it's cool, it's because you're not really a Texan. There I said it. If you hate this shop, then you hate Texas.
THE FINAL SEASON
The eighth and final season of HBO mega hit Game of Thrones is much like winter, coming. Not this Sunday but next Sunday, all the answers start coming together and we eventually find out who will wind up sitting on the Iron Throne. In anticipation of the coming season the producers of GoT had hidden several Iron Throne replicas around the world including one in New York City. That's a pretty cool promo, it's causing a few viral photos and lots of fun searching. If you don't remember what happened in the run up and don't want to spend the next ten days catching up, just watch this rap, it's really good.
AFTER THE RUN
So you'll be downtown, and will have run a 5K which by my math means you've burned enough calories to partake in one of the most delicious sounding events I've found yet, the 2nd Annual Southern Fried Chicken Fest of Houston. There will be chefs and food trucks pushing one of God's greatest creations, many variations of fried chicken. Admission isn't free, so bring your wallets but let's be honest you were going to bring your wallets no matter what because how else were you going to buy all that fried chicken? You can indulge yourself to some awesome fried chicken while listening to live music, there's a wing eating contest and cooking seminars so get on down to Peggy Park and check out the Southern Fried Chicken Fest.
EVEN THOUGH NOBODY ASKED ME
Shout out to the Houston Cougars for getting to the Sweet 16 and then losing to Kentucky, this has been an awesome season and it came at a rather important time for the direction of the program. Over the past few years U of H has experienced a growth in the national spotlight with the great success of its football program and then getting massive donations from powerful alumni like Tilman Fertitta which then leads to the other programs growing. This season was an important one because the fate of Kelvin Sampson seemed to be in the balance of the outcome and also its refreshing to see high quality athletes start to come to U of H, because it means the profile of the University as a whole is rising nationally. This off season will be telling for the overall direction of the program.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Monday 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. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have 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.
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