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!
Alright guys, we're halfway through the week, we can do this! Let's show Wednesday who's boss.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
This week I didn't want to pick something, I wanted you guys to pick something. A neighbor in need, Puerto Rico, the Atlantis formerly called the Midwest, a family member or friend of the family. Someone you know maybe isn't saying much but seriously, they could use the help. Anyway, make sure you're doing your part and there aren't people in need standing right next to you everyday. I think a certain someone called it the Golden Rule.
1,2,3, Cancun
The NBA Playoffs are going on right now and honestly they have been amazing so far, not just the Houston Rockets looking great until this last game against Utah where they missed some 14 three pointers. That's a cause for concern because when the three's aren't falling they keep shooting them no matter what, and it's great for them to be confident but I just wish James Harden and Chris Paul would take back over after say miss number eight and do a few dribble penetration lay-ups or draw the fouls and get some free throws to let everyone calm down and stop forcing the three. Also Portland, man, just Portland. Dame Lillard just sunk Oklahoma City with the best 40ish foot three point shot anyone has ever seen and he did so with utmost confidence after dribbling the clock down to nothing and taking the shot that apparently he wanted from nearly half court. The other part of this whole equation is now Mr Triple Triple Double Russell Westbrook has proven yet again that Hero Ball doesn't work anymore in the NBA. Oklahoma City is a poorly built team centered around Westbrook and Paul George who gave himself the nickname of "Playoff P". Who by the way finally had a good game and it was in a loss, kind of proving the rule we don't get to pick our nicknames. People are growing tired of Westbrook's seemingly anger fueled style of play where if he isn't talking an obscene amount of trash and pushing around players of noticeably lesser status than him, he's just being an overall irritant to everyone doing their job.
Avengers Endgame
If you're not excited for this movie and if you're not curious how all of this ends, then you aren't even kind of the person I want to hang out with. Do the Avenegrs save the day? How does Tony Stark make it back? What role does the quantum realm play in all of this? Is Clint Barton the coolest guy in the MCU? These are all relevant questions that will finally be answered, and with these answers we can finally move on to the next set of Marvel movies. Before anyone rolls their eyes, don't tell me they aren't excited for whatever is coming next. Marvel has been the best at planning these things out and as DC's movie universe and don't forget Universal's failed monster universe with Tom Cruise's Mummy as the flagship can tell us, it ain't easy. Hats off to the kings of the movie universe and may they enjoy this victory lap.
Has anyone else noticed this?
The new trailer for Hobbs and Shaw is out and some how there's a Samoan Haka in the story? The fast and the furious franchise has grown into this incredible popcorn munching scenery destroying super movie every couple of years and it's honestly, impressive at this point. A movie franchise that starts off with Paul Walker going undercover to find out who is hijacking trucks in the underground race scene and befriending sort of bad guy Vin Diesel, turns into a massive ensemble cast by the fifth one and then Paul Walker actually dies and the movies continue and they film a whole movie with him in it after his death somehow. Now the franchise has grown so much the Rock is now a reoccurring character getting his own spin off with other reoccurring character Jason Statham. The franchise has also featured Charlize Theron and other major stars and seems to just keep going.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
The other day Donald Trump complained to twitter's CEO that he doesn't have enough followers, and it brought a lot of thoughts to mind but most noticeably it brought to mind that old people just don't understand technology. As the new apps and machines and types of entertainment creep up it becomes obvious again and again that technology will leave you behind in a heartbeat. Ninja the world famous streamer who has upwards of a million people watch him stream at any given time, was paid roughly a million dollars allegedly to stream Apex Legends for set amount of time after it released and for those of you who thought that last sentence was a foreign language, catch up. This is the future and in many ways it's the present, this guy has more effective influence than a Sprite commercial, and yet there's probably a large segment of the population who couldn't pick this dude out of a line up.
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 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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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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