NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Clowney, Kobe and Spider-Man
Aug 29, 2019, 7:20 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 and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
This week isn't over yet, don't quit on it yet.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
In honor of college kids going back to school, I want you to look on Facebook and find one of your teacher friends and click on their Amazon wishlist. They're all doing it this year, they all should be doing it this year except that education is the most important thing in the world for children and we as a society should care more to educate them, poor or rich, white, black or brown. We should be teaching them how to think and ask questions and let them make this world a better place since obviously we don't know how.
PATRIOTS GOOD, TEXANS BAD
The Texans have angered Clowney who reportedly was ready to report this week but instead saw the trade rumors and is now choosing to not sign his franchise tender until he's happy. This gives him leverage like no player in the NFL has ever had, if he isn't happy with a potential trade location he can simply say he won't sign and kill the trade. Meanwhile the Patriots traded for two offensive lineman with starting experience last season but were likely backups this year shoring up their questionable line. The Patriots continue being the pinnacle of football excellence and The Texans continue what has been an offseason of bizarre ineptness for what is usually at the very least a high-class organization.
CONTROVERSY IN COMICS
This week comic book creator Matt Rosenberg tweeted out that it's the job of comic book creators to help promote their comic books projects. This was met with lots of creators complaining and saying they work all the time on creating and don't have the time or inclination to promote their projects. The reality of that though is they're wrong. Yes the publisher should be promoting their books but there are lots of books coming out every month and the shops and the consumers know that publishers want to sell books so they know they're being promoted to. The creators like artists of every era are obligated to sing for their supper like everyone else, it isn't enough to make great works, it's important to tell the fans you appreciate their money and enthusiasm. Entertainment is everywhere and money is tight, earn it.
REALLY GUYS
Shaq and Kobe had a mini feud on social media the other day. Will these two ever shut up? I'm so over the Kobe Bryant fandom and Shaq while dominant isn't the greatest of all time like he keeps trying to act like. I know they are great sports figure and Shaq does have a statue outside of the Staples Center which is impressive but they aren't those guys anymore. The whole obsession over these two and Kobe in particular is annoying to me, the sports world seems to hang on his every word and they seek out his comment on matters of all kind. Oh Lebron scored a triple double, let's talk to Kobe about it. Oh Dwight Howard is on another team let's talk to Kobe about it. James Harden shoots a lot of threes let's talk to Kobe about it. I wish they'd stop it already, talk to Kobe about that.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
So Spider-Man voiced by Tom Holland is going to appear in Disney+ streaming service's "What if…" series in at least two episodes, so some people think that means there is a secret deal between Sony and Disney. There isn't. This is because Sony only owns the movie rights to Spider-Man, so television and animated shows they don't need Sony's permission, because they own it. There was an animated cartoon named Spectacular Spider-Man that was produced by Sony Studios but they had to cancel it when Disney bought Marvel specifically because of this reason. That cartoon was awesome and DVDs are on sale everywhere and worth checking out.
Feel free to check out my brand new comic book Another Day at the Office or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals what he values most at scouting combine
Feb 28, 2025, 3:51 pm
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. 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. Click here to catch!
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