THE NERD REPORT
Nerds around town: Comicpalooza, Spider Man and the XFL
May 7, 2019, 7:03 am
HBO IMAGES EMILIA CLARKE
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!
Tuesday is upon us people, lets make sure we go out of our way to crush this week. It's the first full week of the month and here is where you hit quotas and achieve goals.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
So for my spotlight this week I'm focusing on a charity that I've partnered with, Crits for Cancer. They are awesome, you have to check these guys out. They're nerds with hearts of gold and they are raising money to help people with cancer handle the financial situations that come up from being sick because we live in a very weird place when it comes to health. #NerdsUnite
COMICPALOOZA WEEK
That's right, this week is a big deal. Comicpalooza is this week and honestly I'm pumped. Today we're going to focus on the panels. There are all kinds of panels for all kinds of different things whatever your interest may be. If you're into cosplaying, or Doctor Who, or making comic books or hosting a podcast/radio show *AHEM* there are panels for you to go to and pick the brains of people who are in the boat that you want to be in. It's an awesome experience and one I highly recommend, coming up in the convention scene I had sat in many panels and then with the success of Nerd Thug Radio I now have the opportunity to host panels, last year we hosted three panels, two on podcasting and one on wrestling. This year we are booked to host three more panels, a podcasting 101 panel on Friday, a podcasting 102 panel on Saturday and a wrestling panel on Sunday. It's always a lot of fun and a big honor to talk to people and help them understand the things that are holding them back from going after something they really want. So this year, check out some of the panels, maybe even come say hi and let me know you enjoy the blog.
DID YOU SEE THAT?!
The second trailer for Spider Man Far From Home dropped yesterday and holy moley, yeah I said it, holy moley. This is the first time they can show some of their post Endgame "cards" and the reality is things just got very interesting. Picking up where Endgame left off for our young Spidey, he's mourning the loss of his mentor and like third father figure at this point, Tony Stark and coping with the fact that the world needs an Iron Man. This leads to Mysterio being from another dimension, say what? I wonder how much of that is accurate, how much of this is misdirection? The reason I say that is because illusion is Mysterio's bag. He literally tricks you into seeing things that aren't real and makes you believe things that aren't true. So is he really from another dimension? We'll see. Also, the title is now even better. Far from home, cause he might go to another dimension. Awesome.
EQUALITY FOR ALL
Riot Games, the maker of League of Legends, one of the biggest competitive video games created is struggling with a massive employee problem. It's being sued by several former employees for violating gender discrimination laws and gender pay gap laws in California, this is important for tons of reasons. The first one is that women in video games are super important, it's important to make sure the girls who want to create and build just like the other nerds are allowed to and treated fairly and before this devolves into backwards conversations about what's right and not right let me make this super simple, if your daughter came home from school tomorrow and said the teachers gave her less time to eat lunch than the boys because boys are big and tough and girls are sweet and dainty, you'd be mad. So apply that rule to the rest of the world and you suddenly understand fairness in the workplace. The employees are so upset not only by the issue but also by an apparent move by the employer to force arbitration on the issue citing an agreement all new employees signed losing their ability to sue even in the face of basic fairness discrimination practices, current employees staged a walk out yesterday in solidarity of the former employees and out of embarrassment in how their employer has handled things thus far. This is a fascinating story, stay tuned.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
The XFL announced a crazy set of television agreements yesterday with just about everyone, including ESPN, ABC, Fox and anyone else who would take them. Some people may be wondering why? They may be saying, but the AAF failed, so why do this again? The truth is, that's not really the case. The AAF didn't fail so much as someone bought in mid season and took advantage of the deal he made to acquire technology that the league was developing. I know that sounds like a plot to a Bond movie, but it's the truth. The reality of all this is very simple, the AAF was working on sports tracking real time data based software that they thought in time would help make the NFL analytics better and perhaps had some betting implications. The guy who bought them saw something that the gambling industry will have a lot of interest in, and that industry is a couple billion dollars a year. So forget being a minor league NFL, be the app that all gamblers need to win. Fast forward to Vince McMahon and honestly I think this will work, the AAF had decent television numbers before people realized the quality of the football was lacking. If the XFL takes the time to let coaches coach and players learn the plays, there's a good chance this league could be something much better than people are expecting. We'll see.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Tuesday and remind everyone to be kind to each other and try a little harder to have a great day! I'm coming back Wednesday 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 $.50 from every shirt is donated to a good cause or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's 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.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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