THE NERD REPORT
Nerds around town: Comicpalooza, streaming wars, esports and more
May 6, 2019, 10:17 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!
Awww yeah, it's Monday!!! Get pumped and get excited for the beginning of the week, this is the most important part of the week because a great Monday means your whole week is great.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
This is a new one it dots all my "I"s and crosses all my "t"s, it's called "Crits for Cancer." Crits as in critical rolls, as in Dungeons and Dragons. These guys find people in need who are suffering from cancer and they go out of their way to try and help to raise money for the kids through the thing that everyone loves, Dungeons and Dragons! You have to check these guys out, it's for a great cause and you're going to feel really good about yourself and really nerdy, it's a win-win. #NerdsUnite
COMICPALOOZA WEEK!
Well it's here, it's Comicpalooza week. This is like my Superbowl if it was a week long and even more awesome. Today I'm going to focus on the guests that are coming, Emilia Clarke, Nathalie Emmanuel, Grant Gustin, Wilmer Valderrama and so many more. I'm excited because the Mother of Dragons is a big freakin' deal. That's a big relevant celebrity here for the event. Also the main cast of The Tick are here as well, and I have a little inside information on this just to explain to people how big of a deal this whole thing is. Very early this year, with my day job at Nerd Thug Radio, we talked to some people potentially about booking a very large show in a certain convention center not in Houston. So I reached out to the booking agents to some of these people and I came upon the idea of having the cast of The Tick come in for the event, that would be a great get I felt like. I was told by their booking agent that while the other actors live in the states and would be reasonable to get, Peter Serafinowicz lives in England and wouldn't come over to the states to do a smaller event like the one I was planning. So Comicpalooza is big enough to be on his booking agent's radar as a big enough show to justify the cost of bringing in The Tick himself. Which is pretty sweet.
THE LATEST IN THE STREAMING WARS
The latest news out of the streaming wars is interesting. It looks like Disney+ is planning to go ahead and order a second season of The Mandalorian and bring back series creator, showrunner and executive producer Jon Favreau. It must be testing well or the dailies must be looking great because no one has even seen an actual trailer for the show let alone do we know that it will be available day one with the network, so it's a lot of confidence to put into a show with a large production costs, but perhaps this is on purpose, to help save some of the costs, although at least initially it seems unlikely that costs will be a large factor of concern for Disney+. The first goal is get subscribers, then start analyzing budgets after you've built up a base and know what your service can afford. That is essentially how Netflix operated the past few years and it has helped its growth tremendously. The other bit of streaming news is that Netflix just dropped the highest grossing movie this year in China, "The Wandering Earth" without any prep work or even putting it on upcoming lists. I suspect this is to test the viability of these projects which are essentially new content here in the states without marketing support. In other words, Netflix is curious how much press it needs to generate for these projects, to see if it's worth the money, the less they have to advertise, the happier they'll be.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT CONTINUES
The Houston Outlaws have lost again. This is a franchise that is struggling to find it's footing for the last three stages of the first season and now through two stages of Season two. The team isn't working well together, the coaching staff seems to fail in its scouting and preparation for its opponents and there doesn't seem to be enthusiasm from the players as they are sitting there playing the games. Ultimately this seems to all come from one root issue, The Houston Outlaws are currently up for sale already. I'm not sure how this happened, who wasn't financially prepared for year two in a start up league, but none the less, here we are. The culture seems to be happily settled in mediocrity, actually technically worse than mediocrity because with twenty teams they are near the bottom of the league. The hope is that new ownership will invest in the team, get the coaches we need, make some strong team chemistry decisions and we'll go from there. That would be a great restart to a franchise that started so well but has so quickly fallen to the bottom of the league.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
Once again, officiating is in the headlines again. With the winner of the Kentucky Derby being the horse who finished second due to an officiating decision that disqualified the horse that crossed the line first and crossed with a good lead mind you. Also the two minute report came out for the Rocket's game three win over the Warriors and it pointed out two Houston fouls this time. The reason it's silly is because the story can't seem to shift back to the basketball of the series because the referees keep making it about them. I think the poor officiating is become a real problem and I'm also very concerned about this Rockets team winning if they are going to keep having stretches where they go ice cold from the three point line.
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 Tuesday 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.
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A new challenge awaits, and the Astros know what’s at stake
Jun 27, 2025, 2:05 pm
The Houston Astros didn’t just sweep the Philadelphia Phillies. They sent a message.
In three tightly contested games against one of the best teams in baseball, the Astros leaned on their elite pitching and timely offense to secure a statement sweep. Hunter Brown was electric in the finale, shutting down the Phillies’ lineup and showing the kind of dominance that’s become a defining feature of his game. Bryan Abreu slammed the door with four strikeouts to close out the win, and rookie Cam Smith delivered the deciding blow — an RBI single in the eighth to drive in Isaac Paredes, lifting the Astros to a 2-1 victory.
It wasn’t a series filled with offensive fireworks, but that’s exactly the point. Both teams sent out top-tier pitching throughout the series, and Houston was the team that kept finding a way. For much of the season, the Astros’ inconsistent offense might’ve been a concern in a series like this. But this time, it felt different. The bats showed up just enough, and the pitching did the rest.
Now, with Houston on pace for 96 wins at the halfway point, the question becomes: Is the league officially on notice?
Maybe. Maybe not. But one thing is certain, the Astros have the third-best record in baseball, they’re 17-7 in one-run games, and they’re playing with the kind of rhythm that’s defined their near-decade of dominance. Unlike last year’s uneven campaign, this version of the Astros looks like a team that’s rediscovered its edge. Whether or not they need to take care of business against the Cubs to validate it, their recent run leaves little doubt: when Houston is clicking, there are very few teams built to stop them.
Off the field, however, a bit of long-term uncertainty is starting to creep in. Reports surfaced this week that extension talks with shortstop Jeremy Peña have been put on hold as he recently signed with super-agent Scott Boras. The combination has led many to wonder if Peña might follow the same free-agent path as Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, and others before him. Boras clients rarely settle early, and Peña, now one of the most valuable shortstops in the game, could command a price tag the Astros have historically avoided paying.
If Peña and even Hunter Brown are likely to get priced out of Houston, the front office may need to pivot. Isaac Paredes could be the most logical extension candidate on the roster. His approach — particularly his ability to pull the ball with authority — is tailor-made for Daikin Park and the Crawford Boxes. Last year, Paredes struggled to leave the yard at Wrigley Field, but in Houston, he’s thriving. Locking him in long term would give the Astros offensive stability and the kind of value they’ve typically targeted.
As for Cam Smith, the breakout rookie is far from free agency and will remain a cost-controlled piece for years. That’s exactly why his contributions now, like his clutch eighth-inning knock to beat Philadelphia, matter so much. He's one more reason why the Astros don’t just look good right now. They look dangerous.
And the rest of the league is starting to feel it.
There's so much more to get to! 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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