THE NERD REPORT
Nerds around town: Comicpalooza, Thrones, Rockets
May 9, 2019, 7:22 am
THE NERD REPORT
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!
It's Thursday and I don't know if you can tell but this is one of those times I am genuinely happy for the weekend because guys, this weekend is COMICPALOOZA!
Today on reddit there was an Ask Me Anything from a 17 year old girl who has twice had to deal with the effects of fighting cancer. Stuff like this just breaks my heart and frustrates me to no end, kids with cancer? Like how does a family handle that? What wouldn't a parent do to save their kid, so now that you're thinking about that. Help Crits For Cancer help people in the battle against cancer. #NerdsUnite
There are so many great and fun things to do when you're at Comicpalooza one of the biggest things to partake in and enjoy is Artist Alley. Tons of great crafters and writers and artists set up shop in Artist Alley and are trying to make a living or supplement their living, selling art. Which honestly, is a pretty cool thing. You'll see all kinds of stuff there from all kinds of people, there are usually crafted goods like leather working and knitted things and there are self published books and indy comic books and music and small television shows and all kinds of assorted oddities to partake in. You can get commissions from artists, you can buy their prints, there are literally all kinds of things available and you won't find them anywhere else and that's the fun part. So seriously, go buy a weekend pass and check out Artist Alley.
Britain yesterday marked the first time since the industrial revolution that they had gone a week without using any coal to power their nation. That is an awesome and impressive step in the right direction and while it isn't perfect it absolutely should be celebrated. Last year renewable sources of energy were over 27% of how Britain got its power and natural gas was a little over 43% of how they got their power which is down 1% from the year before which also is a step in the right direction. They hope to be completely renewable powered by 2050 and honestly I hope it's sooner than that, I think if nations got serious about getting off of oil it would do several things. First of all it would take money and power out of the Middle East and OPEC, and if money and power drain from those areas than all of those people who are upset about "all these Muslim countries" well, most of those extremist religious regimes would go away because they are backed by oil. The thing that blows my mind, is even if you ignore the global warming component of all of this, people are getting mad and fighting against the concept of having an essentially free power grid. Let's say you hate everything "liberal" and are completely anti-"green" concepts, are you so against these things that you would rather pay a $200 monthly power bill every summer than just have free electricity or if not free then VERY cheap?
So I found something that's fun and worth a little bit of time to play with today if you have a few minutes to spare. It's an interactive map of the world of Game of Thrones and on it you can track the movement of your favorite characters by book or by episode. It's fascinating to see the distances some of these characters have traveled in this story, including Tyrion Lannister and Brianne of Tarth, if you think about it, Brianne has gone back and forth across the seven kingdoms like three times by this season. Have you ever done that? I know I haven't and to think she did it on horseback this whole time, not a plane or train in sight although she has seen a few dragons. It's really worth checking out and playing with for a few minutes, I recommend killing some time with it today.
The Rockets game last night was so frustrating. The Warriors lost Kevin Durant and we still couldn't pull ahead. We had a whole fourth quarter where we finally could control all the match ups and they still got ahead and stayed ahead. It was perhaps the most disappointing fourth quarter of the season, also why the heck aren't we fouling every possession with the last like 60 seconds to play down by four at one point? Foul, foul, foul and foul some more, put them right on the line and then get CP3 and Harden some shots behind the line or easy dunks to Capella. But you have to do something more than traps and lazy defense. That might have been the season right there and I am of the opinion that it is unlikely for the Warriors to get back to the finals, because it's just so impossible to go five straight seasons, remember no one has done that as a team, ever, but if we're going to quit like that then there chances increase significantly.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Thursday 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 some proceeds help fight cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
The Astros are making noise again — not by bludgeoning teams with a powerhouse offense, but by grinding through games and getting elite production from a patched-together pitching staff. It’s a testament to their depth and resilience that they went 4-2 on a tough road trip while averaging just 3.6 runs per game. Even more impressive? The staff allowed just 2.3 runs per game during that stretch.
It’s fair to be impressed. This is a team still missing key pieces and leaning heavily on unproven arms, yet they’ve built a 2.5-game lead over Seattle in the AL West. If the rotation keeps performing like this, that cushion might not just hold through the All-Star break — it could grow.
Houston's pitching has been the great stabilizer. The Astros rank 1st in strikeouts, 9th in ERA, 4th in WHIP, and 2nd in batting average against. The numbers aren’t carried solely by the stars either. Youngsters like Brandon Walter and Colton Gordon have stepped in admirably. Walter has allowed just two runs combined across his first two starts (6 IP and 5 IP), while Gordon has quietly gone five innings in three straight outings, giving up 1, 4, and 3 runs. Ryan Gusto has been inconsistent — failing to get through five innings in his last three starts — but has kept the damage manageable (3, 2, and 2 runs in those outings).
Meanwhile, the top of the rotation has been lights out. Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown have become one of the most dominant 1-2 punches in baseball, and Lance McCullers Jr. is starting to look like a real contributor again. It’s a staff carrying the team while the bats slowly try to catch up.
That offense, while mediocre overall — 15th in OPS, 20th in runs, 19th in homers, and 18th in slugging — has shown signs of life in recent days. Jeremy Peña and Jake Meyers have provided much-needed sparks. Peña is hitting .370 over the past week with an .851 OPS, while Meyers has been even hotter, posting a .381 average and .934 OPS.
The biggest news off the field this week was the potential end of the Forrest Whitley era. The former first-round pick was designated for assignment, a move that answers an early-season question: Who’s more likely to contribute this year — Whitley or McCullers? The answer is now clear.
Whitley’s DFA also serves as a reminder that not even elite GMs like Jeff Luhnow are immune to draft misses.
The Astros' last four first-round picks of the Jeff Luhnow era show how much of a crapshoot drafting can be.
2016: Forrest Whitley
2017: J.B. Bukauskus
2018: Seth Beer
2019: Korey Lee
Bukauskus and Beer did help land Zack Greinke, which certainly can be justified.
— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) June 8, 2025
As the Houston Chronicle's Greg Rajan points out, Luhnow’s final four first-round picks with Houston all fell short: Whitley (2016), J.B. Bukauskas (2017), Seth Beer (2018), and Korey Lee (2019) have yet to become meaningful pieces for any club. The draft remains a gamble — even for the best.
Still, the Astros are finding answers. Despite an offense that’s still searching for consistency, their pitching — both from the top and the bottom of the depth chart — has been dominant. If that continues, this club won't just hold the lead. They’ll have momentum heading into July.
There's so much more to cover! 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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