NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Craft Beer, Free Games and HR 1327
Jun 13, 2019, 6:19 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!
Happy Thursday everybody. Let's finish off this week strong!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
Continuing my reminder this week, Father's Day is this weekend and you should reach out to loved ones if you can and if you can't then reach out to those people around you, they'll be there for you if you tell them you need them. We've all been there. #NerdsUnite
THIS IS FOR REPRESENTATIVE VERONICA ESCOBAR
So yesterday I wrote about Jon Stewart's incredible speech on Capitol Hill to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties where only 5 members of the 14 member committee were present for his words. He was assured it wasn't intended as disrespect. Here's what I wrote about it…
"Jon Stewart's moment on Capitol Hill yesterday was beautiful and amazing and no one in congress saw it. Five of the 14 members of the House Judiciary subcommittee were there for the speech, the rest couldn't be bothered to listen to him speak up on behalf of 9/11 first responders. 9/11, remember "Never Forget", remember how patriotic everyone got? Remember how everyone hugs flags and respects soldiers and everything we all do is patriotic? How dare that quarterback take a knee! This is service, this is patriotism, there was no lower moment in recent American history and yet only 5 of the 14 members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee saw fit to be there today for the first responders. FIVE. That's a shame, Houston's Sheila Jackson Lee was one of the members who skipped as well as Veronica Escobar, Sylvia Garcia and Louie Gohmert all while representing Texas, that's a shame."
I received an e-mail about the blog, as I do a few times a week (it's why the e-mail address is in there, I like e-mails), from Elizabeth Lopez-Sandoval who said she's the Communications and Special Projects Director for Representative Veronica Escobar, this is the e-mail…
"Good morning Cory – Elizabeth from the office of Congresswoman Veronica Escobar here. Reaching out because you stated in your piece that Congresswoman Escobar was not present during yesterday House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Act.
Congresswoman Escobar was present during the first panel of the hearing and she is a proud co-sponsor of H.R. 1327, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Act.
Can you please correct your piece?
Thank you,
Elizabeth
--
Elizabeth Lopez-Sandoval
Communications and Special Projects Director
Office of Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16)
1505 Longworth House Office Building
Phone: (202) 225-4831
elizabeth.lopez-sandoval@mail.house.gov
www.escobar.house.gov"
So now that I feel like I've been fair, let me be annoyed. I was only talking about the panel in which Jon Stewart was speaking but that's fine. Rep. Escobar attended the first panel, saw that the First Responders were scheduled to speak later and decided to spend her time somewhere else. Is that a better distinction? Does that sound better? I don't think so, but there, it's corrected. Also as far as co-sponsoring the bill goes, there are 313 co-sponsors of the bill and she wasn't even part of the original 92 who co-sponsored it when it was introduced, she wasn't even the first Representative from Texas to jump on the bandwagon.
On an aside, who are the 122 other members of the House who didn't jump on that bandwagon? I don't know if I like them more or less for that, but it's bold none the less. Anyway after Jon Stewart's amazing speech, the media made the House look foolish all day Tuesday so yesterday the House Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to send the bill to The House for a vote. If I remember my schoolhouse rock song "I'm just a bill" that means it needs a vote there and then if it passes, it would need to be voted on by the Senate and then signed by a certain President from NYC. Way to finally get the ball rolling guys, before anyone gets too excited, they should know this same bill existed last year in congress and never made it out of the House of Representatives, so let's not be too congratulatory of anyone.
BIG PLANS FOR THIS WEEKEND?
House of Blues has something pretty cool going on this Saturday, Local Brews and Local Grooves. It starts at 3pm and will feature 20 local craft breweries, 40 beers and 16 local bands and DJs. There's food as well, they sell a $10 admission package, a $25 admission package that comes with a wristband good for 5 samples of beer, food or sodas and a $35 package that comes with two wristbands. There's a crazy list of bands and breweries on the HOB's page which is linked: here.
ROLL THAT D20!
This Saturday is also FREE RPG Day, so swing by your local nerd store and see what they have going on. There's plenty of fun games to get into and all kinds of stores are doing all kinds of events, I know The Adventure Begins up in Conroe (proud sponsors of Nerd Thug Radio) have a whole day of events planned and I bet everyone else does too. So if you've ever been curious about RPGs or D&D or anything else, this is the day to try it out.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
So I'm going out on a limb here by running this blog today and I know that. I want to be clear about something as this happens though, while I am worried that maybe Sportsmap will fire me and cancel my work with them (which would really suck, I like it here guys, honestly) I feel like it's my job to say this. I'm not a journalist but I realize though that it's important to be accurate when speaking to the public and it's something I try to do every time I get in front of a microphone for my shows or when I write for here or for cyberpunks.com or anywhere else. We live in an era right now where everyone is trying to spin stuff and that isn't my intention and if there's ever someone who deserves our respect it's the people who lay it out for us on a daily basis to help make society better. That being said, I have spoken out about issues before in this blog and in other places when I think people overstep boundaries. I think the spokesperson for the Houston Police Officer's Union Joe Gamaldi regularly stirs the pot and hurts more than he helps (something I've said privately to my friends who are officers who then strongly disagree with me, and that's ok too). Overall I think it's important to be honest and fair and kind to people, but I didn't appreciate the unnecessary correction from Rep. Escobar's office yesterday because I think what she missed was really important and deserved her time, especially if she's representing Texans and I think her stating how proudly she co-sponsored this bill in particular was intended to sound like she's above criticism on this matter.
Also, if they do fire me then could some people buy some shirts from me? Or remember I'm a freelance writer for hire?
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 (hopefully!) 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 people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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.
___________________________
Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!