NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Daniel Cormier, Indy Comics and Kristen Stewart
Aug 20, 2019, 7:37 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!
It's Tuesday, today is the day we execute all the plans we made yesterday!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
So I figured someone would e-mail me some info about this yesterday but no one did....
This week I found a very odd thing that I want to point everyone's attention towards, it's this Saturday's James Harden & Friend's Charity Concert w/ Secret Special Guests. It's at Revention Music Center and it's at 6pm on Saturday and tickets are on sale. That's literally ALL of the info. I don't know yet who it benefits or who is performing, but I do love a good mystery. Check it out!
INDY COMICS ROCK
So as I've said before, now that I'm on this awesome Indy comic journey and working my way into this thing, I've met some awesome people and seen some awesome projects. One of these is Ken Bouthillier and his project Zindagi, it's a cool sci-fi story about ancient Hindu gods and how they try and impact and observe Earth and its people. Issue #5 is now for sale on Drive-Thru Comics and the first four issues are free, which is a great marketing tool honestly. The ability to read the previous issues for free and then buy the fifth issue after you're hooked is super smart and I think this story will stick with a lot of people, the ramifications and the weight of conflict at the expense of power is always an important story and one that can be told in tons of ways. Check this thing out.
FATHER TIME REMAINS UNDEFEATED
Daniel Cormier is 40 and just lost his title. Stipe Miocic is only slightly younger, 37, but he is longer and looks more put together for a Heavyweight MMA fight. Daniel's body has always seemed to carry a little bit more weight and he was a shorter fighter with less reach than many of his opponents and I kind of always thought these things would catch up with him at some point. To his credit they never seemed to except in those Jon Jones fights that kept getting voided due to Jones failing drug tests, and Cormier had a heck of a run. However, Father Time is undefeated and there isn't a long runway left on his career. Even if he gets a rematch, he'll want to camp and study after he heals and recoups from this fight so maybe three months at the fastest, then from there if he won, then what? How much longer can he defend it reasonably? Two or three more fights and he's looking down the wrong side of 42 and a fast slide physically. At some point, your body just doesn't give you what you're looking for when you need it. It happens in all sports and it happens to all athletes and while going out on a loss will leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth, if his money is good, then why keep fighting?
A BIG STAR RETURNS
Seemingly every woman in their mid-twenties can recognize Kristen Stewart because of her reign over the box office during her Twilight run. She was everywhere for a little bit and made a ton of money and was in several smaller movies after the Twilight series and it didn't go as well financially for her but she then took a step back as fame seemed to overwhelm her. Now she's in the new Charlie's Angels, which the trailer looked great for, and now they just released the trailer for a new movie, Underwater which she also seems to star in. This one looks great, a classic monster-horror movie at the bottom of the ocean, think Abyss meets Jaws and it seems like that's what we got. This looks like a pretty intense movie and I'm interested to see the trajectory of it.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
The Rock seems like an awesome guy, also so does Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds cameos in the new Hobbs and Shaw movie and I bet it's cool to just be a famous person and all know each other and hang out and drink and have a good time. They all seem like really good guys, they either manage their PR well and it's an act OR they are really cool. If you know which, don't spoil it for me.
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.
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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