NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Direct TV vs. Disney, NFL is going crazy and great commercials
Sep 18, 2019, 7:23 am
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!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
This Saturday at 6 p.m. there's a walk to raise funds to cure Melanoma, called the Steps For Melanoma Walk. Check it out, look it up and donate or participate.
A GREAT DIVIDE
WWE is gearing up for its next chapter, with Smackdown moving to Friday's on Fox soon and they're talking about doing another draft and this time, not allowing for wildcards. So on Smackdown and Raw will be two distinct rosters with no cross over and no bleed over. There will be no "whoa what is so and so doing here" moments, they are basically creating three wrestling shows (once you factor in NXT on USA Wednesdays) and now there will be three separate brands. I don't know that splitting the baby so to speak, is a good idea.
AS THE NFL TURNS
Man this year has been crazy! We're down seven starting quarterbacks already, Andrew Luck, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Sam Darnold then Trevor Siemian and now Cam Newton is day to day, but beyond that two teams are historically bad, one on purpose it looks like, The Dolphins and the Jets on accident. They paid a lot of money to Leveon Bell and they still aren't sure what the heck they're doing out there. They looked awful against the Browns. Adam Vinatieri is talking about demons in his head after missing seven kicks in three games and we haven't even gotten to Antonio Brown. Honestly, what's next? The NFL has been fascinating and also my fantasy team sucks.
DIRECT TV VS DISNEY
It appears this month may be the last month that ESPN and the rest of the Disney family might be on Direct TV. ESPN has been putting info on their bottom line asking viewers to call Direct TV and complain, so Direct TV has started blacking out the ESPN bottom line when it mentions them. This is a crazy war between two very large entities, but let me be very clear. If Disney walks from Direct TV, I cut the cord. That simple.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
So while watching Smackdown, I noticed something odd, first an AEW wrestling TNT channel ad on the USA network WWE show. If TNT did that on purpose that is some great strategic ad buying during Smackdown. Also during USA's airing of Smackdown there was a commercial for Peacock, NBC's upcoming streaming service. There will literally be a streaming service from all sides. You will pick and choose and be miserable and lament your choices all the time.
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.
The Houston Astros head to Camden Yards on Thursday looking to snap a four-game skid as they face the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth matchup of the season. After being outscored by 37 runs in their last 10 games, Houston is hoping to regain the offensive spark that carried them through much of the season. Jeremy Peña has been a bright spot, batting .310 with 21 doubles and 13 home runs, while Carlos Correa has contributed a hot streak recently, going 11-for-37 with a home run and four RBIs over his last 10 games.
On the mound, the Astros will turn to Jason Alexander (3-1, 4.74 ERA), who has shown flashes of effectiveness but will need to limit the long ball against a Baltimore squad that thrives when opponents fail to homer. Brandon Young (1-6, 5.68 ERA) takes the hill for the Orioles, who are 27-14 this season in games when they haven’t allowed a home run. Gunnar Henderson leads the Orioles offensively with a .281 average, 29 doubles, and 15 homers, while Ryan Mountcastle has added some recent firepower, going 12-for-39 with two home runs over the last 10 games.
Baltimore comes in 6-4 over its last 10 with a 2.48 ERA, outscoring opponents by 15 runs, while Houston is 4-6 over the same span with a .193 team batting average and 5.92 ERA.
A win in Camden Yards could be exactly what Houston needs to stabilize its lineup and pitching staff.
Betting odds
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Orioles -112, Astros -107; over/under is 9 runs
Roster Moves
Houston announced four roster moves on Thursday. Taylor Trammell heads to the IL, Brice Matthews has been recalled, JP France completed his rehab and heads to Sugar Land, and Jordan Weems will go to Triple A as well.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/3oGiqmbzmk
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 21, 2025
Astros lineup
The first thing we notice is that Cam Smith is getting the night off. Espada appears to be shaking things up by not having two slumping players (Jesus Sanchez & Smith) in the lineup at the same time.
There's nothing new with the top 3 hitters, except Altuve will play second base. Christian Walker (1B) will hit cleanup, followed by the slumping Sanchez (RF), Yainer Diaz (DH), Victor Caratini (C), Mauricio Dubon (LF), and Jacob Melton (CF).
📍: BAL
⚾️: 6:15pm CDT | 7:15pm EDT
📺: @MLBONFOX
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/oPTcSkOw4m
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 21, 2025
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