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.
Takeaways from the Tigers sweep of the Astros
Total butt kicking. The offense was dreadful, scoring just two runs over three games. However, what’s killing the offense the most is the outfield. Outside of when Altuve plays left field, Houston doesn’t have another major league-quality outfielder right now. Jesus Sanchez not only swung at a Charlie Morton curveball that hit him in the knee, he’s also ice-cold, going 0-for-28 at the plate. At least he’s someone you expect to turn things around, but he’s in a huge slump currently. Beyond him, Jacob Melton, Taylor Trammell, and Chas McCormick have all been dragging down the offense. Cam Smith is struggling too, with just one hit in his last seven games.
Is Framber Valdez going to be okay?
Starting pitching was another big issue against the Tigers, and Valdez was a key part of the problem, basically losing the finale in the first inning after allowing six runs. This isn’t an outlier—he’s got a 7+ ERA through four starts in August. Spencer Arrighetti isn’t faring much better, posting a 7+ ERA through three starts. One silver lining with Valdez: the Tigers know him well. They had success against him in the playoffs last season, and it looks like they’re continuing that formula—force him to throw strikes, hit the other way on the sinker, and if the curveball isn’t up, let it go. AJ Hinch knows the deal.
Is the return of Yordan Alvarez enough to boost the offense?
It has to be. The only real way to give this lineup a spark is getting Yordan and Jake Meyers back. Yordan had a successful first rehab outing, collecting a couple of hits, a walk, and even a stolen base. Adding him back to the top of the lineup gives the Astros a formidable top four: Peña, Altuve, Yordan, and Correa. As for Meyers, the outfield has been the biggest drag on the offense. The key is whether he can continue to hit near .300 when he returns from injury. If he does, Altuve and Meyers in the outfield makes a huge difference, and Joe Espada can figure out right field with Sanchez and Smith.
Is the schedule not as soft as anticipated?
We’ve seen some strange results across the league this week, and some of that has to be chalked up to the Dog Days of Summer. Players are tired, and results have been wild. Thankfully, the Mariners are struggling too, giving the Astros some breathing room. Player adjustments after the trade deadline could also be a factor—Sanchez, anyone? Many big free agents have struggled immediately after changing teams, Walker and Juan Soto included.
Can they recover and take advantage of bad teams?
One thing we know about this year’s Astros: they can flip the switch and win multiple series on a moment’s notice. They’re just as capable of sweeping a series as they are of getting swept. Let’s hope that starts with four wins in Baltimore.
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 on Thursday!
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