THE NERD REPORT
Nerds around town: Fixing the Hedgehog, comic books and more
May 3, 2019, 6:40 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!
It's Friday and the weekend is now upon us. There are so many good times to be had and enjoyed but as you're getting crazy and living the life just remember to take a few minutes to think of others and be kind.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
Stuff happens all the time, sometimes great stuff and sometimes bad stuff. We never know when stuff is going to hit us and how it will hit us. You're asleep in bed when suddenly the wildfires that were three miles away when you went to bed are burning your house down and you and your loved ones barely get out in time. Now you don't have your wallet, extra clothes, even a car or a tent literally everything is burning, these are the times people like the American Red Cross step in and help. Make sure to donate and help out. #NerdsUnite
WELL THAT'S DIFFERENT
This week history was made as the internet actually did something good. They got the director of a movie to acknowledge they messed up and to move away from the decisions they've made. Sonic the Hedgehog after being universally panned and hated by honestly everyone in the whole entire world, is going to be redesigned to be closer to the version everyone knows and loves. The director of the film made a tweet and basically said, we get it, if we do this movie as is we will lose tons of money so lets fix the dumb hedgehog. I can't think of a ton of times that the internet has whined about something and it actually happened, and it was for the better. This is a completely odd moment. Everyone take a bow.
WHILE YOU'RE OUT
This weekend while you're going by the hardware store and hanging out at the mall food court, and going to little Bobby's birthday, make sure you swing by the comic book shop. Your local comic book store has all kinds of goodies and things to check out and this week there are some cool things out. DC comic's is launching a new event called DCeased which features a world where a virus has spread dangerously and quickly and the heroes of the DC universe are caught quite unaware. Tom King is the writer and he's a rising star in comic books and this is going to continue that rise. Also debuting this week is Marvel's Savage Avengers, Conan the Barbarian is now a part of the Marvel Universe and he joins up with a team of crazy tough badass killing machines and form their own team of Avengers. Wolverine, Elektra, Punisher and Venom are hanging out with Conan. Also this week in the world of Indy comics comes Dragonsblood #1, it looks like it might be just the book for Game of Thrones fans to check out, I recommend giving it a look.
JAWS
I just saw a preview for a new movie about a city being flooded by a hurricane and a woman in particular in this small flooded town being harassed by a killer Croc. The movie looks tense and scary and I'm sure it'll be interesting but overall there's nothing overly original about the idea or the concept and it all comes back to Jaws. Young Steven Spielberg created the modern summer blockbuster by building a mechanical shark named after a lawyer named Bruce who ate pretty college co eds as they partied all summer on the beach. The gigantic and terrifying shark at the time winds up attack and destroying a boat and then finally is killed when an oxygen tank lodged in his mouth is shot and he explodes (spoilers, sorry). It was the original, scary what's in the water movie and since then sharks have been terrifying to me and some little kid gets to grow up with an unhealthy fear of crocodiles because of this movie. Get excited.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
So I'm a little confused about something. Why on earth do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo? I know why Mexicans do, although it's not a great story, honoring a battle they lost in a bid for independence much in the same way that the Alamo became a rallying cry for Texans. The question that I'm getting at, is why do we celebrate it though? Why is Taco Cabana and whomever else giving away cheap margs and turning this thing into a three day party? How did we get to that? I'm sure people have the same question about St Patty's Day, I'm sure there are people thoroughly confused how these things became drinking festivals scheduled months out, with bands and crazy parties, but somehow we did and now the party just starts on the closest Friday for many. So be careful and be safe and be responsible and enjoy your now Cinco de Mayo (which makes no sense, but whatever).
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Friday and remind everyone to be kind to each other and try a little harder to have a great day! I'm coming back Monday 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 $.50 from every shirt is donated to a good cause or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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Winning consecutive series over last place teams does not mean all is well again in Astroworld, but taking five of seven games from the Orioles and Rockies stopped the bleeding which saw the Astros stumble through an awful 14-23 stretch. The regular season is now in its final month, the Astros are in the middle of three different playoff races. The high-end goal is finishing with one of the two best records in the American League to secure a bye past the two out of three lightning round Major League Baseball calls the Wild Card Series. Entering the holiday weekend the Astros sit four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, three and a half back of the Detroit Tigers. If the Astros can’t overtake either the Jays or Tigers, they at least want to hold off Seattle to win the American League West. Winning the division for an eighth consecutive full season would be its own accomplishment, for the postseason it would at least assure the Astros of homefield advantage in a best-of-three. The race the Astros hope to need to pay little attention to is holding off Kansas City for the final wild card spot. That would be necessary should the Astros lose out on the division title to the Mariners, and finish behind both the second and third place finishers in the AL East in the wild card race, presently the Red Sox and Yankees. The M’s, Bosox, and Yanks all finishing ahead of the Astros is a clear possibility. The good news on that front is the Astros holding a five game lead over the Royals with 28 games to go, though Kansas City does win the tiebreaker should it come to that. The Astros have a significantly easier closing schedule than do the Royals. The Astros have just six games left against teams that would currently qualify for the postseason. The Royals have 12. So to miss the playoffs entirely the Astros basically have to fold, and/or the Royals need to play four weeks of spectacular baseball.
Yordan Alvarez’s looooong awaited return is a big boost to the lineup. Even if he isn't peak Yordan, his presence matters. His missile of a home run to centerfield was the wow moment of his return series, but Alvarez drawing five walks in nine plate appearances speaks to what opponents think of him. Still, offense remains an Astro struggle all too often. The Rockies have the worst pitching staff in MLB. The Astros managed nine runs in three games against it. At least that was enough to win two out of three. 67 times this season the Astros have scored three or fewer runs, equaling their three or fewer total of the entire 2024 season. For a good while this year the Astros were winning an amazing percentage of their games where the offense did little. At one point the Astros were 19-27 when scoring three or fewer, which was stunning success and as I wrote at the time, wholly unsustainable. Since then, the Astros have lost 20 of the last 21 games in which they failed to score four.
Christian Walker’s power surge has been a boon, of late helping offset Jose Altuve’s slump (just 10 hits in his last 60 at bats heading into the Angels series) and Carlos Correa’s lack of thump (just two extra base hits and a sub-.700 OPS over his last 15 games). Over 46 games played from July 1 through Thursday, Walker has been very good hitting .279 with an .859 OPS. That doesn't undo his being wretched through June, but credit where credit is due.
Alvarez is the big bopper (remember the ex-Astro who had that nickname?) addition to Joe Espada's lineup cards, but Jake Meyers could be a lower key big return as well next week. To call Chas McCormick and Jacob Melton poor offensive players this season would be an understatement along the lines of saying Yao Ming is above average in height. When Meyers blew out his right calf it short-circuited what was his breakout big league season. Even if Meyers can't regain that form, by accident he'll still be better than what McCormick and Melton have provided.
After finishing up with the Angels on Labor Day, the Astros get the Yankees for three big games at Daikin Park starting Tuesday. Hunter Brown starting Sunday means he will not pitch against the Yankees. That's not a mistake, it's just how the rotation falls. It will be a mistake if the Astros' brain trust doesn't properly map out starting pitching ahead of the massive matchups against the Mariners September 19, 20, 21 and make sure both Brown and Framber Valdez start games in that series. After this homestand wraps, the Astro have only six home games remaining versus 15 on the road.
Oh yeah. Glenn Davis was "The Big Bopper."
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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