NERDS AROUND TOWN

Nerds Around Town: Gronk, Disney and Marvel #1000

Aug 28, 2019, 5:09 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 Wednesday and we're halfway there, who is staying focused?

GOOD DEED OF THE DAY

In honor of college kids going back to school, I want you to look on facebook find one of your teacher friends and click on their Amazon wishlist. They're all doing it this year, they all should be doing it this year except that education is the most important thing in the world for children and we as a society should care more to educate them, poor or rich, white, black or brown. We should be teaching them how to think and ask questions and let them make this world a better place since obviously we don't know how.

GRONK SPEAKS, GRONK CRIES

Yesterday some comments newly retired Gronk made at a CBD event have blown up. He talked about how after winning the Super Bowl he was lying in bed for four weeks with a massive quad injury that actually resulted in internal bleeding. He talked about how even though he was a champion he was miserable, and this is the reality of the NFL. These guys are destroying each other, week after week and game after game they are just wrecking their bodies for glory and gold. Andrew Luck wasn't the first player to retire and he won't be the last, I think you're going to see a couple guys every year who are leaving the league after the put a fair amount of money in their pocket simply because it isn't worth it. At some point, you have what most would call "enough" money and suddenly they find themselves asking questions like "is it worth it?" And it feels hard to believe for us but there is enough money in the world for some.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY

Today Marvel #1000 comes out, it's a tribute to the 80 years of Marvel Comics. It covers every year since the beginning, touching on all the heroes and characters that made each year special. With tons of creators involved each of them working on a small story with characters they are tied to by their vast and wonderful careers. There is no end to the excitement for this issue, as it's kind of a big deal and it touches on tons of important moments and character deaths and introductions. There are lots of people in the know who are saying this is going to be one of the most important comic books of the year, so get pumped.

EVEN MORE DISNEY NEWS

Disney continues to try and blitzkrieg the streaming world, first with their D23 trailer releases and line up reveals and now they are opening up a pre-order opportunity for fans who were registered for the D23 website already. Disney+ if ordered alone is $7 a month, if you buy a yearly long package it averages out to about $5.50 a month and if you get the three year plan it actually averages out to less than $4 a month. At this point, they re basically just taking customers away from everyone else out of spite by essentially giving away three years of the service in a bid to launch with massive numbers. They also are talking about having future FX shows (one of the channels they came up with out of the Fox Purchase) debut first on Disney+ or Hulu (where they plan to feature their more adult content) before bringing them to the actual FX channel. Disney is not playing around.

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

It's looking like The Clowney era in Houston is about to come to an end and I'm sad about it. He had a slow start to his career but the last three years he's been one of the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL. I'm not sure how we can not block for Watson, not be able to run the ball and then decide that we also don't want to have a dominant defense. It seems like we're just deciding to be bad when our window is wide open for as long as Andrew Luck is retired.

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.

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Third Loss under Arnaud

5 Kicks: Manotas scores but Houston Dynamo fall 2-1 at Vancouver

Courtesy of Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo fell back to second-to-last place in the Western Conference after a 2-1 loss against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday night at BC Place. Mauro Manotas struck for the second consecutive match but it would not be enough as fellow Colombian Fredy Montero notched a 90th minute winner for the Caps.

Here are five observations from the match:

1) A winnable game

Despite Whitecaps FC coming into this match two weeks removed from their last MLS match, the Dynamo were looking at a possibility of picking up their first three points ever in Vancouver. The Canadians simply haven't looked great and that's a big reason why they are still the last place team in the West.

Houston had plenty of opportunities early on with Tommy McNamara missing a golden chance in just the fourth minute of play. The team ended up out-shooting the Whitecaps 18-6 throughout the entire match but they lacked the quality to punish in the final third.

For a team that has been poor on the road (Dynamo have a combined 5 away wins since 2017), this was a great opportunity to pick up a road win.

2) Hard done by a handball

The definition of a handball changed in an update to the Laws of the Game earlier this year. As a result, referees have interpreted the rule to the letter of the law because the evaluation of a "deliberate" handball has been removed.

In this case, the referee awards the penalty even after going to the video review booth. The Dynamo were on the other side of a VAR decision on Wednesday when a Minnesota goal was annulled after video review.

Ultimately, the Dynamo could've avoided the entire controversy by putting their chances away and putting this match out of reach.

3) Manotas scores again

There's not much more that can be said about Dynamo leading scorer Mauro Manotas. Once again, he was well positioned to jump on an opportunistic chance to score. The improvement to his game can only come as he evolves into a scorer that can create his own chances more consistently. Other than that, he's been one of the Dynamo's top players for the past few years.

4) Late goal defeat

Fredy Montero, one of the better scorers in the history of the league, was on a goal drought since June. He ended that drought with a 90th minute winner, taking advantage of a Jose Bizama who put out his worst performance in a Dynamo jersey.

Late goal defeats are probably up there with anything else you'd describe Dynamo play in this decade. Add another to the list.

5) Arnaud's progression continues to be slow

It was always going to be a though ask for Davy Arnaud to provide a complete 180-degree change and make a charge for the playoffs. In his five games in charge, Arnaud has reinvigorated the locker room with a bit of confidence. He has also taken more of a safety net approach and not rushing to make drastic changes in his lineups and during matches.

Dynamo player of the game: Maynor Figueroa

Figueroa's strike from created the clearest opportunity for the Dynamo. It is that type of initiative that get teams back into this type of match. The Honduran national team captain has injected an impact of leadership and is fearless when he is on the field. Signed in the offseason for an annual salary of $70,250.00, Figueroa has been every bit worth every penny and, undeniably, a steal.

Next match:

Saturday, September 21 vs. Orlando City SC (9:00 p.m. CT, KUBE57)

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