NERDS AROUND TOWN

Nerds Around Town: Gronk, Disney and Marvel #1000

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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Welcome back, Justin!Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

He's baaaaack! For the second time in six years, the Astros made a last minute trade deadline deal for Justin Verlander. Fans can relax a bit now. The team has made moves for another reliever in Kendall Graveman, and now a frontline starter in Verlander. While there was no trade to add another bat to an inconsistent lineup, this move signals a few things. Here's a look at how they convinced him to come back:

Verlander is back at a time in which this team needs him desperately. Their main competition in the division, the Rangers, just made a deal for Verlander's former teammate Max Scherzer. They are currently tied with the Astros in the AL West and have a potent offense. Now they got an ace to add to their staff. I have thoughts…

Should Verlander have left in the first place?: My initial thought was glad he's back. My next thought was why'd he leave. Jim Crane was determined not to pay him more than what he felt he should. When that number got to be too much, he bowed out and wished JV well in New York. Two years for $86.7 million and a third year at $35 million that vests if Verlander can basically stay upright in the second year was a no-brainer for him. Add that to the fact that they thought the staff would be just fine with all they had, and there's a recipe for a breakup.

Was it a steep price?: Giving up arguably your two best prospects is a steep price. Add to it, they're both outfielders that can really play, and your minor league system has been drained a bit. That makes it that much steeper. Let's add in the fact that Kyle Tucker's price keeps going up by his play, and now by this deal. To take some of the sting out, the Mets are paying a significant portion of Verlander's salary for the balance of the contract. The Astros are only on the hook for about $39 million of Verlander's remaining deal, including the vesting year (Bob is off by 10 million in the tweet below). However, this price is viewed as less steep if a couple of things happen – they need another World Series ring, and/or sign Tucker to a long-term deal. Both would be ideal, especially given that two of Tucker's replacements now wear different colors, but I'll take another ring if I had to pick between the two.

Are they in go for it mode?: After Crane parted ways with former GM James Click, I thought he'd bring in a guy that would share his go hard or go home attitude. Dana Brown doesn't necessarily embody that exact same attitude, but he's got some of it in him. This is the man credited with helping turn the Braves into the contender they are now. He would re-sign their best young players to long-term deals before their price tags got crazy. Crane has never been the one to shy away from making a splash. Click was more about the slow build approach. Now that Crane has a guy in place that doesn't mind swinging for the fences, we see how that goes. To have an owner and GM combo that both want to win big and will do what's necessary to do so, it makes the fan base appreciative of their efforts.

Striking while the iron is still hot is smart. Their window for winning is still open. Giving up two minor leaguers, no matter how much potential they've shown, was the right move. I know we may have a bare cupboard later on, but I'll find solace in those 2017 and 2022 rings. If this falls apart terribly, it'll hurt for sure. I'll wrap myself in my title tee shirts and be okay. So many times we look at the worst case scenario when it comes to trades like this. We pick them apart and find every possible way to criticize them. That, or we get way too excited about outcomes that aren't very likely. I think this one falls somewhere in the middle, but closer to the euphoric feeling. Why? Because this team has done this before and are poised to do it again. They added what they needed. Now we wait…

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