THE NERD REPORT
Nerds around town: It's all about Comicpalooza this weekend
May 10, 2019, 8:09 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, 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 upon us, storms be damned it's Comicpalooza time!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
Seriously, just buy a shirt and help people with cancer. That's what this boils down to, we all hate cancer, we all know it can be a massive burden on someone and it just becomes a sad story at some point, the longer the battle goes the harder it is to get your life right afterwards. Help people in the battle against cancer, buy a shirt and support Crits For Cancer. #NerdsUnite
COMICPALOOZA WEEK!
It's an easy one today. When you go to Comicpalooza, one of the things to get excited about and check out is all the people. So many people are going to be cosplaying and having a great time, Comicpalooza feels like a genuine celebration for many. They are all so nice and many will take pictures with you, the whole scene is a very exciting and fun thing to be around. Ranging from Harry Potter to Doctor Who and all the comic book movies and comic books characters themselves, this thing will be loaded with your favorite characters and people just out there trying to have a great time. So ask people nicely for pictures, have a great time and truly enjoy this weekend, I know I will.
WHILE YOU'RE OUT
So usually I tell you to go check out your local comic book store and then I highlight some new comic books right here. This weekend you need to come down to, you guessed it, Comicpalooza. You'll actually get to meet tons of comic book creators and fun people and get to find other fun reasons to buy comic books. Reasons like, I met this creator and they seem awesome, or I met this creator and we both agree the world needs more Batman in it. The reality of it is, these are people just like you and me and they are pouring their hearts and souls into being these talented creative people and when you meet a lot of these guys you'll see they're very cool, down to earth people and you'll love reading their work and supporting their dreams because they make good books.
NETFLIX MAKES A MOVE
As the streaming wars keep going, Netflix has fired the next shot by stepping up their relationship with Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse was the publisher for both Umbrella Academy and Polar which both did amazing at Netflix and also were both very well made, which I think is important to a show being successful. Dark Horse has been a player in comic books for a very, very long time and honestly they have a pretty massive and robust catalog of characters but if I had to guess what was next it would be the Black Hammer line of comics at Dark Horse. It's about 1960s superheroes and their legacies and then fast forward to modern times and what impact their heroics had in the world, sort of, it's a crazy read.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
Here lately it's rained on and off and on and off seemingly the last two months and I can't help but notice how poorly Houston now handles the massive amounts of water we're getting. My father's neighborhood flooded massively during Harvey, not because of the rain but because they did those controlled floods and dumped three feet of water into his neighborhood after a massive storm. The reality is these days with all the construction, there's less trees and grass to absorb the water and honestly we've poorly planned this city to the point that water has no where to go at times and we have only ourselves to blame. We need to be doing better about city infrastructure and how we build things before we become like New Orleans who had broken levees and awful infrastructure.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great weekend 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 some proceeds help fight cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! 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 now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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