NERDS AROUND TOWN

Nerds Around Town: Lady Thor, Madden and farming

Nerds Around Town: Lady Thor, Madden and farming
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!

This week continues on and we're already at Wednesday, let's get them!

GOOD DEED OF THE DAY

Make sure to get over to The West Bar and Grill on August 4th. They are supporting 13yr old Kobee Cohen, who having previously defeated Rhabdomayosarcoma recently suffered a return of the disease and now it is in his brain. Looking towards hospice care, the family needs financial aid and support during this difficult time. There will be a raffle and donations for the raffle are still being accepted, everyone is welcome to attend and I'm encouraging them to do so!

SAY WHAT?!

Farming Simulator 2019 Platinum edition has been announced for the fall. You can now control over 35 different vehicles and there are now even more ways for you to tend to your crops. This gaming franchise has been a slow rolling hit for a really long time and over the last four years has really picked up steam. I know right now there are some of you reading this and thinking there's a punchline coming but there isn't. The whole idea of a farming simulator seems like the antithesis of everything that is gaming, but in actuality it's proof that gaming is whatever you want it to be in the comfort of your home in front of your PC, X Box, PS, Switch or cell phone. It's just weird to think that this many people get excited about the idea of being a farmer, but then again, for some of these people this may be their only way out of large crowded cities full of things and people they don't like. This is their escape, farming. I guess.

THORS TALKS

So one of the big announcements coming out of Comic Con was the announcement of Thor: Love and Thunder which has Natalie Portman returning and becoming Thor. This is all great news and very exciting stuff, Lady Thor is one of the best new ideas Marvel had possessed and executed in a while with the writer Jason Aaron nailing that whole storyline. Another interesting bit about the movie is it sounds like Valkyrie will be in search of a Queen to rule along side her in her newly appointed role of King of Asgard, and Jaime Alexander, known in the Marvel universe as Lady Sif has thrown her hat in the ring. That would be a great way to bring all of this full circle if now Sif and Valkyrie were ruling Asgard when in the beginning they both served other rulers of Asgardian lore. This next phase of Marvel is so exciting for all the unknowns circling around everything.

MADDEN TALK

Madden is regularly a discussion among the NFL during this time of year as the game is slated to be released soon and lots of people have questions about ratings and things of that nature and the players react accordingly. It brings up an interesting issue, so teams like the Cardinals are coming into this year with very low ratings both offensively and defensively. So overall none of these players can feel all that great about their chances this season, I mean we all know Madden has a level of accuracy to it. Athletes are driven in part by an internal ego that says they are better than everyone else and everyone else doubts them and hates them. It's their job to turn that into fuel for the fire, but how do you do that if you can't get the engine revved up at all? How do you convince yourself you're better than everyone else when they literally have every component of your game broken down and rated and they say, "yeah you're not that good." That's an impressive level of delusion.

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

So one of the things I do is host a radio show. I've had several business ventures over the years that involve radio airtime, for example I once owned an internet radio station and was selling airtime to shows. Several people accused me of "payola" because they have no idea what that word means. For those who don't know, many radio stations sell their air time, just like television stations sell their airtime, just like advertisers buy billboards at sporting venues, there is money in entertainment and sports, ok? The point of this rant though is that people have no idea what is illegal or legal and it always blows my mind. People getting up in arms about a bathroom bill, don't realize we don't have a bathroom law now. If a man uses a women's restroom right now it isn't a crime it's just inappropriate. People who are calling the immigrants law breakers don't know how Asylum works and that for many of these people it's legal for them to come here and request Asylum, it's an internationally recognized right. What blows my mind is people are so quick to be Monday Morning Prosecutor but have no basic understanding of what is or isn't even legal or illegal.

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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Following Houston's 6-4 road trip, the Astros returned home to finish the first "half" of the season before the All Star break hosting Florida and Texas. Houston's road trip was filled with clutch performances in New York, dominance in taking 3 of 4 in Toronto, and a dose of close calls and tough realities with a short-handed team against Minnesota.

Now the Astros hope to take care of business against the lowly Marlins and division rival Rangers. The Texas series, in particular gives Houston the opportunity to reassert their hold on the #2 spot ahead of the Rangers who have won their last 5 games in a row (as of the time this was published). Both teams have won 7 of their last 10 games and hope to catch a free-falling Seattle team to overtake the division lead.

Dana Brown told the media last week he expects both Justin Verlander and Kyle Tucker to be reactivated following the All-Star break but Tucker's updates continue to be more promising than Verlander's and MUCH more promising than Lance McCullers. Astros manager informed the media this week that McCullers has been shut down from throwing after his arm did not respond well to his recent bullpen sessions and the team is formulating the plan for what's next for the embattled pitcher. McCullers hasn't pitched since the 2022 postseason and underwent season-ending flexor tendon surgery last June. McCullers is under contract with Houston until 2026.

An eventual return for Kyle Tucker would spur a juggling act from Joe Espada to find a proper balance of time for all his outfielders, none of which have separated themselves offensively. Chas McCormick had a great month of June recording an .804 OPS but that run looks more like an anomaly as his scuffles have continued over the past 2.5 weeks, recording just 4 hits over his last 32 plate appearances.

While Jake Meyers has wowed fans and teammates with his glove this season, his offense has hit a skid, hitting just .184 with a .565 OPS over the past month. After rookie Joey Loperfido's torrid debut, he too has struggled with the bat, hitting just .216 with .599 OPS over the same time period.

An unexpected bright spot has been the recent play of first baseman Jon Singleton. Over the last 4 weeks, "Big Jon" is batting .302 with an .802 OPS. It's worth mentioning that Singleton's season numbers are better than Florida's Josh Bell, who drew interest from Astros fans over the past several seasons as a potential answer at first base. Bell has 135 more ABs this season so its not quite an apples-to-apples comparison but there's no doubt Singleton's contributions were sorely needed following the release of Jose Abreu.

To watch part 1 of this week's episode of Stone Cold StrosStone Cold Stros, just click the video above or to listen to the entire episode on podcast, search "Stone Cold Stros" in your favorite podcast app or click one of the following links.

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