NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: More Sharks, concrete in sewers and Jon Stewart
Jun 12, 2019, 6:47 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 Wednesday and I just realized, we can do this, let's attack this week like a wild animal.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
Father's Day is this weekend. Family can be a confusing thing, with ups and downs and twists and turns and sometimes you're mad at someone and sometimes you're not. Sometimes it's just been too long and now you're not talking to the person you meant to. Family can be confusing, but it's family and there's nothing like it. Some people can't be with their loved ones for various reasons and some people will never be with their loved ones, so if you see your family or if you can see your family, then go see your family. Tell your Dad happy Father's Day. #NerdsUnite
ARE WE DONE YET?
So I'm a huge nerd, I love me some pop culture. Seriously, I love all things nerdy. I love a great movie about wizards or super heroes or dinosaurs or robots or super heroes, I don't care, love it all. Can I tell you what I don't like though? Fan Theories. Some of them are neat and all, and sometimes one comes out that's really fun, but most of the time they are just such silly nonsense. There's one going around about Endgame where the reason Strange doesn't say if this is the right time line or not is because he knows if he says something they'll lose. No Duh. If Tony knows they might win he'll keep waiting for something to happen and he won't be able to stop Thanos in time. This didn't need to be said, this isn't even a fan theory, it's implied by them winning. There isn't any need to then say, he couldn't tell him or it wouldn't happen. OBVIOUSLY. Tony you die but we win, oh wait, now you don't die and we lose… oops. Seriously? That's a fan theory? Are you sure that isn't just a fan watching the movie? Come on.
ANOTHER SHARK MOVIE
So apparently they're making a sequel to 47 Meters Down. Because the world demanded it? No honestly I think it was a relatively cheap movie to make (around $5 million) and brought in good money (making over $62 million), which is every movie's goal. Mandy Moore is enjoying a great moment thanks to This Is Us and the movie was wisely marketed just enough to get on people's radars and it made everyone a good payday. This second movie features more angry sharks and hot girls in bathing suits, this time they find a sunken city and begin exploring it and find a shark in it with them. That's kind of a cool idea except for the whole, a shark has to eat a lot of food, ssssooo what was it eating first? Anyway, marine biologists tell you that sharks are good and people are their friends and they don't eat people but my eyes say, they'd eat me if they could.
Seriously?
File this one under, "stupid" but London is having to ask people to not pour concrete down sewage pipes. There is currently a blockage the weight of a blue whale and a football field in length deep in the Victorian era portion of the sewers that is made of concrete. Apparently people regularly pour concrete down their drains? I'm not sure what the logic of that is, but there it goes. Deep down the waste hole and no one ever finds it again, oh wait. Yes they definitely do. It's going to take months to chip away at this thing and will require trucks to constantly pump away the raw waste so as to not drown the workers. What exactly was the thought process with people on this one? They literally just poured concrete down the drains, I honestly don't know what to make of that.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
Jon Stewart's moment on Capitol Hill yesterday was beautiful and amazing and no one in congress saw it. Five of the 14 members of the House Judiciary subcommittee were there for the speech, the rest couldn't be bothered to listen to him speak up on behalf of 9/11 first responders. 9/11, remember "Never Forget", remember how patriotic everyone got? Remember how everyone hugs flags and respects soldiers and everything we all do is patriotic? How dare that quarterback take a knee! This is service, this is patriotism, there was no lower moment in recent American history and yet only 5 of the 14 members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee saw fit to be there for the first responders. FIVE. That's a shame, Houston's Sheila Jackson Lee was one of the members who skipped as well as Veronica Escobar, Sylvia Garcia and Louie Gohmert all while representing Texas, that's a shame.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Wednesday and remind everyone to be kind to each other and try a little harder to have a great day! I'm coming back Thursday 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. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals what he values most at scouting combine
Feb 28, 2025, 3:51 pm
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. 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. Click here to catch!
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