NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: New comic books, My Chemical Romance and writer's block
Nov 8, 2019, 3:33 pm
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!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
Next weekend the Firefly 5k/10k Run is happening to benefit Buffalo Bayou Partnership, this is one of the cool ones. A nighttime run with lights and all kinds of fun costumes and afterwards there's a party. It's bright and fun and it benefits a great cause, so come out and get sweaty and be glowing and have a great time.
FOOD FEST
The Houston Food and Wine fest will be this Saturday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $55 and there's all kinds of good food and wine to be tried and eaten. There are over 20 foods and tons of 4 oz wine samples, now me personally, I'm not a wine guy but man do I love a food festival. There's all kinds of goodies to be had and who knows, you might find your new favorite dish and who doesn't love a new favorite dish.
WHILE YOU'RE OUT
There's some great books coming out this week including Legion of Super Heroes #1, it's a return from the future as the teen super heroes of the 31st Century come crashing back into DC Comics. This is a big deal because honestly, these guys are a huge part of DC lore and their absence has been criticized and discussed ad nauseum. X-Force #1, the reinvention of The X Men property continues as X-Force becomes the intelligence agency of the Island Nation of Krakoa. This is some very real and very exciting stuff, seeing new stories and a new way to engage the relationship between Mutants and the Marvel Universe. Seriously, check it out. Come by your local comic book shop and check it out.
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
My Chemical Romance has announced a reunion tour and young 20's me is super excited about all of this. I hope to god they are coming to Houston and a quick google reveals they aren't even coming to America but playing New Zealand, Australia and Japan. There's a reunion show in the states but otherwise nothing. What is going on here?! Hopefully these are just warm up shows and down the pipe is some great stuff but honestly, I don't think that's the case. I hope the shows are "get ready" shows, I hope they get back into the studio and make a new album, but as of right now all they have are a few shows scheduled. I loved The Black Parade and Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and I really want another album like that… but so far they have a few shows scheduled. Not for nothing, they have Jimmy Eat World on the tour and I love them too.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
So I'm a fairly open guy here and I like to make an honest approach to how my life is going and what it's like to be somebody working their way through freelance life. It isn't glamorous, it does afford me a different way of life and a questionably relaxed lifestyle but man I have been straining with a serious case of writer's block all freaking week. Everything I've been writing all week has been absolute crap and I totally apologize to anyone who reads my work this week.
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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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have 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!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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