NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Realmz, Disney+ and the Dallas Cowboys
Aug 7, 2019, 6:52 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 and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
It's Wednesday, how are you doing? Don't let this week get away.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
The Regional Gulf Coast Blood Center is for us. It's here to save our lives when we are in a crisis and need blood and they get that blood by donations from us when we're not in such a bad place. This weekend hit home for many and reminded the country that bad things can happen anywhere and everywhere, so donate blood. It may be your own life you save. Also they're giving away Blue Bell Ice Cream this month, so get out there.
AN ALL AROUND GREAT GUY
As I've started into this Indy world of comic books I've already encountered some genuinely good dudes and Anthony Moore is one of them. He's been supportive and he's a worker and he has been grinding on his own projects for a long time. Last night he launched a Kickstarter for one of his big projects called Realmz. It sounds pretty awesome and I've already personally put my money where my mouth is and donated. It's a cool story about Gods and Kings and Monsters having to swallow their pride and work together to save the universe, how does that not sound AMAZING? Anyway, great art, cool ideas and awesome characters, check it out!!
DISNEY MAKES THEIR MOVE
Disney has fired their shot across the bow, on an investor call today the price point and initial offer for the Disney+ service was announced. You can get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu together for $12.99. As a package price that's aimed right at Netflix who also is priced around that number, which means, it's your move Netflix. The Disney+ is set to come out in November and currently will have all the Star Wars stuff and four Marvel movies by the time it debuts and eight by the next year. They're aiming for 90 million subscribers by 2024, so they have some work to do.
NOW, IN THINGS THAT ARE RIDICULOUS
Cowboys RB Elliot has said he's prepared to sit out all season if he doesn't get a new contract. The fact of the matter is running back is the disposable position in the NFL, but only if your quarterback is any good and honestly Dallas doesn't have that luxury. On Around the Horn the other day, one of the pundits said Dax's QB Rating is 30 points higher out of play action when Zeke is on the field and his completion percentage is 15% higher when Zeke is on the field. That's 1 in 6, so if he's already a 60% QB, then Zeke is off the field because he's holding out, that goes from 4 in 6 to 3 in 6, so while that's a lot of numbers what it really means is more than likely, you're punting on a lot more fourth downs because of incompletes on third down when defenses expect pass and aren't respecting the run, cause Zeke is you know, absent. I'm not a Cowboys fan but even I see his value for this team.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
Antonio Brown sitting out with blisters is hilarious to me, because the Raiders are one week into camp and already a complete mess. It's beautiful.
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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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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