NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Scandals in politics and college sports, plus pot pies
Jun 26, 2019, 5:54 am
NERDS AROUND TOWN
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!
Hey Nerds!
Wednesday, by now your week is starting to take shape and you can visualize all of your successes, right?
This Sunday at 10am, The Texas Brotherhood is asking you to come out and help them raise money for First Responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice and in doing so they promise "a little bike ridin', makin'music, makin' friends, cookin', rafflin', drankin' and eatin'" So that sounds like a fun thing to do. #NerdsUnite
A Congressman representing California in The House of Representatives, Duncan Hunter is at the center of the messiest campaign finance fraud case in recent history. First him and his wife were accused of misusing campaign funds for personal, non-campaign uses like flying a pet bunny around (not an exaggeration) and to essentially finance their lives. News then broke that the wife turned state's evidence against Duncan Hunter and then he made the ultimate classy move of pointing out that she was the Campaign Manager so if something inappropriate did in fact happen (hard turn from "we're innocent") it would have been from her. Now it's come out he used campaign funds to carry on five separate affairs including buying ten beers at a concert, so now his wife is cooperating against him, his bunny takes flights cross country and he's vaped in committee meetings before. Can't wait for the next big twist in this crazy case.
So on Nerd Thug Sports, I regularly discuss how completely corrupt college sports has become. The people who say college sports is "pure competition" are completely delusional. There's nothing pure about a 7-6 Birmingham Dragons playing in the Mountain Dew Papa Johns Hawaii Bowl under a coach who gets paid $6 million dollars while the athletes are playing under year to year one sided agreements for scholarships and if you think there is then your definition of pure is kinda obscure. But don't worry, Oklahoma State is out to prove that there's nothing pure about college sports by hiring the big brother of the number 2 prospect in the country to be an assistant coach. This continues a trend that colleges recently have embraced where even peripherally appropriate hirings are OK including the father of Michael Porter Jr being hired by two separate colleges where eventually each of his kids played. There is no way these colleges can promise the funds being paid to the relative won't go to the player, and obviously there is no way the school cares. This is a blatant bribe to a family and would only be appropriate if the student agreed to not take a scholarship and not play sports for the school. Hiring a brother to a position he's never had before at the collegiate level is a fairly obvious move, isn't it?
KFC recently rolled out their very own 2 for $6 menu in an effort to position themselves against Burger King's 2 for $6? I'm not sure where they came from on this angle, but the other day I decided to go take advantage of it and compare the two. Now the Burger King 2 for $6 is one of my favorite deals in fast food because honestly I don't eat healthy so I try to just eat once a day, it's the deal I make with myself to limit my fat unhealthy caloric intake to human levels. Anyway the whopper is one of the bigger burgers in the market and the grilled chicken sandwich is delicious so it's a great deal to me, now on to KFC. The pot pie and the chicken strip sandwich are the ones I went with, the pot pie was awesome and the sandwich is a good value, overall it isn't as good as the Burger King 2 for $6 but man, that Pot Pie is awesome and I had forgotten that little fact. I'm getting hungry thinking about it right now.
So I'm a freelance writer, it's something that I think has come up here once or twice *AHEM I'M FOR HIRE AHEM* and so there are other things I do to try and keep putting cash in the bag, you know? One of them is selling shirts at Side Hustle T's an etsy store I set up. Etsy about a month ago sent me a message stating that in all of their research they've found "free shipping" to be an incentive customers really enjoy so they recommend I do it. Here's the thing, shipping costs differ around the country so I charge a flat fee and just roll with it, well Etsy saw that and recommended I raise my prices by that flat fee. How is that good for my customers? Free shipping means not paying for shipping, so if I raise my prices to cover shipping how is it free? It's just a hidden cost at that point, nothing free about it. My first question is, is this legal? Don't stores get busted for offering sales prices after they raise prices? Anyway, I raised my prices $3.50 and now there's free shipping, considering I was charging $5 for shipping, I feel like this is more fair than what Etsy was saying to do.
Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House 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.
Miami (6-7) at Houston (8-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM Odds: Texans by 3.
Against the spread: Dolphins 5-8; Texans 5-6-2.
Series record: Texans lead 8-3.
Last meeting: Dolphins beat Texans 30-15, on Nov. 27, 2022, in Miami.
Last week: Dolphins beat Jets 32-26 in OT; Texans were off, beat Jaguars 23-20 on Dec. 1.
Dolphins offense: overall (19), rush (24), pass (14), scoring (23).
Dolphins defense: overall (9), rush (7), pass (11), scoring (T14).
Texans offense: overall (18), rush (16), pass (17), scoring (11).
Texans defense: overall (5), rush (10), pass (7), scoring (T12).
Turnover differential: Dolphins minus-2; Texans plus-10.
QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at throwing with anticipation and accuracy since he returned from a concussion in Week 8. Tagovailoa leads the NFL with a 73.8% completion rate and threw for 300 yards for the third straight game last week vs. the Jets. Tagovailoa is the first player in NFL history to have at least 40 pass attempts, multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions in three consecutive games within a single season.
QB C.J. Stroud has thrown for at least 225 yards in each of his six home games this season and is 11-4 in 15 starts in Houston, including the playoffs. He has thrown for 3,117 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions this season.
Houston RB Joe Mixon vs. Miami’s run defense. Mixon ran for 101 yards in Houston’s previous game for his seventh 100-yard game this season. He ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game. This week he’ll face a run defense that ranks seventh in the NFL by holding teams to 105.6 yards a game.
Miami LT Terron Armstead is dealing with a knee injury that limited him to just five snaps last week. He did not practice Wednesday… LBs Bradley Chubb (knee) and Cameron Goode (knee) could make their season debut, depending on how this week of practice goes, coach Mike McDaniel said. … WRs Tyreek Hill (wrist) and Jaylen Waddle (hamstring), RB Raheem Mostert (hip), and LB Anthony Walker Jr. (hamstring) were among those limited in practice Wednesday. … Houston S Jalen Pitre is expected to miss a second straight game with a shoulder injury. … DE Denico Autry was limited in practice Wednesday because of a knee injury.
Houston won the first seven meetings in this series. … Miami didn’t get its first win against the Texans until a 44-26 victory in 2015. … The Dolphins have won the past two meetings. … These teams first met in the season opener in 2003 when Houston got a 21-20 win on a late field goal.
Three of Miami’s final four games of the season are on the road. … K Jason Sanders needs 13 points Sunday to reach 800. He also needs one field goal to reach 177, which would give him the second-most field goals made in franchise history. … TE Jonnu Smith needs 100 yards receiving to reach 792 and set a franchise record for most yards receiving by a tight end in a single season. Smith had three catches for 44 yards, including the game-winning TD vs. the Jets last week after having no receptions during regulation. … Tagovailoa needs a completion rate of 70% or better on Sunday to reach eight consecutive games completing at least 70% of his passes. That would tie him with Joe Montana (1989) and Drew Brees (2017-18) for the longest streak in NFL history. … The Dolphins gave up a season-high 402 yards to the Jets last week. Aaron Rodgers burned Miami’s pass defense for 319 yards, and Miami’s secondary allowed a combined 223 yards by Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams. … Houston can clinch the AFC South title for the second straight year with a win and a loss by Indianapolis Sunday. … The Texans rank second in the NFL with 84 tackles for loss. … Their 42 sacks also rank second. … WR Nico Collins had eight receptions for 119 yards for his fourth 100-yard game this season in Houston’s previous game. He has had at least 75 yards receiving and a TD reception in each of his four home games this season. … TE Dalton Schultz had five receptions for 61 yards and a score in Week 13. He has had at least five catches in two of his past three games. … LB Azeez Al-Shaai will serve the first game of a three-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of QB Trevor Lawrence Sunday. … DE Danielle Hunter is one of two players in the NFL this season with at least 15 tackles for loss (15) and 10 sacks (10 1/2). It’s his sixth career season with at least 10 sacks. He has eight tackles for loss and five sacks combined in his past three games. … DE Will Anderson has had a sack in his past two home games. … LB Henry To’oTo’o has had at least five tackles in four straight games. … CB Derek Stingley had his third interception of the season in his previous game. … CB Kamari Lassiter had a career-high eight tackles, including a tackle for loss in Week 13. … S Jimmie Ward has had an interception in his past two home games. He also had an interception in his previous game against Miami in 2022 while with San Francisco.
Collins has 456 yards receiving and four touchdown receptions in four home games this season.