NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Stephen A Smith, Walking Dead and Hell freezing over
Jul 2, 2019, 6:42 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!
Hey Nerds!
Hey Tuesday, I didn't see you standing there, that's cool. Let's do this!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
This week is the Fourth of July, which is a federal holiday, not because the fed rocks! But because this date is literally the date that matters in the formation of our country. This is the most important date on a calendar in American history. So let's not waste it being selfish and foolish, let's focus on things that matter and be good people and good citizens. #NerdsUnite
THE DEATH OF A LEGEND
One of the most impressive and important stories in modern comic books, The Walking Dead has let it slip that this Wednesday the series ends with a monster 70+ page book at issue #193. I'm not sure how it ends, I honestly haven't been reading it for a little while, but what Robert Kirkman did was nothing short of amazing. He took an indy black and white comic book at a time when Image Comics and comic books as a whole were struggling and struck a chord that no one was ready for. The timing was amazing as over the next couple of years the zombie craze grew and grew and eventually there was a television series made from this little book that never quit. I remember I found out about this book and bought the first trade and issue #7 and bought every monthly issue for about two years, those 24 books were worth over $300 when I sold them a few years later. It was crazy how big the hype got for this series. Hats off and congrats to Robert Kirkman and company for The Walking Dead.
STEPHEN A SMITH
So I enjoy watching most of the sports shows, but I can never really get into Stephen A Smith. He is just too over the top and then Max Kellerman always says the craziest stuff, I just can't get into those guys. That being said there was nothing more entertaining than watching him be so humiliated and frustrated with The Knicks on television yesterday. All reports were that they didn't even offer Kevin Durant a maximum contract, which is just foolish. Of course you offer Kevin Durant a max contract, you offer him everything until he proves he's not one of the best players in the world. For them and the Clippers to be left holding all this cap space and having no one who even wants their money, is pretty telling of the NBA and how the players view those two franchises. There was a time a few years back where the Clippers were supposed to be the dark horse pick to win the Western Conference and now their big news is the resigning of Patrick Beverly. That is not earth shattering. The Knicks went out and got a bunch of guys on limited contracts to fill out a roster that honestly no one will be excited about, and their fans are devastated. Finally some good television.
IS HELL FREEZING OVER
Apparently over the weekend three feet of hail fell on Guadalajara, Mexico? This is a crazy story especially considering two key ingredients. Number 1, it was June 30th in Mexico at the time and Number 2, it was Mexico in the summer at the time. I know you think those are the same fact just re explained, you're right it is, but that's how important that fact is. There is literally no reasonable way to examine that situation and not be concerned that maybe there are some weird things happening and we may want to check with our local climate scientist, and soon.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
Jason Aaron's War of the Realms is coming to a close soon at Marvel and all the tie in and stories are wrapping up, however there have been hints dropped of more events coming down the road. I honestly hope that's wrong. I don't know that we need to keep doing event after event after event, it's crazy to me. I'm worried how much more customers will want to buy before they start to wander to other companies and lines, which is great for indy creator for me but bad for the me who wants to one day write X Men.
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.
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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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