NERD AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Super heroes on TV, Sonic chicken clubs and Chris Rock
May 15, 2019, 6:39 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!
Here comes Wednesday, which means the weekend is right over the horizon. You got this!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
Here's the long and short of it. Exit 73, this Sunday at noon. My buddy has cancer and it's a benefit to help him and his family deal with all the costs. It's a sad state of affairs when being sick can ruin you if you survive. He has a wife and three daughters, they're great people, they could use some help. #NerdsUnite
HAVE YOU TRIED THESE?
Sonic just debuted a new King's Hawaiian Chicken Club Sandwich and it's awesome. I'm big on chicken sandwiches in general anyway and this is one of the better ones. Obviously the bread is awesome that's sort of the point of this one right, using King's Hawaiian bread. Well it works, it's delicious and I recommend more people eat it. The other part of this one is the sauce, it's got one of the better sauces that a fast food has put on a sandwich in awhile, it's a Sonic Signature Sauce so I have no idea what it is but it's a tastier rip off of the big mac sauce meets honey mustard I think. Either way, it's awesome.
THE RETURN OF FARGO
So I might be the only one who still loves this show, but I freaking love this show. I thought every season of it has been great and I can't wait to see what's to come next. The new season is said to have Chris Rock as the head of one of two families that trade sons to keep the peace between two crime families, then enters the mob. Every season has kind of been about these smaller criminal organizations that rule their world like a king but then a real organization comes in and changes everything. How long can you hold power in the face of real power? I think that's what it all comes down to.
THE LANDSCAPE OF COMIC BOOK TV
The world of television is changing, a few years back there were tons of comic book television shows building up on the horizon and little by little they came and went and now on the horizon there are maybe only about a third as many comic book shows. I think that's ok, actually that may be great because it means we've passed the "fad" phase of programming, there were probably a few shows that got picked up and made simply because they were comic book shows. Not that they were great and would help a television line up but just because "everyone loves comic books." That's now no longer the case it looks like and I think it's great.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
Yesterday they announced they're lining up a major relaunch of the X-Men line of comics. The comparisons and the conversations are this is the next big chapter in the history of X-Men. Jonathan Hickman is coming back to Marvel to write it and it seems like he's going to be the lead architect behind all of it. He was the shaper of the whole massive Fantastic Four story that ended in Secret Wars, with Dr Doom realizing Reed Richards is truly the better man, it was a great run. Brian Michael Bendis seems to have started this trend by jumping to DC and basically being given a whole line of youth oriented comics to relaunch Young Justice with and it seems like Hickman has the same control over the X Men stable for the near future. I'm excited for the X-Men having an organization wide plan with one cohesive story and plot built into it with one guy leading the world of the mutants, I think it's what's been missing here lately from a lot of the lines at the big companies, cohesion without events, I hope it works.
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 or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's 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.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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