NERDS AROUND TOWN

Nerds Around Town: Team USA, Kawhi and Westbrook

Nerds Around Town: Team USA, Kawhi and Westbrook
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!

Welcome to Monday, this week is going to be a great one because we're going to make it that way, right? Set it up and knock it down!

GOOD DEED OF THE DAY

This Saturday, from 3pm to 11pm the Stixx and Stonez Cigar Society is throwing a huge party slash donation drive, asking everyone to bring socks, washing powder and toiletries for donation at the Stixx and Stonez Sundresses and Summershirts Day Party. Check out the info, it looks like it's going to be awesome.

CONGRATS TO TEAM USA

First of all, congrats to Team USA for winning a record breaking fourth Women's World Cup. This is the kind of thing that should be celebrated at all levels by all Americans. This team was incredibly deep, incredibly talented and incredibly confident bordering on arrogant. They had the misfortune of playing France in Paris and survived, eliminating a host country in a World Cup is already one of the hardest things in sports and USA handled it with ease. Megan Repino has been fantastic as a leader who puts her money where her mouth is and scored so many clutch goals for this team and took so much of the pressure off the team and onto her own back. There has been some blowback on this team though with people mentioning the pay being unfair and making comments, internet sensation Nicole Arbour trying to say fan money should determine the pay for the Women's team. The reason that's a grossly inaccurate take is simply this, the Women's team is run by Team USA and even though the women's team beats the Men's team in ratings, attendance and probably sales of merchandise, they get paid less, get booked in worse stadiums and don't receive the same perks as far as travel and accommodations go. It is truly a pay disparity that warrants discussion, because while one team has won four world cups, the other didn't even qualify for the last World Cup.

THE KAWHI HAS LANDED

So did anyone see The Clippers coming? Anyone? I know I didn't, I'll cop to that in a heartbeat. So keeping their core roster intact and getting two max contract players is impressive, however I don't think this team is all that well positioned in a crowded West. Portland and Houston were already really good teams, the Lakers while adding Anthony Davis were a roster in progress and Utah added a great point guard to what was a quality roster and Dallas may be on the rise leaving The Clippers somewhere around the fifth or sixth best team in the West? Also Paul George isn't the guy everyone thinks he is, his metrics are all great. But when he matches up against quality guys like Dame Lillard, he gets beat. When there's a game 7 he scores ZERO points in three quarters, he's a shrinking violet in my estimation and I don't know that this team is going to be as successful as the roster indicates which after giving up all those picks to get him is exactly the kind of news they don't want to get because as presently constructed this is the roster.

RUSSELL WESTBROOK TO HOUSTON?

So yesterday afternoon the news broke that the Rockets were heavily pursuing a trade for Russell Westbrook, while keeping Chris Paul, meaning the team would basically be Harden, Paul, Westbrook and some people. Honestly, I say go for it. The reason I think this is a good move for the Rockets is because no one is going to bail us out of the Chris Paul deal, no one. So if we have Chris Paul for the next three years then this is the window, load up as best as you can and just maximize your opportunity in what is still a wide open Western Conference. No team got that vaunted third star on their roster and Toronto proved you don't need two stars even to win a championship if the roster is deep enough and theirs obviously was, so literally anyone in the West can win this year, why not try and be the best team in the West and go from there.

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

I told you guys the NBA free agency was one of the most exciting in sports, I hope you believed me.

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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A new era begins. Composite image by Jack Brame.

Alex Bregman couldn’t hold back the smile when he was asked who might have had the biggest impact on his decision to sign with the Boston Red Sox.

“My favorite player Dustin Pedroia,” Bregman said of the club's former second baseman and two-time World Series champion.

“He reached out a few times this offseason and talked about how special it was to be a part of the Boston Red Sox,” Bregman said Sunday. “It was really cool to be able to talk to him as well as so many other former players here in Boston and current players on the team as well.”

A day after Bregman's $120 million, three-year contract was announced, he sat at a 25-minute news conference between his agent, Scott Boras, and Boston Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow. Manager Alex Cora, who gave Bregman a hug after he handed the infielder his No. 2 jersey, also was at the table along with team president Sam Kennedy.

Breslow and Cora wouldn't say whether Bregman would move to play second base, Pedroia's position, or remain at third — a position manned by Rafael Devers since July 2017.

A few players, Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder among them, and coaches stood behind the seated reporters to listen.

Bregman gets a $5 million signing bonus, a $35 million salary this season and $40 million in each of the following two years, with some of the money deferred, and he can opt out after the 2025 and 2026 seasons to become a free agent again.

Asked why he agreed to the shorter contract with opt outs, he leaned forward to the microphone in front of him and replied: “I just think I believe in my abilities.”

Originally selected by Boston in the 29th round of the 2012 amateur draft, Bregman attended LSU before the Houston Astros picked him second overall in 2015. His family history with the Red Sox goes back further.

“My dad grew up sitting on Ted Williams’ lap,” he said.

MLB.com said Stan Bregman, the player's grandfather, was a lawyer who represented the Washington Senators and negotiated Williams' deal to become manager.

Boston has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and had avoided signing the highest-profile free agents. Boras said a conversation with Red Sox controlling owner John Henry showed ownership’s desire to get back to winning.

“I think it was after Soto signed,’’ Boras said, citing the record contract he negotiated for Juan Soto with the Mets. “We had a discussion. I could tell knowing John back with the Marlins and such, he had a real onus about ‘we need to do things differently than what we’ve done before.’

“This is a point and time where I believe Red Sox ownership was hungry for championship play and exhausted with what had happened the last five, six years.”

Called the “perfect fit” by Breslow, the 30-year-old Bregman joined the Red Sox after winning two World Series titles and reaching the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons with Houston.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the playoffs the first eight years of my career, and I plan on continuing to do that here,” he said in his opening remarks. “I’m a winning player and this is a winning organization.”

Coming off an 81-81 season, the Red Sox acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox and signed fellow pitchers Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson during the offseason.

After the pitching moves, they found a right-handed bat, too.

“As the offseason progressed it just became clearer and clearer that Alex was the perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish,” Breslow said.

Bregman ranks first among players with at least 75 career plate appearances in Fenway Park with an OPS of 1.240.

“He fits like a glove for our organization,” Kennedy said.

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