NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Texans, NFL season questions and Terminator
Sep 3, 2019, 5:58 am
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!
Tuesday on a short week? Let's do this! Tuesday on a short week? Let's do this!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
Another week, another mass shooting last week. What are we doing? Give blood, hug your loved ones, be careful.
MAYBE? MAYBE NOT?
So this pre-season ended with a bang for the Texans who scrambled to replace the injured Lamar Miller, add to the offense with another receiver, add to the woefully bad line with another lineman, move the now unhappy Clowney and replace his lost production with more guys in the LB corp. They managed to do all of that on Saturday which does make up slightly for getting outmaneuvered by the Patriots on Thursday. The trade for Clowney wasn't great but we weren't going to get a lot for a guy on a one-year deal. I'm excited to see what Stills can add to our offense, having a third legit weapon takes some of the pressure off the running game and in turn Watson. This is the third season which is make or break territory for most quarterbacks in the NFL and for the first time in recent Texans memory they are at least addressing the roster in such a way that we aren't just trotting out who we drafted and saying "best of luck."
BIG QUESTIONS THIS YEAR
The NFL season kicks off this year and there are lots of big questions that will be answered. The Colts just extended Jacoby Brissett two more years for $30 million, $20 of which is guaranteed. This is odd because he was on a one year deal, and now they're committing money and time to the backup QB. Leveon Bell coming to the Jets, was he the talent or were the Steelers that good? Here in Houston, we are running a franchise without a GM, the only franchise without one, are we smart or are we dumb? I feel like I know the answer but we'll see. The Browns? Are they for real? Is Andy Dalton done in Cincinnati, who hasn't had a winning season since 2015. This season will tell several player's tales.
AM I CRAZY?
I've seen a few trailers for the new Terminator movie and it actually looks really good. I know how weird it is to think that they are going to make a good Terminator but it turns out they actually might be. Once you get over the idea of a robot aging, and you accept that because of all the other movies Judgement Day has been pushed back several times, then you get to an interesting place. One where the story is exciting and there's a new girl in the role of mother to the rebellion, but this time she's a Hispanic immigrant. Cue the angry MAGA hats and anti-SJW types who were mad that Captain Marvel was a woman. Either way, the movie looks better than the last two.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
In Ohio at a high school football game, the referees ended the game early after a player headbutted the ref. The team was being called for their 12th penalty in the half and a player went right to the head umpire, took off his helmet and headbutted him. The game was called early and the other team awarded the victory. The school involved, Dayton Dunbar is already under probation for a previous incident and the basketball team is banned from competitive play. This is not the kind of program colleges will recruit from or is giving the kids involved the right opportunity. For heaven's sake, who is running the athletics program.
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.
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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