NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: The 100, Cobie Smulders and Netflix making changes
Sep 4, 2019, 7:06 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!
Look at that, we're already half way there!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
With Hurricane Dorian going strong, and the first images coming in from the Bahamas, its important to be donating to the Red Cross and other aid agencies around the country. These guys are going to need it.
NETFLIX IS CRAZY
Netflix has announced it's going to start moving away from binge releasing it's shows. It wants to try a weekly release format and see what the results of that are. Overall I think this is a mistake, because if they had stayed with the binge watch format they would be basically the only one doing that, giving them a distinct advantage and differentiator from the other services. Part of what's coming next is who offers what, and what features and libraries they have. I personally think it's a mistake because making the shows bingeable lets the writers of the shows develop stories and have arcs and episodes that don't necessarily "drive" the plot. If they move to a weekly release format, I'm not sure they'll be as rewarding overall.
OLD SHOWS MAKING A COMEBACK
Right now I'm watching The 100 for the first time, it's ok but it's fun to find new things to watch and get into. This is one of those shows that maybe I've should have been watching when it started but I totally missed out on and now I'm picking up. One of those that people may not know about is Steven Universe, a great animated series that just released a movie on Cartoon Network, lots of big name RB stars and other stars are involved in the project and there's tons of great characters and music in it.
IMPRESSIVE
It's really impressive that somehow Netflix was able to secretly film a Breaking Bad sequel starring Aaron Paul. No one knew it was happening? No one knew it was coming, nothing had leaked and I keep an eye on all the good rumor websites. Filming a secret movie for such a popular franchise is super impressive and deserving of recognition, so I'll say it. Great job Netflix!! Now here's hoping it doesn't suck.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
The show Stumptown looks great, I'm really excited for it to come out. Cobie Smulders seems great in it and I'm starting to really enjoy her in roles. After a great run as Maria Hill, which I'm guessing she's coming back to in the near future, she was also great in the Jack Reacher sequel and really nailed the action parts. I'm looking forward to seeing her in this role next and hopefully it's as good as these others have been.
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.
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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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