NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: The Mandalorian, trouble in Mexico City and X-Men updates
Dec 3, 2019, 8:16 am
NERDS AROUND TOWN
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!
For the next two weeks I'm going to be pointing to the charity called "Let's Bring 'Em Home." They buy plane tickets for active duty enlisted guys and fly them home for the holidays. On December 13th, Nerd Thug Radio and The Adventure Begins will be teaming up and holding the Nerd Thug Takeover to benefit this wonderful organization. Starting at 6pm, proceeds from sales will be going to this 501c registered charity and will be helping to try and bring some enlisted people home for the holidays so they can see their families.
There may already be trouble in X-Paradise, part of the massive X-Men relaunch has been the new titles with new line ups and new directions. They're already putting one book on hiatus after only two issues and they're bringing more down the way. It's obvious that they haven't found the right line up yet and they're still struggling to find the right mix. Fallen Angels is going to go on a break and Wolverine comes out now at a larger page count, they are also previewing a new book with the most "dysfunctional lineup" ever. I'm not filled with confidence.
There's a massive tour going around and the other day they were in Mexico City and the show was cancelled after barricades were damaged and the bands Slipknot and Evanescence hadn't played their sets yet. Some members of the 50,000 strong crowd decided to storm the stage and destroy everything they could get their hands on, which included Evanescence's band gear. They literally watched their gear burn up, that is not how Mexico City should party. Evanescence has been cool about it but bands may want to start renting gear when they play Knotfest.
Suddenly there's unhappy nerds with the fourth episode of The Mandalorian. After three episodes of happy nerds in the world of Star Wars, suddenly there's an episode they don't like. It happens to be the episode with a ton of action and an AT-ST walker tank. Who the heck is complaining about this episode and why? Well it turns out, because women help and are bad ass in this episode. Yeah Gina Carano of MMA fame is featured in this episode as shock trooper on the run from her past, and people are mad that she's tough. This is such a joke. Just the casting alone should have been a hint that a character is capable of some serious damage, but then she and the Mandalorian both are on the same page throughout the episode so she's basically set up as a high level mercenary or experienced mercenary of some serious degree so if we've accepted The Mandalorian as an awesome mercenary without any backstory then why are we asking for her backstory before we decide she's awesome too?
So in the buildup to Christmas I'm enjoying the access to the entire Marvel catalog and rewatching all of the movies (minus the Hulk and the two Spider-Mans) in chronological order so I started with Captain America. I think of all the intro movies this has held up maybe the best or second best (behind Iron Man). To see young Steve Rogers again, knowing how this all ends and to see the dynamic of the love lost knowing they find each other at the end of Endgame, it makes this movie and the whole story arc for Cap and Agent Carter sweet.
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.
The Astros’ latest showdown with the Yankees was more than another chapter in baseball’s best modern rivalry, it was a measuring stick for where Houston stands heading into the stretch run.
At the plate, it’s hard to ask for much more from Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve. Correa hasn’t just been good since rejoining the team, he’s been absurd, hitting over .400 with an OPS pushing 1.100. Altuve keeps stacking milestone moments, and Christian Walker’s bat has been a steady force as well. The collective numbers tell a similar story: since the trade deadline, Houston ranks eighth in OPS and fifth in batting average. And yet, the run total still sits right where it’s been most of the year, squarely in the middle of the pack at 16th. The pieces are there, but the offense hasn’t fully exploded.
The more pressing concern, though, is on the mound. What was an elite pitching staff for most of the season has been much more ordinary lately — 13th in ERA and 15th in WHIP over the past month, with similar August rankings. Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, and Spencer Arrighetti are still working their way back to full strength, and until they do, the bullpen is carrying more innings than Joe Espada would like. That’s a dangerous formula when one of your key arms, in this case Javier, is coming back with control issues. In three rehab starts for Sugar Land, he walked 10 batters in just 9.2 innings, so don’t expect him to go much beyond 3–4 innings in his first start back Monday night against Boston. (I hope I'm wrong).
Complicating matters: the Mariners aren’t just lurking, they’re surging. Seven straight wins, nine of their last ten, and now only a half-game back of Houston. This AL West race has all the makings of a sprint to the finish, and the final series between the two teams could decide it.
If the Astros do hang on, Joe Espada should get plenty of credit, maybe even Manager of the Year. He’s managed through a roster crunch that once saw 18 players on the injured list, navigated the post-Alex Bregman and post-Kyle Tucker transition, and still found ways to develop young talent like Cam Smith. That’s a rare balancing act in any season, let alone one with this much turbulence. Oh yeah, he's also missing that Yordan Alvarez guy for most of the season.
Monday night fireworks!
Javier and Bregman returning is big, but seeing Correa back in Astros colors might be the real showstopper. In orange and blue, he looks like he never left—and maybe even more dangerous than before. Jim Crane’s bold deadline push has only added to the firepower, and no one might benefit more than Jose Altuve.
There's so much more to get to! 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 on Thursday!
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