THE NERD REPORT

Nerds around town: What next for TV, not legal weed and Rockets

Nerds around town: What next for TV, not legal weed and Rockets
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!

It's Wednesday and we're already cruising through another week. From here we're a hop, skip and a jump from the weekend and maybe going to see Avengers again!

GOOD DEED OF THE DAY

The American Red Cross came to Houston during the hurricane a few years back and they helped out a lot of people. They weren't perfect and there were tons of people who got declined and had to deal with more issues but they also came here and put food in front of a lot of people who didn't have it, clothes on a lot of people who needed them and that's more than some churches *AHEM* did during the hurricane in their own hometown where they take money and resources in the name of a certain lord and savior who was known for turning the other cheek and giving charity and aid for those in need. I'm just saying. #NerdsUnite

ANADARKO BUYOUT

For a little while The Woodlands will be the center of the oilfield world as Anadarko is in the middle of a rather interesting buyout deal. Two competing offers, one from Chevron and one from Occidental, a much smaller oil company than Chevron with Chevron's being smaller in value than Occidental but Anadarko chose to sign a "walk away" agreement where if the deal falls apart Chevron gets a billion dollars in cash. A billion dollars. The deal got even crazier as now Warren Buffett has stepped in and bought a ton of preferred shares with an option to buy more preferred shares at a set price later, injecting even more cash into Occidental to help make this purchase go through. Shareholders of Anadarko have votes to make, for the fate of their shares, then Occidental or Chevron has votes to make to decide to follow through on the purchase or not. We live in interesting times.

WHAT'S NEXT?

With Avengers over, Game of Thrones coming to an end and the Star Wars story ending this December it is time to start looking ahead to what's next? Amazon is gearing up to begin making their Lord of the Rings television series, HBO is working on as many as four prequel shows from the Game of Thrones universe, there are of course going to be more Marvel Universe movies and there will be streaming shows from Disney set in the Star Wars universe, but really, what's next? What will be that next thing that catches fire and becomes the big unexpected hit? This is a real opportunity in the world of Nerds to make the next big thing, find a way to spark America's zeitgeist and steal the pop culture wave again. I'm going to say it's going to get harder and harder to find the next big thing because of streaming services dividing audiences. Shoot me an e-mail and give me your picks, corydlg@gmail.com

IS IT LEGAL YET?

So I saw a headline the other day that basically said the marijuana bill in Texas' Senate is basically dead. What kind of nonsense is this? Are we really going to be the last state to get on board the legalization plan? This is crazy, we can't have casinos but for some reason we can have lotteries, dog tracks and horse racing. Now we're going to hear that in Colorado they brought in almost a billion dollars in tax revenue from pot and we still want to be the guys who go, "naw, we're good."? Are we crazy? We want more money for schools, we want money for roads, we want money for firefighters but we don't want to do the things to bring in more money? How is this going to go exactly? What's the plan?

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

There was a ton of conversation in the build up to Rockets game 2 matchup against Golden State about the referees. I have a few thoughts on this. First of all, if the Rockets have actually put together an accurate report showing that some 70 fouls were missed over the seven game Rockets vs Warriors series then it bears being turned in and discussed before this series. If I'm the Rockets, I want the league to have a talk to the refs before the playoffs and remind them to call fouls equally and fairly and correctly. The two minute reports are destroying the league's credibility, no one in Houston wants to hear that Curry should have been fouled out well before he makes the three pointer that puts the Rockets away, no one. I also would say that complaining to the refs isn't a good idea but then I remember the Dallas Mavericks and Mark Cuban putting together a film package of Yao Ming not being called for his moving picks in 6 games and in game 7 he was in constant foul trouble and Dallas won by double digits because Yao was on the bench. So it's either brilliant or a terrible idea…. It's tough to say.

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 $.50 from every shirt is donated to a good cause or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.

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The Astros addressed a lot of needs in this year's draft. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros entered the 2025 MLB Draft with limited capital but a clear objective: find talent that can help sustain their winning ways without needing a full organizational reboot. With just under $7.2 million in bonus pool money and two forfeited picks, lost when they signed slugger Christian Walker, the Astros needed to be smart, aggressive, and a little bold. They were all three.

 

A swing on star power

 

With the 21st overall pick, Houston selected Xavier Neyens, a powerful left-handed high school bat from Mt. Vernon, Washington. At 6-foot-4, Neyens is raw but loaded with tools, a slugger with plus power and the kind of bat speed that turns heads.

He’s the Astros’ first high school position player taken in the first round in a decade.

If Neyens develops as expected, he could be the next cornerstone in the post-Altuve/Bregman era. Via: MLB.com:

It’s possible we’ll look back at this first round and realize that the Astros got the best power hitter in the class. At times, Neyens has looked like an elite hitter who’d easily get to that pop, and at times the swing-and-miss tendencies concerned scouts, which is why he didn’t end up closer to the top of the first round. He was announced as a shortstop, but his size (6-foot-4) and his arm will profile best at third base.

Their next big swing came in the third round with Ethan Frey, an outfielder/DH from LSU who was one of the most imposing college hitters in the country.

He blasted 13 home runs in the SEC and helped lead the Tigers to a championship.

 

Filling the middle

 

In the fourth round, the Astros grabbed Nick Monistere, an infielder/outfielder out of Southern Miss who won Sun Belt Player of the Year honors.

 

He doesn’t jump off the page with tools, but he rakes, hitting .323 with 21 home runs this past season, and plays with a chip on his shoulder.

They followed that up with Nick Potter, a right-handed reliever from Wichita State. He projects as a fast-moving bullpen piece, already showing a mature approach and a “fastball that was regularly clocked in the upper-90s and touched 100 miles per hour.”

From there, Houston doubled down on pitching depth and versatility. They took Gabel Pentecost, a Division II flamethrower, Jase Mitchell, a high school catcher with upside, and a host of college arms, all in hopes of finding the next Spencer Arrighetti or Hunter Brown.

 

Strategy in motion

 

Missing multiple picks, Houston leaned into two things: ceiling and speed to the majors. Neyens brings the first, Frey and Monistere the second. And as they’ve shown in recent years, the Astros can develop arms with late-round pedigree into major league contributors.

The Astros didn’t walk away with flashy headlines, they weren’t drafting in the top 10. But they leave the 2025 draft with a clear direction: keep the farm alive with bats that can produce and arms that can fill in the gaps, especially with the club managing injuries and an aging core.

If Neyens becomes the slugger they hope, and if Frey or Monistere climbs fast, this draft could be another example of Houston turning limited resources into lasting impact.

You can see the full draft tracker here.


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