NERDS AROUND TOWN

NHRA, Double Dare and Kickstarter

NHRA, Double Dare and Kickstarter
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!

This week is just flying by and we're already to Wednesday; this is where we decide between finishing the week strong and phoning it in. We got this.

GOOD DEED OF THE DAY

The Epilepsy Foundation is hosting a Walk to End Epilepsy with the Houston Zoo. It's Saturday April 13th at 7am with registration at the front gate of the Houston Zoo. They're promising 95% of proceeds will be donated and this whole event will be held at zero cost to the community, that's awesome. This is one of those cool things where your money and your time are both going to a great cause plus you get to hang out with llamas and rhinos and superheroes, woop!

CHEATERS NEVER PROSPER

For a very long time, it's felt like there are two sets of rules, rules for the wealthy and the rules for everyone else. That hasn't changed necessarily but I feel like it's eroding a little bit. The recent college admissions scandal is still in the news, because many of the parents are trying to fight the charges, with a lawyer for one defendant calling the case deeply flawed. Overall most people have given a pass to the kids, saying they probably didn't know and if they did know did they realize it was a crime, but I actually think this is even more ridiculous. One of the children of Lori Loughlin admitted recently she never even filled out an application to get into USC, how did she think this works? That's crazy talk, didn't even fill out an application? I spent the better part of my senior year of high school filling out those damn things. Anyway new charges have been filed against anyone who hasn't already pled guilty including money laundering and now Aunt Becky might get as much as 40 years in federal prison. Also if you're keeping score at home, one of the families involved were the creators of the Hot Pocket, so this will be their second crime against humanity.

FAST CARS

One thing going on this weekend is the NHRA Spring Nationals, they'll be out in Baytown at the Houston Raceway Park. The NHRA is a nearly year long competitive series of races with various levels of events, Nationals are one of the highest levels, so all kinds of categories of racers will be out and about, rocking and rolling this weekend. The tickets are reasonable, the stakes are high and the machines are loud, this is exactly the kind of thing you should want to be involved in. Michael Jordan used to sponsor a motorcycle team in this series, there are cars that run on alcohol, I mean this is where all of the things that are made to go, go really fast. Also check out my buddy Austin Ford, he should be out there doing his thing all weekend, you've probably heard him on 94.5 the Buzz in advance of the races, the Rod Ryan Show has been a sponsor of his car for several events.

DO YOU DOUBLE DARE ME

Tomorrow at the Smart Financial Centre in Sugarland they are doing a live version of childhood's favorite show, "Double Dare." If you've forgotten, host Marc Summers would do rounds of trivia and then you had to do physical challenges where there was a flag somewhere and you had to jump in pools of slime or ride up giant pancakes or jump inside of a giant hamburger to find the flag within a limited amount of time. People were always covered in goo by the end of the show and Marc Summers was famously OCD, so this show must have been a real treat for him to make. I'm not sure what is causing the relaunch here but on many levels, I'm pumped.

THE GOOD KIND OF DEAD BEATS

This is one of the coolest kickstarters in a while, it's a horror themed anthology centered around music. It's called Dead Beats, this 160 page anthology has 20 stories from up and coming creators using the story telling device of weird and haunted oddities sold in the music shop. There's some really great names attached to this project including Vita Ayala, Mags Visaggio and others. The project just launched and it's already doing great so there isn't much doubt that the project will make but honestly this is one where you're signing up in order to get it, not to help it make, this is going to be an exciting project, get pumped.

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

So one element that makes the kickstarter I just talked about so exciting is that one of the creators involved is twitter friend Renfamous, she has long been an activist active against a particular group of people calling themselves Comicsgaters. They're a conservative group of comic book fans who dislike what they call the current state of comic books being an inclusive minded media element. They feel like female heroes and heroes of color are ruining what they believe was a great form of entertainment back in the day. There's one huge problem with this mindset, it's wrong, The X-Men told the story of being a minority in a society that wasn't open to them. Stan Lee was the proud creator of Black Panther who was a king, a scientist and a badass. The Falcon was his own hero with his own agenda who also helped Captain America when he needed it. The other issue that has arisen out of Comicsgate is hate speech and misogynistic language which is where Renfamous comes in, she's been on a crusade speaking out against them and reporting them regularly to twitter to deplatform their hate speech.

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 every shirt is now under $20 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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Cam Smith continues to swing a hot bat! Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros wrapped up yet another series win this week, this time taking two of three from the struggling Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Despite missing several key players and a bullpen that wasn’t fully available, the Astros continued their recent run of success, pushing their record to 52-35.

Manager Joe Espada appeared to be playing the long game in the rubber match on Thursday. After Houston rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning, Espada stuck with reliever Jordan Weems instead of turning to his high-leverage arms. That decision, while frustrating to some fans hoping for the sweep, underscored the team’s cautious approach to workload management as they navigate a long season.

One bright spot continues to be rookie Cam Smith, who delivered again in the clutch with a two-run triple in the seventh inning on Thursday. Smith has been Houston’s most dependable bat with runners on base and is quickly settling into the cleanup role—a rarity for a first-year player but one he’s earned with his poise and production.

 

Off the field, the biggest storyline continues to be Yordan Alvarez’s injury. After reports surfaced that the slugger had experienced a setback in his return from a fractured hand, the team clarified that the issue is inflammation, not the fracture itself. Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez received injections to address the irritation and is expected to rest for now. Encouragingly, the Astros say the fracture is no longer a concern, and while there’s still no definitive timeline for his return, the overall tone from the club was optimistic.

The transparency around Alvarez’s situation is part of a larger shift. After being criticized in recent seasons for vague injury updates, the Astros have begun issuing daily availability reports. It’s a move that signals the front office is trying to regain some trust with the media and fans after a stretch of frustrating ambiguity around player health.

Now, the Astros head to Los Angeles for a marquee matchup with the defending champion Dodgers. Friday’s opener will feature Lance McCullers Jr. making just his second start since returning from the injured list. McCullers gave up eight runs in his return against the Cubs and will be under the spotlight as he looks to settle back into form. Control will be the key, as walks have long been McCullers’ Achilles’ heel.

Saturday sets the stage for one of the most anticipated pitching matchups of the season: Framber Valdez versus Shohei Ohtani. With both teams fighting for positioning in their respective divisions, this weekend in LA should serve as a measuring stick—and perhaps a postseason preview.

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 now on Thursday.

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*ChatGPT assisted.

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