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!
Friday has arrived and it is glorious! The weekend is upon us and for those weekend worshippers, this is their moment.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
I keep hammering this over your head, but today is the last day I'm going to talk about it because it's tomorrow! So stretch it out, get limber and loose and then go run for the good of Memorial Park. The 2019 Brunch Run presented by Green Mountain Energy benefiting The Memorial Park Conservancy is April 6th at 8am and proceeds go towards the parks conservatorship in order to help keep the park looking nice and lovely. So have fun helping the city this weekend and then, party on!
WHO ME?
This weekend is a busy one for me, Nerd Thug Radio will be up there at Cox ATA hosting a tournament on Saturday and we'll be doing interviews and hanging out all day so if you're in Conroe and want to see what all the fuss is about come see us. Martial arts is good for kids and helps keep adults in great shape, overall it's a positive thing in someone's life if you're interested in learning a new skill or hobby, this is perfect. Also there will be quite a few nationally ranked martial artists there hanging out and competing. Sunday is of course WrestleMania, it's the big one guys, and I'm fairly pumped for this one and it's going to be a rather long affair. So in the words of one Ric Flair, Woooo!
WHILE YOU'RE RUNNING AROUND
Make sure to come around your local comic book shop and check out the books on the racks. Uncanny X Men #15 is up on the shelves and the return of the X-Men continues, the world is mad at mutants after a powerful mutant had again changed the world and the X-Men were scattered around the world, but Cyclops is back and so is Wolverine and the world needs X-Men. Also out this week is Young Justice #4, the kids of the DC Universe have found their place in the world, and it's together. Brian Michael Bendis continues being the most important writer in comic books as Young Justice returns! Image Comics' Die #5, this is a crazy premise, a group of kids who used to play a Dungeons and Dragons type game when they were kids got sucked into the game and went on a crazy quest. They returned to the real world and then went about their lives, now years later they're reunited and they have to go back into the game. That's crazy.
OPENING WEEKEND
Last year was so close, and the year before had been so amazing, the Houston Astros are back and they are beginning the quest to take back the World Series Championship. With the previous season not finishing how we thought it would, there were injuries to deal with and the city held its breath after we still made the playoffs and even through the wild card round but there the journey ended. This year we have extended MVP candidate Alex Bregman's contract, tearing up the last few years of his rookie control and in return we have him under control for several more years at a fair market price of $100 million dollars. The moves that have been made all extend the championship window and while we've lost a little bit of fire power from the rotation and the bullpen, the hope is still high that we've got another championship run in us.
THIS IS FUNNY
In what is surely a bit of irony, although it's entirely possible that I don't know what irony means, NASA Space Center is airing 2001: A Space Odyssey on their IMAX screen. Come on, that's funny I think, but maybe that's just me. Anyway, it's only $8 bucks and it's a really funny bit that they're doing. If you have free time this Friday, and you're not in a baseball state of mind, then come visit HAL and go on a tour of the majestic space village.
EVEN THOUGH NOBODY ASKED ME
This weekend is WrestleMania and one of my favorite people John Oliver rattled the cage this week by pointing out the delicate labor imbalance that WWE has long profited from. The wrestlers aren't technically employees, they are contract labor seemingly in direct violation of labor laws because they don't fit any of the categories that contract labor is designed to fill. Also they aren't getting insurance or any of the other appropriate federal mandates for employees, other than catastrophic in ring injury the wrestlers really aren't protected at all. Now before we roll our eyes and say so what, they're on TV they're rich. Yeah some of them are, but most of them aren't rich. Even the NFL takes better care of their players than the WWE which is kind of a low bar. The AAF just closed up shop and left players with hotel bills and no means to get home, these organizations set out to grossly profit from the work of these labor forces, but they aren't doing enough to take care of the players or wrestlers.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Friday and remind everyone to be kind to each other and try a little harder to have a great day! I'm coming back Monday 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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Coming off a 10-win regular season and an appearance in the divisional round of the playoffs, expectations are high for the Houston Texans in 2024.
However, coach DeMeco Ryans is only concerned with what is happening inside the team.
“We have a lot of room for improvement, and my expectations and what I expect to see from everyone is just get a little better each day,” Ryans said. “If we get a little bit better each day, we'll be exactly where we want to be.”
The day before starting his second training camp as Texans head coach, Ryans told his players they should expect more from themselves than anyone else.
“Nobody on the outside is going to have a bigger expectation than on the inside of the building,” defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. “Right now, our expectation is just building that building, building a tall building."
After combining for just 11 wins from 2020-2022, Houston surprised many to win the AFC South before beating the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round. The Texans likely won’t catch anyone by surprise this season.
“It’s gonna be harder,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “We have a target on our back this year, and that’s how you should want it.”
The emergence of Stroud is a big reason why so much is expected of the Texans in 2024. The second overall pick of the 2023 draft threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns on his way to being the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
“C.J. has done a really good job this offseason, as a leader when it comes to working with other guys,” Ryans said. “Knowing that he’s not just working by himself, but finding the avenues to get a group together and work together. That’s very important, especially when it comes to timing in the passing game.”
The Texans added talent around Stroud over the offseason, acquiring Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs from Buffalo and Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon from Cincinnati before the draft.
Mixon will help a Texans rushing offense that averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, fifth worst in the NFL last season, while Diggs, who has finished with more than 100 catches the past four seasons, joins a passing attack that returns its five leading pass catchers.
“I’ve been watching Diggs for a while,” wide receiver Nico Collins said. “I was in middle school, and he was in Minnesota making plays, so it’s just crazy that he’s part of the squad.”
On the other side of the ball, the Texans signed four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter to a two-year, $49 million contract after a 16 1/2 sack season with the Minnesota Vikings to pair with Anderson, the 2023 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, on the defensive line.
Expectations are lofty for a team that has not advanced to a conference championship game in its 22-year history, but Stroud and his teammates aren’t shying away from those expectations.
“That’s how it should be,” Stroud said. “The person that always doubts himself probably will never make it to that point, so you gotta have confidence and have a goal and a plan and execute that plan.”