NERDS AROUND TOWN
Overwatch and Game of Thrones headline a nerd's weekend
Apr 12, 2019, 8:17 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, Sports and Wrestling. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
Hey Nerds!
Well, we made it, another week in the books. I hope things are going as good for you as they are for me.
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. Just go, just get out there and help them out.
So this weekend I currently have plans to watch some Overwatch matches, as the Houston Outlaws play their first and second match of Stage Two this weekend and I've got a poker night planned. I haven't played poker in forever, I used to be pretty good at it but again, it's been awhile. I wasn't one of those guys who knows the odds from every hand, as someone who came to adulthood during the "everyman" run of World Series of Poker where ESPN was airing these massive tournaments where amateurs were winning the main event every year there was a whole movement of people who basically learned poker that way, that and the movie Rounders. As interesting as it was and as much fun as I had playing growing up, I never really wanted to pursue it much past that because honestly, you never know if you're just the better player out of your group of friends or actually any good, and I never wanted to find out which size fish in which size pond I was. But this weekend is all about fun and I am excited.
So while you're running your errands this week, don't forget there's a comic shop somewhere near you and they're looking to help you get your geek on. This week there's all kinds of cool stuff out, worth mentioning from DC comics is Titans #36, which is listed as the series finale. The Titans are essentially a team of the original sidekicks of all the superheroes the first Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, etc. and they've been a group in the DC universe since their inception in 1980. There's usually been some version of this team around in the DC Universe forever, but comics can be complicated and now the guys who started this team are adults themselves, so are they still sidekicks if everyone moved on or are they the B-Team? Journey Into Mystery #1 from Marvel comics is a really cool looking book, it ties into War of the Realms which is a big event going on at Marvel where the other realms from the Thor movie are invading Earth and Asgard, essentially it's a very large war and in Journey into Mystery an eclectic mix of young heroes have been gathered to protect someone who may or may not be, Thor's little sister. Say what? Faithless #1 from Boom Studios is interesting, because it's listed as an erotica comic which means it's going to have some sex in it, graphic sex, but it's about a girl who is bored with her normal life and tampering with black arts in a way that she doesn't really grasp the scope of, so it's an interesting premise, it's got a big time comic writer on and it's a smaller publisher and usually the big time comic writers don't go into this category of book and the smaller publishers don't deviate from their usual style of books so this is a huge deviation for all involved and I'm intrigued as much by that.
So this weekend the thing everyone is probably holding their breath for is obviously the return of Game of Thrones. This is an amazing television series and full props go to HBO and their guys for creating an amazing product that has just been fascinating to watch. Perhaps just as fascinating though is the story of the little book that could, George R.R. Martin when he first pitched this book to publishers was convinced it was a trilogy, and the publisher loved it but thought they would do 5,000 copies of the hardcover and maybe 50,000 copies of the paperback over time. Think about that; they didn't think this thing was the monster it would become. It actually even debuted worse than that though and wasn't even on pace for those numbers and there's even a story of people leaving a book signing when he showed up for it, so it wasn't a great start for this series, but word of mouth spread and eventually the first book caught some heat and fast forward a little over 15 years and a television show debuts on HBO, now here we are on the verge of finding out who will sit on the Iron Throne, and we're all holding our breath and after 70 million copies in 40 languages, the world wants to know how it will end.
All right so we're going to focus on something really cool today, a kickstarter called Critical Core. The reason this one is interesting is because it's table top roleplaying game designed to help kids on the Autism Spectrum. Tabletop gaming is a social event, building friendships and having a great night usually a couple of hours playing a game and enjoying yourself and having a whole night of it. Social norms are on of the things that people with Autism sometimes struggle with obviously, being able to do whatever one else does in a social setting isn't usually in the wheelhouse of someone diagnosed with Autism which is what makes this game so cool. This is also designed to be built integrated into a dungeons and dragons game as well, so once someone has gotten used to it and can navigate it, then they have an opportunity to work and play with other people and get those chances at normal behaviors that sometimes has eluded them. I think that's a cause worth supporting, don't you?
This week we're celebrating a milestone in the House of Cory. I sold my first fiction piece to a private party. Writing has long been something I've pursued and it's gotten me here in a freelance capacity and it continues to open many doors for me and it will continue to do so. Being on the radio for Nerd Thug Radio is so much fun getting to work with my cousin and my little brother and we are essentially a band in how we operate our show, but there's nothing like achieving something that for 35 years you've wanted to do but were never sure you'd get the opportunity to do. So anyway I just wanted to have this moment to victory lap, so to speak, thank you for reading my blog and I'll continue kicking butt for you guys!
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great weekend 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.
After falling in the divisional round of the playoffs for the second straight season, quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans believe they’re “really close” to taking the next step and making their first AFC championship game.
The question is what they’ll need to do to get to that level.
For Stroud it will be leaning on a mindset he’s had since his days at Ohio State.
“From Day 1 of the offseason program there has to be a standard set, and that standard has to be … I’m not going to be the one to mess this thing up. Like I’m going to be the one to make this team win the game,” he said. “If that’s Week 1 all the way to the AFC championship. That standard from training camp has to be the standard. I feel like that’s what it needs to be for us to get over that hump.”
The Texans lost 23-14 to the Chiefs on Saturday, their sixth loss in the divisional round and second at Kansas City.
Coach DeMeco Ryans, who has had an 11-8 record in both of his first two years in Houston, said eliminating mistakes should be his team's No. 1 goal.
“The teams that are still standing are teams that don’t shoot themselves in the foot,” he said. “They put themselves in good positions to play complementary football and they do it well. That’s why you’re at the end. So, if we want to be there, we just got to do our jobs and do it on a consistent basis.”
Stroud threw for 245 yards but was hurried and harassed all day in a game where he was sacked eight times. Ka’imi Fairbairn missed a 55-yard field-goal attempt, an extra point and had another field-goal attempt blocked with less than two minutes left, which would have kept Houston’s comeback hopes alive by making it a one-possession game.
The Texans won the AFC South for a second straight season and soundly beat the Chargers at home to advance to play the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
Defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who has paired with Stroud to help turn around this franchise over the past two seasons, believes Houston has the pieces in place to contend for a title despite another early exit.
“We’re right there,” he said. “I don’t care what nobody says, this is a fantastic team. We’ve got our quarterback. We’ve got everything we need. We’ve just got to keep stacking and keep persevering.”
The Texans could need to add a receiver this offseason with Stefon Diggs becoming an unrestricted free agent and Tank Dell recovering from another serious leg injury.
Diggs had 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games this season after a blockbuster trade from Buffalo before a season-ending knee injury.
Stroud has said he’d like to have Diggs back next season, but it’s too early to tell if the Texans will pursue re-signing the 31-year-old.
Dell faces a long recovery after tearing his ACL and dislocating his knee in a loss to Kansas City in December. This injury comes after Dell fractured his fibula in Week 13 against the Broncos in the 2023 season.
Dell was Houston's second-leading receiver behind Nico Collins with 667 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Ryans was asked if Dell's most recent injury could keep him out next season.
“We will continue to assess Tank and see where he ends up,” Ryans said. “It is too early right now to put a timeline on it. We will just give him time to heal and progress, see how the rehab goes.”
Houston’s secondary was a strength of the team this season with the stellar performance of Derek Stingley and the emergence of rookies Calen Bullock and Kamari Lassiter.
Stingley, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, shook off two injury-filled seasons to earn first-team AP All-Pro honors. The cornerback ranked second in the NFL in the regular season with 18 passes defensed and grabbed two interceptions in Houston’s wild-card playoff win.
Lassiter, a second-round pick from Georgia, started 14 games and had three interceptions in the regular season and had another pick against the Chargers. Bullock, taken in the third round from Southern California, also had five interceptions in the regular season to tie Stingley for the team lead.
“We’ve got one of the best secondaries in this league and a very young and talented secondary also,” Bullock said. “So, it’s pretty scary for what we’ve got in the future, especially with the plays we made this year.”
The Texans will look to improve their offensive line this offseason after they allowed 54 sacks in the regular season and 12 more in the postseason.
“In the playoffs, you’ve got to win your one-on-one battles. That’s what the game always comes down to,” Ryans said. “You have to have some pride in who you’re blocking, to get it done and give the quarterback a chance to throw the football.”