NERDS AROUND TOWN
The nerd report: Comics, sports betting, Nerd radio and more
Apr 26, 2019, 5:56 am
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!
Hey guys it's been another great week, and now we've made it to one of the biggest nerd weekends in recent memory. This Sunday the battle between the living and the dead happens on HBO, Avengers Endgame debuts this weekend, Houston Outlaws actually play in Texas this weekend in Dallas on Saturday and the NFL Draft is this whole weekend. Pick your poison.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
This weekend have a good weekend, volunteer a little time this weekend helping out the elderly or hanging out with some sick kids or helping an animal shelter. I don't know, just find a way to actually add something back to this great thing we call life. Next week I'll make it easy for all of us again and point people in the direction of a cause. Also, I started using a new hashtag to try and rally people to causes, #NerdsUnite.
WHILE YOU'RE OUT
Check out your local comic shop, there's all sorts of cool stuff to get into and check out. Avengers #18 is part of Marvel's line wide War of the Realms, and is a cool reintroduction of The Squadron Supreme. They are essentially a team of Justice League knock offs for the Marvel Universe, each publisher has their own version, but here as of late they've tried to expand and include The Squadron Supreme in the Marvel universe and this is just the latest attempt. Punk Mambo #1 is a new series from Valiant and it looks really cool, it's a punk rock female version of Constantine kind of, is the vibe it gives off. The Valiant universe has been making a comeback as of late and this is just the latest step, check it out. Wonder Woman #69 continues Wonder Woman's promise to help Aphrodite find her son, the writer on this is one of my favorites and if you aren't reading Wonder Woman, why not?
THIS IS LEGAL RIGHT?
While I was watching the draft, a buddy of mine mentioned that the Raiders are moving to Vegas, and that got me thinking the NHL is already in Vegas and the NBA has an official sponsorship with a casino. The NFL has a business relationship with either Draftkings or one of those fantasy football gambling apps, so literally is this allowed now? Betting on sports is a billion dollar industry and the best sportsbooks make crazy money from this thing. Somehow we went from Pete Rose being banned from baseball to now you can actually bet anytime you want even during the games. This is starting to get a little surreal to me. Some states have totally allowed sports betting and some states are still making it illegal, it all comes back to me like, if all of this is going on, when are we getting a casino?
WHO ME?
This weekend I actually will be pretty busy, Nerd Thug Radio is booked to be out at Sportify. So for sure I'll be out there Saturday, Saturday is also the last part of the draft and there's an Outlaw's match so I mean, I'm going to find some things to get up to all day no matter what. Based on how it goes we'll either hang out Sunday as well or we won't. If we don't we'll find something fun to get into Sunday and maybe hangout at The Adventure Begins out in Conroe, we keep saying we're going to get out there more and we just haven't had time. Maybe this is the weekend.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
So I LOVE the draft. I just do, it's fantastic to see how organizations show their thinking by the moves they make. You can kind of see if they're "desperate" or "happy" right now with their roster if they trade up or trade back, New England somehow trades back every year it seems and still takes great guys and obviously builds a top level roster so it was a little odd to actually see them make a pick but it might have been because Atlanta traded into the Rams spot right in front of them so they had trouble finding someone looking for their spot. I don't understand The Cardinals move yet of drafting Kyler Murray but I'm trying to wait and see what they do with the quarterback they already have. We will see, but this is why I love the draft.
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 $.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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Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals what he values most at scouting combine
Feb 28, 2025, 3:51 pm
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. 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. Click here to catch!
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